Late Summer Finds '23 Pt. 2

Part 2 of the late summer finds. This section covers the finds from September until the start of fall. 

Above: (9/10/23) - 1989 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser (David)

This Custom Cruiser looks very similar to a very early post on ONEC, back when this site was titled Car Spotting in New England! If you can't remember the specific instance, look back at the Early Summer Cars entry from 2020, and you'll find a similar blue Olds Custom Cruiser parked in a driveway. It's not the best picture, but you can see the car pretty clearly. 

That Oldsmobile was neighbor's car, which occasionally saw use from time to time. He sold it a few months later, along with a 1968 Caprice wagon, which you can see in Late Spring Spotting 2021. However, I'm curious if this is the same Olds that I used to see on my street all those years ago. It would make sense if it was, as these pictures were taken not too far from my house. But, as I examine the car a bit more carefully, I can see the fake wood paneling starting to peel and the possibility of a mismatched front fender. Either the new owner did not take care of this, or it's a different car. What do you think?

Above: (9/13/23) - 1987 Chevy G-20 Van (David)

Here's a pretty lively Chevy Van I found while walking around the East Side of Providence one afternoon. However, this is no ordinary van, it's a mobile bookstore!

This van belongs to the Twenty Stories book store in Providence. Despite the slogan "LA's Mobile Bookstore," the shop is based out of Providence, through this Chevy van and a physical shop located in Fox Point, another area of Providence, close to the East Side. Each month, Twenty Stories selects 20 books for their personally curated booklist, which has been carefully curated by the two owners. The idea behind it is that you'll "never have a bad first date with a book again!" And for the LA aspect, the idea of the mobile bookstore was inspired by the LA Food truck scene, where the owners spent several years living. I think this is a wonderful idea, and gives a lot of character to the mobile book store itself. 

If you'd like to read more about Twenty Stories and what they have to offer, check them out here: https://www.twentystoriesla.com/about. 

Above: (9/14/23) - 1997 Saab 9000 CSE Turbo Revisited (David)

This is another familiar face from campus that was last seen almost two years ago. To have a look back at the original entry, check out URI Campus Cars in Winter 2022, and scroll down a bit, where you'll find this red Saab 9000. At the time of that first entry, this was the second 9000 I had actually seen in person, which was pretty exciting for a fanatical Swedish car enthusiast. 

This Saab was in decent condition back in 2022, but when I saw it in the present day, I could see that it was in dire need of some rust work. A look at that front bumper, and you'll see some serious body rot. I really hope the owner takes the initiative to fix this, as I would hate to see this car go to the scrap yard. I know I really like Saabs, but I think we can all come to agreement that one classic off the road is not a good thing!

Above: (9/14/23) - 1984 Oldsmobile Delta 88 (David)

More classic Oldsmobiles! This was a pretty cool sight to see, as I hardly ever see these old full size GM cars anymore. This is a 1984 Oldsmobile Delta 88, and this is one of the definitive cars of the full size GM line up in the 1980s. While only lasting until 1985 as a true full size car, the Olds 88 family of cars was downsized the following year to the new GM H-platform, where it became a former shell of what it once was. You could say this 88 is the last hurrah of Oldsmobile's glory days in the 1960s and early '70s. 

Above: (9/14/23) - 1995 Buick Century (David)

Today was a really good day for classics on campus, as this is the third I've found so far! While this one isn't as noteworthy as the last two, these old GM A-Bodies are starting to disappear from the streets. They also haven't begun to appreciate yet, so if you're looking for a cheap classic to start out with, maybe consider one of these! While they aren't necessarily the best looking cars of all time, they are relatively plentiful and finding a stock example isn't hard at all. 

Instead of talking about the history of these 1980s GM A-Body cars, lets talk about why these aren't appreciating. I mean, let's face it, these are considered to be "old people's cars," and aren't by any means flashy cars. But then again, there were plenty of lack-luster cars from the 1980s, so these weren't much different. Historically, (and I know I said I wouldn't talk history, but bear with me!) these were also pretty revolutionary for GM as well, being one of the first front wheel drive and fuel efficient mid-size cars that sold well for GM. Yes, the Chevette and Citation were attempts at this, but they never caught on in the way that the A-Body cars did. Anyways, with all that in mind, why doesn't anyone want these?

Well, I think the largest reason is the powertrain. While most were offered with a V6, they were front wheel drive and mostly came with automatic transmissions. For an enthusiast, I can see why that wouldn't be appealing. Because these cars were marketed towards older demographics, they aren't known for their handling performance either. But I don't think these reasons will always hold these old GM cars back from seeing a revival. I think someone needs to "hot rod" one of these, whether it be the Buick Century, Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, or Pontiac 6000, and maybe that will give these cars the attention they deserve. I think any car has the potential to be revived, even if its as boring as this Buick Century or as terrible as a Yugo or as slow as a Volvo 240. There's always some community out there in the depths of car culture that has passion for weird and obscure cars. I'm sure one exists for the 1980s A-bodies, but their time to shine hasn't come yet. I have a feeling in the years to come, we'll see the resurgence, and I think that will be something worth paying attention to. 

So with that all in mind, I think it's a perfect time to pick one of these up. They're not expensive at all, and most were well cared for by their owners. Although some of these have been subjected to the weather elements, some haven't. If you want an old car from the 1980s, go for an A-Body!

Above: (9/15/23) - 1990 Saab 900 Turbo SPG (David)

This is a real deal 900 Turbo SPG. The Saab 900 Turbo SPG is what the SS badge is to Chevy enthusiasts. And like Chevy enthusiasts, some Saab enthusiasts will convert non-SPG 900s to SPG clones. The SPG looks like a typical 900, and to be quite honest, to the untrained eye, most people wouldn't know what they're looking at is a very important piece of 1980s car culture. The only physical signifier of a 900 SPG are the black body panels lining the bottom of the car, but going back to my previous statement about cloned SPGs, it may not be the case all the time. 

The 900 SPG appeared to the world in 1984, in Europe as the 900 Aero and 900 SPG in the US. The name "Aero" was already trademarked in the US, so Saab gave it the SPG name, which stood for Special Performance Group. Aside from the aforementioned black trim pieces along the bottom of the car, the SPG came standard with stiffer springs, suspension, larger sway bars, and the iconic Saab tri-spoke rims, as seen on this car.

What made the SPG exclusive from other 900s was its special feature, known as the Saab APC control. The APC, or Automatic Performance Control, was revolutionary. It was the first ever boost and knock system on a production vehicle introduced in 1982. The APC allowed for higher compression towards the engine to improve fuel economy and performance. It also reduces engine knock by detecting controlling the rate of the boost level and pressure. The APC unit was mounted to the engine block, which allowed to determine the frequencies or vibrations that were produced when engine knock was occurring. The unit would then direct boost pressure to the turbocharger's bypass wastegate to bypass the gases traveling from the exhaust. This effectively lowered the boost pressure to reduce knock, and maximum boost pressure at 4500 RPM.

The SPG would leave the Saab lineup in 1991, when production of the 900 began to wind down for the next generation. Today, it's become one of the most sought after classic Saabs, and has spawned many tribute cars. Tribute cars being replicas of real SPG models. They aren't legitimate SPG cars, merely being a car to look like one. Saab only made 7625 of these in total, making them pretty uncommon to come by. They're around, but they fetch high asking prices. I felt very lucky to have found this one out in the wild in Providence. 

Above: My Top Find of the Year

I don't if I'd be able to find another car that could top this one. Yes, I'm biased towards Saabs and Swedish cars, but this isn't any ordinary 900 Turbo, and I think any car enthusiast could back me up on this one. To me, this is the equivalent of finding, let's say, a real numbers matching Chevy Chevelle SS 454 in Rallye Red. Like the SS 454, the 900 SPG was the top Saab, the one with the power, the looks, and ultimately, the Saab that everyone sought to copy. Seeing a real 900 SPG isn't common. People have converted their regular 900 Turbos, and even non-turbo 900s, into these cars because of how iconic they are to the Saab community, and even European and 1980s car culture as a whole. While it's wonderful to see enthusiasts recreating a legendary piece of Saab and automotive history, it will never compare to the real thing... because the aura of "the real thing" truly cannot be replicated.

Above: (9/20/23) - 1978 Alfa Romeo Alfetta Sport Sedan (David)

Alright, coming off the excitement of the 900 SPG, we have something a bit uncommon and unexpected, a 1978 Alfa Romeo Alfetta Sport Sedan. You may remember a similar Alfa from SC Bike Path Ride 4, the legendary GTV-6, and you may also note that the GTV-6 looks slightly similar to this. You'd be correct in that assumption because they're from the same family of cars. Both of these classic Alfas are part of the Alfetta family of cars, which was produced from 1972 to 1984, with the GTV running the clock out a bit futher into 1987. 

The name Alfetta in Italian translates to "Little Alfa" in English, but the little Alfa was a bit more than little in the automotive world. The Alfetta lineup would set some decent milestones for Alfa Romeo, with aerodynamics, but more importantly, handling and performance. While these cars were designed to be more aerodynamic, as the side profile denotes, the real secret lay in the rear tubular suspension, which  allowed the car to have improved stability, weight and balance. 

The most interesting aspect of the car's design layout was the rear transaxle, something rarely seen in a front engine-rear wheel drive car. Usually a rear transaxle is seen in a rear-engine, rear wheel drive car.  While Alfa was not the first manufacturer to incorporate this design, they were among the first to pioneer it in a mass produced car. Not only was this a milestone in that regard, but the use of the rear transactle in the front engine, RWD setup allowed the Alfetta to have even more improved weight distribution, and especially a great center of balance, now with the transmission and clutch essentially located in the rear to divide the weight up. 

Although this is a slightly modified example, the history is all there. I had no idea how historically significant these cars were upon photographing it at the time, but I'm certainly glad to have learned more about the history of these. 

Above: (9/22/23) - 1993 Saab 900 S Convertible (David)

Another Saab! This time, we have a more traditional 900 convertible in a beautiful forest green with beige interior. It has some aftermarket rims, which I will admit I'm not the biggest fan of, but I'll also say they're not the worst looking aftermarket rims I've seen. While I like custom rims, I think they have to fit the era in which the car is from. In this case, a set of BBS basket weaves would look wonderful! Anyways, I digress...

This 900 has an automatic transmission, which you can see in the picture on the bottom right. The manual versus automatic transmission debate has been one of the largest in the 900 community, with many saying the Borg Warner three speed automatic is the worst thing that happened to the 900, and some saying that it's not as bad as people make it out to be. I for one, have only driven an automatic 900, so I can't truthfully say which is better. But, from my experience driving one, it is pretty sluggish, and I remember the car taking its time to get up to 40 MPH. However, I think anyone is capable of enjoying cars, and what transmission that vehicle may have shouldn't be indicative of whether or not someone is truly getting enjoyment out of their cherished car. 

I always thought the manuals vs. automatic debate was foolish because it's a very exclusionary debate. Some people don't have the means or resources to learn "stick," and are limited to automatics. Some enthusiast vehicles only come with automatics these days as well. While a manual transmission will give you an engaging driving experience, I also believe that anyone can be engaged and in the moment with their car regardless. Have fun, don't let the toxic side of the car community decide what you can and cannot enjoy. Enjoy your car for what it is, and not what it is powered by.

Above: (9/22/23) - 1993 Volvo 940 Estate (David)

Here is a pretty well kept 940 wagon. I initially thought this was a previous car I had spotted back in 2021, which can be seen in Bike Ride 11. One of my neighbors down the street from me had a collection of old Volvos. He had a 122 Amazon sedan and a 940 wagon very similar to the one seen here, both of which can be seen in that same bike ride entry. He currently only has his PV-544, which he has also attempted to sell several times with no luck. However, this was not the 940 I thought it was. It would've made for a great revisiting post though, as I do often wonder what happened to those old Volvos that he sold a few years back.