Emulation is probably one of the most commons things in the car hobby. We see a car at a show or race and are instantly entranced by its siren song of looks, performance, and imagination-stimulating allure. And after enough exposure, commitment to building a duplicate becomes irresistible.
Ron Scott Jr. had always loved the vintage race look on classic Corvettes. Wide wheel flares, spoilers, race-style wheels and brakes, the growl of a powerful V-8 through headers and race exhaust, they all had him entranced to the point he wanted to build one of his own. He wanted a car he could not only show, but also take to track days and autocross events as well. After searching online, he found a suitable candidate on eBay to start his build with.
“I found the car on eBay for $35K. It was rough, with some bodywork completed and a second-gen LT1 out of an early fourth-gen Camaro sitting in the frame. It was pretty much a roller with no interior, wiring, or anything special. It was perfect for what I was looking to do, as we didn’t want to modify anything that was nice.”
I thought I’d start off with one (one of many…mind you!!) favorite car classes, the Station Wagons!! I am a big fan of the 1950’s, 1960’s wagons. From the Nomads to the to the Falcon wagons the styling is varied, options many and with a little muscle added, they are fine machines!
If you’ve read my bio, you may recall my first car (given to me as a graduation gift back in the late 1970’s) was a restored 1966 Chevy Impala convertible. Awesome car with the reliable 283 engine. So it’s not hard to guess that I’d love seeing the wagon version of my Chevy. Well is just so happened that there were two 1966 wagons at the show.
The first one had the 327 engine and the owner added nice rims to hold it up. I’d improve the stance a bit by getting wider rubber for the rear tires. I think the roof rack is excellent. (I guess I should mention the Pinto wagon next to it. It was nicely done too.)
1966 Chevy Impala Wagon
Another 1966 Chevy Wagon. Same 327 engine and very nice wheels
Great lines. No roof rack
Interior was spectacular with the original horn which is impressive.
Crazy or not I love the wagon versions of my Impala.
There were a few others that I thought notable.
Beautiful Pontiac with a 326 engine
Here a great little Nash Rambler Super.
This one will floor ya!!
Mercury Colony-Park Monterey.
Not Real Wood mind you, but still nicely done.
Love the wide white walls!!
Let’s talk painted dash!!! One of my favorite features of ’50’s and ’60’s cars! Who needs padding?
AW Dude….it’s a STICK!!!! Lots of Chrome!!!
Did you know that the Dodge Dart could be had in a wagon?
Yup!!! Although I’m pretty sure it didn’t have a V8 and dual exhaust originally.
But don’t think wagons are just show cars. Here’s a shot from the autocross competition.
There wagon in staging!!
The wagon rolls up in a few frame and in case you thought it might be six cylinder…turn up you volume!!!!
That’s a great sound.
Thanks for reading and if you have a wagon you are proud of, drop me a note.
Image: Cars and Global Warming: Why Station Wagons Are Greener Than SUVs The 2015 Honda Fit is pictured at the Jacob Javits Convention Center during the New York International Auto Show in New York April 17, 2014. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters/Landov).
While there were an abundance of Mustang and other Ford products at Fords on 4th Ave, missing was the Ford sub-culture of Mercury’s. For the past few years you could find a small group of Montereys, Montclairs, Park Lanes, Marquis, Turnpike Cruisers, and Montegos. I think I saw first Park Lane and Turnpike Cruiser at that event a few years gone. They were there this years.
That being the case there were some stunning examples Falcons and their spinoffs, as well as Cougars, trucks and everyone favorite Ford Fairlane/Galaxies 500’s.
On of the larger groups were the Ford Fairlanes/Galaxies, everything from the 500’s GTA’s and GT’s it was a great representation of what I think was one of Ford best designs. Check these out:
Cobra Le Mans
Check out the specs!!!
One of my favorite wheel types.
Here one more up close:
This is a GT.
That is the 390!!!
Interior is well restored. Original steering wheel.
Stacked Headlights and Stacked Tail lights
I do have to show you one custom version – lowered.
Galaxie 500 Stacked Headlights – Single Tail lights
Perfect Interior. Nice to see the steering wheel with horn rim.
Lowered with lots of chrome in the engine bay.
Here is the group shot.
An awesome sight!!
Still more to come. Drop me a note if you a favorite Ford!!!
Before there were muscle cars, there were big block racers. Designed to do battle on track in NASCAR, they had all the trappings of a big, luxurious car but with the beating heart of rampant V8. The two main proponents were Chevrolet’s Impala and Ford…
The six vehicles include a 1941 Lincoln Continental, a 1951 Hudson Hornet and a 1962 Ford Galaxie. They are scheduled to be auctioned at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy on the UT-Knoxville campus on Saturday. Baker, who died last year …
(I will never forget riding back from Pittsburgh in one of those 1970s blizzards with him driving his perfect 1966 Ford Galaxie. One tough winter driver, and he had no traction control computers aiding him, either.) Now, I await those new motor mounts …
Although the newer Mustang are awesome, you still can’t be the those of the 60’s and early 70’s, you just can’t!
Check out these fine specimens!!
Nicely restored 289
#IWantOne of these G.T. 350’s
Riding low – Nice custom
#IWantOne of these GT 500 (1967)
GT 500 (1967) Scoope-ville
Original interior – You don’t often see the steering wheel!!!
In case the 1967 GT 500 is a little rough riding, try the new version!
The Fox bodies had a few beauties as well.
Hard to tell from this photo but this was done in matte yellow.
Nice and nicer with NOS
Awesome!!
This car show was primarily put on by the Southern Arizona Mustang Club (SAMC) and although there was a higher percentage of Mustang, a few other Fords showed. Those are coming up.
The Southern Arizona Mustang Club showcases their vehicles from 7-9:00 p.m.. FC Tucson 4th of July Kino Sports Complex, 2500 E. Ajo Way, Tucson 85713. Game starts at 7:30 p.m.. Fireworks start 30 minutes after the game …
“The most wonderful time of the year!!!” No not Christmas – BETTER! It’s car show season!!! From March though Oct here in the southwest is prime car show season.
Normally I start feeding my car show appetite in January, during the car auction month that kicks off with Barrett Jackson in Phoenix, AZ. With my budget these are just fancy car shows, rather than a shopping trip. Then I suffer quietly until March when all the shows start kicking-in. This year I didn’t attend the Barrett Jackson event so I starved until this past weekend when I could attend my first show of the year. That show was Fords on 4th Ave, Tucson, Az.
I’ve attend this show for the past 4 or 5 years, even entering my 1970 Mustang one year. It is always a great time!
This year either with the 50th Anniversary of the Mustang, you’d expect to see a lot of the new cars and you would not have been disappointed. If you follow me on TWITTER (@AGCarRestore) you would have seen live shots. (You may want to follow me on Twitter, this weekend 3/13 I’ll be tweeting from the Good Guy’s show in Scottsdale, AZ.)
… their own price increases over MSRP for limited edition models, but even though the 2015 Ford Mustang has been in dealerships for months now – there are still some dealerships adding massive markups on the special 50th Anniversary Mustang GT.
Got a few huge debuts this week’s Auto Factoids (#AutoFactoids), so lets get started.
Feb 23, 1954 – Ford shows off the Thunderbird for the first time.
Although the Thunderbird wasn’t available until 1955 it was in design. Originally it was going to be called the Vega!!
1955 T-Bird
Feb 23, 1967 – Pontiac debuts the Firebird
The brain child of John Delorean the Firebird started out as the Banshee in two versions (XP 833 convertible or Hard top coupe). 1966 it was a two seater referred to as XP-798.
Look some what familar? Corvette maybe?
Pontiac brass thought so too and these concepts were not approved.
The XP 798 Firebird concept.
1967 Firebird
Feb 24, 1968 – American Motors debuts the AMX
1969 Hurst version…NICE!!!
Feb 25, 1905 – Jose Piquero crossed the Andes in a Caddy!!
Had to dig for this one. Found it on http://forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org. Back in 1905 a Cadillac was the first car to cross the Andes (the mountain range not Andes, New York) that happened on Feb 25th, but I don’t know why, nor does anyone else seem to know. I can tell you the Andes are in South American and average about 14,000 feet in altitude. The ’05 (that’s 1905 not 2005) Caddy was, well, let’s say “airy”. That ‘brave’ (pronounced ‘Crazy’) soul was Jose Piquero. But wait, some sources say it wasn’t a Caddy at all, but a Oldsmobile.
So I would imagine in either ride the trip was a tad bit chilly.
1905 Olds
1905 Caddy
Feb 27, 1934 – Ralph “Corvair Killer” Nader was born in Conn.
You can celebrate that (anyone? Bueller, Bueller…) if you absolutely can’t find another reason to have an adult beverage. I wonder if he fell out of a car seat when he was young?
1962 Lakewood
The last Corvair Vert.
I’m seeing the Corvair but can’t help notice the Nova’s on the rail car.
Feb 28, 1940 – Mario Andretti born in Montona, Italy
This 1936 Chevy Bus Was Made Into A Hose Hauler By The Fire Dapartment – Could It Haul Hot Rods?
Feb 16, 2015Brian LohnesBangShift XL, XL Online Find0
1936 Chevy Bus
So there will never be a day when we grow weary of seeing, scheming about, or dreaming of cool car haulers. This 1936 Chevy school bus was converted into a hauler of sorts many moons ago by a fire department to move hoses around. They simply lopped off the roof of the passenger compartment and left a big open flatbed for them to throw their heavy hoses on. We’re guessing that this rig was used in a town that wasn’t too large because a 1936 Chevy school bus laden with rolls of heavy hose would likely arrive to the scene of a fire in time to help save the basement after the rest of the structure was consumed. As cool as its history is, how neat might the future be?
Sparse interior…even when it was new.
It would take some doing and a lot of dough but we’re thinking that this truck has serious possibilities as a hot rod hauler. The cab area would need to be reworked and likely everything from the windshield back would need to be formed by a metal shaping house like Marcel’s or someone of that creative genius level of talent so that it didn’t look like a high school project. The entire drivetrain would need to be swapped out for something more powerful and modern, the chassis would need to be beefed, the suspension revamped, and the there’s the issue of the hauler area itself. Leave it as a flat bed and simply add some ramps? Make some sort of a wedge deal on the back of it? This is looking like a Donald Trump level budget project but it is pretty fun to mentally design the truck as we would want it. Your turn.
As we run through the middle of the 2nd month of the year, here are your Auto Factoids (#AutoFactoids). A light week this week.
Feb 10, 1942 – Pontiac stops car production for WWII
– As you know WWII took a lot of sacrifice on many countries and their citizen and even corporations. A lot of resources were used in producing automobiles, in particular metals that could be used to produce planes and Liberty ships and ammo. That is why the U.S. government asked the car industry to halt production and assist in producing just about anything to support the war effort. Pontiac was one of the last to comply with the request. Pontiac’s main contribution? It was the 20-mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons. Check out what they could do!!!
Feb 11, 1932 – Ford announces new V8 engine
The Model A was history and the Model 18 ruled – with Ford’s new FlatHead V8 in 1932 (also referred to as the Ford Flathead or Flathead Ford or just Flatty). It lived on in the Model 40 in 1933 and 1934. It continued on the 1950’s.
1932 Flatty
Feb 12, 1908 – Start of the New York to Paris car race.
– The race route was from NYC, Albany, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Valdez Alaska, Japan, Vladivostok, Omsk, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Berlin and finally Paris. It was sponsored by the New York Times and the LA MATIN (Paris news paper) and finished 169 days later.
Oczywiście, trójkołowe motocykle są świetnym rozwiązaniem dla wszystkich tych, którzy z jakiś powodów nie posiadają już pełnej swojej sprawności i nie mogą jeździć konwencjonalnym motocyklem. Skoro to stwierdzenie mamy z głowy, to co musi wydarzyć …
“The East Coast rod is a blood relation of the sports car,” the chairman said, “while the West Coast rod has the style of the dry-lakes roadster, of Bonneville and the whole Ford ‘flathead’ V8 scene, probably what most people envision when they hear …
Jay’s latest adventure takes a deep dive into hot-rodding history with this beautiful 1932 Ford Highboy roadster . But don’t pass this off as just another deuce coupe . No, this car is the deuce coupe. Jay has with him Bruce Meyer, the car’s restorer …
I had to sneak this one in for #ThrowBackThursday.
One of my frequent reader sent over a couple of shots of him with his 1969 Dodge Coronet 440 from back in the day (1980). ‘Wish I kept this one!” Bill says.
Thanks Bill.
Nice Car Mr. Bill!!! Yeah…we all have one we should have kept.
Green 1969 Dodge Coronet 440 Chicago, Illinois Lucky Motors. Click on our link now to view our wide selection of new, used, and preowned cars, trucks and SUV’s.
It was 1969, and the B-bodies from the Dodge Boys were making some big waves. Dodge Charger 500s were tearing up NASCAR’s short tracks. Bewinged Charger Daytonas had broken 200 mph on […]
Here are your Auto Factoids (#AutoFactoids) for the first week in Feb. 2015!!!
I think we can call this Kaiser Week as 3 of our factoid are related to the Kaiser auto manufacturing. In fact the month starts right off with Kaiser factoid.
Feb 1, 1947 – Graham-Paige sold out to Kaiser.
Beautiful Supercharged car. 1937 Graham Custom Series 120
Feb. 2, 1899 – Renault Freres incorporates.
1899 Renault Type B Coupe
1900 Renault Type C
Feb 4, 1913 – Mr. Perlman patents a demountable auto tire-carrying wheel rim.
Feb 5th was a busy day in automotive history with:
Leaded gas available in 1923 (Ethyl)
Ethyl gas. Huge collectible these days.
AMC purchases Kaiser-Jeep Corp 1970.
This wouldn’t be the last move for Jeep, soon it would become part of Chrysler and then, as it is now, part of Fiat.
Mr. John Dunlop was born in Dreghorn, England in 1846. Of course he went on to start Dunlop tires. Here’s the beginning time line from History of Dunlop Tires :
– 1888 John Boyd Dunlop’s son is struggling to ride his tricycle. He is riding it because he has a heavy cold, for which a doctor has prescribed a very unusual cure: cycling. To make the child’s ride more comfortable, Boyd fits his tricycle with tires made of canvas bonded with liquid rubber. Boyd patents what turns out to be a very big idea.
– 1889 Cyclist Willie Hume is the first to adopt Boyd’s invention for racing, winning a slew of events. It’s the start of Dunlop’s legendary run of racing success.
– 1902 Dunlop wins the grueling Paris-Vienna race.
– 1922 First Dunlop tire using steel rods and canvas casing provides triple the service life of other tires used until then.
Feb 6 – One more time for Kaiser this week as they debuts their Sliver Dragon in 1951.
The Dragon was a series in 1951 and 1953 for Kaiser (There were no Dragon’s in 1951. This one has the Continental tire package.
The color was a Mariner Gray but dubbed “Silver Dragon”. The it was called the Dragon because of the padded vinyl top looked like dragon skin (at one point it was internally called the “Dinosaur”).
Feb 7 – There were a couple of happenings on Feb 7:
– Dutch introduced the first automatic transmission – the DAF 600 in 1958. DAF was a compact family car and the Variomatic was a continuously variable transmission.
– In 1942 the U.S. Government orders passenger car production stopped and converted to wartime purpose, which wasn’t immediately accepted by all car manufacturers.
The Kaiser cars were launched in 1947 and became the only new U.S. auto to achieve success after World War II. However, production stopped in 1955. After leaving Tucker, Brown had a long career in engineering, culminating with the manufacturing firm he …
