Posts Tagged ‘sedan’

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).

20140122_160749

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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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Japanese Classics – 1970 Honda N600

February 19, 2014

Having just covered Honda’s mainstream breakthrough (to borrow a term from the music industry), let’s look back at when they were that cool little indie band only your cool friends had heard of. Honda’s first release in the North American market, starting in Hawaii, was the N600, really more of a single than an LP. Running an air-cooled twin that could rev up to 9000rpm, its performance was unheard-of in a car, particularly one of its class. You can find this 1970 Honda N600 for sale for $2950 in La Mesa, CA.

1970 Honda N600 left side

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