6/22/09 Weekly Open Thread
As always, this is your thread to do with as you will--within reason, of course!
Here are a few things on my mind that aren't really worthy of a full post but might spark some conversation:
- SaabsUnited.com continues to offer analysis of the Saab/Koenigsegg deal in stunning quantity and quality. I have the deepest respect for the traditional newsmedia, but the depth of coverage SaabsUnited is offering is powerful testimony to what the new media is capable of--frankly, because nobody at Autoweek or Motor Trend would care quite this much about the Saab deal.
- Yesterday I saw the movie Dazed and Confused for the first time, making me likely the last person of my generation to see this now-16-year-old movie. I knew it was a portrayal of high-school life in the 1970s, but all of the storylines concerning hazing, relationships, and drug use faded into the background for me. Why? Because the movie was packed with gorgeous cars.
I was gobsmacked to discover that this coming-of-age movie prominently featured such Car Lust favorites as the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS, Pontiac GTO Judge, 1974 Pontiac Trans Am SD-455, Chevy El Camino, Plymouth Duster, Ford Maverick, and various gorgeous Chevy and GMC trucks, all in absolutely pristine condition. I seriously doubt high-schoolers and assorted small-town losers could afford some of the finest muscle cars ever made, even in 1976, but my hat is off to Dazed and Confused's car wrangler for bringing together such a delicious collection of sheetmetal.
--Chris H.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on June 22, 2009 at 06:29 AM
James Lileks went to a "Back to the Fifties" car show yesterday and has photos and video on his "Daily Bleat" website at
http://lileks.com/bleat/?p=2641.
The car show stuff starts about halfway down.
Anthony Cagle on June 22, 2009 at 10:09 AM
Nothing to do with the suggested topics (except for the El Camino maybe), but I was out for a jog this weekend and saw a lat '50s Ranchero in very good condition and the bed was actually filled with busted up concrete and other junk. Continuing utility!
Tommy's Dad on June 22, 2009 at 12:12 PM
There's an older gentleman I see around town sometimes driving an early model El Camino. Always the same look on his face, not quite happiness or anything that extroverted, more a look of stoic, unhurried contentment. And his El Camino looks like it just popped out of a time capsule from the day it was built.
Speaking of old cars and car shows, this weekend is the Cool Desert Nights show in Tri-Cities, Washington(where I hail from). It's been going for a bunch of years now, this year from Thursday to I think Sunday morning. TONS of classic cars, hot rods, muscle cars, all sorts of stuff. It's a pretty good time getting to see and hear all the terrific cars that show up for it, if any of you can make it to south-eastern washington on short notice you should check it out. I'll try to remember my camera and get some good pics to share.
Paul Dybro on June 23, 2009 at 11:00 AM
If you liked the cars featured in Dazed and Confused, remember American Graffiti? And if you're into futuristic show cars, watch Back to the Future.
...m... on June 23, 2009 at 11:25 AM
...thanks for the link, chris - i'm as excited as anyone about the imminent saab revival, but realistically i expect it'll be at least a couple of years before we see any real fruits of its marriage with koenigsegg...
...i had the opportunity to check out a pair of lotus evora pre-production test cars last weekend, which was a lot of fun - it's a much more attractive vehicle in-the-metal than i expected...if anyone's interested, i collected a few observations not really explored in professional reviews, along with some pictures and video, at the following link...
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f170/firsthand-evora-reviews-74935/
...kind of a non-stop weekend for me, actually - i also participated in a rally with about a dozen MGBs, and really need to put those pictures up in a link from last week's article comments, too...