63 posts tagged “history”

The largest car maker in the land was effectively nationalized. It then killed more brands and product lines, even ones that could have survived.
   Chrysler, hanging on to unloved mainstream sedans such as the Avenger, was in a deep crisis and needed a European manufacturer to take over its operations.
   Ford, resisting the urge to go cap in hand to the government, stayed its course and solidified its market share, despite its own union troubles. It managed to shore things up and grow from there.
   USA 2009? No, UK in the 1970s.
   This is not a political post—it’s just pointing out how history repeats itself. I also have a funny feeling the US scenario will play out the same way as the UK one did.
   British Leyland was broken up further and its “volume” operations—despite making fewer cars than London Taxis International—are owned by the Chinese state.
   Chrysler UK no longer exists. Its plants wound up making Peugeots.
   Ford UK might not be as strong today as in the 1980s, but it still has a good market share.

This is amazing (found via Petrolheed on Twitter). Forget Susan Boyle, Ukraine’s Got Talent in the form of Kseniya Simonova.

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.

I have never been to the capital of the United States before, but I was playing on Google Earth for the first time in about three years tonight, looking for the White House. Unless all my schooling was wrong, and I consider myself reasonably well educated, I was under the impression this is at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC. Here’s what Google Earth returned:

Nothing around here even looks like the White House. Can any American readers please explain what I am doing wrong, or is this another one of those computer glitches that only happens to me?
   If I have done nothing wrong, then here are some possibilities of what has happened:

• the White House doesn’t exist and never did. I only dreamed that it did;
• the White House only exists in fiction, like Ernie Wise’s wig;
• the boss of Google voted Republican;
  
• the White House has been moved to another location, like they did with the Museum Hotel;
• the White House has been blocked from Google Earth for a 9-11-related reason;
• UFOs have beamed up the entire White House;
• the Manhattan Project has beamed up the entire White House.
  

I attended the opening of Formula 1: the Great Design Race at Te Papa Tongarewa, National Museum of New Zealand, last night. The highlight was meeting Chris Amon, whom to most New Zealanders is a living legend, and one of the great race car drivers of all time. I also met Jan McLaren, sister of Bruce McLaren, and the only person whom I have spoken to in New Zealand who knows about Peter Kaus’s Rosso Bianco collection in Aschaffenburg, Germany.
   One downer was having to offer a prayer for Dr Seddon Bennington, CEO of Te Papa, who was missing on a trek at the time (he has since been found dead). (As a clarification: praying is not a downer, but the fact that Dr Bennington was missing was.)
   You do not need to be a car nut to enjoy this exhibition: the Formula 1 vehicles on display are works of art, and I imagine that we enthusiasts simply are able to appreciate them more than the average museumgoer—in the same way a connoisseur of fine wine will know more about his subject than I do.
   The designers of the McLarens, Ferrari, Cooper, BRM and other models on display have provided them with either a sense of purity or aggression. And there are other treasures there, including the helmets that were worn by New Zealand’s most celebrated drivers, Bruce McLaren, Denny Hulme and Chris Amon.

I don’t know why but I got interested in putting in a few English cars into Autocade. How about these for oddities that few, except for their fans, remember?

Austin 3-Litre (ADO61). 1967–71 (prod. 9,992). 4-door saloon. F/R, 2,912 cm³ (6 cyl. OHV). Ill thought-out big Austin, using centre section from smaller 1800 and out of step with new executive saloons from Rover and Triumph. Excellent ride and sumptuous interior, but thirsty and underpowered. Shown at London Motor Show 1967 and enjoyed a “soft” launch; full launch in 1968 with four round headlamps and, after the first 1,000 units or so, front quarterlights in the windows. Buyers stayed away and the model was cancelled in 1971, having sold far worse than its predecessor.

MG MGC/MG MGC GT (ADO52). 1967–9 (prod. 9,002, incl. 4,458 GT). 2-door convertible, 3-door coupé. F/R, 2912 cm³ (6 cyl. OHV). Replacement for Austin–Healey 3000 with MGB bodies and three-litre C-series engine from Austin 3-Litre. Poorly sorted, with fronts too heavy (engine 209 lb heavier than the B’s unit), spoiling the handling. Identified by the bonnet bulge; at the time, a market failure.

Jensen GT. 1975–6 (prod. 509). 3-door coupé. F/R, 1973 cm³ (4 cyl. DOHC). Fastback 2+2 version of Jensen–Healey, hurriedly put into production as Jensen sales collapsed due to the oil crisis. Jensen went into receivership in 1976, killing this model. No Healey tag, as Donald Healey had left the Jensen board and refused to grant permission to use his name. Mechanically identical to Jensen–Healey, but due to extra weight, slower.

Lotus Élite (Type 83). 1980–3 (prod. 133). 3-door coupé. F/R, 2174 cm³ (4 cyl. DOHC). Élite for the 1980s, with larger Type 912 engine. Better torque, and Getrag five-speed gearbox. Some minor changes, including new spoiler and rear lights. However, the shape was more dated than Éclat and Esprit by now, and sold relatively poorly in this decade.

I put in a few oddball cars on Autocade today. The following, all with French brand names, are either market failures, or vehicles that are strange to my eyes. At one point, there was a great push to have car model names consistent throughout the globe; now it matters less if a Chevy based on the Astra is called a Vectra in Brazil, or, for that matter, if a type 206 Peugeot is called the 207 there. The Renault Avantime, meanwhile, showed that doing niche vehicles did not always pay off.

Citroën Bijou. 1959–64 (prod. 207). 2-door coupé. F/F, 425 cm³ (2 cyl. OHV). Coupé version of 2CV for British market, with more conservative styling designed to appeal to UK consumers. Parts’ bin used, with single-spoke steering wheel, and rear window from DS Safari. Heavier than 2CV and considered expensive; 425 cm³ was underpowered, developing 12 bhp.

Peugeot 207/Peugeot 206+. 2008 to date (prod. unknown). 3-, 4- and 5-door saloon, 5-door estate. F/F, 1360 cm³ (4 cyl. OHC), 1587 cm³ (4 cyl. DOHC). Facelifted 206, as Peugeot of Brazil claimed it would be too costly and impractical to launch the European model there. Sold in Brazil and neighbouring markets, but exported as 207 Compact to those countries where European 207 was also sold. Four-door saloon called 207 Passion; faux off-road SW estate gained extra Escapade model name, as had 206 in Brazil. No major improvements on 206—better thought of as a mid-term facelift. Criticized around launch in Brazilian press for being a revised, rather than all-new, model. Launched in France in 2009 as a budget model, built at Mulhouse, and bearing 206+ nameplate.

Renault Avantime. 2001–3 (prod. 8,557). 2-door coupé. F/F, 1998 cm³ petrol, 2188 cm³ diesel (4 cyl. DOHC), 2946 cm³ (V6 DOHC). Odd marriage of MPV silhouette and two-door hardtop coupé configuration, developed to use Matra facilities in Romorantin. Built using composite panels, as with earlier Matras and original Renault Éspace. Huge doors, making it less practical in smaller car parks. A fast cruiser with an excellent view out; but too bulky to be a real coupé. Considered a flagship, but flopped; production ceased two years after launch.

Found through Northern Geek’s blog here on Vox, an amazing effort to convert a regular Commodore 64 into a laptop.

   I take my hat off to Ben Heckendorn, the man who made this laptop. He has even preserved the 1980s’ design æsthetic and colour. I realize laptops did not have this form in the 1980s—those who remember the “real” portable Commodore 64, the SX-64, with a five-inch screen will know what I am talking about—but for a 2009 effort, re-creating the 1980s as Ashes to Ashes does, it’s highly commendable.
   The following image is from his blog, which goes through in greater detail how he accomplished this.

March is Women’s History Month. Show us a woman in history who has inspired you.

Probably Indira Gandhi. When I think back to my childhood, pre-Mrs Thatcher, it was Mrs Gandhi who was the best known female PM. I seem to remember that she was the first female politician talked about at school. I was too young to appreciate her policies, but outside of my own family, Mrs Gandhi was probably the one person who signalled that men should not have a monopoly over positions of power.

Here are some executive cars that you might not have come across—or you may have, but not often. A few entries on Autocade. I was going to say how none of them are German, but some of you might argue the first one is—sort of.

Daewoo Prince. 1991–7 (prod. unknown). 4-door sedan. F/R, 1796, 1998 cm³ (4 cyl. OHC), 1998 cm³ (4 cyl. DOHC). Development of earlier Opel Commodore C-based Royale (GM V-car), but with some new sheetmetal. Prince, like Royale, had ideas above its station and was marketed as a large, luxury car in Korea. Dated at this point but considered a top model for Daewoo (below the similar Royal Salon and Brougham), until it began developing models of its own.

Daewoo Arcadia. 1993–2000 (prod. unknown). 4-door sedan. F/F, 3206 cm³ (V6 OHC). Daewoo flagship was in fact a rebadged Honda Legend (1990–6), but not as popular as Hyundai rival. Very refined, as Honda originally anticipated an upmarket move with this generation of Legend. Not directly replaced.

Fiat Argenta. 1981–6 (prod. unknown). 4-door saloon. F/R, 1585, 1995 cm³ petrol (4 cyl. DOHC), 2445 cm³ diesel (4 cyl. OHC). Rebodied 132 marketed as all-new car but evidently not. Narrow, 1960s thinking in car that was first released as 132 in the early 1970s. Adequate at best though equipment levels not bad for the era. Facelift for 1984 saw corporate five-bar grille, and addition of supercharged VX and turbodiesel models.

Renault Vel Satis. 2002 to date (prod. unknown). 5-door saloon. F/F, 1998 cm³ petrol, 1995, 2188 cm³ diesel (4 cyl. DOHC), 2958 cm³ diesel, 3498 cm³ petrol (V6 DOHC). Unable to confront BMW 5er-Reihe and German executive saloons, Renault went on an original path with Vel Satis. Show car from late 1990s was sleek and modern; production car upright. High seating position, apeing Espace minivan in some respects. Not as capable as Germans, but sold on unusual design. Poor ride, handling, with automatic gearbox leaving something to be desired. Same platform as Laguna II and Espace IV. Facelift shown April 2005, with no RHD models from then.