7 posts tagged “classic”

Although I am a long-time Vox user (even a beta tester), this is the first time I have tried embedding something into a post. If it works, then enjoy!

There’s now a second video from the documentary The Saint Steps in … to Colour on YouTube, detailing how scriptwriter Terry Nation would rehash his scripts for different series. This would be fine years apart, but one week he got caught out on US television when The Saint was rerun with a new episode of The Baron.
   Goodness, de Vere before he met Audrey!
   Ian Ogilvy provides the narration.

I may have hung out with plenty of the ladies from Miss Universe New Zealand 2008 but in between times, I did work. And on my travels I saw this slightly worn Jensen C-V8 in Ellerslie, Auckland. It’s still a glorious shape. I drove to the end of the street after recognizing its tail end.

Since I have blogged about the first six model years of the Mustang, let’s have three more. This is all there is on Autocade at the moment, though I guess the Mustang II will go on next. Note the declining production number—this covers three model years. It was up to the II to restore some sales for the Mustang brand.

Ford Mustang (1971–3)

Ford Mustang. 1971–3 (prod. 409,638). 2-door coupé, 2-door fastback, 2-door convertible. F/R, 250 in³ (6 cyl. OHV), 302, 351, 429 in³ (V8 OHV). Original Mustang platform grown to ridiculous proportions, thanks to intervention of its president Semon ‘Bunkie’ Knudsen. Born during the horsepower race but, when launched in 1970, seemed out of place with rising insurance premiums and emissions’ regulations. Has its admirers but regarded as less collectible than earlier models. Last Boss in 1971; Mach I took the performance mantle for the run. Some luxury in Mustang Grand coupé. Last factory convertible for many years in 1973.

From the Chicago Sun–Times:

Ferrari’s main rivals in the 1960s were Italy’s new, upstart Lamborghini, older Maserati—and England’s veteran Aston Martin. Ferrari meant the 275 GTB to be the most desirable exotic sports car, especially the more powerful GTB/4 model, which had four—instead of two—overhead camshafts.
   The 275 GTB is “the Russell Crowe of Ferraris—rugged, powerful and as much as any other production model, it is the icon of Ferrari,” says the March issue of Sports Car Market Newsletter magazine.

   What, you mean it challenges others to fights but loses? That’s not how I remember the 275 GTB.
   This is why it can be dangerous to equate a car with a personality. We might hold different ideas but no matter how I stretch my imagination I cannot think of Mr Crowe as “iconic” in any way. Yes, an Oscar-winning actor, but an icon?
   Maybe it’s a tall poppy thing, but I don’t think so.

Again, from YouTube poster ZillakYT, are the first few minutes from another documentary revisiting an ITC classic—in this case, the colour episodes of the Roger Moore series The Saint. Ian Ogilvy, who succeeded Moore in the 1970s in Return of the Saint, narrates.
   The pre-title bit is hilarious, with the title card reading ‘Monte Carlo / not Elstree’. This was a nod to the fact that almost all Saint episodes, despite being set in Roma, Paris and other exotic locations, were filmed in England. What is interesting is just how angry Saint creator Leslie Charteris got with the producer, Robert S. Baker, and script supervisor Harry W. Junkin. A memorandum is read out by Ogilvy—and Charteris was pretty pissed!
   Sadly, Mr Ogilvy is cut off in mid-speech but I assume he was nearing the end of Charteris’s letter.

   (In case anyone is wondering why this post is in the Asian and Chinese groups on Vox, Leslie Charteris was originally Singaporean Chinese.)

I had to scan some pics for a story tonight and added these off my films to the tally, for the petrolheads out there. (As with most on this site, these images are copyrighted. I am a bit more precious about my film stuff.)

   I spotted this Jaguar XJ12 Series II in Jiji, Taiwan. Taiwan is home to a lot of old Buicks and plenty of Japanese-derived models, but a classic British car is about as rare as a virgin in a maternity ward. This XJ12 has plenty of chrome and has the growler on the hubcaps as you’d expect, but there’s a beautiful fluted grille from the Daimler. I can only imagine that this is the form in which XJ12s arrived in Taiwan in the 1970s. It’s a miracle this one even lasted so long.
   Here’s another Chinese oddity just up the road, parked outside the Jiji railway station:

This one won’t be sold for the 2008 model year and is unique to this part of the world. The Ford Mondeo Metrostar is the Chinese version of the CD132 Mondeo, with a more formal grille. As sedans mean status here, the European grille of the Mondeo wouldn’t have cut it. Plus, with the size of the Mondeo, the Taiwanese consider it a large car to rival the Nissan Teana and Toyota Camry. Therefore, it gets large-car æsthetics up front.
   Some cops use Mondeos as police cruisers, while among civilian buyers it’s considered an upmarket luxury car with German roots. That part may be true, but these, like the Mazda Familia-based Ford Tierra (not a typo), come out of a local plant in Taiwan and are even exported to Red China.