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104

Car Show Classic: 1970 Plymouth Barracuda Gran Coupe – The Broughamiest ‘cuda Around

(first posted 7/31/2013)    Let’s get one thing straight: I love these E-bodies. While I might give a slight edge to the Challenger (I especially love the full-width taillights of the ’70), the Barracuda is equally good looking. One thing that let these cars down, however, was their cheap interiors. My brother’s first car was a 1973 ‘cuda 340. I drove it many times, and could never get over the sit-on-the-floor driving stance and doors that came above your shoulders. Nonetheless, I will always love them for their style. And the seldom-seen Gran Coupe spruced up the often stark interiors quite a bit.

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16

Bus Stop Classic: Gräf und Stift 120 OGL Austrian Post Bus – Where’s the Trailer Bus?

(first posted 5/18/2018)     When I ran across these shots of this Gräf und Stift Austrian Post bus from the 1950s at the Cohort (posted by T Minor), I had to stop and savor the flood of memories it triggered of riding in buses like this one as a little kid. And not just in the bus itself, but also in a trailer bus that one of them was towing. Now that was something different, and not something one sees in the US;  but it’s still being done by Post buses 60 years later.

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35

Curbside Classic: 1978 Mercedes-Benz 280 (W123) – Born To Greatness

(first posted 5/18/2018)      Double-u one two three. It had to happen someday. It’s not like these are excessively rare or anything. They are hitting their 40s, so sightings are perhaps not as usual as they were. I had the privilege of coming in close contact with this rather lovely cream-coloured 1978 model recently, so here goes.

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12

Vintage Snapshots: Cars In The Woods — 1950-1960s

This is another gallery of images that offer a good deal of armchair (or virtual-chair) traveling through time and locations. It features cars either visiting, arriving, or near forest areas. Clearly, all of these belong to special trips, be it a plain vacation, picnicking, or camping.

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16

Cohort Pic(k) Of The Day: 1975 AMC Hornet – A Hornet In The Big Apple

Photo from the Cohort by Blue387.

Only one image today for this surviving old AMC product. It’s none other than a 1975 Hornet sedan found in NYC, and its nice condition suggests that it has found a good nesting place in that city. Quite a feat actually. I’m not that familiar with NYC, but I would think it isn’t the friendliest place for hornets… or old AMC cars.

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7

COAL: 1976 Lincoln Mark IV Jade/White Luxury Group — A Very Special COAL

This car is one that is still in my corral, and while it needs body work it runs very well and has very deep emotions tied to it.

The year was 1994. My wife was still working at Publix and became good friends with a sweet lady I’ll call Debbie. She was married to a true gentleman that I’ll call Mike.

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64

Vintage Reviews: 1983 – 1986 Ford LTD, LTD/LX & LTD Brougham – Lethargic, Tuned or Dutiful?

(first posted 5/17/2018)        Last week, Paul covered the 1983 generation Fairmont-based LTD and its challenging mission of bridging between the “Brougham” and “Aero” eras at Ford.  The resulting car did not set the world on fire, though it wound up as a decent success during a tumultuous period for U.S. automakers.  However, engine and equipment choice played a huge role in determining how good the car was for everyday transportation—period reviews from Consumer Guide Auto Test and Car and Driver help pinpoint the good, the bad and the ugly when it came to the “Fairmont LTDs.”

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36

Automotive History: General Motors 1949-50 – The Mystery Of The Missing B Body (Part 2)


(first posted 5/17/2018)       In Part 1 (here), we looked at the way in which General Motors converted its A, B and C body shells from the old pre-war styles to new post-war designs.  Well, the A and C bodies at least.  We established that there really was no B body car produced for 1949, unless we count the handful of warmed over ’48 Buick Specials (that were called ’49s) before Buick pulled the plug on them in December of 1948.  1950 would be different.  Or would it?

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51

Vintage Snapshots: What’s On The Driveway? — Cars In The Suburbs Of The ’50s-’60s

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8

Curbside Classic: 1982 Lancia Rally 037 Stradale – Group B-List Stardom Attained

Even people like me who know next to nothing about rallying know that those crazy speeds on gravel and snow can only be achieved with 4WD. But there was a time, before the Audi Quattro, when two wheels could steer and the other two would push, and that was that. The last such car to win a WRC title was the Lancia Rally 037.

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26

Used Car Shopping: 2017 Lexus GS350 AWD–The Decision

 

“You had a bigger smile in the Audi”  she says after I run the engine up through its sweet spot and glance over with an expectant look. Lexus extracted a rich induction sound from the corporate V6 and I somehow believed this was going to impress her in the slightest.  But I find myself yet again perplexed at our mismatched wavelengths.  She’s not the type to push more than halfway to redline under any circumstance, and if you ask what her favorite thing about our Camry is, she will simply tell you that it’s familiar.    

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18

Vintage R&T Comparison: 1981 Ford Escort, Mazda GLC, VW Rabbit And Honda Accord — FWD Compacts For The ’80s

The transverse FWD layout was taking over passenger cars by the 1980s. By then, the format’s advantages for passenger vehicles were hard to deny, particularly in compacts. A market that had grown in the US after the difficult 1970s, with most carmakers joining the segment. In February of 1981, R&T was ready to test some newcomers to the FWD compact world; the 1st. gen. Ford Escort and the 2nd gen. Mazda GLC. They would face two established players; the VW Rabbit and the Honda Accord.

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49

CC Capsule: 1961 Ford Falcon – Oh, to Live in a Neighborhood Where I Can Encounter Curbside Classics on a Stroll

(first posted 5/16/2018)      My wife and I currently live in the most expensive suburb of Indianapolis. Lest you think our ship has come in, understand that this suburb annexed our modest neighborhood only so the next suburb over couldn’t do it. To proper residents of our suburb, our vinyl-village subdivision is considered déclassé, the cheapest way to get your kids into this suburb’s excellent schools. That describes us perfectly! But after our last son finishes high school this month, we have no need to stay. We’re itching to go. Already we’re walking through neighborhoods we’d like to live in to get a feel for them. It’s always a good sign when we come upon a curbside classic while strolling. Like this 1961 Falcon. Read the rest of this entry »

37

Automotive History: General Motors 1949-50 – The Mystery Of The Missing B Body (Part 1)

(first posted 5/16/2018)       The General Motors B body provided the basis for some of the most popular cars the company ever built.  Its long and proud history spans many model names, car Divisions and decades.  But there was a brief period in the early postwar years where the B body went AWOL.  Let us see if we can figure out where it went.

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13

Vintage Snapshots: Landscapes Across America In The 1970s

This type of gallery is among my favorites, featuring landscapes across the US with a bit of car content. And as with many of these, I try to keep the scenery varied; from lakes to beaches and deserts. Talking about the latter, we open with an image from the Arches National Park in Utah, dating from 1972.

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