Winter Break Finds 2022-23

While we enjoy time off from school, we also enjoy finding "cool" cars during the colder months. By the way, we found an unexpectedly large amount of cars this winter, so this will be our largest general entry collection so far. There are quite a good variety of cars to be seen here, so we hope you enjoy our finds over winter break. Have a happy new year!

Above: (12/21/22) - 2004 Saab 9-5 Aero Sportcombi (David)

Continuing on my walk in Providence, we arrive at a super cool Saab 9-5 Aero. I don't believe I've photographed a 9-5 Aero wagon before, but I was happy that this was the first one I did. This is clearly a driver, but a terrific example of one of the last "true Saabs." I say that in air quotes because while GM did have full ownership at this point, these were still built with Saab parts. The 2004 and '05 9-5 Aeros are distinguishable from most other 9-5s because of the "shark tooth" front bumper, which you can see in the last picture. Distinctive to only this trim level, this front end included a wider front clipper and grille with lower ground clearance for more intake. 

Above: (12/21/22) - Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham d'Elegance (David)

I don't know if I've ever seen one of these Cadillac Fleetwoods this clean before. This Caddy even has its original bumper fillers still intact! I bet most of you reading this can probably picture what comes to mind when you think of a typical '80s Cadillac. Most of them are pretty worn out, have maybe one or two rims missing, and rarely ever have the bumper fillers installed (The rubber trim piece behind the chrome taillight). Obviously, when I saw this I was pretty amazed by its condition. The landau top had no rips, and the paint, while a bit faded, was almost perfect. This truly was an elegant car, no pun intended. 

Above: (12/21/22) - BMW 2002 tii: The Car that Started It All (David)

Forget the E30 for one minute.  This is the BMW model that started it all. Everything we love from the late '70s and onward from BMW is all here thanks to the 2002. The 2002 came to be after the US market demanded a sportier version of the 1600-02 coupe, which was the current two door offering from BMW. However, the high performance twin carbureted engine used in the 1600-TI was only available in Europe, as it wouldn't meet US emission standards. Despite this inconvenience, BMW recognized that the 2.0 liter engine from the 2000 model would pass the regulations, so the change was made to put the two liter engine in the two door car, thus creating the beloved 2002. 

The 2002 series started production in 1968, although much underpowered compared to its American counterparts, the 2002 would make up for it with its amazing handling and suspension. This helped pioneer the sports sedan and also made BMW popular among American racing drivers. In 1973, the 2002 turbo became the first ever European car to be produced with a turbo. This was an amazing feat, but unfortunately came poorly timed, being introduced at the start of the oil crisis. Because of this, only a measly 1000 units were produced in its short, two year run, ending production in '75. 

Although not an instant hit at first, many would come to realize its importance in the years to follow. In many ways, the 2002 helped establish a lot of modern car technology and thinking. Turbocharged sports sedans and tuned handling are key aspects of modern car performance, and we can trace these roots back to the 2002. The 2002 was a modest car in its time, but it left quite a large impression on car culture and design. The BMW 2002 is the father of modern day sports car. 

Above: (12/21/22) - Mercedes Benz 560SL Convertible (C107) (David)

Next to the 2002 was another German classic, this Mercedes Benz 560SL. I should mention that this, the 2002, and the two cars you'll see below were all found at German car specialist shop, located on the East Side of Providence. It was appropriately named German Motors. That should clear up the questions you might have about there being four German cars in a row. Anyways, back to the Benz! 

Although maybe not as iconic in the way that the 2002 was, these SL class cars are iconic because it offers luxury car appointments with a sports car aspect. This distinction is what makes these cars sought after classics and extremely popular today. The C107 SL class cars are also known for their extremely long production run of almost 20 years, being produced from 1971 until 1989. This distinction makes it only second to the G-Class, which has been in production for 43 years. The 560 SL, like the one seen here, was produced from 1986 up until 1989. This may have been receiving maintenance at the shop, but it looks to be a driver based on its appearance.

Above: (12/21/22) - Two VW Golf Cabriolet Mk. I's in Mars Red (David)

These were the last two cars I found at German Motors. Both are the Cabriolet Mk. I, which was produced from 1979 to 1993. I found it interesting that both were finished in a vibrant Mars Red and had similar beige cloth tops. Like the previous two cars mentioned, the Golf Cabriolet holds a few distinctions as well. It was the first open top car to be sold with a roll bar and also became the best selling compact convertible of its time, with over 388,000 units being produced during its 14 year production run. This surpassed the VW Beetle cabriolet's production numbers of roughly 332,000! So, to wrap this German car segment up, these cars all held their own distinctions in their own ways, and are all staples in car history. 

Above: (12/21/22) - Chevy 3100 Panel Van (David)

This was found at the Green Line Apothecary, also located on the East Side. The Green Line Apothecary is a vintage inspired pharmacy that has the unusual quality of having a vintage soda fountain, which serves classic flavors. They also serve milkshakes and other malt classics with locally made ice cream. Although I wasn't visiting for a tasty drink, I was visiting for this classic Chevy van. 

This is either a late 1949 or a 1950 model. I really like how they made an effort to keep it mostly original with some classic era inspired decals. I can tell it has had some modern appointments done to it as you can see. Its clearly been repainted and had some custom rims installed in its past.  I find it really cool that a place like this is keeping things like this van and the soda fountain like this around that represent what a classic pharmacy once was. I'll have to stop in another time for a drink or milkshake, as I'd love to have that classic pharmacy experience. 

Above: (12/27/22) - 1987 BMW 325i (E30) Touring Estate on I-95 (Sam) 

And behind door number two, we have... yet another wagon!  This one's even rarer than the Camry wagon I saw a few hours earlier on the ride.  Like the Camry, it too was in amazing shape.  It looks like the rear door was having a little trouble latching, but other than that, everything else looked brand new.  

Above: (12/27/22) - 1992 Saab 900 Turbo Convertible (David) 

A street parked Saab 900! And it looks to be a daily! As you could probably imagine, I was ecstatic to see this parked on a main street in Boston. Ever since finding the white Saab 900 (seen in Bike Ride 3 from 2020), I've been dying to find another street parked classic 900 by chance. I guess you could say this was my Christmas wish come true. This was spotted in the Fenway Park area, as I was heading towards the Back Bay area of Boston. In the distance, I noticed the front headlights peaking out behind the car in front of it, and immediately knew it was a Saab 900. Filled with Saab excitement, I carefully crossed the street to investigate the car. In the condition this car was in, I could easily tell that this was a daily driver. It's really cool to see someone dailying a 900, as these are super reliable cars and were meant to be driven. It had the 5 speed manual, and all else looked to be pretty solid on the car, aside from the missing gas cap and "900 Turbo" badging on the rear trunk lid. This 900 still has life left, it is a Saab after all. In my future visits to Boston, I hope to see this again, either street parked or wandering the streets. I'm so glad to see this car being driven and cared for. 

If you recall from the Mid-Winter 2022 finds entries, there was a clean orange MGB roadster in this same area. That car was still there and appeared to be in the same shape we last saw it. It's truly great to see these old classics being cared for and driven. 

Above: (12/27/22) - 1990 Toyota Corolla 5MT (David)

This car had parked next to my family's in a parking garage. It's a sixth gen Corolla (E90), and is definitely a rarer sight these days. This example is the base model, and appeared to be pretty stock, aside from some custom rims. 

Above: (1/1/23) - Greg's 1971 Ford Thunderbird (David)

This classic T-Bird was found right down the street from my house. I was starting a quick bike ride, when I noticed the distinct turquois blue paint and chrome rims in the distance. Wanting to investigate, I rode over to the car, where I met Greg, the owner, who was checking out a damaged piston ring his mechanic had diagnosed the car with. Greg was a very friendly guy, and told me a lot about the car's history. 

Originally, this was a Florida car, but moved up north, where Greg purchased the car off the previous owner in Virginia. The seller had wanted to make it a race car, but apparently lost interest in the car, and sold it to Greg on the promise that he would keep it original. The car already had an original 429 CI engine, so the previous owner had put the custom rims, and a 2 inch exhaust on it, to make it a bit louder. Aside from the rims and exhaust, everything else on the car is original, although Greg hypothesizes that it may have had a repaint earlier in its life. Despite the cracked piston ring, he wants to keep the car for as long as possible, so he plans to do an engine rebuild at some point to keep the car alive. He likes it because this era of the T-Bird is overlooked by many, and you hardly ever see any around. Greg said people typically don't like these cars because the front fascia resembles that of a Pontiac Grand Prix. This is true because a former GM designer now working for Ford had designed the updated front end for the 1970 to '71 T-Birds. 

I really liked that Greg was trying to preserve this T-Bird. I love Torinos and Mustangs, but something unique like this car is special. Greg was a super cool guy and it was really interesting to learn the story of his car. I hope to see his car again soon!

Above: (1/2/23) - 1986 Volvo 760 Turbo Estate (David)

It appears we have a visitor from Ohio! This fairly rare Volvo wagon was spotted in Providence on my way to Sam's to finish some work up on the Impala. I noticed the car and pulled over to investigate. This is indeed a 760 Turbo wagon, which is something pretty uncommon to see from Volvo.

Above: (1/2/23) - Bonus Saab Photos (David)

As usual, I included some more detailed photos I took of the Saab. I noticed that this car had the 2.3L Saab engine, which is more commonly seen in the 9000 or the 9-5. I found it surprising that the 900 came equipped with this engine. After a bit of research, Saab typically equipped the second generation 900 S models with a naturally aspirated version of the 2.3L engine. The Turbo models came equipped with the standard 2.0L engine. 

Above: (1/3/23) - 1986 Mercury Cougar (David)

Early one morning, I decided to go for another bike ride on yet another rainy day. I didn't find much cars on this ride, so I decided to include the cars I found in the regular entry page. I first came across this pretty clean Fox Body Cougar. I believe Sam found a similar car like this one back in Spring 2021. This is probably one of the more forgotten about Fox Body cars of the 1980s, being overshadowed by the Mustang, Thunderbird, and Mercury Capri. Compared its early predecessors, the Cougar became more of a personal luxury car than a muscle car in the late '70s and early '80s. This example is a sixth generation Cougar, which was produced from 1983 to '88. I really like that the owner has taken amazing care of this car. It may not be an original first generation Cougar, but it defintely is an old car worth preserving. 

Above: (1/3/23) - Jeep Comanche Pioneer (David)

Here's an odd ball truck. This is a Jeep Comanche, which was the pickup sibling of the more well known Jeep Cherokee XJ, one of the last cars designed under AMC Jeep. This too was designed during the AMC era of Jeep, as this was designed to replace the older Jeep Gladiator SJ. This was found at Jay's Auto Service, a car garage off Elmwood Ave. in Cranston. This Jeep is a true New England survivor, and major props to its owner for keeping it around. The Pioneer trim package seen here was offered from 1987 to '92 as a step up from  the base model. The Comanche would be phased out of production in 1992. This was largely due to the truck not selling well, and Chrysler wanted to phase in the Dodge Dakota pickup to make Dodge their primary make of trucks. This decision would also kill off the Dodge Ramcharger, once again in favor of Dodge's switch to traditional pickup trucks. Only around 190,000 Comanches were produced during its production, which I think is big a contributor to this truck's scarcity on the roads today. I can't remember the last time I saw one before this one. When Jeep revived the Gladiator name in 2019 for their new pickup truck, the Comanche name plate was considered, but it ultimately would lose to Gladiator. I still think Jeep missed on calling the current Gladiator the Scrambler. 

Above: (1/3/23) - 1963 Chrysler Newport Revisited (David)

Lastly for today, we arrive at a familiar face from last summer. This was found in early July last summer on another bike ride. The last time we saw this, it was boxed in between two trucks, so I was limited on the angles I could get of this car. Now in the winter, with the dead weeds and conveniently less trucks in this lot, I was able to grab some more detailed photos of the car. This car is honestly in better shape than I expected it to be. The body panels, minus the bumpers and rear windshield, appear to be on the car. However, you don't need to look far to find those missing parts... they're in the car! Of course, I don't know how this looks underneath or how healthy its engine and drivetrain are, so I can't truly say that this car is a hidden gem. But, I am truly glad to get some better pictures of the car, and the rainy day made it look a lot better. Who knows, maybe it will be saved one day. 

For the original post, reference Bike Ride 15. 

Above: (1/3/23) - Chrysler Badging Close Ups (David)

As I've been doing with other cars as of recently, I included some close up shots of the badging and front grille. 

Above: (1/7/23) - 1965 Ford F-250 Custom Cab (David)

This old Ford has been around the block! I found this off of Rt. 102 in Exeter, RI as I was making my way over to Connecticut. I occasionally see this truck, so I made note to stop and check it out. This is a '65 Ford F-250, and this model, although it may look poorly in its rusty state, is somewhat of a special model. In 1965 the Ford F-Series trucks were given a major update. This was the introduction of the "Twin I-Beam" suspension, which was Ford's take on an independent front suspension swing axle. This design would be used up until 1996 on the standard F-150s, and is still in use today on the larger heavy duty Ford trucks. From 1965 and '66 only, Ford badged their trucks with "Twin I-Beam" next to the door where the model badge would go. You can see that special badge in the photos below. 

Above: (1/7/23) - Ford LTD Crown Victoria LX (David)

Also in the lot of the classic Ford truck was another classic Ford, although a more modern one. This looks to be a 1989 to '91 model. 

Above: (1/10/23) - 1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cierra w/ ABS (Sam)

You can't forget that ABS.  Yes, this old A body comes from a time where ABS was an option on most cars.  Heck, my dad's '02 CRV didn't even have ABS.  What luxuries we get to grow up with!  This particular weathered, but clean example of a last-generation Cutlass Cierra caught my eye because you don't see too many of these around anymore.  Maybe fifteen years ago, they were everywhere, but they seemed to have all but vanished as of late.  But wait, after I saw this car, I began to see more and more 90s Cutlasses and Buick Centurys.  Maybe I was just on the lookout since spotting this one, but I found out these cars still aren't as rare as I thought.  They aren't as numerous as they used to be, but you still can't drive through each town without seeing at least one.  This one's got the typical worn-off clear coat, missing hubcaps, and grimy hite walls, but the car appears solid otherwise.  It's also pretty cool to see the defunct dealer sticker on the trunk.  And there's that chunk missing from the taillight lens, but that should be an easy find at any well-stocked pick-n-pull.  

Above: (1/10/23) - 1965 Buick Electra Sedan Hidden in the Woods (Sam)

This was spotted on the trip back from Wright's.  The car had been under a cover the last time I saw it, so I could only gues '65-'66 Buick.  Now, we have proof!  This one also looks to be a sport sedan like my Impala (and the sad soul in North Providence Auto Salvage).  The owner must be a Buick fanatic, as there was an old Buick sign on the garage at the back of the property and another '65 Buick sport sedan on a trailer.  See below for pictures of that car.  

Above: (1/10/23) - 1978 Chevy Corvette C3 (David)

Here we have a pretty cool C3. This was spotted in Providence, RI down a side street. Most of these '70s C3 'Vettes look pretty similar, but I was able to identify this car using some minute details. For starters, '78 was the first year of the rounded glass fastback. '78 was also the last year of the Corvette badge with the circle behind it. 1979 and later featured just the flags. I love finding street parked classics like this. It makes me glad someone is still driving these regularly. 

Above: (1/11/23) - 1987 Buick Regal Grand National (Sam)

My mechanic said "there's something in the back you'll like," so I ventured further into the shop and found this.  This is one extremely clean Grand National.  This may even be the first Grand National we've photographed on the channel, or at least up close and personal.  I tried to get some funky perspective shots like David.  You be the judge of how they turned out.  

Above: Original Buick Wildcat Photos from 1/10/23

Above: (1/14/23) - 1976 Ford Mustang II Cobra (David)

For today's find, we have a Mustang II! Perhaps not the most favorable Mustang of all time, but it is a classic. This one was parked at an apartment complex in Warwick, and was tucked behind an out house, which is why I had to use the 0.5 camera lens on my phone camera. It adds for a more comedic photo. You can see an air conditioner unit above the car so maybe it's a POV shot from the air conditioner. Anyways, back to the Mustang. 

This is the Cobra model, which became an option in 1975, as Ford wanted a more "performance" oriented version of the car. "Performance" in quotations because even though this had the 302 V8 under the hood, it was still choked down by US emissions standards and only made a disappointing 140 HP. Previously, the Mustang II was only offered with the 140 CI Lima I4 and the 170 CI Cologne I6. Ford claimed adding a V8 engine would bring the Mustang back to what it once was, but we all know the legacy of the Mustang II. The question is, has the Mustang II overcome it's poor reputation? Despite its reputation in the '70s and later, I'd say yes. It's written itself a new page in the book of forgotten classics, and for that reason, people have come to appreciate these cars. When Sam and I saw the Mustang II featured in A&W Cruise Night 3, we thought it was super cool that it was there. As the Mustang II is a great representation of what American cars became in the '70s malaise era, it's great that someone would save these. Maybe it's not a '67 Shelby GT-500, but it is a piece of Mustang history, and for that reason, the Mustang II is remembered. 

Above: (1/14/23) - 1992 BMW 325i (E36) (David)

Above is a car I don't believe we've featured yet, but it's long overdue for an entry. This BMW is a classic, although it doesn't look like an old car, which is why I haven't really photographed any yet. The E36 is the third generation of the BMW 3 series, which replaced the classic E30 around 1990. The E30 would still remain in production until 1994, but by that time, the E36 was in full swing. The E3 was the first BMW to break away from the classic grille styling to the modern, aerodynamic style featured on their models today. While still relatively boxy in styling, the E36 was much more aerodynamic than its predecessor, with a drag coefficient of 0.26, compared to the E30's 0.38. 

Today, the E36 has achieved modern classic status, which is pretty shocking, since this car looks way ahead of its time for a car designed in 1990. As I said earlier, every time I see one of these, I always think they came out much later than 1990. My point is, it looks like a car from the early 2000s. Around my area, the E36 is a fairly common sight, but I thought that this one looked remarkably clean. The car shows its age in a few places, but overall, its been remarkably maintained. I really like the two-tone body and bumpers, as well as the rims. I don't believe I've seen a BMW equipped with these rims before. 

Above: (1/15/23) - 1948 Lincoln Continental Coupe (David)

There's few cars you'd expect to see parked in a random lot off a main street, and this Lincoln is no exception. It was unmissable. When I noticed the lemon yellow paint off in the distance, I knew I was in for a treat, but I didn't know it would be such a historical car. The post war Lincoln Continentals have been recognized as a "true classic," by the Classic Car Club of America, an organization that preserves pre-war vehicles. It also has the distinction of being the last American car to be sold with a V12 engine by one of the "Big Three." Although this one may not be as iconic as the fourth generation, the first era of Continental helped set the standard for American luxury in the post war era of the country. With the economic boom following the end of the war, American automakers found themselves with a huge demand of cars from veterans returning home from their time in the war. Modern car culture in America would change soon thereafter, with the creation of the Interstate System, and the first powerful cars, like the Oldsmobile Rocket 88. However, for those who wanted a bit more luxury and style, there was of course Cadillac and Lincoln. The Lincoln Continental, even before the war, was still a luxury vehicle, but its post war design was much different than its predecessor. Its post war era design helped set the standard for what American luxury cars would become. 

Above: (1/15/23) - Continental in Context (David)

To show you how beautiful this car was, I did the best I could to capture a little bit more of the sharp aspcts of the car. I really can't do this car justice though.