Tag Archives: car

Woodinville Cruisers Car Club Christmas Light Parade

The run up to Christmas brings with it the annual Woodinville Cruisers Car Club Christmas Light Parade in our town. This might be an annual event but it isn’t something we had been to before. The evening was looking dry so we decided to pay it a visit. We didn’t have any idea what to expect but, as we drove down towards the town center, one of the cars for the parade was ahead of us. It wasn’t hard to know where it was going given how many lights were on the outside of the car. (We did spot it in the parade later.)

We went in plenty of time because we didn’t know how crowded it was going to be. This proved to be unnecessarily cautious as the town was still pretty quiet when we arrived – a Sunday night is not hopping in Woodinville – particularly when there is a Seahawks game on TV. We killed a bit of time but as it got close to the 6pm start time for the parade, plenty of people started to show up and, once the cars started rolling, lots of spectators were out.

A firetruck from the local fire department started things off. Then the cars came rolling through. We had no idea how many there would be so we were curious as to whether we would soon be back at home. We needn’t have worried. There were loads of vehicles coming through. Some were vintage vehicles that were interesting in their own rights. Others were modern cars but adorned with tons of lights. Some looked like they had barely bothered to prepare! I was surprised how willing some of the owners were to tape a ton of lights to their paintwork!

I would say that the parade took about half an hour to roll through. There was plenty of pausing as things backed up but there were definitely a ton of different vehicles. Local businesses also took part with their trucks decorated or, in the case of the local balloon pleasure flight business, they had a basket on a trailer with the burners providing a blast of heat and light on a regular basis. A local Facebook group had someone questioning whether there was a fire downtown!

The whole thing was a fun time and we were really pleased to have made the trip out. It far exceeded what we had anticipated and everyone seemed to be having a good time – particularly the kids grabbing the candy thrown from a bunch of the vehicles. There didn’t seem to be any left where we were. Thanks to everyone that took part for making it such an enjoyable event and congratulations to the organizers.

 

If You Still Want a Land Rover and Have Plenty of Cash…

Retro styling combined with modern tech seems to be a big deal these days. The old Land Rover Defender series has been around forever in various forms but recently got a total makeover to a new look. I guess some people don’t want a knew look and the Ineos Grenadier has been created with a look that can best be described as a copy while with a whole bunch of modern tech. It seems like the perfect vehicle for someone with an excess of cash.

I have seen a few around our area recently so I guess the tech types must like them. One was parked up near a favorite haunt of ours and I couldn’t resist getting a shot of it as I walked back to my car. I hope they find it is worth it. Will it be tested off road???

On and Off the Ferries

While mum was visiting, we took a trip across to Bainbridge Island.  We went across from Seattle to Bainbridge and then returned via Kingston to Edmonds.  For now obvious reason, I decided it might be interesting to video the boarding and unloading process from the ferries as we drove the car on and off.  I thought the Insta360 would be a good idea for this since it would record a full sphere and I could decide on the editing afterwards without having to worry about which direction the camera was facing while I drove the car.  I opened the sunroof of the car and had mum hold it out of the roof.

A little editing back at home to pan and zoom around and the video below was the result.  Not exactly a thrill a minute video but more something to have to remember the ferries by should we move away at some time.  I have taken more than my fair share of photos of the ferries along with the occasional video so this can go with the larger collection.

The Craziest Abarth Cinquecento I’ve Ever Seen

When I was a small kid, we owned a Fiat 126.  My friend’s mum had a Fiat 500.  It was the old car compared to our “newer” one.  A tiny little vehicle but a cute one.  Of course, as with everything these days, the 500 made a reappearance more recently as it got a makeover.  It also spawned a range of derivatives taking it well away from the original concept.  I had never considered the original car to be too sporty so was in for a surprise.

Exotics@RTC had this amazing vehicle on display.  An Abarth Cinquecento, this thing is seriously souped up.  Forget a back seat.  Don’t expect much in the way of creature comforts.  Probably come up with a plan of how to get yourself in and out of it for that matter.  This thing is quite unlike any old Cinquecento I have ever seen.  It looked amazing.  The back end of it seemed unable to hold what was included so it was just open to let everything hang loose.  What a contrast to everything else that was on display.  That is what makes Exotics@RTC so cool.  You get these really unusual vehicles showing up.

Can You Make Your Mini Look Retro?

I had no idea what this car was when I saw it.  There was something familiar about it, but it was still a mystery to me.  Then I overheard a conversation from someone, and they explained that the underlying car was a Mini and it had a body kit added to it to result in this outcome.  I have no idea why that seemed like a good plan to the owner, but I guess they like it.  Once you know it, you center of the vehicle is definitely recognizable as a Mini.

Well This is Saving the Planet!

In the outer area of Exotics@RTC I saw this EV Hummer.  The move towards electric vehicles is a positive step to reducing our emissions and trying to address the climate change challenges we have but there was something about this behemoth that made me feel that we are missing the point.  Sure, an EV Hummer is less polluting than the original Hummer, but this thing is huge and is surely not a good idea.  Finding a way to have the most inefficient EV you can is kind of missing the point.

Is a Bugatti 57 Valuable?

Only my second visit of the year to Exotics@RTC and it was another special day.  This time it was Classics which seems to be a rather generic term but does provide for a bunch of older cars or all sorts of origins to be included – particularly stuff that wouldn’t normally have its own day!  A star of the show was this Bugatti 57.  I had got there early to try and get some shots before the crowds built up and it arrived while I was walking around.  I got some shots of it driving up and then once it was parked.

It rapidly got a lot of attention.  Later on, when I was trying to get some shots of it from above, I realized that there was always such a throng of people in the vicinity that my usual technique of blending multiple shots would not work.  I was glad to have been there early!  I don’t know how these cars get valued.  I looked up sale prices for these vehicles and there were some that went in the millions and others that were in the hundreds of thousands.  Where this one sits in relation to all of those, I have no idea.  I do know the owner was very happy to let people sit in it and have their picture taken which is the great thing about events like this.

Take Your Car With You

I have seen countless RVs on the highway with a small vehicle hooked on the back.  Having something more usable when you get to your destination makes a lot of sense.  What about if you have a boat?  How are you going to get around when you reach your next port?  Why, bring a car with you of course!  This ship was in the harbour at Bristol while we were visiting.  The car was sitting on the deck, ready for use whenever it was needed!

Do You Really Need Four Wheels?

Another feature of English Day for Exotics@RTC is the occasional Morgan showing up.  If a Morgan three-wheeler makes an appearance, it is guaranteed to garner a lot of attention and this event was not different.

Another feature of English Day for Exotics@RTC is the occasional Morgan showing up.  If a Morgan three-wheeler makes an appearance, it is guaranteed to garner a lot of attention and this event was no different.  We actually got several of them.  Trying to get some clean shots of them was tricky given the number of people that were checking them out.  I am not a massive fan of Morgans per se but they are still something different to see amongst a sea of modern McLarens.

Plenty of Minis

English Day at Exotics@RTC means there will be some Minis.  I mean the original Minis – none of the BMW type (I say none but there might be a few although they aren’t getting prime spots).  They take me back to my childhood as the car I learned to drive in.  These examples are in better condition and are far better performers than our 850cc example was, but they still look much the same.

One of them had a wooden dash which reminded me of my friend Sam.  She had a mini with a wooden dash and she put in in a place for some work and, when she got it back, the dash wears gone.  They denied it had ever been there and she was absolutely gutted.  If you are reading this Sam, I hope that isn’t too painful a memory.  If you haven’t ever driven on old Mini, my memory of it was that they were like a go kart.  I haven’t driven one for decades and wonder how they would seem after years of driving modern vehicles.  I hope it would still be fun.