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

"Transfusion" by Nervous Norvis...You Tube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbhvZ2y1V80 "Crazy 'Bout a Mercury"--the original 1948 version, AKA "Mercury Boogie" or "Mercury Blues." ... View more

Along the same lines, observe the evolution of Japanese trucks--especially those built for and sold in the US market. Early Datsuns and Toyotas that came into the US were pretty crude and basic--very much like US-made pickups from before (and just after) WW II. This primarily because in Japan of the 50s and 60s (like the US before WW II), trucks were used for commercial purposes, not in lieu of cars for family transportation. US truck builders discovered a market for fancier, better-equipped pickups in the mid-50s; it took Japanese manufacturers well into the 70s to discover this for their growing US market. Contrast a Datsun 521 truck (1967-1972) with its successor, the 620 or even more so, the 720 from the early-mid 80s. My '72 Datsun 521 had 7 leaf rear springs and was rated (everywhere but the US, for import duty reasons) at 1000 pounds; elsewhere the rating was 1000 kilos. Empty it rode like a buckboard; the heater control was in the passenger footwell, manual drum brakes, manual steering etc. My 81 720 had factory air, power disk brakes, a plush interior with carpeting and even (the original) extended cab. And three leaf rear springs. Softer ride, but much less load capacity. The evolution of pickups has paralleled that of SUVs, just has a longer path. I read somewhere that fewer than 6% of 4x4 trucks are actually driven off-road...but the bragging rights are great! PS--I'm one of those 6%--I love beach driving... ... View more

That happened to me very early in my automotive ownership career. I was driving my recently acquired Renault 4CV--my first car--down the street in Ft Lauderdale when I noticed a wheel rolling along beside me, finally pulling a little ahead. My first thought was "That's odd." My next thought was, "Hey that wheel has only three lug nut holes, just like my Renault's." The third, almost instantaneous thought was, "That is my wheel." Unlike Rob's adventure, the car didn't drop down on its right front brake drum, bur remained balanced on its three remaining wheels. 4CVs have a 30-70 rearward weight bias, and with the driver counterbalancing on the left side, there wasn't enough weight on the right front to cause the car to drop onto its brake drum. I was able to safely pull to the roadside and retrieve the wheel. And since Renaults of that era had bolted-on hubcaps, I found all three lug nuts safely imprisoned under the hubcap. I barely had to jack the car up to reinstall the wheel, and went on my way. But I've never forgotten to tighten a lug nut since--once while on the jack, then the second time on the ground, this time with a torque wrench. ... View more

Bet they're not running a feline rescue agency... ... View more

Absolutely agree--my daily driver for 14 years was a 28 hp Renault 4CV (gradually enhanced to a screaming 40 or so hp with a little old-fashioned hot-rodding). I drove it well over 100000 miles, through 20 US states, another half-dozen in Mexico, and crossed Kenosha pass--10000 ft in Colorado. I even (successfully) autocrossed it. Learning how to drive a slow car quickly is a great education for handling more powerful machines. I've also clocked more than a few miles in a 1948 Fiat Topolino--the high-powered OHV version--16 1/2 hp vs it's flathead predecessor's 13. That included a 400+ mile trip from upstate NY to SW Ohio when it was unrestored, and limited to about 35 mph by a very ominous rod bearing knock. But I made it. Both are great fun to drive, and handle surprisingly well. ... View more

In the spring of 1972, recently returned from Vietnam, I finished restoring my '48 Fiat Topolino coupe, rescued from a backyard before it could be turned into a Gasser dragster. I spent most of the summer being turned away from cars shows because they didn't have a class for "postwar" (that's WWII) cars. Since my '48 was identical body-wise with the prewar Topolinos, I could have entered it as a '38 and no one would have been the wiser. But I didn't, and remembered this treatment. A few years later, I was at a car show where all imports were lumped into a single class, regardless of age or body style. My correctly restored Topo was thus in the same class with a rather raggedly 300LS M-B roadster--who took the trophy. During the judging I overheard one judge exclaim to the other, "We'll have to point this Fiat down because the headliner is made from seat upholstery material." At this point I had to intervene, and pointed out that the entire interior was original, and that in postwar Europe material shortages meant that they used what they had to keep the production line from stopping. My car was built for export to either Belgium or the Netherlands, and was exported with no tires or light bulbs due to shortages of both in Italy. It came to me with Dutch Englebert tires and Phillips light bulbs--and a Belgian coin under the floormats. I learned my lessons from these (and many other) incidents, and at our club shows and cruise-ins, there are classes and spaces for all car enthusiasts, regardless of age or interest. And we all have fun learning from each other. PS--I will admit to one bit of snobbery--as the owner of a pre-1974 BMW 2002, I still tease my friends with later Bimmers that "real BMWs have round tail lights." ... View more

I was kinda pleased when the 360 started to infest our shores...it was the only car my '48 Fiat Topolino could out-drag. Always thought it would be fun to have a proper match race at a drag strip between a 360 and my Topolino. Moving up a few horsepower--and weight--my Renault 4CV would absolutely blow the doors off a Subie... ... View more

At the opposite end of the woody spectrum--at least in size--is the American Bantam woody wagon--AFAIK the smallest US true woody built--not very practical from a cargo hauling standpoint, but impossibly cute. Across the pond Fiat built a few hundred Topolino woody wagons between 1949 and 1951, when they became all-steel. The '49's carried the 1936 styling, while the 50s and 51s reflected more contemporary front end sheet metal. The Topo wagons were three inches longer than their coupe counterparts (129 vs 126 inches) and reflecting their cargo hauling--actually pretty respectable with the back seat folded, consider its size--had a 5.12 differential vs the coupe's 4.87. There are only two '49's known in the US, and fewer than a half dozen 50 &51 models. And like the Bantams, they are true woodys from the cowl back. ... View more

BMW has become a victim of its own success, trying to be all things to all people, and not doing nearly as well as they did when their focus was on sporting sedans and coupes. As a BMW owner for nearly 52 years (the same car!), I think I'll stick with my 2002s, and their 1990's equivalent, an E30 318is. None of the new ones really interest me--too large, too heavy, too complicated and too full of geegaw gadgets. ... View more

"VW’s Beetle—known for its simple air-cooled powertrain and novel, stamped floorpan chassis—was the first vehicle to use the process." Don't believe that VW was the first vehicle to be shipped CKD--Ford did that with Model T's back in the 20s, or perhaps even earlier. The extensive auto industry throughout Latin America began with CKD kits, and progressed to full manufacturing as the markets grew, and local content laws proliferated. Volkswagen had to get creative to meet Mexican local content laws, which required engine blocks to be produced locally (within Mexico). Unfortunately at that time there were no facilities in Mexico that could cast and machine magnesium, so VW negotiated with the government and ended up producing (IIRC) transaxles locally to "swap" for engine block production. I visited the VW plant in Puebla as part of my Master's Thesis research (what a deal--a car guy doing his thesis on auto manufacturing!) and found almost every primary part--sheet metal--floor pan, running gear--produced in Mexico. ... View more

Those three-bolt wheels give it away as having Renault underpinnings. That Type 688 engine from the R-10 was a very robust unit; a refinement of the 662/670 engine originally used first in the 4CV of 1948. The R8/R10 engine had 5 main bearings (vs 3 of the earlier engine), but retained the wet liner block design, pushrod OHV, and an aluminum head. In normal trim it was good for a bit more than 50 hp from its1108 cc. With a Gordini hemi-head (still pushrod actuated) and dual Solex 40phh sidedraft carbs, that same 1108 cc was good for 105 hp...in 1964. The Warrior, with its lightweight plastic body (Uniroyal "Royalite" was also popular for boat construction as it was easier to mold than fiberglass) would have flat flown with 105 hp! ... View more

Renault had a couple of interesting, and I think unique semi-automatics/automatically-shifted stick shifts. In the 1950s they had the Ferlec clutch. It replaced the flywheel and was full of powdered iron. the powder was energized by electromagnets embedded in the housing and powered via contacts that rode on brass rings on the housing's exterior. A microswitch in the shift lever's base de-energized the electromagnets, thus decoupling the engine from the gearbox and allowing the driver to shift. Releasing the lever energized the electromagnets and locked up engine and gearbox. You had to learn not to leave your hand on the shift lever unless you were shifting. In 1963 Renault came up with an even slicker mechanism: a three-speed manual transmission shifted electrically and automatically. It too used a powdered-iron/electromagnet "clutch" that would de-energize when the car's speed fell below 1-2 mph. With the "D" pushbutton selected, from rest, when the driver stepped on the gas, in sequence, a solenoid closed a flap in the intake manifold, cutting off gas/air flow to the engine. Then the power to the clutch's electromagnets was cut, decoupling engine from tranny. Next, a solenoid selected first gear in the manual gearbox. Finally the clutch was re-energized, the manifold flap opened and off you went. This all happened in about 3/4 of a second. The system went through the same routine in the 2-3 shift. Flooring the accelerator would kick down a gear if the engine revs would allow, and it could be shifted manually by pressing the appropriate "L", "2" or "D" buttons on the dash. This was all done electrically (no electronics) using the speedometer cable as the trigger to determine speeds. Extraordinarily clever, but with some fragile components: the clutch contact brushes were too small and exposed to weather, and the shift solenoid allowed tranny oil to leak into it, gumming up the works. It actually got better gas mileage than a conventional manual, but was weird to drive, as it shifted just like a manual, but all by itself. ... View more

Although I learned to drive (way back in the last century) on a '55 Cadillac Fleetwood (taking my driver's test in a Chevy, especially the parking part, was a breeze!), I've never been a fan of large cars, and have never owned anything larger than a mid-size pickup truck.    But I do keep up with things automotive, regardless of make and size.  Since the demise of Cadillac's previous naming nomenclature (Fleetwood, Coupe de Ville, Eldorado--heck, even Cimarron!) I've not been able to figure out what's what with Cadillac models.  There seems to be no rhyme or reason to those alpha-numeric designations...and I'm sure that confusion really extends to the non-car buff buyers...   At least with their competition (BMW and M-B) you know the higher the number, the larger the car.  If Cadillac made (and properly marketed) a true competitor to the BMW 2--or even 4 series,  they could lower the Cadillac buyer's average age to below 60....     ... View more

BMW E36 318ti cars are well into this price range, and while not endowed with the six cylinder engines that were available in Europe (323ti), more than one enthusiast has dropped an E36 M3 motor into a ti.  It's a bolt-in, as the body was engineered to take the six cylinder engine.  The M3 nearly doubles the hatch's horsepower and at least triples the fun factor!  Even a "normal" E36 six cylinder engine is a nice hp improvement over the four.    BMW blew it with their US marketing strategy on this model--it was billed as an "entry level" BMW; they built a Rabbit but never offered the GTI in the States.   ... View more

In the toolbox I keep in the car:  a 3 x 5 " chunk of 1/4" steel plate, and a similar-sized piece of angle iron, also 1/4" thick.  When away from your shop, they're great for use as a small anvil or stable surface for beating on, either individually or as a (very) small "table."  In the shop, I have an 18" piece of mainline railroad rail, excellent as an anvil or to form curved surfaces using the curved surface atop the rail .  And also a rectangular block of machined steel, about 3 x 4 x 6"--bought at a scrapyard, perfect for making sharp 90 degree bends in sheet metal--steel or aluminum, when forming small brackets etc.   ... View more

You can still buy a really nice carbureted BMW 1600/2002 for well under $15k.  I'd also add to the list most any BMW E30 Three series (1984-91) other than an M3--some of the more popular--and low mileage--models are creeping over the $15k barrier, but many nice ones are available--and not just the plain Jane 4 door sedans. ... View more

I once rescued a damsel in distress whose (pre GM) SAAB had stalled--in the left turn lane, on a cold rainy night.  No spark situation caused by points that had completely closed up.  Reset 'em with a screwdriver and a business card, which happened to be just the right thickness...Off she went--and probably made it all the way home.     ... View more

Best thing I ever found in a car I bought:  a 14k gold charm, under the back seat, with the inevitable petrified french fries.  This was several years after I bought the car, and by then the Air Force seller had been transferred.  Nearly 20 years later, I noticed his name in an AF publication, and called to see if it was the same guy. It was, so I told him about the charm.  Seems his wife had received it as a bridesmaid gift--he was amazed I still had it.  But who throws away 14k gold?  I sent it back to him to be reunited with its original recipient.   ... View more