SC Bike Path Ride 4

4/29/22

David: For this ride, I completed the entire bike path, start to finish, and then finish to start. I was pretty happy with my success. It was a lot of miles, but it felt great. I also found a lot of cool cars on this ride that rivals amounts found on previous rides I've done down here. The cars are a good mix of classic American and European cars, and I even threw in an old Grumman LLV Mailtruck for fun. Enjoy!

Above: Survivor VW Superbeetle in Wakefield

What a great way to kickstart our bike ride. We stop off in Wakefield at a European Specialist Garage called Northups. This yellow bug looks to be pretty original, and I love the yellow paint. Nice!

Above: 1995 BMW 525i (E34) 5MT

Around the corner from the Superbeetle was a '90s BMW 5 Series. The E34 is the last BMW to sport the classic BMW front grille styling from the 1980s. These replaced the E28 in 1987 and stayed in production until '96, being replaced by the E39. Notably, the E34 never recieved an update to its design at all, which is most likely why it retained the classic BMW styling into the 1990s. 

Grumman LLV Mailtruck

Because why not. These were a staple of my and any '90s and 2000s kid's childhood, so it rightfully belongs here!

Above: 1963 Mercury Comet Coupe

We arrive at another garage in the Wakefield area. Out front, I noticed the rear end of this survivor '63 Mercury Comet. This looks to be a real barn find rescue, and pretty solid car. As Sam mentioned, the Comet is the cousin to the Ford Falcon, although the Comet was a more upscaled version. I hope this Comet finds its way back to the streets, as its deserving of a second life. 

Above: 1972 Chevy Monte Carlo with a Chevy C-10 Wrecker Beside it

Behind the garage was a service yard, and in it were a few classics as you'll see. First up, we have this pretty sweet '72 Monte Carlo. This is pretty rusty, but it looks to be intentional. I remember the interior was in good shape and as you can see, the wheels are pretty clean. This is either waiting to receive a paint job or it's just in for a tune up. Either way, a classic Monte is one of my favorite muscle cars before the Malaise Era. The first gen Monte had the distinction of having the largest production hood ever put on a Chevy, and was available with the 454 and other Chevy big blocks. Despite this, many argue this isn't really a muscle car, and more of a reminder as to where American cars were headed. It was marketed as a "personal luxury coupe," designed as a fancy but sportier alternative to most GM luxury cars. Technically, this is still a muscle car, and it was developed alongside the Chevelle, also being an A-Body car. I like to think of these as the gentleman's muscle car. 

Next to the Monte was a C-10 Squarebody wrecker that was pretty worse for ware. 

Jeep Grand Wagoneer: The Original SUV

This patina queen is a nice example of one of the last classic Jeep Wagoneers. The original SUV, the Jeep Wagoneer was originally produced under the Kaiser Jeep ownership. When AMC purchased Jeep, they kept these in production, and designated these the SJ-Series. When AMC introduced the XJ series in 1983, which would become the Cherokee when Chrysler purchased Jeep, AMC designated the classic Wagoneer as the Grand Wagoneer, and these were kept in production up until 1991. 

Above: 1966 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible

On the way back, I stopped off at George's to see if he had any new cars in the lot. Sure enough, he had this '66 Eldorado convertible sitting in the lot. It's no understatement that this car is huge, but it's also super wide. I can only imagine what driving one of these must be like, especially today. 

Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV-6 Revisited

We return the Alfa Romeo Alfetta to get a better angle of the car. 

2007 Saab 9-3 60th Anniversary Edition 5MT

Here's a unique Saab 9-3. This is an anniversary model 9-3, built for one year only in 2007. To commemorate Saab's 60th anniversary, these were given the Aero trim package, sporty Saab rims, and some "Saab" embossed seats. However, the standard 2.0L engine was equipped to set it apart from the 9-3 Aero. The most rare examples of these cars are found in Ice Blue. 

Above: 1990 Mercedes Benz 350 SD Turbo (W126) at the Keaney Lot

I'm unsure if this car was left abandoned on campus, but nonetheless it's a classic Mercedes Benz. This has been left in pretty poor shape, with a flat tire, a broken headlamp, and some door damage. It's not a service vehicle, but I hope who ever owns this gets it restored or fixed up. 

Update 9/24/22: When I found the Volvo 242, I noticed that this car had left campus, so maybe it got restored.