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Auto-Biography: Serial Swedish Station Wagons

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– Posted on September 8, 2024

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never had much use for four-door sedans; all of my collector cars have been two-doors, whether convertibles, coupes, or sedans. And sure, a couple of my Volvo test cars over the years were four-doors, a 2002 S80 and an S60 a while later, but whenever I had a choice, I opted for a station wagon, especially after Volvo dropped the two-door 240-series.

I’ve always felt that the station wagon body style offers the most versatility for accommodating whatever combination of passengers and cargo one might need to throw at it. And, donning my car-designer hat for a second, it’s also my personal opinion that wagons frequently just look better than sedans as well.

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Curbside Classic: 1984 Dodge Aries – Lee Iacocca’s Second Falcon

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– Posted on September 7, 2024

(first posted 9/7/2018)     When Lee Iacocca was promoted to Ford Division General Manager in 1960, his disdain for the boxy and dull Falcon was palpable. It was eating big Ford sales and generating compact profits. Meanwhile Chevy was on a hot roll with its sporty Monza that didn’t cannibalize big Chevy sales. He couldn’t wait to turn the Falcon into something with a lot more sex appeal and higher margins.

When Lee took over Chrysler in 1978, there were some similarities, as the boxy and decidedly not sexy K-cars were in the final stages of their development. But this time Lee had to show some love for them, as the K-Cars were the only hope of saving Chrysler, which would then allow him to do what he really wanted to do: Sell cars with some audible sizzle. Soon enough…

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Vintage Reviews: 2000 Mercedes-Benz S500 – Slim Fast S-Class

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– Posted on September 7, 2024

(first posted 9/6/2018)    Newton’s 3rd law of physics relays that “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”  In the case of cars, that premise could be seen in the transition between Mercedes-Benz’s oversized, overpriced W140 S-Class and its W220 successor, which was repositioned as the “smaller, friendlier” S-Class.  But in abandoning the “engineering uber alles” approach that had underpinned Mercedes’ success for decades, did Benz throw the baby out with the bath water?

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Netflix’ Dark Winds Blows Its Automotive Casting – No, The Police Did Not Drive Jacked-Up 4x4s In 1970

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– Posted on September 7, 2024

We’ve just finished the two series of the Netflix series “Dark Winds”, set on the Navajo reservation, based loosely on Tony Hillerman’s books and written and produced by Navajos. It’s quite good, although it’s hard to top the Hillerman books themselves.

But as soon as Lt. Joe Leaphorn’s GMC 4×4 Suburban police truck rolled into the shot the first time, I had a minor conniption. Oh no! It’s all wrong! It’s jacked way up! Nobody did that back in 1970 when this was set. And most certainly not a police department.

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Vintage Snapshots: Under The Hood – Tune Ups And Repairs

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– Posted on September 7, 2024

It’s the weekend, and I would think some of you out there are planning on doing some mechanical work. If so, this gallery will probably speak to you. And to myself, as I’ve also done my share of such tasks. No engine overhaul, mind you, but I can certainly relate to several images in this post. From the unexpected breakdown to the odd contortions that needed to reach inaccessible parts. And well, the occasional use of unconventional means and tools to finish a task.

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Four Curbside Classics Found At The CC Manor Apartments

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– Posted on September 7, 2024

As I drove by this apartment parking lot, it was the Sentra that first caught my eye. But I quickly noticed it was in good company; three other CC’s all sitting nearby keeping it company. Must pull in and check them out.

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My 2023 Mazda CX-5 2.0 ‘Executive’ – The All ‘Round Man

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– Posted on September 7, 2024

2023 Silver Mazda CX-5

Those of you who follow my posts will recall that early in the year, I published an update of the previous cars making up the family fleet, and how these were reduced to a single vehicle that replaced them both. In that post, I already revealed it as a 2023 Mazda CX-5, but as it was too early to COAL, I held on to a dedicated review. Now, after a year with the family, the time has come to share my experience and thoughts with you.

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Cohort Outtake: 1960 Siata Ampurias 750 – A Notchback Fiat/SEAT 600

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– Posted on September 6, 2024

(first posted 9/6/2018)       There’s few things that make my day more than being exposed to a car that I never knew existed. CC reader Julieta L. sent me a couple of links to this delightful little car, the 1960 Siata Ampurias 750. Designed and built at Siata’s Spanish affiliate, which built this and apparently some other specials based on SEATs, or Spanish Fiats.

There’s very little information available on the Ampurias, except that it was of course based on the very popular Fiat/SEAT 600. But it largely speaks for itself.

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Auction Classic: 1958 Packard Station Wagon – The OG Escalade?

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– Posted on September 6, 2024

(first posted 9/6/2018)     If the 1958 Studebaker Scotsman wagon from last week was all about honest basic transportation, then its platform-mate 1958 Packard Station Wagon is all about faking it until you make it. As luck would have it, they were both conveniently parked next to each other at the auction of Studebaker collector/hoarder Ron Hackenberger last summer for easy comparison.

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CC Capsule: 1979 Lincoln Continental Town Car – Built To Last

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– Posted on September 6, 2024

(first posted 9/6/2018) “Pull up to the…” bumper?  I love the artistry and persona of Grace Jones.  Earlier this year, I had gone to see “Bloodlight and Bami”, a biographical film about that iconic actress, model and musician, and I highly recommend watching it.  Suffice it to say that our featured long, black “limousine” (please allow me some artistic license) would benefit greatly from another rear bumper sourced from a donor car, but the rest of this car looked surprisingly solid when I photographed it in my neighborhood just over a year ago.

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Vintage Postcards: Street Scenes Across The US – ’50s-’60s

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– Posted on September 6, 2024

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Curbside Find: Austin A40 Van – Far Out “Moose On The Roof” Special

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– Posted on September 6, 2024

Photos from the Cohort by robadr.

Here’s another creative curbside find, stuffed with what seems like every single Canadian trope one could think of. Being that the car was found in Canada, I suppose it’s either an example of their quirky sense of humor (most likely) or a dubious exercise in misguided local pride (very doubtful). Then again, maybe a truly ill-advised ploy by the local tourism board?

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Curbside Cabovers: Long Haul COEs Still in Use

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– Posted on September 6, 2024

In the United States today, cab-over-engine long haul trucks are basically non-existent. COEs thrive in the light duty commercial truck market and manage to hang on in the medium duty sector. However, the American COE long haul truck was nearly dead long before the last Freightliner Argosy was sold here.

These elusive space saving machines are long gone from even the most low turnover fleets by now, kept alive only by a handful of dedicated owner-operators. Yet I managed to find this spotlessly clean COE Freightliner still working hard as a filming crew support rig in Atlanta.

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Curbside Classic: 1980 BMW M1 – There Can Be Only 1

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– Posted on September 6, 2024

Having recovered from a litany of dramas, faux-pas and catastrophes (allied bombings, the loss of the Eisenach factory, the V8 debacle, etc.) in the post-war years, BMW spent the ‘60s rebuilding their image and confidence, thanks to the 700 and the Neue Klasse. The takeover of Glas in 1966 brought a huge increase in capacity, enabling the Bavarian company to start looking into prestige projects once again. It took a while for one to gel, but eventually BMW got into the supercar game. But just the (M-)one time.

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Cohort Outtake: 1961 Chevrolet Parkwood Wagon – Last Call for Wagon-Only Names (For a Few Years Anyway)

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– Posted on September 5, 2024

(first posted 9/2/2018)       Constantine Hannaher, who was at the Baltimore CC Meet-up and posted a raft of great pictures from the event that I haven’t gotten to yet, also just posted this fine ’61 Chevy Parkwood wagon. As was common at the time, Chevrolet gave their station wagons different names than the rest of their car lines/models, but the last year for that was 1961 (until they came back in 1969, oddly enough. That means in 1962, this Parkwood would be just a Bel Air wagon.

Back then, I found it a bit confusing, especially since the wagon names seemed to change over the years (but then the sedans did too, to some extent). What was really confusing though was that in the last few years of this (1959-1960), the Impala-level wagons had different names, depending on whether they were 9 passenger (Kingswood) or 6 passenger (Nomad). At least the Kingswood got axed for 1961, and all the Impala-trim wagons were now Nomads.

Back to this Parkwood:

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