mod@tech

1. To celebrate this weekend’s Japanese round of the World Rally Championship, which returns after missing the last two years, the Toyota Automobile Museum will re-run its exhibition from last year focusing on Japanese carmakers’ efforts in WRC.

Through a collaboration between seven Japanese car manufacturers who have participated in the WRC, many rally cars of historical importance have been brought together for this exhibition. These vehicles, in combination with large manga background panels, generate a powerful 2.5D presentation. Visitors can sense the immediacy of the heated rally while appreciating the history of the WRC.

Photo by Anthony J. Bristol

2. The International Motor Racing Research Center recently profiled Don Cox, chief engineer for Peske’s race efforts at Trans-Am and at Indy.

When Cox arrived on the scene from Chevrolet Development he immediately started on a new suspension for the Javelin, which was bottoming out, running on bump stops virtually all of the time on track. Cox designed the entire rear end, which included the housing, axles, full-floating hubs, spool, linkage to locate the rear, and brakes. Cox pointed out to Penske the advantage of Girling disc brakes with Lincoln rotors.

As for the engine, Penske needed to develop special AMC engine components as the 290 CID was down 100 horsepower to the competition. Team Penske looked to Traco in California for all the engines for the 1970 season. Regulation limited engine size to 305 CID. Traco managed to shrink a 360 to regulation by destroking, while still making over 400 horsepower comparable to Chevrolet. But then there developed a litany of blown engines on the track caused by oil starvation due to G-forces when braking. Team Penske devised a dual-pickup oil pump with the secondary pickup scavenging oil from the uphill side of the pan, where it was accumulating during hard braking. Then, Cox had to address the strain of the dual-pickup pump which was wearing out the drive gears on the cam, affecting the distributor running off of the same gears, which was throwing off timing as the cars got further into a race. Cox found a solution by drilling new oil passages to feed oil to the gears.

3. The Jalopy Journal’s Jive-Bomber recently took possession of a number of streamlined renderings done up by a French company in the Thirties. The difference with these is that the company was using them to sell automotive paints, so they could be as fanciful and imaginative as possible. (via)

I learned upon further research that the René Villemer automotive paint company would create these sketches to show off their latest colors, sometime utilizing real vehicles, but often drafting made up transportation ideas from scratch like the examples below. One thing is certain, the French Art Deco is heavy here, and thankfully that whimsical streamline influence made its way to American auto design in the same decade.

4. According to a recent BBC article about the company, the reconstituted Alvis is simply building more of the cars that it once built before the 70-year break.

The cars are not reproductions, says company owner Alan Stote. “We’ve just picked up where the last cars were made and produced – you could just say it’s a long time between orders.” The cars carry Alvis chassis numbers and engine numbers which follow on from the last in the model sequence.

5. Finally, Australian auction company Shannons has launched a multi-part video series interviewing some of the most prominent designers of Australian cars, starting with Holden chief designer Leo Pruneau.

We watched, maybe with just a slight bit of envy, when the 1956 Packard Caribbean convertible pictured here found a new owner on Hemmings Auctions last year, selling for $73,500 (including fees).

Packard really went for broke in ’56 when it built these beautiful open-air luxury liners. It had to, because the once-great automaker was rapidly going broke, so it was pinning its hopes on the success of that year’s lineup—the flagship of which was this car. It was too late, and ’56 marked Packard’s end as an independent, yet, this car, manufactured in the face of impending doom for its builder, embodied all of the optimism of post-war America.

For starters, there’s the original base price of nearly $6,000 in 1956. That’s double the cost of many well-appointed Big Three cars of that era and was nearly half the price of a one-family home. The New York Times reported back then that a tight housing market caused median home prices to rise from $13,050 in ’55 to $14,508 in ’56. You get the gist; this convertible was strictly for the well-heeled.

For that sum, buyers—what few there were as only 276 of these were produced—got a treasure chest of standard equipment. There was, of course, power-assisted steering and brakes, power windows, power top, and the Push-Button Ultramatic transmission. You can’t have a discussion about these cars without mention of Packard’s innovative Torsion Level Suspension with its power Levelizer. These cars rode on full-length torsion bars on each side that connected the front and rear wheels, delivering a smooth ride. When the car’s level changed, because of passengers on board or luggage in the trunk, an electric motor, triggered by a sensor, would kick in and preload or unload a set of shorter bars that automatically maintained the correct ride height. It was a brilliant system in its day and equally so today.

Inside, there were reversible seating surfaces so buyers didn’t have to choose between fabric or leather—they could have either just by flipping the cushions. Should it get too chilly for just the cabin heater, Caribbean drivers could also turn on the front underseat heater for added warmth. Those seats were, of course, power-adjustable in Caribbeans.

As you’d expect, Packard went all in under the hood of these cars as well, with a 374-cu.in. V-8 breathing through two four-barrel carburetors. With 10:1 compression, these engines made 310 horsepower and a stump-pulling 405 lb-ft of torque at 2,800 rpm. The standard push-button Ultramatic transmission was only a two-speed, but the engine’s ample low-end grunt easily compensated.

These cars were never really mainstream, but they were always highly regarded by collectors. Despite low production numbers, a few of these have sold recently (including the car sold by Hemmings Auctions). A black-and-tan example changed hands for $42,560 at Bonhams Amelia Island auction in March, for instance. In 2021, two sold at Mecum’s Indy sale in May, one for $82,500 and another for $73,700. With 42 sales recorded (some of which may be the same car sold at different auctions) over the last five years, classic.com says the average going price of a ’56 Caribbean convertible is $62,862, with a low price of $28,000 and a high of $121,000. Adjusted for inflation, the car’s original sticker price would be around $66,000—just over the average today. On the whole, 1950s American car prices have been flat over the last decade, and while that may change, buying one of the remaining few ’56 Caribbean convertibles out there in hopes of selling it for a quick profit might not be the best business plan. Instead, if you can find one, put the top down, put on an optimistic smile, and enjoy cruising in the most luxury ’56 had to offer.

Photo from The Hemmings Auctions

While the sundown stripes don’t exactly change the look of this 1984 Ford Ranger consigned to the Hemmings Auctions, they sure do a great job of breaking up what would otherwise be a billboard of blank beige on either side. Instead, what really changes the look and feel of the compact pickup—aside from the obvious lift and modern aftermarket wheels—is the tip-to-tail restoration. This may be the first Ranger we’ve seen in years with an interior that’s not ripped and cracked or with an engine bay that’s had the slightest amount of detailing. It’s clean, but at the same time, it’s not so precious that you wouldn’t want to hop in and drive it around town. From the seller’s description:

This 1984 Ford Ranger 4×4 Styleside Pickup was formerly owned by NASCAR champion, Ricky Craven, according to the selling dealer. The truck has been partially restored in Light Desert Tan with eye-catching vinyl sundown-stripe graphics. The seller says this Ranger is a “rock solid” Southern (Virginia and Tennessee residencies) truck that can be driven almost anywhere off-road or on the highway (the seller has had the truck on the highway at 70 mph with no issues).

The engine is a 2.8-liter OHV V6, which Ford rated at 115 horsepower and 150 lb-ft of torque when new. It’s backed by a three-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive with a manual transfer case and auto-locking front hubs, according to the seller. The seller says the engine is original and “runs strong with no issues.” He says it starts quickly after two gas pedal pumps, with no smoking and no leaks. The automatic transmission shifts smoothly with no issues, per the seller. Per the seller, the truck has a new exhaust.

The seller says this Ford Ranger has a solid, “rust-free Southern body” with “excellent” condition Light Desert Tan paint that he feels is “very fresh,” with no dents, chips, or blemishes. The glass and seals are rated “excellent” by the seller. All the lights work. The custom vinyl sundown-stripe graphics were designed by the seller but they are reminiscent of factory graphics of this period. The truck has a spray-in bed liner and a LoPro vinyl tonneau cover. Both bumpers were painted black and the truck has black Westin side nerf bars/step bars.

The Desert Tan vinyl upholstery is newer and restored to original condition, according to the seller. The carpet is new but there is a small area by the shifter that was improperly cut. The headliner is “excellent” and all the interior trim has been “beautifully restored,” per the seller. The gauges and stereo all work as do the heater and air conditioning. The seller reports a new fuel gauge was installed.

The suspension was mildly lifted and the seller says he was impressed by how nice the ride is with this lift kit. He doesn’t have anything bad to say about the quality of the components. This truck has its factory twin I-beam front suspension and parallel rear leaf springs, with new shocks and new springs. There is no play in the power steering and the seller says the truck tracks nicely on the highway. The power front disc, rear drum brakes are great and stop as they should, per the seller. The “basically brand new” X-D alloy wheels are teamed with 245/70R17 Mastercraft Courser AXT2 radial tires that show 2021 date codes and have “95 percent remaining tread,” in the seller’s opinion. He states that an alignment was performed in October 2022.

See more Fords for sale on Hemmings.com.

Date: June 1988

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Source: via Hennepin County Library Digital Collections

What do you see here?

We all have a type when it comes to cars. Some people narrow their focus down to one particular generation of one particular model. Others are happy staying within a certain brand. Some devote themselves to trucks, some to muscle cars. Whatever ones fancy, it’s undoubtedly easier to specialize: You get to know the cars inside and out, their weak points, the community that builds up around them. Sometimes the benefits extend further; for instance, if you’re known as the AMC guy in town, people start telling you where the AMCs are all hidden or even start offering you their AMC cars and AMC parts.

But that’s not to say we’re all entirely faithful to our type, especially when it comes to what cars we’d park in our fantasy garages. We’re all guilty of a little wandering eye sometimes, even if what catches our eye makes zero sense compared to those vehicles that we typically focus on.

The first step, then, is to identify your type. As noted recently, my type seems to be hopeless old trucks and anything requiring knuckle-busting or the long-term occupation of at least one bay of my garage. Or, at the very least, anything I can swing on an auto writer’s budget. The fewer options or features or creature comforts, the better. My type has absolutely nothing to do with anything one could describe as luxury or exotic. It’s not that I’m prejudiced against vehicles that come from outside North America—I think a Miata or a Mini or a VW Type 2 or even a Fiat 126 (or any of its derivatives) would fit comfortably in my type—but I don’t ever see myself owning something for which an oil change costs more than an entire reliable daily driver.

And yet the world comes to a complete halt every time I see a first-generation Bentley Continental GT. Doesn’t matter if it’s in person or scrolling through the Hemmings.com classifieds (where I came across the listing for the 2005 Bentley Continental GT from which I nabbed the photos here) or browsing show coverage, I always linger over it and allow those thoughts of “I could see myself in this” to flash across my mind—thoughts that no Ferrari, Lamborghini, Jaguar, Rolls-Royce, Aston-Martin, Mercedes-Benz, etc. inspires for me. I’ve never driven one, let alone sat in one. I’m not a superfan of them; to be frank, I had to look up a few specifications on the cars before starting this story. But they get my blood pumping nonetheless.

Admittedly, it’s the styling that grabs me. The Dirk van Braeckel design has excellent—possibly perfect—proportions with just the right amount of surfacing and those Chrysler d’Elegance/Karmann Ghia haunches and a restrained amount of ornamentation. The design is sporty, it’s elegant, it’s imposing, it doesn’t apologize for itself. There’s something about successive generations with their more upright grilles, their variations-on-the-theme headlamps, and their additional vents and character lines that seems less pure to me.

I’ve taken the dreaming so far as to occasionally see what Continental GTs are selling for on Hemmings.com. Not as much as I’d expect, especially for the earliest of the first-generation non-Mulliner cars, but still securely in fantasy territory. And besides, who’d service one for me out here in the hills and hollows of southwestern Vermont?

I can’t be the only one who has such a wandering eye. So tell us in the comments below what’s your automotive type, what are the cars that you admire regardless, and why?