We've reached another milestone in the Down On The Street Series, with today's vehicle being the 250th vintage (or at least interesting) street-parked vehicle I've photographed parked on the streets of Alameda, California. It's been a little over a year since we saw the very first DOTS car, and I never thought I'd be able to find as many as I have. Doing this series has turned me into an annoyingly slow driver when I'm in Alameda, as I'm constantly cruising at minimum speed and scanning parked cars for potential DOTS candidates; by this time I've developed the ability to pick out an interesting parked car just from a nanosecond's glimpse of a grille at a distance of several blocks. So make the jump and check out the cars!
Since our server hamsters all die when we try to show more than 200 images in a post you can just go to the 200 DOTS post to see the earlier DOTS cars, I'm just going to show you cars #200 through #250 here. Those of you with questions about why this small island city has so many old cars on the street should check out the explanations here.

1941 Chevrolet Pickup

1950 Ford

1956 Ford F-100

1958 Mercedes-Benz 220S

1960 Volkswagen Transporter

1962 Ford Falcon

1963 Dodge D100

1963 Porsche 356

1964 Ford F-100

1964 Chrysler 300

1964 Mercury Comet Cyclone

1965 Mercury Comet

1966 Buick Riviera

1966 Dodge Coronet 440 Convertible

1966 Mercedes-Benz 250S

1967 Plymouth Barracuda

1968 Porsche 912

1968 Mercury Cougar

1969 Volkswagen Beetle

1969 Ford Mustang

1970 Cadillac Coupe de Ville

1971 Chrysler Newport Royal

1971 Chevrolet Blazer

1971 Dodge Dart

1973 MGB

1974 Ford Maverick

1974 Chevrolet Camaro

1975 Chevrolet El Camino

1976 International Harvester Scout II

1977 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser

1977 Fiat 124 Sport Spider

1977 Volvo 244DL

1978 Dodge Monaco Brougham

1979 Porsche 928

1980 Plymouth Arrow Pickup Truck

1981 Fiat Strada

1982 Datsun 280ZX Turbo

1982 Toyota Corolla

1982 Mazda 626 Luxury

1983 Toyota 4x4 Pickup

1984 Plymouth Reliant

1984 Jaguar XJ6

1986 Pontiac Fiero GT

1987 Mitsubishi Starion

1989 Alfa Romeo Graduate

1989 Chevrolet Camaro RS
1969 Cadillac Sedan de Ville

1965 Chevrolet C10
















Comments
There is only one word I have to describe DOTS.....
Amazing.
how the hell can ten square miles contain so much awesome?
@tenbeers:
(Climate + Money)^Insularity ?
Keep it going, Murilee! This is definitely my favorite part of this site, and what actually drew me here in the first place.
@tenbeers: It balances out Washington DC, where 10 square miles contains an equivalent amount of suck.
@Mike the Dog: I think that's the understatement of the year. Too bad that little earthquake we had yesterday didn't send the entire fetid city back into the swamp it came from.
Best ongoing post series, Murilee!
@tenbeers: Wait 'til we invade Cuba.
Oops...
@Mike the Dog: And that's just the people.
@tenbeers: Think of it like Australia in terms of car evolution. It broke off from vehicular pangea about 28 years ago.
And this is why I belong to the Church of DOTS...
Preacher Martin we await your sermon!
@franzouse: This week's collection money is to send Murilee to Cuba before it's overrun with Aveo's...
This series has been so enjoyable. One of the best parts of this site. I think of DOTS every time I pass an interesting car and curse that I don't carry my camera more often.
@Sloop_John_B: Think of it like Australia in terms of car evolution. It broke off from vehicular pangea about 28 years ago.
LOL, well put. And to think, just a couple miles to the east is "The Whistles Go WOO-WOO!"
Quite a Bubbruxtapostion.
@franzouse: And on the seventh day, the Lord created internal combustion, and it was good........
@tenbeers: Look around your own neighborhoods you would be impressed at what little Gems you find. Just in my tract there are plenty of DOTS candidates to be seen. I even found a Mini mark II in the tract next to mine. Now if that dammed Polara would come out of hibernation on it's driveway...
.@Froggmann:
Most of mine are in fields and barns guarded by puppy dogs with big teeth.
Alameda also somehow contains St. George's Liquor, which makes some really tasty stuff. I just don't recommend their single malt. They claim it doesn't need aged because it's made "so purely." Let's just say that's not the case.
That island is bursting at the seams with awesome.
@Froggmann:
Northern Virginia is an interesting vehicle wasteland. Every single car on the road is a generic yuppie statusmobile, poorly driven SUV, or boring econobox. Sure, from time to time there's the occasional Viper, and someone in the condo complex next door drives an Aston Martin, but I honestly can't remember the last time I saw something memorable. Even the street truck and import tuner scenes barely exist.
I know they're out there somewhere, though. I'll find them if it's the last thing I do! *shakes fist*
@Ash & Carry: And old houses with no room for garages.
If nothing else, DOTS has given us a better appreciation of all older cars, good and bad.
Just think ... today's POS cars can be the future DOTS.
@Murilee Martin: That is a good point, every neighborhood around here is covered by nazi-like HOAs, so all the cars with character are probably banished to McMansion garages, lest the owners get fined for having a car older than a 2005 model in their driveways.
These 50 cars would make a pretty damn nice fantasy garage.
Except for the Reliant. ;)
I was amazed by the difference in car culture, moving away from the D.C. region to Greenville, SC. It was rare when I spotted another old car on the streets up there. Down here, I see at least 4 or 5 every day. Yesterday seemed to be Vee-Dub-Day. I counted 4 old beetles on my drive home from work- all being driven.
Dang, I'd forgotten about that black drop top 66 Dodge 440.
Seriously, we have to organize a field trip to Alameda. In old VW buses and/or back of pickup/amino.
@Novaload:If I had a better attention span I would grab some commute shots--last week 1 70 or so Chevelle rumbled by me at the interstate junction and this a.m. I passed a first year Camaro (with antique tags--that hurt) rolling along 5th street.
Great photos, Mr. Martin. Were I to do a similar project in the Detroit neighborhoods where I drive, the title would need to be changed. "Rust Wars" perhaps?
Features would be something like: "Chevy Corsica Poll: Running or Dead?" And the 'Scort of the Week.
Yah, generally speaking, it would suck. Fortunately we have your finds to ogle over. Keep up the good work.
Thank you, Murilee.
Awesome. All awesome.
I'm developing that skill too. Got followed by an '80s Alfa today (almost exactly like the Graduate, but silver with the original alloys). Made my day. Saw a VW Quantum the other day, too, and I've been stalking a white 914...
Not bad for a small, garage-filled New Hampshire town... I never seem to have my camera though.
@FuzzyPlushroom: Oh yeah, and a nearly-immaculate Fairmont sedan, which apparently counts now that we have the DOTS Reliant.
@Novaload: Yea I hear you there, I started a little out on the freeway series but recently pickens have been slim but some gems do show up:
@Murilee Martin: The no garages thing seems to be essential.
The neighborhood I live in was built in the 1840s - so on my block we have three driveways, and no garages. That cars of the rising sun post you did; I live there. Lots of interesting stuff around.
I need to send in pictures of some of the unique old iron that resides here in Tombstone, AZ. Desert climate, no rust, everything lasts forever. Everybody here has a project car (lawn monument) that this crowd here would love. Hell, there's a guy here who drives a '21 Model T every day.
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