(first posted 5/16/2018) The General Motors B body provided the basis for some of the most popular cars the company ever built. Its long and proud history spans many model names, car Divisions and decades. But there was a brief period in the early postwar years where the B body went AWOL. Let us see if we can figure out where it went.
This type of gallery is among my favorites, featuring landscapes across the US with a bit of car content. And as with many of these, I try to keep the scenery varied; from lakes to beaches and deserts. Talking about the latter, we open with an image from the Arches National Park in Utah, dating from 1972.
Photos from the Cohort by Hyperpack.
My wife is a fan of dance music, particularly any made between the late ’60s and the ’70s. Be it funk, disco, or salsa she’s always ready for a good time on the dance floor. It isn’t rare for me to find her playing some disco-era Earth Wind and Fire or Chic while working or cooking. Her love for that music period is genuine and heartfelt.
This of course leads to car-oriented-me to ponder useless car-oriented matters, such as: What car would I’ve driven to take my wife to a late ’70s Chic concert? In other words, what would have been an ideal Disco-car? And while a Monte Carlo usually pops into my head as the obvious answer, I think that today’s ’75 Dodge Charger find could work just as well.
The seasons have changed. Here in my part of Australia, we seem to have only about three weeks of transitional weather between summer and winter. Year after year it happens like that. Summer stretches on into March, gradually it gets colder then – bam! No more nice days. I wrote a lighthearted poem about that.
The name Abarth is closely associated with several things, including scorpions, fast cars and Fiats. But Abarth didn’t work exclusively with the Fiat marque – it was just really hard not to. If you’re in post-war Italy and specialized in making souped-up engines for popular cars, you’re going to be working mostly with Fiat. But Fiat was a many-faceted conglomerate, and Abarth’s high name recognition meant they could work with some of Fiat’s foreign branches, including the likes of Steyr-Puch, Neckar and Simca.
Aaron Severson has been writing extremely high quality in-depth automotive histories at his site Ate Up With Motor for some 15 years or so. AUWM was an inspiration to me when I started writing Curbside Classics at the other site, although I took a somewhat different approach than he has. I’ve rather avoided competing directly against him, for a number of reasons. His work has won awards and he has delved into subjects that have never been properly researched and written up. I have enjoyed reading his articles for years, and of course always without cost or even ads.
Perhaps more importantly, Aaron has been an excellent friend of CC, often commenting in great detail to help further the understanding and insights that our posts have covered. He has given me access to this incredible library and online sources. He has suggested subjects and we’ve had some terrific conversations on issues. The depth of his knowledge and insight is absolutely astounding. And he has generously helped my with several site technical issues.
Now it’s time to help Aaron, and yes he really needs it.
(first posted 7/26/2013) There are so many auto myths in the world–the 150 mpg carburetor, self-healing ’69 Dodge Chargers–the list is endless. However, I am proud to say I’ve found the nirvana of Thunderbirds, the absolute creme de la creme.
It’s the Whipped Cream and Cashew Luxury Group, with the highly desirable and optional engine-venting package.
(first posted 5/15/2018) Judging by that title, you might think I’m talking about Infiniti’s infamous North American launch. That launch was announced with a series of cerebral and uninformative commercials, Nissan’s luxury brand coming into existence with a rather blandly-styled flagship and a dated companion coupe. Believe it or not, the brand’s Australian launch was even worse. Read the rest of this entry »
This is a chapter we’ve been missing in our vintage image galleries, the one covering the owners, drivers and admirers of Buicks of the 1960s. These images probably fit in with what most associate with the brand, with plenty of upscale and well-to-do families appearing. Still, the swingin’ vibe of the decade can be felt in plenty of these shots. From the cars to the fashions.
From 1956 to 1994, with an update in 1969, German truck manufacturer MAN offered a short-nosed conventional, generally referred to as the ‘MAN Ponton-Kurzhauber’. It was one of the heavy-duty trucks that was on a par with the venerable Mercedes-Benz L-Series, in each and every aspect.
Have we ever done a Walk & Talk featuring a late model used car lot? If not, today is your lucky day! All these pictures were taken Sunday, May 5, at the local GM / Toyota dealership.
My aunt has pretty good taste in cars. An MGB, a Volvo 740GLE, a Toyota 4Runner and a VW Passat wagon are some of the vehicles that have passed through her hands. A pretty eclectic list, as I read over it. But here’s the thing: have you ever known someone who buys good stuff and just…doesn’t take very good care of it? That’s Gina. She’s not a “car guy” by any means. The cars are just transportation appliances to her. They get dirty, they get dinged, they get repaired when something goes wrong, but they don’t see a lot of maintenance in-between. This, you may have heard, is not the kind of treatment that upscale German cars thrive under. Read the rest of this entry »
(first posted 8/3/2013) I like Imperials. I mean, I REALLY like Imperials. And I mean Imperials, not “Chrysler Imperials,” bub! So could I not do an Imperial post during Mopar Week? Impossible! And fortunately, during the AACA Grand National–the same show where I caught the ’61 Town & Country and ’60 Valiant–I caught two of the nicest Imperial convertibles I’ve ever seen. Yes, this show was just lousy with fine vintage Mopar iron. So join me, as we look at two fine examples of good Imperialism…
(first posted 5/14/2018) Renault had high hopes for its R5 in the US. After struggling to get back its footing after the rise and fall of the Dauphine in the 50s and early 60s, Renault soldiered on through the 60s with its rear-engine R8 and R10, and then the very advanced R16, which was anything but a hit in the states. But the timing of the R5 was propitious, coming on the heels of the first energy crisis, which really spurred interest in small FWD hatchbacks.
The main competition were the new VW Rabbit and the Honda Civic. Tough competition. But the R5 had one area of unique superiority: the supple French ride, which would seem to be a perfect fit with Americans, who were known to appreciate that commodity, although without the F-word as a prefix.
Here’s a bunch of photos with a good deal of Mopar iron uploaded by Hyperpack at the Cohort. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on in these images, but the cars (or what’s left of them) seem to lay in a yard belonging to GO CAR Sales at West Mifflin, PA. In any case, many of these have collision damage, and all have, let’s say rust issues. But that won’t keep us from taking a look around, right?
