Petaluma Street Sighting - 1995 Porsche 968 Cabriolet

Some months ago I featured a 1995 Porsche 968 coupe, the final iteration of the front-engined entry level Porsche that began with the 924. The 968 is rare enough as it is, but the convertibles are rarer still. Some 12,776 cars were built worldwide, of which 4,389 were convertibles. I spoke with the driver who told me that only 2,000 were made, which was close. Wikipedia says Porsche sold 2,248 of these convertibles in North America - Porsche Club of North America believes it's actually 1944 cars. Between the coupe and convertible, the convertible is slightly less common in the US - however, we have the highest concentration of them in the world. There used to be two or three of them in my town alone.

Petaluma Street Sighting - 1947 Studebaker M-5 Coupe Express pickup

Have you ever had those times when you really wanted to take pictures of a vehicle, but the town you're in is a small, close-knit community and there are neighborhood watch signs posted on every street light claiming that "We report all suspicious activity to the police"? It's a bit intimidating, even though a city street is public property and what I do is perfectly legal. Some people just freak out, and when there's risk of freaking them out it makes me nervous.
It all started about five years ago when I was berated by a woman who thought I was scoping out her street. Apparently someone had stolen several vehicles from her neighborhood at some point in the past and so the residents were on edge. I was told that the police would be called if she ever saw me again. I believe that I was within my rights to take pictures, since I never strayed onto anyone's private property and never touched anyone's car. But I can also understand why a person would be concerned that a perfect stranger is photographing every interesting vehicle on the street.

Petaluma Street Sighting - 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle wagon

By 1971 the Chevelle wagon was beginning to show its age. The same body shell dated to 1968 with few changes except an updated front clip and some revisions to the lights and interior, namely a new dash and a dual-action tailgate that could hinge down over the bumper or swing out to the left side. The '71 Chevelle lost the 1970's handsome four-light front in favor of two larger round lamps with amber and white turn signals installed in the squared-off corners.

Petaluma Street Sighting - 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1

I made a promise a long time ago not to feature every Mustang I see. I think I've done a pretty good job of weeding out the generic stuff, but it's also resulted in a distinct lack of ponycars. So I considered it a good score when I spotted a clean red 1969 Mustang Mach 1 parked in the historic district of Petaluma. The '69 Mach 1 is one of my favorite muscle cars and this one has everything: the Magnum 500 wheels, matte black hood with hood pins, 428 Cobra Jet V8 with shaker hood scoop ... the whole car oozes aggression. For the most part it looks stock, though I doubt that the traction bars on the rear are original.

Petaluma Street Sighting - 1964 Chevrolet Impala SS

I always told myself I'd try to avoid featuring "cliched" cars here at California Streets. You know which ones I mean: 1957 Chevy Bel Airs, 1965 Ford Mustangs, and especially 1964 Chevy Impalas. Why? Well, the "Six Fo" Impala is one of the quintessential cars associated with lowrider culture, and thus is often found rocking small wire wheels with spinner hubcaps, whitewall tires and featuring a bright color, pinstriping and/or airbrush work. Good thing I found one that .... looks exactly like that. Oh dear.

Petaluma Street Sighting - 1981 Toyota Celica GT Sunchaser

Some of you may be old enough to remember that from 1977 until the early 1980s, it wasn't really possible to buy a new convertible in the United States. I'm not that old, but I do research.
I guess late in the disco era, with hairy men in tight jeans going nuts for T-tops and car thieves slicing up ragtops, nobody wanted convertibles anymore. Then came the '80s and apparently someone decided it was time to offer convertibles again, but not right away. If you wanted a convertible you could always contract a coachbuilder to chop the roof off your coupe and turn it into a ragtop. That's what led to stopgap quasi-verts like this 1981 Toyota Celica GT Sunchaser.