Subscribe Twitter Facebook

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Opposite Lock - Rants & Raves

Toyota has been trying to repair their public image ever since that whole driving into a wall accidentally scandal.  Lately, these kinds of commercials have been popping up to bolster that goody-goody joy joy feeling inside us all.  I'll let you know what I think about it after the jump and you can voice your opinion in the comments below.



Tuesday, January 4, 2011

You Just Been Pimped!

Do you ever find yourself in the mood to watch a race and turn on the Speed Channel only to find Pimp My Ride or hour after hour of Barrett-Jackson auctions?  If you're like me, there's a series of reactions to this.  First, there's a feeling of anger/disappointment.  This is followed by being perplexed at how 18 TVs fit into one car.  Then, something on the auction block piques my interest and I settle in for a couple hours with dreams of buying some of those ridiculously priced concept cars from the 50s or maybe a nicely restored, numbers matching, overpriced Hemi Cuda.  Well, this post is here to slap you upside the head because there are much more interesting cars to find than what's at Barrett-Jackson, Mecum, or RM.
virginmedia.com

Monday, January 3, 2011

Year 2010: FPH wrap-up

As we welcome a new year, FPH takes a step back to reflect on a tumultuous 2010. Courtesy of Autoblog, FPH presents to you an extensive time line of 2010.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Odd Man Out - 1 - Sunbeam Alpine


Here's my New Years resolution, throughout the year I intend to post 52 old, funky, odd cars that I love. These won't be your Gullwing Mercedes, racing Ferrari, or generic Corvette but rather the odd ball, long forgotten, and sometimes failed vehicles that have just enough quirks to peak my interests.

This particular car is exactly the type of car I'm looking for. Its an easy one to forget, just less than 70,000 examples were made from 1959 to 1968. It's an odd car, in particular the Tiger version. Who would have thought to shoehorn an American V8 into a little British car? The poor man's Cobra of the day. And while it's not a particularly failed car having such a long run, the parent company Rootes was bought by Chrysler and its days were sadly over.

I was reminded of the Alpine while flipping through the January edition of Automobile magazine where it was featured in a 60's small sports car road trip to Watkins Glen. The aesthetic is good, a little Thunderbird with some 50's fin shrunk into a classic British roadster size. It's not a fast car in its usual non-Tiger form with under 100 hp and topping out just under 100 miles per hour but its not about the speed, its about the style. Just looking at it makes me want to go ride through the countryside. I am particularly partial to the removable hardtops which I feel look much nicer than a typical convertible top. While I don't mind MG's, and Triumphs of the day, I prefer the Sunbeam Alpine, the odd man out...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad