Author Archive
1988 Volvo Turbo Wagon (left) and 1988 Lamborghini Countach
When you’re an automaker whose advertising people have spent years brilliantly crafting a message of safety and reliability, you’re going to need to do something special when you add performance to the mix. And so it was when Volvo wanted to get the word out about its turbocharged models—especially the wagons.
1972 Fargo
Fun fact: 90 percent of Canada’s population lives with 100 miles of the U.S. border. That said, it’s an awfully long border—about 5500 miles long, actually. Looked at another way, Canada’s population density is only about 10 percent that of America’s, meaning there’s a lot of Canadian land with very few people living on it.
What is BrightDrop?
2022 BrightDrop EV600
What is BrightDrop? Simply put, it’s a recently formed company that’s poised to be significant player in the highly competitive EV-delivery-vehicle and logistics industry. Per the company’s press releases, “BrightDrop is a new business reimagining the commercial delivery and logistics industry for an all-electric future. Its portfolio of electric vehicles, smart containers, and software are designed to decarbonize last-mile deliveries and reduce congestion for a smarter, more sustainable future. BrightDrop is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors. For more information, visit gobrightdrop.com.”
1972 Chevrolet Kommando
It’s sort of like a strange dream. Everything feels familiar, but somehow changed, in strange and wonderful ways. That’s how I feel whenever I revisit the cars of Australia, and also the vehicles of South Africa.
Favorite Car Ads: 1959 Rolls-Royce
1959 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud
Rolls-Royce doesn’t advertise much. Sure, the legendary British ultra-luxury-car builder often sponsors special events, but you rarely see Rolls print or TV ads, and you never see digital promotions.
1983 Buick Century T-Type
Just as consumers are now beginning to grapple with the notion of owning an electric vehicle, car buyers once debated whether or not go with front-wheel drive. Really. Front-drive cars were still a fairly new, unfamiliar idea to the average American car shopper in 1983, though the pioneering front-drive Volkswagen Rabbit had been selling in volume on our shores since 1975.
In June of 2017, my wife and I purchased a 2014 Nissan Juke for our teenage daughter. While this may sound like an extravagant present, it wasn’t really a gift at all. Truth be known, my kid wanted no part of driving, but my wife and I wanted no part of chauffeuring her to 6:00 AM water-polo practice five mornings a week. The car has served us well, and is now with our youngster at a college about 200 miles from our suburban Chicago home.
Favorite Car Ads: 1937 Cord 812
1937 Cord 812 Phaeton Convertible
Question: What’s the nicest graduation gift you ever received… high school or college? If it was a car, you’re one of those people that everyone else in your class hated. Still, kudos to you. Scoring a car as gift—for any reason—is pretty cool. I suspect your grades were better than mine.
2022 American Auto Show Schedule
After a turbulent couple of years which included the cancellation—and in some cases last-minute cancellation—of nearly every major North American auto show, 2022 is beginning to look like a return to auto-show normalcy.
Forgotten Concept: Mitsubishi SSU
Mitsubishi SSU Concept
This is an installment in a series of posts looking back on show cars that we feel deserved a little more attention than they got. If you have a suggestion for a Forgotten Concept topic, please shoot us a line or leave a comment below.
