This is Down On The Street Bonus Edition, where we check out interesting street-parked cars located in places other than the Island That Rust Forgot. Anything is possible, even a Volga in Southern California!
JasonTorch, member of the Make:Way 24 Hours Of LeMons Ford Escort team, did a big double-take when he saw this mysterious sedan. It turned out to be a GAZ Volga 24-10, which was built during the final years of the Soviet Union. We can't tell you how its owner managed to get California registration for it, though we suspect the ordeal is Kafkaesque and ongoing. Here's what Jason has to say about his find:
So I was driving in an unfamiliar neighborhood late one night this week, and a glimpse of an unfamiliar taillight in my headlights caught my eye and grabbed it and stopped it like a bag of pudding thrown onto drywall. I'm sure all us car guys have that sense when they catch a glimpse of something that can't be individually ID'd— in this case it was firing the lights for British, Italian, and American all at once, but not falling into any. You know what I mean.
Anyway, I stopped in the middle of the dark street and pointed my headlights at the mystery car to find it was a GAZ! A GAZ Volga 24-10, to be exact, which would put it in the '77-'85 range— I think this one is somewhere on the later side.
It's a handsome, if a bit normal-looking for my tastes, car. It looks sort of like a late 60s Ford body with Fiat lights and detailing. This one even had curtains in the rear window, which for some reason feels very Soviet.
Anyway— sorry the photos are so bad— it was late and on a very dark street, and I just had my phone. I may go out and try to hunt it down in the day; I left a note with my name and number on the car, so if I can get ahold of the guy and get better pics, or, even better, a ride, I'll let you know.