Who Killed The Chevrolet Corvair? | The Bad Blonde CARS

We are going to be talking about one of the most radical cars that has ever left General Motor’s production line! A car of international styling, that which Ralph Nader had a personal vendetta against… Chevy Corvair 1960-1969 which enjoyed Two generations and would have likely continued on if it weren’t for the Mustang and Ol’ Ralph Nader It remains the only American-designed, mass-produced passenger car with a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine. The Covair was groundbreaking in that respect. (1960-1964) First generation body styles: he Corvair was manufactured and marketed in 4-door sedan, 2-door coupe, convertible, 4-door station wagon, passenger van, commercial van, and pickup truck body styles in its first generation (1965 – 1969) Second generation body styles: 2-door coupe, convertible or 4-door A total of 1.8 million units produced form 1960-1969 Now, where did the name Corvair come from? It is a combination, aportmanteau of Corvette and Bel Air… Now that name was initially first used on a Corvette based concept in 1954.. Fun fact Bel Air, Corvair? What’s the air signify? It is in reference to the engine’s cooling system. Let’s talk about Ed Cole… The man behind the Chevy small block V8, an engine design that remained in production for decades. The man that worked with Zora Arkus-Duntov to take the meak early corvette into a mighty production success. Any of the design and engineering advancements that Chevy made in 1955-1962, Ed Cole was behind.. and Basically, we could devote a whole show to Ed Cole but that can be another day.. 1956 Ed was promoted to general manager of Chevy.. They lead in GM sales year after year.. However Ed noticed that they were missing out on a crucial market segment… the compact car! Side note, the AMC Rambler paved the way for the compact car market segment So Ed directed the development of the Corvair to chase the compact car market.. And at this time you had Volkswagen, Renault, and Fiat showing that demand in the US existed for smaller cars With a market to target Chevy designed a groundbreaking vehicle, a car unlike traditional American cars… That is always a bold move! With unconventional styling and air-cooled rear mounted six-cylinder engine?! The design was pretty European for the time and for Chevy to make.. Pretty timeless if you ask me. -Designed by Bill Mitchell, now that guy had quite a career! The tri-five Bel Air, the 63 Split window Corvette Time magazine put Ed Cole and the Corvair on the cover, and Motor Trend named the Corvair as the 1960 "Car of the Year" Things that killed the Corvair.. The Mustang and Ralph Nader’s “Unsafe at Any Speed” The book highlighted crashes related to the Corvair's suspension.

How the Corvette Changed The Future of Chevrolet | Bad Blonde Cars

The first American sports car! The Corvette concept debuted at the 1953 NY auto show aka motorama and caused enough of a stir that Ed Cole knew Chevy had to build it. And like that the concept became a production car.. And the corvette was born! Quick dip into Ed Cole: Now, Ed Cole is considered the Father of the Chevy Small block v8, he helped Zora Arkov-Duntov turn the meek first gen Corvette into what we know it today, and he lead development of the Corvair The Corvette hit dealerships in 1953 and it was the first true American sports car… However it didn’t do so well. They nailed on design BUT performance was lacking with the inline 6 and the handling was reported to be lackluster. Frankly the first two years were a bust.. THEN they decided in 1955 to toss the inline 6 and put in the chevy v8.. Which boosted the horsepower to 195.. 1956 they also jumped into racing. It was during this time that Zora Arkov-Duntov enters the fold as a young engineer at GM.. Zora escaped the Russian Revolution, was at one point a gold smuggler, flew fighter planes for the French air force, raced for Allard and Porsche at the 24hrs of Le Mans before making his was into GM… You see Zora had seen the Corvette at the 1953 motorama and was enamored with it’s potential. He hit up Ed Cole with a letter and proposal to work on the Corvette… and the rest is history.. 2nd Generation- 1963-1967 – C2 Introduced the moniker Sting Ray to the model and continued with fiberglass body.. Why was stingray added? Well prolific bill Mitchell was doing a lot of fishing in FL and was so inspired by the creatures that he used it with the design. 1963 was the only year for the famed Corvette split-window. Powered by a big block V8 for the first few years before going to the 427cc So before the C2 debuted, two awesome concepts.. The stingray concept racer and the Marko Shark.. The 1963 Sting Ray sold 50% more units than the previous model… It was also cranking out 500hp 3rd Generation 1968-1982 C3 Then in 1968 the C3 would be introduced and go on to the longest running and best selling Corvette in history.. With a record breaking 30k vettes sold that year. It was aggressive jump in design, patterned after the Mako Shark II concept car, first use of T-top removable… This generation also entered the gas crisis and emissions controls of the seventies, this was the first generation to feature emissions controls. Fourth Generation 1984-1996 In then in the 80s with the fourth generation Chevy decided to completely redesign the Corvette and the first time they made an effort into aerodynamics with a .34 drag co-efficient..Also this generation included a lot of innovation anti-lock brakes, traction control, all electronic instrumentation. It was the first corvette to introduce the one piece removable roof panel It was also at this time that it looked like Zora’s dream would be fulfilled in making the Vette midengined.. They wanted the V8 to go into it, the V8 wouldn’t, they didn’t think dropping to a V6 was a good idea. Let’s talk about the ZR1 with the LT5 – an aluminum 5.7liter V8 making 375hp.. the LT-5 actually had help from Lotus and Mercury Marine. It was the fastest Corvette for sale with a top speed of 172mph. And it was also the most expensive.. Fifth Generation 1997-2004 1997 rolled the fifth generation in, the C5 and it was redesigned from the ground up. It was a hit, many of the innovations released with the c5 would carry on to the c6 and c7.. It had a near 50/50 weight distribution. This is when the factory backed Corvette racing team started, won at lemans 3x times.. This was really re-invention of the vette. Sixth Generation 2005-2013 In 2005 we’d see the introduction of the 6th generation with an emphasis on making the car leaner and meaner, with the base model powered by a 6 liter v8 capable of 400hp the following year would feature the small block v8 that would crank our 505hp. It was five inches shorter than the previous generation. Four years later Chevy brough the Zr1 back again with a 6.2 liter supercharged v8 that could shoot out 638 horsepower.. Seventh Generation 2014-2019 2014 the C7 brought back the stingray name, with 465hp.. And they brought back the z06 with a supercharged v8 with 650hp… Eighth Generation And the grand finale to today’s video… The Corvette of today… The C8 which is a striking supercar design without the price… Wish is came in a manual.. finally in 2020 Zora’s vision was finally fulfilled with the Corvette c8 midengine.. finally! Eight generations later.. 6.2 L LT2 crossplane OHV V8 – 495hp 5.5 L LT6 flat-plane DOHC V8 (Z06) – 670hp This is the first corvette with a retractable hardtop.. We should expect the Corvette C8 Z06 to debut in the 2023 model year. It will feature a 670 horsepower 5.5L naturally-aspirated double overhead cam flat-plane crank V8, the highest horsepower naturally aspirated V8 engine in history.

Birth of Austin Motor Company | The Bad Blonde Car History

Let’s go all the back back to 1905 when the Austin Motor Company Limited was founded by Herbert Austin. Herbert Austin had been with Wolseley Sheep Shearing Machine company, say that five times fast… Now shearing sheep is highly cyclical, so you can imagine Austin was on the look for a venture with more steady demand. He began fancying cars, studying cars, and in 1895 till 1899 he built three in his free time. These are considered some of Britain’s first cars. Now he proposed these cars to the Wolseley board of directors and they saw no future with the automobile… However, with there blessing and the backing of the Vickers brothers Austin created a separate automotive manufacturing company using the Wolseley name. Austin would have a fallout with the Vickers brothers and leave! This was after Wolseley had sorta become Britain’s largest motor vehicle manufacturer at the time… Now that took some cojones! Now we are back in 1905 and Austin secures the backing for the Austin Motor Company and by 1906 they had their first Austin car of which motorists and journalists were clamoring to see! This was a conventional 4 cylinder chain driven, with two options a 15/20hp for $500 pounds, or 25/30 for $650 pounds Something to keep in mind, the folks buying Austin cars at the turn of the century were the cream of society. Dukes, bishops, princesses, diplomats, nobility… Like many auto manufacturers who won government contracts, Austin Motor Company did quite well during WWI. They were manufacturing aircraft, shells, guns, and three-ton trucks. Now post WWI they hit a bit of a rough patch monetarily, that would be brief, and they decided to begin making smaller cars in order to expand their market share. In 1922 they popped out the Austin Seven! It was simple, small, and inexpensive, AND I shall digress, the Austin Seven was what Colin Chapman constructed the first Lotus Mark I out of in his girlfriends garage.. Also… William Walmsley and William Lyons first leap from sidecars into coachbuilding was by using the chassis of the 7.. and we would eventually end up with Jaguar out of that. Alright, now why were smaller cars in high demand at the time? The British tax code! In the 1930s every personal car was taxed by its engine size… So you paid basically $2.55 (1930s money) per cubic inch of piston displacement. That was a pretty penny. Really, the Seven car be attributed to saving Austin through the great depression. Datsun also started to build Sevens under license in 1934 and this was Austin’s greatest oversea success of Seven licensing… And this really began Datsun’s success too. #AustinSeven #ClassicCars #BadBlonde

1956 Messerschmitt Kabinenroller 200 | The Bad Blonde Car History

To say I love this 1956 Messerschmitt KR 200 is an understatement... This was an old Bad Blonde video that I re-edited a bit and I hope you enjoy! These post-WWII German bubble cars just make me soo happy, I can't even help it. Enjoy! Fritz Fend, an aeronautical engineer for famed Messerschmitt came up with the idea for the Messerschmitt Kabinenrollers after the company was sanctioned to not create any aircraft post-WWII. Thus he created something that many German citizens could use, a mode of transportation that only required a motorcycle license. #Messerschmitt #KR200 #TheBadBlonde 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

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Check out the Mercedes-Benz 300 aka The Adenaurer [1950's Lu❌ury]

The 300 model was introduced at the 1951 Frankfurt Motor show. We were six years past WWII and the baby boom was trumpeting along, the average American family income is $3,700, turning signals were starting to become a popular option on cars, and Stalin was making threats that the Soviet Union had an atomic bomb. The Mercedes-Benz 300 was without a doubt Mercedes-Benz’s largest and most prestigious car of its lineup at the time. Top-of-the-line luxury and performance. The only real competitor for the 300 at the time was the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, though silver cloud lacked a bit in performance. Consumers could get the Mercedes-Benz 300 in either a cabriolet or a saloon, and most of the 12,200 produced we saloons.. The Mercedes-Benz 300 had some wreck shop features that made it mighty attractive to business leaders and politicians, the glass partition, dictating machine, mobile telephone. Now three versions were produced in succession, what you see behind me is the 300a ( just 300), and then the 300b and 300c. The first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Konrad Adenauer, had six custom Mercedes Benz 300s. An interesting thing to note is that the Mercedes-Benz 300 shared multiple components and designs with the iconic Mercedes Benz 300Sl “Gullwing” that debuted in 1954 – the same engine, suspension, and chassis Under the hood is a 3 liter overhead cam straight 6 that could crank out 113hp.

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2019 Houston Lamborghini Festival

A true running of the bulls happened in the shopping mecca City Centre of Houston, Texas.

A wide assortment of expensive Italian metal showed up shining on a Sunday afternoon. From every paint scheme, custom wrap, and added feature, you could see it all at the Houston Lamborghini Festival.

I was keen to eye a few Countachs myself, however, I didn’t spot one. I believe I left before it showed up, so that was a mighty bummer. However, the Lambos were lined up endlessly along the cross streets and the central area of the shopping center for the packed annual Lamborghini Festival.

Of course, I was eyeing a few Lamborghini Diablo’s clad in the expected spectacularly vibrant shades of red, orange, and yellow. The Diablo model was run from 1990-2001 and with only 2,884 total produced.

This rainbow psychedelic Jackson Pollack-esque wrap around the Lamborghini Huracan was definitely a crowd favorite. The Huracan debuted at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. As usual, in the spirit of the Lamborghini tradition, it is named after a famous fighting bull. The Huracan shares the Gallardo engine, a naturally aspirated V10.

The whole pink and Louie V wrap isn’t for this tomboy, but undoubtedly I find the Aventador a sexy beast. The striking Aventador popped onto the scene at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show and has clear lineage with the limited-edition Reventon.

Want to do the running of the bulls Texan style? Well, be sure to attend next year’s Houston Lamborghini Festival!

1979 Ferrari 308 GT4 / A DESIGN DEPARTURE

The history behind the bold design of the Ferrari 308GT4.

The first real departure from the curvy lines of Ferrari. This car was a bold attempt that paid off. When Ferrari decided to partner with Bertone carrozzeria to design the 308GT4 it caused quite a stir. For many years Ferrari had solely used Pininfarina as their coachbuilder. By making the switch to Bertone, it created quite a rift between the two companies Ferrari and Pininfarina.

The 308GT4 also garnered a great deal of criticism because of its similar appearance in lines to the Lancia-Stratos. A car that was also designed by Bertone. There is no question that the 308GT4 design was a departure from its Ferrari predecessor the curvaceous 246GT.

There have only been two owners of this Ferrari 308GT4. It is the last 308GT4 that was manufactured for the states (#Ferrari 15448). Wouldn’t you like to be the third owner of this prancing pony? Register to bid for the Corpus Christi Old Car Museum auction with World Wide Auctioneers.

EEGOR THE EYESORE / KENNY PARKS' MIDGET RACER

“They’ll know because it’s the only pink car on the track” – said the charismatic Kenny Parks regarding the flamboyant color choice of his racecar nicknamed ‘Eegore the Eyesore’ and for the ease of his buddies to locate his midget racecar in case he might crash and turn over.

With racing blood coursing in his veins since the 1940s, Parks made good use running the rugged dry lakes in California. Parks was a beloved character in the hot rod and midget racing scene. The birth of midget racing and the Midget Auto Racing Association (MARA) can be tracked down to Loyola Highschool in Los Angeles with its first race recorded on August 10th 1933.

Most midget race cars have four cylinder engines, average 900lbs weight, and vary between 300-400hp. With high horsepower and low weight midget racing was considerably perilous. The sport quickly caught on across the world, reaching Australia and New Zealand.

Parks worked for Bell Auto Parts for several years before branching out to open Bell Motorsports which sold Bell Helmets and Simpson safety gear. His brother, Wally Parks is famed as being the father of Hot Rodding with such accomplishments of founding the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and serving at the editor for over 15 years at Hot Rod Magazine. Racing ran in the family.

His most humorous of racing cars, Eegore the Eyesore has a unique background to match it’s name and paint job. The #32 pepto-bismol colored sprint race was found in Hawaii by Parks’ nephew Mike Olivero. Having been built and raced on the tracks of Hawaii before coming into the hands of Kenny Parks.

Kenny Parks was known mostly for his clever sense of humor and endless appreciation of practical jokes. His Bell Motorsports business flourished and reported in Richard Parks piece “Kenny Parks - The Brother of Wally Parks” on HotRoad Online, that Kenny Parks was a successful businessman in part to “people preferring to deal with him because of his joyful personality.”

*I am looking for more history on Eegore the Eyesore’s racing wins. If you have any knowledge, please send my way!*

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The Bad Blonde

aka Caitlin Shook has grown up in the mechanic shop world. Shook Enterprises is a south Texas automotive repair shop that focuses on the antique, classic, rare, awesome, and sometimes just plain hard to fix vehicles.

An avid fan of travel and adventure, she’s popped into every car MUSEUM and car SHOW + AUCTION she can along the way.

She began an arduous car restoration of a 1976 Porsche 912e at the age of 14 and she’s not stopped loving difficult cars since. Enjoy the journey with The Bad Blonde!