That Vehicle Down the Street is More Special Than Your Modern Supercar

"Boxer_4" (Boxer_4) 10/20/2013 at 14:56 • Filed to: None

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Originally, this was going to be a post dedicated to showing off full-size vans. BIRD's !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! got me thinking about full-size vans, specifically, which one I'd choose over all other full-size vans. However, through some research and childhood memories, that idea derailed into a more interesting post idea; How can a mass produced vehicle be more special than a modern supercar.

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To make one thing clear, not just any mass produced sum of parts can be this special. It takes a certain sum of parts certain circumstances to achieve this level.

First, let us start with this 1974 Plymouth Voyager. You may be thinking; “How is this van from the 1970’s special?” You also might be thinking; "There was a Plymouth Voyager before the ubiquitous Plymouth minivan we've all come to know?" The answers, in order, are; We’ll get to that, and Yes. While mostly forgotten when looking back at 1970's vans, it an interesting variant of the typical Dodge van of the time. Only available in a 12 or 15 passenger configuration, with either the 318 or 360 LA V8, and wasn't able to be optioned as a cargo van.

Now, let’s look closer to see how special this van really is. The Voyager was basically a rebadged Dodge Sportsman, though not produced in nearly as many numbers. An elderly neighbor of my grandmother's used to have an old Plymouth Voyager, typically sitting in his backyard. It was in original unrestored condition, and was used hard. It very rarely moved by the time I came around. I would often stare at it when I would come to visit my grandmother, first wondering what it was, and later, admiring its clean and simple design. That Plymouth gave me that first thrill of seeing a rough, hidden, and semi-unknown gem. It’s a vehicle that, while never intended to become rare, has over time become just that. All of these things are what makes this vehicle, and many others, special.

I realize that this is just a personal opinion, and not everyone feels this way. This is mainly meant as a piece to get readers thinking. In the earlier days of Jalopnik, Murliee Martin and his “ !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ” series showed this not often thought about side of the car world; those cars that through a variety of unintentional circumstances became rare and special. I’m sure that everyone passes by at least one of these vehicles on a daily basis, often without thinking about it. Thanks to that Voyager, DOTS and countless other hidden gems I have found over the years, I always keep a look out while I’m out and around. I always find myself gravitating towards those special cars, remembering this thought: that the modern supercar will still be around for many years to come, but how long with that hidden gem be around?

RW53104 > Boxer_4 10/30/2013 at 19:46

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I agree with you completely. You can't manufacture "charm", and that's what these cars have.

Patrick Shea Laking > Boxer_4 10/30/2013 at 20:01

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Nice. Well said. I think it all comes down to special memories from times long ago.

BrianRad > Boxer_4 10/30/2013 at 21:36

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My friend Karl had a '72 Dodge van with a 440 (7.2l) in it. I helped him rebuild the engine the week before we left for college. Beast of a vehicle.

Fatamericanstig > Boxer_4 10/30/2013 at 21:52

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I miss Down on the street. That was the feature that got me into this site.

quarterlifecrisis > Boxer_4 10/30/2013 at 22:24

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It's funny, seeing this kind of makes me think back to various things that lived on my street when I was growing up....don't know why, but. There was a guy that had a Pinto Wagon, and across the street from him was a Plymouth Horizon that an old man and his wife owned and kept way into the 2000s. Pontiac Grand Prix STE/GTE (or something like that) across the street...which isn't cool, but it had the steering wheel that was COVERED in buttons. And then take my house into consideration...in the late 80s/early 90s there was a mix of an always garaged 87 442 that my dad bought brand new (for who knows what reason), and a 56 Dodge Pickup that lived outside...along with other things.

/childhood random memories

aw_man > RW53104 10/31/2013 at 00:34

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Yeah I believe this is another one of the reasons why people buy old cars, or hold onto the ones they have.

945T > aw_man 10/31/2013 at 02:55

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I work with nice new fancy high end cars, and I drive simple old cars. The more new cars I drive, the more I appreciate the old ones.

Kugelblitz > quarterlifecrisis 10/31/2013 at 08:58

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My friend's dad had a beater International pickup (40? 41?) that consistently tried to kill us because the accelerator would regularly stick. I got used to diving and reaching through the floorboards to retrieve the little post that the pedal sat on.

My dad was an American Motors fan, which led to some incredibly ugly cars but hey, so what.

DoubleClutchingAutomatic > Boxer_4 10/31/2013 at 09:31

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This reminds me of the time when, not far from my house, there was a decrepit 1970 Thunderbird in a parking lot. It sat there for years and I would occasionally stop by and have a look at it. The owner most likely tried to sell it as there were for sale signs on the floor. Eventually it was either towed or it finally moved under its own power because in March of 2010 it was gone :(. If there was some archive Google street view maps, you'd see it just lounging in a liquor store parking lot, wondering when it'll hit the road again.

Wonk Unit > Boxer_4 10/31/2013 at 10:51

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My "down the street" car is a very rusty old Alfa Romeo Giulia. The late owner was an Alfaholic, but now his pride and joys just sit and rust.

nikiaf27 > Boxer_4 10/31/2013 at 10:58

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My "down the street car" is a 1967 Buick Skylark. The owner takes good care of it. The paint doesn't shine like it used to, but that car is in perfect working order. He takes it out every once in a while.

Gr8Dane > Boxer_4 10/31/2013 at 12:11

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inb4Tolkieninspiredsidemurals&portholewindows&livingdownbytheriver