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Automotive Madness: Three Stories

Posted on May 19, 2018 in Safety | 1 comment

1. You may already have heard that a few dealers are upcharging for the upcoming Subaru BRZ (above)—to the tune of $5,000 over MSRP. Some have called this price gouging, which, of course, it is. Anyone paying this price is a turkey. One imbecile argues that this is owing to the immutable law of supply and demand. Since the BRZ is in high demand and deliveries...

Spinning vinyl while cruising the interstate

Posted on May 18, 2018 in Featured | 2 comments

I spotted this in-car record player mounted under the instrument panel of a late-1950s Dodge this past weekend at a car show, and it just stopped me in my tracks. Though Chrysler had its optional Highway Hi-Fi beginning in 1956, this unit is instead an aftermarket Philips Norelco Auto Mignon that was produced a few years later. Unlike the early Chrysler system...

Not All Car Shows Are Fun

Posted on May 9, 2018 in Antique | Comments Off on Not All Car Shows Are Fun

I once tried to describe a local car show as a place where everyone is a friend, where car people gather to share their latest projects, and where history and beauty is literally “at your fingertips.” My ramblings describe a warm summer evening where children play, dogs roam, families walk hand in hand, and the elderly teach wide-eyed children about...

From A to X – all the different cars that could have, and did, become the AMX

Posted on Apr 23, 2018 in Featured | 2 comments

AMX/3 pushmobile. AMC photo. Between 1965 and 1981—a relatively short 16 years—American Motors had no shortage of mockups, prototypes and production cars that carried the name AMX. One would think, given that American Motors designers kept appending suffixes to the various iterations, that they had some sort of naming convention in mind, but as it quickly...

How Are Deployed Airbags Repaired?

Posted on Apr 18, 2018 in Editorials | 1 comment

We discussed the general process of repairing a salvage car a few weeks ago and one commenter asked about airbags. Joe Btfsplk writes: How do you deal with deployed airbags? Are used parts allowed to be used in salvage vehicles? This seems to get little attention in the article. Dealing with deployed airbags in modern cars can be a tricky and costly situation....

Obese Cars… and Obese Drivers

Posted on Apr 15, 2018 in Safety | 2 comments

The subject of obesity is often a very sensitive one. I have a close relative who is enormous and who gets very upset if you mention diets, exercise or heart conditions. Imagine how fat car owners feel. If they think about it, they might realize that cars have gotten very much bigger and heavier over the years, in part to accommodate them. One study now reveals...

Audi A7 Debuts Today, R8 Prices Announced, E-tron Wins Rally

Posted on Apr 9, 2018 in Racing | Comments Off on Audi A7 Debuts Today, R8 Prices Announced, E-tron Wins Rally

Audi has come a very long way in the U.S., recently announcing it has sold 2 million cars here. From only two models in its early days (40 years ago), we now have I don’t know how many. And another is launching today: the A7 Sportback (above). Based on a 2009 concept shown at Detroit, the A7 is going to challenge the Mercedes CLS andBMW’s 5 Series GT—or maybe...

James Garner – A True Gearhead

Posted on Apr 7, 2018 in Antique | Comments Off on James Garner – A True Gearhead

“I’d rather live my life accepting that I’m not perfect, than spending my whole life pretending to be.” By now, I am sure everyone in the car world has heard that James Garner, star of television’s Maverick and The Rockford Files has died at age 86. Garner was also well known for his movie roles, starring in iconic films likeGrand Prix, Support Your Local...

Stile Bertone – Not Anymore!

Posted on Mar 17, 2018 in Antique | Comments Off on Stile Bertone – Not Anymore!

“Death ends a life, not a relationship.” – Mitch Albom Bertone, once considered the Michelangelo of automotive design has filed for bankruptcy. Founded in 1912 by Giovanni Bertone, the company thrived under son Giuseppe “Nuccio” Bertone until his death in 1997. Since that time, Gruppo Bertone began an arduous death march into financial disaster, highlighted by...

BMW and Toyota to Partner in Battery Development Deal

Posted on Mar 17, 2018 in Technology | 1 comment

When the automobile launched into the 20th century, the ripe and untapped market had every little auto builder in the United States fighting for recognition on their own terms. During a early 1900s where the American automobile industry was controlled by a broad-covering Selden patent (that threatened to once destroy the Ford Motor Company), the European...

Ford introduces the wonderful new world of its 1960 models

Posted on Mar 14, 2018 in Featured | 2 comments

New car introductions were quite a bit different in 1960 than they are today, and to roll out its space-age 1960 models, Ford spared no expense. Complete with its own musical score and revelers bedecked in formal attire, this short video is a glimpse at the zeitgeist of postwar, pre-Cuban Missile Crisis America. The 1960 model year was an important one for...

Tax Day Blamed for Driver Deaths

Posted on Mar 12, 2018 in Safety | 2 comments

Do taxes early, stay alive! We all know the bit about the certainty of death and taxes. While cliche, it’s absolutely true that both are darn near impossible to avoid. We should, however, be able to avoid death and taxes happening on the same day. At least death by car accident. A new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and...

Absurd Texting-While-Driving Stories

Posted on Feb 19, 2018 in Safety | 1 comment

Here she is, folks, the texter of the week, maybe of the year. Her name is Shawndeeia Bowen, and she got pulled over on an L.A. freeway after texting with a baby on her lap while driving. Two small kids were in the back, unsecured and without seatbelts. Over the past three years, Ms. Bowen has had two accidents and numerous citations, including not using child...