There is a lot of emphasis on numbers for production when it comes to collector cars and I get that, who wouldn’t what a low product something or other.
So I got to thinking about production numbers and thought it would be interesting post some up from time to time.
Now in 1902 there weren’t many cars being produced but there were 8 makers.
Nicola Romeo is credited with setting the foundation for Italian car maker Alfa Romeo. What a lot of folks don’t know is that Alfa was a car manufacturer before Nicola came around.
Afla stood for Anonima Lombardo Fabbrica Automobili and began production in Milan in 1910. They actually produced French cars (the Darracq) under a license, all hand built.
Darracq 1906
Nicola had an engineering degree from Turin. He first worked with mining equipment and eventual purchased Alfa’s plant in Portello.
His management skills and love of racing helped build this car .company in to a lasting enterprise.
Although, apparently their latest offering to the U.S. market of the Giulia, was not well received, design wise and the parent companies Fiat–Chrysler killed it until 2013.
This one was in the parking lot of the a local auto parts store Checker’s or O’Rielly’s….or….all those mergers are making hard to have common name that everyone can related too (remember when there was just NAPA….can’t find them very often).
1969 Chevelle 454 Restored shell
This 1969 Chevelle was merely as shell…oh but is extremely well done restoration. The paint was excellent (makes ya wonder why it was being dragged round uncovered), the inside of the shell had been as expertly sprayed as the exterior..it was almost a shame to put in the interior in there.
Reproduction gauges and not much in the way of interior yet.
The badge on the car shows that this car housed or will house 454. But however, the 454 didn’t show up on the scene until until 1970 so this must be a retro fit.
You can see the big power plant is missing.
It looks absolutely ready to for dropping that monster engine back in and hitting the strip. Hey I don’t even mind the wheels!!!
Didn’t find the owner (or driver) , part store was crowded.
Of course this isn’t a 1970, I’ll update the data a bit later.
Some 1970 Chevelle facts:
– The 454 was produced between 1970 thru 1976.
– It produced 450 hp configured with 4bbl carb
– It was designated the LS6 with 475 ftlbs of torque and 9.0:1 compression ratio
The majority of the Chevelle’s (approx. 13,000) had V8 in 1970 and approx. 10,000 had 6 cylinders.
So you are out at the mall or grabbing some groceries at the store and you are headed back to your car in the parking lot and you catch something out of the corner of your eye. It’s out of the ordinary, it really shouldn’t be there, especially parked between that 1998 Honda with almost no paint and the huge Cummings Diesel pick up with a bench car seat bungy corded to the tie downs in the bed, but there it is, glowing and out-of-place.
That is what these segments will be about. Sometime there will be comments from the owner and sometimes I won’t have a chance to chat with them. There is a fine line between loving cars and stalking. (Standing around while your milk getting warm and your ice cream is leaking out of the hole in the plastic bag, waiting for the owner is on the line. Hey..it only happened once!!!…Come on now!!!..You’ve done it!!!)
Wandering around Southern Arizona wine country, we pulled into the one of the winery’s parking lots and I spied this beauty.
1964 Lincoln Continental Love the shape of the grill.
Yes! Convertible with suicide doors.
I’m on the fence with these wheels, but it’s still great looking.
Some 1964 Lincoln Continental facts:
Sales for that year was 32,969 roughly and approximately only 3,328 convertibles were sold. The other option was a 4 door sedan (no two door coupe? I’ll have to check on that). The vert was sold for $6,938 and the sedan was about $700 less.
Only one engine was available for the Lincoln and that was the 430 with 320 hp. Which was good because the car weighted 5,000 lbs. It was paired up with a 3 speed auto transmission which helped it reach the top speed of 110 m/h.
Longer wheel base was about 2 inches longer then the previous years at 126 inches.
At the entrance. Here are two of the cars that are up for raffling. There is also the a vette you can “try on”. In this clip I stated that the vettes at the end of the building were there for customer to sit. No true. That is where the code R is fulfilled. Code R is for delivery at the NCM. You can view a 1984 C4 in the window.
It’s the technology that can take a stock small block Chevy engine produce 420 hp and still get reasonable mpg’s. It’s the technology that kicks in the Active Handling when you get yourself in trouble ( I personally drive with it off).
But it’s the technology that can be troublesome and cause confusion.
My 2007 C6 has equal to or in some areas more technology them my wife’s 2011 Lexus RX. Her car will let you know when the tire pressure is low, the Corvette lets you monitor it was you drive, right on the Driver Information Center (DIC) and you can toggle between front and rear. However my Corvette has nasty habit of giving me a false reading every now a then – gives me the “ding ding” warning and then prompts me that my is flat..not just low pressure, but straight to flat and then warns me not go to over 55 miles per hours. The computer assumes you have run flat tires and that it’s safe to do so. Of course there is nothing wrong with my tires pressure, (however, I always pull over to check it anyway with $1800 worth of rims and as much in rubber, you can’t be too careful). Normally it clear up after a while.
Another interesting glitch is the “headlights suggested” warning. That’s great but in the middle of a bright sunny Arizona day? Happens all the time. It darkens the dash so I can’t read it and then as some point it goes away and allows me to continue with just the daytime running light.
Every now and then the light for the passenger air bag show on, without a passenger.
One of other glitches which isn’t technology based, however none-the-less interesting. It’s emerging now that, that C6 Corvettes with manual 6 speed transmission does not shift well in cold weather. I’m not talking 85 degree below zero, I’m talking just under 50 degrees (above zero). I live in southern AZ where under 50 degree weather isn’t as common as else where in the country. How do those of you in northern climates adjust?. The most common issue is that the driver is unable to shift into reverse. That is the issue for my 07. Others have reported not being able to reach 3rd and 4th gears.
How about the known issue with the removal roof? It often becomes unseated and squeaks unmercifully. The quick solution is to stop the car, unlatch and lift the top and the re-latch. First ride I took my wife on, give her the impression that I got a lemon.
So are the glitches worth it? Is the prestige of owning a world reknowned sports car worth the glitches? Is 420 plus horsepower and suspension that sticks to the curves like a fly on flypaper?
