I’ve seen some lifted trucks in my day, but this thing really takes the cake. No other passenger vehicle I’ve ever seen has a lift this ridiculous going on.
The truck is a Ford F350 XLT Super Duty crew cab. I’ve seen it around town both at the Severed in the Southwest car show in 2011 and a couple of times out at the Scottsdale Pavilions. It was built by Genesis Automotive, the same shop I wrote about in the ’68 Lincoln Continental post. 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.
I talk about the Ford Mustang a lot, whether I’m referring to it fondly or otherwise. Although I was raised in bowtie vehicles, my first sports car was a Mustang. I can’t say that I’ve ever been a fan of the design of any pony made before 1969 (or 74-78) but this car has a simple, clean look to it, and the subtle choice of color only helps. I don’t think there’s a set of modern aftermarket wheels that I could say that I liked (and if you’ve followed us long enough you’ve probably to come to that conclusion about me yourself) but these are about as passable as they get. Continue reading
While we were in Las Vegas for the SEMA Show, we made time to stop by the Imperial Palace. Though they are not the newest or the fanciest hotel on Las Vegas Boulevard, they do have a stunning collection of rare and vintage automobiles.
One of the cars that caught my eye was this 1967 Ford Mustang GT500 Fastback, also known as “Eleanor” from the movie Gone in 60 Seconds starring Nicolas Cage.
This is the “better parts of a lesser car” that America’s famous pony car was built off of. Well, not exactly this generation, but it was this model that spawned a crazed motoring youth. It forced General Motors (with some nudging from a close-minded, attention-seeking, young political activist) to abandon the Corvair, and to move the early BOP Y-bodies to a body-on-frame A-body platform. We’re talking about a car that kick-started the golden age of horsepower somehow by just taking grandma safely to her bingo games. The good ole harmless Ford Falcon. This particular Falcon is the last of it’s kind, and is the embodiment of everything it was meant to be.
Let me explain why: Continue reading
I love wagons so much, so it pains me to see this very attractive Accord wagon with these Jet-Set-Radio looking stickers on the back, rocking some wheels that were probably brand new when the car was. Don’t you wonder what connects our generation’s enthusiast to the utilitarian wagon?
One of my favorite cars I owned was a 1994 Mercury Sable wagon with a 3.8L V6. I got rid of it after it blew a head gasket (don’t act surprised) but man did I love mobbing that thing around town with it’s torque-steer inducing big six (compared to the 3.0L Vulcan) and the back seats folded flat. I would love to have another, it’s just too bad that the front transaxle would probably spew its guts if I did anything to hop up the Essex underneath.
UPDATE 05/23/13:
After posting this article on facebook it’s gotten a lot attention. Mostly negative towards me and my dislike for all things big-wheeled and ground-dragging. To each their own, I suppose. However, the owner Brian Salamunec has a pretty good sense of humor and enjoyed seeing the article. For those interested in this kind of car, I’m providing some links to the above 1996 Accord Wagon, and an even further modified 1997 wagon that was completed approximately a decade ago according to the owner.
1996 Accord Wagon Link 1 (the above car)
