I debated for a while whether this was a true Berkeley car. The paint job looks custom, and those checkerboards certainly aren’t factory standards, but it really doesn’t have much of a theme. It’s for sale if anyone wants to take a crack at improving its rating.

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It’s another cloud car! I don’t remember which I used to see on San Pablo occasionally. This one seems to be a resident of frat row just south of campus.

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Even when travelling to the Avenue of the Giants, I keep an eye open for Berkeley cars. I wish I had a shot of this fine specimen actually going through the Chandelier Tree, but it wouldn’t fit through.

Part of me wishes I didn’t get this one. I was in a free poker tournament Friday evening. Since it didn’t cost me anything, the goal was to win or be out early. I got through the first round, playing pretty well and with a bit of luck. Then there was a long wait before the start of the second round. I didn’t bust early, so now I have to win. Of course I lost on the third hand of the round. By the time I picked up my bag at the lab and got down to the bus stop, I was resigned to take the 8:50, a 15 minute wait. During this dead time I noticed this wagon. The sides aren’t too special, but I like the hood, especially how it turned out in this shot. Anyway, I only saw this car because I spent a lot of time waiting around Wheeler Hall, just so I could lose after three more hands.

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Jim Dandy pointed this party wagon out to me on the same street as the circus CRV. When I went to take the picture, the owner had just gotten out of it, so I asked him if I could take a picture. He said it was ok. Maybe I should have told him about my site, but now he probably feels special.

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I picked this one up after I got back from NJ a couple weeks back. I was lamenting having to drive through the Plaza, and there it was. It was meant to be I guess. This is one of a few Berkeley cars I’ve seen that feature action figures.

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We found this flaming white automobile outside Acme a few weeks back. There was no indication of what make it is, but Jim Dandy (shown giving his approval) and I have narrowed it down to an early 1950s vintage Plymouth, but the exact model is still up in the air.

For more info about 1949-1952 Plymouths, Jim Dandy suggests this article at allpar.com.

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I actually saw this festive vehicle on Solano last week but didn’t have my camera in the car. I caught up with it downtown this weekend. The decor seems to be a kid’s dream: a Christmas tree on the hood, Haloween pumpkin on the roof, dinosaurs, and action figures.

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I spotted this one in a driveway on San Pablo when I found the Donation Tercel. They could be owned by the same person I suppose. The amount of detail in the scales on the Dragon Corolla is pretty impressive. I also like the fin attached to the roof. Structural modifications are worth extra points in my book.

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The Bay Area is an extremely fuel-consumption conscious culture for two reasons. First, prices are upwards of $2.50 per gallon, which isn’t the highest in the nation, but still pretty bad. Furthermore, people here are just very environmentally aware. Therefore, the area is flooded with Priuses, Civic Hybrids, Mini Coopers, and other efficient vehicles. There’s also a significant number of cars modified to run on biodiesel. The one below advertises that fact. Apparently it’s not very difficult, or expensive, to have your engine converted. Then you can run your car on vegetable oil waste, which you can usually get for free from restaurants and the disposal of which is a problem in its own right. I’m not getting the sled (II) modified any time soon, but maybe if I still had sled I, I’d consider it.

For more information see: Make your own biodiesel and the National Biodiesel Board

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