Bike Ride 35

David: Bike Ride 35 is my annual "end-of-the-school-year" celebratory bike ride. This became an unofficial tradition, starting with Bike Ride 14 in 2022 and Bike Ride 25 in 2023, although that one got unexpectedly cut short. This time, there were thankfully no accidents, and I was able to find a rather large haul of people carriers this time around. There's many wagons and vans, and also a singular sedan! 

Bike 35 traverses my usual route of Cranston-Providence, although I did travel to Pawtucket, with no luck finding any cars. It was a beautiful, sunny day, as you'll see from the pictures. While this isn't the biggest haul of finds compared to my last few rides, I still think the wagons and vans will provide for some entertaining reading and viewing. And yes, there is a Volvo!

Above: 1977 Toyota HiAce (JDM Import)

It's a little lemon! We start this bike ride off with a rather unusual car to see on the streets of Providence, RI. This is a 1977 Toyota HiAce, a vehicle that was never sold in the United States. So far, I've only come across one other HiAce in my travels, coincidentally in Providence as well, which can be seen in the Bike Ride 29 entry. That HiAce was an example of a later fourth generation model. This one is an example of a second generation model, making it all the more uncommon. 

The second generation HiAce was produced from 1977 to 1982. It was slightly elongated compared to its predecessor, and featured a diesel engine option in addition to the standard gasoline powered engines. 

The second generation was arguably the last to feature the "classic" appearance from the late '70s, which largely included sealed beam headlamps and chrome trim. Following the introduction of the third generation in 1982, future models would be outfitted with black plastic trim and composite headlamps, giving the HiAce a "futuristic" '80s car appearance that most Japanese vehicles would have in the mid to late '80s and early '90s. 

Above: HiAce in Perspective

This was truly a unique vehicle to see in the wild. While I do get to see Kei vehicles like this HiAce, I seldom get the chance to see early models from the 1970s and earlier. This made seeing this HiAce all the more of a treat, including its bright yellow paint, yellow headlamp lenses, and stickers that really gave it even more of a personality. I've always thought that Kei cars are some of the cutest vehicles ever produced, which already gives them a bright personality, in their own automotive kind of way.

Above: 1995 Chevrolet G-30 Sport Van

Here's another van, but one that's considerably quite the opposite of the '77 HiAce from above. This is a 1995 Chevy G-30, a van nearly 20 years younger than the HiAce. That being said, it's also a third larger, has a wheelbase twice as longer, and a design that is seven years older than that of the HiAce. 

It wouldn't be an incorrect assumption in thinking that this van was also from the late '70s if the model year in the entry title wasn't present. The Chevy G-Series vans had been in production prior the start of the second generation HiAce model by seven years. The G-Series started production in 1970 and would conclude in 1996. The van would also remain largely unchanged throughout those 26 years of production, despite some cosmetic updates every few years. However, I don't want this entry to come across as a criticism of General Motors and Chevrolet employing outdated designs into the '80s and early '90s, because I don't think that's a fair critique. I'll argue that these vans didn't need updating, because their ideal use was purely utilitarian, with zero emphasis aesthetic. 

You didn't buy a Chevy van in the 1970s to make a statement. You still don't today, as they're probably as vanilla as they come. Instead, you buy it for convenience. The Chevy van is cheap, reliable, and spacious, which are all qualities that one would need a van to possess. A Toyota HiAce, on the other hand, is purchased today as an enthusiast vehicle. While it can still be used as a utilitarian vehicle, the main reason a HiAce is likely purchased in 2024 is because it is unique and rare to find in the US. Because of this, a HiAce is less likely to be used for blue collar jobs to reduce the risk of potential damage. 

Above: Sport Van Close Ups

I included some close ups of the badging on this Chevy van, noting the model and the inclusion of ABS brakes. You may have also noticed the hodgepodge of parts thrown together in this van's appearance. Above, note the GMC wheel covers and the 1983 to 1991 style grille. In 1992, the grille on both the Chevy G-Series and GMC Vandura was updated to match the stylings of the C/K-Series pickups. While the plate check dates this van to 1996, cosmetics alone would date this van to somewhere between 1983 and 1991. 

Above: 1990 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight Regency

Now here's a sedan, not a van, but will also be the only sedan that you see that isn't a van in this bike ride entry. Alright, I'll stop with the rhyming now. This is an Oldsmobile 98, a car half of what it once was. By 1990, the Oldsmobile 98 had been downsized so much so, that it was no longer Oldsmobile's full size flagship model that it had been in the mid twentieth century. Six years earlier, in 1984, the 98 embarked on its final year as the largest and most luxurious Oldsmobile available. A year later, it was downsized, becoming a former shell of what it once was. So why did GM do this? Was this the fate for Oldsmobile's full size models, or did they stand a chance? 

The Oldsmobile 98 was based on the General Motors C-Platform, which by 1984, had been in use since 1936. However, because basic car design and technology had not evolved that much in between that near 50 year production run, a change to the platform was not deemed necessary. But by 1984, the traditional body-on-frame rear wheel drive sedan was being contested by smaller imported front wheel drive vehicles with transversely mounted engines. GM, wanting to stay relevant and current in the ever present automotive design evolution realized these imported luxury vehicles proved that cars could be luxurious and appealing without being oversized. In turn, General Motors decided to downsize their full size vehicles. The resulting product was a new C-Platform, featuring a transverse six cylinder engine and a radically downsized body.

When the impact of the 1973 and 1979 fuel crises to create smaller, efficient cars wore away by the end of the 1980s, the C-Platform gained in size would it had lost during the '80s. An increase in 9 inches to the rear of the car brought the newly redesigned 1991 Oldsmobile 98 back to its glory days as a lumbering boat. While the B-Body based Custom Cruiser would be the largest Oldsmobile offered, the 98 was still the largest sedan available in Oldsmobile's model range. 1991 would mark the start of the final generation for the 98, as it would conclude production on May 31, 1996, being replaced by the Aurora the following year. 

Above: 1989 Volvo 240 DL Estate

Of course it was inevitable that I came across a classic Volvo on a bike ride. Parked on the side of the road in a rundown Providence neighborhood, this 1989 240 has definitely seen better days, but perfectly fits the aesthetic of a city beater. With its mismatched liftgate, foggy headlights, and missing trim, it fits the category of the ideal daily driver 240, as Sam and I remember them growing up. Maybe it will get restored, or maybe it will be kept as is. Either way, this 240 will continue to serve its owner well with its undying red block spirit. 

Above: 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser Estate

Our final vehicle is another station wagon, but this time, with classic American style. Seriously, how much more American can it get when you have wood paneling, a front bench seat, and that time-tested car design. This 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser is a true testament of classic American family living in the 1980s. However, the age of the station wagon was ending, as new trendy vehicle styles, notably  popularized by the Chrysler Corporation, started to capture the attention of large families. These new vehicles were none other than the minivan and later, the SUV. 

In the age of the minivan and SUV, the station wagon (or estate car) was deemed obsolete. While a station wagon was a similar vehicle, the minivan and SUV offered more in terms of overall space and durability. They had more interior headroom, and were deliberately built to handle large cargo loads and take abuse over the years, whether it be from large families or hauling sheets of plywood from the hardware store. 

From a socio-economic perspective, by the 1980s, a station wagon had come to be viewed as an old person's car. It was the car that a lot of parents and young adults, who were now of age in the mid 1980s, grew up with. The 1980s was the decade about the future. They wanted something new and hip, that didn't call to mind an so the new minivans and SUVs were appealing vehicles because they were something completely new and revolutionary to automotive design. 

However, in the 2010s, the pendulum began to swing away from the minivan and SUV. By the 2010s, American roads had become saturated with minivans and SUVs. They had gained an unfavorable reputation as "soccer mom vans," which called to mind imagery of privileged suburban cul-de-sac kids piling into their nuclear family's minivan or SUV to head to extracurricular sporting events. The station wagon, which had been lingering in the background, began to seem more appealing to car enthusiasts who wanted a practical car without the reputation of the SUV and minivan. 

Reenter the station wagon! Manufacturers had continued to manufacture wagons as sportier vehicles to market alongside their sedans, but they weren't marketed to the extent of their SUV and minivan models. The wood trim, bench seats, and lumbering designs had gone away in favor of aerodynamic, sportier, and turbochargers, allowing the station wagon to adopt a European sense of style. This was likely popularized by the turbocharged and high performance estate cars of Europe, like the Volvo V70 R, the Saab 9-3 Aero, and the BMW M-Series. 

The station wagon wouldn't achieve the same popularity it had during the mid twentieth century, but it was able to retain its niche within car culture. In the present day, the future of the wagon is yet again put up for debate, as many auto manufacturers are starting to discontinue their sedan models in the American car market, as SUV and trucks dominate sales for family vehicles. Will the fate of the station wagon be the same as the sedan? Perhaps it will continue to persevere, retaining its countercultural family vehicle presence in the age of the truck and SUV. 

Above: Cutlass Close Ups

For good measure, I included some close up photos of this Cutlass Cruiser. I wanted to include at least one photo of its sealed beam headlamps. This design was used from 1982 until 1987, when the model line received a facelift the following year. Also, it's not often we get to see Cutlass Cieras or Cruisers with this front end. For some reason, these earlier models are more uncommon. 

Of course, I included a photo of the flag badge, which does not mean that this Cutlass Cruiser is an International Series. I made that mistake once, and I won't make it again. The flag badge always looked really cool to me, even if it doesn't really mean anything special. It essentially was an attempt by GM to make these cars seem more international than American, in order to compete with the European luxury sedans of its time. If you'll notice, all of the flags are European countries. GM also used this marketing strategy on the Chevy Celebrity, which was based on the same platform as the Cutlass Ciera/Cruiser. They marketed the Celebrity's sport trim level as the "Eurosport." Again, it didn't mean anything European or international at all, it was simply just a means of appealing to the public.

I also included a photo of the dealer sticker, noting that this was bought a Vic Yarrington Oldsmobile. According to my research, Vic Yarrington Oldsmobile was originally located in Topeka, Kansas before it inevitably closed due to the death of Oldsmobile in 2004. The owner, Victor Yarrington Jr. would pass away a year later in 2005.  Yarrington had established his dealer in 1959, and would pass it down to his son and grandchildren, but continued to oversee operations.