Bike Ride 29

David: We're so back! In Bike Ride 28, my rear tire got blown out after I ran over a shattered bottle that I hadn't notice until it was too late. That put my bike out of commission for the remaining days of the summer. Fortunately, I found an unused bike in my garage, and with a little TLC, I was off and running - or riding in this case. Bike Ride 29 treks through Cranston, the East Side of Providence, and then through the West End, similar to Bike Ride 28.

Bike Ride 29 is also the first bike ride that took two attempts. The first time I started the ride, a bolt that held the left pedal in place on my new bike fell off at some point, which led the pedal to fall off. Fortunately, I caught the issue early on and I was able to limp home. No cars were found on the first go around. The second attempt was a huge success, as you'll see why below. 

Above: 1968 Chevy Camaro SS Convertible

I guess Christmas came a little early this year. We're start this bike ride off on fire, with the peak of the muscle car age embodied in the 1968 Chevy Camaro SS. Does it get better than this? Bright red paint, rally rims, black stripes, and of course, that mythical SS badge. 

The Chevy Camaro arrived late to the pony car scene, debuting in 1967. Ford and Plymouth had already beat GM to the game three years earlier with the Mustang and the Barracuda, respectively. The Camaro was different. It was aggressive and squat compared to the Ford and Plymouth, with a wider stance and "coke bottle" body styling. It also introduced the world to the GM F-Body platform, which also brought the Pontiac Firebird along with it in 1967. The F-Body would be used until 2002, coincidentally the final year of the Firebird.

1968 was an important year for the Muscle Car era, as well as the Camaro. Overall, 1968 really began the Muscle Car arms race, which peaked in 1970, and the Camaro played a key role in the process. With its introduction a year prior, high performance options, like the SS, RS, and Z-28 brought much needed competition from GM to the pony car scene. The 1968 Camaro Z-28 could reach 142 MPH, and complete the quarter mile in 14.2 seconds. 

Above: Camaro Close Ups

As with any SS car spotted out and about in 2023, the age old question arises: "Is it a true SS car?" The SS badge is like the Nike swoosh to car enthusiasts, perhaps the holy grail of any GM muscle car from the '60s or '70s. So, is this is a true SS Camaro? Well, I think it may have been an RS/SS initially. The RS/SS, with RS standing Rally Sport, Camaros specifically came with the hidden headlights that you see on this car. Standard Camaros or SS models did not.

While SS is still the rarer vehicle, though the Z-28 is the rarest of bunch for the 1968. The RS on its own still accounts for 40,977 units of the total 235,147 Camaros produced for the 1968 model year.

Above: 1995 Mercedes Benz C-230 Kompressor (W202)

We're switching gears to modern classics for this Mercedes Benz W202 C-Class. While it hasn't peaked in appreciation yet, I know this will one day hold the same swagger as its predecessor, the W201 C-Class. Right now, these late '90s Mercedes are awaiting their chance for the spotlight, and in a few years they'll get their chance. I hypothesize these Kompressor models in particular will be desired, much like any high end specification of car, but why is that? Well, let's have deeper dive into the Kompressor marque of Mercedes Benz.

The Kompressor marque is used to specify vehicles equipped with a supercharger. If you see any Mercedes vehicle with this badge on the rear trunk, it most likely is a supercharged model. It first appeared on the W202 cars themselves in 1995, and was used on most high performance Mercedes vehicles, below the AMG marque. The badge disappeared around the mid 2000s, with the last being seen on the 2011

Focusing on the W202, the engine used for the supercharged application wasn't the typical V8 or V6 used for performance oriented Mercedes, instead it was an inline 4, the M111 engine. The car made around 190 horsepower at 5300 RPM, which aren't terrible numbers for a '90s car, especially one equipped with a four cylinder. 

Above: 1993 Toyota HiAce Super Custom 3.0D

Here's another modern classic! A Toyota HiAce Kei Van, suspected to be from 1993. I spotted this van right at the bottom of College Hill, a neighborhood that connects the East Side and the Downtown area together, with Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) being the main points of interest, hence the name, college hill. While continuing my bike ride, I spotted this van again on a different street, Waterman Avenue, this time at the top of College Hill. 

This Toyota HiAce is an example of a fourth generation model during its second facelift. The fourth generation was the longest lasting generation of the Hi Ace, in production from 1989 to 2004. During this time, it saw three facelift redesigns, with the first in 1993, the second in 1997, and the final in 2002. Most HiAce models were used for practical use, such as Taxis, minibuses, or work vans, but the Super Custom was the luxurious passenger option sold with the Grand Cabin package, including pilot seats, curtains, and the fancy decal trim noting the "Super Custom" trim package. 

Above: Kei Car Close Ups

This Toyota HiAce looks a little banged up, but it looks like that dent should buff right out! Aside from that, this van was in pretty good condition for its age. You can see the "Super Custom" decal cracking a bit, but again that's pretty normal for a 30 year old vehicle. The interior is in great condition, with what looks to be an aftermarket GPS or Apple Car Play head unit being the only modification. Look at those seat patterns though, I wish car manufacturers made seats this rad today!

Above: 1990 Volvo 740 Estate 5MT

Well its inevitable, of course at some point I'd stumble across an old Volvo wagon from the '80s and '90s. This 740 is no exception, but is a bit more special, being the first manual 740 we've spotted so far! No, it's not an excuse to continue photographing old Volvos, as I'm going to continue until I run out of them!

Above: 1984 Peugeot 505 STI

I was not expecting to find this, which made it even better of a find than it already is! When I first saw it, I only saw the upper rear portion of the car, from the top of the tail lights to the roof, so I thought to myself "Is that a BMW E28 5-Series?" As I drew closer, I realized it was not what I expected.

This is the second Peugeot I've ever seen, the first one being found a little while back in Spring. That entry features a Turbo model, and a historical over view of the 505 family of cars, so check that entry out if you want to read more about them. 

This model is an STI, the top of the line model of the 505, fully loaded, minus the Turbo, and first introduced to the 505 line up in 1982, the same year the wagon body style was introduced. 

Above: Peugeot in Perspective

I likely didn't expect this to be a Peugeot because I never see these. In the previous Peugeot entry, I mentioned how the brand found more success in Europe, but in the US, that wasn't really the case. 

For the red Volkswagen Golf Cabrio in the background, see 2023 Bonus Content. 

Above: 1986 Dodge Ram 150 Royal SE Revisited

Do you remember the second night of September? 

I was on a night out in the city, the lights shining so brightly, 

There was a red and white Dodge glistening in the dark, I photographed next to a park,

Today, on the thirteenth of December,

I return to the truck, 

Perhaps I was in luck.

Above: The Ram, Literally.

It was good to see this truck again. When I photographed it back in September, it was at actually night (like the poem said), and I wasn't too happy with the quality of the pictures I had taken, so I was glad to get another chance at photographing it. Here, you can see just how well kept this truck is, which probably has to do with the fact that this appears to have originated from Washington State, a gold mine for classic cars, along with Oregon. Even the Ram hood ornament is in amazing shape!

Above: 1953 Pontiac Chieftain

Holy moly, a '50s car on ONEC? It's once in a blue moon we find a car this old and in this condition out in the wild, as most '50s era cars we find are usually at car shows, restored to their former glory or hot rodded out. This Pontiac Chieftain is one exception, a true New England survivor, and also a reminder of the early days of Old New England Cars, before the blog! 

Back before the days of the blog, Sam and I would look for American classics of this era. Yes, in the days before I was a Swedish car fanatic, I loved '50s American cars. Sam and I would search for these old American classics while out and about, hoping to find a survivor, such as this Pontiac, and tell each other of our findings. Most times, we came across '70s or '80s malaise era boats, but occasionally, a '50s classic would slip in. 

Cars like this became increasingly difficult to find over the years, so eventually we expanded our search to what you see today, consisting of all sorts of classics. That's not to say that we don't enjoy finding modern classics from later years, as of course we do! In fact, it's allowed us to diversify and expand our knowledge on many different areas and brands of car culture. Of course, the yearning to find a '50s survivor always stuck around, despite our chances dwindling as the years rolled by. It makes seeing a classic like this not only all the more exciting, but also a reminder of where we started and how far we've come. 

Above: A Closer Look at the Chieftain

It sure isn't the cleanest looking car we've found, but heck, it sure is one of the coolest and uncommon cars. 

Above: 1972 Volvo P1800 ES Estate

Ok, ok, I promise this is the last classic Volvo for this bike ride entry, but this one is a bit more special than the 740 wagon I found earlier, and I think a lot of you would agree. Afterall, it's not everyday you see a Volvo P1800 series car, or any pre-brick era Volvo for that matter.

Last on the road since '91, this Volvo P1800 ES Estate has seen better days. This was found close by to the Pontiac, at a small garage off a side street in Providence. Back in 2021, I spotted a beautiful black and gold '79 Firebird at the same shop, which you can check in Early Spring Spotting. The Firebird has since moved on, and in place, was this derelict Volvo.

The Volvo P1800 ES was the final form of the P1800 series, which had been in production since 1961. Introduced in 1972, the P1800 ES was the first and only alternative body style to be offered in the series of cars. Its "Shooting Brake" styling was developed in the early '70s by legendary Volvo designer Jan Wilsgaard, with the help of Italian car designers Sergio Coggiola and Pietro Frua. It was produced in very limited numbers, with only 8,077 leaving the assembly line between 1972 and 1973. 1973 would mark the final year of the P1800 all together, and no sporty Volvo would replace it, until the 242 Turbo in 1978. 

Despite the end of production in 1973, the design of the P1800 continued inspire future Volvo models. Most notably, the P1800 ES's glass liftgate design was carried over into the Volvo C30 in 2007. These cars were the first two door Volvo hatchbacks since the obscure Volvo 480, produced from 1986 to 1995. The 480 was never sold in the US.

Above: 1992 Toyota Corolla (E90)

And last but not least, we conclude this bike ride with a classic Corolla. I'll be honest, I'm getting more and more excited to see these old Toyotas out on the streets. These old Camrys and Corollas used to be very almost everywhere when I was growing up, but now, like most old '80s cars, they've inevitably began to disappear as New England's brutal weather (and horrible road condition!) takes a toll on them. Fortunately, this '92 Corolla has been very well preserved, and continues to see use by its owner. I'll bet it'll keep churning out the miles if its continued to be kept up well!

The Corolla E90 was the sixth and final generation of the boxy Corollas, as in the last of the boxy Corollas before the 1993 E100 Corolla replaced it with a smoothed out futuristic interpretation of the E90. The E90 had been in production since 1987, and was one of the best selling Corollas, selling over 4.5 million examples in North America alone. 

It's important to note that during the production of the E90, GM's "own" Geo Prizm debuted, which was just a badge engineered version of the Corolla. Ironically, the Geo brand was created to compete with the import cars arriving from Japan, like Toyota, but GM was essentially creating competition for themselves by producing their own competition within their own family of cars. But, that is a story for another car.