(first posted 4/2/2013) The year 1966 was an exciting time in the American intermediate-car market, with each of the Big Three serving up a fresh, new model. At the time, the Dodge Coronet, although an excellent car, was hampered by its Chrysler parentage–but time is, after all, the great equalizer, and this car has since become a sought-after icon of its era.
Curbside Classic: 1997 Dodge Intrepid ES – This Changes Everything
(first posted 3/29/2013) As a child of the nineties, I feel blessed to have grown up in a decade of so many breathtaking car designs. I naturally feel a small wave of nostalgia every time I see one of my favorites. One of those cars is the Dodge Intrepid. When the LH cars (Chrysler Concorde, Dodge Intrepid, Eagle Vision (CC here) came along in 1993, they completely changed the automotive landscape, signaling the end of the K-car and the beginning of Chrysler’s newest fad for the next decade: Cab-Forward. Read the rest of this entry »
QOTD: A, M or C?
Richard Teague was responsible for a number of attractive automotive shapes. The best to reach production was the Hornet. Super minimalist, long hood and tight tail, coiled-fist boxy, flares you can see from the moon. It oozes handsomeness and purpose.
There is one thing, however, that irks me. Those short rear doors.
Car Show Classic: 1965 Alvis TE21 – Give Me Aristocracy Or Give Me Death
This week will be dedicated to the last great decade of British cars (i.e. the ‘60s), with a particular focus on luxury – something of a British specialty, at least in automobiles. And what better way to kick things off than with a carmaker that was so traditional and exclusive that they never bodied any of their own chassis?
Automotive History: The AMCs of AMI
Rich Baron’s recent capsule on the Australian Matador X Coupe captured by Peter Wilding struck me with a double-barrelled CC effect.
Buried in the recent past was an Australian AMX I’d caught through the gates of a slightly decrepit mansion compound.
And in the more distant past a story I’d nearly finished and completely forgotten about, compiling the American Motors Corporation vehicles I’ve photographed built by Australian Motor Industries.
Curbside Classic Outtake: 1960/70’s Vanden Plas Princess 1100/1300 – The Real Anglophile
(first posted 5/5/2018) I came across these two on a recent Sunday Tokyo sojourn – one a full-fledged Brit, the other an aspiring impostor. Let’s first take a look at the distinguished UK citizen hiding under the overhang. Read the rest of this entry »
Vintage Snapshots: Van Life During The 60s & 70s
This is the second installment in this series, featuring vans and their owners in the ’60s and ’70s. And today’s collection shows a good range of situations around these lifestyle vehicles; most are at play, and some are at work (sort of). Plus, their strength as a ‘home on wheels’ is heavily featured with a few of these appearing in outstanding locations.
Vintage R&T Review: 1985 Toyota Corolla (AE86) GT-S – The Exciting TwinCam 16 – An Honest High Performance Weapon
There are several ways to start this entry, all in the form of a question. For example; what’s it like to be around when a car legend appears? Particularly one that comes from a place you didn’t expect it to? And also, remember when DOHC engines were rare and had an exotic vibe to them? When 4-valves per cylinder sounded just soooo sexy? And finally, remember when variable intake systems were the new thing? Ready to tame the exotic, and make high-revving engines docile for daily life?
All of these questions are at the center of today’s vintage car review: The legendary 1985 Corolla GT-S.
CC Global: Two Tractors, More Than 50 Years Apart – Both Making a Big Noise
Deutz, an illustrious name in the vehicle manufacturing industry. The company’s founders gave us the internal combustion engine as we know it. Their air-cooled diesel engines were distributed all over the world, in large numbers. And Northwestern Europe is still littered with classic Deutz tractors.
COAL #19: The Volvo Handicap Car
During my first several months at Volvo, I put quite a few miles on the ’74 Audi Fox, considering that my commute alone added roughly 500 miles each week. By the fall of 1976, however, I was given the chance to run up the odometer on the first Volvo I had the opportunity to drive for an extended period, so I was understandably eager to take the keys.
It wasn’t a company car, strictly speaking, since my “permanent temporary” employee status made me ineligible for that particular perk (as well as any other benefits, for that matter). No, this was a two-door Volvo DL sedan (a “242 SRA” in sales-version speak), meaning that it was equipped with a manual sunroof, three-speed automatic transmission, and power steering, none of which were standard equipment on an entry-level 242 in the mid-1970s.
Curbside Classic: 1958 International Metro – The Original And Greatest Step Van
(first posted 4/5/2013) All hail the mighty Metro! The finest step van ever made; the icon of the whole genre. I’ve been hoping to find one for years, and here this one was right under my nose: TheProfessor47 posted this at the Cohort, saying he shot it in Eugene. Where?
We must pay our due respects, although the credit goes at least as much to the Metropolitan Body Co. that invented and even patented the step van, and Raymond Loewy, who styled the version for International way back in the thirties. That explains why I always loved the Metro so much: it was by far the best styled van ever made, from that best decade ever for design. Read the rest of this entry »
Cohort Capsule: Fiat 125 “Samantha” Coupe – One of 100 Built
(first posted 5/3/2018) It’s a real treat to run into a car that I’d utterly forgotten about. When I was scrolling down at the Cohort, and this orange coupe appeared, I did a double take: Wait a minute…what is this again? it looks so familiar, but I couldn’t place instantly, although the Fiat wheels were of course a give-away. This was shot and posted by William Rubano, who did not identify it in his posting.
It’s a Fiat 125S coupe by Vignale, and if you’ve never seen one before, there’s a reason: only some 100 were built Vignale, and it was penned by Alfredo Vignale himself, as he rather fancied a handsome coupe for his driving pleasure. And he got it, along with 99 other folks willing to pay more than the price of an XK-E for a pedestrian Fiat sedan in a finely tailored Italian suit.
Vintage Snapshots: The Cars In Our Neighborhoods In The ’50s & ’60s
Today’s collection of images is meant to highlight cars in residential areas during the ’50s and ’60s. It’s a mix of images, with some driveways, a few people and much curbside. All in an effort to provide a feel of the vehicular landscape in the ‘hoods during that mid-century period.