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Cars on Flatbeds, Part 2

 

"It's always good to have a spare racecar on the truck in case something goes awry with the first one" is what I always say...

The BMW Z8 is my favorite BMW of the modern era. It offers exceptional performance combined with timeless design. This one appears to be in the process of being trucked off to the dealer for service work. Then again....

 

I'm sure that someone will get a lot of chuckles during the resurrection of this car. Its design is damn sporty (I love coupes) but there appears to be enough rust on the body that most of the panels are going to need replacement. Not inexpensive, but possibly worth the effort. Possibly not.

Okay, so maybe this one isn't exactly a car, but it's got an engine that would weigh down just about any car, only it's in a boat. Impressive to comprehend, I sorta wish Santa Claus would bring me one of these someday...

Cars on Flatbeds, Part 1

My first car was a 1973 Fiat 124 SC, so I early-on learned about the importance of flatbed towing vehicles. I subesequently drove a Ford Escort, a 1975 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL(sadly, not the 6.9 engine), and a 1973 Volvo 1800ES, all of which gave me ample opportunity to get to know the local auto club tow truck/flatbed drivers on a first-name basis. It wasn't until I moved to the 1999 Volkswagen GTI that I spent years without worrying how many service calls remained in my deal with AAA. 

I thought that maybe it was just me, but no, it seems that lots of people's cars see the back of a flatbed truck. Here are some shots that may be of cars being gingerly taken to the shop, taken to a new owner, or simply being transported from one place to another for one reason or another.

Here's a neighbor taking delivery of a "new" Mini Cooper. He said that it was a limited edition, custom built car that used the body of the original Austin Mini but was crammed full of the mechanical stuff from the current (BMW) Mini. Difficult to see how they could get it all in there, but it looks great!

Spotted this Ferrari (335 GT?) on the 101 heading south past the banana trees on the way toward Ventura and (presumably) a complete restoration. It doesn't seem to be what might be considered a 'barn find' but more along the lines of "an unmaintained car we found in an orthodontist's garage in Daly City' sort of find. I'm rather fond of these sorts of cars (probably goes back to my start with the Fiat 124 SC).

And it looks as if this Porsche 911SC "whale tail" is being carted off to a swap meet somewhere. Or perhaps it's being carted back from a swap meet....