Posts from ‘Classic Cars’
1955 Packard Caribbean
What price luxury? If you were shopping for a new car in 1955, that number was approximately $3000. It was around that dollar amount that the vehicles we might now describe as premium starting kicking in.
Cheap Wheels: 1990-1996 Infiniti Q45
1990 Infiniti Q45
by Don Sikora
Note: The following story was excerpted from the April 2020 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine.
Nissan’s Infiniti luxury brand made its debut more than 30 years ago at the 1989 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The first dealers opened the following November, selling just two models. The M30 coupe was based on the Japanese-market Nissan Leopard, but Infiniti’s star was the larger and all-new Q45 sedan.
Our Favorite Indy Pace Cars
James Garner
It’s called The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, and with as many as 300,000 people in attendance, it likely qualifies as one of the greatest events in professional sports. First run in 1911, the Indianapolis 500 is part of the “triple crown” of auto racing, which also includes the Monaco Gran Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Saturn Sky Red Line
There wasn’t time to mourn them all. The General Motors bankruptcy that came—at least in part—as a result of the 2007-2009 Great Recession wiped out a slew of established car brands, and all of the models those brands retailed.
1970 Buick GSX
Per Wikipedia, “Muscle car is a term for high-performance American coupes, usually but not limited to rear-wheel drive and fitted with a large displacement V8 engine. General Motors introduced the first proper muscle car in 1949. The term originated for 1960s and early 1970s special editions of mass-production cars which were designed for drag racing.”
Volkswagen GTI Ad
I listened to a lot of music in high school, so it stands to reason that my earliest memories of driving are intertwined with recollections of the music I was listening to at the time. I wasn’t into the Rolling Stones yet, but I loved the Beatles, and spent plenty of time shoving Billy Joel, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Dire Straits cassettes into the Radio Shack head unit in my 1976 Pontiac Ventura.
1959 Buick LeSabre Convertible
Note: The following story was excerpted from the December 2015 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine
The latest Buick commercials feature surprised individuals who exclaim “That’s not a Buick!” when confronted by one of the marque’s new vehicles, implying how much the brand has changed in recent years even if people’s perceptions of it haven’t yet. In 1959, Buick could have used the same tagline.
The 15 Fastest Cars of 1982*
1982 Chevrolet Citation X-11
What makes a car fast? Generally, more power means more go, but back in 1982, power was hard to come by. Weight matters too, but not as much as you might think, at least for the cars tested by Consumer Guide back in 1982. Unlike previous “fastest” lists I’ve put together, I’ve included the final drive ratio for each car listed below.
First Car Phone
As 2021 rolls on, many automakers seem to be racing each other to publicize their timelines for transitioning their respective future product lineups to predominantly (or entirely) electric vehicles. Many elements of the general public, including journalists and EV detractors, are observing this scrum with doubt. Good questions are being asked, most of them related to electric-vehicle range and charging infrastructure.
Review Flashback! 2004 Scion xB
2004 Scion xB
As an upstart automotive brand aimed squarely at young buyers, Scion was full of promise. Toyota launched the Scion nameplate in 2003, in an attempt to engage automobile customers earlier in life and bring a little spark into the somewhat stodgy environs of the typical American Toyota dealership. The first Scion vehicles started showing up in select California Toyota dealerships in summer 2003, and the brand expanded nationwide in early 2004.
