Auto Factoids for the Week of Jan 18, 2014

Well we just returned from a weekend trip to Las Vegas celebrating my beautiful wife’s birthday. Of course since you see this post, you can surmise that we didn’t come back big winners, but I did bring home more money than what I started with and we had a great time.  However,  I was disappointed, I hadn’t been to the “strip” for a number of years and I was expecting to see some fantastic cars zipping around. High roller – flashing their Lambo’s and Farraris or even a Lotus or a classic.  Nope – not a one, unless you count the Ferrari that sat at the resort the entire time.  Very disappointed.

So back at the old keyboard and here are your auto factoids for the week.

Jan 20, 1942 – Chevy sends it last car off the assembly line until WWII concludes.  The bulk of the last cars produced were, for the time,  the very undesirable “black out” models – where chrome wasn’t used and the cars seemed muted.  But a true black out model is highly sought after in today’s market.

Auto Factoids

http://travelphotobase.com/v/USWA/WATM4211.HTM

Jan 21, 1954 – …… Tell you what….guess what this is?

http://www.turbinecar.com/mags/trueauto55/trueauto55.htm

http://www.turbinecar.com/mags/trueauto55/trueauto55.htm

It’s a gas-turbine engine powered bus.  First displayed in NY on this date. This is a GM application the are others, including a “firebird” and some Chrysler projects.

Jan 24, 1960 – Volvo shows the world the P1800 Prototype.  The engine was the Swedish  B18 and it displaced 1800 cc. Topped with dual SU carbs it produced 100 hp.  The try was dubbed the P1900 but only double digit(under 100) number of cars were sold.  The engine was Swedish but the car was being manufactured by Jensen.  Jensen had quality control problems with the P1800 and by 1963 Vovlo took the car home to it’s Gothenburg and named it the 1800S (for Sweden).

I seriously like the lines of this car!!

I seriously like the lines of this car!!

 

Thanks for reading

Tim

If you’d like to sponsor one or more AGCRMR’s Auto Factoid articles – drop me note.  With over 200k monthly page visitors you’ll get a lot of visibility.

 

KTVU

RT @Eric_Rasmussen: Talk about a heartbreaking rip-off for some classic car owners in the Bay Area. For weeks, I’ve been looking into… h…

 

 

Cops and Roders Car Show 2012 – Chevelle Row

This show is to benefit the local police departments (city and count) as well as other first responders.  This is the first year in the last 4  that I didn’t bring at least one car (Vette and/or Mustang).

As will all car shows, the hosts normally try to list the cars by class, but that doesn’t always work – often car clubs make up a large percentage of the participants and if the Mopar guys want to park together they will be allowed to.  So you’ll see the “rows” that don’t seem to match up.

In this case, however the Chevelle’s got this one right.

Chevelle Row

Another beautiful Chevelle

SS version

More coming up.
Thanks for reading

Tim

AMC Grembin and Pacer New and Now Value

One of the things I enjoy checking out is increase in the value of some of our US classic cars.

I recently ran across this  breakdown in Hagerty Insurance magazine…it normally has some good articles.  This one was about American Motors and it had a section on original cost of the cars and the current collector’s value.  So check this out:

1967 Marlin – a cool looking car if you ask me – had a base prices of $2,963.  Today that car will cost you about  $23,100.

A good looking car in Two Tone paint.

1969 Javelin SST – love these cars  – I once dated this girl who drove one and..oh…um..nevermind – back in the day they cost  $3,144 and today average cost is $33,900.

69 Javelin SST

1970 AMX 390/325 – I know I’m suppose to love these cars – they being, perhaps the sporty-est of the AMC brand, but I don’t – they would run you $3,798 back then and now you can pick one up for a mere $55K!

1970 AMX

1972 Javelin SST – see my comment for the ’69 – base price in 1972 was $3,807 and today $22,400.

1973 Gremlin X Coupe – ok  I really don’t care at all about these, except when I see them at the drag strip with a huge GM block stuffed between the fenders – they would set you back $2,098 back in ’72 and today you can get one have it mounted on a pole in the front yard for $11,700 (pole not included and labor extra and you’ll have to sign a waiver).

1973 Grebmlin X Coupe (Seen here without the pole)

 

1976 Pacer DL Coupe – well.. if wasn’t a DL coupe….ok even though it is…insert comment for Gremlin above – except for $15,000 you can pick one up today, remove the body from the frame, bury it upside down in backyard and with a little tweaking you can have a really cool hot tub.

1976 Pacer DL Coupe…just before it was turned into a hot tub!

OK..that was mean..here ya go:

’76 Pacer DL Sport Coupe

1978 Matador Hardtop Coupe would have tapped your wallet for nearly $5K (4,799) – I sort of liked these cars – but not a lot and today you can sort of like them for about $12,500 big ones.

78 Matador Coupe

Unless it look like this one!!!

This is the Matador X

 

Want to see some more brands laid out like this? Drop me a comment and I’ll dig  some up.

Thanks for reading

Tim

 

 

Name that Car – #7

Ok…we are rollin’ along  now.  I’m also running these over on Armed Forces Car Club, so there will be two winners, one for this site and one for theirs.

Here is the next car.

This is (again) a 60’s era car.  This is not of the Big 3 but this company brought us some excellent cars with some healthy power plants  under the hood.

In it natural state (right off the assembly line), this car was not a muscle car, but now days you can find them with all kinds of transplants.

Name that Car #7

Good luck with this one.

Thanks for playing.

Tim

Name That Car – #6

Ok..here is the next round.

This is a tough one and I’ve given a little bit larger image.

This is an American made car.  It is not one of the big three but it did have a good run.

It is a 60’s era car but was never considered a muscle car.

Remember we need the car and the year.

Name that Car #6

Have fun.  Good luck.

Thanks for playing.

Tim