Curbside Classic -

Curbside Classic: 1971 Plymouth Satellite – Who Says There Aren’t Second Chances?

– Posted on August 31, 2024

(first posted 8/31/2018) All those sayings about a person never getting a second chance are a load of rubbish marinated in hogwash. Sure, there are some things like first impressions and losing your virginity in which it’s a one shot deal. But karma is an equal opportunity thing and she’s on my side this time.

While loathe to admit it, I have written this 1971 Satellite up once before. Let’s not dwell on this as it was a poetic yet not particularly earth-rattling take; sometimes you hit a home-run and other times you strike out. Hmm; home runs and striking out sounds awfully related to first impressions and virginity. Anyway…

Since the cosmic forces of the universe put me back in touch with this Plymouth a second time it’s only right and proper to give it appropriate attention because we all know there’s no such thing as a third chance. Is there?

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Vintage Snapshots: A Few Nash Metropolitans – With Admirers, Owners & Just Out In The World

Rich Baron

– Posted on August 31, 2024

I won’t deny I feel that today’s post is a cute one; something impossible to avoid when showcasing old Metropolitans. As told previously at CC, these were modest sellers during their 1954-1960 production run. But that doesn’t take away that they left quite an impression, and have enjoyed a significant following ever since.

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Our 2013 Acura TSX Sport Wagon – A Brisk Drive To Commemorate Its Tenth Birthday And To Reflect On Some Recent Lapses Of Judgment

Paul Niedermeyer

– Posted on August 31, 2024

Getting ready to go for a hike in the Cascades this past Wednesday: Stephanie: Why don’t we take my car for a change? It’s so much nicer than your noisy and rattly old xB. I can’t understand why you never want to drive the TSX? It’s such a fab car.

Me: Why not? Hmm. Maybe because the last time I drove it on a trip I got busted for doing 130? Is it just too tempting to go fast in it? And it’s not at all ideal for driving on rough forest roads. I wouldn’t want to ding it up like I just did to the xB. But come to think of it, the trailhead for Scott Mountain is just off McKenzie Scenic Highway, so yes…why don’t we take it.

There’s some other reasons, but I didn’t feel it was worth bringing them up just then.

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Curbside Classic: 1971 Corolla (E20) Coupe SL – The Corolla Remixed

Rich Baron

– Posted on August 31, 2024

The first Corolla had been a success for Toyota and with the formula in place, its successor only grew in the marketplace. Both in Japan and abroad. And as it had become an automotive custom, the Corolla’s template had a range of variants; from sedate to (modest) fun. An idea that remained around when the E20 second generation arrived in 1970, with the Corolla showing up again in sedan and coupe forms (and a wagon too).

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My 2023 Cadillac CT-5 – Upgrade Time

Carlsberg66

– Posted on August 31, 2024

Earlier this year, I started to think about replacing my 2014 Buick Regal GS, which I bought with just 4,000 miles on it in March of 2015. For sure, that was the nicest car I’d ever had to that point by far. Some might say the GS was a low bar for people who have had a lifetime of German or Japanese sports sedans, but from a guy who’s driven Chevette’s and Sunbirds as daily drivers, it certainly was a nice car for me.

But something way nicer was in store for me.

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Curbside Classic: 1995 Ford Taurus – Are You Not Entertained?

Edward Snitkoff

– Posted on August 30, 2024

(first posted 11/13/2012) As part of my post-Sandy survey of the (non-)damage to my hometown, I was assigned to Older Relative Patrol by my Dad. (In truth, that was mostly my own doing; I wanted to see my somehow still-alive childhood cat, who’s being cared for by a family member.) I ended up at the home of my Great Aunt, whom I’d completely forgotten had owned a second-generation Taurus for many years.

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100

Auction Classic: 1958 Studebaker Scotsman Wagon – Bottom Feeder

Tom Halter

– Posted on August 30, 2024

(first posted 8/30/2018) The Studebaker Scotsman has already gotten a thorough CC treatment, so if you are not familiar with the full history of the Scotsman, I suggest you read the linked post. Unfortunately, that post had to make do with Googled photos and period advertisements, so I’ve been looking to augment this site with an actual example for a while. At the auction of famed Studebaker hoarder Ron Hackenberger last summer, I finally got to study a Scotsman in person, so let’s take a closer look at the preferred ride of late 1950’s skinflint buyers.

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Truck Show Outtake: 1955 Freightliner “Bubble Nose” COE – And A Couple Of Other ’60s Freightliners

Paul Niedermeyer

– Posted on August 30, 2024

Before the flat nosed Freightliner COE became the most popular truck of its kind for decades, there was its predecessor, the “bubble nose” Freightliner. Conceived in 1940 and and first built in 1942 by west coast freight hauler Consolidated Freightways as a better truck than was available on the market, thanks to its light aluminum cab and efficient cab-over-engine design, by 1949 CF started selling them to other operators. Freightliner was eventually spun off and today it’s the #1 selling big truck.

This 1955 model WF64 must be from right about the end of the bubble nose’s run, as its replacement had arrived in 1954. Since it’s sitting between two of those, we’ll take all three in.

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Car Show Classic: 2021 Alvis TE 21 Continuation Graber Super Coupé – Same Again, Please

Tatra87

– Posted on August 30, 2024

For the grand finale of Bespoke British Week, we’re going to look at something even more unusual: the “continuation” cars. Very rare and very desirable models (the two don’t necessarily always overlap) like this impossibly beautiful Graber-bodied Alvis special are just nigh on impossible to come by, no matter how deep one’s pockets are. Luckily, there is a solution: just make new ones.

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Curbside Classic: 1997 Honda Acty – The Mighty Atom

SophieN

– Posted on August 30, 2024

America loves pick-up trucks; the F-Series, Silverado and Ram were the number one, two and three best selling vehicles in 2023. But if America is so rife with its own big pickup trucks, then what’s this little guy doing here? As it turns out, the American love of trucks takes many forms, and even goes beyond its own borders. My friends, let’s take a moment to talk about kei trucks, and why they’ve suddenly become so popular in a country where they were never sold new.

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My 1967 Ford Country Squire – Learning To Drive With Dad

Chip Downs

– Posted on August 30, 2024

— Dedicated to my dad.

As I mentioned in previous articles, my mom never drove. This meant, in Dad’s opinion, that he could just drive a higher-shelf car.

However, when I was only a few months away from getting my license, Dad came up with the idea of a second car. You see, he owned a construction business and a real estate company. At this time, he was driving a brand new 1978 Buick Electra. He reasoned that he should also have a beater sort of secondhand car.

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Cohort Capsule: 1977 Cougar Villager – The Fat Cat Woody Wagon

Tom Klockau

– Posted on August 29, 2024

(first posted 12/15/2012)

The one-year-only 1977 Mercury Cougar Villager station wagon is worth taking a closer look at. Read the rest of this entry »

Car Show Classic: 1979 Chevrolet Corvette – The Actual Discovette Lives

Joseph Dennis

– Posted on August 29, 2024

(first posted 8/30/2018) The annual Back To The Bricks car festival in Flint, Michigan took place a couple of weeks ago, and continues to produce a treasure trove of fascinating and unique cars, along with the usual fan favorites. Over the past several years, this event has brought several hundred thousand people to the downtown area for the big show at the end of the week, which usually happens on the third Saturday of August. There is such a large showing of Corvettes (both new and old) that in recent years, they have been given their own subsection on the north end of downtown. All 315 of the very first, 1953 Corvettes were built in Flint, and with the Vehicle City also being the birthplace of General Motors, there remains a great deal of affection here for America’s Sports Car.

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Vintage Snapshots: A Ford Ranchero Gallery

Rich Baron

– Posted on August 29, 2024

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CC Global: Volvo, MAN, And Broshuis – Behemoths Protected From The Elements

Johannes Dutch

– Posted on August 29, 2024

A showroom with a floor area of 10,000 m² (107,600 ft²), filled with all sorts of used, heavy on-highway vehicles. My idea of an indoor amusement park.

Two powerhouses in the showroom were parked next to each other. In plain sight was this Volvo FH16-750 8×4/4 tractor with a (disconnected) Broshuis heavy haulage trailer.

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