Beauty & Brawn

Driving the backroads of the Palouse, I noticed that the coolest cars and trucks weren’t.  Driving, that is.  They were parked in fields and barns and along the road, in various stages of disintegration.

This one had been in the spot for several years–or decades, more likely–judging by the fact that the tires had decomposed to the extent that the rims were buried in the earth.  By the way, aren’t these about the most graceful fenders you’ve ever seen on a truck?

The chrome trim around the headlight is in perfect condition, shiny and reflective.  Contrast that with the lichen growing on the rusty underside of the light.

Here’s one of the coolest features of this old truck:  the openable windshield.  And note the air scoop in the hood below the windshield (also manually controlled).

In the days prior to A/C, this was probably a real selling point.

I love the simplicity of the dashboard:  only two gauges.  The one on the left is a combination fuel gauge (above) and oil pressure gauge (below).  The one on the right is a combination speedometer and odometer.  So I guess that’s really four instruments, but still a far cry from the cluttered dashboards of today’s cars and trucks, which are starting to resemble jet cockpits.  Yes, once upon a time people actually drove vehicles without satellite radio and built-in GPS and bluetooth and usb ports and DVD players, to name only SOME of the features we expect a modern vehicle to have.  And I guess you no longer need a windshield that opens when you have separate “climate control” settings for each passenger!

The enamel logo is still in pretty good shape.

Ain’t she a beauty?  She looks like a car from the front…

…but from the back she’s 100% truck.