Mid Summer Cars '23

Amidst those cookouts and beach days, there's plenty of cars to be seen as well!

Above: (7/18/23) - Mazda Bongo Mini Truck (David)

To start the mid summer season off, I took a day trip to Boston as I had the day off from work, and felt like getting out of town. I ventured up to Beacon Hill, a residential part of the city, home to some old buildings and cars as well. 

We start this day trip off with a JDM mini truck. Properly fitting, as this is the perfect work vehicle for a city, in my opinion. I touched upon this subject briefly, with the Honda Acty Street van from a few days ago (See Early Summer '23 for the entry), but here we have the theory put into practice. I feel that these small trucks could've definitely caught on here, especially in urban areas like Boston. I know that US buyers probably wouldn't accept them at the time, as with every revolutionary vehicle that enters the US car market, but maybe for the working class tradesman, we'd see more of these around. 

Above: (7/18/23) - 1990 Chevy G-10 Beauville Revisited (David)

Now, the opposite of the Mazda Bongo, a Chevy Van! If you can recall from about two years ago, I had taken a family vacation over to Boston, and this was one of the cars I found. To refresh your memory, check out Cars of Boston. The photo quality wasn't great, as the photo was taken at night, and my iPhone 8 camera was a potato, but it's pretty visible. At the time of the first documentation of this van, I thought it was a GMC Vandura, but with better visibility and the opportunity to be up close to the van, I can now safely confirm this is a Chevy Beauville. It appears that this traded its set of American Racing Outlaw rims for a set of classic Cragars. I have to say I definitely like the Cragars better. 

Above: (7/18/23) - 1994 BMW 525i Touring Estate (E34) Revisited (David)

Another car seen in the 2021 Cars of Boston entry, this classic BMW E34 Touring Estate was also photographed at night, making visibility pretty sub par. Fortunately, I got the opportunity to photograph this again with some better camera angles and quality. It appears not much has changed on this BMW, compared to the Chevy van from above. If anything, it just changed locations from the last time I saw it. I'm definitely glad the owners of this BMW and the van are keeping their classics around! Both of these are notoriously reliable, and the E34 is regarded as one of the last great BMWs, with the E36, E39, and E38 models.

Above: (7/18/23) - Toyota Land Cruiser (J60) (David)

This was a surprise to see, as you really don't see much of these old Toyota Land Cruisers around much these days. However, like many '80s Japanese vehicles, the Land Cruiser has started to appreciate in value and has begun to rise as a modern classic for enthusiasts. On the flip side, the Land Cruiser is a perfect work vehicle for any person who who wants a reliable daily driver with classic style. 

This Land Cruiser is the J60, or the second generation of the "comfort oriented" models of the Land Cruiser lineage. Technically speaking, the J60 is the fourth overall generation of the Land Cruiser, although the infamous FJ-40 production would overlap between the different generations. 

While a huge step away design wise from the original FJ-40 Land Cruiser, the comfort oriented models were introduced in 1967 with the J50 as refined models designed for civilian use, much like the original Jeep Wagoneers were. However, like the Jeep Wagoneer, the J60 incorporated many features from its ancestor. For example, four wheel drive, high ground clearance, and practical cargo space were some of the most noteworthy. While the SUV was far from becoming a house hold name, the Land Cruiser J50 and 60 were a few of the underdogs that helped bring what would become the modern SUV to reality.

Above: (7/18/23) - Land Cruiser Close Ups (David)

As you can tell, this Land Cruiser has been kept up very well. The paint is essentially flawless, and while the rims appear to be aftermarket, they look really nice on this car. As stated earlier, I don't see these much on the road, so it's always a pleasant moment seeing an old Toyota.

Above: (7/18/23) - 1995 Ford Bronco Eddie Bauer Edition (David)

Perhaps this might be the best license plate ever. Given the historical context and the vehicle, this was hilarious. Otherwise, aside from the license plate, this was a very clean '90s Ford Bronco. 

Above: (7/21/23) - 1978 Mercury Cougar XR-7 (Sam)

This was spotted at our mechanic's shop.  It was in the process of undergoing some maintenance, though I'm not sure what exactly.  While this is peak Malaise Mercury, I took a liking to its car because of its amazing condition.  I'm glad this one's being preserved.  It's also a local Tasca car, so it's even more surprising to see it's survived all these New England winters.  

Above: (7/27/23) - 1972 Ford Mustang Mach 1 (Sam)

Returning to our mechanic's shop to drop off my Corolla after I accidentally blew a hole in the resonator while trying to reattach an exhaust hanger (OOPS!).  When I arrived, this all-original Mach 1 was getting a tuneup.  This car still belongs to its original owner, who has been going to our mechanic, Jay, for most of the time that he's owned the car.  Being from 1972, this was one of the last Mustangs to be made before emissions standards took over and the model was ultimately cancelled before returning as the Mustang II.  

Above: (8/5/23) - 1968 Plymouth Barracuda Formula S (David)

Every so often, I'll come across a car that is so remarkable in appearance, sometimes the pictures don't do it enough justice. This 1968 Barracuda was one of those cars, with its Hawaiian Blue paint and color matched rims, along with its unmistakable appearance, make for one of the nicest cars found this summer. However, while the Barracuda and the 'Cuda have become legends from the muscle car era, starting off, they were largely overshadowed by other pony cars of their time. So, how did the Barracuda secure its place in automotive history? Let's have a look. 

The Plymouth Barracuda was a keystone in kicking off the pony car craze of the 1960s. In fact, while the Mustang is typically regarded as the first pony car, the Barracuda has the Mustang beat by only a few days. The original Barracuda was based on the Plymouth Valiant and debuted on April 1, 1964, 17 days before the Mustang. The Barracuda was stylish car, featuring a front end identical to the Valiant and a fastback with the largest piece of glass ever installed on a production vehicle. However, because the Mustang was promoted so heavily by Ford, the Barracuda performed poorly in sales compared its Ford contemporary. Only 23,000 Barracudas were sold compared to the 126,000 Mustangs sold in 1964. 

By 1967, the Barracuda had split off from the Valiant and featured its own design for the first time. New body styles, including a convertible and coupe (notchback) were new for the 1967 model year. Following in the path of the Dodge Dart, the Barracuda began receiving sportier accommodations, such as larger engine displacements and trim levels. The Formula S, which was introduced in 1965, was the sportier trim option, featuring a "Commando" V8, which was equipped with a four barrel carburetor. The largest engine available was the 440 CI V8, shoved into the tiny Barracuda. For optimal power, the 426 Hemi was also available. 

In 1969, the Formula S trim was renamed the 'Cuda, which would subsequently become what the Barracuda itself would be officially known as following its complete redesign in 1970. 1970 saw the 'Cuda excel as a muscle car, notably with the Hemi 'Cuda and AAR Cuda. Marketed along side the new Dodge Challenger, the two would become legends of the quarter mile and on the street. Unfortunately, fuel emissions and safety standards wrote the end of MOPAR pony car, and following the 1973 fuel crisis, 1974 marked the final year for the 'Cuda and the original Challenger. 

While the Challenger got revived in the 2000s, the Barracuda remained immortalized as a legend from the muscle car era. While the earlier models like this one aren't as collectible as the 1970 and 1971 cars, they still are some of the most recognizable. 

Above: (8/5/23) - The Barracuda: Front and Rear (David)

This Barracuda is probably my top pick for this summer's street parked finds and one of the nicest cars I've ever found. Conveniently, this was found in the same lot and on the same day Sam and I visited the Audrain Auto Museum, which you can check out here: Audrain Auto Museum 2. While this wasn't a piece of the exhibit, it would've fit right in.

Above: (8/8/23) - 1984 VW Rabbit Cabriolet Mk. I Revisited (David)

It's not that common we find orange cars, so do you remember when we first found this car? If not, have a look at Bike Ride 14 to jog your memory. 

It's appropriate to revisit this VW Rabbit again, as only one picture of this car was taken back in 2022, and we've been making an effort to take better quality pictures of the cars we've found within the past year. That also means going back and revisiting some of the cars we found in the past that weren't photographed to the standards of the current ONEC blog. 

Anyways, now that this old VW was out on the street,  I could capture some better angles of the car that I couldn't before. Given that it was a rainy day, the conditions made the orange paint contrast very well with the gloomy weather and foliage in the background. I suppose you could call this a "perfect storm."

In the last entry this car was featured in, we didn't talk too much about the history. Instead, we briefly brushed upon the Golf (or Rabbit) being the replacement for the renowned Beetle. This is very much true, as Volkswagen was already thinking of a replacement for the Beetle as far back as 1953, roughly 17 years before the Beetle would be phased out in favor of the Golf (or Rabbit). However, in a very Volvo 240 way, the Beetle was too popular, and it made no sense for Volkswagen to cancel production if the demand was still high. By the late '70s, the design, despite many cosmetic updates, was very dated, and Volkswagen finally decided it was time to replace the Beetle. 

Volkswagen executed this by introducing the Golf (or Rabbit) five years prior to the Beetle's final year in 1979. In doing so, their consumer base would become familiar enough with the Golf, and once it was time for the Beetle to leave the world, VW fans would gravitate towards the Golf as a compact alternative - and did they ever. Specifically, the Cabriolet models were so popular that they outsold the Beetle Cabriolet by over 50,000 models. We touched upon this detail in this entry on a different Golf Cabriolet. 

When looking at this car today, its hard to see why something like this wouldn't be successful. For a car designed in the 1970s, it looked pretty advanced, with its boxy design and square tail lights. Volkswagen's execution of the design was done very well too. Instead of making a copy of the Beetle, VW decided to take certain elements of what made the Beetle so great, and make it better. What we've been left with is a car that's not only a staple of the 1980s hot hatch scene, but also a car equally as legendary as its predecessor, but in its own special way.