1991 Cadillac Sedan DeVille

It's a pretty nice car I guess - it better be, considering that it cost at least $66,000 new in 2019 dollars. When this car was built, the new Lexus and Infiniti models that would start eating Cadillac's lunch had just come out. They were similarly priced, but unlike Caddy's of the time Lexus and Infiniti looked like they might be driven by someone under 75 years old.

Yes, that's the Space Needle in the middle picture.

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1970 Pontiac GTO Judge convertible

Pontiac built fewer than 11,000 GTOs with the Judge package between 1969 and 1971, including only 287 convertibles. In 1971, only 17 convertibles were made; enthusiasts know the history of every one of those cars. "The Judge" included the forced-air induction system, a Hurst shifter, wide tires, a set of decals and a spoiler on the trunk. This car has the 'endura' front bumper, made of plastic and foam formed over a single piece of steel. Today all cars have plastic noses, but in 1970 it was a very new idea.

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1993 Honda Acty

Today wasn't the first time I've spotted a right-hand drive, made-for-Japan truck in daily use in Seattle. You can't buy a new small truck in this country. I would have taken more photos but I didn't want to draw the attention of the huge guys using it for their landscaping business. This truck does not meet American safety and emissions standards, but once a vehicle is 25-years old those rules don't apply. Note the tiny engine in this truck is forward of the rear axle.

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1970 Dodge Dart Custom

Very similar to the '70 Plymouth Duster we spotted, this Dart is an example of the forgotten phenomenon of American automakers offering incredibly powerful engines in what were otherwise their smallest, cheapest cars.

While the 340 c.i. V-8 was available for the Dart, it certainly did not come with the dual-quad carburetor fuel intake system the current owner has installed. Pretty neat though.

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1963 and 1964 Studebaker Avanti

When equipped with a supercharger, (see last pic below), the Avanti was America's fatest car, with a top speed even higher than the fuel-injected Corvette. The square headlights of the car on the left denote it as a very rare '64. Studebaker closed its American plant on December 20, 1963.

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1984 AMC Eagle station wagon

Sales of traditional sedans have plummeted; now it's all about crossover SUVs. Love it or hate it, the AMC Eagle was the car that popularized the crossover.

There's a good article on curbsideclassic.com about the 1970 AMC Hornet titled, "Today Is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life." The title speaks to the fact that AMC, unable to invest the capital needed to create new car bodies, re-envisioned the Hornet compact first as a "luxury compact" called the Concord in the late 70s, then again as the Jeep-like 4x4 Eagle sedan and wagon in the 80s. The wagon pictured below carried AMC all the way to its demise at the end of 1987.

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1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 - 428 Cobra Jet

Ford came late to the muscle car game. While Pontiac GTOs and and Plymouth Satellites with big block engines were tearing up the streets in the mid 60s, Ford's only comparable models were the Fairlane and the Mustang. But few Fairlanes were sold with Ford's 390 c.i. V-8, and the Mustang was based on the old lightweight Falcon chassis and was not really a suitable platform for a performance car.

The 1969 Mustang was a bigger car with serious muscle options. The Mach 1 package made the Mustang a contender on the drag track, while the Boss 429 was engineered for NASCAR.

 

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1964 Mercury Comet Caliente convertible

In 1964, the Comet still looked significantly different than the Ford Fairlane. By 1966, they were different in name only. Mercury just wasn't selling enough cars for Ford to continue creating a distinctive brand.

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