Jalopnik: Classic Cars

Amazing Barn Find: Aussie Man Hoards 297 Classic Cars

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:30:00 EDT

We've stumbled across an amazing story of an Aussie classic car collector with almost three hundred cars stored outside his farm in the Adelaide countryside. The range of body styles includes sedans, coupes, roadsters and convertibles, trucks and vans from the 1930s to the 1980s. They've got badges from almost every continent — European, American and even Australian oddities. The nameplates run through storied names from Austin, BMW, Chrysler, Hudson, Jaguar, Jensen, Lancia, Morris, Nash, Oldsmobile, Renault, Singer, Sunbeam, Vauxhall and Wolseley just to name a few. One hundred of the cars have been stored in paddocks, surrounded by spare parts and two hundred of the cars are in sheds in classic "down under country style" — corrugated iron roofs, no doors and dirt floors. Want to see them all? We've got the full list of the cars after the jump and the gallery below of the most amazing barn find collection we've ever seen.

The Full Collection

Alfa Romeo
1975 Alfetta sedan: 1
1976 Alfetta GTV coupe: 2
1980 Giulietta sedan: 1
1983 33 sedan: 1
Total: 5

Alvis
1947 TA 14 sedan: 1

Armstrong-Siddeley
1953 Sapphire sedan: 1

Audi
1967 90 sedan: 1

Austin
1930s unknown tourer: 2
1930s unknown sedan: 1
1947 A40 sedan: 2
1949 A90 sedan: 2
1949 A70 sedan: 1
1949 A70 sedan: 2
1951 A30 sedan: 2
1951 A40 sedan: 1
1950s A90 sedan: 4
1957 Lancer sedan: 1
1957 A95 sedan: 2
1959 A99 sedan: 1
1958 A40 sedan: 1
1961 A60 sedan: 1
1961 A60 sedan: 1
1961 Freeway sedan: 2
1961 A60 sedan: 2
1961 A60 station wagon: 1
1961 1100 sedan: 1
1966 1800 sedan: 2
1970 Kimberley sedan: 1
Total: 31

BMW
1962 3200 CS coupe: 1
1971 2000 sedan: 1
1974 728 sedan: 1
1983 635 CSi coupe: 1
1979 733i sedan: 1
Total: 5

Citroen
1973 DS 23 sedan: 1
1974 CX 2200 sedan: 1
1978 CX 2400 sedan: 1
Total: 3

Dodson
1910s unknown: 1

Daimler
1950s unknown sedan: 2

Essex
1920s unknown sedan: 1

Fiat
1946 500 sedan: 2
1955 1100 sedan: 1
1966 124 coupe: 2
1965 850 coupe: 1
1971 130 sedan: 1
1971 130 coupe: 1
Total: 8

Ford
1908 Model T home built racer: 1
1950 Consul sedan: 2
1939 Prefect sedan: 2
1956 Zodiac sedan: 1
1950 Zephyr sedan: 2
1960 Anglia station wagon: 1
1956 Zephyr sedan: 2
1962 Cortina sedan: 4
1966 Zodiac sedan: 1
1974 Cortina sedan: 1
1977 Falcon sedan: 1
1977 LTD sedan: 1
1977 Capri hatch: 1
Total: 20

Goliath
1960s unknown sedan: 1

Hillman
1952 Minx Californian coupe: 1
1956 Minx sedan: 5
1958 Minx station wagon: 2
1970 Hunter sedan: 1
Total: 9

Holden
1956 FE sedan: 1
1963 EJ sedan: 1
1966 HR sedan: 1
1979 Commodore sedan: 1
Total: 4

Honda
1971 Coupe 9 coupe: 1

Hudson
1948 Commodore 8 sedan: 1

Humber
1945 Snipe sedan: 2
1958 Hawk sedan: 2
1961 Vogue sedan: 1
1964 Sceptre sedan: 1
Total: 6

Hupmobile
1920s unknown sedan: 2

Jaguar
1945 unknown sedan: 1
1950 Mk VII sedan: 1
1955 Mk I sedan: 2
1959 Mk II sedan: 1
1960s home built special sports: 1
1968 XJ 6 sedan: 1
1975 XJ-S coupe: 1
Total: 8

Jensen
1967 Interceptor coupe: 1

Jewett
1920s unknown sedan: 1

Lanchester
1950s unknown sedan: 3

Lancia
1963 Fulvia sedan: 2

Leyland
1973 P 76 sedan: 1

Lloyd Alexander
1958 unknown sedan: 1

Mercedes-Benz
1951 220 sedan: 1
1968 250 sedan: 1
1978 450 sedan: 1
1988 300 sedan: 1
1989 500 coupe: 1
Total: 5

Mercury
1973 Cougar XR-7 hard top: 1

MG
1953 Magnette sedan: 1

Morris
1920s Cowley sedan: 1
1949 Oxford sedan: 1
1949 Oxford station wagon: 1
1949 Isis sedan: 1
1949 Minor sedan: 1
1949 6 sedan: 1
1950s A90 sedan: 4
1957 Marshall sedan: 1
1960s Oxford sedan: 2
1962 1100 sedan: 1
1965 Mini Deluxe sedan: 1
1960s Nomad 1500 hatch: 1
1960s Marina sedan: 1
1960s Elite sedan: 2
1973 Allegro sedan: 1
Total: 20

Nash
1949 Airflyte Ambassador sedan: 1

Peugeot
1947 203 sedan: 1
1953 403 sedan: 3
1960 404 sedan: 5
1968 504 sedan: 1
1979 505 sedan: 2
1978 604 sedan: 1
1984 205 hatch: 1
Total: 14

Pontiac
1973 Grand Am coupe: 1

Renault
1939 Juvaquatre sedan: 1
1949 750 sedan: 1
1951 Fregate sedan: 2
1950s unknown station wagon: 1
1957 Dauphine Gordini sedan: 1
1961 R4 van: 1 1971 R17 coupe: 1
Total: 8

Reo
1910s unknown

Riley
1953 Pathfinder sedan: 2
1947 2.5 litre sedan: 1
Total: 3

Rolls Royce
1920s unknown: 1

Rover
1946 P3 sedan: 4
1950 P4 sedan: 3
1953 105 S sedan: 2
1960 P5 sedan: 5
1967 P5 coupe: 1
1966 2000 sedan: 1
1978 SD 1 sedan: 5
1981 SD 1 Vanden Plas sedan: 1
Total: 22

Simca
1951 Aronde sedan: 1

Singer
1934 9 sedan: 1
1939 1500 special body tourer: 1
1949 SM 1500 sedan: 2
1950 SM 1500 tourer: 2
1959 1500 sedan: 1
Total: 7

Skoda
1945 1101 sedan: 1
1945 1101 station wagon: 1
Total: 2

Standard
1948 Vanguard sedan: 1
1953 Eight sedan: 1
1954 Spacemaster sedan: 1
Total: 3

Sunbeam
1949 Ninety sedan: 1
1955 Rapier sedan: 1
Total: 2

Triumph
1949 Mayflower: 2
1959 Herald sedan: 1
1959 Herald coupe: 1
1959 Herald station wagon: 1
1963 2000 Mk 1 sedan: 2
1970 2500 sedan: 1
1970 2500 TC sedan: 3
1968 2500 PI sedan: 1
1973 Dolomite sedan: 1
1973 Dolomite Sprint sedan: 1
Total: 14

Vanden Plas
1961 Princess 3 litre sedan: 1
1964 Princess 4 litre sedan: 1
Total: 2

Vauxhall
1946 Fourteen sedan: 2
1948 Wyvern sedan: 1
1957 Velox sedan: 1
1957 Velox sedan: 1
1957 Victor station wagon: 1
1961 VX 490 sedan: 1
1964 Cresta sedan: 1
Total: 8

Volvo
1967 144 sedan: 2
1970 144 station wagon: 1
1975 244 sedan: 1
1975 244 station wagon: 1
1975 242 sedan: 1
1975 264 station wagon: 1
1977 264 sedan: 1
1977 265 station wagon: 1
1986 740 sedan: 1
1986 760 sedan: 2
Total: 12

Wolseley
1946 12/48 sedan: 1
1948 6/80 sedan: 2
1956 4/44 sedan: 2
1958 1500 sedan: 1
1962 24/80 sedan: 3
1959 6/ 99 sedan: 2
1964 110 sedan: 1
Total: 12

Total Cars: 261

Racing Cars

Elfin
1984 Formula V: 1

Jebentte
1968 Formula 4: 1
1976 Formula 2: 1
1978 Formula 2: 1
Total: 3

Lasos
1974 Sports Racing: 1

Nimbus
1978 Formula V: 1
1978 Formula Ford: 1
1979 Le Mans Sports Racing: 1
1984 Stratos Sports Racing: 1
1984 Formula Ford: 1
1986 Hurricane Sports Racing: 1
1988 Cirrus Sports Racing: 1
1990 Clubman Sports Racing: 1
Total: 8

Ralt
1980s Formula 3000: 1

Royale
1980s Formula Ford: 1

Total Racing Car: 15

Commercial vehicles

Austin
1949 A70 utility: 1
1950s Gypsy 4 x 4 truck: 1
1957 A35 panel van: 1
1961 A60 utility: 1
1961 Freeway utility : 1
1966 1800 utility: 1
Total: 6

Chevrolet
1940s unknown truck: 1

Commer
1940s unknown truck: 1

Fargo
1920s unknown truck: 1

Ford
1950s Thames van: 1
1964 Falcon utility: 1
Total: 2

Goliath
1957 Express van: 1

Graham Brothers
1920s unknown truck: 1

International
1960s unknown truck: 1

Morris
1930s unknown truck: 1
1940s unknown van: 1
1950s unknown van: 1
Total: 3

Overland
1920s unknown truck: 1

Standard
1951 Vanguard utility: 1

Studebaker
1940s unknown truck: 1

Total Commercial Vehicles: 21

Cars: 261
Racing Cars: 15
Commercial Vehicles: 21

Overall Total: 297

Wow, that's a helluva lot of cars. But let's hear a bit more about how they're being kept. The boys at Sports Car Market tell us

"The cars are tightly packed in every available space, so you cannot walk between them. Any other space is packed with spare parts like wheels, engines and gearboxes. The paddocks are crammed with about one hundred cars, also surrounded by spare parts. Wheels are stacked against fences. Windshields and trunk lids rest on hoods, bumpers are under cars."

Now, keep in mind we've seen some pretty impressive classic car barn finds over the past few years. There was the oft-tipped 180 car barn find in Portugal and the 1938 Bugatti and those Corvettes, both found in Brooklyn. We've even seen a Saddam-era creche of classics in Baghdad. But this, this tops all that. It's truly the best barn find we've ever seen.

Don't expect you'll be able to buy anything from his collection. SCM continues:

"Before you start Google-earthing the barns, be aware that the collector does not sell cars or parts. The only way a car leaves his collection is when he trades it for another car. So you'll have to figure out how to ship a car to Australia and maybe use the same container to bring one back..."

We'll tell ya — with most of that looking eminently restorable, maybe he'd trade some wrenching skills for a car or two. We can dream, can't we? [via Sports Car Market]

Renaults, Citroens And Talbots... Oh My! French Cars On Bastille Day

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EDT

Happy Bastille Day! In honor of the 219th anniversary of the symbolic beginning of modern France, our very own Frenchman Franzouse, has collected these photos from the "Course de Cote" vintage hill climb in St Geniez D'olt. Each car is a unique part of French rallying history, and the gallery includes a Renault R5 Turbo 2, a Citroen Visa rally car and a Talbot Sunbeam. And that's just what we can name off the top of our head.

Here's Franzouse's report:

For my birthday I went home this weekend to my quaint little southern french town of St Geniez D'olt (yup try pronouncing that) in the beautiful Aveyron region and got a real nice present: race day! They wouldn't let me enter the mehari in the "course de cote" (road climb, 46 turns in 6 miles of beautiful asphalt with guard rails...), but I did get to see the vintage racers that were parked on the plaza during the racer's big sunday lunch. It being bastille day, so here are the French cars

Can you identify all the cars? What are your favorite French cars? The Citroen DS? The Peugeot 504?Viva La France!

Long Beach K9 Officers Association Car Show

Ray Wert — Wed, 14 May 2008 13:32:40 EDT

Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Wagons/Estates, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Police/Emergency, Lifestyle

Click above for more photos of classic cars and dogs

City of Long Beach police cruisers were movie stars in the original Gone in 60 Seconds film. The 1970's cult classic featured the black and white playing chase with a 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1. These days, though, the officers use more efficient methods to capture muscle cars; they invite them over for a fundraising car show. Over the weekend, the Long Beach Police Academy held a classic car show to benefit the department's K9 Officers Association. A few dozen impeccable examples of automobile preservation took over the grounds of the Long Beach Police Officers Association Park. Not to be rude hosts, the organization even showed off an old Dodge Cornet and Model T police cruiser amongst the numerous Bel Airs, Mustangs and Vegas.

Browsing through the rows of vintage automobiles wasn't the only event incentive for us to attend. The Orange County German Shepherd rescue showed off dogs available for adoption and the K9 officers put on a training demonstration. As a new GSD owner, I could not resist the combination of sleek cars and furry wet noses. The dual purpose car show/charity event is always a relaxing way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Be sure and check out the event gallery in the link below.

Gallery: 2008 Long Beach K9 Officer Benefit Car Show

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SWAT Support Charity Car Show Mega Gallery

Sun, 11 May 2008 19:00:00 EDT

On April 27th, 2008, automotive enthusiasts from across Southern California converged on Pierce College in Woodland Hills for the Motor4Toys SWAT Support Charity Car Show organized by Dustin Troyan. The purpose of this show was to raise money for the families of Randal Simmons and James Veenstra, LAPD SWAT officers who were killed and injured in a standoff in February.

Organized through Drivenworld.com, a motorsports enthusiasts' forum, petrol-heads of all kinds were rallied to help raise money for this very worth cause. Everything from restored and original classics to exotic cars, hotrods to luxury cars, racecars to low-riders, muscle cars to import cars were present for the day's events. The show kicked off with a 6 mile memorial cruise escorted by full police motorcade. With over 700 cars participating, the cruise was definitely an unforgettable experience. After all the cars returned to the parking lot, it was time to enjoy the beautiful and eclectic assortment of cars present. The culmination of the show was a live auction with everything from free oil changes to $1500 collections of Patron Tequila. Dustin and his Motor4Toys Foundation successfully brought in over $46,000 in just four hours, with 100% of the money brought in going straight to the families of the officers.

When I asked Dustin what his plans were for the next show, he told me that his "focus is now on the 5th Annual Motor4toys Charity Car Show. We have doubled the attendees every year and more than doubled the toy count too. For this year's event, I want to have 10,000 cars and to collect 30,000 toys. We are changing the location and the program this year. We will have vendors, displays, and an amazing location." Dustin says that if it wasn't for the remarkable car community we have here in Southern California, none of this would be possible. "They make all of the Motor4Toys events happen. In my mind, each and every one of them are heroes." Stay tuned to Drivenworld.com for more updates on upcoming charity shows.

– Jon Barrett

Delicious Datsuns At The Z-Car West Coast Nationals

Mark Arnold — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:05:00 EDT

Our friends at Japanese Nostalgic Car recently went to the Z-Car West Coast Nationals in Silverado, California. As you'd imagine, there was quite a selection of tasty vintage Datsuns and some newer Nissans too. We just love the timeless proportions of a long hood and sloping back on the older Datsuns, so we've included a gallery of some of our favorites. If you wanna see more, there's plenty to check out over at Japanese Nostalgic Car.

Can You Identify All The Collector Cars On These Dreamer Carriers?

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 10:30:00 EST

What happens when you take two car carriers full of classic cars and post the pictures on Jalopnik? We're guessing productivity is going to drop at America's best businesses and places of higher learning. Talk about right place at the right time, UDMAN happened to be driving along I-95 in Rhode Island to catch the 18 dreamy autos. We've got a good idea of what they are, but we've been wrong before. This is a collective challenge so everyone is encouraged to work together to make the identifications.

Are you up to the challenge?

What's The Coolest Car You've Seen Parked On The Street?

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:40:00 EST

Not living in a city like Alameda, where the streets aren't covered in salt for weeks at a time, we're not often treated to pristine condition cars just sitting on the street. Despite the large size of Chicago, we'd be hard pressed to come up with something matching Murilee's brilliant and wonderful list of 200 cars down on the street in Alameda. The list instantly got us thinking about the coolest cars we've seen lying around.

The most interesting car we've seen lately was an Aston Martin Lagonda with the license plate SALIVA parked next to a convenience store. The most interesting car we've seen on the street of all time (not including auto shows) was probably a Ford Skyliner when we were younger. The owner was hanging out and even agreed to open and close the retractable hard top. It was awesome.

Some of you are luckier, live in nicer climates and are just older. What's the coolest thing you've seen down on the street, not involved in some kind of car show?

2007 Woodward Dream Cruise Is Two Weeks Away And Even The New York Times Sees The Man Trying To Keep Us Down!

Ray Wert — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 08:15:00 EDT

It looks like the New York Times has deemed the run-up to the 2007 Woodward Dream Cruise, and the associated (and non-associated) week-long classic cruising, worthy of a piece this past Friday. Although we're just excited our little 40,000-car and million-person Cruise of Dreams was considered news fit enough to print, we're troubled by the many reports we're hearing from Metro Detroit classic car owners of "police issues" including tickets for burn-outs, loitering and general harassment by the man. A couple of us have even been on the receiving end of a few of those tickets from one particular community whose name we won't explicitly mention — but you know which one we're talking about. Anyway — feel free to regale us of your tales in the comments below of any "issues" you yourself may have had this summer in cruising America's highways and byways. And if you want to keep track of all the pre-Cruise and Dream Cruise coverage — keep your eyes on our Woodward Dream Cruise — as well as the RSS feed for you lovers of the readers — we'll have content up over the next two weeks, and of course we'll revert to our usual breathless 24x7 coverage beginning a few days out. [New York Times]

The Woodward Dream Cruise Is Just One Month Away, Let's "Bus" A Move

Ray Wert — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 09:15:00 EDT

We're now around one month away from the 2007 Woodward Dream Cruise, the biggest single-day classic car event in the world, and already the Detroit daily newspapers are slapping down the walk-down-memory-lane pieces. First up is the Detroit News today who urge you to get on the Woodward bus with a nice long piece on people making their livelihood off of the big, wide Avenue running down the center of the metro Detroit area. It's nice they've centered their story on a bus driver, but man, we're totally hoping this isn't the most developing part of the area's economic development. But oh, look, they've got a cutesy little animated graphic at the top of the piece. We're so proud of them. We'll of course be covering the entire cruise, live-blogging our way through the one-day cruise on Saturday, August 18th. You can follow along at our tag or the RSS feed. [Detroit News]

2007 Woodward Dream Cruise Is Go -- Despite The Early Cruising, Tickets And Lack Of Money!

Ray Wert — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 08:30:00 EDT

So, if you've never been to the Woodward Dream Cruise there's good news — the 2007 cruise is on and it's set for Saturday August 18th! Already we're hearing of various Oakland County police departments upset drivers are cruising Woodward Avenue months before the Dream Cruise officially starts. Although they're doing all they can to send people packing with tickets for drag racing, loitering in parking lots and the always fun "quick starts" n' peeling out. We love how they're basically penalizing folks for acceleration ability. But whatever, our guess is it won't dampen the spirit of the largest single day classic car event in North America — and it won't dampen our spirit for covering it now that we've found out the Cruise organizers have found the money necessary to keep it rolling on. So, keep your eyes on our Woodward Dream Cruise tag or RSS feed as we'll be spending a lot of time on it as we get within one month of the big day. – Ray Wert

Firms show commitment to region [Detroit News]

[Photo Credit]

Related:
Woodward Dream Cruise coverage [internal]

Oklahoma Plymouth, OK?

Ray Wert — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 09:45:00 EDT

We've just received word the "test lift" of the 1957 Plymouth Belvedere in Tulsa, Oklahoma went just peachy. And by peachy we mean they were able to lift the car using a humongous 120-ton crane/strap setup and it didn't fall apart. Actually Tulsarama (don't ask) chairwoman Sharon King Davis said she feels "much better" about the condition of the car. Of course, after sitting in a buried vault in a pool of rust-colored water for 50 years the fact it didn't immediately disintegrate is probably cause for celebration. But check out that tailfin there above and in the gallery below — what do we think — is it mud and grime on the vacuum-sealed car-covering, or is that a thin veneer of rust? We'll find out at either noon when the Belvedere's pulled from the vault or at 7:00 PM tonight when Mr. Belvedere loses his soggy wet condom-like protection. We're on pins and needles. [Hat tip to Michael!] – Ray Wert

Test lift on Belvedere successful [Tulsa World]

The Most Beautiful Ford in the World: 1967-68 Ford OSI 20m TS

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 12:00:00 EST

While our American parents were smoking dope in the back of their Mustangs and blasting the Beach Boys, our hipper, richer European parents were blasting the Beach Boys and smoking dope in the backs of these Italian-bodied hotties. OSI, located in Turin, was an Italian Design firm that bent metal for companies such as Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Innocenti. The man who designed the Type III Karmann Ghia, Sergio Sartorelli, penned this triple-sexy American-Italian hybrid. Only around 2000 were produced. Please don't bother looking up specs or performance numbers, as they are depressing (e.g., 0-100 km/h — 62 mph — in 14 seconds). Instead, just make the jump and drool.

In case you were wondering, no, the OSI 20m TS is not a re-bodied Mustang. It is a rebodied Taunus. OSI did have a crack at Lido's pony car, however, with mixed results (see the white car below). And you thought Fabrizio's LA Auto Show concept was a first. – Jonny Lieberman

[Officine Stampaggi Industriali]

Related:
Ciao, Pony: Giugiaro Mustang Concept Revealed [Internal]

Hoon Of The Day: Four Minutes Of Woodward Dream Cruise Burnouts

Ray Wert — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 15:10:44 EDT

Up in Pontiac at the Woodward Avenue loop, there's one spot which is guaranteed to make the ladies scream and the fellas cream — and our tipster John Harmon rocked it for us today, putting four minutes of burnouts together with a little bit of Steve Miller's "Livin' in the USA." But remember, it's all fun and games until the police show up. At least you know one of us is gonna be mad partial to the Spartan flags!

Related:
All our Woodward Dream Cruise coverage [internal]

2006 Woodward Dream Cruise: Danger! Blogging While Wet!

Ray Wert — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 10:40:00 EDT

We've walked, like the postal service, through rain and wind and a lack of adequate sidewalks, down Woodward Avenue from where we filed our initial reports at the Birmingham Starbucks at 15 Mile. So what's happened in the interim two hours? Two things. The first is that it's fucking wet outside. The second thing is that although we're inside the fine Caribou Coffee between 14 Mile and 13 Mile, we're fucking soaked. As we made the one and a half-mile trek down Woodward Avenue, the rain didn't let up (it actually intensified from spittin' to heavy drizzle) and there was only one thought going through our minds — when are we gonna see the hot chicks on hot classic cars. Well...

...we weren't able to find any of that yet. So instead, we're going to spend an hour or so while the weather gods make up their minds, posting some of the best and brightest we came across in our Team Jalopnik Party Crashing over the past couple of days. So sit back, relax, and we'll dry out.

Related:
All our wet n' wooly coverage of the 2006 Woodward Dream Cruise [internal]

2006 Woodward Dream Pre-Cruise: The 1963 Plymouth Belvedere "Elwood" Police Edition

Ray Wert — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 12:50:30 EDT

One of the cooler finds out on the not-so-mean streets of Metro Detroit this weekend has to be this 1963 Plymouth Belvedere with a 6.6 liter 400, done-up for the boys in blue looking for the brothers Blues. The car with the same name as the butler, was re-built by John Hammond, a deputy sherriff in Tennessee, as a tribute to the Blues Brothers and the Mount Prospect Illinois Police Department. John ended up selling his beloved "Elwood" to finance some of his other fine projects, which is one of the reasons why it's now up here in Michigan with a new owner and available for us to yell "Illinois Nazis!" at the top of our lungs. And as Wert says, the best part's the license plate — "STOLEN1."

Summer Cruising On Woodward Avenue: Chevy's Building The Camaro?

Ray Wert — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 23:03:30 EDT

We guess Chevy just enjoys preaching to the converted — it's our only explanation why we've now seen a car carrier driving up and down Woodward Avenue pre-Dream Cruise with a Chevy Camaro concept and a classy classic Camaro, closely followed by the above billboard truck twice in the past two days. The billboard shows the new Camaro along with the tagline:

"When you're really good in a past life, you come back as yourself."

Setting aside the obvious that this is proof positive of Chevy casting away to the wind the jesus-lovin' "American Revolution" tagline in favor of a tagline more inclusive of the Camaro's legions of hippie and liberal-leaning followers for a Buddhist dogmatic principles tagline of "A Circle of Life Revolution" — isn't this display truck kind of like signing (sic) to the choir? We mean, Woodward Avenue's lined each night before the Dream Cruise with thousands of auto enthusiasts — people who generally keep up with auto news. Do we not think they've allready heard the Camaro's back — or was this for the two people who haven't yet heard? Seems awfully pricey to us.

Summer Cruising On Woodward Avenue: August 11, 2006 -- Part II

Ray Wert — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 14:35:54 EDT

Why yes, we do believe there's more. Anyone want to play spot the classic car? Feel free to play in the comments...on this or any of the rest of the Woodward Cruising posts. Also remember to keep checking the mini-site as we get ready for the 2006 Woodward Dream Cruise next Saturday. We've got a whole team of Jalopniks storming the Cruise with cameras and videocams blazin'. We promise we'll own coverage of the classic cruise, and you won't want to miss an instant of it. That said, here's some more classic cars captured by our and our cohorts' cameras. And yes, today's letter is most definetly "C" — as in "Cruising Cars." [Thanks to AJ for the help!]

Summer Cruising On Woodward Avenue: August 11, 2006 -- Part I

Ray Wert — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 11:23:58 EDT

We're now one week away from the official day Metro Detroit's set aside for classic cruisin' — the 11th annual Woodward Dream Cruise. But like all good "sports," there's totally a need for practice. We headed out into the setting sunlight to witness some of the best and brightest classic cars we've seen down this stretch of asphalt since around this time last year. Although we spent way too much of the night racing down Woodward in a Dodge Ram 1500 Mega Cab, scaring the kiddies who weren't able to read the side of the truck and see that, yeah, it's got a HEMI, we did manage to capture some of the fun. Actually, there was so much classic car action on Woodward not only couldn't we keep up, but we've actually split last night's photos into a threesome of Detroit love. Here's the first of the series. Check back later today for the rest. As always, to follow our misadventures, keep hitting refresh on the Woodward Cruising mini-site, or for the geeks like us, drop the tag into your fave feed reader.

Related:
More Woodward Cruising [internal]

Business In The Front, And The Camaro Is Back II: Classic Camaro Iron

Ray Wert — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 11:17:34 EDT

Although we feel like much of yesterdays "Camaro reveal" was exactly like the reveal of the concept car at NAIAS (all the way down to the music) — only with the addition of a large dose of amphetamines to speed up the show — we didn't mind so much as it again gave us the opportunity to check out the hotness that are classic Camaros. Of course, it also forced us to check out the diametrically opposite-to-hot late-gen Camaros. Meh, no event's perfect, right? But with all these Camaro owners and Camaro enthusiasts around, some of them apparently even GM employees, it seems Chevy's got a chance at hitting Lutz's magical sales number to make the vehicle profitable. In the meantime, check out what we saw yesterday below.

Related:
Business In The Front, And The Camaro Is Back! [internal]

2006 Concours d'Elegance Meadow Brook: Leftovers

Ray Wert — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 10:04:30 EDT

Though not quite as tasty as meatloaf or hamburger helper, we wanted to leave you with a little gallery of our leftover photos of some of the cars at this years Meadow Brook Concours. While they aren't "blow-your-head-off" amazing, and your mom can certainly help her hamburger better, there certainly was more than enough to stave off our hunger for classic cars...for at least one more day.