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. What would you drive in Manhattan? Voodoojoo knows!
Voodoojoo has done a great writeup to accompany his photographs- which should serve as examples to aspiring DOTSBE photographers- so we'll cut straight to it:
While I've been living in lower Manhattan, I've seen lots and lots of cool cars. A Mustard 70s Gran Torino, a green 70s Charger parked next to a white 67 Charger parked next to a BMW 3.0 CS next to a mint 1958 Corvette next to a red Fiat X1/9 riced out with fake chrome vents, wide arches, a giant spoiler and plenty of stickers ( I walk past a pretty cool shop on my way to class). I shouldn't forget the 40s Plymouth, the white-and-blue Cobra II, the 61 Eldorado, the 356, the 2CV, the Saab 99. I probably have more three pointed stars on my hard drive than I do essays, but few of them get sent over to your inbox because they just don't seem...extraordinary enough. Over the past few days, things have been different. While the '64 Riviera that I spotted made me smile, I shouted "holy shit" when I saw that double-chevron sticking out from the rusted behind of this DS and the Lagonda made my heartbeat irregular. Judging by my general reaction, I figured you might be interested in these pictures, and maybe a bit of a story.
I saw this Lagonda for about two seconds over a year ago walking out of my dorm and after recovering my probably embarrassing state of shock, I figured that it would be last time I ever saw that carved arrow figure rumble around the corner, but today, just a day and a half after seeing a flat to the floor Citroen, the Lagonda showed itself once more. While nearly everyone on the street asked me about the Trabant I stood next to, only one person stopped at the Aston Martin. "How much?" he asked, which seemed like a silly question to me, as I figured the electronics would short out before the previous owner had even finished counting the money you might as well have lit on fire. That is, until he mentioned he was in the market for a Testarossa. After perhaps cruelly advising him to buy a 70s Maserati instead, I went on and photographed what may be the only Lagonda I will ever see.
This DS was going to be sent in on its own with a short primer entitled 'How to get on DOTS - Step One: Find a Citroen DS'. It looks like it has all but given up on life, what with its tired, mismatched panels and reclining ride height. Once I tried to explain to my dad what I loved about Citroens, and I'm pretty sure I just babbled incoherently for a while, because to this day, there's something about them that goes beyond my capacities for explanation, something I find true of both of these cars. There's something about them, something spectacular. When I see them, my head starts to connect people and places, times and cultures. And while looking at these cars starts me to babble on endlessly, I still remain amazed - how the hell can these cars still be running? This is a clonked-out, beater Citroen DS. That shouldn't happen. An Aston Martin Lagonda being actually driven at all shouldn't happen. That I got to see them, that I had a camera. I'm counting myself lucky.