1949 Delahaye 175 S Saoutchik Roadster

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.

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

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

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

The American Brands that Didn't Make It

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

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....

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

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