(originally posted 1/24/2012) In 1928, Singer was the third-largest car manufacturer in Britain. By 1970, it no longer existed, despite a history of commercial success and technological innovation. Like SAAB and the other brands that were casualties of recent financial events, they had made mistakes but it was circumstance that delivered the killing blows. Read the rest of this entry »
(first posted 4/17/2015) Why exactly does this car create such a powerful response (in me, anyway)? It projects such solidity, dignity, and self-assurance. It flew in the face of GM’s 1965 coke-bottle styling, and showed that hard-edged angularity still had some serious life in it. Most of all though, this Chrysler New Yorker represents a pinnacle: never again would the New Yorker attain this degree of success, prestige and quality. Read the rest of this entry »
It was a lot harder to think of the bottom five engines, but after at least ten minutes of deep contemplation, I have compiled a list, in no particular order.
As Paul outlines in his excellent GM PD-4501 Scenicruiser article, early attempts at making a forty-foot intercity coach didn’t always go smoothly. That put off operators and manufacturers from building and operating these longer coaches. But by the late ’60s, the Scenicruisers needed replacement and other operators were looking for larger coaches with more seats. As a result, we see GM offering a forty-foot version of its “Buffalo” the 4903, Eagle marketing its 05 coach, and MCI countering with their MC-7. But there was still a market for a smaller thirty-five foot bus, and MCI successfully filled that niche for over fifteen years with its MC-5.
The decision to sell the ’90 Jetta was easy, troublemaker that it was. Now then: what would replace it? We talked about it round the Read the rest of this entry »
(first posted 4/16/2015) As of 2014, it has been statistically proven that SUVs and CUVs are more popular than sedans, making them the most popular type of vehicle in the United States. With that in mind, it’s surprising that a mainstream brand like Chrysler does not currently sell an SUV or CUV under its own label. Of course, a Chrysler salesman would gladly direct you across the showroom, where you’ll find the Dodge Durango, Dodge Journey, and the whole Jeep lineup.
There were way too many all-too real custom conversion kitschmobiles built in the ’70s. But here’s a sneak preview of some that never saw the light of day. Oh shame! How did we live without them? Starting with this superb Mercedes 450SLC clone based on a Monza Town Coupe. What an obvious choice, too! Brilliant.
The two-lane expressway nearby my place is a popular truckers’ route for driving from the Port of Rotterdam to the hinterland and vice versa. Just a short walk alongside the road is enough to spot a nice assortment of on-highway shipping container haulers.
I was hitting auto salvage yards a couple months ago as I tried to sort out a few things on my car. Fortunately, winter is the best time of year for that in my part of the world. The cooler weather encourages a more leisurely time than in the hot weather when you just want to find your part and get the heck out of there. When I get the chance, it’s fun to explore just to check out doomed old cars, which of course is a favorite pastime of some here at CC. Something I discovered doing this several years ago is that for a period, Cadillac put a little more pride and effort into what is normally a very dry medium: the owner’s manual.
If you’ve read the Cadillac Escalade articles yesterday and last week, think of this as a palate cleanser of sorts, regardless of how you feel about that modern SUV. This will be a feast on some of the most luscious of Cadillac’s glory-days-era dreamboats. Read the rest of this entry »
I have caught a number of interesting vehicles in my many trips to Jerry’s or Home Depot, but this one was a bit of a surprise, parked in the loading dock of the latter establishment. And it is obviously the daily driver work van for this contractor. Now that’s a skinny and compact work van compared to usual fare.
The Mark IV is no stranger to these digital pages, various of us have written at length about them and all y’all out there in commentary-land have added even more to the subject. Surprisingly these are not all that uncommon in the junkyard, I see several every year in various states of distress, but cannot recall the last time I actually saw one in the wild. So I figured I’d better get on it while they’re still being plucked from barns, the back forty, the side spot next to the garage or wherever one stores something this large. Read the rest of this entry »
(first posted 4/15/2015) Every one of us has had experiences that have seared themselves into our consciousness. Sometimes these remain at the forefront; other times, such as my experience with a Coupe deVille identical to this one, the experience lingers in the sub-conscious, awaiting its time to emerge and smack me across the face.
This started out as just a quick post of these shots of this fine Belvedere wagon posted by canadiancatgreeen. I quickly opened the ’65 Belvedere brochure at oldcarbrochures.com, and was reminded that the wagon had a 117″ wheelbase whereas the other body styles had a 116″ wheelbase. Hmm. I wonder why. I shouldn’t have.
Jud Landis, a neighbor, sent me the link to this 2016 Kia Soul For Sale. I’m impressed by the mileage, and also impressed at the asking price. Is the used car market this tight? Will someone really spend something close to this for a car with that kind of miles on it? And still sporting the GO-Taxi signage?
I’m also a bit surprised that a Toyota dealer is keeping something like this in stock, as well as that quite vintage Blazer S-10. I thought new car dealers typically auctioned off anything below a certain price level. Oh, never mind…
