Archive for February, 2014

RustyButTrusty on the Street – Pontiac and BMW 3-fer

February 24, 2014

As San Francisco is an interesting place for spotting unusual (or at least old) cars, so are Oakland and Berkeley. And for people who live where interesting cars are a not-too-uncommon sight among the hoardes of Priuses, Accords and F150s, you owe it to yourself to not forget to appreciate where you are. Our first car is a 1973 Pontiac Catalina coupe. Wait, you say, Pontiac? Sure, they’re an orphan brand now, but there are loads of those still on the streets! Well, with attrition, some of the less-popular versions of the General’s platforms have become as rare as cars that had much-lower sales numbers when new. Who knows what engine this car has in it – anything from the 350 to the 455, with a less-than-impressive horsepower range of 150 (boohoohoo) to 250 (meh).

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Not a Bear – 1993 Fiat Panda

February 21, 2014

Built from 1980 to 2003, the Fiat Panda was conceived as a sort of modern Citroen 2CV. While it was not as innovative as the 2CV, it was still a fairly interesting car, and sold in various permutations including a ragtop, van, electric, and 4-wheel-drive, beating Subaru to the punch in the thriving 4wd city car segment. It was built with a number of Fiat legacy engines, donated by the 126, 850, and later the Uno, with which it shared the engines from Fiat’s FIRE series. The car’s designer was Giorgetto Giugiaro – yes, he of the Alfa Romeo 2600 sprint, Giulia GT, and Hyundai Excel. You can find this 1993 Fiat Panda for sale for $3500 in Downey, CA.

1993 Fiat Panda right front

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Always Looking – 1975 Alfa Romeo Alfetta Berlina

February 20, 2014

Here at RustyButTrusty, the Alfetta is like one of those dishes that your mother cooked on a regular basis – it probably comes around a little too often, but there’s still some joy in the familiarity, and perhaps some surprises in the little variations based on what ingredients were handy. Among the vast legions of North American Alfetta fans, there’s one version that’s like catnip, and that’s the 1975 models, which is smog-exempt in more states than any other year. There’s also the charm of the earlier hooded headlights, protruding chrome door handles, and triple-square tail lights, and a wooden dash inside. You can find this 1975 Alfa Romeo Alfetta Berlina for sale with bidding at $1612, reserve met, and 2 days left to go in Hinckley, OH.

1975 Alfa Romeo Alfetta Berlina right front

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