Vintage Snapshot: MGAs At the Races
– February 16, 2019
Recent Posts
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Cohort Outtake: Datsun B210 – Snow Bee
– February 16, 2019
A fresh layer of snow looks great on cars, as long as it’s not the one you have to drive early in the morning. I like how it’s accentuating the shape of the B210 that William Oliver shot and posted at the Cohort. It’s nice just to see one at all; there used to be such a healthy number here up until about 5-7 years ago. Now where have they all gone? To Canada? Snow bees?
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CC Tech: HEI—GM’s Superior Sparks, At Home and Elsewhere
– February 16, 2019
There’s a sturdy argument to be made that GM’s HEI (High-Energy Ignition) is so damn good because GM were so damn fixated on being so damn cheap. Wait…what? How does that reckon? Simple: Read the rest of this entry »
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Curbside Classic: 1959 MGA 1500 Le Mans Replica – The OMG Factor
– February 16, 2019
I have no idea how in the world this MG A came to a corner of my street in Bangkok. It looked like it materialized there from another dimension. Or was it a mirage? It looked like new. Or it would have, had any MGA actually looked like this back in the day. Still, catching any ‘50s car in the wild is worth a couple of snaps. And a few musings on the unlikely fate of MG…
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Curbside Classic: 1983 Nissan Pulsar Five Door – So Rare I Forgot It Existed
– February 15, 2019
(first posted 5/21/2014) This one had me stumped for, a while. I just didn’t remember this car being sold in the US; I thought the Pulsar moniker was used strictly for the coupe, like this one. I recognized it from its European use, where it was the basis of the ill-fated Arna, a joint venture with Alfa Romeo to combine the drive train and other parts of the Alfa Sud with this body. And I do remember well this car’s predecessor, the Datsun 310, which it very much resembles: Read the rest of this entry »
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Industry Analysis: Chinese Brands To Watch, Part 1 – LDV
– February 15, 2019
To date, no Chinese car brands have been sold in North America. Chinese-built cars sold on the continent have been limited to cars from established brands (Buick Envision) or extremely low-volume failures (Coda EV). But while the Chinese car invasion has yet to reach North American shores, automakers from the People’s Republic have been making inroads in other markets. Read the rest of this entry »
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Rivian Automotive Receives $700 Million From Amazon And Others In Latest Round Of Fundraising
– February 15, 2019
Earlier this morning Rivian confirmed reports that Amazon was interested in acquiring a minor stake in the company, and they’ve done so, along with several other investors.
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CC Outtake: Buick Verano With Rear Wheel Steering
– February 15, 2019
I happened to be in downtown Flint , MI today and walked past this late model Buick Verano with the rear passenger wheel snapped off on Saginaw Street. A kindly elderly gentleman was waiting there with it for the tow truck…it was his niece’s car and she had to get to work. The car was just three years old, and seemed to be in otherwise in impeccable shape and freshly washed to get the snow and slush off.
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Truck Show Classics: Heavy German Conventionals – Autobahn Dinosaurs
– February 15, 2019
The fifties – the golden age of the heavy German conventional truck. Peak Teutonic Autobahn Behemoths, in other words. In Europe, there was nothing else on the road so massive and heavy back then. Stand next to them, study them closely and you can only admire the expertise and craftsmanship of their creators.
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Curbside Classic: 1988 Buick LeSabre and LeSabre T-Type – The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
– February 15, 2019
The Buick LeSabre. Everyone knows what it is. Or at least was. It was the car that Buick brought forth to replace the price-leader Special when it gave all-new names to its all-new cars in 1959. The LeSabre plodded on for decades as Buick’s big-car bargain. But for a few years Buick injected a wholly different personality into the vanilla LeSabre. This piece will compare this Bi-polar Buick in all of its (their?) glory.
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Curbside Classic: Classic Roadsters Sebring MX – Austin Healey 3000 Wannabe
– February 14, 2019
(first posted 4/24/2014) Here’s something I didn’t expect to see outside a grocery store in Utah. The badging says Austin Healey, but the flares, louvers and faux wire wheels all say Classic Roadsters Sebring MX. Read the rest of this entry »
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CC Cohort Outtakes: Three Decades Of Chrysler Rooflines
– February 14, 2019
How much does car styling change over the course of 20 years through three different decades? Quite a bit actually. Avid Cohort contributor Canadiancatgreen recently posted a number of interesting junkyard photos, among them these four full-size Chryslers, three of which served the brand’s flagship during its respective decade. The rear-quarter view from which each is taken especially highlights the dramatic change in styling trends from the 1970s to the 1980s to the 1990s.
First up is this 1975 Chrysler New Yorker. Debuting one year prior in 1974, the redesigned C-bodies followed the Fuselage Chryslers, replacing swoopy, curved sheetmetal with straighter body lines and more chiseled styling throughout, while still maintaining an ever-so slight resemblance to the Fuselages. These cars were still massive, with acres of overhang, and a girth allowing for true three-abreast seating in each row. Among their most distinctive styling traits were their sweeping rooflines, which I can only describe as being canopy-like in nature.
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CC Tech: 1973 Dodge Polara HEI Ignition Conversion and Motorcraft 2150 Carb Adaptation
– February 14, 2019
When I first bought my 1973 Dodge Polara Custom Spring Special, I was aware it had the Mopar electronic ignition. However, my Fords all have a 12V Pertronix system installed and I like how it runs. Little did I know the adventure I was in for both with the ignition and the Holley 2bbl carburetor. Read the rest of this entry »
