In today's update I will try to give everyone a taste of
California car culture. No, not the stressed out drivers on clogged freeway,
not the crowded Wal-Mart parking lots with people circling to get the spot
closest to the entrance, but the passion, the love that Californians have
towards motorized vehicles. They have
them all: classics, exotics, new trends can be seen all around streets and
highways in California.
The first thing I saw in San Diego as I got off the plane
was this stunning new Dodge Viper looking at me at Hertz lot at the airport. For extra 600 per day I had I had to just walk
by and get the Camaro I got in previous review, but I refused to this without
getting a few photos.
Cruising around San Diego I stumbled across this motor icon:
the 1957 Ford Thunderbird
Further down I spotted this drag-race tuned Mustang
Then this 1955 DeSoto Fireflite drove by in Balboa Park
Up in the hills in La Mesa I was greeted by owner of this
Dodge Dart who gave me a honk of appreciation for my photographic efforts.
As I was appreciating the Dodge, I was surprised and amazed
as a perfectly clean and shiny Ford Model T cruised by.
Going further I saw this 1950's Chevy which had clearly a
lot of hours put into it.
As I was returning towards the city I saw this matte painted
VW looked pretty mean near Old Town
While this Chevy truck felt right at home. Very interesting
day, but I had to head north towards Orange County.
When I got there I saw this Detomazo Pantera parked in my
hotel. It was jut beautiful: clean and very well maintained.
A rare exotic that I never seen with my own eyes
before. Out of 7500 that were produced in
its 10 years, I am not sure how many made it to Japan.
It was very good to see one in California in such a great
shape.
Parked nearby was this Chevrolet Impala from 1950's, back
then Impala was actually cool.
Apparently it was for sale. Just look at these fins!
Going out towards Irvine I saw this stunning rare classic
Bugatti from the 1930's! Definitely not something you see every day.
A trip to Beverly Hills is always a fun day for anyone, regardless
whether you are a car nut or not, but this was turning out to be quite a good
day for all petrol heads.
Every time I see this classic SL in Rodeo Drive, I think of
Beverly Hills Cop. This one was different color (I did see a red one before),
but I was impressed how cleaned and well maintained it was.
I was then interrupted by a familiar roar. The 458 seems to
be as popular in LA as it is in Tokyo. Great car.
Pimping the S class is done differently in LA. Whereas in
Japan S63 AMG would sport a Lorinser body kit and custom exhaust, In California
satisfaction comes from a set of outrageous rims. (Yes, it is an SLS right
behind it)
And they truly love their rims in that part of the world.
Back to the topic of Mercedes; Californians have a special
love affair with the SLS. I saw quite a
few of them on the streets.
Saw and heard; as these lucky owners weren't afraid to open
them up. There are only a few cars that
sound that great.
Like this Lamborghini Murciélago roadster parked right outside
a boutique on Rodeo Drive.
Or this sexy Audi R8 Spyder parked nearby
This gold colored Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé with
plates from Middle East may not sound that great, but it doesn't make it any
less exclusive. On the contrary, its
exclusivity cannot be matched by anything.
Perhaps, except for this regular resident of Rodeo Drive
street parking: black and yellow Bugatti Veyron belonging to now deceased
legendary designer Bijan Pakzad.
His son, who is now the registered owner and store manager
take turns in parking this car up front as a tribute to the founder.
Going towards the ocean, I witnessed this beautiful Maserati
Gran Turismo roar past Santa Monica 3rd Street Promenade.
As I was taking pictures along PCH coastline this tuned Red
Gallardo drove by in beautiful red and black color combo.
Down in Malibu I saw this beautiful classic Mercedes Benz
190
And a very cleanly restored Volkswagen Karmann Ghia.
Right next to them another 458 driven by a very young
gentleman. Those speed bumps looked
pretty painful.
On the same parkng lot: The future. Unfortunately I cannot see how it can appeal to petrol heads as it doesn't use any! Tesla model S is still an amazing vehicle and an awesome daily driver. I am glad that lots of Californians are buying them and I hope this trend will catch on.
Cruising around the PCH I saw this classic Chevy on massive
rims parked next what seems to be a body shop/garage.
Saw this Gallardo near an awesome Infiniti QX56 in nearby
mall. I guess this is very typical for
Malibu.
Nearby, 2 Subaru WRX Sti owners enjoying a Sunday day out.
And I will conclude this update with the shot of this
awesome low-rider I saw in Santa Barbara. As you all see a very diverse and
interesting car culture where people take pride of their ownership and joy as
they take their awesome rides to the street for daily use. California is indeed has its own car culture,
a culture worthy of a title "Motor Capital of the World"
Thank you for reading everyone, next update will be another
car review for California, so stay tuned.
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