For many years I've carried a couple of "bladders" harvested from 2 liter wine boxes in my trunk. After finishing off the contents (one of the nice parts of this exercise), you can pop the dispenser spout off, wash the bladder out thoroughly, and you'll have a water container that folded up takes no space in your trunk, but is available in case you need water on a continuing basis (like a leaky radiator or hose) while traveling--at least to the next auto parts store. That, and some duct tape has bailed me out more than once when a hose started to leak (don't forget to loosen the radiator cap to bleed off pressure). ... View more

I was the "trusted friend" when we went to look at a '75 BMW 2002--not in a barn, but sitting in an Ohio driveway for 16 years. Amazingly, no structural rust, just surface rust from sitting outside. Even more amazingly, when we pulled the spark plugs to see if we could turn the engine over with a socket on the crankshaft, the engine turned over when I grabbed the fan to insert the socket! While we had to use a sledgehammer to free up the calipers and brake drums, and replace all four split tires to even move it, the price was right--free! The (original) owner just wanted it to go to a good home. Four years later my friend has it all repainted, new brakes and fuel system, but the engine started right up with only a carb and fuel pump rebuild. ... View more

Lotsa design cues in the BMW M1 that looks like they came from the Carabo... ... View more

The only Puma I've ever seen in the US was on Sanibel Island FL about 25 years ago. It wore a Florida plate on the back, but its original Brazilian plate in front. I felt very smug at recognizing it from I having seen a picture of one a few years earlier. The VW tailpipes were a dead giveaway. Too bad VW do Brasil did import a few before all the Federal emission and safety requirements put the kibosh on that as of 1 January 1968... ... View more

In January 1969 I was ready to buy a new car--my first new one after six years of used car ownership. After reading everything I could about sporty (and affordable) small European coupes/sedans, I was down to either a Fiat 124 Sport Coupe or a BMW 2002. I had already driven a friend's 2002 so was familiar with it. Now to drive the Fiat. There was a Fiat dealer in our town (Rome NY--of course there would be) so we arranged for a test drive on a Saturday morning. It was +5 degrees, so we looked over the one on the showroom floor first. To check out the back seat, I pushed the driver's seat back forward to climb back there. The headrest hit the horn button and set off the car's standard Fiamm air horns, which are wired to be live regardless of ignition key position. Not a good design feature, and especially so since the salesman was standing in front of the car. After he scraped himself off the showroom ceiling, we went outside to drive the demonstrator. It wouldn't start. I tried it; the salesman tried it; the service manager tried it. They finally ran the battery down. We left, and Monday ordered a new 2002 from a dealer in New York City, the closest one that actually had cars. I still have that one. ... View more

I learned how to work on cars from my future father-in-law, Ed, first because I was interested, and second, to prevent me from using the excuse that I brought his daughter back from a date very late because "the car broke down and I didn't know how to fix it." I should add that I was driving a 1959 Renault, not the paragon of reliability. I was in awe of Ed's ability to set the timing on a car (his 59 Chevy 6 or her VW Beetle) by ear. Then we'd check the setting with a timing light--and it was spot on. Some years later (unfortunately after Ed's passing) I did exactly that with my BMW 2002; checking with my dwell meter I was spot on. Ed would have been proud of me. I made a remote starter switch with a couple of lengths of wire, two alligator clips and a momentary (normally off) switch mounted in a little plastic case. A few minutes with a soldering iron and I was in business. ... View more

IIRC ASC did convertible conversions on two lesser-known European platforms: Yugos and Renault Alliances. Regardless of what you might think of the cars (and at least the Alliance was a tidy and long-lived little car--my sister-in-law got over 100k out of one in the salt-rich environment of downstate New York with hardly a hitch) ASC's conversions were both attractive and well-engineered. ... View more

I'm always sad to see almost any old car--but particularly a rare one like this Continental--be allowed to molder away, unprotected. Even a tarp thrown over the car would have helped. Even worse are the owners who, when asked about selling say, "Oh, it's not for sale. I'm gonna restore it one of these days." And that day never comes, and it just deteriorates to the point where restoration is just impossible. For several years I watched a '34 American Austin roadster and a '59 Moretti (with less than 1k miles on the odometer), both uncovered, gradually sinking into the dirt of an open-sided shed. There were two more American Austin roadsters in the guy's barn--no interest in selling. Finally I went by one day, and the house, shed, barn--and cars were all gone and a gas station was under construction on the site. Never was able to find out what happened to the cars. I was, however able to save a '56 Renault 4CV convertible--the only one known in the US--from an actual barn in Indiana that had been flattened by a tornado. So sometimes you luck out. ... View more

Long before Kei vehicles were produced in postwar Japan, tiny cars were the norm in Europe. Fiat started building its original 500 (Topolino) in 1936: 126" long, 569cc four cylinder engine producing 13 hp; top speed 100kph (62 mph). Also came as a panel truck, and after WWII, a wood, then metal bodied station wagon. Austin built the 7, (built in the US as the American Austin, and later the Bantam). Bantams came as commercial vehicles as pickups, station wagons, panel trucks and even the Boulevard Delivery--a roadster front with a panel delivery back end, open over the driver's seat. Crosleys were a little large (and powerful) for Kei standing,though... ... View more

The 300BC used a lot of Fiat Topolino (the original 500) bits and pieces. That radiator with the oddly shaped upper tank is definitely Topolino, and once perched atop the transverse leaf spring front susension, which is also visible just ahead of the engine. The seats also look like Topolino seats. The 1936-55 Topos were the basis for many small Italian cars of the period, from little two seater bodies to drop onto stock Topolino chassis (like our Model T's) to full-out race cars using Topo suspension and larger engines, as with this Siata. Siata also made a twin cam cylinder head for the 569 cc, 13 hp flathead Topolino engine, boosting the horsepower to 28 with the addition of a second Weber carb. The very first Cooper Formula 500 cars used Topolino front suspensions at both ends, giving 4 wheel independent suspension. ... View more

I suspect that it's the manual shift cars that are jumping in price as they become "enthusiast" cars vs "cheap transportation" vehicles, and there will be bargains to be had in the two pedal variety for those who merely want a fun, inexpensive open car to drive. ... View more

Only one...and it was actually my wife's. She decided that the car she absolutely had to have was a shiny new 1985 Buick Century: dark blue, with a blue velour interior--and bench seats. I was able to persuade her to get the heavy duty suspension, the gauge package and Buick's version of the contemporary BMW eta engine--all torque (194 ft lbs) and no hp (121, on 3.8 liters). I warned her that she wasn't gonna be happy with the car's quality...but blue Buick Century it was. At least the A/C worked well. It was problematical from day one--a never-solved electrical problem, paint that started to come off after 18 months, numb handling--and this with the "sport" suspension. I wonder what it was like with the standard suspension. Letters all the way up the Buick food chain produced no satisfaction. Like Rob, we tend to keep our cars for many years, but after four years, she admitted I was right, and she wanted out. We sold it to one of her co-workers with only 64k miles; within 2000 miles the transaxle gave out. It was our first, and last, GM car. She replaced it with an Acura Legend--and a legend it was. She only sold it when it was (1)17 years old and (2) she wanted a small SUV--ending up with a V6 RAV4 with a sport suspension. It steps along right smartly with 269 hp under the hood and handles well for an SUV. ... View more

It'll be interesting to see how many Chevrolet dealerships will have a mechanic who can work on that engine when it needs it...It's a very sophisticated piece of machinery: I suspect it won't suffer fools gladly if they don't know what they're doing. ... View more

It was entirely possible to design/build a subcompct with a rear-mounted,well protected gas tank. Renault did just that with its 4CV (designed during WW II) and the follow-on Dauphine. Both cars had their gas tanks mounted ahead of the rear axle, under the part of the floorboard that formed the riser upon which the rear seat cushion rested. In a car less than 12 feet long, it was 2 1/2 feet from the rear bumper, and mounted low enough so that in a side collision, even another subcompact's bumper (like a VW) would crumple the sheet metal 6-8 inches above the top of the gas tank. I parted out a 4CV that had been broadsided on the right (gas tank side) by a guy on a Harley that hit the car's right rear door (directly in line with the gas tank) with enough force to bend the entire car. The gas tank was undamaged; I took it for a spare. I saw many Dauphines and 4CVs in salvage yards, damaged so badly in a collision that there wasn't any salvageable sheet metal, but the gas tanks were always intact, and I never did see one that was wrecked and burned. So if the French could design that safely tucked-away gas tank location in 1942, why not (pick a US subcompact manufacturer) do so in the 1960s/70s? ... View more

I remember reading that before unification, the East Germans referred to Trabis as "plastic Jaguars." Strangely enough, there's a Trabi in the Museum of the US Air Force, at Wright-Patterson AFB (Dayton, OH). It's part of a life-size diorama that contains a piece of the actual Berlin Wall, a Trabi and an East German couple escaping to the West, using the Trabi's roof to climb over the wall. Apparently they're willing to give up their hard-won car to make a new life in West Germany. The car is properly used-looking, not a pristine restoration as are the aircraft in the museum. ... View more

Had the same problem with my Nissan D21 pickup truck several years ago, but "only" filled one 5 gallon bucket with nuts. My revenge: I took the bucket full of nuts, set it atop a second, upended 5 gallon bucket and put 'em both on my patio table. Then we had a great deal of fun watching several frustrated squirrels--not to mention chipmunks--trying to scale 3 feet of slick plastic to get at all those nuts. They never did. ... View more

Some years ago at Hershey I spotted a pre-WWI limousine with an interior as opulent as the pictured Silver Ghost's, except it was done in shades of violet and...purple. Quite striking, and even more so when I noticed the nameplate. It was a Studebaker! ... View more

Just ask a BMW 2002 owner how much he/she drives each year. We have folks who drive to the annual Mid America 02Fest in Eureka Springs AR every year from as far away as California and Maine. And the Vintage meet in Asheville NC turns out 75-100 2002s every year, in addition to another 450 or so pre-1993 Bimmers... ... View more

Holy cow (or cape buffalo, more appropriately)! I thought my two mid-1960s adventures--driving a 28 hp Renault 4CV from Austin, Texas to Mexico City and back, and driving a 16 hp Fiat Topolino from upstate New York to Ohio--at a maximum speed of 35 mph due to a terrible rod bearing knock--were epic trips, but in neither case did I encounter dirt roads, much less rhinos! ... View more

Growing up in Ft Lauderdale when these cars were new, seeing Eldos--even 53's--wasn't that uncommon. Same with Mark II Lincoln Continentals--including one of the two Mk II convertibles--and other expensive, low production American cars. Jags and Rolls-Royces too. In the late 50s my folks' two Caddys bracketed this '54: a grey 53 and an orange (!) 55--both Fleetwoods. That was the only "Pacific Coral" Fleetwood--or even series 62 sedan--I've ever seen, or even heard of. My Dad picked it up at auction; my Mom tolerated the color for about six months and made Dad repaint it a nice, soothing light blue. I learned to drive--and parallel park--on the '55. My parallel parking practice consisted of balancing two 4x4 timbers on end with perhaps 2 feet of clearance from the bumpers, then maneuvering between 'em to parallel park--and then depart. When I could do it without knocking over the 4x4s, I was ready for my driver's test. Took it in a Chevy, and the parallel parking was a breeze! Even though I drive small cars now (probably a reaction to those road dinosaurs my Dad had) I still have a soft spot in my heart for 53-55 Caddys. ... View more

I wanted a Bugeye when they were new; a friend had one while my ride was a Renault 4CV--other than the floor shift, not very sporty! Finally found a buy-able Bugeye in 1977--the 26th I had looked at over a two year period. I repainted it red (no sense in having a sports car painted white!). I found a reupholstery kit that was a perfect match for the worn original--even down to the Hardura "trunk" mat and a script BMC pushbutton AM radio (positive ground, of course). After all that, it's been sitting for way too many years. Your story makes me want to get it out from under its cover and put it on the road again. ... View more

You're correct in that the Duesenberg ad you mentioned was more impressive, but I think the author was emphasizing the fact that the company ran female-oriented ads in women's magazines--one of the first companies to do so picturing powerful (and rich) women on a par with powerful (and rich) men--the only ones that could afford Duesenbergs at the height of the Depression. In 1932 my folks bought a beautiful 3 bedroom brick house--with a basement--in a Birmingham suburb for $3200; a bare Duesenberg chassis at the time cost over $10k--and then you had to buy a body for it. ... View more

Perhaps I'm a bit biased, but I'd have to nominate the whole run of early (1968-on) BMW ads for the 1600 and then the 2002--that went on to coin the "Ultimate Driving Machine" tag that BMW's used ever since. Prior to the 1600-2 two-door BMW was selling fewer than 3000 cars/year in the US, and hardly anyone not deeply into cars or motorcycles associated BMW with anything other than the Isetta. Those early BMW ads were what introduced Americans to the BMW image that we know today, and the US market was what turned BMW from a small specialty manufacturer to the worldwide company it is today. ... View more

Lots of styling cues on both Corvair specials that ended up in the Opel GT design... ... View more

Although they're vastly different in size, a Renault 4CV (final prototype was finished in early 1946) and a '48 Chevy notchback 4 door sedan. Similar "alligator" hood, flat-top fenders with the headlights faired in, front fenders curving into the front doors, similarly-shaped rear fenders and rear window. In silhouette the resemblance is startling, particularly when you compare the final 4CV design that saw production to the first prototype, developed during WWII (in secret). It looked like an ugly Volkswagen beetle. ... View more

Luddite comment: when I can pack up my electric 4x4 compact pickup truck, drive from Ohio to the NC Outer Banks on two, twenty minute fillups, and upon arriving, drive on the beach down to the high tide mark and bask in the summer sun, I'll consider an EV. That day hasn't come yet, and until either battery technology or charging technology makes a quantum leap, it won't. ... View more

small correction: Cadillac used "Standard of the World" in their ads for over 30 years, not three. ... View more

Too bad there aren't any classic American car ads in the list: Three I can propose, all from the teens, 20s and 30s: Cadillac: Standard of the World--Cadillac used that phrase in its ads for over 3 years Jordan Playboy: "Somewhere West of Laramie"--a classic ad--the first time a car ad sold image rather than the car's mechanicals Duesenberg: "He (or she, depending on the magazine) drives a Duesenberg." No image of the car itself, just a fashionably dressed man or woman with a ritzy home in the background Lots of other great ads since--think of the car ads during WW II that touted how Ford was building B24s, General Motors 6x6 trucks and Studebaker, Weasels, "to win the war." ... View more

In 1900, 38% of all cars sold in the US were electric; 40% were steam, and gasoline-powered cars accounted for only 22% of sales. Then people started venturing out of the cities and hit the open road. Myriad tinkerers messed with IC engines and improved 'em...by 1905, electric cars had only 6.6% of the market. The main reason? range and recharging time. Over a century later, neither problem has been completely solved. IC engines still have greater range and "refuel" considerably faster than EVs... My choice for a modern electric car, resurrected from the turn of the 20th Century: Electrobat... ... View more

First Evinrude Larks (1957 IIRC) were their current 35 hp twin with a much fancier metal cowl (engine cover)--with chrome trim, per the pictures in the article. The "regular" 35 hp motor in the more standard Evinrude blue paint was also offered--the Lark just had a fancier cowl--and was more expensive. In 1959 Evinrude switched to a fiberglass cowl--and again offered the standard motor as well as the Lark trim on the cowl. I believe that in 1960 the horsepower was raised to 40 for both the standard and Lark engines. As for power, I had a 40 hp Lark motor on a 16 foot plywood Carter Craft boat that was quite heavy--the wood hull as well as upper structure was heavier than a fiberglass hull--and I could easily pull a skier with 2-3 people on board. It's funny, though--I grew up in Ft Lauderdale--probably the boating capital of the US in the 50s--and never remember seeing even pictures of the Lark boat either at an Evinrude dealer or in boating magazines... ... View more

OK Sam...we expect to see you and the Weissrat at Mid America 02 Fest in Eureka Springs come September 16-19). The last one (2019) brought out 72 2002s in every condition from pristine to...not so pristine. Having resurrected an '02 that clocked 30 Ohio winters I can sympathize with yours, Ben's and Paul's "adventures in rust mitigation." I think I welded on every panel but the roof and (surprisingly) the floor. See you in September? ... View more

Not terribly exotic, but a much more attainable rocker's vehicle: Bob Marley's square taillight BMW 2002. Bob Marley & the Wailers: BMW... ... View more

From the picture, I thought at first it was a screenside (vegetable wagon) but it was obviously purpose built to haul people. Wonder who the body builder was... Very cool story. ... View more

And if an M3 isn't compatible with your checkbook, check out an E30 318is...Not the sheer straight-line performance of an M3, but with most of the same M3 suspension bits, and a 1.8 liter twin cam that just loooooves to rev. Just as much fun on a twisty road... ... View more

I own a couple of BMW 2002s (the ancestor of their 3 series) and have owned a pair of E30 3ers--one of those much maligned eta-engined sixes--an '87-- and a 91 318is. The eta engine was all torque and no horsepower--121 hp, but 177 lb/ft of torque--mated to a 2.87 final drive and an overdrive 5th gear. Surprisingly good acceleration and over 30 mpg on the highway--with a 2.7 liter six and early 80s EFI technology. Those engines are known for well over 250k miles before any attention other than timing belts. The 318is is a whole 'nother story: same engine as the test car (1766 cc, 134 hp twin cam, 4 valve four) but with a 5 speed and a 4.11 final drive--and it loves to rev. In the US, the M42 engine wasn't even available with an automatic, either in the 318is, the 318i 4 door sedan or the 318i convertible. I was surprised to learn it was so offered in Europe. Had that test car had a 5 speed, it would have been a completely different car. The M42 simply wasn't happy with an automatic unless you shifted the automatic by hand. BMW marketed the 318is in the US as "the 2002 of the 90s" and they were right. Among BMW folks, the E30 3 Series is generally conceded to be the best of the 3ers. A final comment on the test--at least in the US: go to a car show, cruise in or even a German marque meet and count the Audi 80s, MB 190s and BMW 3ers...bet there will be more E30s than Audi 80s and MB 190s combined...Then check BAT to see what they're bringing... ... View more

These preceded blinking turn signals, but never caught on in the US. On the European continent they were referred to as semaphores; in the UK they were "trafficators." Some were mechanically activated by Bowden cable, others were extended with an electromagnet. ... View more

I was in a friend's wedding, and we met at the local men's store to pick up our tuxedos the day of the event. He was driving a Bugeye, and I was in my Renault 4CV. Parking spaces were few and far between in downtown Ft Lauderdale on a Saturday; we could only find one. So we managed to get the Sprite and the 4CV in the same place, fed the meter and off we went. When we came out, a very puzzled meter maid (that's what they called 'em back then) was looking at the cars, but since they were both inside the boundaries and there was time on the meter, there was no reason she could write a ticket. Apparently while we were inside, a news photographer happened by and posed the meter maid with her ticket pad out, looking confused. It was in the paper the next day. Bugeyes were new when I was in high school, and I always wanted one. It took 15 years to gather space and money to start my search; 16 cars later (this was long before the internet) I finally found a nice one, low mileage and un-modified. Even better, unrusted or damaged. It's still in my garage. They're like driving a go-cart with a body. From the driver's seat, not only can you put your hand flat on the pavement, but you look up at Minis and VWs. ... View more

I remember riding in Hyundai Ponys (Ponies?) a common taxicab--while in Korea around 1982 or so. Granted they took a beating, but even so, they were terrible--apparently no shocks, wire and bobbin steering (like an outboard boat of the time) and certainly no padding or springs in the back seats. And in Seoul traffic, it was downright terrifying. When Hyundai first came to the States a few years later, a co-worker bought one; everything broke on it--even the door handles. After a year she traded it on a Subaru with 211,000 miles, and drove it another 100k with no problems; not even the driver's seat upholstery was worn after 300k miles. Hyundai (and Kia) have come a long way in the past 25 or so years--their 100k warranty (and concurrent quality improvements) saved them in the US. ... View more

R4s were also built in Mexico by Dina (Diesel Nacional). I briefly owned one in Texas back in the mid-60s. It had a fatal engine problem and was abandoned at a friend's shop by its Mexican owner. No way to get a title for it, so I swapped it to a Renault dealer in San Antonio for some parts I needed for my 4CV. The dealer got it running, put dealer plates on it and used it to pick up parts for his shop. And the Renault 5 wasn't really a replacement for the 4; the 5 was more like a French Mini, while the 4 was far more basic and utilitarian. Not a sporty bone in its body. ... View more

I'd just be happy with a real "compact" pickup truck. My '72 Datsun was 172" long with an 84 inch bed; my '81 was 183" with the same size bed; my 94 was 191" with the same size bed, and my 2007 Nissan Frontier is 206" long...with the same size bed. Now some of that extra length is extended cab, but the 81 and the 94 were both extended cab trucks. My current Nissan--and its competitors from Toyota, Ford and Chevrolet are about the same size as a "full size" pickup from the 50s. Yeah, I like the extended cab (not a crew cab) but how about a little shrinkage? ... View more

My first (and actually only) experience with a type 2 VW was as a sixth grader back in 1955-56. The school I attended had a "fleet" of three, 21 window, sunroof-equipped '55 Microbuses that they used as school buses. Apparently the only way you could get a passenger Microbus back then was with the upper windows and cloth sunroof. We never could persuade the driver to let us open the sunroof, despite the school being in Ft Lauderdale. ... View more

The easiest way to get your oil pressure up and going before that first stop (presuming your engine has an oil pump) is to pull the coil wire and then crank the engine until either the oil pressure light goes out or you're showing pressure on the gauge. That has the secondary benefit of pulling gas into the carb (again, presuming a mechanical pump). Dunno about US or Japanese carbs, but both Solex and Weber downdrafts have accessible float chamber vents. With a small funnel, squeeze bulb (like an ear syringe) or small squirt bottle you can fill the float chamber with gas via this vent. Then the engine will start almost immediately--no long cranking periods to draw gas the length of the car. ... View more

Seeing the picture with that rear wheel tucking under and the tire deforming, I knew what was coming next. I drove a Renault 4CV for 15 years and know the feeling--although I never rolled one. Essentially it's a half scale Tatra in terms of drivetrain layout, weight distribution (31% front, 69% rear) and power. Early in the production run, Renault modified the rack & pinion steering to try and compensate for those swing axles by installing a return spring inside the steering box that's so powerful the steering will center itself from left or right lock with the car sitting still. I helped mine a little more with an Empi Camber Compensator (you VW Beetle folks know what that is) and actually won my class in several dozen autocrosses--on those very same Michelin X tires. Throttle steering around a decreasing radius on-ramp--with 28 hp--was great fun. I suspect that Tatra (as well as my 4CV) with fully independent rear axles would have had excellent handling--just like the 1965-on Corvairs vs the earlier ones. And I've gotta remember the line “the uneasy exhilaration which may be got from shampooing a lion.” ... View more

It was a long time ago (1963 or possibly 1964) but I remember seeing one on the street in Ft Lauderdale FL--must have been summer otherwise I wouldn't have been home from college. When I first caught a glimpse of it broadside in traffic, I thought it was a 61-63 T-bird; in profile there was a resemblance, at least at a glance. Then when I moved ahead and saw the front end, I immediately recognized it having seen pictures in the newspaper and car magazines. A view of that unique rear end confirmed it was a Turbine Car. Then i was close enough to hear that turbine whine, so there was no doubt. This was long before cell phone cameras, and most folks didn't drive around with a camera, so all I have is the memory. But what a great memory! ... View more

There was an actual Lloyd importer in the US (Lloyd was a product of Borgward, which was much better known in the US--and a better built car), and they were based in Ft Lauderdale,with cars coming in to Port Everglades. They must have sold a fair number in South Florida, at least for awhile, because they started springing up in backyards, on blocks, and junkyards all over Florida's lower East Coast. The last one I saw was in an Ohio junkyard around 1971-72. I snagged the wheels and tires off it for my Fiat Topolino. The tires (4.25/15) fit but the wheels, although appearing identical (2.5j x 15) wouldn't fit the Fiat. I think the Lloyd's wheels are 4 x 100 mm bolt pattern and the Fiat's, 4.x 98. mm.. Still have those Lloyd wheels... ... View more

Excellent story, Lyn, and so nicely written. Having driven long distances in primitive-for-the 60s cars, I have great respect for Alice Ramsey and her cohorts. "Back in the day" folks who didn't want a broken wrist from hand-cranking knew to always pull the starting handle, not push it. That way if the engine kicked back, it would simply pull the handle out of your hand instead of giving you a smart rap. AFAIK Renault was the last company to build cars that could be hand-cranked (1971 R-10). In 1966 the starter solenoid died on my daily driver 4CV, and a new one was a week away. When I couldn't find a slope to park on so that I could roll-start the car, I started it with a hand crank--and no manual spark advance. My father-in-law gave me the pull-don't-push tip to keep my wrist intact. ... View more

It all depends on how you started out messing with cars. My first car(s) were European, with quoted metric dimensions for bore and stroke, displacement, valve size etc. So that's what I became used to. If I see an engine displacement quoted in cubic inches, I have to mentally divide that by 60 to come up with liters--same with bore and stroke. But since gasoline and oil come in quarts and gallons here in the US, I have to convert the other way when sump and gas tank capacities are quoted in liters. The folks in Nicaragua were in a reverse situation up until a few years ago. While Nicaragua went metric many years ago, all the gas stations there sold gas (but not oil or other products) in gallons, not liters. They finally recalibrated their pumps so they now dispense in liters. ... View more

I realize it's not a 1971 movie, but the original "Italian Job" (1969) had one of the most amazing movie car stunts I've ever seen: a Mini-Cooper jumps through the open doors of a boxcar while the train is moving. No CGI then, and it's obvious from the film this is real--no models, no fakery. True, the train is moving pretty slowly, but it's still moving, and when you consider the physics of timing that jump so that the car is neither too early and hits the edge of the boxcar's entry door, nor too late and hits the edge of the exit door...I've often wonder how many Minis were written off practicing that scene... All in all those chase scenes were much better than those in the re-make. ... View more

"Then there's the '38 Peugeot that looks like an XK-120 after way too much pot." Actually it's the other way 'round...The Peugeot was penned nearly 15 years before the XK120 saw the light of day...and the XK took its inspiration from several pre-war French cars... ... View more

Apropos of your comments on the X Type Jaguar brings two similar situations to mind: Cadillac and its Cimarron--a debacle that Cadillac managed to survive--but forever cheapened the brand, and the more complex downfall of Packard--a process that took 22 years. While Packard's 1936 introduction of the Buick-priced 120--and later the even less expensive 110, probably saved the company from bankruptcy during the Depression, it forever cheapened the brand in the eyes of those who could afford a "proper" Packard. By the early 1950s, once the post WW II pent-up demand for cars subsided, Packard couldn't compete with the likes of the Big Three and came (too) late to the table with the required V8 and automatic transmission, forcing first a merger with Studebaker, and then the final ignominy of Studebakers badged as Packards--the American equivalent of a Morris badged as a Wolseley. In a similar vein, BMW marketed its E36 Three series hatchback (the 318i) as an entry level BMW, equipping it with the least powerful engine available in the US market despite more powerful versions being available overseas. In doing so, they shut out the enthusiast market who would have snapped up the more powerful 6 cylinder versions in the lightest body (their previous success with the 2002). And the resulting poor sales caused BMW to forever eschew the "hot hatch" market in the US, allowing domination by VW and other brands. WRT the Mustang E--to use a shopworn phrase, "putting lipstick on a pig..." ... View more