Bike Ride 27

David: This is a pretty short bike ride, containing three finds. While short and sweet, you'll see a good mix of everything, from an American land yacht, to an obscure Japanese sports car, to a popular piece of European engineering. 

Above: 1970 Cadillac DeVille Revisited

We last saw the this 1970 Caddy last spring, during Bike Ride 14 . However, this was parked in a driveway, so access to entire car was rather difficult. Luckily, it was parked out on the street for better visibility. I was always displeased that I was unable to photograph the entire car, as this is an example of a car from the golden years of Cadillac. 

While Cadillacs today have began to press more into the sports sedan market with the CT-5, the Cadillacs of yesteryear were a sign that you were doing well in life. In other words, you had it made. A Cadillac had its own line of engines, distinguishing them from the other standard engines in the GM line up. A Cadillac was also much larger, comfier, and made to appear better than any car in the GM fleet, essentially making a Cadillac its own class and brand. However, once the 1970s rolled around, we all know what happened. Cadillac downsized, and the age of huge land yachts as a status symbol rolling around city streets started to lose itself to the past as smaller Cadillacs like the Seville and Cimarron became the new models following the conclusion of the 1970s and the start of the 1980s. 

You could argue that, while Cadillac has made itself known again in the sports sedan market, competing with Jaguar and BMW, their SUV lineup with the Escalade is the spiritual successor to the Cadillacs of the past. SUVs and trucks are the new big cars these days, and its strange to think of them as the new land yachts because, well, trucks were always bigger vehicles than cars. But, these are luxury, comfort oriented vehicles more so than they are utility vehicles. One thing about Americans is that they love luxury and big things, so with the chicken tax loop hole discovered by automakers back in the 1970s downsizing era, automakers found a way to continue selling those big vehicles to the consumer base they knew oh so well. The land yachts never disappeared, they evolved.

Above: 1989 Nissan Pulsar NX

It's an MR-2! No wait, it's a Prelude! No wait, it's a Nissan? What on earth is the Nissan Pulsar? The Nissan Pulsar is a forgotten classic from the era of small Japanese sports cars from the 1980s. It was produced from 1983 to 1990 over the course of two generations. Ultimately, the reason why the Pulsar failed was because it was a very deceiving car. This looks like an entry sports car, similar to the MR-2 Mk. I and first generation Prelude. It has a streamlined front end with pop up headlights, two door body style, and rad '80s tail lights. So, where did this go wrong? 

For a car that would theoretically seem to be a great seller in the 1980s small sports car market, the Pulsar found itself in the shadow of the mentioned icons of the '80s. Still, the Pulsar found its way to the roads, as it offered a bit more than the average car. While the engine options weren't stellar, with a 1.6 or 1.8 L I4 peaking at 96 and 103 HP respectively, the car was lightweight and and proved to be a fun, zippy little car great for urban use. What made the Pulsar so appealing to buyers was its versatility. The Pulsar's biggest selling point was its removable rear trunk that could be left off for a pickup truck or Ute-esque appearance. The trunk could also be replaced with the "Sportback" to give the car a wagon or shooting brake appearance. 

So with that all in mind, how did this fail? Well, it seemed to be that the strangely disproportionate design is what held the Pulsar back from reaching its potential. The Pulsar was based on the Sentra, which wasn't particularly known for being a stand out car. The Sentra was a generic car that was cheap, and the Pulsar, while toting a bit more swagger, still gave the appearance of a Sentra, which is what a lot of critics view the downfall of the Pulsar as. However, for a cheap, fun alternative to the rising prices of popular '80s Japanese sports cars, the Pulsar is a great option. It was available with a five speed manual transmission, and it will get second glances at stop lights. Its a strange car from the '80s that's been lost to time, so maybe it's time for the Pulsar to be revived and brought to its potential that it deserved.

Above: Pulsar Point of View

I had seen this car driving around town occasionally before photographing it here. I was always curious about what it was, and always had the intention of photographing it, but the car was always driving and never parked, up until this point. Truthfully, the design is fairly capturing, although I can see why these wouldn't be too appealing to the average person. It does look a bit awkward. For one, the middle section behind the B-Pillar looks really disproportional with that tiny passenger window. Speaking of disproportional aspects, I think the biggest elephant in the room is the front end, that looks like it belongs on a larger car instead of this. It was loosely based on the Sentra, so that adds to that aspect. I think Nissan could have tidied it up a bit though. The Pulsar was one of the first cars to integrate computer-aided techniques into its design, so this could have led to it peculiar styling. I know there's probably a collector's niche for these out there somewhere, but I was really glad to finally photograph this obscure piece of '80s Japanese sports car history. I hope the owner continues to drive this car. 

Above: 1988 VW Golf Cabriolet Mk. I

Another Golf Cabriolet spotted in Providence! This one would make the fourth I've officially spotted around town, as for some reason, that's where they're most popular, along with the Volvo 240. Although, I think of two great reasons for why that is. The first, and the more shallow of the two, is that they attract the average hipster wanting an older car. For one, they're reliable and cheap, like a Volvo 240. Volkswagen made plenty of them, so parts are easy to come by. The latter of the two is the more practical reason; they're very tiny zippy cars that can fit into tight parking spots with ease, very much unlike a Volvo 240. Until next time, Volkswagen!