Vintage Archives

1948 Willys-Overland Jeepster

by Mark | Apr 2, 2021 | 0 comments

The Civilian Jeep

The 1948 Jeep Jeepster. (Photos courtesy Stellantis PR archives)

The Willys-Overland Jeepster was a clever business plan and an early example of a crossover SUV with carlike features.

Introduced in April 1948 and produced through 1950, the Jeepster was conceived as a sporty two-door, convertible sports car for veterans of World War II, according to its page in Wikipedia.

The basic Jeepster (“VJ” internally) included numerous deluxe features and a high level of standard equipment. Among its carlike extras were whitewall tires, hubcaps with chrome trim rings, sun visors, deluxe steering wheel, wind wings, locking glovebox, cigar lighter, and continental tire with fabric cover.

Slab-Sided Design

Willys-Overland lacked the machinery to form deep-drawn fenders or complicated shapes, according to the Wiki report, so the vehicle line had to use a simple and slab-sided design.

“Industrial designer Brooks Stevens styled a line of postwar vehicles for Willys using a common platform that included the Jeep pickup and station wagon, as well as a sporty two-door open car that he envisioned as a sports car for veterans of World War II.

“After World War II, Jeep trademark owner, Willys (originally pronounced WILL-is), began producing and marketing the “CJ” (for Civilian Jeep) to farmers, foresters, and others with similar utilitarian needs. It also began producing the Jeep wagon, panel utility and pickup in 1946 and the Jeep truck in 1947.

The majority of the Jeepster’s hardware carried over from the Willys station wagon, including the entire drivetrain, front end, rear suspension, steering and four-wheel drum brakes. Its flat-topped rear fenders were taken from the Jeep truck line.

The drivetrain was Willys’ World War II-proven, 63-horsepower, 2.2-liter inline-4 “Go Devil” engine. The three-speed manual transmission had standard overdrive.

The Jeepster was only offered with rear-wheel drive, which limited its appeal with other Jeep customers. With plastic side curtains, its $1,765 price was about the same as a Ford Super DeLuxe Club convertible. But the Ford had roll-down windows, fancier styling and a V-8 engine.

Jeepster Not Popular

Limited by sparse advertising and an insufficient dealer network, the Jeepster did not catch on with the intended market segment. Still, a total of almost 20,000 were manufactured through 1950, with some leftover models sold in the 1951 model year.

The Jeepster name was revived in 1966 on a new model, the C-101 Jeepster Commando. American Motors Corp., Willys-Overland’s successor, removed Jeepster from the name for 1972, and production ended after 1973.

The 1967 Jeepster Commando.

1961 Corvair Pickup

by Mark | Mar 25, 2021 | 0 comments

The 1961 Corvair 95 Rampside. (Chevrolet archives)

BY MARK MAYNARD

Although there had been a number of small pickups prior to the 1960s, the compact car boom that kicked off the decade brought with it a new crop of the so-called “forward control” body style.

Among the offerings was the Corvair 95. With its unitized body structure and rear-mounted engine, the 95 offered a lot of cargo space in a compact maneuverable package.

The Rampside model offered a side gate on the right side of the vehicle. The placement allowed easy access to the low load floor at the front of the bed.

According to the Corvair enthusiast site Corvair.org, Corvair 95s were named for their 95-inch wheelbase. GM referred to the body style as “Light Duty-Forward Control (L.D.F.C.)” vehicles.

Marketed from 1961 to 1965, The line consisted initially of two vans and two pickups:

Corvan panel delivery, model R-1205
Greenbrier station wagon, model R-1206
Loadside pickup, model R-1244
Rampside pickup, model R-1254

Forward control referred to the positioning of the steering mechanism forward of the front axle and engendered the “Corvair FC” moniker for the line.

Although clever in design, the Corvair 95 never caught on in the showroom, and in the final model year of 1964, only 851 were sold.

Cars
Vintage

Jan. 27, 1965 – Ford Shelby GT 350 goes on sale

by Mark | Jan 28, 2021 | 0 comments

A 1965 Ford Mustang GT350 in the Ford Pavilion at the 1964 World's Fair

1965 Ford Shelby GT350 in the Ford Pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. (Photos courtesy of Ford PR archives)

BY MARK MAYNARD

The racing circuit changed forever when sales of the 1965 Ford Shelby GT350 launched on Jan. 27, 1965, according to AutomotiveHistory.org.

“The GT was based on 1965 Ford Mustang Fastbacks that originally left the factory with a 271 HP 289 V8 and a 4 on the floor. Carroll Shelby had the stock vehicles shipped to Shelby American where his team stripped the car of weight. The car then received performance upgrades, such as high-riser intake manifolds, a four-barrel carburetor, and custom exhaust headers, boosting horsepower to 306.

A black-and-white vintage image of a 1965 Ford Shelby GT350

All 1965 Ford Shelbys (562) were painted Wimbledon White with Guardsman Blue stripes.

“In 1965 Shelby built 562 examples, all painted Wimbledon White with Guardsman Blue stripes. In 1966 the cars received updates to attract more general consumers, as opposed to strictly track racers. The 1966 GT 350 was available with optional rear vent windows and back seats and came in an array of colors. They were also equipped with a functional hood and rear brake air scoops and a three-speed automatic transmission was made available.

“Production of the first generation of Shelby Mustangs would last through 1971 with the GT 350 and GT 500.”

Vintage

1957 Plymouth Suburban wagon

by Mark | Jan 26, 2021 | 0 comments

The 1957 Plymouth Suburban wagon, with the new “Forward Look” styling. (Stellantis)

BY MARK MAYNARD

A 1957 Plymouth Suburban wagon became the 10,000,000th Plymouth to roll off the production line on Jan. 24, 1957. It was a proud accomplishment for the brand, which was launched in 1928, according to Wikipedia.

“Plymouth was to compete in what was then described as the “low-priced” market segment that was dominated by Chevrolet and Ford. It became the high-volume seller for the automaker until the late 1990s.”

Parent company Chrysler killed the brand in 2001, and the models that were still in production were discontinued or rebranded as Chrysler or Dodge.

In 1957, Virgil Exner’s new Forward Look design theme, advertised by Plymouth with the tagline “Suddenly, it’s 1960,” produced cars with advanced styling compared to Chevrolet or Ford, according to Wikipedia. Plymouth cars were marketed primarily in the United States.

“The 1957 total production soared to 726,009, about 200,000 more than 1956, and the largest output yet for Plymouth. However, the 1957-1958 Forward Look models suffered from poor materials, spotty build quality, and inadequate corrosion protection; they were rust-prone and greatly damaged Chrysler’s reputation.

“The Plymouth automobile was introduced at Madison Square Garden on July 7, 1928. It was Chrysler Corporation’s first entry into the low-priced field previously dominated by Chevrolet and Ford.
“Plymouths were initially priced higher than the competition but offered standard features such as internal expanding hydraulic brakes that Ford and Chevrolet did not provide.

“Plymouths were originally sold exclusively through Chrysler dealerships, offering a low-cost alternative to the upscale Chrysler-brand cars.

“The logo featured a rear view of the ship Mayflower, which landed at Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Mass. However, the inspiration for the Plymouth brand name came from Plymouth binder twine, produced by the Plymouth Cordage Company, also of Plymouth. The name was chosen by [corporate executive] Joe Frazer due to the popularity of the twine among farmers.”

Vintage

Corvette birthday, Jan. 17 1953

by Mark | Jan 19, 2021 | 0 comments

The Corvette’s big reveal as the Motorama show car at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. (GM)

Jan. 17, 1953, marked the show-car debut of the first generation of Corvette.

According to Wikipedia, the two-seater was introduced late in the 1953 model year. It first appeared as a show car for the 1953 General Motors Motorama, held Jan. 17-23 at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

“At the time, Chevrolet general manager Thomas H. Keating said it was six months to a year away from production readiness. The car generated enough interest to induce GM to make a production version to sell to the public. First production was on June 30, 1953.

A promotional image from the 1953 GM Motorama. (GM)

“The 1953, 1954, and 1955 model years were the only Corvettes equipped with a 235 cubic-inch (3.9-liter) version of the second- generation Blue Flame inline-six rated at 150 horsepower.

“In 1953, when GM executives were looking to name the new Chevrolet sports car, assistant director for the Public Relations department Myron Scott suggested Corvette after the small maneuverable warship — and the name was approved.”

This PR images show the body-drop of the 1953 Corvette at the Flint, Mich., assembly plant. (GM)

Vintage

Jan. 3, 1926 – Pontiac debuts

by Mark | Jan 8, 2021 | 0 comments

1925 market segmentation price ladder of early GM brands: Cadillac, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile. (GM)

The Pontiac brand was introduced by General Motors in 1926 as the companion marque to GM’s Oakland division and shared the GM A platform, according to Wikipedia
. Purchased by General Motors in 1909, Oakland continued to produce modestly priced automobiles until 1931, when it was renamed, Pontiac.

“[The brand] was named after the famous Ottawa chief, who had also given his name to the city of Pontiac, Michigan, where the car was produced.

“Within months of its introduction, Pontiac was outselling Oakland, which was essentially a 1920s Chevrolet with a six-cylinder engine installed.

“Body styles offered included a sedan with both two and four doors, Landau Coupe, with the Sport Phaeton, Sport Landau Sedan, Sport Cabriolet and Sport Roadster.

“As a result of Pontiac’s rising sales, versus Oakland’s declining sales, Pontiac became the only companion marque to survive its parent, with Oakland ceasing production in 1932.”

The brand folded after General Motors’ Chapter 11 reorganization on Oct. 31, 2010.