Welcome to Must Read, where we single out the best stories from around the automotive universe and beyond. Today we've got reports from the New York Times, Petrolicious, and The Truth About Cars.
Officers Are Wistful as Crown Vic, Long a Fleet Staple, Nears Retirement — The New York Times
As the Crown Victoria, out of production for two years now, gets gradually replaced by newer models, the police officers who depended on them are waxing nostalgic.
And this summer, through whatever mysterious karma shapes the police universe, Trooper Randy Elkins was assigned to be the driver and keeper of the last Crown Vic bought by the Washington State Patrol. “It’s kind of the end of an era,” Trooper Elkins said from behind the wheel of Unit 606 on a recent morning during rush-hour patrol here in eastern Washington, near the Idaho border. “My goal is to keep it to the end, right to the last mile.”
The BMW 507 Was A Beautiful Mistake — Petrolicious
The BMW 507 sports car is the prettiest Bimmer of all time. And it nearly didn't happen.
Post-WWII Germany wasn't the easiest place to live, much less keep a automobile company on its feet. The people’s morale, along with the economy, was in shambles, which gave inhabitants a shaky outlook on the future of the state. However, this was not the impression BMW gave off. In a time of peril, they managed to create what many would call the most beautiful BMW to ever come into existence—the 507.
Japanese Size Queens: Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear & Toyota Hi-Ace Vans — The Truth About Cars
No, not THOSE size queens. TTAC has a great feature on Japanese vans.
There are several vans that will not be among the finalists to replace the Kreutzer family’s ailing Ford Freestar and among them are the size and utility queens of the Japanese Domestic Market, the Toyota HI-Ace and the Mitsubishi Delica. Of course you already know that neither of these vans are sold here in the Land of the Free, so my attempt at including them in an article about my current search may seem a bit facetious but, the truth is, I know these vans well and they come up enough in the comments that I thought they might be worth discussing in more detail. Since I have become the resident “van guy” for the time being, let’s avail ourselves of the opportunity, shall we?