(first posted 1/22/2014) Sitting in a San Pedro Service Station parking lot, this little car looks somewhat unremarkable. Despite that, this 1957 Rambler Super V-8 marks the beginning of a very successful venture for American Motors.
(first posted 10/14/2018) At the 2010 North American International Auto Show, just six months or so after Fiat initially bought into post-Chapter 11 Chrysler, a lone Lancia Delta sat on display in Cobo Hall wearing Chrysler badges and a Chrysler grille. There was no press release or press conference. The rebadged Delta didn’t even get a proper name: officially it was simply called the Chrysler Design Study. And indeed it was just a design study, perhaps never intended for sale as a Chrysler in the US and merely a way of showcasing the American automaker’s new Italian ties. It did, however, become a Chrysler elsewhere. Read the rest of this entry »
We’re running a good deal of American Motors content this week, so I felt it would be a good time to complement the topic with some of their products captured back in the day. This is the second gallery covering Nash and Rambler in the ’50s-’60s, and once again, it covers from their quirky-looking bathtub days to the cleaner products of the 1960s.
Here’s a bit of sturdy automotive basicness, still at work, 50+ years since coming out of the assembly line. The kind of vehicle that marked the early years of Japanese overseas forays, and upon which a great deal of their later luck was built. It’s a Nissan Junior light truck (AKA Miller) from the ’60-’70 second generation. A piece of Nissan’s early history; a simplistic-looking machine meant for serious work.
Halloween will be here in just over two weeks from now, and many already seem to be in the spirit. I started seeing Halloween-themed candy and t-shirts for sale in stores weeks before summer was officially over last month (thank you, Five Below!). I have a couple of friends back in Flint who throw some of the best Halloween gatherings I have ever been to, as a youth or as an adult, and they really commit to their movie-caliber costumes, decorations, and overall presentation. Some folks are just really into Halloween. When I had started to become more aware of some of the darker sides of this annual event that’s otherwise fun for a community, I had come to hold the belief, apparently mistaken, that black cats have a higher torture rate during this time. I was thankful to learn that this is actually not true and merely the stuff of urban legend.
(first posted 1/24/2014)
Lots of companies can claim some small connection to the late American Motors Corporation, but there is really only one company whose identity is virtually inseparable from that of AMC. That company would be Nash. This 1953 version would be the final year of an independent Nash before the creation of AMC in early 1954. But this car (and its smaller brother, the Nash Rambler) would form the foundation which supported AMC for much of the rest of its life.
1963 Corvair Ad
(first posted 10/14/2018) The Corvair was one of the most unlikely American cars ever, and it is instructive to read the following interview given by Ed Cole in 1970 shortly after the discontinuation of production, but not published until his death following his retirement from General Motors.
The common wisdom is that success has many eagerly claiming fatherhood, but that failure has few claiming that same fatherhood. The Corvair is one of those examples, for some, a success, for others a failure. Ultimately aircooled engines became an evolutionary dead end, one that even Porsche had to accept about 25 years after the demise of the Corvair.
The Ford Mustang is one of the most iconic vehicles of all time thanks to its recognizable consistency. Throughout its many generations, it has always been a sporty four-seater grand tourer that could be bought in semi-boring commuter spec or a wild performance variant. Obviously, this is a generalization, but it sets up what makes today’s bafflingly named ASC McLaren Mustang a true oddball. It’s a two-seater Mustang droptop!
This week, we’re going to be exploring the rustier side of things, with some cars that were either deliberately “aged beyond perfection,” or were just saved that way. Rat rods? Not quite, but we’re going for some heavy patina, that’s for sure. This odd little Volvo doesn’t really fit the patina pattern all that well, but it’s been in my files for a little while and it needs a wider audience.
Let’s return to a favorite polarizing topic at CC, the much beloved and maligned Mustang II. I’ve said my piece on it here, so I’m going to leave it mostly to Road and Track to clarify the MII’s development, a technical analysis and some driving impression. The relationship of the MII to the Pinto is clearly spelled out, as a direct development but with considerable changes, many of which went right back into the 1974 Pinto.
As to the driving impressions, not surprisingly, R&T was generally disappointed. They were of course expecting a genuine sporty coupe in the vein of Ford’s very successful Capri and other compact sporty coupes like the Celica and Opel Manta. The Mustang II weighed some 400-500 lbs more than these lithe and lively sporty coupes, severely blunting any genuine sporting ambitions. The reality is that Ford’s priorities were a quiet cabin and a smooth ride. That may have disappointed those looking for lively acceleration and tight handling, but it was exactly what a huge raft of Americans were looking for in 1974 in the gale of the energy crisis: a 7/8 scale Torino.
(first posted 5/1/2013) Debasement. For most people, the word means “to cheapen or erode in character, quality or value.”
However, if you’re an auto industry executive, “debasement” is that place in your house to which you scurry when the weather turns foul. For them, it seems cheapening a nameplate is commonplace as breathing.
(first posted 10/13/2018) Several months ago we looked at the MB O6600H coach – Mercedes first rear-engined bus. It was a successful design, but due to its traditional body-on-frame construction was somewhat heavy and the separate chassis limited underfloor storage. Mercedes fixed these problems with the O321H, a similar-sized model, but constructed with a semi-monocoque stress-skin body. Built in two lengths and used in both urban transit and intercity roles, it went on to become one the company’s best selling buses of all time. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s Sunday, in my book a good day to do some car washing (which I truly have to do, actually). So it’s time to get your buckets, hoses, and soap ready. These images being in the past, there will be no high pressure hoses to help you. Instead, take the time to get reacquainted with your car as you clean it; its forms, and the many nicks and imperfections that it has gained through the years. All details that make it truly yours.
