posted at the Cohort by David Edwards
Cohort Pic(k) of the Day: Datsun 240Z
– May 27, 2020
Recent Posts
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Vintage Article: The 1959 Stude-Benz Prototype – A Fiberglass Mash-Up
– May 27, 2020
CJC posted this 2005 article at Turning Wheels about a custom made Stude-Benz mashup that was designed by Jack Ryan. I’ll let you be the judge.
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CC Capsule: 1956 Ford F-100 Panel Truck – Feeling Kinda Low, Are We?
– May 27, 2020
Woah! This gave me a bit of a start when I saw it. Well, that’s not something you’d expect to just appear in a small Tokyo side street, now, is it? The low-rider custom “culture” (if that’s the word I’m looking for) is alive and well here too. Just like Americans “personalization” adepts are aped by a small European clique, there also exists an Asian side to this phenomenon.
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Curbside Outtake: Honda Prelude (gen1) – An Epilog to The Prelude of The Real Thing
– May 27, 2020
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a gen1 Prelude curbside. My full CC on one is here, and that was shot ten years ago. There’s been a few sightings since then, but not in recent years. So here’s my epilog on the Prelude.
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Automotive History: 50% Better – A Brief History of Half Model Year Cars
– May 27, 2020
Half-model year vehicles are an interesting historical oddity that you don’t see any more. They briefly gained favor in the sixties as a way to distinguish mid-year model introduction and significant running changes, before falling out of favor in the early 1970s. Let’s take a look at this short-lived trend.
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Curbside Classic: 1965 Ford Fairlane Sports Coupe – The Failane
– May 26, 2020
(first posted 6/16/2014) I assume Ford just plain ran out of A-team stylists when it came around to giving the quite nice-looking ’64 Fairlane a re-skin. It’s the only way I know how to possibly explain one of; no, the worst car to come out of Ford’s golden sixties’ decade. The competent designers must have all been tied up with the new Mustang and big new ’65 Fords. Time to give the back-benchers an assignment: make the Fairlane look a bit more like the slab-sided rest of the family. The results speak for themselves, so keep the audio turned down. But there’s always a way to make every car lovable: nothing like a little patina and authenticity to hide a multitude of sins. And this particular ’65 Fairlane Sports Coupe is dripping with plenty of that; the puddles just finished drying out in the sun. Read the rest of this entry »
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Cohort Sighting: The First And Last Compacts From AMC – A Compact Arc of (Pudgy) History
– May 26, 2020
(first posted 6/9/2014) This shot, posted by William Rubano, perfectly bookends the long and varied efforts by Nash/AMC to find success in the compact segment of the market. In both cases, these cars eschewed the conventional approach for something decidedly different. The little Rambler of 1950 is what started the whole trek by AMC into the world of compacts, and the Pacer wagon finished it off, in an unfortunate grand finale blow-out, the car that pretty much did AMC in. What a compact arc of history we have here. Read the rest of this entry »
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Curbside Outtake: 2016 Citroen E-Mehari – Looking Forward And Back?
– May 26, 2020
Going into the back catalogue has been a popular, sometimes successful, sometimes less so, practice for the industry for twenty or more years. The Mini, Beetle, Ford Thunderbird, Jaguar S Type, Chrysler 300, Fiat 500 and Rolls-Royce Phantom are all examples of it, to a greater or lesser extent. Perhaps three of these ideas have really flown, the others less so. But what about a brand with a history for innovation and modernity? Could Citroen pull it off? With a new technology to suit? Read the rest of this entry »
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Classic CARmentary: 1999 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 4WD
– May 26, 2020
Another in a series of my reviews that appeared in the online version of African Americans On Wheels, a now defunct automotive magazine that was included as an insert in the Sunday newspapers of major cities. Read the rest of this entry »
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In Motion Classic: 1965 Ford Thunderbird – Déjà Vu
– May 26, 2020
One of the gifts that I’m most grateful for is my memory. I’m not saying it’s perfect, but my earliest memories are from pretty young age (four or five), and based on the accounts of those who were older at the time, many of my recollections have been accurate to some degree. It can be a blessing and a curse. Remembering things can be great when it comes to things like relationship-building, and relating positive or humorous common experiences shared with loved ones.
A strong memory can be a bad thing when it comes to burying the hatchet. I’m humble and realistic enough to admit that I know I’m not perfect and have done bad things, probably as often unwittingly as on purpose. At the same time, I’m not a sucker, so even if it means that I swallow whatever pride may be necessary in delivering or accepting an apology, mental notes are still to be taken to try to avoid finding myself in the same situation again. I’m fine with an exchange of apologies and subsequent burning of bridges, if it means my survival or another benefit that’s significant on some level.
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Curbside Classic/COAL: 1975 BMW 530i (E12) – My First Car, At Age 15
– May 25, 2020
(First posted 6/13/2014. The story is by Richard Swartz. The photos are from Steve Evans, of his incredibly pristine 530i. So we have a first here, a collaborative effort by two CC readers, who have very divergent aspects of the 530i experience to share. I suspect Richard’s 530i wasn’t quite as pristine as Steve’s, though. – PN)
A 1975 BMW 530i was my first car. I bought it when I was about 15 ½ years old, with lawn-mowing money. The purchase price in 1987 was something like $2500 for a non-running car that was going to need a new head, which seems like about what Craigslist sellers expect for the same thing in 2014. Read the rest of this entry »
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Cohort Pic(k) of The Day: 1938 Barnes Auto Co. Tow Truck – The Streamlined Wrecker
– May 25, 2020
The only information that ACB ACB left with this exceptionally fine looking tow truck is that it was from 1938 and the chassis was a Dodge. During the mid-late 30s, aerodynamic styling was the vogue, and it was not uncommon for all manner of trucks that mainly plied urban areas to utilize streamlined bodies as a form of advertising or PR. This is the only picture I’ve seen of a tow truck sporting such a bold teardrop body. Just the thing to tow away an overheated Zephyr or a broken Tatra, perish the thought.
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CC Capsule: 1980 Mercedes-Benz 280 TE (W123) Wagon – Estate Of Ecstasy
– May 25, 2020
As previously mentioned in my monthly round-ups of Tokyo CCs (e.g. this one), there are a fair few W123s about in Japan – pretty much like anywhere on the planet, it seems. It was getting to the point that I was ready to give up taking photos, but then this one showed up more of less on my doorstep. How could one resist the appeal of the first Benz-branded production wagon?
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Cohort Capsule: 1957 Ford F100 – Paint It Purple
– May 25, 2020
I just couldn’t pass up this 1957 Ford F100 posted at the Cohort by Fred Oliver. First off, it’s a vintage of the F series we’ve never done before. And it’s a six, which are instant points here at CC. And it’s…purple.
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COAL #2: 1967 Camaro – Personalizing a Blank Canvas
– May 25, 2020
Now that I had my very own personal transportation device, it was time to make it a little more…personal.
I had always liked the look of the Camaro RS/SS packages with their blacked out rocker panels and rear trunk panel. Some masking tape, $3.00 of Satin Black spray paint and 2 hours later I had a sharper, semi-SS looking Camaro.
But what was that blue smoke that occasionally followed the car?
