Another Monterey Weekend in the bag, and while it took me over a week to gather and size these images I'm finally able to present them here. I didn't have all the highfalutin camera equipment -- okay, or photography skill -- of Mr. Takahashi when shooting my Weekend activities, but I did capture some cool items, particularly if you're a fan of muscle cars.
Yeah, you won't see as many wire-spoked wheels as in Mark's coverage, but on the plus side you won't see as many wire-spoked wheels as in Mark's coverage (ha!). Enjoy.
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Categories: Auto Shows, Ford, Karl on Cars, Muscle Car, Retro Revivals
We recently had a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG "Gullwing" in the office and I was given the enviable task of driving it for the photo shoot. We did most of the shoot in the middle of nowhere near Palmdale, but I had an idea for something special.
I knew the Marconi Automotive Museum in Tustin, California, was the owner of a perfect 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL -- also known as the original Gullwing. This is one of the most iconic cars every made. I rang up Marconi and set up a date between the SLS and its grandfather.
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Categories: Mercedes-Benz, Retro Revivals, Test Car Notes
The other day I went to add oil to one of our long-term cars when the strangest, yet most wonderful thing, happened. Upon unscrewing the cap and pouring out some 10W-30, a genie that looked like Jay Leno popped out. "Ummm...Hi Jay. What's up? Bummer they closed down the Supercar Sunday event in Calabasas, eh?" was all I could think of to say. I was just glad it wasn't that crazy Scotsman with the dipstick.
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Categories: Dream Car Corner, Muscle Car, Rants & Musings, Retro Revivals
As I prepped for a Sunday morning motorcycle ride it struck me that I had two classic models in my driveway: Chevrolet Camaro and Norton Commando.
Of course one of those models is brand new with less than 2,000 miles on it, and the other has effectively been dead for 35 years (yeah, I know there have been mulitple aborted attempts to bring Norton back, and it's supposedly coming back yet again...).
This inevitably led me to ask myself: Karl, if you could revive any vehicle brand what would it be?
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Categories: Motorcycles, Muscle Car, Retro Revivals, Talk Back Tuesday
I just got back from The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and the Monterey Historic Races.
Like any automotive enthusiast I enjoyed the events immensly, but I picked up a new nugget of wisdom regarding petrol-themed activities:
If an automotive event has more parking attendants than judges (or track workers), it may be getting too big for its own good.
I say this after spending the last 3 days crawling between Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and The Lodge at Pebble Beach.
In my opinion the time and effort required to enter and park at Laguna Seca is acceptable, though I'm betting it still breaks my "Parking Attendant" rule. I was able to get from the main gate to my parking spot in 40 minutes, which is right before my patience meter goes into Red Alert mode. And considering the genuine feel of the classic racing action (once you're parked and taking it in) I feel the Monterey Historic event hasn't lost its soul. It remains worth the time and effort it takes to attend.
But Pebble Beach...
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Categories: Auto Shows, Ford GT, Retro Revivals, Talk Back Tuesday
I recently spent a week's vacation driving a 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T. It was my mount of choice for a family vacation that took me through New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania (it's near Tionesta and the Allegheny National Forest in the photo above).
Yes, you read right: a 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T was my requested family car for a vacation. The same two-dour, Hemi-powered muscle coupe that is supposed to represent high-performance and heritage in the Dodge line-up.
Now why would I subject myself (and my family) to a week of pounding out hundreds of miles in a modern hot rod? For the same reason my wife drove a 1970 Plymouth GTX for over two years after we were married, and a 2002 Mini Cooper for 18 months when our kids were ages 2 and 4. Of course it's obvious -- I like torturing them.
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Categories: Dodge, Muscle Car, Retro Revivals, Road Trips, Talk Back Tuesday
With the death of Pontiac official I'm experiencing the same emotions any nostalgic car guy is feeling. Surprise? Shock? Disbelief? Hardly. Try relief. Like the kind you feel when you're favorite aunt finally rests in peace after suffering years of painful terminal illness. If you're a remotely functional car guy you've seen this coming since...well, that's the question.
When did the concept of Pontiac going away first strike you as a likely possibility? When did Pontiac jump the shark?
How many of you just shouted "AZTEK" at your screen? That's a reasonable response, but I would suggest the first indications of Pontiac as a "damaged brand" came much earlier.
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Categories: Domestic Manufacturers Problems/Challenges, Muscle Car, Pontiac, Retro Revivals, Talk Back Tuesday
In case you missed it, the Ford Mustang turned 45 last Friday. It was August 17, 1964 when the car debuted at The New York's World Fair, effectively creating a new category of vehicle -- the Pony Car.
In the next three years over one million Ford Mustangs were sold. Think about that for a minute -- one million units in three years. We're not talking a million full-sized trucks or four-door family sedans. The Mustang was a two-door coupe with clearly sporting intentions. That would be like selling one million Hyundai Genesis coupes in the next three years (like the original Ford Mustang, the new Genesis is a sporty, rear-wheel-drive coupe that offers good value and performance).
Now I like the Genesis coupe, and judging by our site traffic reports and anecdotal evidence so do many of you. But one million units in the next three years? Not gonna happen.
But then a lot of things have changed over the past four-and-a-half decades. GM once owned over two-thirds of the U.S market with mulitiple models hitting the million-plus mark in three-year sales. Back then many Americans had never heard the words "Honda" or "Toyota" (let alone "Hyundai"), as both the manufacturer and model count was substantially lower. Did you know there are over 40 manufacturers and 330 U.S. vehicles for sale as 2009 models?
Which brings me to today's question: Could a future performance car ever see the level of economic and cultural success that the Mustang has seen over the past 45 years?
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Categories: Cars in Entertainment, Ford, Muscle Car, Retro Revivals, Talk Back Tuesday
It's that time again. Time to buy a long-term car for the Edmunds fleet
. As you probably already figured, we're adding the always-worth-a-few-page-views Dodge Challenger
to our parking garage.
We waited for the 2009 model year to widen our engine and color choices (and to avoid the idiot dealers asking stupid money for the '08s, many of which are still on dealer lots -- HA!).
So we know we're getting a 2009 Challenger, but beyond that we're still considering our options. What should we get?
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Categories: Dodge, Muscle Car, Retro Revivals
There aren't many 55-year-old models on sale in 2008, but Chevrolet's Corvette is officially approaching early retirement age, and in terms of pure performance it's never been better. The 1997 introduction of the C5 model catapaulted Chevy's sports car onto the world stage as an exotic challenger. The Z06 model upped its game to exotic slayer, leaving me at a loss for words to describe the 638 horsepower ZR1 coming in a few months.
So, has the Corvette ever jumped the shark? Well, yes.
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Categories: Cars that Jumped the Shark, Chevrolet, Retro Revivals
As one of the oldest existing vehicle nameplates in the automotive universe it seems only fitting to ask the inevitable question: When (if ever) did the Ford Mustang jump the shark?
I'm going to take the suspense out of this discussion and tell you up front when I think the Mustang topped out: 1969. That's actually one year after my favorite Mustang of all time -- 1968 Shelby GT500KR -- but there were enough exciting models in 1969 to validate the model's sustained health. The Boss Mustangs (302 and 429) both hit showrooms that year, as did the Mach 1. The 428 Super Cobra Jet was going strong, and Shelby still had a couple models in the line-up (though I don't like them as much as the '68 versions).
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Categories: Cars that Jumped the Shark, Ford, Muscle Car, Retro Revivals
Seemed like a fitting end to "Dodge Challenger Week" around here, so I drove my old bomb home for this weekend. Also seemed fitting to provide a fair picture of the old girl, without flourescent lights or parking posts in the background (I posted a similar photo back in August of 2006).
It's interesting -- 1 and 1/2 years ago I blogged about how much modern cars have improved and how old cars really feel old when you drive them. But this is the first time I've driven my 1970 Dodge Challenger after driving the 2008 Dodge Challenger. You know what? The new one drives better -- but not as much better as I think it should. The biggest improvements are (in order of magnitude) body-roll control, steering accuracy and braking confidence. I actually expected that order to be reversed, but steering on the new Challenger isn't as good as I'd hoped, while the steering and brakes on my old one seem better than they should be. Body control remains floaty on the purple car, even with brand new shocks.
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Categories: Dodge, Muscle Car, Retro Revivals
I can't believe I'm going to say this -- but the 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 is too much of a muscle car for me. Maybe I should add, "...old-world muscle car..." to that statement for better clarity. I just had possession of a GT500 convertible for a couple days, and I was fully ready to hand the keys off when my allotted time was up.
A comparison between this car and a 1971 Hemi 'Cuda can not be avoided. Both cars make approximately 500 horsepower. Both cars weigh approximately 4,000 pounds. Both cars use a live-axle rear end. And both cars are about as subtle as 50 Cent lyrics when their engines rev past 5,000 rpm.
Problem is, I don't have much interest in driving a 1971 'Cuda convertible these days, and the same holds true for the most radical version of Ford's new Mustang. In both instances, a more balanced version of each car is available (AAR 'Cuda in one case, Bullitt or Shelby GT in the other).
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Categories: Ford, Muscle Car, Retro Revivals
As a confirmed automotive fanatic I should know the first rule of motoring in a British car -- even if it's really an American-made kit car based on a British car. But when the Westfield XI's fuel gauge read just over 1/4 of tank while pulling out of the Edmunds Parking Garage I figured I had a sufficient margin of error.
WRONG! The gauge was still reading 1/8th as the 70 horsepower, 1275cc Rover engine sputtered to silence about 10 miles from home. My first-response service technician (also known as the missus) arrived within 20 minutes, and the Westfield XI was soon rolling again under it's own power, though at 1,180 pounds I seriously considered pushing it to a gas station myself.
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Categories: Retro Revivals
