I parked and was thinking of the day ahead. I didn’t notice the black shadow approaching my car. When I looked over I was quite startled. Oh no! A flanelinha!
In almost all Brazilian cities, the flanelinha is a fixture. Flanelinha (which loosely translates as flannel man, as in the rag) is the demure name given to the “workers” who divide the streets among themselves and charge drivers to park. Their excuse is that they’re taking care of your car. If you don’t pay up, a fat tire or a big scratch will be a symbol of your chintzyness. (Read More…)


Recent Comments
jimbob457 - This beauty needs the toilet seat on the rear deck to suit me. The 1963-4 Valiant was one of the most reliable vehicles of its...
highdesertcat - “From my vantage point, you, and most commenters really have no clue as to the magnitude and complexity of the auto sector and GM in particular.”...
burgersandbeer - Hatchbacks have an advantage over sedans for hauling over-sized items, but only if you fold the seats down. And only if the item is tall...
E46M3_333 - Word.
waltercat - Oh, this brings back memories. First car I ever drove was the family second car, a ’61 Valiant with the 170″ slant six...
Lie2me - Wow! That’s an impressive Valiant
krhodes1 - In the days of the “voluntary import quotas”, Toyotas were both very expensive and very rust prone. And until about this generation of...
Buickman - sorry Doc, you’re wrong. Ford has the same labor costs as do the Germans. it’s nothing but bad management that drove GM into the dirt. you’re in...
krhodes1 - MPH is still used in the UK at least.
krhodes1 - Both the 85mph speedo and 55 highlight requirements ended in ~83. My ’84 VW Jetta GLI had neither. And I pegged its 120mph speedometer on more...