Automobile Brand's Of The Past..,

Bus Art

2012-01-12T17:10:00.000-08:00

Source: Internet

Tupelo Automobile Museum

2012-01-11T11:44:00.000-08:00

Tupelo Automobile Museum is located in Tupelo, Mississippi. This museum has over one hundred cars that date back to 1869. Consisting of the late Frank Spain's personal collection, these cars rang from antique, rare, and celebrity.

Museum at a glanceLocated at 1 Otis Boulevard (across from the Bancorpsouth Arena) in downtown Tupelo, Mississippi, this automotive museum displays, in the 120,000 sq. ft. facility, over 100 of the 150 car collection. Special interest automotive exhibits supplement the permanent display throughout the year. Vehicles date from 1886 to 2011 and feature rare vehicles such as a '48 Tucker, 1916 Owen Magnetic, 1920 Cord L-29, 1929 Duesenberg Model J, 1937 Lagonda and a large array of 50's, 60's and 70's cars and celebrity vehicles including one purchased by Elvis Presley. The cars are displayed in chronological order to illustrate the progress of automotive design and innovation. The collection is owned by a non-profit educational foundation. The museum is open daily, Monday-Saturday, 9am to 4:30pm and Sundays Noon to 4:30pm and only closed on Christmas, New Year, Thanksgiving and Easter days.

Collection

The museum has over one hundred cars on display. Some of the cars are: an 1899 Knox, a 1964 Leslie, Liberace's Corvette, a never driven Dodge Viper, and a 1976 Lincoln Mark IV. The 1899 Knox is a rare Duesenburg, that is one of fifty-one tuckers ever made. The specially built "Leslie Special" was in the film "The Great Race". The 1976 Lincoln Mark IV was once owned by Elvis Presley. The museum also features Hispano Suizas.

Link:

Website for Tupelo Automobile Museum

Source: Internet

Cruising Woodward

2012-01-11T11:36:00.002-08:00

Click Here to read the complete article.

Source: Internet

Cruising Woodward

2012-01-11T11:36:00.000-08:00

Click Here to read the complete article.

Source: Internet

Enterra Vipre

2012-01-02T09:35:00.000-08:00

Enterra Vipre is an out-of-production Canadian sports car.

History

In the mid 1980's, Enterra Technologies Ltd. allegedly received C$8 to 10 million loan guarantees and tax credits from the Canadian government's Scientific Research Council. This money was to be used to build a manufacturing facility in Burnaby, British Columbia, to produce the Vipre.

Our research shows only 36 cars built in Canada. Of these, most were sold into the United States. The Vipre was only to be sold through General Motors (GM) dealerships as an option known as the Enterra Style package on a Pontiac Fiero SE. GM, in agreement with this plan, was then to cover the regular warranty, with an additional warranty for the body and interior through Enterra.

There are discrepancies in the numbers sold. Some evidence points towards several incomplete cars (the number eight has come up several times from former employees interviewed) being left over when the company folded in late 1987, so the total number of cars built is in question.

The car was offered only as an option on a new Fiero and never as a kit, for fear it would lose its advantage over kit cars in the process.

The first set of body molds were used until late 1986. There were minor fitting problems with the first set so in late 1986 a new, better-fitting set of molds were created for the last year the company remained in business. The molds for the body were then sold to a Californian company which re-formed the molds and two more cars were built before that company also went out of business, after which the molds apparently disappeared.

Installation

These cars were built on fully loaded V6-powered Fiero SEs. The cars were stripped of the bodies and interiors and the sleek body and custom interiors installed. They only came in 4 colours: red; black; gun metal gray; and white. The paint of choice was Sikens. All suspension, drivetrain, braking system, and cooling system components remained stock Fiero.

Links:

Enterra Vipre

Collectible Classic: 1935-1936 Chevrolet Master DeLuxe

2011-12-05T14:48:00.000-08:00

Click Here to read the article from AOL Autos.

Source; Internet

Essex (automobile)

2011-11-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

Essex Logo

The Essex was a brand of automobile produced by the Essex Motor Company from 1918–1922 and Hudson Motor Company of Detroit, Michigan between 1922 and 1932.

Corporate strategy

During its production run, the Essex was considered a small car and affordably priced. The Essex is generally credited with starting the trends away from open Touring cars toward enclosed passenger compartments as the rule, not the exception.

The Essex enjoyed immediate popularity following its 1919 introduction. More than 1.13 million Essex automobiles were sold by the time the Essex name was retired in 1932 and replaced by the Terraplane

Originally, the Essex was to be a product of the "Essex Motor Company" which actually was a wholly owned entity of Hudson's. Essex Motors went to so far as to lease the Studebaker auto factory in Detroit for production of the car. By 1922 the Essex Motor Company was dissolved and the Essex officially became what it was all along, a product of Hudson.

Essex cars

Essex cars were designed to be moderately priced cars which would be affordable to the average family. Proving durable, their capabilities were checked upon and confirmed by AAA and the United States Postal Service. In 1919 an Essex completed a 50-hour, 3,037.4 miles endurance test in Cincinnati, Ohio, at an average speed of 60.75 miles per hour. The early Essex cars also captured many hill climb records. In a special Essex race car, Glen Shultz won the 1923 Pikes Peak Hill Climb.

Initially Essex marketed a line of touring cars (open four-door cars with canvas tops), which was the most popular body style of cars in production at the time. While Essex added an enclosed sedan in 1920, it was the introduction of the 1922 closed coach, priced at $1,495 (equal to $19,590 today), only $300 (equal to $3,931 today) above that of the touring car. By 1925 the coach was priced below that of the touring car. While Henry Ford is credited with inventing the affordable car, it was Essex that made the enclosed car affordable.

Essex sales remained strong through the 1920s and into 1931 before sales began to trend downward. For 1932 a redesigned Essex debuted and was named the Essex-Terraplane, a play on the word aeroplane. By 1933 the Essex was no more and the car carried on as the Terraplane.

The instrument panel of the 1932 Essex featured the first use of "warning lights" instead of gauges.

Essex production models

Essex Coach

An Essex motor car ( 4 door saloon ) was seen on the Aventine Hill in Rome outside of the church of Santa Sabina on 21 January 2010 being used in the filming of a period drama.

Source: Wikipedia

Vauxhall Velox

2011-10-03T07:21:00.000-07:00

Vauxhall Velox 1958

The Vauxhall Velox (L-Type) is a medium sized six-cylinder saloon. By the time production ended, in 1965, it had evolved into a large family car, competing in the UK with the contemporary six cylinder Ford Zephyr. It was introduced by Vauxhall in 1948 as a successor to the Vauxhall Fourteen. Between 1948 and 1957 the Velox shared its body with the less powerful four cylinder engined Vauxhall Wyvern. Between 1957 and 1965 it shared its body with the more luxuriously equipped Vauxhall Cresta.

The Velox and its Opel contemporaries are remembered for having mirrored North American styling trends much more closely than other European models of the time: this was particularly apparent following the introduction in 1957 of the confidently styled PA version of the Velox.

Velox LIP (1948 - 1951)

Vauxhall Velox LIP

Production 1948-1951

Assembly

Luton, Bedfordshire, England

Biel, Switzerland

Body style 4-door saloon

Engine 2275 cc I6 ohv

54 bhp (40 kW)

Wheelbase 97.75 in (2,483 mm)

Length 164.5 in (4,178 mm)

Width 62 in (1,575 mm)

Height 63 in (1,600 mm)

Curb weight 2,268 lb (1,029 kg)

Related Vauxhall Wyvern

The classic four door saloon boasted a newly developed straight six cylinder engine of 2275 cc, with overhead valves. The 54 bhp (40 kW) power output provided for a claimed top speed of 74 mph (119 km/h). Power was delivered to the rear wheels via a three speed manual gear box with synchromesh on the top two ratios.

Optional extras included a heater from which warm air was evenly distributed between the front and back areas of the passenger cabin and which could be set to de-ice the windscreen in winter or to provide cool air ventilation in summer. Also available at extra charge was an AM radio integrated into the facia.

The body was shared with the four cylinder Vauxhall Wyvern, a pattern that continued with subsequent versions of the Velox until 1957. The interior of the Velox was not greatly differentiated from that of the Wyvern, but it could boast superior seating materials and, for the rear seat, a central arm rest.

Early Velox and Wyvern models were assembled at Vauxhall's Luton plant in England, at the General Motors plant at Biel in Switzerland and in Australia (by Holden in Melbourne) and New Zealand at the GM plant in Petone near Wellington.

A car tested by The Motor magazine in 1949 had a top speed of 74.1 mph (119.3 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 22.8 seconds. A fuel consumption of 22.3 miles per imperial gallon (12.7 L/100 km; 18.6 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £550 including taxes.

Velox EIP (1951 - 1952)Vauxhall Velox EIP Vauxhall Velox 1955

Vauxhall Velox 1957

Production 1951-1957
235,296 made
Assembly Luton, Bedfordshire, England

Body style 4-door saloon

Engine 2275 cc I6 ohv

55 bhp (41 kW)

2262 cc I6 ohv

64 bhp (48 kW)

2262 cc I6 ohv

67.5 bhp (50.3 kW)

Transmission 3 speed manual

Wheelbase 103 in (2,616 mm)

Length 172 in (4,369 mm)

Width 67 in (1,702 mm)

Height 63.5 in (1,613 mm)

Curb weight 2,352 lb (1,067 kg) - 2,436 lb (1,105 kg)

Related

Vauxhall Cresta EIPC

Vauxhall Wyvern

Late in 1951 a completely new much larger Velox was launched, featuring a modern 'three box' shape and integral construction. The body was again shared with the 4 cylinder engined Wyvern. The car was launched with the previous model's engine but with power output increased to 58 bhp (43 kW).

A car with the original 2275 cc engine tested by The Motor magazine in 1951 had a top speed of 77.4 mph (124.6 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 23.7 seconds. A fuel consumption of 23.5 miles per imperial gallon (12.0 L/100 km; 19.6 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £802 including taxes. In the same year, the magazine tested the similarly sized Ford Zephyr Six. Ford's test car was fitted with options including a radio, a heater and leather seating: thus equipped the Zephyr came with a recommended retail price of £842.

Velox EIP/EIPV (1952 - 1957)

Less than one year after the appearance of the first ponton models, the Velox received a new over-square 2262 cc engine which had been in the development pipeline for several years. This provided either 64 bhp (48 kW) or, with a compression ratio improved to 7.6:1, 68 bhp (51 kW) of power.

1954 saw a significant facelift. Most obvious of the many cosmetic changes was a new front grill. More important was the introduction at this time of a sister model, branded as the Vauxhall Cresta. In addition to superior equipment levels, the Cresta was distinguished by a two tone paint finish.

Detroit was by now favouring annual facelifts, and Vauxhall reflected that trend, announcing a facelifted Velox for the 1955 London Motor Show and again in 1956. Technically, however, there were no further changes until the arrival of a completely new Velox in October 1957.

A further test by The Motor magazine in 1952, now with the short stroke 2262 cc engine, found the top speed had increased to 80.4 mph (129.4 km/h) and accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) to 21.4 seconds. A similar fuel consumption of 23.6 miles per imperial gallon (12.0 L/100 km; 19.7 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost had risen to £833 including taxes.

Velox PA S/PA SY (1957 - 1960)

Vauxhall Velox PA 1960 Vauxhall Velox (North America)

Production 1957-1962

Assembly Luton, Bedfordshire, England

Body style

4-door saloon

5-door estate car

Engine 2262 cc I6 ohv

82.5 bhp (61.5 kW)

2651 cc I6 ohv

94.6 bhp (70.5 kW)

Wheelbase 105 in (2,667 mm)

Length 177.5 in (4,509 mm)

Width 68.5 in (1,740 mm)

Curb weight 2,520 lb (1,143 kg) - 2,576 lb (1,168 kg)

Related Vauxhall Cresta PA

At the 1957 London Motor Show Vauxhall presented radically new Velox and Cresta models: these would come to be known as the PA versions, being the first of the P series. Particularly eye catching was the new wrap-around windscreen, which combined with a huge three part rear window to create an exceptionally airy passenger cabin, providing exceptional all round visibility. The back of the Velox was graced by tail fins, a Detroit inspired trend already taken up by the car's Ford rival, and which would in the next two years be followed also by such European competitors as Fiat, BMC and Peugeot. On the inside the new Velox also followed US practice, combining a front bench seat with a column mounted gear change / shift, continuing a trend back to the first Velox of 1948.

Minor modifications to the car's six cylinder engine raised power output to 83 bhp (61 kW). As before, the Cresta was distinguished from the Velox model by superior levels of equipment and a two tone paint finish.

The Velox PA received its first facelift in October 1959 when the front grill was enlarged and the three piece rear window was replaced by a single wrap-around window. Technical improvements had to await the 1960 facelift, however.

Vauxhall Velox estate / wagon 1959

Velox PA SX (1960 - 1962)

The October 1960 facelift was marked by further modifications to the trim and to the rear lights. There was also a new engine, still of six cylinders, but now increased in capacity to 2651 cc, and delivering 95 bhp (71 kW). The UK had recently embarked on its first programme of motorway building, and the Velox now boasted a straight line maximum speed of 94 mph (151 km/h).

At the same time, the saloon models were joined by a five door estate.

In their 1960 form, the Velox and its Cresta sibling continued without further significant changes until replaced in Autumn 1962.

Velox PB (1962 - 1965)

Vauxhall Velox PB

Production 1962-1965

Assembly Luton, Bedfordshire, England

Body style

4-door saloon

5-door estate car

Engine

2651 cc I6 ohv

94.6 bhp (70.5 kW)

3293 cc I6 ohv

115 bhp (86 kW)

Wheelbase 107.5 in (2,731 mm)

Length 181.75 in (4,616 mm)

Width 70.25 in (1,784 mm)

Curb weight 2,632 lb (1,194 kg)

Related Vauxhall Cresta PB

The final version of the Velox, launched along with the Cresta PB at the London Motor Show in October 1962, was well over four and a half meters long: it was the largest Velox ever built, longer and wider than the benchmark Ford Zephyr with which it competed in the UK. The new car was considered stylistically more restrained than its flamboyant predecessor, the removal of vertical fins emphasizing the car's width. Power output was increased to 115 bhp (86 kW). Two years after launch, the Velox PB became available with a more powerful 3294 cc engine for its third and final year: this made it one of the fastest European saloons of its day.

October 1965 saw the introduction of the Vauxhall Cresta PC, equipped with that same 3294 cc engine. This time no Velox version was offered. Rather, the Cresta itself became the base model, with two headlights, complemented by the more luxurious Cresta Deluxe, with four headlights, and the vinyl roof Vauxhall Viscount with more luxurious trim and power windows.

Source: Internet

GM FuturLiner

2011-09-24T08:01:00.001-07:00

The GM Futurliners were a group of stylized buses designed in the 1940s by Harley Earl for General Motors. They were used in GM's Parade of Progress, which traveled the United States exhibiting new cars and technology. The Futurliners were used from 1940 to 1941 and again from 1953 to 1956. A total of 12 were built, and 9 were still known to exist as of 2007.

Parade of Progress

Each Futurliner displayed modern advances in science and technology such as jet engines, stereophonic sound, microwave ovens, television and many other modern innovations of the time.

The Parade of Progress was halted by WWII. The vehicles were refurbished by GM and the Parade resumed in 1953, and were discontinued in 1956, a victim of the technologies the Futurliners had featured: television.

In addition to the Futurliners, the Parade of Progress included 32 support vehicles.

After the Parade

Following the Parade of Progress, the twelve Futurliners were disposed of by General Motors.

Two Futurliners were donated by GM to the Michigan State Police. Rechristened as "Safetyliners", they were used to promote safety on the roads.

At least one Futurliner was purchased by Oral Roberts and used as a portable stage during evangelical crusades of the 1960's. This vehicle may have been taken to Central or South America.

Today

Futurliner #11 sold for a record US$4,000,000 (plus premium) on Jan 21, 2006 at a Barrett-Jackson auction in Arizona. Too large to ship, it was driven to its new home in Chandler.

Futurliner #10 is believed to be the most accurately restored of the Futurliners.

As of summer 2008 Futurliner #8 was delivered to its new Swedish owner Nicklas Jonsson who plans to restore it over a 10-year period. It's the first and only Futurliner in Europe.

Of the other six known surviving Futurliners, one is used as a motorhome and two in advertising. One is in Maine and is currently being restored. It is owned by Tom Learned and is powered by a GM V-8 with an Allison automatic transmission. The other four are generally beyond restorable condition.

Links:

Other GM Futurliners

The GM Futurliner Restoration Project

The General Motors Futurliner: A History

Source: Wikipedia

Packard And Air Conditioning

2011-09-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Air conditioning, which was once a great luxury, is now a common feature on most motor vehicles.

The timing couldn't have been worse: The Packard Motor Company introduced the first built-in, factory-installed air conditioning in its models in 1939, not long before the United States entered World War II, a time that called for thrift and sacrifice, not the extravagance of chilled air. It didn't help that the optional feature was a gargantuan device that filled half of the trunk and cost more than $4,000 in today's dollars. Packard dropped the feature in 1941. Even after the war, air conditioning was an expensive luxury item, reappearing in the 1950's, and only becoming popular in warmer climates. Today, climate control is a given, and comes standard in some 99 percent of new vehicles.

Source: Internet

Taylor Aerocar

2011-09-24T06:17:00.000-07:00

Designer Moulton Taylor came up with the idea of folding wings when he designed the first Aerocar prototype, which debuted in 1949. A Lycoming engine was mounted over the rear wheels and drove a propeller behind the tail. For road use, the wings folded back alongside the tail, which was disconnected and towed like a trailer. It was a CAA-certified aircraft and could cruise in the air at 100 mph, or reach 65 mph on the road. Four examples of the first design were built and sold, and one is still flying.

Source: Internet

Fulton Airphibian

2011-09-24T06:14:00.000-07:00

Successfully tested in 1947, the Airphibian was the first roadable aircraft to be certified by the Civil Aeronautics Administration. In flight, it looked like a small airplane. For road use, its entire aft section, including the tail and wings, was detached and rested on its own small wheels. The propeller was also removed. The Airphibian was quite airworthy, and on a dare from Life magazine, inventor Robert Fulton once used it to travel from his home in Connecticut to Manhattan to attend a Broadway show. Fulton blamed government regulations for making it unmarketable.

Source: Internet

Hotchkiss Artois

2011-09-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

The Artois was a luxury car produced from 1948 to 1950 by the French automaker Hotchkiss.

The Artois was presented at the Paris Motor Show in October 1948 as a replacement for the (Italian: Hotchkiss 864).

Mechanically the car did not represent any great advance. The engine was the 4-cylinder in-line 2312cc engine from the 864. Claimed power was raised from 58 hp to 70 hp, however, presumably reflecting the higher compression ratios made possible with the slow reappearance of higher octane fuels after the Second World War.

In addition, a 6-cylinder 3485cc engined version was offered, using the engine from the company’s (Italian: 620) and (Italian: 866) models, but with stated power output reduced from 125 hp to 110 hp in order to avoid competing too directly with the more expensive models.

The stated top speed was 120 km/h (75 mph) for the four cylinder car and 140 km/h (91 mph) for the six cylinder model.

Independent front suspension represented an advance over the rigid front axle arrangement of the predecessor model.

Visually the Artois was almost indistinguishable from the (Italian: Hotchkiss 864) until 1949 when the car underwent a minor facelift which involved repositioning the lights at the front of the car.

In 1950 the Artois was replaced by the (Italian: Hotchkiss Anjou) and the innovative Hotchkiss Grégoire.

Source: Wikipedia

Singer SM1500

2011-09-19T10:11:00.001-07:00

The Singer SM1500 was a saloon car produced by the Singer Motor Company from 1948 to 1954. It was the first car produced by Singer after World War II being officially announced in 1947 with deliveries starting for export in 1948 and for the home market in 1949.

The car had a pressed steel body mounted on a separate chassis with independent suspension at the front using coil springs. Only a four door saloon was made. The brakes were hydraulically operated using a Lockheed system with 9 in (229 mm) drums. The four speed gearbox had a column change.

The car was almost unique among British volume produced saloons in featuring an overhead camshaft engine. The engine was based on the one used in the Super 12 but with larger bore and shorter stroke giving a capacity of 1506 cc. From 1951 the stroke was further reduced to give a capacity of 1497 cc to bring it into the sub 1500 class. From 1952 a 58 bhp (43 kW) twin carburettor version was available for an extra £28. It was reported that the engine block was so tough that the manufacturers were happy to quote 65,000 miles (105,000 kilometers) as a "normal" interval between rebores.

Inside, the car had a bench front seat with folding armrest and was optionally covered in leather. The metal trim was given a wood grain finish.

A twin carb version tested by The Motor magazine in 1952 had a top speed of 76 mph (122 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 23.5 seconds. A fuel consumption of 22.5 miles per imperial gallon (12.6 L/100 km; 18.7 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £1168 including taxes.

17,382 SM1500 cars were made.

Singer Hunter

Manufacturer Singer Motor Company

Production 1954-1956

4,750 produced

Predecessor Singer SM1500

Successor Singer Gazelle

Body style 4-door saloon

Engine 1,497 cc overhead cam

In September 1954 the car was re-branded as the Singer Hunter with a traditional radiator grille and fibreglass bonnet lid until 1955. The Hunter was well equipped with twin horns and screenwash as standard. A horse-head mascot was fitted over the radiator. 4772 Hunters were made.

A more basic model, the Hunter S, was released in 1956.

A more powerful Hunter 75 had a twin overhead camshaft engine (using an HRG designed cylinder head) but very few, possibly 20, were made before the range was cancelled after the Rootes Group took over Singer.

The Hunter has an odd claim to fame in the film Fire Maidens from Outer Space by Cy Roth, sometimes called the worse film ever made. The car appears in several rather pointless tracking shots at the beginning of the film. As the film was produced just as the Singer company was heading for bankruptcy and take over in 1956, it can be assumed this was an early form of product placement.

The Hunter name was revived by Rootes in 1966 for their Rootes Arrow range, in the form of the Hillman Hunter.

Source: Wikipedia

Lagonda 2.6-Litre

2011-09-19T10:09:00.001-07:00

The first new automobile produced by Lagonda after its purchase by David Brown in 1947 was the 2.6-Litre. It was named for the new high-tech straight-6 engine which debuted with the car. The so-called Lagonda Straight-6 engine was designed by Walter Owen Bentley and would propel Lagonda's new parent company, Aston Martin, to fame.

The 2.6-Litre was a larger car than the Aston Martins and was available as either a 4-door closed car or from 1949 2-door convertible "Drophead Coupé", both with 4 seats. The drophead was bodied by Tickford, at the time not part of Aston Martin. A Mark II version appeared in 1952, in closed form only, with engine power increased to 125 bhp.

The car sold reasonably well, in spite of being an expensive car and being launched so soon after the war, with 510 examples made when production ended in 1953.

The car had a separate chassis and all independent suspension using coil springs at the front and torsion bars at the rear. At introduction it was believed to be the only all-independently sprung British car. The Lockheed brakes had 12 in (305 mm) drums at the front and 11 in (279 mm) at the rear with the latter being mounted inboard. Rack and pinion steering was used.

A drophead version tested by The Motor magazine in 1949 had a top speed of 90.2 mph (145.2 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 17.6 seconds. A fuel consumption of 17 miles per imperial gallon (17 L/100 km; 14 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £3,420 including taxes.

Source: Wikipedia

Morris Six MS

2011-09-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

The Morris Six MS was a six-cylinder midsize car from the Morris Motor Company made from 1948 to 1953. It was the company's first post war six cylinder car. At launch the car was priced at £671 on the UK market.

The car was very similar to the 1948 Issigonis designed Morris Oxford series MO sharing the same bodyshell from the windscreen backwards. The bonnet was lengthened to take the overhead camshaft, single SU carburettor, 2215 cc six cylinder engine which produced 70 bhp (52 kW) at 4800 rpm. The whole car was longer than the Oxford with a wheelbase of 110 inches (2,800 mm) against 97 inches (2,500 mm). Suspension was independent at the front using torsion bars and at the rear there was a conventional live axle and semi elliptic springs. The steering was not by the rack and pinion fitted to the Oxford but used a lower geared Bishop Cam system. The 10 inches (250 mm) drum brakes were hydraulically operated using a Lockheed system.

The design was shared with Nuffield Organisation stable-mate Wolseley as the 6/80.

A car tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1950 had a top speed of 82.5 mph (132.8 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 22.4 seconds. A fuel consumption of 20 miles per imperial gallon (14 L/100 km; 17 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £671 including taxes.

In 1950 the rear axle ratio was lowered to improve acceleration and twin dampers fitted to the front torsion bar independent suspension.

A de-luxe version was announced at the 1953 London Motor Show with leather upholstery, a heater and over-riders on the front bumpers.

Six Sister: The Wolseley 6/80 sibling

Morris Six series MS

MS Six tall grille

Source: Wikipedia

Morris Minor

2011-09-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

The Morris Minor was a British economy car that debuted at the Earls Court Motor Show, London, on 20 September 1948. Designed under the leadership of Alec Issigonis, more than 1.3 million were manufactured between 1948 and 1971. Initially available as a 2-door saloon and tourer (convertible), the range was subsequently expanded to include a 4-door saloon in 1950, and in 1952 a wood-framed estate (the Traveller), panel van and pick-up truck variants.

The Minor was manufactured in three series, Series I, Series II (1952) and finally the 1000 series (1956).

History

Sir Alec Issigonis' concept was to combine the luxury and convenience of a good motor car at a price affordable by the working classes. The Minor was a roomy vehicle with superior cornering and handling characteristics. Internal politics inside BMC, the parent of Morris, may have led to the limited North American sales. The Minor prototype had been known as the Morris Mosquito.

More than 1.3 million of the lightweight, rear-wheel drive cars were eventually produced, mainly in Cowley, Oxfordshire, and exported around the world, with many variants of the original model. Production continued in Birmingham, England until 1971 (for the commercial variants and estate only). The last Morris Minor (commercial) was assembled at Stoke, Nelson, New Zealand in 1974.

Manapouri, New Zealand

The Minor has been described as typifying “Englishness”, a "British icon" and a "design classic".

Minor MM

Morris Minor MM

Production 1948–53; 250,

962 produced

Assembly Oxford, England

Body style 4-door saloon, 2-door coupe, 2-door convertible

Engine 918 cc (0.918 l) Morris Sidevalve engine I4

The original Minor MM series lasted from 1948 until 1953. It included a pair of 4-seat saloons, 2-door and 4-door, and a convertible 4-seat Tourer. The front torsion bar suspension was shared with the larger Morris Oxford, as was the almost-unibody construction. Although the Minor was originally designed to accept a flat-4 engine, with four distinctive gaps in the engine bay to accommodate it, late in the development stage it was replaced by a 918 cc (56.0 cu in) side-valve straight-4 producing 27.5 hp (21 kW) and 39 lbf·ft (53 N·m) of torque. This little engine pushed the Minor to just 64 mph (103 km/h) but delivered 40 miles per imperial gallon (7.1 L/100 km; 33 mpg-US).

Early cars had a painted section in the centre of the bumpers to cover the widening of the production car from the prototypes. This widening of 4 inches (102 mm) is also visible in the creases in the bonnet. Exports to the United States began in 1949with the headlamps removed from within the grille to be mounted higher on the wings to meet safety regulations. These became standard on all Minors for 1951. When production of the first series ended, just over a quarter of a million had been sold, 30% of them the convertible Tourer model.

A tourer tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1950 had a top speed of 58.7 mph (94.5 km/h) and could accelerate from 0–50 mph (80 km/h) in 29.2 seconds. A fuel consumption of 42 miles per imperial gallon (6.7 L/100 km; 35 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £382 including taxes.

Minor Series II

Morris Minor Series II

Production 1952–56;

269,838 produced

Assembly Oxford, England, Birmingham, England

Body style 2-door coupe, 4-door saloon, 2-door convertible, 2-door estate, 2-door pickup truck, 2-door van

Engine 803 cc (0.803 l) A-Series I4

In 1952, the Minor line was updated with an Austin-designed 803 cc (49.0 cu in) overhead valve A-Series engine, replacing the original side-valve unit. The engine had been designed for the Minor's main competition, the Austin A30, but became available as Austin and Morris were merged into the British Motor Corporation. The new engine felt stronger, though all measurements were smaller than the old. The 52 second drive to 60 mph (97 km/h) was still calm, with 63 mph (101 km/h) as the top speed. Fuel consumption also rose to 36 miles per imperial gallon (7.8 L/100 km; 30 mpg-US).

An estate version was introduced, known as the Traveller (a Morris naming tradition for estates, also seen on the Mini), along with van and pick-up versions. The Traveller featured an external structural ash (wood) frame for the rear bodywork, with two side-hinged rear doors. The frame was varnished rather than painted and a highly visible feature of the body style. Rear bodies of the van versions were all steel. The 4-seat convertible and saloon variants continued as well.

The grille was modified in October 1954, and a new dashboard with a central speedometer was fitted. Almost half a million examples had been produced when the line ended in 1956.

The Motor magazine tested a 4-door saloon in 1952. It reported a top speed of 62 mph (100 km/h) and acceleration from 0–50 mph (80 km/h) in 28.6 seconds. A fuel consumption of 39.3 miles per imperial gallon (7.19 L/100 km; 32.7 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £631 including taxes.

Engines:

1952–56: 803 cc A-Series Straight-4, 30 hp (22 kW) at 4800 rpm and 40 lbf·ft (54 N·m) at 2400 rpm

Minor 1000

Morris Minor 1000

Production 1956–71;

847,491 produced

Assembly
Oxford, England
Birmingham, England

Body style 2-door saloon, 4-door saloon, 2-door convertible, 2-door estate, 2-door pickup truck, 2-door van

Engine 948 cc (0.948 l) BMC A-Series I4, 1,098 cc (1.098 l) BMC A-Series I4

The car was again updated in 1956 when the engine was increased in capacity to 948 cc (57.9 cu in). The two-piece split windscreen was replaced with a curved one-piece one and the rear window was enlarged. In 1961 the semaphore-style trafficators were replaced by the flashing direction indicators, then becoming the norm for the UK market. An upmarket car based on the Minor floorpan using the larger BMC B-Series engine was sold as the Riley One-Point-Five/Wolseley 1500 beginning in 1957: a version, with tail fins added, of this Wolseley/Riley variant was also produced in Australia as the Morris Major.

Morris Minor Traveller (estate)Minor Million

In February 1961 the Morris Minor became the first British car to sell more than 1,000,000 units; in Italy, the Fiat 600 notched up its first million in the same month. To commemorate the achievement, a limited edition of 350 two-door Minor saloons (one for each UK Morris dealership) was produced with distinctive lilac paintwork and a white interior. Also the badge name on the side of the bonnet was modified to read "Minor 1,000,000" instead of the standard "Minor 1000". The millionth Minor was donated to the National Union of Journalists, who planned to use it as a prize in a competition in aid of the union's Widow and Orphan Fund. The company, at the same time, presented a celebratory Minor to London's Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children, but this car was constructed of cake.

Morris Minor 1000 Pickup (1960 North American model)ADO59

The final major upgrades were made to the Minor 1000 in 1962, when it gained another larger version of the A-Series engine. Developed in conjunction with cylinder head specialist, Harry Weslake, for the then new ADO16 Austin/Morris 1100 range, this new engine used a taller block with increased bore and stroke bringing total capacity up to 1098cc. Although fuel consumption suffered moderately at 38 mpg, the Minor's top speed increased to 77 mph (124 km/h) with noticeable improvements in low-end torque giving an altogether more responsive drive. Other changes included a modified dashboard layout with toggle switches, textured steel instrument binnacle, and larger convex glove box covers. A different heater completed the interior upgrade, whilst the larger, more modern combined front side/indicator light units common to many BMC vehicles of the time, were fitted to the front wings.

During the life of the Minor 1000 model, production declined. The last Convertible/Tourer was manufactured on 18 August 1969, and the saloon line was discontinued the following year. 1971 was the last year for the Traveller and commercial versions. Almost 850,000 Minor 1000s were made in all. The car was officially replaced by the Morris Marina, which replaced it on the Cowley production lines. For the management of what had, by 1971, mutated into the British Leyland Motor Corporation, the Morris Marina was seen primarily as a "cheap to build" competitor to Ford's top selling (and in many respects conservatively engineered) Cortina, rather than as a replacement for the (in its day) strikingly innovative Morris Minor.

Safety

Despite the four major updates of the Minor in its 23-year production run, very few actively designed 'safety features' were ever installed. Provisions were made for seat belt fittings in the early 60's, but the rigid structure of the car's monocoque body made it dangerously unabsorbent to impact. For a short time in 1968, the thickness of the steel used in the bonnet and doors was decreased from 1.2mm to 1.0mm to act as a form of 'crumple zone', but as the wings continued to be made of 1.4mm mild steel, the modification was largely ineffectual and was reversed in 1969.

Commercial versions

Closed van and open flat-bed ('pick-up') versions of the Minor were built from 1953 until the end of production. They were designed for commercial use with small businesses, although many made their way to larger corporations. Van versions were popular with the General Post Office, the early versions of these (to around 1956) having rubber front wings to cope with the sometimes unforgiving busy situations in which they were expected to work. Both the Van and the Pickup differed from the monocoque construction of the Saloon and Traveller variants by having a separate chassis. They also differed in details such as telescopic rear dampers, stiffer rear leaf springs and lower-ratio differentials to cope with heavier loads.

Engines

1956–62:948 cc A-Series Straight-4, 37 hp (28 kW) at 4750 rpm and 50 lbf·ft (68 N·m) at 2500 rpm

1962–71:1098 cc A-Series Straight-4, 48 hp (36 kW) at 5100 rpm and 60 lbf·ft (81 N·m) at 2500 rpm

Morris Minor today

Morris Minor rally

Today the Morris Minor and 1000 are among the best served classic family-sized cars in the old vehicle movement and continue to gain popularity. The enduring affection for the "Moggie" (also a common British nickname for an undistinguished cat, or a Morgan) or "Morrie" (as it is often known in Australia and New Zealand) is reflected in the number of restored and improved Morris Minors currently running in Britain, Australasia and in India. In addition to more powerful engines, desirable improvements necessitated by the increase in traffic density since the Minor was withdrawn from volume production include the replacement of the original equipment drum brakes with discs. Other important upgrades include the 1,27cc (77.8 cu in) version of the A-series engine, derided by Morris Marina enthusiasts as a key reason why many Marinas were scrapped. Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson once stated that the Morris Minor is Britain's Volkswagen Beetle.

The Morris Minor is still being built today, by the Durable Car Company in Sri Lanka.

Source: Wikipedia

Carbodies

2011-09-19T09:34:00.001-07:00

Carbodies is a British company based in Holyhead Road, Coventry, that started as a coachbuilder but is now best known for its taxicab production business.

Alvis TA 14 drophead coupé by Carbodies Limited 1947

The company was founded in 1919 when Robert Jones bought the vehicle body making business from Gooderham. Rather than make bespoke bodies to individual designs, Carbodies set out to produce production runs of coachwork for makers that did not have their own bodyshops or were short of capacity. Typical companies supplied were Alvis Cars, the Rootes Group and MG.

During World War 2 the company made bodies for military vehicles and aircraft components.

After the war Carbodies got a major contract from the Austin Motor Company to make taxi bodies as well as work from Ford, making the bodies for the convertible Consul, Zephyr and Zodiac. MG remained a major customer, along with other BMC makes. Carbodies also supplied prototype bodies and tooling, projects including the Jaguar E-type bonnet.

In 1954 Robert Jones sold the company to the BSA group and in 1973 BSA was bought by Manganese Bronze. The company is now called LTI Ltd, an abbreviation of London Taxis International. As an addendum as from 2011 the company is now called LTC....The London Taxi Company.

Source: Wikipedia

Alvis TB 14

2011-09-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

The Alvis TB 14 was a British two seater open car produced by Alvis cars based on the running gear of the TA 14 saloon and made only in 1950.

Alvis contracted AP Metalcraft, a Coventry coachbuilder, to produce the two door open car body to fit on the TA 14 chassis. The car had heavily cut away door tops on the rear hinged doors and very long sweeping front wings and a fold down windscreen. The radiator grille was a controversial item being pear shaped with the bottom side bulges concealing the headlights which consequentially were a long way from the side of the car. The front sidelights were mounted in the bumpers. Both right and left hand drive versions were made.

The 1892 cc engine was slightly modified to produce 68 bhp (51 kW), 3 bhp (2.2 kW) more than the saloon engine by fitting twin SU carburettors. The TA 14 suspension was retained with its non-independent leaf springing all round. As the car was lighter than the TA 14 the final drive ratio was changed from 4.875:1 to 4.3:1 helping to increase the top speed and improving economy.

The car could reach 80 mph (130 km/h) but its high price of £1276 on the home market limited sales sales.

Source: Wikipedia

Riley RM

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The Riley RM Series was the last automobile series developed independently by Riley. RM vehicles were produced from 1945, after the Second World War, through the 1952 merger of the Riley's Nuffield Organisation with Austin to form BMC. They were originally made in Coventry, but in 1949 production moved to the MG works at Abingdon.

There were three types of RM vehicles produced. The RMA was a large saloon, and was replaced by the RME. The RMB was an even larger car, and was replaced by the RMF. The RMC and RMD were limited-production roadsters.

All of the RM vehicles featured the pre-war Riley designed 1.5 L (1496 cc) 12 hp (RAC Rating) or 16 hp (RAC Rating) 2.5 L "Big Four" straight-4 engines with twin camshafts mounted high at the sides of the cylinder block and hemispherical combustion chambers.

Riley RMA

Riley RMA 1951 Riley RMA

Production 1945–1952

10,504 produced.

Successor Riley RME

Body style 4-door saloon

Engine 1.5 L Straight-4

The RMA was the first post-war Riley. It used the 1.5 L engine and was equipped with hydro-mechanical brakes and an independent suspension using torsion bars in front. The frame was made of wood in the English tradition, and the car featured traditional styling. The car was capable of reaching 75 mph (121 km/h). The RMA was produced from 1945 until 1952 when it was replaced by the RME.

Riley RMB

Riley RMB Riley RMB 2½-Litre 4-Door Saloon 1950

Production 1946–1952

6900 produced

Successor Riley RMF

Body style 4-door saloon

Engine 2.5 L Straight-4

Wheelbase 119 in (3,023 mm)

Length 186 in (4,724 mm)

Width 63.5 in (1,613 mm)

Height 59 in (1,499 mm)

The RMB was an enlarged RMA and was launched a year later in 1946. It used the 2.5 L (2443 cc) "Big Four" engine with twin SU carburettors, starting with 90 hp (67 kW) but increasing to 100 hp (75 kW) for 1948 with a 95 mph (153 km/h) top speed. The RMB was replaced by the RMF for 1952.

A car tested by The Motor magazine in 1949 had a top speed of 90 mph (140 km/h) and could accelerate from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 16.8 seconds. A fuel consumption of 19.6 miles per imperial gallon (14.4 L/100 km; 16.3 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £1224 including taxes.

Riley RMC

Riley RMC Riley RMC

Production 1948–1951

507 produced

Body style 2-door 3 seat convertible

Engine 2.5 L Straight-4

The RMC was a 3-passenger 2-door convertible version of the RMB with a large rear deck area and fold flat windscreen. It shared that car's 2.5 L 100 hp (75 kW) engine and could reach 100 mph (161 km/h). The car was primarily designed for the North American export market, and just over 500 were built from 1948 until 1951. The gear change lever was moved to the steering column on left hand drive models.

Riley RMD

Riley RMD (prototype with 1½ litre engine pictured)

Production 1949–1951

502 produced

Body style 2-door convertible

Engine 2.5 L Straight-4

The RMD was a traditional 2-door drophead coupé, the last convertible to wear the Riley name. It used the same 2.5 L 100 hp (75 kW) engine as the RMB, on which it was based. Just over 500 were produced between 1949 and 1951.

Riley RME

Riley RME Riley RME 1,5-Litre 4-Door Saloon 1953

Production 1952–1955

3446 produced

Predecessor Riley RMA

Successor Riley One-Point-Five

Body style 4-door saloon

Engine 1.5 L Straight-4

The RME was an updated RMA. It still used the 1.5 L four and featured a fully hydraulic braking system. The body had an enlarged rear window with curved glass and from 1954 no running boards. To improve acceleration the rear axle ratio was changed from 4.89:1 to 5.125:1.

Produced from 1952, it was replaced by the Riley One-Point-Five in 1955.

An RME tested by The Motor magazine in 1952 had a top speed of 75 mph (121 km/h) and could accelerate from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 29.5 seconds. A fuel consumption of 24.2 miles per imperial gallon (11.7 L/100 km; 20.2 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £1,339 including taxes.

Riley RMF

Riley RMF Riley RMF 2½-Litre 4-Door Saloon 1953

Production 1952–1953

1050 produced

Predecessor Riley RMB

Successor Riley Pathfinder

Body style 4-door saloon

Engine 2.5 L Straight-4

The RMF replaced the big RMB limousine in 1952. It shared that car's 2.5 L "Big Four" engine as well as the mechanical updates from the RME. The RMH Riley Pathfinder, last of the Riley "Big Fours", and thus considered to be the last "real" Riley by purists, took its place after 1953 and continued in production until 1957.

Source: Wikipedia

Willys-Overland Jeepster

2011-09-19T09:03:00.000-07:00

The Jeepster was an automobile originally produced by Willys-Overland Motors from 1948 to 1950.

The Jeepster name was revived in 1966 on a new model, the C-101 Jeepster Commando, and American Motors (AMC) (successor to Willys-Overland) removed the Jeepster name for 1972, ending production after 1973.

VJ

The original Willys-Overland Jeepster ("VJ" internally) was produced from 1949 through 1950, although some leftover models were sold under the 1951 model year. After World War II, Jeep trademark owner, Willys, believed that the market for the military-type Jeep would be limited to farmers and foresters, therefore they began producing the "CJ" (or Civilian Jeep) to fill this growing segment as well as producing the new Jeep Wagon in 1946, and then the Jeep Truck in 1947.

Realizing a gap in their product line up, Willys developed the Jeepster to crossover from their "utilitarian" type truck vehicles, to the passenger automobile market. The car was originally only offered with rear-wheel drive, thus limiting its appeal with traditional Jeep customers. While its distinctive boxy styling (created by industrial designer Brooks Stevens) was a hit with critics, it did not catch on with the intended market segment. Sales were also limited by sparse advertising. In the end, 19,132 original VJ Jeepsters were produced (1948 - 10,326; 1949 - 2,960; 1950 - 5,836).

The VJ Jeepster was powered by the 62 horsepower (46 kW) "Go Devil" engine, a 134 cu in (2.2 L) straight-4 also used in the CJ. A 3-speed manual transmission with optional overdrive was used, as were drum brakes all around. The vehicle's front end and single transverse leaf spring suspension, was from the Willys Station Wagon, as was the rear driveline. The flat-topped rear fenders were copied from the Jeep truck line, as were the pair of longitudinal rear leaf springs.

1948 Willys Jeepster

Engines:

1948-1950 - L134 Go Devil I4 — 134.1 CID (2,197 cc)
1949-1950 - L148 Lightning I6 —148.5 CID (2,433 cc)
1950 - F134 Hurricane I4 —134.2 CID (2,199 cc)
1950 - L161 Lightning I6 —161 CID (2,638 cc)

Model Variations

VJ-2

The VJ-2 Jeepster was built on a Willys chassis and began production with a one-model/one-engine offering. Due to poor marketing, high price and weak performance sales were low and few were produced. The following year the VJ-3 was produced.

VJ-3

The VJ-3 Jeepster had very little standard equipment. This time there were two engines offered, changing the Jeepster's designations to VJ-3 4-63 for the four-cylinder and VJ-3 6-63 for the Lightning-equipped six-cylinder. In 1950, there was a redesigned front end and new engines and designations dependent on what part of the year it was. Early 1950s four-cylinder Jeepsters were VJ-3 463, and the six-cylinder Jeepsters were VJ-3 663. The later-year Jeepsters were VJ-473 and VJ-673, respectively. The hood and grille also put the V in VJ in 1950, when the design took on that shape.

External Links

Willys Overland Jeepster Club

Hurst Jeepster Pages

Jeepster History

Midstates Jeepster Association

Source: Wikipedia

Sunbeam-Talbot 90

2011-09-19T08:52:00.001-07:00

The Sunbeam Talbot 90 was a sporting car built by the Rootes Group in Ryton Coventry under their Sunbeam-Talbot brand.

Sunbeam Talbot 90 Mk II saloon 1953

Sunbeam Talbot 90 Mk II cabriolet ca. 1953

The car was launched in 1948 along with the smaller engined Sunbeam-Talbot 80 but many features dated back to the pre war Sunbeam-Talbot Ten. The body was completely new and available as a four door saloon or two door drophead coupé. The saloon featured a "pillarless" join between the glass on the rear door and the rear quarter window.

The car went through three versions before production stopped in 1954. It was the last car to bear the Sunbeam-Talbot name.

Sunbeam-Talbot 90 MkI 1948-1950

The original version had a 64 bhp (48 kW) 1944 cc side valve four cylinder engine derived from a pre-war Humber unit carried over from the Sunbeam-Talbot 2-Litre. The chassis was derived from the Ten model but with wider track and had beam axles front and rear and leaf springs. The brakes were updated to have hydraulic operation. Saloon and Drophead coupé bodies were fitted to the chassis and the rear wheel openings were covered by metal "spats".

4000 were made.

Sunbeam-Talbot 90 MkII 1950-1952

The Mk II got a new chassis with independent front suspension using coil springs and the engine was enlarged to 2267 cc and the cylinder head changed to overhead valves. Power was up at 70 bhp (52 kW) the front of the body was modified. The headlights were higher and there were air inlet grilles on either side of the radiator

A Coupé version tested by The Motor magazine in 1952 had a top speed of 85.2 mph (137.1 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 20.2 seconds. A fuel consumption of 22.5 miles per imperial gallon (12.6 L/100 km; 18.7 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £1393 including taxes.

5493 were made.

Sunbeam-Talbot 90 MkIIA 1952-1954

The Mk IIA had a higher compression engine raising output to 77 bhp (57 kW). To cater for the higher speeds the car was now capable of, the brakes were enlarged and to improve brake cooling the wheels were pierced. The Talbot MkIIA coupe/convertible is regarded as the rarest of the Sunbeam Talbots and is in the league of Jaguar, Mercedes and Duesenberg coupes.

The rear wheel spats were no longer fitted.

10,888 were made.

Sunbeam Mk III

From 1954 to 1957 the car continued, but without the Talbot name and was marketed as the Sunbeam MkIII and badged on the radiator shell as Sunbeam Supreme. The drophead coupé was not made after 1955.

There were some minor styling changes to the front with enlarged air intakes on each side of the radiator shell and three small portholes just below each side of the bonnet near to the windscreen. Duo-tone paint schemes were also available. Engine power was increased to 80 bhp (60 kW) and overdrive became an option.

A Mk III tested by The Motor magazine in 1955 had a top speed of 93.6 mph (150.6 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 17.4 seconds. A fuel consumption of 22.1 miles per imperial gallon (12.8 L/100 km; 18.4 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £1191 including taxes.

Sunbeam Mk III

The main Rootes Group dealers in Leicester, Castles of Leicester, offered a conversion that moved the gearchange to the transmission tunnel, modified the cylinder head, fitted a bonnet air scoop and changed the way the boot lid opened. These models were not connected with the Sunbeam factory but are sometimes referred to as the Mk IIIS. Some 30-40 cars were modified. The revised gearchange was also offered as an after market accessory and was suitable for fitting to earlier models also.

Approximately 2250 were made.

Sporting achievements

A Mk II was driven by Stirling Moss to take second place in the 1952 Monte Carlo Rally.

A Sunbeam Mk III was outright winner of the 1955 Monte Carlo Rally.

Source: Wikipedia

Talbot-Lago

2011-09-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

Talbot-Lago was a French automobile manufacturer at Suresnes, Paris.

1938 Talbot-Lago T-150 CSS

Origins

948 Talbot-Lago T26C

1950 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport, coachwork by Jacques Saoutchik, Paris
Talbot-Lago T26 ca. 1950

The Anglo-French STD (Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq) combine collapsed in 1935. The French Talbot company was acquired and reorganised by a Venetian born engineer called Anthony Lago (1893-1960) and after that, the Talbot-Lago name was used. On the home market the cars carried a Talbot badge.

At the same time, the British interests of Talbot were taken over by the Rootes Group and the parallel using of Talbot brand in France and Britain ended. Talbot-Lago cars sold in Britain were badged as Darracq.

Reorganisation Under Tony Lago

For 1935 the existing range continued in production but from 1936 these were steadily replaced with cars designed by Walter Becchia featuring transverse leaf sprung independent suspension. These ranged from the two litre T11, the 3 litre T17, four litre T23 and sporting Spéciale and SS.

Lago was an excellent engineer, who developed the existing six-cylinder engine into a high-performance 4-litre one. The sporting six-cylinder models had a great racing history. The bodies—such as of T150 coupé—were made by excellent coachbuilders such as Figoni & Falaschi or Saoutchik.

After World War II

After the war the company continued to be known both for successful high performance racing cars and for large luxurious passenger cars, with extensive sharing of chassis and engine components between the two. Nevertheless, the period was one of economic stagnation and financial stringency. The company had difficulty finding customers, and its finances were stretched.

In 1946 the company began production of a new engine design, based on earlier units but with a new cylinder head featuring a twin overhead camshaft. This engine, designed under the leadership of Carlo Marchetti, was in many respects a new engine. A 4483 cc six cylinder in-line engine was developed for the Talbot Lago Record (1946 - 1952) and for the Talbot Grand Sport 26CV (1947-1954). These cars were priced against large luxurious cars from the likes of Delahaye, Delage, Hotchkiss and Salmson. Talbot would remain in the auto-making business for longer than any of these others, and the Talbot name had the further dubious distinction of a resurrection in the early 1980's.

Talbot-Lago T26 ca. 1950

Talbot Lago Record T26

The Talbot Lago Record T26 was a large car with a fiscal horse power of 26 CV and a claimed actual power output of 170 hp, delivered to the rear wheels via a four speed manual gear box, with the option at extra cost of a Wilson pre-selector gear box, and supporting a claimed top speed of 170 km/h (105 mph). The car was commonly sold as a stylish four door sedan, but a two door cabriolet was also offered. There were also coachbuilt specials with bodywork by traditionalist firms such as Graber.

Talbot Lago Grand Sport T26

The T26 Grand Sport (GS), was first displayed in public in October 1947 as a shortened chassis, and only 12 were made during 1948 which was the models's first full year of production. The car was noted for its speed. The engine which produced 170 hp in the Lago Record was adapted to provide 190 bhp (140 kW) or, later, 195 bhp (145 kW) in the GS, and a top speed of around 200 km/h (124 mph) was claimed, depending on the body that was fitted. The car was built for either racing or luxury and benefited directly from Talbot's successful T26C Grand Prix car. As such it was expensive, rare and helped Louis Rosier with his son to win the LeMans 24 Hour race in 1950. The GS replaced the Lago-Record chassis which was named for its remarkable top speed. Having a 4.5 liter inline-6 aluminum cylinder head and triple carburetor from the T26 the Grand Prix cars, the GS was one of the world's most powerful production cars. Chassis details were similar to the Grand Prix cars, but it was longer and wider. It came it two wheelbase lengths -104 and 110 inches (2,800 mm).

Almost all the Talbots sold during the late 1940s came with Talbot bodies, constructed in the manufacturer's extensive workshops. The T26 Grand Sport (GS) was the exception, however, and cars were delivered only as bare chassis, requiring customers to choose bespoke bodywork from a specialist coachbuilder. The The GS was a star turn in a dull world and coachbuilders such as Saoutchik, Franay and Figoni & Falaschi competed to trump Talbot's own designers with elaborately elegant bodies.

Talbot Lago Baby

The Talbot Lago Baby (1948 - 1951) marked the return of a pre-war Talbot model name and was the third model presented by the company during the 1940s. The car was commonly sold as a four door sedan, but a two door cabriolet was also offered. Its engine comprised only four cylinders, but the twin overhead camshaft with cylinder valves on both sides of the engine block was again featured: at 2690cc the engine capacity equated to a fiscal horse power of 15 CV which was enough to attract the punitive levels of car tax applied by the French government to large cars. The power output was initially 110 bhp (82 kW), which in 1949 was increased to 120 bhp (89 kW). Although the postwar Baby sedan closely resembled the more powerful Record on a brief glance, the Baby's 2950 mm wheelbase was slightly shorter than the 3130 mm wheelbase of the Record, and the overall length was correspondingly 200 mm shorter, reflecting the shortened 4 cylinder engine block. Additionally the cheaper car sat on a simplified suspension set-up. Baby customers could specify as an option a Wilson pre-selector gear box.

New bodies for 1952

In 1951, as rumours of the company’s financial difficulties intensified, a new Ponton format body appeared for the Talbot Baby and Record. The wheelbases were carried over from the earlier models. Although in many ways strikingly modern, the new car featured a two piece front windscreen in place of the single flat screen of its predecessor, presumably reflecting the difficulties at the time of combining the strength of a windscreen with curved glass at an acceptable price and quality. The new car’s large rear window was itself replaced by a larger three-piece “panoramic” wrap around back window as part of the car’s first face-lift, which took place in time for the 1952 Paris Motor Show. The engine specification of the four cylinder unit was unchanged as was the claimed performance even though the new body was some 100 Kg heavier than the old. A new development with the Ponton bodied cars body was the availability of the larger six cylinder unit from the Talbot Record in the top of the line Talbot Baby, which in this form was called the Talbot Baby/6 Luxe, and had the slightly longer wheel-base and overall length enforced by the greater length of the six cylinder engine.

Maserati Engine

A later model, the Lago Sport (1954-1957), would used a Maserati engine.

Lago America

The final Lago America models (1957-1959) used 2476 cc BMW engines or, for the last cars, less sophisticated and less powerful Simca 2351 cc ohc engines from the Vedette.

Despite its high quality cars, Talbot-Lago struggled for postwar survival along with other prewar marques such as Hotchkiss and Delahaye, and production ceased when Simca took over during 1959. (Simca was subsequently taken over by Chrysler, who gained a controlling share in 1963, and rebranded the business as Chrysler France in 1970).

Commercial

Sales data by model was kept confidential, possibly in connection with the company’s financial difficulties, but the overall totals for the early 1950s tell a dire story. The Suresnes plant produced 155 cars in 1947 which had increased to 23 in 1948.433 cars were produced in 1950, but this then fell to 80 in 1951 and to 34 in 1952. In 1953 it is thought that the company turned out just 13 of the 26CV Record model and 4 of the 15 CV Babys. During the rest of the decade volumes do not appear to have recovered significantly.

Today

Talbot-Lagos have become a top-prized car at various auctions, fetching as much as $3.685 million at the 2005 Pebble Beach Auction for a 1938 T150-C Lago Speciale Teardrop Coupe. The same year, the top bidder at a Christie's auction was awarded a 1937 Talbot-Lago T150 C-SS Teardrop Coupe with coachwork by Figoni and Falaschi for his $3.535 million-dollar bid.

Source: Wikipedia

1970 Plymouth GTX

2011-09-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

Click Here to view more pictures.

Source: Internet

1968 Pontiac GTO

2011-09-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

Click Here for more pictures.

Source: Internet

Original Classic Car Owner

2011-08-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

It’s not everyday that you see a true classic car let alone one still driven by it’s original owner. But after eight decades, Margaret Dunning still drives around town in her creamy 740 Packard roadster. Not only that but she also does regular maintenance on it like changing the oil and spark plugs. Not bad for a lady who’s 101 years old.

Source: Internet

Pebble Beach 2011 Show

2011-08-23T04:22:00.000-07:00

1934 Voisin C-25 Aerodyne, Peter and Merle Mullin.

The Voisin, a first-time entry which first took top honors in the 1932-1937 European Classic category, is a stunning example of vintage French design from a manufacturer, Avions-Voisin, that began its life building planes. The company's first vehicle, the C-2, was unveiled at the Paris motor show in 1920, and the C-25, with its Art Deco curves, unique fender struts, mechanized roof and playful interior print, was likewise launched in Paris more than a decade later. Only 28 of the C-25s (which include the Cimier and Clariere design variants in addition to the Aerodyne) were produced, each powered by a 3.0-liter inline-6 with an output of just over 100 horsepower.

Click Here for complete article.

Source: msnautos

Dixi 9/40 Cyklon 1927

2011-08-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

Source: PreWarCars

Just When You Thought You Had Seen It All ?

2011-07-04T11:15:00.000-07:00

Tata Motors is ready to introduce Air Car - Will it be the next big thing? Tata Motors is taking giant strides and making history for itself. First the Land Rover/Jaguar deal, then the world's cheapest car, and now it is also set to introduce the car that runs on compressed air.

Air Powered Car:

With spiraling fuel prices it is about time we heard some breakthrough!

India's largest automaker, Tata Motors, is set to start producing the world's first commercial air-powered vehicle.

The Air Car, developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy Nègre for Luxembourg-based MDI, uses compressed air, as opposed to the gas-and-oxygen explosions of internal-combustion models, to push its engine's pistons. Some 6000 zero-emissions Air Cars are scheduled to hit Indian streets by August 2011.

The Air Car, called the "MiniCAT" could cost around Rs. 3,475,225 ($8,177.00) in India and would have a range of around 300km between refuels.

The cost of a refill would be about Rs. 85 ($2.00)

The MiniCAT which is a simple, light urban car, with a tubular chassis that is glued, not welded, and a body of fiberglass powered by compressed air. Microcontrollers are used in every device in the car, so one tiny radio transmitter sends instructions to the lights, indicators, etc.

There are no keys - just an access card which can be read by the car from your pocket. According to the designers, it costs less than 50 rupees per 100 Km (about a tenth that of a petrol car). Its mileage is about double that of the most advanced electric car (200 to 300 km or 10 hours of driving), a factor which makes a perfect choice in cities where 80% of motorists drive at less than 60 Km. The car has a top speed of 105 Kmph (65 mph).

Refilling the car will, once the market develops, take place at adapted petrol stations to administer compressed air. In two or three minutes, and at a cost of approximately 100 rupees, the car will be ready to go another 200-300 kilometers (125-185 mi).

As a viable alternative, the car carries a small compressor which can be connected to the mains (220V or 380V) and refill the tank in 3-4 hours. Due to the absence of combustion and, consequently, of residues, changing the oil (1 liter of vegetable oil) is necessary only every 50,000 Km (31,000 mi)).

The temperature of the clean air expelled by the exhaust pipe is between 0-15 degrees below zero, which makes it suitable for use by the internal air conditioning system with no need for gases or loss of power.

Will we see it here???

Source: Internet

Oldsmobile

2011-06-22T10:15:00.000-07:00

Oldsmobile was a brand of American automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. It was founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897. In its 107-year history, it produced 35.2 million cars, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory. When it was phased out in 2004, Oldsmobile was the oldest surviving American automobile marque, and one of the oldest in the world, after Daimler and Peugeot. The closing of the Oldsmobile division presaged a larger consolidation of GM brands and discontinuation of models during the company's 2009 bankruptcy reorganization.

History

Early history

Ransom Eli Olds

Oldsmobiles were first manufactured by the Olds Motor Works in Lansing, Michigan, a company founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897. In 1901, the company produced 425 cars, making it the first high-volume gasoline-powered automobile manufacturer. Oldsmobile became the top selling car company in the United States for a few years. Ransom Olds left the company in financial difficulties and formed the REO Motor Car Company. The last Curved Dash Oldsmobile was made in 1907. General Motors purchased the company in 1908.

The 1901 to 1904 Oldsmobile Curved Dash was the first mass-produced car, made from the first automotive assembly line, an invention that is often miscredited to Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company. (Ford was the first to manufacture cars on a moving assembly line.) After Olds sold the company in 1899, it was renamed Olds Motor Works and moved to a new plant in Detroit. By March 1901, the company had a whole line of models ready for mass production. Unfortunately, a mistake by a worker caused the factory to catch fire, and it burned to the ground, with all of the prototypes destroyed. The only car that survived the fire was a Curved Dash prototype, which was wheeled out of the factory by two workers while escaping the fire. A new factory was built, and production of the Curved Dash commenced.

Setting the Pace painted in 1909 by William Hardner Foster depicts the race between an Oldsmobile Limited and the 20th Century Limited train

1904 Olds Model 6C Curved-Dash-Olds

1934 Oldsmobile 8 Convertible Coupe

1957 Oldsmobile Super 88

Officially, the cars were called "Oldsmobile automobiles," colloquially referred to as "Oldsmobiles." It was this moniker, as applied especially to the Oldsmobile Curved Dash, that was popularized in the lyrics and title of the 1905 hit song "In My Merry Oldsmobile."

The 1910 Limited Touring was a high point for the company. Riding atop 42-inch wheels, and equipped with factory "white" tires, the Limited was the prestige model in Oldsmobile's two model lineup. The Limited retailed for US$4,600, an amount greater than the purchase of a new, no-frills three bedroom house. Buyers received goatskin upholstery, a 60 hp (45 kW) 707 CID (11.6 L) straight-6 engine, Bosch Magneto starter, running boards and room for five. Options included a speedometer, clock, and a full glass windshield. A limousine version was priced at $5,800. While Oldsmobile only sold 725 Limiteds in its three years of production, the car is best remembered for winning a race against the famed 20th Century Limited train, an event immortalized in the painting "Setting the Pace" by William Hardner Foster.

In 1929, as part of General Motors' companion make program, Oldsmobile introduced the higher standard Viking brand, marketed through the Oldmobile dealers network. Viking was discontinued already at the end of the 1930 model year although an additional 353 car were marketed as 1931 models.

1930's

In 1937, Oldsmobile was a pioneer in introducing a four-speed semi-automatic transmission called the "Automatic Safety Transmission", although this accessory was actually built by Buick, which would offer it in its own cars in 1938. This transmission featured a conventional clutch pedal, which the driver pressed before selecting either "low" or "high" range. In "low," the car shifted between first and second gears. In "high," the car shifted between first, third and fourth gears.

1940's

For the 1940 model, Oldsmobile was the first auto manufacturer to offer a fully automatic transmission, called the Hydramatic, which featured four forward speeds.

Starting in 1941 and continuing through 1996, Oldsmobile used a two digit model designation. As originally implemented, the first digit signified the body size while the second represents the number of cylinders. Body sizes were 6, 7, 8, and 9, and 6- and 8-cylinder engines were offered. Thus, Oldsmobiles were named 66 through 98.

The last pre-war Oldsmobile rolled off the assembly line on February 5, 1942. During World War II, Oldsmobile produced numerous kinds of material for the war effort, including large-caliber guns and shells.

Production resumed on October 15, 1945 with a warmed-over 1942 model serving as the offering for 1946.

Oldsmobile once again was a pioneer when, for the 1949 model, they introduced their Rocket engine, which used an overhead valve V8 design rather than the flathead "straight-8" design which prevailed at the time. This engine produced far more power than the engines that were popular during that era, and found favor with hot-rodders and stock car racers. The basic design, with few minor changes, endured until Oldsmobile redesigned their V8 engines in the mid-1960's.

1950's

1953 Oldsmobile Advertisement

Oldsmobile entered the 1950's following a divisional image campaign centered on its 'Rocket' engines and its cars' appearance followed suit. Oldsmobile's Rocket V8 engine was the leader in performance, generally considered the fastest cars on the market and by the mid 1950's their styling was among the first to offer a wide, "open maw" grille, suggestive of jet propulsion. Oldsmobile adopted a ringed-globe emblem to stress what marketers felt was its universal appeal.

Throughout the 1950's, the make used twin jet pod-styled taillights as a nod to its "Rocket" theme. Oldsmobile was among the first of General Motors' divisions to receive a true hardtop in 1949, and it was also among the first divisions (along with Buick and Cadillac) to receive a wraparound windshield, a trend that eventually all American makes would share at sometime between 1953 and 1964.

In the 1950's the nomenclature changed again, and trim levels also received names that were then mated with the model numbers. This resulted in the Oldsmobile 88 emerging as base Dynamic 88 and the highline Super 88. Other full-size model names included the "Holiday" used on hardtops, and "Fiesta" used on its station wagons. When the 88 was retired in 1999 (with a Fiftieth Anniversary Edition), its length of service was the longest model name used on American cars after the Chrysler New Yorker.

GM styling as a whole lost its frontrunner status in 1957 when Chrysler introduced Virgil Exner's "Forward Look" designs. When compared side to side, Oldsmobile looked dated next to its price-point competitor DeSoto. Compounding the problem for Oldsmobile and Buick was a styling mistake which GM called the "Strato Roof." Both makes had models which contained the heavily framed rear window, but Detroit had been working with large curved backlights for almost a decade. Consumers disliked the roof and its blind spots, forcing GM to rush a redesign into production on some of its models.

Oldsmobile's only off year in the 1950's was 1958. The nation was beginning to feel the results of its first significant post war recession, and US automobile sales were down for the model year. Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac received a heavy handed makeover of the 1957 GM designs. The Oldsmobile that emerged in 1958 bore little resemblance to the design of its forerunners; instead the car emerged as a large, over-decorated "chromemobile."

Up front, all 1958 Oldsmobiles received one of General Motors' heavily styled front fascias and quad-headlights. Streaking back from the edge of the headlights was a broad belt consisting of two strips of chrome on regular 88s, three strips on Super 88s, and three strips (top and bottom thin, inside thick) on 98s that ended in a point at mid-body. The bottom of the rear fender featured a thick stamping of a half tube that pointed forward, atop which was a chrome assembly of four horizontal chrome speed-lines that terminated into a vertical bar. The tail of the car featured massive vertical chrome taillight housings. Two chrome stars were fitted to the trunklid.

1958 Oldsmobile Super 88

Ford styling consultant Alex Tremulis (designer of the 1948 Tucker Sedan) mocked the 1958 Oldsmobile by drawing cartoons of the car, and placing musical notes in the rear trim assembly. Another Detroit stylist employed by Ford bought a used 1958 Oldsmobile in the early 1960s, driving it daily to work. He detached and rearranged the OLDSMOBILE lettering above the grille to spell out SLOBMODEL as a reminder to himself and co-workers of what "bad" auto design meant to their business.

In 1959, Oldsmobile models were completely redesigned with a rocket motif from front to rear, as the top of the front fenders had a chrome rocket, while the body-length fins were shaped as rocket exhausts which culminated in a fin-top taillight (concave on the 98 models while convex on the 88 models). The 1959 models also offered several roof treatments, such as the pillared sedan with a fastback rear window and the Holiday SportSedan, which was a flat-roofed pillarless hardtop with wraparound front and rear glass. The 1959 models were marketed as "the Linear Look", and also featured a bar-graph speedometer which showed a green indicator through 35 miles per hour (56 km/h), then changed to orange until 65 miles per hour (105 km/h), then was red above that until the highest speed read by the speedometer, 120 miles per hour (190 km/h). Power windows were available on the 98 models, as was two-speed electric windshield wipers with electrically-powered windshield washers. The 88 still relied on vacuum-operated windshield wipers without a washer feature. 1959 Oldsmobiles were offered with "Autronic Eye" (a dashboard-mounted automatic headlight dimmer) as well as factory-installed air conditioning and power-operated front bench seat as available options.

The 1959 body style was continued through the 1960 model year, but the fins were toned down for 1960 and the taillights were moved to the bottom of the fenders.

1960's

Oldsmobile Headquarters (1966) - Building 70

In the 1960's Oldsmobile's position between Pontiac and Buick in GM's hierarchy began to dissolve. Notable achievements included the introduction of the first turbocharged engine in 1962 (the Turbo Jetfire), the first modern front-wheel drive car produced in the United States (the 1966 Toronado), the Vista Cruiser station wagon (noted for its roof glass), and the upscale 442 muscle car. Olds briefly used the names Jetstar 88 (1964–1966) and Delmont 88 (1967–1968) on its least expensive full size models in the 1960's.

Notable models for the 1960's:

Oldsmobile 442 - began as a 1964 muscle car option package (4-barrel carburetor, 4-speed manual transmission, 2 exhausts) on the F-85/Cutlass. In 1965, to better compete with the Pontiac GTO, the original 330 CID V8 rated at 310 hp (231 kW) was replaced by a new 400 CID V8 rated at 345 hp (257 kW). The 442 definition was changed to "4" hundred CID V8 engine, "4"-barrel carburetor, and "2" exhaust pipes, and was named by "Car Craft Nationals" as the "Top Car of 1965." In 1968 the 442 became its own model and got a larger 455 CID (7.5 L) V8 engine in 1970.

Oldsmobile Cutlass (1961–1999) - mid-size car. Oldsmobile's best seller in the 1970s and 1980s, and in some of those years America's best selling car. In 1966 a top-line Cutlass Supreme was introduced as a four-door hardtop sedan with a more powerful 320 hp (239 kW) 330 CID Jetfire Rocket V8 than the regular F-85/Cutlass models, a more luxurious interior and other trimmings. In 1967 the Cutlass Supreme was expanded to a full series also including two-door hardtop and pillared coupes, a convertible and a four-door pillared sedan. Also came with a 7.0L 425 CID engine as an option in 1966-1967

Oldsmobile F-85 (1961–1972) - compact sedan, coupe and station wagon powered by a 215CID aluminum block V8 engine from 1961 to 1963. In 1964 the F-85 was upgraded to an intermediate sized car and the aluminum V8 was replaced by conventional cast iron six-cylinder and V8 engines. The Cutlass was initially the top model of the F-85 line but became a separate model by 1964 with the F-85 nameplate continued only on the lowest priced models through the 1972 model year, after which all Oldsmobile intermediates were Cutlasses.

Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser (1964–1977) - a stretched wheelbase Cutlass station wagon, which was stretched to 120" from 115" in the 1964-67 models and to 121" from 116" in the 1968-72 models, the stretched area being in the second-row seating area. This car featured an elevated roof over the rear seat and cargo area and glass skylights over the rear seating area, which consisted of a transverse skylight over the second seat (two-piece from 1964–67, one-piece from 1968–72) and small longitudinal skylights directly over the rear cargo-area windows, and also featured standard second-row sunvisors. The three-seat models featured forward-facing seating, at a time when most three-seat station wagons had the third row of seats facing the rear. From 1965 - 1970, it would be Oldsmobile's flagship station wagon, as no full-sized wagons were produced. The third-generation 1973-77 models no longer had skylights other than an optional front-row pop-up sunroof. This car was merely an up-line trim package on the Cutlass Supreme wagon and carried the Vista Cruiser nameplate rather than the Cutlass nameplate. The optional third seat was rear-facing in the third-generation Vista Cruiser.

Oldsmobile Starfire (1961–1966) - a sporty and luxurious hardtop coupe and convertible based on the 88. The Starfire featured interiors with leather bucket seats and a center console with floor shifter, along with a standard Hydra-Matic transmission, power steering and brakes (and power windows and seats on convertibles). It was powered by Oldsmobile's most powerful Rocket V8 engine, a 394 CID engine from 1961 to 1964 rated from 330 to 345 hp (257 kW), and a larger 425 CID Super Rocket V8 from 1965 to 1966, rated at 375 hp (280 kW).

Oldsmobile Jetstar I (1964–1966) - Life for the somewhat obscure Jetstar I started in 1964. It was designed to be a low cost option to the successful full size Starfire series - more of a direct competitor to the Pontiac Grand Prix. Standard equipment included the 345 hp (257 kW) 394ci Starfire engine, vinyl bucket seats and console. Keeping the “sport” part of the Starfire, it possessed less of the luxury and glitz. It weighed in at 4028 pounds, and 16,084 were produced for 1964. It was a Starfire without the frills and was informally dubbed “the poor man’s Starfire”. Proving to be an ill-fated model, 1965 concluded the 2 year run for the Jetstar I. Only 6,552 were sold. The introduction of the Pontiac GTO and Oldsmobile 4-4-2 in 1964 insured the future of the musclecars were the intermediates, and the front-drive Toronado loomed big in Oldsmobile's future taking over the flagship status from the Starfire. Further confused with its lesser brethren with the Jetstar 88 nameplate, there was no way but out for the Jetstar I. And close examination of prices revealed that unless one bought a sparsely optioned JS1, there was little financial incentive to buy a JS1 over the Starfire. Take the $3602 base price and add the $107.50 power steering, the $43.00 power brakes, and the $242.10 automatic transmission (all standard on the Starfire), and you had a $4,000 Jetstar I. And less than $150 more would buy you the $4148 based priced Starfire, which not only included those standard features but a more luxurious leather interior. But lost in the mix was a jewel of a high performance car in the ’65 Jetstar I. Trimmed down to 3963#, the ’65 model was an overlooked performance car. The new 370 hp (276 kW) 425ci Starfire engine delivered 470 lb·ft (637 N·m) of torque, was durable, and was quite an improvement over the ’64 394. How serious was that horsepower and torque in ’65? If you wanted this much power in a Pontiac, it was only available in the top-of-the-line 421 HO Tri-Power engine that was not standard in any Pontiac model, but an extra-cost option. The new Oldsmobile Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission was a vast performance improvement over the previous “slim-jim” Hydra-Matic transmission. But best of all, Oldsmobile offered the Muncie 4-speed with Hurst shifter in ’65.

Oldsmobile boasted in a 1965 press release that “a Jetstar I proved to be the top accelerator of the entire event” at the 1965 Pure Oil Performance Trials in Daytona beach. Those trials were sanctioned and supervised by NASCAR.

Note: between 1964 and 1966, Oldsmobile named its least expensive full size model the Oldsmobile Jetstar 88 which the Jetstar I was not related to, and priced $500–$600 below the Jetstar I.

Oldsmobile Toronado (1966–1992) - a front-wheel drive coupe in the personal luxury car category, introduced in 1966. At the time, the largest and most powerful front wheel drive car ever produced, and one of the first modern front wheel drive cars equipped with an automatic transmission. The original Toronado was powered by a 425 CID Super Rocket V8 engine rated at 385 hp (287 kW), mated to a three speed Turbo Hydra-Matic transmission. The Toronado was Motor Trend magazine's 1966 "Car of the Year."
1970's-1980's

1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Sedan

Oldsmobile sales soared in the 1970's and 1980's (for an all-time high of 1,066,122 in 1985) based on popular designs, positive reviews from critics and the perceived quality and reliability of the Rocket V8 engine, with the Cutlass series becoming North America's top selling car by 1976. By this time, Olds had displaced Pontiac and Plymouth as the #3 best selling brand in the U.S. behind Chevrolet and Ford. In the early 1980's, model-year production topped one million units on several occasions, something only Chevrolet and Ford had achieved.

The soaring popularity of Oldsmobile vehicles resulted in a major issue in the late 1970's. At that time, each General Motors division produced its own V8 engines, and in 1977, Oldsmobile, Chevrolet, Pontiac and Buick each produced a unique 350 cubic inch displacement V8.

It was during the 1977 model year that demand exceeded production capacity for the Oldsmobile V8, and as a result Oldsmobile began equipping most full size Delta 88 models (those with Federal emissions specifications) with the Chevrolet 350 engine instead. Although it was widely debated whether there was a difference in quality or performance between the two engines, there was no question that the engines were different from one another. Many customers were loyal Oldsmobile buyers who specifically wanted the Rocket V8, and did not discover that their vehicle had the Chevrolet engine until they performed maintenance and discovered that purchased parts did not fit. This became a public relations nightmare for GM.

Following this debacle, disclaimers stating that "Oldsmobiles are equipped with engines produced by various GM divisions" were tacked on to advertisements and sales literature; all other GM divisions followed suit. In addition, GM quickly stopped associating engines with particular divisions, and to this day all GM engines are produced by "GM Powertrain" (GMPT) and are called GM "Corporate" engines instead of GM "Division" engines. Although it was the popularity of the Oldsmobile division vehicles that prompted this change, declining sales of V8 engines would have made this change inevitable as all but the Chevrolet version of the 350 cubic inch engine were eventually dropped.

Oldsmobile also introduced a 5.7L (350cu-in, V-8) diesel engine option on its' delta 88 & 98 models in 1978 and a smaller 4.3L (260 cu-in) displacement diesel on the '79 Cutlass Supreme. These were largely based on their gasoline engines but with heavier duty cast blocks, re-designed heads, fast glow plugs, and on the 5.7L, oversized cranks, main bearings, and wrist pins. There were several problems with these engines including water and corrosion in the injectors (no water separator in the fuel line), parafin clogging of fuel lines and filters in cold weather, reduced lubrication in the heads due to undersized oil galleys, head bolt failures, and the use of aluminum rockers and stanchions in the 4.3L engines. While the 5.7L was also offered on the 1980 Caddilac, Buick, Pontiac, and Chevy Impala, they were soon discontinued by all divisions by the mid 80s.

1987 Oldsmobile 88

Notable models:

Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme (1967–1997) - more performance and luxury than the lower priced Cutlass and Cutlass S models, fitting in at the lower end of the personal luxury car market. Models were similar to the Pontiac Grand Prix, Chevrolet Monte Carlo, and Buick Regal.

Oldsmobile 98 - Oldsmobile full-sized luxury sedan that was downsized in 1977 and 1985, became front wheel drive in 1985

Oldsmobile Toronado (1966–1992) - personal luxury coupe, major redesign downsized the car in 1986, Motor Trend Car of the Year in '66

Oldsmobile Omega (1973–1984) - compact car based on the Chevrolet Nova and later the Chevrolet Citation.

Oldsmobile Calais (or Cutlass Calais) (1985–1991) - popular compact coupe or sedan on GM's "N-body" platform, similar to the Pontiac Grand Am. The series' name was taken from what was formerly the high-end option package for Cutlass Supreme models.

Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera (1982–1996) - popular selling upscale mid-sized car based on GM's A platform. During its run, the Cutlass Ciera was Oldsmobile's best-selling model. It consistently ranked among the highest rated vehicles by J.D. Power and Associates; it was ranked the "Best in Price Class" on July 30, 1992 and the "Top-Ranked American-Made Car" on May 28, 1992. It was also named "Safe Car of the Year" by Prevention Magazine on March 6, 1992.

Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser (1971–1992) - full-size station wagon.

Oldsmobile Starfire (1975–1980) - Sporty subcompact, hatchback coupe similar to the Chevrolet Monza, which was itself, based on the Chevrolet Vega.

Oldsmobile Firenza (1982–1988) - compact sedan, hatchback, coupe, and station wagon based on GM's J-body, sharing the same bodyshell with the Chevrolet Cavalier, Pontiac Sunbird, Buick Skyhawk, and Cadillac Cimarron.

1990's

1994 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight Royale

After the tremendous success of the early 1980's, things changed quickly for Oldsmobile, and by 1990 the brand had lost its place in the market, squeezed between other GM divisions, and with competition from new upscale import makes such as Acura and Lexus. Oldsmobile's signature cars gave way to rebadged models of other GM cars, and GM shifted the performance mantle to Chevrolet and Pontiac. GM continued to use Oldsmobile sporadically to showcase futuristic designs and as a "guinea pig" for testing new technology, with Oldsmobile offering the Toronado Trofeo, which included a visual instrument system with a calendar, datebook, and climate controls. For 1995, Oldsmobile introduced the Aurora, which would be the inspiration for the design of its cars from the mid-1990s onward. The introduction of the Aurora marked as General Motors' catalyst to reposition Oldsmobile as an upscale import fighter. Accordingly, Oldsmobile received a new logo based on the familiar "rocket" theme. Nearly all the existing model names were gradually phased out: the Cutlass Calais in 1991, the Toronado and Custom Cruiser in 1992, the Ninety-Eight and Ciera (formerly Cutlass Ciera) in 1996, Cutlass Supreme in 1997, and finally the Eighty-Eight and Cutlass (which had only been around since '97) in 1999. They were replaced with newer, more modern models with designs inspired by the Aurora.

First Generation Oldsmobile Aurora

Redesigned & new models introduced from 1990–2004:

Oldsmobile Achieva (1992–1998) - compact sedan & coupe

Oldsmobile Alero (1999–2004) - compact sport sedan & coupe

Oldsmobile Aurora (1995–2003) - full-size luxury/performance sedan (redesigned for 2001)

Oldsmobile Bravada (1991–2004) - mid-size premium SUV (redesigned for 1996 and 2002)

Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser (1971–1992) - full-size station wagon. (Redesigned for 1991)

Oldsmobile Cutlass (1997–1999) - mid-size sedan

Oldsmobile Eighty Eight (1949–1999) - full-size premium sedan (redesigned for 1992)

Oldsmobile Intrigue (1998–2002) - mid-size luxury/sport sedan

Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight (1941–1996) - full-size luxury sedan (redesigned for 1991)

Oldsmobile Silhouette (1990–2004) - premium minivan (redesigned for 1997)

2000's

002 Oldsmobile Alero

In spite of Oldsmobile's critical successes since the mid-1990s, a reported shortfall in sales and overall profitability prompted General Motors to announce in December 2000 their plans to phase out the Oldsmobile brand. The announcement took place just two days after Oldsmobile unveiled what would be its last new model ever, the Bravada SUV - which became, somewhat ironically, another critical hit for the division.

The phaseout was conducted on the following schedule:

Mid-2001: The 2002 Bravada, the company's last new model, hits Oldsmobile showrooms

June 2002: Production ends for Intrigue and the Aurora V6 sedans

March 2003: Aurora V8 sedan production ends

January 2004: Bravada SUV production ends

March 2004: Silhouette minivan production ends

April 2004: Alero compact car production ends

The final 500 Aleros, Auroras, Bravadas, Silhouettes and Intrigues produced received special Oldsmobile heritage emblems and markings which signified 'Final 500'. All featured a unique Dark Cherry Metallic paint scheme. Auroras and Intrigues would be accompanied by special Final 500 literature.

The final production day for Oldsmobile was April 29, 2004. The division's last car built was an Alero GLS 4-door sedan, which was signed by all of the Olds assembly line workers. It is on display at the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum located in Lansing, Michigan.

Source: Wikipedia

Test Your Knowledge Of Automobile History

2011-05-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

Click here and take this test. I did and I made 97.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Source: Internet

1963 Oldsmobile Starfire Coupe

2011-04-01T14:21:00.001-07:00

Source: Internet

1962 Oldsmobile Starfire

2011-04-01T14:18:00.001-07:00

Source: Internet

1958 Oldsmobile Super 88

2011-04-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

Source: Internet

1957 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday 4dr Hardtop

2011-04-01T14:11:00.001-07:00

Source: Internet

1955 Oldsmobile Rocket 88

2011-04-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

Source: Internet

1949 Make: Oldsmobile Model: Series 76 Futuramic 4 Door Sedan

2011-04-01T14:04:00.001-07:00

The 76 Series was the entry level Oldsmobile where luxury was made affordable but with a budget price. The Big 6 engine was overshadowed for '49 by the new short stroke OHV V8 that was standard in all other series Oldsmobiles. The standard transmission was a 3-speed manual but when optioned with the 4-speed Hydra-Matic drive, the torque multiplication moved this big Oldsmobile right along effortlessly. This '49 thus represents nearly the last of the breed of 6 cylinder Oldsmobiles. By 1951 all Oldsmobiles would be OHV-V8 powered and the 76 Series would be dropped - replaced by the 88 and Super 88 model designations.

Source: Internet

1949 Oldsmobile Eighty Eight

2011-04-01T14:02:00.001-07:00

Source: Internet

1937 Oldsmobile

2011-04-01T13:55:00.000-07:00

Engine: 350 V-8 EFI

Transmission:
Automatic

Interior Color:
Burgundy

Exterior Color:
Deep Purple

Options:
4 Door,2 Wheel Drive,Automatic Transmission,Rear Wheel Drive

Description:
Under 3,000 miles from concourse restoration; updated ZZ4 FI V8, 4-spd automatic, power everything, a/c and more; Flawless all metal body. Exceptional leather coachwork; all result in a national show contender.

Elizabeth Taylor, Catalyst For America's Car Fever, Dies At 79

2011-03-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Taylor was many things: actress, activist, friend of the disenfranchised, professional divorcee. She was also one of the great sex symbols of the 20th century -- in part, because of her longtime love of cars. She passed away early this morning at the age of 79.

By the time Taylor reached driving age, women had been behind the wheel for several decades. But Taylor hit young adulthood just as the U.S. hit its post-World War II economic boom -- when suburbs exploded (for better or worse) and as a result, America was, for the first time, truly obsessed with cars. No group was more smitten with automobiles than the rapidly growing teenage demographic, and Elizabeth Taylor's well-publicized love of driving only heightened the allure.

When we think of Taylor and cars, we usually think of two films. First, the Academy Award-winning A Place in the Sun, released in 1951, starring Taylor, Montgomery Clift, and Shelley Winters. The hero, Clift, first sees Taylor as she zooms past him on the highway in her sporty 62 Series Cadillac. She and the car are pristine, impossibly beautiful; he never forgets either of them, and neither do we.

Taylor's other great car scene -- one of many -- comes in BUtterfield 8. There, Taylor plays a reluctant call girl who's in love with a married man. In the film's climax -- SPOILER AHEAD -- she bails on a motel tryst with beau and races her sporty Sunbeam Alpine across the Tappan Zee bridge, over a cliff, and into film history. It's kind of like the "women's film" equivalent of the car chase from Bullitt.

Thanks for the memories, Ms. Taylor. Our cars are looking a little less sporty and shiny today.

Source: Internet

Pontiac Parisienne

2011-03-01T12:09:00.001-08:00

Source: Internet

This Cartoon Will Become A Classic

2011-03-01T11:42:00.001-08:00

The "Spirit of Tomorrow"

2011-02-01T16:22:00.000-08:00

None more unusual, though, than this 1938 "Spirit of Tomorrow" (above) built by a Victoria, BC, man named H.B. "Barney" Oldfield. What? The fabled early-century racer? Sorry, no. The Victoria Oldfield simply acquired the nickname. His car consists of an aluminum skin stretched over a wood body built on a 1939 Dodge car frame, modeled after Buckminster Fuller's Dymaxion vehicle. It originally had a flat-head Ford V8 but that was replaced by a modern 289 Ford when Oldfield restored the vehicle in 1967. The engine is situated ahead of the rear wheels for better handling.

Click Here to check out all about "The Spirit Of Tomorrow." It was an automobile designed by Horace Basil (Barney) Oldfield.

1947 Studebaker Pickup

2011-02-01T15:31:00.000-08:00

An enduring favorite among pickup-truck fans, the simple lines of this small but elegant truck was a Wednesday highlight, reaching a $34,100 sale. It has the correct 169cid six-cylinder engine and three-speed manual transmission.

Source: Internet

"What's Leganza?"

2011-01-18T07:34:00.000-08:00

A couple years ago, the question was, "Where's Waldo?" One of the major companies in the world is hoping that a lot of Americans will be asking, "What's Leganza?"

The simple answer is that it is Daewoo's flagship small car, sailing into the crowded waters of the American market. It comes with an exterior design that is a joint effort from in-house stylists and Giugiaro's renowned ItalDesign operation. The Italian studio has been responsible for many fine cars, such as the Lexus GS300.

The company says "Leganza" is a name cobbled together from fragments of the Italian "Elegante" (elegant) and "forza" (power). It may be intended to link to Lexus, Legend and Legacy, but too many folks have confused it with "Lasagna."

Daewoo is better at building cars than naming them. This is the largest of three new offerings from Daewoo. Leganza is priced and sized as a compact but is billed by its maker as a "luxury midsize" sedan. Most will shop it against the Contour, Malibu and Altima, which are really small cars positioned between those segments.

Leganza stands apart with confident styling and an advanced powertrain and suspension. The chromed radiator grille imparts a distinctive look and more elegance than is typically available in this part of the market. Leganza brings new style to affordable driving.

The most impressive features of Leganza is the high quality of body assembly, comfort options and paint finish. The door closes with a solid sound. Fine leather is available for the whole cabin, accompanied by nice wood trim. Leganza has a relatively quiet cabin for this class.

Since Daewoo has had a long association with General Motors, it is no surprise that it called upon GM's favored partners for help. Lotus input is apparent in the good ride, with modest body roll during cornering and light steering. Leganza has fully independent strut-type suspension, four-wheel disc anti-lock brakes, and rack-and-pinion power steering. Few cars in this segment have rear disc brakes available, let alone as standard equipment.

Source: Internet

The 2009 Pontiac Solstice

2011-01-18T07:26:00.001-08:00

Expert Quotes:

This curvaceous roadster still commands looks from fellow drivers
Edmunds

A cockpit defined—and constricted—by its sweeping center console
Road and Track

Decidedly behind the curve
Autoblog

As if last year's Pontiac Solstice wasn't stylish enough, 2009 sees the introduction of an all-new, stunningly gorgeous coupe body style.

The exterior of the 2009 Pontiac Solstice wins high praise in every review read by TheCarConnection.com. Edmunds says that the Pontiac Solstice, which "is available as either a soft-top roadster or a coupe" and in either base or GXP trims, "still commands looks from fellow drivers and passers-by." Kelley Blue Book agrees, noting that "the Solstice easily rivals such stylish competitors as the BMW Z4 and Audi TT, yet costs half as much." Cars.com reports that "the new coupe has a fastback appearance with a sleek roofline" and, like the Chevrolet Corvette coupe, "has a removable center section for an open-air driving experience," although unlike the Corvette, with the Solstice "the removable center section must be left at home because there's no storage space for it in the car." The only real complaint with the styling comes in regard to the convertible's top, and Automobile Magazine states that "raising and lowering the ragtop takes a minute or two with the car stopped and consists of half a dozen" steps, which compares poorly with the Miata's single-step operation.

Despite the exciting promise of the exterior, the Pontiac Solstice's interior doesn't look quite so good, at least according to reviews read by TheCarConnection.com. Kelley Blue Book immediately notes that "some interior parts are borrowed from other GM products (Chevrolet Corvette, Opel Corsa, Hummer H3)." ConsumerGuide finds that "controls are simple to operate, but some are awkward to reach," and the gauges are "hard to read even by day." Autoblog simply calls the interior design "decidedly behind the curve."

Source: Internet

2009 Saturn Sky

2011-01-18T07:21:00.000-08:00

Expert Quotes:

GM's designers knocked the styling right out of the park
Kelley Blue Book

daring, more angular design inspires frequent rubber-necking and mouth-breathing
Cars.com

the refinement is turned up a notch over the Solstice
Car and Driver

The Saturn Sky is one of those rare vehicles boasting that classic, ageless sportscar style. The articles reviewed by TheCarConnection.com all agree that the exterior style of the Sky is one of its strongest selling points.

The 2009 Saturn Sky comes in two available trims, "base and Red Line models," according to Edmunds. They also add that the exterior of both is largely the same. That exterior receives lots of love from reviewers; Kelley Blue Book says "GM's designers knocked the styling right out of the park," gushing that the 2009 Saturn Sky simply "looks great." Car and Driver reports that the exterior features "forward-canted side vents, faux hood vents, multiple grille openings with dashes of chrome, and a rear undertray with incorporated backup light." Cars.com agrees, claiming that the Saturn Sky's "daring, more angular design inspires frequent rubber-necking and mouth-breathing." Cars.com adds that the Saturn Sky "comes complete, with few optional adornments" aside from the "chromed versions of the 18-inch alloy wheels and a rear spoiler that is so superfluous it appears in almost none of Saturn's marketing photos." Perhaps the most common description of the Sky Saturn in reviews read by TheCarConnection.com is that the car features "mini-Corvette styling," in the words of Car and Driver.

While the exterior of the Sky looks amazing, the interior doesn’t quite live up to the expectations. Kelley Blue Book reviewers are generous in their praise, admiring "a smart instrument panel and control layout, piano black and metallic trim" that afford a "sophisticated, contemporary ambiance." ConsumerGuide is more moderate in its review, saying that although "most controls are simple and well marked," they can also be "hard to reach in the tight confines of the cabin, particularly the ill-placed cupholders." Up front, Edmunds reviewers find "the dash is modern and attractive," and Car and Driver feels "the refinement is turned up a notch over the Solstice," the Saturn Sky's sibling from Pontiac.

Conclusion

The 2009 Saturn Sky gets top marks in styling, and it's arguably the best-looking small roadster from the outside.

Source: Internet

Orphan Cars - Great Cars

2011-01-03T00:41:00.001-08:00

Source: Internet

The Tucker Car Show

2011-01-03T00:39:00.000-08:00

Source: Internet

Holden Efijy

2010-12-02T12:42:00.000-08:00

The Holden Efijy is a concept car created in Australia by Holden. It is based around the iconic Holden FJ, the second model built by Holden. The concept is based on the Chevrolet Corvette floor pan, a 6.0 litre V8 engine with Rootes supercharger putting out 480 kW (644 hp) at a little shy of 6500 r.p.m. It rides on an air suspension system that sits down when stopped, and also has electronic instrumentation including a mutli-use display screen that disappears into the dash.

Since its debut showing at The Australian International Motor Show in 2005, the Holden Efijy has been named the United States concept car of the year for 2007.Holden Efijy at the National Motor Museum, Birdwood, South Australia.Holden Efijy at the National Motor Museum, Birdwood, South Australia. Once it returned to Australia, the Efijy visited the National Motor Museum at Birdwood in February 2008.

Source: Wikipedia

Events Of History For Plymouth

2010-12-02T12:36:00.000-08:00

1949 Plymouth Special DeLuxe Station Wagon, advertisement

* 1960: Dodge introduces the smaller, lower-priced "Dart" series that competes directly with Plymouth's offerings. The new compact Valiant introduced.

* 1961 and 1962: Rambler and then Pontiac assumes third place in industry sales for the remainder of the 1960's.

* 1962: Sales drop dramatically with the introduction of a line of unpopularly-styled, downsized full-size models.

* 1964: New Barracuda fastback coupe introduced in April.

* 1965: Plymouth re-joins the full size car market with the new full-size Fury, based on the Chrysler C-Body. The small B-body model becomes the Belvedere line for 1965.

* 1970: Duster coupe introduced in Valiant line for 1970.

* 1971: Unable to afford to develop its own subcompact, the British Hillman Avenger is imported as the Plymouth Cricket, which is discontinued in mid-1973.

* 1973: 1973 Plymouth model year production hits an all-time peak - 973,000. The Plymouth Cricket in Canada is now based on the Dodge Colt.

* 1974: The Dodge Dart and Plymouth Valiant are, for the first time, different only in name and minor trim details. This continues with the Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volaré as well as all further passenger car models. The car that would ultimately become the Chrysler Cordoba is reassigned to Chrysler from Plymouth. Last year for Barracuda.

* 1975: The car that was to become the 1975 Plymouth Sebring morphed into the new Chrysler Cordoba.

* 1976: Last model year for the Valiant/Duster. First model year for the Volare.

* 1977: The large Gran Fury is discontinued.

* 1978: The mid-size Fury is discontinued at the end of the model year. The Plymouth Horizon, based on the European Chrysler Horizon, introduced. Chrysler Canada introduces the Plymouth Caravelle based on the Dodge Diplomat.

* 1979: Plymouth's lineup is reduced to the Horizon and Volaré, and three rebadged Mitsubishi imports.

* 1979/1980: Chrysler makes several thousand more Dodges than Plymouths for the first time. More Plymouths would be made than Dodges for 1981 and 1982, but from then on there will always be more Dodges made than Plymouths.

* 1980: Newport-based Gran Fury introduced. Last year for Volaré.

* 1981: The full-size Gran Fury and Trailduster SUV's last year.

* 1982: The Plymouth Gran Fury, based on the Dodge Diplomat, introduced in the United States.

* 1983: Caravelle 4-door sedan based on the E-body and a 2-door coupe based on the K-body introduced in Canada.

* 1985: E-body Plymouth Caravelle introduced in the United States.

* 1989: The mid-size Gran Fury (Caravelle in Canada) as well as the Reliant are discontinued after this model year. The Reliant is replaced by the Acclaim.

* 1992: The higher priced Acclaim models moved over to LeBaron. Total sales of Acclaim and LeBaron drop. Total 1993 Plymouth model year production drops to 159,775, along with 237,875 Vogager models. Dodge built 300,666 Caravans.

* 1994: The little-advertised Laser sport-compact as well as the popular Sundance and Colt compacts all end production. They are replaced by a single car, the Neon, a car that Chrysler decides to offer as a Plymouth after dealers protested the loss of the Sundance and Colt with no replacement.

* 1995: Plymouth's lineup is at its all time low, just 3 cars: the Acclaim, the Neon, and the Voyager/Grand Voyager. The number will go up to 4 in 1997, with the introduction of the Prowler, but will never get any higher.

* 1996: Chrysler announces the new Plymouth Breeze six months after sister Dodge Stratus and Chrysler Cirrus models. Chrysler originally had no plans to replace the Acclaim model.

* 1996: In an attempt to move Plymouth downmarket, Chrysler makes the redesigned Voyager only available in base and mid-level SE models. All of the higher-end trim levels available on the previous generation can now only be found on the Dodge Caravan.

* 1997: Production for the 1997 model year comes to 178,807 cars plus 187,347 Voyager models. Dodge built 448,394 cars and 355,400 Caravans.

* 1999: Total 1999 production for Plymouth cars came to 195,714 with Dodge at 394,052. Voyager production comes to 197,020, compared to 354,641 Caravans. The writing is on the wall. The redesigned 2000 Neon becomes the brand's last new model.

* 2000: The mid-size Breeze ends production. This is also the last year for the Voyager minivan as a Plymouth. All 2000 Voyagers built in December 1999 and beyond are badged as Chrysler Voyagers. In Canada, the redesigned Neon is sold under the Chrysler name and both the Plymouth and Dodge names are dropped on all car models, save for the Prowler and Viper. The Voyager name is dropped in Canada as all Chrysler dealer sell Dodge trucks, including the Caravan. Total 2000 model year production for Plymouth comes to 108,546 compared to 459,988 Dodge cars. Voyager production totalled 123,869 versus 330,370 Caravan models.

* 2001: Plymouth's final model year. Only the Neon remains in the Plymouth line. The Prowler becomes a Chrysler. The Breeze is dropped as Chrysler issues the Chrysler Sebring sedan to replace the Chrysler Cirrus. The PT Cruiser is launched as a Chrysler, though it was originally planned to be a Plymouth. The final Plymouth, a Neon, is assembled on June 28, 2001, with a total of 38,657 built for the model year.

Source: Wikipedia

Rust Never Sleeps

2010-11-02T01:52:00.000-07:00

The 20th century began during the middle of a machine age. Technology was advancing quickly and industrialists were tapping the benefits of transitioning from steam to internal cumbustion as the primary power source for transportation and food production.

In the late 1890s, J.I. Case began producing a gas-powered tractor. Henry Ford began producing tractors in 1907, a year before he began mass-producing automobiles.

Over the years, millions of vehicles and tractors have rolled off assembly lines. The were their owners' pride and joy for some time, but eventually as they wore out they were replaced by newer, more advanced models.

Now some of the early models of tractors and automobiles can sometimes be found abandoned in barns, fields or yards, waiting while time and rust slowly, but relentlessly wash them away.

They might look like junk to some people, but to a photographer they are pure gold.

Source: Amarillo News

I had seen several likely photo opportunities outside Vega on a recent trip west. Hastily scribbled notes said there were several rusty vehicles outside a building just east of exit 36, and a couple of interesting looking tractors just to the west.

I was concentrating on the drive back toward Vega early Saturday when I realized a pickup parked beside the road had belched out three passengers, who were taking photographs of the very machines I was searching for. Not shy, I pulled up alongside, made a big show of getting cameras out of a bag and stepped out of my rig.

The Langstons were a little uncertain about a stranger pulling up and hopping out of a car on a stretch of road pretty far from other people, but I chatted them up and spent some time getting to know them. They were driving from Arkansas to Las Vegas to attend a funeral and had decided to stop and shoot some photos of a few relics.

Dee had recently won a photo contest using a photo of an old vehicle that she had converted to black and white. I couldn't stay long — I knew where two rusty tractors waited nearby for their own portraits.

The End Of The Road For Pontiac

2010-11-02T01:43:00.000-07:00

The front of a restored 1967 Pontiac GTO is seen in Newtown, Pa. Pontiac has gone out of business.

Muscle car maker Pontiac ends after 84 years..,

Detroit -- Pontiac, whose muscle cars drag-raced down boulevards, parked at drive-ins and roared across movie screens, went out of business on Sunday.

The 84-year-old brand, moribund since General Motors decided to kill it last year as it collapsed into bankruptcy, had been in decline for years. It was undone by a combination of poor corporate strategy and changing driver tastes. GM's agreements with Pontiac dealers expired Sunday.

Even before GM's bankruptcy, Pontiac's sales had fallen from their peak of nearly one million in 1968, when the brand's speedier models were prized for their powerful engines and scowling grills.

At Pontiac's pinnacle, models like the GTO, Trans Am and Catalina 2+2 were packed with horsepower and sported colors like "Tiger Gold." Burt Reynolds and Sally Field fled the law in a Firebird Trans Am, which raced through the 1970s hit movie "Smokey and the Bandit."

By the late 1980s, though, Pontiacs were taking off their muscle shirts, putting on suits and trying to act like other cars. The brand had lost its edge.

Bill Hoglund, a retired GM executive who led Pontiac during its "We Build Excitement" ad campaigns in the 1980s, blames the brand's demise on a reorganization under CEO Roger Smith in 1984.

That overhaul cut costs by combining Pontiac's manufacturing, engineering and design operations with those of other GM brands.

"There was no passion for the product," says Hoglund. "The product had to fit what was going on in the corporate system."

Although the moves were necessary to fend off competition from Japanese automakers with lower costs, they yielded Pontiacs that looked and drove like other GM cars.
By 2008, the last full year before GM announced Pontiac's shutdown, sales were 267,000, less than a third of those sold in 1968.

Formed in 1926, Pontiac made cars for the working class until a sales slump in the 1950s nearly killed it.

GM revived the brand by connecting it to auto racing. From then on, each Pontiac sales boom was driven by speed; each bust generally featured outdated or boring rides.

Source: News-Leader

Radio Flyer Wagon Car

2010-10-08T17:27:00.000-07:00

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A Valley couple took a childhood memory and turned it into a retirement project. Now, they have a Radio Flyer car to drive around town in.
Fred Keller and Judy Foster worked on the car for 11 months, and finished in August of this year, and their ride has been turning heads.

The base of the wagon is a 1976 Mazda pickup truck that Foster inherited from her dad.

Clock Here to see the video.

The vehicle turns heads everywhere they go.

"I think the words I hear the most often is 'awesome' or 'cool' or people go by and give us a 'hi' sign," Foster said.

The wheels are made from hub caps and detergent bottles, and the steering wheel is the actual wheel from a wagon. The handle rises eight feet high.

Custom-made Radio Flyer Car Fred Keller and Judy Foster's "retirement" project, isn't something you'd expect. The two built a car modeled after a Radio Flyer wagon, complete with handle and red buttons on the wheels. The car began as a 1976 Mazda Pickup truck, and the project began in the summer of 2009. They completed it in early August and have been turning heads everywhere they go.

1976 Mazda Pickup

Austin-Healey

2010-09-01T18:03:00.000-07:00

1965 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk III

Austin-Healey was a British sports car maker. The marque was established through a joint venture arrangement, set up in 1952 between Leonard Lord of the Austin division of the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and Donald Healey, a renowned automotive engineer and designer.

Austin-Healey produced cars until 1972 when the 20-year agreement between Healey and Austin came to an end. Donald Healey left the company in 1968 when British Motor Holdings (BMC had merged with Jaguar Cars in 1966 to form BMH) was merged into British Leyland. Healey joined Jensen Motors who had been making bodies for the "big Healeys" since their inception in 1952, and became their chairman in 1972.

Models Built

Austin-Healey 100

1953 - 1955 BN1 Austin-Healey 100
1955 Austin-Healey 100S (Extremely limited production of aluminium bodied race-prepared cars)
1955 - 1956 BN2 Austin-Healey 100M (Limited production high performance)
1956 - 1957 BN2 Austin-Healey 100
1956 - 1957 BN4 Austin-Healey 100-6 (2+2 seats)
1957 - 1959 BN4 Austin-Healey 100-6 Change to 1 3/4" SU Carbs (2+2 seats)
1958 - 1959 BN6 Austin-Healey 100-6 6 Cylinder motor (2 seat)

Austin-Healey 3000

1959 - 1961 BN7 Mark I (2 seat), BT7 Mark I (2+2 seats)
1961 - 1962 BN7 Mark II (2 seat), BT7 Mark II (2+2 seats), BJ7 Mark II (2 seat)
1962 - 1964 BJ7 Mark II (roll-up windows)
1964 - 1967 BJ8 Mark III

Austin-Healey Sprite

1960 Austin-Healey Sprite

1958 - 1960 AN5 Mark I 'Bugeye - US' 'Frogeye - UK'
After the Bugeye, the AH Sprite was a badge engineered twin to the MG Midget (hence the term 'Spridget'). The MG was aimed slightly upmarket.
1961 - 1964 AN6 - AN7 Mark II
1964 - 1966 AN8 Mark III (roll-up windows)
1966 - 1969 AN9 Mark IV
1969 - 1971 AN10 Mark V (UK Only)

Racing

The Big Healey was extensively raced in the United States and was recognized from the very beginning by the Sports Car Club of America / SCCA. Healey models raced in D,E, and F production classes, winning National Championships in both D and E Production.

In 1953, a special streamlined Austin-Healey set several land speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA.

Successors

The name Austin is now owned by Nanjing who bought the assets of MG Rover Group (British Leyland's successor company) out of bankruptcy in 2005. After Donald Healey sold his original business, Donald Healey Motor Company, the Healey brand was registered to a new firm, Healey Automobile Consultants, which the Healey family sold to HFI Automotive in 2005.

In June 2007, Nanjing and Healey Automobile Consultants / HFI Automotive signed a collaborative agreement that aims to recreate the Austin Healey and Healey marquees alongside NAC's MG. No timeline has been given as to when the Healey and Austin-Healey brands will return, although MG will be back on the market in China and the UK by the year's end.

Source: Wikipedia

Looking Back: 1955 Studebaker E Series V-8

2010-08-01T15:06:00.001-07:00

We stumbled across this classic 1955 Studebaker E Series V-8 half-ton pickup in Ann Arbor, Mich., on display at the Rolling Sculpture Car Show earlier this month. It's been meticulously restored by owner Ron Cripe.

Studebaker's E Series trucks were inaugurated in 1955. There was the 2E in 1956, 3E in 1957-58 and so on until the 8E models marked the last Studebaker pickups that were sold in 1964. Styling was a mix of carried-over sheet metal from the 1949-53 2R Series and 1954 3R Series.

According to Cripe, 1955 was also the first year an eight-cylinder engine option was available for Studebaker's lightest hauler. The180-horsepower, 259-cubic-inch (4.2-liter) V-8 was paired with a four-speed manual transmission. A six-cylinder was the standard engine.

Cripe's truck is optioned with a heavy-duty rear suspension, which features a remarkable 11 leaf springs in each spring pack. Today's Ford F-150 half-ton has only three leaf springs. Also noteworthy, the leaf springs are held in place below the rear live axle instead of resting above the axle, like today's trucks.

Source: Pickup Trucks.com

Can Automatic Car Washes Damage Yor Car?

2010-07-01T10:38:00.001-07:00

Automatic/drive-through car washes are more popular than ever because they save time and hassle.

But are automatic car washes safe for your car? In fact, in many instances, they are the "safest" course of action for many car owners who want to keep their car clean.

In fact, automatic car washes can be safer for your car's finish than washing your car yourself because do-it-yourselfers sometimes don't use enough water to safely remove dirt; or they wash the car in direct sunlight -- which can burn spots in the paint. Or they use the wrong type of soap -- such as dishwashing detergent, which removes protective wax and leaves a chalky residue on the finish. Or any one of several common mistakes can end up doing more harm than good.

Cars by the numbers:

3 Most Popular Muscle Cars6 Cheap Cars with Great Gas Mileage10 Fastest Sports CarsKeeping your car clean and the finish looking good can also mean higher resale value when it comes time to get a new car. All else being equal, a car with faded paint and a dingy overall look sells for 10-20 percent less than an otherwise identical vehicle that just looks nicer.

So how often should you have your vehicle washed? That depends on how quickly it gets dirty -- and how dirty it gets. For some cars, once a month or so is sufficient -- especially if the car is lightly used and kept in a garage. But some cars will need a bath more often -- especially those that are parked outdoors where they're exposed to bird droppings, tree sap and so on, or driven in areas with very long/severe winters, where the roads are salted when it snows.

Here are a few important things to keep in mind when it comes to automatic car washes:

Be sure it's "brushless" -- Some older car washes still use abrasive brushes (instead of cloth), which can leave small scratches in a car's finish. On older cars with so-called "single stage" paint jobs, light scratches could usually be buffed out; but all modern cars use a "base/clear" system with a thin, transparent layer of clear coat on top of the underlying color coat to provide the shine. Once the thin clear coat is damaged, often the only way to restore the shine is to repaint the damaged area.

Another safe bet is "touchless" car washes that use only high-pressure water jets and detergents to clean the car -- without physically touching it at all. There is virtually no chance of your vehicle suffering any cosmetic damage this way. Some areas have "self-service" coin-operated hand washes, which are great for spraying away heavy dirt buildup. You'll usually need to bring your own bucket, wash cloth/sponge and dry towels, though.

Watch out for the after-wash wipe-down -- Most drive-through washes use a strong jet of heated air to force excess water off after the car goes through the wash. Many full-service car washes will then have you drive the car (or drive it for you, in some cases) away from the wash area to be hand-wiped by attendants. This is usually OK -- provided the attendants are using fresh, clean (and soft) towels to do so. Be alert on busy days, when lots of other cars have gone ahead of you. If you see the attendants using obviously dirty old rags to wipe the car down, you should say "thanks, but no thanks" -- and drive away wet. Dirt and other abrasives in the rags can scratch the finish just like sandpaper. Simply driving away from the wash and letting air flow over the car to dry any remaining water won't hurt anything -- and is the best guarantee of a no-damage experience. Any lingering streaks can easily be cleaned up at home yourself using readily available spray cleaners designed for just this purpose. (Honda Pro Spray Cleaner & Polish is excellent for this; it also provides UV protection and easily and safely cleans off bugs, tar and road grime, etc. without water.)

Hold off on the extras -- A "works" car wash can cost twice as much as the basic wash, but you may not be getting twice the wash for your money. Undercarriage rustproofing, for example, is of dubious value. Effective rustproofing is applied to brand-new metal, in order to seal it from contact with external corrosives such as road salt. Most new cars are extensively rustproofed at the factory during the assembly process; further "treatment" is superfluous -- and a money-waster.

On the other hand, if the wash offers an undercarriage bath, it may be worth the additional cost. Jets of water sprayed directly underneath the car can break loose accumulated crud that would be difficult (and unpleasant) to try to remove yourself using a garden hose. It's also important that underbody drainage holes not be obstructed by mud and other buildup; accumulated moisture can accelerate rust or (in the case of the air conditioning system) lead to the formation of mold in the system. The undercarriage bath should help keep those drain holes clear.

Do, however, think twice about spray-on wax. This typically adds at least a couple bucks to the cost of the wash and while it doesn't hurt anything, it's no substitute for hand-applied polish/wax. Spray-on "wax" may provide a short-term gloss enhancement, but doesn't protect against UV sun damage the way hand-applied wax does. Ditto the cost of having an attendant spray Armor All (or a similar protectant) on your tires to make them shiny. The cost for this extra can be equivalent to the cost of buying an entire bottle of the stuff on your own.

Wheel and tire cleaning is an exception; the heavy-duty cleaners used by the car wash do a great job of removing baked-on brake dust, etc., that can otherwise be a real chore to clean on your own, using over-the-counter cleaners, a hand brush and a hose. It's especially important to keep aluminum alloy wheels clean; brake dust can eventually permanently stain them if it's not regularly cleaned away.

Finally:

Make sure your car's OK before you leave -- While many car washes will have a disclaimer posted that they are "not responsible for any damages that may occur" as a result of running your car through their wash, that doesn't mean you should automatically absolve them of any damage their equipment or personnel may have caused. If you notice something, ask to see the manager and point it out to him; whether "legally liable" or not, he may offer to fix the problem in the interest of customer relations. And even if he does not, you can still pursue the matter with a higher-up (such as the company headquarters, if the wash is a franchise, as many associated with big-name gas stations often are). If you have a cell phone with a camera, use it to take a photo of the damage in order to support your claim. And it ought to go without saying that you should never leave your purse or other valuables in the car if you use a wash where an attendant will have access to the vehicle's interior.

Source: Autos.aol

Classic Oldsmobiles

2010-06-28T23:28:00.000-07:00

1968 Oldsmoblie 98 Convertible

1969 Oldsmobile 4-4-2

Click on image to view larger image

1946 Oldsmobile Series 76 club sedan

1950 Oldsmobile 98 Futuramic four-door sedan

1955 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday 2-door hardtop

1962 Oldsmobile Convertible

Oldsmobile 1959 Super 88

1957 Oldsmobile Convertible

Classic Cars

2010-06-24T07:15:00.000-07:00

Classic cars by definition from the Classic Car Club of America are cars that were built from 1919 to 1948. They focus on these first cars ever built. Cars that don't fall in this range are called antique cars, although some people like to interchange the terminology. These cars were typically the creme de la creme, or cream of the crop cars. They were expensive when they first came out, and were made in very limited quantities. Some cars may not fit that bill, but they also can be the first to use a specific development of technology. For example, a car that first used power brakes can be considered a classic car. These are the true classics that people think of. An example that many people may have heard of would be a Rolls Royce. There are many other definitions to classic cars, as it is truly up to the person deciding if it is a classic or not. There are modern classics that are usually at least 15 to 25 years old. For insurance purposes, states give their own definition. For example, Pennsylvania law says that the car must be at least 15 years old and also conform to the original specifications that the manufacturer stated. It truly varies with whoever you speak with. Due to this confusion, the more information you can get regarding classic cars the better. The CarsDirect website is a great source of articles on general classic car information, as well as specific information on certain makes and models.

Classic car value is a very delicate subject. If you are the owner of a car that is in less than mint condition, it is very possible to improve its value, however you should be very careful. While proper restoration is a very difficult and time consuming process, decreasing the value of a classic car is very easy and is often done without the owner even realizing it.

Numbers Matching Cars

The most valuable classic cars are those that are not only in flawless condition, but more importantly are equipped with all of their original factory parts. Numbers matching refers to a car in which all major parts including the engine, transmission, and rear axle, and in some cases even the alternator, carburetor, distributor, water pump and cylinder heads all match the original parts numbers listed for the car. Should you need to replace or repair any of the major parts of your classic car, trying to replace them with parts from the same type of car, year and model will help preserve as much value as possible.

New Parts versus New Old Stock

While the difference between newly manufactured parts may be hard to notice simply looking at them, their impact on a classic car’s value can be enormous. While newer, more recent parts may function more efficiently as well as boast superior durability, using them on a classic car can be catastrophic to its value. In order to maximize the value of your classic car, try and use new old stock parts, or parts that were manufactured during the same time period as the car yet have never been used. If you are unable to locate them for the parts you need, you may want to consider looking for a parts car, or a car of the same year and model as yours that is in poor condition. While these cars may be nearly worthless themselves, the parts you may be able to salvage from them can help improve the value of yours by a great deal.

Body Repair

One of the best ways to improve the value of your classic car is by restoring the body. Repairing dents, and other forms of body damage as well as rejuvenating tired paint with a fresh coat of any of the factory colors of paint the car was available in originally can lead to large increases in value.

Keep Detailed Maintenance Records

Not only do well kept, detailed records help prove the great condition of your classic car as well as the work put into restoration, they can explain any parts that don’t have matching parts numbers, as well as give a window into the life and potential future of your car. People like to know the histories of the cars they buy, and having a detailed record might be enough to coax a few more dollars from a potential buyer.

While customization can make a car more suited to your tastes, it can be devastating to the value of a classic car. For maximum value, always try and keep your car as close to original specifications as possible, using as many original parts as possible.

Source: CarsDirect

Plymouth Former Slogans

2010-06-08T01:59:00.000-07:00

The Plymouth division went through numerous slogans, including the following:

"If it's important to you, it's important to Plymouth" (early 1990s)

"The nine most important words to Plymouth: Satisfy the customer, satisfy the customer, satisfy the customer" (late 1980s)
"The pride is back, born in America" (mid and late 1980s)

"Now that's imagination, that's Plymouth!" (late 1970s)

"Chrysler-Plymouth, coming through!" (early 1970s)

"Plymouth is out to win you over this year" (mid-1960s)

"Plymouth - star of the forward look" (late 1950s)

Oldsmobile Concepts

2010-06-08T01:29:00.000-07:00

Oldsmobile O4

Oldsmobile Recon

Oldsmobile Toronado XSR

Oldsmobile F88 III

Oldsmobile Fiesta Carousel

Oldsmobile F88 II

Oldsmobile 88 Delta

Oldsmobile Cutlass Concept

Oldsmobile F88

Oldsmobile Starfire Concept

Oldsmobile Golden Rocket

Pontiac Bonneville Special

2010-06-08T01:23:00.000-07:00

The Pontiac Bonneville Special was a purpose-built, concept car that was unveiled at the General Motors Motorama in 1954 and was the first two-seater sports car that Pontiac had ever produced. Designed by renowned designer Harley J. Earl and hand built by Hommer LaGassey and Paul Gilland, the Special was an experimental car, a two door, grand touring sport coupé that incorporated innovative breakthrough styling like an all-plexi canopy with gull-wing panels on a sleek fiberglass body. Two Special prototypes, one painted metallic bronze and one emerald green, were built with the intention of unveiling them simultaneously at the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York and the Pan Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles in 1954.

As of 2006, both cars still exist, belonging to Joseph Bortz of Highland Park, IL.

Design

The design of the Special drew its visual impetus from America’s fascination with aeronautic and rocket design in the 1950s, employing a wind-tunnel inspired profile and high-tech bright work throughout the body, hood and grill. Glass covered recessed headlights, like those on the 1953 Corvette, two rows of louvers on the fenders and twin "silver-streaks" on the hood that lead to functional air scoops were it’s most distinguishing features. The rear end styling was its most over-the-top visual cue. Featured between two rather bold fender fins were ultramodern twin exhaust chrome-ports, similar to today’s Porsches, and a custom spare tire enclosure with space-age wheel disc that gave the car a jet-powered appearance.

Interior

Interior styling in the Special was state of the art for its time, and indeed would pass muster against today's computer-designed automobiles. The dashboard was a sleek, wing like design that incorporated a clean horizontal layout of working instruments that gave the interior a futuristic cockpit look. Even underneath the dash, the gauges were sealed in by a contoured metal facia with brushed finish, assuring by Earl that no detail would go unnoticed. Between unique, parabolic shaped, leather bucket seats lay a matching metal, center console with functionally modest gear shift handle, twin vent-control levers, and ignition key slot. Centered over the three spoke, Corvette-style steering wheel was a single, large speedometer that read a top speed of 120 mph. Passengers gained entry through conventional, lower doors and gull-wing panels, incorporated into the monocoque-style canopy, that swung upward.

Power plant

Under the hood lay the "Special"-8, a bored out, high output 268 in³ engine that was painted bright red and detailed in chrome. This was a unique configuration for the "eight", installed in the only two Specials ever made. Called the Silver Streak[3] in de-tuned production cars, it was Pontiac's most powerful engine to date in the early 1950s. Similar in appearance only, this was a high compression variant that was modified with a long-duration cam and aspirated naturally through four Carter YH side-draft, single barrel carburetors, the same used in the 1953 Corvette, under open-mesh breathers. Total output was the highest ever for the "eight", rated at 230 bhp, though some estimated it at over 300 bhp. Like the Special, only two of these remarkable variants were ever made. Gearing was controlled through a 4-speed Hydramatic automatic transmission.

Note: Pontiac’s new V8 was being considered for use in the Special but was instead held back by GM marketing. They directed that the straight-8 be used, to keep the "vee" a secret from consumers for one more year until its debut the following year.

Trivia

Carry-overs from the Special that actually made it into production models

The name "Bonneville" was rumoured to have come from GM designer Harley Earl visiting the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. It was in fact the first car at GM to have been named after it, and would become Pontiac's top end performance platform for 47 years.

The silver-streaks would appear again as a pair on the 1955 and '56 Chieftains and Star Chiefs, not to mention Pontiac's concept car for 1956, the Club de Mer.

The twin scoops: Designed to channel cool air into the driver's compartment, they resurfaced again on both the 1967 Firebird and 1968 GTO.

The louvers: Emblazoned horizontally on the fenders behind the front wheel wells, they would appear again as vertical slits on the 1957 Star Chief Bonneville and 1965 [[Pontiac 2+2|2+2]].

The tail fins: A bold feature on the Special, they would be copied on the 1955 and '56 Pontiac.

The instruments: The 1958 Bonneville - '58 being the first full year for the Bonny - had a sleek instrument panel that looked a lot like the one in the Special.

The wheels: The finned wheel covers on the Special became a design cue for Pontiac's famous 8-lug, aluminium rims that were introduced in 1960.

The colour: It was undoubtedly being remembered when designing Pontiac's modern two-seater, the Solstice, which was also painted metallic bronze.

According to Special owner Joseph Bortz, the air in the tires, with the exception of a few top-ups, is the same air from 1954.

On January 24, 2006, one of the two Specials sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction for US $2.6 million.

Pontiac Club de Mer

2010-06-08T01:19:00.001-07:00

The Pontiac Club de Mer was a purpose-built, concept car that was unveiled at the General Motors Motorama in 1956 to celebrate GM's commitment to futuristic design. The brainchild of GM designer Paul Gillian, the de Mer was a two door sport roadster that incorporated innovative breakthrough styling like a sleek, low-profile body encasing a large powerplant, a design trend used widely in LSR (land speed record) trials at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah during the 1950s. One Club de Mer prototype was constructed and unveiled, along with another ¼-scale model, in Miami, Florida. As per GM's "kill order", it was scrapped in 1958. Only the 1/4-scale model exists today, owned by noted car collector Ron Pratt who purchased it at the 2007 Barrett Jackson Classic Car Auction for $75,000

Design

The design of the de Mer drew its visual impetus from contemporary aircraft construction of its day, employing a stainless steel monocoque, individual wind screens similar to those on the 1955 Lincoln Futura (later TV's Batmobile), aerodynamically fashioned facia that flowed down from the hood skin to cover most of the grill, concealed headlights, and a single rear-deck dorsal fin. Also featured were twin "silver-streaks" that flowed into low-profile hood scoops, a carry-over from Pontiac's Bonneville Special two years prior. The overall styling of the body was a smooth, non-undulating profile, similar to an American supersonic jet fighter, with virtually no protrusions or recesses of any kind save for the out-vents on the leading edge of both doors, and the fin. The vehicle had no bumpers, a common feature on most concepts, and the door handles were quite small. On a human scale, its most alarming feature was that it had a very low profile at just under 39 inches.

Interior

The interior styling in the de mer had a barebones functionality to it, more in keeping with its speed trial “airs” than the flashier production vehicles available in showrooms at the time. Instruments were low key, with triangularly configured gauges mounted well behind a three spoke, GT-style steering wheel, around the steering column. The speedometer was positioned on top, and a smaller gauge on either side, each enclosed in its own pod. The interior was finished in red, while passengers gained entry through conventional doors.

Power plant

Under the hood lay Pontiac’s brand new wonder engine, the 287 OHV V-8 which was unveiled the year prior. Called the Strato Streak, it was GM's most powerful engine by 1955 and ushered in Pontiac’s high-performance image with the Bonneville, Grand Prix and GTO. This high-output power plant was modified with a high-lift cam and fitted with two four-barrel carburetors to coax power up to a mighty 300 bhp. The rear wheels were driven by a rear mounted transaxle, used later in Pontiac's new compact, the 1961 Tempest, on a DiDion Type rigid rear axle with independent suspension.

Trivia

"Concept" was not a term used in the 1950s but instead "experimental car".
The individual bubble windscreens were an innovation carried over to the 1956 and 57 Corvette racing car.
The model kit maker Revell made a 1/25 scale Club de Mer that actually came with 1950s-clad driver and passenger.

Pontiac Chieftain

2010-06-07T14:35:00.000-07:00

The Pontiac Chieftain was an automobile produced by the Pontiac Motors Division of General Motors from 1949 to 1958. Chieftains were one of the first all new car designs to come to Pontiac in the post World War II years. Previous cars had been 1942 models with minor revisions.

First Generation (1949-1951)

First Generation Production 1949-1951
Engine(s) 239.2 in³ L-head I6
268.2 in³ L-head I8
Wheelbase 3,048 mm (120.0 in)
Length 5,143.5 mm (202.50 in)
Curb weight 1,535.41 to 1,557.18 kg (3,385.0 to 3,433.0 lb)

The first generation Chieftain replaced the Torpedo as Pontiac's top automobile and was similar (if not exact) in dimensions, engines, trim levels and options to the lower level Streamliner. However, the Chieftain was based on the sportier GM A-Body shell instead of the Streamliner's more staid B-Body shell.

The Chieftain was initially introduced with four models: Sedan, Sedan Coupe, Business Coupe and Deluxe Convertible Coupe. In 1950, a Catalina Coupe was added to the range while a station wagon was added in 1951.

First generation Chieftains came with a choice of four engines:

a 239.2 in³ L-head 6-cylinder engine making 90 horsepower (67 kW) at 3400 rpm
a 239.2 in³ L-head 6-cylinder engine making 93 horsepower (69 kW) at 3400 rpm
a 268.2 in³ L-head 8-cylinder making 103 horsepower (77 kW) at 3800 rpm
a 268.2 in³ L-head 8-cylinder making 106 horsepower (79 kW) at 3800 rpm

The horsepower differences between each of the 6- and 8-cylinder engines were due to changes in compression ratios.

Some of the more interesting optional items available for the first generation Chieftain included a radio with seven vacuum tubes, tissue dispenser, under seat heaters, and a Remington Auto-Home shaver.

Second Generation (1952-1954)

For the 1952 model year, Pontiac discontinued the Streamliner leaving the Chieftain as their only offering. The Chieftain moved to the new 122 wheelbase A-body platform. Engine offerings were basically the same except for the 8-cylinder which got a .2 cubic inch enlargement. Horsepower did increase by 10 on the 6-cylinder and by 15 on the 8-cylinder.

The 1953 Chieftains were largely unchanged from 1952.

The Star Chief joined the Pontiac line in 1954, bumping the Chieftain down to entry level status. Both cars were built on the A-body shell but the new Star Chief had an 11-inch (280 mm) extension added to its frame. Also in 1954, 8-cylinder engines increased by about nine horsepower due to carburetor changes. The 6-cylinder engines remained unchanged.

Also in 1954, power brakes and air-conditioning were offered as extra cost options for the first time.

Third Generation (1955-1958)

The 1955 model Chieftains featured completely new chassis, body and engine. The engine was the biggest news as this was Pontiac's first V8. The 287.2 in³ engine made 173 or 180 horsepower (130 kW) at 4400 rpm depending on which version was ordered (again, the difference was due to changes in compression ratios). A 6-cylinder engine was no longer offered.

The biggest change for 1956 was again in the engine. The new for 1955 V8 was drastically enlarged to 316.6 in³. Horsepower made a considerable increase, jumping to 192 and 205 respectively. Otherwise, the 1956 model Chieftains received only minor updates.

New "Star Flight" styling graced the 1957 Chieftains. This new theme included missile shaped side trim, extended rear fenders with V-shaped tips, lower hoods and massive bumpers. A new Super Chief sub-series debuted within the Chieftain line. These were the meant to be the top of the line Chieftain models.

Once again the Pontiac V8 was enlarged. The 1957 model year say the engine increase to 347 in³ with horsepower increasing to 290 for the Chieftain models.

Chieftains went through another major styling change in 1958. All models were give honeycomb grilles, quad head and tail lamps, concave rear fenders, and longer, lower lines. The Super Chief sub-series was promoted to full model status leaving just the standard array of Chieftains as the entry level Pontiac.

As in years past, the V8 engine was enlarged. For 1958 it grew to 370 in³ and made 240 and 270 horsepower (200 kW) depending on version.

The 1958 models were the last Chieftains to be produced. It was replaced with the all-new Catalina in 1959.

Pontiac Strato Streak Concept

2010-06-07T14:27:00.001-07:00

Intended as a combination between a sports car and a sedan, the 1954 Pontiac Strato Streak was created as a concept car for the 1954 Motorama auto shows. Orginially it was painted a metallic green, however it was later repainted a metallic red and renamed the Strato Streak II.

Unique Features

Distinctive features of the Strato Streak included:

■Center-opening side doors without a B-pillar
■Fiberglass body on a 124-inch wheelbase
■Swivel front seats
■Wraparound windshield

The 1954 Pontiac Strato Streak concept was a 4-door “hardtop type” car inspired by the Pontiac Catalina. With no center post between the doors, the car could be opened up completely. It had 4-bucket seats and the front set swiveled sideways for easier entry. Controls for safety and convenience accessories were on the drive shaft tunnel.

The Strato Streak was built on Pontiac’s 124-inch Star Chief’s wheelbase and was only 54.7-inches high, 8.7-inches lower than contemporary production models. The interior featured beige leather and a special nylon fabric with gold metallic threads. The Strato Streak’s backlight pillars were as narrow as possible. The wide rear window was supplemented by quadrant shaped sidelights. The rear doors opened into the wind, with special locks to prevent opening unless the car was stopped and in neutral.

It originally had a metallic green finish on its fiberglass body, but was later painted iridescent metallic red and renamed the Strato Streak II.

Source: Internet

1957 Rambler Cross-Country Station Wagon

2010-06-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

Nash Rambler

2010-06-07T13:35:00.000-07:00

The Nash Rambler was a North American automobile produced by the Nash Motors division of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation from 1950 through 1956.

Development

Nash-Kelvinator's President George W. Mason saw that the company needed to compete more effectively and insisted a new car had to be different from the existing models in the market. The Rambler was designed to be smaller than contemporary cars, yet still accommodate five passengers comfortably. The Nash Rambler established a new segment in the automobile market and is widely acknowledged to be the first modern American compact car.

In developing this new car, Nash had originally planned to call it the Diplomat. This name would have rounded out the Nash family of cars, as for 1950 the 600 line was renamed the Statesman, and the Ambassador remained the flagship line. When it was learned that Dodge had already reserved the Diplomat name for a planned two-door hardtop body style, Nash delved into its own past, and resurrected the Rambler name from an 1897 prototype and its first production model, in 1902. The Rambler was one of the most popular of early American autos. Similarly, the new Nash Rambler was highly respected throughout its 1950-1955 lifespan.

1950-1952

The Nash Rambler was introduced during the 1950 model year. The new model was the company's entry in the lower-price segment dominated by models from Chevrolet, Ford, and Plymouth. The Rambler was designed to be lighter and have smaller dimensions than the other popular cars. A strategy of efficiency, Nash could save on materials in its production while owners would have better fuel economy. The car rode on a 100-inch (2,500 mm) wheelbase, and power came from Nash's proven 173 cu in (2.8 L) L-head (flathead) Straight-6 cylinder engine that produced 82 hp (61 kW).

1951 Nash "Country Club" hardtop

1952 Rambler station wagon

Additional historical context of the Nash Rambler, along with the Nash Healey and Metropolitan was that US citizens were exposed to and had become fond of smaller more efficient compact and sporty European cars during the Second World War theater of operations. Along with the less gaudy styling cues of European design, that input of enjoying more compact cars was also an effect of Kelvinator having a wide market overseas. This influence is seen directly in the Pinin Farina models. AMC would continue to import European design and styling flair for its products without much notice by typical sources of media, such as the Gucci, Pierre Cardin and Oleg Cassini models, as well as noticeable bodyshell features such as the 1974 Matador Coupe's grille arrangement.

The new Rambler was also introduced only as an upmarket two-door convertible - designated the "Landau". The decision to bring the car out in a higher market segment with more standard features was a calculated risk by Mason. Foremost in this strategy was the need to give the new Rambler a positive public image. Mason knew the car would fail if seen by the public as a "cheap little car". He knew what Crosley was just finding out with its line of mini cars, and what the Henry J would teach Kaiser Motors; namely, that Americans would rather buy a nice used car than a new car that is perceived as inferior or substandard.

Other factors incorporated into the Rambler's marketing mix were the limited steel supplies during the Korean War, as well as the strategy for profit maximization from the new Rambler. The desire to earn a high return for the company meant the new Rambler, with its expected low initial production volume, was priced higher than the base models from its intended competition. To further increase the value to buyers, the car was well equipped compared to the competition and included items such as whitewall tires, full wheel covers, electric clock, and even a pushbutton AM radio.

Following the design of the larger "senior" Nash models, the compact Rambler's styling was rounded in form and also had an envelope body with fender skirts that also enclosed the front wheels. This design feature did not impair the car's cornering ability too significantly. Unlike almost all traditional convertibles of the era that used frame-free side windows, the Rambler retained the fixed roof structure above the car's doors and rear-side window frames. This metal structure served as the side guides or rails for the retractable waterproof canvas top. This design allowed Nash to utilize its monocoque (unibody) construction on its new compact. It made the Rambler body very rigid for an open-top car, without the additional bracing required in other convertible models.

In 1951, the Rambler line was enlarged to include a two-door station wagon and a two-door pillarless hardtop - designated the Country Club.

A car tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1951 had a top speed of 80.9 mph (130.2 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 21.0 seconds. A fuel consumption of 25.2 miles per imperial gallon (11.2 L/100 km; 21.0 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car was reported as costing $1,808 in the United States, British sales had not at the time started.

1953-1955

The Rambler received its first restyling in 1953, and came to strongly resemble the "senior" Nash models which had received all-new "Airflyte" styling the year before. A two-door sedan was added in 1953. For 1954 a four-door sedan and a four-door station wagon - designated the "Cross Country" - were added. These four-door body styles used a 108-inch (2,700 mm) wheelbase. For 1955 the traditional enclosed front wheel wells were opened.

On January 14, 1954, Nash and Hudson Motor Car Company merged, and the successor corporation was named American Motors Corporation (AMC). Following the merger, Hudson dealers began receiving Ramblers that were badged as Hudson brand cars. The Hudson Ramblers and Nash Ramblers were identical, save for the brand name and minor brand badging.

1956-1957

For 1956, American Motors created an all-new Rambler, using a 108-inch (2,700 mm) wheelbase and increasing the overall length of the cars. Again, the Rambler was sold under the Nash and Hudson brand names. The new Ramblers came only as four-door models. Along with the usual four-door sedan and station wagon was a new four-door hardtop sedan. Also, Rambler introduced an industry first, a four-door hardtop station wagon. For 1957, the Rambler became a make in its own right, no longer branded as a Nash or Hudson. Also, for 1957, a V8 engine became available in Ramblers for the first time. This was AMC's own 250 cu in (4.1 L) V8 engine introduced the year before in the Nash Ambassador Special and Hudson Hornet Special. In addition, available only in 1957 was a special high-performance four-door hardtop sedan model called the Rambler Rebel. The Rebel came equipped with AMC's new 327 cu in (5.4 L) V8. The engine was also used in the larger Nash Ambassador and Hudson Hornet for that year. Plans had called for a fuel injection option for the Rebel, but hard starting in cold weather forced it to be scuttled at the last minute. The limited-production Rebel (1,500produced) is considered to be a precursor of the muscle cars that became so popular in the 1960s.

After 1957

In 1958 the Rambler became the sole brand of automobile produced by American Motors Corporation, with the discontinuance of the Nash and Hudson brands. For information on Rambler brand cars, see: Rambler (automobile).

1957 Nash Ambassador

2010-06-07T13:16:00.001-07:00

Metropolitan Astra Gnome

2010-06-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

1954 Nash Metropolitian

2010-06-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

1965 Pontiac Catalina 2+2 Sport Coupe

2010-06-02T22:05:00.001-07:00

376 hp, 421 cu. in. V8 engine, three Rochester two-barrel carburetors, Muncie four-speed manual transmission, independent front suspension with unequal-length A-arms and coil springs, live rear axle with trailing arms and coil springs, four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 121"

Despite its 1963 withdrawal from racing, Pontiac adopted a two-pronged performance-car strategy for 1964 with the GTO and the Catalina-based 2+2. More correctly described as a trial introduction, the 2+2 was Pontiac’s first complete full-size performance option and sold 7,998 units in 1964. Pontiac management was sufficiently encouraged to continue it for 1965.

The lengthened 1965 2+2 sported more aggressive styling and handsome “Coke bottle”-inspired lines. A 389 V8 was standard, while three optional 421s ranged from a four-barrel, 338 hp unit to a pair of Tri-Power engines with 356 and 376 hp. A three-speed manual transmission was standard, and a Muncie four-speed and the all-new Turbo Hydra-Matic were optional. Vertical louvers and “2+2” badges adorned the exterior, while bucket seats and heavy-duty underpinnings rounded out the well-integrated package, resulting in one of the best-performing full-size cars ever produced. Brutal acceleration, responsive handling and aggressive marketing drove 2+2 sales to 11,521 units for 1965.

This Montero Red 2+2 was first acquired from its original owner during the 1980s by Brent Jarvis.Jarvis’ Performance Restorations performed a complete restoration during the early 1990s, followed by an appearance on the cover of Pontiac Enthusiast. In 1993, the 2+2 was sold to a New York-based enthusiast, and then in 1998, the current owner repurchased it. Very nicely presented, the 2+2 features a Tri-Power 421 V8, a Hurst-shifted four-speed and a coveted set of eight-lug wheels with integral finned brake drums. Other desirable features include air conditioning, an AM radio, a floor console, power steering, power windows and a Pontiac tachometer. This is a stunning 2+2 that really inspires a true car enthusiast with its classic looks and high performance, capable of challenging most any muscle car.

Source: RMAuctions

1953 Buick Skylark Convertible

2010-05-26T11:51:00.001-07:00

To be offered at auction WITHOUT RESERVE ,Saturday, June 5, 2010

Estimate: $60,000-$80,000 US

A “halo car” in the truest sense of the word, the Motorama-inspired Buick Skylark was introduced in 1953 as a production model to mark Buick’s 50th Anniversary by highlighting the latest in style and technology available from General Motors.

With only 1,690 cars built, they were tremendously expensive when new, and owners included such personalities as famed entertainer Bob Hope. Today, surviving examples are quite rare, and ownership of the 1953 Skylark, along with its Oldsmobile Fiesta and Cadillac Eldorado siblings, constitutes a “Grand Slam” for GM collectors and an achievement of great significance.

This particular example shows 71,771 miles and retains the “Customized for Rudy Gruner” engraving on the steering-wheel hub, signifying the name of its original purchaser. This is a very solid, rust-free car with its original leather interior and would make for a wonderful restoration project or a very capable barn-find tourer. It is complete with an AM radio, heater, defroster, clock, power seat, power steering, a power top and power windows. In addition, dual grille-mounted horns and a circa-1950s Stewart-Warner tachometer have been fitted.

The Pate Collection

Contact: RMAuctions

1949 Delahaye 175 S Saoutchik Roadster

2010-05-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

This car is in a collection of cars to be auctioned on August 13, at RMAuctions click on their site for more information on this car.

Ad, For Wear Your Seatbelt!!

2010-05-03T01:41:00.000-07:00

This is the new "wear your seatbelt" ad the UK is doing - started by some
dude not hired to do it, but because the cause is important to him, he came
up with this idea, and now it's being hailed across the world as a
‘beautiful’ commercial. ...And now the video has gone “viral” (which means,
has become so popular with the general public that people are forwarding it
to friends/family on their own so quickly that it has spread all over the
world in a very short time).

Source: Youtube

How Long Can You Drive On a “Donut” Spare Tire?

2010-04-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

Donut spare tires are not made for extended service. They have no tread to speak of; the carcass or body of the tire is not reinforced and there is no tread belt to protect it from projectiles and road imperfections. The tire is designed simply to get you to a repair facility. Most of these tires offer a maximum life of 70 miles.

Do Donut Spares Affect The Braking Or Suspension System?

You may notice poor cornering, handling, and braking characteristics. The donut spare has a smaller footprint than a conventional tire, which translates into diminished braking and handling. With the donut spare in place, you may find that, when braking, the vehicle dips to the side where the donut was mounted. Also, you may notice the vehicle pulling to that side.

Why Do Carmakers Put These Spare Tires In Cars?

The use of donut spares is a cost and space cutting measure. Typically the donut spare takes up much less space and is cheaper to manufacture than full size tires and wheels, which translates into more profit for the car makers. It’s quite a compromise and a loss for the consumer.

Can I Put A Full Size Spare On My Car?

Yes, but the question is: where do you carry and stow it? Years ago, cars had spare tire wells to fit the full size spare so that it was out of the way. This space has been eliminated in order to produce smaller cars (and increased profits for the carmakers). Looks like we’re stuck with donut spares. What's worse is that many new cars are doing away with spare tires altogether, opting for run-flat tires. But that's a topic for another day.

Source: Internet

Look At This Custom Harley

2010-04-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

OK, all you HARLEY HOGGERS.... gotta have one of these!!!

Oooo My Limo!

There exists numerous types of limos, possible and impossible but this one is really original, fancy and quite beautiful.

Source: Internet

eBay Find of the Day: Great Scott! It's a twin-engined 1982 DeLorean

2010-04-14T09:21:00.000-07:00

Twin-engine DeLorean

Why is it that people feel compelled to do silly things to DeLoreans? At least this one hasn't been totally ruined by making it another "Back To The Future" tribute car to manifest its owner's fawning lack of originality. This particular DMC-12 doesn't want for ingenuity, just pop the hood. No, not the rear engine hatch, where you'd expect to find an underwhelming PRV V6, but the compartment up front that used to be the trunk.

Why is there a 2.0-liter Honda engine stuck in front? Well, it teams with the 8.2-liter Cadillac engine out back, of course. The Caddy motor isn't included in the auction, curiously, but it is available for an extra sum. Reading through the seller's comprehensive information clearly points out that the car wasn't a concours example before the swap, and settling for a simple restoration wasn't going to happen. So you end up with a DeLorean with an aggregate of twelve cylinders, none in stock form. The car isn't perfect, but hey, what do you want for a current bid price of $6,100?

Source: Autoblog

The American Brands that Didn't Make It

2010-04-05T15:10:00.001-07:00

Missing in Action: Pontiac, Saturn Latest in Long Line of Dearly Departed Nameplates

Our April, 2010 cover stories (2011 Regal First Drive, 2010 LaCrosse vs Lexus ES Comparison) pondered the reinvention of Buick, a once-iconic American brand, in the aftermath of the most tumultuous year in Motor Trend's 60-year history; a year during which both GM and Chrysler declared bankruptcy and which marked the end of the road for Pontiac, Saturn, and possibly Hummer. Back when Motor Trend was launched in September 1949, there were 10 major U.S. automakers building and selling cars and light trucks under 21 different brand names. Sixty years later, we have three automakers -- two of which are still in intensive care -- building and selling 11 brands. And during those six tumultuous decades of mergers and bankruptcies, another 11 automotive brands have come and gone. Among those that didn't make it: Allstate, AMC, Checker, Crosley, DeSoto, Eagle, Edsel, Frazer, Henry J, Hudson, International, Kaiser, Merkur, Metropolitan, Nash, Oldsmobile, Packard, Plymouth, Rambler, Studebaker, and Willys.

Plenty has been written about the recent sacrificial offerings on the altar of market consolidation, so let's don our 20/20-hindsight goggles and take a look at the highs, the lows, and the critical missteps that brought about the demise of some of these once proud American brands.

Kaiser
Founded: August 9, 1945
RIP: June 1955

1954 Kaiser Darrin

COULD IT HAVE BEEN SAVED? Kaiser and Frazer brands shared most everything and made their debut with fresh, new postwar designs boasting sleek, no-fender-bulge styling. The company beat Corvette to market (by a month) with the first volume-production fiberglass two-seat sports car (the Kaiser Darrin), and the Kaiser Traveler/Frazer Vagabond models were the first American hatchbacks and included fold-down rear seats and tent attachments for outdoorsy types. The company offered four-door convertible models and was early to market with a low-cost four-cylinder economy car (the Henry J), which was also marketed through Sears stores as the Allstate. McCulloch superchargers gave existing six-cylinder engines V-8 power, saving development costs. But as the Korean conflict dampened the economy, sales slowed and debts mounted. Kaiser purchased Willys for its lucrative Jeep business, which may indeed have saved the company, but not the brand. All Kaiser and Willys passenger-car production ended in 1955.

THE BEST: 1954 Kaiser Darrin

Doors that disappear into the front fenders and Dutch Darrin styling proved too little, too late.

THE WORST: 1951 Henry J

Econocar cost-cutting deleted the glovebox, armrests, sunvisors, and trunklid (access was through the fold-down seat), but without economies of scale, it struggled to undercut a full-size Chevy 150.

1954 Hudson Hornet

Hudson
Founded: February 20, 1909
RIP: June 25, 1957

WHY IT FAILED: One particularly bad gamble -- the compact Jet -- rendered Hudson dependent on a merger with Nash-Kelvinator to survive. The popular full-size Hornet needed a restyle and a V-8, but the company couldn't afford both. Instead, it bet on a car to compete with the segment-defining compact Nash Rambler. Its $12 million budget ballooned to $16M, and after two years and 35,367 Jet sales, Hudson had lost $10 million. Not surprisingly, the merger with Nash killed Hudson's Rambler-competing budget-buster.

THE BEST: 1951-54 Hudson Hornet
Hudson's innovative "step-down" styling placed the footwells inside rather than atop the perimeter frame, improving safety and lowering the center of gravity. Its lightweight, strong body and high-torque Twin-H Power I-6s made Hornets the cars to beat in NASCAR.

1954 Hudson Jet

THE WORST: 1953-54 Hudson Jet
A textbook case of "design by committee," management and dealer meddling with Frank Spring's original design resulted in a mess nobody wanted to buy, and costly outsourcing of the compact unibody priced it out of competition.

Muntz Road Jet

Kurtis/Muntz
Founded: 1949
RIP: 1955

COULD IT EVER HAVE WORKED? The 1949 Kurtis Sport Car adorned our very first cover, and we proclaimed it "America's one and only sports car." Penned by preeminent race-car designer Frank Kurtis to beat Jaguar's XK120, this low-slung roadster, powered by an Edelbrock flathead Ford V-8, reportedly hit 142.5 mph at Bonneville in 1949. The first prototypes were fiberglass, then aluminum was used to reduce weight. All were produced in the Los Angeles facility where Kurtis-Kraft Indy racers were built. After building 17 (or 36, records are sketchy), Kurtis sold the rights to flamboyant SoCal used-car personality Earl "Madman" Muntz, who renamed it the Muntz Road Jet and eventually stretched the wheelbase 13 inches to fit a rear seat. To cut costs, he later switched to steel bodywork, moved production to Evanston, Illinois, and hatched a deal to get Lincoln V-8s. But after four years and perhaps 198 (or 455) Road Jets, the realities of handbuilt low-volume production that resulted in an estimated $1000/car loss drove Muntz out of the car-building business.

THE CAR: Kurtis sold kits or turn-key cars, while Muntz Road Jet coupes or convertibles came fully assembled.

1979 International Scout III Prototype

International Harvester
Founded: July 28, 1902 (February, 1907 First Light Truck)
RIP: October 21, 1980

WHY IT FAILED: International's farm-equipment business grew steadily, and by the mid-20th century it was a full-line manufacturer of agricultural implements, as well as full-size pickup and sport/utility trucks. In 1961, it added the Jeep CJ-fighting Scout. Sales were strong, but profit margins grew thinner and thinner as an increasingly unwieldy corporate structure kept adding new business lines. A well-intentioned policy of promotion from within also tended to stifle management creativity and technical innovation. A new CEO in 1979 increased profitability by consolidating, but angered union management, leading to a six-month strike that effectively forced the sale of the ag businesses (and the IH nomenclature) to Teneco. Attempts to sell the Scout line to a Texas concern failed, and it was shuttered as the renamed Navistar International concentrated on medium- and heavy-duty truck, bus, and engine manufacture.

THE BEST: 1957 IHC Travelette Utility Pickup
In its 50th truck-building year, International invented the six-passenger four-door "crew cab" pickup. Modern smooth-side styling was also available.

THE WORST: 1979 Scout III Prototype
If this was what we had to look forward to, perhaps killing the brand was for the best.

1963 Studebaker Avanti

Studebaker
Founded: February 16, 1852
RIP: March 16, 1966

WHY IT FAILED: Studebaker first blazed a trail through the bankruptcy courts in 1933 after a legal snarl over a mid-Depression takeover attempt of White Trucks was blocked by minority shareholders. The company convinced Congress it was worth more alive than liquidated, so the law was amended to allow the company to devise a reorganization plan. The plan worked and the company emerged from the 1930s healthy. After WWII, Studebaker was reluctant to invest in new facilities and equipment, and management proved inept at predicting market preferences, often being caught short of popular models and overstocked on unpopular ones. Poor preproduction engineering of the outsourced (Loewy) designs caused quality problems too. After car production ended, Studebaker's other diversified holdings were sold repeatedly and its parts-supply business now exists inside Federal-Mogul Corporation.

1908 Studebaker Carriage

THE BEST: 1963-64 Studebaker Avanti
So fresh and clean was Raymond Loewy's design that various intrepid entrepreneurs managed to keep the basic shape in production for decades to come.

THE WORST: 1908 Carriage
One horsepower, horrible wind noise, limited range, noxious emissions. Studebaker was once the world's largest vehicle manufacturer and continued to build carriages through 1919.

1937 Packard 12

Packard
Founded: July 3, 1899
RIP: July 13, 1958

WHY IT FAILED: Packard Motor Car Company's fiscal health was robust in the 1950s, but as supply caught up with postwar demand, Big Three economies of scale allowed them to outcompete the American independents, prompting a wave of sometimes ill-advised mergers-like Packard's purchase of Studebaker. The deal was done without the due diligence that should have exposed Studebaker's shaky financial state. Studebaker's woes placed such a drain on Packard's resources that it couldn't invest in its own products sufficiently, and Cadillac, Lincoln, and Imperial left Packard in their dust.

1958 Packard

THE BEST: 1937 Packard 12
Throughout the Depression, Packard remained a leader in the prestige class, and the silent, swift V-12 senior model established a benchmark; 1937 brought independent front suspension and hydraulic brakes to the class, bringing record sales to the Twelve.

THE WORST: 1958 Packard
Stylist Duncan McRae did what he could to Packardify a Studebaker President, but the carp-mouthed, bug-eyed disaster marked a sad end to a proud brand.

1934 DeSoto Airflow

Desoto
Founded: August 4, 1928
RIP: November 30, 1960

WHY IT FAILED: The recession of 1958 hit the mid-price-vehicle segment particularly hard, and that probably set the first of DeSoto's dominoes to falling. A postwar push to foster stand-alone Plymouth dealerships also caused many Plymouth-DeSoto dealers to drop the brand, weakening its sales channel. By 1960, the compact market was heating up, but DeSoto didn't have a dog in that fight. As the Forward Look decade drew to a close, marketing studies indicated stronger demand for an entry-level Chrysler than a DeSoto at the same price, so Chrysler -- having spun Imperial off as a separate brand in 1955 -- was encouraged to move downmarket. Hence, the 1961Newport (and the upmarket 1962 Dodge 880) replaced DeSoto. After months of rumors and just 47 days following the '61 model launch, DeSoto was pronounced dead.

THE BEST (AND WORST): 1934-36 DeSoto Airflow
This car established the state of the automaking art in its day, and the price of the shorter DeSoto undercut its Chrysler sibling by $350. Safety-cage construction, laminated glass, and futuristic streamlined styling make the Airflow the icon it is today. As DeSoto's only offering in 1934, the radical styling and unfounded rumors that the car was unsafe hobbled sales and nearly crippled the brand.

1969 AMC AMX

Nash/Rambler/AMC
Founded: July 29, 1916
RIP: December 15, 1987 (Final AMC Eagle Produced)

GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: This company's history is largely that of a scrappy can-do underdog that mostly prevailed against enormous odds. Faced with Korean-conflict steel shortages, the new-for-1950 compact Nash Rambler was introduced as a convertible and loaded with features to maximize profits. AMC forged international collaborations way before the rest of the industry did. The AWD Eagle wagon blazed the crossover trail. Yes, in hindsight, Roy Abernethy's decisions to kill the Rambler brand and add platforms to take on the Big Three were ill-advised, as were the innovative Pacer and radical Matador coupe platforms, which never paid off and starved the popular models of needed investment. But AMC's nimble corporate structure and spirit of innovation live on at Chrysler, which purchased AMC/Jeep from Renault in 1987. Without AMC and leaders like Francois Castaing, the popular LH cars (LHS, Intrepid, et al.) would never have happened.

THE BEST: 1968-70 AMC AMX
AMC's two-seat musclecar delivered on the genre's light-body big-block promise, achieving 106 speed records and undercutting similar Big Three entries on price.

1972 AMC Gremlin X

THE WORST: 1970-78 AMC Gremlin
Billed as the first American-built subcompact, this Hornet-trunkectomy was overweight for the class, but sales were strong. Close second: the '83 AMC/Renault Alliance that we honored as Car of the Year. Mea culpa.

King-Midget

Checker

1967 Excalibur

THEY ALSO SERVED…

Avanti II 1965-1989 Continuation first on Studebaker, then GM chassis; 3292 built.

Checker 1922-1982 Civilian models offered since 1960; Big-three parts supplier until liquidation in June 2009.

Citicar 1974-1975 Angular two-seat electric urban commuter cars; 1801 built.

Clenet 1975-1987 Mercedes SS-inspired neoclassic, most on Lincoln-Mercury chassis; 480 built.

Crofton 1959-1961 Continuation of Crosley FarmOroad mini-Jeep concept; 200 built.

Crosley 1939-1952 Ultralight compacts launched with a stamped-steel engine block.

Cunningham 1953-1953 Racer Briggs built 18 C-3 Continental coupes and nine cabrios.

Darrin 1955-1958 Continuation of the Kaiser Darrin fiberglass roadster; 50 built.

Dual-Ghia 1955-1958 Italian bodywork, Dodge running gear, final assembly in Detroit;
117 built.

Excalibur 1965-1989 Mercedes SS-inspired neoclassics, first on Studebaker frames; 3166 built.

King Midget 1946-1970 Lawnmower-engined street-legal roadster killed by safety/smog regs; 5000 built.

Mohs 1967-1979 Naugahyde-covered SafariKar and the rear-entry Ostentatienne Opera Sedan; 100 built.

Playboy 1947-1951 Diminutive three-seat folding-steel top convertible; 97 built.

Powell 1954-1956 Unique pickup and SUV bodies on junkyard-reconditioned 1941 Plymouth chassis, with new-car warranties; 1300 built.

Stutz 1971-1987 Virgil Exner design on Pontiac Grand Prix running gear; 500-600 built.

Vector 1989-1990 A few supercars, many prototypes. New WX8 model allegedly under development.

Hold your breath! Woodill 1952-1958 Glaspar body claims to be America's first fiberglass car; 300 produced, some as kits.

Source: Motortrend

History on Parade: Motor Trend Cover Cars at Amelia Island

2010-03-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

There's a small piece of Motor Trend history on display at this weekend's Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance in Florida. Actually, make that a big piece of history, because I don't think there's ever been a gathering quite like this; an eclectic collection of automotive rarities linked by a single common thread -- they all appeared on the cover of Motor Trend magazine.

The seven cars in this group -- some home-built specials, others mega-dollar factory concepts -- were featured on covers of Motor Trend between 1949 and 1956. The Amelia lineup includes the Kurtis Sports Car that appeared on the cover of the very first issue of Motor Trend, published in September 1949, and the astonishing Timbs Special, which graced the cover of issue two the following month.

The Timbs Special was built from scratch by Van Nuys, California, based aircraft design engineer Norman E. Timbs. He designed and fabricated the chassis and the four wheel independent suspension, and built a full-scale wooden buck to help form the car's voluptuous aluminum panels. The engine is a Buick straight eight, mounted mid-ships. It took three years and $10,000 to complete. You can read the full story of the car in the new issue of Motor Trend Classic.

Other cars in the group include the Buick LeSabre, one of world's earliest concept cars, and the Firebird II, the fully functioning turbine car built by General Motors for the 1956 Motorama auto shows. The Firebird II featured titanium bodywork, independent suspension all round, four wheel disc brakes, and a prototype guidance system that was designed to follow signals sent from an electrical wire embedded in the road surface.

Rounding out the group are the Ghia Gilda, a concept built for the 1955 Turin Show and powered by a 1.5-liter OSCA four cylinder engine; the Hudson Italia, the limited edition Touring bodied coupe built in 1954 and 1955 on Hudson Jet running gear, and the quirky three-wheeled Davis, built by an ill-fated, L.A.-based start-up automaker in the late 1940s.

You can expect features on some of these cars in future issues of Motor Trend Classic.

Source: Motortrend.com

This is not stainless steel....

2010-03-11T14:50:00.000-08:00

Here is just the car for you.

Do you think he is having economic problems?

This is not stainless steel.... (see explanation at bottom).

Recession? What recession?

So, it seems that this "global recession" has not impacted negatively on everyone.

Check this out!

It's a Mercedes Benz owned by an Abu Dhabi oil billionaire (naturally).

Featuring the newly developed V10 quad turbo with 1,600 horsepower and 2800nm of torque
0-100km/h in less than 2secs, 1/4 mile in 6..89 secs running on biofuel.

That is NOT stainless steel, people, it is WHITE GOLD!

I'm sure you'll sleep better tonight, knowing that the exorbitant dollars you're paying for gas these days are at least going to a good cause...

The Ugliest, Most Lovable Trucks Of All Time

2010-03-02T14:31:00.001-08:00

Big trucks. Mean trucks. Powerful trucks. Ugly trucks?

While pickups usually get praise for being the biggest, baddest and most powerful, we tend to appreciate the ungainly little guys. We love those trucks that do less and look even worse for doing so. We've rounded up our favorite ugly trucks of the past decades here.

1964-1987 Chevrolet El Camino

When most people think of the low, car-based trucks, there's only one truck that comes to mind: El Camino. The "coupe utility" vehicle was made from 1959-1960, then 1964-1987.

Long the butt of jokes, the 'Mino has had a bit of a resurgence over the last few years. Values for the old cars are going up and what was once considered a laughing stock is turning into a classic. In recent years GM even considered reviving the name, doing a concept in 1995 based on the Caprice sedan and then as recently as a few years ago when a Pontiac G8-based version of the coupe utility was considered.

1978-1993 Subaru BRAT

While Brat would have sufficed, Subaru actually considered the name of this car an acronym: Brat stands for Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter. Got that? Yeah, we prefer Brat, too.

Unlike a lot of trucks on our list -- but like virtually all Subarus -- the Brat was powered by all four wheels (thus the explanation for the acronym). Legend has it President Ronald Reagan owned (and loved) his Brat, keeping it as his California ranch for decades.

2005-now Honda Ridgeline

The only modern vehicle on our list, we can't help but call the Ridgeline. Tall and wide in the strangest of places, Honda's only truck won't win any beauty contests. As Honda expanded its lineup, it was only natural that they'd make a truck for the U.S. market, albeit with only a V-6 engine.

One of the things about the Ridgeline that owners love is the unique storage incorporated into the trunk bed. Essentially it's a locker to make sure all your belongings stay out of view.

1974-1993 Dodge Ramcharger

Frankly, it's hard to believe this vehicle was still built in 1990. In fact, the Ramcharger (an SUV version of Dodge's Ram Truck) lasted up until 1993. Big, broad and truly 'Merican in every way, the Ramcharger competed against the full-size truck-based SUVs from Ford (Bronco) and Chevy and GMC (K5 Blazer and Jimmy). Superfans of the Ramcharger also remember the Trailduster, the Plymouth brand version of this truck.

1979-1982 VW Rabbit Pickup

Officially known as the Rabbit Pickup in the U.S. but loved by owners as the "Caddy" (some even go so far as to emblazon their rides with Cadillac emblems), the small Veedub was never a big hit in America. While compact pickups were more the rage back in the 80s and 90s, the German company couldn't sell many of them.

Today the Caddy is a sought-after collectible within the VW community. The model is still sold in Europe (and called the "Caddy"), but unfortunately for us it's much more attractive now.

1972-1982 Ford Courier

Looking more like a small Japanese truck than anything a big American manufacturer would create, the Ford Courier squeaked onto the American scene in 1962. Its resemblance to Japanese cars was for good reason: the truck was made for Ford by Mazda in Japan as a way for the company to compete against the new (and increasingly popular) tiny Toyota and Datsun trucks of the time.

The Courier was the predecessor to the Ford Ranger, the top-selling domestic compact pickup of today.

1972-1982 Chevy LUV

The LUV (light utility vehicle) was much in the spirit of the Ford Courier: Chevy contracted with Isuzu to build the compact pickup to fight the onslaught of competition from the smaller Japanese products. As hard as it is to believe, the LUV was quite, well, lovable. Chevy sold over 100,000 of them per year in the late 1970s.
Chevy's marketing for the truck appealed to big truck buyers who were concerned about fuel economy: "Economical to buy. Economical to operate. This versatile Light Utility Vehicle has a 6-foot cargo box and carries 1460 lbs. Built tough...like a big truck."

GM 2003-2006 Chevrolet SSR

Retro design took hold within American car companies in the early millennium such that every auto show seemed to unveil another take on the genre. With Chrysler finding sales success early on with the PT Cruiser, GM followed suit, but in a different sort of way. The SSR (super sport roadster) was almost like a cross between a Corvette and a pickup truck.

The car/truck hybrid was actually classified as a truck by the EPA (it rode on the Chevy Trailblazer chassis), something Chevy didn't mind whatsoever. Unfortunately, GM never sold many of them: only about 24,000 went out to consumers over a four-year period. Critics cited the lack of power and high cost for the failure. We love the thing.

1982-1984 Dodge Rampage

Looking more like something a child would draw in his notebook (albeit one with an interest in hauling cargo), the Dodge Rampage is perhaps the ultimate ugly truck we love. Front-wheel-drive, underpowered and ungainly, it lived a short and unsuccessful life. Its angular front grille reminds us of a doorstop.

A rumored Shelby performance version of the truck set enthusiast hearts afire, but they weren't sold to the public.

Source

New Seat Belt Law

2010-02-22T14:58:00.000-08:00

This becomes effective March 1, 2009, in ALL states.

The national Highway Safety Council has done extensive testing on a newly designed seat belt. Results show that accidents can be reduced by as much as 45% when the belt is properly installed. Correct installation is illustrated below.......

This may save a life!

I Know....You Smiled.

Yeah, You smiled again.

Be sure to buckle up and drive safely.

Author Unknown

Rare American Made Automobiles

2010-02-22T14:34:00.000-08:00

Harley Earl and the 1938 Buick. Think about this.

This picture was taken 70 years ago.

1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt

1951 Buick LeSabre

What would you give for that car now?

1951 Chrysler K310

1953 Buick Wildcat

1954 Buick Wildcat II

1954 Dodge Firearrow

Back in the days when cars had style, and even with so many makes & models, all changing every year, they made a profit.

And, not only that . . .But one could sit on the porch (like at Rye) and name the cars as they drove by . . .unlike today . . .When they all look the same . . .

Woodward Dream Cruise Gets New Sponsor, Changes Name

2010-02-22T13:52:00.001-08:00

The MotorCity Casino has stepped in to become the presenting sponsor of the Woodward Dream Cruise, the annual classic car cruise held in the suburbs of Detroit in August. According to the event's executive director, Tony Michaels, the cruise will now be officially known as the "Woodward Dream Cruise presented by the MotorCity Casino Hotel."

Michaels made the announcement earlier this week at a press conference.

"For nine years, the MotorCity Casino has been a sponsor of the Woodward Dream Cruise," he said. "This year they stepped up to become the presenting sponsor of the 15th annual Woodward Dream Cruise. The Woodward Dream Cruise is here to stay; it will be better than ever with this new sponsorship."

The Woodward Dream Cruise was started in 1995 as a fundraising effort for a soccer field in Ferndale, Michigan. Today, it is the world's largest one-day automotive event, with as many as 1.5 million people and 40,000 classic cars attending from around the world. Market research suggests the event generates about $56 million for the Detroit economy - more than Super Bowl XL or the 2005 Major League Baseball All-Star Game generated.

According to a Detroit Free Press article, the cruise has lost about $235,000 in annual support from the auto industry since 2006. Michaels would not give specific numbers, but said the casino would commit significant funds for the event.

"The casino will help with the cost of entertainment in the participating communities," Michael said. "The casino is in the entertainment business and so will also help line up entertainment for the dream cruise."

The city of Birmingham recently announced that it was pulling out of the cruise and would set up its own event on the same day as the Woodward Dream Cruise. Michaels shrugged off the announcement.

"Woodward has tried several approaches to the cruise in the past," he said. "The important thing is that it's a great event all the way up and down Woodward.

The 2009 Woodward Dream Cruise is scheduled for August 15.

Source

All-Original 1937 Bugatti 57 S Atlante To Be Auctioned in February

2010-02-22T13:45:00.001-08:00

To restore or not to restore? That will be the gut-wrenching question faced by the winning bidder for this 1937 Bugatti 57S Atlante. Remarkably, the coupe is in all-original condition, and has traveled but 26,824 kilometers in its lifetime.

Chassis number 57502 was originally delivered to Francis Curzon, a British racing enthusiast, Member of Parliament, and the fifth Earl of Howe, in the summer of 1937. Earl Howe used the car as his primary vehicle, fitting numerous custom touches (including unique bumpers and a luggage rack) until World War Two, when he served with the Royal Navy. Following the war, the car was sold and, like many other 57S models, was upgraded to 57SC specification by adding a supercharger.

The car would only change hands three times afterwards, but its purchase by a Dr. Harold Carr in 1955 would prove to be its last for quite some time. Carr drove the car briefly in his first years of ownership, but stored it away in a barn for the last fifty years. Following his death in 2007, Carr's family decided to remove the car from storage and part ways with it.

Howe's 57S Atlante will headline the Bonhams auction at February's 2009 Retromobile show in Paris, France, and it's easy to see why. Though other cars, including a 1934Bugatti 57 Ventoux, will be up for sale, few - if any - have the provenance of this coupe. To the winning bidder: we'd insist you refrain from restoring this excellently preserved example of one of the finest creations to wear the Bugatti name.

Top Designers Voted Citroen DS Most Beautiful Car Of All Time

2010-02-22T13:42:00.001-08:00

A panel of well-known car designers recently voted on what they thought was the most beautiful car of all time. While Ferrari garnered the most votes as a brand, the Citroen DS received the most votes as an individual car.

The Citroen DS is a beautiful car regarded as a technical masterpiece in addition to winning praise for its sculpted exterior. The DS’s self-leveling suspension, power steering, and amazing clutch and brake feel (compared to cars of the time) helped the car achieve its status as a technical wonder and a mechanic’s nightmare. The car’s exterior was styled by Italian sculptor Flaminio Bertoni and became an instant classic.

Classic & Sports Car magazine brought together the judging panel that consisted of well-known designers including Ian Callum, Gordon Murray, Peter Stevens, and Giorgetto Giugiaro. The designers were asked to submit their favorite three cars and nominate the one example of their work they are most proud of.

In nominating personal designs, Gordon Murray chose his McLaren F1 of course, but Ian Callum chose his Jaguar XF somewhat surprisingly. The XF is a gorgeous car, but it rests among Callum’s work on the new XK and several Aston Martins. “It is the biggest challenge I’ve faced, but I think we pulled it off. I don’t think people appreciate how well proportioned it is, given that it’s a five-seater,” commented Callum on the XF.

Classic & Sports Cars magazine lists all the nominees in addition to the top vote. As the list is rather extensive, we’ll give you the top ten:
1. Citroen DS
2. Jaguar XK120
2. Ferrari 275GTB
4. Cord 810/812
4. Ferrari 250GT Lusso
4. Ferrari 250GT Short-wheelbase
4. Jaguar E-type

Source

2009 Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance

2010-02-22T13:31:00.001-08:00

It may not carry the cachet of the Pebble Beach show, but for the last 30 years, the Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance, held in Rochester, Michigan, has managed to draw some spectacular cars--and this year's show was no exception.
The weekend of the Concours kicked off with RM Auction’s annual Meadow Brook Collector Car Auctions. If there was a pattern to the cars that rolled across the auction block, we couldn’t see it. Lots ranged from a 1971 Dodge Challenger Indy 500 pace car convertible, to a beautifully crafted replica of Karl Benz’s 1886 “motorwagen.”

One trend we did notice was with the bidding--with few exceptions, buyers seem much less willing to open their checkbooks as they had in years past. A dozen or so vehicles managed to reach their low-bid estimates, while only one car--a beautiful fuel-injected 1957 Pontiac Bonneville convertible, which sold for $105,000--exceeded RM’s highest expectations. Only four of seven cars estimated to sell at over $200,000actually did, including a 1931 Auburn 851 SC Speedster, which fetched a substantial $420,000. As much as we’d love to park a 1956 Jaguar XK 140MC roadster, a 1930 Cadillac V-16 convertible coupe, or a 1931 Chrysler CG Imperial dual-cowl phaeton in our garage, these cars failed to find new homes over the course of the weekend.

The Concours itself began early Sunday morning, when cars gingerly wheeled their way onto the greens surrounding Meadow Brook Hall, the former residence of Matilda Dodge Wilson. Although a number of themes were celebrated at this year’s show (including “Best of Detroit,” “Fins and Chrome: the Convertibles of 1959,” and “Swoopy Coupes”), racing aficionados likely flocked straight to the group of McLaren cars. Bruce’s company celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2009, and no less than three cars, including the Indy 500-winning 1974 M16, were present.

Also making an appearance at the show was car-collector James Glickenhaus’ 1967 Ferrari 330 P3/4 Spyder. The car, with chassis number 0846, won the 1967 Daytona 24 Hours, but was later scrapped after numerous crashes. Although hardcore historians may not approve, Glickenhaus’ car was re-built from a number of the original components, including the tube-frame chassis.

As the show wound down in the late afternoon, judges awarded one foreign and one domestic car “best-in-show” trophies. This year, the awards went to both a beautiful 1934 Packard V-12 Sport Sedan and a swanky 1939 Delahaye, which also won the People’s Choice award.

Source

Consumers Vote: Pontiac Will Be GM Brand Missed Most

2010-02-22T13:19:00.001-08:00

The last year has been one of unimaginable change for GM. It lost the title of world's largest automaker to Japanese rival Toyota, accepted billions of government dollars, saw its CEO surgically removed by the President of the United States, entered bankruptcy, and will shed four of its brands. That last point was the topic of a worldwide consumer poll: Which of GM's brands do people think GM should hang on to?

The survey was conducted by online website CarGurus. When asked which of GM's brands they'd like to see live on, 1700 consumers responded. 44 percent said they'd like to see Pontiac live on, followed by Hummer with 27 percent of the vote, Saab with 20 percent, and Saturn with just 9 percent.

"Pontiac has a trailblazing heritage - the 1964 Pontiac GTO is widely credited with starting the muscle-car craze - and its current G6 is the 20th best-selling car in the U.S., so I'm not surprised to see consumers vote to save this historic brand," said the CEO of CarGurus, Langley Steinert.

"What did surprise me, however, was the relative popularity of the Hummer brand over that of Saab and Saturn."

Pontiac is the only brand so far that GM has said it will completely ax. With no probable buyers and a lineup that (mostly) eats up sales from Chevrolet, GM decided to end Pontiac after the 2010 model year. Hummer, meanwhile, will likely be sold to a Chinese manufacturer, Saab will be sold to supercar maker Koenigsegg, and Saturn will be taken over by dealership juggernaut Roger Penske.

Despite its mostly rebadged-Chevrolet lineup, Pontiac's storied past and promising vehicles make it an unsurprising first choice for salvation. The Pontiac Solstice and G8 are true enthusiast cars, while the G6 and Vibe appealed to the public. But the G3, G5, and Torrent diluted the Pontiac lineup, and confused the brand's identity. Pontiac has sold almost 30,000 G6s so far this year, down from about 71,000 during the same time period last year - but sales of the G8 sedan were up 68.3percent in May, evidence of that car's gaining appeal.

Hummer, meanwhile, continues to appeal to buyers of SUVs that can afford the high price tag and refused to join the "green" bandwagon, while Saab has a notoriously faithful following. Perhaps the biggest surprise - and perhaps the most foreboding -is Saturn's placement at the bottom of the list. Even with its generally loyal customers and an excellent lineup of vehicles, few oppose GM's decision to sell the brand. While that doesn't bode well for Penske, we hope he will be able to turn Saturn's fortunes around.

Source

1985 Pontiac Trans Am Kammback Wagon Up For Grabs

2010-02-22T13:17:00.000-08:00

Wish you could mix the versatility of a wagon with the hairy brawn of a Firebird? You may want to hit RM Auction’s Automobiles of Amelia Island auction on March 13. One of two prototypes for a 1985 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Kammback will be sold to the highest bidder.

We're not sure how they contracted the sickness, but for decades Pontiac engineers seemed hell-bent on crafting a Nomad-esque wagon from their F-body. Although one almost went into production in 1970, the division’s engineering ranks built four additional concepts -- two in 1977 and two in 1985, respectively.

While one of the 1985 cars was later updated to resemble a Trans Am GTA (a model launched in 1987), the white car you see here remained relatively unscathed. John McMullen, a longtime Pontiac dealer, found the car hidden in GM’s warehouse back in 1998, and used his leverage to purchase the car for his private collection.

McMullen auctioned this car (along with most of his collection) back in 2007, but it seems the Pontiac is back up for grabs. Apart from the wagon roofline -- which bolts in lieu of the standard fastback glass, much like the GTA’s optional notchback insert -- the car is otherwise a stock ’85 Trans Am. Power comes from the “high-output” 5.0-liter V-8, mated to a five-speed manual transmission. Still, as the car wears a VIN tag that leads with “EXP,” it will be tough -- if not impossible -- to title and register.

RM anticipates the Kammback will bring between $50,000 and $80,000 when it rolls across the auction block -- much more than your typical ’85 Trans Am. For more information, visit www.rmauctions.com

What Do You Do With Old Bumper Cars?

2010-02-19T07:27:00.000-08:00

It's easy for a gear-head to be discouraged about the state of the world, especially in times of Carpocalypse and Cash for Clunkers.

But occasionally a bright light of awesome renews the spirit.

Road-legal bumper cars do just that.

Yes, you read that right; these little beasties are street legal. They run on either Kawasaki or Honda motorcycle engines and co-opt vintage bumper car bodies into the most awesome form of mini-car we've seen in too long.

There are seven of these little monsters floating around California, and they're all the creation of one man, Tom Wright, a builder in the outskirts of San Diego who figured the leftovers of the Long Beach Pike amusement park needed a more dignified end than the trash heap. They were originally powered by Harley motors but they rattled like hell and Tom replaces them with Honda or Kawasaki 750's and a couple have been measured as capable of 160 MPH, which is terrifyingly fast in machines with such a short wheelbase.

Todays vintage car search!

2010-02-06T14:29:00.000-08:00

SourceL Youtube

VINTAGE CAR FILM - 1928 Morris Super Sports Tourer

2010-02-06T14:25:00.000-08:00

Restoration nearling completion, this video shows my 1928 Morris Super Sports Tourer Vintage Motor Car.

I love driving the car so much that I've started using her as my everyday vehicle - even shopping at Tesco becomes an enjoyable experience when you turn up in this car!

I'm looking for opportunities to hire out the car for special events such as weddings or for period filming (action cars), so if you have a need for this immaculately restored 4-seater touring sports car around middle England or Wales, please get in touch by emailing hire[at]fairgroundorgan[dot]com

Many thanks to Richards Bros of Cardiff for the superb job re-spoking my wire wheels! This family firm has been going since 1937, and are renowned worldwide for manufacturing and restoring veteran, vintage and classic wire wheels...

Source: Youtube

Wheels of Progress Circa 1927 Vintage Automobile Film

2010-02-06T14:19:00.000-08:00

U.S. Bureau of Public Roads, Department of Agriculture, Educational Film Service Reviews the history of transportation in the U.S. and promotes the economic and social benefits of more and better public roads..

Source: Youtube

The last Horch automobile

2010-02-06T13:57:00.000-08:00

Source: Youtube

Just when you think you have seen it all ~

2010-01-26T01:55:00.001-08:00

This is just one car....what a paint job!

JUST A HEADS UP PEOPLE ! PLEASE READ ESPECIALLY IF YOU OFTEN TRAVEL LONG DISTANCES!

2010-01-26T01:41:00.000-08:00

I Wonder How Many People Know About This:

A 36 year old female had an accident several weeks ago and totaled her car.

A resident of Kilgore , Texas she was traveling between Gladewater & Kilgore. It was raining, though not excessively, when her car suddenly began to hydro-plane and literally flew through the air. She was not seriously injured but very stunned at the sudden occurrence!

When she explained to the highway patrolman what had happened he told her something that every driver should
know:

NEVER DRIVE IN THE RAIN WITH YOUR CRUISE
CONTROL ON!!!

She thought she was being cautious by setting the cruise
control and maintaining a safe consistent speed in the rain.

But the highway patrolman told her that if the cruise control is on when your car begins to hydro-plane and your tires lose contact with the pavement, your car will accelerate to a higher rate of speed making you take off like an airplane.

She told the patrolman that was exactly what had occurred.

The patrolman said this warning should be listed on the driver's seat sun-visor:

NEVER USE THE CRUISE CONTROL
WHEN THE PAVEMENT IS WET OR ICY,
along with the airbag warning.

We tell our teenagers to set the cruise control and drive a safe speed, but we don't tell them to use the cruise control only when the pavement is dry.

The only person the accident victim found, who knew
this (besides the patrolman), was a man who had had a
similar accident, totaled his car and sustained severe
injuries.

NOTE: Some vehicles (like the Toyota Sienna Limited XLE) will not allow you to set the cruise control when the windshield wipers are on.

Higher Station

2010-01-07T02:24:00.001-08:00

A rare completed piece of his utopian Broadacre City, Wright’s only gas station opened in Cloquet, Minnesota, in 1958.

A slice of Frank Lloyd Wright’s auto-utopia marks its golden anniversary.
By Michael Silverberg
Posted October 15, 2008“Watch the little gas station,” Frank Lloyd Wright wrote in 1930, just as he was beginning to conceive what would become Broadacre City, his plan for a sprawling, automobile-based utopia. The gas station was its social nexus and its symbol. Wright’s vision was incredibly prescient—he anticipated the current suburban landscape of endless cloverleafs and mammoth truck stops—and it strongly colored the last 25 years of his work, which was largely dedicated to the kind of small-scale residences called for in his decentralized city of the future. “In one sense, everything Wright built post-1932 was a piece of Broadacre,” says Tim Quigley, a Minneapolis architect and a Wright scholar. Yet only a handful of buildings from the project were ever fully realized; one, appropriately enough, was a gas station in the small town of Cloquet, Minnesota, and it celebrates its 50th anniversary this month.

In the early 1950s, Wright built a house for a local family, the Lindholms, after Joyce Lindholm, whose father distributed gasoline and home-heating oil, studied the architect in college and encouraged her parents to seek him out. “Wright had designed a gas station for Broadacre probably thirty years earlier,” Mike McKinney, Joyce’s son, says, “and when he learned about my grand-father’s business, he basically took that concept and applied it to the station.” The Lindholm station is reminiscent of the architect’s Prairie homes, with a cantilevered, copper-clad canopy and skylit service bays. “The mechanics are always working in natural light,” says Jennifer Webb, a professor of art history at the University of Minnesota Duluth. “If you ask them, they say that that is absolutely the greatest feature.” The design was never replicated en masse as the architect had intended, but, according to Wright Sites, it helped popularize the now ubiquitous overhang, and other elements (including an angled plan that afforded sight lines, and generous, slanted windows) were appropriated for Phillips 66 stations across the country.

Wanting motorists to think of the gas station as a social space rather than a pit stop, Wright designed a glassed-in lounge on the second floor with commanding views of the river, and he hoped that residents would gather there over coffee. But as with his grandiose plan for Broadacre (“He imagined that we were all going to have pseudohelicoptors and nuclear-powered barges,” Webb says), he got the broad strokes right but failed to anticipate how the small social connections would eventually fray. Customers didn’t want to spend time in a gas station—and those who did often had unseemly ideas. “People did unpleasant things in it, spit gum in it,” Webb says. “All the things that people do when they think they’re not being watched.” Ultimately, after the lounge was vandalized in the 1960s and ’70s, the family locked it up. But this summer’s anniversary celebration—which brought Robert Pond, the Wright apprentice who supervised construction, back to Cloquet—could help restore Wright’s vision. McKinney and his brother, who own and lease the station, refurbished it before the festivities and are considering a sweeping renovation, in anticipation of perhaps turning it into a museum one day. McKinney shared his idea with Pond, now 82 and living in Montana. “I said, ‘I wish we could have spent more time,’” he recalls, “and Bob says, ‘I want to come back and finish this job.’”

Source: Metropolis Mag

1950 Oldsmobile Futuramic 88 - Rocket Launcher

2009-12-04T23:36:00.001-08:00

Did Oldsmobile inspire the first rock 'n' roll song? Possibly, but its Futuramic 88 was the first modern musclecar

Source: http://www.motortrend.com/classic/roadtests/c12_0612_1950_oldsmobile_88_coupe/index.html#ixzz0YnWGHbOe

Ike Turner's Fats Waller-like stride piano sets off two minutes, 51 seconds that changed music and signaled a new age of automotive power in America. The fuzz guitar, reportedly the result of a speaker damaged while Turner's Kings of Rhythm were on tour, that quickly joins in is part of the new sound. Raymond Hill's tenor sax break, taking 56 seconds, could've come from blues or jazz. It's the beat that pulls this all together into something new, although the tune owed much to rhythm and blues songs of the era. Indeed, the tune made the R&B charts-after all, there was no rock-'n'-roll Top 40 at the time, since many consider "Rocket 88" the very first song of the genre.

Click to view GalleryWhether you agree, there's no denying the impact of the opening line of "Rocket 88," sung by Jackie Brenston. One manufacturer, Oldsmobile, had successfully challenged the garage-built street primacy of the hot rod with a smooth, quick car, shiny and new and straight from the factory. The 1949 Rocket 88 came with the same high-compression (7.25:1) overhead-valve V-8 installed in the larger, heavier Ninety-Eight; thus, the Great American Musclecar was born. And it was launched with a high-compression, short-stroke power to match a postwar exuberance that had automobile styling mimicking the conveyances of the emerging space age.

Click to view GalleryBefore this, General Motors's hierarchy was clear, with only Cadillac/LaSalle producing V-8s, Buick building inline-eights, Olds and Pontiac straight-eights and sixes, and Chevy sixes. Cadillac experimented with OHVs to replace its L-heads in the 1930s, while after the war, Olds looked at new engines to power more stylish models for the "experimental division" known mostly for introducing the Hydra-matic four-speed automatic.

GM engineering wiz Charles F. "Boss" Kettering wrote a paper for the Society of Automotive Engineers that posited a compression increase from 6.25:1 to 12:1 could boost gas mileage by up to 40 percent and horsepower by 25. Better postwar availability of premium fuel also gave high compression a push.

Olds experimented with a 288-cubic-inch V-8, but Cadillac management complained. Olds switched to developing 60- and 70-degree V-8s and V-6s until GM approved a $9.4-million budget for Olds's 90-degree engine. With Kettering in charge, Olds upped its 90-degree V-8 to 303 cubic inches, prompting Cadillac to increase its 1948 models' V-8 from 309 to 331 (remember the word "hierarchy").

The Olds 98 was new for 1948, a year ahead of the rest of the Big Three, save for the Cadillac lineup. But Kettering and his crew were still busy working on the 303 V-8, and so the flagship with "Futuramic" styling had to launch with the carryover 110-horse, 257-cubic-inch L-head inline-eight. For 1949, the three-model Oldsmobile line featured Futuramic styling, including the six-cylinder 76 and the OHV 88s. Harley Earl's new two-door hardtop design was offered in the 98 series only in 1949 and trickled down to the 88 and 76 Holiday Coupes, with their wraparound rear windows, for 1950.

Vintage Cabovers & Transporters

2009-11-18T22:35:00.000-08:00

I wonder if anyone remembers this type of car haulers of the 1950's. I found these pictures online I just wanted to share them with you.

Source: The Jalopy Journal

Steyr automobile

2009-11-05T16:48:00.000-08:00

Steyr (or Steyr-Puch) was an Austrian automotive company from 1915 until 1990.

Swedish Ad for 1928 Steyr Type Xll 6cyl 4seat Convertible

Formed as a branch of Steyr Osterreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft (Steyr AG) in 1915, to diversify manufacturing, the founders hired 38-year-old designer Hans Ledwinka after he resigned from Nesseldorf. Ledwinka developed Steyr's new six-cylinder car and supervised hiring engineers and mechanics.

1939 Steyr 220.

This, the 12/40PS, featured the fashionable spitzkuhler (pointed radiator) of the prewar Mercedes and had very modern features: a 3255 cc (199ci) engine with SOHC, ball bearing-mounted crankshaft, four-speed gearbox, and multi-plate clutch, but not including four wheel brakes, though Ledwinka's designs had used them as early as 1909. The ability of the engine to rev led to 4014 cc (245ci) Type VI and 4890 cc (298ci) Type VI Klausen sport versions, and it was employed in a 2½ ton truck.

Ledwinka again came into conflict with management when the company wanted luxury cars and he preferred a cheap, simple car, the sidevalve four-cylinder Type IV. Steyr concentrated on luxury cars. Ledwinka did not give up, creating a car with and aircooled flat-twin and backbone chassis. Management ignored him, and he quit to join Tatra, taking the design with him; it also inspired the early Volkswagen Type 1.

Steyr realized their mistake too late, but Ledwinka acted as consulting engineer, influencing the 1925 Type XII, with a 14/35 hp 1.5 liter OHC six, crankshaft ball bearings, four-wheel brakes, half-elliptic front springs, and swing axle IRS. It came in two models, a four- or five-seater tourer at ₤440 and a four-door saloon at ₤560. This was joined by a 3.3 liter Type VII interior drive limousine, a luxurious four-door that seated up to seven and cost ₤1000; it shared its 17.75 kW (23.8 hp) chassis with the five- to seven-place, ₤975 Coupe de Ville.

The 1926 Olympia Motor Show premiered a new 10 kW (14 hp) tourer for ₤510. There was also another new small car in 1928, the 2060 cc (126ci) 16/40 hp Type XX and a 4 liter 29/70 hp six Type XVI, with vacuum servo-assisted brakes by Bosch-Dewandre.

In January 1929, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche joined Steyr from Mercedes. He quickly produced the 37/100 hp Austria, with a 5.3 liter straight eight, dual magneto ignition, and twin spark plugs, four-wheel Lockheed hydraulic brakes, and Steyr's first detachable cylinder head. It also had Steyr's half-elliptic front and swing axle rear suspension. It showed at the Paris Salon and Olympia, the cabriolet offered at ₤1550.

The Great Depression intervened, however, and Steyr was bailed out by Austro Daimler, which killed the project as competing with its own very similar car, while Porsche resigned to form Porsche Büro in Stuttgart. The crash hit hard. Steyr in 1929produced short of 5000 cars and 1000 trucks in all, and in 1930, just twelve.

Aid turned to buyout in 1935, and in the interim Steyr relied on a Porsche design, the Type XXX. Its 2078 cc (127ci) six had plain bearings and pushrod valves. It was developed into the 2.3 liter 530 of 1936. Steyr also displayed the unconventional, with the 120 of 1934, with double transverse-leaf independent front suspension and streamlined body; they sold 1200 cars of this model, and improved it into the 2.3 liter 220 of 1937.

Haflinger

There were also licence-built Opel P4s (Steyr-Opel, nicknamend "Stopel") and, still in 1934, the Type 100, a less attractive, low-cost economy car, of exactly the type (if not the appearance) Ledwinka had advocated ten years before, with a 1.4 liter sidevalve four of 34 hp, but similar streamlined appearance as the 120. The Type 50 in 1936 was smaller and "surpassingly ugly" (which was a lot to surpass in that era), the child of a Chrysler Airflow, and as aerodynamically efficient as the contemporary VW; even so, the Kleinwagen was popular (as its Type 1 cousin would be a generation later), due to a rather roomy interior and a metal sliding roof. The bigger 1158 cc (71ci) 25 hp (19 kW) engine and new number, Type 55, of 1938 could still hardly push it past 80 km/h (50 mph), but even so, some 13,000 were built by end of production in 1940.

During the war, Steyr built vehicles for the Wehrmacht, and afterwards, modified FIATs for Austrian consumption, adding swing axles and, in some models, engines of their own design. These were the 1100 Mod E, followed by the 1400, which got an Austrian 2-liter engine, and was namend Steyr 2000. From 1957 to 1973 the Puch 500 was built in the Graz plant with great success (almost 60,000 sold), using the FIAT 500 body but Steyr mechanics (to varying degrees - but always with the Austrian opposed twin engine); important versions were the 650 TR sports model and the 700 C microvan. From 1973 some few FIAT 126 were equipped with the boxer twin engine for the Austrian market.

In the 1960s, Steyr introduced the remarkable Haflinger (named for a Tyrolian horse) four wheel drive truck, "probably the most versatile off-road vehicle ever produced." Able to cross almost any terrain and scale mountains, they typically had only a two-cylinder aircooled boxer 643 cc (39ci) engine of 20 kW (27 hp). The performance attracted military orders, and led to the much heavier and stronger 4x4/6x6 Pinzgauer. Finally Steyr-Daimler-Puch collaborated with Mercedes in the design and manufacturing of the similar, but more comfortable, Puch G.