Good Cars Bad Influences
A Tucker on the cobblestones
A burgundy Tucker draws a crowd on the cobblestones in SoHo. Photo: Mike S. / SMUG Tools.
Our weekend ran from the Rétromobile cars-and-coffee gathering in SoHo on Saturday, October 24, to 1st Gear in Brooklyn on Sunday, October 25. The camera roll is full of cars that reward a second look. Start with the burgundy Tucker parked among the cast-iron storefronts: three headlights facing a street already crowded with people looking at cars.
The chrome caught the buildings above it, and there were people gathered on both sides of the car. With that broad nose and center headlight pointed down the street, the Tucker had plenty of presence before anyone needed to explain its history. It was a hell of a place to start the morning.
The Porsche packed for somewhere else
The yellow Porsche 914 carries its skis through SoHo. Photo: Mike S. / SMUG Tools.
The yellow Porsche 914 came with skis strapped over the rear deck. In the middle of SoHo, that setup was too good to walk past. The brackets, bright ski graphics and little 914 2.0 badge give the rear view more to work with than another clean shot of a hood.
A green Porsche carried its color into the cabin with plaid seats. A Grand Wagoneer had woodgrain panels and its cargo area open to the street. The closer you looked, the more there was to enjoy. Even parked, these cars made you think about going somewhere.
Number 73 did not need polishing
Weathered paint, a ribbed saddle and number 73 on the Harley-Davidson. Photo: Mike S. / SMUG Tools.
The Harley-Davidson wearing number 73 had weathered olive paint, a brown ribbed saddle and exposed mechanical parts that asked for a closer look. Against the cobblestones, with the Tucker behind it, the bike earned its place in the same frame as the cars.
Up close, the tank lettering and exposed metalwork gave us plenty to spend time with. There was very little bodywork hiding the machinery, and the number plate looked right at home beside that worn saddle. We would happily have spent another roll on it. Whoever brought number 73 to SoHo understood the assignment.
Brooklyn brought the game into the street
Green paint, purple graphics and gold wheels on the Nissan 350Z in Brooklyn. Photo: Mike S. / SMUG Tools.
Sunday’s 1st Gear coverage takes us into a garage and out onto the surrounding street. Inside, a purple Skyline GT-R sat on white wheels near a white Civic with a roll cage. A shark-mouth Subaru wagon brought its own kind of menace. Outside, the green Nissan 350Z had built a little world around itself.
Purple graphics run down its sides above gold wheels. Magazines are spread beside it, and other frames show a controller on the hood and a gaming setup on a table alongside the car. The display gives you something to do as well as something to stare at. Anyone who has lost an evening building a dream garage on a screen will understand the attraction.
Three wheels and a strong finish
A green Tracker holds a three-wheel stance outside the Brooklyn gathering. Photo: Mike S. / SMUG Tools.
Then there is the green Tracker, standing on three wheels in front of a delivery truck. The lifted wheel hung clear of the road, with the suspension exposed beneath the body and chrome wire wheels catching the sunlight. It was an excellent reason to stop and stare.
It was a fitting finish to the weekend. Across two days, the most memorable cars gave us a reason to look beyond the badge. Sometimes it was a cabin fabric or a ski rack. Sometimes it was a whole green truck leaning into the joke. If your own camera roll is mostly cars, consider this permission to keep making questionable use of your weekends.
Were you there? Tell us which car we should find next. Are you SMUG?