Carspotting in Oakland

I quit Twitter cold turkey three days ago because of him. So I'm going to post photos of cars I've spotted here. In a sea of Model Ys, I saw these gems. Enjoy!

Carspotting, Kobe Edition: Old Jaguar

Hat tip to my mom!

Carspotting, Taiwan edition: Audi R8

Hat tip to my mom!

Carspotting: Aston Martin Cygnet

Quick, does anyone know how many of these were sold worldwide? In France?

This is the rarest of the rare. We were walking to lunch when I saw an Aston badge out of the corner of my eye on a perpendicular street. What a find!

For the record, long haired man was only looking at the Cygnet because he was wondering why I was taking photos of such an ordinary car. I don't think he ever figured it out. Plus, look at the body damage in front of the rear wheel.

Cars of Germany and Zurich

These photos are from slirt. His thoughts on the cars of the various cities he visited are at the bottom of this post.

European readers: Although these cars may be mundane to you, they fascinate us Americans.

Citroen C4 Cactus:

Ford StreetKa:

Ford Focus:

VW Golf Cabrio:

Alfa Romeo 156 wagon:

Honda Civic(!):

1 of 350 Volvo limos built for East German government:

Audi A2:

Merc CLS wagon:

• Zurich: nice car stock, good mix of all euros, many high end, with asia represented in the mix; saw 1 or 2 Teslas (only ones) and a VW e-Up!, a RR Wraith coupe & a Bentley GTC, a variety of Maseratis & Alfas, and one new C7 Corvette. despite this (and freezing temps), saw bicyclists & bike infrastructure, too.
• Hamburg: much more modest car stock overall, most variety of VWs in traffic of all the cities, more asians/east.euros too; had a Touran taxi, saw two T1 Kombis. i rented the Skoda Citigo and went 2+hrs north on the Autobahn, the 1.0-litre 3-cyl keeping up with 100-120kph traffic, and hitting 160kph (~100mph) without any drama; very base car, but a fine little rental.
• Berlin: most mixed international (German, asians, Frenchies, Fiat, eastern euros, SEATs, a few American); only Type 1 aircooled Bug (~'67); lots of smart Car2Go (car share) incl. e-smarts; also many cyclists.
• Stuttgart: serious Car City: was told by hosts very few bikes & we saw NONE; most cars MBenz & BMWs, only a few Porsches, with a healthy Audi presence too; more Italians on the road again, esp Alfa Romeos; not many SUVs, a few, tho. Saw 3 b&w camo'ed prototypes on the road, 2 SUVs & one large sedan, but wasn't fast enough for pics.

Carspotting: Old Ferrari edition

These photos are from my friend, R, who just learned of my obsession with cars.

Carspotting (Paris edition)

First, a few hybrids at the Toyota showroom.

This TS030 is the last gen Le Mans racer.

Toyota A-BAT concept. From the website:

Modern versatility in a compact pickup

The A-BAT is a Toyota concept vehicle that offers customers the versatility of hauling a standard 4x8 sheet of plywood one day, then taking a family on a camping trip the next. It features a 4-foot bed with more flexibility than the standard pickup truck. The translucent roof panel slides open to allow for tall cargo in the cab, and the bed lengthens an additional two feet when the pass-through midgate is folded down into the cab.

The rugged exterior of the A-BAT is contrasted by the 4-passenger modern interior. The door trim, shoulder, armrest and instrument panel pads and seat cushions are made of a tough, lightweight and comfortable material that can be selected for personalization. In addition, the colors are coordinated to enhance the sleek interior environment.

Inside, the A-BAT has a retractable, portable navigation unit with a 7-inch diagonal screen and Wi-Fi Internet. Other advanced features include a port for portable device assistant synchronization and a hard drive for digital music. The solar panels on the dash recapture energy from the sun to assist in the charging of the navigation unit, portable power pack and backlit information displays.

Auris Hybrid. Dear Europeans-- Is this like a Corolla, a Prius, or something else?

And on the streets:

H/t to S.

Carspotting: Mystery pickup truck

I spotted this yesterday. Raphael Orlove thinks it's a Datsun. Agree?

Carspotting: Mexican Audi A1

Being a full day's drive from the Mexican border, I rarely see Mexican cars here. But this week, while attending a seminar, I saw this Audi A1 with Nuevo Leon (think Monterey) plates in a motel parking lot. I never even knew there was such a thing as an A1, as the A3 is the smallest Audi sold in America.

Here is a review of the regular A1, which competes with the Mini.

And here is a review of the A1 Quattro, which Viva Chile introduced me to. Only 333 of them were ever made.

Carspotting: Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster

This red number passed me on the freeway today. It is both flashy and understated. The only badging: "SLS" and "AMG" on the trunk lid and "6.3" on the front fenders. This car has a 1984 Los Angeles Olympics license plate that reads "X POLO".