Jaguars have always been noted for their lush tails, and here’s a quartet lined up to show off their hind quarters. Now here’s some feline appreciation I can get behind.

I’m a team player, and I can get into the spirit of Panther Appreciation Week, even if it’s not the result of deep-rooted father imprinting (can we have an Opel Kadett Appreciation Week sometime?). That is, with the right Panther. And there is one that did manage to stir my blood in its time: Read More >

The Mitsubishi Vanup turned out out to be surprisingly popular: Fark picked it up and gave our servers a bit of a workout. Well, we have more where that came from. Here’s a very well executed domestic version on the same theme, right down to the “Chevy Vanup” tailgate logo and VANUP vanity plates. But unless the owners (UO students) do something about it quick, this thing is headed for the impound yard. And how will it be described by the police? Read More >

We spent Labor Day doing what we like best: driving into the mountains and hiking to a remote lake. The wild huckleberries and blueberries at Vivian Lake were ripe, and there was a hint of fall in the crisp dry air and brilliant blue sky. And on the way back, we made the obligatory refreshment stop in Oakridge. For years, that was at the DQ, right on Hwy. 58. Now that the kids are gone and our tastes have changed, we meander into the mostly boarded-up downtown to the recently-opened Brewer’s Union Local 180, for authentic English-style beer from their own casks and excellent food. And of course, the Curbside Classics that line the side streets.

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Too many cars shot, not enough time to write them all up. Here’s a few outtakes whose names are (hopefully) worth sharing. Read More >

In case you’ve ever wondered why CC got started in Eugene, this may help: a typical; street scene not far from where I live. And just for fun, let’s step across the street and turn the camera 180 degrees and see what that captures: Read More >

The reason there was no Curbside Classic last Tuesday was this: our camping trip to the coast was unexpectedly extended. We take our ’77 Dodge Chinook on deserted US Forest Service roads, and find hidden camping spots miles away from the nearest person, camp ground, and cell phone coverage. Depending on the mood, we can enjoy the dead quiet, or play the Dead as loud as we like. There is a certain risk to these back road jaunts, and I always calculate how many miles I would have to walk in case Old Faithful died unexpectedly. Folks perish regularly on these back roads, mainly in the winter. On Tuesday morning, having spent a serene night at the Cummins Creek trailhead, the “Hamtramck Hummingbird” starter sang and sang, but there wasn’t even the faintest sign of an explosion. Had be an ignition problem; the 360 always starts instantly, even if it doesn’t always keep running on a cool morning. Fortunately, this time we were a short jaunt from the highway. “I’ll just hitch hike to Florence, pick up an electronic ignition module, and be back in a jiffy”. My wife said “call a tow truck”. You already know who was right. Read More >

Well, the Canadians might not be too big on hybrids, but (surprise, surprise) Eugene has embraced them fully. But when I first ran across this sign, even I was a wee bit surprised. What’s next? Hybrid Massage? Hybrid Organic Market? or will it jump to Plug-In Acupuncture? To get a better picture of what I mean, take the (full) hybrid jump: Read More >

Nothing is worse than turning into something you’re not. I am not my father, and yet here I am besmirching his Curbside Classic series with this mystifying find. This Mk1 Scion xB is emphatically not a HUMMER, and yet… well, just look at it.

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As we were walking home through the Lane Events Center parking lot, where a Tattoo Convention was in high gear, I noticed the 1970 Caddy in the distance, and as soon as I saw the big dubs, I kept walking. They generally just don’t do it for me. But then I thought, what the hell, it might mike a good Outtake. And as I walked around the other side of it and raised my camera, I realized I’d stumbled into another two-fer. With matching dubs, no less. Read More >

There was a time when Cadillacs were all really big, way bigger than a Chevy Malibu. But in the mid eighties, the natural order of things was turned upside down, with predictable results. Oh, and do you remember when a Civic was just a speck compared to a Caddy? Read More >

Nothing very out of the ordinary here, except sometimes the ordinary is somehow actually noticed, like when all the cars are about the same vintage. In 1992, all of these could have been bought new, except the CRX, which was just one year past being replaced by the del Sol. Close enough. The other direction follows: Read More >

It’s yellow convertible week at CC, and I have one too many. And since I have a lovely early sixties VW Cabriolet (un-yellow) in the can, this less desirable early seventies Super Beetle Cabrio gets nudged into the Outtake position.  No hard feelings. Read More >

Did this old Mack ever bring a smile to my face when it pulled up next to me in traffic at a light. Macks of this vintage were my favorite trucks during my east coast years, as they predominated the truckscape back in the day. This B77 has the bigger radiator. The more common and classic B61 had the more delicate curved radiator that would have looked right at home on a classic car (see below). But my smile got even bigger when the light changed to green and he took of in his utterly un-muffled, un-sanitized hard working Mack, belching the kind of black cloud that used to be ubiquitous in the good old days. Did you know Mack trucks could shoot flames too? Read More >

Since one of the the themes today seems to be around old Ford trucks, with a minor in Communism, I present to you the living proof that Ford and Lenin did meet.

If politics is not your thing this beautiful Sunday morning, then maybe a more random curbside shot is: Read More >