Spotted is Globe Drive writer Peter Cheney's weekly feature that takes you behind the scenes of his life as a vehicle and engineering journalist. We also highlight the best of your original photos and short video clips (10 seconds or less), which you should send with a short explanation. E-mail pcheney@globeandmail.com, find him on Twitter @cheneydrive (#spotted), or join him on Facebook (no login required).
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, automotive edition
As the great Neil Young said, rust never sleeps. I spotted this half-eaten sedan in Pennsylvania.
“Warning: This vehicle makes right turns only…”
I spotted this locked and loaded Jeep in Chattanooga, Tenn. Where do you think the driver was heading? (A) The local shooting range? B) The National Rifle Association convention? C) A Ted Cruz fundraising rally?
The Cuban time machine
Cuba is home to one of the world’s greatest concentrations of old cars. Under communist rule, getting new ones isn’t easy, so the locals keep their vintage machines running. Reader Wolf Schrempf spotted this well-preserved Skoda in Havana. As Wolf notes: “With trade relations improving, some of these well-kept models will be coming here - beware of models billed as ‘high performance.”
The medium is not always the message
Reader John Koch spotted this ironically labeled delivery van.
Bruce Lee, your car is ready
We all have our own personal vision of what a car should be. And some visions are weirder than most, such as this Pontiac. It resembles a Chinese food take-out box that has been accessorized with a wing and fake air scoops. Dave Normandale spotted it in Winnipeg.
Calling Orville and Wilbur
If you’re going to mount a wing on your car, why not go all the way? Dean Campbell spotted this flight-ready Honda S-2000 in Vancouver.
When an F-150 isn’t enough
As you may know, the giant-sized Ford F-150 is the best-selling vehicle in North America. But if you really want to make a statement, you can move up to an F-250. I spotted this one in Chattanooga.
The urban trucker’s burden
A reader named Steve wrote to me after reading my recent column about driving pickup trucks in the big city – and how tough it is to park them in an environment designed around Honda Civics. He sent along this photo of his much-loved Dodge Ram, parked in his garage.
“Don’t worry, you’ve got lots of room…”
This is Steve’s rear bumper after he backs up enough to fit the Ram in his garage.
Tale of the tape
And here’s the front bumper. There’s at least 10 millimeters of clearance there!
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