Absolutely Scandalous... So What Else Is New?

Have you ever seen the movie Casablanca where at one point Louis, the head of the police force in the city, who knows full well of the gambling operations that take place in Rick's Cafe Americain, orders the establishment closed for gambling, due to Nazi Germany political pressure. The scene has the classic line where Louis states,“I'm shocked... shocked, that there is gambling taking place at this establishment.” Of course, the scene ends hilariously when an employee of Rick's hands Louis his chips and says, “Here are your winnings, sir.” and Louis thanks him.

Scandals. They're everywhere and not just in politics and Hollywood. Some scandals in the automotive world have led to massive recalls. As of March 2016, there is literally a recall for one out of every four cars on the road today - that's 25% of all vehicles. It's sad, amazing, and brain boggling all at the same time. Never mind that it's a shitload of cars. But if one digs deeper, in just about every single recall, the manufacturer has known about the problem for years. And while many of us remember some of the most famous automotive scandals like the exploding fuel tank of the Ford Pinto as well as the Firestone / Ford Explorer fiasco, there are other ones dotted in history that you not be aware of.

One of the biggies involves the Chrysler Airflow which debuted in 1934. A technical marvel that was years ahead of it's time with an all-steel body (when most manufacturers were still using wood to a certain degree), uni-body construction (which is still used today), shatter proof safety glass and unique modern suspension, it didn't upset just the apple cart; it turned the cart upside down, threw the apples at the competition, then sold the horse and kept the money. GM was especially affected, and was furious at this modern offering. In retaliation, GM purchased ads in the Saturday Evening Post,

(an extremely popular magazine with enormous reach), stating that Chrysler stole the design from a top-secret GM blueprint (which never surfaced) and was a danger on the road. Chrysler retaliated with ads of their own as well as it's now-famous newsreel showing the Airflow's advanced suspension, (by shooting out a tire), and that the safety glass really worked by having a professional baseball pitcher throw a fast ball at the windshield. Chrysler went even further by rolling the car over and then driving it away. But the piece de resistance was when Chrysler drove the Airflow off a 110 foot cliff, and then had someone get in, start it, and drive away without so much as a shattered window! Unfortunately, all those demonstrations didn't work. Within three years, the Airflow was discontinued. GM's smear campaign worked, and astonishingly, faced no repercussions for it's actions. Even sadder, is that it set a GM mindset into motion in regards to recalls for years to come - one that it still hasn't learned it's lesson on.

Scandals, rules, and rule breakers have always been a hot topic in NASCAR ever since the first organized race back in 1949. But two of the biggest scandals came in back to back years of 1966 and 1967. Ever hear of Junior Johnson's “Yellow Banana”? Back in 1966, Ford began the racing season boycotting NASCAR over their 427 SOHC Cammer engine. But by August, in Atlanta, Junior Johnson broke ranks and showed up with his off-the-hook Galaxie. With a chopped roof-line, non-stock slanted windshield, and contoured fenders, it was somehow permitted to race. It was also the unofficial start of the aerodynamic wars between Ford and Chrysler.

The 2^nd scandal also also ended up being unresolved - the now famous Smokey Yunick 7/8ths Chevy. While GM was not actively involved in NASCAR at the time, this Chevelle race car was an independent entry and driver Curtis Turner put the car in the pole position at Daytona beating out the heavily favored Chrysler's and Fords. Rumors were abound that the car was only 7/8ths scale, which meant is was shorter, narrower, and lighter than a stock bodied vehicle. According to NASCAR vehicle templates and measurements, the rumors proved correct. But in a surprise move, Yunick had one of his team members rent a stock 1967 Chevelle from a local Hertz agency. When the rental car arrived at Daytona, Yunick placed his template and measuring devices up to the stock Chevelle and it fit perfectly. Then he did the same to his race car... and it also fit perfectly. The vehicle was allowed to compete.

Drag racing has it's own history of drama, but one of the more famous, but less known “scandals”, didn't involve a certain engine, or race car, or even a driver breaking the rules and getting away with it. This one took place back in 1965 - and what made it a scandal was the sole fact that the driver was a woman. Shirley Muldowney was the first woman to receive a license from the NHRA. At a time when the sport (and society for the most part) was still male-dominated, racers like Muldowney and Shirley Shahan were making in-roads with the sport. While it was difficult for her to gain sponsors and hire a pit crew solely based on her sex, she soldiered on and won national events by the very early 70's. She also went on to become the first person to win the NHRA World Fuel Championships on three separate occasions - in 1977, 1980, and 1982. Her success tore down the walls of traditional gender stereotypes; everything from painting her cars bright colors including hot pink to wearing high heels with her flame-proof racing suit.

Even muscle car ads proved to be scandalous. Say what? Don't they have to be approved by the top brass of the manufacturer prior to printing? Well, sort of. Pontiac, the black sheep of GM back in the 1960's, somehow always had a way of side-stepping the higher ups, and promotional material was not exempt. One of Pontiac's most famous ads was for the 1968 GTO. At that time, Woodward Avenue was a street racing hotspot. The public knew it, the police knew it. All the automotive manufacturers knew it too. The ad in question showed a new GTO parked on one of the cross-over lanes on Woodward Avenue. These lanes were used as U-turn roads for street racers involved in stoplight wars. The ad gave a strong subtle message like the guy driving the GTO was waiting for another individual to engage in a street race. Any doubt of that concept was erased by the simple copy at the bottom of the ad; “The Great One by Pontiac. You know the rest of the story.” The ad ran only once - a 2-page full color blurb in the December 1967 issue of Motor Trend. But as soon as GM brass got wind of it, it was immediately ordered to be pulled from any further publication.

Until next time, scandal-on people.

Peace out,

Dave

Same S**t... Different Year

I came across this old book at a flea market once. It was mostly pictures that highlighted the book's title; “The American Jalopy”. Contained between the hard-covers were page after page of old black and white pictures of vintage Detroit tin that was originally built from the late teens through the 1930's. Those classic shots showed many a misspent youth either proudly sitting in, standing in front of, or goofing off in their jalopy. Most of the vehicles were modified in some ways, although not in the same vein that started in the late 40's. Many of them still had stock tires, quick-change rearend differentials, and factory

interiors. Since they were owned by younger individuals, these vintage rigs were far from mint. Many of them had writing on assorted banged-up body panels, missing windshields and/or roofs, hardly any exhaust, bald tires, and a few even had homemade fabricated engine parts. Needless to say, they were a nothing like today's hot rods or even rat rods. But history shows us, that jalopy's were of good use in the public's eye back in the good 'ol days. Ever wonder how towns or the government painted lines in the middle of roadways some 75-80 years ago? Thanks to a jalopy, the picture above right is your answer.

But then I got to thinking – what I was actually looking at were the grandfathers of hot rods in general, and rat rods in particular. For decades, the hot rod community received an unfair negative image or what was the sum that society added up when you had a youth plus an old jalopy. And be sure to lock up your daughters – because if she got involved with a young man with a jalopy, the picture to your left is what happened.

But that was then and this is now. Or is it? Have things really changed? It still amazes me that in our old car hobby that brand-bashing still exists along with disagreeing on what is or is not a hot rod... or bad ass... or whatever. I can remember a not-to-long-ago period when rat rods went mainstream in the hot rodding world. Some enthusiasts went all negative stating they weren't true hot rods; Just rusted, slapped together pieces of shit that just happened to have a powerful motor and cool wheels. While I feel the acceptance factor of rat rods has greatly increased over the past 10 years, that original negative attitude is still there with some folks. Why is that? I absolutely love rat rods! Is there some type of fear in accepting this genre into the hot rodding fold? A fear of what someone doesn't understand? A fear of losing some status with their own mega-buck street rod if one of these clapped out beauties parked next to you at a show? You tell me – what do you think?

The same type of non-accepting negative mindset could also be said in regards to NASCAR when corporate sponsorship basically took over starting in 1972 when the manufacturers like Chrysler, Ford and even GM to a slight extent, began to radically cut back on factory support. By that point, muscle cars and their powerful V-8 engines were no longer in fashion. Money got tighter as inflation and costs reared their ugly heads. Drivers had sponsors that ranged from STP to Coca-Cola. NASCAR even gained a title sponsor in the form of cigarette giant R.J. Reynolds. Since the company was banned from advertising on television, they saw a new avenue of promotion and advertising. Thus the birth of the Winston Cup Series in the very early 70's. I can remember racing fans saying, “It's the death of circle track racing as we know it.” Today, that remains to be seen as Nextel is officially ending its title sponsorship at the end of the 2016 racing season. NASCAR officials are looking for a new sponsor, but have put such stipulations on it stating they would like a 10-year, $1 billion dollar investment and commitment. Seriously? Or maybe I just need to come to grips with the fact that, there is no racing without money... very serious money

Drag racing, more than any other sport, in my humble opinion, has produced more innovations, but has also produced some of the craziest ideas; some worked, some didn't. Ironically, regardless of how nuts things got, the acceptance level was always high, especially with the fans. If there was even a chance of having a specific design banned, that gave even more credibility and motivation to build it. Forget factory backed A/FX altered wheelbase cars; some of the designs that came

down the pike ranged from a “convertible” 1966 Dodge Dart fiberglass bodies that were draped over a Top Fuel dragster chassis (the Dart was never available as a convertible). Or how 'bout a classic Jeep CJ, except the fiberglass body's wheelbase was stretched to almost 112 inches... and no roof... or doors! One of my favorite “dare to be different” funny car bodies came out in the early 1980's, when J&J Fiberglass sponsored a rig that had a bright yellow Lincoln Continental Mark III body – complete with Landau roof!

We don't always have to agree or even approve, but acceptance is the key. Until next time, keep swimming against the stream.

Peace out,

Dave

Hazy Days Of Influence & Indifference

Usually the ideas for the weekly blog come from one particular avenue - an article I read, a video I saw, or someone I talked to. This week, it came from multiple articles, and I'm going to deviate from the normal format for a bit here. One article I glanced at in particular was written by fan of performance vehicles who happened to loathe 60's era muscle cars. At first I thought, "How can one appreciate the present without some level of respect to the past? Without the muscle cars of the 60's, there wouldn't be the muscle cars of today. Heck, if there wasn't the yen for speed equipment starting in 40's, we wouldn't be where we are today." Case in point - the advertisement to your right is for Edelbrock equipment... from 1948.

The article was penned by a guy from England who basically trashed muscle cars, but unfortunately missed their main reason for existence in the first place. His entire diatribe was on how modern performance (mainly tuner cars) was far superior to 1960's iron. And because of this, he could not fathom as to why these automotive icons were still so popular. First off, comparing modern muscle cars, super-tuned import rigs, or any new vehicle for that matter to muscle cars from 50 years ago, is like comparing a horse cart to the space shuttle. We've all heard the same arguments before - old muscle cars don't handle and brake as well, the quality control was

lousy, blah, blah, blah. Guess what - they are correct. Almost EVERY car built in the 60's (and especially the 70's) suffered these problems. There were hardly any computers and zero robots on the assembly line. Technology was pretty nil. Vehicle owners manuals were approximately 30 pages in length, not the thickness of a Harry Potter novel like they are today. They were also built by humans - and humans make mistakes... lots of them. Ever seen a modern BMW F10 M5? In a nutshell, it's a $100,000+ vehicle with a 560 horsepower twin turbo V8 that can not only zip you around any German city in 3 minutes or less, but serve you a latte while massaging your butt cheeks. There's more technology in that car than Neil Armstrong had when he went to the moon in 1969.

Thankfully, we have something called memories and nostalgia. 60's muscle cars were an American cultural phenomenon. There are people in countries today that hate America, but they absolutely love our old  muscle cars. I feel the reason is simple: Muscle cars are icons because they’re entire concept is straightforward. They never really attempted to be anything but straight-line performance machines. Up until very recently, there was no better way to destroy a 1/4 mile than with an old muscle car. Unlike uber high-end European models, 60's muscle cars were (and mostly still are) two-ton, gas guzzling middle fingers to braggart types and they also happen to accomplish it with beautiful styling. They were and still are the alternative for those who don’t agree that all fast cars, have to be light, composed of some quirky engineer’s wet dreams, and be expensive to maintain.

There were a few models that broke the mold 50 years ago that one could order from a dealership that not only tackled the 1/4 mile with gusto, but could also handle and brake with the best of them. One particular vehicle that comes to mind is the Camaro Z/28, starting in 1968. While there was no variable valve timing for better emissions, or traction and electronic stability controls for adverse weather conditions, I've seen some incredibly optioned models where someone had the money as well as a very good understanding of the option sheet. Equipped with not only the dual-carburetor DZ-302 engine and associated drive-train, but also outfitted with beefy front and rear sway bars, 4-wheel disc brakes, and more. Sounds pretty standard for a modern vehicle, but that was extreme high-end back in the psychedelic era.

I also believe there's a certain mindset when dealing with muscle cars (or any other vehicles built between the 1930's through the mid 70's). I feel the same is true in regards to people who are hard-wired towards tuning a modern muscle car or super-tuning a Honda or Toyota to perform at a certain level. For example, I went into my local supermarket last night, I saw a white 1967 AMC Rambler American 4-door sedan parked under the lights. I naturally gravitated towards it and parked diagonally behind it. It had the ubiquitous 6-cylinder engine, 3-on-the-tree transmission, dog-dish hubcaps, and looked stock right down to the original patina emblems. While it was far from being mint, it wasn't a basket case either with very little surface rust and a slightly worn interior. I instantly had visions of making it a killer sleeper with the stock hood but having a stout big block between the fenders. I also envisioned a nice stance, aftermarket wheels, slightly bigger tires, and upgraded brakes, steering, and suspension. It wasn't even for sale, but my brain instantly went into overdrive. Does the same scenario play out with guys and their diesel trucks? Or peeps with dreams of tricking out a stock 1963 Impala into a low-rider? Or the owners of turbo Honda's? I believe it does.

There - I got it out of my system. Let the hate mail commence...

Drag racing (as well as other types of racing) also has a deep history of influencing modern vehicles, not just muscle cars. If your car has the following, you can thank a racer -
- Fuel injection
- Flex fuel system
- Dual clutch transmission
- Aerodynamics
- Forced induction
- Serpentine belts
- Four wheel and all-wheel drive
- Drilled & slotted brake rotors... the list goes on.

Strength is in diversity, people. Embrace it - united in performance we stand. Divided we fall.
Until next time, peace out.
Dave