Carspotting in Buckhead

North of downtown Atlanta sits the affluent community of Buckhead. In the early 20th century, this was a heavily-wooded area full of hunting estates owned by wealthy Atlanta businessmen. Now, it's still home to the city's wealthiest and along with them, high-end retail at Phipps Plaza and Lenox Mall.

And, no surprise, it's also home to some pretty nice cars. Your best opportunity to see some of these is on a sunny weekend like this one, where I was in the area picking up a new camera lens. Sure, there are garden variety (for the wealthier among us) Range Rovers and Mercedes G-Classes, but you're also likely to find a few trophies. Here are some I ran across during my walk around Buckhead.

Starting out, we've got a stealthy one. The P38 Range Rover (that body style produced from 1997 to 2003) may not seem like anything special initially, but when you consider some of the many perceived and real gremlins of this truck, you'll understand why. These take a lot of care (and money) to keep on the road, especially as a daily driver. Electrics follow the common British rule that if it can break, it will. Not to mention early air suspension that was haphazard at best.

The Discovery also makes an appearance here. Trusting a Landy to travel 600 miles one-way may not necessarily be a fool's errand, but it's one you're bound to take with a bit of baited breath. However, it looks like this Rover, plated in the District of Columbia, has done just fine.

Keeping the Union Jack flying is this Aston Martin Vantage, which announced its presence long before it came into view.

Character need not always come with intricate repair jobs, though. This is evidenced by the Acura NSX, particularly this first generation, which uses the V6 from an Accord. Its shape is a home run too, representing the glory days of enthusiast-minded Hondas.

And to conclude, a blast from the past. Chevrolet's split window Corvette Stingray is now one of the most collectible Vettes you can buy, and this one cruised down Peachtree Street like it was the in the Woodward Dream Cruise.