Previous Spot Revisited: 1984-85 Suzuki SJ410 Jimny

I first spotted this Suzuki here on April 4, 2013, but spotted it again in the same place. The racing stripes on the bonnet are gilding the lily a bit given that the 1000cc inline four is barely capable of normal freeway speeds, let alone racetrack speeds, and the J.C. Whitney Samurai hardtop looks out-of-place, but this would be an ideal restoration candidate between its condition and its rarity in the continental US. The outline of Hawaii on the back window may hint at where this came from, since unlike the LJ20 and Carry in the 1970s, they were only distributed on Hawaii and other US outlying islands.

Side Street Find: Datsun 510 Wagon and Suzuki SJ410 Jimny

I spotted this tatty but solid Datsun 510 station wagon whilst carspotting/old-iron hunting in an industrial area near me, it was in front of a warehouse, and appears to be a daily driver.

But what's that behind it? Surely it's a Suzuki Samurai! Still a worthy spotting in uncut condition like this.

Here we have an early 80s Suzuki SJ410 Jimny, a model not sold in the continental US, but distributed on outlying islands like Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Mariana Islands. It was the successor to the smaller, lighter-weight, less substantial LJ jeep of the 1970s and differs in numerous ways from the more familiar Samurai. This one is left-hand-drive, evidently has a few aftermarket Samurai bits on it, and appears to be owned by someone who knows what they have. The yellow Oregon plates indicate that it  has been on the mainland since at least 1986 (N numbers on Oregon plates were 1986-1987 only)

Side-Street Triple AMC Find

While I was out hunting for old iron, I took a side street in a questionable industrial neighborhood (the 40-ounce malt liquor jugs, sex toy and condom packaging and shell casings in the gutters made me think twice about where I was), and found these three classic AMC products. I had prior experience with all three: the AMXs were in a backyard off of Eugene, Oregon's "Northwest Expressway" in the late 90s until a subdivision displaced them, and the Ambassador was once owned by someone notorious for exposing himself to children, and was at one point set up to be a mobile rape dungeon with one seat, carpeted decking elsewhere and no inside door handles. (I looked close at the car circa 2007)

Juice on the Ambassador's history can be found here, or for the link-phobic, the section from the April 25, 2006 Eugene Register-Guard follows:

Man reported exposing himself near school 

Eugene police are looking for a man who was allegedly exposing himself in a car near Bertha Holt Elementary School Monday morning. 

A parent reported seeing the man about 11 a.m. on Calvin Street exposing himself while reading a magazine and watching students on the playground, according to an e-mail sent to parents. No children reported seeing him. 

When approached, the man drove away. 

According to the e-mail, the description given to police was of a man who appeared to be in his 50s or 60s, balding with gray hair, about 5 feet 6 and weighing more than 200 pounds. His car was an older American four-door sedan, green with brown doors, in visible disrepair. The Oregon license plate reported was THA-952. 

Eugene police are investigating. 

Holt Elementary officials want anyone who sees a suspicious person near the school to alert the school office immediately. The school will increase its supervision of the area for the next few days and remind students of safe behavior around strangers, according to the e-mail.

 I find it strange that I ate breakfast & lunch at the same supermarket delis that the former owner of this car did.

With the recent increase in muscle-car and AMC values, it is likely that both AMXs will be restored, but given its condition, background and interior "modifications", the Ambassador will likely be scrap metal. The AMX with a bonnet, a 1970 model, appears to be the high-performance variant with a 401cid V8, and will bring big money when restored. 

Accidental Street Spot: 196? Hillman Super Minx

This very rare British family sedan was spotted by accident on a trip to shoot something else, early on Christmas Day 2012. It needs some work, and many parts will be hard to find, but for anyone who wants to take it on, it will be a great project. 

(note: this car is not for sale as far as Insomniac Garage knows)