Cool 60's Corvette Commercial

Any of you remember the old 1970s TV show Bonanza? I used to watch reruns of this show as a teenager (before we ever had cable) and somehow I missed the sweet Corvette that Adam Cartwright used to drive.

Take a look:

Wonder what Hoss and Little Joe were driving back then... I seem to remember only horses. AND I wonder why Adam never had a cool nickname like Hoss or Little Joe did.

Bad Ass Bug!

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Corvette Junior

Here's a cool retro image of a young girl pulling out of her parking spot in her Corvette Junior. If you were lucky enough to have a cool miniature car like this to cruise around in when you were a kid, then your family was probably fairly well off financially. These were not cheap toys, they were drive-able miniature cars, made from real metal, and priced as high as several hundred each, and that's back in the 50's & 60's.

Click for Larger Image

Here's another picture of a miniature Corvette, this one is a 1958 Yardman Corvette JR. You can see the differences between these two models as the one above appears to be modeled after a mid sixties Corvette, while the one below is late 1950's.

 The image below should give you an idea of the complexity and craftsmanship that these cars were manufactured with. These were first produced as limited edition promotional tools, and were sometimes powered by real gas engines. I'm not sure if the one in the top picture is gas or electric powered.

Here's a page from the actual instruction manual of the Yardman Corvette Jr.

Click for Larger Image

To learn more about these cars click the link below:

58 Chevy Corvette JR by Yardman

1965 Vette Poster

Check out this 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Poster. Pretty sweet car huh? The 1965 Corvette was one of the coolest designs ever to come out of Detroit. Sleek, Stylish, and Powerful, all in one little package.

For More info on this poster and how to obtain one, email us  @ : 

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The Ultimate Sleeper...

The 1962 Dodge Dart didn't look like anything special in it's day, and might even be called an ugly "old person" car by todays standards. What many people didn't know about this particular car though, is what lurked beneath it's hood - The Max Wedge 413cid V8, which was capable of doing 0-60 in 5.8 seconds, and a 14.4 second quarter mile - STOCK!

Doesn't look like a real speed burner does it? 

Well, you best get out of grandpa's way when you see him coming in your rear view, 'cause this car can HAUL!

Original VW Rabbit

This '64 Rabbit was essentially a modified VW Beetle. The Rabbit's fur was trimmed substantially for 1965, and subsequently gave way to the standard painted metal exterior for the 1966 model.

Actually, this particular car was created by someone with a substantial amount of excess time on their hands (I'm assuming). It's very cute though, and I would probably have to pet it if I were to come across it in a forest somewhere.

Excuse me...

...I got a turtle head pokin' out!

This looks like something Ace Ventura might drive. Very woodsy, very in-tune with nature. Could probably be used as a stealth vehicle in a zoo or animal park. Very interesting vehicle, yet somewhat perverse.

The Gremalibur

I saw this car on South Beach Classics yesterday, and I'll tell you... NOTHING says classy like a customized Lime-Green AMC Gremlin! I've seen some kooky kit cars, but this one takes the cake! Or is it the key lime pie? (nyuk-nyuk)

Check out these pics of the 

Gremalibur:

The Wacky Racers

Who could forget these lovable lunatics, the Wacky Racers? One of my personal favorites in the automotive cartoon category, along with Tom Slick and of course Speed Racer... Ah the joys of afternoon cartoons.

Is it a Snowmobile? is it a Car? Is it a SnowCar, No..what the hell is it?

Okay, the Amphicar was weird, but this? This is every bit as weird in my opinion.

This may be a joke or a photoshop chop job... Can anyone shed some light on this? It looks like something out of a live action Dr. Suess movie. Very Midwestern, but specifically the part of midwest America where they ice fish. Brrrr! It looks safe though...totally safe. My only question is ..how do you stop it? Hope those rear tires have good tread remaining.  Sweet ride!

Ed Roths Orbitron

Here is one of Ed Roths famous custom creations - The Orbitron.  

A Masterpiece concept car if there ever was one... very futuristic and mod. 

A truly original creation from the mind of Ed Roth...

This is the kind of car I day-dreamed about when I was young. 

Impractical? Yes.....Awesome? Hell Yes!

No you Dittin'!

If the McBillboard from the previous post wasn't bad enough, I present... 

The Yoo-hoo Racer!       

Really? I mean...Really!? 

What's next, product sponsored drive-bys? 

At least you don't have to worry about someone else having one, AND I hear they're easy to find at the mall. Also available in pink-trimmed Strawberry version.

Seriously...?

Sometimes you just have to ask why?  What on earth would possess someone to turn their car into the unofficial McDonalds Funland Cruiser? I hope the owner of this uniquely repulsive car at least gets some type of discount at the Drive-Thru for driving this mobile McDonalds billboard. 

At least it appears to have a good suspension, which is pretty much essential for picking up those "big boned" ladies in the Micky D's parking lot...

 And I hear that the available Grimace package looks even sharper.

Yeah dude...I'm not really lovin' it all that much to be honest.

Happy Father's Day!

Hey Happy Pappy's Day to all of the Pappys of the World. This post is dedicated to one of the coolest cars ever conceived, designed by everyone's favorite TV dad - Homer J. Simpson! 

The Powell Motors "Homer"

The Homer featured two bubble domes which essentially blocked out the backseat noise from quarreling siblings, great for those long road trip vacations. It had oversized cupholders for those Big Gulps from 7-Eleven (or Quickie Mart).  It also featured three horns which played La Cucaracha, because in the words of Homer himself - "you can never find a horn when you're mad!" 

Right on, Homey!

Is it a Car?...Is it a Boat?...no, it's Amphicar!

Yep, you guessed it.  In this case the name Amphicar does not deceive, this car was made to drive on land as a car, and go through water like a motorboat. Amphicars were produced from 1961-1968, and were created in Germany by "eccentric" designer Hans Trippel. My guess is he figured - "Some people don't have time to care for a boat and a car..., why not combine them into one fantastic amphibious vehicle?!"

Although this was an extremely innovative concept, the actual car was neither good on land as a car, nor good as a boat in water, and would frequently stall while in the water,  especially after corosion set in and leaks were sprung. In any case, none of these would be considered a favorable quality for any vehicle, especially an amphibious vehicle of this nature.

Holy Horsepower Batman!

You gotta love the Batmobile.  If you ever get the chance to check out the old Batman Series from the late 1960's you really should. When I was young I took it all so seriously, but this is funny stuff, made for adults with an unmistakeable 60's flavor.  The Batmobile was a bitchin' ride too!

The video above features some clips from the series featuring the Batmobile. I always figured this was some sort of modified Cadillac, but it was actually created from a concept car called the Lincoln Futura. 

Retro Thunderbird Advertisement

Here's a cool retro T-Bird Ad.  The T-Bird was one of the coolest car designs of it's time.  Created to compete with the Chevrolet Corvette, the Thunderbird was cheaper to produce, and actually outsold the Corvette by a substantial margin.  The T-Bird line began as two seaters, later morphing into larger four seat cars.

It was marketed as a personal luxury car as opposed to a sports car, but was no slouch in the horsepower department, sporting a 312ci V8 engine, with a four barrel carb and dual exhaust. A classy sports car that could haul...very cool!

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Great Speed Racer Episode

When I was ten years old, school would let out around 2:30 in the afternoon and I would take the bus to the stop that was the closest to our family home.  At that point I would sprint approximately 10 blocks to get home in time to watch the final 20-25 minutes of the Speed Racer cartoon. No VCRs or DVRs in those days.

Anyway, I would get home completely out of breath, and my Mother, knowing what a huge Speed Racer fan I was, would already have the TV warmed up ( it was the 70's) and Speed Racer tuned in to our COLOR TV.  

Ah yes.....good times my friends. You have to admit that the Mach 5 was a bad M-effer though. I was also very intrigued by Racer X, who later turned out to be Speed's brother. He was a mysterious dude for sure. I never got the mammoth car concept though, I mean it wasn't so much a car, as it was a train on rubber tires. Whatever.                    

Check out this cool Speed episode.

Ed Big Daddy Roth

Ed Roth, born in 1932, was the King of the Custom Car Culture Scene  (a.k.a.Kustom Kulture) in Southern California in the 1950's and 1960's. In addition to creating the Rat Fink comics and other far out artwork,  Ed Big Daddy Roth was also well known for creating some unbelievable custom show cars, such as the ones pictured below.

A man of multiple talents, Roth initially started out as a custom car painter and detailer, specializing in pinstriping and lettering.  He then branched out into customized air-brushed t-shirts, which took off to the point where he was able to mass market them quite successfully.

His shirts are famous for outrageous hot rods, and the wild looking monsters often seen driving them.  He was also one of the top custom car designers of his era, and even had models of his cars created by Revell for the hot rod model hobbyists. If you who played with Hot Wheels as a child, you will probably be familiar with some of Roth's designs on some of the popular miniature toy cars.

To learn more about Ed Roth and his unique life story, Click Here!

Here are a few of Ed Roth's custom car creations.

The Beatnik Bandit

The Orbitron

The Outlaw

Mustang Junior

Wow! The mini T-Bird from a few posts back was cool, but I'm pretty sure it was battery powered. The Mustang Junior above is a Gas Powered car. Not sure if this would meet today's stringent safety requirements or not. Looks like a crapload of fun though, huh? It's even got a nice growl to it.

This looks like a scene out of an old magazine ad. Nice scenery, nice kids, and a damn nice kiddie car! This model was also made by the Powercar company of Mystic Connecticut, the company that manufactured the Thunderbird Juniors. The Mustang Junior sold for around $500.00, which was not cheap back on the 1960's (or now for that matter), but it was obviously worth the price because it was an excellent chick magnet, as evidenced in the above photo.

For more info on the Mustang Junior Click Here!

Happy Memorial Day!!!

In honor of memorial day, 2012, I would like to offer a heart felt Thank You! to all the men and women who have given their lives to protect our country and keep everyday civilians like us safe and secure. 

God Bless you all! 

Check out this cool red white & blue 1967 Shelby Cobra.
This is one Patriotic vehicle!

More Ambler Car Show Pics

Here's an interesting assortment of car logos and other decorative emblems from some of the cars that were on display at the Ambler Car Show last Saturday, May 19th.

Thanks to the people who brought their awesome cars to the show that day.  

Congrats and Kudos to all of you!

Junior's T-Bird

This is either a giant woman, or a smallish car.

Actually it's neither.....

It's one of the coolest kid cars you'll ever see. A 1966 Thunderbird Junior made by the Powercar company of Mystic Connecticut. For extensive information on the T-Bird Junior Click Here!    By the way... this kid drives better than most adults I come across on a daily basis. Seriously!

Ambler Car Show

Here are a few of the cars from this weekends Ambler Car Show in Ambler, PA. There were some great looking cars there and the weather was perfect.  Nice little town Ambler is. Click thumbnails for larger images.

Ford Mustang

Pontiac GTO

AMC AMX

Dodge Challenger

Chevy Bel Air

Chevy Corvette

Plymouth GTX

Chevy Corvette

1972 Road Runner Ad

Check out this cool ad for the 1972 Plymouth Road Runner

Click the photo to Enlarge.  

Notice all the different performance packages that are available.  It came standard with a 400ci engine that you could downgrade to a 340 or upgrade to a 440.  It had three transmissions to choose from, a three speed, a four speed, and a 3 speed automatic.  You could also choose a four barrel carb or three 2 barrel carbs.

Classic Concept Cars

In the midst of an interesting conversation about modern technology I had with a friend the other day, we realized that just about all the things they had in The Jetsons, things that seemed so implausible, and unattainable when our generation was growing up, are now largely available at the local Walmart.  Think about it...Phones with cameras, vacuum cleaning robots, cars that fly? Well. maybe not cars that fly...yet, but I do feel confident that they're working on that somewhere at the very moment that you are reading this.

This is an interesting collection of some futuristic visions of what 1950's and 1960's car designers figured cars might look like in the future. Some of them aren't that unusual looking, while others look like something from another planet.  The Ford Maxima looks more like a Rocket than a car.  The Ford Nucleon was a scale model concept car which was powered by a small nuclear reactor in the rear of the vehicle, which used uranium fission similar to a nuclear submarine.  Obviously this concept never got off the ground.  The Lincoln Futura is the concept car that the Batmobile, from the live action Batman series starring Adam West and Burt Ward, was created from.

Shirley Muldowney - "The First Lady of Drag Racing"

First of all - Happy Mother's Day!!! to all the moms out there!  Here's one for you ladies - Shirley Muldowney - "The First Lady of Drag Racing"!  She wasn't really the first female drag racer, but she was the most successful.  She's no Danica Patrick (no offense to Danica) because Shirley won races - a lot of races!  Read here to learn more about  Sheila Muldowney.

Go Green for 2012!

Going Green means different things to different people.  Some view going green as actively taking measures to help to save the environment.  For instance, by purchasing cars that use less gasoline, thereby reducing dangerous emissions, which deplete the ozone and eventually kill us.  To others going green simply means buying a bad ass green automobile.

Here are a few examples of ordinary people Going Green with their cars!

A smart car can save hundreds on gas on gas per year, and it's fun to drive if you don't mind being crammed into a sardine can.

If you are looking for something a little sportier, this spunky little number could be a better choice for you. Very popular in the Leprechaun community I hear.

This model is especially good for the environment. It can be tough to mow though, and tends to dry out in the summer.

Or try this little three wheeler.  You can tell this one is fast because it has flames on the door.

Not sure if this one is good for the environment but it is totally sweet! Comes with matching bike.

This would fall under the bad ass green automobile category, I think.  That's a sweet paintjob.

Dude...Sweet Ride!

This kid has got style. What can I say... It's a T-Bird if I'm not mistaken? Nice ground effects for a stroller too. I bet he's a big man on the preschool campus.

1969 Charger 500 Hemi 426 Road Test

Here's a must see for Mopar lovers.  This car is bad ass.

See for yourself!

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Featuring a great selection of high quality T-Shirts featuring classic muscle cars and retro hot rods from the golden days of auto manufacturing.  Shirts are $19.99 to $24.99 and are available in a variety of sizes, colors and designs.

Dodge Deora Concept Car (or is it a truck?)

Here's another one that should be familiar to those of you who payed with Hot Wheels while growing up in the 1970's as I did.  The Dodge Deora concept vehicle was actually also one of the cars from the original line of Hot Wheels.  It's a futuristic el Camino, if you will.

Cool Retro Mercury Ad

This is a pretty funny concept, having airline pilots test driving the cars for Ford.
"It's got a smooth ride on the tarmac lemme tell ya..." 
I'll bet it's more comfortable to drive than a 747 too...

Ugly Car Category: East Germany's entry

This little beauty is called the Trabant, and at one point was East Germanys most popular car. The name, which roughly translates to Satellite, is said to have been inspired by the Soviet Sputnik.  It was constructed of Duroplast which was made of recycled material, cotton waste from Soviet Union and phenol resins from the East German dye industry. The Trabant was the first car to use recycled material in the construction of the car body . Click the links in the paragraph above for more info.

Wait...Another World's Fastest Street Car?!

Here's another claim to the world's fastest street car crown.  This one appears to be even faster than the Vauxhall Victor in the previous posts video.  This is Larry Larson's 66 Chevy Nova.  

Click here for more info on this bitchin' Street Rod!

One thing about these two hot rods is certain:  You don't have to worry about being late for work as long as you wake up at least 5 minutes before starting time.

Must see Video - Fastest Street Legal Car?

You gotta check out this video.  This guy from England is said to have the fastest street legal car.  It's a modified Vauxhall Victor,  which is an English family car manufactured by General Motors UK Limited (which is owned by General Motors as you may have guessed) and is capable of doing 7.8 second quarter miles.  I'd have to say, that if this car is street legal, that they must have fewer restrictions on what types of vehicles can be driven on public streets and highways in England, than we do here in the U.S.  Or maybe not...Check it out for yourself:

The Monkee mobile

In memory of the late great Davey Jones of the Monkees, here is a tribute to the monkees sweet (modified GTO) ride, we all knew as: the Monkee Mobile:

What a wild wacky funmobile they had!...ahhh, good times.

The Good the Bad and the Ugly

Sometimes automobile designers hit a home run with a can't miss design that people will love and admire for generations to come.  Other times well, they hit a week grounder back to the mound, resulting in an easy play at first.

Here's a quick look at some good vs. bad designs for a few of the larger American Car Manufacturers over the years.

Click the car names for links to more information on that cars Wikipedia page.

Comparison #1: AMC

When it come to ugly car production, American Motors was as guilty as any of the american Auto Manufacturers if not more.  The Gremlin and the Pacer were certainly two of their uglier ventures.  They did get it right with the Javelin though in my opinion.  I remember watching two of these drag race at the top of my block as a kid, and they were burning some serious rubber.

Good:  AMC Javelin

Not Good:  AMC Gremlin

Comparison #2: Chevrolet

The Chevrolet Chevelle was a big sturdy car that looked great, was available in a variety of engine and styling packages and could really haul ass. The Chevette on the other hand could barely get out of its own way. Not a car I really felt safe driving. Very small and uncomfortable. Oh, and ugly...

Good:  Chevy Chevelle

Bad:  Chevy Chevette

Comparison #3: Dodge

The Dodge Super Bee is obviously a downright nasty street monster, especially with the 440 six-pack option.  Not a car you would typically expect to see in your church parking lot.  Meanwhile, the Diplomat was at best, unremarkable. It boasted plain jane looks, average performance, and absolutely terrible gas mileage into one nifty, yet not so thrifty package.

Good:  Dodge Superbee

Ugly:  Dodge Diplomat

Comparison #4: Ford

My parents had a Mustang convertible, quite similar to the one shown below, although in red. It was a really fun car to ride in as we drove it cross country form PA to the Midwest, and California on more than one occasion. I'm a bit partial to the style below, and also a big fan of the Boss Mustangs. What can you say about the Mustang II. My buddy had one and it was the biggest POS I've ever been in.

Good:  Ford Mustang

Not even close:  Ford Mustang II