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).
Why some drivers aren't welcome in school zones
I spotted this Mazda in downtown Toronto. The bumper stickers are in the spirit of irony (we hope.)
Pimp my fire truck
Here in North America, we tend to go with solid red paint and standard wheels on our fire trucks. Fire officials in the Caribbean take a different approach. Reader Stephen Van Esch spotted this ultra-blinged fire department vehicle in Trinidad-Tobago. Not bad.
"Don't worry, I can walk from here..."
The E-Bike is a vehicle class unto itself. Here in Toronto, you can ride one without a license or an insurance policy. And you can park just about anywhere. For more on the colourful world of E-biking, here’s a column I wrote last summer.
From the past, a rocket vision of the future
I spotted this 1959 Cadillac Cyclone concept car at the Toronto car show. Designed by legendary GM stylist Harley Earl, the Cyclone is a perfect embodiment of the late 1950s cultural ethos: check out those rocket-inspired taillights.
How to make a pedestrian shish-kebab
The nose-cone headlight covers on the Cyclone may look cool, but they weren’t exactly pedestrian friendly. (And if you ran into a giant dartboard, you’d probably be stuck there for a while.)
The Mustang's lost alter ego
This 1963 Mustang II concept car was also at the Toronto car show. Although the design of the 1965 production car was already finalized, Ford’s designers wanted to explore possible future directions for the car that would become the greatest marketing hit of its era. Sadly, the Mustang II that actually ended up being built was sad-sack 1974-1978 model. It was based on the Ford Pinto, and is best known for mediocre performance and a product-placement spot on the Charlie’s Angels TV show.
Attitude adjustment
Once upon a time, devices known as “spring helpers” were a common feature. Designed to cope with heavy loads and shore up worn out springs, they came in a variety of models – some were inserted into coils, others bolted on to sagging leaf suspensions. This high-tailed Subaru made me wonder if they’re still around.
Plastic, not always fantastic
Plastic body kits were a major fad back in 1990s and 2000s. Even the factories got into the act, gluing on fascia panels designed to make their cars look like racers. Although the Tupperware look has faded, it isn’t quite dead yet – as proof, this Mitsubishi that I spotted on the Queen Elizabeth Expressway.
The love it or hate it school of car design
The Nissan Juke isn’t your typical car. It’s defined by unexpected protuberances, devil-may-care bulges, and proportions that are a stick in the eye to the sacred Rule of Thirds. Some hail the Juke as an aesthetic breakthrough. Others think it resembles a mutant frog. History will be the judge.
A car guy's cool airplane
I recently wrote a story about Greg Wyatt, a cool guy who runs one of the world’s pre-eminent vintage Corvette operations out of a shop in the Georgia backwoods. Wyatt also has a nice plane collection, including this rare 1946 Piper Cub. This Cub is one of a series that was produced to commemorate the end of the Second World War. I love the military gray paint and RAF markings.
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