Thursday, October 06, 2005

Buenos Aires classic vehicles

I am not a fanatic about classic cars but i know what i like. I think it started when my grandmother would ride me around in her 1936 Studebaker, a great silver-gray chariot with a sloping, chrome grill, headlights mounted prominently on sloping silver-gray fenders, horse-hair upholstery, a back seat area suitable for football games, and, most impressive of all to a small boy, a footrest mounted on the rear of the front seat that could be lowered up and down like a kneeler in church.

There are quite a few classic cars, trucks and other interesting forms of transportation in Buenos Aires. The predominant auto model seems to be old Ford Falcons. While I've had plenty of opportunity to photograph the Falcon, for some reason, I never have. Without bothering to get into arcana, I thought I'd offer a few of those that have caught my eye.

For starters, a classic Valiant...

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A classic old Ford pickup keeping company with a classic old Mercedes...

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What can you say about this VW bus, decked out to look like a dog. I regret that I didn't get a photo of the rear which sported a tail. The sign in the window says it's for sale.

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About the only place you'd see a bus like this in the U.S. these days would be in a junkyard.

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A little bonus with the bus picture is the "Route U.S. 66" sign on the wall of the building in the background.

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Quite a few furniture movers have their offices and live along Avenida Forest near Federico Lacroze and Fraga. Here's one of their trucks.

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I've passed this car countless times on my walks, it's always parked in the same spot, and doesn't seem to be driven very often. I've noticed, however, that the owner tends to shine it up in the warmer weather.

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Here's a close-up of the logo on the hood and a shot of the rally sticker from the back window.

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And, last but not least, my favorite, the Citroen Charleston, obviously a well-cared for vehicle.

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