Curbside Classic is a website that celebrates the cars people actually see parked on the street, rather than the cars in museums or on showroom floors. It began as a blog in 2010, and today it is run by Paul Niedermeyer, a lifelong car enthusiast who began his career as a journalist with The Truth About Cars. Its motto is Every car has a story, and its writers live by that, photographing old, rare and unusual cars wherever they find them, and then digging out the history behind them. If you have ever pointed at an old car in a car park and wondered what it was, this site is for you.
How the site finds its cars
The site works the way a good walk works. Its writers and readers photograph cars they spot on the street, in car parks, in garages and sometimes in odd places, and then write about them. A reader who sends in a photo of a car in their neighbourhood can see it on the front page the next day, with the story of its design, its maker and its life. That is the site’s charm. It is not about the newest car, or the fastest car, it is about the car that has been in daily use for forty years and is still going. Action: the next time you see an old car on your street, take a photo and note the model, the year and the condition, then look it up, because that is how a curbside classic begins.
The story of a 1966 Toyota Stout
One of the site’s best stories is the history of the 1966 Toyota Stout. The site traces the Stout’s career in Japan, where it was a working pick up used by tradesmen, and its short and unloved time in the USA, where it was expensive, slow and sold poorly. It shows photos of a red Stout that still survives in Australia, and it explains why the Stout mattered, because it was one of the cars that showed Toyota how to build a truck that the world wanted, even if this one was not it. That is the site at its best, a single car, photographed on the street, with a whole history behind it. Action: when you read a car history like this, look for the car that came next, because the lesson of a failed model is often the car that succeeded it.
More than old cars
The site also covers newer cars, car history, and the occasional car that is not a classic at all, but it is always written with the same eye for detail and the same love for the ordinary. Its car reviews are the most popular part of the site, and its history pieces are the deepest, taking you through the design, the engineering and the people behind a model. For more sites that help you research a car before you buy, see our guide to the best websites to research a car before you buy, and use it to check the price and the history of the car you are looking at before you spend your money.
Who should read it, and how to get the most from it
This site is best for a reader who loves cars for their stories, not just their speed or their price. If you are a collector, it will help you spot a car worth saving. If you are a buyer, it will help you understand a car before you buy it, because a car with a story is a car you will keep. The site is also a good way to learn about cars you will never see in a showroom, because its writers cover the models that other sites forget. Action: pick a car you know nothing about from the site’s archive, read its story, then look for one on your own street. You will start to see old cars everywhere.
How to use it in three steps
Step one, browse the site’s latest curbside finds and pick a car that catches your eye. Step two, read its full history, so you know what the car was, what it cost, and why it matters. Step three, use that knowledge the next time you see a car like it, because you will know what to look for, what to avoid, and what it is worth. That order, look, learn, then look again, is how you turn a walk down the street into a lesson in car history.
Frequently asked questions
Is Curbside Classic only about old cars?
Mostly, but not only. It covers old, rare and unusual cars, and it also writes about newer cars and car history, always with a focus on the story behind the car.
Can I send in a photo of a car I found?
Yes. Readers send in photos of cars they spot on the street, and the site publishes the best ones with the story behind them. Send a clear photo, the location, and any detail you know about the car.
Does it help me buy a car?
It helps you understand a car before you buy it, by telling you its history, its strengths and its weaknesses. Use it with a price guide and a pre purchase inspection before you spend your money.