1968 Citroen Mehari

One of the most fun things I did as part of my apprenticeship was to island hop the French Caribbean Islands repairing Citroen's that belonged to the resorts and the government. Among the DS19, DS21's and some 2CV sedans and delivery trucks was the French version of the dune buggy the Mehari. The Mehari is a type of fast running Dromedary camel. The Citroen Mehari may be faster on some terrains than the camel, in the Sahara the camel may have a slight advantage. Built on the of the 2CV platform, the steel body was replaced by a very toy like flexible polyester body. The soft long travel of the 2CV suspension, served well to absorb bumps, ruts and rocks that were the off road expectations for the cars use. These cars were replacing WW II surrey topped Jeeps and some Minimokes that went into service in the Islands. Built from 1968 to 1998 the basic vehicle did not change at all. Part of my job for Citroen was to go down to the Docks and unpack the cars from their 4 high stack get them running and drive them back to the Distributor where we would finish putting them together. It also meant driving them with windshield folded and no doors or seat belts through Miami. My whole 4 years of apprenticeship presented a different scope of what I was expected to do. In 1968 armed with a drivers license I was given responsibility by all my teachers to operate on my own in Guadeloupe (including surrounding islands), Martinique, Saint Martin, and Saint-Barthélemy, A tough job for a 16 year old to balance hormonal needs with the responsibility of operating a business. It was great experience flying, and sometimes sailing from island to island staying at resorts and staying out of trouble.

2013 Hyundai Sonata In Detail

Published on Jul 25, 2012 by Miguel Caparros Many of you are not aware that Hyundai first came to the US market in 1986 with a model named the Exel. It was not. The only car worse was the Yugo. Both the Yugo and the Hyundai were aimed at the bottom of the market, first time buyers, people with little or no credit, buyers that for the first time wanted to buy a new car instead of a 7 year old used car. Some think that they would have been better off with the used car. With a price of $4,995 and not looking cheap while on the showroom floor, the cars were flying out the door, The closest Made In the USA car was the Chevrolet Chevette at $5,645. The unfortunate thing was that the brand became synonymous as a poor persons car. Lets face it, no matter how inexpensive the labor was then in Korea, to build a product and send it 1/2 way around the globe and sell it for $600.00 less than the least expensive North American car, something has to give. That is enough on the history. In 2009 Hyundai opened up the wallet and hired key European BMW people to turn the image of reliable but boring, to the cars that are now at the top of style and reliability. What should make the competition even more nervous is the fact that with Hyundai's growth, they are attracting top designers such as Chris Chapman. Chris has been in the industry for 22 years and after leaving BMW, now stands to lead Hyundai's design center in Irvine, California to bold new heights. The Sonata was the first product of the reformatted Hyundai line up. The new Sonata SE $23,345 MSRP does not have to make any apologies. This is now a world class car, the direction that Hyundai is taking has served notice that even Mercedes better pay attention. We had the Sonata for a 5 day weekend that found us driving to Florida to visit friends and family. The 198 HP engine felt a little soft on take off but it came alive the higher it revved. The 6-speed automatic transmission gives you the option of manual shifting when you are enjoying your favorite twisty road, The SE Sonata comes with everything you need. Here is the equipment list for the SE 198-hp 2.4L GDI 4-cylinder engine 6-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC® Electronic Stability Control (ESC) with Traction Control System (TCS) and Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Brake Assist (BA) Daytime running lights Power door locks, windows and outside mirrors Remote keyless entry and alarm Six airbags - includes driver and front passenger, front seat side-mounted and front and rear curtain airbags Tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel with audio and cruise control functions Blue Link® telematics system Bluetooth® hands-free phone system Pod® / USB and MP3 auxiliary input jacks Advanced trip computer with custom settings On the highway the tall 6th gear gave relaxed cruising by providing relaxed engine RPM's. The slippery shape contributed to low wind noise and fantastic gas mileage. One leg of I 75 for 200 miles we averaged 40 mpg! The 1500 mile trip including cruising South Beach and dealing with Atlanta traffic returned and average of 33 mpg Category: Autos & Vehicles License: Standard YouTube License

1956 Studebaker SkyHawk

Studebaker buyers were different. Early on to appease their customers Studebaker added features such as the over head valve V8 in 1947, padded dash, seat belts, at the same time they took a very aero look to their cars including a very spacy bullet nose. In 1953 they stunned the automotive world with Studebaker Commander Coupe. Maybe too shocking for the average buyer. The low and wide cars were a generation ahead of the rest of the industry  The low swooping nose with twin snorkels was unlike anything else, the roof line was a  good 8 inches lower than everyone else. The performance abilities of the Lowey designed car was amazing for a, first 239 CID engine and got more so when they opened it up to 289 cid..The big cast iron block was wide and heavy but extremely durable As they found out when they made the Paxton Supercharger an option.

The Hawk series was an interesting departure of the ultimate coupe the 1955 President Coupe ( See the Video http://youtu.be/2bmdoiMY7uI ). The stand up Mercedes grill of the Hawk is due to Studebakers marketing partnership with Mercedes Benz, with the hope that they could sell more cars. The Hawk line was almost a complete separate brand. Starting with Golden Hawk - Sky Hawk - Power Hawk - Flight Hawk - Silver Hawk  - Hawk - GT Hawk and the Packard Hawk that was powered by a completely different 352 CID V8.

The Studebaker Sky Hawk was a pillarless two-door hardtop coupe for the 1956 model year only. The Sky Hawk was considered part of the Studebaker President series. One of four models of Hawks available that year, the Sky Hawk was positioned between the flagship Golden Hawk and Power Hawk pillared coupe. Sky Hawks differed from Golden Hawks in that they had less chrome trim and lacked the Golden Hawk's fins. They also had slightly less luxurious interiors, and were powered by the President's 289 cubic inch V-8 with 210 HP standard and 225 horsepower optional instead of the Packard 352 of the Golden Hawk. Only 3,050 were produced that year. The Sky Hawk was discontinued for the 1957 model year. 

1966 Ghia 450SS

In the 1960s, a few of the remaining custom coach builders continued to demonstrate their ideas and skill with a number of one-off concepts, using a  production-based chassis on the speculation that they could sell the design. These cars were displayed  at the major auto shows in Turin, Geneva and Paris, hoping to attract lucrative commissions from a manufacturers, as well as sales from the wealthiest private clients. Ghia displayed the Fiat G230S Coupe, based on Fiat's 2100 sedan chassis at the 1960 Turin show.

 Burt Sugarman working as a salesman at a Beverly Hills Import car dealership, owned by Johnny Carson and some other heavy weight producers (before Burt himself  became a major producer) saw the Ghia-bodied Fiat G230S Coupe on the cover of the latest Road & Track and was so enthralled with the modern lines by the then young designer Giorgetto Giugiaro.  He contacted Ghia in Turin. Sugarman convince Ghia to build a limited-production convertible based on the Fiat design. Sugarman wanted a car with American mechanicals with a powerful V8 engine. The complete drive-train of the Plymouth Barracuda Formula S was chosen. He then formed a new company, Ghia of America. This resulted in the 450 SS and the car was branded as a Ghia. Only 52 cars were built. This is one of the alleged surviving 26.

Driving the Ghia 450SS.

 I first drove one in 1972, I too had loved its looks, although at this point and time designs were moving in the short trunk long nose direction. You can not argue with the room and comfort provided by this car in comparison to some of its other contemporaries. There was secure feeling knowing that  mechanical parts could be found at every gas station in North America. Mechanical parts for some exotics in those days could cripple the car for months.  That out of the way I shrugged it of my list due to the automatic transmission. The great sound from the engine was not backed up by great acceleration. It was not what I expected of an Italian built car. I reminded my self it is a Barracuda in a real nice Italian suit. I can appreciated now much more than my speed crazed 20 year old version.

1964 Ferrari Lusso

By Miguel Caparros

I look at the Pininfarina designed Ferrari Lusso 250 GT as not only the most beautiful Ferrari but the end of an era, the last great race cars that could be driven to the race and then home.  Available as a GT/L, sold as a road-going car and directly benefited from the successful line of Ferrari 250 GTs. It was developed from the dual-purpose 250 GT Short Wheel Base (SWB) which was delivered as both as a full-on competition or a steel-bodied grand touring car. When the SWB's time was up, its road-going version was replaced in 1962 with the smoother more shapely 250 GT Lusso.

Introduced at the Paris Salon in October of 1962 and created a stir of interest with its flowing proportions. Think of how other cars of 1962 looked, the Lusso became instantly recognizable. Slim, almost dainty roof pillars, a cropped tail and the unique three piece integrated bumper that foretold of things to come.

If you are a fan of the 250 GTO the Lusso shared many chassis and mechanics. By moving the engine forward they provided for a comfortable cabin with out compromise to the dynamics of the handling. When the GTO was no longer available many racers did like the owner of the car in this video, bought a Lusso and went racing.

Ferrari has always offered customers personalized building services of their production car and with the Lusso some  350 cars were built with the same steel body designed by Pininfarina and made by Scaglietti with aluminum doors, trunk and hoods. A few cars received custom rear end ratios, 5-speed gearboxes and competition spec carburetion and many more were modified after delivery. Custom body and interior alterations were available by Pininfarina, including faired-in headlights, extra vents and air conditioning, these factory modifications were rare.

We were fortunate enough to have both a 250 GTO and a Lusso at our store at the same time. For me two related cars could not have been more different. The GTO a retired race car that hat been slightly civilized for street duty where the Lusso had been outfitted with equipment for club racing.

The 250 GTO is a racing legend and it was built to race, Driving it on the street you are constantly reminded of that fact. The engine was finely tuned to give maximum performance and was not happy at much below 3500 rpm. But once on the cam and heading towards 7000 rpm everything starts to work as it was meant to.
The Lusso on the other hand, even in race prepared tune never lost its primary purpose, to transport two in relative comfort very quickly.

1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass W-31

The W-31 was a Cutlass with a 350 CID Performance Option, not a 442 Option and was only built for 2 seasons, in 1969 and 1970. Engine upgrades included the use of what's become known as the 308 camshaft, which was actually the unit's duration; the camshaft also touted .474-inch lift and an intake/exhaust valve overlap of 82 degrees. The engines were factory blue printed units by picking components off the production line that were matched in weight. The Connecting rods for the W-31 engine were particular to the engine The Cylinder heads were also specific to the W-31  Completing the fuel/air induction system was an aluminum intake manifold with a "performance calibrated" 750-CFM Rochester Quadrajet as well as the W25 low-restriction air cleaner assembly. Above that was a new-for-1970 air induction system: twin scoops on top of a fiberglass hood with chrome hold-downs.

Only 1029 of these made. The rarest of the high performance Oldsmobile made.
Behind the engine is a Muncie M21 4 Speed Trans w/ Hurst Shifter. Dual Exhaust, RLimited Slip Rear-End. Manual Brakes, HD 4 core Radiator. the W-31 package automatically upgraded the front and rear coil-sprung suspension to the FE2 heavy-duty components, including special springs and tubular hydraulic shocks.

The Nissan Versa Shines We Love It! Road Test

By Miguel Caparros, Bob Sarda With Mike Thies
First Look
Expectations of testing the least expensive new car in America were running cold just coming out of the Infiniti M37. The retail price of the base model is $10,990, the black SV model we tested  looked good. Black cars can show every defect in the paint and body. Our example on close inspection revealed a flawless finish and all body panels lined up properly. It did not look cheap, to the contrary we have seen some high end models that (Click Here For The Intro Video)                             would be shamed by the exterior finish of  this car. At $14,990 it is still very affordable and a good value. Although it is listed as a subcompact there is nothing compact about the inside room. even with the seat adjusted for our tallest driver, 6'7" Mike Thies, I could still sit comfortably behind him.  No magic mirrors or trickery just sound engineering and planning. Most small cars and even some large ones have a very upright rear seat that pushes you forward. The Versa rear seat is slightly reclined and the tall height of the seat cushion to the floor make it a comfortable place to sit even for long periods of time. 
( Click Here For The Close Ups Videos)

The trunk does not scrimp at all on space either, taking our full mixture of suitcases, garment bag and a small duffle bag. enough for a family of 4 for a vacation. This car also has the largest glove box I have ever seen. You could put the baby in there (not recommended) a better use would be to carry a roasted chicken meal with all the fixings for four!
Click Here For The Road Test Part 1

The Engine is a 1.6 liter of 109 horsepower and it moves this car rather acceptably with a 0 to 60 time just under 10 seconds, our tester was equipped with the automatic CVT transmission that works great but does take a little getting used to. For those those drivers that enjoy the experience of shifting their own, a 5 speed transmission is standard equipment. Either way the fuel mileage is rated at 30 city 38 highway.
Click Here For Road Test Part 2 

Driving

Al four of us liked the driving and feel of this car. Doreen loved the way it felt, it reminded her of the first gen Scirroco she had in high school, peppy, agile and did exactly what you asked of it. She wished it was a 5 speed. Mike though it was to firm and jiggly, he did like the steering and how the brakes felt. I liked it! I was pleasantly surprised at how flat it cornered and how well it accelerated. 


Bob Sarda who had volunteered his 2007 Honda Aaccord to show just how big the Versa is, he wrote a whole chapter. 

Here it is in his own word

It was a stormy, rainy night, the night before I was tasked to drive the Versa.

On the day of my test run, the sky was Carolina Blue, the humidity was mid to late 60 ‘s percentile and the roads were clear, clean and freshly washed. One could not ask for better weather-a cool morning, temp in the upper 60’s.  Near perfect.

I did a thoughtful walk around the car. Not too big, not too small, and yet it just bearly made the cut in the sub-compact class.

 As I settled into the driver’s seat, I began to realize that this little car was very big inside. My co-captain who is not a small man by any stretch of the imagination, and yet, he is sitting in the suicide seat with plenty of leg and head room. And for him to have plenty of head room is saying a lot. ( I thing Bob Is calling me a fat head)

After the drive we checked out the trunk and the back seat room.  There is plenty of room in the trunk for 2 dead bodies and the back seat has more room and more comfortable seating than my V6 Honda Accord.

The Test Drive:

The car is quick and smooth. The ride is excellent for a sub-compact car. Heck! It is very good for a mid-size car. It carried us down the road at speeds that required you to double check the speedometer. You did not feel like you were merging onto the highway at 90 miles per hour. I had stomped the gas pedal on the on ramp to watch the tachometer and feel the constant velocity transmission work its magic.

It was smooth as glass and high revving as one would expect of a 4 banger.  It never approached the red line and before I merged into traffic, there I was, staring down at an impressive 90 mph. There was some pedal left and yet, I did not need any more.  I backed off the throttle. Mission accomplished.

I felt a little hollow. There is something empty about getting up to 90 and not feeling the rush of acceleration. The feeling of power, raw, hoary, stick- it- to- the- man HORSE POWER.

We need to accelerate to make a proper merge and the machine simply responded-“Compliance”.  Just a walk in the park to go 90 miles per hour. As if the machine  responded back to my wishes, “Should you require anything else, just press the accelerator or the brakes. This is what I do.” (Bob Just finished watching a Sci-Fi marathon) 

My first car was a 1947 Mercury, business coupe, flat head 8- 88 HP on a good day. When I got the car with 54,000 plus miles on it, it used a quart of oil every 9 gallons of gas or every 108 miles. I was 16 at the time and that car never saw 90 MPH.  I tried. Lord knows I tried. 60 MPH was an accomplishment and you felt like you were flying, cheating death, living on the edge, bare knuckle riding the wind, flirting with disaster. And  heaven help you if you came near a curve. Better get those horses under control and whoa back down to 45. Thanks Bob.

So to sum it up it gets 4 thumbs up from all of us. We like to get blind opinions we get random people for a quick look and ride and get their impressions, this is where we find out what people think of the car.  

We snatch random people at the mall. 

Beth a late 20s secretary having launch, loved the room in the car and she noticed that in this car she could face the baby seat to the rear without interfering with the front seat, something she cannot do in her Honda Civic. When asked what she would pay for this car, her answer was, giving that her 3 year old civic cost her $ 17,000 she would expect to pay 18,000 for the larger Versa. 

Bill an options broker in his late 40's has a new Acura SUV. He has an Au Pair that he has currently in a 4 year old Camry. He was impressed with the ruggedness of all the materials and the fact that it has all the latest safety gear to keep his kids safe as they are driven to the various soccer practice and ballet rehearsals that are part of their daily life. He was awe struck with the size of the trunk as the Camry is always jammed with all the gear that has to be moved around. Bill did a quick calculation in his mind when we told him the fuel mileage, he said that the savings in 3 years would permit him to get the BMW 5 series that he wants! He made us an on the spot offer of  $16,500 plus fees right now. We told him to head to his closest Nissan dealer as this one is not for sale. This is the first time we encounter people willing to pay more than the MSRP. They were all speechless when we told them the base price of $10,990 and the price of our second level SV model of $15,490. 

We drive the new Fiat 500 at Road Atlanta.

By Miguel Caparros With John Montgomery

  After the buy out of Chrysler by Fiat, it was only a matter of time before we would once again see some mainstream cars from the giant Italian company in the US, besides the Ferrari's. That is correct the Fiat and Ferrari are made by the same company. This is another modern car that takes styling cues from its name from the 1960's Fiat 500.

Just like the new Beatle and the Mini Cooper there is nothing in common with the old and the new except a similar shape and profile. This is a completely modern car in every way and has some very advanced engine management technology directly developed for Ferrari's Formula 1 racing team. Many comparisons are being made with the Mini, although similar in size they are not in the same price category, the Fiat ranges in price from $15,500 for the base model and $19,000 for a fully loaded model like the one we drove. 

This car belongs to John Montgomery President of the Fiat Lancia Unlimited Club FLU, and a big thanks to Cynthia Meitle of CAR PR USA for Introducing me to John. He was on our radio show last week and since he was coming to The Mitty at Road Atlanta where I would be, we got together and he let me drive his car. 

John said it best "if you are a fugitive or in the witness protection program, don't buy this car". Every time we stopped, a crowd would gather around the car. They asked to sit in it and if John would let them drive it. John accommodated just about every one. If he had come to the Mitty with ten new cars to sell, they would have been all gone in the first hour. That is just how positive everyone, including me, feel about this little car. This car is cute, men like it and women adore it. I am not easily impressed but I must admit that the Fiat 500 exceeded my expectations by a very wide margin. At first glance I look at the fit of the panels and the smoothness and shine of the paint, it is better than most, and on par with cars that cost much more, like the MINI and the VW, much more expensive cars. Opening the wide door you are greeted by a very nice bucket seat with height and back adjustments and seat cushions wider than the European version to accommodate our larger butts and shoulders.(copy-write that as a possible brand for something) Once in the seat the room is very ample for my 6 foot 225lbs size 12 shoes. The ample width and height makes the car feel bigger, and that can be attributed to the large airy cabin. Instead of stretching out you sit as in a minivan, seats at a comfortable height like a dining room chair. That height transfers to the rear seat also. I initially sat in the backseat, behind my six foot tall assistant Jenifer, the space was adequate for medium distance for some one my size that says a lot! The truly incredible part is that it also has a usable trunk and when you fold down the rear seats you could carry some serious cargo! 

Getting into the drivers seat. First thing you notice is the complete integration of all the instruments,gauges, and control indicators in to the round digital display in front of the driver the washer wiper stalk on the right side of the column ha a button to page through the menu options from trip meters to fuel mileage monitors. The model we drove also had Cirrus satellite and blue tooth pairing and will completely integrate your phone and call list onto the vehicles hard drive. It is also voice activated and will read your text and email messages for you. All in a very unassuming clean look. The steering wheel is also trick, with controls for radio, climate controls, and phone functions.

So how does it drive. To say I am a believer puts it into perspective. The power with 3 adults and Johns luggage and literature in the trunk was very acceptable. The 1.4 litter engine puts out 101 horsepower and has a pleasing growl and is very smooth. The shifter for the 5 speed feels very, dare I say it, Ferrari like. The spring load on the shift gate was a little stiffer than I like and it may soften up as the car breaks in. Johns car is so fresh that it barely had 300 miles on it. The adjustable suspension has a normal and sport mode, normal is firm and not jarring at all, switch to the sport mode it also changes the engine mapping and firms the suspension up a little bit more, still comfortable. The handling on the roads was really pleasing and very sure footed.

There is so much more and so many details but this is a Digest. I like it, and with a starting price of $15,500 and fuel mileage in the high 30's to low 40's it is an economical drivers car that does not make you feel that you compromised in any way. It even has features such as the hill holder and an optional 6 speed automatic, standard 5 star crash rating with seven air bags. When Fiat gets more cars out we will do a longer term test and take it out and get the performance numbers on the track. Yes an Abarth Performance model is supposed to come in to the market with 170 horsepower. Check back on Teaser Link as I post more of the video we shot while driving John's car. 

Driving Bill Harrah's Personal Ferrari Powered Grand Wagoneer

Intro and Photos by Steve Natale Story by Miguel Caparros.

While visiting the National Automobile Museum (Harrah Collection) recently, I saw many amazing historic and classic cars on display, but could not help with being infatuated with Bill Harrah’s personal “driver”. A 1977 Jeep Wagoneer, fitted with a 12 cylinder Ferrari engine. The “Jerrari” reflects the personality and creativity of the man who owned it, Bill Harrah. I mentioned the car to Miguel Caparros, and he shared his personal experience of driving this very special car years ago…….

The first time I read about the Jerrari was in Road & Track's Ron Wakefield's article August of 1971 issue.   I just had gotten back home to Plymouth New Hampshire from an all expences paid vacation by my former employer, the US Army. I had a lot of reading to catch up on so I startred with the latest issue of Road & Track Magzine. I saw something that seemed so wrong. There was a photo of this Jeep Wagoneer with a Ferrariesque nose and grill. Now at the time I thought what a waste of a perfectly good Ferrari in retrospect,  If I had Bill Harrah's finnacial depth I would have created outrageous stuff too. When we moved to California I had a list of things to do #3 was the Harrah collection in Sparks Nevada. In 1983 my friend Bill Duryea and I drove up to Reno from San Francisco,  I wanted to see the collection before it was broken up.  After Bill Harrah's death there was wrangling about the collection going on with the Holiday Inn who bought the Harrah hotels and the car collection. It was just business, They saw the sale of the collection as a way to recuperate money. 

I seem to have a talent for worming my way into places and meet the people that actually get things done. On this day I ran into one of Mr Harrha's son who was working on something of his own. I started to talk about the Jerrari, referring to the original 1968 Jeep Wagoneer with the Ferrari nose grafted on to the front that I had read about in 1971. He told me that car was gone and Mr Harrah had the work shop crew built another with a 1977 Grand Wagoneer. Bill and I were led over to where this very normal looking Wagoneer stood.

 At that point we were picked up by one of the shop mechanics and Mr Harah's son left us in some very capeable hands, as this was one of the original fabricators for Bill Harrah. He went into detail as to the problems and fabrication that had to be done to attach the Ferrari engine to the Jeep 4 wheel drive, and the unconventional dual radiators needed as the engine was much longer that the AMC V8 that was originally fitted. After chatting for a while I just had to ask, “Can we go for a ride?” The answer was sure "if you drive and buy lunch". Done! We headed out of the shop and besides the usual Ferrari noises from the engine compartment and a dash full of Stewart Warner gauges, it just felt like any other Jeep. We caught I 80 east bound towards Fernly, ant it climbed up the like no jeep I ever drove. I was able to hold 90 during the climb with out effort. We passed Fernly in no time and were now in the Plateu that leads to Bonniville, No speed limit from here, foot to the floor and I let the Jerrari strech its legs. At 140 you can cover ground like a private plane, Elko was cumming up fast. My new  found friend knew of a restaurant in Elko he wanted to eat at. The food and the altitude were taking a toll on my clarity so Bill drove back to Fernly foot plastered to the floor and hitting 150 on some down hill streches. We did go by a Nevada Trooper that turned on his lights and just as quickly turned them off, he either knew who's Jeep this was or figured by the time he got the cruiser up to speed he would never be able to catch the Wagoneer that had set off his radar at 150 +.

Follow this link to see the original Road & Track Photos and write up. 

Go to The National Auto Museum in Reno Nevada.

Steve Natale's Blog

The Mustang Sports wagon.

by Miguel Caparros 

This article was prompted by a posting from Sam Fiorani, another automotive historical journalist on his website, Automotive Travel about the sale of a recently built 1965 Ford Mustang Station Wagon. I remember my initial fascination with the cover and article from Car and Driver magazine 1966 October issue. The car was never officially connected to Ford, but it was commissioned by the account executive Barney Clark of J.Walter Thompson, Ford's advertising agency. The conversion from a GT coupe was done in Italy by the coach works of Intermechanica. Originally sports wagons were know as shooting brakes in England. Wealthy sportsmen would commission local coach builder to build a two door sporty wagon with tailgate from which they could load hunting dogs and guns for some game shooting. Later Volvo actually was the first to take the concept of the sports wagon into major production in 1971 with the P1800 ES.

   

When JWT was done with the car, it was locally sold in New York, where it became a very special daily driver. It was last seen and photographed in a Levittown neighborhood on Long Island.

  

The Red car with the Gold Shelby Stripes is the one in Sam's story. This car had a no expenses job done to it and a modern drive train to make it as useable as any new car.

It is surprising how many individuals have taken it upon themselves to make Mustang wagon conversions. With out really digging to deep, I found 7.  

The Blue 65 has a very pleasing look due to the the slender B and C pillars and the well cut and fitted rear side windows. A white Shelby GT350 sparks the thought, if you are going to build a wagon version might as well make it something truly remarkable. 

A pewter 67 looks real good and classy.

Here is another rendition of a second generation Mustang, this one looks like a 68. Take a close look at this red conversion. The amount of work that it took to graft the top and tailgate from what looks from the photo to be the rear pillars from a 1965 Ford Country Squire. In 65 Ford came up with a system of scooping air from the pillar and directing it across the rear glass to help keep the rear window cleaner.

Here is another red one that seems to have taken its roof, side windows and hatch from the AMC Hornet wagon.

I am certain with the exception of the Intermechanica build, the others used existing production car parts. The rear fender kick up of the Mustang adds complication for using sheet metal and glass from existing cars. If I was asked to do such a conversion I would look at several different donors for the rear would be; the Ford Fairmont Wagon, Pinto Wagon, AMC Hornet wagon, and the Chevy Vega wagon.

If some one offers to sell you their original Prototype 65 Mustang wagon, walk away, Ford never ever made a prototype wagon. The closest they came to it was this mock up from 1966 but the front looks like the 67 and the rear looks like a Gremlin.

Austin Healey 100/6 Modified

So! I got this thing about the big Healey This write up is about this other Healey Click here to see it. If you compare you the hood on this Healey you will notice that it has a crease in the hood. The crease was put in by the Jensen workers to stiffen the hood from flexing. eventually a 3rd under hood brace was installed that negated the crease. These creased hoods were installed in the 100 6 and the early 3000, until the supply was exhausted. Personally I like it!

The 100/6 replaced the 100/4 in 1957. The six was a better car in every way. A smoother, beautiful sounding six replacing the tractor derived four. A much better shifting transmission, disc brakes as standard, the 2 inches of additional wheel base to accommodate the longer engine mad for a more comfortable car all around. Also the additional length made the car look more powerful. The car still retained the side curtains and 2 seats with a 4 seat version being added to the line up. Later the 3000 would eventually become a Gentleman's Express tourer. One thing I truly loved about the 100/4 was the fold down windscreen, from the six on they were conventional fixed windshields. In 1956 my father came home with a stray that followed him from Sebring Florida. It was a Austin Healey BN2 100 S factory race car, alloy body, Reno red in color. For all intents and purpose a race car on the street. The S was by far the rarest of all Healey's, 50 made and an additional 5 were made with the aluminum head, no overdrive and disc brakes. This one was one of the 5. From mid 1956 to 1958 this was my fathers primary race car.

In 1958 my sister turned 15, old enough to drive. Rosa thought it would be real cool to drive to school in the very unique sports car. I do not remember Rosa at least getting familiar with driving in the family car, at that point, a 1957 Chevrolet Belair 4 door hardtop. No, she confirmed that dad wanted her to learn on the Healey. I was taken along with dad and Rosa, I sat in the area behind the seats. We drove out into the country where there was a lovely 2 lane road, no trees or utility poles to hit, grassy expanses with cows and bulls grazing. Straight in both directions not a soul was in sight. Rosa and dad exchange seats and dad started to explain the procedure for pushing down the clutch, selecting first gear, then gently pushing down on the gas pedal while letting up the clutch. In reality the way it happened was, she pushed on the gas not realizing how quickly the engine would respond, my father was warning her to let up on the accelerator she slid her foot off the clutch. The momentum created by the action caused her foot to push the accelerator al the way to the floor. Both my father and I were shoved back, he pinned against the seat and I smacked my head against the rear cowl. Rosa was frozen into inaction. The spinning tires were forcing the car forward under full throttle and it started to veer onto the grassy shoulder heading towards the pasture fence and a bull. Dad was able to overcome the g forces and was able to reach the ignition switch just in time before our collision with the fence and the curious bull. She eventually did learn that day, but the reality of driving a race car to school quickly got to be too much. Dad let Rosa drive the 57 Chevy to School!

Road Test. Infiniti M37

By Miguel Caparros with Bob Sarda, Doreen Caparros, and Mike Thies
For all the stills from this shoot Click Here   Subscribe to my blog and get notified of new postings.

Our family is not like most because of how I have made my living for most of my life. With the exception of a couple of short departures, I have been very involved in the Auto Industry. That said, like most we have needed family cars to take the kids to school, Scouting events, food shopping all the normal things everyone else does. Our first family car was a 1968 Peugeot 404, it that was a hand me down from my father, we loved that car. As our fortunes rose and fell it affected what we had for a family car. We eventually settled with what can be best described as sports sedans.  From a modified (turbo) 1979 Bentley to Jetta GLI We have had them all. Mostly we had Audi Turbos, 5 series BMW’s, big 450 Mercedes and currently a Chrysler 300M. So you would figure that we would be perfect candidates for the Infiniti M37.

We are still Editing the videos from this test.

At first glance.

I had a looked at this car before and had not considered it my kind of car.  I like low and wide and the M37 struck me as tall and narrow. The fit and finish are on par with other cars in its price range and the list of equipment and options is impressive.  More impressive are some innovative safety related features that we will look at later in detail. The pewter exterior color is complimented by some very nicely finished off white leather, flowing lines throughout with sculptured metal and wood accents top off the look of the interior.

Driving it.

This is a push button start car with a proximity sensor built into the remote control. I constantly lived with the fear of leaving the remote control sensor on the roof and having to try and find where it fell after I drove off.  As a test of my paranoia, Bob stayed in the car with the engine running while I walked away with the sensor. At about 100 feet I was thinking this could be a problem, I went back when Bob honked at me. Apparently there is

a flashing warning light in the panel that came on when I was 30 feet away. My key fob fear has not been satisfied. With the key fob safely on your person, step on the brake pedal,  press the start button once. On the center console is a knob marked snow, Eco, dot (standard mode) and sport, trust me just leave it on sport, unless you have snow. After a short delay the engine will start and you are ready to go. Not quite, we have all learned to adjust our seats and mirrors before we go and then make minor adjustments as needed. If you have above average size hands for a man, there is no way you can adjust the seat once the door is closed.  Two possibilities here are, first that the manufacturer put in wider seat for the larger Americans. My English friend told me he has the same problem with the right hand drive car there. The other is as I first suspected the car is narrower than most on the inside.  Doreen who has long slender hands found it uncomfortable to reach the switches, at least she could, but the contortions while driving could distract her from the task at hand (pun intended).

The engine has the Nissan 370 Z howl and with good reason it shares most of the drive train with the Z so it has a pedigree of sporty character. The ride is firm but not jarring, as a matter of fact we all love the ride and handling of this car. Unless you want one of these as your track toy, do not get the sport package. It is much too harsh and stiff for every day driving and your passengers will not like you. The standard suspension and Michelin tires are the perfect combination for spirited driving and comfort. The 7 speed auto/manual shift transmission has the perfect combination of refinement and bad boy, as it blips the throttle on down shifts.  There is a very noticeable lag in action when using the transmission in manual mode The car is certainly a Jekyll and Hyde and the driver’s controls which one comes out to play, sometimes.

The dash is dominated by a very large screen that is the center for all of the controls and adjustments for most of the electronics. The premium sound system is fantastic, but the controls are not intuitive.  You can resort to the two traditional knobs on the radio fascia. Directly in front of the driver is the gauge and information pod that is easy to read and understand. The steering wheel pad bristles with switches to control the sound system, intelligent cruise controls (more on this later), Bluethooth hands free phone system and the menu control for the navigation system. Staying within reach of the heated steering wheel, on the right stalk are the wiper washer controls with rain sensing, on the left the headlight, turn signal and fog lamp stalk. Jutting out just below that is the joy stick to control the steering wheel position. The seats are heated and cooled. 

We do not mean to overwhelm you, but this and other cars in its class do bristle with technology and one of the choices as the driver you need to make is what to turn on and turn off.  The driveway is the place to become familiar with all of this equipment, not while you are driving.  Infiniti has included 6 books in a very nice leather pouch and it is strapped in the right side of the trunk. Do read quick reference guide, for more details the owners manual and the navigation systems manual. 

Performance

Many want to compare this car to a BMW, Lexus and even the Mercedes, it is not a direct competitor to those cars in my opinion. This car is more attractive to an insurance company executive in his late 50's than a 35 year old dot "commer" that cashed in his first stock split and wanted something flashy and fast. Fast it is we got a 0-60 of 5.3 seconds, as my wife Karyn phrased it, " its quick but not Holy Crap quick".  We just broke into 13.9 in the 1/4 mile just hit 100 mph. In normal fast street driving the car has good balance but the tall height and tall driving position makes it feel very "tippy".  We did not do the performance testing on this car, about 3 months ago we had a rental and took it out to our secret airport runway where we pushed the limits. The limits is where this car really falls down. All the electronics that are there to help you in daily life just get in the way of going fast and having fun. It pushes going into the turn, the stability management tries to pull you, by applying the brakes on the opposite side and it is just overwhelmed. Even with the traction control in the off position I could feel the intrusions of the electronics while trying to hold a drift. If you want a track car, this is not it.

Styling
When it comes to styling this car is a success or a failure depending on your point of view.  Mike Thies, our Senior tester (also our tallest at 6'7") found the soft flowing lines pleasing and the interior both calming and a little busy. Mike likes white cars, Vanilla ice cream with Chocolate chips can sometimes be too exciting for him.  Doreen Caparros, our Technical Editor and by far the youngest member of the team, felt "there is nothing to set this car apart from so many mainly Asian mid size sedans. Her first impression, "is it a cross over?".  I personally have never found the Humps and Curves school of styling very attractive or pleasing to my eyes.  Bob Sarda our resident comic likes his wife's Honda Accord better, ouch !

Interior
The interior was a mixed bag, "Mikey likes it!" The truth be told, he fits better in this car than any other he has driven, The seat rearward movement and the tall roof affords him comfort that he never thought he would ever have. His position negates the use of the left rear seat.  The fact that Mike had to push the seat all the way back away from the door panel. did allow him to reach the seat controls. Doreen initially liked the contrast of the chrome wood and leather, that, slowly eroded during the week we had the car.  As soon as she got in she could not find enough lumbar support from the seat back. Little things can pick away at you, in this instance it was the hinge from the floor accelerator pedal. It interferes with her heals forcing her to either remove the shoe or or twist her leg, that gets tiring fast.  She liked the size of the central video screen but was not convinced that having three different ways to access the functions is the way to go. She also feels in this price range it should have the connectivity of the Ford Microsoft system and this interface is very limiting. ( I think she has a Microsoft tattoo somewhere on her person.) Another thing that bothered her was the lack of the estimate arrival time of arrival on the navigation screen. The only place we could find it was in map view and no where else.  I was able to find a comfortable position thanks to all the adjustments in the seat and the electrically controlled tilt and telescopic steering column. But my mental comfort zone found me driving very slowly. I can not explain it.

The Special Features
As I mentioned this car has the usual list of safety equipment that you would expect in this price class. These systems are there for the average driver to keep them safer.  Adaptive Cruise Control. In layman's terms It has forward facing sonar and vision to help Inform you if you stray out of lane, If you catch up to another car while on cruise control it will automatically adjust the speed and keep behind the leading car at a safe distance.  The ability to see ahead and the computer figuring trajectories super fast, allows the system to automatically stop the car in the event the driver is distracted or incapacitated. The front sensor array can see when you cross over the lines on the left  or right of the car and provides an audible warning. If the lane intrusion happens when another car is in imminent position of hitting you It will apply the brakes on the opposite side to guide your car out of harms way. Mike thought the line sensors were to sensitive, as there is  no way he could have crossed the lines that often. Bob was the only one brave enough to test the automatic braking. If you approach eminent contact with a car stopped in front of you, after giving you warning it will stop the car for you.

In Conclusion
I kept the MSRP away from the staff on this car, they all had a vague idea of the price ranging from the mid 40's to mid 50's. After a week of living with the car and disclosing its near $60,000 price tag the results were not that surprising. Not one of us would buy this car. Although price was an issue it was not the only one. Exterior styling was one of the major complains. It does not have the presence or the identity of a car in this price range. That is the Cross Inifiniti has to carry. I thought the 2004 M Infiniti had better presence for a luxury car although the grill is not to my liking. The 2005 infiniti was beginning to appeal to the younger set with its BMW like performance. I am sorry to say the latest incarnation of the M car has lost  the momentum in attracting a wide cross section of buyers.  We are all in agreement that if we were after a performance luxury sedan we would consider a BMW 5 series or even the new 3 series. The Lexus would also be at the top of our list along with the Audi and Mercedes. Add on to that list the SRT brothers from Dodge and Chrysler, Cadillac would also have to be considered as well, and dare I say it Hyundai! There are many flavors to choose from in this ice cream store, The fun is in the tasting.

That Dodge Dart Is Here.

The new 2013 Dodge Dart should be arriving July. That said,the 2013 Dodge Dart is the first Chrysler Group vehicle built on Fiat Group architecture. In this case it is an Alfa Romeo widened platform and is already being built here in the USA. The Alfa DNA translates into fantastic ride and handling capabilities. Depending on the options and packages the price will be from $15,995 to $22,500. The great thing is even the base car is well equipped.

There are plenty of engine and transmission variations. The 2.0-liter Tigershark engine is standard on the Dart SE, SXT, Rallye and Limited models. The preliminary performance ratings for the 2.0-liter Tigershark engine are 160 bhp (119kW) at 6,400 rpm and 145 lb.-ft. (196 Nm) of peak torque at 4,800 rpm.

Speed crazy people like me may opt for the the added performance and a dramatic torque increase, available with a 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbocharged Intercooled engine. The preliminary ratings for the Dart 1.4 MultiAir Turbo engine are 160 bhp (118 kW) at 5,500 rpm and 184 lb.-ft. (249 Nm) of torque from 2,500 through 4,000 rpm. The aftermarket already has 100 ways to increase power with this engine and void the warranty. This is the same engine as in the Fiat 500 Abarth. 250 should possible, do it at your own risk
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Largest of the trio of engines available is the new 2.4-liter Tigershark engine with MultiAir® 2, is the third Chrysler Group engine to feature MultiAir technology. The preliminary ratings for the 2.4-liter TIgershark with MultiAir 2 are 184 horsepower (137 kW) at 6,250 rpm and 171 lb.-ft. (232 Nm) of torque at 4,800 rpm. The engine is slated for availability in the third quarter of 2012. Found my engine!

Transmission choices are wonderful as they are all 6 speeds. They are a new six-speed DDCT, six-speed manual and a new six-speed automatic.

C635 Six-speed Manual Transmission
Standard on all three engines is the six-speed C635 manual transmission. This state-of-the-art gearbox is designed and built by Fiat Powertrain. Compact and lightweight, the transmission is designed to withstand maximum torque values up to 350 Nm.

C635 Dual Dry Clutch Six-speed Automatic Transmission
Improved performance and fuel efficiency are just two attributes of Chrysler Group's new C635 DDCT. The new DDCT will be available exclusively on 2013 Dodge Dart models equipped with the 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbocharged engine.

6F24 Six-speed Automatic Transmission
Small and compact, the new Powertech six-speed automatic transmission is fully electronic and is designed for increased fuel efficiency. Torque capacity for the new transmission is 250 Nm.

With a 5.4 gear spread, gear changes are nearly imperceptible at all speeds and optimum shift quality is provided throughout the rpm range, including launch, acceleration and passing at highway speeds. Autostick is standard.
  I am holding out for the SRT Turbo. Oops ignore
that statement.