Curbside Classic -

Curbside Classic/Automotive History: 1977 AMC Hornet AMX – The Long Slow Decline Of The AMX

– Posted on November 19, 2024

(first posted 2/12/2013) In 1966, the American Motors Corporation (AMC) unveiled a pair of radically styled concept cars called AMX (American Motors eXperimental) in an attempt to better connect with the youth and performance markets. The cars generated a lot of excitement, and in 1968 AMC introduced the production AMX, which was available through the 1970 model year. Throughout the 1970s, AMC was in a long, slow slide as it struggled to remain relevant (and solvent) as one of the last American independent car manufacturers. The AMX name would be applied to a number of AMC cars, including our subject for today: the one-year-only 1977 AMC Hornet AMX.

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Online Classic: 1988 Buick LeSabre T-Type – Can You Go Home Again?

William Stopford

– Posted on November 19, 2024

(first posted 8/1/2018) When I found this LeSabre T-Type on Craigslist, I thought two things. Firstly, this was a surprisingly attractive design for an American GM product from the 1980s. Secondly, didn’t our Jim Klein own one of these? Read the rest of this entry »

Vintage Snapshots: Cars, Trailer Parks & Trailer Homes – ’50s-’60s-’70s

Rich Baron

– Posted on November 19, 2024

Today we’ll take a look a cars around trailers, motor homes, and trailer parks. A short collection of images with some neat looking rides that offer glimpses of what life was like around these mobile homes.

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CC Global: Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 319 CDI And 519 CDI – Comparable But Not Identical

Johannes Dutch

– Posted on November 19, 2024

Spotted on a Saturday in September, parked a short distance apart. Two black, third gen Mercedes-Benz Sprinter panel vans. Both powered by a 190 DIN-hp turbodiesel and with an RWD drivetrain. Other full matches are the wheelbase (3.67 m), overall length (5.93 m), and the raised roof. And in both cases, a tridem axle trailer was coupled to the van. So far the similarities.

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Curbside Classic: 1968 Toyota Crown Wagon – Mission Accomplished

Rich Baron

– Posted on November 19, 2024

Today’s title may feel a bit odd, considering that the Crown never quite took off in the US market. But elsewhere, particularly in Asia and South America, early generations of the Crown paved the way for buyers of those regions to consider Toyota as a viable provider of accessible luxury. While the ’64 Corona and ’66 Corolla were the models that brought legions of faithful consumers to the brand, the Crown made a case for Toyota being more than a purveyor of mass-market cars.

In those markets, the Crown showed that Toyota could offer a refined vehicle with luxury touches at discount prices, offering a nice alternative to semi-premium European and US models. An international trajectory that rose on the inroads done by the ’62-’67 Crown (S40), and on which the ’67-’70 S50 generation built upon. So, when excluding the US market, we can say mission accomplished.

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Curbside Musings: 1995 Mercury Cougar XR7 – The Kitty Grew

Joseph Dennis

– Posted on November 19, 2024

Last month, my essay featuring a Jaguar XJ6 from the mid-’80s prompted memories of one of the cats in my childhood household, a tiger-striped tom named Chester. In that piece, I had loosely compared that Jaguar to a black cat, and even though Chester didn’t have black fur, many recollections posted from commenters about the cats they had known and loved made me think of Chet. My brother had named him, but it took little time for me to realize how perfectly his name seemed to fit him. He was a Chester. When I think of characterizations of house cats in popular culture, the word “aloof” often comes to mind. I have been around cats for much of my life and have known many that needed to approach you instead of being approached. Chester was not like that at all. He was almost dog-esque in his demonstrative nature, boisterous personality, and loudness, being very capable of projecting his meow.

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Curbside Classic: 1986 Volkswagen Cabriolet – What Women Want

J P Cavanaugh

– Posted on November 18, 2024

(first posted 2/14/2013) What is it that makes a car a “chick car?” Put another way, what is it about some cars that appeals to the fairer sex? And why is it so hard to come up with one on purpose?

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Vintage R&T Road Test: 1976 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow LWB Saloon – A House or a RR?

Paul Niedermeyer

– Posted on November 18, 2024

(first posted 11/19/2018) The Silver Shadow, which arrived in 1965, was the most radically-changed RR ever. It abandoned the classic design language and traditional BOF construction for a very modern unibody sedan that was a full 3.5″ narrower and 7″ shorter than its predecessor, the Silver Cloud. In the US, its size (203.5″ length) made it comparable to domestic mid-size cars, a full 6″ inches shorter than a ’65 Dodge Coronet. A bit compact, for the world’s most prestigious car, eh?

So it was no surprise that a long wheelbase version appeared after a few years, starting in 1969 in the US market. The four inch stretch all went into increased rear leg room, which made it more suitable for the purpose many buyers had in mind for it. R&T tested one from the last year of its initial version; in 1976, the Silver Shadow II appeared, and the lwb version was renamed the Silver Wraith II.

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Roadside Find: 1960 Rambler Super – Slightly Sinister, Being Towed Somewhere

Rich Baron

– Posted on November 18, 2024

Photos from the CC Cohort by Mike Hayes.

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Curbside Find: 1992 Subaru Legacy – Eggs, Milk, Bananas, Bread, Ham, Pepper

Paul Niedermeyer

– Posted on November 18, 2024

What we have here is a rather typical example of the most common automotive customization/accessorizing trend of the 21st century, so far: The overlanding look, although in this case it’s a fairly mild and perhaps even a semi-ironic expression of the breed. Those aren’t exactly hard-core AT tires, especially the whitewall on the back.

As to the title:

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Car Show Classic: 1929 Austin Seven Coupé – Behold, The Mighty 747 (cc)

Tatra87

– Posted on November 18, 2024

Pre-war cars. Can’t live with ‘em, can’t live… er… with ‘em. Just too slow, cramped, impractical, unreliable, and so on. Well, luckily for those of us who love them, some brave souls out there are willing to put up with all these defects (some of which are very relative anyway) and brave 21^st Century traffic. It’s Roaring ‘20s Week, CC, so let us gingerly select first gear with a loud crunch and have another look at the immortal Austin Seven.

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Curbside Classic: 1983 Chrysler Cordoba–Is A 2nd Gen. Cordoba Really Worth $12,500?

Stephen Pellegrino

– Posted on November 18, 2024

“Parthenon” grille.

Unlikely cars pop up in unlikely places. When was the last time you saw an early ’80s Cordoba–and in such cream puff condition? It’s for sale just down the road from me.

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Car Lot Classic: 1980 Mercury Cougar XR-7 – That Very Common Dishonest Car – Yours For $2995; Hurry!

Paul Niedermeyer

– Posted on November 17, 2024

(first posted 3/15/2013) If I ever run out of cars to shoot in Eugene (not likely), I’ll just start hanging out in our sister city to the east, Springfield. The other day, I stopped in at two car dealers; Springfield Buick, and Dan’s Automotive. This used car lot on Main Street was surprisingly chock-full of CCs, and I’ll give you a full tour later, so don’t go off about the Stude in the background. But the queen of the lot deserves its own special moment, since it’s one of my all-time favorite cars. Read the rest of this entry »

Cohort Capsule: Vanden Plas Princess 4-Litre R – International Brougham?

Perry Shoar

– Posted on November 17, 2024

(first posted 8/25/2018) I wouldn’t classify it as such. I think it’s important to limit the Brougham classification to those primarily American (and sometimes foreign, usually Japanese) cars which really do it justice. This car–spotted in California by CJCars–has a gussied up style for sure, but it stops short of true Brougham. What is it, then? Well, m’dear, it’s nothing less than proper British luxury–in the form of one of its rarer exemplars.

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Curbside Finds: Cadillac STS & Chrysler Vision – Back To The ’90s, In France

Rich Baron

– Posted on November 17, 2024

Photos from the CC Cohort by Guillaume Vachey.

As soon as I saw the image of these two Américaines, I was transported back to the mid-90s. Never mind that they carry French plates. So, not quite a location I would have trotted back then, but there’s no way these two won’t reawaken those now-distant 1990s memories in my head.

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