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While we’re waiting for the carspotters to finally get yesterday’s CPotD nailed down to a specific model, here are a few images, some old, some new, that can’t be used for carspotting fun since they are all plainly labelled with badges. The above shot is from a monstrous Oldsmobile Four-Four-Two that participated in the GTTSR a few years ago, driven by a nice newlywed couple from Arizona. I’m not a connoisseur of Muscle Cars, so perhaps my readers can wax poetic about the virtues and history of this whale of a machine in the comments.

Here are a couple more “400-series” (I just made that up… I think) badges from other American Cars:

Speaking of that model of car, here is what passes for a domestic “sports car” from that era:

This Corvette belongs to a very nice guy here in my hometown who has owned it since it was “almost new” and has recently completed a “rolling restoration.” Very nice paint. I always liked the looks of the C2 Corvette, but I’ve always found it curious that it has been labeled a sports car. In reality it is GT, but that seems to be a lost term here in the States.

Speaking of GTs:

I’ve run this photo before, but I’ll run it again as it is such a historically significant car. And “Mad Dog” loves it, so maybe this will bring him out of his fortress of solitude over there in Bellevue! It is a Lancia Aurelia B24 considered to be the very first GT car, emerging to a stunned post-war world. This particular car met a rather infamous and gruesome end at the Monte Shelton rally a few years ago. Its rear suspension broke (a welding flaw in the original late-40s construction, finally coming out!) and the car rolled into a blackberry filled ditch in rural Tillamook County, Oregon. Driver and Navigator were shaken, stirred, but unhurt. The car did not fare so well. The whole rally collectively mourned for the poor machine. Truly beautiful.

Speaking of Lancia’s here’s a pre-war Lancia small saloon car I saw at a local car show on Whidbey Island a few years ago. I’ve shown it before and it stumped the carspotters.

Speaking of pre-war Italian cars, here is an honest-to-god Grand Prix winning Alfa Romeo race car. I’ve posted it here before, so I won’t drone on about its history. Instead I’ll just look and admire: This thing was the ultra-high-tech of its day, truly akin to our F1 cars now. Look at those big drum brakes. Look at that gorgeous middle-mounted chain-driven twin-cam straight-eight! I love the number painted in the grille!

Speaking of grille’s this is what it looks like when you are being eaten by a hungry Jaguar:

Speaking of Jaguars, here is Jerry Mouton’s famous ‘MIK 182″ S1 FHC E-type, photographed in VERY low light after I met up with a bunch of Jag-Lover’s folks at a beach-side restaurant in San Francisco many years ago when I was there on business. What a great night.

Hope you enjoyed the photos. I have a few hints to apply to yesterday’s “stumper” (and here I thought it was an easy one!) so check back.

I saw this car at a rest stop of the “Annie & Steve Norman Classic Motorcar Rally” a few years back. It was the centerpiece of a very valuable collection, arrayed around a true “Garage Mahal” near Stanwood, Washington. It is about one-third the way through a complete nut-and-bolt restoration, but even stripped and primer-ed it was stunningly beautiful from all angles. Even in their day (surrounded by Bugattis and Duesenbergs) this car was ne plus ultra. In coming posts I’ll have some photos of the car’s mechanical bits, which are works of art.

Do you know the car?

If you have a car and any interest in TSD rallying I HIGHLY recommend the rally mentioned. They’ll take about any car (even new ones), and the roads, cars, and people are a ton of fun. My dad & I are going again this year, which will take place on Vancouver Island. Doug the Rallymaster is a total gearhead and always plans a stop or two at some amazing collections. Come joins us!

I know… I just have a thing for the bonnets of Aston-Martins, deal with it.

I’m ambivalent about both the presence of those puffy clouds and my camera appearing in the shot. Like it? Hate it? Sometimes both. What do you think?

I saw this car at the MG Car Club’s Tulip Rallye last year. I really like the car, as it faithfully captures a lot of the era’s zeitgeist. Do you know what car this is?