50 California Street Sightings

That's right, this blog has reached fifty vehicle features. It's taken a long time, and there are many more to come. Thanks to those of you who read my humble little board and give me a reason to keep updating it.

Without further ado, a recap. Links to each feature are provided below. Just click on the vehicle you want to view.


1946 Dodge Power Wagon
1956 Continental Mark II
1956 Mercury Montclair
1957 Mercedes-Benz 220S Ponton (W180)
1958 DeSoto Fireflite
1958 Mercury Monterey
1958 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88
1959 Mercury Monterey Cruiser
1960 Chevrolet Corvette
1961 Chevrolet Corvair Monza 900
1961 Hillman Minx
1961 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight
1962 Plymouth Valiant
1963 Studebaker Lark Cruiser
1964 Porsche 356C
1965 Chevrolet Impala
1965 Ford Falcon Futura
1965 Plymouth Barracuda
1965 Plymouth Fury III
1966 Chrysler 300
1966 Rambler Classic 770 Cross Country
1967 Mercury Cougar XR7
1968 BMW 2800CS
1968 Chevrolet C20 Panel Truck
1968 Dodge A-100 Tradesman
1968 Ford Galaxie 500XL
1968 Mercedes-Benz 250SL
1968 Volkswagen 1600TL (Type 3)
1969 Dodge Dart Custom
Mini Cooper
1970 Dodge D300
1970 Opel Kadett L
1971 Datsun 1200
1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1
1972 Chevrolet Kingswood
1973 Ford Torino
1974 AMC Hornet
1974 Toyota Corona Deluxe
1975 MG Midget
1975 Pontiac Catalina
1976 Chevrolet Nova Concours Cabriolet
1976 Toyota Corolla
1978 AMC Pacer Wagon
1978 International Scout II
1979 Plymouth Horizon
1979 Plymouth Sapporo
1980 Volkswagen Dasher
1987 Sterling 825S
1988 Lotus Esprit Turbo
1989 Peugeot 405S

Castro Valley Street Sighting - 1967 Mercury Cougar XR7

In my last post I touched on my fondness for the Ford Mustang. I also said that I'd minimize the number of Mustangs featured here.

This is not a Mustang. Well, not quite.

It's a 1967 Mercury Cougar XR-7, a competitor for the Mustang which was based on the same platform and occupied a slightly higher market position. Fundamentally, it's still a Mustang, albeit one with nicer trim and a more upscale, European-looking body that further separates it from its bread-and-butter Falcon roots. (Cool fact: Cougar was one of the names Ford executives considered when naming the Mustang).

Santa Cruz Street Sighting - 1972 Ford Mustang Mach 1

I have a reputation as a Mustang fanboy, and for that reason I have chosen to keep the number of Ford Mustangs featured here to a minimum unless they have some special quality to them. You aren't likely to see a plain-jane 1965 Mustang notchback coupe here. While some may feel that this is unfair, since I've featured cars as unexciting as a beige 1969 Dodge Dart sedan, the Mustang is so common that I don't normally take pictures of them when I see them.
That said, here's a Mustang. It's a 1972 Mach 1 Sportsroof I discovered parked on a street in the shopping district in Santa Cruz. It was an added bonus, really, since my main attraction was a 1956 Ford Fairlane across the street (visible in some of the photos).  

Edit 6/6/2020: It took me 10 years to realize this is a 1972 car, not a '71. The fuel cap is the biggest clue.

San Ramon Street Sighting - 1968 Chevrolet Suburban C-20 Panel

Most of the vehicles I examine here are cars I see only once or twice, stuff I see while walking through the city. But not this one: this 1968 Chevy C-20 Suburban panel truck is local and I see it all the time. Usually in the same spot, too, causing me to wonder how often it gets driven. It sometimes shares the street with a copper-brown 1969-70 Chevy CST-10 stepside pickup. Coincidentally, this is in the same block where I found the Hillman Minx nearly three years before.

San Francisco Street Sighting - 1958 DeSoto Fireflite

I always love it when I'm in the vicinity of Lone Mountain in San Francisco, near the northeast corner of Golden Gate Park. I've mentioned before that a collector lives in that area who owns a host of excellent '50s cars in daily-driver condition. This is one of them. It's a 1958 DeSoto Fireflite four-door sedan.

San Francisco Street Sighting - 1962 Plymouth Valiant

An awful lot of older cars are super easy to differentiate between model years because they have defining details that set them apart. No one will ever mistake a 1957 Chevy for a '55, right? Well, that's too easy. Everyone knows what a '57 Chevy looks like.
Do you know what a 1962 Plymouth Valiant looks like? How does it differ from a '60 or '61? That's a good question. Let's find out, shall we?

San Francisco Street Sighting - Mini Coopers

While I'm on my Euro-centric kick this week, let's explore a pint-size phenomenon from jolly old England, shall we? Yes, that's right, the classic Mini.

San Francisco Street Sighting - 1968 Mercedes-Benz 250SL

Mercedes-Benz is known primarily for its luxury sedans, which tend to be rather big and heavy and built like a bank vault. Even the SL roadsters are usually on the weighty side despite their "Sport Leicht" (Sport Light) nomenclature. They weren't always uber-huge though. The name first came about in 1954 with the introduction of the 190 and 300SL roadster and "Gullwing" coupe. They really were pretty lightweight in their own right, especially the coupe with aluminum sheetmetal. In 1963 an all-new SL was introduced, codenamed W113. It featured a 2.3 liter inline-six engine and was called the 230SL.

San Francisco Street Sighting - 1989 Peugeot 405S

When considering a family car, many people today go straight to Honda or Toyota. Want a luxury sedan? Mercedes and BMW have you covered. So what happened in the '80s in America if you wanted something outside the norm? Well, maybe you went Swedish, and bought a Volvo or a Saab. Still not funky enough for you? Perhaps a half-British, half-Japanese Sterling or a European Ford badged as a Merkur? No, let's think French. At one time, you could buy a Renault, Citroen or Peugeot here in the States.