September 28: Who started this?

Back in the day, the idea of a heated up pick-up truck was nuts in the extreme. We had muscle cars galore with more power than any sane person needed, so why would anyone want a TRUCK with one of those muscular motors capable of pumping pure adrenaline through our young, unthinking minds?

How things have changed. We now think of pick-ups as everyday drivers, so why shouldn't they pack the same kind of tire shredding power that the muscle machines did in days gone by? But who was the first to go crazy? Believe it or not, and if you are reading my blog you better believe it, the first one that I can think of came out in the late '70's. This was when most cars were anemic. Heck, I had a '76 Corvette with the top line L82 motor that wouldn't crack 0-60 in under 10 seconds! Think about it. Today's meek and mild Honda Civic would bury it. Then those good ol' boys at Dodge decided they'd had enough and dropped a big cube engine in a normally tame and boring pick-up........

The Lil Red Express Truck looked like something a country boy might do to his ride to grab a little attention. This thing rocked and was for a short time the fastest and quickest (there is a difference) ride one could buy in North America. Many years later they once again jumped on the wicked pick-up trend and slipped a Viper motor into a Ram.......

Now who would ever think that this was a good idea? Gobs of rubber melting horsepower in a truck with a very light back end. Wonderful and with the expected result.......

But before Dodge took a crazy pill, but after the Lil Red Express Truck, Chev was the first to bring back the glory days of street bound muscle, but in a truck format........

Throw on a set of chrome mags and a kind of subtle 454SS decal on the side and let the world know that your Chevy can rock with the best of those muscle sedans from the past.

Ford, not being one to pass up on what looked like it might be a popular, if not a good idea, whipped up the Lightning (the silver one at the top), which eventually morphed into the Raptor. So now everyone has seen the light. Also the fun that this could bring to their pick-up fans.

But is this enough? Obviously Hennessey, that Texas based tuner of Vipers and other stuff, decided to take a page out of the Benz (remember the G 6x6?) book and whip up an even crazier truck, appropriately called Golaith........

Big power (705 hp) and another set of wheels make this one nasty pick-up. Price? Oh, I wish you hadn't asked. Buy yourself a very nice Rolls or some sort of exotic supercar for Golaith money. Yes, friendo, this over the top ride is listed at $375,000 USD! Whew, that is nose bleed territory and I don't mean from sniffing white powder.

So folks, now that we've seen how this all started, we get to ask ourselves, where will it all end and how much crazier can it get? Someone with a much more vivid imagination than me is no doubt working on a Golaith Plus as I write this. I can hardly wait.

Until next time.......

September 25: Time to try this again?

There was a time in this fair land when the sedan reigned supreme. Ah, those good old days when the car hops at the local drive-in restaurant looked down on you when taking your order. Remember? Long before our heated up suv romance started. Now, if there is a Sonic Drive-in nearby, the car hops skate up to your vehicle and look up to you, since the sedan you once had has been replaced by a high ridin' suv or an even higher ridin' pick-up.

Remember also how a couple of those, oh so popular sedans, had a pick-up version in the line?

Stay with me, folks, as there might be a point to today's blog, once I figure out how to get there.

Just maybe there is a way to bring back our diminishing interest in sedans. Look at how raising a few station wagons has started to increase interest in that just about dead (in North America) segment. So, maybe there is hope yet for those better handling and better looking than an suv sedans. And I know exactly how to do it. Make a few of those sedans, that are still hanging on, into a pick-up. Something like what the Aussies have been doing for years with their beloved utes......

All car trends filter down from the luxury brands. Look at the matte finishes and the black rims. Once exotic, now common place. So all the car makers have to do is drop a couple of these car/truck hybrids into the line and watch the interest perk up at the lower ends (easy right?). Years ago even Mercedes tried out this genre.....

Time to try it again? Heck, Benz is going after every other niche, whether it exists or not.

In the past, a few custom builders made luxury pick-ups out of the costliest of American cars, but at that time we still hadn't developed our rather unhealthy lust for anything with a bed (like in a pick-up - let's not get smutty here, please). Check out these prestigious examples from yesteryear.......

 Expensive. Exclusive. Just what we need nowadays to increase interest among us in the lower classes. We always want what the upper echelons already have, don't we? Maybe we can still save cars like the "used to be popular" Ford Fusion.......

......or possibly the "now only used for police duty" Taurus......

 ......... or even a Dodge Charger or an Impala......

What do you think, folks? Play to our love of anything pick-up and at the same time get people to once again appreciate the cast off sedan. Add all-wheel drive and even wheel well flares, if that is what it takes. I still prefer a good sports sedan, so I'm trying to give those car manufacturers a novel way to revive the segment.

Please thank me when it happens (or laugh it off as an idiotic suggestion - just don't tell me).

Until next time.....

September 21: What is KM?

When you think Kia these days, I imagine the first thing that comes to mind is the over $70,000 Cdn K900. Seen as frequently as The Donald telling the truth. Rare indeed and maybe not really what one thinks, when the Kia brand is mentioned. More likely an suv or the new much lauded, over achieving Stinger is the picture that one conjures up. But there is another Kia, which we never hear about over here. Even your car guy hadn't heard about these other Kia's until this past week. This Kia plays with the big boys and supplies heavy duty military vehicles across the world. Well maybe not across to this part of the world, but they're probably trying.

Kia military, KM for short, has some interesting stuff beautifully painted in eye catching camo.........

Trucks like this KM1500, which like most heavy army vehicles, come in a variety of guises, all serious. But going from the sublime to the ridiculous, KM also has just the right vehicle for small conflicts, not requiring anything too intimidating.......

Got a dispute with your neighbour? Roll out this little war machine to quickly bring about a resolution. Perfect for the Canadian forces against our bully to the south. Nothing over the top, just something to let them know we are here.

Then there are the other KM heavy rollers........

Now if you are thinking, "I've seen these before.", you are kind of correct, as they are very similar to a couple of trucks we have in Canada and the US.......

No idea why they are basically the same vehicle, but maybe there was some sort of marketing arrangement?  Or maybe the dies were sold to help a growing company? Do some research and let me know.

KM also has a Hummer type truck, which thinks it can take on any challenge anyone throws at it.......

......and they are probably right.......

I don't want to give anyone ideas, but these look perfect for a small town police force, that wants to present a serous face to any local scofflaws.

So there you have it, KM, the other side of Kia. The side most of us will never see or never have the opportunity to buy (as if we'd want to). But I'll settle for the other Kia. The one that is producing a variety of very nice suvs and to me, more importantly, the in your face Stinger  -  365 hp and the suspension to be able to put all that glorious power to the pavement........

Until next time......

September 18: What took so long?

Recognize this very well known sports car? Who could miss that iconic shape? The one that hasn't changed much, but has changed drastically over the past fifty plus years (think about that for a minute). Of course, this is the Porsche 911. If you are wondering why it looks a little different, but just can't put your finger on it, then count the doors.

This was a California custom job, but Porsche also fiddled around themselves with this idea a few years later and now have it on display in their museum........

When in 2009 they finally decided to take the leap into full production, the Panamera sprung forth like an ill formed child. Remember that first one?

Who could forget it? Ugly as sin, with that strange, bulbous rear end, but sold like wildfire because among other things it was (wait for it).......a Porsche. Try to go out to dinner with a few friends in a 911 coupe. It ain't happening, folks. Hence a ready market for a "family" 911.

Porsche got it right with the the next and current generation in both sedan and station wagon guise, a beauty from any angle......

The formula? Take a popular sportscar and add a couple of doors. Make it in a variety of models and watch the line up form. A solid sales success.

Question........why has no one else jumped in this arena? Surely there must be another manufacturer who sees this niche as one that should be filled to compete with Porsche AG. Use this picture as a hint........

If you guessed Mercedes, then you've probably been sneaking a peak at the various auto sites on the web. Finally the Panamera will have competition. All this preamble leads up to the unveiling of Mercedes latest wild child, the AMG GT four door Coupe (yes, that's actually its name).......

Not quite as fluid of line as the gorgeous Porsche, but more of a ballsy model from the brain trust at AMG. And who wouldn't want a four door with the AMG exhaust note, which sounds like a race car, no matter what the model? Sign me up, please, but only if I can't have the Panamera wagon. Maybe someone could marry the two?

By the looks of this instrument panel, maybe only NASA trained pilots should get behind the wheel?

Price? Ah, the old caveat to any new car purchase. At this point it's an educated guess, but from everything floating around the net, it looks like it will start in the $145,000 Cdn range for a "base" model, whatever the heck "base" means in a car like this.

Our world is about choices, so aren't we happy. Of course, we can't afford any of these cars, but it makes for much more varied dreams. There is one more obvious question, who will be next to throw their four door hat into the ring?

Until next time.......

September 14: Holland to Switzerland - the oddities

Oddities. When this car guy is roaming around other countries, as I've said before, I'm always on the lookout for different cars. Cars we don't get over here or maybe just unusual wheeled wonders. Never a dull moment. Show me, you say? Ok, let's start with this strange little whatever seen in Delft (you know, the pottery place), Holland.......

Stumped? Of course you are. This old car was made by Nissan from 1989 to 1991 as part of their retro design line. Almost adorable? They also made a tiny coupe, which I see from time to time here in Toronto.

Moving right along.........

Europe is known for its odd little one or two person city runabouts. Cars that you wouldn't take on the highway, unless you had a huge life insurance policy and your will was up to date.These three easy on the wallet mini's were seen in Amsterdam. The owner of the bottom one must be ashamed of their ride, since they have tried to camouflage it (didn't work). These mini mini's are not restricted to cars, as there are many mini (say ten times fast) trucklettes roaming around the narrow streets of these old cities.

Enough room for a few very small deliveries?

American cars have limited appeal to Europeans, but on this trip I saw more old and new American iron than I've seen before. For instance, this classic Corvette spotted in the mountain village of Appenzell, Switzerland...........

......or this unique fade paint job new Corvette Z06 seen in Zurich, parked behind a Ferrari and across the street from a Bentley suv and a couple of Porsches. Good company and just as pricey.

Is it a classic or something else?

Any self respecting car person, knows that this is something else. That something is a Brook Stevens designed, ersatz classic Excalibur spotted in a town along the Rhine in Germany. A car Stevens started making stateside in the 1970's. I believe it was the first of the so (and badly) called neo-classics, which proliferated for awhile thru the '70's and '80's.

We love our pick-ups and they proliferate in North America like fleas on a Mexican street dog, but in Europe what few you see are small. This is what makes an F-150 a rare sight and the limited production Raptor version even rarer. The canal-side streets in Amsterdam are very narrow, so navigating this beast around must be a treat.

And lastly, how often do you get to see a Lotus Evora?

This one was spotted in Madurodam, Holland (sorry, but I couldn't get closer).

Apart from the scenery, the bakeries, the chocolate shops and all the other experiences that I love in Europe, there are the cars. While others see metal on streets, I see something else entirely and I've shared some of those pictures with you. By the way, in all the pictures above there is one that is not what it seems. I've given you a hint. Any guesses?

Until next time.......

September 11: The lucky 50

Fifty very lucky and very wealthy car buyers will be able to get their names on the ownership of this, the latest of Aston Martin's shooting brakes.........

Aston has been modifying their gorgeous coupes into gorgeous semi station wagons, or shooting brakes for many years. What the heck is a shooting brake anyway? You could google it, but basically it was a vehicle designed for the upper class Brits to use when hunting for their evening meals. Pull up in the Rolls, unload their picnic baskets and guns from the back and have at it. Very civilized and only the best rolling stock would do.

A shooting brake doesn't have to be based on a coupe, but many have been. It's surprising how well turning a coupe into a wagon works out and Aston has been the master at it.........

Always limited editions or one off customs. With the Americans nutty fascination with guns, it's a wonder why every domestic car manufacturer doesn't have one of these creations in their line these days. Oh, I forgot their also nutty fascination with suvs. You can see with this old Mustang conversion, that sometime in the past, this idea was given a chance to see the light of day.......

Here's one you all know.......

This Volvo was probably the only one that was mass produced (the Ferrari FF is hardly mass production, folks). Better looking than the original coupe in my not so humble opinion, but not all shooting brake transformations should have been done. Examples, you ask? Shield your eyes from these two hideous creations from Ferrari.........

Oops! Someone's pen must have slipped when putting these designs to paper, as no self respecting computer would ever own up to these missteps. On the other hand, this Bentley Continental and the Jaguar below it are things of beauty........

 Only fifty you say. Too bad, but hey, when we are talking about a car somewhat more costly than a well equipped Toyota, fifty might be plenty. Keep the desirability quotient high.

And thank Aston Martin for doing us the favour of conjuring up this wonderful piece of eye candy, so that us lesser mortals will keep buying those lottery tickets in order to one day hit it big, so we too can be one of the lucky fifty.

Until next time......