Staten Island NY

This past weekend found me back once again to the (is)land of my youth: Staten Island. In a fit of nostalgia, I agreed to drive some of my wife’s younger cousins, born and raised on the “sout shaw” of the Island, to the “nawt shaw” where I resided, excepting my years away at college, until I was 25. As relatively small as Staten Island is (14 miles tip-to-tip), it is historically understood that north shore and south shore people don’t venture into what is the foreign end of the island to them. Hence the tour, during which I was surprised at how many older vehicles are parked outside, although most of them are not in what you’d call show-ready condition.

Mercedes-Benz produced its “ponton” sedans like this one from 1953 to 1963. In an obviously non-original color, it wears NY “historical” plates and is in very fine cosmetic condition.

This ’68-’72 Chevy pickup needs a new door! Who knows what the passenger side door looks like. The flyer on the windshield proclaims that the truck is parked in a towaway zone.

This ’63 T-Bird, ironically enough, was included in my March 2021 Car Spotting post. Time has not been kind to this car, as you would expect. Compare the photo from 2.5 years ago and you’ll see increased paint loss on the roof and trunk. The tires look flatter too!

This ’55 Oldsmobile also wears historical plates, but strikes me as less road-worthy than the Benz. Although, now that I note the newer GM SUV behind it, perhaps the Olds does run, at least well enough to be moved out of the way.

Parked in front of the same house where the Olds resides is this ‘60s-era Ford Econoline van. This one is unplated, and the collection of road debris around the trailer wheels causes me to suspect that neither the trailer nor the van have moved in a while. (Look at the Olds photo again and you can see this van in my rear-view mirror.) How do the neighbors put up with this?

The plate on this Kia Soul had me laughing out loud. Let me know if you need a translation. The plate really should be on an Alfa!

A few weeks ago, on one of the first sunny Saturdays we’ve had this season, my wife and I decided to cruise over to Staten Island, NY, where we both spent time as youngsters. (I was born and raised there; my wife did the “Western hop”: she was born in Brooklyn, moved to S.I. and then to New Jersey, all before she was out of her teenage years.) Our goal was simply to drive by a few of our old haunts, grab a cultural lunch at an Italian deli, and head back home before it got too late.

The last thing on my mind was that this visit, my first trip back to The Old Country since the pandemic shutdown started, would turn into a Car Spotter’s Event. But Event it became. I don’t recall noticing this many old cars on the Island during any previous trip. Perhaps most surprising is that two of these cars were parked on the street as if they’re seeing regular daily driver duty.

I grabbed what photos I could, but traffic congestion caused me to miss a few, notably a 1973 Buick Century two-door coupe on a trailer parked on the street; and a Lincoln Continental Mark III in the parking lot at South Beach.

It is also complete coincidence that the two Fords below are the same year, and the Chevy is also the same or within one year of the other two. (Any of you Chevy experts able to distinguish a ’62 from a ’63 from a ’64 Chevy II from the rear?)

This 1963 Ford Falcon convertible (first model year for a Falcon droptop) was parked on Bement Ave. in West Brighton. Looking at Google photos of similar Falcons, I believe that there was a substantial amount of exterior trim along the sides and back which have since gone missing on this one. That top may not be keeping out much moisture, but the car is plated, and looks like one could drop that top and enjoy a sunny ride to the South Shore.

This 1963 Ford Thunderbird hardtop was spotted in a driveway on a side street off Bard Ave. in West Brighton. It hasn’t moved in a while, and its outdoor storage isn’t doing it any favors. From this angle, it appears to be all there, but needs someone with welding skills. It’s the final year of the three-year run of the “Bullet Birds”, a personal favorite.

This 1st generation Chevy II (1962-1964), fuzzy dice and all, was parked on Father Capodanno Blvd. in South Beach. The best I could do for a shot was to pull in behind it and shoot through my windshield. It’s a four-door sedan, and Chevy probably sold a million of these “normal” compacts (compared to the “abnormal” Corvair compacts). The “Godeny” dealer emblem from Carteret NJ (just over the Goethals Bridge) likely means that this car has never left the area.

richardscarblog

All automotive, all the time

Car Spotting, Staten Island NY, July 2023

Car Spotting, Staten Island NY, March 2021