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Revisiting the 60's European Growth
by Walt. E. Ingalls
(February 9, 2015)
What makes a luxury Volvo twice the price of an Economy Ford?
It seems so much that luxury is to economy as convenient store is to neighborhood supermarket…I’m talking price-wise here, you can easily spend $18,000 on a compact and $40,000 on a luxury S60 Volvo. It’s like seeing Gatorade at the market for $0.88 and at the convenient store for $1.50…but there is much more to it.
Have a look at this photo of a Suzuki flipping casket over oak-barrel.
Now that we have all of that out of the way, who designs those cars? And was there any tests done before they were sent out to their clients, thousands made in production at a time?
Like, from an Industrial Engineer’s position, didn’t they foresee that by the weight distribution and displacement including the suspension? It’s just plain meaningless to send, to the track, a car that can hold the speed limit and is in any way, any where, close to toppling on an emergency-direction-change-like scenario.
That’s one of the difference, not just the development of fitting every element of the engine and interior snugly into place, seemingly seamless, separated by spaces and stitches that conduct the flow of the eyes and performance in a non-invasive; more syntactical ergonomic way, but test after test after test—ensuring the performance in nearly every driving situation.
I conducted my own little Google survey, pitting “best German luxury vehicles of the 60s” against “best luxury vehicles of the 60s” and what came up was surprising. The latter showed results of all kinds, including voting a present rank of classic cars, where Ranker.com shows today that their readers prefer the Mustang to the Camero to the Stingray to the Charger to the GTO and so forth, whereby the search for German best has no such evidence of “best”, but instead “stories of growth”.
It seems to be, if there is a competition between German automakers, they have a way of competition that avoids terms like “best”. How congenial to not have “best” but a common accord termed “growth”.
Here’s what I found regarding German, which actually is termed “European”:
A Look Into the 1960s Foreign Cars
“
In the 1960s BMW realized that by focusing on sports sedans and compact touring cars, it could compete better with Mercedes-Benz in the luxury-car markets of Europe and the United States. Hence, at the Frankfurt, Germany, auto show in September 1961, BMW introduced a prototype of a car it called the "New Class" sedan. The New Class was so good that it would become the blueprint for virtually every car that BMW produced until the 1990's.
Announced in 1961, the BMW 1500 was the first of the New Class generation. The 1500 was the first modern BMW with a four-cylinder engine. It came out in 1963 with a top speed of 148 km/h. These 1960 foreign cars also featured front disc brakes and 4-wheel independent suspension. The BMW 1500 was only available as a four-door sedan. The car was well-received and BMW couldn't keep up with the demand. With demand for high performance, the 1500 evolved into the Classic BMW 2002, which was Car magazines and the public were enthusiastic in their praise for the modern engineering in the 1500 and were eager to buy them.
BMW manufacturing plants couldn't keep up with the demand of these reliable 1960s foreign cars, and only 23,807 vehicles were made between 1962 and 1964. The 1500 was a middle-class family sedan, but the German market demanded a car with higher performance. They did not have to wait long, for BMW's engineers subjected the 1500 to further development, evolving into the classic BMW 2002, when these 1960s foreign cars were first released in early 1968. In-between models were the 1800 which had a 90 hp engine. The 1600 model was released in February 1967 and consumers were buying them. Car and Driver called it "the best small sedan we ever drove" as well as "the best economy car ever offered to an undeserving American public." It was cheap ($2,500), fast (102 mph and 11.4 seconds to 60 mph), economical (up to 30 mpg on the highway) and reliable.
Volvo’s first sports car was the P1800, first introduced in 1960 it went into production the following year and by 1963, together with the model Amazon, its biggest market was the US which was the largest export market by far. Volvo (now owned by Ford ) was fourth on the list of 1960s foreign cars in the US. An excellent touring car with its sleek coupe lines, the P1800 found fame in "The Saint" TV series with Roger Moore behind the wheel.
1965, saw a new model of the Amazon, the Favorit released, but the difference between this model and the standard two-door version was not particularly striking. In 1966 Volvo 144 was released. This new car model had been keeping Volvo's design engineers occupied for so long was, in terms of safety, extremely advanced. It had disc brakes all round, had a split steering column and it came with a new lock on the three-point safety belts. The body had energy-absorbing crumple zones at the front and rear. Even the door locks had a safety design. The 144 came a triangle-split dual-circuit brake system. The car had two brake circuits and, if one of them failed, 80% of braking effect was still available making these 1960s foreign cars among the safest to ride on.
Two years later, the Volvo 144 was also a success abroad, including the US where these 1960s foreign cars complied with the new safety regulations.
In 1968, more models based on the 144 were produced, including the Volvo 164, the 140 series, the Volvo 144 Taxi. In Great Britain, Volvo's sales rose by 70% during the year. The following year, a number of minor improvements to the new 140 Series models were presented. They included head restraints on the front seats, safety belts for three passengers in the rear seat and an electrically-heated rear window. These 1960s foreign cars will see more safety improvements during the subsequent decades, cementing its reputation as a builder of strong and safety-conscious cars.
Volkswagen cars were first exhibited and sold in the United States in 1949. From only two units sold in America that first year, Volkwagen Type 1 vehicles (as they were first called) sales increased dramatically over the years, the total of these 1960s foreign cars reaching one million in 1955.
There were numerous buyers for these 1960s foreign cars and sales were being increased dramatically mainly due to ingenuous advertising campaigns. Volkswagen ads became as popular as the car with the use of crisp layouts and witty copy to lure the younger, sophisticated consumers with whom the car became associated. Officially referred to as the Type 1, the first reference to the name Beetle occurred in U.S. advertising in 1968.
During the 1960s and early 1970s, although the car was becoming outdated, innovative advertising and a growing reputation for reliability helped Volkwagen's production figures to surpass the levels of the previous record holder, the Ford Model T. By 1973, total production of these 1960s foreign cars was over 16 million.
Volkswagen expanded their product line in 1961 to be able to compete with other 1960s foreign cars with the introduction of several Type 3 models, which were nothing but body style variations. The Fastback, Notchback and Squareback models were based on Type 1 mechanical underpinnings. In 1969 the relatively unpopular Type 4 (also known as the 411 and 412) models were introduced. They differed substantially from previous models with the notable introduction of a fully automatic transmission, electronic fuel injection, a unibody construction, and a sturdier powerplant.
Porsche, is a German sports car manufacturer, founded in 1931 by then Austrian Ferdinand Porsche, the engineer who also created the first Volkswagen.
In racing, Porsche's main rival has traditionally been Ferrari. In the daily-driver marketplace, Porsche's traditional rivals are its fellow German automakers Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and BMW , as well as Lotus, Jaguar, and Maserati. Ferrari, on the other hand, competes more directly with firms such as Lamborghini, Bugatti, TVR and Aston Martin.
In 1963, after some success in motor-racing, namely with the Porsche 550 Spyder, the company launched the Porsche 911, another air-cooled, rear-engined sports car, this time with a 6-cylinder "boxer" engine. The 911 has become Porsche's most well-known model, successful on the race-track, in rallies, and in terms of sales these 1960s foreign cars did well. Far more than any other model, the Porsche brand is defined by the 911. It remains in production; however, after several generations of revision, current-model 911s share only the basic mechanical concept of a rear-engined, six-cylinder coupe, and basic styling cues with the original car. A cost-reduced model with the same body, but 356-derived running gear (including its four-cylinder engine), was sold as the 912.
Jaguar Cars Limited is a luxury car manufacturer, originally with headquarters in Browns Lane, Coventry, England but now at Whitley, Coventry. It was founded as SS Cars Ltd in 1922 and changed its name to Jaguar in 1945. The company has been owned by Ford since 1989 and currently forms a part of Ford's Premier Automotive Group (PAG) with Land-Rover and Volvo. On 11 June 2007, Ford announced it planned to sell Jaguar along with Land Rover.
Jaguar's main competitors include Audi, BMW, Cadillac (part of GM), Acura (part of Honda Group , Lexus (a marque of Toyota), Maserati (owned by Fiat ), Mercedes-Benz , and Porsche.
Jaguar made its name in the 1950s with a series of elegantly-styled sports cars and luxury saloons. The company bought the Daimler car company in 1960 from Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA). From the late 1960s, Daimler was used as a brand name for Jaguar's most luxurious saloons (in the US: sedan).
The Mark X of 1961 was a completely new design of large saloon with all round independent suspension and unibody construction. These 1960s foreign cars were descendants of Mark IVs which were developed before the war.
The independent rear suspension from the Mark X was incorporated in the 1963 S-Type which closely resembled the Mark 2, and in 1967 the Mark 2 name was dropped when the small saloon became the 240/340 range. The 420 of 1966, also sold as the Daimler Sovereign, put a new front onto the S-type, although both cars continued in parallel until the S-Type was dropped in 1968. The Mark X became the 420G in 1966.
Of the more recent saloons, the most significant is the XJ (1968-present), still the definitive Jaguar saloon car for many. Jaguar E Type is truly one of the great classic 1960s foreign cars. This had to be one of the most recognized sports cars in the world which came in Soft Roadster and Fixed Head Coupe versions. The E-Type Jaguar captured the needs of the male driver in 1961 - a streamlined body with the fastest speed of any production car - up to 150 mph. These 1960s foreign cars caused a stir when it was unveiled at the Geneva car show - The audience were greatly surprised by the £2,196 price tag, making it about half the cost of its competitors.
Jaguar as well as Land Rover are now owned by Tata Motors, India's biggest automaker.
”
[http://www.anythingaboutcars.com/1960s-foreign-cars.html]
So, after reading through, what have you noticed?
The foremost of the automotive industry go their own directions and then later each adapt to one-another. I suppose that’s the fine line between authenticity and competition; adaptation.
Best Mid-Sized Trucks on the Market
by Walt E. Ingalls
(February 16, 2015)
There are so many reasons to buy a truck, and with the drive becoming more and more car-like, why not? Nearly everything you can do with a sedan, can you do with a four-door truck, plus there’s a six-foot rectangular space in the back for just about anything you can imagine putting back there. The only thing I can think of that would hold me back from choosing an extended cab pickup to a 4-door sedan is the constant reminder of how easy it is to get just about anything home—and once off the truck, where would I put it?
With a full-frame independent from the chassis and four-wheel drive, pickups are built to go where others just can’t and bring along, again, what others can’t also. Pickups of the 21st century are certainly every bit as comfortable as the mid-sized sedan class, including Nissan Altima and Chevrolet Malibu. In fact, more American’s bought trucks this year than any single other class of automobile.
“
Automakers sold more than 16.5 million new vehicles in the U.S.
last year, up 5.9 percent from 2013. The most popular model, by a
huge stretch, was the Ford F-Series pickup. In 2014, Americans
bought 754,000 of them, making it the top-selling vehicle for the
33rd year in a row.
“
[ www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-auto-sales/ ]
Chevrolet even offers more options for their truck models than their car models, for example, the Malibu only has two choices in engine sizes, whereby the Silverado has a line-up of twice that with 4.
Now for the comparison, as the Ford F series is the top selling automobile this year and for the last 30-something, let’s focus a little on the Colorado, the Tacoma, the Canyon and the Frontier.
Reading through an article that places the Colorado head-to-head with the Tacoma, I’ve come to find that the new Colorado has a much quieter and tighter drive than the Tacoma, who has not had any improvements in years. As the steering of the Tacoma is still analogue, the Colorado has an electronic steering, which the author mentions is much better in traffic than he’d have imagined or otherwise had given it credit for.
If you want to compare the Colorado to its GMC cousin, the Canyon, I’d suggest first deciding on the way it looks as both models have adapted similarly to the market. Both the Colorado and the Canyon have triple-seal doors, causing for the quietest truck ride available to mid-sized pickups. Both have the same engines available, which the 2.5 L V6 has a mileage superior to that of the Tacoma. (20 city/27 highway mpg compared to 21/24 for the Toyota)
The Canyon does seem to have a softer touch so far as interiors, where both trucks have added a variety of materials, the Colorado still finishes its dash with plastic, as the Canyon has a few softer—luxury-like trims. The technology in the Canyon and the Colorado are a little more adapted as well, larger view screens of eight inches compared to the Tacoma’s 6.1” and the Frontier’s 5.8” screens.
The Colorado and the Canyon also share fully-boxed frames, causing less road vibration and “jiggle” that the Frontier and Tacoma alike.
Price-wise, here is what you can expect:
Colorado: $20,995 - $35,290
Canyon: $21,880 - $38,175
Tacoma: $21,850 - $38,500
Frontier: $18,875 - $36,145
All in all, the Colorado and Canyon are more advanced, comfortable and out perform the Frontier and Tacoma.
Street Keepers by Walt E. Ingalls
(February 11, 2015)
I promised my readers an article about Aston Martin, Jaguar and Maserati earlier this week, and I’ve been putting it off…
For some odd reason, research for one car is so much easier than for others, and it’s not for the appeal of the ones not so written about--I know not why it’s much more difficult to find a performance review for the Maserati GranTrismo yet when searching the Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT, article after article seem to be thrown at me in the form of web results.
Let’s begin with the Jaguar F-Type, priced from $92,895 up into the $110,000 range supplied by a supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 that encourages 340 hp, while S models get a boost to 380 hp. The rear wheel drive gets a six-speed manual, yet for the new all-wheel-drive model, an eight-speed automatic comes at bay.
The V8 Vantage, the present of a 10 year-long line of serious road consuming automobile, carrys you behind a 4.7-liter, quad-cam dry-sump V-8, and comes at a cost of $102,725 for the coupe, and $117,225 for the roadster. A six-speed manual and a seven-speed single-clutch SportShift II automated manual are the transmissions available to Aston’s lovely drivers.
The GranTurismo Maserati was a little more difficult to peal the skin of, and though I’d call it my choice of the three, it’s a rather well-hidden treat. Price range is higher than both the Jaguar and the Aston Martin, weighing in at $132,825-182,009, you can literally spend as much on it as the highest end of its competition to nearly twice the lowest end of their price range. The car is developed to suit you in so many ways that you could live happily ever after with its 454-hp 4.7-liter V-8 thinking you fit in with the Jaguar and the Aston Martin, yet also running along class with Gallardo and its well-known cousin Ferrari, which neither the Jaguar, nor the Aston want to be presented with the “you can’t sit with us” mentality they may feel when near the real supercars of our time.
All in all, if you want to fit in to the world of auto drivers without being checked out by every single bling-seeking maniac, the Jaguar will keep you feeling the most conservative of the bunch, and though the two shared so much including chassis and engine in the mid nineties, Aston has finally taken it’s self a little higher and supplied it’s very own likes.
“
When it was introduced in 1994 the DB7 breathed new life into the Aston brand. It didn’t seem to matter in 1994 that the GT was a hand-me down from Jaguar, rolling on a derivation of that marque’s long-serving XJ-S platform and featuring a slew of components from both the cat brand and their joint parent, Ford. It wasn’t until 1999 that the DB7 received an engine that wasn’t also Jag-based. The 420-horse 5.9-litre V12 gave the DB7 Vantage a whole different personality, and joined the Jag XJS as Great Britain’s vanguard of V12 GT cars.
“
[http://hooniverse.com/2014/08/25/convertible-comparo-aston-martin-db7-vantage-vs-jaguar-f-type/ ]
Reaquainting the 80s by Walt E. Ingalls
(February 12, 2015)
Do you recall the 80s and the slim black ties, parachute pants, neon lights, silk shirts, fanny packs, rat tails, side ponytails, sweaters over the shoulders and tied around the neck, Jordache jeans, huge earrings, big hair and scrunchies?
Perfect, then you remember the zeitgeist of the fine cars of the time.
Boxy fenders, boxy mirrors and boxy bumpers, head-light wipers, alloy rims…
Remember the 1984 BMW 745i Turbo, equipped, not with a 4.5 liter engine as implied by its name “745i”, but instead, confusingly, a 3.2 L turbocharged straight six, offered with several very interesting, to say the least, options such as power reclining rear seats, auxiliary gas heaters, and as fitted to this example, water buffalo hides—seriously distinct and what luxury has surely not become—outlandishly unfamiliar, fitted with European bumpers and trim, this is certainly made to stand as art, out from the pack.
Maybe you want to serve your recollection with a Mercedes Benz W126 or the 560 SEL LWB of 1986?
Perhaps you want to cherish the 80’s with the funny mirror mounted inside the glove-compartment of a 1984 Jaguar XJS 12, must surely have been there to manage your mid-aged nose hairs…
Well, the 80s weren’t just a wonder-lust of consideration for quixical nonsense, it was a time for blazing into the innovation era, the 90s, which is the time of the BMW inventing the auto-stick, or what they term “Steptronic”, our amazing ability to shift an automatic transmission, not so unlike the standard manual that everyone knows will out perform an auto in full-time “D”.
The funny thing is, 20 years earlier, Volkswagen marketed an Automatic Stickshift, vacuum-operated, three speed transmission designed to start, idle, and stop in any gear, and debuted on the 1968 Karmann Ghia and Beetle along with fully independent rear-suspension.
See, just because something isn’t a great idea as is, it most always leads to an idea dependant on it, yet completely separate from it in significance.
Sport SUV Head-to-Head by Walt E. Ingalls
(February 14, 2015)
This years Sport SUV list is rather explosive. We couldn’t ask for a more powerful pack than the Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q7, Range Rover Sport, and Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8.
First, we’ll start with the Cayenne, starting at $49,600, and with it you receive a V-6 that maintains 14 MPG City / 29 MPG Hwy and 5 passenger capacity
The Cayenne’s success can be accounted for in several different ways, first, nearly everyone will agree that it makes for a practical and powerful family vehicle, while leaving you with feelings familiar to Porsche’s track excelling 2-seaters’ sporty, agile and quick.
The Cayenne Model has, as of 2014, produced a Cayenne Diesel and adds a Cayenne Turbo S, providing 50 more horsepower than the Cayenne Turbo. Also, Porsche Cayenne has seven available packages:
- the base model starting at $49,600, with a 300-horsepower V-6 engine 3.6 L.
- Cayenne Diesel 245-horsepower, V-6 turbodiesel engine with 3.0 L.
- Cayenne S, V-8, 400 horsepower 4.8 L.
- Cayenne S Hybrid, V-6, 380 horsepower from its electric motor and a supercharged 3.0 L.
- Cayenne Turbo V-8, 500 horsepower from its twin-turbocharged 4.8 L.
- Cayenne Turbo S V-8, 550-hp.
The Turbo S breaks up your 0-60 acceleration in 4.3 seconds and has a top speed of 176 mph. The base Cayennes are even quick, with the Tiptronic S automatic transmission getting to 60 mph in 7.4 seconds (7.1 seconds with the six-speed manual). The only ones offering a six-speed manual gearbox are the base models. All others have the eight-speed Tiptronic automatic with manual control.
The Audi Q7 may be the most ideal alternative to the Porsche Cayenne, and being larger inside, it may win your family-sized heart; having an available third-row seat and Audi-authentic luxury stylization.
In addition to a passenger capacity of 7, Audi’s supercharged V-6 engine is also stronger in some respects, to the Cayenne's base V-6. Starting at $47,700, you may easily come to expect 16 MPG City / 28 MPG Hwy from its Quattro 4-Door 3.0 L Turbo intercooled Supercharged V-6.
Chances are, you’ll also agree that Audi Q7’s luxury doesn’t feel ‘added-on’ but instead, through and through, which may off-set its wheelbase off-road limitations. The Audi does have impeccable towing capabilities with lots of useful interior technologies, and impressive performance.
Truthfully, the extra wheelbase improves ride quality and composure while maintaining nimbleness and the all-wheel drive Quattro system aids stability and provides superior traction.
The attractive and elegant Q7 is one of the best in this class considering the top luxuries on the market.
The Q7 has replaced its older model’s V-8 engine with a far more fuel-efficient V-6 of three different power levels:
- 3.0T model has a 3.0 L Supercharged V-6 at 280-horsepower
- TDI model in a 3.0 L turbo-diesel V-6
- S-Line 3.0 L supercharged V-6 with 333-hp.
The TDI wields 19 city /28 highway mpg and is just as quick as the 3.0 L Supercharged V-6 (0-60 in 7.7 seconds). Tow ratings of 6,600 pounds are available.
The Range Rover Sport isn’t so dissimilar to the Cayenne in terms of on-road and off-road performance; however, it falls short in terms of interior space and modern design.
Starting at $62,600, the Intercooled Supercharged V-6 340 horsepower 3.0 L provides 14 MPG City / 23 MPG Hwy.
A very capable alternative to the three listed above is the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. The Jeep stands as an even better competitor to the Cayenne Turbo than ever before, and boasts a much lower price of $29,495.
At the base, Jeep offers:
- a 3.6 L Pentastar V-6, 290 hp rated up to 25 mpg highway.
- HEMI V-8 makes 360 hp, gets 21 mpg.
- Ecodiesel 3.0L V-6 with an estimated 30 mpg highway has the best-in-class towing capacity of 7,400 pounds.
The 470-hp HEMI accomplishes 0-60 mph in about 4.8 seconds, has launch control and a sporty 70% rear-wheel torque split in Track mode.
