"What's Leganza?"

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

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

The Tucker Car Show

Source: Internet

Holden Efijy

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

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

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

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