GM’s Wide-Track division had hit full stride by the time this 1960 Pontiac Catalina left the factory. Gone were the days when Pontiacs were driven by people who could afford more than a Chevrolet, but who weren’t too interested in driving a car which made a statement. Pontiac turned a corner with the introduction of the 1959 models, and never looked back. Well, at least not until the 1
This 1951 Chevy pickup was built during the fifth year of an eight-year styling cycle — Chevy’s first of the post-war era. There weren’t many outward differences from those first ‘47s right on through to the ‘53s, but a major front end change (and a one-piece windshield) really distinguished the ‘54s from the rest. You can tell this is a ‘51 because it was
This 1988 Mazda RX-7 is from the Hiroshima manufacturer’s Wankel Rotary Engine period. There was a time when the Wankel was thought to be the next big thing — very compact and lower weight. They have no pistons, but instead use a triangular-shaped rotor which spins inside a epitrochoid-shaped housing where intake, compression, ignition, and exhaust all take place. Unfortunately, there
When this 1971 Volkswagen Super Beetle was new, it was the first year VW shoppers could choose between the standard Beetle (officially the VW 1200) and the Super Beetle. The differences? Not a whole lot on the outside, although the Super Beetle is about three inches longer, and its trunk lid doesn’t open as deep into the bumper area as the 1200’s. The biggest differences were in the fr
When I came across this 1965 Mercedes-Benz 220 S in Kenmore, it was wearing a dealer sticker on the trunk from Helm Bros. Inc., a New York City dealership still in business today. Under the hood was a 2.2L straight six, which on this car was connected to an automatic transmission. This body style, introduced in 1959, was known as the Heckflosse, or in English, Fintail, for the shape of its rear fe
I know car manufacturers had some krazy factory kolors back then, but I don’t think this 1977 Volkswagen Westfalia camper is wearing one of them. It kind of reminds me of lime Jell-O, which I seem to remember only ever having in school. I mean, who would buy lime Jell-O on purpose? This camper is really green, except for the top, which is really grungy-looking. I do like the headlight eyebro
Back in the mid-sixties, especially after the introduction of Ford’s Mustang, there was a new school of automobile design commonly referred to as Long Hood, Short Deck styling. This 1966 Chrysler 300on the other hand, was more like from the school of Long Hood, Long Deck. This was a decade before downsizing became a thing, so every year the car-buying public was treated to longer, lower, and
Although you couldn’t see it when I took the photo, this 1986 Pontiac 2+2 has a fastback, or maybe more correctly, a bubble-top roofline (see the Hemmings photo below). It also has a more aerodynamic front end than “regular” Grands Prix (Grand Prixes?). The reason? GM’s cars weren’t doing all that well against Ford’s much sleeker Thunderbird in NASCAR races, so
This 1970 Cadillac Coupe De Ville shows just how far GM’s luxury division had moved away from the garish designs of ten years earlier. Tail fins were still in place, but much more muted, while chrome was kept to a minimum. Yet to the passer-by there was no doubt that this was a luxury automobile. Longer, lower, wider – yes, but tastefully done. This example was seen last fall in Tonawa
We’ve come across this 1967 Chevy Sportvan a few times over the years. The photo above is from the 2014 Canal Fest Car Show in Tonawanda, while the rear shot was taken in Lockport last year. Back in the day it seems like most of the ones we saw were work vans, without windows and seats; but the passenger versions were pretty handy for large families, with seating for eight and an extended wh