Carspotting (58): Datsun 510

I spotted this a block away from the Earthroamer (see previous post).  I like this 510 because it has not been modified and seems like a daily driver with just one owner since new.  Can someone tell me what B&W Full Automatic means?  I assume it's some kind of automatic transmission.

B&W?

Earthroamer in background

Carspotting (57): Earthroamer XV-LT

I was having lunch on the Peninsula today and came upon this behemoth.  Just look at it next to that puny RAV-4.  It's one of those travel-around-the-world trucks.  Personally, my dream would be to use a modified Unimog.  But realistically, these are just too big and wide and they scream: Banditos, please rob us gringos!

Here is the price list.  The Ford F550 costs $56,000.  The conversion costs $172,000.  And that doesn't include the Warn wench or the PIAA lights!

Here is the manufacturer's description of the vehicle.

Carspotting (56): BMW 3.0 CS at Atomic Testing Museum

Woah!  Atomic cannon.  280mm shell with a yield of 15 kilotons, Nevada 1953.

I went to the Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas.  I spotted this in the parking lot.

Carspotting (55): Datsun pick-up truck

Here is another old beater I saw in Port Townsend, Washington.

Carspotting (54): 1964 1965 1966 Ford Thunderbird

I think the license plate is supposed to say pterodactyl.

Carspotting (53): Saab 96

Well, I've ended my stay at time warp bizzaro town, a.k.a. Port Townsend, Washington.  Over the next few days, I will post more pictures and observations from my trip, which include, among other things, more fantastic cars; car books I bought; the Hoh Rain Forest; Forks, Washington (home of the Twilight series); and the Space Needle.

My hiatus from my hiatus will end next week, as I will visit the Mullin Museum down in Oxnard and then go to Monterey/Salinas for Automobilia, Concorso Italiano, Concours de Lemons, and the Monterey Historics.  So stay tuned.

I never saw the LaForza again.  But this yellow Saab screamed out to me outside a Port Townsend bank.  Of note are the beer keg in the front seat and the Saab repair manual behind the back seat speakers.

 

Carspotting (52): Japanese Engrish Mitsubishi Delica

This is the second Delica I have spotted in the United States.  Unlike the first one I saw, this one is registered in British Columbia, where there are a lot less red tape headaches when it comes to registering a RHD JDM Delica.

I spotted this in the outskirts of Portland, Oregon, and knew from afar that this was no ordinary minivan.

I got closer and noticed a lot of writing over the rear fender.  But I was not able to read the entire tome.

Fortunately, the van eventually stopped at the same rest stop as I did.  The friendly and alternatively lifestyle-leading owner told me that this turbo diesel runs on veggie oil.  The occupants are headed down to Berkeley to see Phish in concert.  Right on!

I was able to get a shot of the Engrish description at the rest stop parking lot. I am reading Roads to Sata, which is about an Englishman who walked the entire length of Japan in the mid-1980s and the book is full of these Engrish-isms.

Carspotting (51): Subaru DL

If there is another car I could have as a child that was not the Lamborghini Countach, it would be this Subaru DL.  That's because Jackie Chan drove it in Cannonball Run.

Carspotting (50): Morris Minor panel van

The great thing about being in a small isolated town is that the cool car you spotted an hour ago is sure to pop up again. I saw this van while having breakfast and it popped up again two blocks away, parked. Now where is that LaForza I saw the other day?

Carspotting (49): Renault Dauphine

I peeked through the hood vents of this rear engined sedan and saw nothing. It's used to attract attention for an art supply store. The paintwork is very reminiscent of Banksy's style.

Carspotting (48): Volvo PV544

Does anyone know what language has the word Polizi? The owner has a couple of other odd rides, including an AMC Eagle 4 wheel drive wagon and a 1970s Mustang with big exhaust pipes below the door sills, a la the Dodge Viper.

Today, of the dozens of old cars I saw in the time warp bizarro town, the most noteworthy were a bright yellow Saab 96, a Toyota Corona sedan, and two blocks away, a Toyota Corona Liftback!