RideLust

A few years ago SpeedTV used to air a show called Dream Car Garage. It was sponsored by Legendary Motorcars of Ontario, Canada and catered to everything from high end exotics, to big block muscle cars. One of the best segments they ever put together was a match up of the baddest muscle cars from the 1960′s and 1970′s. What you have to remember before you press play on these videos though, is that the American muscle car was and is, a mythical beast. Names like Cuda, Chevelle SS, The Judge and Boss made European sport sedans of that era quake in their boots. Not because of how fast, or how well they did (or did not) handle, but because of their in-your-face, take no prisoners, power house attitudes. I own two muscle cars and while I love them with all my heart and soul, I’m always amazed at how fast people think they are. Like I said, these old sleds are mythical beasts, and while other cars out there may out perform them, there will never, ever be anything as cool as an old school American Muscle Car. Click through for a whole bunch of awesome!
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Maybe it’s got something to do with me being 6’4″ and 240 lbs. Maybe it’s the fact that my size 15 feet don’t like teeny tiny little spaces, or maybe it’s just that I absolutely LOVE the way that big cars look and feel. America was built on big cars. They took families across the country, to the beaches and got them to work and school everyday. There were no mini-vans or SUVs, just big ass comfy cars that were built in Detroit and as a whole, everybody loved them. I remember as a kid that my parents used to have this 1971 Chevy Chevelle station wagon. It was kind of a mustard color with fake wood paneling down the side and the thing was a downright canoe. Back then I didn’t know a damn thing about cars, but I knew that the back seat was big enough for me to get far away from my sister when we went on family trips.
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Every year the folks over at Hemmings Muscle Machines ask their readers to extend a helping hand and assist them in picking their Muscle Machine of the Year. The chosen candidates have all graced the pages of the magazine over the past one year period, and while the Hemmings editors are more than capable of making their own decisions, they kindly rely on diplomacy and let their readers make the final decision as to who takes home top honors. Every car in this years running brings something special to the table, and while all the cars are not bone stock machines, each car represents a section of the muscle car spectrum to which all muscle car hobbyists can relate to. Let’s meet the contestants and remember to cast your VOTES!!
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I have no idea how Autoblog found this before I did, but here’s one RV that is so full of retro kitsch that it’s actually wrapped the dial back into cool again. Up for grabs on eBay is this custom built, one-of-a-kind 1970 Oldsmobile Toronado GT motor home. From the beige exterior to the dark paneled, plaid-clad interior (complete with faux marble panels), this camper is a time capsule of 1970s tacky goodness. Break out your BTO 8-tracks, squeeze yourself into those polyester bell-bottoms and get ready to hit the road in style. Trust me on this, you won’t be sleeping alone very often, especially if your rocking a serious moustache.

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What’s better than a 1966 Olds Toronado? A 1966 Olds Toronado with TWO engines.

Tycoon Grant McCoon of the Grant Piston ring company built this insane prototype in the late ’60s. It has two Olds 425-ci. V-8s, one in its original position powering the front wheels and one in the trunk for the back wheels. The thing supposedly has a combined 770 horsepower and can hit 100 miles per hour in 11 seconds.

McCoon’s plan was to sell twin-engined Toronados to other tycoons who needed a little extra oomph for their daily drive. Needless to say, it never happened and this brown monstrosity is the only surviving example of his mad genius.

Via: Grant Piston Rings, CarPictures.com

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Mothers were sure to keep their kids indoors whenever the Crack wagon rolled into town.

Original high res image at Shorpy

In Wilmington, North Carolina, Alliance Credit Union will be rewarding the egregious aesthetic taste of Mr. Saintard at the awards ceremony for the first Ugly Car Contest. Aimed at helping one lucky driver ditch his jalopy in the charitable spirit inspired by the Cash for Clunkers program, Alliance opted to bestow one lucky (or unlucky, depending on your perspective) winner to receive a $5,000 cash prize to be put towards the purchase of a new car or a gallon of Bondo and a few cans of spray paint.

While it doesn’t seem to be in miserable enough shape to warrant a five grand prize – especially not when compared to the other truly hideous contestants – Mr. Saintard’s scratched up Saturn apparently offended the senses of enough voters to earn him the crowd favorite and Alliance’s Grand Prize. Hit the jump to check out photos of few of the more, ah, deserving vehicles. Read More…

Texas grown Edward E. Whitacre Jr. knows plenty about telephones. He spent 43 of his 67 years building AT&T into a multi-national telephone giant. That takes some quality wrangling, my friends. But what about cars?

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As part of its Hail Mary play to avoid bankruptcy (or its first post-Chapter 11 recovery move, you decide) GM has announced it will close over 1,000 underperforming dealerships. The bloated dealer network is plagued by low volume independent dealers housing several brands under one roof. In addition to forced closings, hundreds of dealerships are expected to either consolidate or exit the market voluntarily.

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Sometimes we get too caught up in the new cars that are out on the market. Everything’s shiny, everything’s new. Well, sometimes it’s good to remember how beautiful the old stuff is.

Buick has been getting a rough rap lately for producing a bunch of bland, boring cars. But I think we need to remember where they came from. So, without further ado, let’s look at some amazing old Buicks from years past.

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