An incredible unmolested mark-1 Celica with the original hubcaps, vinyl top and local SF Toyota license plate frames. 1974 marked the last year the Celica was offered in the US without the bulky 5mph impact bumpers.
Street-parked in front of Amnesia on Valencia Street. San Francisco, CA.
Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT | 1963
The Giulia Sprint - another gorgeous car from Giorgetto Giugiaro’s portfolio. Designed for Bertone in the early 1960’s and produced until the late 1970’s. The Giulia Sprint GT has some unique and defining design details. There’s the classic Alfa heart-shaped grill, and Bertone badges, but also the “scalina” (stepped) nose, where the front edge of the hood sits 1/4 an inch above the nose of the car. The Giulia Sprint was the predecessor to the 2000 GTV.
Street-parked on 14th Street. San Francisco, CA.
Pininfarina gave us the original ‘hot hatchback’ back in 1965. Street-parked on Ritch Street in SoMa. San Francisco, CA.
Iconic status is something that’s earned with time. Something that can be identified as different from peers. And something where if you remove logos you still know exactly what it is. The 911 is one of the most iconic sports cars of all time. And yet, it was originally going to be called the 901, until Peugeot informed Porsche of its trademark rights on car names with a “0” between two numbers. The 911 shared the same body as it’s little brother the 912.
Street-parked in the hills behind Glen Park. San Francisco, CA.
Spotting a running P1800 is an increasingly rare sight in SF. The P1800 has beautiful lines. Note the sculpted door panel that arcs up to the b-pillar, creating the scoop for the door handle. The black paint, factory alloys and bumper over-ride bars give this P1800 a low and mean look. This Volvo was also the basis for the 1800’s sister car, the 1800ES.
Street-parked at 16th and Shotwell. San Francisco, CA.
Volkswagen Type 3 Notchback | 1964
The Type 3 comes from an era when cars were more friendly in their appearance. And an example from 1964 is quite special considering the US didn’t even start importing the Type 3 until 1966. Powered by a 1500cc air-cooled flat-4, the Type 3 was also produced as a wagon and a fastback. Collect them all.
Street-parked in SoMa at 8th and Townsend. San Francisco, CA.
Here is an increasingly rare 1967 fin-tail Mercedes. This example has been fitted with Euro headlights and proudly wears black steelies. The time-earned patina and Melee decals show the car is well-loved indeed. This W111 also bears a Bring a Trailer decal over the windshield, your source to finding/buying any car worth while.
It’s the other BaTmobile. Street-parked in the Mission. San Francisco, CA.
In 1974 the BMW 2002 saw it’s final design iteration. Noteworthy changes from the earlier examples include larger bumpers, square-shaped taillights, and a re-designed grille.
Street-parked at the base of Potrero Hill. San Francisco, CA.
The Mini is short - one of the few cars that could fit in a parking spot this small. It’s production run however, was quite long. Built from 1959 through 2000, making it the fourth longest automotive production run in history. Although Mini’s were produced throughout the world, this example is right-hand-drive, imported from it’s British homeland at some point.
Street-parked in the Mission. San Francisco, CA.
Fiat 600 | 1965
White-walls and whiskers: The Fiat 600 was the older brother to the Fiat 500. Like the early 500’s, the 600 had suicide doors (as if getting in and out of the back seats wasn’t awkward enough). Those were sadly banned though in 1964, and the car wore conventional doors until the model was discontinued 5 years later, in 1969.
Street-parked in the Mission. San Francisco, CA.
Ford Capri Mk I | 1970
We think of Ford as an American brand, but even back the 1960’s and 70’s Ford had global reach. The Capri was designed in the UK, and built in a number of factories across Europe. From there it was exported globally, where in the US, Ford badging was minimized as the Capri was sold primarily through Mercury dealerships. Despite Ford’s American roots, the Capri remains a rare sight in these shores today.
Street-parked on a rainy morning in Noe Valley. San Francisco, CA.
Citroën DS Station Wagon | 1970
The DS was a car from the future. Aside from the space-age industrial design, the DS was the first mass-produced car with front power disc brakes. And the headlights were linked to the steering, allowing the driver to see into curves as they drove, (except on the US-spec cars like this one, where the avant-garde lights didn’t meet regulations). Citroën sold nearly 1.5 million of the D-series during over a 20-year production run, and it remains one of the defining cars of the 20th century.
Street-parked with a parking ticket in the Mission. San Francisco, CA.
Fiat 1100D | 1962
The 1100D was the third generation of the Fiat 1100 series. The “D” stood for Delight. This 4-door Italian-built sedan survived until 1966 when it saw a redesign and became the 1100R, Thereafter the 1100D continued to be produced in India until it was finally discontinued in 2000. A well-earned patina on this one. Delightful indeed.
Street-parked in the Mission. San Francisco, CA.
Volkswagen Type 3 Fastback | 1969
When it was introduced in 1961 the Volkswagen Type 3 rounded-out the VW portfolio, sold alongside the Beetle, Karmann Ghia and microbus. Other variants besides the fastback included a notchback and 2-door wagon. In keeping with VW tradition the Type 3’s were a rear-wheel drive, air-cooled rear-engine layout.
Street-parked with a sun-visor in the Mission, the only place in the city you might actually need it. San Francisco, CA.
Mercury Bobcat | 1977
The Bobcat was Mercury’s first-ever subcompact car. Behind those Bobcat badges though is none-more than a Ford Pinto. Dress-up the interior, add different taillights and a taller front grille, and voila- it’s a Mercury. The Bobcat had a short run of just 5 years and was discontinued in 1980 in the shadow of the Pinto’s tragic demise.
Street-parked daily in front of the Foods Co on 14th Street. San Francisco, CA.
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