By Rich Truesdell

Automotive Traveler

I spent my weekend covering several venues all over Southern California, putting at least 300 miles on my Corvair for Saturday, and at least a couple of hundred miles in a Pontiac Solstice on Sunday.

The alarm rang at 5:15 AM Saturday morning, and I wanted to be out the door by 6 AM so that I could grab a parking spot at Cars and Coffee just about an hour away. I decided to take the Corvair simply because I love driving it so much and after spending time the previous week in a half dozen rental cars, including a six-cylinder Camaro, and on too many airplanes, I thought rolling down the windows for the early morning drive would be invigorating and clear the cob webs out of my brain.

Continue reading "What Did You Do This Weekend?" »

By Rich Truesdell

Automotive Traveler

Featured in two magazines and in the Hemmings 2007 Classic Car Calendar, this might well be the best compact Dodge A100 pickup on the planet.

It’s no secret that I call Cars and Coffee my private hunting ground for feature vehicles for the many magazines I contribute to. Every Saturday morning more than 300 interesting cars and trucks vie for a coveted parking spot in the lot between the Ford and Mazda buildings. Several years ago I shot this eye-catching Dodge A100 and it was ultimately featured in the January 2008 issue of Cars & Parts. (It’s now featured in the September issue of Hemmings Motor News as well.) Look closely at this truck and you’ll see why. It’s a near-perfect example of the breed of compact pickups that were the domestic response to the sales success of the wide selection of the versatile yet under-powered Volkswagen trucks that were popular in the late fifties and early sixties. Besides the Dodge A100, Ford responded with its Falcon-based Econoline while Chevrolet’s initial response was the short-lived (1961 to 1964) Corvair-based Loadside pickup which featured an innovative side ramp making it exceptionally easy to load cargo.

But this truck is equipped with a Mopar V-8! Read more at Automotive Traveler.

By Rich Truesdell

Automotive Traveler

Discovering rare and uncovered gems usually happens when someone contacts me after reading my column in Musclecar Enthusiast. So I received a lead about what might be the rarest muscle car in existence, a one-of-one Canadian built (at the same Oshawa, Ontario plant that currently builds the Camaro) Pontiac Parisienne Safari six-passenger station wagon powered by a 425-horsepower dual quad 409, the same engine immortalized by the Beach Boys song “409.”

Continue reading "Dual Quad 409 Equipped Canadian Pontiac Wagon!" »

By Rich Truesdell

Automotive Traveler

Automotive Traveler magazine contributor Mark Fletcher shows why it’s always a good idea to keep your camera by your side as you never know when you’ll encounter a camouflaged prototype, in this case the US-spec version of Ford’s upcoming 2011 Fiesta.

While we know that the Ford Fiesta is coming to the North America next year, Ford is going to great lengths to keep front and rear details of the domestic version secret while the cars undergo their final validation tests. So while the 100 Fiestas currently taking part in Ford’s Fiesta Movement program gives us a good idea of its overall silhouette, we’ll still be seeking out the detail differences between the European and US versions. Yesterday, on his return trip from Las Vegas, Mark Fletcher hit pay dirt as he was able to capture some exceptionally clear images of Ford’s upcoming B-segment subcompact. Read more about this discovery at Automotive Traveler.

Continue reading "Spy Shots: The US Version of the 2011 Ford Fiesta Sedan" »

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

The years between 2003 and 2008 were known for a lot of things, but will most likely be remembered as the era of extravagance. Everything had to be big: movies that routinely grossed over $100 million, homes that had bathrooms bigger than most houses of the 60′s, celebrity salaries that outpaced the gross national product of most small countries, and everything from luxury yachts to exotic cars were reaching unheard-of prices. It was true that nothing created success like excess. So in honor of the era of excess, I give you an excessively large pickup. Is this a personal vehicle? Why yes, it is.

Continue reading "Not Found on Ebay: A Large Freightliner Pickup Truck" »

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

When we encountered an unattended Hyundai Sonata prototype we though we had stumbled upon a prototype of Hyundai’s mid-sized Sonata Blue Drive. While it was an educated guess, based on what we already knew of Hyundai’s hybrid plans, we think we were about one week premature as our analysis indicated that from the high level of trim, and the fact that the interior didn’t show any indication of a hybrid-only status gauge, we determined that it was a V6 Limited in very near production specification. But today our initial analysis was proved correct when we encountered two Hyundai Sonata Blue Drive prototypes along with competitive models from Toyota, Nissan, and Ford, along with two dozen engineers who had stopped, en masse, for lunch. Read more at Automotive Traveler.

By Rich Truesdell

Automotive Traveler

I had the pleasure of the first drive of the ultimate Challengers, Mr. Norm’s Challenger and ‘Cuda ragtop versions of Dodge’s reincarnated muscle car. Based on the highly regarded Challenger SRT-8, the Mr. Norm’s 426 Hemi Challenger and 426 Hemi ‘Cuda convertibles do what Chrysler should have done right from the start, offer a ragtop version of its retro iconic muscle car thus opening a new and open air chapter in the Challenger’s storied history that now spans nearly 40 years.

Mr. Norm’s Garage isn’t some backyard car company. All the Mr. Norm’s Challengers and ‘Cudas are built in a state-of-the-art, 26,000 square foot facility located in Hudson, Florida, where design, prototyping and turnkey Mr. Norm’s performance vehicles are built. Working directly with Mr. Norm, who made Grand Spaulding Dodge in Chicago the Mecca for ultimate Mopar muscle cars during the golden age of high performance, Mr. Norm’s Garage continues this proud legacy by offering a comprehensive line of award winning modern and vintage Mr. Norm’s vehicles, parts and accessories. Read more at Automotive Traveler.

By Rich Truesdell

Automotive Traveler

Aston Martin is one of Britain’s most prestigious and historic car companies, forever linked to Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels, surviving the 70′s after a close call with receivership, and prospering under the guidance of the Ford Motor Company. It is now again a proper British Motorcar producer, the marque owned by private investment firms based in Britain and Kuwait, with a future that is challenged given today’s economic climate.

At the 2009 Geneva Auto Salon, Aston Martin decided to dust off their Lagonda nameplate with a particularly garish concept that sent the Aston Martin faithful into a state of apoplexy. Is this concept really just another luxury crossover, arguably one with a historic name, or is it the taste of things to come from Dr. Bez and the team that has guided the marque through its current renaissance? With that being said I thought it was time to re-introduce you to the last vehicle that wore this prestigious badge: Introducing the 1976 to 1989 Aston Martin Lagonda Saloon.

Read more about the Aston Martin Lagonda at Automotive Traveler.

By Rich Truesdell

Automotive Traveler

Art Center is well known for the transportation designers it has graduated over the years but also for the transportation design show it hosts. With a theme of “By Air, Land & Sea” we were treated to a great cross section of interesting and though-provoking vehicles.

After taking a year’s hiatus, the campus of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena again hosted a small but eclectic transportation show, the 2009 Art Center Car Classic. More than simply a car show, this year’s event showcased some unusual vehicles including amphibious cars, cars powered by aircraft engines, and cutting-edge flying devices. The unique and intimate setting in the hills overlooking Pasadena might be small, but the organizers made every square inch count, presenting a broad spectrum of vehicles that combined state-of-the-art engineering, breathtaking design, as well as providing a bench marks from the past that might show future designers ways to design small city cars.

The Art Center Car Classic is more than a car show as this year, as in years past, noted speakers were part of the program. Burt Rutan–best known for the design of the record-breaking Voyager, which was the first plane to fly around the world without stopping or refueling, and the sub-orbital space plane SpaceShipOne, the first privately funded spacecraft to enter the realm of space twice within a two week period–was the featured speaker. And local car guy extraordinaire and former “Tonight” show host Jay Leno made an appearance in his turbine-powered Eco Jet concept done in conjunction with General Motors. Read More at Automotive Traveler.

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Citing an informed and confidential source within GM’s executive ranks, Automotive Traveler has confirmed that not only will Pontiac’s highly regarded G8 sedan migrate to the Chevrolet brand, but it will be built in North America at GM’s Oshawa, Ontario plant.

Late this morning, Automotive Traveler learned through confidential sources at GM that the G8 (based on GM’s Global Zeta platform, a lighter, more efficient version on the chassis that currently underpins the G8) will be built in Oshawa, Ontario, right alongside it’s stable mate, the Chevy Camaro. We have learned that the new car will most likely be called the Caprice, and that it will be launched within 18 months, most likely at the start of the 2011 model year after Pontiac gets its last rites. Read more at Automotive Traveler.