Can A Marraige Of "New" And Vintage Exist?

As I wrote last week, it felt good to be writing the blog again. It was almost equivalent to attending a reunion of sorts and catching up with old friends. I received a few emails over the past few days and in one or two of them, we traded replies as to:
 - what exactly is vintage (not to be confused with "old") and
 - what exactly is old (not to be confused with "vintage")!

Of course, your definition of old, or vintage, or nostalgic, will be different than mine. And our opinions will be slightly different from Tom the Chevy nut down the street - and that's fine. Strength is in diversity. Another bottom line is, even though we have different opinions, there is no true "right or wrong", we can all respect each other, and we can all benefit from each others experiences.

This discussion was, in part, fueled by an article I read on the Motor Authority website where the first known wrecked (ie; totaled) 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, will be going up for auction. I'm not taking sides on this, except for the fact that whomever purchased the vehicle originally was an idiot. The Challenger only has 64 miles on it and was demolished within one hour after driving it off the dealership lot (that's the idiot part). The selling price is anticipated to be between $20-30 grand, as Allpar has noted that the 707 horsepower (and that number is most likely underrated) Hellcat engines alone are going for around $17,000 dollars.
The kicker is, I can, without a doubt, envision someone purchasing the vehicle, parting it out, and putting all that goodness into a vintage car - especially an early 70's Challenger. The cooling system will have to be redone (because the original one in the SRT is shot), but apparently the engine still runs and the transmission is fully functional. Even the tires and wheels are good to go. If the Hellcat parts are swapped into some vintage iron, would this combination be one of the ultimate "vintage marries new" vehicles? Would it blur the lines of what exactly "old" is even further? What do you think? Here's a link to the article: http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1016928_first-wrecked-2015-dodge-challenger-srt-hellcat-going-up-for-auction

Speaking of firsts, in my last blog I was getting pumped for some upcoming car show events. Here's

a doozer - if you're a GM or Camaro fan (or even if you aren't and just dig vintage Detroit iron), you may want to head to Carlisle Pennsylvania at the end of June for their GM Nationals show. Organizers for the event have confirmed that the very first Camaro from 1967 has been restored and will be at the event. ( Ed. Note - that particular car is not the one pictured). This also begs the question - will Chevrolet bring anything to the event in regards to the all-new, sixth generation Camaro? The events in Carlisle are huge. GM already had teaser shots at the Chicago auto show earlier this year and has also released photos of the profile via a body die.

Another first... at least for 2015. The first race of the season for NASCAR is done. By the time you read this, the fact that Joey Logano won the Daytona 500 is old news. That's not why we're here. I threw the vintage shifter into gear and jetted back 50 years to look at a number of things.
First question - do you know who won the Daytona 500 back in 1965... 50 years ago? A guy named Fred Lorenzen (who was at the time a very prominent driver) won the 7th annual event in a very stock looking Ford Galaxie.
One fact still amazes me is that Ford supplied the "body in white" as well as all the drive-train to Fred and his team. Fred was responsible for the interior, paint, decals, and finishing of the race car. That fact is unthinkable today. Races like Daytona were in their youth and racing teams used any and all creativity they could muster in order to capture the checkered flag. Competition still breeds creativity. Nowadays I feel like it sometimes promotes homogenization because of all the drama and politics. 

Also going back to about this time 50 years ago to 1965, Dodge and Plymouth were about to turn the drag racing world on its ear with their altered wheelbase Coronets and Satellites. Chrysler had already been experimenting with the 2% altered wheelbase rule the NHRA allowed in 1964. And since NASCAR banned the new generation Hemi engine (and thus Chrysler boycotted the series) in 1965, the manufacturer threw a great deal of its financial weight into these vehicles that "looked funny" - and without knowing, gave birth to the modern funny car. Again - groove on the simplicity of the car.


While many racers gained serious notoriety from these factory-supported creations, in my opinion, Dick Landy got most of the press, as car-buff magazines were all over this development. Of course, a couple of moon-shot wheelies didn't hurt either. While articles abound about these vehicles and Dick Landy's major part in them, I find it ironic that it is an absolute bitch to find decent pics on Google regarding his 1965 Dodge. Just sayin'...


 I was thinking about that sentence I wrote a few paragraphs up - competition breeds creativity. In this

case, it's not necessarily competition, but most of the time it's a result of the concept of dare to be different. This also ties in with the "new / vintage" marriage thing (I think...). Do you realize that diesel swaps are becoming one of the more common and popular engine swaps? I'm seeing them in everything from street rods, rat rods (where they are very popular), even muscle & drag cars. Apparently, the word is that the Cummings B-series inline engines are the small block Chevy's of the diesel world. From what I've read, they are quite adaptable on a multitude of platforms (not just trucks), can make shit-loads of power with performance bolt-on parts, and are literally indestructible. I can really dig this - the only problem I have is how to classify this type of automotive "marriage"...

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

Quantifying "Vintage" and Waxing Nostalgia

     What can I say? At this juncture - not much. It has been literally 10 months since my last post. I am at a loss at the time lapse. Blogging is like a habit - it's so easy to get out of and difficult to restart again. I could offer a litany of excuses as to why I haven't posted anything. They would range from traveling, to working my "regular" job, freelancing assignments, moving into new digs - it would be an arm length amount. But what would be the purpose? It's all in the past. As a good friend of mine once said, "... if you've got one foot always in the past and the other in the future - you're just pissing in the middle. You're not here... now". 'Nuff said.

     OK - so we're back. In trying to achieve a balance with all the things that are currently on my plate, I'm going to attempt to publish a new post once a week. Next, I'm going to make a serious effort to hold fast to the nitty gritty mission of Maximum Power - which is focusing on American high performance vehicles and their advertisements from 1955 to 1974, racing (drag, street, and NASCAR) primarily from the 60's, as well as all things hot rod, street rod, and rat rods. Feel free to bitch slap me, email wise, if I get out of line with this.

     You may be asking (or not) - is there anything new? You betcha! We've put the finishing touches on the new website, http://vintagev8photography.wix.com/photography
You can also like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VintageV8Dave
On either of those pages, you will also find links to Etsy as well as Fine Art America where you can purchase reprints in various sizes of vintage Detroit iron.

One aspect that has been added to the original mix from 2013 are tons of photos of vintage vehicles and muscle cars "resting in peace" in salvage yards as well as in various locations along the back roads throughout America. While not everyone has a yen for this sort of thing, it does offer a unique perspective on this type of Americana. 

     This being Daytona 500 week down in Florida, I figured this would be as good as any place to start. This is one event I'm glad to say that I've crossed off my bucket list, and did so many moons ago. Call me behind the times or just a chronic whiner, but I just can't stomach ticket prices (to any sporting event) that sell at hundreds of dollars a pop... and some of those aren't even for good seats. Never mind parking at this years Daytona starts at $55 per car. I realize that racing events are more than just a sport and entertainment - it's a business. B-I-G business. I get it. And yes, something has to pay for the maintenance and the current renovations being done at Daytona that will be completed by next winter. The end result of those upgrades will make the venue that much nicer and accommodating. Regardless of how you feel, I'm sure we can all groove on this vintage picture circa 1957 when they actually raced on dirt. Also dangerous and cool are the heavy duty boards that act as a barrier - that's all that separates the fans from the track.

     I must admit - there seems to be a real blurry line when it comes to either stock car and/or drag racing when one adds the term "vintage" or "nostalgic". I think some folks are confusing these concepts with "retro" - which is yet another gray area. Google some images sometime and use those key words and you'll see where I'm coming from. Vintage can involve anything from the mid-90's on down. Drag racing and the NHRA is not exempt from this.

     I was reading a short blurb in the March 2015 issue of Hot Rod Deluxe where they were discussing the Meltdown Drags from the summer of 2014. Like NASCAR, numerous NHRA events are over-priced plus they lack the magic that was so prominent from the 60's. All these sponsorships and gimmicks today are leaving grandstands half empty and groups of management that resemble government parties where no one can get along. The Meltdown Drags out in Illinois are a prime example of events that are family oriented, reasonably priced, and a blast to attend. No monies are awarded, no celebrities are paid to appear - just good old fashioned drag racing circa 1966. Guess what? The stands were over-flowing with fans... and no bullshit problems or drama.


     It reminds me of the photo to the left that was taken at the Niagara Airport strip circa 1966-1967. All the vehicles are regular street cars. None of them have hubcaps. Look closer and you'll see the dents in the Pontiac Tempest's drivers door and the busted taillights on the 1963 Chevy Impala. Just run what you've got. Very cool.


     When I was first looking over this classic picture, I was wondering what kind of motors were in these classics. Aside from the obvious GTO and Chevelle (almost out of the picture staging behind the Impala), I was contemplating about the 1964 Dodge or the 1966 Chevy II. Did the Dodge contain Max Wedge power or did the Chevy have the rare L79 350HP 327 cid small block? And while I was at it, did the Impala contain a 409 or a 427? One thing I love about that era is the concept of "sleepers". These were the cars that looked plain Jane, but could clean your clock at a stoplight encounter - and you wouldn't realize it until it was too late. A good friend of mine used to label those cars, "Captain Invisible and his Dealer of Humility". 
 
The following ad is from 1955, but it gets the sleeper concept across loud and clear. Looks like an ordinary Dodge, but the owner is all smiles when he hits the loud pedal (or is it because he's blowing the doors off the guy in the other lane...). Finally, dig the bottom line in the ad - "... it's a real bomb." Pretty controversial stuff for the uber-conservative 50's.

I had a recent muscle car forum discussion with some good folks about some of the greatest sleepers of all time. Some of the more obvious answers were thrown around many times - mostly vehicles built from 1963 to 1966. Detroit had the performance aspect down pat; the styling just hadn't caught up to it yet. However, one off-shoot that came out of that thread, was the discussion of "not-so-obvious" sleepers. There was some outrage that flared up when someone mentioned the Shelby inspired Dodge Omni GLHS and Charger 024 of the mid 80's.

The sticking points were the fact that both these vehicles had between 175-225 horsepower. But that was countered with the realities of power-to-weight ratios. While these vehicles only made so many ponies, the other side of the coin was the fact they only weighed 2000 pounds.Properly tuned, these vehicles were capable of quarter mile times in the 13 second zone. While that may not sound like a big deal today, that was brutal 30 years ago.

Finally, with all this snow on the ground, at least in our neck of the woods, it's hard to imagine warm days and cool cars that will be the norm in just over two months.Things will be picking up speed beginning in May with numerous car shows as well as Vintage V-8 Photography's involvement in Project Graduation at Medomack Valley High School in Waldoboro Maine. More details and pics will be forthcoming!

Until next time - peace out.
Dave