We could not ask for a better day for the Eastwood 2023 Calendar Shoot by yours truly, CarShowz.com, hosted at the Eastwood Pasadena store location. We had over 60+ vehicles participate in the Eastwood 2023 calendar contest and it is our job to ensure these rides are looking good. We could not ask for a […]
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Chevrolet Introduces Silverado ZR2 Bison – Building off the success of the recent Silverado ZR2 launch, Chevrolet introduced the first-ever special edition Silverado ZR2 Bison in collaboration with American Expedition Vehicles (AEV), a premium off-road aftermarket manufacturer. This truck was uniquely tuned to unlock new heights in off-road capability for customers seeking overlanding adventures. “Our […]
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Supercharged 2021 F150 – Aftermarket parts authority, AmericanTrucks (AT) has released a new episode in its YouTube series, titled ‘The Haul.’ The video features a 2021 F-150 Lariat owned by AT host, Justin Dugan. Justin brings the community along for the first stage of his build, adding a Corsa Sport Exhaust System and Whipple Supercharger […]
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Next weekend CarShowz will be rolling into Eastwood Pasadena (8159-B Governor Ritchie Hwy, Pasadena, MD 21122) on August 20, 2023, the time is set from 9AM – 12PM, the first 100 vehicles will participate in a calendar shoot with CarShowz.com. All vehicle participants will be eligible to be selected by Eastwood corporate to be featured in their […]
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The Ford Motor Company is the oldest automaker in the world and has achieved astounding success. When the company was on a tremendous growth spur for decades, part of the reason for that success was the unique automotive designs. Cars like the Model T and the Mustang defined generations of drivers. Ford understood what it took to be a dominant force in the automotive industry. Other companies like AMC have come and gone but the ‘blue oval’ is still here.
Yet there have also been quite a few failures at the Blue Oval. These were cars that didn’t quite cut the mustard, but Ford tried to push them onto consumers anyway. The Ford Pinto comes to mind. The second-generation Ford Explorer was also marred in controversy. That controversy alone cost the company over a billion dollars in settlements and tarnished the reputation of the Explorer brand. Some of these failures were extremely costly and damaging, so we looked back at the less-than-successful cars and trucks that could have potentially put the blue oval out of business for good.
Where do we begin with the Thunderbird? It wasn’t necessarily a bad car, but it was a huge gamble for Ford. The company spent millions of dollars developing a car to compete against the Corvette. The problem with the first generation of the Thunderbird is that it wasn’t a direct competitor to the Corvette. The Corvette was built for speed while the Thunderbird was built for comfort and luxury (via The Motor Digest).
Still, the Thunderbird would be one of the most popular cars at Ford. The styling resonated with a new generation of buyers who wanted something different. The Thunderbird did gain the following in the automotive world, but the car was a major gamble for Ford. Whenever an automaker embarks on a completely new product, there are a lot of risks involved to follow.
The post Blue Oval Blunders: Cars & Trucks That Nearly Put Ford Out of Business appeared first on Motor Junkie.
Many older drivers remember it fondly. American roads were simply much more interesting back in the day than they are today. Many different brands, models, nameplates, and shapes roamed the streets and interstates. Unfortunately, remarkably few major companies survived because of several reasons. This left true car connoisseurs to miss the old times and discontinued names as a result.
So we compiled a list of the most remembered car models and brands that once were common in the USA. These cars are now discontinued. But at the end of the day, people miss these cars due to the sheer nostalgia and good times they had. From economy cars to high-performance exotics, some are from way back and some are from the recent past. Take a ride down memory lane right here.
For a short time, it looked that America got a sports car brand that could rival Europe’s finest companies. DeLorean presented an exciting concept of a sports car with those famous Gullwing doors, modern design, and a stainless steel body but a slow V6 engine (via Autozine).
The importance of the DeLorean brand was that this was the first global sports car company. The design came from Italy. But the engines were from France and Sweden and the cars were assembled in the UK. The owner was American. The DMC-12 had a lot of potential despite its problems with power and reliability. It’s a shame the lifespan of this sports car was cut short.
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The Pontiac brand was, at one time, one of the most well-known automotive brands in the world. Part of this was the success of the GTO and the Firebird in the 1960s and 70s. But despite that constant run of success, the brand steadily declined until it was ultimately discontinued in 2010. There was a special place in the hearts of automotive enthusiasts for the Pontiac brand. Pontiac was once known as the “excitement” division at GM. There were good reasons for that as their cars offered great performance and a unique sense of style.
But there have also been many blunders at the Pontiac division. Still, there have been far more successes for Pontiac than failures. The brand had endured decades of change at GM to ultimately become the victim of a poor management structure and a global recession. We looked at the best and worst cars Pontiac has ever made. Strap in, because some of these cars are as good or as bad as you remember.
The 1960 Pontiac Bonneville was a work of art when it hit the market. The styling of the car was all-American with big fins off the rear end and an adequately-appointed interior. Pontiac was doing things differently, and there was not another car on the road that looked as unique as the big and bold Bonneville did (via Fifties Web).
Under the hood of the Bonneville, the excellence in design continued as the car had a powerful 389 CI/303 HP V-8 engine. Motivating this car was the technologically advanced 4-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmission. The Bonneville’s design was groundbreaking at the time, and it ushered consumers into a new era of automotive design in the 1960s.
The post The Best & Worst Cars That Forgotten Brand Pontiac Ever Made appeared first on Motor Junkie.
Luxury cars are a segment of the auto industry that can completely change how you feel behind the wheel. When you get into a nice luxury car, you immediately attract attention. Certain cars invoke all kinds of emotion, such as a Rolls Royce or a Bentley. These are vehicles that you know are the top of the line in the automotive industry. Luxury cars are also the most negatively affected vehicles when it comes to depreciation. A Mercedes-Benz depreciates much faster than a Honda Accord.
Because of this depreciation, you can get all kinds of luxury cars for a fraction of the price the vehicle was sold for when it was brand new. There are certain luxury cars that you should steer clear of and there are others that not only make a great investment but will make you feel rich when you’re behind the wheel. The following luxury cars were well-built and continue to make drivers feel rich even by today’s standards.
The Lexus SC400 was one of the most over-engineered sports cars of the 1990s but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing because the car aged better than many other sports cars from this era. The V8 engine under the hood is the 1UZ-FE, an engine that cost $400,000,000 for Toyota to develop. The SC400 was and still is one of the best bargains that you can get in the luxury car world. The styling of the car was beautiful when it was released and it still holds up today (via Car and Driver).
The SC400 will make you feel like you’re rich as there are all kinds of unique tech items that are built into this car. There is even a built-in car phone right into the center console. The right quality of the SC400 is also very quiet. There is plenty of insulation to give this car one of the quietest rides on the road. But you’ll still hear the roar of the V8 engine under the hood when you drive it.
The post Underrated Luxury Cars You Can Get Today That Will Make You Feel Rich appeared first on Motor Junkie.
This Ford Roadster hot rod is fitted with an exposed steel 1929 Roadster body mounted to a custom frame with 1932-style rails. It was previously sold on BaT in December 2021 and is powered by a GM LS1 V8 paired with a 4L60E four-speed automatic transmission. Additional equipment includes a fold-out windshield, QA1 adjustable coilovers, four-link rear suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, staggered 15” and 16” steel wheels, and distressed brown leather upholstery. This Ford hot rod is now offered on dealer consignment in California at no reserve with a clean Montana title, listing the vehicle as a 1929 Ford.
The exposed steel Roadster body is mounted to a custom chassis with 1932-style rails, and clear coat was reportedly applied to the exterior during prior ownership. Additional details include a custom track nose, a chopped windshield frame, and shaved door handles. Various dents, scratches, and other imperfections can be seen in the gallery below.
Black-finished 15” and 16” wheels wear chrome V8-logo hubcaps and are mounted with 165-width Firestone F-560 front and Coker Classic rear tires. The car is equipped with QA1 adjustable coilovers with triangulated four-link suspension out back. Stopping power is provided by four-wheel disc brakes.
The cabin houses a bench seat upholstered in distressed brown leather along with matching door panels, black loop carpets, and a body-color dash that features a central rearview mirror and a black leather pouch.
The four-spoke steering wheel fronts an engine-turned instrument cluster displaying a 140-mph Stewart Warner speedometer and auxiliary gauges. The six-digit odometer is inoperable and shows 10k miles. Total mileage is unknown.
The GM LS1 V8 is fitted with a custom air intake and sends power to the rear wheels through a GM 4L60E four-speed automatic transmission that is equipped with a Lokar shifter and a solid rear end.
The trunk floor was replaced by Garret’s Rod Shop of Columbus, Ohio in 2019, and the floors and underbody were painted. Additional underside images are presented in the gallery.
The car is titled using the Arizona Assigned Identification Number shown above.
This 1929 Ford is based on a Model A chassis and was fitted with red cedar boattail speedster bodywork in 2011 by a youth group in Adirondack, New York. Power comes from a 201ci inline-four paired with a three-speed manual transmission, and the sheet metal is finished in green. Additional equipment includes a tan leather interior, dual Brooklands-style windscreens, 16″ wire wheels, shock absorbers, LED headlights, a Zenith carburetor, a 12-volt charging system, and a four-spoke steering wheel. The car was acquired by the seller in 2021, and recent work reportedly consisted of replacing the engine, throw-out bearing, and clutch adjustment rod. This Model A is now offered with accessories, an instruction book, and a clean California title in the seller’s name.
The seller notes that the car was built in 2011. It was dissembled and modified and the sheet metal and frame were painted green. The boattail speedster bodywork was constructed using steam-bent red cedar strips over plywood ribs. Equipment includes dual Brooklands-style windscreens, LED headlights and taillights, chrome headlight buckets, radiator surround, taillights, and side mirrors, turn signals, and a custom “speedboat racer” silver-plated hood ornament on a chrome radiator cap. The seller states that the wood was stripped and re-coated with spar varnish in December 2021.
16″ wire wheels were reportedly sourced from a Ford Model B and are powder coated silver. Tube-type General Jet tires are mounted. The spare is mounted behind the seat under the rear bodywork. A shortened pitman arm is fitted, and the car is equipped with motorcycle shock absorbers at all four corners. Recent suspension and brake service reportedly included relining the brake shoes and replacing the brake rods, king pins, bushings, wheel bearings, cotter pins, and seals.
The cabin was overhauled and fitted with a custom tan bench seat along with matching side panels and black carpeting. Additional equipment includes lap seat belts, an adjustable rear view mirror, a chrome shift lever and brake handle, leather shift and brake boots, and an aftermarket “ahooga” horn.
The four-spoke steering wheel fronts a painted dashboard with a diamond-shaped instrument panel that houses an ammeter and gauges for fuel level, speed, and distance traveled. An aftermarket Stewart Warner water temperature gauge has been added. Approximately 260 miles are currently indicated on the odometer, though true mileage is unknown.
The seller notes that the 201ci inline-four was rebuilt by Eddie Pruett of San Luis Obispo, California before its recent installation. Equipment includes a Zenith carburetor, a 12-volt charging system, an FS Ignitions electronic distributor, a two-piece crank pulley, a ceramic-coated exhaust manifold, a stainless-steel water pump shaft, and a Brassworks radiator.
Power sent to the rear wheels through a three-speed manual transmission. The seller notes drivetrain service has included rebuilding the rear end with 3.27:1 gears, rebuilding the pressure plate, grinding the flywheel, and replacing the clutch disc, throw-out bearing, and clutch adjustment rod. Additional photos of the underside are provided in the image gallery.
A handful of photos from the refurbishment and build process are also available in the gallery.