Letter from America (Michigan, specifically) - UPDATED 5/27

[UglyAmerican]

Hi Fellas,

 

It's been quite a long time since I posted anything hereâ€â€or even visited! Very busy, moving from New York to Michigan. But it doesn't mean I've forgotten my charge of gathering autoshite spots. All images are from Michigan unless they say otherwise. Enjoy!

 

Buick Reatta

 

Lovely thing, this

 

Rare 325ix (AWD) with manual transmission. Decent nick, too.

 

I'm shocked that it hasn't been devoured by rust:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mercury Capri. This was a fox-body Ford Mustang with mercury logos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[UglyAmerican]

NY Spots:

 

Chrysler TC by Maserati

 

 

From lovely Niagara Falls, NY, in January

 

Note the bumper sticker:

 

In Manhattan:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boston:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Santa Barbara, CA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spotted in Miami Beach

 

 

Futureshite

 

 

New Camaro with a pretend Pontiac Trans Am nose. Vile.

 

Too nice for shite?

 

[boobydoo]

Great pics, thanks. Those wood-panelled Wagoneers have always appealed.

 

Slightly curious about the 2CV. I would imagine a rare sight over there....were they ever officially sold in the US?

Calling Dollywobs!!

[mk1_4dr]

QualZ pics, it seems theres plenty of shit(e) still pressed into use over there, judging by this and Barrets threads.

 

I'll take this hunk-o-iron

 

 

HAWT

[Barrett.in.the.USA]

Slightly curious about the 2CV. I would imagine a rare sight over there....were they ever officially sold in the US?

Calling Dollywobs!!

 

Don't think so, but there are quite a few over here now. I've seen three so far.

 

I'm more curious about the Imperial, Like Mk1_4dr I think it's amazing, but I don't recall ever seeing one with a 6-light set up like that, I thought they all had solid C pillars.... ? Perhaps Mr. Ramrod could explain?

[seth]

Absolute tip-top grade A++shite! Whats the diesel fastback?

[Richard]

Great pics, thanks. Those wood-panelled Wagoneers have always appealed.

 

Slightly curious about the 2CV. I would imagine a rare sight over there....were they ever officially sold in the US?

Calling Dollywobs!!

Richard Dreyfuss' character had one in American Graffiti. He just parked it up and kicked it though.

[michiel]

Absolute tip-top grade A++shite! Whats the diesel fastback?

 

+1, and an Isuzu I-mark (Kadett).

[eddyramrod]

I'm more curious about the Imperial, Like Mk1_4dr I think it's amazing, but I don't recall ever seeing one with a 6-light set up like that, I thought they all had solid C pillars.... ? Perhaps Mr. Ramrod could explain?

 

...And here is Mr Ramrod, with a few less-than-reassuring words on the subject. I've looked in my various reference books, and found no pictures, nor even a mention, of the Imperial of 67-68 in a six-light format. However! I did find mention of a "pillared sedan" at the bottom of the range. Now we are used to seeing the Imperial in a pillarless version, ie "hardtop." I think it's extremely likely that the pillared sedan had different C pillars, incorporating the extra window.

If that link works, you should see one I pulled off Google Images. I haven't seen the six-light design before; it's growing on me, although the four-door hardtop, or pillarless, is the ultimate style trick as far as I'm concerned.

 

Gr8 spotting, by the way!

[CreepingJesus]

Great pics, thanks. Those wood-panelled Wagoneers have always appealed.

 

Slightly curious about the 2CV. I would imagine a rare sight over there....were they ever officially sold in the US?

Calling Dollywobs!!

Richard Dreyfuss' character had one in American Graffiti. He just parked it up and kicked it though.

 

They were officially imported, but never a success; they were too slow for freeways, and Citroen were too busy trying to make it as a luxury brand over there.

Great spots there, tho'. What's the large white wardrobe on wheels on the other side of the street, in the first pic?

[ashmicro]

The state does contain Deathtoilet, after all.

[chaseracer]

The Deux Chevaux was listed in the US for a while in the late 50s and early 60s. I believe they sold about twelve

 

As mentioned, quite a few imported since; a mate in Michigan has a German-market 2CV Special and a RHD 1979 Dyane (below, on Interstate 80), while another friend on the edge of Dallas/Fort Worth has recently restored a 2CV that spent most of its life in Liverpool!

 

[Gompo]

What's that white 2 Door thing behind the Blue CX?

[UglyAmerican]

Thanks for the nice comments, everyone! To answer some questions:

 

What's that white 2 Door thing behind the Blue CX?

Nissan Sentra. C-segment car, early 1990s vintage. The "hot" SE-R version was fun. This isn't one of those, though.

 

Why would anybody move to the State of MilitiaGun?

Good job offer

 

Are you mad?

Completely

 

NY is horrid too

Upstate New York is barren but in many areas quite beautiful. But I lived in the NYC area previously.

 

Great spots there, tho'. What's the large white wardrobe on wheels on the other side of the street, in the first pic?

Ford Flex. Start with ancient Volvo S80 platform, make several lousy Fords from it. It's enormous and not very good. Three rows of seats.

[UglyAmerican]

Certainly!

[UglyAmerican]

Yes, sir.

[Guest]

Ooooh, good update. Hope the new job goes well. I have about 100 Michigan license plates at home. They were sent to me by this American shop owner on eBay on the condition that I found him an overrider for his Morris Minor Traveller. In return, postage paid, I got the aforementioned old plates, and two CD Fallout Shelter signs. That has to be one of the weirder eBay transactions I've done, it has to be said.

 

There's some diverse metal there. Like Mk14Dr, I agree about the Imperial. I love the early 60's straight line design idioms - and that Chrysler looks evil, especially with the hubcaps removed. I suspect I'd be very happy with an American two door saloon from that period, ideally a Galaxie 500, but the prices are a bit ambitious for me. Perhaps a mid sixties Polara, or a small pony car like a Maverick or Javelin \ Hornet X.

 

The shot that really gets me is the CX - how the hell did that get there? I thought Citroen stopped exporting cars to the States after the SM was a flop. It's always amusing seeing 2CVs in the States, too. I saw American Graffiti for the first time just recently and was gobsmacked when Curt rolled up in a corrugated Deux Cheveux. There was also a late 80's Charleston in a WW2 from the USA. They'd managed to find a Peugeot 401, and a vaguely period Traction Avant (probably post - war, but I'm not that clued up on them), and then there was this random Charleston \ Dolly 2CV trundling around the set! Madness.

[UglyAmerican]

Thanks so much, Watanabe!

 

Citroens were imported here into the 80s, by individual importers. In the late 1980s, the grey market became much tighter, and a particular company was bringing XMs up to federal standards for importation. After that, the rules closed up completely and bringing a car into the U.S. that's 24 years old or younger is basically impossible.

 

As for the Yank tanks, ugh. You've ever driven any? Just awful to pilot, and impossible to live with. Not to mention, our petrol is now up to 72p/l. I know this would be laughably cheap for you guys, but when a GM land yacht is getting 10 UK mpg, it's still obscene.

 

Now that winter is beginning to recede here, there will be lots more tat on the streets. I'll do my best to update regularly!

[Rusty Pelican]

Top update , havnt seen a Saab Sonic for yonks , the Datty 180B Bluebird is just like my Pop had , Californian sunshine is probably the only reason its not disintigrated

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

Citroens were imported here into the 80s, by individual importers. In the late 1980s, the grey market became much tighter, and a particular company was bringing XMs up to federal standards for importation.

 

Here's a road test on Motor Week. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p4331dVQj8

 

They even went to the effort of retro-fitting those gash automatic seatbelts.

[AnthonyG]

I'm more curious about the Imperial

 

Probably because the nameplate is actually 'Newport' . The fact it has Chrysler on the trunk also means it's not an Imperial - it was a seperate 'make' from 1955 to 1975, only before and after did you get 'Chrysler Imperials'. Its a 1966 model, btw.

 

No '6 light' Imperials were ever made, it was Newports and New Yorkers only. You could also get a '300', in two or four door hardtop form - the light purple/black vinyl roof 2 door hardtop in the NY spots is a 1965 or 66 one. A 'Pillared sedan' in the Imperial range just meant a 4 door saloon with a standard C pillar.

 

I really would like a 63-66 Chrysler, however suspect by the time I get one, I'll just be sitting in it a lot, and not actually driving it much, due to size/fuel cost issues.

[Spottedlaurel]

Excellent stuff!

 

The Datsun is the long-nose version of what we got as 180B, I think they just called it 810 and it had a 2.4 '6' powering it. They did coupes and estates fitted with the big engine too. Found a test of one in an old copy of Road & Track the other day, they were reasonably praising of it.

[oman5]

Thanks so much, Watanabe!

 

Citroens were imported here into the 80s, by individual importers. In the late 1980s, the grey market became much tighter, and a particular company was bringing XMs up to federal standards for importation. After that, the rules closed up completely and bringing a car into the U.S. that's 24 years old or younger is basically impossible.

 

As for the Yank tanks, ugh. You've ever driven any? Just awful to pilot, and impossible to live with. Not to mention, our petrol is now up to 72p/l. I know this would be laughably cheap for you guys, but when a GM land yacht is getting 10 UK mpg, it's still obscene.

 

Now that winter is beginning to recede here, there will be lots more tat on the streets. I'll do my best to update regularly!

 

 

I LIKE old yank tanks! I've had a few over the years. soft, squishy, buckets of torque and more to the point totally different to most of the shite on the road over here. I always found them pretty good for the size- a 5.7 litre F150 I had was getting 15 mpg which was better than my mate's 3.5 range rover. My 305 caprice used to get 25 mpg on a run and was cheaper on parts than any home grown motors. yeah I know these are tame by the standards of some detroit stuff...I'd have no illusions of economy about something like a monaco or new yorker with a 440. but of course in the UK you can legally rip off all the power sapping emissions control crap (cats, air pumps etc) from something that old.

I have unfinished business with yank tanks. fancy an early '70s LTD

[UglyAmerican]

I have unfinished business with yank tanks. fancy an early '70s LTD

I'll find you one if you like. Even put it in a shipping crate. Of course, there'd have to be some kind of wire transfer ...

[boobydoo]

I just noticed a Dodge Caliber in your pics.

They were sold here for a short while and are assured future Grade A shite status.

 

Remember the ad?

 

[UglyAmerican]

Chrysler Crossfire SRT6 - that means Merc AMG engine

We only got the 190E with the actual 1.9-liter engine very briefly here

 

My mate Mark bought this '72 Grand Prix. It's vile up close. And from afar.

[UglyAmerican]

I meant to mention that the pickup is a Lincoln Mark LT, a rebadged Ford F-150 sold very, very briefly. It was adequate as a truck (it's just a Ford with a different logo) but they were obscenely expensive and are quite rare. By Yank standards, it's unquestionable futureshite.

[carlo]

Really nice pictures UA, a great variety. I can definately see a Matra 530 influence in that Buick Reatta...