Caged Beasts

RANDOM GLIMPSES

I've been busy lately and lagging with the posts so I thought a wrap-up of several random finds was in order. These will be shots where I saw something in a yard, through a fence, or simply parked somewhere obviously on private property and could only manage a quick snap. Without further ado;

Well here we have my very favorite Camaro of all time! Yes indeed this is a 1969 Chevy Camaro convertible resting in a huge fenced-in lot in Red Hook. Can I get a shout-out for that piece of wood being employed as a chock for the front tire?

The late '67 into '68 Camaro was the first iteration of Chevrolets answer to the Ford Mustang, but it wasn't until 1969 (the last year of the first generation) that it really hit its stride. In that I mean I like the grill and headlight treatment better because that's most of the difference. This one has a mild hood scoop alluding to an engine upgrade, as well as a set of Ralley IIs (the Chevy muscle car wheel of choice for this era). *Also in the background; a first generation Ford Mustang fastback from probably '65! Spencer For Hire drove one of these while solving '80s crimes you know.
On to the next . . .

I was riding my old bike through the hinterlands of Atlantic Avenue where gentrification hasn't wiped the industry away when I caught a glimpse of the scene above.

Yes! Way off in the distance is a second-generation Chevrolet Corvair convertible from anywhere in the range of 1965-1969. The first generation had 4 round taillights floating on the rear panel of the car while the second-gen had that chrome outline encapsulating the entire rear. It looks to be on a trailer but who knows what its fate will be?
Onward to a busy little shop in Bed Stuy:

Again the wealth of finds was undeniable, but they were all behind a chain link fence.

From what I can gather the black car near the center of this pic just past that super red Neon is a 1963-1965 Buick Riviera. Those cars were so damn cool and ahead of their time that I won't bother writing too much with only this shot as a reference. Suffice it to say that this design is heralded as one of the greatest in the last century! Even the notoriously condescending European automotive press of the era called it the most beautiful car America ever produced.

Just to the left of that Buick nestled under the branches of that tree is a RED 1960 Chevrolet - either Biscayne or Bel Air. You can tell it's not an Impala as it has only the 2 taillights on either side as opposed to 3. The 1959 was identical except for the fact that the taillights consisted of one wide "cats eye" lens on either side. In 1960 the design was totally revised and those cool fins dropped.
Nearer to us on the right side we have a 1978-1980 Oldsmobile Cutlass Brougham in Dark Blue Poly with a white vinyl landau roof and pinstripes. The pinstripe treatment for these years is a little odd in that it angles downward at the lower edge of that small rear window only to start up again above.

Next up I got a peek at Big Connie roosting in the shrubs. Now this might be Bushwick; Fun Artsy Kid Capital of the World, but this particular lot gave off an uninviting vibe so I chose not to enter.
What we have here is a 1968 Lincoln Continental in Ascot Gray Poly.

It looks to be in pristine shape! This is the second-to-last year of the famous suicide door treatment where the rear doors are hinged at the back. Even the vinyl roof looks perfect. Somebody better bring Connie inside stat!

Right down the street from Connie was a site that made me feel like I wandered onto the back lot of a VW dealership in the mid '80s. Look at that row of vans!

If you were wondering where they all went this is your answer. What we have here are several vintages of Volkswagon Vanagon. The orange one is from 1983-1985 as it still has its round headlights but also has that lower black grill which means it has a water-cooled engine (pre-1983 was still air-cooled so there was no need for a radiator). The ones with the rectangular headlights are from 1986-1992, after which they became rounded off and not as charmingly boxy. At least 6 are showing and I think there might've been more towards the back.

The one closest is my favorite because it's a crew cab pick-up version! You can't see from this angle but this is actually a 3-door truck; there is a smaller door on the passenger side to allow access to the back seat/inside storage area. These were always rare and usually died off as they were put to hard work while most of the regular vans shuttled kids to college and on relatively gentle road trips. To make it even more rare and desirable is the word SYNCRO written in white just below the windshield. This means it has the optional 4-wheel drive.
Well there we have it; a veritable grab bag of odds and ends. I'm finally a bicycle owner once again so the hunt for new rides will continue!