Although the first part of a car that meets the eye is the body, the interior is arguably more important as it plays a major part in determining if a car is enjoyable to drive or ride in. Cobbling together an interior is tough because engineers, designers, bean counters, factory workers and even dealers all … Continue reading
Category Archives: Austin
Caption contest: Austin Allegro
How would you caption this 1970s picture of an Austin Allegro? Continue reading
Topical advertising: Cutaways
Cutaways are a fascinating way to discover what lurks beneath the sheetmetal of a car. Today, they are generally done with computer programs such as AutoCAD but they were painstakingly drawn by hand by highly-skilled artists for several decades. The best-known cutaway artist is arguably Haynes’ Terry Davey, the man responsible for the drawings found … Continue reading
Topical advertising: Old vs. new
Automakers commonly bring historic models from their own collection to media events in an attempt to create a link between the past and the present. Sometimes the connection between the two cars on display is evident, sometimes it’s a little more heavy-handed. A photographer generally shoots the old car next to the new one but … Continue reading
The 2014 Monte-Carlo Historique rally
The 17th annual Monte-Carlo Historique rally kicked off a little over a week ago and ended yesterday when a Belgian team at the wheel of an orange 1978 Opel Kadett GTE won the event. This year, the participants left from six European cities (Barcelona, Glasgow, Monte-Carlo, Oslo, Reims and Stockholm) and the common stages took … Continue reading
Color-coded advertising: Brown
Although brown cars have been around for decades, their heyday was undeniably the 1970s when companies from all over the automotive galaxy offered at least one shade of it. In retrospect, brown went remarkably well with cars that were often laden with emissions equipment such as air pumps and 5-mph bumpers. Brown largely fell out … Continue reading
Color-coded advertising: Yellow
Yellow has never been a popular car color anywhere in the world. Not only is it one of the least discreet colors out there, it is typically associated with vehicles that belong to fleets like postal services (in Germany and in France, for example) or taxi cabs – everyone has heard of New York City’s … Continue reading
BMW fully restores barn-find 1959 Austin Seven
BMW’s MINI division has completed the Herculean task of fully restoring a 1959 Austin Seven in its VDL Nedcar, Netherlands, factory. Continue reading
Color-coded advertising: Green
Green is one of the oldest car colors after of black, gray and white. Darker shades of green are relatively low-key and have managed to outlive all sorts of trends over the past couple of decades, but lighter hues that are more eye-catching have come and gone. Which car do you think looks best in … Continue reading
Topical advertising: Racing
For decades, automakers from all around the world have used racing to prove their cars’ technical superiority and boost their overall brand image. A well-orchestrated victory in a televised race like the Paris – Dakar can draw more customers into showrooms than a clever advertising campaign or financial incentives, especially several decades ago when the … Continue reading