Street Parked SF is one of our all time favourite sites. The fantastically atmospheric shots of this humble little R8 are typical of the work these guys get through – keep it up!
Monthly Archives: March 2013
Extinct Brands Pt2: Saab
We really miss Saab. Isn’t there some crazy Swedish billionaire who could buy the Trollhättan plant, headhunt a dozen Scandinavian engineers and product designers and build a new Saab. And when I say a new Saab I mean a new REAL Saab with aeronautically inspired styling, unusual ignition key position, four wheel handbrake, heated seats with funky headrests, cockpit styled dash and black steelies!
This is Erik Carlsson’s 1960 RAC Rally winning Saab 96.
And this is a rare shot of Erik and co-driver Stuart Turner after they took a wrong turn during the rally and ended up power-sliding through the stage door of the London Palladium. Luckily they were dressed for the occasion!
Source: Dove Publishing Ltd
We love later Saabs (though not too late – GM = bad), this model is called the 90 and was a particularly odd car as it was basically a Saab 99 from the nose to the B-post and then all 900. NB wheel colour has been doctored a tad!
Extinct Brands Pt1: Lancia
Proving the Theory: Pagani Zonda Con Steelies
Full-Sized: The Mighty Pontiac Catalina Pt3
In our third and final (for now) Catalina instalment we present John Mead’s utterly beguiling 1963 Catalina. Could this be the ultimate dual-purpose classic: hubcaps on, it won’t look out of place in any show ‘n shine. Snap the shiny bits off and you have a formidable drag racer.
John races the Catalina in nostalgia and vintage events, and turned a best 1/8th mile ET of 8.94 last season, “not bad for a C/S, 3,790 lb car.” John’s Cat is powered by a 405 h.p. 421” with stock heads, forged flat-top 10.5:1 pistons, a forged crank, forged rods, and a street cam. The induction is a tri-carb setup, and the ignition is stock.
Check out Dragtime News for more info.
Thanks to John.
Full-Sized: The Mighty Pontiac Catalina Pt2
The ’63 Cat wasn’t a bad looker either. This particular example is the “Swiss Cheese” special that Pontiac engineers created to keep the Chief’s nose in front of heavy hitters from Ford and Mopar on the drag strips of America. The name comes from the extreme lengths they went to save weight – everything was drilled out to within an inch of its life.
For more info check out to the Mecum Auction site.
NASA also got a slice of the Catalina without hubcaps action. This is a ’63 Convertible used as a tow vehicle for the M2-F1.
Full-Sized: The Mighty Pontiac Catalina Pt1
Subaru Love Pt2: Wish We Got This Version Of The BRZ
Apparently Subaru in Japan sell this stripped down version of the BRZ as a track day weapon. It is called the BRZ RA and we want one!
Everything about the spec sheet rings our collective bells including roll cage and four-point racing harness, but the stand out item is the 2 speaker stereo – perfect.