Curbside Classic -

Curbside Classic: 1977 Lincoln Versailles – Pig In A Poke

– Posted on April 27, 2024

(first posted 4/17/2013) Deception–and self deception–is a very significant factor in the automobile business, maybe the biggest. Unless we buy a stripper Corolla (so conveniently parked here) or the like, we’re happy enough to pay more to feel like we’re not just getting basic transportation, but something that enhances our sense of well-being and social status.

One of the biggest questions for automobile executives forever is how much of a premium folks are willing to pay for that. What’s the upper limit you can charge strictly for the sizzle when there’s no steak? The folks at Ford wondered that too, so they decided to turn this question into a research experiment, using real buyers. The name of the project was called Versailles. Read the rest of this entry »

Automotive History: 1946 Lincoln Continental – Customized and Updated by George Hurst

VinceC

– Posted on April 27, 2024

(first posted 4/27/2018) Jason Shafer recently wrote an excellent post on the 1970 Chrysler 300 Hurst and in it he included an early historical account about George Hurst. As I was reading this post, I had started researching information for my Lincoln Continental article. These two articles instantly triggered a memory about George Hurst’s early years. While George Hurst will forever be associated with Oldsmobile and high performance shifters from the muscle car era, how many know that the first car he specialized in was the Lincoln Continental?

Read the rest of this entry »

Vintage Snapshots: Cities And Towns Across America In The ’60s & ’70s

Rich Baron

– Posted on April 27, 2024

Read the rest of this entry »

Trackside Classics: Steamrail Victoria Newport Workshops — Open Days 2024

Peter Wilding

– Posted on April 27, 2024

This has taken ages to write. What an experience! Just the program ran to eight pages. What to include? What to leave out? I had just got a new phone, but my son had a separate camera. Most of these pictures are his.

Steamrail Victoria is ‘a volunteer organization dedicated to the restoration and operation of vintage steam, diesel and electric locomotives and carriages’ (their website). They also run tours around the state every few weeks, and hold an annual open day in the Victorian Railways Newport workshops, which date back to 1884. Regular maintenance was transferred from here about a hundred years later. Various historic railway organizations now share the facilities. My son Ben, who works in loco maintenance, is a great rail fan, so we went along to this year’s open day. I hadn’t been for about ten years, and was keen to attend.

Read the rest of this entry »

COAL: 1980 Datsun 310GX – North, Miss Teschmacher, North!

Mark Jeanerette

– Posted on April 27, 2024

Me, my 310GX coupe, and my friendly old neighbor, Mr. Karp.

My first COAL made passing reference to my 1980 Datsun 310GX, so I might as well close the loop and write that car up, too. Read the rest of this entry »

Automotive History: Ford’s Déjà Vu Moment – How Donald Petersen Saved Ford In The Eighties

Paul Niedermeyer

– Posted on April 26, 2024

(Former Ford CEO Donald Petersen passed away this April 24th. We’re running this profile covering his crucial period at Ford’s helm. Originally posted 12/29/11)

Oil prices have just hit record highs, and the nastiest recession since WWII has the country in its grip. Ford’s line-up of bloated, heavy vehicles is piling up like cord-wood on the dealer’s lots. The only car selling is its “Americanized” global compact. Ford stock is priced in cents, and bankruptcy rumors are swirling. The top exec hired a year earlier is intelligent, unassuming and straight-talking. He commits Ford to building “higher quality products with stronger customer appeal…emphasizing smaller, more efficient cars”. Ford in 2008? No, it’s 1981. Read the rest of this entry »

Car Show Classic: 1983-95 Alfa Romeo 33 – Sudsy, But Not Enough For Some

William Stopford

– Posted on April 26, 2024

(first posted 4/26/2018) Death, taxes and compact Alfa Romeo hatchbacks: three constants in life, at least since 1981. While readers outside of Europe may not be familiar with Alfas like the 145, 146, 147, MiTo, Giulietta and the featured 33, they have helped keep the lights on at the Turin automaker. Each of these models are descendants of the critically acclaimed Alfasud. Such a legacy can be a dreadful burden and the 33 in particular bears the brunt of some outsized expectations. Read the rest of this entry »

Automotive History: Paul Bracq – Neither A Knife Nor A Potato; Part Two

Don Andreina

– Posted on April 26, 2024

(first posted 4/26/2018) Yesterday, in the first part of this series we took you through Paul Bracq’s beginnings with Philippe Charbonneaux and his ten years at Daimler-Benz. Today, we look at the rest of his career.

Read the rest of this entry »

Vintage Snapshots: Station Wagons In The 1970s

Rich Baron

– Posted on April 26, 2024

Today’s post is part of a series celebrating the station wagon as we used to know them. And unlike my Life In The Station Wagon series, these showcase snapshots where the wagons are the main feature. In case you missed them, the installments for the 1950s and 1960s are linked further down.

Read the rest of this entry »

CC Capsule: 1998-2002 Daewoo Lanos – Humble Remnant Of Lofty Ambitions

Rich Baron

– Posted on April 26, 2024

With big dreams come big falls. And while this car is a rather humble-looking one, those who lived through its launch know there’s more to it than meets the eye. The event was certainly a brief hiccup in automotive history, a short timeframe when upcoming Korean automaker Daewoo attempted to take over the world. A rather misguided and rushed affair that’s been covered at CC in detail.

And yes, this humble Lanos compact was part of that herculean effort.

Read the rest of this entry »

CC Driving Impressions: 1988 Volvo 240GL – Brick Loving

SajivW

– Posted on April 26, 2024

The Volvo 240 series is certainly no stranger to Curbsiders, with 9 separate COAL entries and numerous other pieces on the site covering the model quite comprehensively. So is there anything left to say about the 240? Well I’m certainly going to give it a try, because this particular example deserves it. Old school rear wheel driven Volvos have been interesting to me since I was a kid, because my mom’s boss in the early 90s had a Volvo 940 as a company car and I got many opportunities to poke around it and even rode in it a few times. It seemed so solid and felt like being inside a tank, while the smell of the leather and plastic seems to be ingrained forever in my olfactory memories. That red 940 kicked off a lifelong affinity for old Volvos, and though I haven’t yet owned one, it seems like it will be only a matter of time.

Read the rest of this entry »

Curbside Classic: 1977 Lincoln Continental Town Car – USS Lincoln Docks In Central Tokyo

Tatra87

– Posted on April 26, 2024

All aboooooard! The final port of call for this ‘70s Detroit Barge Week will take place on the vast deck of the good ship Continental. Look, it even has a porthole on the side! Hope you don’t get seasick too easily, as this vessel is known to be a bit on the wallowy side. Anyway, sound the foghorn, anchors away and let’s see if this Lincoln floats your boat.

Read the rest of this entry »

CC Capsule: 1935 MG Magnette NA Roadster — Archetypal British Roadster

Tatra87

– Posted on April 25, 2024

(first posted 4/26/2018) This is going to be a short one. I recovered these photos recently, after having forgotten about them for about four years. In the summer of 2012, I went to the town of Harogate in Yorkshire (on a ferry, via Belgium) to take part in the International Citroen Car Club Rally (ICCCR), a global Citrofest held every four years. Quite apart from the numerous Citroens I photographed on this occasion, a few other interesting CCs lurked in the town itself. Such as this rare pre-war 6-cyl. MG. Read the rest of this entry »

CC Capsule: 1979 Chevrolet Monte Carlo – Exotic Destinations

Joseph Dennis

– Posted on April 25, 2024

(first posted 4/25/2018) What’s in a name? Often times plenty. It’s why many actors, musicians and other persons of note have been known to the world by names other than those they were given. Have you ever met an attractive person, and at the first exchange of names discovered that theirs is one that probably hasn’t been common or popular since early in the last century? I admire folks that rock such names with confidence.

It’s kind of like the same thing with cars. The right model name can conjure up images of power, youth, and / or freedom. Just imagine if “Special Falcon” had been chosen by Ford over “Mustang” for its affordable sporty car. No doubt, the car itself would still have been a smash hit simply based on its own qualities, but would it have been as big a success if it had been called something else?

Read the rest of this entry »

Automotive History: Paul Bracq – Neither A Knife Nor A Potato; Part One

Don Andreina

– Posted on April 25, 2024

(first posted 4/25/2018) Very few individuals in automotive history have been the primary hand in shaping the entire passenger car range for a major manufacturer. Paul Bracq managed to accomplish this, not once but twice.

In this two-part series we take a look at his career, focusing on a number of his more famous shapes as well as shedding light on some of his lesser-known work.

Read the rest of this entry »