News and Features

Datsun’s B210 Honey Bee: All Bee And No Honey

Richard Read 1
Special-edition cars were all the rage in the 1970s, with many successful entries like the Continental Designer’s Series, the Pierre Cardin Javelin, the Spirit of America Chevrolets, Levis’ Edition Gremlins, and even a special-edition Chevette Sandpiper. Most featured unique color combinations, interiors, and extras that commanded a premium over the base version, and they were often eagerly snapped up by a motoring public hungry for some visual distinction. [...]

Mercury Brand Flies Into Olds-blivion

Richard Read
First it was Plymouth, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac, and now another iconic American auto brand is about to bite the dust. Ford announced today its board of directors has voted to kill off Mercury, halting production by year’s end. Once the middle child between Ford and Lincoln, Mercury cars sold by the hundreds of thousands, spanning a 72-year history that brought us such classics as the Cougar, the Montclair, the Comet, the Monterey, the Marauder and the Grand Marquis. Who among us (over 40) doesn’t remember envying those kids lucky enough to ride in the back of a Mercury Colony Park station wagon, complete with side-facing third row seats and a magnetic checker board table to help wallow away the hours? Farewell, oh winged messenger, you will be missed. [...]

AMC’s Pacer: Rebel Without a Heart

Richard Read 1
AMC’s Pacer made its debut thirty-five years ago this past spring. It was a distinctive car, a futuristic hatchback with a gigantic glass area and unequal length doors. It is remembered today as a footnote of the disco era, the fishbowl with wheels. But the car that hit the showrooms bore little resemblance to what AMC had intended. [...]

Planning A Last-Minute Holiday Road Trip? Expedia Can Help

Richard Read
Thankfully, things have shifted: your Friday meeting has suddenly been canceled, or the dog-sitter called to say she’s got an opening in her schedule, or your partner just came home with a sparkling, new grand tourer, and he’s got “road trip” in his eyes. So now, it looks like you’ll be able to take a quick Memorial Day vacation after all. But where to turn for advice? Try Expedia. [...]

Imperial Decree: Imperial Statewide Meet in Palm Springs, CA

Richard Read
They’re sexpots with wheels: voluptous styling, plush interiors, and lots of automotive jewelry. They drip with chrome and styling gimmicks: monstrous fins, freestanding headlamp pods, swiveling seats, square steering wheels, and eagles literally woven into the upholstery fabrics and embossed into the leather. It’s like Chrysler Corporation meets Imperator. [...]

Cadillac Seville: The Baby Turns 35

Richard Read
It was 35 years ago this month that the Cadillac Seville made its debut. The smallest Cadillac since the 1920’s also debuted with the highest price tag in the Cadillac line up — the base price of $12,479 was the highest of any American made passenger car. This was a deliberate marketing move by Cadillac, which knew that in order for the car to succeed, it had to break through the “bigger is better” mentality that had permeated the domestic industry up to that point. [...]

Breaking: Naked Men Are Distracting To Rally Car Drivers

Richard Read
Mark Tapper was minding his own business, throttling down a dirt road and working hard to maintain his lead in last week’s Rally New Zealand. Then, out of nowhere, came a man — a half-naked man, giving Tapper a fleeting but powerful glimpse of his full moon. Said Tapper, “A very white bottom that was beside the road put me off for a fraction of a second, then I just ran wide and rolled”. We’ve seen similar accidents caused by women, but this is the first instigated by man-tuchus that we can remember. [...]

Friday Fun Stuff: Retro Rides, Twinks And ‘Stangs, And Jesus Christ Vs. The Monte Carlo

Richard Read
It’s easing on toward Miller Time (now known as Club-Soda-with-Lime Time, because we have to fit into a bathing suit sometime), and so, we’ve begun thinking about weekend pursuits. Here are a few of the items suitable for public conversation: 1. If you’re a bona fide car nut, you really ought to follow Glen H on Flickr. Based in Australia, the guy has a monumental knowledge of cars, and he posts fantastic shots of vintage production models and concepts (e.g. the 1956 Buick Centurion image above). Viewing his photostream is kind of like flipping through old issues of Physique Pictorial, but you could probably get away with it in the dentist’s office.  [...]

Cool Cadillacs And Bad Costumes

Richard Read
Believe it or not, there was a time in America when Audi and BMW were little-known brands, Mercedes-Benz was considered a rare exotic and a big, shiny Cadillac was the car most American’s aspired to own. Don’t believe me? Just look at the reactions of these lucky contestants who appeared on the popular 70s game show Let’s Make a Deal. Thanks to the hard work of the lads at MuscleCarFilms.com, this collage of classic Cadillac clips not only shows off some real beauties, it sheds new light on the art of minimalist set design. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the male contestants (and host Monty Hall), who are all in need of a Cadillac-sized Queer-Eye makeover. [...]

Friday Food For Thought

Richard Read
Normally, we like to end the week on an upbeat note, but this Friday, we’re fixated on slightly somber stuff — in particular, the BP oil spill/leak in the Gulf of Mexico. It’s just beginning to wash ashore in Louisiana, and it could soak beaches from Texas to Florida before all’s said and done. As a site that revels in rides of all sorts — from hybrid fuel-sippers to gas-guzzling supercars — we know that there’s a dark side to every car. Combustion engines rely on a vibrant petroleum industry, and that industry is the cause of the hurricane-shaped blob drifting toward the Louisiana coastline one month before storm season begins. Battery-electric vehicles are flawed, too: they need power plants, and the majority of those facilities in the U.S. are stoked by coal. [...]