My favorite time of the year: Hunting Season! I've got my barrel honed and sight adjusted. Beginning is the best few months of the year, where cars come out of the woodwork, maybe even only for a few jolts around the block, and back into storage. Some fresh oil and gas, a few laps around town, and back under a cover she goes.
Let's begin with some quick snaps of rarities of recent. Thanks to Jodie, her patience and her camera!
[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="1024" caption="A rusty Corvair! There's lots of these, weird handing issues though."]
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There is lots of cars hidden everywhere you look. Cars were made, and when they are made, something has to happen with them, whether they get sold at the dealership to customers or not. Companies always find ways to get rid of their stock, and at least hopefully break even. It's a risky business, and sometimes the manufacturers take risk in hopes of getting ahead. In both circumstances, these are often the cars that slip between the cracks, these are the cars worth knowing.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1024" caption="A B12 Sentra....WAGON?"]
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Body styles of popular cars, common models, redone, with either a new shape, new drive train, or other. Often the idea is function, other times it's just plain car lust. Projects like these are often connected to the roots of the company. Those with vision and insight to push for something more and/or different. These are the cars with character and stories.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="There was something on Jalopnik a long time ago about this body style of Cadillac. I can only assume it's coach built, but I know for sure that it's definatly not the only example of it's kind."]
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Coach building is a lost art, however, it's never been a stable art. Obscure and strange, coach building has been on the far extremes of taste and function, both good and bad. It almost seems as a broad term to cover non-corporate vehicles or re-engineered corporate vehicles that actually have VIN numbers and are available in at least 2 or more units to the public. It's been around since the beginning of the automobile, and I believe it will keep evolving with the car industry. Coach building seems to fluctuate in popularity with the trends in the car industry. They die down when the market is stable, but when changes occur, gas prices often being one of them, Coach builders pop back up, ready to tackle the problem.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="A rare, 200sx Turbo. Great cars and often overlooked or ignored in the eyes of popular tuning. "]
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Combinations of function often result in interesting cars as well. My personal favorite period of cars is the late 70's through early 90's. Gas became suddenly expensive, and the boats of the past were just to big and impractical to drive on a daily basis. The solution? Smaller cars. Fairly simple logic, and the result was rather expected, smaller, lighter vehicles that filled the same function and form as the older vehicles but on a higher level of efficiency. Chrysler almost died once, but their ability to accept change and to change themselves open the door for sales and progress. Sure K cars sucked, but they were cheap, got people moving, and came in a HUGE variety of body styles for various functions, needs and wants. What happened to the 80's Chrysler?
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="I haden't seen one of these in person before. I freaked out and made Jodie run over to the gas pumps with me to grab some snaps. Owner was a really cool fellow who loved his Celica GT, and his dog was a pretty, and bitey. "]
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[/caption]
There is lots of cars hidden everywhere you look. Cars were made, and when they are made, something has to happen with them, whether they get sold at the dealership to customers or not. Companies always find ways to get rid of their stock, and at least hopefully break even. It's a risky business, and sometimes the manufacturers take risk in hopes of getting ahead. In both circumstances, these are often the cars that slip between the cracks, these are the cars worth knowing.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1024" caption="A B12 Sentra....WAGON?"]
[/caption]
Body styles of popular cars, common models, redone, with either a new shape, new drive train, or other. Often the idea is function, other times it's just plain car lust. Projects like these are often connected to the roots of the company. Those with vision and insight to push for something more and/or different. These are the cars with character and stories.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="There was something on Jalopnik a long time ago about this body style of Cadillac. I can only assume it's coach built, but I know for sure that it's definatly not the only example of it's kind."]
[/caption]
Coach building is a lost art, however, it's never been a stable art. Obscure and strange, coach building has been on the far extremes of taste and function, both good and bad. It almost seems as a broad term to cover non-corporate vehicles or re-engineered corporate vehicles that actually have VIN numbers and are available in at least 2 or more units to the public. It's been around since the beginning of the automobile, and I believe it will keep evolving with the car industry. Coach building seems to fluctuate in popularity with the trends in the car industry. They die down when the market is stable, but when changes occur, gas prices often being one of them, Coach builders pop back up, ready to tackle the problem.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="A rare, 200sx Turbo. Great cars and often overlooked or ignored in the eyes of popular tuning. "]
[/caption]
Combinations of function often result in interesting cars as well. My personal favorite period of cars is the late 70's through early 90's. Gas became suddenly expensive, and the boats of the past were just to big and impractical to drive on a daily basis. The solution? Smaller cars. Fairly simple logic, and the result was rather expected, smaller, lighter vehicles that filled the same function and form as the older vehicles but on a higher level of efficiency. Chrysler almost died once, but their ability to accept change and to change themselves open the door for sales and progress. Sure K cars sucked, but they were cheap, got people moving, and came in a HUGE variety of body styles for various functions, needs and wants. What happened to the 80's Chrysler?
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="I haden't seen one of these in person before. I freaked out and made Jodie run over to the gas pumps with me to grab some snaps. Owner was a really cool fellow who loved his Celica GT, and his dog was a pretty, and bitey. "]
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Pretty and bitey! what a combination.