One of the cars that saved Chrysler On the verge of bankruptcy several times but always seemed to come up with something new to keep the lights on, and this week's spot is a great example, a 1996 Plymouth Voyager I discovered tucked away on the back lot of a car dealership, looking sad. A... Continue Reading →
Car Spot: 62 Auto Union 1000SP
German styling with an American influence Auto Union found itself in a bit of a pickle in the late 1950s. Other European manufacturers had models that fit right in with the emerging sports coupe market, such as VW's Kharman Ghia and Mercedes-Benz's 190 SL Auto Union had nothing to offer and desperately needed a new,... Continue Reading →
Truck Spot: 1977 Jeep J-10 Honcho
This week's spot, a 77 Jeep J-10 Honcho, is a perfect example of a rugged, functional, and distinctive American pickup that became a cult classic for its blend of capability and style. It came standard with an AMC 360 V8 engine, often with a 4-barrel carburetor, and Dana 4-wheel drive. After AMC had acquired Jeep... Continue Reading →
Car Spot: 1973 Ford Maverick
Ford's import fighter There were a couple of things going on in the late 70s that kept the American auto manufacturers busy. One was the invasion of the market by cheap imports like the VW Beetle, Datsun 510, and Toyota MkII. The other thing going on, and the reason these cars sold so well, was... Continue Reading →
Car Spot: 73 AMC Levi’s Gremlin
The start of an automotive fashion movement I get a lot of abuse for being such an American Motors geek. Part of it comes from my dad working there for 27 years in the Parts Division located in Milwaukee, but just thought they were cool. I know, it's a relative term. They always were able... Continue Reading →
Car Spot: Radial Meyers Manx
1 of just 6 built My day as a volunteer at EAA's AirVenture in Oshkosh has me leaving from Camp Scholler, taking me by the main gate, and on to KidVenture where I give kids a chance to fly a radio control airplane. Well, one day, out of the corner of my eye, I see... Continue Reading →
Car Spot: 58 Austin Healy Sprite
People go buggy for this "Bug Eye" There are some cars that will always get noticed at a car show, one of them this week's spot, a 58 Austin Healy Sprite I found at the Automobile Gallery of Green Bay on one of my recent, and frequent trips up there to visit my car buddy... Continue Reading →
Car Spot: Subaru 360
From the guy who brought you the Yogo and Bricklin SV-1 You can call Malcom Bricklin a lot of things, but one thing is for sure is an entrepreneur. Long before he dreamed up his Bricklin SV-1 he found a niche acquiring the rights to import the Subaru 360, this tiny kei car in 1968,... Continue Reading →
Car Spot: 57 Rambler Rebel
America's first muscle car In the 1950s, American Motors ads boasted: “Why don’t we enter high-performance Rambler V-8s in racing? Because the only race Rambler cares about is the human race.” This was the George Romney era at AMC from 54 to 62, and his focus was entirely on compact and economy cars, showing no... Continue Reading →
Car Spot: 1st gen Datsun 240Z
Remember Datsun? Well, it's Nissan now and the Z car was one of its earliest successes in the US market.