Curbside Classic -

Automotive History Capsule: 1965-1966 Ford F-Series Ranger – A Bit Too Far Ahead Of Its Time

– Posted on November 22, 2024

(first posted 1/6/2013) During the late fifties and sixties, the pickup became ever more “civilized”. In addition to softer suspensions and other amenities, most of that had to do with spiffing up the cab with nicer upholstery, inside door trim, padded dashes, fancy steering wheels…but no one had yet taken the plunge and installed genuine bucket seats. Undoubtedly inspired by the success of the Mustang, Ford offered a Ranger cab trim option for 1965 that included buckets–straight out of the Mustang. Read the rest of this entry »

Aaron Severson (Ate Up With Motor) Joins Curbside Classic As Senior Editor

Paul Niedermeyer

– Posted on November 22, 2024

I am very pleased to announce that Aaron Severson — known as Ate Up With Motor from the name of his website, — is joining Curbside Classic as Senior Editor. I consider Aaron the best all-round automotive historian of our time, as most of the great print-age historians from that earlier era are mostly gone, retired or churning out predictable coffee-table books. Aaron’s ability to dive deep into subjects that capture his wide-ranging interest can be breathtaking; he is a veritable font of information, facts, statistics, references and anecdotes and has an exceptional ability to synthesize them into cogent perspectives and conclusions.

Aaron has been a good friend to CC and myself personally, providing insightful comments and behind the scenes support and conversations. Now he will also be contributing content to help further CC’s mission to be the best and biggest general interest automotive history site.

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Junkyard Classic: 1983 Dodge Rampage – It Can Haul 1145 Pounds Of Hantavirus

Jim Klein

– Posted on November 22, 2024

(first posted 11/23/2018) Ah, the Rampage. Dodge’s “Sports Pickup”, sold between 1982 and 1984, was a short-lived phenomenon. While a few are still roaming the streets, as of this month there is one less out there. In this case, a 1983 model which I stumbled across a few weeks ago.

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Car Show Classic: 1924 Lorraine-Dietrich B3-6 Saloon by Million-Guiet – Enter Your Second Century In Style

Tatra87

– Posted on November 22, 2024

I caught this lovely Lorraine-Dietrich last year, when it was still in the two-digit realm (age-wise), but what’s a year and change when you’re that old? It was more than appropriate to hold off and wait until we could celebrate its 100^th birthday with an apparition on CC – the first by this ancient and respected French marque, to boot.

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Vintage Postcards: Downtowns And Main Streets Across The US – 1950s-1960s

Rich Baron

– Posted on November 22, 2024

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Curbside Shopping: 2022 Ford EcoSport – You and I Travel to the Beat of a Different Drum

RichP

– Posted on November 22, 2024

I promise I’ll get to the cars, but first a word about drums and differences.

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Curbside Classic: 1980 Toyota Celica USGP Limited Edition – An Excellent Condition Limited Edition

Eric703

– Posted on November 22, 2024

As someone who’s intrigued by special editions, my eyes immediately fell on this car’s stripes. Racing stripes on a Celica – yes, this was a package made to commemorate Toyota’s sponsorship of the United States Grand Prix. But temper your expectations: Despite its racing connection, this was little more than a subtle appearance and trim package. Still, it’s an exciting find for those who like rare versions of common cars. This car’s excellent condition was a bonus as well. Only 600 examples were made, and after 45 years, the surviving examples have already taken the checkered flag of daily service and are now mostly in retirement.

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Curbside Classic: 1956 DeSoto Fireflite – Yeah, It’s Got A Hemi

MarcKyle1964

– Posted on November 21, 2024

(first posted 8/14/2014) Actually, they all had Hemi’s that year, at least the ’56 DeSoto Fireflite sedans like this one did. I drove past it on the way back from an appointment and I thought, “wait, that’s not a ’55 Chevy,” so I turned around and went back. I happened to have my camera with me since Vancouver has such a bewildering number of old cars and I’ve gotten into the habit of keeping it stashed in my car.

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Obscure Rebadges From Around The World: Part 6

William Stopford

– Posted on November 21, 2024

(first posted 11/21/2018) We are six installments into the Obscure Rebadges series and we’ve only scratched the surface of the world of rebadges. Hell, we’ve only scratched the surface of the world of General Motors rebadges. Earlier, we covered three Asian-market GM flagships: the Alpheon, Isuzu Statesman de Ville and Mazda Roadpacer. Today, let’s look at some more GM rebadges from around the world. Read the rest of this entry »

Vintage Dealers: 1960 DeSoto On The Showroom – Snapshots In A DeSoto-Plymouth-Valiant Dealer

Rich Baron

– Posted on November 21, 2024

I’ve no information on the dealer featured in this photo, other than it clearly belongs to a DeSoto-Plymouth-Valiant one with a showroom filled with new products. And while Valiant was the new kid in Chrysler’s tent, it’s the DeSoto at center that’s getting all the attention from the ladies in attendance. The brand may have been in its waning days, but at least in this photo, these ladies seem to have been DeSoto fans.

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Curbside Find: 1983 Buick Electra Park Avenue – On The Way Down

yohai71

– Posted on November 21, 2024

The CC effect can sometimes hit twice; only a couple of months ago this post by Joseph Dennis was published with a featured in-motion ’83 two-door Park-Avenue, followed a month later by my own post of a ’78 Olds Omega (that’s in a seriously sorry state). Well, here’s another curbside find, that is another ’83 Electra Park-Avenue and is also spiraling downwards, condition wise. This, however, is a four-door.

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Curbside Editorial: Lexus in 2025 – They Aren’t Not What They Used To Be

Petrichor

– Posted on November 21, 2024

I saw my first Lexus TX in the wild not long ago and I was a bit conflicted about it. It’s a massive crossover clearly on a transverse-engine FWD platform, which isn’t exactly aspirational for us car dweebs. Huh, I thought. Looks like Lexus is finally getting in on the 3-row troop transport game. It lacked the pricey gravitas of an X7 or GLS but looked fully capable of taking on the Q7, XT6, MDX, and LT70x in the suburban status derby.

That last one isn’t a real car, by the way. This alphanumeric naming soup is so overcooked that you can invent a plausible one by just mashing your fist against the keyboard. TR-55e. See?

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Curbside Classic: 1994 Chevrolet Impala SS Station Wagon – Factory-Built Unicorn

Jon Stephenson

– Posted on November 21, 2024

I wrote about Chevy’s modern-era Impala SS last month. Everyone knows about that popular sedan. What fewer people know about is the fact that GM built one Impala SS wagon but never put the model in production. That car survives and is on the loose, occasionally terrorizing the roads of Minnesota. Here’s how I encountered it. Read the rest of this entry »

Parking Lot Classic: 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 Holiday Hardtop – Happy Haunting

Laurence Jones

– Posted on November 20, 2024

(first posted 2/12/2013) To continue on the trajectory of early -’60s Oldsmobiles that continues to haunt me, I present this Dynamic 88, which I first met under the cover of night. While I continue my daytime errand-running drudgery, let’s pause to examine where Oldsmobile was in the early 1960s.

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Curbside Classic: 1986 AC 3000ME – Optimism, With A V6

Roger Carr

– Posted on November 20, 2024

(first posted 11/20/2018) The AC name is, or was, well known. Remember the Cobra? A Ford V8 and a Carroll Shelby designed installation in the compact AC Ace body and chassis, which dated from 1953. The resulting car was billed by some as the fastest car in the world in the early 1960s, albeit with a very different heritage and driving experience to a top European sports car. Perhaps it’s best to think of it as a de Tomaso Pantera for the 1960s, not a Ferrari. But it was still hugely charismatic and appealing, and that endures. Read the rest of this entry »