El Segundo Street Sighting - 1962 Ford Falcon Ranchero

Avid readers will already know that I love the Ford Falcon in almost all of its forms. Australian friends, that includes many of the Falcons sold down under as well. And speaking of Australia, the car-based coupe utility pickup, or 'ute', is virtually a way of life in that country. Here in the states, it's more of a novelty, but the Ford Ranchero is one of America's best known and most popular utes. I featured a 1968 Ranchero years ago, a larger version based on the redesigned Fairlane and new Torino. That version was more akin to the Ranchero's roots as a large Fairlane-based pickup from 1957 to 1959. For most of the 1960s, though, the Ranchero existed as a compact Falcon variant, and again as a Fairlane for 1967.

Topanga Street Sighting - 1972 Datsun 240Z

For a long time now, I've wanted to write something about the Datsun 240Z. They're still plentiful in California and have a strong following as one of the greatest Japanese sports cars of the 1970s. In recent years these cars have enjoyed a bit of a resurgence with the import tuning crowd. I think the anime series Wangan Midnight has helped do for the 240Z what Initial D did for the Toyota Corolla AE86.

Malibu Street Sighting - 1966 Jaguar 420

The Jaguar Mark II sedan is considered a true classic among Jaguar enthusiasts. A lot of four-door Jags have come and gone since then, and not all of them have been great cars. The Mark II was supplanted by the S-Type, which evolved into the 420 during an interim period that fully adopted a blockier, squared-off front with four headlamps. This would become a trademark Jaguar styling cue for decades with the arrival of the new XJ midsize luxury sedan in 1968. The design language had first appeared on the 1961 Mark X. The 1966 420 looked like a slightly scaled-down Mark X, and that resemblance may have had something to do with the Mark X being renamed 420G the same year.