To the untrained eye, this is just a Cadillac DeVille from the Malaise Era. But to someone with a trained eye, this is a Malaise Era unicorn. Today, cylinder deactivation, or variable displacement, is much more commonplace and considered to be a reliable, smooth way for a large engine to achieve the fuel economy of a smaller one and still retain its performance potential. The theory was there as early as 1980 but the transister technology and computer control technology was simply not up to the task. Cadillac tried to use this feature on the V8-6-4 engine in most of their 1981 models but the system proved to be mostly unreliable to the point of exasperating its well-heeled and high-income clientele. The system would be pulled for 1982 in favor of the new HT4100 V8, which was even less well-recieved thanks to its lack of horsepower. Continue reading 1981 Cadillac V8-6-4 in the AACA Hershey Car Corral→
Yesterday, Nick shared with us a Porsche 928 with fake drugs on the armrest. Today, I’m sharing with you a Mercedes that the Porsche owner’s dealer (not a kingpin, but a dealer who makes plenty of money) would drive. I’m a sucker for the 560SEC of the Eighties, and this example is one of the straightest I’ve seen in a long time. From the turquoise paint to the Monoblock wheels (which may not be stock but certainly give this big coupe the rake it deserves) and the immaculate interior to the frameless windows, I was hooked. Enjoy the photos of this Eighties (and early Nineties) leather-lined Panzer tank. Continue reading C126 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC at Radwood Philly→
A few weeks ago I was able to make up for lost time by attending the first of two fall Caffeine and Carburetors events in New Canaan, CT. This one, held on the main drag, was not as heavily-populated as some have been in the past, but as it was my first time, I was still very happy to have come up. These are some of my favorite shots of the day and I hope to attend more of these down the road. The next one will be in October, likely late in the month, and will serve as the season finale. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Mini Gallery of the September 2018 Caffeine and Carburetors at New Canaan, CT→
For those of you who are not aware, The Chatterbox in Augusta, NJ was host to weekly cruise nights for fifteen years, going all the way back to 2003 and possibly earlier. As of Labor Day at 9PM, the restaurant closed, and I was fortunate enough to attend the last two cruise nights over the last two weeks. Here are my favorite shots from both weeks–the community is unhappy about losing this piece of Americana, but the cruise nights will move to the hot dog stand down the road. I do indeed hope that the turnout will continue to be strong at the new location. Enjoy the photos of the result of a community coming together to support a great place to gather, eat, and spend time. Continue reading Chatterbox – The Final Days→
Ford may have been late to the party for downsizing their full size sedans, but they made sure the glitz and the glamour of the LTD Brougham stayed as gaudy as possible. Vacuum-powered headlight doors? Check. Color matched interior and landau vinyl roof? Double check. Whitewall tires and chrome wheel covers, complete with gorgeous door edge molding? Triple check. This car has the Malaise Era credentials that only President Gerald Ford could hope to match (or Carter). It’s a big red party, and we’re all invited. Continue reading 1978 Ford LTD Brougham 2 Door at Das Awkscht Fest→
During the 1960s, Lyndon B. Johnson became President due to JFK’s death at the hand of Lee Harvey Oswald. Thanks to the Vietnam debacle, among other things, LBJ did not run for President in 1968, instead choosing to retire back to his home state of Texas. After he left office in 1969, this Lincoln Continental stretch limousine was delivered to his estate. He would continue to use it until his passing in 1973. As it was being used by a former President, this particular Lincoln is not armored. While it may lack the extra features of the other limos used by both himself and his predecessor (and successor), it is still a truly great old limo and unique in its styling–as Nixon’s first limo did not share this styling at all. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading LBJ’s Limousine at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library→
Every year I go to Greenwich, and every year, they get a strong crop of muscle cars to show off. I’ve been fortunate enough to see a good amount of Hemi cars in my lifetime, but I hadn’t ever seen a 1968 Dodge Coronet in the flesh at all, let alone a 1968 R/T Hemi. Not many of these cars were built, as the Charger R/T’s redesign sort of overshadowed it. This black over red, 1 of 1 example stood strongly among the stars, and sounded absolutely divine on startup. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 1968 Dodge Coronet R/T Hemi at the 2018 Greenwich Concours→
At one time, almost every single taxicab in New York City was the same shape. Unlike today, when you hail a checker cab and it could be a Toyota, Ford, or a Nissan, all “checker cabs” were indeed made by a company called Checker. The very last one of these finally went out of commission in 2001, twenty years after the last one rolled out of the factory. These were a hodgepodge design–they used GM engines and steering columns, but the front end interchanged with a 1956 Ford. The bodywork, however, was in-house. Not a lot of them are on the road today, but those that are always draw a good amount of attention for their tough-as-nails engineering, cavernous interiors, and retro styling (for the Seventies, anyway). Continue reading 1977 Checker Marathon at Cops and Rodders 2018→
This gem was in the showroom for the Cars and Coffee meet at Porsche of Princeton. The cars that showed up were great, but this GT3 Touring was probably my favorite car there. The spec was exquisite. Enjoy the gallery!
I was able to squeeze in an hour at this cars and coffee held at my local Porsche dealer before breakfast with the family. It was one of those cases where I woke up early anyway, so why not just go? Boy was I glad I did. The cars were all very high quality and there’s plenty more features to come from it.
Here are some highlights from the Cars and Caffe Season Opener. It’s a little late because I came down with a really nasty flu right after the show, so I’m playing a bit of catch up.
Enjoy this taste of much more to come from this phenomenal event. If you live in the northeastern US, it’s really worth the trip.
I love big old Cadillacs. It’s hard for me to figure out why, but it must be because they are the ultimate expression of 1970s American extravagance, with excessive engine sizes, massive bumpers, questionable handling characteristics, and oodles, just oodles, of sheetmetal. The Eldorado shown here is a gorgeous cardinal red color, which was quite a sight next to the Lamborghini and and Packard flanking it on either side. Of all the cars in the car corral at Radnor last fall, this one still stands out in my mind as a fantastic drivable classic. Enjoy the photos of this ultimate interpretation of Big Red. Continue reading This may be the best-looking 1975 Eldorado Convertible I’ve seen.→
Mind Over Motor 