Here are your #AutoFactoids for the week up Jan 17, 2016.
Jan 17, 1903 Cadillac introduces its first car at Madison Square Garden
1903 Cadillac
I say ‘car’, some say ‘horseless carriage’. Regardless it was a high-end run-about powered by 1.6 liter, 1 cylinder/2 value engine – producing 6.5 hp to haul around it’s 1300 plus lbs.
Jan 17, 1953 Chevy introduces the Corvette at a Motorama show in NYC
From the 1953 Motorama – Corvette Display
Jan 17, 1956 Ford becomes a public company
They offered 10.2 million shares of stock at $63.00 each – shares opened at $64.50 and closed at $69.50. Today Ford stock is running around $12.00.
Jan 20, 1942 Chevy ceases car production to help support war effort.
As United States as drawn into WWII the Federal government asked the car companies to stop production new cars. The metals and rubber were in short supply and providing the military with these items was the first priority. Most of the car manufacturers retooled to help the war effort. Chevy produced the T-17 Staghound armored scout cars in Flint, Mich. These cars were armed with 37 mm Cannon. Production began in Oct. of 1942 and 3,800 were produced through April 1944.
Jan 21, 1954 Turbo Cruiser Bus produced – the 1st gas turbine engine vehicle
Auto Factoids for the week of Aug 26, 2012. Cadillac Runabout, 1902. 1902 Cadillac Runabout. 1902 Cadillac. 1. Pinned from. Uploaded by user. Pin it. Like.
I seriously like the lines of this car!! Auto Factoids for the Week of Jan 18, 2014 http://wp.me/p2YxYx-3d4. my Mum had one of these in dark green.. this one from …
Sometimes the Automotive Journalism world is so off track – pun intended – that they cross the line where “reporting” becomes “tabloid babble”.
Take the headline “MUSTANG BEATS CORVETTE!!!” “America Meet Your New Sports-Car King”.
That is quite a statement gracing the cover of the Feb 2016 issue of Car and Driver. But their criteria by which they obtain their conclusion is as lame as comparing the Corvette C7 with the Mustang GT350 cars. With misleading emphasis placed on things that are just plain ridiculous like ‘The Corvette’s seats are not as supportive…as the Mustang’s GT350’s Recaros.” they arrived at a score of 202 to 200 in favor of the Mustang.
It’s true that in ‘their’ numbers that matter to car guys the Mustang bested the Vette in 30-50 mph and 50-70 mph and tied in the 0-150 mph. That’s it!! Even by their numbers the Corvette spanked the Mustang in 15 areas including acceleration, chassis, weight, fuel, and sound level.
In what they call the ‘final results’ both cars are tied in the category they titled ‘VEHICLE’. This included such vague terms as “Driver Comfort” and “Ergonomics”. But the kicker was the Features/Amenities where Vette scored 10 out of 10 and the Mustang 2 out of 10. Combine this with a “as-tested-price” where Mustang got a 20 out of 20 and the Corvette received a 15 out of 20.
Am I the only one that realizes if you have more “Features/Amenities” the cost will be higher?
Even with that huge swing Corvette still wins by one point when you include their Power Train numbers (49 Stang – 51 Vette) and Chasiss (56 Stang to 55 Corvette). Total score at this point is Corvette 178 and Mustang 177.
To push the Mustang over the top they added the all important “Fun To Drive” category, where they give the Mustang the full 25 available points and passed out a 22 to the Corvette.
This is such a stretch and so subjected that making such a declaration and then gracing the cover is like reading a cheap tabloid new article – The “Kardashian’s” are extraterrestrials stranded here when their Bentley Bentayga got a rip in one of the $5508 rear folding bucket seats. (Insert grainy pic of an over priced cross-over with a Kardashian look-a-like screaming at the site of the defective upholstery.)
Shame on you Car and Drive!! I have half a mind to return that super cheap “free” cap you sent me for subscribing!!!! (But I think my German Shepherd chewed the visor off.)
It just a great way to start the New Year, firing up the project car and take it for a quick jaunt down the road. Of course the car is ‘under construction” but still have to take out for a short distance.
The ’73 Stang is a long ways from being completed and yeah…I would be taking it out on the freeway just yet, but I does need to get driving.
My New Years resolution for #ProjectSportsRoof? “Get Her Done!” Next Years Day’s video will be 100% different from this one!!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
Rare trip. Just far enough to get the engine hot, take the C6 transmission through the gears and top out at about 70 mph.
These little snippets are by chance photos of interesting cars.
During a trip to Jerome, AZ I was investigating this nicely cared for 1969 Chevy Nova.
Great Body Style
Love the Poverty Caps
Got the Camaro taillights.
The ’69 Nova was really just a pedestrian car and perhaps the worse evolution possible of the Chevelle, Chevy II of the early ’60. (Of course it got much worse in the late ’70s and early ’80s!!!)
These came in 3 main engine groups….4, 6 and 8 cylinders – yes 4 cylinders!!! There were 6,103 4 cylinders produced (make them a rather rare find in original condition), 157,400 6 cylinders and 88,400 V-8s ( 17,654 of those were in Super Sport trim). The horse power ranged from a weak 90 hp to meager (by todays standards) 200 hp.
As I was standing back to get the little more distance on the shot I noticed something in the view finder:
In the background
Getting closer
Oh so nice!!!
And a wave!!!
Yes a very nice ’71 or ’72 Mustang. One year later I’d own a 1973 Mustang, the last of the big ‘Stangs!!!
So this is my last post for 2015.
I wish all of my readers/followers and other fellow gear heads, car nuts, car peeps a super New Year and all the best in 2016!!
Coming up in 2016 I’ll be working straight out to finish the 1973 Mustang Sports Roof (#ProjectSportsRoof) – got to get is show ready in the next year – so keep checking back for updates (floor pan, vacuum system and much more coming up next month). We also will attempt to get pod-casts rolling but you’ll also be able to keep up on our hobby with C.N.N. (Car News Now), special pieces on the 351 Cleveland engine and more parking lot spotlights, AutoFactoids (#AutoFactoids), Engine Line Ups and much more.
See you all in 2016 – maybe at Barrett Jackson in Scottsdale, AZ Jan 23, 2016?
I don’t often post up cars on Craig’s list or elsewhere, but I happened to run to the owner filling up the Ranchero at the Shell station down the street.
The pics in this post are from the Craig’s list ad, but I can tell you body is in great shape and straight. The wheels are awesome looking. The engine sounds strong and the interior is in great shape.
Take a look at these pics and it looks even better in person.
Has the 400 in it…very cool (only a 2bbl carb….needs 4bbl – easy) Will need a transmission – easy to find a used one.
Wheels are great looking. Engine was pretty clean. Interior was great condition. Sounded awesome!!!
Body was in great shape. Originally delivered to DSO 74 (Seattle), so it’s a west coast car.
Thanks for checking back on #ProjectSportsRoof. Progress is being made and I’d like to finish up these post on the install of the Mach 1 grille on this ‘plain old’ sports roof.
This was pretty much straight forward, with a small change.
If you recall on the last post we started with a NOS Mach 1 grille I acquired from Ebay…..SCORE!!!
NOS in original box
Box label – so what? Hey it’s cool!!!
For now I’m using the signal lights from the old grille and a new proper pony badge.
New Pony Badge
The new badge is different from the original (that being just a large Mustang running), which I preferred. Of course this new badge is made in Taiwan and not as sturdy as I would have liked. In fact while tightening the one of the nuts provided the prong sheered off. Luckily there were enough threads to make it secure.
Here it is installed:
Here are a couple of videos on the install.
Now there are still a few thing I need to buy to finish up the grille:
This is the wrap up on the compression testing for the 1973 Mustang w/ a 1972 351 Cleveland power plant. You’ll might have notices that I referred to the remote tester, which is my code for remote starter…yeah…that’s it!!! All of these tests were dry test and I should have done a …
As with most plastic exterior trim pieces on Arizona cars, the original grille in #ProjectSportsRoof has seen better days. Although this one is still mostly intact, it is brittle with a few missing tabs. Couple that with the look of the Mach I grille for the 1973 Mustang and I have to say I really like the look of it better than the standard.
Among the main attractions at this year’s Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals was the unveiling of 13 rare muscle cars, several with drag racing pedigrees. In this group, the freshly restored silver-blue Performance Associates 1965 Ford Fairlane revealed the talent of the crew at A&R Classic Restorations in Emory, Texas.
The car’s journey to the MCACN floor took more than 35 years.
Check our the entire story of this historic car at the source link below.
