Honourary Old Parked Car: 1996 Daihatsu Midget II Cargo

I debated whether this car belonged on the blog, seeing how new and shiny it is, but in the end I could not resist.

Only nominally a 2 seater -- there are 2 seats, 2 headrests, 2 seatbelts, but the people who rode together would have to be very good friends. Also, since it is so narrow, the steering wheel cannot be far from the center, so it is only slightly right hand drive.

Love the tapering front end, the space-agey seams & shut-lines combined with the old fashioned headlights and fenders, the silly-yet-practical spare tire placement, the way the door latches blend into the black paint around the windows. Oh and the single reverse light.

BTW, just above the fuel door in #1 they have mounted a business card tray, which has cards in it.

1985 Pontiac Parisienne Brougham

A beige-y car against a sort of beige-y background on a kind of beige-y day.

Love the chrome lower body panels, which catch the dirt and salt, ensuring that few cars so equipped survive to this day. Also the gold colour on the roof and hood, standing in for a vinyl roof. And those aerodynamic mirrors -- sporty but so small, the exact same unit used on everything from Chevettes to Le Sabres. The fender skirts, the formal roofline, the hood ornament -- all echoes of a past which was more optimistic and careless.

1965 Ford Falcon Drag Racer

The first clue that this was something different was the writing on the windshield. Then you notice the wide rear tires (how did the owner fit them under there?). Then you see the seats, with 4 point seatbelts, and the steering wheel on the passenger seat. I imagine this is how drag cars spend a lot of their time -- mostly assembled. Looks like this car used to be off white.

Love the "moon" hubcaps, the brilliant chrome grille against the dark paint, the way the fenders extend slightly ahead of the headlights, the "speed lines" sculpted the entire length of the car, the way the rear fenders envelope the wheels. Not your average 60s family car.

1974 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

Nice work done on this car to make it look so great. Sure, a little missing trim, but in excellent shape for an ancient but formerly very common car. There doesn't seem to be a dent in it.

This is not my favourite year for the Monte Carlo -- I think the first generation was the best (especially with fender skirts).

Still, it has those (totally useless but) dramatically sculpted fenders, that steeply raked windshield and formal roofline. The wheels are not original, but they have the correct feel. The ridges on either side of the hood leading to the turn signal enclosures, embracing the enormous looking headlights. The designers did an excellent job working within the limits of the then new laws about 5 mph bumpers etc. Only the taillights and trunk shutline between them let me down.