Saturday Night Cruise-In

Last Saturday we went to the vintage car show in Hastings before we flew back the following day. Fred had told me before it was going to be a blast if the weather was nice. I guess we were lucky because the clouds looked threatening all day, but no rain.

When we arrived in Hastings we could see old muscle cars completely filling Hastings main street. I have never seen so many cool cars in one little town. Partially because the old muscle cars are more of a niche in Europe. Anyway, I was literally stunned by this collection of Mustangs, Chevelles, Challengers, Corvettes and other rare old cars. I had the time of my life strolling down the streets, checking out the cars, listening to their rumbling blocks and talking to the owners. Next year I hope to visit the car show in Minneapolis, which should be even bigger. My favorite was a yellow Charger. What is your favorite muscle car?

Beach Buggy

When I was really young the Beach Bugyy was the most exotic car I could dream of. With its aggressive looking body, big wheels and steel roll bars it looked like a prop from Mad Max. It took years before I found out that the Buggy was based on the Volkswagen Beetle, another all- time favorite.

This is not an all-weather car, but in a dry climate I can not imagine a car more fun to drive. Light, powerful and stunning. Read more info on the history of the Beach Buggy on the Manx Club Page. (images via JAS Buggies)

Volkswagen 166

Having a car in Amsterdam can be a real pain in the *ss. Sometimes it seems a boat would be more useful in the summer months. No traffic jams along the canals and a lot of fun during Queensday. A bit of both would come in handy though.

This type 166 "Schwimmwagen" was used by the Germans in WWII. It is the most mass-produced amphibious vehicle ever. The design looks like an army bath tub on wheels. Really cool. The black colorway seen above is way better than the camouflage. (Pictures via Serious Wheels)

Mustang Station Wagon

In Europe, you don't see a lot of American muscle cars. Now, with gas prices reaching record heights every week, chances of you spotting one, outside a vintage car show, are becoming slimmer every week too. I have always been a fan of Ford Mustang's and their high-powered counterparts produced by Shelby. Especially the first "generation" of the car, which was produced in 1966.

This is the first time I encountered pictures of a Mustang Station Wagon. Can you imagine this car in your driveway? Not bad at all: a hearse meets muscle car. It seems Ford never produced Mustang Station Wagons themselves. Either people involved with Ford did so themselves or custom car builders produced it as a prototype. (via Fffound)

Girls and Classic Car Advertisements

These old car ads are cool. Exotic old cars combined with feminine beauty. A very good combination. Funtasticus has collected a set of old mouthwatering old ads. This type of marketing is not very serious, but we find this type of advertisement really humorous. When they were first published it was probably meant as serious marketing strategy, but then it should have included the text "female driver included". (via FFFound)

Volvo Sugga

Always fun when our friend Paolo enters the store. Not only interesting stories about how he evacuated a hospital, but he also showed me the car I want to have for Christmas. The Volvo TP21 is part of the PV800 series, which were nicknamed Sugga(n) or Sow. They were originally cabs which dominated the market in the 1940s and '50s. I always liked Volvo, but this is something different. This is the first time I want to drive a pig on wheels.

In the second world war Volvo created the TPV, an 4x4 military vehicle which used the body of the PV800 Series. In 1953 Volvo built the TP21 which was the successor of the TPV. It was powered by a 3.67 liter, 90 hp engine. Only 720 cars have been built between 1953 and 1958. The military name was Raptgb 915. Not easy to pronounce if you want to tell someone what car you just bought. (info via Wikipedia)

Low Country Travelers

The Low Country Travelers are an African-American Car Club in Charleston County, South Carolina. The club was the subject of a photo essay by Nancy Marshall and John McWilliams as part of a documentary about specific regions and places in the south. The LCT is not a social club, but has a historical mission through preservation of the cars. I love it.

The photographs are very simple with little styling. The owners look surprisingly ordinary next to their supercars. This contrast is what I find most interesting. Click here for more information on the cars and their owners. (via Selectism - Around the web)

Lada Niva

When we left Tenue de Nîmes after work yesterday a small four-wheel drive parked in front of the store. Impressed by the small size and cool look I instantly fell in love. It was a Lada Niva. My phone was not able to take a proper picture in the dark, but it did look amazing. 

The Niva was first built in 1977 and it is still in production. The 1.6L or 1.7L engine might seem small for a jeep type vehicle, but it is light-weight and therefore powerful enough to get you through the mud. The army green one on the picture is one of the best colorways. (image via About.com)

Russian Snowmobile

This cool snowmobile is made by a retired man from Kirov in Russia. I already found this a few weeks ago, but I completely forgot about it. We've had a lot of snow recently and Amsterdam has turned into one big ice rink today. You can imagine why I thought of it.

The machine was made from scrap and powered by an old Yamaha engine. The big wheel is a very distinctive feature. It is actually really light because of this and it is said to perform well on fresh snow. The gear shift lever is the coolest part, made from an old Coca-Cola souvenir. (via English Russia)

Girls and Cars

Rene sent me a blogpost about girls and hotrods last week. I must say the combination of those two ingredients are to my liking. I was not aware there was such a thing as a hotrod pin up. The person who came up with that idea deserves a prize.

I found out that the pictures were made by David Perry. This photographer started to document the underground hot rod culture in California back in 1991. He has published multiple books, and has worked for companies like Apple and Comme des Garçons. Not bad at all. Here is a selection of his hotrod pin ups.

(all pictures courtesy of David Perry)

ICON Land Cruiser

The ICON FJ series is a vintage (1960-1978) Toyota Land Cruiser rebuilt by hand. Simple old school design meets modern performance. The ICON is available from $96.000. Now you have a good reason to save your lime green Lamborghini for carnival. 

(via SLAMXHYPE)

'32 Ford Roadster

American cars.. I immediately think about the big V8 engines, growling sounds and their unerring ability to just keep going. I just like the power and looks that are related to the original muscle cars. The Ford Roadster is one of the classics. You can see them in all forms and shapes. Convertible, with or without fenders, with bonnet or with exposed engine. Paint jobs that enhance this killer ride or complete kill the job.

The one pictured above and below belongs to rodder Rick Findley. It is not actually vintage, but the paintjob and vintage components like the steering wheel and gauges in the dashboard give the car an old school look. This roadster features a aluminum small block V8 and a very exotic manual transmission. I love the looks of modern technology..

Click here for more details on this ride.

(via Rod&Custom)

Vintage Hunting Pics

Take a look at this nice gallery full of old hunting pictures. Outdoorlife already posted them a while back, but we discovered these only recently. Some of them are more than 100 years old. There is not much hunting to do in Amsterdam, nevertheless the hunting gear, the old cars and mustaches appeal to me greatly.

Take a look and enjoy.

(via Joachim Baan - www.anothercompany.org)

Mercedes Benz 280 GE

Who is joining me to the beach?