Bike Ride 15

David: Our first bike ride for this summer. This ride had its share of great cars, all of which have never been seen before. Although not as lengthy as some previous rides, I still promise you a great haul of cars ranging from 1960s icons to some forgotten gems from the 1980s. For this ride, I did the full Warwick to Providence route, as the weather was super nice out today and perfect for a nice ride. 

Above: Remains of a 1963 Chrysler Newport 

This was found resting in a truck yard, and I must've passed by it millions of times without even noticing it. Despite the mismatched panels, this old Chrysler looks to be savable. It appears that the important trim pieces are there, so hopefully the owner of the yard will eventually restore it someday. I'm still surprised I've never noticed this parked here.

This Chrysler can be seen again in the Winter Break Finds 2022-23 collection. 

Above: Shot of a Vacant Lot in Providence

Left to right: 1980 Fiat 131 Sedan (Brown; Pic 2), a 1990s Dodge Dakota (Black), and another Fiat 131 Coupe (Yellow; Far Back)

Above: Returning to an "Early Days" Era Garage

Left to Right: 1970 Oldsmobile Delta 88 (Blue; Pic 1), Olds Cutlass Supreme (Brown; Pic 2), and a 1979 Toyota Celica Supra Liftback (Light Blue; Pic 2)

We return to a garage visited in Bike Ride 2, if you can recall. Here we have a few more Oldsmobiles and a Toyota. The first picture shows a '70 Delta 88 on some large rims. Because I rarely ever see a Delta 88, I like the car, but I've never came to terms with donked out cars, that being said, this isn't the worst I've seen.

In the second picture, we have a mid '80s Olds Cutlass Supreme coupe and a rare 1979 Toyota Celica Supra liftback. Part of the Delta 88's rear end can also be seen here.The Celica Supra, on the other hand, is a bit more rare. This is the first generation of the Supra, although it was still being offered as a trim level of the Celica. This is an example of the second generation Celica. The Supra would break off from the Celica line and become its own model in 1986. So seeing a first generation Supra is not a common sight. The other Oldsmobile is a pretty stock Cutlass Supreme in for some maintenance. 

Above: 1961 Chevy Impala Sport Sedan 

A gorgeous example of early 1960s styling and a car that has stood the test of time, this is a 1961 Impala, and this is easily one of the nicest cars I've ever seen. This was parked at Frank's Auto Top, a restoration shop for classic cars. 

This '61 Impala remains yet another example of cars we will never get to see in production ever again. Yes, obviously this is a car that's 60 years old and its been out of production for a few decades, but we will never ever see styling and colors like this ever again. But let's not look at this car that from this perspective. You can choose to view this car one of two ways.  You can look at this Impala as a thing of the past and moan and groan about how today's designs aren't tasteful and elegant at all, or you can celebrate this car's legacy as a great time in automobile history and experience the elegant chrome accents and gorgeous surf green paint as something that defined an era. Maybe in 60 years we'll be looking back at the cars of today as some of the best looking cars when we were younger. Heck, we're already getting nostalgic over some of the BMWs from the early 2000s. An iconic design will only last for as long as people wish to care about them. However, sometimes this may not work in that favor. Take a Packard for example, a car largely forgotten about today, but produced some of the fanciest and best styled cars of the 1950s. Packard was shut down in the late '50s, and because of that, they don't really hold much relevancy in todays car culture, unless you're talking to an enthusiast who knows '50s cars well enough. 

This Impala is glorified and remembered because it stuck around long enough for the people who owned and drove them to pass down the significance of that car to future generations. The Impala's impact on popular culture as well is also something that needs no understatement. Just look at its presence in film and music. Although cars like the Packard and that Toyota Tercel may not remembered as well in the next 60 years, I guarantee that the Impala will be. The Impala is a car that represents the beginning and end of classic American cars, from the fins of the '50s, to the land yachts of the '60s and '70s, then to one of the last body on frame sedans of the '90s. I think its safe to say the Impala earned its reputation as a car to be reminisced over for many generations to come.

Sam: And it's a sport sedan!  I wouldn't hesitate to add this to the collection if I had the opportunity.  I guess I've become partial to these sport sedans since buying one.  A total pain to get the doors to seal properly, but nothing beats the roofline with the windows down.