4 x 4 x 4
According to the charter of a certain underground organization of which I am president, I am disallowed from owning a true four-wheel-drive vehicle (Fang Fang, as an all-wheel drive vehicle (there's a difference), doesn't count), though I would unhesitatingly violate that rule in the very unlikely event that I come across a cheap, driveable Schwimmwagen. But I very much appreciate 4WD vehicles--not today's Escalades, Navigators, and Expeditions, but the classic 4WDs from which these modern iterations descend. You know, 4x4s that had to actually prove their mettle in the rough.
Case in point, the original Land Rover. Proving that VW isn't the only auto manufacturer to have entirely abandoned its roots, Land Rover used to make these gorgeous trucks under the now stone-dead philosophy that form follows function. Allegedly, an astonishing (if true) 70% of all Land Rovers ever built are still in operation today. I'm not up on Land Rover arcana, but I think this one dates from the 1960s.
Even Jeep, a marque I mildly detest, used to make passably decent vehicles (Willys-era Jeeps are beyond reproach, however). I kind of like this Commando from the early 1970s, possibly because I have an inexplicable affinity for the early 1970s aesthetic generally.
This 80s Ford Econoline is on the path from our old place to the river, and I begrudgingly admired it every time I saw it. There's something to be said about a well-executed project, much as one might dislike the project in principle. I'll bet this rig doesn't get stuck too often.
Nowadays Toyota makes innocuous cars that last forever and have all the personality and flair of a bag of rice cakes. But from after the war until the mid-80s they made the famous LandCruiser, the pinnacle of which was the indomitable FJ40. (You might recognize this as the original for what today's nostalgia-mongers have warped into the laughable FJ Cruiser.) I've spent some time driving and passengering in FJ40s (owned by 01Cisco and 02McDonald) and enjoyed them thouroughly. When a sledgehammer sleeps at night, it dreams that it's a Toyota FJ40.
Case in point, the original Land Rover. Proving that VW isn't the only auto manufacturer to have entirely abandoned its roots, Land Rover used to make these gorgeous trucks under the now stone-dead philosophy that form follows function. Allegedly, an astonishing (if true) 70% of all Land Rovers ever built are still in operation today. I'm not up on Land Rover arcana, but I think this one dates from the 1960s.
Even Jeep, a marque I mildly detest, used to make passably decent vehicles (Willys-era Jeeps are beyond reproach, however). I kind of like this Commando from the early 1970s, possibly because I have an inexplicable affinity for the early 1970s aesthetic generally.
This 80s Ford Econoline is on the path from our old place to the river, and I begrudgingly admired it every time I saw it. There's something to be said about a well-executed project, much as one might dislike the project in principle. I'll bet this rig doesn't get stuck too often.
Nowadays Toyota makes innocuous cars that last forever and have all the personality and flair of a bag of rice cakes. But from after the war until the mid-80s they made the famous LandCruiser, the pinnacle of which was the indomitable FJ40. (You might recognize this as the original for what today's nostalgia-mongers have warped into the laughable FJ Cruiser.) I've spent some time driving and passengering in FJ40s (owned by 01Cisco and 02McDonald) and enjoyed them thouroughly. When a sledgehammer sleeps at night, it dreams that it's a Toyota FJ40.
3 comments:
It's funny that you posted that photo of the 4wd Ford van. I've always kinda liked those too. The first one that I noticed was in Alaska...the medical examiner used one to make removals. Since then I see them occasionally. I would not be surprised if the one in your photo came from the factory 4wd (if that conversion is what you mean by project)...
And if those photos are current, there are quite a few leaves on the ground already...is there dust on the mountains yet?
It hadn't occurred to me that that Ford came from the factory like that, but given how clean (that is, non-redneck) the work looks to be, maybe it did.
Yeah, the leaves are turning and falling already. We've had snow on the higher mountains (≥6500')for two weeks at least.
Alright,
Grady.
ludwig's drivers,
just found your blog through samba.com. really awesome. i look forward to reading more post. my wife and i traveled a total of 9 months from los angeles to maine to oregon in our '68 westy. now were back home in hawai'i.
have fun and take care of each other.
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