I already have a 1967 Mercury Cougar (Motor Trend's Car of the Year - 1967) - base model upgraded with 289 4 bbl - C4 automatic.  Sits on a 3" longer wheelbase than 1967 Mustang (most noticeable in back seat floor area), otherwise shares most hard parts, which are easily obtainable.  I always thought of it like a period T-Bird combined with Mustang type of target.  That said - it was a prime competitor in Trans-Am racing that year - almost won the championship - team run by Bud Moore, cars driven by Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, David Pearson.  these 1st gen Cougars have great period styling, and are fun to drive, easy to work on...as with many cars of this era, be mindful of rust when shopping for one. ... View more

This article got me thinking about such discussions back in the 1970's.  I live in Michigan - plenty of winter weather - and salt!  Back then, the ideal winter beater was a Olds Toronado - with snow tires (on front wheels, of course).  Most of us just settled for rear snow tires on our then current regular cars.  A couple of winters I drove my MGB/GT on Michelin XAS radials - never had more fun driving in winter than that - could toss it all over and snap it back - traction not bad either!  Unfortunately, the salt did a number on the MG.  Fast forward to early 2000's - on a snowy day, I test drove both a Jeep Grand Cherokee with 4.0 I-6, and a Ford Explorer V8 - the Jeep could drive circles around the Explorer - which was terrible for AWD in the snow, even with comparable tires.  Alas - the salt did a real number on most of these vehicles back then - tough to find a good one...mechanical - electrical - body...nowadays. ... View more

When I owned a (then new) 1985 Merkur XR4Ti - I always wanted to put a new 5.0 litre Mustang GT V8 in it - like what it should have been in the first place - to make a real car out of it...was otherwise solidly built - stylish for the times - and great interior with Recaro seats. ... View more

Of the 10 nominated, I like the 1967 Mercury Cougar and 1965 Buick Riv with clamshell hidden headlights.  What about the 1930's Cord 810/812?  Awesome Gordon Buehrig design!  Also - 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado, and 1967 Cadillac Eldorado - awesome!!  ... View more

....looks like it either wants to be a Rover (like the Explorers are trying to resemble) or certainly a JEEP...to get some of that market share.  It's exciting to see Ford produce something like this instead of their usual modern day focus on electric, autonomous transportation pods...! ... View more

For those of you that have never experienced Road America and Elkhart Lake in Wisconsin, i'd highly recommend it, and the Brian Redman International Classic is a great event!  Back around 2009, I was there when the featured focus was Can-Am cars - was actually part of a crew for a friend who owned and vintage raced a 1968 Lola Can-Am car - with a fresh big block Chevy in it.  The heat all weekend was oppressive, but what great memories!  I rode in the "other seat" in the Lola on a parade lap - we only got up to 100 mph once for a moment, but the roar of that big block right behind you was memorable!  What fearsome machines these were!  We all stayed at the beautiful Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake - whole town was a classic race car party all weekend - a great little resort town on a lake!! ... View more

...looks like these pics were all shot on Rotunda Drive - between Snow Rd. and Oakwood Blvd. in West Dearborn - across from the Ford Engineering Buildings.  Drove through there every day of school year back in high school - at Edsel Ford High School - a few hundred yards further down Rotunda...in my 1967 Mercury Cougar with 289 V8 4 bbl...the good old days! ... View more

Go Roger!  Those who are paranoid will just stay home - and miss out on the whole summer because they've allowed themselves to be victimized by all the media hype.   ... View more

I watched with an open mind, but even the magic of Chip Foose can't make this pig of a car good looking!  When AMC launched the Pacer, we all said it looked like a goldfish bowl on wheels, and that anyone driving one should wear a set of artificial fish gills to look the part.  The most interesting comment I ever heard about a Pacer was from an editor at Automobile Magazine when I worked there - we were at a restaurant in Ann Arbor, having lunch, and there was a black Pacer parked across the street outside.  He looked at the car and said; "you know the disturbing thing about a Pacer?  If you chop the top, from a rear 3/4 view it would look like a Porsche 928!! 🙂   ... View more

The Woodward Dream Cruise will go on - with or without "official / sponsored events" - and those who are still social distancing by the middle of August will just avoid it.  The businesses and police departments along the route have never officially like the event - so no new news there.  I have no problem with it going back to more like it was back in the early years...1995, 1996 - it was more about cruising and seeing old cars, less of a money-making, way too crowded, roads totally jammed with regular vehicles event.   ... View more

Mid-century instrument panels - my vote is for the 1955 Ford Fairlane "Astra-Dial" instrument panel, with see-through "dome" behind the sweeping speedometer...a one year only instrument panel - I'd attach a picture but the limited functionality of this haggerty newsletter format unfortunately doesn't allow for that...! ... View more

I worked in a sports car restoration shop while I was going to Michigan State University - 1970s - we worked on some interesting cars - two in this category were Iso Rivolta - looked like a more stylish BMW 5-series with a Chevy 327 V8; and Intermeccanica Italia - used Ford 302 V8...both beautiful Italian styled & bodied cars with American V8 grunt - back then we called this combo a "hybrid" - mid to late 1960s...   ... View more

Packard had a 352 cubic inch V8, as did Ford.  Before their V8's in 1955, Packard had a 327 cubic inch straight 8 - match to displacement of Chevy 327 V8 - and a 288 cubic inch straight 8 - close to a Ford or Studebaker 289 V8 in displacement. ... View more