Hello Friends and Family,
Link to this year's index by clicking here.
Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction, Part 10 |
Compared to the number of older cars, there were fewer newer cars up for auction — I guess they have not had sufficient time to become classics. This 1960 Chevy leads off this final week of the auction photos. Last week, I mentioned the on-again off-again affair that Chevrolet had with fins. Back again in '59 and '60... |
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Speaking of Chevrolet, here is a beautiful example of their 1962 Corvette. The '62 has always been my favorite 'Vette. It is unique in that it still retained the twin headlights — but featured the sleek, chopped off rear deck that continued for a number of years thereafter. The four round taillights were the start of a Corvette design tradition that would continue for more than 50 years. The original sold for a bit more than $4,000. This one sold at auction for $90,000. |
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My first car, purchased right out of college was a 1968 Beetle in this same dark green color. The car was rugged and reliable — perfect for the snows of Minnesota with the air-cooled engine sitting over the rear drive wheels. Not much for creature comfort but it never failed to get me where I wanted to go. |
Lee Iacocca was the Ford Division general manager and the product champion for the Mustang. Early prototypes envisioned a two-seater but was later modified to a four-seater because of low sales volume of the two-seater T-Bird. Many of the components were from other Ford products which cut manufacturing costs as well as inventory costs for dealers. |
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GM banned factory-sponsored racing so Pontiac's young, visionary management team turned its attention to emphasizing street performance. Accord to Wikipedia, 'In his autobiography "Glory Days," Pontiac chief marketing manager Jim Wangers, who worked for the division's contract advertising and public relations agency, states that John DeLorean, Bill Collins and Russ Gee were indeed responsible for the GTO's creation. It involved transforming the upcoming redesigned Tempest (which was set to revert to a conventional front-engine, front transmission, rear-wheel drive configuration) into a "Super Tempest" with the larger 389 cu in (6.4 L) Pontiac V8 engine from the full-sized Pontiac Catalina and Bonneville in place of the standard 326 cu in (5.3 L) Tempest V8. By promoting the big-engine Tempest as a special high-performance model, they could appeal to the speed-minded youth market (which had also been recognized by Ford Motor Company's Lee Iacocca, who was at that time preparing the Ford Mustang).' |
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And we conclude our trip to automotive Heaven with the cockpit from a 1966 Corvette. It needs no words — the design speaks for itself. |
Life is good.
Aloha,
B. David
P. S., All photos and text © B. David Cathell Photography, Inc. — www.bdavidcathell.com