The Top Ten List for today was inspired by Hunter's suggestion of:
"Top 10 cars for an aging baby boomer to renovate, rehabilitate, and relive those heady days of 47 cent gasoline."
So, presented for your approval, the top ten list!
1. 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air. Nothing quite says "I came of age in post-WWII America" quite like the '57 Chevy. It's an icon in film and song, a tribute to the heady days of tailfins and chrome molding. If there's a more enduring image of the American automobile I can't think of it.
2. VW Microbus. Speaking of enduring images, how about the Deadhead hippie cruising around in his flower-bedecked VW bus? What could possibly be more American than taking a summer off to "find yourself", man, than cruising around the country following a drug-addled folk band? Err, not that I ever thought of it, of course... ;)
3. XKE Jaguar. The antithesis of the American muscle in the 1960s car-themed music of Jan and Dean, the XKE had it all - killer styling, British marque, and a 3.8L 6 cylinder engine capable of 150 MPH. And one got turned into a hearse in "Harold & Maude"...
4. 1963 Corvette split-window couple. The car that watched "the Jag slide into the curve"; the '63 'Vette was the second body style iteration of the 'Vette. 1963 was the first year of the new body, with a wind-tunnel-tested body design, pop-up headlights that would last over 40 years, and a futuristic design that's instantly recognizable even now.
5. 1964½ Ford Mustang. Another American icon, a car whose very form evokes fond feelings in both the male and the female of the species Homo Boomerallus and has been immortalized in song, film, and folklore. Plus it was my dad's first new car... The Mustang is responsible for one of my all-time favorite automotive quotations. Someone interviewing Lee Iaccoca, the man responsible for the Mustang, asked him about the Ford Pinto, a car that Iaccoca also helped design. The interviewer asked why Iaccoca was always asked about the Mustang, but not the Pinto, and Lee replied, "Success has many parents. Failure is an orphan."
6. MGA roadster. Small. Underpowered. Lucas (Prince of Darkness) Electrics. Work on it all week, drive it on weekends. But what fun you have driving it! Classic styling and "cute" factor make this the car most likely to be restored, then appropriated by the Missus...
7. VW Karmann Ghia. The Ghia was, at one point in time, the most imported car in America. It represented a radical departure for Volkswagen, who had up to that point produced fairly bland, utilitarian automobiles. The Ghia was a response to the British roadsters of the time period, only with the quirky VW air-cooled engine and solid German engineering.
8. Porsche 356 Speedster. And in the manner of German engineering, the first production Porsche is an excellent choice for inclusion on this list. A little more exotic than the other cars (save the Jag, perhaps), the Speedster was produced through 1965, two years after the larger, faster, and better-known 911 was introduced.
9. Triumph TR6. A wee bit more powerful than the MGB, this would be a step up from the guys who owned the little four-cylinder cars the first time around (and bought their teenaged daughters Mazda Miatas). A little more exotic than the MG, the Triumph represented a more "modern" approach to the small two-seat roadster.
10. Dark horse - Chrysler 300 series (1960 300F shown). Rivalling the Bel Air for chrome and fins, the 300 had something the Chevy didn't - 400 horsepower under the hood. This would be the rarest of the rare cars to be restored, but the aging boomer behind the wheel of one of these hyper land yachts would have panache and style unparalleled by others.
As I close the post on another car nut thread, I want to thank everyone who offered suggestions as to other Top Ten Lists to come. I've got plenty of things to think about, and it should provide much mirth and amusement as my picks - or misses - are discussed on a Friday afternoon...
That is all.
14 comments:
"3.8L 6 cylinder engine"???
I knew a guy back when who had an XKE w/a 10 cylinder motor; I thought that was stock???
The 12 cylinder came along in the 70's, they had sixes till then.
Believe or not, I serve with a friend who owns a (refurbished by him and friend) VW van. Sat in a meadow in Iowa for nearly two decades. Up and running as a kegger party vehicle when he's home these days.
Call me a purist (or a fool), but the true statement of growing up post WW-II is not the ’57, but Ed Cole’s "radically different" '55 Chevy Bel Air 2-dr sedan, with “Body by Fisher”, and the first available 265 CID “Turbomatic V-8”. The ’56 and ’57 were great cars, and you could find more ‘57’s on the road, but the old ’55 started it all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1PEAjN21OU
Your surprise pick was indeed a dark horse. The Chrysler 300 was a most underappreciated car, but very innovative. First unibody, origin of the Hemis and the wedge head, first production engine to top 300 HP, on and on. The racing circuit was never the same.
doubletrouble,
I always thought Jaguar had 6 cylinders and 12 cylinders as a general rule (hence the XJ6 and XJS designations in later years). Don't recall anyone other than Chrysler having a 10 cylinder.
Rustmeister,
That's what I thought; then again, what I know about British cars isn't a heck of a lot.
MM,
There's a Westie right freakin' next to the gas station where I fill up. Looks to be a mid-1970s era version, in decent shape. Someday I'm gonna make 'em an offer...
MB,
The 55's a close second, altho' I do have to admit a preference for the "Nomad" over the Bel Air for 1955.
Sometimes I think I was born 30 years too late...
Thanks on the 300. I've got a soft spot (in my heart, not my head, although there are those who will argue either...) for the big ol' overpowered Mopars...
Jay,
There's a family story that back about 1963, my Uncle took a copy of Time magazine to his local Ford dealer, asking about a car he saw in what was a "spy" photo. Dealer didn't recognize the photo, had no idea what the car was -- turned out it was one of the last Mustang concept cars being driven at Ford's test track outside of Dearborn, MI.
On a totally different note, check you email. Yuppie.Scum.Must.Die.
Yeah, these are all worthy of rehab, but just try finding 'em. Oddly enough, the VW bus is more likely than almost any of the rest.
I would add the Ford Custom 500 (response to the Chrysler). My Mom had one very briefly. Took it back to the dealer to trade in because, as she put it, "It was gonna kill someone it was so powerful."
Slianthe'
Hunter
Nobody ever didn't love a Nomad. Every head would turn when one came thru town. A guy with a Nomad could have his choice of chicks (and vice versa, I supose).
Sigh. XKS was a dream car for a while. Fortunately, I never got one. Google "Jaguar Owner's Group 'Cat Bite' award" sometime ...
And why no 58 T-Bird?
You're killing me Jay. Not one GTO in ten slots!?
400 cubic inches of pure awesome! :-)
Yet somehow a VW BUS makes it in?
*sigh*
Ted,
'58? The first "Big Bird"? If I were going to include a non-'55 or '56 T-bird (those aren't big bucks, those are HUGE bucks), I'd have tossed in a '63 'Bird. For some reason that styling really appealed to me.
TheUnpaidBill,
I left the GTO off because, quite simply, the '69 Judge is my second favorite car in existence, and I've added it to several lists in the past. Wanted to hit some of the more esoteric cars possible.
Notice there's no 454SS Chevelle, either, and that's one of the most likely candidates.
The '64½ Mustang made the list because of my dad, and the '57 Bel Air because my uncle had one that he used to take me cruising in (before he got his Love Machine '75 Dodge Van... Yes, the '70s were an interesting time...)
I have an older brother (in his 50's) who restores old cars. One find, was a ugly but spotless 260 or 280 Z. We took it for a drive around the block. He turned on the radio. . and my seat started vibrating. In tune to the bass in the music. On purpose.
Some sort of car equivalent to the 70's hotels Magic Fingers Vibrating Beds (remember those from vacation as a kid).
The more wild the music, the more it. . er. . . vibrated. We got back and I asked to borrow the car and his CCR tapes.
What's really bad is I owned 4 of the cars at one time or another over the years... sigh...
Awesome list, Jay! I was drooling over most of the American muscle cars you listed.
Two cars I might have added would have been the Pontiac Tempest ((in spite of my loathing for Pontiac products in general) - who can forget "Little GTO"?) and the '69 Camaro RS? Love that Halloween Special paint job!!
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