Since my dad worked for General Motors for 35 years, I have a weak spot for cars. (I have fond memories of my dad’s 1970 silver GTO, 1968 red Chevelle and 1972 black El Camino.)

The mid-century models, in particular, seem so stylish and noble, unlike many of today’s vehicles, which are merely utilitarian: Get from Point A to Point B and once every six months clean out the crumbs from between the seats.

On Jersey Street behind the tortilleria, someone had parked this gorgeous Buick, possibly a 1951or 1952 Roadmaster Riviera. On the side of the car is the word Dynaflow, which was a type of automatic transmission built by General Motors from 1947 to 1963. If it is a Roadmaster Riviera, it sold for about $3,300 —the equivalent of $29,000 in 2014 dollars—and had a top speed of 96 mph.