it honestly felt a little creepy, the 57CS certainly does look different in those night time shots. I guess I should go park it in the shelter before she gets alive too much....haha.

It's probably only like toy cars in a sand box, for adults. I just love to have these cars around and being able to see and enjoy them.

Too Cool and a little eerie! 

Yesterday night was time again for the (every first Saturday of month) local car cruise. Because of the nice weather the shopping mall parking lot was filled to the brim with all kinds of classic and even later model 'youngtimer' cars ( 1980s, 1990s. younger sports cars). Estimate at least a 400+ car turnout.

gotta dust off the 57 and ready to go.
All kinds of things.
My friends also joined with their German 57 Fords.
Jay, if you are reading this, the guy who owns the pastel green/ ivory German Ford wagon, also bought the big black 1948 Indian car from me.

Looked like a good time DJ....

Sure was great. I haven't been out so late in  I don't know what time. Meeting great people, talking cars and things, hanging out around the 57, and we only got stopped, when people started preparing for next morning flea market, when it occurred to us it was past 2AM !!! Crazy ! Didn't even eat or drink a thing, just hanging out in a late summer/early fall, dry and rather mild Saturday night. like in the olden days....

When was the last time you saw something like this....

3.2Litre Bavarian V8 coupe, 1963, body by Carozzeria Bertone, Italy.....stunning ! That is an expensive car!

















same body designer, Bertone, but this time a racy all Italian beauty !











some American iron



I believe this is a Hurst edition Chrysler (not good with mopars)


British


The bug is everywhere....




What looks like a shrunken Mercury is actually a Swedish Volvo Amazone


Niko's 57 For Taunus wagon. He already owned this car 25 years ago, when he first approached me on a car show, when I still had my 57 Sedan Delivery Courier.

That's a big cruise-in. The one here was very small—lots of great-looking cars at your meet. I really like the last one you posted. I've got to ask. You sold a '48 Indian..........you talking a motorcycle or another name for Pontiac?

Nice show I sure wish I still had my 65 Beetle, it would be a perfect car for me today.

I know that it is getting more difficult for all of us to purchase another project car, but it shouldn't be too difficult to find a decent registered and driving bug in Cali, Jim. They don't call it the California look for nothing ! Speaking of cal-Look VW ( this is getting horribly off topic here fast, but I think we are just in the mood for it), another friend of mine visited a few ours earlier yesterday. That's his grey 67 standard sunroof (very rare body style, last year for the folding ragtop sunroof), very true to the traditional 1970s/80s California VW scene, next to our lowered and mag wheeled but otherwise stock lotos white 67 1500.

Quote from: RICH MUISE on 2023-09-03 08:22That's a big cruise-in. The one here was very small—lots of great-looking cars at your meet. I really like the last one you posted. I've got to ask. You sold a '48 Indian..........you talking a motorcycle or another name for Pontiac?

Yes Rich, it is just our tongue-in-cheek code word for a Pontiac 8 Silver Streak Torpedo Fastback.
I really do like the looks of those Indian motorcycles, and also the story about NZ Racer Burt Munro and his Bonneville Salt Falts race bike. I never had one, because they are crazy expensive.

Here is the Pontiac I was talking about.
I never was going to do much with it, and my friend Niko had to have it, for he had always been longing for an early L8 fastback car. This one even had the 4spd Hydramatic Auto !

I sold my 65 for $250 and the prices today are crazy and I just can't justify buying one. One of the guys I know has a right hand drive one that I always wanted.
The worlds fastest Indian was a great movie My old 48 Olds had a 4 speed hydro also..

Here's your RHD bug, Jim ! 

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2618653

Honestly I have to admit that prices for beetles have become ridiculous. I did a research for up to 2.5 k and not much is showing up

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/search.php?submit=yes&keywords=&type=text&stype=all&username=&yearfrom=&yearto=&pricefrom=&priceto=2500&model%5B%5D=&section%5B%5D=1&wanted=hide&zip=&zipdist=0&state%5B%5D=&usaregion=&country%5B%5D=&sort=date&sort_order=DESC&submitButton=Search

but if you were willing to put in labor and parts, still interesting projects can be had for little money.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2624137.

It would be better to spend a bit more money on a running, driving, registered car though.
Our '67 1500 cost well over 10k. I say ours, because it belongs to my parents, son and me as a shared 'asset' if you will, which sounds stupid. We love old cars, and it is an og paint survivor, very rare, disc brake, hi Po ( if you can call it any of that ), last year of round bumpers and headlights, numbers matching engine, pan and body. I had known about that car for over 15 years and always been longing to bring it into the family collection. It is just a sweet old car, that will clean up nicely.

I looked through the project cars but they would require more work that I can do, age has caught up to me  I like yours, the round bumper cars are great, I wouldn't want anything later. One car said it was a 67 with a 6Volt system, I thought 12Volt started in 66??
Maybe I could split the cost on a nice one with my two sons

As far as I know 12V was an option 63 up and may have been standard on US delivered 66. Maybe that 67 is a very early car or later import Euro car. usually 67s got 12 V over here as well. but our very early production 67 (Aug or Sept 66) originally had 6 V. Now upgraded to 12V with period correct parts as they would have been available then.
I honestly think that you should be able to find a nice, solid driver 65-67 in your area for 5 -7.5k. It sounds a lot and certainly is, but maybe on local craigslist and such. I believe that you can legally drive cars that have a little rust in the battery tray or rockers, and that would certainly drop the price a lot and could be a feasible repair job for you. We have all winter and salt over here in central Europe so most all 65/6/7s have rotted away and good survivors are pricey.
Getting back on topic, some people took and posted great shots of my 57.

Pretty sure '67 Bugs had a 12V electrical system maybe just in the states....

Yes Lynn,in general they had. But as stated above, my very early YOM production car  (Euro delivered) had 6 V. So if one was imported to the US later on, or some GI bought it over here and brought it back PX, it could definitely have 6V originally.

back to 57 content !
Time to go to sleep for a few months over here. getting colder by the day, freezing nights, and all. I pulled the license plates and going to hand them to the insurance company tomorrow, until March or so. That means I get a tax and insurance refund for that time.

looking pretty in the sun, but it's already cold....She only needs a generator overhaul ( cleaning the armature and maybe new brushes), I will do that over winter.




the weekend before I took her downtown with a friend. By total coincidence, I parked her in central downtown, literally, where you never usually find a parking lot. I never thought I'd park there once in my life. no- that is NOT a night club in the background, it is the toy museum. All the buildings around are at least 200 years old, but foundations are between 500 and 900/1000 yo. actually just behind my 57CS ( literally 100 yards) is the residence of the LAST Emperor of the Holy Roman German Empire. Emperor Friedrich III of Habsburg (1440), and his insignia stones (A.E.I.O.U. = Austria erit in orbe ultima) are set all over the place still, 500 years later. The 57 is parked where the center of (Continental) Europe was from 1440 to 1493 (approx). That is the same time range as 1492....
I think that is pretty cool....