It’s been almost five months since I posted a Berkeley car. Part of this respite was the destruction of my own vehicle. But the sled is back in action, which means the scouring of the East Bay is underway. This Civic is the first entry in the Return to Glory:
Category Archives: berkeley cars
Daihatsu Charade (51st St. Oakland)
Jim Dandy and ‘Stache gave me a tip on this one in ‘Stache’s neighborhood. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a Daihatsu in person before, but it seems like the kind of car you would modify. Also, does ‘charade‘ seem like a good name for an automobile? With synonyms like ‘parody,’ ‘lampoon,’ ‘spoof,’ ‘mockery,’ and (my personal favorite) ‘travesty,’ I just don’t think a Charade is what you want to be driving around town.
“Art Cars” Flickr Pool
For even more Berkeleyesque cars see the Flickr: Art Cars Pool at Flickr. Currently, there are quite a few from the Houston Art Car Parade, although I consider this type of collection cheating.
Computer Key Cars
BoingBoing.net has reported sightings of cars covered in computer keys in the LoCal area. Here’s the original, and then someone else pointed out this Homer Simpson specimen.
Volkswagen Vanagon (Downtown Berkeley)
Here’s another automobile that I saw before sans camera. Thus, when Jim Dandy and I spotted it at a stoplight, I wasted no time pulling the camera out of my bag to capture the image. JD was impressed by my deft movement, but when you’ve been in this business as long as I have, you become quick on the trigger.
Honda Civic Hybrid (South Berkeley)
The Hulk movie was filmed partly in Berkeley, so it’s fitting that someone would decorate their car in homage. It’s a hybrid even!
Dodge Ram (Downtown Berkeley)
Yet another solid pickup from last Sunday, five total. I pretty much stopped traffic to get the driver side shot. I just noticed that the roof is white, which means that the owner painted it blue for the sea backdrop. I assumed that the vehicle was originally blue. This could actually be a work in progress with all of that empty space, although the simplicity is pretty cool.
Volvo 1800 (South Berkeley)
Melissa spotted this Volvo on the way home from church the other day. You’ve got your standard hippie-type art on the hood, a fan favorite.
Beaudry and I were speculating on how many Berkeley cars are out there. It seems like there are more than I expected. This is number 42, I have a couple in the queue, and there are still some that I’ve seen but wasn’t able to capture on film. Also, it seems that any time I drive around for a little while in Berkeley, I see multiple new specimen. Could there be more than 100 in the East Bay? Odie says that there are even more in SF. Wow.
GMC Value Van (South Berkeley)
It’s a Value Van. The value just oozes out of it, don’t you agree?
The Art and Soul Festival takes place in Oakland over Labor Day weekend and features many types of music, poetry, and visual art. I couldn’t find this van on their website though.
Ford Aerostar (South Berkeley)
This minivan is one of my favorite Berkeley cars thus far. Features include the handprints and simple symbols all over the exterior, a solar panel on the roof, and a miniature forest on the dashboard. It’s definitely a solid addition to the collection.