California and Japan join forces to show off again

LATIN FOR "CROWN"; THE WREATH AROUND THE SUN

I was visiting my mother at the Chico, California library where she works when this lovely little ray of sunshine entered the parking lot:

This is a 1979 Toyota Corona T130 Station Wagon in Yellow. We here on the East Coast can just stand back in awe of how utterly rust and damage free an everyday grocery getter from 38 years ago can be in California.

This righteous grill symbol is a C for Corona with some sort of star power emanating from the center. This is also the easiest way to discern the vintage; the year before had round headlights while the year after this one had a chrome horizontal bar running the width of the grill. Take a second to admire that factory pinstripe on the hood in brown!

This Corona is proud and upright with excellent posture and grooming.
There is a fantastic song named Corona by the Minutemen that most people know as the opening theme for Jackass. I highly recommend the Minutemen documentary We Jam Econo for anyone who digs that track. Corona is also a beer. Drink extremely cold when it's hot out ONLY.

About the most damage I can see on this ride at all is that the paint looks a touch on the faded side, but really! This thing looks to be wearing its original paint so I'll go ahead and call this a flawless original survivor.

The hubcaps are correct and pretty snazzy for a late-'70s Japanese car. They look a lot like a hybrid of old Ford Falcon hubcaps in the center and '80s Econoline caps around the rim.

This year straddles the line between the rounded '70s Toyotas and the angular boxy designs of the '80s. The lines are just barely softened but it makes for a friendly car.

Get a load of that checkered 1979 Toyota upholstery! Also this seems to have a green First Aid kit in the rear, probably offered as part of an AAA membership or gift for opening a checking account decades ago. It lends a wholesomeness to the whole scene that's so earnest I can't stand it!

The Corona was one step up in size and stature from the diminutive Corolla, but they're really very similar cars. The last car I owned as of writing this post was an '83 Corolla wagon (also in yellow). If you could whittle this Corona down on all sides leaving perfectly straight lines and reduce the 4 square headlights to 2 you would have my old ride.

Somehow I have no doubt that the rear window washing fluid still works from that black dot above the center glass. There's probably an AM/FM radio in the dash ready to read you the news at a moments notice.

In the Northeast when you bought this car the fuse was lit; you'd be lucky to make it to a year before the first spec of rust made itself known. Here in Sunny California the factory quarter panel yawns at another perfect day. Every time I post a car I snapped in Cali I'm reminded of how I ought to exclusively buy cars from the West Coast and drive them back.

We'll close this out as I notice the damage on the passenger side. Looks like a whiskey dent/scrape along the doors happened in some parking lot or garage along the way.
There is nothing flashy or particularly memorable about this wagon except for the fact that it remains on the road after almost 4 decades in such solid condition. Most older Toyotas have a cult following but somehow the Corona has been ignored by most collectors. It's not small enough for the Corolla set, not sporty enough for the Celica/Supra folks, and don't have anything to offer for the truck and Land Cruiser aficionados. The running gear is just as legendarily bulletproof as the other Toyotas of the era and its scale makes it a bit more practical than the smaller rides. If I saw this with a sign in the window I would have to contact the owner and give it a test drive. You could certainly do worse for a usable everyday classic set of wheels.

The perfect device for colonial imperialism

THE PERFECT DEVICE FOR COLONIAL IMPERIALISM

I was walking through Windsor Terrace recently when something appeared that seemed as foreign and out of place as the Coke bottle in The Gods Must be Crazy. Behold!

This is a 1978 Land Rover Defender 109 in what I believe is Spring Green (I think British Racing Green is a little deeper in an evergreen sense as opposed to this hue).

 Make no mistake - even though this is parked in a lovely neighborhood this beast is safari-ready. It is positively dripping with aftermarket heavy duty upgrades.

This is the long wheelbase station wagon that is really just a few steps away from its prehistoric ancestors. The Defender was originally launched in 1948 and ran all the way through the 2015 model year. While there were plenty of changes and series over the decades it remained remarkably true to its initial design over those 67 years.

You've got to give it up for the full external roll cage on this thing! In addition it has a roof-height snorkel for the engine. Everything about the presentation says it's ready and capable for serious off road adventures. How it got to Brooklyn is a mystery to me. Maybe it drove along the bottom of the ocean?

I have a close friend who drives a newer Discovery with these same wheels. He calls them the "U.N. wheels" because Land Rovers stationed around the world tend to sport these no nonsense white steelies.

I can't think of a single custom touch that this isn't already outfitted with. That spotlight on the roof even has a protective metal screen over it as if this were exploring a rugged continent. 

 From this angle it's plain to see how utilitarian these older Defenders are. Exposed hinges, simple metal body panels, big expanses of flat glass, etc. While this company went on to produce luxury SUVs and crossovers this vehicle harkens back to the need to traverse faraway lands with no paved roads. I'm sure this is cold in winter, hot in summer, and pretty loud and rattly on bumpy ground. It is 100% honest is what I'm trying to say.

Well that's where I'll leave this conquerer to enjoy semi-retirement. The fact that the license plate is mashed up under the bumper alludes to possible adventure so hopefully it's not retired at all. Either way I'm impressed and somewhat in awe of this hardy British beast.

Prospect Park Colony Park

PROSPECT PARK COLONY PARK

I was strolling the border between the South Slope and Windsor Terrace in Brooklyn when I passed this great colossus:

This is a 1986/1987 Mercury Grand Marquis Colony Park station wagon in Oxford White with Rosewood wood-tone applique paneling. This executive looking beast soldiered on in it's 29th year of production in '86 oblivious to the changes all around it. Up front is a V8 engine powering the rear wheels just like the original Colony Park from 1957.

First of all I would like to give a huge shout-out to the accommodating woodgrain trim that neatly skirts around the soft impact zone behind the bumper. In a move I don't remember seeing elsewhere the woodgrain is also present inside the trim surround! Faux wood outlined by faux wood. This wagon is in near-perfect condition.

Here we see Colony Park in all its glory. A big selling point in the literature of the day was its size. According to the brochure you could haul 6 adults and still have 52.5 cubic feet of cargo space. Kick out the passengers and fold the back seat flat and you get 88 cubic feet of space. You can lay full sheets of plywood flat on the cargo floor like this was a truck. If you opt for a trailer hitch you can tow a 5,000 pound boat or camping trailer with ease.

This is exactly what the Colony Park looked like from '79-'91 as the body from the windshield back to the tailgate never changed (the front clip became more streamlined in '88). The only indicator that this is an '86-'87 version is that third brake light mounted on the tailgate.

I've got to hand it to Mercury for their realistic wood grain. It's like they finally got it right the moment it was about to disappear from the automotive scene.

Grand Marquis is the name of the this Mercury line. Colony Park is the name for the wagon only.

The tailgate is an old-school dual version. It can swing open like a door or open flat like a pickup tailgate. The rear window is powered and can be lowered by either the key or a button on the dash. In the rear area there was a Ford Motor Company only option of dual sideways rear seats where the passengers would be facing each other knee to knee.

This ride is 2 feet longer than the Ford Ranger of the same year!

That vertical white rectangle between the front and rear door glass is an '80s classic; electroluminescent coach or opera lights. These don't contain light bulbs but are actually a strip of material that will glow when charged. The problem is that they burn out relatively quickly and nobody knows what to do or where to go to replace them. Well almost nobody! This guy made a DIY post on how to rebuild your EL lighting for your '80s ride. I'm glad he did because I have a great admiration for people who take it upon themselves to conquer automotive problems that nobody realized they had.

We'll leave this smart wagon here to ferry kids from soccer practice in 1987. With its jutting sharp corners and crisp straight lines this is a ride that was built at the very end of its desirability. Minivans had been filling up family garages for years at this point, taking large portions of the target market with it. In addition another threat was emerging from its own parent company. The smaller Mercury Sable wagon was built on the same platform as the aerodynamic Ford Taurus. Both of these newer cars looked like the future and were instant hits. This Colony Park was like the highest end 8-track stereo money can buy while CDs are hitting the shelves. It would continue on into the '90s with a slightly softened look but the march towards oblivion had begun. These days when I do encounter one of these it's usually being used as a construction vehicle filled with ladders and debris. To see a flawless one was a surprise.

By 1985 the Earth had cooled but there were still a few dinaosaurs roaming

BATTLE WAGON WITH MULTIPLE PASSPORTS
I was walking along the borders of gentrification amidst modern glass buildings and old row houses when I stumbled upon this hardy workhorse:

This beast is staring us all down! What we have here is a 1985 Pontiac Parisienne Safari station wagon in White. This is also also a Chevrolet station wagon with a different grill, wheels, and taillights.

The Parisienne was the designation for the top-of-the-line Pontiacs from Canada. Indeed the Parisienne was a version of the Laurentian which, along with the Acadian, produced some vehicles that are both familiar and odd to us in the States. For instance the '60s Acadian from Canada looks just like a Nova but with a different split grill. Only this, the last generation of Parisienne, made it to the States.

This harkens back to a bygone era. The front mounted carbureted V8 engine, rear wheel drive, body on frame technology that makes up this ride shared a dealership floor with more modern front wheel drive, fuel injected, computer controlled modern cars. It seems that American automakers made leaps and bounds in modernization except for one category; the traditional big family wagon.

This is a very big ride. That curved belly hanging under the car between the rear wheel and the back is where the full size spare tire was kept. With the seats folded flat a 4x8 sheet of plywood fits in the back! The fact that someone would need a luggage rack with a car this huge is crazy.

Here we have your classic '80s B.S. faux spoke hubcaps.

Here are the Pontiac-only taillights that separates this model from the Chevy Caprice Classic. To be fair the interior is different between the two brands but not by too much. Tiny shout-out to the body colored insert on the tailgate handle. It's the little things people! Also dig that factory rubber grip on the bumper to keep you steady while you load up the luggage rack with spare gas cans.

The market segment was split between the relatively new minivan and the station wagons. Minivans would win the day but these unapologetically massive wagons were still popular in '85.

To highlight the lack of modernization that went into wagons I'll point out that this body is exactly the same as the 1977 example.

Signs of confusion. This car is from Paris? Canada? Is roaming African somewhere?

The chrome rocker panels. fender trim, and heavy dark window tint are aftermarket customizations. The tint makes sense as you can stash tons of tools or band gear in this thing.

We'll admire the stand-up hood ornament on this period piece before leaving it to roost. After 1986 this full size wagon continued on known simply as Safari before bowing out completely in 1989. For a couple years after the Safari name was added to the much smaller and more modern Pontiac 6000 wagon.
There was to be one last blast for full size V8 rear wheel drive cars from GM between 1991-'96 in the Buick Roadmaster. It was quite the curtain call as the public knew this was it for those traditional dinosaurs and they sold briskly as a result.
Chapeaux à vous safari!

One of the great design ideas found in the Bronx

BEAUTIFUL VISTA CRUISER

On a long wandering drive I recently found myself in Locust Point, the sub-neighborhood of Throggs Neck in the Bronx (the traditional spelling has two Gs). This is one of those hidden little corners of the city that seem more like Putnam County than tucked in the shadow of the Throggs Neck Bridge on the Long Island Sound. I was marveling at the fact that we'd just past a dirt road when this sweet beast appeared:

Alright this is totally awesome for several reasons! First of all it's a '60s wagon. Secondly it shares its platform with one of my favorite muscle cars. Last but not least it's wearing its quirky original color and perfect hubcaps.
What we have here is a 1965 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser in Almond Beige. Being that it was parked in a driveway with its nose buried in that tarp I didn't want to get too nosy and attempt face pics.

The reason it's called the Vista Cruiser is due to those skylights in the raised rear roof. Olds was not alone in this endeavor as the Buick Sportwagon shared the same skylight treatment.

You can identify the '65 from the year before from its tailgate. The 1964 had OLDSMOBILE written across the width below the lock where this year has the rocket symbol. The 1966 was different in many ways including perfectly round wheel arches and solid taillights.
I point it out whenever I see it but this ride is wearing period correct 1965 New York State license plates. If you find a matching pair in good condition that hale from the year of your classic car you can use them to register your ride.

The tailgate in this first generation Vista Cruiser was simply a fold down version. Starting in 1969 you could order a Dual Action tailgate where it would either fold flat or swing open like a traditional door.
I can't tell if this had a power tailgate window or manual without approaching it. If it is a manual that chrome rectangle surrounding the keyhole would pop open to one side, becoming a crank in the process. 

I included this closeup to highlight the origin of the edge that continues up over the rear window opening. I love design moments like this where you can see what the clay model looked like before the production began.

This era in Oldsmobile design was a high point for me that continued through the early '70s. The body lines are so clean along the sides running front to back. The underpinnings of this ride are the same as the F85 and the Cutlass. The Vista Cruiser was introduced in tandem with the first iteration of the 442 (which at that point was an option package for the Cutlass). You could save a little money if you ordered a plain F85 wagon which had a standard metal roof.

Lets give it up for the confluence of 4 windows in this spot that works so beautifully. You can almost miss the point that there is an elevation change between the front of the roof and behind the middle skylight. Greyhound had the Scenicruiser buses in this era which had an elevated rear passenger section with a forward facing skylight. Amtrak also had the Sightseer Lounge cars with windows that curved up over the roof to give a panoramic effect so this car was right on time.
Vista Cruisers with the skylights would continue through 1972. The name was kept for the '73-'77 wagons even though the roof was solid. Surprisingly there was one last gasp from 1991-1992 when the Olds Custom Cruiser wagon appeared with a single rear skylight spanning the width of the roof.

Vehicle as rugged appliance

VEHICLE AS RUGGED APPLIANCE

When I was visiting my sister in Oregon I snapped so many cool old rides that I've been doling them out slowly so as not to have an Oregon Month (not that that's a bad thing but I'll let some proud Oregonian take that on). Today we'll focus on this beasty:

This is a 1960 or newer Willys Station Wagon (officially listed as model 6-226) in what I believe to be the faded factory color Redwood. 

One look tells you everything you need to know about this rig. Your first impressions probably go something like this: "dirty, big, old, sturdy, truck". Exactly!

This beast is actually the first all steel station wagon ever produced with all previous wagons having rear bodies made at least partially, and many times entirely, of wood. Today we would think of this as an SUV but 70 years ago when first introduced it was closer to a car than a truck. This really is the first crossover as well.

Pinpointing the date on utilitarian rigs like this can be tough to do. Sometimes a change will be made mid-year with no real announcement. Other times a change might be made for one market but not the other. Things I'm going by when declaring this as a 1960-1965 model ('65 was the end of production) are the 3 horizontal grill bars (down from 5 in 1954), single windshield (from a split unit in '59) and the large back window which definitely wasn't around in the '50s yet seemed to remain optional for a bit while 2 smaller rear windows remained available.

I can tell you that this is not a Deluxe model as there would've been a fat chrome stripe following that horizontal belt line that bisects the door. *I want to point out that shelf located just behind the front fender which is replicated on the other side. These are for spare gas cans. The owner of this rig is ready to head off on epic adventures away from society and it looks like they already have!

This design is a stroke of genius by industrial designer Brooks Stevens. His landmark design achievements are numerous but let's just highlight the fact that he is responsible for the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile!

Everything about this says rugged and capable. It has big wheels but not huge and the tread is pretty well worn from use. The back window is long gone, being somewhat replaced by wire fencing material. I don't know what that grate would protect against besides a bird or racoon invasion (though it looks like something got in on the left side).

The true genius behind this design is the body itself, what it consists of, and who made it. In 1946 when the first Willys Station Wagon was released automobile bodies were in very high demand. WWII halted auto production in the States from 1942-1945 and the pent up demand for vehicles combined with the glorious national mood of victory meant everybody wanted a new ride now. Brooks Stevens with his background in Industrial as opposed to Automotive design came up with a matter-of-fact solution: the body would consist of metal typically used for household appliances that could be fashioned and assembled by sheet metal fabricators. This truck is therefore more of an appliance than a passenger vehicle which is fitting for such a no nonsense ride.

Let's give a shout-out for how beautiful an Oregon summer day can be! It was almost exactly 100 degrees this entire week though which was blowing the minds of the locals.

We can see from this angle that the quaint original taillights have been replaced with small red lights screwed directly into the body. Small mailbox reflectors have been added to the tailgate and rear quarter panels.

Even though this is the first steel bodied station wagon the design of the body mimics that of a wooden bodied car. The dark painted panels in the door illustrate this well; if you were to paint the recessed rectangles brown and the raised portions more of a blond tan color it really would look like wood. Painting the roof a dark color would also approximate the cloth tops of the wood frame wagons. In a more practical sense those ribbed portions add rigidity to the body side which would otherwise be vast sheets of metal prone to warping.

You've gotta love the interior of this simple beast!
A centrally mounted gauge contains only the speedometer, temperature, and fuel level. Below that you have an ashtray (of course!), and knobs for choke, lights, and the wipers. That fan mounted over the right shoulder of the driver tells you all you need to know about climate control.
*Dashboards with central gauge clusters are a stroke of genius for vehicles meant for the worldwide market. All you have to do for this to be registered in New Zealand is move the steering wheel and pedals to the other side as everything else is the same.

Here we have either a charming lie or a thorough owner who is updating their emblems as the vehicle evolves. When first built this truck had a 4 or 6 cylinder in either flathead or overhead cam design. The 327 is a Chevy small block V8 engine introduced in 1962. With the trailer hitch and signs of modern use I'm guessing there is a 327 under the hood.

Well that's where we'll leave this eager mongrel. The Willys station wagons are some of the most widely available "ran when parked" classics out there, usually advertised with caveats like "haven't tried to start it" or more threateningly "please understand that this is a classic project and if you think you'll just buy it and drive across the country don't waste my time!". To see one on the move is extremely rare which is a shame as their basic makeup and legendary capability make it a cool cruiser. The ultimate version of this is the late '40s Willys Jeepster which is a 2 door convertible with the same front end as this ride. Regardless that fact that this thing could be 40 miles off road in the woods somewhere even as I type this makes me smile.