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As you may have noticed, I have a bit of a “thing” for cool cars. Remember that 1957 Pontiac Star Chief in Astoria I told you about, or the 1949 Plymouth Special Deluxe spotted nearby Mt. Zion Cemetery at the border of Woodside and Maspeth? Most recently, I pointed out a 1947 Dodge which was innocuously parked in industrial Maspeth.

Sometimes, I barely have to leave the house to spot one of these vintage or classic rides, as is the case with this 1980 Pontiac Trans Am, which is a regular visitor to my own block in Astoria.

More after the jump…

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It’s not in “cherry” condition, mind you, but that iconic decal is very much present, as is a hood scoop. This looks a great deal like one of the plastic model kits that a twelve-year-old me slaved over back in the early 1980s. This particular line of automobiles held a sacred place in my teenage heart, although I favored the black variant with the gold eagle on the hood made famous by Burt Reynolds in the “Smokey and the Bandit” franchise of films back then (& now).

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Over on Northern Boulevard’s “Carridor,” across the street from the Standard Motor Products Building, this 1965 Buick Wildcat was spotted. It wasn’t in the best condition, missing its wheel covers and some chrome here and there, but I’m possessed of a certain fetish for mid-1960s Buicks. The epitome of the American land yacht, these mid-60s Buicks were impossibly huge vehicles that bore powerful engines, the very epitome of mid 20th century American automobile manufacturing. They use a tremendous amount of fuel, require constant attention, and fail catastrophically. Saying that, they look great.

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It sports either a 325 or 340 horsepower engine. Due to the missing chrome on the rear quarter panel, I can’t tell you if it’s the GS or “Gran Sports” model, which featured a ludicrously powerful 360 HP engine block, although the vast majority of “GS” models were produced in ’66. The Wildcat line ended manufacture in 1970, and was replaced in production by the Buick Centurion.

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On Broadway, still in Astoria but on the way to Woodside, a relic of different but still earlier times rolled by – a Volkswagen Camper van.

Many a hippie will offer tales of exciting explorations and disappointing realities of travel associated with this model of vehicle. This survivor seems to live here in the neighborhood, as it has been observed while parked on various side streets. There have been several “hipster” spottings in our little community of late, but now we seem to have “hippies.”

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I’m not certain what model or make this spectacular example of engineering and design is, which I’ve seen driving all around the neighborhood. Finally managed to get a decent shot of the thing as it headed down 31st Street in Astoria, under the elevated subway tracks.

Luckily, it’s a brand new year, and hopefully there’ll be lots of opportunities to find out what sort of Cool Car this is.

Newtown Creek Alliance Historian Mitch Waxman lives in Astoria and blogs at Newtown Pentacle.


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