It's my biggest car spotting day of the year, the Greenwood car show. Let's start with GM.
Seattle's Old Cars
Wednesday, July 8, 2026
2026 Greenwood Car Show: General Motors
Friday, June 12, 2026
Restoration Shop in Ballard
It's easy enough to sink tens of thousands of dollars into your classic car. When I checked out these vehicles at the restoration shop in Ballard, it struck me that each had some good points and some bad points for your restoration dollar.
1951 Chevy 3100 Advanced-Design truck
Pro: Everybody loves it. Easy to maintain.
Con: Hard to drive.
1962 Ford Thunderbird
Pro: Well-built and powerful. Makes a statement.
Con: Old man's car. Kind of tacky.
1982 Jaguar XJ-S
Pro: It's a V-12 supercar. Surprisingly affordable.
Con: It's surprisingly affordable because it's impossible to keep running.
1981 Fiat 124 Spider
Pro: Fun.
Con: Not very reliable.
1980 MGB
Pro: Fun.
Con: Not very reliable.
1958 Cadillac Coupe DeVille
Pro: Wow power, easy to maintain the drivetrain.
Con: Kind of a money pit - it's got power everything with 1950s wiring.
Monday, May 4, 2026
In traffic behind a Porsche 914
This will not happen again. Someone has actually taken the insane amount of time and trouble required to restore a Porsche 914. This is a really, really bad car. I've discussed it before when I saw one in Ballard a few years ago. But there's a funny article you should read about the 914 on Hagerty.com: "A few things to know before stealing my 914."
"Once you are ready to again try for second, I can offer some advice. One
trick that works is to declutch the transmission, pull the lever from
the first-gear position, enter into the aforementioned neutral zone, and
then rapidly wig-wag the shift knob side-to-side along a lateral axis.
If you move the knob quickly enough, the transmission will be
out-smarted and cannot anticipate your next move. It is at this time
that you should re-attempt to enter second, and most likely you will do
so. Surprise is your best weapon against this transmission."
