The Pontiac GTO generally gets bragging rights as the first of its kind: the classic intermediate-sized Detroit muscle car. It first appeared in 1964, and pretty much defined the category. But the Olds 442 also first saw the light of day in ’64, as a special performance package available on the F-85. The main differences between them: 59 cubic inches, 15 horsepower and healthy dollop of marketing savvy. The last one made all the difference: the Goat outsold the 442 by over ten to one in ’64. Chalk it up to John Z. DeLorean and the Mad Men. (Read More…)

Impressive indeed; partsisparts matched the LS markings to the I Mark. I was thinking that there was a better than even chance of it not being guessed. Nothing is too obscure for the B&B. Well, I suspect this one might go pretty quickly though. I’m off to bed, so you’ll have plenty of time, if it doesn’t go fast.  Savourer!

It’s not like I traveled to Paris to look for old American cars. Although there certainly aren’t exactly a lot of vintage French cars on the streets. But the French have always loved American culture, and one of the icons of that is the Mustang. Since they have excellent taste, which particular Mustang might one expect to encounter in traffic? The best one ever.

Sorry, Hemi Cuda fans, but this is one of my most prized CC finds. As you know all too well by now, CC is not about haunting car shows for immaculate trailer queens. It’s about documenting the cars that were once so (kind of?) common on our streets, and now are mostly gone. When is the last time you ran across a gen1 I-Mark? There’s probably a thousand Hemi Cudas (genuine or clone) for every I-Mark still soldiering along. And let’s not forget that in addition to just its rarity, the I-Mark also represents GM’s first big global car adventure. The T-Cars were made and sold by the millions all over the globe. I assume you recognize a mildly disguised Chevette or Opel Kadett C when you see one? (Read More…)

Last minute shopping before a trip; where do I head? Walmart, of course, because of the Curbside Classics in the parking lot. No time for a full-on Walmart Concours today, but I do need a cart. Oh here’s a nice one that should do the job. And there’s another… (Read More…)

Edward is on a bender vacation all week south of the border. I’m heading to Paris (autoshow, among other attractions) Tuesday morning. Will I find old Citroens on the streets? Anyway, that will leave TTAC Niedermeyer-free, temporarily. The show will go on, thanks to our remaining intrepid cast of characters, but with the possibility of some reduced content, most likely the domestic news blogging.  Full throttle activity will resume next Monday, at the latest. Au Revoir!

Well, the Metro’s rear window managed to stump the B&B. How rare is that? Ok, I’m going to give you a consolation prize: a very easy Clue. Or is it?

We’ve followed the ups and downs of Segway since its inventor, Dean Kamen introduced it in 2001 with the following (under)statement: “the impact of this in the 21st century will be just like what Henry Ford did at the beginning of the 20th century.” The Segway, he said, would “change lives, cities and ways of thinking.” Now comes word that Jimi Heselden, who bought Segway this past January, died when he apparently drove one of the off-road Models X2 off a cliff and fell to his death. Accidentally, it is presumed. According to a statement from the West Yorkshire police force, “The incident is not believed to be suspicious.” Our condolences to Mr. Heselden’s family, whose lives certainly have been changed by the Segway.

NYT

Thanks to a tweet from Ward’s Auto, we now know that GM Vice Chairman Tom Stevens has spilled the beans at the Directions in Engine-Efficiency and Emissions Research conference that a GM diesel passenger car is coming to the US.  What was notably missing is a nameplate. Your mission is to come up with which car it will be.

autobloggreen

Maybe Henry Ford’s conquest of the automotive world with one model in one color is a little too ambitious a goal to repeat, but Alan Mulally is determined to take Ford further (back) in that direction. From 97 unique models in 2006, Alan’s goal is to keep reducing the body count: “there will be less than 30, on our way to 20 to 25”. (Read More…)

Ford has certainly made it easy to find appreciation for the original 1992 reskin of the Econoline, ’cause it’s only gone downhill ever since. What exactly does this (un)progression say?

Time to purge my files of Econoline shots, and we haven’t seen any of the early gen3 versions. There’s little question in my mind that Ford trucks, including Econolines, from the seventies and eighties are the first choice for those looking for a relatively unproblematic beast of burden. But are they in the same league as the legendary Hondas of yore?

You’re driving along, and from a distance it looks like just another one of a million white Econoline vans with ladders on top parked in front of the job site. But wait a minute… (Read More…)

Yes, I can muster some appreciation of Econolines of yore. But the painful reality is that the current E-Series is an ugly, primitive and inefficient pig virtually unchanged since 1974.  The fact that the American light truck sector hasn’t had the same revolution that European design influences have had on passenger cars is a mystery. Case in point: Ford’s Transit (not Connect) vans are a (several, actually) giant development leap ahead of the Econoline, offering FWD, RWD and AWD variants in three wheelbase lengths, numerous configurations, and driven by the most advanced diesels that can get well over 20 mpg. The Transit outsells Mercedes Sprinter in Europe. What the hell is Ford waiting for? (Read More…)

If TTAC were UK based, we’d probably have indulged in a Bristol Appreciation Week instead of Panthers. These remarkable coupes have been built on the same 114″ wheelbase chassis since the first Bristol 400 saw the light of day in 1947. Ok, I haven’t forgotten about Morgan. But the Morgan is a bit more self-conscious in its perpetuality. The Bristol’s styling has evolved a bit, although that seems to have ended in about, say 1978 or so? The NY Times has a nice article pointing out that Bristol sales are up, and never dropped in the current Great Recession. The very affluent who want a “bespoke” coupe hand built in traditional style seem to be able to manage the starting price of 142k pounds sterling. Oh, and there’s a real living breathing dinosaur under the hood too, and it’s American to boot. (Read More…)