THE SUMMER OF ’77: THE FIRST CROSS-COUNTRY ROAD TRIP

May 7, 2016 RichardReina Cars on the street, Drives, Events 1964 Chevrolet Impala, 1965 Cadillac, 1971 Volvo 144, 1972 Ford LTD, 1973 Pontiac Grand Prix, Audi Fox, BMW 2002, cross-country road trip, MGB-GT, VW Fastback, VW Karmann-Ghia

In the summer of 1977, I had just graduated college; I had sold my Chevy Vega to my brother Karl and was without my own car; and I had decided to postpone the post-grad job hunt, knowing full well that this could be the last time for a very long time that I’d have a few months of freedom.

My friend Mike who was in graduate school also was free for the summer. He had recently purchased a 1971 Volvo 144 (his first choice, a Volvo 164, was a bit out of his financial reach), and together we hatched a plan to drive the Volvo to California and back, visiting friends and relatives along the way. Sometime in late July, we departed my parents’ house on Staten Island and pointed the car west.

scan483ccc — **On the hood of his new (to him) 1971 Volvo 144**

Growing up as an East Coast car enthusiast, I had tolerated the inevitable corrosion that beset our automobiles, brought on by winter’s road salt. California had always been a dream, not just for its beautiful weather, but for its supposed rust-free cars. At the age of 23, I was finally about to see the Golden State for the first time. Heck, this trip would be the first time that I would be traveling further west than Youngstown, Ohio.

The photographs I took during the 3-week long journey included some interesting finds in the Midwest, as well as plenty of neat cars in California, even by 1977 standards. My camera at that time was a cheap Kodak Instamatic, so please forgive the quality of these pictures.

To put some historical perspective on this trip:

A week before our trip began, on July 13, 1977, all of New York City was hit by a 2-day power outage.
During that summer, the city was gripped by the horrific Son of Sam killings. When we departed, he was still at large. As we traversed the country in our NY-plated car, more than one person asked if either of us was Son of Sam (macabre humor). On August 10, 1977, David Berkowitz was captured, and we both were relieved to hear this news on the Volvo’s AM radio.
Less than a week later, on August 16, while we were in Lexington KY, the news broke that Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, had passed away.
Three days later, on August 19, Groucho Marx died, and the country was so riveted by Elvis’ passing that the loss of Groucho barely made a dent in the news.

In Ohio, we stopped to visit Marianne, one of Mike’s college friends. I snapped this photo as we parted company, as she strolled toward her Volkswagen Fastback.

scan484ccc — **Marianne and her VW Fastback**

We visited another college friend at her mother’s home in Stillwater, Minnesota. Imagine my surprise to discover that her mom drove a BMW 2002, and her brother’s daily driver was an Audi Fox, with an MGB-GT project car in the garage. All 3 cars had manual transmissions. The bro’ let me drive the Fox, which had a direct influence on the new-car purchase I would be making in about two months.

BMW 2002, Audi Fox, and MGB-GT (in garage) along with our 144

Colorado was a revelation. While I have returned multiple times, this first visit stands out because we young men had no idea why, as our sturdy Swedish machinery climbed the Rocky Mountains, we lost power. It got to the point that the car would barely do 40 mph uphill. Those funny-looking SU carbs under the hood were a complete mystery to us. The Volvo’s automatic transmission wasn’t helping with the search for more speed.

scan487 — **Self-serve fill-up, Colorado style. Note the whitewall tires and missing hub caps.**

When we arrived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Mike’s grandparents lived, he decided that he had enough driving for a while. Reaching California was my dream, not his. Content with spaghetti, beer, and A/C (which the Volvo lacked), my buddy handed me his car keys and said, “if you’d like to continue, you’re on your own. Just pick me up on your way back.”

I took the car and left. The one-way trip to L.A. was 800 miles and about 12 hours of driving. Making the trip in one day, the only “difficult” part of the journey was the Mohave Desert. I bought a huge iced tea in Needles CA, crossed the 110-degree desert with all the windows open, and stopped to refuel in Barstow CA, where this photo was taken:

scan488ccc — **Barstow CA, 1977: A newish Caddy has its hood open, while a ’65 Caddy manages to look cool.**

At last, San Bernadino, and the Pacific ocean. Finding a beach, I parked so that I could at least put my feet in water 3,000 miles from where I usually swam. This parking lot photo mainly features newer cars, but back home, Karmann-Ghias had already become rare sights.

scan489 — **A VW Karmann-Ghia sits between a Porsche 911 Targa and a Chrysler Cordoba.**

Searching for Los Angeles, I was confused by the sprawl. There were no clear city boundaries. But I did find Sunset Blvd., and as I was about to turn onto it, two ’60s era Chevrolets were in front of me. This photo was taken while driving, mainly for my brother Karl who was in the midst of trying to resurrect a 1964 Impala back home. Karl’s car looked nothing like this one!

scan490ccc — **The street sign says Sunset! A Nova SS followed by a ’64 Impala.**

Heading back to NM, a summer storm may or may not have been a contributing factor to this massive traffic tie-up. We were stopped long enough that most folks turned off their cars and wandered around on the highway.

scan491ccc — **A 1972 Ford sits behind a 1973 Pontiac Grand Prix**

Except for the power loss in the Rockies (which could have been cured had we known to lean out the carbs), the Volvo performed quite well. Its seats were incredibly comfortable and supportive for what was probably 7,000 miles of driving over 3 weeks. The gas mileage was decent. A stick shift and an FM radio would have been my preferences, but it wasn’t my car. It was my first real experience with the brand, and the irony of driving a Volvo on this trip was not lost on me when 13 months later, I entered the car business by going to work for a Volvo dealership.

CAR SPOTTING IN EUROPE, 2015

July 8, 2015July 8, 2015 RichardReina Cars on the street

It is my good fortune to have recently completed a 10-day visit to Sweden, Germany, and Denmark. The trip was originally planned for me to research my father’s ancestors (he was born in Hamburg and immigrated to the States in 1926, when he was 7) and to attend the Copenhagen Jazz Festival. My dear friend Lenny, who works for the Volvo Car Corporation in Gothenburg, hosted me and traveled to Germany with me, which explains how Sweden got on the agenda. While in all three countries, I didn’t miss an opportunity to photograph the many interesting cars, old and new, which are found on the streets of Europe.

The photos below are presented in roughly chronological order. The captions will give year, make and model of each vehicle (to my closest estimate). If I have any pithy remarks about the car and/or the locale, I’ll throw that in. Enjoy the cars!

The weekend I was in Gothenburg, a celebration was held for the conclusion of the Volvo Ocean Race. An auction company had this VW bus and 1960 Cadillac convertible on display to advertise their site.

This 1966 Buick Electra “deuce & a quarter” was in that same parking lot.

This 1966 Pontiac convertible was spotted the next day. That’s Lenny and his wife Marie admiring the chrome rims.

Driving from Sweden to Germany entailed a ferry ride. There was quite the queue in both directions. Across from us, waiting for a ferry in the opposite direction, were these old American ‘50s icons. What’s more, the occupants had their folding chairs out as if this was a regular place to park and relax. Looks like the Imperial was getting its carb adjusted.

In Germany now. The Germans still love their air-cooled Beetles.

One of the funniest scenes of the entire visit was the commotion around this Lamborghini. At the same time I spotted it, it was also spotted by a group of 13-year-old boys and girls, who made a beeline dash toward it, cell phone cameras at the ready. They were on a school trip, and I know that because their teacher yelled out to them (in English). Chatting with her, I found out that they were Brits, and the kids were German language students. Nice to know that they were also into cars.

Across the street from my Hamburg hotel were this very clean VW Cabrio in a most unusual color, and a late ‘70s Chevy Malibu wagon.

More Hamburg sightings: a BMW 3.0, a Lancia Fulvia sedan, and two clean Minis.

“Honey, don’t trade the old van in, just weld its greenhouse to the roof of the new one!” (Enlarge the photo to see that A) it has a For Sale sign in the side window, and B), it has a parking ticket under the wiper.)

If you meet a German who tells you he drives a Caddy, he more than likely means this VW.

A customized Porsche 914.

Alfa spider on the highway.

**Alfa Romeo spider S4 (final generation)**

In a beach parking lot in northern Germany: a Porsche 356. Has this person been watching the auction results? This car might be worth more than their house.

In Copenhagen now, I spotted this Rambler not once but several times around town. It’s someone’s daily driver, and I have not seen this vintage Rambler used as a daily driver since all my hair was brown.

'60s Rambler American station wagon — **’60s Rambler American station wagon**

Mercedes-Benz has this upper-class, elegant, prestigious reputation in the States. In Europe it’s a different story, with cars as small as this A-class, and E-class sedans regularly used as taxis.

A ‘60s Jaguar sedan, which appears to have been parked for a while.

This very nice Volvo 1800S was parked on the same Copenhagen side street for several days.

A Smart car owner with a sense of humor.

**What do you call the rear end of a Smart?**

Car Spotting in Southern California

March 18, 2015March 18, 2015 RichardReina Cars on the street 1955 Chevrolet, Airstream, Cadillac convertible, California, Ford Econoline, Jeep Grand Wagoneer, Porsche 914, Toyota Land Cruiser, VW

My wife and I just returned from a long weekend (5 day) trip to Los Angeles and its surrounding environs, primarily to visit her brother, whom we see all too infrequently. For me, it was another chance to immerse myself in southern California car culture. As a lifelong resident of the NY/NJ metro area, California has always been a car lover’s heaven. From my first visit here in 1977, through many subsequent business and personal trips, I have been in awe of “the land where cars don’t rust”. Walking down the street is analogous to attending an old car show back east. Car models which disappeared from my local streets eons ago have always seemed to be in plentiful supply in the Golden State.

Except this time, it was different. Perhaps because we stayed in a more concentrated and wealthy area (West Hollywood and Beverly Hills), the number of old daily drivers (informally defined by me as cars and trucks between 15 and 30 years old) was low. What stood out more was the incredible number of high-end cars. I’m not speaking of Mercedes Benzes, which were as common as Toyotas and Hondas are at home. I’m referring to Rolls Royces (3 while sitting in one restaurant), Ferraris (so common that people don’t turn their heads), Teslas (easily a dozen+ per day), BMW i8s, and Audi R8s. Topping this list was a Bugatti Veyron being driven down Sunset Blvd. Although I’ve seen the car at car shows, this was the first time I saw one moving under its own power on a public thoroughfare.

On Sunday, we drove to the charming shore town of Ventura (memorialized in the song “Ventura Highway” by America). As it was a weekend, I had the opportunity to see vehicles which likely were taken out for cruising. Parked on the street were a Ford Econoline COE (cab-over-engine) pickup, a Porsche 914, and a 1968 Cadillac convertible. Cruising the streets were two ’55 Chevrolets, several VW bugs (kids, these were the original Beetles with rear-mounted air-cooled engines), and a Toyota Land Cruiser which, in spite of its original-looking CA plate, disproved my idea that these things don’t suffer from the tin worm out here.

Porsche 914 in Ventura CA

**1968 Cadillac convertible in Ventura CA**

'60s era VW Beetle in Ventura CA — **’60s era VW Beetle in Ventura CA**

'70s era VW Beetle in Ventura CA — **’70s era VW Beetle in Ventura CA**

**A quite rusty Toyota Land Cruiser in Ventura CA**

There were other cars to be found, although opportunities to photograph them were slim as we always seemed to be in a vehicle and on the go ourselves. Around the corner from my brother-in-law’s apartment was this gorgeous Airstream trailer, patiently waiting until it was time to hit the road again. One block from there was a Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Its paint was shot but its sheet metal looked solid. It caught my eye because I had just seen one sell in Atlantic City less than a month ago. And on Catalina Island was a VW Transporter, almost as rusty as the Toyota. I guess living near the ocean will eventually take its toll, even here.

While there were other vehicles of interest to be seen, there was no chance to photograph them all. Alas, the long weekend came to an end all too quickly. I’m back home in NJ, where the weatherman is predicting several inches of snow for the first day of spring! Hmm, need to plan that return visit to L.A.

**Airstream trailer in West Hollywood, CA**

**Jeep Grand Wagoneer in West Hollywood, CA**

**VW Transporter on Catalina Island CA**

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Cars on the street

THE SUMMER OF ’77: THE FIRST CROSS-COUNTRY ROAD TRIP

CAR SPOTTING IN EUROPE, 2015

Car Spotting in Southern California