Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Ford Pinto convoy celebrates maligned model's 40th birthday]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2011/06/05/ford-pinto-convoy-rolls-across-america-to-celebrate-maligned-mod/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/06/05/ford-pinto-convoy-rolls-across-america-to-celebrate-maligned-mod/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/06/05/ford-pinto-convoy-rolls-across-america-to-celebrate-maligned-mod/#commentsFiled under: ,

1978 Ford Pinto

There's a car club out there for everyone. Case in point: Ford Pinto enthusiasts have embarked on a journey across a large portion of the country. In all, 24 Pintos are making the 1,600-mile trek from Denver, Colorado to the Ford Nationals in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. By the time the group arrives in PA, a few more Pinto fans will join the unique train of cars, bringing the total number of vehicles up to 32.

Along the way, the Ford Pintos are making a few pit stops. For instance, the group already dropped by Kansas Speedway, where drivers pushed their Pintos as high as 95 miles per hour. If that last sentence doesn't sound frightening, you're braver than we are.

Ford Pinto convoy celebrates maligned model's 40th birthday originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 05 Jun 2011 12:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ford nationalsford pintopintopinto entusiastsSun, 05 Jun 2011 12:06:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19957741/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2011/06/05/ford-pinto-convoy-rolls-across-america-to-celebrate-maligned-mod/19957741/article-detail.xml 19957741 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/06/tfh0207pinto_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/06/tfh0207pinto.jpg <![CDATA[Gremlins, Pinto and Pacers to become the new auction darlings?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/25/gremlins-pinto-and-pacers-to-become-the-new-auction-darlings/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/25/gremlins-pinto-and-pacers-to-become-the-new-auction-darlings/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/25/gremlins-pinto-and-pacers-to-become-the-new-auction-darlings/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Anyone worried about their legacy would do well to pay attention to the rise and fall of automotive punchlines. More like fall and rise. Cars that were once four-wheeled jokes are gaining in value, demonstrating that history usually plays out far differently than you'd planned. Insurance man McKeel Hagerty noticed that cars once sneered at were increasing in value. Hagerty's insurance company is the number one insurance provider for collector car owners, and the values of the vehicles were suddenly climbing. Hagerty polled his customers and asked them to vote on the worst car designs of all time; a way of researching what's primed to increase in value.

AMC was the big winner of the dubious honors. Consistently undercapitalized compared to the big three, AMC had to be very creative and clever with their resources. The company made it as long as they did by taking more risks, so it's not that much of a surprise to see the Pacer, Gremlin, and Matador honored. Ford's Pinto must be charming a new generation of buyers with its firey personality, because we can't imagine that rampant nostalgia has started to take hold of the rolling jokes yet. Then again, many Boomers might fondly regard what may have been their first car. Prices for musclecars have gotten stupid, are we going to see a three-million dollar Bobcat in the next five years?

[Source: Business Week via TTAC]

Gremlins, Pinto and Pacers to become the new auction darlings? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 25 Aug 2007 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>70samcbaddiscofordgremlinmatadorpacerpintouglyworstSat, 25 Aug 2007 16:56:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/973523/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2007/08/25/gremlins-pinto-and-pacers-to-become-the-new-auction-darlings/973523/article-detail.xml 973523 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/08/1977gx_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/08/1977gx.jpg <![CDATA[Auto Lexicon: Top 5 four-wheeled metaphors]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/18/auto-lexicon-top-5-four-wheeled-metaphors/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/18/auto-lexicon-top-5-four-wheeled-metaphors/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/18/auto-lexicon-top-5-four-wheeled-metaphors/#commentsFiled under:



Here's a fun column we came across talking about cars as metaphors. Kind of like referring to something as the "Rolls-Royce" of its industry means it's the best (or most expensive, perhaps). The writer, Miss Cellania, lists five vehicles that rightly or wrongly have come to be symbols of the worst from the automotive sector. All five of her picks are instantly recognizable for their place in motoring history. While we empathize with owners of these vehicles because they frequently have endearing qualities, we understand the reasons they have been chosen. Here's the list, but we encourage you to click over to Mental Floss to hear the explanations of how they earned their often unfair reps.

1. Edsel = Failure
2. Corvair = Unsafe
3. Pinto = Volatile
4. DeLorean = Overhyped
5. Yugo = Shoddy

While the DeLorean might be a bit of a stretch as being overhyped, the rest seem appropriate. These are a good start, but we're sure you all can come up with a whole bunch more.

Thanks for the tip, C. McFeeny!

[Source: Mental Floss]

Auto Lexicon: Top 5 four-wheeled metaphors originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Jul 2007 09:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>automotive metaphorsAutomotiveMetaphorsCorvairDeloreanEdselMental FlossMentalFlossMiss CellaniaMissCellaniaPintoYugoWed, 18 Jul 2007 09:34:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/942492/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2007/07/18/auto-lexicon-top-5-four-wheeled-metaphors/942492/article-detail.xml 942492 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/07/delorean_450_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/07/delorean_450.jpg <![CDATA[Cartalk names Top 10 Scariest Cars]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/30/cartalk-names-top-10-scariest-cars/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/30/cartalk-names-top-10-scariest-cars/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/30/cartalk-names-top-10-scariest-cars/#commentsFiled under: ,




What do the 1980 Chevy Monza and the 1973 VW Microbus have in common? They are among Car Talk hosts Tom and Ray Magliozzi's Top 10 Scariest Cars list. Of the Monza they say, " Whenever one of these beauties reared its ugly grille in front of the garage, every mechanic with more than six weeks' experience would go running for the men's room and lock the door." Another car on the list, the 1987 Ford Festiva, gets this derision from the brothers: "We once got in trouble for saying this car came right from the factory with a funeral wreath on the grille."

If these cars aren't scary enough, submit your own nomination.

The whole list after the jump.


[Source: cartalk.com]

Continue reading Cartalk names Top 10 Scariest Cars

Cartalk names Top 10 Scariest Cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Oct 2006 19:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aztekcartalkchevrolet monzaChevroletMonzachevy monzaChevyMonzaclick and clackClickAndClackford festivaford mustangford pintoFordFestivaFordMustangFordPintoh1halloweenhalloween carsHalloweenCarshummermicrobuspintopontiac aztekpontiac trans amPontiacAztekPontiacTransAmRay MagliozziRayMagliozziscariest carsScariestCarsscary carsScaryCarssuzuki samuraiSuzukiSamuraiTom and Ray Magliozzitom MagliozziTomAndRayMagliozziTomMagliozzivolkswagen microbusvolkswagen thingVolkswagenMicrobusVolkswagenThingvw microbusvw thingVwMicrobusVwThingMon, 30 Oct 2006 19:55:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/693204/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2006/10/30/cartalk-names-top-10-scariest-cars/693204/article-detail.xml 693204 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2006/10/scarycars-small_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2006/10/scarycars-small.jpg -1 2