(first posted 5/15/2018) Judging by that title, you might think I’m talking about Infiniti’s infamous North American launch. That launch was announced with a series of cerebral and uninformative commercials, Nissan’s luxury brand coming into existence with a rather blandly-styled flagship and a dated companion coupe. Believe it or not, the brand’s Australian launch was even worse. Read the rest of this entry »
This is a chapter we’ve been missing in our vintage image galleries, the one covering the owners, drivers and admirers of Buicks of the 1960s. These images probably fit in with what most associate with the brand, with plenty of upscale and well-to-do families appearing. Still, the swingin’ vibe of the decade can be felt in plenty of these shots. From the cars to the fashions.
From 1956 to 1994, with an update in 1969, German truck manufacturer MAN offered a short-nosed conventional, generally referred to as the ‘MAN Ponton-Kurzhauber’. It was one of the heavy-duty trucks that was on a par with the venerable Mercedes-Benz L-Series, in each and every aspect.
Have we ever done a Walk & Talk featuring a late model used car lot? If not, today is your lucky day! All these pictures were taken Sunday, May 5, at the local GM / Toyota dealership.
My aunt has pretty good taste in cars. An MGB, a Volvo 740GLE, a Toyota 4Runner and a VW Passat wagon are some of the vehicles that have passed through her hands. A pretty eclectic list, as I read over it. But here’s the thing: have you ever known someone who buys good stuff and just…doesn’t take very good care of it? That’s Gina. She’s not a “car guy” by any means. The cars are just transportation appliances to her. They get dirty, they get dinged, they get repaired when something goes wrong, but they don’t see a lot of maintenance in-between. This, you may have heard, is not the kind of treatment that upscale German cars thrive under. Read the rest of this entry »
(first posted 8/3/2013) I like Imperials. I mean, I REALLY like Imperials. And I mean Imperials, not “Chrysler Imperials,” bub! So could I not do an Imperial post during Mopar Week? Impossible! And fortunately, during the AACA Grand National–the same show where I caught the ’61 Town & Country and ’60 Valiant–I caught two of the nicest Imperial convertibles I’ve ever seen. Yes, this show was just lousy with fine vintage Mopar iron. So join me, as we look at two fine examples of good Imperialism…
(first posted 5/14/2018) Renault had high hopes for its R5 in the US. After struggling to get back its footing after the rise and fall of the Dauphine in the 50s and early 60s, Renault soldiered on through the 60s with its rear-engine R8 and R10, and then the very advanced R16, which was anything but a hit in the states. But the timing of the R5 was propitious, coming on the heels of the first energy crisis, which really spurred interest in small FWD hatchbacks.
The main competition were the new VW Rabbit and the Honda Civic. Tough competition. But the R5 had one area of unique superiority: the supple French ride, which would seem to be a perfect fit with Americans, who were known to appreciate that commodity, although without the F-word as a prefix.
Here’s a bunch of photos with a good deal of Mopar iron uploaded by Hyperpack at the Cohort. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on in these images, but the cars (or what’s left of them) seem to lay in a yard belonging to GO CAR Sales at West Mifflin, PA. In any case, many of these have collision damage, and all have, let’s say rust issues. But that won’t keep us from taking a look around, right?
taking my brothers for a drive, age 12
I visited my youngest brother Franz in Seattle a couple of weeks ago and asked him about old family photos. He dug out a box of prints from the Towson era (starting in 1965) which I had never seen before. Jackpot! It gives me a chance to provide some visual proof that my stories weren’t (all) fiction.
First up is me behind the wheel of the ’65 Dodge Coronet wagon from 1965 or so, making me 12 or 13. Yes, I did start driving the Coronet illicitly at a young age, but not quite this young, at least not on public roads, although this appears to be a cemetery. And not with my two younger brothers in the back seat. But the fact that this photo exists supports the reality that I was obsessed with driving and that my parents were aware of that. So why did they get so upset when I got caught driving at age 15?
I wasn’t kidding when I called this “Thoroughbred Week,” was I? It’s just that they come in all shapes and sizes. Shape-wise, this one is pretty extreme – the Morelli bodywork on this saucer-like OSCA is almost extraterrestrial. In terms of size, we’re talking knee-high and just 750ccs. The very definition of short and sweet, but pretty potent along with it.
I’ve been thinking a lot this year about mindfulness, intentionality, and being present. In a recent essay I had written about a ’59 Ford Galaxie, I had touched on the idea of age being relative and the importance of recognizing and enjoying things the way they are right now. I’m a work in progress, and this kind of thinking takes practice. I’ve been known to fall into the trap of rumination, though I’m much better about not doing so now that I’m more aware of that tendency. I am content, but the occasional “what ifs” can trip me up if I allow myself to dwell on wondering what could have been if I had gotten better grades in school, if I had never gotten into that relationship, if I had been born into a different family, etc.
(first posted 8/31/2013) Few car names are any better and carry more punch than “Charger”. You know its intended purpose and capabilities in one succinct word. Mustang? You know what horses leave for you. Camaro? That creates no mental image. No, Charger is one of the ultimate names for a car, something that won’t poke your eye out (Javelin), is not a blatant derivation of the maker (Chevelle), and isn’t some acronym (G.T.O.).
(first posted 5/1/2018) Even the hardiest of cars and trucks have to expire eventually and it’s pretty hard to think of something hardier than a simple, old, Japanese pickup. It’s a rare sight to see these old Mitsubishi utes – pardon me, force of habit, we call all pickups here “utes” – as even they have to pack it in eventually. How refreshing to see this one still in use: a simple old pickup towing a simple old boat. How even more refreshing to see a similar pickup just a few doors down.
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1971-72
One of my favorite movie moments is from The Jerk, where Steve Martin is jumping up and down yelling, “The new phone book’s here! The new phone book’s here!” And as hard as it is to believe, there was a time (1980) when getting the new phone book was a pretty big deal. Everyone had a land-line with a rat’s nest for a cord. Almost everyone had a stamped metal, Zephyr Autodesk “Vanguard Model” phone number directory, with the alphabetized sliding stylus and flip-up lid. And if you didn’t have the Zephyr, you just wrote down numbers in the first few pages of the new, free, phone book. Twenty something years after The Jerk, I felt a little silly paying five bucks a pop for some old phone books at the Antique Mall. But boy am I glad I did. My wife and I have gotten so much pleasure from our 1971-72 and 1976-77 Bellingham Telephone Directories, that I wouldn’t trade them for anything. So, sit back and enjoy some random car dealership ads from the seventies, and also a few from mid-century. Read the rest of this entry »
