1987 Peugeot 505 Liberté

1987 Peugeot 505 Liberté 1987 Peugeot 505 Liberté 1987 Peugeot 505 Liberté

The Liberté trim level was for 1987 only, supposedly commemorating the 100th anniversary of France gifting the Statue of Liberty to the United States. For unknown reasons, 505 Libertés had a different engine than the rest of the US-spec 505 line, with an ancient and wheezy 2.0L 4 that was soon to be discontinued. Oddly, the car also came without power rear windows – again, nobody really knows why.

Cheviot Hills, Los Angeles, CA

Photographed March 2013

1970 Buick Electra 225

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New for the 1970 Electra model was a 455 cubic inch V8 pumping out 370 horsepower, making it the most powerful Electra ever. The newly redesigned 1971 models would keep the same engine, but, due to a lower compression ratio, see their output drop to 315 horses.

1970 was also the last year of the Electra “Coke bottle” design first introduced in 1965; the ’71 models would ditch the sleek lines for more slab-sided styling.

The Electra name soldiered on until 1990, by which time the name was but a shadow of its former glory, saddled with a 3.8L (232 cubic inch) V6 and a FWD chassis.

Sawtelle, Los Angeles, CA

Photographed June 2015