Late Summer Cars '23

Part one of the late summer (August through September) finds. This section covers the August finds. 

Above: (8/12/23) - 1989 Volvo 240 DL Estate 5MT (David)

This might be the most beat up 240 I've spotted to date, and the 240's presence on ONEC has certainly been at large this summer. The faded yellow headlights, missing trim moldings, and mismatched door are all signs that this 240 did its job of reliably transporting its owner, and it still finds itself in the same position 34 years later.

This 240 is not a native to Rhode Island, despite what the plates may depict. When I was looking for parts for my own 240, I remember this 240 popping up on Craigslist several times. The mismatched door was a pretty distinctive attribute that made it stick out from the other cars. It was located in Brooklyn, New York, and despite its poorly outward appearance, the owner said it ran well as an old Volvo should. 

The car first appeared on Craigslist around late June, then would sporadically be taken down and reposted within the weeks. Then it disappeared completely, and I genuinely wondered what happened to the car. As my luck would have it, I found myself on a late night walk with my friend, and behold, the Brooklyn 240 appeared on a side street in Downtown Providence. The saying is true, it is a small world after all. 

Above: (8/17/23) - 1961 Buick Special (David)

The Buick Special has a rather unusual history during its almost 60 year tenure with GM. The Buick Special's life would span from a full size offering, to Buick's entry level model offering, to a wartime hiatus, back to the entry level offering, to another hiatus, then to a compact offering, to yet another hiatus, then to becoming just a trim level of Buick's 1990s offering that stuck around for just as long as the special, the Century. While this Special is a glimpse into its compact car era, we'll still give an overview of the Special itself before focusing on this specific car. 

The Buick Special was first introduced as the Buick Series 40 in 1930 as a full size offering. It disappeared in favor of other GM products, but reappeared again in 1934 as the lowest priced full size model. The Special's design was updated in 1936 and would see production until 1941, where it would cease in favor of wartime efforts, returning as the same car in 1946 until 1949. 1949 marked the beginning of chrome and fins, and the Special would follow most cars based on the GM B-Platform of that time. It took a break in 1958, reappearing in 1961 as a compact offering, seen here. It would be produced as a compact throughout multiple generations until 1969. The Special reappeared again as a trim level, instead of its own model, again in 1975, as the lowest trim option for the Buick Century. The Special would remain the lowest trim level of the Century until 1996. 

Let's return back to 1961 for the third re-introduction of the Special. For the first time, it was offered as a compact car, which had become a huge deal for American auto makers, following the introduction of the AMC Rambler and Ford Falcon in the very late 1950s. I discuss the rise of American compacts in more detail in the 1964 AMC Rambler entry from Mid Winter Finds '23. Anyways, the Buick Special found moderate success as a new compact offering. While affordable, the Special came with options, such as an automatic transmission and power steering, which was considered luxurious for the early 1960s. During this time, the Skylark nameplate debuted as the highest trim level of the Special, becoming its own model in 1962. The Special was praised by automotive critics for its efficiency and power from its smaller V6 engine, and by the end of its first generation in 1963, Buick had sold over 153,000 units. 

Above: (8/17/23) - The Buick Inside and Out (David)

I wouldn't question if the patina on this car is real. A look at the exterior and interior show that this car has been driven and then some. The only thing clean about it are the aftermarket rims, which I'm personally not the biggest fan of, but given that this is a '60s GM product out in the wild, I don't really have the right to complain here. I'm not sure if the owner intends on cleaning this up or leaving it as is. Maybe like Sam, they're in the process of restoring it, and this is the state of the car at this given moment. Who knows, maybe I'll see it again in a few years and it'll be in better shape. Or maybe this is the final form of this Buick Special. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 

Above: (8/24/23) - Custom 1960 Chevy Apache (David)

Although heavily modified, this is a 1960 Chevy Apache truck in all its beauty. I have to say, I'm very impressed with the bed cover, which appears to be homemade from a boat, or at the very least inspired by a boat. The license plate is pretty clever as well, and I too would want to keep something like this if I had invested a lot of myself into making a dream car come true. Of course, that's a story for another time.

Above: (8/24/23) - 1985 Volvo 244 DL (David)

Another 240, but this time I think I've run out of things to discuss regarding this infamous car. I wouldn't be surprised if you're tired of seeing and reading about them either! I can't help it though, bias to Swedish cars aside, I'm drawn to minimalism and all its basic forms. Cars today have many angular body panels, sharp taillights, or round edges that can be overwhelming and distracting from the car itself. They denote an aggressive tone from their design with their "angry headlights" and large, gaping grilles. The 240 perfectly exemplifies how beautiful minimalism can be, which I believe something to be overlooked when people think of these.  

I'm hoping someday, with the resurgence in neo-retro designs and the return of classic model names, such as the Ford Bronco, car designers will step away from computer designed vehicles and develop a car with a minimalist approach. Yes, the angular body panels, angry headlights, and large grilles defined the car design trends of the late 2010s and early 2020s, but I guarantee in five or ten years, these designs will look outdated and obsolete, and to be fair, some already are. One could argue that these aggressive, specific designs that were just described could be a product of the rapid planned obsolescence trend which also arose in the 2010s, but that would be a discussion for an economics class, and this is a car blog!

Above: (8/24/23) - Volvo Close Ups (David)

This is one of the nicest 240s I've seen. There's something to be said about the light metallic blue paint matched with the poverty spec steel rim covers. Going back to the discussion on minimalism, this is a prime example of how minimalism works over most car designs. This is also why the 240 aged well, as well as many other minimalist cars from the 1980s, such as the Mercedes Benz W123 and BMW E30. 

Above: (8/28/23) - 1992 Saab 900 Turbo Convertible Revisited (David)

Two Swedes in a row! This classic Saab 900 visited my house when I was in the process of selling my 240, something you can read about in The Volvo Journals. Anyways, this 900 convertible was originally spotted around a year ago on Bike Ride 16, however the photo captured was pretty poor and was obscured by a Mazda minivan parked behind it. You can view the original entry, but it's not my best work, and I even acknowledge that in the entry itself. 

Funnily enough, before the launch of the ONEC blog, I had previously visited the owner of this 900's house, as I was interested in buying a Saab 9-5 wagon he was selling. This was back in December of 2020, so three years later, we didn't recognize each other when he came to check out my 240. I recognized this Saab as potentially being the car I photographed last summer, and when he told me he lived in the neighborhood I visited the 9-5 in, I knew it was the same guy and the same car. The Rhode Island Swedish car community is pretty small, but tightly knit!

Above: (8/28/23) - The Saab 900: Inside and Out (David)

This 900 is in very good shape, is mostly stock, but with the addition of Saab "Aero" rims and some rad yellow-tinted fog lights. The rims may be stock, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were swapped over from a Saab 9000 Aero, in which those rims were stock. It has some chips and dings in the paint, and interior shows use of 154,000 miles of love and care. This is no show car, but it's a great 20 footer. One aspect of a Saab back in the 1980s was to be driven and maintained well, and the car would give back to you miles of driving and fun. This Saab doesn't need to be perfect, because if it was, its owner probably wouldn't drive it as much, and what fun is a car that you can't drive?

Above: (8/29/23) - 1991 Dodge Ram D-250 Cummins Turbo Diesel (David)

This is the last of the Dodge D-Series Ram pickups, before the modern Dodge Ram we would come to know in 1994. This would be the third generation as well, which lasted from 1972 to 1993 with minimal cosmetic changes. For over 20 years, the Dodge Ram would live in the shadow of the Chevy C-10 and Ford F-Series pickups, but have arguably aged better due to the galvanized steal used to prevent rust and rot, something very important for Northeast buyers. We're looking at you, Squarebody enthusiasts!

Specifically to this truck, this is a Cummins Turbo Diesel, making it slightly more rare than the common Dodge Ram pickup of its time. While diesel powered Dodge trucks dated back as early as 1978, the Cummins turbo diesel option wouldn't become available until 1989. This truck is powered by the Cummins B-Series inline six 5.9L diesel engine, making around 160 horsepower and 400 foot pounds of torque. 

Above: (8/30/23) - 1972 Lincoln Continental Mk. IV (Sam)

This was spotted during a drive out to Cape Cod.  Old land yachts like this, with their square, squat rooflines and large proportions, are easy to spot in modern traffic, and I picked up on this one when it was about a quarter mile ahead.  Gradually approaching the car, I took some pictures of it before it exited the highway and was gone.  

Above: (8/31/23) - 1960 Ford Thunderbird (Sam)

If one burgundy FoMoCo product wasn't enough, here's another one!  This one is also sporting an antique Rhode Island plate, so I wonder if it truly is a New England car or if the owner added it to be period-correct.  One thing that's not quite period are the hubcaps, but I think they suit the car well.  This car was spotted on I-95 in Providence and kept pace with us for a bit before flying off in a different direction.