EAW is either just a ploy for me to burn off some of my overflowing files of obscure cars I’ve shot, or to document the history of this storied vehicle. The gen2 Econolines don’t exactly get a lot of interest, and they’re rapidly disappearing from the street scape. There’s two places to find them still: in the parks, and on certain streets in industrial areas. They’ve become prime real estate for the wandering underclass. Everybody needs at least an Econoline to call “home”. (Read More…)

This Econoline caught my eye for a number of reasons. These old bread boxes are getting scarce, even in Eugene. And this is one of the extended-body SuperVans, no less. But that’s not all; it has a trick in its hat. Watch this: (Read More…)

The Panther was celebrated (and denigrated) all week here at TTAC, one of the justifications given by its proponents being that it is the oldest continuous platform still in production in the US. Well, a few strong howls of protest were heard: the Econoline has been around since the fall of 1974! Thirty six years, no less. And a chorus cry for Econoline Appreciation Week ensued. Well, some think that TTAC’s image has already been, ah…burdened a bit with all the Panther gushing, and a whole week of continuous Econoline love (in the back, I assume) would be a bit…tiring. Since I’ve established trucks as fair game on the weekends, welcome to EAW (Econoline Appreciation Weekend).

If you need some warm-up material while we get some E-posts together, head here for a superb example of an early Econoline Curbside Classic. And here’s a TTAC review of a recent Econoline conversion van.  [PS: gen1 and gen2 Econolines are not excluded from the love-fest]

There it is, Subaru’s all-new gen 3 engine, its first new boxer since 1989, and only the third since 1966 (full history here). As is obvious at first glance, Subaru has reverted to a DOHC head, after switching to a SOHC back in 2000. What’s not so apparent is that the internal architecture is very different: the boxer loses its oversquare (large bore/short stroke) configuration for… the opposite. Long strokes are in (again), favored for their compact combustion chambers and ideal torque curves. The new engine has a host of other goodies, and is expected to be 10% more efficient. But direct injection is not on the list. Nor is piston slap, hopefully. (Read More…)

Toyota has essentially confirmed that a hybrid Yaris will be built at its Valenciennes, France plant beginning in 2012, coinciding with the next generation. Autocar, which also has a gallery of 2012 Yaris spy shots here, points out that Toyota did not name the new hybrid as a Yaris specifically, but that is the where the Yaris is made, and it fits in with with Toyota’s strategy to expand its hybrid line. In this case, it expands it downwards, in a market segment particularly important in Europe and Japan (pretty much everywhere except the US, actually). It also marks the second Toyota car for Europe to be hybridized without a unique exterior, like the Prius and LH 250 here. Toyota already sells an Auris hybrid in Europe, its Golf-fighter, along with the Prius. The big question: will the littlest hybrid find its way stateside? (Read More…)

Rumors of Mitsubishi’s demise in America are greatly exaggerated. That was the essence of Mitsubishi Motors President Osamo Masuko, in an article at AutomotiveNews [sub]. “We have never thought about withdrawing from the U.S. market, and we will not do so.” And the sales target is 200k vehicles, four times of current levels. And what is the target date for that rebound? Not stated.

What was stated by Masuko is that the current crop of duds in the lineup will have to be replaced: “I cannot speak about it too concretely, but from what we know at the moment, it is not possible to continue with the models that we have had,”. Quadrupling sales without a specific plan for new models? Sounds even more ambitious than VW’s American re-conquest. (Read More…)

Some folks around here seem to think that I’m just not getting into the Panther spirit this week. I’m trying, honestly! Well, there just aren’t very many here, except for what the cops drive. And I’m not going take pictures of them; our police is quite Taser trigger-happy. This is just not Panther country, but then that’s pretty much the case for the whole West Coast. Panthers tend to have a certain regional appeal, as well as political. But I did snag one yesterday, and a Family Truckster, no less. (Read More…)

Americans generally just don’t take too well to tiny cars. Perhaps they’re too much like toys, not really yet grown up? The Metropolitan certainly looks the part, resembling an amusement park ride or clown car rather than a genuine automobile a self-respecting grown-up American would drive. And this particular Metro only reinforces that stereotype: it’s owner is fourteen, and he’s owned it since he was ten. “Dad, can I have this cool car?” (Read More…)

The fairly generic egg-crate grille of the ’79 Caprice was tough. But we have some remarkable talent playing CCC, and one of the best of them is tklockau, who has won several before. Congratulations are in order.

Today’s clue is a bit different. No, the clue is not my xB in the background. And yes, you are looking at/through a regular production car, not some hippie bus with a glass gunner’s dome from a B17 on the top. Have fun.

Jaguars have always been noted for their lush tails, and here’s a quartet lined up to show off their hind quarters. Now here’s some feline appreciation I can get behind.

[Here’s my other contribution to Panther Appreciation Week; my prior Panther CC is here]

In the long, strange and sometime tortured evolution of the classic large American sedan since WWII, there are exactly two moments when that species really hit the mark: The 1955 and 1977 Chevrolets. Everything else was fun to look at, fantasize about, ridicule, look back on with rose-colored glasses, or endlessly debate about. Yes, the fins of the late fifties were amusing, as was the build quality. And the endless bloat of the late sixties through the mid seventies may have generated some memorable childhood impressions, but cancer isn’t exactly a sustainable model upon which to base the family sedan. But just as the whole segment was about to metastasize into utter irrelevance, GM gulped the chemo, and built the finest and final expression of the genre. (Read More…)

I’m a team player, and I can get into the spirit of Panther Appreciation Week, even if it’s not the result of deep-rooted father imprinting (can we have an Opel Kadett Appreciation Week sometime?). That is, with the right Panther. And there is one that did manage to stir my blood in its time: (Read More…)

Egg crates! The most ubiquitous pattern in…egg storage devices and grilles. Now which year and model car used this particular variation of the theme? Figuring that should keep you out of trouble for a few hours, maybe. Maybe not. The Toyota FJ hubcap kept at least one of our readers involved for some time. At 8:44 PM, the duke got real close, with his Toyota Toyopet guess. Even though I shot that down, the duke did not give up, and at 12:46 PM, he got it! Congratulations; persistence does pay off, sometimes.

From a source no less then the NY Times comes the stunning news that Liberace’s popularity is not crossing the generations, resulting in a precipitous drop in attendance at the Museum devoted to his refined taste. The doors are closing next month, so this is the last chance to see his splendiferous collection of custom automobiles, like one of only two Kanzler Coupes ever made (above) which obviously borrowed its passenger compartment from an Opel GT. This is just an aperitif of what’s on display inside. (Read More…)

References to the “DNA of a brand” is a long overused cliche, and perhaps finally on the way out. But it can be a valid consideration, depending…In thinking about Toyota and its early genetic roots, one might well conjure up images of the first Corona, or the Corolla, whose modern descendants (Camry/Corolla) still reflect the basic mission of their ancestors. But isn’t the true Urquelle of Toyota’s reputation its legendary reliability and durability? Well, the following historical tidbit may cement the idea of where I’m going: in 1965, the year this FJ40 Land Cruiser was built, it was Toyota’s best selling vehicle in the USA as well as the rest of the world outside Japan. This is the car that Toyota sent out to conquer the world. And this well-worn original example typifies it better than any other I’ve ever seen: it’s literally exuding ruggedness through the pores of its patina. How many folks has it sold on the brand over its long life? Hang on for a longish bumpy ride as I recount the history of the FJ and my own initiation into the cults of off-roading, hitchhiking, and Toyota. (Read More…)