Show me a nice old car

It's lines are reminiscent of the Type 57SC Atalanta Coupe. Once upon a time and far, far away: I spied one of these in a parking lot near my mother's home. I walked over to it and was looking at/admiring it, when the owner arrived from across the street at the Department of Motor Vehicles. We chatted for a few minutes, he told me all about how this car had belonged to his grandfather and he'd just recently gotten it back into roadworthy condition.

"I'm not sure what to do with it, to be honest. I was thinking to sell it and maybe make some money, but it isn't in great condition."
"It needs someone who can manage whatever problems it has, I suppose. It's a cool car and a rarity."
"Would you like to buy it?"
I laughed. "I doubt I can afford it, but tell me what you're thinking and I'll consider it."
"How about $6000? I just spent $1500 getting it running and decent tires put on."

Remember, this was 1973 or 1974. That was a lot of money in that day. I was taken aback.

"I can afford your purchase price, barely. I don't know if I could afford to do whatever else it needs and keep it."
"I understand. But here's my number, if you change your mind," and he handed me his business card. With that he unlocked the door, started it up, and drove away.

I looked him up in the directory. He was real, the business was real, and I knew the address on the card. It was a middling up-market neighborhood about five miles away. I drove past there a couple of days later and saw the car sitting on the street by his home/office. And I really really thought hard whether I could afford to get involved in a Bugatti. I was 20 at the time, still in college, and the notion of having a classic 1930s Bugatti to play with was a romantic fantasy that appealed to me, but what I needed was transportation ... I caved in to practicality that time and never called him back.

I wonder what happened to the car...

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boojum said:
Look here: https://flickr.com/photos/sandynoyes...1477/lightbox/ Page through the pics. Restoring this beauty cost a good packet you can be sure.
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It's such an extreme and unusual looking car, so outlandish looking in its day. And yeah, having just paid the shop for the relatively minor work on my Fulvia, I'm well aware what it could cost to do a restoration on this kind of machine today! Way over my pay grade, to say the least. :)

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Godfrey said:
It's such an extreme and unusual looking car, so outlandish looking in its day. And yeah, having just paid the shop for the relatively minor work on my Fulvia, I'm well aware what it could cost to do a restoration on this kind of machine today! Way over my pay grade, to say the least. :)

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Click to expand...

Excuse my vanity but there are a number of photos of various Bugattis at the Mullin on my Flickr site. The museum is a marvel. I will be down in SoCal in the spring and have another run at it. You can visit the museum website, too. Dreams are wonderful.

My Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sandynoyes/albums

The Bugattis: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sandynoyes/albums/72157706170444451

The Mullin: https://mullinautomotivemuseum.com/home/
 
boojum said:
Excuse my vanity but there are a number of photos of various Bugattis at the Mullin on my Flickr site. The museum is a marvel. I will be down in SoCal in the spring and have another run at it. You can visit the museum website, too. Dreams are wonderful.

My Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sandynoyes/albums

The Bugattis: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sandynoyes/albums/72157706170444451

The Mullin: https://mullinautomotivemuseum.com/home/
Click to expand...

Some nice photos there!

I'll be in Pismo Beach for the American Lancia Club 2022 West Coast Reunion in June. Perhaps I'll take the ride down to Oxnard to see the Mullin ... I've not been there before. I'll be driving the Fulvia on that trip... :D

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Godfrey said:
Some nice photos there!

I'll be in Pismo Beach for the American Lancia Club 2022 West Coast Reunion in June. Perhaps I'll take the ride down to Oxnard to see the Mullin ... I've not been there before. I'll be driving the Fulvia on that trip... :D

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Two things: 1) Run up to Jocko's for a steak. Yeah, the place looks like crap. The steaks will break your heart. I never pass up the opportunity for a steak there. They are famous all around the Santa Maria coast with the locals. 2) Make that trip to the Mullin. If you like Bugattis or any French car you will be bowled over. It is a swank joint. The collection is all first class.

As for Jocko's, I used to tell folks to stop there and order the 14oz Spencer. If it was not the best steak they ever had to bring me their check and I would reimburse them the cost of their dinner. Never had a taker. It is not fancy, but you can't eat the decorations.

This last time I ordered the 8oz filet mignon. So good, cooked to perfection. Yeah, a bit out of focus. M9 with the CV 35mm. Does not focus much closer than 1 metre. The steak was just right. Pinquito beans on the side, a local favorite.


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GMC Caballero​

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Sony A7III
Sigma 65mm f2 DG DN lens
Std. color JPEG
Yokohama, Japan - December 2021
Image resized smaller than original (2507 x 1672)​
 
My "nice old car" looks so teensy when parked in a modern "compact car" spot at the grocery store...


A Small Car, 1967 Lancia Fulvia Coupe - San Jose 2022​

:)

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