Early Summer Car Spotting

6/24/22 to 7/5/22

Summer time and the livin's easy

6/24/2022 - Classic MG Roadster (David)

This could be an MG T-Type. We'll need some help with this one...

6/28/2022- 1969 Mercury Cougar Convertible (Sam)

This was spotted on my way to the Newport Jazz Festival. It looked to be receiving some work at a shop. Other than the tweaked rear bumper and primered decklid, this car looks to be in good shape.

6/28/2022 - Restored Vietnam War Era Jeep M-725 Ambulance (David)

Both this and the next truck were spotted at a repair shop in Connecticut. This Jeep is an M725 ambulance from the Vietnam War. These were developed from the Jeep SJ series while Jeep was still owned by Kaiser. When Kaiser went under, AMC bought the rights to Jeep. I hope to document a Kaiser car one day, as they met a similar demise like most US independent auto makers.

6/28/2022 - A Rusty 1950 GMC 300 Dump Truck (David)

This GMC, on the other hand, has seen better days. Hopefully, like the Jeep, it'll get a nice restoration. I'd love to see this as a nice patina project, as the rust contrasting with the green paint looks great.

6/30/2022 - Volvo 240 Sedan (David)

This was spotted on break at work. I had to take the picture from the window, hence the glare. This could be the same 240 I spotted at work back in 2020, but I'm unsure if that is the case or not.

7/2/2022 - 1974 Ford F-100 Pickup on Rt. 78 in Westerly, RI (David)

Here's a nice example of a classic Ford F-Series. Over the summer, I helped out with a wedding band transporting gear, as well setting up sound and lighting. There was a gig in Westerly, and on my way down, I spotted this old pickup at a stoplight. It's in great shape for its age, showing slight rust, but no signs of slowing down.

7/2/2022 - GMC 7000 Series Dump Truck in Westerly, RI (David)

At the gig, there was a satellite lot in which we had to park our cars. This old GMC dump truck was parked amidst two piles of dirt, and I think it had been for a while.

Above: (7/5/2022) - 1980 Ford Fairmont Futura Daily Driver (David)

We've reached peak MALAISE! I was walking out of work one rainy afternoon, when I spotted a boxy green vehicle off in the distance. When I got closer, I noticed the mismatched rims and fading clear coat. This is a 1980 Ford Fairmont Futura, and its seen some things. I know about the Fairmont, but I had never seen this car before, and to be honest, I had no idea what I was looking at. The "Buick" on the trunk lid kind of confused me, as I knew this was not a GM product. But yes, this Fairmont Futura, and this was one of Ford's most forgettable cars of all time. To understand why malaise era American cars were such a dark period in automotive history, you have to understand that Ford marketed this as a sports car. However, I bet that the idea of a sports car is the last thing that comes to mind when looking at this. When you see a malaise era car in 2022, its either in amazing condition or its been worn out. This is the latter. However, despite the dark history this holds in its past, this is still on the road, and to some extent, being cared for, which is how I eventually came to see this car. This car, even in its rough state, is still driving, and to me that's impressive.

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