Stranger In A Strange Land

Stranger In A Strange Land - Putting our recent International issue of Chevy Classics Magazine together got me thinking about classic cars in unusual places. Seeing a ’61 Impala in Australia or a ’55 Chevy in Sweden is not all that unusual- after all, both of those countries are well known for housing plenty of classic American iron. Seeing a Roman Red 1960 Corvette cruising the streets of downtown London, England is certainly unusual though– especially one with California plates. Yes, our Chief Marketing Officer here at Eckler’s recently recounted this story to me. Or how about a ’55 Chevy convertible packed with locals roaming through the central Italian countryside? Our Director of Marketing here shared that curious tidbit of info once she knew what my blog was all about. My brother, who is somewhat of a world traveler, recently sent me a picture of a brand new Ford Raptor pickup parked in the middle of nowhere, Bora Bora. Or how about this one? Years ago, my father told me he was standing on a street corner in downtown Amsterdam, and a ’70 Hemi ’Cuda rolled up to the lights– with Oregon plates! How does this stuff happen? However these unusual sights come to be, it certainly makes you shake your head and smile a bit!


Do you remember that TV commercial introducing the “new for 1964 Chevrolet Impala”? The one where a new convertible Impala sat atop a gigantic rock spire in Castle Valley, Utah? The narrator talks about about how “Chevrolet for 1964 stands alone!” Again, quite the unusual setting. If you haven’t seen this commercial, check it out online. Click here: 1964 Chevrolet Impala commercial.


Ford did something equally outrageous with the introduction of the first Mustang. Nestled atop the Empire State building, the new ’65 pony car had a lot of people scratching their heads, “How did this get up here?” (It was taken up in the elevators, one section at a time.)


Have you heard about Cadillac Ranch? That lonely stretch of Texas highway with the tails of various Caddys jutting out of the earth? Check it out sometime on Wikipedia. Click here: Cadillac Ranch, Texas

How about you? Have you ever come across a beloved old classic that looked totally out of place in its surroundings? A ’57 Chevy skewered on a flagpole? An El Camino doubling as a bar? At the very least, I’m sure you’ve seen a few “classics” languishing in fields with trees growing out them. I’d love to hear about ’em! Feel free to use the Comments section below.

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