Nice cars other than x-fire
- Thread starter 1st Vette
- Start date
Not many of these around.
Looks like a Crosley of some sort.
Did you run that passed Jack?
At 100kph nobody will know the difference....
LE BARON
Power User
When Gordon Buehrig's Cord 810 debuted at the 1935 New York Auto Show, the crowds were so thick that people climbed onto the bumpers of nearby display cars just to catch a glimpse of it. That kind of reaction does not happen by accident.
The Cord 810 and 812 were the first
American-designed and built front-wheel-drive cars with independent front suspension, and also the first production cars anywhere in the world to feature hidden pop-up headlights. In 1937. The same year that most American cars still had separate fenders and running boards.
The supercharger was only available for the final 1937 model year, boosting power to nearly 200 horsepower, and the supercharged cars could be fitted with magnificent chrome external exhaust pipes running along both sides of the hood, giving the car its most iconic appearance. Those pipes on this cream cabriolet are not decoration. They are functional exhaust from a blown Lycoming V8 in a car that weighed barely 3,500 pounds.
The supercharged Cabriolet, informally known as the Sportsman, is the most desirable Cord ever built. Only 64 examples were produced, and roughly 30 are believed to remain today.
In 1937, a supercharged Cord sedan went to the Bonneville Salt Flats and set a new American Automobile Association stock car speed record of 107.66 miles per hour for the flying mile. A stock car. Off the showroom floor. In 1996, American Heritage magazine declared the Cord 810 the single most beautiful American car ever built. Nearly 90 years on, there is not a person alive who would argue with that
The Cord 810 and 812 were the first
American-designed and built front-wheel-drive cars with independent front suspension, and also the first production cars anywhere in the world to feature hidden pop-up headlights. In 1937. The same year that most American cars still had separate fenders and running boards.
The supercharger was only available for the final 1937 model year, boosting power to nearly 200 horsepower, and the supercharged cars could be fitted with magnificent chrome external exhaust pipes running along both sides of the hood, giving the car its most iconic appearance. Those pipes on this cream cabriolet are not decoration. They are functional exhaust from a blown Lycoming V8 in a car that weighed barely 3,500 pounds.
The supercharged Cabriolet, informally known as the Sportsman, is the most desirable Cord ever built. Only 64 examples were produced, and roughly 30 are believed to remain today.
In 1937, a supercharged Cord sedan went to the Bonneville Salt Flats and set a new American Automobile Association stock car speed record of 107.66 miles per hour for the flying mile. A stock car. Off the showroom floor. In 1996, American Heritage magazine declared the Cord 810 the single most beautiful American car ever built. Nearly 90 years on, there is not a person alive who would argue with that
LE BARON
Power User
After World War II, every automaker in America was selling everything they could build. Buyers did not care what it looked like or what it had. They just wanted a new car. Dodge decided that was the perfect time to bring back the roadster, and they were almost completely wrong.
The Dodge Wayfarer Roadster was the first true roadster built by any of the Big Three since the 1930s. Dodge priced it at $1,727, making it the least expensive full-size American convertible on the market, undercutting Chevrolet, Ford, and Plymouth all at once. The problem was what the price tag left out.
The Wayfarer Roadster's Spartan interior lacked turn signals, a heater, radio, armrests, horn ring, cigar lighter, and a second sun visor as standard equipment. The plastic side windows were removable rather than roll-down, and the short top eliminated the need for rear quarter windows entirely. Dodge called it a roadster experience. Post-war buyers called it not enough car for their money and went next door to buy a Chevrolet.
California lawmakers then got involved, requiring drivers to be able to use hand signals at all times, which was impossible with fixed plastic side windows. All California-bound Wayfarers had to be recalled and retrofitted with roll-up windows. Roll-up windows then became a $35 option for 1950 and appeared on nearly every car produced thereafter.
Of the 63,816 Wayfarers sold in 1949, only 8.5 percent, or 5,420 units, were roadsters. Dodge dropped the roadster body entirely for 1952. The car that failed as a product is now the most sought-after Wayfarer of all, simply because it was the last of a dying American tradition. This cream and green example is exactly what a Sunday afternoon in 1949 looked like, before the world decided it wanted air conditioning instead.
The Dodge Wayfarer Roadster was the first true roadster built by any of the Big Three since the 1930s. Dodge priced it at $1,727, making it the least expensive full-size American convertible on the market, undercutting Chevrolet, Ford, and Plymouth all at once. The problem was what the price tag left out.
The Wayfarer Roadster's Spartan interior lacked turn signals, a heater, radio, armrests, horn ring, cigar lighter, and a second sun visor as standard equipment. The plastic side windows were removable rather than roll-down, and the short top eliminated the need for rear quarter windows entirely. Dodge called it a roadster experience. Post-war buyers called it not enough car for their money and went next door to buy a Chevrolet.
California lawmakers then got involved, requiring drivers to be able to use hand signals at all times, which was impossible with fixed plastic side windows. All California-bound Wayfarers had to be recalled and retrofitted with roll-up windows. Roll-up windows then became a $35 option for 1950 and appeared on nearly every car produced thereafter.
Of the 63,816 Wayfarers sold in 1949, only 8.5 percent, or 5,420 units, were roadsters. Dodge dropped the roadster body entirely for 1952. The car that failed as a product is now the most sought-after Wayfarer of all, simply because it was the last of a dying American tradition. This cream and green example is exactly what a Sunday afternoon in 1949 looked like, before the world decided it wanted air conditioning instead.
LE BARON
Power User
The muscle car formula that Pontiac got famous for in 1964 was actually Buick's idea, and they had been running it for twenty years before anyone else caught on.
The Century name first appeared in the 1930s, commemorating Buick's first model capable of exceeding 100 mph. When the name returned in 1954, Buick applied the same concept: take the smaller, lighter Special body and stuff in the biggest Roadmaster engine available. Small body, big engine, reasonable price. That is the muscle car formula, written in 1936.
By 1956, the 322 cubic inch Nailhead V8 was producing 255 horsepower, pushing the Century to 60 mph in under ten seconds and past 110 mph at the top end, making it one of the fastest production cars on American roads that year. For context, the Corvette that same year made 225 horsepower in base form. A full-size Buick was outrunning America's sports car.
The Century was also the foundation for one of GM's most overlooked milestones. In 1955, Buick introduced the Century four-door Riviera hardtop, which along with a companion Oldsmobile body holds the distinction of being the first four-door hardtop ever produced by anyone in the industry.
In 1955, Buick also fulfilled a special order of 268 two-door Century sedans for the California Highway Patrol, cars that are highly collectible today. The California Highway Patrol trusted this car to catch whatever was running from them. That fact alone tells you everything you need to know about what a stock 1956 Century was capable of. This black example sitting against an Arizona mountain range looks exactly right. Understated, purposeful, and faster than it has any business being.
The Century name first appeared in the 1930s, commemorating Buick's first model capable of exceeding 100 mph. When the name returned in 1954, Buick applied the same concept: take the smaller, lighter Special body and stuff in the biggest Roadmaster engine available. Small body, big engine, reasonable price. That is the muscle car formula, written in 1936.
By 1956, the 322 cubic inch Nailhead V8 was producing 255 horsepower, pushing the Century to 60 mph in under ten seconds and past 110 mph at the top end, making it one of the fastest production cars on American roads that year. For context, the Corvette that same year made 225 horsepower in base form. A full-size Buick was outrunning America's sports car.
The Century was also the foundation for one of GM's most overlooked milestones. In 1955, Buick introduced the Century four-door Riviera hardtop, which along with a companion Oldsmobile body holds the distinction of being the first four-door hardtop ever produced by anyone in the industry.
In 1955, Buick also fulfilled a special order of 268 two-door Century sedans for the California Highway Patrol, cars that are highly collectible today. The California Highway Patrol trusted this car to catch whatever was running from them. That fact alone tells you everything you need to know about what a stock 1956 Century was capable of. This black example sitting against an Arizona mountain range looks exactly right. Understated, purposeful, and faster than it has any business being.
LE BARON
Power User
American Motors had a problem in 1972 that no new engine or hood stripe was going to solve. They needed attention. Their solution was to call Paris.
Pierre Cardin was one of the leading fashion houses in the world at the time, a giant of Paris haute couture. AMC brought him in to design a custom interior for the Javelin, and the result was unlike anything that had ever appeared in an American muscle car. Six multi-colored pleated stripes in red, plum, white, and silver ran from the front seats, up the door panels, onto the headliner, and back down to the rear seats, all on a black background in nylon fabric with a stain-resistant silicone finish. Cardin's personal crest appeared on the front fenders. It looked outrageous. That was entirely the point.
Across both 1972 and 1973, just 4,152 Javelins were built with the Pierre Cardin interior option, priced at $84.95. Finding one on an AMX rather than the base Javelin narrows the field considerably further. The 1973 AMX you could option all the way up to the 401 cubic inch V8 producing 255 horsepower, backed by a four-speed manual, with the Go Package adding a cowl induction hood, power disc brakes, Twin-Grip limited-slip differential, and E60 x 15 Polyglas tires. Haute couture on the outside, pure muscle underneath.
That same year, Javelin-based race cars had just won back-to-back SCCA Trans-Am championships in 1971 and 1972. AMC was winning races nobody was watching, selling designer interiors nobody expected, and building cars nobody took seriously enough. 40+ years later, a Pierre Cardin AMX is exactly the kind of car that stops a room cold at any show it enters. Turns out AMC was ahead of everyone the whole time
Pierre Cardin was one of the leading fashion houses in the world at the time, a giant of Paris haute couture. AMC brought him in to design a custom interior for the Javelin, and the result was unlike anything that had ever appeared in an American muscle car. Six multi-colored pleated stripes in red, plum, white, and silver ran from the front seats, up the door panels, onto the headliner, and back down to the rear seats, all on a black background in nylon fabric with a stain-resistant silicone finish. Cardin's personal crest appeared on the front fenders. It looked outrageous. That was entirely the point.
Across both 1972 and 1973, just 4,152 Javelins were built with the Pierre Cardin interior option, priced at $84.95. Finding one on an AMX rather than the base Javelin narrows the field considerably further. The 1973 AMX you could option all the way up to the 401 cubic inch V8 producing 255 horsepower, backed by a four-speed manual, with the Go Package adding a cowl induction hood, power disc brakes, Twin-Grip limited-slip differential, and E60 x 15 Polyglas tires. Haute couture on the outside, pure muscle underneath.
That same year, Javelin-based race cars had just won back-to-back SCCA Trans-Am championships in 1971 and 1972. AMC was winning races nobody was watching, selling designer interiors nobody expected, and building cars nobody took seriously enough. 40+ years later, a Pierre Cardin AMX is exactly the kind of car that stops a room cold at any show it enters. Turns out AMC was ahead of everyone the whole time