I have a great book on the history of Can Am by George Levy, with Peter Biro photography, many unpublished, which really covers the story of how it happened and what happened. I was too busy to follow it at the time, although I had an idea of how neat they were. It wasn't until seeing them at retro events that I started to realize what I missed. This book brings some of it back! ... View more

There were no auto race track in that era. They were all clay horse tracks. The photo of a RF 999 was at the Detroit Driving Club at Algonquin and Jefferson, a 1 mile banked clay track that was a premier horse track from 1894 - 1915. At that time, the DDC was one of 7 horse tracks in Detroit and horse racing was THE mass entertainment sport of the day. It was by 1908, also the first auto test track, where Chalmers cars were tested, as the factory was only 4 blocks away. This was the track where Henry Ford started to change the world, by winning a 10 mile race against Alexander Winton on Oct 10, 1901 which jump started the final Ford Automobile company within 2 years. There were 8,000 people on hand, including most of the nascent auto industry people and money men to see this technology demonstration. Ford drove the 1902 999, on a frozen lake St Clair, but not on a track, unless it was at one of the Windsor Ontario horse tracks, owned by George Hendrie, the owner of the Detroit United Railway street car system. Board tracks really didn't start to happen until the late teens, evolving from the bicycle velodrome tracks. Detroit only ever had 1 board track, the Detroit Motordrome, at Navajoe and Jefferson, adjacent to the Detroit Driving Club. It started out as a 1/6 mile bicycle track and found success racing early motorcycles. All of this is well documented in the 2012 book, Horsepower, Men, and Machines by Nicholas Sinacori. I think it is still available on Amazon. ... View more

Has anyone ever contacted the GM Heritage Center to see if they are even interested in it? Saw it at St Johns on the stage, before the auction. It does belong in a museum somewhere. nice to know where it is. Should be hanging out with the stainless steel Fords! BTW, concept cars are more like $1M+, not $460k... ... View more

So who added the Shaker hood and when? That wasn't original, so.... ... View more

A nice tribute to her dedication and balls. Not to the engineering of the vehicle. I hope she was at least wearing a firesuit, unlike the photo of her in the cockpit in sleeveless top... ... View more

BRAVO!!! ... View more

The 2 prior commentators, must have missed the comment by Virgil Exner Jr. that said he felt it DID the Imperial and his father's legacy very well!I think he should have a much better handle on the success of the design than these 2! This car will be remembered as an iconic custom, long after their cars are rust piles. ... View more

The writer apparently never looked at any Chrysler history to see how many 2 seat concept cars they built, most with Ghia. Understanding that it took Exner 8 or 9 years to get a VP designation, explains why the engineering controlled organization never did a production 2 seat car. The 1955 Chrysler Falcon was the most likely candidate, but never made it. The 1957-58 Chrysler Ghia Dart-Diablo, were wonderful 4 pass convertibles that saw very limited production, along with the Dual-Ghia convertibles used by so many celebrities. I wish this imperial that was a tour-de-force of sectioning, had a few more inches of wheelbase and wasn't green. The tan version was a more palatable color, but the wire wheels or the mags do not speak to the mission statement as much as they could. This car by far, is still the most outrageous and well-done custom, since the '60s! ... View more

Nice little article about Hemi Mopars. So where's the Hemis? All this talk and NO pix. Not good guys... ... View more

When I was a pup, I went to work with my dad during summer vacation and learned about generators, starters, and distributors. I recall he handed me a condenser. which he was holding by the wire. Of course, everyone else got a big laugh out of my shocking introduction to a capacitor! A lesson I never forgot! ... View more

Oh my! The they say the sky is falling! 🙂 How about large distances, few people, and strong breezes doing more? No enclosed space, too.  ... View more

Balerie Allen of Chrysler Design Interior Color and Mastering studio, proposed and developed, a tortoise shell plastic, upper wheel section. Unfortunately, the vendor did NOT maintain secrecy and gave it to  a competitor at the same time, despite all of her work!  ... View more

When we were packaging the Chrysler LH series of cars and the later Neon, we researched alternative tilt wheels to the clutzy GM Saginaw wheel. it was not very good or cheap, so we looked at what different packaging and cost benefits could be had. The Subaru with the attached cluster that pivoted at the floor, was the winner. The cluster was always in the right place for all heights of drivers. Somewhere after throwing our recommendations over the wall to engineering, our electronics division in Huntsville AL, made a high pivot one, that became the default wheel. I still have the Subaru column and am holding out for a rod project... ... View more

Funny thing, I seem to recall the first mass production V-10 was in the Viper and Dodge trucks. Different engines, same architecture. It also had the Push Button To Start on the IP. Hearing all of these backhanded compliments kind of makes me think that this is an interesting, but no thanks, car.  ... View more

There was a place called M & R Salvage on Davison Ave. in Detroit that purchased leftovers and scrap from the Big 4 OEMs. About 1970, while looking for parts for my hot rod 32 Plymouth roadster. We saw an aluminum cylinder head that looked pretty cool. I was using a 1949 Cad engine with 57 heads and the clerk told us that this was a Cadillac cylinder head. That's when we noticed that there was 6 plugs in it and he said it was for a new  V-12 Cadillac engine. He didn't have the block or any other parts and wanted what seemed like a lot of money at the time for something you couldn't do anything with. It was many years later in a magazine article and later at the GM Heritage Center that I could actually see the real deal. This was an interesting dead end, but not at all surprising, given GM's market share and success at the time.   ... View more

PLEASE! Do not insult the Sebring/200 convertibles. They were years ahead of the Cascada from the beginning and got more so, all the way to the 2014s. GM didn't have the balls to continue a significant halo car for any brand. Some morons were considering dumping the Vette! ... View more

Another management swing and big miss. I always felt that the Saturn/Solstice cars were like a Mr Potato head design with stick on front and rear end graphics, lacking some bones under the doughy skin, I really wanted to like them. Why is it that smaller, inexpensive sporty cars, have to limit adults 5'6" or less? As usual, the interiors were refreshing, modern, and clean looking, that didn't make it into production. I very well recall the Nomad concept being well received, but have no recollection on the Saturn Curve. At first glance at the lead photo here, I was very surprised by the toupee top design, not knowing the smooth envelope of the rest of the car. Never seen it in several Heritage Center tours. I can't recall where the Lutz-Gale-Gastaing team were at the time of the Copperhead or Pronto projects, but they were intended as a producible vehicle. Supposedly there wasn't a business case, but I think there wasn't enough champion(s) for them. It certainly could have helped Plymouth and Dodge with an affordable halo vehicle far more interesting than a Miata. The open wheel Prowler and max Viper, were never intended as such. Another missed opportunity ... View more

Who cares? ... View more

Customizing has always been about enhancing the original design and making it better. This stretched and slammed customization, with rubber band tires, does none of that. The proportions were nearly ideal to begin with. Laying the windshield back so much, is an occupant packaging nightmare that would not work without a body stretch, which screws up the well-loved proportions. It is not an actual improvement. Broken spring lowering is just stupid and is not functional. Far too many builders have no clue about design height. It certainly is an insult to the design, especially the wheel openings, that ignore and cut off the wheels. Sorry, but it's an all thumbs down. ... View more

Typical GM ethics. They stole the Hummer grille design for $75k by a payoff to General Dynamics. I was in a meeting with a designer and 2 GM trial liars that couldn't (wouldn't) see any problem with using a design used by Jeeps, back to 1941. They also got a friendly judge to rule against Chrysler. Lying sacks of poop! ... View more

There is a company that makes well-detailed, lightweight, reinforced plastic, engine block castings of Ford, GM, and Chrysler motors that are used for setting up builds. Accessories all mount and they assemble like a real engine. That would have been a lot simpler... ... View more

Our "esteemed" guv'ner doesn't seem to know the difference between a drive-in theater, or a multiplex Emagine one. Canterbury Village in Orion Twp. had arranged to set up a parking lot one, with all due cautions, but were told outright, that it violates her executive orders. This violates common sense and responsibility. It is far less dangerous than the Kroger or COSTCO, parking lots! I think it is time the legislature rein her in. She has refused to work with them at all, while going on national TV defending her arbitrary and capricious decisions. For example, she allowed pot shops to open but not landscapers. My only question about them are restroom facilities. No food concessions are likely out, too. ... View more

Not used for a lot, the Auburn Hills facility, Chrysler Technical Center (CTC) has a small evaluation road test track on the east side of the property, adjacent to Squirrel Road. There is only one really fast area, a short straightaway on the west side, adjacent to the main internal boulevard. I am not sure if it is a full mile, but has a lot of twisty turns and multiple switchbacks. We used to take out new or production cars for a few laps, including a Viper and a Prowler. You can see it in Google maps. ... View more

What very few people knew, was that Ford used a single lever tilt column, unlike the GM 2 levers. This made for a much cleaner looking interior, especially when these columns were used in  street rods! ... View more

The Ghia 450 looks like a scaled down Ford Torino in the front! I am very sure that Tjaarda's Forenza design did NOT influence the Jeep ZJ,as that was going on years before at AMC. ... View more

RE this comment: "Under the hood, a larger crankshaft allowed for 5.4 liters displacement and 350 hp along with a top speed of 170-plus-mph." If the writer meant a longer stroke, it would mean the crankshaft rod lands would be smaller. There is no other reason one would call it a LARGER crankshaft. Does anyone proof or edit these?   ... View more

ALL Model A Fords had "dual running boards". Geez!!! It didn't have optional bumper guards, but the optional BUMPERS. Doesn't anyone know anything when writing descriptions? It would NOTbe hard to find someone with a bit of knowledge to dothis. ... View more