Let's go carspotting in Marseilles France using Google Streetview! Vexing Vans Edition

"Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available" (whoistheleader2) 02/18/2020 at 15:30 • Filed to: Carspotting in Google Earth

2

31

I recently poked around on Google Earth while I was bored. I happened to land in Marseilles, a port city on the southern Mediterranean coast of France. The makeup of cars on its streets was distinctly French, but I spotted a few surprises mixed among the city’s many, many parking bollards.

I poked around long enough to make a part two! Here is the first part, which raises an unresolved question about parking as well as documents some vexing Chrysler minivans, which I should have saved for today.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Here are two very similar old vans. The bright red van with the streamlined roof box was called the Volkswagen Eurovan here, but I’m not sure if the name is different elsewhere. UPDATE: It’s called the Transporter. The silver high roof van to the left appears to be an old Nissan Van (unnamed in the US), which I believe were all recalled for being fire hazards. UPDATE: It’s a Kia Besta. How do you know this, Fintail? A silver Toyota Celica borders that van on the left.

This green (?) Volkswagen Kombi (what were they called in France?) stands out with its rattlecan orange wheels. UPDATE: It’s called the Transporter. I don’t think that crest on the front is original VW. A cute little gen 1 Renault Twingo peeks out from behind it.

This mysterious cabover Mercedes Van is so utterly unlike anything we would see in America that I had to document it. I don’t thing many people buying posh soft-roaders from the esteemed German brand would like to know the same company produces utilitarian commercial beaters like this one. UPDATE: Thanks to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , we now know it is an MB100 van.

I like the design of these hatchback-based vans (Renault Extra in this case, thank you !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ). They are so small and space efficient in a way that we rarely see in the USA. The geometric .high roof design is just an appealing mix of utility and French whimsy. Also, that stealthy E34 5 series BMW is quite cool (thank you, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ).

The very 90s graphics mark this strange commerical brute as a Renault B90. I really like the way the indicators have a protective covering that fades into the headlights. The unique covering fits with the theme of the minimalist grille and hood scoop. Why do I like this thing so much? And is the bed slid forward or there just a large space between it and the cab? !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! reveals a startling dearth in documentation for this model.

So, which of these vexing vans is your favorite?

Chinny Raccoon > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/18/2020 at 15:40

3

The red Citroen van with windows by the BMW is a Renault extra, based on the 5. The euro van was called the transporter.

fintail > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/18/2020 at 15:47

1

Not sure about the Nissan van beside the Celica is, but I don’t think it is a Nissan, if anything, it isn’t the Nissan sold in the US that was subject to the buyback.

BMW behind the red van is an E34 5er. I suspect many NA consumers would be surprised about the breadth of the MB product line, if you can get a garbage truck, anything goes:

gin-san - shitpost specialist > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/18/2020 at 15:54

1

I’m all about that white Mercedes van. Some designer (I use that term loosely) opened up AutoCAD, drew a cuboid, and said, “Meine Arbeit ist abgeschlossen” (we’ll see how that translates for anyone who actually speaks German here) but we can’t only blame them because it got approved for production.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/18/2020 at 15:57

1

im reasonably sure the eurovan is called a transporter here... far as i know they are all called transporter be it panel van or 7 seater.. the kombi too

everythings a transporter!

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 02/18/2020 at 16:04

1

Well then, why call it a Eurovan when everyone can see it is a European van? Just name it after what it does: transport (everything).

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > gin-san - shitpost specialist 02/18/2020 at 16:05

1

There’s just something about that “ain’t care” attitude towards styling it that just intrigues me.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > fintail 02/18/2020 at 16:06

1

i want to say the nissan is a mitsubishi l300..or possibly an isuzu that was basically an l300

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail 02/18/2020 at 16:07

1

You’re right. Maybe it isn’t.

And I think many German-buying Americans would be perturbed to be cut off by a Mercedes garbage truck. I actually think badging the Sprinter as a Mercedes was a mistake.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Chinny Raccoon 02/18/2020 at 16:08

0

Thank you. I will update. Those photo spheres always make perspective difficult, whether identifying a 5 series or just differentiating a Renault and a Citroen badge.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/18/2020 at 16:11

0

i dunno...why call it merkur when its a ford and americans like and would buy ford?

stuff on your end of the pond dont always entirely make sense to me...

tho...i honestly dont know why they’d not just call it transporter...its a great name for a van

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 02/18/2020 at 16:16

1

Sometimes names are copyrighted in one country that necessitate name changes (Mitsubishi GTO, etc) while others are just unpalatable (Hyundai Kona, etc). Though everyone already called the old Type 2 the Transporter so I dunno why they had to rub the foreignness in.

And the Merkur name is a certifiable Bad Idea ™ .

CompactLuxuryFan > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/18/2020 at 16:37

0

Isn’t it a Kia Besta?

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > CompactLuxuryFan 02/18/2020 at 16:41

0

Looks like we’ve found our culprit!

looks like a face lifted model with a fake grille.

fintail > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/18/2020 at 16:42

1

MB has different brand cachet in the US than in most of the world, a little more “special”, even though basic MB cars in the US market now are cheaper than ever.  Some odd things there trying to keep up snob appeal while selling GLAs with illuminated grille stars.  I think the ship has set sail when it comes to lower line or lower prestige vehicles.

Worst thing about Sprinters is they seem to be made from compressed rust - a neglected one can look really bad.

fintail > farscythe - makin da cawfee! 02/18/2020 at 16:43

1

Could be something like that, gives me a late 90s Japanese vibe too.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > fintail 02/18/2020 at 16:44

1

I’ve heard that, but I’ve never seen one with visible rust in Georgia. Good point. Now Kia has nothing to lose from selling a cheap van.

Darkbrador > gin-san - shitpost specialist 02/18/2020 at 16:45

2

It’s a MB100. Designed in the 80, typical “design language” from MB in the 1980s.

Pretty cool truck, very compact for it’s interioir size, easy to drive and park in an urban environment. I drove one on a daily basis during summer jobs while in college. 

Darkbrador > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/18/2020 at 16:46

1

The mysterious cabover Mercedes Van is a MB100 : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_MB100

fintail > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/18/2020 at 17:02

1

I’m in a low rust area and have seen really decrepit looking Sprinters - maybe transplants, and we all know how the white box van consumer tends to care for things.

I am surprised Hyunkia isn’t on this, Nissan seems to sell a few of its cheap boxes.

gin-san - shitpost specialist > Darkbrador 02/18/2020 at 17:09

0

That makes sense, most (or all, I don’t know off the top of my head) Mercedes were some sort of square or rectangle from that era.

Those cab designs I only ever see in Europe and Asia, especially Japan with those kei truck things. Not a bad idea for maximizing cargo area for tighter roads and urban environments.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 02/19/2020 at 01:59

1

Little Red one please

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > fintail 02/22/2020 at 16:18

1

There’s a word that’s been rattling around in my dried-out brain that I wanted to apply to the president and his ilk , but I wanted to look it up first before I used it. I have looked up the word and I am entirely satisfied that it perfectly suits them: craven .

fintail > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 02/22/2020 at 16:27

0

That really n works. Also “ feckless”,  and if Hillary has been right once in her life, it was with her use of “deplorable”. The ones still on the crazy train are indeed that.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > fintail 02/22/2020 at 17:21

0

I’ve gone through a range of emotions on this. The people in Trump Land run and hide from any meaningful, substantive conversation about anything. I’m a mashup of views and people who know me well know that I am a man of character and they respect that. Many people in Trump Land know me well and they will not engage with me, I suspect, because they know I’ll give them something to think about. I’m inconvenient that way. At the same time, Trump Land people who wear it on their sleeve, I don’t give them enough to peg me. I’m conversant enough on both sides that neither side can really figure me out. But the pattern is there: Trump Landers test you to see if you are a Liberal by baiting you, usually with a false dichotomy, in order to then hurl slogans at you so that you can stand and toss talking points back and forth across the barricade. It’s very difficult to draw people into a meaningful conversation.

Currently, what distresses me is the thought of a Bernie Sanders nomination. There are thoughtful conservatives out there, take David French for example, who will NEVER vote again for Trump, but would sooner vote for Trump, again, than Bernie Sanders. At the same time, I talk with my BIL, an extremely bright self-made and deeply progressive man about how I view Bernie Sanders as a disaster — I said exactly the same about Hillary and I think Bernie’s shot at defeating Trump passed him by four years ago — and his reply is, “Well, he’s 10,000 times better than Trump!” To that, I say, my dog would be 10,000 times better than Trump also, but it’s a moot point because like Sanders, and Hillary for that matter, Fiona the Dog is not electable either.

I’m not sure what the Dems were supposed to do besides impeach President Trump, but the guy clearly views the rule of law as little more than Marquess of Queensbury boxing rules and has little regard for it.

Anyhow, thanks for reading if you’ve gotten this far.

fintail > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 02/22/2020 at 17:50

0

If someone will pick Trump over anyone else, I will openly question how “thoughtful” they are, and if they are capable of seeing the real world around them. Sounds more like selfish than thoughtful, which is par for the course in the “I got mine, you can go fuck yourself” generation who have created so much chaos. I generally keep away from thoughtful discussion with the Trumpers, at least in my family tree. Too much of a weird combination of victim mentality and bootstraps, while almost all of them either had lucky timing or have been attached to parental/public sector largesse most of their adult lives.

I don’t mind Bernie. He’s that crazy old uncle in the family tree, but not crazy in a bad way. He seems to be the most palatable of D runners who might actually stand a chance. Who else is more electable? Bloomberg is another clueless luckyboomer corporatist. Warren has appeal, but large swaths of the American public won’t vote for a woman, especially in flyover land. Biden is pretty awful. Buttigieg maybe? I don’t care who is on the D ticket, that little dog of yours would indeed be a better choice, and in a two party system, that’s the choice we’re stuck with.

Trump has never needed to deal with law. Daddy handed him everything, regulations don’t matter, and you didn’t make bank in NYC metro property development in the 70s and 80s without being buddy buddy with the mafia. Laws don’t apply once you reach a certain amount of wealth, it’s the American golden rule.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > fintail 02/22/2020 at 18:37

0

I’d offer one thought in reply. I don’t want to talk about other people who want to vote for Trump, or speculate as to their motivations or thoughtfulness. I want to focus on myself, and my own character and if you know me at all, then if I did not stand up and point out what a uniquely awful man we have in the White House at this time, then I would expect you to question my character. I make it an I -statement.

There are people I know with whom I share some bedrock principals who line up behind President Trump. I would prefer not to allow that to divide us.

What do you mean by bootstraps along with victim mentality ?

fintail > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 02/22/2020 at 18:45

0

I suspect most Trumpers have several fine principles and are overall good people (who exist on both sides, dontchaknow) . But they are also happy to sit back and watch things burn so they can save $800/year in taxes (for a few years anyway) or not have a black man in the oval office.

Bootstraps is a term used with snark. I know more than a few who think they built it all themselves - no mention of being given a full ride or a house or a business or trust fund or fat inheritance from family/ mommy and daddy, not to mention getting started in a much less competitive and expensive environment than what exists today - and at the same time believe that it is government regulation preventing them from becoming a real millionaire and that evil socialists are holding them back.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > fintail 02/22/2020 at 18:48

0

Got it.

If I did not speak to the unique awfulness of Donald Trump, then I would fully expect you or anyone who knew me to question my character.

fintail > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 02/22/2020 at 19:05

0

I haven’t seen you parroting any talking points of the so-called right, no reason to question your character :)

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > fintail 02/22/2020 at 19:12

0

The so-called right is, under the cunningly adroit leadership of the POTUS, massacring the so-called left. When it comes to raw animal cunning, Mr. Trump deserves a great deal of credit.

fintail > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 02/22/2020 at 19:31

0

The so-called right have unity. Pack mentality can do a lot. What passes for the left in this gongshow is like a pack of chickens with their heads cut off - can’t unite, can’t play rough, can’t d o anything.