once upon a time, i rented a 2006 mini-cooper S for a weekend and drove the compact hilly urban terrain of san francisco along with the fragant wine country of the napa valley. aside from the ‘pt crusier’ aura of the interior design (gauges excepted) i was an instant convert to the mini gospel. i loved that car and intended on ordering one when i returned home… a ‘jc-cooper-works car’ even. but then i became aware that there were significant changes planned for the 2007 model. maybe i should wait to order ??? unfortunately i did wait and witnessed with horror how bmw RUINED the mini mk2 for 2007. it was FUGLY, and to add insult-to-injury, they eliminated the super-charged engine in favor of turbo. my crush on the 2006 continues but there was no way in hell i would order or drive the botched mk2. hold your head high 2006 mini cooper, i will always remember our time in ‘frisco and pity those who desecrated your successor’s beauty.

The Citroën 2CV (deux chevaux vapeur, “two steam horses”) was an economy car produced from 1949 to 1990. It was technologically advanced and innovative, but with extremely utilitarian and deceptively simple Bauhaus inspired bodywork that belied the sheer quality of its underlying engineering. the most intelligent application of minimalism ever to succeed as a car.

the 997 iteration of the porsche 911 has got to be an all time favorite of any self respecting car dweeb. the beneficiary of 45+ years of refinement, evolution and continuous production means this car is pretty much the best new car on the planet. being the only rear-engine car available today, its fun to pretend you are driving an amazingly fast and nimble volkswagen beetle. this specimen was spied in london, though it had french registration and presumably a french pilot….. perhaps it was chunneled ? i would very much like to hear people’s opinions regarding the 997 versus previous generations in terms of the exterior design being as strong as the air-cooled era and how it fits into the 911 heritage, etc.

this alfa romeo duetto spider was spotted near forest grove, oregon and even though i was driving a lowly series 3 spider graduate, the duetto driver gave my a hearty and enthusiastic wave. you have to love alfa enthusiasts, as they are friendly, down to earth and sincere in their love of these relatively slow but fun to drive and charming italian cars.

even though these cars are now attainable for $12-$24k, every time i see one i think the occupant must be some sort of secret society elite, or fabulous entertainer a’la liberace. i should buy one just to fuck with everyone’s minds… infact i know where a pristine and tempting one is right now, just waiting to be bought …… hhmmmmm.

heading to the Charles de Gaulle Airport, this elusive lamborghini gallardo crept behind the taxi and was captured along with the peculiar looking vespa that oft-times attaches itself like a remora to larger, faster cars ands feeds off their exhaust. just goes to show that you never really know what you are going to pull up in the net; a parasetic vespa, the majestic lamborghini fish……. or both!

i guess this begs the question, are rams really that tough ?? aren’t they related to lambs ? are lambs tough ??? feeble philosophic wonderings aside, this macho looking truck was captured pushing through the highway 26 tunnel. (love the grisly grease drippings oozing down the side of the tunnel wall) i didn’t get a good view of the driver so i don’t know if he was an ironic hipster or a genuine handle-bar mustachio’d libertarian NRA member preparing for the apocalypse.

spotted heading west on highway 26, this car has a lot of appeal, though “deluxe” is a corny american term commonly used to specify hamburgers and what-not. the design of this car is quite good….. the sleek proportions demonstrate a ‘form-follows-function’ sensibility. perhaps this vehicle was a last hurrah of ‘good design’ for american cars before the 1950′s begat superfluous fins and other gimmicks & gewgaws.

this ‘smart car’ was running the gauntlet at the Arc de Triomphe at such a rapid clip it began to morph into molten metal. in europe, most cars are turbo-diesels and this smart was no exception. think of the ‘green-ness’ and then consider we cannot buy a diesel smart in the united states.

i spied this one whizzing around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris about dusk on a pleasant spring eve. watching the vehicular traffic racing around the arc is a spectacle to behold, as chaotic as bumper-cars at the county fair, but miraculously with nary a crash.

The 190SL was also referred to as the ‘Nitribitt-Mercedes’ after the scandal surrounding the murder of call girl Rosemarie Nitribitt. Nitribitt succeeded in getting male attention and acquired a stock of posh society clients. She became very wealthy rather quickly, which she demonstrated by buying a black Mercedes 190 SL with red leather upholstery in 1956 and drove it around Frankfurt to solicit customers. in November 1957 she was found dead in her apartment in Frankfurt, her body showing signs of strangulation and a head wound. She was interred at the Nordfriedhof Düsseldorf….. Her head, however, was kept as evidence in police custody and later exhibited in the Kriminal-Museum in Frankfurt; it was eventually buried in February, 2008.

driving in the lane astride it, i was struck by this car’s pristine condition. the shape of the mercedes SL of this era has always been a favorite, and so impressed by this particular specimen i felt compelled to risk life and limb to recklessly snap a photo whilst traveling at 60 mph. this photo became the impetus to create the “cars i have seen” site.

citroën’s have a rich heritage of uniquely esoteric french design. always futuristic in ways only the french can manage…… designed and engineered in ways that seem positively alien. even the current citroen’s convey a certain sublime outre’ character that could be infused only in france. wouldn’t it be nice if us ugly americans could buy new citroens state-side ???

‘captain of industry’ motor car spotted in london england. this reminds me of writing scrawled on the bathroom wall at the world famous up & up tavern in bellingham washington in the 1980′s: “there once was a man from boston who drove around town in an aston. he had room for his ass and a gallon of gas, but his balls hung out the door and he lost ‘em”

this car appeared as an apparition in the west-side majestic forest of portland. it lingered just long enough for me to snap this reckless photo out the back of my 2009 911 S before it vanished into the forest mist. ghostly phantom !

when i caught up to this car much to my surprise i spied an aging but still stylish tony montana behind the wheel….. apparently he has been enrolled in the federal witness relocation program in oregon all these years. say hello to my lil’ friend !

vw beetle’s big brother……..

Not too many of these have survived.