1965 Corvair Monza Slot-mags and white-letter tyres on a Corvair? Well, played, sir. Well played. Michael J Grew owned this Corvair. Would you like to know what Mr Grew does? He teaches Mechanics and Power Mechanics in the Automotive Mechanics Department of Victoria High School, British Columbia. Mr Grew has a serious automotive resume and a highly eclectic taste. Those kids in BC are in good hands. The Brown Car Blog salutes you, Mr Grew! Click for high-res photo

1965 Corvair Monza

Slot-mags and white-letter tyres on a Corvair? Well, played, sir. Well played.

Michael J Grew owned this Corvair. Would you like to know what Mr Grew does? He teaches Mechanics and Power Mechanics in the Automotive Mechanics Department of Victoria High School, British Columbia. Mr Grew has a serious automotive resume and a highly eclectic taste. Those kids in BC are in good hands.

The Brown Car Blog salutes you, Mr Grew!

1963 Pontiac Tempest Pop quiz hotshot: What has a 4-cylinder engine derived from half of the company’s V8, a transaxle for superior weight distribution, fully independent suspension and came as a coupe and convertible? If you said Porsche 944, you’d be right. And if you said Pontaic Tempest you’d, remarkably, be right too. (via the Old Car Manual Project) Click for high-res photo

1963 Pontiac Tempest

Pop quiz hotshot: What has a 4-cylinder engine derived from half of the company’s V8, a transaxle for superior weight distribution, fully independent suspension and came as a coupe and convertible? If you said Porsche 944, you’d be right. And if you said Pontaic Tempest you’d, remarkably, be right too.

(via the Old Car Manual Project)

Peugeot 504 Coupe Autotrader asked, “Brown Cars: Would you drive one?” The answer is, without hesitation: Hell yes! Especially if said brown-hued automobile is as pretty as this 504 coupe which looks just the thing for cruising to the ballet or parking outside a cafe and admiring while discussing Sartre. Or tackling the Stelvio. Old Peugeots are good like that. (via Autotrader) Click for high-res photo

Peugeot 504 Coupe

Autotrader asked, “Brown Cars: Would you drive one?”

The answer is, without hesitation: Hell yes! Especially if said brown-hued automobile is as pretty as this 504 coupe which looks just the thing for cruising to the ballet or parking outside a cafe and admiring while discussing Sartre. Or tackling the Stelvio. Old Peugeots are good like that.

(via Autotrader)

The most famous Citroen Saxo on the internet Robbie Taylor’s Citroen Saxo is internet famous. Bet you can’t guess why. (pic via all over. Google up Brown Saxo.) Click for high-res photo

The most famous Citroen Saxo on the internet

Robbie Taylor’s Citroen Saxo is internet famous. Bet you can’t guess why.

(pic via all over. Google up Brown Saxo.)

Shift for yourself like a man Like the Cordoba, it’s hard for me to understand that they actually built cars like this 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix. The standard engine was a 350hp 400ci V8, “enough to get under a test-pilot’s skin”. But you could have, and why wouldn’t you, a 428 with 390hp. And with all the power, you’d get a 3-speed manual. Fully synchronised, of course. Not that you’d need to actually change gear. Many buyers would have opted for the Turbo Hydra-matic, the “marriage saver” that also lets you “shift for yourself like a man”. There’s an owner-operator joke in there somewhere, I just know it. (pic via The Old Car Manual Project. The Pontiac archive is amazing. The whole thing is phenomenal.) Click for high-res photo

Shift for yourself like a man

Like the Cordoba, it’s hard for me to understand that they actually built cars like this 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix.

The standard engine was a 350hp 400ci V8, “enough to get under a test-pilot’s skin”. But you could have, and why wouldn’t you, a 428 with 390hp. And with all the power, you’d get a 3-speed manual. Fully synchronised, of course. Not that you’d need to actually change gear. Many buyers would have opted for the Turbo Hydra-matic, the “marriage saver” that also lets you “shift for yourself like a man”.

There’s an owner-operator joke in there somewhere, I just know it.

(pic via The Old Car Manual Project. The Pontiac archive is amazing. The whole thing is phenomenal.)

Saltflat Racer There are people who do not like radial tyres on hotrods. Those people are a bit pedantic, I think. I can see the point. But if you’re going to be truly authentic you should probably run your ‘32 on motor spirit. Aside: I once registered a car and the mechanic had written on the inspection slip, under “fuel type”, motor spirit. The clerk had to call a supervisor to make sure they could register such a weird car. It was an RX-7 after all. (I found this pic at The Hooniverse who credit it to Bryan Jones’ photos from Speed Week 2007) Click for high-res photo

Saltflat Racer

There are people who do not like radial tyres on hotrods. Those people are a bit pedantic, I think. I can see the point. But if you’re going to be truly authentic you should probably run your ‘32 on motor spirit.

Aside: I once registered a car and the mechanic had written on the inspection slip, under “fuel type”, motor spirit. The clerk had to call a supervisor to make sure they could register such a weird car. It was an RX-7 after all.

(I found this pic at The Hooniverse who credit it to Bryan Jones’ photos from Speed Week 2007)

1974-ish Matra Bagheera I do not believe that the Matra Bagheera could be more awesome. Allow me to explain. It is mid-engined. Mid-engined cars are awesome. Being mid-engined is mostly pointless in road cars, but all the more awesome for that reason. It is French. And the Bagheera was not made by one of your everyday French marques but by Matra who had an illustrious racing history in the 60s and 70s, the most awesome period of racing. It seats three abreast which is the most awesome seating configuration. (via Wikimedia Commons) Click for high-res photo

1974-ish Matra Bagheera

I do not believe that the Matra Bagheera could be more awesome. Allow me to explain.

  1. It is mid-engined. Mid-engined cars are awesome. Being mid-engined is mostly pointless in road cars, but all the more awesome for that reason.
  2. It is French. And the Bagheera was not made by one of your everyday French marques but by Matra who had an illustrious racing history in the 60s and 70s, the most awesome period of racing.
  3. It seats three abreast which is the most awesome seating configuration.

(via Wikimedia Commons)

BMW Z4 AC Schnitzer Yes but no but yes. But, I think, ultimately, no. (via Serious Wheels) Click for high-res photo

BMW Z4 AC Schnitzer

Yes but no but yes.

But, I think, ultimately, no.

(via Serious Wheels)

1976 BMW 630 CS What is the “luxury car parked on a boat ramp” photo about? I recall this exact photo from countless Australian luxury car brochures, sometimes with the car pulling an actual boat on a trailer. Is it a lifestyle thing? You’re the sort of person who would drop some of their hard-earned on a top-of-the-line luxo-barge (or at least have your company lease one for you) so you’d obviously enjoy a spot of yachting. Seriously. Here’s the brown, sorry, Karneolrot, 630 on a dock. And again (nice hat, Hans!). And again. The only way this could be any more crashingly unsubtle is if they showed the 6-series, oh, I dunno, on a polo field. (pics via the amazing archive of 6-series photos at Sharknose.de) Click for high-res photo

1976 BMW 630 CS

What is the “luxury car parked on a boat ramp” photo about? I recall this exact photo from countless Australian luxury car brochures, sometimes with the car pulling an actual boat on a trailer.

Is it a lifestyle thing? You’re the sort of person who would drop some of their hard-earned on a top-of-the-line luxo-barge (or at least have your company lease one for you) so you’d obviously enjoy a spot of yachting.

Seriously. Here’s the brown, sorry, Karneolrot, 630 on a dock. And again (nice hat, Hans!). And again.

The only way this could be any more crashingly unsubtle is if they showed the 6-series, oh, I dunno, on a polo field.

(pics via the amazing archive of 6-series photos at Sharknose.de)

chromeography: 1967 Plymouth Sport Fury (via Drew Makepeace) Consider this: this badge was designed by hand. It would have been transferred from a drawing to a mold by a toolmaker, by hand. After each badge was mass-produced, in all likelyhood in a factory entirely owned by Chrysler, it would have been painted and polished by hand. Each badge would be applied to each car by hand and not by some double-sided tape but by actual holes in the panel. They really don’t make them like they used to.

chromeography:

1967 Plymouth Sport Fury (via Drew Makepeace)

Consider this: this badge was designed by hand. It would have been transferred from a drawing to a mold by a toolmaker, by hand. After each badge was mass-produced, in all likelyhood in a factory entirely owned by Chrysler, it would have been painted and polished by hand. Each badge would be applied to each car by hand and not by some double-sided tape but by actual holes in the panel.

They really don’t make them like they used to.

(this post was reblogged from chromeography)