Ford's #Wild Nuclear Car | The Bad Blonde Car History

A car that if it had been produced would have made you more nervous about a collision than a Ford Pinto, a car that looks straight out of the jetsons, a car that if you had an engine swap you’d have to worry about disposing of radioactive waste.

Today we discuss the Ford Nucleon.

Let’s paint a little picture of the times, we are at the end of the 50’s, the cold war simmering, and a growing interest in nuclear energy is spreading across the US.

This was the beginning of the atomic age, with promises of nuclear power stations producing electricity that would be “too cheap to meter”..  Promises that small nuclear reactors would be an option for everyday practical uses.

To many the thought of limitless inexpensive power for the populace was enthralling. The public welcomed nuclear energy with open arms.

Nuclear energy and all it’s potential glory was on every consumer’s and the US government’s mind. Ford was not going to miss out on the opportunity.

Ford endeavored to build this futuristic nuclear-powered concept car in 1957. While they had been tooling with the idea but this was the first to come to scale.

Ford showed off the Nucleon concept to an intrigued public in 1958. What would people’s reaction to that be now? It kind of looks like a thumb drive.

The Ford Nucleon was to be powered by a small nuclear reactor placed in the rear of the vehicle. It was devised to use a similar steam engine used by nuclear submarines, a uranium fission.

A little background, in 1955 the US launched the USS Nautilus, the first submarine featuring nuclear propulsion. Nuclear power was an excellent idea for submarines as your normal combustion engine was loud and easily detected by sonar plus internal combustion would give off fumes! Like a dolphins blow hole.

Now they did also use electric propulsion via batteries, but then (just as it does now) limited the time of underwater operations before necessitating a recharge. However, with nuclear power, a submarine could continue it’s mission underwater for months.

These nuclear reactors could create not just power but also potable water, electricity and air for the submarines.

In the Ford Nucleon, passenger and driver sat in the front with reactor at back. With how heavy the nuclear reactor would have been, ford needed to distribute weight as best as possible.

Similar to nuclear power stations, the reactor would be used to heat water which would then turn turbines, powering the wheels and also any other equipment. With the cycle starting all over again once the water condensed.

Sounds kind of like a steam car huh? Which steam was one of the three major power options for the birth of the early automobile, steam, electricity, and combustion engine.

The Nucleon’s reactor could be expected to run for 5k miles till it might require a swap out for a new reactor. Keep in mind, when you do that that also means you have to dispose of radioactive waste.

The man behind the futuristic Nucleon design was Jim Powers. This was not his first fantasy inspire whip to create. Powers was also behind the Volante, a flying concept car. Jetsons anyone?

But likely his most well known design was the 1961 Ford Thunderbird.. Which were affectionately nicknamed Bulletbirds.

Ford’s attempt at a nuclear powered car was not just a one hit attempt, they also would reveal the Seattle-ite XXI at the World’s Fair in Seattle in 1962 (because of this fair we still get to enjoy the space needle). This wild car featured six wheels and a swappable front end.

The designer of the Seatlle-ite was Alex Tremulis… Who was behind the Tucker 48, he also did the retro Thunderbolt. BUT also get this, Tremulis was behind the canceled Dyna-Saur military space plan that was a predecessor to the 1980s space shuttles.

Side note, Ford was not the only automaker enticed by nuclear energy, Studebaker and Packard came up with the helicopter looking Astral prototype.  The Astral balanced on a gyroscopic ball AND was touted to supposedly be able to hover over water.

Though sadly none of us would be hovering on water in a Studebaker as both brands would be gone within the next five years. Full video on history of Studebaker as well as Packard below.

The excitement for Nuclear energy dropped when it became clear this power source would cost the same as the more common oil, gas or coal.

They also figured out nuclear waste was not easy to dispose of.. Plus you add a few nuclear reactor leak scares and you have the public opinion starting to pivot. Add the Chernobyl disaster and public opinion has done a full 180.

Just imagine two nuclear powered cars crashing into each other on a highway.. scary thought.

However, years later in 2009 GM decided to catch some headlines with Cadillac introducing a 100 maintenance free car powered by thorium instead of uranium.

The reality is that the ability to make a nuclear device small enough for a car has not yet been proven.

History of America's Wildest Supercar - Vector Motors | The Bad Blonde Car History

This is a story about a man with bold ambitions and iffy funding. A story of an American supercar that would have rivaled the Ferraris and Lamborghini’s of the day. A story that will leave you wondering how much substance is behind the hype?

Vector Motors was founded in 1978 by American businessman and automotive engineer, Gerald Alden “Jerry” Wiegert. As a youth, Wiegert was highly interested in aerospace and cars.

And he had the aptitude for it, he won a full scholarship to college and pursued engineering.

Wiegert spent time at the big Three, Chrysler, Ford, and GM before deciding to create his own American supercar.

With this endeavor Weigert became one the first real stateside attempts to compete with the European performance car brands, like Ferrari and Lamborghini.

Keep in mind the AMC AMX3 was in creation in 1970 and expected production in 1971. Full video on YT.

In 1971, Wiegert teamed up with well known auto body expert, Lee Brown to create Vehicle Design Force in Wilmington, Ca.  The pair with their new company planned to create the American supercar, The Vector. Pre-production literature touted a DOHC Porsche powerplant and at eyepopping price tag of $100k… At the time, a Lamborghini Miura was priced at $21k (equivalent to $160k).

Even though this car was featured on Motor Trend in 1972 and was displayed at the LA Autos Show in 1976,  the car would never be produced and Lee would leave the company in 1977.

It was after all this initial hype that Lee Brown left the team and Wiegert renamed Vehicle Design Force to “Vector Aeromotive”..

With this shake up and name change, Wiegert would focus his attentions on the new concept car, the Vector W2.

The eye catching and aggressively designed W2 concept was revealed in 1978, though immobile during the time of show. A running prototype would soon be catching headlines in 1979 and would travel over 100k miles. Possibly the most miles traveled of any concept vehicle.

At some point Motor Trend and Top Gear got their hands on the prototype and did extensive testing, THOUGH Top Gear was strictly told to not perform a top speed test on the W2 even though Vector was claiming 230mph capabilities.

Claiming a top speed and not demonstrating a cars capabilities would eventually catch up to Wiegert..

In 1989, Vector Aeromotive Corporation would have the evolution of the W2 ready for production. The W8 was funded by public stock offerings and apparently some profitable trademark infringement lawsuits against Goodyear Tire and Vantage cigs?

It was said these infringement lawsuits are most of what funded this American supercar dream. (Goodyear with their Vector tire.)

Two W8 prototypes were constructed though only one ran. The team utilized an automatic Oldsmobile TM425 Transaxle paired with a twin-turbo CAN-AM modified chevy small block V8.

Vectors were hand built, an extensive and lengthy process that includes testing and calibrating… One who orders a Vector should practice patience… Unfortunately, one very famous tennis player of the day who ordered a Vector was not so patient.

Andre Agassi demanded that his Vector W8 be delivered before it was ready and Wiegert agreed to it. This would be a bad decision for the company. They told Agassi that he could display it BUT it was not ready for him to drive.

Naturally, Agassi took the Vector W8 for a spin and it broke down, he demanded his $455k purchase price back, Vector Aeromotive refunded him BUT this resulted in negative publicity for the car and company.

Not the same situation, but it reminds me of the bad publicity that Bugatti received when Michael Schumaker crashed his EB110 and blamed it on shoddy brakes.

Of the Vector W8, a total of 17 were built for public sale (including Agassi’s after they finished it). The Vector W8 first and only cinema appearance was in the 1993 Rising Sun film being driven by a Japanese businessman. (starred Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes).

In 1992, Wiegert and Vector Aeromotive would introduce the WX-3 coupe at the Geneva Auto Show. Considered a further evolution of the W8. Only two WX-3 prototypes would be created, a coupe and roadster.

It was planned that the WX-3 offer three different engine options: a 600hp “basic” V8, an 800hp tuned option, and a 1,200hp twin-turbo option.

It was right at this time, that Megatech, and Indonesian company, gained controlling interest of Vector Aeromotive. This would come as a bit of a surprise to Wiegert who would return from the Genevar Auto Show to be asked to step down from the company he founded and only perform the role of designer.

Side note, Megatech also owned Lamborghini at this time..

Wiegert said hell nah and ordered the Vector headquarters to be completely locked down. Completely locked down and with him in it. All of this turmoil would result in Wiegert being fired from his own company.

With Wiegert pushed out, MegaTech moved the company from California to Jacksonville, Florida to share office space with Automobili Lamborghini.

The abrupt dismissal of its founder didn’t put a pause on Vector Aeromotive Corporation. They quickly went to work on the Vector M12 which was loosely evolved from the WX-3 but was now powered by the Lamborghini Diablo V12 engine.

Production of the M12 began in 1995 and a quick introduction to the automotive world happened in 1996 at the North American Internation Auto Show in Detroit where they displayed two examples. However, MegaTech’s high hopes did not win over low sales. The production of the M12 came to a halt when projected sales of the $189k car did not meet projected targets.

MegaTech decided to clear house and sold Lamborghini to Audi in attempts to raise funds. By 1999. Only 14 Vector M12s were produced. They couldn’t get their Lamborghini motor orders as they couldn’t afford to pay Lamborghini.

It was purported that MegaTech principal, Tommy Suharo, son of then-indornesian president, had been embezzling from the ailing company.

With a super car hail mary, Vector Aeromotive dropped the M12 price, subbed a GM LT1 engine, and renamed the it the SRV8. Though this would not save the company and only one of the SVR8 prototype would be produced.

The company would crumble BUT there was one man waiting to pick up the pieces. Wiegert purchased what was left of the company he founded (after a few named changes) Vector Motors.

Wiegert immediately began work on a new model call the WX8 powered by a supercharged 10 liter all aluminum V8 with a projected hp of 1,850 which would have made it faster than the Bugattis of the time. In the mid 2000s Wiegert showcased the WX8 prototype at multiple car shows.

Nearly 20 years later, where is Vector and the WX8 now? Well as of 2018 Vector Motors was bankrolling their WX8s by selling their two WX3 protoypes for 3.5 million via Dupont Registry. Naturally, Wiegert incorporated a buy back provision.. Which basically states, let us buy back our cars with a bonus or exchange for stock in the new Vector Motors Corporation equalling double in price paid.

It was hard to tell if they sold on Dupont Registry, BUT I was able to track down that the pair of WX-3s were sold individually with RM Sotheby’s during the 2019 Arizona Car Week.

The Turquoise coupe sold for $615,500 and the Amethyst Roadster went for $500,000…

Sadly the supercar dreamer Jerry Wiegert passed away January 15 2021 and with him, I believe so did the dream of Vector as their website is no longer afloat and I can not find anymore information on if the company will continue their pursuit of the supercar dream.

How The Most Unlikely Pair Founded #RollsRoyce | The Bad Blonde Car History

A story of an unlikely pair who would team up to create one of the most iconic brands of the automobile industry, Rolls-Royce.

Founded in 1906 by Charles Rolls and Henry Royce with a dream to manufacture the “best car in the world”.  Let’s dive into the backgrounds of each of the two gentlemen behind Rolls-Royce.

Charles Rolls, son of a Baron, lover of mechanics, and adrenaline seeker by nature. Charles’s nickname at university was Dirty Rolls as he was known to be constantly tinkering on an engine.

Roll’s purchased his first automobile at just 18, he ventured to Paris and purchased a Peugeot Phaeton in 1896. This was quite pioneering as many folks hadn’t even hear of a horseless carriage yet!

Soon Rolls would found one of Britain’s first car dealerships, C.S. Rolls & Company, selling Peugeots and Minerva automobiles.

Henry Royce had the exact opposite childhood, born the youngest of five into hard work and poverty. Royce’s family flour mill would suffer hard times and cause the family to move to London. Shortly after his father would pass away, forcing Royce to quit formal schooling after only one year.

The apt Royce would begin an apprenticeship with the Great Northern Railway through the graces and pocket book of his aunt for three years until she ran out of money. He would find himself back in London and joining the Electric Light and Power Company.

With just 20 pounds to Royce’s and a partner Ernest Claremont who fortunately had deeper pockets. Rolls would found F.H Royce and Company creating domestic electric fittings but soon moving on to dynamos and electric cranes.

But Royce saw the opportunity in the future of horseless carriages and set his sights on manufacturing his own.

Royce was a renowned hard and determined worker and he would later be known for never eating proper meals causing his health to frequently suffer.

Royce purchased a few contemporary cars but wasn’t pleased with them and set out to create his own that would match his standards. He made three cars to start, one for him, one for his partner, and one for Henry Edmund who would prove to be fateful in introducing Rolls and Royce.

Edmund arranged for his car salesman friend, Rolls to meet his carmaker friend, Royce.

The duo met at the Midland Hotel in Manchester and made an agreement that Rolls would take and sell all the cars that Royce could make.

The first Rolls-Royce 10hp was revealed at the Paris Salon in December of 1904 powered by a two cylinder engine that cranked out a whole 10 horsepower. Within three years the company was winning awards for the superiority of their cars.

Just 10 horsepower would be the humble start of a brand that would go on to conquer the luxury automotive sector over a hundred years later. A brand that according the a survey in 1987, the second most recognizable brand name second only to Coca-Cola.

Just a few years later in 1906, the duo would release the 40/50 considered their first major car design. The 7 liter six cylinder engine was capable of 40/50 Horsepower, hence the name. This was car with major innovations and ahead of the competition, with pressurized engine lubrication, advanced carburetion, and dual ignition.

 To prove it’s reliability and to garner press attention, managing director of Rolls Royce, Claude Johnson, ordered an example with silver plated fittings dubbed the Silver Ghost. Driving over 15,000 miles with never breaking down. It was this car that coined the phrase “best car in the world” by Autocar and which quickly carried throughout the automotive world.

The 40/50’s performance matched it’s pricetag… For the time period it was an incredible sum of $4,000. Something to keep in mind, that did not include the body work done by an independent coachbuilder as was the custom of the times.

In the 1910s, Rolls-Royce implemented the worldwide recognized hood emblem, the Spirit of Ecstasy. This hood ornament and it’s storied background could be an entire segment.

Not all cars had hood ornaments nor did the carmaker necessarily want them. Most often, the public would purchase or buy custom one and put it on their car.

Rolls-Royce’s customers were often putting on hood ornaments of their own desire and tastes, THIS did not sit well with Henry Royce nor Claude Johnson, managing director of Rolls-Royce. Royce did not like hood ornaments in general, BUT especially did not like the mismatched of consumers buying and implementing on his cars. So he decided to create one customary for Rolls-Royce.

But before the Spirit of Ecstasy, there was The Whisper, in which a young women clad in robs delicately placing one forefiner against her lips. That would be symbolic and we will get to its back story in a hot second. It is believed only three of four of the Whisperer were ever made and that just two still exist.

It was the Spirit of Ecstasy that was decided on to adorn the bonnets of Rolls-Royce, and this ornament comes with quite story. The woman of who modeled for the sculpture was no unacquainted model, she was Eleanor Thornton, Affectionately known as Thorn, and she was the mistress of Lord Montagu.

Lord Montagu was friends with the commissioned sculpture, Charles Robinson Sykes, Sykes’ first thought for inspiration was Thorn!

Of the sculpture, Sykes said "A graceful little goddess, the Spirit of Ecstasy, who has selected road travel as her supreme delight and alighted on the prow of a Rolls-Royce motor car to revel in the freshness of the air and the musical sound of her fluttering draperies."

Get this, Henry Royce NEVER put one on his car. The utilitarian engineer thought they impaired driver’s vision.

Thorn’s future would end in tragedy, and many have painted a more sensational picture than reality.  A headline could read Lord Montagu’s secret mistress lost in shipwreck potentially pregnant while the Lord survived but doesn’t do the facts of this love affair justice.

Let’s start from the begging of the voyage, Lord Montagu has been ordered to report duty in ###. Lord Montagu and Thron plan to travel together on this passage.  Guess you is also aware of this? Montagu’s wife and she is perfectly happy with it. There is even correspondence of the two planning and preparing for their departure.  

The SS Persia was torpedoed while passengers were at lunch and sank within 5-10 minutes. In that short period of time, only four life boats were able to launch causing the casualty numbers to be very high. 343 of the 519 passengers were killed.

The 1920s would welcome Rolls Royce’s renowned 37 liter v12  R engine, powering the Supermarine s.6b prop plane reach 407 mph.

That engine wouldn’t stay in the air for long, Sir Malcom Campell on a campaign for speed put the R engine into his Blue Bird. In 1935 and the first time ever in car history, the Bluebird gained speeds of over 300 mph.

Rolls-Royce was breaking speed records like kit-kats, after conquering land and air, they broke the water speed record by reaching over 103 mph. in a hydroplaning powerboat named the Bluebird K3.

In 1949 Rolls-Royce would release the first car with a body of their own creation, not a coachbuilders, the Silver Dawn. Following that would be the Silver Cloud and with that the beginning of a constant design similarity between models. 

During this time, you would see the increase of opulent gidgets and gazmos like an electric razor,

The 50s, 60s, and 70s luxury auto arena was dominated by Rolls-Royce still maintaining their unmistakable aesthetic.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one of my childhood favorite commercials. I say Childhood, the ad came out three years before I was born. You want to elevate a condiment? Make people think they drive around with in in their Rolls-Royce.

The 80s would bring an bit unsteady path for Rolls-Royce, it would be split and change hands a few times until BMW acquired the company in 1998.

Interesting thing to note, they bought Rolls-Royce BUT they could only borrow the Spirt of Ecstasy mascot.

Most Adorable Car Ever Built? - Nash Metropolitan | The Bad Blonde Car History

We are going to be talking about a small car that you can’t look at without your heart growing 2x bigger, a car that who’s manufacturer took a leap of faith to veer from the norm of behemoth vehicles to create mini commuter, and one of the few cars that can make Pepto pink look good, if you haven’t already guessed it we are going to be talking about the Nash Metropolitan.

Most of the 1950s was not a known for small cars, this was an era of bigger-is-better and many car manufacturers were pumping out goliaths from their production line. So it was quite a wild hair when smaller carmaker Nash Motor Company decided to dive into the economy/small car market.

For example contemporary cars of the day were the likes of time were the Chrysler Crown Imperial (which happens to be the widest car ever produced), Hudson Hornet, giant Cadillacs, and more..

Nash Motor Company began production in lovable commuter in 1953, six years before the very successful Mini was introduced. Interesting that one succeeded tremendously and the other didn’t?

Based on the NXI (Nash Experimental International) a concept car penned by designer William J. Flajole  for Nash-Kelvinator. You see, William had his own design company and had predicted that the Post-WWII consumer market would be interested in smaller cars. He had designed the NXI and proposed it to the larger automakers of the day. They all declined but Nash saw the opportunity in it.

What and for who was it designed? Ideally this little go-about-car was designed as the second car in a two car family. Considered a commuter/shopping car. In appearance, it looked sort of like a miniature Nash with it’s wheelbase being shorter than a VW Beetle.

So Nash didn’t 100% jump in, they were smart and conducted a few “surviews” survey-previews to gauge whether the American market would purchase something so small. This was a burgeoning market at the time, Post WWII was beginning to see a market for ‘personal use’ cars. Specifically, like already mentioned, a second car for a household or economical commuter.

The Metro was the first post-war American vehicle that was marketed specifically to women.  The first spokesperson for the car was the 1954 Miss America.

A few of the marketing slogans featured in brochures: “America's entirely new kind of car" (1955), "Luxury in Miniature" (1959), and "crafted for personal transportation" (1960)”

It was said by one auto critic Floyd Clymer… "it may well be that Nash has started a new trend in American motoring. Perhaps the public is now getting ready to accept a small car". Floyd also took a Metro up Pikes Peak.

Initially named the “NKI Custom”, just two months before it’s public release the it would be dubbed the “Metropolitan”..

Though in theory the US market wanted an economy car, in action the cars sold in small numbers.

A unique thing about the Metro is that it was 100% US designed BUT it was manufactured in the UK by Austin Motor Company and then shipped back over to be sold in the states.

Now why does that make sense? Nash was not tooled or prepared to manufacture a small car but you know who was? Austin founded in 1905 by Herbert Austin. They had a long old history of making small cars. The Austin seven for example.

Austin and the Austin seven has many ties in the automotive industry.

Side note, they had already merged and became a part of BMC in 1952..

Soon Nash-Kelvinator would merge with Hudson, and would be known as AMC, American Motors Corporation and the car would be marketed as a Hudson Metropolitan in 1955. That merge COULD have also included Packard and Studebaker but that didn’t happen.

Over the course of 8 years, you would see four series of the Metro, Series I, II, III, and IV, not a whole lot changed with the series I and II.

But with the series III you would see the introduction of the well known two-tone finish with the stainless steel sweep-spears on the sides along with a redesign of the grille and removal of the hood-scoop. The series III are also known as the Metropolitan 1500.

Soon in 1957, AMC declared that they would be dropping the Nash and Hudson brand names, making the Metropolitan to stand on it’s own under the Metropolitan Name.

In 1959 the series IV debuted and it would be the Metro’s best selling year at 22k unites..

It was at this point that I dove into a rabbit hole.. At one point, a metro was modified by industrial designer Richard Arbib to create a thing called the Astra-Gnome a “Time and Space Car” with this car which was as concept heavily influenced by space travel, within this car that “was never intended for production” was a celestial time-zone clock permitting actual flight-type navigation.”

AMC paid the guy to create it and it did generate a lot of media…

At one point, right hand drive models were marketing to US Police Departments specifically for parking enforcement.

The unique styling and looks attracted an eclectic ownership of the Metro including; Paul Newman, Jimmy Buffet, Elvis Presley, and Steve Jobs.

Digression here, Last week I did a video on the history of De Tomaso. Elvis Presley famously got frustrated with his bright yellow De Tomaso Pantera and shot it repeatedly. Not smooth.

Eventually, the Big Three would catch up and introduce their own compact models. That along with their own competing Rambler American persuaded AMC to discontinue the lovable small car.  A consumer could purchase the five-seater Rambler for about $100 more. The last Metropolitan rolled off the Fisher and & Ludlow production plant in April 1961 and embarked to US.

#Crazy Tale of The Dale - Murder, Fraud & More | The Bad Blonde Car History

A story of an eco friendly car company involving murder, fraud, and three wheels prototype.

With so many twists and turns in the tale of the Dale it is hard to know where to begin. But I think it is best to paint a picture of the times.

It is the 1970s, the world is in the middle of an energy crisis, and gas prices are skyrocketing. Those times are always an opportunity for smaller and fuel efficient cars. Americans were scared that they were running out of oil and didn’t want anything to do with gas guzzlers.

Two years before the gas crisis mayhem, inventor and motorcycle enthusiast Dale Clifft had tossed a 305cc Honda Super Bike, metal tubing, and Naugahyde together to create a simple commuter bike. Dale considered his commuter a success BUT he had no real intentions of mass producing it.

That is where Geraldine Elizabeth Carmichael (who goes by Liz) enters the scene. This woman would not be what she seems. She immediately recognized the potential of the commuter bike, promising Dale Clifft $1,001 and millions in royalties though Clif would never see any of that royalty money.

To the press and the public, Liz’s story was incredible. She was a Nasa engineer’s widow with five kids, who had built her first car at 18 AND went on to get her mechanical engineering degree. It was her dream to “rule the auto industry like a queen”

Liz would get Dale Clifft on board and found the 20th Century Motor Car Corporation to produce the tricycle commuter that would be named the Dale.

With the Dale she would capitalize on the consumers worries of an unending gas crisis.

Liz touted that the Dale would have an 850cc motorcycle engine capable of 70mpg and this maximum efficiency vehicle would be available for less that $2,000. This was awe inducing to consumers, contemporary cars were ranging 11 mpg.

With a low $500 deposit and the headline mpg, folks were ready to go bananas for this banana on wheels.

BUT, was the Dale actually capable of 70 mpg? In theory potentially.

Something like that could have been groundbreaking and earth shattering for the Big Three and Liz was mightily paranoid about the fact. It was said by employees that the 20th Century Motor Car Corporation factory was laden with body guards and security at every turn.

(I bet that the Big Three did look into it JUST to discover that the whole thing was a sham.)

Another important moment of the times was the 70s feminist movement. With a story like Liz’s, warrior widow looking to take on the auto industry and save the environment at the same time, the media were captivated. That coupled with Geraldine’s adeptness at controlling the Dale’s narrative, the 20th Century Motor Corporation was going full speed ahead.

With so much media attention and what would appear very little fact checking, Liz was embolden to make more and more grandiose claims about the Dale’s features and capabilities. Claiming the Dale was made of “rocket structural resin” dubbed “rigidex” of which she claimed was 9x times stronger than steel.

Best part was that Liz was so over confident about this Rigidex that she decided to show a demonstration of it’s strength. She took her engineers and a sample of it out to a shooting range and shot it. Firing a revolver at the Rigidex and completely shattering it.

Regardless of that poor showing, Liz and 20th Century Motor Car Corporation marched right on taking deposits and orders, and it would sound like the company was heading in the right direction? But they had a little problem. They had no car.

June of 1975 was the set date for the first Dale to roll off the assembly. While not a complex car, the car did require fabrication that the inexperienced development team at 20th Century couldn’t deliver.

Finally the media that was crazy for Liz and her story, started to get a little suspicious of this break through company and their undelivered car.

A group of news reporters developed a plan to hire a retired car engineer to join them on a planned factory tour with Liz covering the development of the anticipated Dale. They basically slipped him a hundo and asked him to figure out if the Dale was a scam.

Immediately after the tour, on live air, the engineer said that things weren’t lining up with the Dale and Liz’s statements.

You would think that this would create public outrage and plummet sale orders for the Dale? Well it didn’t. The public kept putting down deposits and one reporter claimed that it increased them by 200%.

But Liz and 20th Century were about to find themselves in trouble. Legally, if you take a deposit on a product that doesn’t quite exist, you have to put that money into a specific account. Naturally, Liz was doing no such thing.

The media claiming the Dale was a scam caught the attention of the California State government which led to them to send the 20th Century Motor Car Corporation a cease and desist letter. Mandating that they do not take anymore pre-orders for the Dale.

Liz jumped quick on the offensive. Blaming the Big Three, the auto industry and their government cronies. She claimed saboteurs had infiltrated the 20th Century Motor Car Corporation, fires started,  stolen plans, busted locks, fake reports sent to the government.

All of this, while consumers continued to give over their deposits and Liz continued to take them. A direct violation of the state.

The local ABC news station, captured a deposit made on camera resulting in the 20th Century offices being closed down for the day. The tensions between the fraud carmaker and the news station were festering. One reporter of ABC was offered a cash bribe from Liz herself.

That led him to begin investigating her past, discovering that none of the Universities Liz claimed to have studied at even knew her name and had zero record of her attendance.

The walls of 20th century motor car corporation were beginning to crumble. Liz couldn’t pay her employees. BUT even though paychecks were bouncing, employees still believed in the Dale project.

Liz with her big personality and dreams had made them believers of this car that would change the landscape of the auto industry and they were still believers in the Dale.

A sliver of hope presented itself… Japanese investors. Japan’s automotive sector was booming and they were interested in this potentially ground breaking commuter car.

But the Japanese wanted proof that the car was even a thing.. Liz ordered her team to get a completely working prototype finished and they miraculously did.

They took the prototype to a parking lot to demonstrate it’s ability to the Japanese investors. And it worked! It started, it drove, and the investors were interested UNTIL, the driver in an attempt to dissuade any concerns about the tricycle’s stability, took a hard turn resulting in the Dale tipping on it’s side and scraping it’s body on the asphalt. The investors were not impressed and moved on.

Liz was furious! She is quoted to have called the test drive “an abortion on three wheels”

One of the engineers said this kind of stability flaw could have easily been worked out in testing however the company was out of time and without the Japanese investors, they were out of money.

BUT if you thought things could not get worse, right around the time of the failed test drive, a man was murdered in the offices of the 20th century motor car corporation. He was shot three times in the head!

20th Century employee, Jack Oliver, shot 20th Century salesman, William D. Miller three times in the head. They apparently had a past. The two had served time together in prison.

It is said that the guy that got capped had devised a plan to murder one of the securities and exchange commission investigators digging into 20th Century and Oliver tried to stop him, they argued, both drew guns, and then Oliver shot Miller in the head three times.

That could not have been good optics for the carmaker.

Even with fraud reports, government investigations, and a full blown mob style murder, consumers were still forking up deposits to get their hands on the Dale. The Price is Right show even gave away a Dale as a prize.

Soon Liz and nine other employees were indicted on charges of fraud as investigators believed the Dale would never be more than a proto-type.

With those charges, Liz and her family went on the run. The media caught wind of the story and it made national news, BUT not for the reason you would think. Not the false promised commuter car, the murder, or any of the other mayhem that was at 20th century.

You see the police got a warrant to search Liz’s home. They found wigs, padded bras, and what the police put in their report as a “device used by female impersonators to disguise their sex.”

It was at this point that the authorities and the press learned that Liz was in fact a transgender woman who had been wanted on numerous charges, from counterfeiting to theft. These were charges brought on while she was still a man, Jerry Dean Michael. She had been selling vacuum cleaners, taking deposits and never delivering the product. A similar scam to the Dale. While she was Jerry Dean Micheal she  had married 4x times and, if I counted correctly, had 10x children amongst those wives.

A few months after going on the run, she was caught in Florida and sent back to California. The state didn’t know whether to try her as a man or woman. It was a landmark case of the 1970s.

Liz declined a court appointed lawyer and represented herself. She was found guilty on 26 counts. It is estimated that consumers and investors were defrauded of approx. $1-3 Million.. She was sentenced to 2-20 years in men’s prison and to pay $30k in restitution.

BUT this isn’t the end of the story, in 1980 Liz would escape while out on bail and wouldn’t found till 1989. When a Unsolved Mysteries episode led to her capture.

She was found selling roadside flowers in Dale, Texas. She would be jailed and pass away from cancer in 2004.

The #Wild Start of De Tomaso | The Bad Blonde Car History

To start the De Tomaso history, we must first dive into Alejandro De Tomaso

Alejandro was a racecar driver and Argentinian businessman. He was born in Buenos Aires buy was of Italian heritage. The entrepreneur had raced in two F1 World Championship grand prix driving a Ferrari Tipo 500 and a Cooper t43.

The history of Alejandro is not without intrigue. De Tomaso was linked to an attempt to topple the Argentinian president…  Two years before he founded De Tomaso Automobili, Alejandro was implicated in an attempted overthrow of Juan Peron president of Argentina at the time. From that scandal Alejandro left the country and fled back to Italy where he would find love.

Conveniently De Tomaso found an American heiress Isabell Haskell while visiting the Maserati factory… Now naturally I was intrigued by Isabelle. She hailed from horse racing money BUT she was a ground breaking female race car driver in the 1950s having even completed the 12 hours of Sebring! She was at Alejandro’s side as they founded the company. It was said they had a very competitive and playful relationship. They remained married until Alejandro’s passing in 2003.

After finding such a lively heiress, the pair formed the De Tomaso Modena in 1959 which would later become the name we know it as, De Tomaso Automobili. They went to quick work building race cars and prototypes.

In 1963, De Tomaso would begin building their high-performance sports cars, the Vallelunga, Mangusta, Pantera, and Guara. Along with those sports cars, they would also produce the luxury Deauville and Longchamp. Of which those names were after purebread horses of Isabell’s family.

Let’s dive into each of the sports cars.. The Vallelunga, named after the racing circuit north of Rome was a mid-engine car produced just a mere three years with only 59 ever created. Powered by a 1.5 L straight 4 Ford Kent from the Cortina.

The successor to the Vallelunga was the better known Mangusta. Whose design was created by the king of straight line designs, the prolific Giorgetto Giugiaro at Ghia. His other work includes: Iso Grifo, BMW M1, Lotus Esprit s1, Maserati Bora, DeLorean..

They would produce 401 of the Mangusta during 1967-1971 with power options of the Ford 289 V8 or 302 V8. There was no way I was going to talk about the Mangusta and not tell that it means Mongoose in Italian. WHICH WHAT DO MONGOOSES EAT?! Mongoose’s can kill Cobras…

It is rumored that Alejandro named it so in retaliation to a spoiled deal between himself and Carroll Shelby.

How to follow up the Mangusta? With a panther of course, the De Tomaso Pantera (Mentioned Camaro press stunts?). Aggressive looks and powerful Ford V8 made this De Tomaso’s most popular model producing over 7k. Engine options included Ford 302 V8, 351 Cleveland, and 351 Windsor.

In 1971 Ford began importing the Pantera to be sold through its Lincoln and Mercury dealerships. Back in those days Italian cars were joked to rust to the ground before they got off the boat. And yes many of the first year models were known to rust easily and had not so well fitting body panels.

There were some quality control issues and Ford didn’t like that… So they got more involved in production. At one point Ford did own a large (like A LOT) amount of De Tomaso shares 84%. They ended up being in charge of most of the production process that encompassed three factories in northern Italy.. They bought up those shares in 1971 and sold them back in 1974.

We’ve covered the AMX3 by AMC… And it is rumored that Ford put the kibosh on that so that it didn’t compete with the Pantera.

Design of the Pantera’s handsome metal was by American Tom Tjaarda while at Carrozzeria Ghia.

The Pantera was a righteous bad ass so you would assume they must succeed it with something comparable…. They followed it up with the Guara..

To me just the Guara didn’t hit the mark. The Guara kind of resembles a smushed down Acura NSX, or a robocopped out Miata.

Just 52 of the Guara were produced from 1994-2004 and also last project by Alejandro De Tomaso who would pass away in his home in Italy in 2003.

If you see a De Tomaso car you will immediately notice it’s emblem/logo.. A T in the middle of up an Argentinian flag on it’s side. An obvious nod to his Argentinian roots with the flag, but what is the T? Well, the De Tomaso’s had a history of cattle ranching and the T was his ancestral brand.

Some familiar names have come under the De Tomaso leadership over the years, these include Coachbuilders Ghia and Vignale, Motorcycle builder Moto Guzzi, and also Maserati.

Fast forward to 2014, after De Tomaso changed hands a few times, it was acquired by IdealVentures out of Hong Kong. They went to quick work breathing new life and excitement into the brand with the “Project P” which would turn out the P72.

Based on the P70, a historic De Tomaso racecar of the 1970s along with modern elements, the P72 looks like it could take you into outerspace. True to it’s De Tomaso heritage, the P72 is powered by a Ford, the 5 liter supercharged Ford Coyote V8.

Just 72 of the P72 are to be created.. Naturally I wanted to know how much a P72 cost. On the De Tomaso Automobile website it states “The base price for the P72 is determined at $1,450,000 USD and we are currently accepting Registrations of Interest.”

Quick History of #Packard | The Bad Blonde Car History

Let’s start all the way back in 1899, when the Packard brothers, James and William, were talking crap about a Winton horseless carriage.

James thought the Winton motor car was none too impressive, didn’t like the constant repair issues, and sent recommendations to Winton Motor Car Company. The frank reply was for James Packard to “go build you his own car.”

Challenge accepted and the Packard brothers built their first car in Warren, Ohio on November 6th 1899. Soon they would build 400 Packards at their factory within four years. Which was considered serious production for the time.

This is a similar tale like when Ferrucio Lamborghini told Enzo Ferrari he was none to pleased with the frequent and LONG service visits he was having to make with his Ferrari sports car… Enzo told him to fly a kite and thus the birth of Lamborghini cars..

I do want to point out that the Packard Brother’s were coming from a manufacturing background, the pair founded the Packard Electric Company in 1890 producing incandescent carbon arc lamps.

This is an absolute random note, BUT their sister Alaska P. Davidson was the first female FBI agent.

Packard’s cars caught the attention of Henry Bourne Joy, a man born into one of the wealthiest and oldest families of Detroit, and the cars did so in a bit of a wild way.

Henry was on a work trip in New York City when he saw a pair of Packards chase down a horse-drawn fire wagon. Immediately captivated, he bought the only Packard available for sale in the city.

The gentleman was hooked by Packard automobile’s reliability and performance. He went to visit the Packard brothers in Warren, Ohio and talked them into taking on a group of investors. The Packard Motor Car Company was born!

While many US contemporary carmakers were priced from $500-$1500, the Packard’s prices started at $2,600. Clearly elevating themselves to the most affluent of buyers and competing with European imports like Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Mercedes Benz.

Soon though American luxury competition would roll in with McFarlan, Peerless, and Pierce Arrow. Packard would be considered one of the “Three P’s of American Luxury” along with Pierce-Arrow and Peerless.

Let’s talk about how Packard’s notably famous and long lasting motto came to be. Where did the slogan “ask the man who owns one,” originate? Rumor has it their sales skyrocketed so quickly that the Packard brothers didn’t have any time to print brochures and when a businessman from Pennsylvania called in asking for the latest literature, to which Packard replied “I am sorry we don’t have any.. Just ask the man who owns one.”

It is important to keep in mind that this time period, consumers were still getting used to the idea of a horseless carriage. There was skepticism and doubt for many concerning this new mode of transportation. What the early carmakers needed to do was to prove reliability over the horse and carriage.

Packard Motor Company set out to do just that, and they were the first car to drive across the country. The press and public were enthralled with this hazardous adventure and Packard became known for it’s performance and reliability.

Frankly, the thought of it sounds unattainable. Why? Keep in mind that most of the USA did not have roads at this time. We would not get the US interstate highway till 1956. Getting around outside of a major hub was a straight up testament.

Side note, later in his life Henry Joy would take part in the creation of the first transatlantic highway, the Lincoln Highway. He believed in the need of a reliable road across the USA and he invested heavily. It didn’t hurt that more roads would likely mean more cars to be sold..

Henry Joy said he “considered the Lincoln highway to be the greatest thing he ever did.”

And something to ponder, the average person before the car, did not travel more than a days ride in a carriage from their home or place of birth for maybe their entire life... The car truly changed the world and human’s ability to travel.

The introduction of the model L, Packard would also introduce it’s distinctive grill which would be the signature grill of Packards to follow.

Let’s talk about how, just about every early Packard, was named. With every model’s horsepower, so be it’s name. The model 24? 24 Horsepower and so on. The Packard 24 models were marketed at the ‘Mile a Minute Car’ as it could reach 60mph within a minute.

Packard would be the first car manufacturer to produce a thousand cars within a year. A remarkable achievement for the times.

Fun fact: Packard in it’s very early years was the first carmaker to use a steering wheel. They switched from tiller to wheel and made history.

Fast forward to the Packard Twin-Six, the first 12 cylinder engine for a production vehicle. Which essentially was two six cylinder motors set on one crankshaft. It revolutionized the automotive arena. Such an engine had never been built before.

Side note, The Twin-Six served as the basis for the Liberty aircraft engine in WWI.

In 1928, Packard built one of the first automotive proving grounds spending over 1 million on 340 acres after with all the best technology for the time.

The track had such a perfect bank that it was said you could take your hands off the wheel and drive into the curve at full throttle.

This track became known as the world’s fastest speedway. And it wasn’t just a track… they had every type of potential driving condition available to test their Packards.

Packard was at the height of the luxury automobile game, they had made $25 million profit and the future looked bright.

BUT we all know what would happen in October of 1929… The stock market crashed and demand for luxury automotives and goods took a downturn.

To capture wary buyers’ attention and to survive the great depression, Packard hit the gas with bigger motors and more eye catching custom bodies. Designed by such famous companies such as Deitrich and LeBaron. Considered some of the most beautiful Packards of all time.

While Packard’s pedal to the metal strategy with looks and price did work for time, it became clear that the great depression would endure longer than anticipated and thus they introduced the more affordable 120. An immediate hit. Setting an all a time sales record for Packard.

Fast forward to the Packard Clipper introduced in 1941, developed by automotive designer and playboy Dutch Darrin. One of the most prolific stylists and if you haven’t already guessed the gentlemen of who the Kaiser-Darrin sports car was partially named after.

One year later the US government would sanction all automobile production to stop in and support the WWII effort. Fun fact, they did sell a few leftover Clippers to the army which naturally became a favorite of the generals. In totally, 387 Clippers with identical door keys were put to use in the war effort.. You can imagine the identical door keys were an issue.

Packard’s reputation was worldwide, at one point Stalin asked President Roosevelt to give Russia the tooling for the older style Packard’s.  Even acclaimed Rolls-Royce reached out asking for Packard to produce a version of their Merlin aviation engine. Rolls-Royce couldn’t keep up with demand and need help with production. Packard did not disappoint and produced over 55k Merlin engines.

Finally by the end of the war carmakers could go back to manufacturing cars.. AND PEOPLE WANTED TO BUY NEW CARS! There had been no new cars available to buyers. Like many other carmakers of the time, they had to produce/sell whatever they had been making pre WWII, the Packard Clipper, while they worked on making a new car.

With their first new car introduced in 1948 they sold 98k and celebrated the second best year of sales ever at Packard.. Did it sell well? Yes. Was it anywhere near the styling that Packard had become renowned for? No. The new Packard was nicknamed the Bathtub..

In 1952 Packard would cause such a sensation with it’s Pan-American show car that the company had to rush to build something like it. Thus the birth of the Packard Caribbean in 1953.

With the Caribbean, Packard took back it’s reputation for style.

Now 1950s was a tough time for the smaller car makers.. You see, the Big Three, Ford, Chrysler and General Motors were in a price and production war. They were flooding the markets with their cars and under pricing every one of them.

Packard CEO James Nance thought the only way to compete against the big three was to combine the remaining independent car companies: Nash, Hudson, and Studebaker.

The main guy at Nash, George Mason, passed away before the deal was sealed… And his successor, George Romney (yes, Mitt’s dad) said screw Studebaker and Packard AND ONLY joined forces with Hudson to form the American Motor Corporation.

And so Packard and Studebaker joined forces and it didn’t go so swimmingly.. Packard was not aware of how dire Studebakers financials were.

Then in 1955 Packard’s quality issues resulting in numerous warranty repairs plunged the already troubled company 30 million into the red.

Sooo they are in trouble and grasping for straws as they introduce their car called Packardbakers.. Not a great name but a cool looking car. But it wasn’t enough to save them.

In 1959 Packard, one of the greatest luxury brands of American automobiles, a carmaker that forged style and design for decades, was done. Their end announced with a mere press release.

How Ford Failed The Edsel | The Bad Blonde Car History

How Ford Failed The Edsel | The Bad Blonde Car History A car considered one of the most notorious failures in automotive history, car whose styling has lost more battles than it won, a car that Ford gave up on within two years, the Edsel.

It is 1955 and ford has begun research and development for an all-new line code-named the “E Car”. Why? Because a gaggle of Ford executives got together and compared Ford’s lineup with that of General Motors. What did they find? They concluded that Lincoln was not actually in direct pricing competition with Cadillac, as they had hoped, but with Oldsmobile and Buick. Thus they hatched a plan to move Lincoln and Mercury upmarket, break Continental into a separate make, AND put the E Car in between the pricing of Ford and Mercury.. Ford would tell its investors, its consumers, the press, and anyone that would listen that the entire car’s details, styling, and specifications were a direct result of intense market analysis, research, and development. They were kind of cocky with the idea that all their research would automatically entail success. The E Car took a long and interesting route to become the Edsel. Who was Edsel? He was the son of Henry Ford Sr., the father of Henry Ford II, a talent and one of the most believed men at the Ford Motor Company. Sadly, he passed away in his prime due to stomach cancer. Edsel was actually the first name suggested for the all-new car BUT Henry Ford II did not want it to be named after his father. So the team went to the drawing board with a few parameters for naming. Everyone and their mothers at Ford sent in name suggestions. They were scoured over by the team, leaving four suggestions on the table: Corsair, Citation (who thought that was a good idea?), Pacer, and Ranger. All of this and Ford simply went back to its first name…. The Edsel. Ford created a top-rated television special called The Edsel Show which was studded with stars such as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Bob Hope, and more. The Edsel Show whose sole purpose was to promote a new car was nominated for an Emmy. While it is clear The Edsel Show was a hit, unfortunately, this support would not translate to the car. The Edsel did have some innovative features for it’s time, the engine tachometer, speed warning light speedometer (optional warning dial to let you know when you exceeded your set speed limit), and panel-mounted compass. Plus a push button system that shifted gears using an electro servo motor called the “Teletouch”. Not to mention the Edsel also sported seatbelts and childproof locks. With all the hype, the Edsel show, the exciting new features there was substantial interest on September 4th 1957 when the Edsel debuted, as Ford called it, E Day. But that interest did not convert into sales. The Ford execs were entirely baffled by the low sales. They had been telling the press that they positively knew there would be great demand for the car through their market research. Why did it fail? The Edsel did not live up to the hype that Ford created. Not in style, performance, or reliability. Let’s talk about those key issues. The grill was a statement in styling but evidently not in a desirable way. The Edsel grill was a clear point in which designers had the drive to be different but faltered the execution. Essentially, they looked at all the modern horizontal grills of the time and thought let’s do the opposite. Now concerning reliability, an intrinsic quality control issue was that the Edsel was run on the same production line as Fords and Mercurys, many workers would get mixed up in their assembly using the wrong parts, installing incorrectly or even forgetting to install a part entirely. Which meant dealers were getting haphazard cars. Also, consumers did not like the Teletouch, it was not ergonomically thoughtful, it was not ideal to have the Teletouch in a location where so many drivers were used to hitting to honk their horns. There was a real risk of accidentally changing gears. The Edsel being released in a recession didn’t help one bit. Every carmaker in the industry took a major sales hit. Essentially, 1958 was one of the worst years to debut a car since the great depression. In November of 1959, Ford announced to discontinue the Edsel. Ford and its bean counters had all the reasons why the Edsel should have been a success but why was it not? Could the Edsel have turned around and become if not a success at least not a failure if Ford had given it more time?

Why the #Fastest Production Car of 1962 Failed | The Bad Blonde Car History

Why the Fastest Production Car of 1962 Failed | The Bad Blonde Car History A car of which design suggests supersonic aviation, the fastest production car in its time that was just barely produced over a year, the halo car that was supposed to free Studebaker from financial turmoil. We are going to be talking about the Studebaker Avanti and it's failure. Follow if you like automotive history. VW Karmann Ghia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKwdZ7GMqSY Volvo P1800: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As3mDhNDSjw Thunderbird: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbOgDwM4hT4 Behind me is a supercharged Avanti R2. The birth of the Avanti all started with a gentleman named Sherwood Egbert who took the reigns at Studebaker in 1961. Let’s paint a little picture of the times. What was happening in the early 1960s? The Berlin wall was built, Marilyn Monroe serenaded JFK, the Bay of Pigs happened, the Soviets put the first person into space, Marvel’s Spider-Man would first appear in a comic book, the Vietnam war in full swing, counterculture was beginning to flourish, civil rights protests and more… It is famed that the basic theme of the Avanti was doodled by Egbert on the back of an envelope during a flight. I’d be curious to see his doodle. The goal of the Avanti was to compete against the other personal luxury coupes of the day, like the Ford Thunderbird, Volvo p1800, and the Karmann Ghia. AND ALSO to serve as a halo car for the faltering Studebaker company. You see, Studebaker’s sales were in a dire place and they needed a jumpstart. Designed by the man considered the father of industrial design, the prolific Loewy’s team included Tom Kellogg, Bob Andrews, and John Ebstein. The group endeavored on a “40 day crash program” resulting in the Avanti featuring a radical fiberglass body plopped on top of a modified Studebaker Lark and powered by a modified 289 Hawk engine plus a Paxton supercharger if you so optioned in. I am not kidding about a crash program. Within 8 days the men had finished a clay scale model. Of the design, Lowey wanted it to suggest supersonic aircraft… That kind of suggestion was not affordable in steel thus they outsourced fiberglass from the same company that built the fiberglass panels for the Corvette. Upon it’s introduction in 1962, it was called the “fastest production car in the world” after a modified Avanti reached over 170mph with its supercharged 289 cubic inch R3 engine at the Bonneville Salt Flats. That wouldn’t be Avanti’s only feat of speed, in total it would break 29 world speed records at the legendary Salt Flats. The Avanti was faster than the famed performance cars of the time Cobra, the Iso Grifo, the Miura… Studebaker’s halo car was marketed as ”America’s Most Advanced Automobile” and as “America’s only high-performance 4-passenger personal car.” The Avanti was also one of the first of the bottom breather designed cars, in which air enters from under the front of the vehicle rather than through a conventional grill. The innovations and the performance of the car did not entail success, a dour combination of production problems, supplier fit issues with fibre glass, lack of marketing and delays resulted in cancelled orders took Sherwood Egbert’s projected goal of 20k Avantis sold to just 1,200… It would be just a year and a few months after it’s debut the Avanti would cease production in December of 1963. It would be four years later that Studebaker one of the United State’s oldest carmakers would stop making cars. It is kind of mind blowing that a car that was at one time the fastest production car in the world was produced for just barely over a year and technically a sales failure. The Avanti name, plant, and tooling were sold to two Studebaker dealers (Altman and Newman) in Indiana. The pair would reintroduce the Avanti as a slightly modified and hand built version by using leftover chassis from Studebaker and engine supplied by General Motors. These handbuilt creations had no connection with the Studebaker brand. The Avanti would be sold about 5x times and change states and eventually countries until it’s ultimate demise in 2021 in Cancun Mexico.

My Head Is Full of Random #CAR Facts | The Bad Blonde Car History

My Head Is Full of Random #CAR Facts The Bad Blonde Car History Thanks for watching The Bad Blonde Car History youtube channel. This channel is all things car history and if that is you thing you've come to the right place. In this video, you get to see a MGA, AC Cobra MKIV, Studebaker Avanti, Lincoln Continental, Cadillac Seville, LaSalle, Dodge Brothers, and more! #ClassicCars #Cars #TheBadBlonde Cobra video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwXk_sMnop0&t=387s MGA video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0gs53Ts4iw&t=817s Apollo video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-AtZS2Ivqo&t=531s If you enjoy car and automotive history, then you should stay tuned! This channel is all about cars! Classic cars, sports cars, antique cars, from American muscle cars to vintage European sports cars. We have a good time diving into automotive history and hope you enjoy our videos. Be sure to subscribe to The Bad Blonde CARS YouTube channel for more car videos and coverage on the latest car events, shows, and auctions.. www.TheBadBlonde.com IG: The_Bad_Blonde_CARS IG: Classic_Car_Kalli FB: The Bad Blonde CARS Subscribe for more CARS episodes HERE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1Fc... Like daily car photos? Check out: https://www.instagram.com/the_bad_blo... RIPPING it on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/TheBadBlonde/ Click here to learn more: www.TheBadBlonde.com

#5 To Know: The Mini | The Bad Blonde Car History

5 To Know: The Mini | The Bad Blonde Car History Isetta History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMHM4t_8uR4 Messerschmitt History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT3rzxUGRic 1. It all started out of spite! Leonard Lord loathed the post-WWII German bubbles cars that were popping up – The Messerschmitt, the beloved Isetta. Lord said he wanted a vehicle that measured 10×4×4 feet and would fit four passengers comfortably. So not entirely out of spite but also the Suez Crisis had been causing a gas prices to touch the clouds in which highly influencing the buy public to question if they wanted a gas guzzling car 2. Sir Alec Issigonis created the glove compartment the perfect size to hold his favorite gin 3. Voted 2nd Most influential car of the 20th century Following the Ford Model T With over 3.5 million sold, the Mini would turn out to be Britain’s bestselling car ever. Aside from the VW beetle and VW bus… What are some other cars could be considered a part of a cultural moment? With the release of the Mini in 1959, it quickly became the culture of youth for the 60s. Low cost, compact size, and nimble package allowed the youth of the 60s spontaneity and independence. Not just for the youth, the Mini’s utilitarianism crossed barriers in social classes, whether a milkman, rock singer (John Lennon), or a Rally Racer. 4. Design / Transverse engine placement Sir Leonard challenged Sir Alec Issigonis with the task to create a small, fuel efficient car that can fit four people AND keep it at a price that anyone and their grandma would be able to purchase. With such a request, naturally the Mini would package within in it a handful of historic innovations. TWO of the most impacting innovations? Turning the engine sideways (transverse) and pushing the wheels to the far corners of the vehicle. These two factors allowed more passenger space and more stability. Its space-saving transverse engine and front-wheel drive layout – allowing 80% of the area of the Car’s floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage – influenced a generation of car makers. When designing the engine, Issigonis decided in order to save space he would affix the engine transversely and make the car front wheel drive, which immediately gave the car immense handling and more passenger space. Issigonis would also improve space by putting the transmission below the engine. Mini’s also used a unique space saving rubber cones for suspension. In total, Issoginis and his team put the Mini together within two years. This helps me segue into our next, all these innovations also were a recipe for great handling and nimble performance. 5. Race and Rally Success A great surprise for all at BMC was the Mini’s abilities and many victories at international rally races. With the Mini Cooper taking first place in the 1964, 1965, 1967, Monte Carlo Rally races, and technically 1966, however they would be disqualified due to a controversial headlight decision by judges. The legendary John Cooper, friend of Sir Alec and co-owner of the Cooper Car Company and builder of F1 race cars. He would soon become a major figure within the Mini racing team. Which makes me note that we should do a radio show on John Cooper, the Cooper Car Company, and their Mini Cooper successes. Something to note, Sir Alec has hesitant at the Min taking the role of performance car BUT after many appeals from John Cooper to BMC execs the deal was sealed. Sir Alec and Cooper worked in cooperation to create the Mini Cooper that debuted September 1961. Success follows success, and the Mini Cooper “S” would be released shortly after in 1963.

Saturn's Only Sports Car | The Bad Blonde Car History #DRIVE

Let's go for a drive! Saturn was created in 1985 as an attempt by GM to compete with Japanese imports of the time and was eventually dissolved in 2010. The Saturn Sky's looks are heavily influenced by the Vauxhall XV Lightning concept. A concept that GM VP Bob Lutz said of its design "Keep it simple, pure, and beautiful.' The Saturn Sk was designed by Franz von Holzhausen who's been with Mazda, Volkswagen, GM, and Tesla (since 2008). It uses the Kappa automobile platform shared with the Pontiac Solstice. The Wilmington Assembly plant closed in July 2009, ending production as both the Pontiac and Saturn nameplates were retired. #saturn #sky #sportscars

Why Did Hudson Disappear? | The Bad Blonde Car History

How Did Hudson Disappear? | The Bad Blonde Car History Hudson Motor Car Company was one of the leading American Automotive manufacturers in it’s day, dominating the NASCAR series of the 50s, but where did it go and why is it no longer around? Let’s start at the beginning with the birth of the Hudson Motor Car Company. In 1909 eight leading Detroit businessmen decided they wanted to build an automobile company. The Hudson Motor Car Company was quick into action, it was founded in February and their first car the Hudson 20 rolled off production in July. They were ahead of the game, the Hudson 20 was one of the first low-priced cars on the American market. Just a reminder, in the early days of the automobile market only the wealthy could afford these horseless carriages. Making the automobile affordable to the masses was a big key to success… To note, Henry Ford would also triumph in selling affordable vehicles. The Hudson 20 was a hit, selling just over 4,500 it was the best first-year’s production in history of the automobile in that time, making Hudson the 17th automaker world-wide. With such success, they needed a bigger factory and the Hudson Motor Car Company grew. In 1919, Hudson created the Essex brand with a focus on budget-minded consumers, this brand competed directly with the titans Ford and Chevrolet. In it’s early glory, Hudson achieved many first innovations including dual brakes, dashboard oil-pressure and generator warning lights, and the first balanced crankshaft… It was that balanced crankshaft that allows the Hudson Super Six engine (straight six) to work at a higher rotational speed while staying smooth.. This created more power for it’s size than lower-speed engines. The Super Six was a straight six engine, it was the first engine built by Hudson. Prior they had designed the engine but had it produced by Continental Motors Company. Most all Hudsons would be powered by a straight 6 until 1957. This would also be to their detriment. At it’s peak and before the Great Depression, Hudson would produce 300,000 cars. Those numbers making Hudson the third largest US car maker following Ford Motor and Chevrolet. Hudson was one of the first to include women into design, in 1939 they hired Elizabeth Ann Thatcher. She is considered one of the first American female designers, she contributed to the 1941 Hudson bringing exterior trim with side lighting and interior instrument panel.. She would leave after marrying Joe Oros who would become head of design on the Mustang team. And now we hit WWII which stopped everything in it’s tracks. The US government prohibited auto production from 1942-1945. Hudson ceased automobile production and contributed to the wartime effort. During the war they produced aircraft parts, auto parts, anti-aircraft guns, and naval engines of which included the Hudson “Invader” engine that powered many of the landing craft that carried soldiers on D-day. Post WWII, Hudson was in full production mode producing the newest, biggest and best handling cars of the day. It is said because of that leak to Wall Street and the jump in stock prices, the Fisher Brothers tender offer did match the sudden increase in Hudson market value. The deal did not happen. Naturally we should talk about the Hudson Hornet! Produced from 1951-1954, featuring the functional “step-down” design which essentially was a dropped floor plan allowing a lower center of gravity than contemporary vehicles. This lower look was heightened by a streamlined design often referred to as pontoon styling. From 1951-1953, all Hornets were powered by the High-compression straight six… And with the option of the Twin-H-Power (dual carb) In 1951, the Hudson was the fastest American production car When no other car maker was involved in stock car racing, Hudson saw an opportunity and was the first. The Hornet absolutely dominated stock car racing in the early 1950s. Naturally it’s time to talk about the Fabulous Hudson Hornets… A famously successful NASCAR campaign of Hudson Hornet’s driven by several drivers, a few to name Herb Thomas, Marshall Teague, and Tim Flock. Hudson knew old adage “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday,” and with that they directly backed their teams with everything they needed to increase speed. Marshall Teague who first termed the Fabulous Hudson Hornet moniker won 27 of the 34 major stock car races. In 1953, Herb Thomas dominated the NASCAR season in his Fabulous Hudson Hornet, taking 15 wins and the championship. Even with such racing successes, the market was too tough of competition for the small automaker. Consumers were buying other cars because of the engine. Why not get a V8 when for the same amount of money instead of an inline 6. They would eventually introduce one but too late of a reaction to the market. In 1954, Hudson joined with Nash-Kelvinator creating American Motors Corporation and the Hudson name would be retired in 1957 to the Rambler.

The Man Behind Honda | Bad Blonde Car History

The Man Behind Honda | Bad Blonde Car History The story of how Soichiro Honda would found one of the largest car makers in the world. At just 15, Soichiro Honda would drop out of school and leave his family traveling to Tokyo to work at one of the busiest mechanic shops in the city. His dedication and talent caught the owner’s attention who decided to take Soichiro under his wing. The owner wanted to open another shop and he thought Soichiro would be the perfect fit to run the new branch. Though the first year would be a struggle for the new shop, Honda’s youth was a detriment. Many customers didn’t trust taking their cars to someone so young but that wouldn’t last long. Over the course of a few years, he would grow from a one-man operation to employing over 30 mechanics. While growing a successful business, Soichiro did not forget his love of racing and would prove himself a talented driver. Inside his shop, he built the record-breaking, Hamamatsu race car that he drove to 120mpk breaking a Japanese speed record that had stood for 20 years. Soichiro was ambitious and wanted more, he wanted to begin manufacturing car parts. He branched out creating his own company to manufacture piston rings. Founding the Tokai Seiki Heavy Industry. He was still working at the mechanic shop but also working hard on his new venture at night. It was not going so well and Soichiro knew it too. He decided to enroll in the Hamamatsu Industrial Institute to improve his knowledge of metallurgy. In 1939 he would successfully create a working piston. With that success, he left the mechanic shop entirely to pursue his dream. BUT things weren’t perfect, his work and products were still flawed. Toyota would reach out to purchase pistons from Honda only to find that three out of the 50 sent passed their quality tests. He wasn’t thwarted, he dove deeper into research to better improve his knowledge of manufacturing. Soon he would perfect his product. With a quality product, Honda would soon see orders flowing in and grew the company to employ 2,000 people. In 1947, Soichiro completed the type-A engine and it would also be the first time we see the HONDA name on a machine. This was the beginning of the Honda Motor Company. The Super Cub was an immediate success and won the Emperor’s Prize, a national decoration. In 1958 the stats would get their hands on the Super Cub for $295.. A ¼ of the price of American motorcycles of the time. Soon in the 1960s, HONDA would become the biggest motorcycle company in the world. Producing 10 million motorcycles by 1968. It would be in 1963 that Honda would begin its long and well-known US campaign You Meet the Nicest People On A Honda.. The idea had actually been purchased by an advertisement company from a kid at UCLA who had created it for an assignment. The campaign was the first domino to mark the drop of dominance in domestic and British motorcycles brands and the rise in popularity of Japanese brands. It would not be long after that Soichiro would pursue his childhood dream and announce Honda would start producing automobiles. HONDA would put out the T360 Mini Truck and then their first sports car the S500, neither of which hitting it big in sales. During this time though, HONDA would be making their name in F1 taking first at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. But Soichiro, new they needed to focusing on a sales hit instead of winning trophies, and HONDA would take a break from racing to create one of the most successful vehicles ever. The Honda Civic. Debuting in 1972, the Honda Civic within the next few years it became one of the most popular cars in the world. Part of this success due to the 1970s oil crisis and Soichiro’s creation of the compound vortex controlled combustion. Soon the Honda Accord would release and become one of the best-selling sedans in automotive history. With the success of the Civiv and Accord, Honda would soon become the 3rd largest producer of cars in Japan and quickly following that in the 90s, the 3rd biggest car company in the world. Soichiro was a badass even in his golden years, he was a pilot, loved skiing, golfing and ballooning all while being an accomplished artist. He would pass away on August 5th 1991, days later Ayrton Senna would dedicate his victory at the Hungarian GP to Honda.

The Man Who Saved Chrysler - Lee Iacocca | The Bad Blonde Car History

The Man Who Saved Chrysler - Lee Iacocca | The Bad Blonde Car History The man who saved Chrysler, who saw the future of Jeep, the guy who knew the mini-van would be a sensation… The man, the myth, the legend, Lee Iaccoca. Iacocca is an icon in the modern automotive arena. The car world would look vastly different if he hadn’t landed Chrysler a loan, or talked ol’ Henry Ford II into producing the Mustang, and or also being the lone executive to see the potential in the Jeep brand, or even getting the mini-van into production. Let’s start from the beginning, born to Italian immigrant parents who came to the States pursuing the American Dream. Lee was born Lido Anthony Iacocca in the steel plant region of Lehigh Valley. Iacocca would have another formative job experience during this time period working U-Drive-It, one of the first car rental company in the US. Most of their inventory was Ford and that is were is love of Ford began. From Princeton, Lee had already verbally secured a position for himself at Ford’s engineering program, he didn’t want to head to Dearborn before he graduated, BUT he didn’t get that offer in writing. By the time he graduated the Ford Exec was drafted in the military (they didn’t have email chains as evidence back then).. And Ford had filled all 50 positions. That was not to stop Lee, he convinced Ford to let him in and they agreed he could be the 51st candidate IF he could make it to Dearborn for orientation which he barely was able to do so. From there he would begin his career at the Ford Motor Company in 1946 as an engineer but it would be clear his talents went far beyond engineering and he knew it. It wasn’t long till Lee asked to be moved from engineering to the sales and marketing department. Lee’s big dream was to be president of Ford. Within ten years Lee would mastermind the “56 for 56” campaign marketing campaign that would gain him national recognition. Essentially, offering loans on 1956 model year cars with a 20% down payment and $56 in monthly payments for three years. It was soo successful that Ford made it a national campaign. It was that campaign that caught Dearborn headquarter’s attention and soon Lee would be moving up the ranks at Ford headquarters. Getting him closer and closer to his goal of becoming president of Ford Four very quick years later, in 1960 Iaccoca would be named Vice-President and General Manager of the Ford Division. Under his leadership we would see come to fruition the Ford Mustang, the Continental Mark III, and the Ford Escort. The Ford Mustang was a major success. Iacocca planned the timing of the hip-styled and low-cost Mustang with the coming of driving age of baby boomers. Within two years of it’s launch, the Mustang would hit one million cars sold. It is the fifth-best-selling Ford nameplate. Soon Iacocca’s time at Ford would come to an end and bright beginning at Chrysler would form. You see, Chrysler, even though in financial peril, had been pursuing Lee and they would get him. Just a year into his leadership at Chrysler, Lee realized that without a jolt of cash into the company they would go bankrupt and with that he approached the United States Congress for a loan guarantee. With the loan, Chrysler was required to reduce costs and abandon a few lingering projects.. Fresh cash in their pockets, Chrysler would being releasing the first cars in the K-Car series.. Many of you have heard of K-car series? Yes, because it and Lee saved Chrysler. Iacocca believed that part of Chrysler’s failing was due to the vast number of parts in inventory and the difficulty of building so man different vehicle versions. With his departure from Ford, Lee brought another little project with him.. the “mini-max”.. An idea and project that Henry Ford II disliked wholeheartedly The mini-van would go on to lead the automobile industry in sales for 25 years. Because of the K-car and mini-vans serious success, Chrysler would pay the government backed loans seven years before expected. In 1987, Iacocca would lead the acquisition of AMC of which Iacocca was primarily chasing the nearly finished Jeep Grand Cherokee. Though the Cherokee would not be released until 1992 the same year of Lee Iacocca’s retirement. Iacocca had a lot of plates spinning, aside from pulling Chrysler through near bankruptcy, he also served on the board of MGM grand, founded an E-bike company, and created the Olivio Premuim Products company that has it’s olive oil in your grocery store today. He was also a philanthropist, as already mentioned heavily into helping type 1 diabetes research, of which he donated all profits from his olive oil company to. He headed the raising of funds for the statue of liberty. Now imagine this… Lee Iacocca almost ran for present in 1988. In his book “where have all the leaders gone?” Lee Iacocca said he thought hard about it but was talked out of running by Tip O’neil.. According to polls of the day, he had a realistic chance of taking the win.

Why Jim Hall is Racing's Total BAD@$$ | The Bad Blonde Car History

Why Jim Hall is Racing's Total BAD@$$ | The Bad Blonde Car History I jump around a little bit in the timeline, but you'll leave this video knowing Jim Hall changed motorsports forever. A man so well known for his success and ingenuity as a conductor that many forget he was one of the legendary American racecar drivers of his generation, winning consecutive United States Road Racing Championships (1964, 1965), two Road America 500s (1962, 1964), two Watkins Glen Grands Prix for sports cars (1964, 1965), the 1965 Canadian Grand Prix for sports cars, the 1965 Pacific Northwest Grand Prix, and scoring a massive upset at the 1965 12 Hours of Sebring over a contingent of factory-backed Ford GTs, Shelby Daytona Coupes and Ferrari entries. You might be wondering how all of those wins could be overshadowed? Hall made pivotal contributions to race car design through his series of Chaparral cars. They won in every series they competed in. Let’s start at the beginning, Jim Hall was born in Abilene, Texas, he would go on to study engineering in California at the Institute of Technology. During that time he began racing in local car events. Post schooling, he was promised a job at GM.. to work on America’s first sports car, THE CORVETTE! Super interesting to think about that.. After the 50s recession interfered with him GM prospects he went on to work at Carroll Shelby Sports Cars in Dallas. This was a crucial time period in his progression as a race car driver. Though quickly fans would realize the talent that Hall possessed, and soon he garnered international attention at the 1960 USGP at Riverside when driving his own and older Lotus-Climax he ran at fifth for most of the race until mechanical issues took him out near the end of the race. And also after this win, Hall was approached by two ambitious builders Troutman and Barnes who were looking for some funding for a new front-mid-engined, two-seat road racer… Hall decided to join up and that was the birth of the first Chaparral vehicle, the Chaparral 1. The Chaparral 1 was a major success, winning the Road America 500 among other races.. As soon as he felt that success he was already prepping for the next vehicle. This point on that hall began his enduring influence on racing.. Many consider him the most influential race car designer of the 20th century. Hall was the pioneer of movable aerodynamic devices, side-mounted radiators, composite monocoque chassis structures, and wings. All of these innovations are STILL things you see in present-day F1 cars. He was one of the first to recognize and demonstrate the performance benefits of torsional rigidity. The chassis of his Chaparral 2 — it later became known as 2A to distinguish it from other Chaparrals — was by design about four times stiffer than those of the leading sports cars of the day Hall also introduced the world's first constant downforce racecar, the 1970 Chaparral 2J, which used a snowmobile engine to power two fans to reduce the air pressure between the bottom of the car and the road regardless of vehicle speed. The 2J was also the first car equipped with vacuum-protecting “skirts,” another innovation later adopted by Formula 1 In 1979, Hall also became the first to bring ground-effects tunnels to IndyCar racing with his groundbreaking Chaparral 2K. Today, because of Hall, downforce is part of the design brief for every major form of racing car — Formula 1, IndyCar, Le Mans, NHRA, NASCAR, World Rally Championship cars and more — and most high-performance road cars. Let’s talk about his shop in Midland.. The Chaparral 2E is considered the most influential of Hall’s designs. Prepared for the Canadian American Challenge Cup aka Can-Am, the 2e featured side-mounted radiators, semi-automatic gear box, and many other innovations.. Now what most spectators and undoubtedly his competitors noticed most? The massive wing attached to it! remember these were semi-automatic which meant there was room for an extra pedal.. The driver’s left foot was available to activate the pedal. The 2E was the fastest car of the Can-Am season, however with any new vehicle, always a few kinks to work out, and the 2E early races suffered a few reliability issues BUT Hill and Hall went on to finish 1-2 at the Laguna Seca round where the cars performed flawlessly. In 1968, and this was after Hall had been involved in a serious race accident that would take 6 months before he could walk again, he would introduce his final Can-Am racer, the legendary suction ground effect Chapparral 2J. The car was so much faster than ANY other car in the series that every team lobbied against it and the FIA decided to ban it. EVEN though the SCCA had declared it legal! Like this thing was a beast! If you are b your computer or phone, please google the chaparral 2J you need to see it. This action by the FIA disgusted Hall so tremendously that left the series and quit racing as a whole.

Why The VW Bus Was Born | The Bad Blonde Car History

Why The VW Bus Was Born | The Bad Blonde Car History Naturally our story of the Volkswagen Bus starts back in time in Post WWII Germany… Volkswagen had been busy making the VW bug.. If you remember the VW bug almost wasn’t a thing. The allied forces had tried to auction off the design jigs/dyes etc but no one wanted it, so they gave it back to Germany. So VW is enjoying VW bug success and their first dealer outside of Germany, was a gentlemen named Ben Pon. In 1946 Pon went to check out the VW factory located in Wolfsburg.. Fun fact, it was renamed in 1938 Stadt des KdF-Wagens bei Fallersleben, in English "City of the Strength Through Joy car”… In 1945, after the end of WWII the city name returned to Wolfsburg. While he was there Pon saw a plattenwagen. What is a platenwagen? It was a flatbed parts hauler based on the Beetle chassis. What he saw was opportunity. And with that he drew a very rudimentary design for a very simple van. I mean rudimentary… Something to keep in mind, at the time there was not many large passenger vehicles.. Pon presented the idea to Volkswagen and they were game! However, it was not quite the right timing. The Beetle was in high demand and they were too busy producing that to begin another project. However, two years down the road they would create the first VW van prototype. Let’s talk about some of the type VW bus’ most well known features, the the split window and the v-shaped roofline. How did these come about? Why were theses planned for and added? Aerodynamics. Aerodynamics helped but by nature of the beast, the van was slow… originally powered by an air cooled 1.1 liter flat four capable of 25 horsepower giving it a top speed of 55 mph. The first production VW bus rumbled off the assembly line in 1949.. And it was called the Kombi Kombi is derived by the german word Kombinationskraftwagen… Now naturally it occurred to check the Land Down Under lyrics to see if it was Kombi or Convi… “Traveling in a fried-out Kombi, On a hippie trail, head full of zombie” Now what does Kombi or Kombinationskraftwagen mean? Combination vehicle.. It can be a passenger vehicle, it can be a cargo vehicle. Like we already mentioned, there had not really been any successful large passenger vehicles.. So VW was trying to figure out the best to market this combination transport vehicle.. And what did they go with? They called it a most cost effective station wagon. The Volkswagen station wagon.. Soon they would release the panel van, and a year after the first Kombi rolled off the line they would release the Microbus, and soon a 23 window deluxe micro bus in 1951. And soon in 1952, a flatbed with either single or crew cab. Soon VW reached out to Westfalia to partner with making camper conversion kits.. and this partnership lasted from the 50s to 2003.. This was the birth of the Westies.. And all the van-lifers have this partnership to thank for making it a thing. Westfalia never skipped a generation of VW bus. In 1967, after 18 year production run, the original T1 bus was retired and handed the baton on the to second generation, the T2 or aka Microbus aka bay window.. There would be six generations of the VW bus in total, but the sates kind of got the enjoyment of the VW bus taken away from us in 1971. Ever heard of the chicken tax? Doesn’t include chickens anywhere in the tax! It was a tax on brandy, potato starch, dextrin, and get this small European trucks. What does all this mean? Well, apparently the US had chickens exporting to Europe so cheap that Europe put a major tax on them to which LBJ turned around and slapped a revenge tax back at them. The chicken tax is STILL around. So with the law, small trucks (or buses) price tags jumped by 25% immediately. With that, VW lost nearly a third of it’s sales equaling 6 million dollars in sales… BUT get this, and it’s is no surprise, it is said that LBJ made a deal with the head of the auto union workers to insure his reelection by promising to put a tariff on VW imports. The tariff didn’t kill it, but it certainly made it harder to get for it’s main market segment. In 1973, we would see the introduction of the T3. A small leap from it’s original design aesthetic, a bit more angular. This was also the first generation VW bus to see power steering and air conditioning. Ten years later, in 1983, they moved on from air cooled engines to wasserboxers. 1990 debuted the T4, the first front engine boss after forty years of rear engine configuration. It was definitely more conventional and very mini-vanny. 2013 the Vw Brazilian factory ceased production of the Kombi..

Demise of The Damsels of Design | The Bad Blonde Car History

The Demise of The Damsels of Design | The Bad Blonde Car History In 1955 Harley went forth and gathered 10 women to create the Damsels of Design. His goal with this endeavor was to give GM “the feminine touch.” Now, the name Damsels of Design was not a moniker the ladies chose.. In fact, they couldn’t stand it. The designers did not like the extra attention and didn’t think it set them up to be treated fairly as designers. BUT the General Motors PR department saw it as a dream opportunity to gather press and garner support from women consumers. Of the 10 women selected, four were assigned as industrial designers for GM-owned Frigidaire. They were put to task creating the Kitchen of Tomorrow. Feels very jetson-esque. The other six designers were chosen specifically for the GM interior-design department. Those ten women would go-down as the first prominent all-women design team in American history. Though the GM PR team marketed them as decorators, these ladies were designing car interiors from the ground up. They weren’t just picking fabrics and selecting colors. To showcase the Damsels of Design’s work, GM planned the 1958 ‘Femine Autoshow’ a grand display within the GM styling dome. Within this display they had floor to ceiling net columns that housed over 90 rented canaries. A few innovations featured at the Feminine Autoshow: child friendly backseat featuring a magnetic board game and child proof latches, early car phone and built in memo pad, matching luggage, glove box Dictaphone, and hidden umbrella compartment. They proved to be highly innovative, with the Corvette they introduced the first retactable seat belt, glove compartments and light up mirrors. All of which would continue to be features of GM cars for years to follow. Harley Earl would retire in 1958 the same year as the Femine Autoshow. His successor famously once said “no women are going to stand next to my male senior designers. With the change in leadership lead to the end of the damsels, though Suzanne Vanderbilt did tenaciously stay on and worked up the GM ladder for the next 20 years. The Damsels of Design were not designing for women, they were designing for the consumer. There focuses were not solely feminine but for comfort and convenience of the everyday consumer, male or female.

How the Karmann Ghia was Born | The Bad Blonde Car History

How the Karmann Ghia was Born | The Bad Blonde Car History History of the beloved Volkswagen Karmann Ghia – A delightful combination of Italian design with German engineering produced 1955-1974 So we have three names going on here, Volkswagen Karmann ghia.. Volkswagen which many of you are familiar, Karmann who was/is an auto manufacturer (and contract auto manufacturer, side note: AMX3, Volvo p1800) in Germany, and Ghia who is a coach builder in famed Turin. Let’s talk about the genesis of the Karmann ghia, It all started with the head of Ghia, Luigi Segre singularly directed and incubated the project through conception and prototyping, delivering a feasible project that Willhelm Karmann both wanted to and could practically build — the project Willhelm Karmann would in turn present to Volkswagen. Now were exactly did Ghia get this inspiration? They stole it. Heavily borrowed it? Swiped it? You could also say heavily inspired by the Chrysler d’Elegance. You see Ghia had been employed to create the Chrysler concept from a sketch done by Virgil Exner. You can see they look damn near identical.. Exner Jr. is further quoted as saying that the Karmann Ghia “was a direct, intentional swipe off the Chrysler d’Elegance. Givanni Savonuzzi was the engineer and designer who downsized the d’Elegance and made the Karmann Ghia out of it. Nobody minded it. It was wonderful.” It is said that when Exner in 1955 eventually saw the Karmann Ghia, which cribbed heavily from his Chrysler d'Elegance, "he was pleased with the outcome and glad that one of his designs had made it into large-scale production.” That Exner considered the Karmann Ghia the ultimate form of flattery. Volkswagen decided times are good, let branch away from our utilitarian beetle and they decided to create a 'halo model” it its production. What is a Halo Model? In automobile marketing a halo model or vehicle is “one designed and marketed to showcase the talents and resources of the manufacturers and to promote sales of other vehicles within a marque.” This 2+2 sports car is comprised of many of the mechanicals of the Volkswagen type 1 beetle but with bold styling leap from Carrozzeria Ghia and handmade craftwork by Karmann… Hence the Karmann Ghia. Now the body was not done like the prior VWs or like most cars of the day, the Karmann Ghia's body panels were butt-welded, hand-shaped, and smoothed with English pewter in a time-consuming process commensurate with higher-end manufacturers, resulting in the Karmann Ghia's higher price. Which also meant it was/is very difficult to repair after a collision or incident. The Karmann Ghia’s engine displacement grew concurrently with the Type 1 (Beetle).. Now this car was not intended on being a real sports car… it was more about comfort and styling. It had a flat four And the car was a hit, Production doubled soon after the Karmann Ghia's introduction, making it the car most imported into the U.S. The Karmann Ghia would be produced basically unchanged for 19 years nearly hitting 500k units produced. They would also produce the typ34, known as the European Ghia which and along with the Karmann Ghia TC aka touring coupe in 1961,

Henry Ford Built WHAT?! | The Bad Blonde Car History

One of the oddest tales of automotive history, the story of Fordlandia. Henry Ford’s attempt at putting a Utopian city in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. In the 1920s Henry Ford embarked on the mission of building his ideal city, and while creating this vision of eutopia he also intended on it being his rubber source so that Ford could produce their own tires. You see at the time every component of the Ford Model T was made from a Ford-operated business except for one.. Ford Motor Company was largely dependent on Sri Lankan rubber owned by the British. The Sri Lankan rubber was driving up the cost on his Model A and he saw a solution in the Amazon Rainforest. Keep in mind, the Ford name was considered the god of innovation across the world. With the Model T and the assembly line changing the automotive arena and folks daily lives forever. He was praised in the Brazilian press for this endeavor, though that would not last long. Fordlandia was not the first try at a Ford Eutopia, an attempt to build a massive manufacturing centric city in Northern Alabama never took flight. Why was Ford attracted to build in the Amazon? It was the birth place of the rubber tree, cheap labor, and attractive geographically because of the Amazon river’s navigable waters. Ford sent a couple of men to the Amazon to make a deal, he ended up with 5,625 sq mile tract of land on the Tapajós river, a tributary of the Amazon, for a total of $125,000 and the right to run his utopian city as a separate state. Though apparently he could have gotten that land essentially free? So I guess he sent down the wrong negotiators. The site was decided to be on top of a rise, the thought behind that was to protect Fordlandia from flooding. But the site was not without trials, the chosen location was so far inland that the cargo vessesls hauling construction materials and food could not pass the rocky waters of Tapajos until rainy season. During the wait, the construction crew already on site soon revolted due to food shortage. This is just the first revolt of Fordlandia. In 1929, materials finally arrive and construction begins under the command of Einar Oxholm, though he wouldn’t last long and the project would see quite a few managers come and go. Apart from the city grid, they would also construct separate neighborhoods for the American staff. Named Vila Americana, it had running water and the best views from the rise. The city would feature hospitals, schools, generators, and a sawmill along with the landmark Fordlandia water tower. While preparing for the city and rubber tree fields, massive deforestation took place along with what is considered the largest man made forest fire in the region ever. Plus local labor to clear land was hard to come by and hard to keep. Many deaths due to malaria, snakes, spiders, and even vampire bat bites(rabies) took it’s toll on Ford labor force. Not only were the laborers frequently in peril, they also weren’t “allowed” to drink. Ford made many failed attempts to enforce an alcohol-free society BUT it was a fools errand. Finally in 1930, it appeared the city was simmering down but that didn’t last long. A violent revolt would break out over a cafeteria dispute. Where the issue arose from was that skilled workers and manual laborers were separated and evidently the quality of cafeteria service differed between the two. The Brazilian workers were not happy with the quality of food, the fact the meals were taken out of their salaries, AND that the had to stand in line to receive meals and not received plated service (which apparently the American staff did?) The riot resulted in workers vandalizing the city, destroying machinery, and even their own homes. Fordlandia’s managerial staff had to flee by ship to safety and the violence was only quelled when Pan Am air magnate, Juan Tripp, flew Brazilian military in on one of his planes. Many would think at this point Ford would give up, not that guy. Ford known for stubborn persistence, which hey, is how he came to his success finally found reasonable success with manager Archibald Johnston. Though the city was running well, the rubber manufacturing effort was not. Cultivating rubber trees was difficult to standardize and impossible to protect from Amazonian parasites which Ford realized when planting them too close together subjected the trees to blight and parasites. When one tree or trees were being massacred by parasites, they would easily hop to the next. Fordlandia survived for nearly a decade with no return on investment. As Henry Ford’s health declined the management of the company went to his grandson Henry Ford II. The Deuce would quickly pull the plug and sell the land back to the Brazilian government at a meager price. Fordlandia was left as it was in the amazon to slowly fade or disappear from the elements, vandals, or looters. Though there are still a few Brazilian residents that took home in the Vila America and or using the sawmill.