Topical Advertising: Cutaways (part two)

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Ronan Glon • 1 Comment

Cutaways are a fascinating way to discover what lurks beneath the sheet metal 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 … Continue reading →

1950s / 1960s / 1970s / 1980s / Abarth / Alpine / American / BMW / British / Chevrolet / Czech / Fiat / French / German / Hillman / Hino / Italian / Japanese / Mazda / NSU / Porsche / Renault / Russian / SEAT / Simca / Skoda / Spanish / Subaru / Tatra / Volkswagen / ZAZ

Topical advertising: Rear-engined cars

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Ronan Glon • 4 Comments

Rear-engined cars were particularly popular in the 1950s and 1960s because installing the engine behind the rear axle freed up a generous amount of space inside the cabin. This space often came at the expense of cargo capacity and handling, and rear-mounted engines were quickly phased out once automakers started toying around with front-mounted engines … Continue reading →

1960s / 1970s / 1980s / 1990s / Alfa Romeo / American / Australian / British / Citroen / Czech / Dacia / Datsun / Fiat / Ford / French / German / Holden / Honda / Innocenti / Italian / Japanese / Kia / Land Rover / Lotus / Mazda / Nissan / Oltcit / Peugeot / Premiere / Renault / Romanian / Saviem / Skoda / South Korean / Suzuki / Toyota / Triumph / Volkswagen

Topical advertising: Badge-engineering

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Ronan Glon • Leave a comment

Badge-engineering is one of the best ways to illustrate the microeconomics concept of economies of scale. Simply put, the average cost of each unit goes down as quantity goes up. Selling the rights to a car or even to a component like a chassis or an engine can save automakers a substantial amount money in … Continue reading →

1960s / Czech / Skoda

50 years ago: Skoda launches 1000 MB

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Ronan Glon • 1 Comment

Volkswagen’s Škoda division is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1000 MB. Designed to replace the Octavia, the 1000 MB was a monumentally important car for Škoda because it blazed the path that all of the company’s subsequent models followed up until the late 1980s. Continue reading →

1960s / 1970s / 1980s / 1990s / Alfa Romeo / American / BMW / British / Citroen / Czech / Fiat / Ford / French / German / Honda / Italian / Jaguar / Japanese / Lancia / Land Rover / Mazda / Mercedes-Benz / Mitsubishi / Nissan / Peugeot / Renault / Russian / Saab / Swedish / Tatra / Toyota / Volkswagen / Volvo / ZIL

Color-coded advertising: Black

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Ronan Glon • 5 Comments

In the early days of the auto industry, black was often associated with the Model T and Henry Ford’s attempt to save money by adopting standardized production methods. Several decades later, black was found on official vehicles used by miscellaneous government agencies around the world because it’s a low-key color that doesn’t immediately stand out … Continue reading →

1920s / 1930s / 1940s / 1950s / 1960s / 1970s / 1980s / 1990s / 2000s / 2010s / Abarth / Alfa Romeo / Audi / Austin / BMW / British / Czech / Datsun / Fiat / French / German / Italian / Japanese / Lancia / Lotus / Mercedes-Benz / MG / Mini / Mitsubishi / Nissan / Opel / Peugeot / Porsche / Renault / Saab / SEAT / Skoda / Spanish / Swedish / Toyota / Volkswagen

Topical advertising: Old vs. new

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Ronan Glon • 2 Comments

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 →

1960s / 1970s / 1980s / Abarth / Alfa Romeo / Alpine / American / Audi / Austin / Austin-Healey / Auto Union / Autobianchi / BMW / British / Citroen / Czech / DAF / Datsun / Event / Fiat / Ford / French / GAZ / German / Italian / Jaguar / Japanese / Lada / Lancia / Lotus / Mercedes-Benz / MG / Mini / NSU / Opel / Peugeot / Polish / Polski-Fiat / Porsche / Renault / Renault-Alpine / Russian / Saab / SEAT / Skoda / Spanish / Toyota / Volkswagen / Volvo

The 2014 Monte-Carlo Historique rally

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Ronan Glon • 2 Comments

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 →

1960s / 1970s / 1980s / American / Austin / BMW / British / Citroen / Czech / Fiat / French / German / GMC / Honda / Italian / Jaguar / Japanese / Jeep / Lancia / Maserati / Matra / Mazda / Mercedes-Benz / Nissan / Peugeot / Renault / Saab / Skoda / Subaru / Swedish / Talbot / Toyota / Volkswagen / Volvo

Color-coded advertising: Brown

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Ronan Glon • 7 Comments

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 →