Get this, long before Tesla’s were rolling down the assembly line that very same facility was cranking out Chevy trucks.. This particular 1980 C30 was also produced there, for the US government. There are some interesting things about it though I’m not sure which modifications were added after the government took possession. Continue reading
Following the carefree fifties and the rebellious sixties, the 1970s were a decade of uninhibited excess. This was the decade that brought us leisure suits, disco music, and brutalist architecture. For the most part, the 1970s are remembered as a dark age of design, and cars were no exception.
During this decade, cars got bigger and heavier, less fuel efficient, and in many cases uglier due to a combination of Federally-mandated 5mph impact bumpers and the prevailing styles of the times. There is perhaps no other automobile on earth that embodies the lavish excess, the indulgence, and the absurdity of the seventies quite like this 1972 Stutz Blackhawk. Continue reading
First introduced in 1964, the Ford Mustang was an instant success that combined style and performance into a compact and affordable package. The car’s long hood, short trunk, and V8 engine captured America’s hearts and launched Ford to the top of the sales charts like a Saturn V rocket. Ford was unstoppable, selling a staggering 600,000 Mustangs in 1966.
As time went on, the initial excitement over the new car began to wear off. By 1972, demand for the Mustang was down to 125,000 cars per year. Then in 1973 the oil crisis hit hard, sending gas prices soaring. It seemed as though the Mustang was going to be a tough sell.
Ford responded by introducing the downsized Mustang II in 1974, an ugly little thing that was based on the Pinto. Although it shared the Mustang name, it didn’t share anything else with the first generation cars. That’s what makes this 1973 Ford Mustang so special – it’s the last year of the original pony cars.
It basically goes something like this. I was born in the mid 1980’s. My family hauled my brother and I around in the back seat of a 1979 Ford Thunderbird until the mid to late 1990’s. Continue reading
As any chef will tell you, making an award-winning dish starts with having the best ingredients. The same is true for custom cars: if you’re going to build an award winning show vehicle, why not start with the best? That’s exactly what Mike and Jim Ring did with their 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 “Dragon.”
Mike and Jim are the owners of Ringbrothers, a custom car shop from the sleepy little town of Spring Green, Wisconsin (population: 1,648). They’ve built some high-profile cars before, but the Dragon is quickly becoming one of their most popular creations. It was built for an Arizona customer and made its grand debut at SEMA 2010. The car spent the next few years scooping up awards on the show circuit. I caught up with the Dragon at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2013, where it was scheduled to go on the auction block.
A few weeks back I took a trip to California, naturally I was on the lookout for anything interesting or uncommon. At some point I ended up walking through a small field of grass that had within it a little square area surrounded by a fence. Inside was what appeared to be a very sad looking GT40 type mid engined kit car.
From what I have gathered this is either a Fiberfab Avenger GT or Valkyrie. Unless there are subtle differences that I haven’t found a mention of the only real difference is towards the rear of the car where it is either a bit longer or shorter depending on the engine/donor setup. The Avenger was the shorter of the two, designed for a Corvair or VW setup. The longer Valkyrie model was setup for a larger V8 engine. Continue reading
