Found this nifty 1950 Ford Custom recently while bicycling through Buffalo’s West Side. The ’49-’51 Fords are affectionately known as Shoe Boxes, a nod to their shape — the first real post-WW II cars to come out of Dearborn. This was kind of a rush, design-wise, as the cars that were supposed to be the new 1949 Fords were instead built as the new Mercurys. Parking the two s
Hey, there’s no rule that says every RealRide has to be exiting! This 1980 Buick Century was probably not much more than a family car back in its day, and let’s face it, not many family cars were thought to be special enough to save as classics. But perhaps now, just for that reason, this one is a classic — or at least a rarity. Came across it last summer on a bicycle ride throug
This 1970 International-Harvester 1200 pickup can still be seen regularly around Buffalo where its camera-shy owner uses it to ferry stuff between his various business interests. Well, it started life as a pickup, but the previous owner converted it to the flatbed dump you see here. It has a 392 cu. in. V8 under the hood, and the whole truck was treated to a frame-off restoration a few years back.
Came across this nice-looking 1967 Buick Skylark a couple of summers ago on a Friday evening walk through downtown Buffalo. The Skylark was one of two mid-sized Buick convertibles for 1967, the other being the high-performance GS 400. Standard equipment on the Skylark was a 225 cu. in. V6 (except for the four-door hardtop which had a 300 cu. in. V8) with a column-mounted manually-shifted three-spe
I give the owner of this Dodge Dakota, c1990, an “A” for humor. The “LIKE NEW” and “XTRA CLEAN” banners on the glass add to its curiosity factor. Makes one wonder, is it really for sale, and does it really have a six-banger under the hood (which, at least from this angle, looks to be the only body panel untouched by Mother Nature)? If you’re in the market
If you’re ready to make your neighbors wonder just what you’ve been up to, this 1984 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit is sitting outside of a Buffalo car dealership waiting just for you. Yes, you! The Silver Spirit was in production for about 20 years, beginning in 1980. The Mark I was produced through 1988, and Marks II, III, and IV followed, featuring an assortment of updates/improvements.
(Day 5 of ImportWeek)If you wanted to arrive in style, and probably not see another car just like yours in the parking lot, one sure way to go was in this Jaguar XJ12L, c1974. The “12” in the big Jag saloon’s name came from the SOHC 5.3L V12 under its long bonnet, while the “L” indicated the longer (by four inches) wheelbase version — which by this time was the
(Day 1 of 60sWeek)When Ford introduced this line in 1965, they advertised them as being “…quieter than Rolls-Royce.” This was determined after testing by “a leading acoustical firm,” (Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Inc. of Cambridge, Mass.), which, I can probably proclaim with authority, didn’t change the minds of many potential Rolls buyers. Anyway, by the time thi
(Day 5 of GMWeek)When I was a young tyke, if I’d-a come across something like this 1955 Cadillac Series 60 Special Fleetwood, which I passed recently in Buffalo, I could have bet my lunch money that it belonged to a doctor, a lawyer, or maybe a captain of industry. These days? Not so much. Cadillac ownership now covers a much wider spectrum of the population; old Doc Morgan would be flabberg
(Day 4 of GMWeek)When I came upon this 1995 Chevy Caprice Classic wagon while on a bicycle ride last week, the first thing I noticed — along with the fact it looked to be in great shape— was the wheel covers. I tracked down Steve, the car’s owner, in Buffalo’s Black Rock Canal Park, and he told me they came from the 1954 Chrysler that his grandfather had given him when he w