Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Collector's Corner - Welly Jaguar S-Type

I've had surprisingly good luck buying diecast models from my local BigLots! bargain store. Granted, I've only bought two, but when they do get something good in, it's a heck of a deal. I've seen Hot Wheels, Revell, Bburago, Yat Ming Road Signature and Sun Star 1:18 models there over the years, all at deeply discounted prices. This 1999 Jaguar S-Type 4.0 Sport by Welly wasn't too shabby for $12.99. At the time, I knew absolutely nothing about the Welly brand, only that I had to choose between the British Racing Green Jag and a black Volkswagen Passat. I have no regrets as to which one I picked.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Santa Cruz Street Sighting - 1963 Chrysler 300

In the summer of 2010 I was returning from Santa Cruz's silly tourist trap, the Mystery Spot, and happened upon a white 1966 Dodge Monaco 440 station wagon parked on the street. It would have been an awesome subject for a street sighting feature, but I passed. One photo from the driver's seat of my car and away I went, promising myself that I would go back someday and shoot it properly.
Two years passed. I went back. The car was gone. In its place was this, a 1963 Chrysler 300 coupe. The owner walked outside while I was photographing it and I asked what happened to the Monaco. He told me he had sold it, but one day while Googling for 1966 Monaco wagons he had found a picture of his wagon, posted on a car blog called California Streets. Small world, indeed!

Friday, January 4, 2013

Santa Cruz Street Sighting - 1965 Ford Galaxie 500

I thought it was appropriate for my first post of 2013 to be about a white 1965 Ford Galaxie 500. My father was the one who first got me interested in cars at a very young age. The first car he owned was a white 1965 Ford Galaxie 500 coupe with a 289 V8 and an automatic transmission. The Galaxie wasn't kept very long, but it was a nice car for a high-schooler in the '70s. I've loved them for many years, and seeing one at car shows always makes me happy. Not many of them show up on the street, though.