Cars

[Arenacale]

More fun from Place Ford in Webster. The King of the Monsters abides.

 

[kz1000ps]

Randos from this month, starting with a 1996 "M edition" Miata

6th gen Civic that somehow still has glossy paint

A realtor friend's 1989 E30 convertible with around 60k miles. She let me drive it, in which case I have now gotten to drive an E30

I miss pinstripes and two-tone paint jobs

One day later I spotted this and ended up talking to its owner for over an hour..... 2000 Z3 with 55k and in damn near mint shape. Still a gorgeous car with damn near perfect proportions

Brand new C8 looking fat and sassy

Last for now, an E28 5 series parked at Belmont High

 

[Arenacale]

The Z3s are aging quite well. I also like the early Z4s a bunch, and I'm not a BMW guy. Strangely I prefer the Supra to the new Z4.

I'm a Ford guy by birth but would rock a C8. The upcoming E-Ray is an interesting proposition, would almost rather one of those than a Z06. Really looking forward to next year when both Ford and GM are bringing out new GT3 versions of the Mustang and Vette to fight on the track.

 

[bigpicture7]

The Z3s are aging quite well. I also like the early Z4s a bunch, and I'm not a BMW guy. Strangely I prefer the Supra to the new Z4...

I agree. And this raises a fun thought question for this thread: which older but not-yet-classic-aged car designs (i.e., those from the '90s and early 2000's) appear to have aged the best among peers?

I think the Z3 is up there. I think the Supras from back then are era-spanning and ageless. I am a sucker for late '90s Preludes. I love the proportions of the late '90s Lexus SC400. Yet, looking back at both of the latter two, they aren't quite as great as my rosy memory (though some that have been mod'd are fantastic). Call me crazy, but I have a soft spot for a ~'05 Caddy CTS-V. I love the proportions of the Acura TL that came out in '04, and people are starting to trick those out. I am sure there are others.

 

[Justbuildit]

I think it's hard to beat the sports cars that came out of Japan in the early to mid-90s. Call it the jellybean period if you must, but every major Japanese manufacturer had absolute classics from this era. The MKIV Supra/Lexus SC, Mitsu 3000GT, Nissan 300ZX, Acura NSX and even Integra, and of course the RX7. Absolute classics all, and a shame the successors are either more boring or less successful except for maybe the Nissan based on popularity alone.

Pre-Bangle BMW wave also gets a shoutout. The E39 5-series is about as perfect as you can get for a sports sedan. My take generally is that everything is just too big now, but those 5 series were perfectly proportioned and a ton of fun.

 

[Arenacale]

I agree. And this raises a fun thought question for this thread: which older but not-yet-classic-aged car designs (i.e., those from the '90s and early 2000's) appear to have aged the best among peers?

Trucks! Trucks are the answer here. The '90s F-150s and CKs are cool every time I see them, especially in comparison to the ugly, oversized and overstyled ogres they peddle today.

Beyond that, the Viper GTS, which is timeless. I also have a big soft spot for '94-98 Mustangs, which were the dream car when I was a kid, and I still want one now.

 

[bigpicture7]

Trucks! Trucks are the answer here. The '90s F-150s and CKs are cool every time I see them, especially in comparison to the ugly, oversized and overstyled ogres they peddle today.

Beyond that, the Viper GTS, which is timeless. I also have a big soft spot for '94-98 Mustangs, which were the dream car when I was a kid, and I still want one now.

Viper GTS 100% timeless. No issue with the '94-98 Mustangs, but they're a bit more of a niche taste IMHO (though my view of them is rebounding significantly lately compared to if you asked me, in, say 2005).

Re: trucks, I agree, but it's not just the domestic ones. My high school pet project was jacking up a 1990 Toyota 4x4 pickup w/ 33x12s, 4" lift, etc. I painted it high-gloss cherry red, gloss black on the exposed frame. It was my main ride when I was in my late teens/early 20s, but I kept it on the road as a toy secondary vehicle till it about 2007 (that was before I became an all out city person). No joke: non-car people used to ask me if it was new when it was about 17 years old! Granted it was in great condition (visually, haha), but it def had a timelessness to its aesthetic. I sold it in 2008 and it took me about 5 mins to find a buyer despite high age and miles.

 

[bigpicture7]

...especially in comparison to the ugly, oversized and overstyled ogres they peddle today.

^And one more comment in total agreement with this point: to me, most of today's truck designs induce a painful cognitive dissonance in me. Huge plastic moldings, enormous plastic grills...all that plastic makes no sense if the truck is supposed to be tough and functional. That stuff will snap like a dried twig if the vehicle encounters the slightest bit of adverse off-road or worksite conditions. Its chunkiness is supposed to look big and intimidating, but for anyone who knows the slightest bit about material properties, one's brain cannot interpret those styling cues as remotely legitimate. It looks so fake to me that its a total turn-off.

 

[Bananarama]

^And one more comment in total agreement with this point: to me, most of today's truck designs induce a painful cognitive dissonance in me. Huge plastic moldings, enormous plastic grills...all that plastic makes no sense if the truck is supposed to be tough and functional. That stuff will snap like a dried twig if the vehicle encounters the slightest bit of adverse off-road or worksite conditions. Its chunkiness is supposed to look big and intimidating, but for anyone who knows the slightest bit about material properties, one's brain cannot interpret those styling cues as remotely legitimate. It looks so fake to me that its a total turn-off.

I actually don't mind plastic as it's more easily beat up, won't scratch like painted metal, and sometimes helps the proportions of taller vehicles today - but along those lines, this it my real problem with trucks today:

20 years apart. (Yes these are different segments of trucks entirely, but the default truck is now plain massive.)
The Maverick and just-updated Tacoma are glimmers of hope among this size craze.

 

[Arenacale]

Speaking of the clown shoe BMW, saw one at Lime Rock yesterday during the Trans-Am race, as well as a bunch of other interesting machines in the parking lot, as usual.

 

[Arenacale]

And, my favorites: the race cars...

This #99 car is driven by Justin Marks, who co-owns the Trackhouse NASCAR team with Pitbull.

Wheels up if you love Lime Rock!

 

[kz1000ps]

This looked almost staged.... a XJ Vanden Plas having the church driveway to itself in Brookline

 

[Arenacale]

If it wasn't for the Mass plate you'd think that was off in the British countryside.

 

[Arenacale]

Took a trip back out to Mid-Ohio for some IndyCar. Some cars that aren't (completely) Indy...

 

[Arenacale]

...and straight up Indy.

That photo above, from Saturday morning, was the last photo I would get of my favorite driver, Simon Pagenaud, for the rest of the weekend. The next lap after, this would happen...

He was OK, but got his bell rung and wouldn't be cleared to race on Sunday. The car was much worse for wear, however...

 

[Dr. Rosen Rosen]

At Brickbottom in Somerville. 1919?!

 

[Dr. Rosen Rosen]

Get this: located near Lesley U! What’s not to like - Who drives this thing?!

 

[Arenacale]

Lime Rock parking remains undefeated...