“My favorite is the ‘Renault 4 CV’.’ My parents bought a secondhand model with their savings in 1960 – our first car – unfortunately, they didn’t have enough money to pay an insurance policy and the car remained unused for some months… my sister and I spent hours in it, playing imaginery drivers & travellers !
the 4 CV was the first popular post-war car – very tiny but we loved it. When we left for holidays, it was crammed full – a funny and exciting expedition.
Steven Weinberg travels all around the world with his vintage Renault 4 CV (a new adventure is coming soon).
Pictures of his travel in USA here.”
Was going surfing Last weekend and I pull up to my usual lookout spot and low and behold parked right there was this crazy truck/rv thing and could tell by the style who build the thing. Thought u might enjoy the pics.
Taylor (Goates)
(This is Jay Nelson’s latest vehicle. Several of his creations were featured in Tiny Homes.)
The Volkswagen Microbus, Austin Mini and the original Dodge Caravan have all been hailed as revolutions in automotive packaging. But it was the Multipla that crammed the most people into the least space. Less than 12′ long, it seated 6. Captain chairs, cup holders and DVD players were not part of the package, but extreme claustrophobia was standard equipment. Sold for $66,125.”
Drove along the coast last night to meet my running friends. I don’t mean to go on about my new Honda Fit, but sheesh! I can’t believe that such a relatively inexpensive little car handles and corners and rides like this. No, I have not been hired by Honda to say these things.
Probably partly due to 40 years of driving trucks, this is like dancing along the road. Spiffy. Plus my neighbor Chick, who has eclectic taste in music (previously turned me on to J.B.Hutto and the Hawks and gospel singer Dorothy Love Coats), gave me “Sinatra — ’57 In Concert,” and it made for a great cruise along the ocean.
I’ve been driving 4×4 trucks for over 30 years. The trade-off for the weight and truckiness being that I could pick up firewood, haul lumber, sacks of concrete. and go anywhere, any time. I spent 12 years 4-wheeling in Baja. Many trips to the American Southwest (always in spring). 3 long trips to British Columbia, shooting pics for Builders of the Pacific Coast. 4-wheeling it across the river to my friend Louie’s house in Mendocino county. I’ve been a truck guy forever. The latest, for my last 10 years: a 2003 Toyota 4-cylinder, 5-speed Tacoma 4×4 with metal camper shell, pull-out canopy, all-time classic tough, dependable vehicle. 140,000 miles, good for another 140. Desert Roamer. (I may sell it, and get a beater truck for local hauls.)
But there came the time, several months ago, when I realized I was through with the long truck hauls, the 3,000-mile trips, and hauling the truck over the windy roads homewards from my weekly trips into San Francisco was a chore.
I embarked on a study of cars, and ended up settling on a Honda Fit. Other contenders (in this field of scaled-down, aerodynamic SUVs) were the Toyota Yaris Liftback, Mazda 2, Scion XD, Prius C model, VW Golf diesel. The Cube too cartoony, the Scion xB too boxy. I didn’t do extensive reviews, but in the end settled on the Fit largely because of its ingenious cargo space in the rear — 4 by 5 feet with rear seats folded down. 20 cubic feet of space vs. 15 for the other cars. 4 doors and a hatchback so you can get into the rear from all sides. Like a small truck bed. (I could get into my truck bed camper shell on all 3 sides.)
I wanted to see how the Fit did on curves, since a winding mountain road is about half of my driving. I talked salesman Murray Cherkas of San Francisco Honda into letting me take a Fit across the city and then down the winding block of Lombard Street, “crookedest street in the world.” I took the 8 hairpin turns fast, and the car behaved beautifully. Sold. Read More …
This is jay nelson, you featured some of my work in your tiny homes book.… I just want to give you an update of what I’m working on. A new camper work truck and a hanging sphere treehouse . Also a treehouse in mill valley.
Hope you are well.
The tiny homes book looks incredible (if I never told you)!
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