A Fiat, a Land Cruiser, and a London bus in Chattanooga

Many exciting things can be found about 100 miles north of us in the border city of Chattanooga, Tennessee. My childhood is sprinkled with memories of being dragged through the aquarium, terrified in the caves of Rock City, and walking across the bridge over the Tennessee River.

This past Saturday, I stopped through on my way back home and discovered a few automotive gems in the city's River Arts District.

First of which was a nicely equipped Series 80 Toyota Land Cruiser. This Cruiser has an interesting double roof rack, obligatory brush guard, and bubbly clear coat. I'd be surprised and a bit disappointed to see an odometer reading below 250,000 on this truck.

Cross the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge to reach Chattanooga's North Shore neighborhood

The main attraction though lie in a parking garage in the North Shore area of Chattanooga. This part of the city enjoys a laid back, Main Street USA atmosphere, thanks to its relative detachment from downtown proper. A perfect spot, then, to discover an old Fiat 124 Spider. This car didn't (and still does not) enjoy even a microcosm of the success of its close cousin, the Alfa Romeo Spider.

Originally, the Spider came with a 1.4-liter, double overhead cam inline four. By 1970, it had become the 1.6-liter, found in this car. Fiat continued tinkering with the bore until 1974, when it bumped up again, this time to 1.8-liters.

However, discerning types still value its Pininfarina styling, penned largely by Tom Tjaarda. Throughout his career, which spanned nearly 48 years, Tjaarda had his hand in the designs of many icons. He worked on designs for the Lancia Flaminia Coupe, DeTomaso Pantera, Saab 900, and the Qvale Mangusta.

North American models first arrived in 1968. These cars came standard with four wheel disc brakes and a five-speed manual transmission. Original asking price for a 1968 124: $3,181; the Alfa Spider? $3,950.

The 124's strengths weren't just confined to its styling either. Its fantastic dual overhead cam four cylinder evolved throughout the car's first generation, growing from 1400 to 1900cc and 89 to 133 horsepower, respectively. This generation of 124 had an impressive 17 year sales run in the US. Now, we're eagerly anticipating the 124 Spider's return to American soil.

The AEC Routemaster isn't so much a bus, as it is a definitive symbol of England. Routemasters ran regular service in London from February 1956 to December 2005. "Heritage" routes 9 and 15 in central London still use Routemaster buses.

And then, a startle from an unfamiliar horn. It had to be taken straight from the pages of history, and surely enough, the clattering sounds and familiar smell of diesel smoke born an even more familiar image: a classic London bus. The last time I saw one of these, it had been turned into a coffee shop with an Asheville, North Carolina address. But that's the wonder of travel, you never know what you're going to see.