San Ramon Street Sighting - 1932 Cadillac V-16 Dual Cowl Phaeton

There is something of a mythical quality about the Cadillac V-16. These were some of the greatest luxury cars in their time, comparable to contemporary Duesenbergs, Pierce-Arrows and Packards as ultimate symbols of wealth, power and opulence. They were always limited-production, built to order and built to specification for clients in a number of body styles. It is estimated that domestic GM affiliates Fleetwood and Fisher Body built as many as 70 different body variations on the V-16 chassis, and other coachbuilders produced their own around the world to order. The V-16 was offered for eleven model years from 1930 to 1940, and only 4,076 were built. More than half of these were made in the first year alone.

Danville Street Sighting - 1932 Ford V8 Roadster

Were this '32 Ford roadster not a local car that I see on a semi-regular basis, I might consider it cheating to have photographed it half a block from the barricades of a car show. The town of Danville holds two 'Hot Summer Nights' car shows every summer, where they close off the main drag for the afternoon and evening and a few hundred cool cars roll in to be viewed by the general public. It's fun and free. Well, free for spectators, that is. Those who get there early can park their special rides just outside the boundaries and avoid the $15-20 or whatever the car entry fee is.
So technically this Deuce isn't a show car. Technically it's a spectator's car (and is parked in almost the same spot where I photographed the 1972 Ferrari 365 GTC). Note the car behind it. That's the 1963 Buick Wildcat convertible I photographed several blocks away on the 4th of July. This mint-colored hot rod is frequently driven and often parks at a sports bar in my town. I had photographed it once before in the parking lot at the bar, but this was the first chance I'd had to find the car parked on a public street. So here it is.