Steve McQueen owned one of these, and drove it in the final movie of his career–The Hunter (1980). His sold for $84,000 in 2013. With a standard 3-speed manual and an optional 2-speed Powerglide automatic, nearly 50% of the Stylelines sold were with the Powerglide, like the example pictured here.
This one was spotted at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA.
Elysian Park, Los Angeles, CA
Photographed May 2013
Spotted on La Mesa Drive in Santa Monica, CA. The houses on the other side of the street overlook the Riviera Country Club and go for $7-15 million. So this is probably some rich guy’s toy. But it’s cool anyway. Look how shiny it is!
Santa Monica, CA
Photographed June 2011
The Corvair, of course, was highlighted in Ralph Nader’s book Unsafe at Any Speed, after which sales fell more than half from 220,000 in 1965 to less than 110,000 the next year. Nader’s book crippled the reputation of the Corvair, and sales never recovered.
This is not the most attractive example of a Corvair imaginable–the knockoff wire wheels and the drab color and trim do nothing to help its looks. However, it is a fairly-well preserved example of a none-too-common convertible model, which makes it a worthy picture target.
Santa Monica, CA
Photographed February 2012
Made by the company far more famous for producing fighter jets for the German Luftwaffe during World War II, the KR200 “bubble car” was originally conceived as a result of temporary sanctions against aircraft manufacturing in the Messerschmitt factories. When the sanctions were lifted in 1956, the rights to the car were sold to a man named Fritz Fend, who established a company called Fahrzeug-und Maschinenbau GmbH Regensburg (FMR); hence the “FMR” logo on the hood of this microcar.
It produced all of 9.9 horsepower and was shorter than the wheelbase of a new Chevrolet Impala. The last picture shows a stark juxtaposition between the hulking Bronco and the diminutive Messerschmitt–it looks like a diecast model. Definitely a model for those with a secure self-image as their head sticks out a few feet above the top of the car.
Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, CA
Photographed January 2013
A car that was a mess of different parts from different manufacturers: Lotus engine, Vauxhall suspension, Chrysler transmission…none of it worked very well. Most of these rusted out a long time ago; this one seems to have lived its whole life in Southern California and has fared considerably better.
This car, which marked the end for two fine British marques, was not so fine itself (I suppose that’s why it marked the end, then).
Santa Monica, CA
Photographed June 2011
It’s been a while since I saw a Paseo, and I don’t recall ever seeing a convertible. When I researched it a bit more, I realized why. This is a second-generation Paseo, only sold in the US for model years 1995-1997. The convertible was released in August of 1996, meaning it was only sold here for the 1997 model year. If I had known that, I probably would have taken more than one picture of it, but at the time it was just a curiosity and not an actual interesting car. Next time I’ll know.
Santa Monica, CA
Photographed January 2013
Santa Monica, CA
Photographed May 2013
Paris, France
Photographed July 2013
Mar Vista, Los Angeles, CA
Photographed August 2012
El Segundo, CA
Photographed November 2013
Venice, Los Angeles, CA
Photographed April 2013
El Segundo, CA
Photographed April 2012