Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Make it stop: Bad landau tops]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/01/make-it-stop-bad-landau-tops/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/01/make-it-stop-bad-landau-tops/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/01/make-it-stop-bad-landau-tops/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Silly landau tops - Click above image for high-res image gallery

Landau tops. Frankly, some are fine. Show us, say, a mid-to-late '70s Olds Cutlass or Lincoln Town Coupe gussied up accordingly from the factory, and we're liable to nod in approval and make one of those, "Ehh, not bad at all!" facial expressions in appreciation of the old barge. That said, most modern landau roof applications are dealer-installed, and commensurately disastrous and stupid.

My friend Scott had been telling me about two particularly egregious examples he regularly sees in his Brooklyn neighborhood. "Show me," I told him. So he remembered to tote his camera with him this week and sent me these. The Buick LeSabre isn't all that surprising, gauche though it may be. But the Ford Escort? Yeah, that's a good one. Gotta love those opera lights and the fading "Ghia" lettering, too. Will anything ever stop these people?

Your turn: What's the most terrible landau top application you've personally witnessed? We know you have stories. Share.

UPDATE: TTAC fires a salvo of its own. Fun!


Gallery: Bad Landau Tops


[Images courtesy of Scott Nyerges]

Make it stop: Bad landau tops originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bad landau topsBadLandauTopsbuickbuick lesabreBuickLesabreescortfordford escortFordEscortghialandau topsLandauTopslesabreopera lampsOperaLampssilly landau topsSillyLandauTopsSun, 01 Nov 2009 13:51:00 EST<![CDATA[VIDEO: Ken Block, Chris Atkinson test out their rear-drive chops in a 1978 Ford Escort Mk2 rally car]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/14/video-ken-block-chris-atkinson-test-out-their-rear-drive-chops/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/14/video-ken-block-chris-atkinson-test-out-their-rear-drive-chops/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/14/video-ken-block-chris-atkinson-test-out-their-rear-drive-chops/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Click above to watch the video after the jump

There are a lot of great racing choices out there for motorsports fans, but few offer up the excitement and showmanship of rally driving. Not many drivers seem to be having as much fun as Ken Block, as his YouTube videos and uncanny drifting prowess have fast become must see TV. For his latest video goodness, Block showed off his rallying chops at Team O'Neal's Rally School in New Hampshire along with fellow rally pro Chris Atkinson. To make the video interesting, the rally vets didn't hit the dirt in a state-of-the-art AWD Subaru. Instead, Block and Atkinson tried their luck in a vintage rear-drive 1978 Euro Ford Escort. Block actually owns the 31 year old vehicle and will be racing it in select events.

The super 'Scort may look like a Daytona USA stock car, but it has plenty of modern hardware beneath its boxy exterior. Power comes courtesy of a sweet sounding 2.4-liter, four-cylinder Millington engine that kicks out a respectable 280 horsepower paired with a WRC-style six-speed sequential gearbox.

Hit the jump to view Block and Atkinson having an absolute blast in a hopped-up Escort. We never thought we'd want a 1978 Escort, but Block's unlikely baby is as sweet as they come.


[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Ken Block, Chris Atkinson test out their rear-drive chops in a 1978 Ford Escort Mk2 rally car

VIDEO: Ken Block, Chris Atkinson test out their rear-drive chops in a 1978 Ford Escort Mk2 rally car originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>1978 ford escort mk21978FordEscortMk2chris atkinsonChrisAtkinsonescortfordford escortFordEscortken blockKenBlockrally racingrally videoRallyRacingRallyVideorear driveRearDriveMon, 14 Sep 2009 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[VIDEO: Priceless 1989 Ford dealer training films offer timeless amusement]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/20/video-priceless-1989-ford-dealer-training-films-offer-timeless-amusement/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/20/video-priceless-1989-ford-dealer-training-films-offer-timeless-amusement/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/20/video-priceless-1989-ford-dealer-training-films-offer-timeless-amusement/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

1989 Ford dealer training clip - click above image to watch the videos

Y'all remember Robocop? You know, the really excellent Eighties action masterpiece about a shot-to-hell cop that comes back as a bulletproof robot to rid Detroit of über baddies like the ruthless Clarence Boddiker and super villain Dick Jones? Well, what you may not remember about Paul Verhoeven's 1987 masterpiece is all the social satire. From the 6000 SUX (8 mpg!) to the slaps at very privatized health care (Jensen Sport model heart!) to the Nuke 'Em family home game, the satire was rich and sardonic.

But where did Verhoeven get the fodder for his gags? Dunno, but it's been said that 49% of the population doesn't get sarcasm. Which explains how these 1989 Ford dealer training ads got made. Someone at Ford saw Robocop and said, "Yes! That's the medium we've been looking for." Don't believe us? Make the jump and watch two of them (one on the Festiva and Escort, and another on the Crown Victoria) for yourself.

[Source: YouTube via Michael Banovsky]

Continue reading VIDEO: Priceless 1989 Ford dealer training films offer timeless amusement

VIDEO: Priceless 1989 Ford dealer training films offer timeless amusement originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blue ovalBlueOvalCrown VictoriaCrownVictoriadealer filmdealer trainingDealerFilmDealersDealerTrainingEscortFestivaFordFord Crown VictoriaFord DealersFord FiestaFord LTDFordCrownVictoriaFordDealersFordFiestaFordLtdLTDThu, 20 Aug 2009 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Escachero!]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/21/escachero/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/21/escachero/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/21/escachero/#commentsFiled under: , ,


click above image for more views of the Escachero

Autoblog reader Johnny B. sent us these pics of a hybrid Ford Escort pickup he found that, quite honestly, should have been built by the Blue Oval, as it evokes everything that was good and right about the original Ford Ranchero. (Whoa, so much dripping sarcasm, it's getting tough to type.) In Johnny's words, it's got "all the power and versatility of an Escort with the comfort of a pickup." Wait, that should probably the other way around, but you get the idea. At this point, we'd take a Focichero to replace Ford's aging Ranger pickup that's got no replacement waiting in the wings as far as we know.

Gallery: Escachero!

Escachero! originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Aug 2007 20:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>escacheroescortescortaminofocicheroford escortford rancheroFordEscortFordRancherohybrid pickupHybridPickuppickuptruckTue, 21 Aug 2007 20:03:00 EST<![CDATA[How Automobile envisions the next Ford Escort]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/03/how-automobile-envisions-the-next-ford-escort/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/03/how-automobile-envisions-the-next-ford-escort/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/03/how-automobile-envisions-the-next-ford-escort/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

As we reported a few days back, Ford has big plans for the bits and pieces that make up the Mazda 2. While the Mazda will have the requesitie joie de vivre known as "zoom zoom," Ford variants are a go, as well. Automobile posits that naming the Ford version might be a sticky wicket. We've recently seen the blue oval return to names with some history, so an all new moniker may be out from the get-go. That leaves us with some greatest hits from yesteryear. Pinto likely won't work, it's too old, and those cars are rolling punchlines, anyway. Fiesta? Well, we're getting closer. The US was graced with the Fiesta back when the Rabbit was a small car, and they were wonderful. Unfortunately, the age problem is still there, and not enough people know what the Fiesta is/was anymore. Staying with F, we can move to Festiva, but we'd rather not. Ka would probably be fine in Boston, but nobody would know what the hell you're talking about. Conversations would have a real "who's on first" feel.

"I'm going to move my Ka, or it'll be plowed in."

What kind of car is it?

"A Ford."

Ford what?

"Ka."

Right, I know it's a car, but what model?

"Ford Ka."

On and on it would go. That leaves us with one venerable name: Escort. The original Laser-platform Escorts were a pretty decent stab at a world car once they solved the oil burning issues with the 1.6L engine and funky shifting from the automatic. By 1985, they were decent little cars. It'd be a return to history all around. The Escort ended up swiping a Mazda platform for it's last iteration (The 91 "shrunken Taurus" model), so taking the Mazda2 and calling it Escort would be a return to the past. Since they've brought back the Taurus and Sable names, revisiting other 1980s names sounds reasonable, but please, leave the fashion, music, and hairstyles there.

How Automobile envisions the next Ford Escort originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 03 Mar 2007 17:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>22009escortfordmazdamazda2newnew escortNewEscortSat, 03 Mar 2007 17:37:00 EST<![CDATA[RR of the Day: Escort abroad]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/15/rr-of-the-day-escort-abroad/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/15/rr-of-the-day-escort-abroad/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/15/rr-of-the-day-escort-abroad/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Since it seems like most of the mainstream automotive news will be dominated with comment and analysis of Ford's WF 2.0 plan today, we thought we'd dig up something with a blue oval on it for today's RR of the Day. This car is a Brazilian 1991 Ford Escort XR3 Formula. It represents some of the Escort's higher pedigree that could be found abroad but was never delivered to the U.S. The XR3 joined the RS2000 Escort in 1991, but lacked the latter's larger 2.0-liter turbo engine in favor of a 1.8-liter Zetec. The owner of this example, who goes by the Flickr handle Tabajara-Labs, waited 10 years for this very rare XR3 Formula of which he claims only 750 were built. The Escort here reminds us of the greatest Escort of all time and a car after which I hopelessly pined as a young spud: the Escort RS Cosworth. Yum.

If you'd like to see your own ride featured here, simply upload photos of your ride into our Flickr group. We select one image to highlight each week day, and on the weekend let you vote for a RR of the Week. Detailed instructions can be found after the jump.

Continue reading RR of the Day: Escort abroad

RR of the Day: Escort abroad originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Sep 2006 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BrazilEscortRR of the DayRrOfTheDayXR3Fri, 15 Sep 2006 10:28:00 EST