42 posts tagged “autocade”

Folks, I have a theory.
   After asking on Twitter, and using two different ISPs in two different cities, and trialling different browsers, I have found that in New Zealand, I (and one other Twitter friend) cannot reach our Autocade site without the browser coming up with an error asking one to save the page.
   However, using a US proxy server, there is no problem, and the page functions normally. It actually opens.
   I suspect something is afoot with ISPs in New Zealand blocking certain sites. Can friends reading this confirm this with me, please? The site is autocade.net.
   I remember last month there was quite a bit of furore on Twitter when TelstraClear customers could not reach justinflitter.com (since closed). Again, I had no problem accessing Justin’s site via a proxy server. I simply could not reach it from New Zealand, even though Justin is a New Zealander.

I woke to find that in one folder—the one where Autocade pictures are stored—the captions have disappeared:

   I have followed the advice here to no avail. The toggling advice that Rick Maybury gives works for the ‘Details’ view, but not any of the icon views. Any computer boffins out there who know how to get the captions back? They were still there at 3 a.m.

PS.: Fixed, but not using any logic, but using randomness. Solution: ask Windows Explorer to stack the files by name, then ask it to not make any stacks. The captions then reappear.

P.PS.: Not fixed. On exiting and re-entering the folder, the captions disappear again, and I have to repeat the stacking. Not good. A more permanent solution would be welcome.

P.P.PS.: One hour later. This guy had the answers. However, I have no way to show the file menu, so I resorted to randomly clicking in various places in the folder till I could see a drop-down menu that had ‘Hide File Names’ as an option.

If anything, this post was an attempt to figure out whether Vox had been fixed or not. The ‘Compose’ screen came up pretty quickly this attempt, though an earlier attempt resulted in a blank screen after a minute.
   Here are some rare cars from Autocade, anyway, since I’m not going to waste the opportunity to blog something. When I started Autocade, I expected some old cars that were around before my lifetime; what I didn’t expect was actually covering a good number of them. Here are some for those pub quiz nights.

Italia 2000 Coupé. 1959–62 (prod. 297 approx.). 2-door coupé. F/R, 1991 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV). Hand-made, rebodied Triumph TR3, with attractive Michelotti-designed bodies by Vignale, shown at Torino in 1958. Made under contract to Ruffino SpA. Never officially a Standard–Triumph model, particularly after Leyland Motors’ takeover and the company’s withdrawal of support. Often referred to as Triumph Italia. Very expensive when new, and not popular; underpowered considering the price, though reasonably competent.

AMC Marlin. 1967 (prod. 2,545). 2-door coupé. F/R, 232 in³ (6 cyl. OHV), 290, 343 in³ (V8 OHV). Marlin shifts to the full-size AMC Ambassador (1967–8) platform, but production dropped further due to poor sales. Deleted after one year. Price up from 1966 as Marlin became a full-size car, with more luxury appointments.

Ford Anglia Torino. 1964–8 (prod. over 10,007). 2-door saloon. F/R, 997 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV). Rebodied Anglia, with body made by OSI of Italy. Created for markets which might have found the original 105E to be too unconventionally styled, but export plans were never realized and the car remains very rare. Doors and front windscreen shared with English Anglia, but other panels new. Michelotti design: attractive to some, ugly to Angliaphiles. Two one-litre engines: standard tune with 41 hp and Torino S with 52 hp from 1965.

Volvo P1900. 1956–7 (prod. 67). 2-door convertible. F/R, 1414 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV). Flimsy fibreglass convertible from Volvo, with uprated engine shared with export model of PV444, developing 70 hp. Inspired by American roadsters of the 1950s, but killed off after new Volvo boss, Gunnar Engellau, felt the quality was under par.

After dinner, this ad on Autocade still made me hungry. Since I have never heard of this brand Down Under, I thought the Dove soap people had diversified, but it turns out it’s part of the Mars company.

   And the reason I am surfing around is that Facebook is dead again, after Twitter was dead for over a day on Sunday and part of today: I suppose this home page design is better than being falsely accused of copyright infringement every day by Facebook. But it’s not too different, in terms of usage, to when my laptop is switched off. Facebook versus switching off the laptop—it’s actually quite a hard choice.

Here are a few interesting entries from the 1970s on Autocade, all based around the HC Vauxhall Viva. I was surprised that there was precious little information online about the 1970s’ Chevrolet 1300 and 1900 from South Africa, so I remedied that today.

Vauxhall Viva (HC). 1970–9 (prod. 640,863, incl. Magnum). 2- and 4-door saloon, 3-door estate, 2-door coupé. F/R, 1159, 1256 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV), 1599, 1759, 1975, 2279 cm³ (4 cyl. OHC). Larger, more modern Viva for the ’70s, with carryover engines, and two-litre unit used for export to Canada, where the car was rebadged Pontiac Firenza. Still not the best reputation for reliability, but greater performance from larger engines from 1971, which replaced carryover ones; coupé added the same year, and the two-litre unit returned to the domestic market. Range divided into Vauxhall Viva and Vauxhall Magnum in 1973, with more upmarket trim for the latter, as well as the 1·8- and 2·3-litre engines. Magnum 1300 sold in New Zealand from 1976. Some engine differences with South African Chevrolet Firenza and related to Chevrolet 1300 and 1900 (q.v.).

Vauxhall Firenza. 1970–5 (prod. unknown). 2-door coupé. F/R, 1159, 1256 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV), 1599, 1799, 1975, 2279 cm³ (4 cyl. OHC). Essentially an HC Viva coupé, but best remembered for 2·3-litre High Performance model shown at 1973 Motor Show with startling (for its time) ‘droop snoot’ front in fibreglass, conceived by designer Wayne Cherry. HP model did have mechanical improvements to aid higher performance, thus more than a cosmetic exercise.

Vauxhall Magnum (HC). 1973–8 (prod. 640,863 incl. Viva [HC]). 2- and 4-door saloon, 2-door coupé, 3-door estate. F/R, 1256 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV), 1759, 2279 cm³ (4 cyl. OHC). Big-engined HC Viva (1800 and 2300) with nicer interior, twin headlights and sportier trim—hence better looking than mid-Atlantic Viva. Coupés offered till 1975, after which the Firenza droop-snoot model appeared. One rarity: Magnum Sportshatch, which featured the droop-snoot front and a Viva estate rear, of which 197 were made in 1976. Confusingly, New Zealand had 1256 cm³ Magnums with twin headlights for a brief period. Other than the 1·3, a thirsty car. Values always projected to rise but other than the coupé and Sportshatch, yet to become a collectors’ hit.

Chevrolet Firenza (HC). 1971–5 (prod. unknown; 100 Can Am). 4-door sedan, 2-door coupé. F/R, 1158, 1256, 2507 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV), 5047 cm³ (V8 OHV). South African development of Vauxhall Viva (HC), with differences in badging and engine range. Range featured a 2·5-litre four, but collectors cherish the Can Am V8, a homologation special with a Chevrolet Camaro engine, built to compete in South African racing and a rival to the Ford Capri Perana, costing R5,800 at a time when the next top Firenza was R2,700.

Chevrolet 1300/Chevrolet 1900 (HC). 1975–8 (prod. unknown). 3- and 4-door sedan. F/R, 1256, 1960 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV). Further development of Vauxhall Viva (HC), replacing Chevrolet Firenza range in South Africa. Body styles now included a three-door hatchback unique to the country (the Vauxhall Chevette was not sold there), while a more formal grille adorned all models. Mechanically similar to Viva and Firenza.

I remember at the time there was quite a lot of excitement around this car—then as the years went by, we realized it was another boring bread-and-butter bubble. All the Ford Telstars made it on to Autocade today, and here they are. This is, as far as I can tell, more accurate than the claptrap on Wikipedia.

Ford Telstar (GC/AR/AS). 1982–7 (prod. unknown). 4- and 5-door sedan. F/F, 1587, 1789, 1998 cm³ (4 cyl. OHC). Mazda Capella (GC) with new front and rear ends and Ford badging. Mechanically the same. No coupé. Five-door badged TX5. Big technological advance on Cortina, which it replaced in Australia and New Zealand, though in the latter market, a station wagon variant was missed. Popular and a welcome all-rounder in the mid-sized market at the time, and Ford’s main entrant through most of the Asia-Pacific, but more seemed to be affectionate toward its predecessor. Sold at Autorama dealers in Japan.

Ford Telstar (GD/AT/AV). 1987–96 (prod. unknown). 4- and 5-door sedan, 5-door wagon. F/F, F/A, 1587, 1789, 1998, 2184 cm³ petrol, 1998 cm³ diesel (4 cyl. OHC), 1789, 1998 cm³ (4 cyl. DOHC). Mk II Telstar, introduced alongside Mazda Capella (GD), and with a stronger resemblance to the donor vehicle. Station wagon for the first time from 1988, but sold only in Japan and New Zealand; sedans appeared more mature, larger. Five-door still called TX5. DOHC and four-wheel-drive models for this generation, as well as a larger 2·2-litre unit. Improved on its predecessor in terms of quality and refinement, but more of a domestic appliance. Station wagon continued as part of closely related GV series after 1991, while sedans went to GE platform that year; GD wagons were still assembled in New Zealand into the mid-1990s.

Ford Telstar (GV). 1992–7 (prod. unknown). 5-door wagon. F/F, F/A, 1789, 1998 cm³ petrol, 1998 cm³ diesel (4 cyl. OHC). Instead of coming up with an all-new wagon for the GE-series Capella and Telstar, Mazda put the GD through an extensive facelift, and sold the result alongside GE. The effect was somewhat incongruous—bumpers and plastic trim looked like afterthoughts and blended poorly with the original shape—but GV kept the company in the mid-sized wagon market in Japan for much of the 1990s, when it faced financial difficulties. Mid-term revisions in 1994.

Ford Telstar (GE/AX/AY). 1991–7 (prod. unknown). F/F, F/A, 1789, 1991 cm³ (4 cyl. DOHC), 2497 cm³ (V6 DOHC). Another variation on the Mazda Capella (GE)—Mk III for want of a better term—as before with relatively few changes from original Japanese model. Overall a bread-and-butter bubble with typical rounded styling of the late 1980s–early 1990s. Telstar II launched in Japan in 1994 and overlapped standard GE run. GE built also in South Africa by Samcor, 2·0 and 2·5 only.

Ford Telstar II (CG). 1994–7 (prod. unknown). 4-door sedan. F/F, 1789, 1991 cm³ (4 cyl. DOHC). Odd amalgam of rounded centre section of GE-series Telstar with formal front and rear ends favoured by traditional Japanese sedan buyers. Mechanically a GE four-cylinder. Same sheetmetal as contemporary Capella. Introduced in Japan after Mazda’s multi-brand strategy collapsed, and front end meant to ape Mazda Sentia; Ford simply took what was available for the Japanese domestic market and badged it a Telstar.

Ford Telstar (GF/GW). 1997–2001 (prod. unknown). 4-door sedan, 5-door wagon. F/F, F/A, 1840, 1991 cm³ (4 cyl. DOHC), 1998 cm³ diesel (4 cyl. OHC), 2497 cm³ (V6 DOHC). Final Telstar, but very conventional. Mazda Capella (GF) twin was developed as a reaction to the company’s overambitiousness of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and resulted in a very plain car. Telstar had four-door sedan and wagon; no five-door. Diesel from 1998. Sold in Japan, and not widely exported as Ford shifted to promoting the Mondeo and Contour in most markets.

This was a bit disappointing. What is the 900th entry on Autocade?

Ford Telstar (GC/AR/AS). 1982–7 (prod. unknown). 4- and 5-door sedan. F/F, 1587, 1789, 1998 cm³ (4 cyl. OHC). Mazda Capella (GC) with new front and rear ends and Ford badging. Mechanically the same. No coupé. Big technological advance on Cortina, which it replaced in Australia and New Zealand, though in the latter market, a station wagon variant was missed. Popular and a welcome all-rounder in the mid-sized market at the time, and Ford’s main entrant through most of the Asia-Pacific, but more seemed to be affectionate toward its predecessor. Sold at Autorama dealers in Japan.

   Well, at least, unlike the Wikipedia entry on the car, it’s accurate.
   A hundred to go and then I’ll announce the site more widely.

I think Robin will appreciate this as much as I do.
   A Flickr user, Stephan Schmatz, has a Fiat Flickr album. Of interest to me was Schmatz’s grouping by development type number. When I was growing up, Fiat named its cars with this number, before they took a departure with the Ritmo in 1978. What is less known to the layman is that the numbers continued internally in Fiat, to this day. I have put down Schmatz’s numbers, with the X ones thrown in for autogeekdom.

110/120 Nuova 500 (Bambina in New Zealand terms)
119 Doblò
138 Ritmo and Regata
141 Panda
146 Uno
160 Tipo
169 Panda II
170 Cinquecento
175 Coupé Fiat
176 Punto
178 Palio
179 Ulysse II
182 Bravo and Brava
183 Barchetta
186 Multipla
187 Seicento
188 Punto II
189 Sedici
192 Stilo
194 Croma II
198 Bravo
199 Grande Punto
220 Ulysse and Scudo
225 Fiorino III
300 Qubo

X1/1 Fiat 128
X1/2 Autobianchi A112
X1/3 Fiat 130
X1/4 Fiat 127
X1/8 Later became X1/20, Lancia Beta Montecarlo
X1/9 Fiat X1/9
X1/20 Lancia Beta Montecarlo
X1/38 Fiat Ritmo

For some reason my brain has stopped working this Saturday, which can only benefit Autocade. Here are some of the models that were recently added, including some very rare Korean models. In fact, these are so rare there is no detailed mention of them on Wikipedia (the site I love to hate) yet the first listed here, the Saenara, is an important milestone in the history of the Korean motor industry, being its first proper passenger car. All four were built by companies that eventually became Daewoo.

Saenara (P310). 1962–3 (prod. 2,773). 4-door sedan. F/R, 1189 cm³ (4 cyl. OHV). Korean edition of Nissan Bluebird (P310), Korea’s first locally produced postwar sedan. Built on what was a modern assembly line. Styling, while 1950s in flavour, considered attractive in the Korean home market. Engine derived from Austin unit, with 55 hp.

Chevrolet 1700. 1972–8 (prod. 8,105). 4-door sedan, 5-door wagon. F/R, 1692 cm³ (4 cyl. CIH). Holden Torana (LJ), made by Saehan of Korea. Essentially a facsimile of the Australian original, but for an unusual station wagon model that looked more like an Opel at the back. Robust, but a failure on the Korean market, thanks to a perception that it was thirsty (the oil crisis did not help). In theory replaced by facelifted Camina in 1976, though it ran alongside it.

Camina. 1976–8 (prod. unknown). 4-door sedan. F/R, 1492 cm³ (4 cyl. CIH). Facelifted Holden Torana (LJ). No Chevrolet badge; made by GM Korea venture Saehan. Ran concurrently with Chevrolet 1700, which had proved a flop in Korea. Fairly tidy facelift, with the more modern, if bland, Chevrolet-like front end blending well with Torana’s mid-Pacific styling. Short production, and replaced (none too soon) by the Saehan Gemini, a version of the Isuzu Gemini (1976–9).

Daewoo Imperial. 1989–93 (prod. unknown). 4-door sedan. F/R, 2969 cm³ (6 cyl. OHC). Poshest vehicle on the GM V-car (Opel Rekord E) platform, Imperial was the ultimate development of the series at Daewoo. Conceived as a response to the Hyundai Sonata and Grandeur, with styling apeing top Chryslers (notably the last Imperial and the New Yorker) and Japanese luxury sedans. Formal roofline, and new front and rear ends, hid the Opel Senator roots. Double-D ornament on grille. Engine size meant to surpass what Hyundai had put in to the Sonata—the unit was shared with the Senator, and developed 156 hp.

Here are the top search terms for the Lucire ‘Insider’ section yesterday:

new jaguar xj
jaguar xj
jaguar
new jaguar xj revealed
new jaguar
jaguar xj revealed
new jaguar xj6
xj revealed   
opel insignia
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You’d think we were a car magazine!