1973 Saab Sonnet III

It's from Saab, so it's gonna be weird. Designed to compete in America with MG and Triumph, the Sonnet sold less than 2,000 copies per year in the 1970s, and I think this is the only one I've ever seen. Too bad it's not running; restoring it will be no small task.

So what you've got is a fiberglass body over a Saab front-wheel drive chassis, powered by a Ford 1.7 liter V4. Apparently it was a pretty fast car. Observations:
* I believe this car came with a monstrous front bumper to meet the new 1973 US safety standards, but the owner of this one has tossed it.
* Note that the "hood" on this car is just a small panel. The earlier, much rarer Sonnet II had a hinge that allowed the whole front clip of the car to open. But if you want to do any major maintenance on this Sonnet III you will just have to, ah, take the whole front end of the car apart.

 

 

 

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1951 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe

Down by the waterline on Portage Bay, there's lots of places you can store a car for a while without a problem. It's amazing how many "survivors" like this there are in Seattle. All these years, and none of the systems that hold liquid have rusted through? Amazing.

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1976 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow

If you like talking about cars, this is always an interesting car to talk about. Observations:

* This car was crazy expensive. In 1976, It went for about $36,000, or four times the starting price of a Cadillac two-door. I once heard that back in the day Rolls had cranked up their prices even more just to make the cars more exclusive and thus somehow more appealing to the uber-rich. Apparently, that really happened as the price of the Shadow went to about $65,000 in 1980, or $250,000 in today's dollars. Of course the cheapest new Rolls you can buy now starts north of $340,000, so never mind.

* Were these cars worth the crazy cost? Depends on how you look at it I guess. One source will tell you, "Every Rolls-Royce vehicle is meticulously handcrafted to the highest standards, with artisans meticulously shaping every curve and stitch to perfection. This dedication to quality ensures that each car is not only a marvel of engineering but also a work of art designed to stand the test of time."

On the other hand, just because something is "made to perfection" that doesn't means it's reliable or durable. The Shadow's complex braking and suspension system have given it the reputation of a car that bankrupts owners who try to keep it running. The last Plymouth Duster was also made in 1976. It sure as heck wasn't made to perfection, but it wasn't always in the shop.

 

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