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 / AMC / American / Autobianchi / Chevrolet / Datsun / Fiat / French / German / Italian / Japanese / Jeep / Lancia / Mazda / Mercedes-Benz / Peugeot / Porsche / Renault / Rover / Volkswagen

A collection of vintage dealer stickers

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Ronan Glon • Leave a comment

Memorabilia from car dealerships often reveals fascinating facts about automotive history. Take stickers on the back of cars, for example. Not only are they essentially tamper-proof seals that help decipher a car’s origins, they are reminders of days gone by that often display logos of brands that have been dead for decades. Sometimes the address … 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 →

1950s / 1960s / 1970s / 1980s / 1990s / Alfa Romeo / Alpine / American / BMW / CG / Citroen / Dacia / East German / Facel Vega / Fiat / Ford / French / German / Honda / Italian / Japanese / Kamouh / Lancia / Ligier / Maserati / Matra / Mazda / Mercedes-Benz / NSU / Opel / Peugeot / Polish / Porsche / Renault / Renault-Alpine / Romanian / Simca / Swedish / Trabant / UNIC / Volkswagen / Volvo

The 2014 Avignon Motor Festival

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Ronan Glon • 3 Comments

We recently trekked up to the city of Avignon to attend the Motor Festival, an annual car show and swap meet that stands out as one of the biggest events of its kind in the region. It poured rain during most of the show but that didn’t stop enthusiasts from all over the south of … Continue reading →

1960s / 1970s / 1980s / 1990s / Alfa Romeo / Audi / BMW / Citroen / Fiat / French / German / Honda / Italian / Japanese / Lada / Lancia / Land Rover / Mazda / Mercedes-Benz / Peugeot / Polish / Polski-Fiat / Renault / Saab / Simca / Swedish / Toyota / Volkswagen / Volvo

Color-coded advertising: White

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Ronan Glon • 4 Comments

For decades, plain white was the de facto cheap paint job for just about any car regardless of size and body style. It often took the form of a plain coat of paint with no metallic effect and, in a lot of cases, no clearcoat in order to keep the overall cost of the car … Continue reading →

1920s / 1930s / 1940s / 1950s / 1960s / 1970s / 1980s / 1990s / 2000s / 2010s / Alfa Romeo / American / Audi / Bentley / British / Chenard-Walcker / Ferrari / Ford / French / German / Italian / Jaguar / Matra / Mazda / Peugeot / Porsche / Renault-Alpine / Rondeau / Sauber-Mercedes

Walking through nine decades of Le Mans racers

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Ronan Glon • 1 Comment

The Automobile Club de l’Ouest (AOC) quietly displayed twenty-one influential Le Mans racers built over the last nine decades on the sidelines of the Geneva Motor Show. Located on the bottom floor of the Palexpo Convention Center, the display aims to showcase how the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the cars that compete in … Continue reading →

1980s / 1990s / 2014 Geneva Motor Show / Japanese / Mazda

Live from the Geneva Motor Show: 1989 Mazda MX-5 Miata

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Ronan Glon • 1 Comment

Mazda is displaying a like-new 1989 MX-5 Miata at this year’s edition of the Geneva Motor Show to celebrate the roadster’s 25th anniversary. The specially-outfitted roadster is painted in an attractive shade of green reminiscent of British Racing Green and the interior features tan leather upholstery as well as a wooden Nardi steering wheel. Rally-inspired … Continue reading →

Ran When Parked

Interesting Automobiles

Category Archives: Mazda