1970 Pontiac GTO Judge

President of Coker Tires Wade Kawasaki stops by the garage to show Jay his 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge that was named after a popular character from the 60's Television show Laugh-In.

I'm posting this because I was randomly going through my blog and came across this old post: http://www.skepticaleye.com/2009/04/ponti-whacked.html. I featured an old GTO "The Judge" commercial in that post, and though I can't say I'm particular taken with that particular automobile, I do like old cars in general, and old muscle cars are really cool.

The one featured in the Jay Leno video above is a nice example of a near original. The car was in a garage for a couple of decades and only had 40-50,000 original miles. The interior is orignal, and in great condition, it just required a little cleaning. The body had no rust, so really, once the exterior and engine were restored, you have a Judge as it must have come from the factory when new.

More on Coker Tire:

Though Coker's products retain the appearance of the old tires by using the original, refurbished molds, or new molds built from original drawings, the tires are made with modern materials. Coker Tire was given manufacturing rights by the original tire brands, and also has acquired many different tire molds of the original obsolete tires they manufacture. Coker Tire also offers wheels for collector vehicles.- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coker_Tire

Coches de Cuba! Classic American Cars in Cuba!

Looks like I'm in a car mood this weekend!

Fabulous Fords of the 50s

The Worst Fords In History

Gerald?

1982 Delorean DMC-12 Start Up, Exhaust, and In Depth Review

500,000 Miles?

Wow! I've heard of cars going to that mileage, but not usually without a major overhaul of the engine or a new engine. The video doesn't indicate anything like that. I have met a lot of Honda and Toyota owners with cars over 300,000 miles (which I'm hoping to get on my 1999 Corolla, I'm at over 210,000 now) and which is one reason I'm considering a Honda or Toyota for my next vehicle. I'm focusing on the Honda Fit as a possibility, which I would most likely buy brand new. I would consider an American make if I thought those vehicles had a prayer of lasting as long.




One lesson from this video: don't waste your precious money! As the lady says, she hasn't had a car payment in 16 years. I haven't had one in 8 years since I paid off my current Toyota. I don't understand people who trade-in perfectly good cars for brand new ones. I hear it all the time; "Well, we have a 2004 Camry, it runs great, has 80,000 miles on it, but it's time to get a new one". WTF? Stop trying to keep up with the Joneses, idiots! It's not worth it, and you may think we're now in an economic recovery based on Obama's lies, but don't you believe it. This economy is going to crash, and you can't afford to be in massive debt, or throw your increasingly devalued dollars around so carelessly.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Beetles!

image by laura*b under Creative Commons

It could be I only started noticing more old Beetles than usual on the road because of an article I read. Could be, but I know long before that I'd been wondering why I never saw any at all anymore. Maybe, just maybe, something was stirring amongst the driving public. Volkswagen announced the original Beetle's retirement from production way back in 1977. And in its day, it was quite an innovative vehicle.

The VW Beetle was actually the very first car I have a memory of. My dad had one for two years after I was born, and for years after I believed that the place where you put the gas on cars was under the front hood (the Beetle had a rear engine, of course, so under that hood was storage space, a trunk in the front, and the location of the gas cap). By the way, I mentioned the trend of returning Beetles to my dad the other day, and he went into a semi-rant about how unsafe they are. True, you'd probably be killed in a minor accident while driving or riding in one, but, isn't that choice of risk up to the individual and not the state that is now worshiped in this country like God?

And so, there is a peaceful rebellion of sorts developing. Government can force the automakers to build ever-more-complex, ever-more-expensive new cars that increasingly require 5-6 year mini-mortgages to buy and the ability to pay a $70-per-hour “technician” to service. But government can’t force people to buy these marvels of technology – and tyranny.

We can just say no.

And instead, we can buy cars built in the pre-government era (roughly, before the early 1970s) that are free of the encumbrances – and expense – that has been layered on over the past 40-something years.

The Beetle Mark I’s resurgent popularity tells me that at least some people have figured out that while you can’t fight city hall, you can do an end run around city hall.-Return of the Beetle – Mark I

My girlfriend recently wanted to buy an old Beetle, but it's not something I'd want her to be driving everyday. I do worry about safety, which is my own choice, so I'll no doubt have to eventually make sure she's driving one of those expensive modern cars with 3 thousand airbags.

However, personal transportation and the freedom and economic advantage it brings are vital, and to be honest, I may never be able to afford a brand new car, so I do want the freedom to choose. How about a car company called Simple Autos? It's not legal to open such an enterprise now to build new vehicles, but who says you couldn't "restore" old ones. I don't think you need much left of the original vehicle to do a legal restoration and sell it, and if it could be done cheaply enough, it might be a thriving enterprise. In the meantime, just look for existing ones for sale and save yourself some hard earned dough (I have a friend who never buys a new or evenly slightly used vehicle, he searches for old cars he can get for less than a couple thousand bucks, then drives them till they fall apart).


So, in just the last week, I'm seeing old, original Beetles everywhere. Three at the shopping mall the other day, and several a day on the road while just going about my business. At least I now know there are working ones out there if I ever need to buy one.

Would you drive an old Beetle?

Sunday Autos

Audi A7 Sedan/Coupe






Kia Forte 5-Door Hatchback






2012 Corvette

GM eAssist - New Technology Gives Large Sedan's 37 MPG

Question of the Day: What Is Your Dream Car and Why?

My dream car is a brand new one, seeing how I've never had a brand new car. I only need it to get me to work and other important places, not give me an ego boost. I'd like just a Honda Civic possibly, but if I had the money for something more expensive, I might go for a Bentley Flying Spur, then I could fly down the highway and pass all those jerks and say, "Ha, I'm driving a Bentley, loser!"...okay, I would like that ego boost after all. Maybe yours is a classic, or maybe it's something really stupid. Or maybe you don't have a dream car and you dream of mass public transit instead.

My New Car

...after I win the lottery:

New 2011 Mercedes CL63 AMG

This large luxury performance coupe from Mercedes has a starting price of $145.000. This AMG performance version had special handling compontents, enlarged brakes and an AMG 6.3 V8 with a great exhaust note.





...or, after my girlfriend starts working:


New 2011 Scion tC





Or, for the price of one CL63 AMG, I could buy 8 tCs.

Micro Cars Travel Historic Route 66

You might call them crazy, but 8 drivers from as far away as Germany had their tiny "micro cars" shipped to Los Angeles so they could make a 2-week trip along historic Route 66. They're heading to Chicago for an international micro car rally.

Signs you might be a HORRIBLE driver

In the last few weeks I've been amazed at the sheer number of godawful idiot drivers out on the road. Please, boys and girls, make sure you aren't doing of this stuff because it means you can't drive:

1) If you are incapable of staying in your own lane--the most basic and simple task of driving--you are more likely than not a horrible driver. More than that, you are functionally retarded and should simply stay off the road (or maybe consider killing yourself).

2) If you insist on driving 15 mph under the speed limit, then become angry and speed up whenever someone tries to pass your sorry ass, you might be a horrible driver.

3) If you tail-gate people who are already going 15 mph over the speed limit, you might also be a horrible driver. Cork's rule of thumb: the more you tail-gate me, the slower I drive. This is a residential area, not the place for NASCAR you jackass.

4) If you make dangerous, last-second turns in front of oncoming traffic, you might be a horrible driver.

5) If you never use your turn signals you are a horrible driver.

6) If it takes you literally 20 minutes to back out of your parking space while a huge line of cars is waiting for your slow ass to do something (god forbid), you might be a horrible driver.

Thank you. That is all.

Hemp Car

From the man that gave the world the Model T, Henry Ford.


The Great Book of Hemp: The Complete Guide to the Environmental, Commercial, and Medicinal Uses of the World's Most Extraordinary Plant

Video via LRC Blog

The 789 Chevy

Yours for only around $135,000.






A blending of the 1957 Chevrolet, 1958 Chevrolet and 1959 Chevrolet classic designs.

From a company called n2a Motors (No 2 Alike), it's based on the Corvette.

Ponti Whacked

Being a part of the automotive industry as I am, I feel it obligatory to post something about the demise of Pontiac, especially since one of my co-workers is an enthusiast of the brand.







My parents married in 1962, and shortly after the wedding, purchased a new car, a 1962 Pontiac.

1962 Pontiac

On their honeymoon there was an accident (well, technically, on the trip back from the honeymoon) when my dad rear-ended another car. My mom has told the story many times over the years. "Our brand new Pontiac, and he wrecked it! And I was the one who paid for it from my savings, not him! Our beautiful, new Pontiac, and he wrecked it, that's what he did!"

Pontiac has been around since 1926, but perhaps it's a blessing it's being killed off now. What with the government running things, the next generation of Pontiacs could have ended up like this:


Goodnight, Pontiac.

The High Miles Club

2,676,045 miles!

The Stainless Steel Car

History of the Stainless Steel Car

HT to the Silverbacks