Car of the Day : June 30, 2011

Today's Car of the Day is Johnny Lightning's Chrysler Viper GTS-R.




The Chrysler Viper GTS-R (also known as the Dodge Viper GTS-R when raced in North America) was a successful racing variant of the Dodge Viper developed in conjunction with Chrysler of North America, Oreca of France, and Reynard Motorsport of the United Kingdom. Officially unveiled at the 1995 Pebble Beach Concours, it has won numerous championships and famous events in its history. Some chassis are still in use today.




More info and pictures of the real thing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Viper_GTS-R




Well this one's pretty cool. As far as I can tell, this paint scheme is fictional. The eBay colors work though, and I love the asymetry and different colored wheels. I'm not quite sure who "Pierre" is, mentioned where NASCAR vehicles usually feature driver signatures, but there have been a few people with the name to drive this car.




The name should throw some of you off. The Viper was never marketed as a Dodge outside the US; since this car was principally developed and raced outside of the US, I find the Chrysler name fitting. The car was "officially" run under the Dodge name exclusively in North America, but it never specified Dodge or Chrysler anywhere in the world, only carrying the Viper GTS-R logos. Anyway, here's the top of this thing!

Car Of The Day: June 29, 2011

Today's car of the day is Jada Toys' 1978 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am.

The Trans Am was a specialty package for the Firebird, typically upgrading handling, suspension, and horsepower, as well as minor appearance modifications such as exclusive hoods, spoilers, fog lights and wheels. In using the name Trans Am, a registered trademark, GM agreed to pay $5 per car sold to the SCCA. Four distinct generations were produced between 1969 and 2002. These cars were built on the F-body platform, which was also shared by the Chevrolet Camaro.

The second generation was available from 1970 to 1981 and was featured in the 1977 movie Smokey and the Bandit, the 1978 movie Hooper and the 1980 movie Smokey and the Bandit II. The third generation, available from 1982 to 1992, was featured in the 1983 movie Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 and the 1984 movie Alphabet City. KITT, the automotive star, and its evil counterpart KARR, of the popular 1980s TV series Knight Rider, was a modified third generation Trans Am. The fourth generation Trans Am, available from model years 1993 to 2002, offered between 275 bhp (205 kW) and 325 bhp (242 kW).[/quote]

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Pontiac Firebird Trans Am

Another American car???  From Rob???  Well in an unusual twist that trend will continue...go figure!  I will let you in on a secret here though...it's the color that got me to pick this one up!  Along with the other 4 cars in the 5-pack.  Yes, I am sucker for about anything bright blue.  I feel it works exceptionally well here, with the silver window detail and black birds matching the chrome on black wheels perfectly.  The casting is decent too, with good detail and separate pieces for the headlights, which never hurts, but what I love about this one is that it is so LOUD!

You can even see how the paint thins around the body panel lines.  Some may see this as a detraction, but somehow it works with the overall package and makes the car stand out even more.  This one is a perfect example of how the right paint and wheels can make a merely decent casting attractive to those who wouldn't normally give it a second glance.  And that screaming chicken doesn't hurt either!

Car of the Day : June 28, 2011

Today's car of the day is M2 Machine's Plymouth Hemi Cuda.




The redesign for the 1970 Barracuda removed all its previous commonality with the Valiant. The original fastback design was deleted from the line and the Barracuda now consisted of coupe and convertible models. The all-new model, styled by John E. Herlitz, was built on a shorter, wider version of Chrysler's existing B platform, called the E-body. Sharing this platform was also the newly launched Dodge Challenger; however, no sheet metal interchanged between the two cars and the Challenger, at 110 inches, had a 2 in (51 mm) longer wheelbase than the Barracuda, at 108 inches.




For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_Barracuda




I'm no sucker for M2s or 'Cudas, but look at this thing! Triple black with red line tires...it doesn't get any meaner. This is one bad looking car.




Not much I can say about this one. It doesn't roll well, but that's a secondary concern. Just look at it!

Car Of The Day: June 27, 2011

Today's car of the day comes from jedimario's collection and is 1 Badd Ride's 2005 Chevrolet Corvette.

The Chevrolet Corvette (C6) is a sports car produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors introduced for the 2005 model year. The current generation Corvette is the first with exposed headlamps since the 1962 model. Variants include the ZR1, the most powerful production Corvette to date, and the C6.R, an American Le Mans Series GT1 championship winner. According to Motor Trend magazine, the current sixth generation Corvette will not be superseded at least until the 2012 calendar year.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Chevrolet Corvette

Ah, 1 Badd Ride.  Was there a more wayward brand in the last decade?  Well, yes, but these guys are up there.  A shame, too, because these cars are actually pretty nice.  Their Corvette is a base C6 with some...questionable...modifications, but overall I think the package works.  The fog lights on the front go a little far though.  This was 1 Badd Ride's niche.  Mid to high level American sports and muscle cars that were modified just enough to turn purists away but not enough attract those who love tacky things.  Unfortunately, this niche's market is and was quite, quite small, and the brand has disappeared from store shelves.

I don't remember the muffler looking like that.  I may have lost a piece off the back at some point or it could just be scuffed.  One thing I absolutely love about this car is the wheels; I think they are fantastic.  So my wild card sixth picture is dedicated to them!

Car Of The Day: June 26, 2011

Today's car of the day comes from jedimario's collection and is Matchbox's Ford Escort RS Cosworth.

The Ford Escort RS Cosworth was a sports derivative of the Ford Escort. It was available from 1992-96 in very limited numbers. It was instantly recognisable due to its large "whale tail" rear spoiler. The main selling point was the Cosworth YBT engine, a highly tunable turbocharged 2-litre engine which had an output of 220 PS (162 kW; 217 hp) in standard trim.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Ford Escort RS Cosworth

This model comes to us from the mid-90s, right when this car was in production.  While the obvious go-to choice "Escort" of this time period for die-cast replication due to its high performance (and I do use the term Escort here lightly), this car shares very, very little in common with normal Escorts save for the body.  It was based on its rallying predecessor, the Sierra Cosworth, and then wrapped in an Escort body.

This particular version is done up as if it were ready for the famous Rallye Monte Carlo, complete with sponsorships from Michelin and Mobil 1.  The design is heavily based on but not an exact match to a livery featured on a real Escort RS that entered the 1993 Rallye Monte Carlo.

Car Of The Day: June 25, 2011

Today's car of the day comes from Bruce Slifer's collection and is Shrock Brothers' 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk.

The Studebaker Golden Hawk is a two-door pillarless hardtop coupe type car produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana between 1956 and 1958.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Studebaker Golden Hawk

This may be my personal favorite from this week.  I love the Golden Hawk and I'm a sucker for blue cars.  Right now I'm torn between this and yesterday's wagon.

The last Studebaker until the Avanti to have styling influenced by industrial designer Raymond Loewy's studio, the Golden Hawk took the basic shape of the 1953-55 Champion/Commander Starliner hardtop coupe but added a large, almost vertical eggcrate grille and raised hoodline in place of the earlier car's swooping, pointed nose. At the rear, a raised, squared-off trunklid replaced the earlier sloped lid, and vertical fiberglass tailfins were added to the rear quarters.

The raised hood and grille were added to allow space for a larger engine, Packard's big 352 in³ (5.8 L) V8, which delivered 275 bhp (205 kW). This big, powerful engine in such a light car gave the Golden Hawk a phenomenal power-to-weight ratio (and thus performance) for the time; of 1956 American production cars, the Golden Hawk was second only to Chrysler's 300 B by that measure — and the expensive Chrysler was a road-legal NASCAR racing car. The Golden Hawk can be considered, like the Chryslers, a precursor to the muscle cars of the 1960s.

The heavy engine gave the car an unfounded reputation for being nose-heavy and poor handling (the supercharged Studebaker engine that replaced the Packard mill for '57 was actually heavier). Road tests of the time, many of which were conducted by racing drivers, seldom mentioned any handling issues. Speed Age magazine of July 1956 tested the Golden Hawk against the Chrysler 300 B, Ford Thunderbird and Chevrolet Corvette, finding that the Golden Hawk could out-perform the others comfortably in both 0-60 mph acceleration and quarter mile times. The fastest 0-60 reported in magazine testing was 7.8 seconds, while top speeds were quoted as 125 mph (201 km/h) plus. Film buffs will remember these performance statistics demonstrably cited as Charlie and Raymond Babbitt (Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman) spot a Golden Hawk in 1988's Rainman.

A wide variety of colors (including two-tone, befitting the times) were available. Two-tone schemes initially involved the front upper body, the roof and a panel on the tail being painted the contrast color, with the rest of the body the base color. Later 1956 production had the upper body above the belt line, including the trunk, as the contrast color with the tail panel, roof and the body below the belt line trim being the base color.
An increased options list and reduced standard equipment were used to keep prices down compared to the previous year's Studebaker President Speedster, which the Golden Hawk replaced. Even turn signals were technically an option.

The Golden Hawk was matched with three other Hawk models for 1956, and was the only Hawk not technically considered a sub-model within one of Studebaker's regular passenger car lines; the Flight Hawk coupe was a Champion, the Power Hawk coupe was a Commander and the Sky Hawk hardtop was a President.

The Golden Hawk was continued for the 1957 and 1958 model years, but with some changes. Packard's Utica, Michigan engine plant was leased to Curtiss-Wright during 1956 (and eventually sold to them), marking the end of genuine Packard production. Packard-badged cars were produced for two more years, but they were essentially dressed-up Studebakers. The Packard V8, introduced only two years earlier, was therefore no longer available. It was replaced with the Studebaker 289 in³ (4.7 L) V8 with the addition of a McCulloch supercharger, giving the same 275 hp (205 kW) output as the Packard engine. This improved the car's top speed, making these the best-performing Hawks until the Gran Turismo Hawk became available with the Avanti's R2 supercharged engine for the 1963 model year.

Styling also changed somewhat. A fiberglass overlay on the hood was added, which covered a hole in the hood that was needed to clear the supercharger, which was mounted high on the front of the engine. The tailfins, now made of metal, were concave and swept out from the sides of the car. The fins were outlined in chrome trim and normally were painted a contrasting color, although some solid-color Golden Hawks were built.

Halfway through the 1957 model year, a luxury 400 model was introduced, featuring a leather interior, a fully upholstered trunk, and special trim. Only 41 of these special cars were produced, and a mere handful are believed to exist today. One of them is currently housed at the Studebaker Museum in South Bend.
For 1958, the Golden Hawk switched to 14 in (36 cm) wheels instead of 15 in (38 cm), making the car ride a little lower. The 15-inch wheels, however, were available as an option. Other styling changes included a new, round Hawk medallion mounted in the lower center of the grille, and the available contrasting-color paint was now applied to both the roof and tailfins.

Several minor engineering changes were made for '58, including revisions to the suspension and driveshaft that finally allowed designers to create a three-passenger rear seat. Earlier models had seating for only two passengers in the rear because the high driveshaft "hump" necessitated dividing the seat; a fixed arm rest (later made removable because of customer requests) was placed between the rear passengers in earlier models.

In January 2011, Barrett-Jackson auctions sold a 1957 Studebaker Hawk for a final hammer price of $99,000.

Car Of The Day: June 24, 2011

Today's car of the day comes from Bruce Slifer's collection and is Shrock Brothers' 1954 Studebaker Commander Station Wagon.

The Studebaker Commander is the model-name of a long succession of automobiles produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana (USA) and Studebaker of Canada Ltd of Walkerville and, later, Hamilton, Ontario (Canada). Studebaker began using the Commander name in 1927 and continued to use it until 1964, with the exception of 1936 and 1959-63. The model-name was applied to various positions in the company's product line-up from year to year.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Studebaker Commander

I love this generation of Studebaker wagon, though I think the '55 facelift is the nicest of the bunch.

The 1950 Champion differed from the Commander, which had a distinctive bumper, carried over from 1949, longer front fenders and large headlight bezels, as well as a distinctive jet-style hood ornament.

In 1955, Studebaker reintroduced the President name for its premium models and 'Commander' was applied to the mid-range products. The Commander line was extended with the introduction of a lower-priced Custom sub-series, being basically a Champion with a V8 engine. Studebaker placed the name on hiatus at the end of the 1958 model year.

Car Of The Day: June 23, 2011

Today's car of the day comes from Bruce Slifer's collection and is Shrock Brothers' 1940 Studebaker President Speedster Boattail.

The Studebaker President was the premier automobile model manufactured by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana (USA) from 1926-1942. The nameplate was reintroduced in 1955 and used until the end of the 1958 model when the name was retired.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: 1940 Studebaker Boattail & Studebaker President

This is a replica of a one of a kind custom car made by the Shrocks from a 1940 President.  The orignal car was beyond saving but they managed to create this with what could be salvaged.

For 1934, Studebaker trimmed its model lineup and streamlined its vehicles. The company designed a new body, the Land Cruiser, which was offered on the Dictator, Commander and President. The Land Cruiser models were easily identified by their extreme streamlining features, unusual 4-piece rear window, trunk and the full fender skirts on the rear of the vehicle. The new Presidents were smaller and less impressive than their predecessors, though still fine automobiles.

For 1935, Presidents and Commanders offered an optional steel sliding roof similar to sunroofs common on vehicles today. In 1936, all Studebaker cars featured the "Planar" suspension system, and offered the "Startix" automatic engine-starting system as an optional accessory. Vehicles manufactured from 1936 also showed the influence of industrial designer Raymond Loewy, who was hired as Studebaker’s design consultant, and Helen Dryden who specialised in interior styling. Studebaker made its Hill-Holder device (an anti-rollback brake system) standard on the President in that year.

In 1938, the company offered a remote-controlled "Miracle-Shift" transmission which featured a dashboard-mounted shifter. The unit was discontinued in 1939 when the transmission shift lever was moved to the steering column.

Car Of The Day: June 22, 2011

Today's car of the day comes from Bruce Slifer's collection and is Shrock Brothers' 1964 Studebaker Avanti.

The Studebaker Avanti was a sports coupé built by the Studebaker Corporation at the direction of its president Sherwood Egbert between June 1962 and December 1963. It has been described as "one of the more significant milestones of the postwar industry", gaining iconic status with enthusiasts and collectors.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Studebaker Avanti

The Avanti has finally gotten some love in small scale from the mainstream manufacturers like Johnny Lightning and Hot Wheels, but the Shrock Brothers remains the only 1964 available in small scale, as the others are all 1963 models (Shrock also has a '63).  Unfortunately this car could not stop Studebaker's slide into oblivion, but at least it lived on for another few decades as the Avanti II.

"The car's design theme is the result of sketches Sherwood Egbert "doodled" on a jet-plane flight west from Chicago 37 days after becoming president of Studebaker in February, 1961." Designed by Raymond Loewy's team of Tom Kellogg, Bob Andrews and John Ebstein on a 40-day crash program, the Avanti featured a radical fiberglass body design mounted on a modified Studebaker Lark Daytona 109-inch convertible chassis with a modified 289 Hawk engine. The car was fitted with front disc-brakes which were British Dunlop designed units, made under license by Bendix, "the first American production model to offer them." A Paxton supercharger was offered as an option.

The plan was to build the car bodies at Molded Fibreglass Body Co., at Ashtabula, Ohio, the same company that built the fibreglass panels for the Chevrolet Corvette back in 1953. Egbert planned to sell 20,000 Avantis in 1962 but could build only 1200.

The Avanti was publicly introduced on April 26, 1962, "simultaneously at the New York International Automobile Show and at the Annual Shareholders' Meeting." Rodger Ward, winner of the 1962 Indianapolis 500, received a Studebaker Avanti as part of his prize package, "thus becoming the first private owner of an Avanti." A Studebaker Lark convertible was the Indianapolis pace car that year and the Avanti was named the honorary pace car.

In December 1962 the Los Angeles Times reported: "Launching of operations at Studebaker's own fiber-glass body works to increase production of Avantis." Many production problems concerning the supplier, fit and finish resulted in countless delays, as well as cancelled orders.

After the closure of Studebaker's factory on 20 December 1963, Competition Press reported: "Avantis will no longer be manufactured and contrary to the report that there are thousands gathering dust in South Bend warehouses, Studebaker has only five Avantis left. Dealers have about 2,500, and 1600 have been sold since its introduction." This contrasted with Chevrolet which produced 23,631 Corvette sports cars in 1963.
The iconic Avanti name, tooling and plant space were sold to two South Bend, Indiana, Studebaker dealers, Nate Altman and Leo Newman, the first of a succession of entrepreneurs to manufacture small numbers of Avanti replica and new design cars through 2006.