Electrifying evolution

Remember this rough and tough military vehicle, that you've seen in every action movie made in the past twenty years? I believe it's a mandatory prop. Watch the TV news? Any story about military action in the Middle East has these driven by either the good or bad guys or both. For almost thirty years this has been an iconic military vehicle. It's name for those of you just emerging from a thirty year cave hibernation is the Hummer H1.

Wide, high, ugly and intimidating.

With those thoughts in mind, some bright soul named Arnie S. (hint: future governor of California) thought it would be a great civilian ride and asked its manufacturer, AM General, to whip him up one to use in the mean streets of Los Angeles.

They did and so the story begins......... 

 

 

 

This almost perfect military icon found a home in the driveways of the rich and (maybe) famous. A few also found their way into construction or mining companies, where they actually belonged. But we live in a crazy (Donald Trump, president???) and often illogical (ditto) world and this beast became a status symbol. I've lost a lot of hair from head scratching over this move.

The Hummer became so popular that the then mighty General Motors bought the rights to the name and tried to make Hummer an upscale Jeep competitor with models like the H2, based on the Chevy Tahoe.....

.........and then the poorly received H3, based on Chevy's under powered, junior pick-up, the Colorado........

.........and finally oblivion. Too much of a good thing, bad marketing or bastardizing the brand? Pick one.

And now to 2020 and the current evolution of this military and insurgent's tool.......

Does the phrase, "I'll be back." seem appropriate here? Yes, the Hummer lives on for 2022 as a pure luxury EV!  This one will never reach foreign battle fields (a truce is called while the Hummers are being recharged)  -  you get the picture.

Actually the Hummer name seems to suit an electric vehicle (although they make no noise at all). To make this new Hummer more versatile, it has some Jeep like features.......

Remove the roof, so better to be seen by your less fortunate neighbours. You know them, they are the ones who didn't invest in Tesla stock.

So how will this new EV fare against all the other planned, but yet to hit the market electric pick-ups (Rivian, Tesla, Bollinger, etc)? It has the name, but I wonder if it still has any of the cache Arnie once thought it had? Another EV flash in the pan or will it become the darling of the let's look tough, although we're not set?

Due Fall 2021 as a 2022 model, the reservation bank is already full, but intro is a full year away. Lots can happen. Maybe even more electrifying news?

Until next time........

Everyone makes mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes and everyone is entitled to make a few in their life. For example, Larry King has been married a few dozen times and our southern neighbours elected the aberration, that is currently wrecking havoc everywhere. In the car world we see mistakes all the time. Take for instance this 1990's Maserati shown below......

For years, the Maserati name meant achingly beautiful exotics that competed with Ferrari, but had lines that would make folks go weak at the knees. Yeah, so this miscue from the 1990's can be forgiven. Nowadays Maserati is turning out pretty good looking designs, just maybe not the stunners that once bore the name.

I love showing a bit of history, so this blog won't be an exception........

All beautiful designs from Maserati's past. Designs that still would look great in my parking place today or tomorrow (I can wait). Not a bad line anywhere, except the bottom line, but such is life.

Rumour has it that Maserati is designing a ultra costly halo car for those oil sheiks or .com billionaires. Nothing definite yet, so we must be patient. Well maybe not all of us, as an Italian design house has dropped these pictures of what a once again, drop dead gorgeous Maserati should or could look like........

Isn't this more like those wet dreams of Maserati's past?  Is there a bad line on this rolling sculpture? Maybe scrap whatever is on the drawing boards at the head office and slot this one in instead?

Time for those people with more money than they should have to contact Maserati and nudge them in this design's direction. Tell them Barry wants to see one on his street!

Until next time........

Dino power

Way back in the mists of time and history, there was a period when cars were being saddled with new and confusing emissions equipment. Performance, if one could call it that, was abysmal. Want perspective? I had a 1976 Corvette with the "big" motor. 0-60 time was just over ten seconds. Beat that these days in any new Honda Civic. 

Then the almost unthinkable happened. In 1978 Car & Driver tested all the American "performance" cars to see which was the quickest (slowest?). The winner.........

No kidding, folks, this big ol' Dodge pick-up with those semi look-a-like exhaust pipes and a funny name, Lil' Red Truck, blew everything else into the proverbial weeds. For shame! Things had sunk so low that it had now come to this? A performance truck!

But as time passed, real car performance came back, but the idea of a hotted up pick-up stayed around and from time to time a new one was introduced........

This was the early '90's and the 454SS had an advertised 230 HP. Strong at the time. Ford also wanted in on the action and quick as lightning, they introduced the Lightning......

Each of these two had a limited life span, but the idea of a hot pick-up still stirred truck folks' souls. If a horsepower upgrade was interesting in a truck, then a big upgrade would be even more interesting, so Dodge jumped back into the fray and dropped a huge Viper V-10 into a good old boy's work truck.......

Good tire burning fun for a few years, but then again the idea was put aside by Dodge. Not so, Ford, as their Raptor started tearing up the roads and trails. Bragging rights as the toughest guy on the block with a cool 450 HP, less than the old Dodge SRT-10, but pretty dam good in light of it having no direct competitor......

Over the last few years Dodge was putting their Hellcat motor, that rockin' 707 HP power plant, into anything they could lay their hands on, even a Jeep. What was missing was a truck. All it took was time. Behold the 2021 Ram TRX (pronounced T-Rex, please)........

And to show those folks at Ford that FCA had a sense of humour, they included a couple of interesting engravings in this beast.......

Know your dinosaurs? If you do, you'll know that the raptor was fast, vicious, but small. The t-rex was HUGE, so leave it to those rascals on the other side of town to have an engine cover showing a t-rex eating a raptor. Want more humour? Then check out the size comparison depicted below the console cover. 

What fun, a hotted up pick-up truck war brewing for 2021. The weapon of choice? Your cheque book. This is going to get nasty.

Until next time......

Belgian Treats

 Carat Duchatelet

Great name, rolls off the tongue like a broken tooth. Who or what is it? A Belgium company that doesn't make chocolate, but does design and make some beautiful automotive concoctions. Case in point......

This beauty is the Rolls-Royce Silver Spectre. Take one Wraith and make it into what those crazy Europeans love, a shooting brake. You know, a station wagon, but much better looking. In this case, much, much better looking. Exclusive? But of course, with only seven being made and a price tag of........well, you know, if you have to ask.........

This company's bread and butter has been armouring custom made limos for those dictators, that The Donald so looks up to. Limos like this oddly shaped Mercedes S Class, lengthened and with a raised roof......

Is that a roof rack? Not a chance, simply bars for the bodyguards to hang on to, ensuring that those adoring citizens don't get close enough to harm your numero uno. And what dictator wouldn't want an interior to die for (probably a bad choice of words).........

Carat Duchatelet also makes a few Range Rovers into two doors........

Strange, but true. Take one perfectly proportioned Range Rover four door and make it into a perfectly proportioned and less useful two door. Answering a question, that I would have thought no one would have asked, but obviously, I'm oh so wrong. 

Maybe you'd want to take your Range Rover into a longer direction armoured up, of course........

Back to that shooting brake. 

Love the style but a Rolls doesn't suit you in oh so many ways. How about.........

Look kinda familiar? Want a hint? Think EV. Still stumped? Ok, this is a Tesla S. A one off for now, but what a looker. Elon is missing a good bet by not adding this one to his line. On the other hand, considering that station wagons in North America sell like mirrors to the blind, maybe not.

And for a final treat, you've always loved Ferraris and especially the "bread van" from way back when......

.......and now that you are rolling in the green stuff, how about this latest from CD........

What better way to distribute the wealth than to give some to Carat Duchatelet for this stunning modern rendition of a classic? Price? Make a phone call.

All one needs is a bit of imagination, quite a bit of cash, a quick call to Belgium and before you know it, a one of one will be coming your way. Or at least, one of a very few. And send me a picture, please.

Until next time........

Eyes to the east, the far east, that is

Want to know what is on the horizon for us folks in North America? No, I'm not talking about the calamity called the upcoming US election. That will be discussed in a future blog entitled Truth is Stranger Than Fiction. I'm talking about what cars that we have a good shot of seeing here in the not too distant future. Where do I get this info? Easy, I cast my eyes to the east, to China and the recent Beijing auto show

 Let me take that comment back for this first one, the VW Phideon.........

Remember the old Phaeton, which crept away from our market a few years back, after hardly making the smallest ripple? Well, this car is alive and I guess, well in China. A super luxo VW complete with a wine cooler in the rear seat. Yes, this is very handy feature for those who want to drink, while someone else does the driving. Do we need this car back here? NO!

But how about this interesting Tiguan.........

A coupe suv in the price range that many of us can afford. Love the look, but a Bimmer or a Benz wouldn't make it thru your bank account, then this is the car for you. Supposedly China only, but we'll see.

Like this Audi?

So do I, but it's not an Audi, it's a Honda EV and possibly coming to North America sometime in the future. Maybe downplay the Audi Q8 look alike by the time it arrives here?

Like old Buicks? Or maybe like old Buick names? Feast your eyes on the new Electra........

All new Buicks get shown in China first, since that is where all new Buicks sell really, really well. Love the name for an EV concept. Bring back the past to show off the future.

Why in China for this next one.........

As Ford is getting a foothold over there, the Explorer will lead the way, but not quite our Explorer. Check out the front end of the eastern Explorer at the top and compare it to ours below. Theirs is a little more aggressive than the one at your local Ford dealer. Not sure why, but maybe we'll see it in 2022.

Not too many years ago, showing any car from China was laughable. Who knew that they would be trend setters. Who knew that what started rolling down theri highways, would shortly roll down ours?

Stay tuned for more of our future from the Forbidden Kingdom.

Until next time.......