Curbside Classic -

Curbside Musings: c. 1984 Jaguar XJ6 – Black Cat

– Posted on October 15, 2024

Halloween will be here in just over two weeks from now, and many already seem to be in the spirit. I started seeing Halloween-themed candy and t-shirts for sale in stores weeks before summer was officially over last month (thank you, Five Below!). I have a couple of friends back in Flint who throw some of the best Halloween gatherings I have ever been to, as a youth or as an adult, and they really commit to their movie-caliber costumes, decorations, and overall presentation. Some folks are just really into Halloween. When I had started to become more aware of some of the darker sides of this annual event that’s otherwise fun for a community, I had come to hold the belief, apparently mistaken, that black cats have a higher torture rate during this time. I was thankful to learn that this is actually not true and merely the stuff of urban legend.

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Car Show Classic: 1953 Nash Statesman – AMC’s DNA

J P Cavanaugh

– Posted on October 14, 2024

(first posted 1/24/2014)

Lots of companies can claim some small connection to the late American Motors Corporation, but there is really only one company whose identity is virtually inseparable from that of AMC. That company would be Nash. This 1953 version would be the final year of an independent Nash before the creation of AMC in early 1954. But this car (and its smaller brother, the Nash Rambler) would form the foundation which supported AMC for much of the rest of its life.

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The Corvair, A Love Affair – An Interview With Ed Cole, The Father of The Corvair

geelongvic

– Posted on October 14, 2024

1963 Corvair Ad

(first posted 10/14/2018) The Corvair was one of the most unlikely American cars ever, and it is instructive to read the following interview given by Ed Cole in 1970 shortly after the discontinuation of production, but not published until his death following his retirement from General Motors.

The common wisdom is that success has many eagerly claiming fatherhood, but that failure has few claiming that same fatherhood. The Corvair is one of those examples, for some, a success, for others a failure. Ultimately aircooled engines became an evolutionary dead end, one that even Porsche had to accept about 25 years after the demise of the Corvair.

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Vintage Postcards: Arizona In The 1950s – Part 2

Rich Baron

– Posted on October 14, 2024

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Curbside Classic: ’87-’90 Ford ASC McLaren Mustang – Two Seater Aftermarket Chop Top

Gray Walters

– Posted on October 14, 2024

The Ford Mustang is one of the most iconic vehicles of all time thanks to its recognizable consistency. Throughout its many generations, it has always been a sporty four-seater grand tourer that could be bought in semi-boring commuter spec or a wild performance variant. Obviously, this is a generalization, but it sets up what makes today’s bafflingly named ASC McLaren Mustang a true oddball. It’s a two-seater Mustang droptop!

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Curbside Find: 1953 Volvo PV444 – Gothenburg Goth

Tatra87

– Posted on October 14, 2024

This week, we’re going to be exploring the rustier side of things, with some cars that were either deliberately “aged beyond perfection,” or were just saved that way. Rat rods? Not quite, but we’re going for some heavy patina, that’s for sure. This odd little Volvo doesn’t really fit the patina pattern all that well, but it’s been in my files for a little while and it needs a wider audience.

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Vintage R&T Technical Analysis and Driving Impressions: Mustang II – Connecting The Dots With The Pinto And Disappointment With Its Dynamic Qualities

Paul Niedermeyer

– Posted on October 14, 2024

Let’s return to a favorite polarizing topic at CC, the much beloved and maligned Mustang II. I’ve said my piece on it here, so I’m going to leave it mostly to Road and Track to clarify the MII’s development, a technical analysis and some driving impression. The relationship of the MII to the Pinto is clearly spelled out, as a direct development but with considerable changes, many of which went right back into the 1974 Pinto.

As to the driving impressions, not surprisingly, R&T was generally disappointed. They were of course expecting a genuine sporty coupe in the vein of Ford’s very successful Capri and other compact sporty coupes like the Celica and Opel Manta. The Mustang II weighed some 400-500 lbs more than these lithe and lively sporty coupes, severely blunting any genuine sporting ambitions. The reality is that Ford’s priorities were a quiet cabin and a smooth ride. That may have disappointed those looking for lively acceleration and tight handling, but it was exactly what a huge raft of Americans were looking for in 1974 in the gale of the energy crisis: a 7/8 scale Torino.

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Curbside Classic: 1968 Chrysler Newport – Da Garage Is In Debasement

Jason Shafer

– Posted on October 13, 2024

(first posted 5/1/2013) Debasement. For most people, the word means “to cheapen or erode in character, quality or value.”

However, if you’re an auto industry executive, “debasement” is that place in your house to which you scurry when the weather turns foul. For them, it seems cheapening a nameplate is commonplace as breathing.

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Bus Stop Classics: Mercedes Benz (MB) 0321H Coach – One of the Best Selling Mercedes Buses of All Time

Jim Brophy

– Posted on October 13, 2024

(first posted 10/13/2018) Several months ago we looked at the MB O6600H coach – Mercedes first rear-engined bus. It was a successful design, but due to its traditional body-on-frame construction was somewhat heavy and the separate chassis limited underfloor storage. Mercedes fixed these problems with the O321H, a similar-sized model, but constructed with a semi-monocoque stress-skin body. Built in two lengths and used in both urban transit and intercity roles, it went on to become one the company’s best selling buses of all time. Read the rest of this entry »

Vintage Snapshots: Car Washing In The ’50s & ’60s

Rich Baron

– Posted on October 13, 2024

It’s Sunday, in my book a good day to do some car washing (which I truly have to do, actually). So it’s time to get your buckets, hoses, and soap ready. These images being in the past, there will be no high pressure hoses to help you. Instead, take the time to get reacquainted with your car as you clean it; its forms, and the many nicks and imperfections that it has gained through the years. All details that make it truly yours.

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Curbside Finds: Rural Willys And Ford Cortina MkIII – Rarities Around The Hood

Rich Baron

– Posted on October 13, 2024

Photos by Lorena Juárez.

In recent months, my wife and I have been talking about moving closer to her workplace on the outskirts of San Salvador. We both occasionally engage in this task, I online and her on the ground; she strolling the ‘hoods around her workplace.

She was on one of such roamings when she texted me about some “curbside classics” she had found and wondered if they would be of my interest. Only one way to find out, of course: “Sure, send them over… let’s see what you got!”

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Truck Stop Classic: 2003 DAF XF 95.380 Space Cab 4×2 Tractor – Well-Used And Used Well

Johannes Dutch

– Posted on October 13, 2024

On September 8, this DAF from Flanders hit the two million kilometer mark (1,243,000 miles). It’s safe to assume its engine is broken-in by now. The tractor was driven to the ‘Heart For DAF Days’ in Eindhoven, held on October 5 and 6. An appropriate occasion for sure.

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Curbside Find: The Volvo C202

Stephen Hansen

– Posted on October 13, 2024

This example was treated to a repaint and some mild personalization before going across the auction block. (Source: www.gaaclassiccars.com)

Toward the end of 1977, my boss at Volvo of America Corporation asked me to develop a few simple idea sketches based on the C202, a Volvo military 4×4 being produced in Hungary then. Apparently, he had become aware of this military-inspired vehicle, noted that its four-cylinder “redblock” engine could easily be replaced with a version that was already certified for U.S. sale, and figured that it might be worthwhile to investigate a potential stateside market for the truck.

Arming myself with an illustrated one-page C202 brochure and not much else, I submitted a few line drawings and marker renderings a few days later. Afterward, I heard only radio silence. Asking my American boss what had happened, he dismissed the whole thing with a wave of his hand, saying something to the effect that our Swedish colleagues didn’t understand North America’s then-evolving 4WD market segment.

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In-Motion Outtakes: 1968 Lincoln Continental Coupe – Cruising At Dusk

Joseph Dennis

– Posted on October 12, 2024

(first posted 10/12/2018) Early evening has long been one of my favorite times of the day, when there’s still enough light outside to see things plainly and clearly, and with various lights flickering to life on buildings, street lamps, and passing cars. I’ve been a sucker for things that light up since childhood, and for this reason, I find vintage lighting of any kind captivating, whether in a domestic or outdoor setting. The size and shape of automotive taillights has often fascinated me. I found it particularly “dishonest” when (the appearance of) a wide swath of red- or amber-tinted plastic was illuminated by just a few, dinky bulbs. One example that readily comes to mind is the J-Body Chrysler LeBaron, thanks to a recent feature by Brendan Saur. And then, there was the 1976 (and ’77) Chevy Vega that, despite the presence of an amber section on its taillamp lenses, signaled a turn with the red portion. Go figure.

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Curbside Classic: 2003 Infiniti Q45 – Third Chance Too Late

Brendan Saur

– Posted on October 12, 2024

(first posted 10/9/2018) Infiniti is a brand that has always raised infinitely more questions than answers, beginning with its very first advertisements that featured images of nature and words of philosophy rather than its cars. Perhaps this is why all its models now bear the “Q…” designation?

Regardless, in light of its botched introduction that shrouded its vehicles in mystery and its now confusing AF revised alphanumeric model naming scheme, Infiniti built itself up as somewhat of a sophisticated yet understated luxury brand. However during the mid-1990s, struggling sales and the Japanese recession thrust it into a seller of thinly-veiled North American-market Nissans with waterfall grilles and fake wood interior trim.

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