(first posted 4/5/2013) OK, I cheated. Given the way the car is sitting, I obviously didn’t find this CC parked street-side, and I did pose it for pictures. This truck used to belong to me, and I recently borrowed it as temporary transportation. I’ve always found the Rodeo’s history interesting, so I captured some images and fired up the word processor. Read the rest of this entry »
I have always held the Pontiac Firebird in high esteem. Many of us in our forties were born into an automotive landscape that had always included a Firebird in various forms throughout the years: affordable base coupe, vaunted Trans Am, formidable Formula, limited-run GTA, and posh Esprit (replaced by the S/E with the third-generation models). The newly restyled ’79s had set an all-time sales record for the model, with over 211,000 sold, the bulk (over half) of which were top-spec Trans Ams. The Firebird was, at one point, a very popular car.
Here’s one rather sinister-looking find. It’s a creature-like automotive creation since its inception, and even more so in its current condition. A ’61 Imperial (Trim level? Crown or LeBaron? Your guess is as good as mine), composed of how many discarded Imperial bodies? A couple, at least. A Frankenstein of a find, waiting to be brought back to life in Crickadle, England, and posted at the Cohort by Nathan Williams.
Walking and biking the streets of my California hometown continues to reveal an unending variety of curbside finds. In the past, I’ve looked for themes of commonality, or contrast, but today I’ll just document the variety. All of these photos were taken in the past year, and most just a short unpowered distance from my house.
Text and photos by Steve Lenius.
When I was younger, I had an elementary school principal who owned two Model A Fords, one a car and one a Model AA pickup. My family also had friends in Pennsylvania who had a beautiful Model A with a rumble seat. I am lucky enough to have a picture of some members of our families riding in that Model A, but I’m not nearly as familiar with the once-ubiquitous Ford Model T, so it was a pleasure to have a nice-looking 1925 example cross my path recently while traveling — a chance encounter with a 100-year-old car.
1970 Pontiac GTO 455 / Mecum Auctions
For 1970, GM senior management finally rescinded the corporate policy that limited intermediate-size cars to engines no bigger than 400 cubic inches. Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac wasted no time in offering their big 455 cu. in. engines in their hot midsize Supercars. However, when Car Life compared a 1970 Pontiac GTO with the new Ram Air 455 to one powered by the existing 400 Ram Air engine in April 1970, they found that the car with the biggest engine wasn’t the fastest.
(first posted 4/7/2013) We’ve just seen a diesel powered Corolla so how about a more conventional diesel powered Toyota? While still rare, this diesel-powered third-generation pickup is probably a less surprising recipient of a diesel engine than a small hatchback. There is one thing I did find puzzling about it besides its pristine looking condition though …
This was the first real Mercedes sports car of the 1960s. Without doubt, M-B had designed some fine postwar cars, and the Fintail was quite modern (well, except for the…fins). In 1961, Mercedes sent the finned look packing, starting with the W111 coupes and cabriolets, which reflected a clean, linear, and very modern design language. Meanwhile, the 300SL and 190SL were getting long in the tooth, and Mercedes decided it was time to apply Paul Bracq’s classic lines to their roadster. And here it is. The Pagoda. The W113.
Text by Patrick Bell.
Our gallery today is a small collection of transit photos from a known source. These are part of a much larger collection (1,656 images) that is housed at Cornell University and is titled “U.S. President’s Railroad Commission Photographs 1960-61”. Today’s featured images are of a Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (better known as the Milwaukee Road) car lot and some of their equipment. The location was apparently not recorded, and these photos were not submitted to the Commission, yet were retained for the collection.
It’s not that easy to take a clear side view picture of an entire ‘ecocombi’, a combination vehicle with a maximum overall length of 25.25 m (82’10”). Someone or something is always standing in the way. Or the rig itself isn’t fully stretched out. So I guess May 4 was my lucky day, ecocombi-wise.
These extra long vehicles come in multiple forms. One of them is the B-double, like Van den Broek’s set of wheels. This configuration can be found in many countries across the globe.
Nowling’s Oldsmobile, Downey, California, 1967 / The Downey Conservancy
One of the biggest factors in how well cars sell in a given market is how many dealer franchises the automaker has at a given time. Here’s a breakdown of how many domestic dealers each U.S. automaker had between 1966 and 1969.
When I was a teen, almost everyone I knew caught a case of “Fox Body Fever,” or FBF. While my first Fox car was a ‘79 Capri, I blame my initial case of FBF on the ‘82 Mustang GT. I was too enamored with pre-1973 cars to pay much attention upon its release. But, we all paid attention when Mike, one of my close high school friends, received one as a high school graduation present in 1985.
(first posted 12/8/2013) While not nearly as popular as a few years back, there is still a steady stream of 15+ year-old Japanese market vehicles that make their way into Canada. The vast majority are sports cars, high end SUVs or four wheel drive vans. Trailing behind in fourth place are luxury cars. This Toyota Crown Royal Saloon is the first of its kind I’ve seen here. It resembles the Lexus LS400. but is based on a different platform.
If you’ve been around CC for a while, you know I have a thing for old pickup campers and motorhomes. Especially so this time of year, as thoughts of boondocking along a remote gurgling mountain river predominate. As the owner of a ’77 Dodge Chinook Concourse, I particularly notice other old Chinooks, and just have to document their existence. I’ve shot and posted on two old Chinook pickup campers (here) and (here), but this is the first Class C Chinook, and it’s mighty appealing. Read the rest of this entry »
