Field of Buick Dreams

They're lined up like soldiers, like new cars on the dealer's lot- except that when these photo were taken they were already thirty years old, and the Buick dealer was only about a mile away on the same street. So they weren't new cars that were forgotten, but rather more like barn finds which lacked the protection of a barn. A field of dreams, so to speak. Tarnished dreams are dreams nonetheless.

They were all Buicks- primarily of the late forties and early fifties, but a few sixties interspersed as well - parked on a closed gas station on Calumet Drive, on the way out of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The 1950 Super Estate Wagon with its weathered wood body reposed alongside the 1952 Roadmaster convertible whose bare top frame offered little protection from the weather. On the far side sat an intact 1949 Roadmaster sedan that looked like it could be driven away, and many more Buicks were parked all around them in varying degrees of recognizability.

These photos were taken in the summer of 1990. I can't imagine what happened to them. I'm certain that the city wasn't too happy about the car collection that slowly became a junkyard. I hope they got rescued and restored, although I find a rugged beauty in their weathered state.






(Cross Posted at the Reynolds Buick Blog)

A Date With Marsha

No doubt about it, nothing adds more to a picture of a classic car than a pretty girl in period costume. Add a few accessories and voila, it's like you're shooting your own vintage car brochure.




Take these shots of my friend Marsha, posing with a 1960 Thunderbird I used to own. Our friend Paul shot the pics in sepia. He appears in the upper shot.


So here is my 1965 Lincoln Continental at a Charity Car Show. Nicely detailed, period luggage in contrasting color, but something is missing. What could it be?



Of course, a glamor girl in period attire. Let me just step out of the frame and...








Now isn't THAT better?



Paul and I will just hide off camera.

ciel

La Cadillac Ciel. Je t'adore.

I'm up at Pebble Beach with Ciel, the new concept in which Cadillac reclaims their rightful position and demonstrates that they have emerged from their amnesia and remember who they are. Big. Dramatic. Commanding. Exquisitely detailed. A tribute to the glorious heritage of Cadillac, and one that imparts a great future as well.

The logical successor to the V-16 and the glory days of Eldorado. We MUST see this one on the road.

Fun at Concours D'Lemons

As much as I love Pebble Beach weekend, I'm the first to admit that it's so far over the top that it's halfway down the other side. There's just too much fabulousness. Oh, look, another hundred point one-off Duesenberg, Yawn. A prototype Ferrari? Meh. What color? It does present the very real danger of one becoming so blase that they are in danger of banging their pipe on the fender of some random Rolls-Royce.

But thankfully there is some much needed comic relief in the form of the Concours D'Lemons, the celebration of the regrettable and unloved automobile. It's a place where Pacers and Gremlins play, where Vegas and Renaults line up proudly and where Deloreans reach their doors for the sky. Glorified Golf Cars pose next to dubious racing cars. Judges take bribes openly and even Cadillac Cimarrons win awards.

This is the event's third year. Rather than ruining it with too much description, I invite you to feast your eyes on the cars. Dark glasses may be helpful. Enjoy:


































And for the real masochists out there, check out many more pictures here.

And did you guess that I really dig the Chartreuse Gremlin?