Oct 18: Hola!

Well, hello to you too. What a friendly looking car you are. Those unusual lights give you a happy face. Just the kind of character driven car, that would appeal to young and old alike. And to top it off, you are a BIG small car. Big on character. Big on power for your class. Big on space inside (a cab forward small car). Yes sir, Chrysler Corporation was on a roll with you. Sure to be a big success.

How big? Well, just look at this magazine cover from January, 1994........

Automobile of the Year. Hey, this isn't an award that they give away lightly, this is the real deal. Even my wife succumbed to its charms and leased a bright blue Highline. She loved it. I had a Camaro at the time, so a roomy, but economical and interesting second car fit the bill nicely.

Time to expand the line and bring on some sporting versions to capture even more of the youth and enthusiast market. Versions like this R/T coupe.......

Please don't laugh, but I had a client trade in a Corvette convertible for a dark green R/T with a manual. He wanted something simple, but with character and a little bit of power. I'm guessing this wasn't a normal occurrence. But enough people were interested in a little more power than a mild upgrade, so Chrysler's infamous SRT treatment was given to the second generation Neon, as the SRT4.......

The Neon line. Sold as a Plymouth and sold as a Dodge with absolutely no difference but the name. Identical in every way, just like sliced bread. How could it lose?

Easy. Taking a page from many new car models, that had been introduced over the previous hundred years, and not unusual for Chrysler, they brought the Neon to market not quite fully formed. Not ready for prime time, as they say. Put a few miles on your Neon and watch out. Those famous Chrysler quality gremlins rose up and attacked the Neon BIG time (there's that word "big" again, but in the wrong context).

The happy little Neon became a pariah. A standing car joke. How bad? Well, in a effort to resurrect this car, they changed the name.......

Sure, that will work. Isn't there an old saying, you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear? Of course there is. Maybe this isn't quite what Chrysler was trying to do, but by calling a serial killer, a multiple disposal artist, it doesn't change what they are or what this car was. People saw thru the name change and the Neon/SX 2.0 was quietly lead away to its own death sentence.

Gone, but forgotten? Let's not rush things. What gained a reputation and not a good one in Canada and the US, was looked at differently south of the border, down Mexico way. So surprise, surprise, the chastised little Neon continues to be part of their Chrysler car line.........

And to top it off, in that country the Neon was so well thought of, that when they introduced a new one this year, they showed the old one in the same ad, just in case those Mexican citizens didn't remember their history or that car's.........

I guess the wall, that the rabid Donald Trump plans to build, should he ever gain the reigns of power, will keep not only the Mexicans on their side of it, but also this Neon. Ok, so you are asking yourself, how can Mexico support a car only sold in their country? Seems like a lot of time and money just for their smaller market. Well, not really, since their new Neon is really this Fiat.........

Just add that classic Dodge grille, the beloved Neon name and watch them fly(?) off the showroom floor. 

No matter what happens, its interesting to see the friendly little Neon continue to thrive in a market next door to the market that shunned it and cast it aside. So say, "Hola!", again to the new Neon. Welcome back, senor or senorita.

Until next time......

Oct 14: Another good-bye

I can just imagine what this big fellow is thinking, "Where have all my Aussie cars gone, mate?". And no wonder he's thinking that, as Ford has just closed their last Australian manufacturing plant. A shame really, since Australia has a tradition of having unique cars, at least among the transplanted American manufacturers, who found this island fertile ground for American iron and unique local products. Not sure how this all came about, since the population is relatively small. How did they manage to design and engineer cars that would only be sold in Australia and possibly the Middle East? Good question and this blog, unfortunately won't be able to provide the answer.

But in the case of Ford, it seems to have started in the early '60's (yet another history lesson) with the introduction of the Falcon to North America.......

Also introduced to the Australian market, it became a fan favorite and to this day, the Falcon name is used and has spawned some very interesting machinery. But first, humble beginnings. As the American Falcon moved to a new body, the Aussie version featured a tweaked design, based on the original......

And it found a variety of uses, that would never have been considered stateside.......

No doubt the Aussies were smaller, if this ambulance version, shown at an all Ford show, was going to be successful in transporting them to the local hospital. Even the next generation Falcon was only a slightly modified version of what we had over here.......

After experimenting with the modified original, they went all out and came up with their own unique models......

.......and for the Aussies, the Falcon name meant an upscale ride and depending on the trim level, a real hot rod........

Back to my original question of how could a country with a small population and subsequently small yearly sales support their own unique model? And these efforts were certainly not half baked local oddities. Well, some were oddities for sure, like the uniquely Australian ute.......

A little like the North American El Camino and Ranchero, but this body style was feature of the Aussie roads long before those other car based vehicles graced our landscape. Their ute design was unique in that it always had that little window behind the door glass. Also unique, in that its popularity has been sustained until the present day. Whatever will they do, now that they will no longer have those special Australian rides?

Going back to the Falcon coupe and sedan, there is a model that most North Americans will be familiar with, although they may not realize it.......

Yep, this performance coupe was the basis of Mad Max's wide ride in the movie. Hands up, how many of you knew that this was an Aussie Falcon? Be honest, please.

Yes, it is a sad day, now that Ford has stopped making these interesting cars and GM has also announced similar plans. No longer will the islanders see ads like this.......

.........or buy car magazines with covers like this one........

Ah nostalgia, it brings back old memories (courtesy of Stephen Wright). We love our old Mustangs, while the Aussies love their old Falcons. They look like us, but car wise, think quite differently. But what will they do, now that the production has shut down and their beloved Falcon will no longer roam the outback. Cars like the wild XR6 will now be the staple of collector car shows. Performance sedans that we can only dream about.......

Yes, old buddy, shed a tear for the very recent good old days, and now only you, the ubiquitous symbol of Australia, will be unique to the island continent (and of course, the platypus).

Until next time.......

Oct 11: 1957 Chevy Bel Air

When building an icon, one has to take particular care to select the right parts and make sure that they all go together well. If one fails to do so, further along in the build process the issues will prevent you from making a great model. In this case, the Car Modeling Cat (CMC) is checking out the parts box to see what we need next. If you've read my blog before, you'll know that the CMC and I work together on all our models.She is a willing helper and fun to have around, unless her fur gets into the paint. Oh well, the problems one has when working with a cat.

The car we just finished is the cherished 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air. Cherished, you say? Absolutely. Out of what are called the Tri Five Chevies, 1955 to 1957, the latter is the one that sets the collector car auctions on fire. Even though back in the day, it lost the sales race to Ford, this car has pulled at the heart strings of collectors ever since.

And in a '50's colour combo, it really stands out........

Is it real or Memorex? Our model mimics the real car in the top pic, right down to rear fender skirts, which were wildly popular back in the day. Slap them on and your ride was instantly cool (or so you thought).

From the gold grille and the V8 signifying "V", the '57 Bel Air has ruled the old Chevy world for many years and that shouldn't change any time soon.......

Whether at the local cruise night or on the drag strip, this old Chevy is the one that gets all the attention. Myself and the CMC have built them both, for go and for show......

We all have our favorites and mine has always been the look of the top up convertible and the two door sedan, like the red quarter miler in the pic above and below.......

Ah, the 1950's and the good ol' days of my childhood. Well, let's not start that conversation, since those memories have long since been trumped by the great life that I have now. Moving right along........

I can still remember the week they introduced the '57 Chevy in my blue collar hometown on the east coast of Canada. We hardly ever saw the fancy models, so the local Chevy dealer had a green (I believe) cheap sedan on display at the local Simpson-Sears store and my dad took me to see it. Exciting stuff for a little kid with a car obsession, that he has never managed (or wanted) to grow out of.

Chevies didn't come much cheaper than the One Fifty range and that is the one that stood proudly on display in the middle of the sales floor (don't ask me how they got it there). Thankfully, the CMC and I don't have to resort to those builds and can luxuriate in our renditions of the sportier models.........and subsequently entertain(?) our readers with this trivia.

Next time you happen upon an old car show, check to see if there is a '57 Chevy (you'll find it by the crowd around it).

Until next time......

Oct 7: Station wagon?

Who's to blame? No, that's not fair, as this is a good idea. I should have said, who started this mini trend? This question will be something that car oriented (obsessed?) Canadians can discuss this weekend, as they pass around the their turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy. Yes, this is worthy of a deep discussion. For the sake of today's blog, let just say that Volvo was the first with this idea, but it may have been Subaru. The idea?

Get it? Ok, you don't, so take a closer look at this Volvo Cross Country. They took a normal all wheel drive station wagon, raised it a touch, put on dark coloured wheel well surrounds and voila', they created an suv of sorts.

Station wagon. Just about every car person in North America knows, that to call a car a station wagon is to condemn it to an early and quick sales death. Once the mainstay of the suburbs, these very useful vehicles were slain by the onslaught of minivans, suv's and crossovers (at least in North America). As I've said before, the only people who buy station wagons are those who are economically challenged (Golf buyers) or those who aren't economically challenged (Mercedes buyers). There might be a couple of others thrown into the mix, but they are hardly worth mentioning.

Subaru also went this route, I believe around the same time. They took a, "We can't sell it here.", Legacy wagon.........

......and with a few cosmetics........

.........turned it into their best selling Outback. A great vehicle. Station wagon handling and usefulness, but with the macho crossover/suv vibe, it has become a "station wagon" sales success. But remember, it's just a gussied up Legacy wagon. Gee, I hope by saying this, I haven't condemned it to sales purgatory.

So, Volvo and Subaru saw the wisdom of making their station wagon an suv by the simplest of changes. And it worked. So all the other manufacturers followed suit. Well no, but please keep reading.

Audi sold a few wagons over here, but going the Volvo route, they created the Allroad.......

No, it hasn't set the world on fire this side of the Atlantic, but something is brewing. Audi's less costly family relation, the Golf, has followed the Allroad idea with their new for 2017 Golf Alltrack........

Same changes and theory, make this neat little wagon a semi suv. What I can't figure out is that since the Golf wagon (Sportwagen, sorry) sells quite well, why other manufacturers don't bring something over from Europe to compete with it? Go figure. By the way, this model tops out at exactly a $40k Canadian list price. For a Golf! Lest you think they are profiteering from a good idea, the regular top line Golf wagon comes in at $38.5k. Remember when Golf meant economical?

While one might expect VW to follow a family idea, look who else is picking up on this mini trend(?)......

Yep, Mercedes with the upcoming E Class All Terrain. Yes sir, those sensible, wealthy Benz wagon buyers can now also get the look of an suv. Why is it that only the wealthy have seen how good a wagon can be? Heck, Mercedes even sells an AMG performance version, for those dads who are late (on purpose, obviously) getting their kids to soccer practice.

So has Mercedes sensed that something is in the wind? Do they finally realize that Subaru and Volvo are on to something? Or, are they simply trying their best to be in every single niche market? Maybe the latter, as they will be introducing a pick-up truck in the very near future (and yes, I understand, a pick-up is not a niche market).

Will be ever see the station wagon in some form or other come back to the popularity it once had? Maybe go old school like this new Metris van.......

Or heaven forbid this ever so elegantly modified old Mercedes wagon from years ago? Probably not, but if a few fender flares are all it takes for the sensible and practical station wagon to regain its market share, then I'm all for it.

Until next time......

Oct 4: Dieselgate one year later

Seemed like a good idea at the time, a clean diesel engine to power some of the most popular cars on the planet, the Volkswagen line up. Everyone loved them, since they had produced what seemed impossible to everyone else, a clean diesel engine. Way to go guys. Well, as the whole world knows by now, this neat little accomplishment was all so much bulls_ _ _ . A nice little lie and a smart deception, that no one would ever figure out. Except, that one year later, we all know that someone did figure it out. This little bit of egg on VW's corporate face ended up causing a drop in their credibility and their sales. Oh, and one more thing, a few billion dollars in fines, lawsuits and dealer settlements. Ah, creativity. Wonderful when you get it right, but hell when you lie about it.

So, now we can see the future a little more clearly. That great diesel, the mainstay of all those cars in Europe, has emerged as a dirty word..........

What's next? Elon Musk, the world's real life Iron Man, to the rescue.......

Elon has been hawking his amazing Tesla fully electric car for the past few short years and has made the term electric car seem like it might be a reality, not just some cover story in one of those mechanics sci-fi magazines that populate the news stands. Starting with his luxurious (read expensive) S model above and with a promise of a Tesla for the masses with the Model 3 below......

He has raised electric car awareness and made it seem like the real deal. The nirvana of future driving, so to speak. So if Musk can do it, maybe others can do it as well and possibly better. VW thinks so. In an abrupt face from their love of diesels, to their love of electricity, VW has announced their (and maybe our) future. Behold the ID......

Shown to the public for the first time this week at the Paris Auto Show, Volkswagen will have this Golf sized electric on the road by 2020 and in true Elon Musk fashion, they have predicted (promised?) world wide sales of their electric cars to hit three million by 2025. I say in Elon Musk fashion, since he is predicting Tesla sales of five hundred thousand by the end of 2018. Possible? In Tesla's case, no it is not. In VW's case, maybe, but to this blogger, it seems a touch optimistic. Either way, the first ID is supposed to have a range of up to 370 miles or to us Canadians, about 600 kms. If they can do this and I'm sure they will, this makes a pure electric car quite practical and with those production numbers, affordable.

And VW is not the only company to be charged up (get it?) about electric cars. Mercedes has also been stung by the diesel curse. No they didn't lie, but the trickle down affect has hurt them as well. Presently hundreds of their diesel sport utes are sitting in compounds in Toronto or at port, unsaleable until they get approval from the government. If it comes, there will be a temporary glut on the Canadian market early in the new year. If it doesn't come, well then, hundreds of Benz suvs will find a home somewhere else in the world. Somewhere the emissions standards are, shall we say, a bit laxer than in North America. China or the Middle East come to mind?

So to Benz's credit, they also have seen the electric light and at Paris introduced the first model in what will become their electric sub-brand.........

Starting in 2019 with this attractive suv or crossover (pick your preferred terminology), the Generation EQ will begat an entire line of pure electrics. Might as well start with the most popular type of vehicle on the planet. Like the VW ID, the EQ's range will be substantial, so no more of those annoying half hour "quick" charges, as you make your way to Florida for a much deserved winter break.

And let's not forget about Nissan. One of the first to market with an electric, the Leaf. Homely as sin and with a range that would give any normal person driving anxiety, the Leaf hasn't made much of an impression, but expect that to change. Using Nissan's new design language, the next Leaf will sure look different and will certainly go further..........

With an in your face look, that a few years ago, would never have seen the showroom floor, but these days it fits right in with the current Nissan vibe. Don't expect much change, when the new Leaf makes its electrifying debut.

Good ol' VW. Tell a little untruth and change the way we think about what powers our cars. Based on the current infrastructure, can we support all the charging going on to keep these new vehicles running? Now, that is a very good question and one that greater minds than mine are fretting over as I write this blog.

And less you think that only the mainstream cars will be electric, take a look at what else might show up at your local charging station.......

This is the Japanese backed Savage Rivale Roadyacht GTS, proposed but not quite into production yet. Look, this really doesn't fit into today's blog's theme, but it is electric and with that name, how could I leave it out?

So next time you experience a brown out, think of VW and curse them in the dark.

Until next time......