1957
Is it what's out back that counts? "The decision to buy or not to buy," according to Detroit Times Auto Editor, Thomas Kleene, "will [come down to] whether or not the present family car looks out-of-date rather than...whether or not he approves of the 'tail fin' design."
1969
Smokin': In a comparison test of '69 "supercars," a Plymouth GTX 440, with 440-cid/375-horsepower V-8, outblasted a Dodge Charger R/T440, Ford Torino Cobra 428CJ, Pontiac GTO, Chevelle SS396, and Buick GS400 with a 5.8-second 0-60-mph blitz and 13.7-second/102.8-mph quarter mile. All that and 9 mpg to boot!
1969
Alfa Romeo's Carabo was a showstopper at the '69 Paris Motor Show, "looking in profile like a suppository, and with windows and door opened, like a butterfly."
1955
After MT's first test of the new '55 Chevy V-8, Editor Walt Woron enthusiastically wrote, "Our heads are buzzing." It was the start of a new era for Chevy and improvements were everywhere. He also noted prophetically, "If you like to putter around your new car, or if you really take it apart, Chevy ranks high as a promising weekend hobby." In retrospect, this was a major understatement for the ace of the musclecar generation.
January Trivia
Jan. 1, 1975: Honda Civic CVCC is introduced to the U.S. market.
Jan. 2, 1974: The U.S. Congress enacts legislation to impose the national 55-mph speed limit.
Jan. 3, 1969: F1 driver Michael Schumacher is born.
Jan. 6 1953: Earle S. MacPherson is issued a U.S. patent for his suspension system.
Jan. 7, 1980: President Jimmy Carter signs legislation granting $1.5 billion in federal loan guarantees to the Chrysler Corporation.
Jan. 9, 1958: Datsun and Toyota make their first stateside appearance at the Imported Motor Car Show in Los Angeles, California.
Jan. 9, 1959: NASCAR driver Mark Martin is born.
Jan. 16, 1953: Original Chevrolet Corvette show car is introduced to the press at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
Jan. 17, 1949: First Volkswagen Beetle is imported into the U.S. Only two were sold here that year.
Jan. 25, 1952: General Motors introduces the first automatic headlight control, the "Autronic Eye."
Jan. 27, 1965: Original Shelby GT350 introduced at Riverside Raceway in California.
1969
Leave it to the French. Citron knows how to dress up its all-plastic Mehari. They put the "sport" in sport/ute.
On the future of the auto market: Whether Chrysler can survive is uncertain. -Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), Chairman, Subcommittee on Health and the Environment (1980)
1952
In an all-out, no-holds-barred performance test of the Olds Super 88, Editor Griff Borgeson observed, "Flying over the crest of a rise at 55 per and making all wheels leave the ground and coming down with a savage smack does make everything bottom, but there are no secondary effects." Whew! Alas, when it came to testing the brute's handling at 10/10ths, the conclusion was "Just how far the Olds heels over in a sharp turn...is a characteristic that makes for considerable passenger discomfort."
1957
The Year Of The Performance RevolutionOn Track
*Legendary Jaguar D-Type notched its third consecutive victory at the 24 Hours of LeMans, finishing an impressive 1-2-3-4-6, with Ivor Bueb and Ron Flockhart piloting the overall winner.
*Sam Hanks won the Indy 500 driving an Offy-powered, George Salih-designed-and-built "laydown" roadster, so named because the engine tilted to one side to allow for lower profile bodywork. The joyously tearful Hanks retired in Victory Lane.
*Our July issue featured a mockup of a "speed plant with 2.5-mile track and infield sports car circuit that may soon become a reality." Fortunately, voters in the community of beachside community of Daytona Beach, Florida, approved the building permit request of one Bill France. Daytona Speedway was born.
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