Car Lust

RIP, Ricardo Montalban

Ricardo Montalban passed away yesterday at the age of 88. This is obviously sad news on a variety of fronts far more important than how it touches us here at Car Lust. But as a Star Trek fan and a Car Luster, I would be remiss if I let him go unhonored at the time of his passing.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was, in my opinion, easily the high point of the entire franchise--thanks in large part to Montalban's scene-stealing performance as Khan Noonien Singh. In his portrayal of Khan, Montalban provided exactly the right blend of cheese and threatening malevolence; he was the exact, perfectly calibrated counterbalance to the heroic Captain Kirk. Given the lack of passion around the original Star Trek movie, it's not a huge stretch to assert that Ricardo Montalban's performance in the second movie played a major role in saving the franchise.

Cars on Film--My Lucky Stars

This clip is the automobile chase sequence from the Jackie Chan film My Lucky Stars, which is set in Japan. Jackie and his partner are after two ninja-type bad guys who are driving a Ford Mustang II, of all things; as the scene opens, they commandeer a kei car and give chase. (Caution: brief rude gesture and bad language at about the 1:26 mark.)

Cars on Film--Eat My Dust

This is the trailer for the Roger Corman exploitation film Eat My Dust, which was released in 1976.

1992 Mercury Grand Marquis, Take Two

Some of you might recall my paean, last August, to the 1992 Mercury Grand Marquis that has served me so faithfully over the years. As was, in retrospect, inevitable, it didn't take long before that same Grand Marquis chose to test my own faith, making me an unwilling player in the age-old game of Repair-or-Abandon.

All was well until a month or so ago, when I dropped the GM off at the shop for an oil change and tire rotation. About an hour later, I got a call from the service manager. They would, he reported, be unable to change the oil because the oil pan was so badly rusted that attempting to unscrew the drain plug would lead to a full-on disaster. In fact, oil was beginning to seep through the metal. Then he gave me the bad news: the oil pan was spanned by an immovable chassis crossmember and various other components. Replacing the pan would require them to lift the engine high enough to allow it to be slipped past the offending hardware. The cost, including parts, labor, and tax would be in the $700 range. Then, just by way of truly testing my resolve, he added that the car needed a water pump and serpentine belt. 

The cost of these repairs approached the market value of the car, which meant that I had to do some serious thinking. The obvious alternatives were to a) dump a grand into the Grand Marquis, or 2) cut my losses and walk away from it. But there turned out to be a third, less obvious option, and to see how I arrived at it you'll need a bit more background. You see, a couple of years ago I noticed that the Check Engine light would come on for a brief period soon after I hit the gas hard, say to pass someone quickly on a two-lane. My local shop ran a scan, and found "two fuel lean codes, one EGR code, and a pass. system code." (Uh-oh!) They estimated that the needed repairs would run somewhere in the $4-600, depending on what was found when various components were examined more closely. The estimate also included the news that "none of the codes at this time will make the vehicle unsafe to drive." (Aah!) Thus reassured, I declined the repairs and opted instead to place a square of electrical tape over the offending light.

Cars on Film--The Seven-Ups

The Seven-Ups is a 1973 film about a New York City detective unit that prosecutes major felonies--those for which the offender can get seven years or more. It's one of those gritty, realistic, darkly-themed early-70s crime dramas like Serpico and The French Connection, though not as well known as it deserves to be. Roy Scheider stars as Buddy Manucci, the leader of the "Seven-Ups" detective squad.

To set up the video clip for you: the "Seven-Ups" are investigating a wave of kidnappings of Mafia associates. One of their number infiltrates a mob funeral wearing a wire, but gets caught up in one of the kidnappings and killed by the bad guys. As the sequence begins, the squad has found their comrade's body in a car trunk. The two hit men who killed him roar out of the parking garage in their Pontiac Grand Ville, and Buddy gives chase in his Ventura coupe.

Director Philip D'Antoni also produced French Connection and Bullitt, and he used same stunt coordinator as he had in those films to stage the chase sequence--Bill Hickman, who appears as the driver of the Grand Ville. Make sure you have your popcorn ready.

Cars on Film--Alarm fur Cobra 11

What if you could combine the buddy-cop dynamic of Adam-12, the freeway setting of CHiPS, the fancy cinematography and deadly seriousness of CSI, and the over-the-top stunt action of The Dukes of Hazzard in one show? If you could, you'd get ... well, you'd get something a lot like this:

Their territory is the Autobahn ... their speed is lethal ... their opponents: carjackers, murderers and blackmailers. The men of "Cobra 11" are on duty around the clock ... our safety is their job!

1966-77 Ford Bronco and Bronco II

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. I refer to the brief period during which I owned a Ford Bronco II. Now, I will readily admit that the Bronco II does not, shall we say, have a sterling reputation, probably about on par historically with its II-suffixed cousin the Mustang II. And it certainly didn't worm its way into my heart by breaking down 500 miles from home in the middle of Oregon and causing me to leave it there with a dead engine. In fact, I do find it rather difficult to defend in great depth which is, partly, why this post lumps it in with the original Bronco.

But they share a common heritage and design philosophy that seems to keep cropping up: the small, fairly utilitarian sport utility vehicle. . .with an emphasis on the utility. The original Bronco has achieved something of a cult status--a perennial favorite here at Car Lust--and it also represents  some of the cultural and market factors that were going on at its introduction and says something about the modern SUV  and its many  manifestations.

That and both really look cool.

RIP, Isuzu

As Rob the SVX Guy mentioned in another post today, Isuzu will leave the U.S. passenger car market at the end of the month. Isuzu will continue to provide parts and service for cars already on the road and will still be in the U.S. market with its thriving commercial truck business. But, for the first time since 1981, Isuzu will no longer be an option on the new car market.

This news isn't a surprise; Isuzu announced its withdrawal last year, and the writing was on the wall well before then. As Rob has pointed out, Isuzu hasn't been particularly relevant for some time, so it's difficult to get too exercised about its demise here. After all, the Isuzu name basically died here when it was relegated to use only on rebadged GM SUVs.

Still, I will miss Isuzu. It's never nice to lose a brand, and Isuzu gave us some memorable moments over the years. Here are the things I'll remember about Isuzu:

Isuzu Impulse RS

After hearing the news that Isuzu is leaving the North American market, my first instinct was to shrug it off.   I mean, really, who cares? Isuzu hasn't produced anything worth remembering or lusting after in quite a while, and its withdrawal really isn't a big deal in the automotive world; especially compared to other news. 

However, even companies as boring and derivative as Isuzu occasionally still make wonderful vehicles, and to bid Isuzu farewell I thought it necessary to write a Car Lust about one of the greatest hot hatches ever--the Isuzu Impulse RS.

Suzuki Aerio

Some time ago, a co-worker mentioned to me that Car Lust, while intermittently entertaining, isn't particularly useful in helping everyday drivers find good, inexpensive modern cars. I nearly recoiled in shock. After all, the Fiat X1/9 and AMC Eagle are perfect cars for today's families.

Of course, he's right. I drone on a great deal about old cars and expensive new cars, but of the recent crop of inexpensive cars only the Kia Spectra5 has received any love--and that was tepid love at best. "Well, fair enough," I told my co-worker. "How about the Suzuki Aerio?" At this point, he gave me a look of sickened disbelief and walked rapidly in the other direction. I get that a lot.

Nobody who has paid attention to this blog in the last 18 months should be at all surprised that I like the Aerio. It's an inexpensive and useful family hauler, and the very characteristics that caused it to fizzle in the American market cause me to love it. America hates hatchbacks; I love them, and if they are hunchbacked, all-wheel-drive, and quirky, so much the better.