J.W. Burleson photo / Boquillas del Carmen, Coah.

PHB

My photo
Brooklin, Maine, United States
We own a 1975 GMC Sierra Grande 15 in Maine and a 1986 Chevrolet Custom Deluxe 10 in West Texas. Also a pair of 1997 Volvo 850 wagons. Average age in the fleet is 28 years--we're recycling. I've published 3 novels: THE LAW OF DREAMS (2006), THE O'BRIENS (2012), and CARRY ME (2016). Also 2 short story collections: NIGHT DRIVING(1987) and TRAVELLING LIGHT (2013). More of my literary life is at www.peterbehrens.org I was a Fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study for 2012-13. I'm an adjunct professor at Colorado College and in the MFA program at Queens University of Charlotte. In 2015-16 I was a Fellow at Harvard University's Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. The Autoliterate office is in Car Talk Plaza in Harvard Square, 2 floors above Dewey Cheatem & Howe. SUBSCRIBE TO THE AUTOLITERATE DAILY EMAIL by hitting the button to the right.

Friday, June 30, 2023

1940 Ford Coupe; 1929 Chevrolet Model AC. Pennsylvania

Stephen Hendrickson caught the car show in rural PA. We posted a 1940 Ford sedan in Biddeford, Maine.

1929 Chevrolet Model AC. First year of the Bowtie.
1965 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. We've posted a 1964 Cadillac convertible from Cambridge.



Thursday, June 29, 2023

1976 Lincoln Continental Mark IV Givenchy

 

From Jonathan Welsh: "This one brought back memories of watching too much television as a kid, including commercials for Lincoln's Designer Series. The company commissioned designers Bill Blass, Cartier, Givenchy and Pucci, asking each to put his spin on the Mark IV. At the time I was partial to the white-shirt-navy-blazer style of Blass, but Givenchy was by far the most adventurous and the clear winner today. All that blue -- a merger of sky and powder. This like-new example turned up in Montclair, N.J."
AL: speaking of 1976 Lincolns, how about The Dear Leader's funeral?
We caught a 1954 Lincoln Capri in Maine a while ago













Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Volvo P1800E

 

From Yona Shapiro:  "In 1970, Volvo introduced the P1800 "E" variant, which included Bosc  fuel injection and four-wheel disc brakes. This one's in near-original condition."
AL: We have posted a Volvo 1800ES from Alpine Texas. And this one from Quebec.




Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Jaguar XK140 Brooklin Maine

 
Caught the Jag at the Brooklin Inn, in the company of several other great British and European two-seaters. Looked like a club tour. Here's an earlier XK120 we caught in Maine a while ago. And an XK150 in Santa Barbara. We have also posted on Joan Baez's XKE.










Monday, June 26, 2023

Barbiecore...If Ken and Barbie had a Pickup....

 
Caught by Stephen Hendrickson at a car show in PA. Did you see the piece in Sunday's NYT , Barbiecore Is Surging its Way Into Home Decor and Interior Design.  This particular unit probably started life as an early-mid 1980s Mustang.


Sunday, June 25, 2023

Citroën 2CV, Cambridge MA

From Yona Shapiro: "Citroen 2CV: Also called the "deux chevaux," or "two horses" in English, France's version of the VW Beetle was an economy car that stayed in production from 1948 to 1990. Celui-ci est garé dans la rue en Massachusetts!
AL: if you're looking for one, Hagerty's has a 2CV Buyer's Guide. We caught 2CV-the truck version in the Netherlands. Puis une Citroën HY dans le Marais.





 

Saturday, June 24, 2023

1940 International Harvester D2

From Alex Emond, in southern Saskatchewan:
"3 years ago I saw this truck in family garage in Neville, Sask. so I could only get a few cramped photos. Lo and behold,  I was snooping around Shaunavon on my drive back to Banff and saw the same truck in front of a house. The owner and his family had moved to start a new job. The truck is still not for sale, but I had to ask. Is begging a form of asking? This is my favourite truck out of the dozens of Saskatchewan relics that I have seen.
Looking mighty good for an 83-year-old machine. The owner's grandfather bought it new. It  runs... maybe needs the brakes worked on. A few days in a good shop and it could be back on the road. Those are the original colours but it has been repainted in places. 



Friday, June 23, 2023

Vanlife 1979: Chevrolet Nomad

 

From Jonathan Welsh, in Maine: I think two-tone paint garners extra points these days. Back in 8th grade, when vans like this were everywhere, I thought they were the essence of uncool. Today I would take this one as-is. Oh-so 1970s. We spotted this well-preserved machine in Deer Isle Village.

AL: we posted a 1985 Chevrolet Beauville onBeacon Hill in Boston in April. And some vanlife of a different era: a 1961 Chevrolet Greenbrier. And then there was Bob Dylan and the Chevy van on Jones Street in 1961.








Thursday, June 22, 2023

1968 Ford Torino

 
From Alex Emond: "An early-ish muscle car with the required style and stance. Found on the edge of Ponteix, Saskatchewan. The big house was originally close to the big Catholic church, home of the Bishop . Ponteix started as a mainly French speaking Catholic village. Now it is more diverse but still has lots of French names, if you go house to house . 
This Torino has to be quite rare, and looks ready to rumble."



Tuesday, June 20, 2023

The Great Migration

 

‘North Carolina. Mother & Son Florida Migrants on Their Way to Cranbury New Jersey, to Pick Potatoes’ (1940) by Jack Delano. PHOTO: ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

See Nicholas Davidoff's "5 Best Books on the Great Migration" in the WSJ.

Monday, June 19, 2023

1939 Ford Deluxe & Truly Nolen of Tucson

 

From Hemmings: "Anyone driving around Tucson is bound to notice a curious sight: classic cars parked in strategic locations with the words "Truly Nolen" emblazoned on their sides. There are more than 50 of them, turning the southern Arizona city into an unofficial outdoor car museum. The cars are part of a quirky marketing campaign for the Truly Nolen exterminating company, that was founded by the eponymous Truly Nolen. (His siblings included Really and Sincere Leigh. Seriously.)..."

Sunday, June 18, 2023

Adorable Marfa Adobe Available For Rent

 
Our Marfa casita was renovated this year. It is small, and simply furnished, with high ceilings, all new windows and a new bathroom. We are looking for a tenant with great references. A single person, or a couple. No pets. We can do a six-month or one-year lease, renewable. We would also consider a 2-month rental, from July 1-August 31 this year.  For details, email Peter at phbehrens@gmail.com or Basha at bashabur@gmail.com. You may also text Basha at 646 872 7616. 
                         
Summer days are warm in this high desert; nights are cool. It is a ten-minute walk to downtown...
and about the same to Chinati...


..and to The Get-Go.



 
A favorite daily bike ride: Pinto Canyon Road
...the Haystack Mountains, on the Fort Davis road.

There is always something happening at Ballroom Marfa

Big Bend National Park is one of the least-visited NP's and most beautiful. Mountain hiking and river trips.
 In Marfa, it's very easy to walk to the edge of town!

Here's a link to a NYT Profile on Basha and me, with a bit of our history in Marfa. (The house mentioned in the Times is not the casita.)