(first posted 3/7/2019) Unlike Invicta and Standard, the incredible story of Reliant Motors is one that stretches to living memory for most people over 30, especially if they spent some time in the UK. Reliant three-wheelers were still a common enough sight there in the ‘90s, and I remember seeing a few Scimitars as well. How did Reliant keep producing their increasingly irrelevant and un-exportable cars for so long? And why did they have to stop?
(first posted 3/27/2019) Cascada is the name of two things created in Germany: a dance music group and an Opel (albeit one assembled in Poland). The former is best known for their hit 2009 single, “Evacuate The Dancefloor”, which was a Top 40 hit in the US and was popular throughout the world. The latter? Not so much. Read the rest of this entry »
1918 Willys Knight Overland Model 90, Tacoma, Wash.
The automobile played a prominent role in the history of bootlegging, especially in northwest Washington. This form of smuggling was a result of Prohibition, which cut off liquor supplies but not the demand. After Washington adopted “bone dry” laws in 1916, a steady flow of liquor started coming in from Canada. As we will see in early news accounts, most bootleggers crossed the border in a car.
Is it completely wrong to call the Aston DB6 Vantage a muscle car? In a way, it isn’t: these are refined, handcrafted 6-cyl. machines that cost three or four times the price of a new Mustang at the time. On the other hand, if you call it a large, brawny coupé with a big engine (for Europe, that is) delivering a massive amount of cavalry to the rear wheels, possibly via an automatic gearbox, the DB6 would kind of fit the muscle car spec sheet, if there were one.
Take a close look at the car above – what’s missing? There’s no center pillar. All non-convertible 1961-69 Lincoln Continentals have a B-pillar between the front and rear side windows; Lincoln never sold a 4-door hardtop version of this car. But as this picture shows, a hardtop was clearly in the plans and several were built. But at the last minute it was killed, for perhaps a surprising reason.
1967 Pontiac GTO / Mecum Auctions
The Pontiac GTO arguably started the big-engined intermediate Supercar craze in 1964, and it was the one to beat in this hotly contested segment. Its performance didn’t always live up to the hype, but in October 1967, Car Life found that a 1967 GTO with the rare Ram Air engine was no paper tiger — it was fast enough that they proclaimed it “King of the Supercars,” although they found it left much to be desired in real-world use.
(First published 12/16/2015) Well Christie Brinkley never drove a 348 Spider, let alone any Ferrari that wasn’t red in either of her appearances in the National Lampoon’s Vacation series, it’s still hard not to think of her whenever I see a Ferrari drop-top of this era.
(first posted 8/31/2013) Bryce, our intrepid man in New Zealand, has uploaded a raft of shots at the CC Cohort. So many to chose from, so little time… But this Falcon XP wagon caught my eye, as Australian Falcons usually do, with their parallel universe styling. Looks more like an early Comet. But what’s really different is at the other end: Read the rest of this entry »
In 1977, Chrysler found itself in a rather precarious situation. They were losing money at a rapid rate, their newest model the 1976 Volaré and Aspen, had serious quality issues and rust problems, their midsize Coronet and Fury were popular only with little old men, taxi operators and law enforcement, and there would be no relief in the form of a new product—the FWD Omni and Horizon–until MY 1978. And then there were the full-sizers.
Mom always told me to be kind to others. And the obligatory: “If you can’t say something nice, then say nothing at all.” With God’s help and practicing kindness, I can’t say I’ve done too badly. But this past week, kindness came in a rather unusual way: two vehicles.
I’ve written here about our 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis LS. Originally bought to shuttle my in-laws around after Paul stopped driving, it been a near perfect car for those duties. But like many things, life has changed. My mother-in-law passed away peacefully on July 29, 2023. Then in December of that year, after bringing hospice in, Paul now resides at a nursing home.
This is a post about mental hygiene.
And cars.
Plus, it’s short. What’s not to like?
I was traveling through northern Michigan while on vacation last August when I had the chance to stand face-to-face with a life-sized cutout of one of my childhood authority figures: Smokey Bear. A selfie quickly followed, which was immediately posted to my social media. “Only YOU can prevent forest fires,” was the slogan from the anthropomorphic bear who acted as the nation’s forest ranger in public service announcements that aired amid the other commercials during my cherished cartoons. Mr. Bear was also pointing his finger directly at me and whoever else happened to be watching. There was no “Who, me?…” ambiguity, as if to wonder if this message was perhaps intended for someone else. Nope. Doing my part to prevent forest fires was my responsibility.
My car on an abandoned brick road, once US 40, near Marshall, Illinois
(first posted 9/14/2013) Few Americans alive today remember a time before the extensive highway system we enjoy. We just get into our cars, and off we go.
But just 100 years ago, the nation didn’t have any kind of a road network. Existing roads were crude; it ranged from difficult to impossible to drive long distances. I have a book called Overland by Auto in 1913, a transcribed diary of a family’s journey from California to Indiana in their 1910 Mitchell automobile. In some Western states, they simply couldn’t find any roads and had to drive their car over whatever terrain they encountered!
This is the story of the American highway and how the automobile caused it to exist.
GM’s 1973-77 intermediate cars, known as Colonnades, get much love from us at CC. While the collector market hasn’t warmed to most of these models, we here at CC recognize that during an era when Detroit wasn’t exactly at its peak, these cars had a lot of inherent goodness. I think it’s also recognized that the dominance of the Colonnade car line in the personal luxury car field means they hold a significant place in history.
That said, we here tend to give a lot of love to the Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiacs but the Chevrolets, at least the Malibus and Chevelles, seem to be the bottom of the barrel. Clearly, the 1964-72 Chevelles are well-loved and accepted by the collector community, but even die-hard bowtie lovers offer little love to the Colonnade Chevrolets.
