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).
Golden roller
Liberace may be dead, but his spirit lives on: behold this thoroughly gilded Rolls Royce, spotted by Jason Antheunis in Beverly Hills, California.
Not the boys in blue
British police don’t fool around when it comes to making their vehicles visibile. Reader Micheal Kunert spotted this disco-themed BMW police cruiser outside London’s Buckingham Palace.
Orville Wright’s BMW?
I spotted this over-winged 3-series BMW in Toronto.
How to fail at parking
While holidaying in Sardinia, reader George Savage noted that original Fiat 500s are still commonly used as daily drivers, even though the car has been out of production for nearly 40 years. Most are parked with greater precision than this one.
Do-it-yourself isn’t dead
A reader who asked to remain anonymous sent me this photo of the Shelby Cobra kit car he’s building with his son. Although it’s easy to go out and buy a high-performance car from the factory, it’s great to see that there are still enthusiasts who like to turn wrenches.
One owner classic
Reader Frank Foulkes sent along photos of his Morgan Plus 4. He bought it new in 1965, and has owned it ever since. Frank paid $3,350 for his Morgan, which seemed “exorbitant” to him at the time.
Some things never change
Here’s another angle of Frank’s 1965 Morgan.
As I was saying about things that never change….
This is the 2014 Morgan Plus 4 I recently test-drove during a trip to England. Aside from the paint colour, it’s nearly identical to the one Frank Foulkes bought in 1965.
In Paris: A German classic
Michael Kunert spotted this Mercedes SL roadster at a Mercedes dealership in Paris. The SL is one of the great classics – among those who have been associated with the SL is former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who owned one for years (and bequeathed to his son Justin, now leader of the federal Liberal party.)
Also spotted by Michael Kunert in that Paris dealership – this beautiful, gull gray 300SL coupe.
The winter of our automotive discontent
When it snows in Canada’s largest city, the crash rate goes through the roof. I spotted this pranged Infiniti in Toronto.
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