Car spotting

Many of our photos are the result of car spotting - photos of cars along roads, streets and parking lots. The criteria are that the cars are either old, rare or exclusive - and that the photos show the cars from a great side.

Car spotting in 2024

Posted 04/01/2025 by Terje Bjørnstad

When you have an eye for nice cars and at the same time travel around the country and beach, it's a shame not to share photos. Carspotting is about discovering special cars that are in traffic or parked in beautiful surroundings - not at exhibitions and museums. And what are special cars? It can be expensive, rare and sporty cars - but also ordinary cars that are about to disappear - and that never end up in a museum. Here are some from the past year.

Classic and sporty

1963 Triumph TR4
I spotted this car - decorated for a wedding - at Sjøflyhavna in Fornebu. I didn't see the bride and groom, just the car with idyllic Rolfsbukta in the background. Is the Triumph TR4 suitable as a wedding car? Very beautiful and beautifully decorated, - but surely there will be barely enough space for the wedding dress and veil?

Triumph TR4

1992 Alfa Romeo Spider 2000
The Alfa Romeo Spider is quite widespread as an enthusiast car. What makes this photo special is the color of the car which contrasts with the dark office building behind. Location: Hvervenmoen, Hønefoss.

Alfa Romeo Spider

1966 Sunbeam Alpine 1750
It was unexpected to find a Sunbeam Alpine in the parking garage at Oslo Fashion Center in Vestby. Cars must be used, and this tough sports car with the top down was in what can be called used condition. Oily fingerprints on the bonnet said someone had just fixed something on the car.

Sunbeam Alpine

1977 Lotus Esprit S1
I first caught sight of the car from behind, and did not recognize it because of the design of the rear lights. These belong to Esprit Series 1, of which there were only 3 pieces in Norway. According to information on Vegvesen.no, this beautiful car has been sold - so now there are only 2 left? The car stopped by the old flight tower at Fornebu.

Lotus spirit

German quality cars

1988-91 Audi 100 Avant
After more than 30 years, today's Audis will hardly be as nice as this Audi Avant that was parked outside the Highway Hotel in Herbolzheim, just north of Freiburg. The hotel can be recommended as accommodation along the way. Last year we stayed there 3 times.

Audi 100 C3

1985 Mercedes-Benz 280 S
10 years ago you saw the Mercedes-Benz W126 on the road, but rarely today - although many cars would still be suitable for everyday traffic. On my way to a restaurant on a wet February evening, I saw this classic in Bogstadveien. Completely natural.

Mercedes-Benz W126

1975 Mercedes-Benz 240D
In my eyes, it doesn't look old, even though it is almost 50 years old. Here we are talking about a real quality car. I saw it by chance during the "Stolpejakten 2024" along the coastal path in Sætre.

Mercedes-Benz W115

Common before - rare today

Citroen Dyane
A newly registered Citroën Dyane on a shopping trip in front of the fresh produce magazine Grand Frais? Once a month, cars gather for a meeting in the square outside while the magazine is still open. You could say that the French love both classic Citroëns and fresh delicacies.

Citroen Dyane

Ford Escort mk2 approved with 2 liter engine.

Ford Escort mk2 and Opel Kadett C
On a trip to Shell Greaker at Holmestrand, these two 70s cars stopped by. Carspotting with a 70s motif.
Ford Escort mk2
Opel Kadett C.

1958 Vauxhall Victor FA Super
This pastel-coloured car has been seen on roads near Fornebu, but is hardly used as a daily means of transport.

Vauxhall Victor FA

Guidelines for carspotting
Wikipedia: Carspotting

Along the street in Céret

Posted 28/11/2022 by Terje Bjørnstad

Céret is one of many villages in the Catalan part of France where cobbled streets with picturesque stone houses still exist. At the beginning of the 1900th century, the city was a meeting place for artists. From our shepherd's hut, we can see into the old garden where Pablo Picasso and George Braque held merry parties 100 years ago - where Salvador Dali was also present.

Céret is located in a very rural setting at the foot of the Pyrenees – very close to the border with Spain. The nearest big city is Barcelona. The town is very far from Paris and the Côte d'Azur – in a positive sense. It is not expensive to visit the restaurants, everyone speaks French and there are cars here that you don't find in the Côte d'Azur. There is no longer a 2CV or Renault 4 on every street corner in Céret. But since we are in an area where cars don't rust, there are still many cars on the roads such as the Renault 5, Express, Citroen C15, Renault Twingo mk 1 and Peugeot 205. These are cars that are almost extinct in other parts of Europe, but here they are common. In 5 years they could be gone for good.

Citroen

Citroen BX Millesime TD

The car in the main photo above is from Céret. It is a Millesime edition that appeared in recent years in production with a nice equipment package. The equipment level, including a rear spoiler, is complemented by yellow lights, integrated fog lights, black license plates and a sunroof. The sunroof gives the car character. According to the owner, the panoramic roof is taken from a Twingo. The car has recently been fixed up after an accident and is often on the move in the city with the owner behind the wheel. If you are on Instagram, you can follow him under the username pali_kao.

Citroen Ami 9A and 2CV

I don't think the new electric Ami is sold in Norway. It's not a big hit in our part of France either. The car pictured is actually the only one I've seen in town. I think it's a shame that it's only made as a moped car . If it had been built as a 4-wheel motorcycle (quadricycle lourd) it could have been registered in vehicle class L7e. If the car could go faster than 45 km/h it could follow the normal flow of traffic. Then I think it would have been better received in the market. The reason I took a picture of it is because of the nice 2CV patina it has – just like the beautiful 2CV on the right.

Lemon Xantia

I forgot to mention that the Citroen Xantia is one of the car models that is still current and drivable here. The car in the picture above belongs to the first series of Xantia. I have passed it several times and have noticed how great it is. For being BX's successor, Xantia seems less distinctive - more "mainstream". But if you get hold of a Xantia with Active Suspension, you have a wolf in sheep's clothing on the road.

Many Citroen 2CVs have been in continuous operation since they were new.

Renault

Renault Espace

Let's forget the 2CV and the R4s for a while. Although there are fewer of them, they still exist. I am particularly impressed by the 2CV and R4 that are still in daily use, like the one parked in front of us at one of the city's supermarkets. I would rather focus on the image of Espace from the first series. This is a model that was designed by Matra – a name that arouses enthusiasm in many. The straight, square lines with large glass surfaces were typical of 80s models. The Espace was not just a minibus, but an MPV with the possibility of converting the compartment into a saloon. I don't know the technology in the Espace 1, but I think the design is really tough - something that belongs among 80s icons like the Aston Martin Lagonda and the DeLorean DMC-12.

Renault 5 Express with the passenger car's front

Renault 5 on the loading platform of a Saviem Renault SG2 (3,5 ton truck from around 1980). I hope the Super 5 is headed for renovation and not the car scrap.

Renault 5 and Express

At the moment there are far too many Renault Expresses for me to take pictures of them all. I liked this one because it has a clean (renovated) body, nice rims and the front of a passenger car from the "Supercinq". Most Renault Expresses in the city are pure used cars with signs of use all over. Speaking of the Super 5, I thought the motif of the Renault 5 on the cargo bed of a Saviem Renault SG2 (3,5 tons) was really French and nostalgic. I hope the Super 5 is on its way to renovation and not the scrapyard.

Peugeot

Peugeot 304

I have the impression that few people take the time to restore a Peugeot 304 Berline. The ones I have seen have been in original good condition - probably also the car in the pictures. I have not seen it in the city before, but discovered it on a Sunday visit to the city close to where we live. I had time to admire the stylish Italian lines. They give associations to the Alfa Romeo Super Giulia. I wish Peugeot would find a way back to previous alignments instead of today's crisscrossing lines.

Peugeot 504 Pickup

The pickup model was put into production a few years before the production of the passenger car was phased out, and continued until the early 90s. If you see a 504 pickup, it doesn't have to be very old. I think most pick-up cars you see on the road today have undergone some form of renovation - like the car in the picture. I have seen it in several places in the city, including recently at the city's Peugeot workshop. Considering how solid the 504 Break was, there is reason to believe that this pickup will be able to serve for many years to come.

See

Join us for a short tour of the city on the undersigned's bicycle. Céret is surrounded by fine cycle paths, whether you cycle to the beach or in the mountains. My road bike is only suitable on the road, but there are also off-road trails for those who dare.

Céret (Wikipedia)

Photo Sunday - Life in the artist street

Posted 28/06/2021 by Terje Bjørnstad

Sunday was not as warm as had been predicted. The sun shone with its absence. Then it was nice to move outside and it was good photo weather. I got to air both the pedal bike and the dog for a few hours this day. I also spotted some really nice cars in Kunstnergaten.

Kunstnergaten by the old flight tower

Fornebu has its own street by the old airport tower, called Kunstnergaten. Since I don't know anything about art, I often feel a bit stupid when I go there. But it's a nice place with nice people. On Sundays, "everything" is open to the public. Every now and then there's a great car outside the Kultur på hjøl car museum . The people who run the museum are car enthusiasts themselves who occasionally bring one of their own eyeballs with them.

Today, several fine youngtimers and vintage cars were parked in the street outside the car museum. As one of the participants said - "When all meetings are cancelled, you'd rather arrange a joint drive". In addition to culture in the form of cars, memorabilia from the early days of flight, arts and crafts, you will find the Odonata restaurant with a nice patio. The restaurant was used for filming the first season of the TV program "First date". But you can of course stop by even if you are not on a date.

Shoots at everything

I use a one-handed compact camera from Sony - RX100M3. It is a top model that can be used with one hand and takes very good pictures - good lenses and good software. It is a camera that many journalists use. You can work quickly and shoot at everything. That's what I do. But here I only show pictures of cars.

Also published in the car catalogue

The photos taken in connection with car meets or carspotting along the road are eventually also uploaded into the car catalog here on the blog. The purpose is to collect photos of cars to show how different car models have developed over the model years - and to show different colors and variants of the same model. Everything is easily accessible on search engines. There are several thousand photos of special cars "spotted" on trips by car, pedal bike, dog-on-leash ...

… just like these – all taken on the same Sunday.