These are non-Corvair cars I've been able to photograph. 'Vairs, quite needless to say, are my faves, but there are a lot of other old pieces of iron out there worth photographing.
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This1976 BMW 2002 is my own daily driver -- best $1700 I've ever spent. It's nearly rust free, simple to maintain, and nimble like you wouldn't believe. Since acquiring it, I've installed a tuned header, free-flow exhaust (awesome note), dual Weber side-draft carburators, K&N filters, tii struts w/ all new brake components, new ball joints and control arms, Bilstein Sport shocks and strut inserts, H&R Springs, short-shift kit, Momo wheel, and an extremely rare close-ratio steering box (I picked it off of a derelict 2002 in DC). As a commuter car, a well tuned, mildly modified 2002 is the ultimate Walter Mitty experience -- man that little blue box hauls! |
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This unrestored, 93,000-mile 1955 Clipper is currently living with Curt, one of my corvair buddies. Be careful with the nomenclature -- technically this car is not a Packard, but a Clipper. Sensing that the venerable old Packard name wasn't nearly as hallowed as it had once been, Packard hierarchy decreed in 1955 that the lower-priced Clipper model would become a separate marque in its own right. From 1955 until 1993 (think about it: from Eisenhower's first term to Clinton's first term), the Clipper pictured here was used as primary transportation by a woman in Los Angeles. When she became too old to drive, she passed it on to her nephew, who presently stores it with my friend Curt. Save for ordinary wear and an indifferent mid-eighties re-paint, the Clipper is in absolutely unbelievable condition (Southern California is great for old iron). What makes this car so odd is that it has a rare three-on-the-tree rather than Packard's work-a-day Ultramatic slushbox. |
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I saw this 1963 Studebaker Avanti in a pizzeria parking lot in McLean, Virginia. It has the standard R1 engine (289cid/240hp) and automatic transmission. It looked like a good driver that someone was slowly bringing back to life. |
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This pre-war (I'm guessing 1939) Buick ambulance was really neat. Even though I photographed it sitting under a carport, the unbelievable condition of the chrome and paint leads me to believe it was stored inside for many, many years. Also incredible was that the stretcher was still in the back. Still more incredible is the fact that the current owner of this Buick also owns over 30 Corvairs! |
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These next three cars are owned by Ken, a former coworker of mine. His silver 1972 BMW 3.0 coupe has undergone a complete ground-up restoration -- a beautiful example of one of the most aesthetically cohesive cars ever designed. Ken's future plans include an exhaust header for the inline-six, and getting the Weber carbs I pulled for him from a rolled Bavaria sedan cleaned-up and rebuilt. His '72 E-type V-12 Jag, though not currently running, is in good original condition and is absolutely loaded (wire knock-offs, leather interior, a/c). This has got to be the single most mechanically complex animal I've ever encountered: the engine is an absolute orgy of hoses, pipes, and wires; the dashboard looks as if it came right out of a fighter plane cockpit -- unreal. More down to earth is Ken's former daily driver, the 1967 Corvette Stingray roadster pictured here (327cid/350hp/4spd). The Vette's engine is thoroughly massaged: big Holley carb, high-rise manifold, headers, MSD ignition. Ken has owned this car since 1973; it's currently awaiting restoration (though it's behind the Jag on his to-do list). |
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All
of the cars pictured here were photographed at a
restoration shop in Falls Church, only about two miles
from my home. As it turns out, the owner of the shop owns
three Corvairs! (That really warmed my heart, considering
the exotic iron shown here.)
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