O Scale Motor Vehicle Chronicle Nov. 7

I think the Aston Martin Vantage V8 (without the louvers, scoops and aero-dams of the V12) is the most beautiful, elegant auto ever.

The Pontiac Aztek and AMC Pacer are at the other end of the spectrum in my book. 

As I've said in the past I am not a guy in the know about cars but my entry for the vehicle that changed the direction of the Auto Industry would be the introduction in 1984 of the Chrysler Minivan. A vehicle bigger than the sationwagon smaller than a Van truck which were at the time a custoizing rage. It was so revolutionary that Ford and Chevy came out the next year with there verions. Chrysler couldn't keep up with demand in 1984.

My second entry would be the hybred gas-electric cars of resent vintage. 

Oh, boy...my great uncle swore by Hudsons, but the general public thought they were

"bathtubs", and did not beat down their dealer doors.  While I really like "ugly Hupp"

(Hupmobile) cars from 1934 to 1936, and their cycle fendered cars from about 1931 to

1933, the later ones were not as successful as the failed Chrysler airflow shown above.  I don't personally feel either Chrysler (and DeSoto) or Hupp were successful styling efforts, but would love to have an "ugly Hupp" coupe.  Styling, of course, like painting and sculptor, are individual tastes.  I am driving what I think, since it is the second I have owned, one of the best recent styling efforts, an Altima coupe.  This car, and its whole concept, including the Infiniti G-35/37 coupe,  has been dropped, and replaced by some that, to me, look like larva.  Expletives deleted! (Since two other Nissans above, rightfully, due to their apparent emulation of the Aztec, made this ugly list, I wonder if they closed out their California styling shop and sent it back to the garden designers at home).  The Classic Car Club of America, which once had a firm,

long, and narrow interpretation of what is a classic (with only what I thought were a

few aberrations allowed in) has thrown open its doors and allowed in earlier cars, when

styling did not exist, and, finally some later cars that were styling achievements that

stood out, such as the 1928-31 Gardner roadsters with their unique three toned paint

jobs, louvered cowls, etc.  They have, thankfully, now included a lot of the Gardner's peers that I have admired, from A (Auburn was already recognized but little different

mechanically from Gardner, which with eight or ten other makes used the Lycoming

engine) to W (Windsor, built by Moon, also of St. Louis but which used Continental

engines). (Contnental engines had no relation to Lincoln automobiles)

One "recent" styling effort I (and others) admired since it went on to be resurrected and built for a while by its own company, is the Studebaker Avanti.  One of the earlier

styling efforts I would like to have a version of is the 1931-33 Auburn with its split

headlights and general appearance.  I am not particularly a fan of the later and last

cars, which are revered by many for superchargers and boat-tail speedsters, when the whole industry seemed to follow the GM turret-top styling of the 1934 LaSalle.  I am

a fan of the 1930's, to 1938,  Pierce-Arrows with their headlights in fenders. Both

the first LaSalle, in 1927, and the 1934, again, changed the styling direction of the entire industry.

The Chrysler airflow had been done by several in 1/43.  There are a whole spectrum

of cars 1940 and prior I would like to see done in 1/43, including many I have

mentioned above.  The biggest gap, in a scale full of Fords, is a lack of GM cars,

although Brooklin (at its price!) has added Buicks and a few others.  Chevrolet is

the biggest and very conspicuous absentee, for pre-1941.

Richard:  Man, did you strike a chord with me this week!  During the early '50's first my Dad and Uncle Henry had Hudsons and then I bought a '49 Commodore Coupe.  The big flat head engine developed a cracked block due to a raised area between the valves and eventually leaked coolant so bad I had to trash it.  We replaced that engine with a Hudson Hornet engine (262 cu in vs 308 cu in) and was that car a sleeper!  I was going around beating '55 Chevies with Power Packs, at that time they were considered as the fastest stock cars around. 

Sold my Hudsons when I went into the Army but bought a Stude Commander coupe like your top picture before I got out.  Stick shift with O.D. and I "hopped" that car up a bit, too. 

The Lincoln strikes home with me, too, as my in-laws had a '63 model that looked just like that one.  The four of  us drove that car all the way to Calif. from MI for a vacation.  What a smooth ride!

Great memories.  (Can't relate to the Airflow, except that I do have a Brooklin model of one on my layout.)

Paul Fischer

Richard:  I was just thinking, (sometimes that's painful) that your series ought to go on almost indefinitely:  I once read that, over the years since the beginnings of American automobiles, there have been over 2,500 different makers, labels, brands of cars built.  that's a lot of week's worth of material!

Paul Fischer

For best styled, there are so many contenders. Here are a few of my favorites. 

Talbot Lago by Figoni & Falaschi 

Maserati A6GCS 

Ferrari Testa Rossa

For the ugly award, again there are many contenders. The Pontiac Aztek surely rates in the top tier. It was featured prominently in the dystopian Sci-Fi Channel series Dark Angel, starring Jessica Alba as a genetically engineered supersoldier on the run from her creators.

For a milestone I'd name the '55 Chevy, which introduced the Chevy small-block V8. Rolled out at 265 cubic inches, it became the iconic 283 and 327, as well as the 302 in the original Z28 Camaro and 350 that powered generations of Corvettes. Honorable mentions go to the original flathead Ford V8 and the Volkswagen, the first imported car to capture the imagination of the American public.

For beauty, The Scarab:

For sheer hideousness, the Daimler Sp 250 Dart:

redball342 you have proven you are not a car guy chrysler caravan as a milestone. they were ugly underpowered poor transmissions something lee iacocca should be sentenced to **** for putting this on the market. being in the auto parts and repair business they were great for business. recent milestones the hybred gas electric wow overpriced ugly slow and wait till you need repairs and batteries. 

for ugly my vote the is the telephone booth designs kia soul nissan junk(juke) which are todays version of the amc pacer

now a real milestone 55 chevy  and the small block motor even chrysler based their 340 engine off it. and for sheer beauty the 63 corvette coupe and the 69 camaro.

Change the title to NOVEMBER 7. I confuse easily, and I don't need any extra help.

Another award would be the "I should have waited another year to buy a new car" award.

Except for the '54 Buick-Olds-Cadillac, it would be 1955. The only car that did not change much that year was the Lincoln (they waited for '56).

Great thread Richard. So many cars to love and hate, here are some:

Best styled American:

Pierce Arrow Silver Arrow, BTW this is a 1/18 diecast.

Best styled international (after the '57 Testrossa)

1967 Alfa 33 Stradale

Game Changers:

Jaguar XKE

Game changer and ugly:

VW Beetle

Truly Ugly

AMC Pacer

Jay

For "Timeless", I'll nominate the Studebaker Avanti, the Mercedes Gullwing, and the Jaguar XKE hardtop. For UGLY (and desecrated) the Studebaker 4-door Avanti - someone should have been hung for that.

Hmmm...yes, Hudson did win on racetracks, and against more modern OHV designs,

including the just then introduced Olds OHV V-8.

The odd thing about the Chrysler van is that it is produced today, and, as noted

was promptly copied.  I have heard transmission shop talk about Mopar transmissions,

not positive, except for the four speed they put behind the Hemis, and that was before the current ownership.   I just traded off my Ford Aerostar van, reluctantly, and the salesman, who had owned one, with me lamented that we could not replace it.  Ford apparently could not successfully sell a van.  Mine was bottom of the line, carefully chosen to haul a lot, camp in, and pass a gas station.  I also bought it because it did

not LOOK like a Ford (think today's Fusion, which does not, either).

In spite of its small engine, it was not great on gas,  which is why it had low miles

when traded.  I think the van craze was started by VW, with that little rear engine

one that became a beach bum surfer's ride.

I had helped move at least three households with it, as well as set up in train shows.

The concept goes on in versions from Honda and Toyota...dunno about Nissan, and I

think there are/were Korean versions.  Vans are for utility, not for looks.  Pickups and suburbans have over the last decade or more become ponderous gas hogs, with the same bad transmissions as the Chrysler vans.  I would not buy a Tesla in their current

body style, but a direct drive electric, as improved over my great aunt's 1920's Detroit

model, might be considered as it appears not to have have the Mickey Mouse drive train of so-called hybrids. (a downward price adjustment would have to be in order, too)  Battery replacement is why some electrics survived, for they were rolled in the

barn and replaced with a gasoline auto.  I am waiting so see what the word becomes

on that problem with current versions.  We shall see if Tesla has been the game changer.

I don't ever remember seeing a 1961 Lincoln Continental (that grille/headlight location) as pictured above...that grille looks very much like one I saw on an elderly lady's, I think 1960? Thunderbird, but maybe the T-Bird was a later year.

It is funny that the AMC Pacer is so disliked.  When that car was announced, I thought

it heralded a change in philosophy for American Motors, and bought a hundred shares

of their stock, which I sold in a few years for a profit.  I never owned one, but did own

two AMC Spirits bought for their size, 21 gallon gas tanks !!!!!!, and four cylinder

engines.  They had other problems.  I am glad I never saw a picture of an Avanti II

four door.  I saw the original Avanti before it was introduced, a Bricklin, and another

sporty car that was briefly offered, I think Ford powered, but I can't think of

the name.   My brother owned a Merkur, which he considered a lemon.

On 1/43 that I would like to see built are any of the years late 40s, Plymouths. Seems everyone in our town had one. It also was one that High Schoolers bought in the mid to late 50s for 55.00 and fixed up.

I will amend my post to add an honorable mention in the game changer category to the 1962 Corvair Spyder, the first modern American car with a turbocharger. Turbos are ubiquitous today, and they had long been in use on diesels, but the Corvair brought the technology to passenger cars. Oldsmobile introduced a turbo version of the F85 around the same time. As a sidebar, Chevrolet Engineering experimented with conventional belt-driven superchargers for the Corvair, but decided the turbo was the way to go.  

It could be argued that the F85 actually preceded the Spyder by a couple of months. However, the F85 setup used an off-the-shelf Garrett turbo and the compression ratio was so high that it required alcohol/water injection to avoid pre-ignition. It was a nightmare to maintain and a failure in the marketplace. Many were converted to conventional 4-barrel carbs to avoid the hassles. The Corvair turbo, on the other hand, was reasonably successful in the marketplace and became something of a cult item. The turbocharger was co-developed with TRW. The engine had a low compression ratio to avoid detonation, did not require water injection, and was reliable. It did add a layer of complexity to the Corvair, which had its own maintenance issues, but the Corvair turbo was made for five years and should be considered the baseline for the use of turbochargers in U.S. passenger cars. 

I found the Gremlin to be butt ugly from day one.

Good topic.

Carl

I don't see the rationale for the XKE as a game changer. Certainly it was a beautiful car, but what is the engineering or styling innovation that makes it a milestone? In spite of its spectacular looks (and I would agree that it is one of the most beautiful two-seaters of all time), Jaguar reliability and Lucas electricals made it more of a millstone than a milestone to actually own one. 

Here's its predecessor, the XK-SS, which was a street version of the D-type. Very few were made. 

A game changer was the 64 1/2 Mustang, it started all the pony cars clear up till today.

The 55 and up small block Chevy engine is the most used engine in all of hot rodding and drag racing clear up till today.

For a good looking non exotic car that the masses could buy I always liked 67 68 Cameros

The new cube type cars get my vote for most ugly, and the Toyota Prius. Every 4th car in southern Calif. is a Prius.

Jaguar reliability and Lucas electricals made it more of a millstone than a milestone to actually own one. 

That has not my experience for the past 34 years

I own a '64 Spyder, a '67 Avanti II and a Nissan Juke.  Is it any wonder I can't pick just one railroad to model?

Bruce

Southwest Hiawatha,

I have owned a lot of English cars.  The engineering and fundamental designs of the Jags are of much higher quality than Triumphs, Healeys, Morgans, and Lotus(es).  (The MGs were pretty bullet proof as well. So was my Aston Martin, but parts were outrageously expensive).  It is true that Lucas Electrics can cause problems, but a once over with some conducting grease at the bullet connectors generally took care of those.  Also, you do need to change the plugs, and change/gap the points about once a year

To answer your question. I have had over 20 Jags of various types.  Some were hobby cars, some were "fix it up and sell it" cars, and some were daily transportation here in the DC area. The daily transportation ones (and approximate miles I, or my family, put on them) were

1956 XK-140-  25,000 miles (No top, but I was young and drove it through rain and snow)

1964 E type-  40,000 miles

19672 XJ6-   80,000

1983 XJ6- 220,000

1995 XJ6- 150,000

1999 XJR- 125,000 miles (life cut short by a truck)

2009 XF Supercharged-  110,000 and still going strong

All but the last were bought used. I will (somewhat arrogantly) say: the biggest problem I generally have is all the creative engineering ignorant ersatz mechanics inflict on these cars between when they leave the factory and get into my hands.

Jaguars are cool.  Never owned one, but rebuilt a couple of the XK-150 and E engines way back when.  English cars deservedly came into grief for some of the Lucas quality control problems, but I had good luck with them, particularly Healeys. I had an Aston Martin (just as in the earlier posting) and it was flawless over four years I owned it.  

The only thing I didn't like about the XK six was that setting the valve lash was a bit tricky - at least if you didn't want to singe your fingers.  However I would not have had it any other way: once you set it it would not get out of wack for a long ong time.

I went to Consumer Reports just now for their Jaguar opinions, as they tell it like it is.

They seemed to give a positive opinion (to my surprise), of the XF model.  (three

other models listed were too new to rate)  I got out of my car at a bank next to a Jag

sedan, older model, and the elderly guy in the passenger seat, got out and lectured

me on the Jag being a piece of junk, and that he was looking for a new car.  Since

Jag is luxury car priced, and few, except maybe BMW are configured as I choose, I did not know what to recommend, shoulda thought Lexus, but probably mentioned Camry, Accord, or Altima.  And, then, of course, there is the publicity about the older

celebrity being rescued from his burning Jaguar on the LA Freeway system.  However,

I don't even know who owns Jaguar, or Volvo, or Saab (if) these days, or where they are built?

Another milestone car was the 49 Ford. 1st year for independent front suspension. open driveline, tube shocks, no more separate rear fenders, and 1st year the gas cap was hidden under a door.

Here is the website to the Milestone Car Society if anyone is interested.

http://milestonecarsociety.org/?page_id=9

1934 Hupmobile Aerodynamic.

Check out the windshield and the headlights.

I don't know if it could be classified as a milestone because I don't now if it had any influence on others in the auto industry.

"Pontiac Aztek surely rates in the top tier."

For me, it is the run away winner of the ugliest car design know to mankind. It needed as an accessory a large brown paper bag to go over it with slits for the windshield, tail lights, etc. How Pontiac put this on the road always amazed me. Every once in awhile I still see one on the road.

All the cars mag's really panned it when it was introduced.

John S

Thanks for sharing your experience. That is the first time I have heard an owner express a favorable view of the reliability of Jaguars built before the 1989 takeover by Ford. A friend of mine is now on his third or fourth Jag since the mid-90's and he has had good service from them. These are the cars that share a platform with Lincoln; I don't know the Jaguar model designation or where they were engineered and built. Jaguar was bought by Tata of India in 2008; I haven't heard much about Jaguars designed since then. I've seen some favorable reviews, but of course new car reviews do not address maintenance and reliability. 

The guy with the Jaguar sedan in my car pool went on to buy an XJ12. He was unhappy with that and switched to a BMW. For a while he and I were the "world's fastest car pool" - or at least the fastest one at the U.S. State Department. He had a parking permit at work that was tied to his job, not a minimum number of passengers, and the freeway to work was HOV-2. We switched off driving, he in his modified Corvette and me in my modified Porsche 944 Turbo. I've seen 160 mph on the speedometer in the Turbo, and the Vette was faster. We restrained ourselves driving to work. 

By weird coincidence, I just followed an Aztec down the road while out shopping, and I

thought about the discussion here.  I hate spoilers....I think they'd put them on a

Checker airport limo with eight doors down the side, if those were still made.  If I

find a used version of my car, and it has a spoiler, that decklid is coming off to

go to the body shop and get those holes filled, ASAP.  Luckily they were made both ways. The spoiler across the rear window is my big turn-off on the Aztec.  Major vision block.   I did not pass the Aztec so did not get a reminder of the looks of the rest of

the vehicle.  It definitely does not look like a GM product.

That mid-thirties Hupmobile, with the corner windshield windows,  is the car I have heard called "Ugly Hupp".  Both the make and the styling make it stand out in a car show, and I like "orphan" makes, but that white car next to it looks much more rare...is that a Dymaxion, or one of the other dirigible-styled odd balls?  If somebody

made a model of one of those Hupp coupes, I would park one at a station.

As for a milestone, the styling is the one standout....I don't think they were anything

special mechanically, and think Chrysler/Desoto are the winners in that contest.

Must say I really enjoy this weekly thread WHEN it stays on point, O SCALE MOTOR VEHICLE.  So in the spirit of real vehicles I post this.

I recently picked this booklet up.  It pictures a few custom rods I did actually get to see at custom rod shows in my hometown region.  Especially the ones at the Idora Park Ballroom.  

Two of them pictured in this booklet I have in O-gauge related vehicles.  One I got to see at one of the Idora shows.  Can any one guess which two in this picture?

Ron

I just ran across an unfamiliar brand of 1/43 car on eBay and a couple of other places. The name is "Detail Cars." The product line seems to be mostly modern European sports cars, but with a few 1950's BMW's and other steam-era items. Appearance, packaging, and price seem to be similar to IXO. 

Another one that is new to me is Universal Hobbies. I've seen some of their products on the Web but not in person. Prices seem to run in the $40-50 range and they have some interesting European cars from the 1930's. 

Is anyone familiar with either of these brands?

We owned a '84 Jaguar XJ6 sedan, bought used. The electrical system was fine, but everything else was a problem. Purple Heart finally trucked it away.

I have to admit it was wonderful to drive, as it was a happy marriage of sports car handling with a luxery car ride.

You'll find that Ford made the gas cap disappear in 1941 and that it reappeared for some unknown reason in 1949.  1950 found it back behind a gas door.

This is my vote for #1 all time most fabulous car ever!  The 1937 Cord 812SC Sportsman.

Bruce

That Cord styling struck a chord with several, for the body dies wound up at Hupmobile

and Graham, in the 1940-41 period (I forget in which order), and both companies

put out last gasp sedans with that styling.  Brookin, of course, has made a model of

the Graham version. The rare front drive car from the L-29 Cord (first version, circa 1929-30) period, is Ruxton, which snookered a couple of old car companies, Kissel and Moon, into getting involved, and may have led to their earlier demise.  Gardner was

approached but said no, and built their own front drive prototype, that was just that,

not driveable, with no working differential, and a Continental six way back behind

a long hose to the radiator.  It was displayed in car shows for, I think, 1930, but

Gardner decided to get out while the getting was good, and last built a hearse in

1932, with the oddball Oakland/Pontiac V-8.

I'm a little biased; I think my 65 Dodge wagon is the most handsomely styled car. Dodge did a marvelous job in this first year of the new C body designs. The car just celebrated its 50th birthday this week.

Fred Dole

My all time favorite car, bought new a year later, was a Dodge, too, a 1966 Charger.

I would not seek one out today, as I would not want the gas mileage, but if it was resurrected with modern mechanicals, and built by somebody recommended by

Consumer Reports, I'd be in.

"I'm a little biased; I think my 65 Dodge wagon is the most handsomely styled car. Dodge did a marvelous job in this first year of the new C body designs."

Hurray for Fred, another C Captain!    I wish it was easier to find non-muscle non-sports cars from the 60s-70s in O scale - besides the $50-plus limited editions. Although I'd pay a stupid price to get a model of my own personal land yacht:

Here are some of my favorites:

Triumph TR-6

Mercedes 300SL

Lamborghini Miura P 400

For something unusual:

1936 Stout Scarab