Spotted on a Saturday in September, parked a short distance apart. Two black, third gen Mercedes-Benz Sprinter panel vans. Both powered by a 190 DIN-hp turbodiesel and with an RWD drivetrain. Other full matches are the wheelbase (3.67 m), overall length (5.93 m), and the raised roof. And in both cases, a tridem axle trailer was coupled to the van. So far the similarities.
Today’s title may feel a bit odd, considering that the Crown never quite took off in the US market. But elsewhere, particularly in Asia and South America, early generations of the Crown paved the way for buyers of those regions to consider Toyota as a viable provider of accessible luxury. While the ’64 Corona and ’66 Corolla were the models that brought legions of faithful consumers to the brand, the Crown made a case for Toyota being more than a purveyor of mass-market cars.
In those markets, the Crown showed that Toyota could offer a refined vehicle with luxury touches at discount prices, offering a nice alternative to semi-premium European and US models. An international trajectory that rose on the inroads done by the ’62-’67 Crown (S40), and on which the ’67-’70 S50 generation built upon. So, when excluding the US market, we can say mission accomplished.
Last month, my essay featuring a Jaguar XJ6 from the mid-’80s prompted memories of one of the cats in my childhood household, a tiger-striped tom named Chester. In that piece, I had loosely compared that Jaguar to a black cat, and even though Chester didn’t have black fur, many recollections posted from commenters about the cats they had known and loved made me think of Chet. My brother had named him, but it took little time for me to realize how perfectly his name seemed to fit him. He was a Chester. When I think of characterizations of house cats in popular culture, the word “aloof” often comes to mind. I have been around cats for much of my life and have known many that needed to approach you instead of being approached. Chester was not like that at all. He was almost dog-esque in his demonstrative nature, boisterous personality, and loudness, being very capable of projecting his meow.
(first posted 2/14/2013) What is it that makes a car a “chick car?” Put another way, what is it about some cars that appeals to the fairer sex? And why is it so hard to come up with one on purpose?
(first posted 11/19/2018) The Silver Shadow, which arrived in 1965, was the most radically-changed RR ever. It abandoned the classic design language and traditional BOF construction for a very modern unibody sedan that was a full 3.5″ narrower and 7″ shorter than its predecessor, the Silver Cloud. In the US, its size (203.5″ length) made it comparable to domestic mid-size cars, a full 6″ inches shorter than a ’65 Dodge Coronet. A bit compact, for the world’s most prestigious car, eh?
So it was no surprise that a long wheelbase version appeared after a few years, starting in 1969 in the US market. The four inch stretch all went into increased rear leg room, which made it more suitable for the purpose many buyers had in mind for it. R&T tested one from the last year of its initial version; in 1976, the Silver Shadow II appeared, and the lwb version was renamed the Silver Wraith II.
What we have here is a rather typical example of the most common automotive customization/accessorizing trend of the 21st century, so far: The overlanding look, although in this case it’s a fairly mild and perhaps even a semi-ironic expression of the breed. Those aren’t exactly hard-core AT tires, especially the whitewall on the back.
As to the title:
Pre-war cars. Can’t live with ‘em, can’t live… er… with ‘em. Just too slow, cramped, impractical, unreliable, and so on. Well, luckily for those of us who love them, some brave souls out there are willing to put up with all these defects (some of which are very relative anyway) and brave 21st Century traffic. It’s Roaring ‘20s Week, CC, so let us gingerly select first gear with a loud crunch and have another look at the immortal Austin Seven.
“Parthenon” grille.
Unlikely cars pop up in unlikely places. When was the last time you saw an early ’80s Cordoba–and in such cream puff condition? It’s for sale just down the road from me.
(first posted 3/15/2013) If I ever run out of cars to shoot in Eugene (not likely), I’ll just start hanging out in our sister city to the east, Springfield. The other day, I stopped in at two car dealers; Springfield Buick, and Dan’s Automotive. This used car lot on Main Street was surprisingly chock-full of CCs, and I’ll give you a full tour later, so don’t go off about the Stude in the background. But the queen of the lot deserves its own special moment, since it’s one of my all-time favorite cars. Read the rest of this entry »
(first posted 8/25/2018) I wouldn’t classify it as such. I think it’s important to limit the Brougham classification to those primarily American (and sometimes foreign, usually Japanese) cars which really do it justice. This car–spotted in California by CJCars–has a gussied up style for sure, but it stops short of true Brougham. What is it, then? Well, m’dear, it’s nothing less than proper British luxury–in the form of one of its rarer exemplars.
Photos from the CC Cohort by Guillaume Vachey.
As soon as I saw the image of these two Américaines, I was transported back to the mid-90s. Never mind that they carry French plates. So, not quite a location I would have trotted back then, but there’s no way these two won’t reawaken those now-distant 1990s memories in my head.
In every age, there are those who enjoy that which is different. Folks who astray from the usual, either due to fondness for the uncommon or a quest for new solutions or experiences.
Today’s series of vintage images featuring a ’64-’65 Citroën DS wagon seems to be such a case. From the looks of things, someone wanted to taste something quite different from your garden-variety Ford and found it in this nicely loaded Citroën DS. Then, piled on miles and miles across the US over the years, leaving a short but nice record of its journeys.
So, how about checking out America as seen by this DS wagon between 1965 to 1969?
Given the brawny new ohv V8s that the Big Three and Studebaker had by then, it might seem odd that the Hudson Hornet with an old school flathead six utterly dominated stock car racing, winning 64 out of 108 NASCAR races in the years 1952-1954, thus establishing itself as a legend and cultural icon. Sadly, that all would end with this ’54 Hornet, as a desperate Hudson merged with Nash that year, thus ending production of the step-down Hudson. Maybe just as well, as all those V8s were now sprouting four barrel carbs and such and by 1954 they were ready to take down the Hornet.
Motor Life tested a Twin-H powered Hornet to see for themselves just how hot it really was. They were not disappointed.
Not a partial shot of a Volvo instrument cluster. The arrow indicates that the fuel filler is on the driver’s side. (Source: the web)
In last week’s post I noted that in the world of automotive product planning, if you achieve a .500 batting average, you’re doing well. Over the years, I surely had a few misses along with the occasional hits.
