The Cars of New York 

David: For a quick get away for a few days, I returned back to New York. While I had spent a few weeks in the Bronx last winter for school, I decided to go to a different area. This time, I stayed in Manhattan, close to the lower East Side and Soho. A lot of the finds you'll see were spotted in that vicinity, with the exception of one that was spotted in the Hell's Kitchen area. It was great to be back in the city, and I certainly enjoyed my time there!

Above: 1994 Ford Bronco 

Welcome to Hell's Kitchen, a local area within Manhattan, home to some great restaurants and this '90s Bronco. I'll be honest, in my exploration around Manhattan, I really wasn't having much luck finding old cars, so when I came across this Bronco, I was very pleased. 

We last saw an example of a fifth generation Bronco in the beginning of July, with the hilarious "OJNOT" Bronco in Boston. Here, we have another example, this time a bit more of a road worn survivor. Afterall, these late '90s Ford trucks aren't bad options for a daily work vehicle.  The Ford 5.0L V8 is pretty indestructible, which is no secret.

On a more historical aspect, the fifth generation would mark the final generation for the Bronco, until its return in 2021 as a neo-classically designed version of the first generation Broncos from 1966. The fifth generation didn't bring anything too remarkable to the table to note, but the only reason why Ford decided to discontinue the Bronco was to favor the new Explorer and Expedition SUVs. The late 1990s saw the rapid rise in the SUV market, and a vehicle like the Bronco was more of a truck than an SUV, although some will say it was one of the pioneers in the early SUV, along with the Jeep Wagoneer, Chevy Blazer and other 1970s American vehicles based on truck platforms.

Above: 1991 Dodge Ram Van 350 

Venturing towards the SoHo area of Manhattan, I stumbled upon this (and another) camouflaged classic. What's hiding beneath the paint is a 1991 Dodge Ram van, but why its been painted in this camouflaged color scheme, I can't really say. Maybe when we examine the other camouflaged van below, we may be able to gain a better understanding of this van, but until then, I'll keep it a mystery to keep you curious for what's to come. 

From what I could find about this van, it had a different paint scheme at one point. No, not quite a factory job, but it looked to have been subjected to urban artists at various points of its life. I've included a photo of the van in this state in the link below. 

For an older picture of this Dodge from 2021, check out this Instagram post: Scripthouse Dodge Van circa 2021

Above: 1977 GMC Vandura 35 School Bus

Alright, what's the deal with these beat up, street parked '80s vans. I have an answer, but it appears to lead down a rabbit hole. Obviously, I was very curious about this GMC Vandura school bus and the Dodge van from above, so when I got back from my adventure in New York, I went to research the story behind these Camouflaged vans. I couldn't find anything on the Dodge, but the GMC had more of a story. 

These two vans belong to an organization known as "Scripthouse," hence the name found on the bus where the "School Bus" sign would've gone. I was able to find more information on this bus than I could on Scripthouse itself, so I'm assuming this is some organization that you'd have to be in the loop of to know about. Anyways, back to the bus. This old GMC originally was painted a dark blue color, and was painted over with graffiti sometime in the early 2000s. The earliest picture I could find of it was dated back to a Flickr post from 2008. Between 2008 and 2016, the van was repainted in the Camouflaged color scheme in which I found it. 

On the other hand, Scripthouse appears to be some niche filmmaker's project. There's another Scripthouse organization in Los Angeles, California, but I'm not sure if it's the same thing as the one in New York. I don't want to say too much about what I think Scripthouse could, because I really couldn't find much information about it. I'll continue my research, and maybe I'll find something and update this section. 

Here are some links to some older photos of this bus:

2008: https://www.flickr.com/photos/villes/2886126026

2009: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7455207@N05/3572288183

2015: https://www.instagram.com/p/3HnqufGz46/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Above: 1989 Ford Bronco XLT

Another Bronco, a different generation. This time a fourth generation Bronco, which is very similar to the fifth generation model we saw earlier, except the fourth generation coincides with a different Bronco, the Bronco II. It's often easy to mix these two up, as I did when I was younger. However, the Bronco and the Bronco II are two separate models that existed at the same time. 

The Bronco II was created as a compact option to compliment the Ford Ranger, while the Bronco remained Ford's full size offering for a sport utility, off road oriented vehicle. While the fifth generation would mark the end for the Bronco until 2021, Ford had introduced its replacement furing the production of the fourth generation. In 1991, the final year of the fourth gen Bronco, the Explorer was introduced, and it, along with the Chevy S-10 Blazer became one of the first ever modern SUVs as we know the SUV today. Even though the end was near for the Bronco and vehicles alike, their presence in car culture helped them remain relevant into the modern day to inspire the neo-classic modern editions of their former years.

Above: 1980 Mercedes Benz 280 TE Estate (S123)

Finally, something old and not a utility vehicle or truck. Here we have a very well kept New Yorker, a Mercedes Benz W123 estate car. While these are commonly known for being powered by diesel engines, this 280 TE is powered by a fuel injected 2.3L four cylinder engine, known as the M102 engine by Mercedes Benz. If this were a diesel powered car, the rear badging would've had a "D" next to the 280. Instead it has "TE," which, in German, stands for Tourismus und Transport Einspritzung, translating to "Fuel Injected Station Wagon" in English. 

Above: A Closer Look at the Benz

I was very happy to see this old Mercedes wagon, as seeing an everyday older car on the streets of a city has some aura to it that trumps finding older work trucks or vans. While I'm not complaining or upset about the finds from earlier, I'm putting emphasis on the idea that seeing an older car is more intriguing than a truck or van. Why is that? Well, as we do on ONEC, let's dig deeper into a rabbit hole that was never necessary to go down in the first place! 

Granted this Mercedes Benz is no where close to beater quality. In fact, for a street parked classic in New York, this is in amazing shape, which leads me to believe it may have spent its life elsewhere before New York. Anyways, I feel that the sight of a beater car, or any old car for that matter, on a local city street has a story that adds to the thrill of a place full of life and character. This may appear to be the case given the context of the environment. A city is home to lots of unknowns waiting to be explored and experienced, so the sight of the old car adds a mystery to how that car got here in the first place, and the story behind it and its owner. We also touched upon this aspect in the 1978 Chevy Caprice entry from the first Cars of New York series. 

Perhaps I'm thinking too deeply into this, or adding thought to something that really didn't need an explanation to begin with. However, from a personal point of view, I love urban exploration and the history of almost anything. I'm drawn by the aura of something completely unknown to me, it's almost a thrill. While I'm familiar with the Mercedes Benz W123 series of cars, I'm not familiar with this specific car. Just like meeting someone new or listening to an album for the first time, everything is unexpected. You may know the artist or person's basic details, but what lies within it is the treasure that is worth searching for. This doesn't apply to only this silver Mercedes, but to anything I or maybe you encounter that's worth noticing.

Above: 1991 Honda Accord EX Coupe

Now with a more modern approach, we have something that's ironically in worse shape (cosmetically speaking) than the previous older find. This Honda Accord coupe has certainly been around the block, and rightfully so. You really can't kill an old Honda, so likewise, seeing one out and about as a beater car shouldn't come as a surprise to many. 

We've focused quite a bit on the search for older cars and the stories behind them within the last few entries in this New York series. I'd like to take a step back, and look beyond this Accord, and more towards the cars like it that exist on the roads today. While we often look to the past and focus on the historical or personal aspect a car has, lets focus on the future. I was very surprised to see this Accord. This may seem like a redundant statement, as 99% of the time I see an old car, it's always a surprise. However, these old Accords and cars alike, while very reliable, have began to disappear as the miles upon miles and weather conditions will take a toll and eventually put these old '90s "econoboxes" out of commission. Soon, and to an extent, now, we're witnessing the disappearance of cars from the late '90s and 2000s. Remember the Chevy S-10? Sure you do, but they used to be a dime a dozen back in 2010. How about the seventh gen Toyota Camry from 1997 to 2002? Same thing. We're looking at the future of ONEC. I think in the next coming years, we'll be finding more and more of these mid to late '90s and early 2000s cars make more of an appearance. It's a strange thought seeing all of the cars we knew as common vehicles as kids become sought after cars and rising classics. I'm sure that's the case for many older readers seeing some of the cars from the '70s and '80s. 

This Honda Accord is a fourth generation model, produced from roughly 1990 to 1993. It marks the shift in Honda's history from the boxy '80s designs to the smooth, rounder designs found in the '90s and 2000s. This is a coupe model, which isn't the coveted Prelude, but a slightly uncommon version of the Accord compared to the sedan. 

Above: 1987 Nissan 300ZX (Z31)

The Nissan 300ZX has never been photographed on ONEC before. It's about time it has been. We've been trying to get our hands on one of these '80s Z Cars since the beginning of this blog, but we've truly had no luck. These cars aren't rare, but they're certainly uncommon, as they're modern classics with a collector's market forming behind them. While this 1987 300ZX isn't perfect by any standards, the fact that one has finally made it onto the blog is enough for us. 

The 300ZX was the third version of the Nissan "Z" sports car series since the first 240Z in the 1970s. It began production in 1983, and was a step forward in terms of mechanics and design. The 300ZX featured the first ever Japan-built V6 engine, which produced around 300 horsepower. The design was a leap forward from the 280Z, featuring pop-up headlamps, a Targa top, and an option for a turbocharged engine. The resulting sports car was very well recieved around the world, as Nissan's idea was to produce this car with North American and European markets in mind following the success of the 240 and 280Z cars. The Z31, or first generation of the 300ZX, lasted until 1988, when the completely redesigned (and more desirable) Z32 debuted the following year. However, without the success and advancements from the Z31, there would be no Z32 as we know it today. 

Above: 1995 Volvo 850 GLT

Finally, to conclude the New York series of cars for this summer, we have an older Volvo. While not a 240 or any of the other icons from the '80s era of Volvo, the 850 is reaching the status of those boxy Volvos and rightfully earns its place as a modern classic. 

Personally, I had been searching for an old Volvo or Saab vehicle during this trip, and this was the oldest car I found. An 850 is nothing to laugh at. It's one of the last of the boxy Volvos, before the V and S70 models took over in the early 2000s.