The Cars of London

Welcome to London! Truly a remarkable city, full of rich history, beautiful architecture, and an amazing car culture. I was truly in disbelief at the amount of high end cars just casually parked on the street, or driving around. Everywhere I went, I could've expected to find something expensive, or otherwise seemingly unatainable, as they would be considered in the U.S. 

Above: 1976 Mercedes Benz 200 (W123)

I flipped out when I saw this. A classic Mercedes Benz, with E-Code headlights, colormatched rims, and its streetparked? Sign me up! Seeing old cars, that we normally would've recieved in the US, with their "correct" European regulated headlights was a feature I never really got tired of seeing in Europe. In the States, this would've recieved sealed beams.

Above: 1999 BMW 520i (E39)

A BMW we never recieved. Ok, yes, we got the E39. BUT, we never got it with the 2.0 liter engine. The smallest engine we had available was the infamous 2.5 M54 engine. In Europe, another story.

Above: 2002 Alfa Romeo GTV CUP V6 

This car has me feeling indecisive. On the one hand, it's super cool because it

Above: 1969 Fiat 500

This is a beautiful example of a Fiat 500.

Above: 2011 Volvo V70 D3 R-Design

An otherwise normal looking V-70 R-Design, except this version has a diesel motor!

Above: 1965 Jaguar E-Type Mk. I

Above: 1989 Citroën 2CV-6 Special

Above: 1978 British Leyland Mini Clubman 

Above: 2003 Land Rover Defender 90 TD-5

Above: 1972 Morris Mini 1000

Above: 1997 Volvo 940 Classic

This is cool! While we got the 940 in the US, we stopped getting them in 1995, following promoting of the 850 and 960 models. It continued selling in Europe, until 1998, where it was succeeded by the S80 and V70. Here is a later version, complete with the larger Europe-spec headlamps.

Above: 1992 Volkswagen Golf Driver Mk. II

I love the color of this Golf, and haven't seen one like it before. 

Above: 1993 Mercedes Benz 190 E (W124)

It's the wheels for me. These are so good looking.

Above: 1977 Volkswagen Type 2 Kombi

Well here's an unexpected vehicle. This yellow T2 Kombi was found street parked, and features some lovely color matched curtains and some fun roof accessories. Notably, the pop-up camper top steals the show, but smaller accents like the headlamp visors and small luggage rack over the front-most part of the roof give this Kombi its nomadic spirit.

Above: 1992 BMW 318i Cabrio (E30)

An otherwise normal BMW E30, but cool to see one with its superior looking Euro-spec bumpers. 

Above: 1985 Mercedes Benz 500 SL (C107)

Here's another car in which its bumpers look far superior than its US counterparts. The US spec C107 cars have bulbous rubber bumpers that really take away from the look of the car. These domestic to Europe cars look much better.

Above: 1972 MGB Roadster

Along with the Mini, this might be one of the most "British" cars ever.

Above: 1995 Audi RS2 Estate

So, um, yeah. I found an RS2. That's all.

Above: 1959 Morris Minor 1000 Estate

I've always liked these. Ever since seeing one long ago as a kid, I was drawn to their strange combination of European and American styling. 

Above: 1987 Toyota Carina II

Another car, this time a Toyota, we didn't get in the states. I've never seen a hatchback variant from Toyota, and I have to say, I really like it.

Above: 1985 Porsche 928 S2

I'm slowly coming around to these odd looking Porsches. Specifically, I love the red interior on this car. I've never seen anything like it before.

Above: 2003 Alpina B-10

An Alpina B-10! Talk about rare, and talk about expensive. For those that don't know, this is a BMW product. Alpina is BMW's highest priced, optioned, and powerful lines (outside of the M-Series). The cars are based on actual BMW models, as you can see here. This B-10 is based on the E39 5-Series. 

Above: 1969 Fiat 124 Roadster

This neighborhood proved to have an amazing selection of classic sports cars, as you'll see. We'll first start with this lovely Fiat 124 Roadster. I love these rims!

Above: 1969 Morris Minor 1000 Coupe

Here's a Morris Minor coupe, that looks slightly more European than its Estate counterpart. I really like the color of this car too. 

Above: 1970 Mercedes Benz 280 SL (W113)

I suspect this car might be an import (to the UK) from another country. The tell tale signs are the LHD steering wheel placement and the sealed beam headlamps. Nonetheless, it's great to see one parked on the street.

Above: 1997 Volvo 940 Turbo 

Here is another late model 940. This one is equipped with a turbo, albeit a low pressure turbo, but still cool to see. Note the large roof carrier mounted on top.

Above: 1974 Volkswagen Type 2 Kombi

Another classic VW Kombi, this time in a lovely blue. 

Above: 1999 Saab 9-5 Aero Estate

Now we're talking! This Scarab Green 9-5 was absolutely mint! Aside from being fully specced out with tri-spokes and the early Aero package, this car featured five speed manual, making it even cooler. 

Above: 1985 Mercedes Benz 200T Estate (S123)

This beautiful Mercedes wagon is a clear street survivor. It's rusty, missing some trim, but still has its soul. 

Above: 1968 Citroen DS 

Ah London, the only place you'll find a street parked DS. Seriously, a street parked DS is unbelievably awesome!

Above: 1991 Nissan Figaro Turbo

Oh, by the way, which one's Pink?

Above: 1983 Mercedes Benz 200 (W123)

A stunning color, isn't it?

Above: 1963 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III 

To conclude we have an aptly fitting car - a 1963 Rolls Royce. An astoundingly big car, despite looking much smaller than it actually appears. While I'm personally more partial to the more "regular" British cars, I can truly appreciate the beautiful design this car touts.