Apparently luck was on my side, because I got to see another one, this time a gold version, just one week later while visiting family in Canada. Sitting on a used car dealers lot in town, it caught my eye despite being surrounded by many great modern and classic Corvettes. If I had to choose I'd probably prefer the rare burgundy colour of my friend Ken's car, but the Fiero always looked sharp in that gold hue, and this one appeared to be in very nice shape.
Most can gather from an article a few weeks back that I was very excited to have the chance to not only see but also drive a Pontiac Fiero GT. A dream car from as far back as I can remember, the Fiero GT is a rare enough bird in North America, but having lived overseas (France and now China) for almost 15 years means I haven't seen one for a very long time. I would have counted myself lucky to just see that one burgundy model. Apparently luck was on my side, because I got to see another one, this time a gold version, just one week later while visiting family in Canada. Sitting on a used car dealers lot in town, it caught my eye despite being surrounded by many great modern and classic Corvettes. If I had to choose I'd probably prefer the rare burgundy colour of my friend Ken's car, but the Fiero always looked sharp in that gold hue, and this one appeared to be in very nice shape. This model had grey lower trim, though I think I prefer the single tone on Ken's burgundy Fiero. The rims are the same, but grey in this case, and both cars sport the large, flat spoiler. One custom touch was the air intake on both sides, just behind the doors. Designed to allow more air into the engine compartment for added cooling, they protrude out a fair bit to scoop more air, whereas the stock inlets are flush with the body. The interiors were identical except for one major item: this Fiero was equipped with a 3-speed automatic transmission, and not the 5-speed manual of the one I drove. As much as I liked the gold Fiero, my choice would easily fall to the manual version, as it's a much more entertaining and engaging experience to drive a car like this with a stick. Two up-close-and-personal Fiero GT sightings in two weeks! I count myself very lucky! And as the saying goes, good things come in threes. There's also the French equivalent "Jamais 2 sans 3", which translates to "Never 2 without 3", so I'm hopeful a third Fiero GT will cross my path soon. While that's highly unlikely in China, one never knows... who am I to doubt fate?!
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A roadtrip with me is a slow-going affair. On a recent trip to Canada I had many miles to cover in an attempt to see family and friends in a very short time. I was happy to be driving again after more than a year away from the wheel, and was very happy to be cruising around rural Ontario. The sky was clear, the sun was warm, and I didn't encounter much traffic. But I still didn't make very good time, it would seem. Blame the old cars. As much as I like to get where I'm going, I can't help but be distracted by old cars sitting on the side of the road. And during this past trip there was no shortage of distractions! Many old cars sat calling me from parking lots, lawns, fields. One of the most appealing was a rusty old Ford Consul sedan. I couldn't even guess at the year, but after a search online it would appear that this was a Ford Consul MKII, built from 1956 until 1962. It clearly hadn't moved in a long time, and while it was hard to see underneath, the body itself didn't appear to be rotted through, just covered in a heavy layer of surface rust. Like with most abandoned old cars, it's the small details that catch my eye the most. The large grille, chrome bumpers, and finishing around the headlights and taillights looked great on this Consul. The wrap-around front and rear glass was a common design theme from back in the day, and looked especially good on this classic. The raised lettering on the hood proudly displayed the 'Consul' name, and complimented the prominent hood ornament, a sort of arrow or spear rising off the long hood. Often these old cars are stripped of their trim pieces, so it was refreshing to see a complete relic. It's impossible to guess how long the car has been sitting there, or if the owner plans to restore it someday, but I was very happy to stumble across this great Consul. Stopping to take a peek and grab some pictures may have added about 15 minutes to my journey, but I think it was worth it. These days living in China it's impossible for me to own any car, much less an old classic, so I'll take these sightings as a great consul-ation prize!
I am not the most knowledgeable old-car enthusiast out there, but I know what I like. And I like the Mercedes 380 SL. I saw this beautiful white coupe in Kalamazoo, Michigan on a recent visit. It's the kind of car that just 'works' for me. It's long and low, with just the right proportions of hood length and trunk length to go with the small cockpit. The RWD platform moves the rear wheels towards the middle of the car and the front wheels towards the front bumper, giving it a great stance. I've never closely studied Mercedes' different models, so had to look up a bit of info on the 380 SL. It was built in the first half of the 1980s, and came fitted with a 3.8L V8 engine putting out 215 horsepower. A convertible was available, but I actually prefer the look of this fixed-top coupe version. The prominent, protruding bumpers and large, blocky headlights and taillights are throwbacks to a different era, but I think that this car has aged very well, and is a true classic nowadays. If I were looking to purchase a classic car, I don't know if I'd actually consider an old Mercedes. There are a bunch of old cars that I'm more familiar with and would be more inclined to buy, but I sure am glad these old Mercs have their fans still. This white SL was clearly well taken care of, and likely has many more years of motoring ahead of it. Who knows, maybe when the time comes to buy something I'll stumble across another 380 SL and decide to take a closer look.
1988 Pontiac Fiero GT. For as long as I can remember, that has been my dream car. Sure, I've always liked many other, more expensive, more exotic cars, but the Fiero GT has remained one of my favourites since I first laid eyes on it. A sporty, compact 2-seater with the engine in the rear, the Fiero has entered the history books with a questionable reputation. Those that loved them loved them alot, to the point that even today, almost 30 years after it went out of production, it still has a huge fan base. The other portion of the population is less kind to the Fiero, thanks to an unfortunate reputation as a car that could catch fire. While there were several high-profile cases that earned the Fiero this bad reputation, statistically, it was shown that the Fiero didn't suffer significantly more engine fires than anything else on the road. But enough of that. I'm definitely in the first camp of Fiero lovers, the ones that appreciate the car because of its quirks, not despite them. The very low-slung design of the coupe, coupled with the placement of the engine behind the driver, meant that the Fiero handled a bit like a Go-Kart, and held the road extremely well. However, the relatively pedestrian source of much of the suspension and driveline components (the Chevrolet Citation and Chevette donated many parts!) also meant that the acceleration and handling of the original models left a little to be desired. I myself found it quite entertaining, but if you hit a bump in mid-corner, things got a bit wonky. The first model only came equipped with a 2.5L 4-cylinder engine, which didn't really have its place in a car that looked so sporty. Legend has it that General Motors wouldn't approve a Pontiac sports car that might rival the legendary Chevrolet Corvette, so the Fiero was designed more as a commuter car than an all-out sports car. Back when I was in college I finally was able to realise my dream when I purchased a 1984 Fiero. The 4-cylinder, 4-speed manual had seen better days, and I only got to drive it for a few months before the engine conked out. Even so, I thoroughly enjoyed my Fiero, and I viewed the engine dying as a minor inconvenience, not a catastrophic event. It was enough of a taste to make me a Fiero fan for life. Besides, every car fan knows that the BEST Fiero is the 1988 GT model. The 2.8L V6 was much more powerful, and improvements to the suspension made it a significantly better handling car. It is commonly said that by 1988, in its fifth model year, GM had finally gotten the Fiero right, and then promptly cancelled it! An automotive mystery and frustration for the ages, to be sure. I have been participating for years on an automotive forum, and more than a decade ago made the acquaintance of Ken, from Michigan. Back in 1988 Ken purchased a brand new Fiero GT, and has kept it ever since. When he heard that I was coming to Michigan this month for work, he kindly invited me to see his car. We first joined another forum member, Jason, in a visit to the Gilmore Car Museum near Kalamazoo. We spent a great day checking out some truly impressive old cars and displays. But obviously the highlight of the day was getting to see Ken's Fiero. When we got to his house he opened the garage door and handed me the keys. It had been over 10 years since I had laid eyes on a GT, but I was instantly reminded of how much I loved the design. More substantial than the 2M4 (2-seater, mid-engine, 4-cylinder) model that I had owned, the GT had a more prominent rear end with full-width taillights, 'flying buttress' side rear windows, and a smoother, more pronounced front end. When I climbed inside I saw that it was identical, apart from the addition of a few extra gauges. I fired it up and got to hear the excellent growl of the bright-red V6, something most Pontiac V6s of the era were known for. At that point I could have left happy, but Ken told us to feel free to take it for a drive! I didn't take much convincing, and I got to enjoy an awesome tour around the neighbourhood. Even Jason, a 2015 Ford Mustang owner was impressed with the sound of the car, and the way it rode and handled. We spent a good moment in the driveway discussing the car. It had 75,000 original miles, and ran like a top. The years hadn't been kind to the paint, which was starting to fade a bit, but overall the car was in excellent shape. It was pretty clear Ken wasn't looking to sell, and I didn't think it would be polite to steal the car of someone so kind, so I handed him back the keys knowing that one day I would buy my own Fiero GT. I snapped a few pictures, but in my excitement didn't think to check them. They didn't turn out all that great, but you can still get a peek here. Most of you will shake your heads wondering how anyone could be so enamoured by a car like the Fiero, but you don't choose what you love. It still makes me giddy like a little boy to see this car, and I left with a big grin on my face. As if that wasn't enough, Jason even let me try his Mustang out! It's a very different beast, with more than double the horsepower, so I was feeling pretty spoiled after my automotive-themed day.
You never forget your first love, which is why I am so excited to have had this chance. Thanks Ken and Jason, it was a super weekend, and it rekindled my love of the Fiero! Time isn't the friend of old cars, but there are still Fieros to be found. At some point, somewhere, somehow, I WILL own one of these GT models. Some dreams should come true! I see automotive treasures everywhere. Recently it was in a pile of rubbish. While I try not to spend too much time inspecting piles of garbage lying in the street, a flash of red caught my attention the other day, and I saw a poor broken toy car peeking up at me. Even if it was in a few pieces, I decided to take it home and see if I could put it back together. It's not that I really needed a busted plastic car, but it reminded me of a similar toy I had as a kid, and I figured it deserved a photo shoot as a send off before it headed to that recycle bin in the sky. The roof and windows had been broken out, but were still with the car. One wheel was missing, but I didn't feel like spending too much time sifting through trash to find it. When I got it home I did my best to reassemble the little car. It appeared, according to the licence plate, to be modelled after a Mercedes 450 SLC coupe from the 1970's, which was a strange choice for a Police car model. This was especially odd when you notice that it carried a 'Highway Patrol' sticker, and a US-style light-bar on the top. I can maybe believe a Mercedes might have been used in Germany as a Police car, but probably not a 450 SLC coupe, and definitely not the US! I was able to more or less get the black windows back in place and set the roof back on to be able to grab a few pictures. The toy clearly was on its last legs (wheels?), and had chased its last robber down the highway. Even if it was clearly a fairly cheap plastic car, it DID have a few neat details, like the headlights and taillights, the licence plates, and the 'chromed' grille and bumpers. Someone had obviously closely studied the Mercedes coupe before designing this child's toy. At first glance I assumed the car was remote-controlled, but when I turned it over and saw the bottom, I realised that it was a simple 'bump and go' type toy. The central wheels drove the car forward, and when it hit something, it would tend to spin around and take off in another direction. Not really a high-tech toy, even for the 80's, but I remember having a similar type car, and got a kick out of watching it go in all directions. With the switch in the 'OFF' position and the batteries missing from the holder, 'Police Force 99' wasn't going to be doing any more chasing of bad guys. Still, it was fun to think back to the cool car toys I had as a kid, and the fun that this one must have provided a little boy or girl in the neighbourhood. I don't know if this type of simple toy is still popular today, or if most kids instead spend their time with computer and video games. Do your children like this sort of electric car, or the remote controlled versions, or are they already relegated to the past?
It's not like I needed any confirmation, but a love of cars runs in the family. A few months back one of my aunts sent me an old faded picture of her, my father, and their three other siblings in a fantastic old classic car. The roadster belonged to my uncle David, seated behind the wheel. Even in the grainy photo he looks rather proud of his car. My father Byron is sitting beside him, with the youngest, Debbie, on the right fender, and Joan and Judy smiling on the left fender. Apparently there was a handwritten inscription on the back of the photo that read "David's Old Star". I assumed that this meant that it was his pride and joy, but my aunt thought it was actually the name of the car. Turns out she was right; the car was a 'Star' model from the 1920s. The picture was taken sometime towards the end of the 1950s, so in a way this car was already retro when it was photographed in front of my grandparents house all those years ago.
I did a quick search of the 'Star' name, and discovered that it was built by Durant from 1922 to 1928. It's hard to know much about this old car, except that I'm sure it was well loved. I have a sneaking suspicion that my uncle didn't always obey the posted speed limits, and there's a good chance that more than one attempt at pushing the 'old Star' to the limits was performed. I'd be curious to know what stabs at 'tuning' had occurred under the hood. Knowing my uncle, it's hard to believe that SOMETHING wasn't tinkered with. It wouldn't be David's car if there wasn't a choice piece of wood in there somewhere! In this photo it would seem that everyone is dressed in their Sunday best. Debbie looks especially lovely in her blue dress, Joan and Judy are sporting pretty hairdos, and I doubt my father ever wore a suit jacket except on a Sunday. Maybe this was after church, and the five kids were off for a drive around the countryside. They could have packed a picnic lunch and headed out to 'Tiny Falls'. Or maybe David was heading to college, and everyone was seeing him off. Had he just purchased the car, or was it a last picture before he sold it? That's what's so wonderful about old photos: they tell a story, but you don't know which one. They really tell a lifetime of stories. Did any of the people in the photo guess that they would one day have a total of 14 kids between them? Or 17 grandkids? That they would spend countless summers at the seaside together? Or inflict a whole generation of their children with an unnerving love of bad jokes and wordplay, the legendary 'Tom Swifties' that start innocently enough but build until everyone is doubled-over in laughter? I doubt it. It was probably a moment like any other, when the kids were told to stand still and smile for the camera, and in a flash the moment was gone. I always knew that my uncle was a big car fan. He and my father would spend hours discussing all sorts of things, but the old cars they had owned and the trips they had taken were always common themes. As you can imagine, I was very happy to see this photo, and be reminded that this love of cars runs in my veins. It was also great to see my aunts, uncle, and father all together in this photo. In this day in age when we have countless photos of everyday events, a peek into the past like this is a real treasure. I can just imagine right after this photo was taken, hearing the clankety old 4-banger fire up and David's 'Old Star' putt-putting off down the street... When I'm at home in Canada, or in France where I lived for years, I rarely encounter a vehicle I don't recognize. That's not to say I know every model or year, but I usually have a pretty good idea what make a car is at least. When travelling, however, I frequently encounter vehicles I have not seen before and sometimes haven't even heard of. A quick scan around the vehicle to locate a logo or nametag is therefore necessary to learn the model name. During a recent trip to Laos one car had me stumped though. A small white sedan from the late 1970's or early 1980's looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't be sure. Most of the older cars in Laos were Toyotas, but it didn't look exactly like the other Toyota models I had already seen. There were a few older Nissans around, or even older Datsuns, but how to be sure? Was it even Japanese? It it reminded me a bit of a Gemini I had seen (and technically purchased!) in Indonesia, but I hadn't seen any other Holdens in Laos... I wandered around the car, but there were no badges in the typical locations (on the grille, trunk lid, or fenders), or even on the steering wheel. It looked like I wasn't going to find out, so I grabbed a few photos and got ready to wander off. Thankfully my travel companion had a sharper eye then me, and told me to check out the front left mudflap. There, in white letters, was the name 'Toyota'. My first guess was right. It was a pretty battered example of the Corona model, a car I had photographed on several previous occasions, again in Indonesia: It's always a pleasure as a car fan to learn about old models I don't know, so I hope I continue to discover these 'gems' during future travels. They don't have to be beautiful to catch my attention, as this ratty old Toyota proves, they just have to be different!
The Jurassic Park films may have been set and largely filmed in Costa Rica, but the South Eastern Asian country of Laos could just as easily have been the backdrop for the dino-flicks. While riding around the countryside on scooters last month, my travel partner and I both commented that we half expected Velociraptors and T-Rexs to jump out at us from the jungle. The overall terrain was quite flat, but hills and mountains jutted up almost out of nowhere. Thankfully no dinosaurs did appear, as I'm not sure we would have outrun much on our 125cc scooters, especially on the rough, rutted, muddy roads and paths that wound their way through the countryside. In the nearby city of Luang Prabang I stumbled across a much more capable dinosaur getaway vehicle, however. It was a beautiful cream-coloured 4x4. The rugged, topless off-road truck looked like it was built for mad dashes across the fields and through the jungle. The big knobby tires, high ground clearance, and spare gas can all hinted at the 4x4s off-road capabilities. There were jump seats in the back, making rescuing stragglers possible, and the windshield was designed to fold forward in case there was a fallen tree to duck under. It was easy to picture myself tearing through the jungle with the hot breath of a hungry dinosaur on my neck... There were no logos or names on the 4x4, but it looked something like a classic Land Rover or Land Cruiser. Turns out it was a GAZ-69, built between 1953 and 1972 in the Soviet Union. The cream paint and saddle brown seats looked fantastic together, and the crowning touch was a straw hat sitting on the gearshift. It's as if it was begging for me to jump in, prop the hat on my head, fire up the engine, and tear off on a life-or-death race against a cranky dinosaur. In the end my getaway vehicle stayed parked. No dino-mergency presented itself, and even if it had, the keys weren't in the ignition. I've never hot-wired a vehicle, and it isn't with an imminent risk of dinosaur attack that I should try to learn. Still, if someday in the future you find yourself in a Jurassic-style setting and feel the ground shake behind you, hope and pray that such a perfect escape vehicle is waiting patiently for you!
The words 'everyday' and 'supercar' don't go together for most of us. Exotic, expensive supercars are reserved for a select few with the big budgets required for the purchase and maintenance of such machines. The highly engineered exotics from makers like Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bugatti, McLaren, and Lotus are entertaining to drive, but are known to require frequent and costly maintenance to keep their high-powered engines running perfectly. Back in 1990, Honda broke the mold and introduced the NSX model within their Acura brand. The mid-engined, 270 horsepower, 2-seater NSX quickly proved to be as reliable and bulletproof as Honda's other standard models. To be sure, the NSX was every bit a capable supercar, with some impressive stats for the era:
Many cars today can meet or beat these numbers, but in the 1990s this was truly exotic-level performance. Even more impressive was just how livable the Acura NSX proved to be on a daily basis. Many owners reported that aside from regular maintenance items like oil changes, spark plugs, and coolant flushes, their NSX required no more TLC than their Civic or Accord sitting next to it in the garage. After 15 years, the NSX was pulled from production in 2005. A legend right out of the gate, it managed to carve a name for itself alongside the legendary Italian, British, and French exotics, which is even more impressive when you consider the decades of racing experience and history behind those other models. It was during a recent trip to Hong Kong that this Acura NSX caught my eye. I hadn't seen one in years, and was surprised at how great the design still looked. Even more interesting was that I had just read that Acura was bringing back the NSX for 2017, and had been showning the concept on the autoshow circuit. Fans of the original should be happy, as the next NSX retains the same layout and recognizable profile, all while adding some very modern, high-tech features and an incredibly potent 573 hp turbocharged gas V6 engine driving the rear wheels coupled with two electric motors driving the front wheels. Will this new incarnation of the 'underdog exotic' prove to be as reliable and easy to own as the first one? While I don't have the budget for an NSX, I hope that those of you that do will let us regular Joe's know what the everyday experience of owning an everyday supercar is like! Have any of you ever been behind the wheel of an NSX? Please share your impressions!
When you think of a fleet of vehicles for Royalty, you likely picture Rolls Royce, Bentley, or Jaguar. In the former Laotian capital city of Luang Prabang, the Royal family had a different idea for their transportation. Through the 1950s and 1960s, they had four different vehicles that served for official ceremonies and especially for escorting visiting dignitaries around the beautiful Laos countryside, along the Mekong River. A garage on the grounds of the former Royal Palace, now the National Museum, houses these old cars. The oldest was an early 1950's Citroen DS. If it was good enough for the President of France, it was good enough for a Laotian King and Queen. The black DS is in pretty rough shape and is missing a few parts, but still looks impressive with its classic 'cigar' shape. The car that would replace the DS in the mid 50s was a Ford Edsel. A legend for all the wrong reasons, the dramatic Edsel is derided for its 'strange' looks, though it certainly has a lot of appeal today. This one looked well preserved, and I wouldn't be surprised if it still ran. A short write-up mentioned that the Royal driver was disappointed when the Edsel and all subsequent Royal cars were automatic, as he preferred a manual transmission for its simplicity, and the 'connection' it gave him with the car. Another Ford would takes its place as the royal Luang Prabang carriage later in the 1950's, this time a luxurious and classy Lincoln Continental. The Continental is one of the most well-respected American luxury car nameplates, to the point that Lincoln is releasing an all-new Continental sedan for 2017. This classic Conti' looked stately in white, and was in beautiful condition. Apparently the Royal family were as much fans of the big Lincoln as I am, because they replaced the 1950's model with a mid 1960's version when it came time to upgrade. This newer Continental was wide, long, and low, with a massive hood and trunk. I can imagine the impression this massive car made as it drove through town and along the quiet country roads with the Royal family in the back and the crest and flags decorating the sides. Unfortunately pictures were not allowed inside the museum, though it would seem that my camera slipped out of my pocket at one point (by coincidence when the guards weren't looking!), and I must have accidentally snapped a fairly well-aligned shot of the four cars... There was also a Land Rover on display that had been used for off-road duty. Even today the roads outside of the city center are rough and unpaved, so I can imagine how necessary a 4x4 was back in the middle of the previous century when there was still a king in Luang Prabang. There was also a boat (interestingly, it was a Canadian-made 'Johnson' model) that was used by the King to visit villages in the area. Few roads exist north of the city, so even today the Mekong river serves as the only access to many towns and villages in the north of Laos.
It was a small but impressive collection of classic vehicles that seem quite out of place in calm, colonial Luang Prabang. It's nice to see these important vehicles are not only being properly stored, but also shown to the public. I only hope that if the descendants of the King see this 'stolen' picture they will issue me a Royal pardon! |
AuthorWelcome! My name is Paul, and I am an old-fashioned, low-pressure, low-buck car fan with lots of automotive stories to tell! Archives
February 2020
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