Star Wars (both in cinemas and in politics), robots and computers: During the early 1980s, the year 2000 represented wild technological advancements that were supposed to make every day life easier and propel mankind into a new era. Continue reading »
Ran When Parked got to spend the better part of a weekend in Bangkok, Thailand, on our way back home from a business trip in China. Having never been to Thailand before, we were impressed by all of the old cars that are still on the road. Continue reading »
How would you caption this Volvo 240 GLT press photo taken in 1984 in Tällberg, Sweden? Continue reading »
Volvo traveled to the 1986 Geneva Motor Show to introduce the 480, a small hatchback that was billed as the spiritual successor to the P1800. The 480′s design was loosely inspired by Bertone’s 1979 Tundra concept and as a result it differed greatly from the rest of the Volvo lineup. It was constructed with a … Continue reading »
The 16th annual Monte-Carlo Historique Rally took place last week in southeastern France. Organized by the Automobile Club of Monaco, it is open to cars that participated in the iconic rally from 1955 to 1980 and that were built between those years. Continue reading »
Automakers have often tried to draw a parallel between cars and planes in advertisements and promotional photos. Picturing the two modes of transportation together is a way to emphasize the utilitarian nature of a vehicle, or to associate it with a particular – and generally affluent – lifestyle. Continue reading »
The United States Department of Transportation (DoT) launched the Experimental Safety Vehicle program in 1970 in order to combat the rise of fatal traffic accidents. The program was billed as a way for automakers to learn more about passive and active safety and consequently apply the knowledge gained to production cars launched over the next … Continue reading »
Snow often doesn’t mix well with vintage cars but we have to admit that it can make them look pretty darn good in press photos and advertisements. Automakers have often depicted cars in snow or wintry landscapes to emphasize their off-road capacities, to market them as leisure vehicles or just to make a vivid paint … Continue reading »
The 34th annual Epoqu’Auto vintage car show took place last weekend outside of Lyon in the Rhône department of France. There are many smaller car shows and gatherings in the area but Epoqu’Auto is said to be the largest event of its kind by a long shot so, rain and wind be damned, we drove … Continue reading »
The 10th annual Avignon Motor Festival took place last weekend in the beautiful Vaucluse department of France. There are many other vintage car events in the region, but the Motor Festival is by far the biggest one. Continue reading »
