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Autoshite roving reporter - Final hurrah, p6


Barrett.in.the.USA

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Mr Lobster, do it! Totally recommended. My tip is, hire a car and just dive bravely into the back roads, or at least the housing estates. You'll be amazed at the wealth of old cars that'll turn up. I couldn't believe all the first-gen Mustangs in SF. There's stuff in daily use, and shabby stuff parked on the street. And that's just in normal residential areas! Rural communities are the place to spot pickups, of the 70s-Ford-or-Chevy variety, almost every yard has at least one.

 

If Barrett doesn't mind a brief hijack, I can post up some pics...

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Go ahead Eddy!

 

Few more from the mean streets of SF

 

Sorry about the photo quality of this one, I was trying to be subtle and not wave my camera around in this GR3 neighbourhood

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DSCN1145 by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

This place is great, always something of interest in or around it. Notice the Fulvia coupe peeking out from inside.

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DSCN1149 by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Not sure how comfortable I'd be leaving any car parked round here, least of all a minty Mk2 Jaaag

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DSCN1150 by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

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DSCN1151 by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Cowhorn!

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DSCN1152 by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

70s Chevy action. The rustiest car I've seen in Ca. Still definitely would though

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DSCN1153 by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

This was even better

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DSCN1154 by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Back at the Italian garage. Think this is the owner's ride

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DSCN1144 by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Went out last night to grab food and didn't bother to take my camera ("it's only up the road, what's the point?") and saw a Datsun 2000 Fairlady roadster, another Dodge Dart wagon, early 70s Toyota pick up, Econoline pick up and several massive 70s barges.... lesson learnt!

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Go ahead Eddy!

 

Few more from the mean streets of SF

 

Sorry about the photo quality of this one, I was trying to be subtle and not wave my camera around in this GR3 neighbourhood

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If that's a genuine Grand National please steal it, crate it, and send in my general direction.

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Some highlights from our trip last year, then... We flew into Las Vegas, hung around for a few days then drove to SF with an overnight stop at Fresno. Down the coast to San Diego, back to Vegas via a bit of Route 66, and eventually home.

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1978 Mercury Cougar XR7, owned by one bloke for 30+ years. I found it on the used-car lot next to our motel in Fresno. How I failed to hand over the cash I'll never know...

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1962 Cadillac was just parked on a side street in San Diego. Having owned one (flimsy excuse, I know) I just had to stop and get a pic.

And as I was shooting it, this came by...

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1964 Ford Galaxie.

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1955 Chrysler was on a nearby side street...

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Chula Vista marina gave us not only this lush 1935 Nash, but also this beautiful 55 Chevy!

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San Francisco gave us:

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Dodge was clearly a daily.

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...And this Pontiac is the kind of thing you find when you just take off down random side streets. I love it!

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Kennedy Lincoln was parked outside a Starbucks, apparently it belongs to one of the staff and he uses it daily!

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Old Mustang, just as we turned onto 66 going back to Vegas!

And finally...

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I wanted the biggest SUV I could get... Chevy Suburban fits the bill! :lol: Mine for two whole weeks, lovely.

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Looks like you was in some right posh neighbourhoods Eddy, I have to dodge about 5 million crackheads everytime I leave the house to get fags or whatever. That 67 Dodge is awesome, one of my favourite shapes of Yankee motors. Loving the wheels on that '55 too

 

Gary, the white sedan was a '72-ish Chevelle. Bloody cool eh?

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Well. Probably my last spotting update from SF as I'm heading North tomorrow and most likely wont be back down this way again. DON'T PANIC though as I managed to have best day of spotting in my life today. Some proper OMGWTF moments coming up - enjoy

 

Ok, these first three were from earlier in the week - shaky Prelude

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Honda Prelude Gen 1 by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

And this massive old coach was parked outside my flat the other night

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I wouldn't leave that there..... by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Insert your own oxidization jokes here

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Alfa Spider by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Right, on to today's haul. Started with this Variant which I've been trying to snap for a while

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VW Variant by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Then BOOM! Trigger's American cousin pops up from nowhere!

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Opel Kadett wagon by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

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Opel Kadett wagon by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Not sure what the deal is with this, I've seen a couple about, invariably driven by some 'wacky' hippies. IIRC they are called Cushman Rangers, but I may be waaaaay off the mark

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Cushman by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Loads of these about but I figured I should pap one before I bugger off

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Honda Accord by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Lesser spotted more-door Tercel

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Toyota Tercel by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Proper motor

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Chevy El Camino SS by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

Got another look on my way back

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Chevy El Camino SS by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Love these, whatever they are

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Big pimpin' by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

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Big pimpin' by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Hmm..

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Ratty Celica by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

GETTAFUGOUTAMYWAY!

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Airstream by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Forgotten what these are actually called here so I'm calling it a Bluebird

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Datsun Bluebird wagon by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

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GMC by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Hold on, what's that....?

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Toyota Cressida wagon by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

WHOA!

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Toyota Cressida wagon by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Zoom

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Peugeot 505 by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Zoom-Zoom

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Mazda 323 sedan by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

This looked very lonely and sad with it's lights up

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Porker 924 by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Terminally rotten van - check out the A pillar on the full size version!

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Rotten canvas by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

PWP

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Alfa GTV by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Detective Stan Hirst - Undercover!

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Mercury Marquis by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

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Mercury Marquis by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

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Dodge by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Right, at this point I'd made it to the beach, my half way point, so I'll put the next lot up in a second - including some MEGA spots

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Okay.... Enjoyed the view of the ocean for a while, walked along the sea front and WTF!

 

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Subaru coupe by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

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Subaru coupe by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Gotta be in the running for my spot of the trip, I don't think I even knew this style of coupe existed.

 

This generation of Tercel is super rare now

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Toyota Tercel by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

This thing was pretty epic

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Loose Hat by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

I don't care what you lot think, this looked incredible, like it was the first time it had ever been outside. I have to say, US spec early Sherpas look ace with the all red rear light clusters and clear front indicators. The hardtop was the icing on the cake

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MGB by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Okay, back to your normal programming

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VW Scirocco Mk1 by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

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VW Scirocco Mk1 by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

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Celica Supra by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Think this Jeep is a cut-down mailtruck

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Strange bedfellows by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

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original rat by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

That red one's a Valiant, btw - best shot I could get

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Dead by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

I thought my luck in spotting mega rare J-chod would be all used up by now, but nope!

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Toyota Land Cruiser by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

One this early must be stupidly rare now, right?

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Toyota Land Cruiser by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Next street along, the American version!

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Jeep by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

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Jeep by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

One of the saddest most unbelievable sights I've ever seen... parked under cover but open to a fairly busy city street

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Dodge Challenger by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Chap also has this...

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Ford Torino by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

plus about another 4-5 70s Yanks that were parked off street and impossible to photograph

 

Not sure what these are actually called

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Toyota Corolla by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Looks like it's done some jumping...

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Ford Fairlaine by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

More shortly...

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I'd walked about 500 miles at this point, and I was about to walk 500 more. Before popping into a pub for 3 rapid pints, I manages to spot this bit of American muscle

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Mercury Cougar Eliminator by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

And on my way out I saw this!

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Ford LTD? by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Not sure how I feel about this, looked alright I guess

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Ford Maverick by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

HAHAHAHAHAH! What a crock of shit!

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what the?? by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Well, at least he hasn't stuck a friggin prancing horse badge...... oh, wait he has. LOLZ!

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Fierrarrioo by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

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Beast! by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

BROWN

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Mazda 606 sedan by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

50s Shite

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DeSoto by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

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DeSoto Fireflyte by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

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DeSoto Fireflyte by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Solid gold shite

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K-car? by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

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GMC by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

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VW Jetta by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

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Chevy wagon by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

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BMW '02 by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

I'm gonna miss seeing these about everywhere

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Peugeot 505 by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

I thought this was another 2-door Jetta thing but actually I reckon it might be a Fox

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VW Jetta by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

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GMC truck by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

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Kia Opirus by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Beige RX-7 8)

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Mazda RX-7 by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Sick of these now

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BMW 2002 by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Oh Hello!

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Chevy Nova by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

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Chevy Nova by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

hehehe

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Hippy Celica by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

GR8 4 FALLIN OVER

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Ford Bronco by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

 

K GUYZ, more coming up in a second

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I'd had some seriously lucky spots at this point, especially with the old J-tin, so I was pretty nonplussed about seeing this old crock

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Toyota Tercel by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

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Toyota Tercel by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Alright, I admit this was a surprise. I felt filthy taking a photo though because you just know the owner gets it all the time and he LOVES the attention. I just about managed to hold off from shouting BUT I ACTUALLY LIKE SHIT CARS LIKE YOURS!

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DMC Delorean by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Ah, this is more like it! A rare thing indeed

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Datsun Sunny by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Shit the bed!

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Honda Civic wagon gen 2 by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

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Honda Civic wagon gen 2 by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

This.....

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Dodge van by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

....was parked opposite this....

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Chrysler Imperial by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

...which was behind this!

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Plymouth Fury III by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

all three were about a block away from this sucka

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Plymouth Valiant by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

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Plymouth Valiant by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

All of that is enough to keep me quite literally ERECT for a fortnight, but hold on a second!

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Toyota Corolla by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

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Toyota Corolla by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

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Datsun pick-up by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

The camper was another Datto like this one, but there was someone inside it

 

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Celica ST by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Finally, the old punk dude I'm staying with rolls around in this, which is possibly the coolest van I've ever seen

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Chopped Chevy by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

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Chopped Chevy by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Okay, that's yer lot! Not bad for one day of walking around eh? There might be a few more dribs and drabs from the next week but don't hold yer breath, like

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Extraordinary! Difficult to pick a favourite, would I go for one of the obscure Japanese things or a random US land yacht?

 

Subaru was sold in the UK, known as GLF. I remember one from the late ‘80s.

 

The ‘Bluebird’ estate was called Maxima there, had a longer front overhang with a V6 stuck in the nose, but its otherwise as the version we got here from 1984-86.

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Extraordinary! Difficult to pick a favourite, would I go for one of the obscure Japanese things or a random US land yacht?

The ‘Bluebird’ estate was called Maxima there, had a longer front overhang with a V6 stuck in the nose, but its otherwise as the version we got here from 1984-86.

 

 

The Bluebird was actually called the Nissan Stanza in the States. The Maxima was a bigger car and, I believe, also available in the UK.

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Such a good update, incredible to see what is still on the roads over there! Clearly the dry climate has done wonders for the older cars, especially the Japanese ones. Subaru coupe for me please, such a great design.

 

RE the Maxima, they look very much like the U11 Bluebird we got over in Estate form (most notablly) up until 1990ish, the T12/T72 models sold in the US were badged as Stanzas, they were a bit iffy with the naming system over here as they actually replaced the U11 with the U12 in 1987, which we didn't get in the UK. Confusing model range at the time..

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Okay, here is possibly the last batch of US spots from me!

 

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Something by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

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Ford Galaxie by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

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Ford Galaxie by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Spoke to the bloke who owned this, I congratulated him on the size of his balls. Totally original, 42k miles, and he has an Elan +2 as well!

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Lotus Elite by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

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El Camino by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

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Duel by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

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VW type 2 truck by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

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Fiat 500 by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Okay, here are the final two, I hope you'll agree they are something a little special.....

 

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Stanza! by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

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Stanza! by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

And...

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OMNOMNOMNOMNOMNI by SanFranBarrett, on Flickr

 

Ok, that's all folks! I'll be back at the weekend and possibly heading straight up to Bromley (or whatever it is this weekend) so maybe see some of you there?

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This is the most awesome spotting thread of ALL TIME, splendid work Barratt Holmes!!!! Trying to pick a winner out of that lot is nigh on impossible, however i'll give it a whirl and go with the 'NO MORE VIETNAMS' Celica, also a big fan of the Ford Torino and Chevy Nova

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Minor constructive note...the Duel car was a Plymouth Valiant, not a Dodge Dart. :)

 

...yes and they wanted a bright red one so it would stand out against the desert backdrops better when filming.

 

Ditto on an excellent thread. Lord Barrett deserves an award for his efforts....well done , Mister!!

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  • 5 years later...

I spent ages trying to find this thread the other day to pull a couple of pictures off, so I'm just gonna 'bump myself rotten' to make it easier in future, and because I guess lots of people didn't see this before, even though spotted threads are now mostly ignored. Can't believe it's ben five years since my last holiday ffs

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