Mission Mission

He better hope that Ed Hardy doesn’t find out…

It’s always nice when a potentially frightening scene is quickly resolved with particular badassness by our city’s finest, as reader and eyewitness Nikki explains:

Tonight my boyfriend when out on our patio to check on our dog when he noticed bright flashing lights and smoke rising from what had to be our street. Then we heard a girl screaming. We went out in the front to see what was going on, and the hood of her car was on fire, the flames doubling in size within a few minutes. The girl was pleading for someone to get a fire extinguisher, but before anyone was able to get one, the SFFD arrived, extinguished the fire, and axed the hood of the car to get it open. Total badasses.

(Thanks Nikki!)

Whenever I see a cool car around the neighborhood, I take pictures and send them to my pal Eric up in Portland who runs Other People’s Things, my favorite car blog. He responds with some knowledge and we post the results here and it’s called “Car Beat.” Here’s what Eric has to say about this Mustang:

Nice find! This is a 1973 Mustang Grande Coupe in very ’70′s “Gold Glow” exterior paint . While it’s styling has actually aged fairly well, in the late ’70s it was a sign that the fun was over. The gas crisis had already hit and muscle cars were on their way out. The wide fenders and high decklid give away the sad truth that this model was 800 pounds heavier and bigger in every way compared to its 1960′s predecessor.

Also, with the “Grande” trim additional weight was added for sound deadening and comfort upgrades. This is the La-Z-Boy of Mustangs. Why you would you want what was presented as America’s most exciting and fun sports car with sound deadening as a marketable feature is beyond me. What’s sad is that the Grande trim was really popular, so what does that say about us?

It says we’re a bunch of lazy old farts! Thank goodness the ’70s are over. Thanks, Eric! More pics after the jump:

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Whenever I see a cool car around the neighborhood, I take pictures and send them to my pal Eric up in Portland who runs Other People’s Things, my favorite car blog. He responds with some knowledge and we post the results here and it’s called “Car Beat.” Here’s what Eric has to say about this red-hot Valiant:

This is a second generation Plymouth Valiant 200 Convertible (1964-66).  It’s equipped with the “Signet” trim level including bucket seats, floor console and lots of extra chrome as well as fun optional things like carpeted floor mats and two sunvisors. Hard to believe now, but we really do take all the crap shoved in today’s cars for granted…and while there’s certainly no security system those aftermarket skull door locks have a subtle way of telling you to move along.

Other than not knowing what engine is in it, this is pretty much the top of the line Valiant.  Nice to see a convertible there too, even though people complain about San Fransisco being cloudy, at least it doesn’t rain 6 months out of the year there.

-Eric

P.S. While researching I ran across this Norwegian website with a German brochure for the Valiant.  Strange.

Thanks, Eric! More pics, including a shot of the aforementioned skull locks, after the jump:

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Whenever I see a cool car around the neighborhood, I take pictures and send them to my pal Eric up in Portland who runs Other People’s Things, my favorite car blog. He responds with some knowledge and we post the results here and it’s called “Car Beat.” Here’s what Eric has to say about this little Datsun:

This is an easy one but certainly a classic. It’s a Datsun 510 Coupe (1968-73, this is probably ’70-73). The 510 is legendary for a few reasons- It made Datsun officially popular in the US, much like its direct competition, the 1600, did for BMW.

The 510 was also much cheaper than its competitors. It was considered the cheap alternative (some say copy) of the BMW, but the styling is quite different, and what the 510 lacks in prestige and beauty it makes up for in performance. These old Datsuns are like legos, and you can swap all sorts of Datsun/Nissan motors and transmissions into them, which is advised for this one since that little badge on the trunk reveals it’s stuck with the Borg-Warner automatic transmission.

Sucks the life right out of it, but I can respect that it has been kept in original condition.

Thanks, Eric!

[via MonkeyBrains]

Whenever I see a cool car around the neighborhood, I take pictures and send them to my pal Eric up in Portland who runs Other People’s Things, my favorite car blog. He responds with some knowledge and we post the results here and it’s called “Car Beat.” Here’s what Eric has to say about this sporty old VW:

This is a second generation Volkswagen Scirocco (1982-88 in the US). The Scirocco, much like all Volkswagens of the time, was named after a trade wind. This was the Italian name for winds travelling from North Africa to Southern Europe.

The second generation is decidedly ’80s with its sealed beam square headlights and angular body. The B-pillar logo denotes that the styling was handled by the Karmann company, best known for its sleek Ghia models.

What’s sad about the Scirocco is that there is a relatively new, super bad-ass version of it driving all over Europe and we don’t get it. Why? Because VW’s financial gurus know that to export it here and sell it at the right price will net zero profit….in fact it would cannibalize Golf sales. Oh well, I assume in 25 years or so we’ll see them start to pop up here and there.

Thanks, Eric! More photos (including a closeup of the aforementioned B-pillar logo) after the jump:

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Whenever I see a cool car around the neighborhood, I take pictures and send them to my pal Eric up in Portland who runs Other People’s Things, my favorite car blog. He responds with some knowledge and we post the results here and it’s called “Car Beat.” Here’s what Eric has to say about this lovely vintage Volvo:

This is a Volvo Amazon, known in the States as the 122S (1956-70, though this is a ’65-66).  The 122S, much like the BMW 2002 is the car that cemented the company’s popularity with the American consumer.

The 1965-66 model year is one of the most relevant, with a brand new ergonomic seat design in fancy leatherette (aka PVC).  It also featured what was a Volvo innovation that would soon become the standard for all auto manufacturers- the three-point safety belt.

One thing they didn’t figure out just yet was that beautiful but frustrating rear filler cap.  One rear end collision and you can’t put gas in it.

Thanks, Eric! More pics (including a closeup of the rear filler cap) after the jump:

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