Bike Ride 12

3/14/22

David: We return to the bikes for spring break! As promised, the bike rides resume! It was surprising cool out today, prompting me to go out and get some nice fresh air. I stuck to my usual Cranston - Warwick route, and managed to find a good haul of cars.

1988 Ford "Foxbody" Mustang 5.0L

Here's a daily driver Foxbody Mustang that is proving to us it can survive a New England winter. I hope that road salt doesn't eat that shiny jet black paint up. A stock Foxbody is a nice sight.

1984 Chrysler LeBaron Town and Country Revisited

I decided to return to Andy's to get a better shot of the '84 Chrysler Lebaron K-Car that I photographed back in Bike Ride 5 of 2020. In 2022, almost two years later, this '80s icon is still there, so I'm assuming it's a personal vehicle of Andy or the owner never picked it up. It's still in the same condition as last time, but here you can see it better.

1992 Chevy S-10 Blazer

Here's a future classic. This Chevy S-10 Blazer is in good shape for what looks to be a daily driver.

Toyota Hilux Pickup: An Honest Truck

An old Toyota pickup still putting in the work. Although this looks wimpy compared to the GMC Sierra behind it, this will outlive that truck.

Mercedes Benz 300 D (W123) Driving Through Pawtuxet Village

Spotted in passing, this classic 300D was spotted driving through Pawtuxet village. This was a very nice example that still looked like it was being daily driven by the owner. This is another car that will outlive us all.

Above: Mazda RX-7 (FB)

We arrive at a '80s Japanese icon, the RX-7. This is the FB RX-7, the first generation of the car. This can be confusing because you would think the proper terminology would be FA like the NA Miata, but it's not. We love Mazda. Anyways, despite the flat tires, this is one nice Mazda. It's a survivor car, and is still driven, which is a flex given the reputation of rotary engine maintenance. I returned a few days after this bike ride, and the car was gone, so it made its way back to the streets. Until we meet again, Mazda.

Above: BMW 528e (E28) Sedan

It's almost a crime leaving this BMW to sit. The E28 5 series is one of my top favorites of the 1980s BMW lineup, and seeing this left in this poor shape was a little saddening. However, I wasn't completely sad. When I saw this car from the street, it brought a sense of joy. The 5 Series are a bit less common to see on the road, as its brother, the E30 is the more popular car. Being that this is one of my favorite BMWs of all time, I was finally glad to see one in the flesh. I was even contemplating leaving a note on the dashboard asking the owner how much he'd let it go for. Even though this is the less desirable "e" trim level, to me this is still an E28 5 series, and I'd take it any day.

This E28 can be seen again in better detail in Bike Ride 19.

Above: 1977 Dodge Royal Monaco

Here we have one of the last boats Chrysler put out before the K-Car, the Royal Monaco. The Royal Monaco was built on Chrysler's C-Platform, the largest available at the time, and one of the biggest of the '70s. This car serves as visual representation of why Chrysler did so poorly in the 1970s. After coming out of massive oil crisis and heading into another one, cars like this continued to exist well into the '80s. This car was huge, one of the biggest I've been around so far, but one of things I noticed was how stylish this looked. Despite being very unfit for its time, this is a very stylish and elegant car, trying to hold on to what was left of its 1960s ancestors, despite the writing on the wall that these types of cars were a thing of the past.

1984 Chevy Corvette C4 Revisited

We return back to a C4 'Vette from a previous entry... See if you can track it down. Anyways, as I mentioned in that entry, this car got a complete repaint done completely by the owner himself. Congratulations to him on that, because this car looks great. I think the orange paint was a perfect pick for the car, as it embodies the '80s aesthetic very well. This is one of the nicest looking C4 'Vettes I've seen.

Update: If you would like to see some better pictures of this car, check out Bike Ride 18.

2006 Saab 9-3 Aero Sportcombi

A 9-3 Aero Wagon! I bet you already know what I'm going to say about this car, and you're probably right. Yes, I love this, and yes, I want one.

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