Bike Ride 32

David: Happy St. Patrick's Day ONEC readers! I suppose you could say the luck of the Irish has granted us another successful bike ride in the books. Instead of my usual Cranston-Providence loop I normally do, I extended that route, and ventured into Pawtucket, RI for some new variety and a change of scenery. Of course, I found some terrific old cruisers along the way, and even one that took my breath away. No, it's not a Volvo, but its another one of my favorite '80s cars. Oh, and before you ask, yes, there's some classic Volvos to be seen too! In addition to those European classics, I also take Bike Ride 32 to a more local level, and present you with a historic Rhode Island landmark. I hope you enjoy the cars of Pawtucket, and have a great St. Patrick's Day!

Above: 1990 Buick Reatta

We start this bike ride off in Providence, with a treat - A street parked classic in the city! It's not often I get to photograph a classic with the classic Providence architecture in the backgrounds, so I make sure make the most of the opportunity. This Buick Reatta, parked in front of the Union Trust Company Building on Dorrance Street, is no exception. 

While the Buick Reatta isn't as historic as the Union Trust Building, I'd say it stands out just as much, in terms of design. The Union Trust Company Building, which was constructed in 1902, was one of the tallest buildings in Providence upon its initial completion. On the other hand, the Reatta was a radically different design for Buick upon its debut. The Reatta was the first designated two seater sports car offered by Buick, and also one of the first cars to pioneer touch screen displays, a piece of technology that wouldn't be seen until the late 2010s. I know it's a stretch to compare a Reatta to a historic building, but both are pretty remarkable in their own ways when you think about it. 

The first Reattas rolled off the General Motors Lansing, Michigan assembly line in 1988. Based on the GM E-Platform, the new Reatta was unlike anything Buick had produced before. It had pop-up headlights, two bucket seats, and came with a fixed roof or convertible. While it almost sounds like we described a Corvette, the Reatta was marketed as a personal luxury sports car, with more emphasis on the luxury aspect. While the Reatta did come with a 3.0 liter V6, which made good power for the time, it was front wheel drive, and had luxurious appointments including a sixteen way power seat, keyless entry, and a very advanced touch screen display in lieu of standard knobs and switches typically seen on a vehicle of its time period. The touch screen display allowed the driver to control the radio, climate control, have access to vehicle diagnostics, and also a trip recorder. These features wouldn't be seen on standard production cars until the late 2010s. 

Unfortunately, as production started to wind down for the Reatta, GM took away the touch screen display, and replaced it with the standard knobs and switches. Production ended in 1991, with only 21,751 total models made over its four year lifespan. The Reatta never truly caught on to the general public's attention as GM hoped, and as is the case with most creatively designed, forward thinking automotive experiments, they came at a time when the people weren't ready for it. Had the Reatta debuted in 2015 with its features, it may still be here today, but maybe it would just blend in with everything else on the road that shares the same features and advancements. The Reatta was special because it reached high into the sky and showed the American public that the future was, at the very least, attainable. 

Above: Buick's Last Classic

The Reatta is a true underdog in GM's lineup, as are most vehicles that spawned from the E-Platform. Although today, Buick still produced luxury vehicles, second to Cadillac, the brand hasn't produced anything as remarkable (or anything noteworthy at all) since the Reatta. Although the Reatta is pretty radical in terms of design, it did succeed a long line of standout sporty cars, like the Buick GSX, Grand National, and the Regal T-Type. While it might be the least sporty of all of these cars combined, it still stands out as a piece of automotive excellence that pioneered a lot of the features mentioned above, specifically that digital touch display. Until Buick gives us another classic, the Reatta will stand as their last cool, quirky vehicle. 

Above: 1994 Volvo 850: More Than Just an 850

That's right, this isn't any old 850, it's a very early model 850. Look closely at the front headlights... closer... closer... do you see it yet? Well, if you have or haven't, this is a pre-facelift Volvo 850, which is pretty uncommon to come across. Notice that the headlights are slightly larger than the more common 850s typically seen from 1995 to 1998. The rear tail lights are also different, and more similar to the 940's from the same era as well. Volvo most likely used the same parts for these two cars, considering they existed at the same time. 

The 850 would receive a cosmetic "facelift" for the 1995 model year. I use the term facelift in quotations because the changes to the design were very minimal. The 1995 to '98 850s would receive thinner headlamps, and different tail lights with darker lenses. Otherwise, the rest of the car stayed the same. 

Above: 1993 Volvo 240: 300k and Still Going Strong

Of course, I stumbled across a 240! What would a proper bike ride adventure be without one? This 240 was spotted not too far down the road from its 850 relative, at a gas station on North Main Street in Providence. North Main St. connects Providence to Pawtucket, and serves as a scenic alternative to Interstate 95, notably with less traffic! 

I had the chance to briefly talk to the owner of this Volvo as he was filling up the car. As most Volvo owners are, he was a nice older man, and had owned the car for the last 12 years. He believes he's the second owner, although he suspects he could also be the third. While the odometer had stopped working a while back at 250k miles, he has no doubt the car has over 300k miles on the clock. We conversed for a bit more, discussing the pros and cons of 240 ownership today, then I thanked the owner for his time, and continued my venture towards Pawtucket. 

For those wondering, this is the final car photographed in Providence, the rest are photographed in Pawtucket. 

Above: 1987 GMC W-4 Forward Electromatic Diesel 

Now, we arrive at our first Pawtucket find! This is a 1987 GMC W-4 Forward box truck, which was a captured import from GM's partnership with Isuzu. In the 1970s, GM purchased a 34% stake in Isuzu, resulting in Isuzu commercial vehicles being sold under the GM marques Chevy and GMC, with most of them sold under the latter brand. The GMC W-4 Forward was a result of this, being a rebadged Isuzu Elf, despite Isuzu's larger truck being named the Isuzu Forward. This can make some of the histories of these two completely different trucks confusing.

The GMC Forward was introduced in 1984, along with its Chevy relative sold as the Tiltmaster. These replaced the GMC L-Series cab-over-engine trucks, which were produced from 1960 to '84. The Forward was available with several diesel engines, which were denoted by number. For example, W-4 trucks had an inline four diesel, while W-6 had a six cylinder engine. A heavy duty version, named the W-7, didn't have a seven cylinder engine, but instead, a more powerful 8.4L engine capable of 220 horsepower. These Forward models were replaced by the next generation in 1993.

Above: A Piece of Rhode Island History

If you've ever traveled through Rhode Island on Interstate 95, then you've passed what's locally known as "The Great Pyramid of Rhode Island," formally known as the Apex building. Apex was a local department store chain, with stores located in Warwick and Pawtucket, RI and Swansea, MA. Apex's tenure in Rhode Island is a tragic tale of a local struggle, success, and downfall. While the store wouldn't last the 

The company was founded in 1924 by Albert Pilavin as a tire shop, originally located on Westminster street in Providence. The company's name "Apex" was a compound of Pilavin's initials A & P. The store would only be located in Providence for fourteen years, until being destroyed by the Great New England Hurricane of 1938. Pilavin relocated the store to its Pawtucket location, where the store would officially begin its journey as a piece of Rhode Island history. 

After relocating to Pawtucket, Pilavin would split Apex into two divisions, with separate automotive and retail stores. The main retail location would open in Downtown Pawtucket in 1969 as the "Apex Building," with two other retail locations opening in Warwick, RI and Swansea, MA in the 1980s. The Apex Building in Pawtucket would become a Rhode Island landmark to those passing by on Interstate 95 to remind them of the unique culture of Rhode Island, among the Coffee Milk, Del's Lemonade and Party Pizza. It would become locally known as the "Great Pyramid of Rhode Island."

In 1996, Apex became one of the first companies to launch an online shopping website, to run parallel with their retail stores. By this time the chain of three stores had been slipping downhill, due to competition with bigger department stores like WalMart and Macy's, so the idea of the website was thought to hopefully make up for those losses. 

Unfortunately, a few years later in 2001, the website didn't prove to be as effective as intended, and Apex closed its Warwick and Swansea locations. The Pawtucket location remained open, but not for much longer. 

Today, Apex's tire and automotive shop, located across from the Pawtucket store, remains open, while the Pawtucket building remains a relic of the past. Many proposals have been made to determine the fate of the building, but many argue to keep it standing due to its historic significance to the state. I would consider myself to fall into that category of people. Although I don't encounter the Apex building that frequently, it still is a source of local pride, and indeed an important historical landmark of Rhode Island. My hope is that the building is rehabilitated, and left at rest next to I-95, as the Great Pyramid of Rhode Island that it is.  

Above: 1994 Plymouth Acclaim: Oh How We Miss Thee, Plymouth

The Plymouth Acclaim and its relatives, the Dodge Spirit and Chrysler LeBaron, were the last of the K-Car family of vehicles from Chrysler. Based on the K-Platform derived AA-Platform, the Plymouth Acclaim was the successor to the Reliant and Caravelle models from the 1980s. The Acclaim was produced from 1988 to 1994, and would be phased out by the modern-looking Plymouth Breeze for the end of the 1995 model year. That's really all you need to know about these cars, historically speaking. But, let's turn this entry into a more philosophical one.

In many ways, I see this as the last of the classic Plymouths. Of course, by the 1980s, Plymouth was far from what it was known for being in the 1960s and most of the early '70s. Gone were the bright "High Impact" colors and powerful muscle cars, and in replacement were sedans, minivans, and compacts. Of course, the K-Platform was necessary in saving Chrysler, but the edge that Plymouth had once had in the decades prior was a now distant memory of times spent late at night speeding down an empty back road. 

However, in contrast to Plymouth's self-reinvention (along with other Chyrsler marques), that "classic car" aura continued to stick around in these late-twentieth century K-Car models. Obviously, this aura is much different from that of a 1970 Superbird, instead, it's more of a retrospective form of aura. The K-Cars weren't fast, nor were they visually striking, but they were important to automotive history. They represent a time of a great return for one of America's most loved brands. This 1994 Plymouth Acclaim, in particular, represents the last of the glory days. It's like the last day of school before you realize what's to come. 

We would lose Plymouth in 2001, and now in 2024, as Chrysler is struggling yet again to keep its name high among the other big American car brands like Ford and General Motors, it's appropriate to look back at these K-Cars, and wonder if maybe - just maybe - we'd see their spirit return in a different form to save a company we've held so dearly. 

Above: 1985 Mercedes 300TD Estate (S123) 

This is what I consider to be the car that took my breath away on this bike ride. After photographing the Plymouth Acclaim, I had biked up a hill and got to the top, at a four way intersection. To my left and right were flat roads, that would've been easier to bike, however I couldn't notice any classic cars. The road ahead of me was another hill, but at the top was an old factory, that looked interesting to investigate. Afterall, Pawtucket is a very industrialized town, and arguably one of the pioneers of the industrial revolution in New England, with Samuel Slater and his Mill, founded in 1793 in Pawtucket. 

Anyways, my other motivation for biking up another hill was the potential to find another classic, as unlike the roads to my left and right which were barren of classics, I couldn't see what sat parked at the top of this hill. With that aspect in mind, and the factory at the top of the hill, I decided to press on, and continue upward. When I got to the top, a beautiful street parked surprise awaited me. 

When I laid on my eyes on this '85 Mercedes, I was at first in disbelief, but then incredibly excited that I had happened upon such an unexpected car. Of course, the Mercedes Benz W123 series of cars are known for being one of the brand's best selling and reliable cars, but unlike the Volvo 240, their presence in RI isn't as strong, so that makes finding one, not to mention a wagon, all the better. This example isn't perfect, but when you have a classic Mercedes Benz with matching rims, who am I to judge? 

Above: 1980s Engineering at its Finest

I love the Volvo 240 and Saab 900, you know this! I think they're some of my favorite designs of the '80s and personally, but god damn it, there's something about a classic Mercedes Benz from the same era too. Maybe you didn't know that! These are gorgeous cars, and this blue 300TD Estate with color matched rims is no exception. This 300 Estate has a 250,000 km high mileage badge. In imperial units, that equates to about 155,000 miles, so its essentially a 100k badge. But for a car that appears to be daily driven, it looks amazing, and 

Like Volvo did in the 1970s, Mercedes Benz utilized very minimalistic designs, compared to their previous designs from the 1950s and 1960s, which had incorporated lots of chrome, tail fins, and large grilles. While you think I may have just described a typical American car from the same time period, you'd be correct, but Mercedes vehicles were distinct from their overseas land yachts, with just the right amount of flair, but enough to keep their cars refined and handsome. 

The W123 series is probably the most widely recognized example of Mercedes employing minimalistic designs into their vehicles. Despite the car's popularity, it was not the first to employ these design elements, as the W123 took a lot of inspiration from the W116 S-Class. Because it was a cheaper alternative, the W123 would gain the spotlight, and from 1978 to 1985, you couldn't walk down a German city street without seeing one. Over 2.6 million were produced world wide in its six year production run, making it one of Mercedes' best selling cars of all time.

Today, the W123 family of cars is a legend among Mercedes' historical car models. Among car enthusiasts, it is an enthusiast vehicle, but many still daily drive these because of their reliability. It is very much the "German 240," as Sam and I dubbed it. Like another similar boxy vehicle often featured on ONEC, its simplistic design has stood the test of time, and the W123 series remains one of the best looking cars of the 1980s, and of all time.

Above: 1996 Ford F-150 XL

Here's a survivor Ford F-150 XL with some pretty cool side graphics. I had seen a lot of ninth generation F-Series trucks, like this one, on this bike ride, and didn't think to photograph any of them because they were so plentiful. I know, it's ironic to hear me say that considering the amount of Volvo 240s I photograph, but I'd argue the 240 has more status as a classic than a ninth generation F-150, which has just reached its classic car status as of a few years ago. 

Anyways, because they were so frequent on this ride, I didn't photograph any, until I happened upon this old beater. I decided to photograph this truck for a few reasons. The obvious one would be the truck's graphics, which aren't common to see on most F-150s, and its state. As you can see, this truck is no show queen, so it made me happy to see this truck still being used for work, despite the fact that could easily be restored and sold as a collector's piece due to its uncommon factory graphics.

Above: Bonus Photo! An MG Graveyard

This was taken on my way back home from Pawtucket. Among the shrubbery and miscellaneous car parts were a bunch of old British (and maybe some German) sports cars. There were a maximum of five cars stashed in this yard, the majority of which were MGBs from the "pre-rubber bumpers" era of 1963 to 1972. You can see in the front left of the picture an orange door, which belonged to another MGB roadster, which was parked to the far right of the yard. It got cut off from in this photo, but the shell on the right was blocking it in. There were a few other MGBs parked next to it, but they were in far worse shape. 

The most visible car, and arguably the most complete, was the off-white MGB GT you can see in the center. If any of the cars in this yard had a chance at being saved, that MGB GT would be a great contender. The MGB GT is also a pretty rare model, compared to most MGBs. Although production commenced in 1965 through 1980, they were only sold in the US until '74, and were outsold by their roadster counterparts. 

The car in the foreground on the right is most likely an MGA 1500 Coupe, but we might need some dental records to further ID the remains of this car. If anyone, who may know a bit more about mid-twentieth century British or European sports cars, has any other ideas of what this could be, please let us know!