CORNER STORIES

I woke up on Sunday morning to a pretty random text from my aunt. She was going to catch up over coffee with an old childhood friend. He was planning on going to a run  up to Anderson Hill Winery with the SA Sporting and Classic Car Club of which he is a member. He invited her along for the ride and knowing I was an enthusiast I got a plus one. Ash picked up my aunt and I in his 1951 Rover 75 'Cyclops' (named for the single central headlight. The immaculate Rover definitely isn't my usual cup of tea when it comes to cars, but I was pretty surprised by its peppiness driving up Greenhill road. That's when Ash revealed the reason for his love of the car- the engine swap. Whilst I promised I wouldn't tell the secret of this car, lets just say there's something pretty speccy, and distinctly not-Rover  under the hood.   Engine swap aside, the Rover was still pretty cool. Restomodded with power steering, AC, a 6-speed manual, disk brakes, and LEDs, it handled better th...

  Another Mercedes for May, this time the much classier looking 2 door ( C123 ).   It's fairly apparent that the squat-stance dramatically improves the side profile. A pillar-less coupe, gold with chrome trim and a wooden steering wheel. It all goes hand-in-hand to generate a sense of luxury and craftsmanship that comes with coach building. Forget all that though, because while these old Merc's are undeniably great cars they are in that same breath, rusty African taxi's. They are almost always automatic and the most coveted versions are turbo diesel? I type these things up and yet I still like them. Motor journos throw this the 'drivers car' phrase around, and I'm not sure some of them get what it means. Anyway, this car is a drivers car, it is meant to be driven - loved, but driven ( they should all be high kilometres ). I've probably mentioned it before but my old man at one point had a 300D 4door. I have so many memories of that car growing up. It...

It seems pretty rare as a car-nerd you see something you don't recognise whatsoever. All I could say about this "TC Coupe" when I saw it was I was sure it was British. My first guess was Triumph , but a google revealed it is a Morris. Not the most interesting vehicle but certainly a rare, weird sight on todays streets. This is the coupe version of the Morris Marina ( of which they also made a wagon, van, and ute ) and my favourite part about it is it looks like they took the sedan, then welded the rear door jambs shut. So even calling it a coupe is a bit of a stretch to me.   I was a bit disappointed with the lack of stickers, badges and club regalia that normally encrusts old Pommy cars like these. The fog lights are cool though.     The interior did not let me down however. You could practically smell the warm, wooly air from outside the car. The steering wheel lock is the best bit though. I hear thieves are dying for 65kW British nuggets.   Fun fact- in the UK th...

As happens with all passions eventually you have off periods or become jaded altogether. It's not that I'm not enjoying doing these street sightings, it's more a case of I've started to overthink them. So to dial back and keep things simple its likely most of the sightings this month are documenting cars more than writing about them. While Adelaide has no shortage of 70s & 80s merc's gettin about I'm sure you can appreciate a blue sedan. This one potters about, driven by a middle aged lady and looks more class than it is amongst the modern cars that are quickly taking over. I would kick back and relax, sit in peek hour traffic, watch everyone else around me, and think shallow thoughts. All of this and more whilst playing Street Side by Pender Street Steppers to take me home from work.

Unley shopping centre car park remains a gold mine for oldies commuting to the shops in their various survivor autos. For example this og, u-plated, twin-rotor, motor smoker. I'll be honest, there are many cars I expected to see before an RX-7.  Top notch beltlines I'll say. Thirteen-inch alloys with factory black lugs in 2025. Towel to protect the back seat, Unley life magazine, shopping bags, and of course the egg carton. Grandma spec indeed. My listening preferences are all over the place at the moment, but I think its safe to say Heavy by Oh No would soundtrack spinning this good looker undone without a hiccup.