Unknown Year

2011-13 Aston Martin Cygnet

Posted by The Professor

2012 Aston Martin Cygnet 2012 Aston Martin Cygnet 2012 Aston Martin Cygnet 2012 Aston Martin Cygnet

Stolid and unassuming, this ugly duckling may be one of the rarest cars I’ve ever come across in the wild. Some executive in Warwickshire evidently thought it would be a grand idea to take a £11,000 city car, slap on an Aston Martin badge and a fancy interior, and sell it for £32,000. That’s $51,000. For a Toyota iQ. It’s no wonder this project fell flat on its face, as the quota of 4,000 sales a year was never even approached. And by never approached, I mean it was never even in the realm of possibility. In three years of marketing this car, Aston Martin shifted fewer than 150 units. That’s 50 a year. Take the Bugatti Veyron, for example–the most expensive, most exclusive supercar the world has ever known. Bugatti capped production of this engineering masterpiece at 450 units, to ensure rarity. That’s still three times as many Veyrons on the road as Cygnets. So if any of you happen to live in London and you spot one puttering past, snap a photo–they won’t be around for long.

London, England

Photographed July 2013

1967-78 Volkswagen Beach Buggy

Posted by The Professor

1977 Volkswagen Beach Buggy1977 Volkswagen Beach Buggy1977 Volkswagen Beach Buggy1977 Volkswagen Beach Buggy

The 1977 is an educated guess based on the license plate, but in all honesty I have no idea what year this (car?) is, nor do I know who manufactured it.

The beach buggy craze was ignited by the introduction of the Meyers Manx in 1965, which was created by Bruce Meyers and made by crafting a custom fiberglass body and placing it on a shortened Volkswagen Beetle chassis. Since Meyers’ design was ruled unpatentable, other companies jumped onto the bandwagon and started to churn out their own fiberglass buggies. It’s estimated that over 250,000 copies of the Manx were produced, including the one pictured here. This ultimately crippled Manx’s company, which folded in 1971.

This particular example was spotted in the California beach town of Venice, an appropriate location for the quintessential beach car.

Venice, Los Angeles, CA

Photographed April 2013

1957-62 Messerschmitt KR200 Kabrio

Posted by The Professor

1959 Messerschmitt KR200 Cabrio 1959 Messerschmitt KR200 Cabrio 1959 Messerschmitt KR200 Cabrio 1959 Messerschmitt KR200 Cabrio 1959 Messerschmitt KR200 Cabrio 1959 Messerschmitt KR200 Cabrio

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

1964-65 Porsche 356 SC

Posted by The Professor

1964 Porsche 356 SC 1964 Porsche 356 SC 1964 Porsche 356 SC 1964 Porsche 356 SC1964 Porsche 356 SC

1964 was the most popular year for the 356 as well as being its second-to-last year of production. 14,151 ’64 models were sold out of a total 76,000 from 1948-1965. 1964 was also the first year of the most iconic Porsche ever: the 911.

This SC model is the most powerful Porsche 356 model ever built, with 95 horsepower and four-wheel disc brakes.

Mar Vista, Los Angeles, CA

Photographed May 2013

1981-82 Chevrolet Caprice Landau

Posted by The Professor

1981 Chevrolet Caprice Landau 1981 Chevrolet Caprice Landau 1981 Chevrolet Caprice Landau 1981 Chevrolet Caprice Landau

Most cars with “Landau” in their name have a vinyl roof of some sort; it seems that this one’s is restricted to the rooftop, which looks like it has a different texture. This 1981 model likely has the 5.0L V8, unleashing all of 155 horses under full throttle; or 31 horsepower per liter. Compare this to the Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG of today, which makes 355 horsepower from its 2.0L turbo 4, translating to 177.5 horses per liter. That’s over 5 and a half times as many HP/liter! And it gets better fuel mileage!

But that vinyl though…

Portland, OR

Photographed August 2011