Curbside Classic -

– Posted on October 28, 2024

(first posted 10/24/2018) I’m not sure what will have appeared in the comments in response to JPC’s Outtake of a 1972 Ford taxi in NYC, but since I previewed it ahead of time, I got the chance to answer it with some hard proof, in the form of vintage shots from NYC from 1972. And there’s not a single Ford to be seen anywhere.

And why did I spend the time Googling for these? I had a reason: Bias confirmation.

Curbside Classic Lite: 1967 Buick LeSabre 400 Sedan – That Does Not Mean a 400 Engine, Oddly Enough

– Posted on October 28, 2024

(first posted 10/28/2018) When I first spotted this Buick sedan from some distance in a weedy empty lot outside Baker City, Oregon, on our recent trip, I thought it might be a Wildcat sedan, what with those nice Buick styled road wheels. I have some fond memories of ’67 Wildcat, and I was hoping to rekindle them. But as I drove closer, I could see the distinctive three “portholes” on the front fender, a sign that this was not one of the top-dog Buicks. But it was worth stopping for. Of course the course the portholes weren’t the only give-away; the whole front clip on the LeSabre is shorter than the one on the Wildcat, which is the biggest difference between them, as well as their engines.

Speaking of, the LeSabre 400 does not have a 400 cubic inch Buick V8 engine, even though it existed. But it does have something else that has the number 400 in it.

Beachside Classic: 1966 Chrysler Newport – Brutalism By The Beach

– Posted on October 28, 2024

Just one image, uploaded by Stanislav Alexeyeb at the Cohort, with the caption “My 1966 Chrysler Newport”. An ideal shot and setting to capture the right profile to check out this piece of sober brutalist sophistication in the open.

Curbside Find: 1969 Jaguar E-Type 2+2 (Series II) – The Hunchback Of Notre-Jag

Tatra87

– Posted on October 28, 2024

This week, in a blatant attempt at generating a little more enthusiasm than the previous week, we will look at polarizing and controversial designs – and there are plenty of those in the vastness of the automotive landscape. We shall begin with a sleek, sculptural and sporty Jaguar that was turned into a clown car. And then painted Pacman yellow and shod with whitewalls. Is nothing sacred?

Curbside Classic: 1981 Subaru BRAT With Third Eye “Passing Lamp” – A Brief Passing Fad

– Posted on October 28, 2024

Subaru was known for being a bit eccentric back in the day — or was it its owners that were eccentric? Is there a difference? They both seem to have found each other. And if it was dark out, Subaru’s center-mounted “Passing Lamp” could be of help in the search.

As to why it was called “Passing Lamp”, I’m a bit stumped. Maybe Subaru owners were too, as it was changed to just “Center Lamp” in 1982, the final year of its brief three-year run. Maybe it was designed to intimidate potential passers, to get them to pull over, as Subarus weren’t exactly brimming with passing power back then, especially when a BRAT was hauling two passengers in the bed-mounted back seats. Can you imagine riding back there at night, passing other cars? How the world has changed.

Curbside Classic: 1962 Chevrolet Impala Sport Sedan – When Full-Size Chevys Roamed The Streets

– Posted on October 28, 2024

There was an era, now hard to imagine, when Detroit’s full-sizers were the norm on the roads. It’s a time that some of you remember and lived through, with strong –if receding– memories of the period. Others, if born after the age of Disco, never quite experienced it, other than seeing them as Taxis (or so) in the late ’80s and ’90s.

But to a lesser few who lived the transition when their decline accelerated, they belong to hazy childhood memories. The latter, the group to which I belong. But even if experienced briefly, and barely present in my memory, I do recall the age of the full-size Chevys. An era when Byscaines, Bel Airs and Impalas were a dominant species.

How prominent, may young folks wonder? For ’62, the year of today’s find, full-size Chevys numbered 1.4 million units. Between sedans, coupes, wagons and so on, making an astounding 20% percent of all US new passenger cars sold that year. So as said, difficult, if not impossible to picture now.

Automotive History and CC Cinema: The Cars of Buford Pusser and the Movie “Walking Tall”

Jason Shafer

– Posted on October 27, 2024

(first posted 6/5/2014) Every once in a while events collide with personalities, resulting in a legend. This was certainly the case with Sheriff Buford Pusser of McNairy County, Tennessee.

Vintage Motor Trend Review: 1964 Studebaker Super Lark – A Better GTO?

– Posted on October 27, 2024

(first posted 10/27/2018) The GTO has become universally acclaimed as the first of the “muscle cars”, a smaller sedan/coupe packing the punch of a hot V8 along with a four-on-the-floor and a full complement of suspension and brake upgrades. It arrived in the spring of 1964, to universal acclaim and quickly became a hot seller.

But already one year earlier, in the spring of 1963 as a late model year addition, Studebaker offered something almost identical in concept and performance, never mind the disc brakes that weren’t even available on the GTO. Thanks to CC reader Mike Hayes, who uploaded this Motor Trend review at the Cohort, you can now shoot down those folks who claim that the GTO was the first of its kind.

Vintage Snapshots: Gas Stations In The ’50s – ’60s

– Posted on October 27, 2024

It’s fill-up time today. So what ride and what station shall be the one you visit? Here’s a collection of vintage photos to ponder those choices, with vehicles that go from the humble to the pricey.

Car Show Classics: Autotron September 2024 – Volvo Parking Only

Johannes Dutch

– Posted on October 27, 2024

A lot of Volvos in the Autotron lot on September 28. Rows and rows of classic Volvo cars, neatly arranged. Well, you can see for yourself. Many will look familiar, some of them won’t.

CC For Sale: 1953 Ranch Wagon & 1956 Country Squire – Ford Wagons Down South

– Posted on October 27, 2024

From earlier posts of mine, many have probably reached the logical conclusion that finding old American cars in the open is difficult in Central America. Not impossible, as there are a few and they clearly stand out from the sea of newer Asian machinery that clog our streets. But in general, they’re rare –if eventful– sightings.

But for the most part, vintage American iron is usually stored away, safely secluded. Or so I gather from browsing local vintage car sales, as there are more around than I ever imagined. And in those ads, one can see that they come in two flavors: either dubious restorations or abandoned heaps in need of full makeovers. Today’s post will cover both, thanks to two Dearborn wagons that showed up on my feed.

My ’66 Mustang GT: Playing The Ponies In Gothenburg

Stephen Hansen

– Posted on October 27, 2024

When we ended last week’s post, I had moved from New Jersey to Sweden, where I was to work on the marketing side of a small-car project just then beginning to staff up at Volvo’s headquarters. Even though by that time, I had made many business trips to Gothenburg, they had only included hotel breakfasts, daily meetings within the Volvo complex, and dinners at either the hotel or at a couple of local-favorite restaurants with which I had become familiar.

Literally “cellar restaurant”, its name barely hinted at the delightful cuisine offered there.

This was different, however. Making the transatlantic move to a new country meant many new experiences, among them applying for my “personnummer” (Sweden’s answer to our SSNs) from the Swedish Tax Agency (skattebolaget) and completing a number of employment -and housing-related forms. In the end, every step needed to become an official Swedish-resident, tax-paying American ex-pat was navigated successfully.

Curbside Classic: 1937 Lincoln Zephyr V-12

Robert Kim

– Posted on October 26, 2024

(first posted 6/3/2014) In the area of Northern Virginia where I live, well-kept classic cars with For Sale signs appear on the street frequently, and several times a year I encounter a classic luxury car looking for a new owner. I attribute these regular encounters to the area abounding with what I call “medium-old” money–solidly upper middle class people who were successful business people, doctors, and others who many years ago had the ability to buy fine examples of now-classic cars, often at the Carlisle, Pennsylvania classic car auctions only a couple of hours drive away. Read the rest of this entry »

(Future?) Curbside Classic and Drive Report: 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT Laramie – Not Taking A Brake After 20 Years

Jason Shafer

– Posted on October 26, 2024

(first posted 10/29/2018) It’s been said couples will start to look like each other after many years of marriage. Perhaps there is some validity to that (Mrs. Jason and I hit twenty years this past summer) although I’ll posit vehicles start to exhibit behaviors and elements of their owners after a certain degree of time.

Proof of this theory is embodied in this 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT Laramie. It has taken on traits of its owner that shine through whether driving it (which I did) or sitting still.