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Jon's Spotting Thread. USA Road Trip.


Jon

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OK, another weekend and more car related happenings - this time a show down the road, organised by a local hotrod group as a charity fundraiser. We arrived bang on start time and saw quite a few cars already there but many more arrived after us.

 

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In the best tradition, let's start off with a mustard Holden, which I don't think I'll ever tire of. Weather started off fairly cool and drab but later on I was to curse my lack of sun screen applied as my pasty white skin became less so.

 

 

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Naturally, Aussie cars were popular but vastly outweighed by the Yanks. Here's a selection of the ones I saw first, including this Charger RT, which was apparently only one of two such built according to the info sheet, and is also the only known survivor. These are pricey but I bet this goes to a whole other level.

 

 

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Chrysler CM Valiant arriving. I'm not so keen on these as the earlier versions of this shape but kudos for Chrysler Aus getting taken over by Mitsubishi in the late 70's and these being built in the Mitsubishi factory until 1981!

 

 

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Falcon YUM.

 

 

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Falcon YUCK. I love these big coupes but shit spoilers, wheels and sticky out bonnet bits ruins the whole effect for me. Less is more people, less is more.

 

 

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Starting to warm to this era of Valiant.

 

 

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Still need an Aussie ute one day. But what's that next to it?

 

 

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A very nicely presented Mk1 Capri. I think it's a 1600 from memory; it's owned by a young lass, who's posted some info about it on a local forum. Pretty sure she'd done a lot of the work on it herself, so double kudos for effort and styling restraint. Should go have a quiet word with the YUCK Falcon owner.

 

 

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Scenester. No doubt driven by a man with one of those large modern beards (judging by the stickers it wears), as is style nowadays. I quite like it, bar the stickers.

 

 

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I've seen this on the road locally a few times, so nice to see it being used.

 

 

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Check out this combo arriving!

 

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With this right behind it.

 

 

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Delightful.

 

 

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Look, another one! I think this may live in town actually. Would like to own.

 

 

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Sun was getting a bit warmer, so tried to stick to the shade when I could. Here's a couple of cool(er) cars.

 

 

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Not that many opportunities to see a ratty XB Falcon ute next to a 928. Honestly couldn't choose between them.

 

 

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Apart from them doing funny things to my camera, I'm really starting to go off red cars. Wouldn't say no though to a late 6 series but these number plates listing the stuff seen on the badges does get a bit tragic.

 

 

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Looks like a Hot Wheels toy I had as a child. Nice.

 

 

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Is it a real one? Who knows. Didn't seem to garner much attention either way.

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Rotaries are VERY popular in NZ, so this will be worth much more than the equivalent Mk1 Escort, surely the perennial barometer of old car prices. Again, less is more. Well done.

 

 

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Kiwis use the phrase '........ as' as a description to how intensely 'as' something is, without giving a comparison; e.g my forehead got burnt as that day. Lesson over, I appreciate this intense Mazda Luce.

 

 

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I'm trying to work out an equation for my unacceptability rating of big wheels on old cars. I reckon the rim diameter should be less than 2.5 times the headlight diameter, or perhaps wheels shouldn't exceed door mirror size by 3:1, etc. What are your feelings? Why not start a thread about it?

 

 

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This looks fantastic and I'd love a ride in one but I bet they're cripplingy crap to drive in. Very cool, though.

 

 

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The lady rocking up in this looked very happy and why not? Bonus spectator doing a Barrett Triumph meme pose.

 

 

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Effortlessly cool. Look at the central 300 badge tucked between those long thin tail lights, which match the height of the bull horn bumpers. 

 

 

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RAAAA! 

 

 

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Ha ha ha, look at this! Sorry, not my cup of tea, again it's modern toss that spoils it for me. Would look much better in non-metallic with smaller wheels but I appreciate that'd mean smaller brakes. Seat covers were particularly LOL-worthy!

 

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Can this look honestly be improved upon, barring extremes such as gassers, etc?

 

 

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Holden vans attract men who wear wife-beaters, though over here I don't think they have such a stigma, as it's quite acceptable to be seen in public wearing them (without the domestic violence bit). Often worn by men who actively wear wellington boots and camouflage hunting gear when not undertaking such pursuits that would necessitate them.

 

 

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ALL THE RED. This is so out of fashion that it's almost back in fashion.

 

 

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What a lovely DDGE. FFS, it says what is is on the back, right above the rear number plate.

 

 

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I'll let this one slip, as it'a 1600 GTE, something marketed only in NZ, I think. It falls in to the current ABC123 arrangement of number plates, so would have cost a lot less to buy that 70DDGE, for instance.

 

 

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Remember this from my Beach Hop spotting on the previous page? Looks like someone's slept in the back under the re-instated canopy, for extra hero points. Very careworn and the blurb mentioned it'd recently toured Australia and was off the the USA next year to attend Hotrod shows. That's the spirit!

 

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Apologies for brutal use of vignette effect but the back was just as nice as the front, so what the heck.

 

 

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Wonderful! I was so happy to see this car that I hardly grumbled internally about the modern rims. Well, just a little. At least they're not bloody chrome, though.

 

 

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This was utterly mint and a true long term storage discovery, according to the blurb.

 

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Click to expand for those with glaucoma.

 

 

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His 'n Hers, I assume. Does work well as a combo, though.

 

 

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Standing man just wouldn't budge, so I took this shot anyway to try and convey all that I dislike with faux retro adornments to already interesting old stuff, such as the fake sundaes sitting on the ledge of the caravan window and black and white mock lino. Mock lino for crying out loud! What wrong with the real stuff? And when did I turn into such a judgemental, curmudgeonly old man? Bring back the dour!

 

 

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I think the owners of this had nothing to do with the car show and had unwittingly become embroiled in the event. So I took a picture to mark this.

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Hmmm, that brown Valiant for me please.

 

How about an earlier, green one? Much nicer IMO. Look at that front end treatment!

 

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Not seen a Surf on a 2wd Hilux chassis before but it works very well, so I think people should to more of this kind of thing.

 

 

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Fab.

 

 

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I saw an orange one of these the other day, same era and same colossal Aussie 'roo bar but I couldn't stop to appreciate it as I was driving an ambulance at the time.

 

 

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Lovely. The elderly owner was just out of shot beating up some punks. 

 

 

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Making a Torino for the family man was an inspired idea by Ford, as it looks excellent. Well done.

 

 

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Erm.... Not to my tastes but well presented. Sadly, the American eagle seat back emblem is a little tricky to see in this picture.

 

 

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I'll readily condone a bit of artful distressing when something is clearly put to good use.

 

 

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The other end of the pick-up scale. I think my forehead was about windscreen base level.

 

 

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Nice CADY.

 

 

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Look at this though, this really was something else! I'm glad to say that seeing a P76 isn't too rare an occurrence, as there's a handful of local enthusiasts who like to meet up and drive them about. Don't think I've seen this white one before.

 

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The interior is admittedly a little sombre after the exterior but it's brightened up by the seat pattern and boomerang shaped steering wheel centre. I hope the owner doesn't keep his wallet in his back pocket, as that'd cause severe spinal issues when driving. Happily, it seems a wallet can sit in an open car and remain there.

 

 

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Everything's accessible under the bonnet, though it is a very wide car, so probably best to just climb in when doing servicing.

 

 

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 This was oak-ay, I wooden pine for one personally but I'm glad that someone branched out and spruced this one up. TL;DR Trees.

 

 

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This Chevette was very tastefully modified with a Nissan motor of some sort and the wheel:headlight ratio fell well within the accepted parameters. May have to modify the door mirror sizing ratio, as I'd hate for these to be deemed unacceptable on a technicality.

 

 

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STUNO had joined us for the day and had remarked about understanding why the owners had extended the grille over the headlights but not understanding why they'd done it. Old people, eh?! Looks great in my book.

 

 

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These LTDs were governmental cars back in the day (and sold to riff raff as well). Nowadays it's all BMW 730 diesels, much to the chagrin of the general public.

 

 

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I appreciate the owners turning up and they were very happy to have me open the doors further and take a peek inside but it's still a bit strange that people are happy to set up camp at the back of their car and not see the rest of the show. Takes all sorts, I suppose.

 

 

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Actually, I'd have liked to have seen who owned this, as I think they would have been an interesting fellow and would probably have looked good doddering about in the back of shot.

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Yes, I did say that about the Valiant grille. It just was wrong ! I Have some photos from the show as well and will add to here. Jon is a proper photo taker with lenses and things so mine may will be of lesser quality.  I too realised after I got home that the top bit that used to be covered in hair was well burned , and is still a bit sore. Bloody summer! The weather had been a bit crap for a few days prior , right up until that morning , so I thought a lot may cancel , but lots of exhibits and spectators turned up for a really good day. And hi Petrolise, you would have enjoyed this .

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How about an earlier, green one? Much nicer IMO. Look at that front end treatment!

 

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Yeah, that's nice too. But it's not brown is it? Almost too sporty for a saloon.

 

Got to love that Chrysler 300 too, amazing. The back end is so long it's like an El Camino with a bootlid.

 

Gloria and the two older Mazdas are rather fine too.

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That 2 door 300 has just gone straight to the top of my want list.   1970 is it?   Would.

 

Well, you're probably in the right country to find one! It's the system as a 1969 registration, dated 01/01/69, which is actually 1968 in Americaland at the time, due to us being 20hrs ahead. However, I reckon that it possibly was registered at some point in 1969 and that when the registration system was computerised, any unsure dates were just put to 1st Jan or something, as it does seem a little early for its shape, even if it does have rear fins still. I'm sure Junkman or Eddyramrod could help us out here. 

 

 

Looks like a great show! Think I've seen the brown Mk1 Capri before, or one very similar to it

 

I'm pretty sure I saw another brown one up in Northland in 2009. Why do I retain such inane facts?!

 

 

 I too realised after I got home that the top bit that used to be covered in hair was well burned , and is still a bit sore. Bloody summer! The weather had been a bit crap for a few days prior , right up until that morning , so I thought a lot may cancel , but lots of exhibits and spectators turned up for a really good day. And hi Petrolise, you would have enjoyed this .

 

I've got to admit that I've suffered worse sunburn (which is a bad thing - don't do it, kids) but it was a bit of a surprise after the few days of crap weather. These wet then warm conditions seemed to have been perfect for flies, which have quite literally emerged from nowhere and will now be bloody annoying for the foreseeable. 

 

Yeah, that's nice too. But it's not brown is it? Almost too sporty for a saloon.

 

Got to love that Chrysler 300 too, amazing. The back end is so long it's like an El Camino with a bootlid.

 

Gloria and the two older Mazdas are rather fine too.

 

I thought you may have a penchant for the Japanese cars. I don't think there was ever any stage where they were (quite literally at US car shows) bashed within the car scene, though may have taken a while to emerge as popular. With the number of Japanese cars on the roads here of all ages, I think you'd enjoy a trip over.

 

 

Anyway, not so many more to go. I know it's only one car show and perhaps there may be too many exhibits from one event but I've taken the photos, so may as well post them. Plus, it's a reason to actually use my camera, as I seem to be quite lazy and not take as many photos in everyday life as I should. And I like to witter on a bit, too.

 

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There's no way I could do any Escort mithering about high prices etc. when the example above is so good. Not over done, no forest arches, just a nice factory colour and a natty set of wheels. 

 

 

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What a combo! I'm sure I saw this being trailered last week, though towed by something more modern. I've never seen one of these stock cars with an Angliacised body but it does look novel, if very similar to a Reliant Regal.

 

 

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I've heard the odd reference to a Falcon as a 'coon, which I assume is the reasoning behind the number plate. Just sounds a bit too close to a derogatory term for me but that's my UK upbringing for you. I know of Aussies for example referring to the Pakistani cricket teams as the Pakis but without the racist connotations; it's just what they do to words over two syllables. Anyway, what a lovely example of an original looking US Falcon.

 

 

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Hey look, spottedlaurel's already here! Actually, these era Camrys are starting to thin out a little, certainly compared to five years ago when we arrived. 

 

 

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To those of you viewing this thread in Europe, this is a Galaxy far, far away. Sorry, that joke sounds a little rehearsed.

 

 

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I think this is my favourite front end of all the Valiants, especially since the rear end is so funky too, though you'll have to google that, as I didn't take a photo.

 

 

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What I did take a photo of however was that late brown one, which arguably has the most boring rear styling of them all. Still, I know my audience, so there you go SL.

 

 

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If I owned this excellent Vanguard, I'd point to random parts of it, exclaiming "This is a gold standard [insert car part]" probably each time I drove it. For the sake of humanity, it's probably a good job I don't own it.

 

 

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Check out this Autoshite themed Charger!!!!

 

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Funny old European car with extremely dated styling seemed a little incongruous in this company.

 

 

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Mrs_Jon commented that this looked sporty and I explained that it was indeed the case. I think she's become a purveyor of faster hatchbacks after driving tamer examples for a few years.

 

 

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Two different ways of enjoying a ute. Right one looks better but I'd be surprised if it actually carried anything anymore. Top tip: Wooly Hats: warm in the winter and sun-protecting in the summer.

 

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Holden really did some excellent colours back in the day.

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Righteho, looks like jon has emptied his camera, so a few to add.

 

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Big brother to Dan the Capriman's  Ford, a Lincoln Continental..HUGE.

 

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Tasty Rover and according to the plate, still in it's home territory

 

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Variations on a theme, Pontiac and Chev versions of the same year

 

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More variations on a different theme

 

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Just an ordinary everyday Chrysler

 

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A Pontiac probably owned by the teenaged son of the Chrysler owner

 

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The start of the drag strip

 

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I think these "porthole" Thunderbirds were from the 1st year of production.

 

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De Soto Sportsman. For looking good when arriving at the Golf Club

 

More to come

 

 

 

 

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A tractor in a car show ? may as well take a photo.

 

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Something BL thought was a waste of time and space aka they will never sell !

 

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Rambler American convertible

 

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Chrysler carwashers nightmare! Even your local Kosovo would charge extra for this

 

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Allegro for the USA, and no-one complained !

 

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The result of a few weekends spent "improving" an old Studebaker

 

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In 1950  this Ford was used for catching speeders by the traffic police, I am old enough to remember them in use. They were replaced by Mk1 Zephyrs

 

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That Dodge truck with humans* . It was badged as a Ram which I thought was a later name

 

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On my want list 30 years ago, still can't afford one .

 

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front

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rear

 

A bit of a mix

 

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How not to park a very low Chevrolet

 

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I like these !

 

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Spitfire blue

 

A few more to come

 

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A lot of Aussies mooning the show, as they do

 

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May be a 55 Buick

 

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I had one of those. Same colour too

 

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And also one of those. Different colour

 

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The trunk or possibly suitcase of a Ford Skyliner

 

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And the rest of the car disassembled temporarily

 

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Twin spotlights for a Ford

 

And bringing up the rear..... Edsel

 

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That's all folks and it was what I call a proper thread hijack

 

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Looks like a great show! Think I've seen the brown Mk1 Capri before, or one very similar to it

It would al ost certainly have been my old Capri that you saw. It is identical to the one in the photo and is currently owned by a lady up North. During my custodianship it was stolen and then recovered. Unfortunatel this resulted in it ending up on horrible white plates. The original registration was GZ3866

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It would al ost certainly have been my old Capri that you saw. It is identical to the one in the photo and is currently owned by a lady up North. During my custodianship it was stolen and then recovered. Unfortunatel this resulted in it ending up on horrible white plates. The original registration was GZ3866

 

It's a shame I can't see the number plate of this but here's the brown one I spotted somewhere in the far north when I was last up that way in 2009. Any chance it was yours then and you were on some sort of Capri tour?

 

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Footnote: that 110.9 will be the price of a litre of diesel in 2009. Today's current prices in town are 1c cheaper! Take that inflation!

 

 

to me the green ford ute & its ilk just look to me like the suspension has collapsed (slightly lowered yes, but just don't get whats COOL about this look???????).

 

Yeah, I kind of see what you mean but it does make you sound like an old duffer (and this is coming from a self diagnosed one). In fairness, I suppose my comment of it looking cool is that, bar the ludicrous low (which is adjustable of course and wouldn't be driven like that), it's just a little bit more interesting than seeing another 1980's US pickup, which actually isn't that rare over here. Plus, the wheels aren't too shit.......

 

 

........which brings us nicely on to the final segment of this show (where I think between myself and STUNO, we've about covered everything). Much as I'd like to admit it, I think there is an element of pleasure in seeking out the offenders of this heinous crime of fitting shit wheels to old cars, particularly if they're fitted to Mustangs.

 

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Scores a couple of extra points for being red with crappy plates, now that's these are the latest 'things' I'm against.

 

 

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Hey, look, they come in a different colour. How wildly modified and individual! I do appreciate that they both look to be in very good condition.

 

 

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There's just a deluge of 'ugh' in this picture. I reckon I could fill my David Bellamy I-Spy book of Faux American Tat and Period-incorrect Adornments with this one car.

 

 

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Ha ha ha, sticky in wheels car!

 

 

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Jesus! I bet with this narrow a track and such wide wheels, it'd quite literally ride like one of those teensy skateboards popular in the 1970's.

 

 

Anyway, please don't take too much offence, as it's just a bit of fun. Rest assured that I'd be politely two-faced/British if met with the owners and diplomatically exclaim how wonderful each of their cars were. Stock sentence about how the world would be a boring place if we were all the same, rah rah rah.

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So, I've just done an update of four year old images to a five year old thread (here:http://autoshite.com/topic/7744-drag-racing-event-thread-dredge-with-outmoded-update-0112/), so I may as well continue the tradition and carry on with some equally old photos too. In fact, these are more likely 5 years old but we're dealing with old cars already, so it's not going to make that much difference.

 

These cars were witnessed at a free event run each month in a town close by. Rather embarrassingly, despite having moved closer to said town, I've actually never been back to revisit it, though I'm assuming it attracts the same crowd - if it even still exists as an event!

 

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This Monaro looks very original, is very orange and is very very many dollars, which is probably why it's still original and sports sensible wheels. Sometimes scene tax can be a good thing.

 

 

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Old thing in pre-war glum shade which is notable as being a big car yet two door. Is this what's known as a doctor's coupe or some such twaddle? Why did these people need their own shape of less practical car?

 

 

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The esteemed broken suspension Hillman botherer of this forum enlightened me to the purpose of the triangular thing aft of the front wheels, which is the exit pipe of the exhaust system in drag racing mode (or something). Capping it sends gases down the more conventional, quieter route. I'll forgive these wheels on account of their restrained dimension and the general loveliness of the car they're attached to.

 

 

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I donner what to say about this Zephyr.

 

 

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Hey look, it's that terrible Jag hack job STUNO and I were laughing at a few days ago, only this time it's looking much less awful on quite tasteful Jaguar rims. I'm not wrong in assuming this has been shortened, am I? Quite obviously not Coupe doors and clearly not enough space behind them for a rear set.

 

 

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I really like the frontal styling of these XE Falcons, which are one of the rare models of cars where the facelift is on a par/superior to the original model. The XF is utterly dull, though and was sadly the longest lived.

 

 

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Here's that ace US Falcon from the show, sans private plate with the potential to offend.

 

 

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Have a look at this! This has inspired me to continue down the path of the dogged regime of doing nothing about the deteriorating paint jobs of the Visa and 205 in the vein hope that one day they'll look this magnificent.

 

 

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I can see the appeal of these hotrods to the silvertops, as they offer easy access and egress, akin to one of those walk in baths with the little doors cut out.

 

 

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After the decadence of similarly aged Yank tin, British cars do look quite porridge-y but I do like the front of these Super Minx, which look a bit like a surprised cat.

 

 

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When did Ford stop marketing the Bronco? I'm guessing some time in the 90's and assume that potentially stealing sales on F150s and being unwittingly embroiled in the OJ Simpson saga were probably good a reasons as any to give up.

 

 

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Wow, what a horror but conversely, what a survivor! Needs an accompanying dollybird in high heels, big perm and one of those really high waisted neon coloured bikinis so popular with hotrod magazines 25 years ago.

 

 

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Passing Beetle was doing just that. Fun fact: my brother used to have a 1200 in this colour. Riveting stuff.

 

 

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I'll dedicate these two photos to SL. Is drain sludge green on par with the brown? Don't worry about my derisory colour comment, I actually love them both.

 

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Hark at this jolly looking fellow very much enjoying his homebuilt creation.

 

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Sure, we can chuckle at the gawky front, overtly large upright 'screen and unsightly and probably useless Kee Klamp roll bar but what's the point when it's being so happily piloted?

 

 

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I'm happy to say that older trucks such as these are still a relatively common sight plying a trade. Note the sassy indent in the fuel tank acting as a step which would probably be outlawed now, on the premise that modern things suck.

 

 

At some point a while back I took a return day trip to Wellington in a Hino, so shared part of the driving to stay within the regs. However, I didn't drive on the way down, leaving me with plenty of spot-ortunities (I hope this newly invented phrase becomes the latest Autoshite buzzword), so here are some.

 

 

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This Bedford advertising board is quite iconic, having been seen on greeings cards and even a set of placemats, which I think is a bit far fetched, tbh. Note a fuzzy background XA Falcon in my favourite shade camera right.

 

 

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These 820e models are those ones with the Ambassador-derived engines, aren't they? That's probably tosh but I do vaguely recall some weird issue they can suffer from when the battery is disconnected. Rover badge font tells me this is a later series 1, as my Dad's gold D reg Sterling had a much chunkier badge. Another stonking anecdote for you to recite to girls at parties.

 

 

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I've seen this TK housetruck at a local gypsy fair (shocking, I know) and I'd love to see what it looks like inside. Maybe they've continued the mock them with pretend furniture? A bit like that Armando Iannucci scene where kids dress up as estate agents and try to sell a badly drawn paper house. Google it, it's quite funny.

 

 

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Another old truck being put to good use, this time a Kenworth. Has a reg plate which begins KW, which I'm sure isn't a concidence, since it pre-dates the issuing of personal plates.

 

 

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Misubishi V3000 resting outside an fine hostelry which I think might sell Lion Red beer.

 

 

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That's Mount Ruapehu in the background I think but more importantly, check out the early Tipo!

 

 

 

Here's a couple of spots from that there Auckland and just look at this superb Audi 100!

 

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Is this badly arranged cluster really how a  Capri 2.0 Ghia would have been sold? Apparently Mk3s weren't marketed here, so ex-UK.

                                                                                          Automatic

 

 

My parents came over on their first visit and just prior to this my Dad turned 65, so us loin urchins clubbed together and sorted him out with a glider ride to celebrate. Here's the booking centre/control tower and tow plane modelled on a lean-to green house.

 

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Note the extra seating for peak holiday season. Just out of shot were the execs of rival Auckland International Airport sniffing about for expansion plan ideas.

 

 

Then, since Dad loves old Mercedes, what better place to visit than a yard full of them?

 

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My tail I recently regailed to him about the Ponton and Fintails he could have bought for £25 a pop made him wince and grimace a bit.

 

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I'm guessing this is a half-arsed attempt at a demo derby car. I do like the 'fallen on hard times' appearance of seeing a 123 on steels without the hubcaps.

 

 

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Must admit the Ponton shape/model Benz do little for me as they're before my time and I probably read about them waaaay before I actually saw one in the metal.

 

 

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Look at them all!

 

 

Then we took a day trip out to a small station where you could take a short ride on a steam train. Except the steam train wasn't working that day, so was replaced by a tiny diesel. Of the two carriages, we took the option to ride on the open one to fully experience the neck-breaking jogging pace for half an hour. As an extra treat for children, a few teddies had been tied off to various bit of railside furniture but honestly, I've seen cleaner, less sinister examples of expired childrens' toys strapped to the front of a dustbin lorry. The whole experience was laughably poor, even before the drizzle. Anyway, it seems one of the staff has very good taste in cars, as shown by this immaculate Skyline.

 

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Incongruous long-obsolete AA badge for extra giffer points.

 

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And just take a look at this Beetle!

 

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Twin fart cannon exhausts and jaunty towbar take me back to my childhood when most Beetles were just everyday transport.

 

 

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After those two stunners, this Commodore to end for now is a little bit of a letdown but do bask in the glory of those qualz body repairs and 13 inch rims, denoting 1.9 starfire megapower.

 

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Then we took a day trip out to a small station where you could take a short ride on a steam train. Except the steam train wasn't working that day, so was replaced by a tiny diesel. Of the two carriages, we took the option to ride on the open one to fully experience the neck-breaking jogging pace for half an hour. As an extra treat for children, a few teddies had been tied off to various bit of railside furniture but honestly, I've seen cleaner, less sinister examples of expired childrens' toys strapped to the front of a dustbin lorry. The whole experience was laughably poor, even before the drizzle. Anyway, it seems one of the staff has very good taste in cars, as shown by this immaculate Skyline.

 

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Incongruous long-obsolete AA badge for extra giffer points.

 

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That’s rather delightful. Good colour, four doors, big engine, round back lights and great wheels.

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It's a bit of all right, isn't it? Have got to say that these era Skylines are quite rare now sadly, despite being manufactured in Aus. Not sure how popular they were sales-wise compared to the Commodore and Falcon, though I do have a 1982 (I think) test of these three, though the Skyline is the earlier R30 model, not the R31 above. 

 

 

Some time a while back, there was a stage of the Targa Rally NZ held on the back road to the next town along at the bottom of our street, so having learnt about it just that morning as it was started, it seemed rude to to go down and see what was happening.

 

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It attracts a pretty varied group of cars and owners and is in two categories as far as I can work out; classic and modern. Then there's people who just want to do the Targa Tour, which is some event where you essentially pay a lot of money to adorn your car in stickers and drive along the shut off roads at more moderate speeds, perhaps getting the rear end a bit loose on occasion. Sounds like a waste of time to me but it takes all sorts.....

 

 

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Bog wheels aside, it's nice to see someone using what is now a very sought after model. Decals are a bit meh, I prefer something a little more period.

 

 

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Like this! Absolutely hands down my favourite entrant, though admittedly we missed a lot of the historics, apparently.

 

 

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A 1960's Corona is not the fist car to spring to mind when thinking of something to modify for rallying, so kudos for the team to think out of the box. I'm saying think out the box here, as locally the phrase is think outside the square, which is frankly ludicrous. You can at least be in a box but a square is so much less defined and therefore a crap analogy due to extreme woolliness.

 

 

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All that stuff I said about the Datsun but x100 since it's a De Tomaso!

 

 

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This was depressingly un-hilarious and I imagine being piloted by a 53 year old dentist who always does something 'wacky' each year for the rally and is most probably uncompetitively slow and no doubt irritating to be around. It's great letting the mind run free sometimes and judging a book by its cover. Do try it.

 

 

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This was an early flat rear Legacy and scored extra points in my eyes for having bothered to some over to NZ from somewhere in Aussie. 

 

 

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A very appropriate car to represent a checkpoint on an NZ rally.

 

 

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As a bonus, this was just up the hill behind the Carina/Corona, so I didn't look to much of a weirdo wielding the camera about to bag this.

 

 

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A few random spots now and I think I got caught by the owner getting a shot of this HQ wagon at Bunnings (DIY store) but what the hell. I'd be flattered if it happened to me.

 

 

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Equally moist Cordia was just around the corner. Assuming the reg plate is the original, it'll be an '87 at a guess, so a relatively late one. They're a bit quirky I suppose but I must admit the styling is a bit cut and shut in my eyes, as if two different departments styled the front and the back.

 

 

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I saw this ace Delta Turbo HF mixing it with the bland boxes up at Turoa ski field on one of my skiing sojourns (ooh, get me!) and have since seen it about once in a neigbouring town and then again in Auckland, so it does get about!

 

 

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Mercedes*. Does this actually fool anyone? And does anyone care?!

 

 

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Here's a pleasant little Mini (like there was ever any other size in the originals) in a neighbouring town. I've since seen another one of the same era and condition in another local town, so there's still a staunch set of old ladies driving these about if you look hard enough.

 

 

And then look at what turned up out of the blue one day at the rental house next door!!

 

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Vauxhalls stopped being sold here after the Viva and Chevette were replaced by FWD efforts, so to see a lowly model 1988 Carlton over here is quite surreal. Even stranger is the fact that it didn't arrive until 2000! Could you see anyone bothering to export a last of the line 2.0 Omega all the way over here now? Exactly.

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Actually, reviewing my last post now I think the content was a little low in calibre, excluding the Carlton of course, so as a pennace I suppose I should bosh up some more and thus further put off all the office stuff I had earmarked for this morning. I'm a Grade A procrastinator, that's for sure.

 

 

In Christmas 2011 (again, HOT OFF THE PRESS coverage here) my sister and her family came over to visit, so we took various trips out in the brown 505 GTI and showed them a bit of the country. Here's a bit of what I subjected them to.

 

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This Belmont was at a cheap supermarket car park in Hamilton and the old fella had simply got out and left it unlocked. These aren't exactly undesirable and crime is a thing here like everywhere else, so maybe he's embroiled in some local gang. Or maybe he's just some old pensioner, one of the two no doubt.

 

 

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I've seen loads of these since so and they're not too uncommon yet I have only taken a photo of another one yet to come, as their relative ubiquity renders them relatively uninteresting, as it appears I'm incredibly fickle.

 

 

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Again, these aren't too rare, especially with this later XF front I'd wittered on about in a previous post but seeing one so clean and original is an exception to the rule and I thought it looked quite nice parked out on its own, so what the hell. Still, I think this post will get a bit better.

 

 

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Busted! Don't flatter yourself love, I wasn't taking a picture of you or your nondescript overpriced clothing. Clothes shops that have very few garments inside are very much not the type of place I frequent, by the way; especially ladies outlets.

 

 

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Another pleasant survivor! Aptly residing outside an old giffer complex from memory.

 

 

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This hip American thing has obviously lived most if not all of its life over here, judging by the plate, issued perhaps 1977-78.

 

 

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As would be the same for this LHD Audi 100, with a similar era plate. Did these sell right up to the late 70's? If so, they must have looked a little twee by then, though I suppose the same could be said for the P6 and Triumph 2000.

 

 

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I'm not a 'bike man but there are exceptions to this rule and this is very much one. A Sunbeam S7 (not to be mistaken with a terrible boy/girl band) beign ridden about by a man in jeans and t-shirt. Is there a cooler way to be seen around a popular beach town?

 

 

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Just an old car being used for its intended purpose and that's absolutely fine over here, no keeping up with the Jones' in most areas if you can't be bothered. Nice wheels though.

 

 

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I've seen this XA Falcon more than once and each time I coveth it merily. I could've bought a set of those trims a few weeks back for around £10 but realistically, what would I have done with them?

 

 

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This was a local landmark (to me, anyway) but has since sold on Trademe where I saw that it was a 316 auto or something equally grim. Looks the part though.

 

 

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This was in the same car park as the wet Cordia previously spotted. Quite unusual over here but I appreciate a bit yawn-worthy from a UK perspective.

 

 

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Then it was down to New Plymouth where I managed to bag a few spots out the little window from the 3rd row seat of a Toyota Ipsum (Avensis Verso). Interesting-ish line up of mostly Fodens. I think NZ was the best market for these in the end and the last one was sold here. If NZ is your biggest market, no wonder you go out of business!

 

 

 

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I reckon one of these would make a brill camper and I'd quite happily have one now but they are quite thin on the ground. A few ex-ambulances around, like the one that was on the opening credits of Shortland St when it was broadcast in the UK.

 

 

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Aussie spec 1275 GT on 10" rostyles, which are far superior to the 12" Denovos in my opinion.

 

 

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I'll end here for now with this covertly spotted Thema V6 being piloted by a girl I'd estimate to be late teens or early 20's. You can hardly be brash as a 30 year old man documenting such events, can you? Though I assume covert is potentially a lot more ominous.....

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So much interest in a old gold Standard. Here's another photo

 

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Edit... just noticed it has a light fitted above the centre of the windscreen. That was coloured blue and was to inform all oncoming vehicles that it was towing a trailer. I have no idea of the logic behind that. It was one of those good ideas that just did not last !

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Loving those wing top grilles on the Valiant. Not seen that detail on anything else!

 

Those Mk1 Audi 100s were still selling into 1976 in UK. That blue was their best colour imho.

 

Excellant pictures and commentary. Much envy of you having summer right now!

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Hey, I wasn't aware those wing vents were indicators. Every day's a school day!

 

I found a few more shots from a trip down in New Plymouth, including this crusty looking Merc:

 

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Was LHD from memory but I'm not sure if they have different direction wipers for RHD models if not. From memory, it was being driven by an actual German person too, so a chance perhaps that it's still in the same hands from when it was imported.

 

 

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Ugh, wires on an X-JS! Is there anything more visually unenjoyable than a red X-JS on wires? A suzuki X-90 on TSW 3 spokes would probably be up there.

 

 

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Here's a very different RWD wagon in the shape of another R31 Skyline. I'm not sure whether the wagons were sold in Japan or just Aus/NZ.

 

 

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Nice bit of louvre action in foreground there but what's that thing the lady's shutting the door of?

 

 

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It's only the most colossal home built 'camper' imaginable! Forgive the Ipsum window intrusion.

 

 

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Here's a long shot from outside the cavern that is the boot/3rd row seat area of a Toyota Ipsum. This is about the only place I can think of where such a lumbering leisure vehicle could dock a while, other than truck stops. Hardly the way to see the country, is it? The twin cab Isuzu tractor unit is pretty special though.

 

 

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This is a local landmark (again, probably only to me) parked up next to a petrol station where I imagine the owner works. One great thing to update on though is that this has now had a full respray in the same red (but not faded, obvs) and it looks brilliant, especially being stock standard, Clearly loved, I bet it was fun for one of the family members to learn to drive in this.

 

 

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On to Taupo, the biggest town to be set beside Lake Taupo, the giant central lake so visible on a map of the north island. The Corolla was a bit new for me as a subject but the van conversion made it very worthy. I've seen one or two more and a couple of conversions of Carina II wagons but never got any shots of those.

 

 

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I think this is probably my favourite Valiant that I've spotted. Love the colour and the wheels, as well as the frontal styling with the circular single headlamps.

 

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But just look at the concave styling of the rear! Marvellous. Bonus framing to include our 205, with a vague nod to the Peugeot/Chysler link that wouldn't have involved these two cars in any way.

 

 

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Bit of filler stuff here. SWIFTly moving on......

 

 

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Japanese maroon brethren unite. Interesting steels on the Impreza.

 

 

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Look at this jolly Fiat 125! Those cromodora wheels are one of many of my top favourites.

 

 

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L@@K L@@K L@@K Swallowtail Mk1 Golf! I'd seen this stunner parked up earlier that day, so casually drove past it in the 205 with my sister in two to get a shot. However, it was heading off, so I had to spring in to action, pull up quickly and take a shot and was blatantly spotted doing so. Unfortunately, we were heading in the same direction as this guy and Taupo is built on a grid system, so at each junction we followed this guy and obviously made him nervous and he started tearing away from us at high* speed, much to the amusement of my sibling.

 

I think a mega early Golf in daily use is pretty hard stuff to beat but my next update should have something even better. Gripping stuff, stay tuned!

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