This is a fantastic car. Follow the link below on Street Legal TV.
1964 Monster Tempest
Many of the people we come across tell us they’ve had their car for a long time, and that time frame is just barely into double digits. But Paul Minore from Orange, Connecticut, has surpassed many of those people three-fold. His 1964 Pontiac LeMans was purchased right out of high school and has been in his possession for 32 years now. It wasn’t new at the time, with some 18 years under its belt already, but he had plans for it.PM-Tempest09While most people know the musclecar-era LeMans as an A-body, it began as the Y-body Tempest, a sub-compact car that was shared with Buick and Oldsmobile in the early 1960s. Pontiac’s designer du jor from that decade was none other than John DeLorean, who had a hand in making the early Tempest a bit more unique than its Buick and Olds cousins.
2) The tail lights and rear trim are from a 1964 Tempest Custom. 3) The paint code says the original paint was Alamo Beige (however Sunfire was available in 1964) 4) The trim code says it was originally a saddle interior.
A few years back I pick up a 1984 Corvette…my first Corvette ever and it was my daily driver. I did a lot of work on it and it brought home two trophies best in class.
While looking for display items for a car show set up (brochures and the like) I ran across what the dealer ships called “Promo Cars” These were basically scale model (1/24 or smaller scale) cars given out to promote the car that year. They were plastic and normally no movable parts (doors, hoods, trunks didn’t open), most had rubber tires that turned and a detailed interior. So I picked up a couple for my ’84 Vette along with the boxes, in fact two of them were ‘red’ that matched my car color. Eventually I sold the C4 and purchased the my C6.
1984 C4
2007 C6
Just recently I ran a cross a batch of promo cars and realized that there were a lot of car manufacturers that produced these back in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. I thought they’d make a good addition to my current collection.
They all varied in quality and detail especially when a 1960 model is compared to a 1980’s model. I recently ran across a promo car for the 1961 Thunderbird and I purchased it for $10.00.
1961 Thunder Bird
Some Nice Detail
Door don’t open but detailed interior
Rubber tires with White Walls
Nice detail there
Not great quality looking at the front scoop
The really interesting view is of the bottom of the model.
Pretty Good Detail of the undercarriage.
What’s up with all the text? They promote the options for this model year!!!! Very cool! Let’s take a closer look.
On Tank it states “Thunderbird…unique in all the world” Hey…”Triple Life Aluminized” Mufflers
unmistakably New – Not a Hair Wider unmistakably Thunder Bird – not 1/10 longer
Notice that is has “Special Three-Phase Rust Prevention Treatment”. Sports a “Cruise-o-Matic Drive, Power Steering and Self Adjusting Brakes – All Standard Equipment”
“Welded, Integral Body and Frame for Quietness and Strength” “New Wing-Away Steering Wheel (Optional)” (BTW that actually function on the promo model – you can push the steering wheel to the side.
“Wider Tread” on the axle
Gas tanks reads “New 12,000 or 1 Year Warranty
“New Thunderbird 390 Special V8”
Oil pan says “4000 Miles Oil Service Changes”
The seats are two-tone and the steering wheel swings to the side.
You can notice that the tires are rubber, the wheels are plastic and they are on metal rods.
With most disputes over the ownership of the former Packard plant on East Grand Boulevard in Detroit resolved, the new owner of the plant told the Detroit Free Press this week that he intends to begin cleanup soon and eventually restore some of the plant with the help of Albert Kahn Associates, the firm named for the man who designed the plant in 1903.Though Peruvian developer Fernando Palazuelo paid $405,000 for the 40-acre factory complex – vacated by Packard in 1956 – at a Wayne County foreclosure auction in December, he’s since had to clear a few hurdles to begin work on the deteriorating and vandalized buildings.First, in March, the former owner of the plant, Dominic Cristini – whose failure to pay about $1 million in back taxes led to the foreclosure of the factory – stepped forward to claim that he and a number of investors who backed him still held an interest in the factory worth $3.5 million. Though Palazuelo then described the claim as “typical blackmail,” he told the Free Press that he reached a deal with Cristini last month, and that he probably didn’t have the clear title to the plant that he previously thought he had.Then, earlier this summer, a number of Detroit news sources reported that Palazuelo owed the county more than $92,000 in delinquent taxes. At the time Palazuelo said that he believed his lawyers had taken care of the back taxes, but the Detroit Free Press noted that he only paid the county those back taxes after he resolved the dispute with Cristini.That leaves just one last hurdle, a dispute over a 4.5-acre parcel within the Packard plant complex that includes half of the much-photographed pedestrian bridge crossing East Grand Boulevard and that was not included in the county foreclosure auction. Palazuelo is reportedly working with the city to resolve that claim.
I’m a GM fan. Have been since I was a kid and currently drive a C6 Corvette as my daily. I’m also a manual transmission guy so automatic transmission really aren’t a preferred option. Of course the new Corvettes has paddel-shifting which is state of the art, but what do I do with my left leg???!!!!
DETROIT – The all-new, GM-developed Hydra-Matic 8L90 paddle-shift eight-speed automatic transmission offered in the 2015 Corvette Stingray and Z06 enhances performance and efficiency, while delivering exceptional refinement and world-class shift responsiveness that rivals the world’s best dual-clutch transmissions.
In fact, in the 2015 Corvette Stingray, it enables a class-leading 29-mpg EPA highway estimate – a 3.5-percent increase in fuel economy over the previous six-speed automatic – and a quicker 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds, all while delivering wide-open-throttle upshifts quicker than those of the dual-clutch transmission offered in the Porsche 911.
“GM’s new 8L90 eight-speed automatic represents a rare win-win-win scenario for customers,” said Kavoos Kaveh, global chief engineer for eight-speed automatic transmissions. “It offers greater performance and efficiency, while weighing less than the transmission it replaces. That’s a rare accomplishment in the industry today – and one for which GM has been awarded more than two dozen patents.”
The GM-developed Hydra-Matic 8L90 eight-speed is approximately the same size and weight as the Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed automatic. Its 7.0 overall gear ratio spread is wider than GM’s six-speed automatic transmissions, providing a numerically higher …
I haven’t done a “Wrecked” piece in a while. These are fun articles to do. They include some history and specs for the highlighted car and a look at one that has quality parts still available.
You can find this featured car over on www.Parting Out.com. They have a unique system that pulls together quality used parts from all over Texas and U.S.
In 1972 the Mercury Cougar (rich cousin to the Mustang) took a different path from is roots as a classy coupe and began the move to the luxury side of the auto market.
By 1972 the Cougar series to flavors the Cougar and the Cougar XR-7. Body styles were 2 door hard top Coupe and 2 door convertible for both the versions. If you say “…hmmm I don’t recall seeing a convertible!” There’s a good reason for that. In 1972 only 1,240 Cougar verts were produced and only 1,929 for the XR-7.
Engine for the 1972 was the Ford work-horse power plant, the 351. It had a cast iron block, overhead valves, bore and stroke 4.00″X3.50″. Compression ratio was a low-ish 8.5:1 and topped with a two barrel carb it was able to knock out 163HP.
There isn’t anything that great to see is a donor car like this one:
Lot of parts on this car. Hard to find glass and any of the light lenses.
Good fenders and doors and intact rocker molding – a huge plus
Here is the best part. Rear bumper..will need re-chroming but the taillight lenses took to be in good shape!!
1971 429 XR-7 on E-Bay. A bit tired but has some nice options. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mercu…item4ac46cf6e3. 1972 Cougar,XR-7. My Cougar 2003 Focus SVT My SVT …
Fiat Chrysler unveiled the 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat on Wednesday. Like its Challenger sibling, the Hellcat Charger is being positioned as an extreme high-performance car that is also a practical daily driver. Source: Fiat Chrysler. To the …
The headline above is from http://www.momomotorsport.com and the link is above so you can read the story. Below is my commentary. I invite your comments.
I have to say this is very sad. A young racer lost his life and a veteran driver will forever have to live with that incident. There is no judgement here as I’m able to know what actually transpired other than what a couple of video clips may or may not show.
Moving forward, I think racing organizations should take a look at two aspects of racing – the pit maneuver (the bump) and the conduct while on the racing surface (track and pit row). Suspension and banning maybe appropriate when a driver intentionally bumps another and/or a driver leaves his car after an accident and approaches cars in motion either on the track or pit row. (For example.. throwing your helmet at a moving car!!)
I understand the intensity of the moment. As a police officer and a racer I’ve felt the same type of emotions under specific conditions. i
If you lack the internal tools to be able to avoid a physical confrontation, then yourself grab a camera crew (so the world can see you defend your honor – or lack of it) and take it back into the pits or the winners circle and punch it out there!!
Intentionally hitting another car or otherwise needless endangeringyourself and other drivers or track crew, should get you banned…someone will come along and fill the void….there are lots of hungry drivers out there.
Racing organizations, racing teams and race track officials…get some backbone and stop this behavoir or pack it in!!!
Tony Stewart has overcome some big obstacles and conquered some enormous challenges throughout his career to become one of NASCAR’s biggest stars and most accomplished drivers. But the three-time Cup champion has never faced a challenge like …
The information posted over at Mustang6g says that Tuesday September 10 is the ok to buy date your 2015 Mustang. According to Mustnag6g this means that dealers will have the ok to begin selling stock inventory. Special orders on this date will then begin production. According to the post at Mustang6g this is to limit any glitches on special order vehicles. The 2015 Mustang convertible wont’ begin production until September 15. Its ok to buy date is not slated until October 27.
Based on its talks with “Bugatti insiders,” Autocar reports that the next-generation hypercar will be capable of flipping the last two digits of the Veyron’s 268-mph 431-km/h world record, reaching speeds up to 286 mph 460 km/h. Bugatti’s computer simulations suggest that the new car will also be quicker, launching to 62 mph 100 km/h in 2.3 seconds.
I love this series (well I write it…so those were wasted letters) and 1962 was a mix bag of cars. The beginning of the space-age, muscle car era and the ending of the classic, heavy, finned cars.
For example take a look at the 1962 Imperial:
You can still see the fins, but a little space-age flare with the taillights.
Now the 1962 Thunderbird:
Fins are almost gone and now see the space-age/turbine round taillights.
So the leader for 1962 was Chevrolet topping the charts with 2,061, 677 units produced. That is 600,000 more cars than it’s nearest competitor Ford that came in second with 1,476,031 and for had nearly 1 million more than the 3rd place manufacture Pontiac with 521,933 units. Rambler was 4th with 442,346 followed by Oldsmobile with 428,853.
