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Welcome to Down On The Street , where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Today's car is one I'm quite familiar with, since it's now sitting in my back yard. No, it isn't my current Personal Hell Project; I'm helping Czech automotive journalist Bobash realize his dream of terrorizing quaint Central European villages with an ocean-liner-scale Fuselage Look Mopar. You may recall the '81 Corvette I inspected for BobAsh a while back; that car is now roaring around the Czech Republic in all its Late Malaise glory. This car was a one-owner, estate-sale find. The late owner was a San Francisco chiropractor who garaged it, had it serviced on the dot, and (apparently) never allowed anyone to sit inside. It's got a few minor dings and dents, but almost everything works and the (purple whorehouse-esque) interior is the nicest I've ever seen on an unrestored 90,000-mile car. It's not what you would...
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Welcome to Down On The Street , where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. In all this time, we've had just one Volvo 140 in this series (though this Volvo 164 is pretty much the same car). Given that the East Bay has been a Volvo epicenter for many decades now, what's up with that? Today we're going to add another, this one a sporty coupe with a lot of travel to its credit. Back in '71, you could buy a new Volvo 142S for $3,020. With the base '71 Chevy Nova 2-door priced at $2,176 and the Datsun 510 coupe going for just $1,990, the purchase of a new 142 showed that you were a sensible car buyer, willing to pay a premium for safety, European build quality, and longevity… although- now that we think about it- the Datsun 510 sure was a helluva deal! Judging by the old Navy base parking stickers and the not-often-seen-on-Bay-Area-Volvos George Bush decal, it's a safe bet that this car is owned by a current...
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Welcome to Down On The Street , where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Today we're going to check out one of my all-time favorite Japanese cars, the one that started the whole hot-rodded Japanese machinery thing here in the US of A: Datsun 510! Sometimes I get asked whether irate car owners come running after me with a shotgun when they see me shooting their cars, but my experience with this Datsun was more typical; the owner came out to see what was going on, was glad that someone appreciated his car, and opened the hood and trunk so I could get better photos. It's funny that the car known as the "Poor Man's BMW 2002" is now worth more than a 2002. In 1971, you could buy a brand-new 2002 for $3,275… or a Datsun 510 for $1,990. Both cars had IRS, disc brakes, etc., but the BMW had the power edge, with 114 horses versus 96. With the money the Datsun buyer saved, however, another 50 horsepower could...
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I've found quite a few early-70s big Chryslers on the island, including this '71 Newport 4-door , so it's time to get another one of of these Detroit survivors its day of fame. I found this '71 Newport Royal 2-door hardtop in the same neighborhood as the '42 Pontiac Torpedo , and it parks on the street every day- no garage coddling for this C-body! The Newport Royal was the entry-level big Chrysler for '71 (yes, the Royal was cheaper than the regular Newport). The real high rollers (those who didn't go for the Imperial) bought New Yorkers. The standard engine in the Newport Royal was the 360 small-block , but the 383 and 440 big-blocks were reasonably inexpensive options. At 4,060 pounds, this brute was even heavier than the new Challenger, so the bigger engine was worth getting. I've always thought the C-body coupes of this era were great-looking cars, and someday I want to build my own '70 Hurst 300H clone (with a 4-speed, to remedy Chrysler's slushbox...
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Sometimes months can go by between my photographing of a DOTS car and posting those photographs. Today's car is a good example; I shot the original photos last August, but the island is overflowing with air-cooled Beetles and I have a glut of photos of such cars (yes, Beetle fans, I know I should be posting more of them... and I will, promise). But this particular exposed-engine Beetle, which I'm arbitrarily calling a '69 (though it could be from any year during the 68-72 span), got in some sort of messy collision in the meantime and then moved across town. At first, I thought I was looking at a different car, but checking plate numbers told the whole story. So what we have here is your standard mildly hot-rodded late-60s/early-70s Beetle, with exposed engine but retaining the factory wheels and hubcaps. This could easily be the original engine, or the 15th, and the displacement could be anything from 1200cc all the way up to a stroked "How much money you got?" mill...
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We've seen an early Bronco in this series, so it's only fair that we have a DOTS Truck Monday featuring the Bronco's competitor from The General. This '71 Blazer parks on one of Alameda's major thoroughfares, not far from the Unimog and the '63 VW Transporter , and it's clearly someone's daily driver. I can't tell for sure whether this is an incredibly well-preserved original driver or a restoration, but I suspect the former is the case. Well, most likely the upholstery has been redone; there's no way it could be that nice after 37 years in the California sun. You see, a late-60s-vintage Oakland A's sticker means the vehicle is likely an Alameda native, which means there's a good chance its owner takes obsessive care of a vehicle bought new and considered irreplaceable. They don't make 'em like this no more , etc. The A's connection is somewhat interesting in the case of this truck, because the favored post-game watering hole for...
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We've only seen a couple of Chevelles so far on this series (a '68 coupe and a '69 wagon ). Oh, sure, we wouldn't argue with anyone who made the case that the '72 El Camino is technically a Chevelle, but in any case the classic '64-'72 Chevy A-bodies have been scarce here, especially considering how many were made. We'll add one more today, with this 4-door '71. When this car was made, "Malibu" was just an optional trim level available on the Chevelle; it didn't become a model in its own right until later on. The standard engine for '71 was the lackluster 307, though this car may well be on its 15th powerplant by now; small-block Chevy engines might as well have Velcro mounts, given how often they get swapped around. This example drives every day and parks on one of the island's busier streets. It looks to be in pretty solid original condition. Well, original except for the Camaro wheels, that is. The mix-n-match Chevy wheels game...
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No, I don't mean Xtra Cab in the title, like some kinda warlord-driven Toyota. I mean this truck, which parks next to the island's Catholic high school, literally has an extra cab... in the bed. You figure, hey, the owner of this truck just picked up a cab for another truck project, and he just hasn't had him a chance to unload it, right? Wrong- the extra cab has been sitting in the bed for at least three years, and it comes along for the ride wherever the truck goes! Best of all, the truck's owner went to high school with Belvedere Adrian , and he's pretty sure the dude's owned the extra truck cab for 25 years. That's a beautiful sight. I'm not sure if I prefer the look of this truck to that of its '71 GMC sibling - maybe we need a poll! Hey, got a riddle for ya: What has two cabs, one fender, and lowers property values? You know the answer! Not only is there an extra cab, there's an extra gas tank. Bonus points if it still has a few gallons of juice...
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Even though we saw a Dodge truck just a couple weeks back , it's been much longer since we saw our last Dodge pickup . That means it's time for us to feast our eyes on this industrial-strength Power Wagon. The grille design means it's either a '70 or a '71, but once again I'm (mildly) ashamed to admit I can't figure out the exact year of a DOTS vehicle. Power Wagon experts, fill in the blanks! In any case, this is one of the last of the original American Power Wagons. What a name: Power Wagon! Too bad there's no reactor in the bed, because then it could be the Nuclear Power Wagon. This truck lives on the island's East End, in a parking-challenged neighborhood, and it's clearly someone's daily driver. Must be fun parallel-parking this brute! Sure, it gets 8 MPG and the ride feels like a shopping cart in a rock quarry, but the driver of this truck can snort in derision at drivers of luxurious modern pickups. galleryPost('DOTS70PowerWagon'...
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Continuing the quasi-tradition of Truck Mondays here at DOTS, today we're going to take a break from The General's trucks and check out a 36-year-old Ford that's still getting the job done. Our last Ford pickup looks like it doesn't do much hauling, but this '71 F-100 clearly earns its keep for some plumber or electrician. The half-ton F-series trucks came standard with a 240-cube six in 1971, but you could spring for the 300 six or the 302 V8 if you needed more grunt. Of course, there's no telling how many engines have lived behind that grille by now; while the Fords weren't quite as swap-friendly as their GM contemporaries, the owner of this truck still has many bolt-in engine-swap options. Do I need to go on a tirade about real trucks here? Sure, you could commute from Edge City to the office park in this thing... but there are no cupholders! galleryPost('DOTS71FordF100', 11, '1971 Ford F100 Down On The Street'); First 100 DOTS Cars
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Last time we saw a Mercedes-Benz in this series, 86% of readers polled indicated they'd like to see some 70s Benzes down on Alameda's street (and speaking of The Island City That Forgot To Kill All Its Old Cars, congrats to fellow Alamedan Jimmy Rollins for winning the National League MVP award). I would have gone with this car regardless of poll results, since it represents the end of the W108 era and is in such nice shape. However, as is so often the case with older German cars, I can't figure out the exact year on this one. I'm pretty sure it's a 1971 or 1972 model, but that's as close as I can get (though those bumper guards look like they're off a later car). Mercedes-Benz fanatics aficionados, help me out here. What I can tell you is that the '72 280SEL 4.5 had a sticker price of $10,634. That's three grand more than the cost of a '72 Eldorado convertible (and about $53,154 in 2007 dollars). But you got a smooth-running, 230-horse SOHC V8 (not...
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Since 94% of the readers who voted on the Do Post-1955 Pickups Belong On DOTS? poll answered in the affirmative, I went right out and shot the first such truck I could find. I didn't have to go far, because Alameda is chock-full of 60s and 70s pickups; this '71 GMC is just the first of many you'll see here (and don't worry, Ford, Mopar, and Japanese pickup fans- you'll see plenty of stuff not made by The General). The 1500 was the GMC-branded 1/2-ton pickup, pretty much the same thing as the Chevy C10. The orange-and-blue paint job, no doubt applied with rattle-cans on a jobsite back in '91, looks pretty good on this truck. I've always thought a pickup truck should be ready for you to toss a big old paint-spattered ladder into the bed from 10 feet away, and you shouldn't care if it puts a dent in something. No goddamn crew cab, leather upholstery, or 10-speaker stereo here. As for cup holders, you just let the coffee spill on the floor! Now I need to go listen to some Merle Haggard. But...
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