I
hope everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that the ensuing holiday
season will be a joyous one filled with spiritual reflection, family closeness,
and good health for us all. Of course I also hope that there are some car
related gifts that you get too!
Lets
talk about Thanksgiving for a minute…
Thanksgiving
was established by our government as a national holiday and a day of prayer to
give thanks to God for all the blessings we have. This was not meant to be just
a day off from work and full of parades, food, and drink; but a time of
reflection and praise to the Lord. In our over-the-top, anti-religious,
politically-correct culture of today, Thanksgiving has been completely
sanitized of any mention of our Creator. Nowhere in Schools, on TV, or in the
papers do you see, hear, or read any mention of the God who gave us life and
uncountable blessings! (All you see are ads for food, electronics, clothes, furniture, cars,
and SALE, SALE, SALE!!)
Well,
you see and read it here!
In
1619 English settlers arrived at an area north of Jamestown. The group's
charter required that the day of arrival be observed yearly as a "day of
thanksgiving" to God. On that first day, Captain John Woodleaf held the
service of thanksgiving. Here is the section of the Charter of Berkeley Hundred
which specifies the thanksgiving service: "We ordain that the day of
our ships arrival at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia
shall be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty
God."
In 1621 the early
settlers of Plymouth Colony in Massachussettes were particularly grateful to
Squanto, the Native American and former British slave who taught them how to
catch eel and grow corn and also served as their native interpreter. Without
Squanto's assistance, the settlers might not have survived in the New World.
Those people (who came to be called Pilgrims) set apart a holiday immediately
after their first harvest. They held an autumn celebration of food, feasting,
and praising God.
National
Thanksgiving Proclamations proclaim thanks for God’s providence in the events
of the nation and, as President Washington explained in his Thanksgiving
Proclamation, "for the many signal favors of Almighty God" in the
lives of the people. As congress recognized the importance of Thanksgiving
observance, President George Washington issued a national Thanksgiving
Proclamation in 1789. He wrote, "Now therefore I do recommend and assign
Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these
States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent
Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all
unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks—for His kind care and
protection of the People of this Country...for the signal and manifold mercies,
and the favorable interpositions of His Providence which we experienced in the
tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed...and also that we
may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the
great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and
other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations,
to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually...To promote
the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of
science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree
of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best."
I
thank God for this land of ours and the freedoms we have. The liberty that
exists, the religious choices we all can make, and the chance to be whatever we
want in life! No other country’s citizens can boast of having life and all the
opportunities like we do in the grand ole USA! Not only should we recognize God
for that, but boldly and loudly and openly proclaim that thanks in public!
I
do it frequently and without abashment! I hope you do too!
So
in that vein, let me take this opportunity to wish you all…….
&
That’s
right, I said it! I do not fear offending anyone by it. Go ahead – wish me a
Merry Christmas when I am in your store! Don’t give me any of that generic
“Happy Holidays” crap!! Tell me Happy Hannukah!! Even though I don’t celebrate
it – I will never be offended by you wishing me a good one! Light the Menorah –
display it whenever and wherever you like! I love to see it about town! It is
symbolic of a miracle performed by God. I love God and give him glory for ALL
he has done! The Menorah is another symbol of tribute and remembrance of our
Supreme Creator’s benevolence. And, light that Christmas Tree and call it just
what it is: a CHRISTMAS TREE! Not a holiday tree!!
Put
up the crèche scenes displaying Jesus’ birth all around town! It is a joyous
celebratory display of the birth of the Savior! Sing carols and hymns, pray
aloud in the streets! This is America! It is your right and freedom to do so!
Wear
a cross, turban, yarmulke or whatever you like with pride and without fear of
persecution. Talk openly about God, the only ones that take offense are the
ones who are against God. They do not want his name mentioned, let alone talked
about.
The
holiday season that is comprised of Christmas and Hannukah is about God! So
let’s be ever grateful that we live in a country of religious freedoms. Do not
let the ultra-liberals and anti-God people take that away from any of us! Have
a school Christmas party! Have a school Hannukah party! Or, have a Holiday
party but talk about Christmas, Hannukah and their meanings! That is the
purpose of the season! And if you don’t believe in God you are still welcome to
attend! But do not ever tell me or my children, that we cannot mention God the
Creator who gave us life and that we owe our very existence to, inside of a
school or public facility!
I
say it again - loudly – and with
sincerity to each one reading this –
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1 Editor’s Introduction
2 Puzzle Fill-In Contest
3 Cruise Night Information
4 Guest Writer’s Columns
Lou
Refano
Tom Sebastian
Justin Appelbaum
5 The Archive
6 Editor’s Closing
___________________________________________________
Long Island Classic Cars.Com’s
Submit your entry along with your name and e-mail
address to: newsletter@liclassiccars.com
This contest is open to everyone! (LI Classic Cars.com
paid personnel, regular column writers, and business advertisers are not
eligible.)
Winners will be notified by e-mail and/or phone.
Please submit all entries by the 10th of the next
month. (ex: for July’s contest the entries are due by August 10th)
No substitutions of prizes will be allowed.
In the event of prize choices, winner will be given
the opportunity to select the one they want.
All decisions are final and are made by the paid
personnel of Long Island Classic Cars.com
Winners must claim their prizes within 30 days of
contest end or forfeit the prize to the runner up.
A few
simple rules:
1) Be funny
and creative!
2) Keep it somewhat
clean!
Here is
last month’s winning entry from Al Bremner:
(Person had to identify various Halloween related automotive subjects.
Refer to October’s issue for the subject matter.)
1) The Munsters
2) The Car (from the movie of the same name)
3) The Mystery Machine
4) Phantasm
5) The Creepy Coupe
6) The Wraith
7) Christine
8) Grandpa Munster
GREAT JOB AL !
Al wins a
California Dash – Mini Duster! Congratulations!!
Our contests
will return in 2008 with some new twists! Be prepared….
___________________________________________________
“EXTRA EXTRA!
READ ALL ABOUT IT!!”
The Cruise Nights are
all wrapped up for the year. The OBI/Captree
meeting is the only one still hangin’ tough!
2007 Cruise Night location
updates:
SUNDAYS: *AM Cruise* Ocean Pkwy, Captree Beach Parking Lot through May, then at OBI.
Public gathering.
___________________________________________________
GUEST WRITER(S)
COLUMN(S)
Lou Refano shines
light on the intentions behind one of the most infamous cars in American
history. This car was so hyped and then
fell flat on its somewhat homely face. However today, they are in demand by
collectors.
Tom Sebastian gets back to performance driving and this time with one of the rarest and
oddest machines to come out of Japan. Think you know what it is? Don’t be so
sure! Read on to find out!
Justin Applebaum gives us a nice narrative example of a tour that AutoMat gives to car
clubs several times a year. It is a nice event that should not be missed by any
club. Check out the story and call them to set a date for your group!
Enjoy…
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
MILESTONE OF FAILURE
by Louis
Refano
(photos by the author)
It was around fifty
years ago…September 4, 1957. That was the introduction day of one of the
most hyped-up automobiles of all time. It was advertised to be “the car
that has future written all over it.” It had “a look that was here to
stay”, a car that “dared to break out of the look-alike rut”. It was to
have the classic look of the great cars of the 1930’s, combined with the modern
look and technology of the space age. The anticipation was at a fever
pitch. People had heard a lot about the car for the two years prior, and
were expecting something amazing. For two years, the press had speculated
and dug out details about the upcoming cars; in the days before the internet
and instant communication, tension was easily built up. $400 million was
spent on the car’s development. A big show was put on for the press
before introduction, which included stunt drivers in a car chase and a fashion
show with a female impersonator. Finally the big day came.
Two-and-a-half million Americans went to the dealerships to see the car.
And what did they get?
What they actually got was something a lot less than they bargained for.
Gayle Warnock, a public relations man at Ford, was being perfectly frank when
he said, “When we introduce this car and people find out it has four wheels and
four doors and a steering wheel just like every other one, I’m afraid they’re
going to be disappointed, because the enthusiasm on this thing is just short of
fantastic.”
If you haven’t guessed it already, that car was the Edsel. Recognized as
one of the great business failures of all time, as well as one of the great
automotive failures. The car that was supposed to be the answer to
everyone’s question became the question nobody asked. It became the stuff
of jokes. What happened? How did it wind up being such a
flop? Why did this “car of the future“ named after Henry Ford’s son, have
“failure” written all over it?
There has been an incredible amount of conjecture on this subject. I
promise to give you the short and sweet version. I’ve read a lot of
automotive history books in my time, but I’ll condense what I’ve learned from
them on the subject of the Edsel.
Reason number one: POLARIZING STYLING.
It’s been said that a mule is a horse designed by committee. Supposedly
the first Edsel mock-ups were quite good, but we all know that car designers
have to have their designs pass through committees, where they are usually
sanitized quite a bit before they reach the showroom, in an attempt to appeal
to as wide an audience as possible. Ford had tried to put a distinctive
vertical grille on the car, similar to the early 30’s Packards, but after every
corporate suit got their paws on it, it came out as the famous “horse
collar”. In the words of Ernie Breech, former chairman of Ford, “someone
hopped on that front end and called it a toilet seat, and it was dead from that
minute.” Another classic line about the car was that “it looked like an
Oldsmobile sucking a lemon.” There were also references to a part of the
female genitalia…you get the idea. Basically you had a lot of people
making fun of this “distinctive” design.
Number Two: BAD TIMING
When the Edsel was contemplated, the medium-priced car field was booming…sales
of Buick, Olds, Chrysler and Dodge in the early ‘50’s were growing, and Mercury
was just not a strong-enough competitor. People in the organization
pushed for a competitive line to slot in between Ford and Mercury so car buyers
could have something to move up to from a Ford. Also, the economy of the
early ‘50’s was in overdrive. So it made a lot of sense to introduce a
distinctive medium-priced car like Edsel in 1955. Unfortunately, it
didn’t come out until 1958, just when a national recession hit. Sales of
all medium-priced cars took a nosedive, and consumers were turning to smaller
alternatives like Rambler and Volkswagen; 1958 DeSoto sales were down 54% from
1957, Mercury was down 48%, Dodge 47%, Buick 33% and Pontiac 28%. In
essence, to paraphrase a famous R&B singer, the Edsel was the wrong car at
the right time.
Number Three: UNREALIZED EXPECTATIONS
Mr. Warnock, the Ford PR man, hit it on the head. The Edsel DID have some
interesting gadgets, like pushbutton tranny in the steering hub and the
“rolling dome” speedometer. But Mr. & Mrs. American Consumer were led
to believe that this would an entirely new kind of car, instead of a
conventionally-built Ford with some gadgets and different styling cues.
Now to the cars themselves: The 1958 Edsel came in four models…in descending
price order they were: Citation, Corsair, Pacer and Ranger. All four of
these names were considered as the marque name before Edsel was finally
chosen. The Citation and Corsair used the 124-inch wheelbase
Mercury frame, while the two lower-priced models shared the smaller 118-inch
wheelbase Ford frame. The top-of-the-line Citation convertible sold for
$3,801. The lowest price Edsel, the Ranger two-door sedan, sold for
$2,519. All in all, 18 styles blanketed the market: three
Citations, two Corsairs, four Pacers and four Rangers, plus five station wagons
which included the top-line Bermuda, mid-priced Villager and budget-priced
Roundup two-door station wagon. Two V-8 engines were used: the
361-cubic-inch “E-400” with 303 hp for the Ranger, Pacer, and all wagons, and
the 410-cubic-inch “E-475” engine with 345 hp. Standard equipment
included new self-adjusting brakes.
'58 Wagon Interior Style
In
addition, Edsel innovations also included:
- A transmission that locks in park until the ignition key is turned
- Top portion of seats slant forward to provide shoulder support
- Triple-thermostat cooling system (head/block/radiator) during warm-up for
increased fuel economy & heater performance (E-475)
- Front-mounted distributor, coil, fuel pump, and oil filter dipstick for
easier access
- Hood hinged in the front for safety
- Hood and trunk releases controlled electronically, from inside the car.
Options included the Teletouch pushbutton automatic, air conditioning, power
steering, two-tone paint, power antenna, and spinner hub caps.
If the front end wasn’t enough, the rear end of the cars was unusual too…the
sedans had high-flying thin horizontal lamps in the fins, and the wagons were
bordering on bizarre. They featured triangular tail lamps that resembled
arrows…the only problem was, the left taillight was a right-pointed arrow, and
the right taillight pointed left, which could really confuse drivers at night.
So far from selling like the proverbial hotcakes, the ‘58 Edsel, with all that
hype and artificial excitement, put up a sales figure of 63,110...far below the
200,000 that Ford was expecting. By and large, people just didn’t go for
it for most of the reasons mentioned above.
For 1959 the “Edsel look” was toned down significantly…the vertical grille was
slimmed down and the headlights were lowered. Taillights were moved off
the fins and became 
more conventional. The
car more closely resembled the ‘59 Ford. The line was trimmed to Ranger,
Corsair and the Villager wagon. All models now rode on a common 120-inch
wheelbase shared with the Fords. New engines were introduced, including a
225 hp 332-cid V-8 and a 303 hp 361-cid V-8. Rangers came standard with a
292-cid V-8 with 200 hp, or could be ordered with a 145-hp six. Ford
aimed the car a little more downscale. Behind the scenes, Ford was
planning to cut its losses. Only 44,891 ‘59s left the factory, and the
great experiment was coming to an end. For 1960, the car was only
available as a Ranger or Villager, and was only a slightly-altered 1960 Ford,
which itself was redesigned with a much rounder look. The famous vertical
grille was abandoned for a modest horizontal affair with a split in the middle
that resembled the ‘59 Pontiac. A 185 hp, 292-cid V-8 was standard; a
223-cid six and 300 hp V-8 were optional. Only 2846 of the ‘60 Edsels
were produced before the division ran out of gas. Luckily there was good
news this year for Ford Motor Company: Lee Iacocca was named General Manager of
Ford Division, and the new compact Falcon actually was a big hit…over 430,000
in the first year. Buyers in the recession economy were clearly enticed
by the low-priced, economical Ford, and rejected bigger cars in droves.
Buick had a difficult year, and DeSoto would be gone after ‘61. The
market was clearly shifting, and a playful excess known as Edsel could not find
a place in America’s garage. As a footnote, the upcoming Comet, a
companion economy car to the Falcon, was supposed to be an Edsel Comet, but was
subsequently given to the Mercury Division. Perhaps a small Edsel would
have turned the tide, but we’ll never know.
Today less than 6,000 Edsels survive, and each one is a cherished classic. The
1958 advertising said it best. "Once you've seen it, you'll never
forget it. Once you've owned it, you'll never want to change." Well
that first statement is certainly true. Once you’ve seen an Edsel, you
never do forget it. And today, that is part of its charm. It’s a
rolling piece of American history, and owners of mint-condition Edsels in 2007
can look back at the past and laugh, and look at the present and future through
the windshield of a highly valued piece of machinery.
Sources: The Dream Machine by Jerry Flynt, Cars of the Fabulous Fifties by
James M. Flammang and the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide, www.wikipedia.org,
edsel.com
(Great
Lou, thanks for the history lesson! Remember the old expression referring to a
dud? “It’s an Edsel”) Pete
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Tom Sebastian
Tom goes from this 
…. to this! 
The Subaru SVX – BONSAI
!!
If you’re going to copy something -- a Japanese habit -- and get blamed for it anyway, you may as well copy everyone! -- And get the great designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro, to design it, of course.
With Lotus handling, Jaguar comfort (leather seats!), Porsche-like boxer engine and triptych transmission -- and an open-road sound not unlike some Ferrari’s I have heard -- the SVX number joins the XJS Jaguar as one of the most under-priced classics out there.
From the very first day I saw it way back when Bill and Hillary and Al and Tipper were new to the ways of power, I knew I was going to have one.
It had a striking profile, highlighted as it was by those fighter airplane windows -- the practicality of which I would not come to know until I finally got hold of one some 20+ years later.
It was my first Japanese classic. (Well, my second; I did inherit a 1976 Honda Civic… You know, the one that first KO’d Detroit.)
Surrounded by the rising powers within Japan, Subaru tried its best to match the Nissan 300X, Mazda RX7 and the early Toyota Supra . A great effort -- if a bit too early. The difference between Subaru then and Nissan, Mazda and Toyota of the same era was that those others had already established racing records. So when the time came to produce a great, road-going sports car, those three had the technological know-how to put something solid on the road. Had Subaru waited until after their great success in rally racing -- first with the Legacy and then with the WRX -- to produce the SVX, this car would have been Dy-no-mite as Jimmy J.J. Walker would intone, and probably still with us today.[1] By then they would have had the necessary, race-tested parts to deliver the super car they intended to produce. But even though they jumped the gun -- the old ’cart before the horse’ routine – this was still one, fab machine.
Yes, it was underbraked and overweight; and the company simply didn’t have a strong enough manual transmission in their parts bin at the time to contain the torque that this car produced. Their best automatic with the manual option was an ‘OK’ substitute, but just OK. All of this meant that wheel-bearings, rotors – and a very expensive transmission – would all have to be replaced in relatively short order.[2]
But who cares. For the first 50,000 miles -- and after if you replaced the transmission -- this car did everything you asked it to do, and then some. If you disregard the above-mentioned engineering gremlins and just add up the performance stats, then you might come to the conclusion that Subaru actually outdid themselves. You could even say that, instead of the companies they went after, Subaru jumped a few links in the food chain and found themselves in the performance category of the wildly more expensive, Porsche Carrera, Honda NSX, and the Ferrari 248! This thing was an effortless athlete.
And what you have to love about the Japanese -- no matter how much they are denigrated by some of the old world, classic car aficionados[3] -- is that reliability is always part of the equation. Of all the cars that I’ve had, this one and the Volvo 240 DL were the only ones I’d consider driving any great distance in comfort – and with little fear of mishap.
Part
II – Al, I Can Breathe!!
Other than being an attractive affectation that came with the DeLorean and that Lamborghini tried once but then canned, I had no idea what that window design was all about.
Ah… but then I took it on the open road. Now I cannot figure out why every car company doesn’t offer them.[4] Remarkable innovation! You never need the AC! The clever, computer-aided design keeps your hair in place -- and dry -- with the
windows wide open. And this leads to another heaven-sent discovery: You do not have to put up with the gagging reflex that automatically comes with the plasticky smells of today’s car interiors.
In town I smelled fresh cut grass; out on the highway, the distinctive, wafting breeze of the wheat and corn. I was at one with Al Gore! Au natural at full speed and with no AC!
OK, there is something lacking in the Japanese cars, no matter how much leather and gadgetry they put in there. They are still somewhere near the cold end of the Great Classics thermometer. But the upside more than makes up for it. Remember when you were a kid, and your father had to check every damn thing in the Plymouth/Ford/Chevy before taking a trip out of town? And then came Honda, Toyota and the boys and all that nonsense ended. In short, DEPENDABILITY arrived on the automotive scene.
(An Italian colleague, looking inside a Ferrari and then into a Honda NSX nearby uttered aloud, ‘No soul in this one!’ But then, the Honda started right away and under any conditions, I told him. -- No such luck for the owner of that ‘soulful’ Ferrari.)
‘So let the word go forth: The torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans.’ We are older and do not like waiting under the overpass with overheated iron. When we set out for Cruise Night we want to get there -- and back -- without sweating bullets every time a new sound emanates from down below.
After my experience with the SVX -- and that first generation Civic -- I am a confirmed customer to the Japanese Realm. One hundred and fifty-three years after Commodore Perry opened the door to Japan, I am finally going in.
My only real complaint? Subaru has the silliest logo I’ve ever seen. Those stars and blue background look right out of the equally silly, ‘Bewitched’ TV drama of old. Very, very dramatic. NOT!!
(So, the first thing you do is throw away the key-chain that comes with the car.)
NEXT TIME! You Know You’ve Had It When You Talk About Real Estate Prices All Day, And You Drive A…?
(I remember selling these back in ’88 when they came
out! Odd car, but cool indeed!) Pete
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A Tour of the Facility
By Justin Appelbaum
Here
at AutoMat Co. of Hicksville we have been running car club informational
gatherings and events for years. It does not matter what type of club you are
part of, whether it be Oldsmobile, Ford, Chevrolet, Chrysler or even a modern
import club. Here, we are able to cover in full every aspect and specific’s of
multiple makes and models. Attendees of all ages, both male and female 
alike
find them very interesting and informative.
Typically
a member of the car club will contact us several months in advance, so that we
have time to prepare. We try to arrange to have one if not a few members’ cars
being worked on in the shop at the time of the event. The club meets at about
10:00AM on a Saturday morning when we provide coffee and donuts. The parking
lot is cleared so that everyone in the club can park their cars together and it
becomes a show all by itself. People driving past even stop by off the street
and come and look at all the vehicles gathered.
Once
everyone has arrived a speech is given in our showroom about how the AutoMat
Company was founded and how we have expanded over the years. With that taken
care of we begin a tour through the facility. We display works in progress,
before and after work, explain the various workstations, demonstrate
restoration techniques, and explain the varied work being done on the cars in
the shop.
At
the first stop we discuss the different types of carpets and materials that we
use on a daily basis and what is period-correct for certain models, not that
one has necessarily to be stuck to when building a car or truck. In our
facility we have thousands of carpet patterns dating back to the 1920’s and we
show you how we lay them out and actually create a carpet set from raw
material. Various floor mat options are
also talked about at this point.
At
the second stop we look at some before and after work. We try and have a varied
selection of jobs available on hand to fully demonstrate our capabilities. We
can show you different types of seats, both bench and bucket, as well as
motorcycle and jet ski. Restoration versus replacement of foam seat material is
demonstrated and restoration of the seat frames themselves is shown. We also discuss the advantages and disadvantages
of complete replacement of the original seats if they are beyond realistic
help.
Moving
to the back of the shop we enter the automotive workspace. This is where it all
goes down. At any time we can have about 10-12 vehicles being worked on at once.
For the most part, the jobs are typically varied in make, year and job type, so
a real good idea of what actually is happening and what can be done to your
vehicle is gained.
The
mechanics take over from here and bring you over to their side. Many services
cam be performed; from engine swaps and rebuilds, brake system overhauls,
electrical maintenance and engine and undercarriage detailing. Usually they
will have a vehicle up on the lift and will go over what they are doing, point
out typical problematic areas and what they are doing to fix the issues.
When the tour is complete, we then take a look
at members’ cars, give estimates and answer any further questions. The total
event generally lasts about 2 hours and is enjoyed by all. If you are interested
in setting up one of these events, please come in or call Tim Browner at (516)
938-7373. Tell us you saw this article on Long Island Classic Cars.com. Feel
free to visit our website as it is very informative and is loaded with examples
of past jobs. You can visit us on the web at www.autointeriors.biz.
(Great tour and concept Justin!)
Pete
______________________________________________________
Here is where you can access previous editions of the Long
Island Classic Cars Online Newsletter.
http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/
You can also access the previous Newsletters through a
link on the main page of the website.
___________________________________________________
A big thank you to all of our
contributors, advertisers, and you - the readers, for another GREAT year of
Long Island Classic Cars.com. We are looking forward to 2008 and promise more interesting,
timely, and fun articles, features, and contests! Our Newsletter will be going
to a quarterly format.
Some of our key writers are
staying on for our SIXTH year! We also are open to new writers for regular or
one-time features. If you have an interest in contributing one or more pieces,
let us know!
Have
a great holiday season and a happy new
year!
Pete Giordano
Editor
Long Island Classic Cars.com