Redding Classifieds » automotive

The Life of the American Muscle Car

Guest Writer — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 01:26:31 +0000

Muscle cars are an important piece of American automotive history, but it was short lived. Many think of a muscle car as any car that is fast, but the true definition of a muscle car is an intermediate sized car with a large V8 engine, built between 1965 and 1973. Before 1965, most auto manufacturers mandated that a 330 ci or larger V8 engine could only be put into full size automobiles, but the Pontiac GTO in 1965 broke that rule, sort of. GM management decided to create a “GTO” performance package on the mid sized Pontiac Tempest which included a 389 ci V8, and this was not seen by upper mgmt until it was being sold by the dealers. With over 32,000 Pontiac Tempest GTO’s selling that first year, well above the planned 5,000, and the muscle car era was on.

Muscle cars for sale other than the Pontiac GTO included the Chevrolet Chevelle, Ford Torino, and a new wave of cars categorized as Pony Cars. Pony Cars are considered to be small sized models with very large engines. The term pony comes from the most successful pony car ever built, the Ford Mustang. The first pony car released was the Plymouth Barracuda, two weeks before the Mustang. Muscle cars had become heavier and more expensive by the late 1960’s, so a new wave of muscle cars were being sold which were stripped down models. These included the Dodge Super Bee and Plymouth Road Runner, models with few options which appealed to younger drivers due to the prices.

After a few years of the muscle car, signs were pointing to the end of this era. Insurance companies were catching onto the safety issues of muscle cars and raising the premiums out of reach for many muscle car owners, and new environmental and emission regulations was hurting performance. The last factor that ended the muscle car was the 1973 oil embargo. With fuel shortages across America, a gas guzzling V8 could not be sold well anymore.

Vehicles From Transformers

Guest Writer — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:42:14 +0000

With the recent films revitalising the series I thought it would be quite a cool idea to list some of the well known characters from the series and actually put down what vehicle they are in the real world.

Optimus Prime

Optimus prime is one if not the most famous transformer of all time simply because he is in charge of the famous Autobots. Since the start of the franchise Prime has been able to turn into pretty much anything he wants, the most famous is the semi truck and this was helped by the films. On top of this he has been seen before as a fire engine and various types of aircraft.

Megatron

This wouldnt be a post about Transformers if I didn’t include at least one Decepticon and Megatron is the baddest of them all. They have fought each other many times over in comics, television shows and of course the films. He has also taken many forms including a battle tank, Jet even a robotic T-REX.

Hot Shot

Hot Shot is the leader of the famous spy changers and he has worked alongside Prime for a long time. The spy changers are a team of six Autobot specialists that are able to walk across any surface and camouflage themselves. Hot Shots real life form is actually the Porsche 959.

Ironhide

Ironhide is quite an old Autobot who has seen a lot of battles and was part of the spy changers group that assisted against defeating the bad guys. his real life form suggests that he is a bit of an old timer as well and it is the Nissan one box cherry vanette, pretty ancient stuff.

With this in mind I am almost certain that you would need some Gap insurance with the amount of money you would be paying off for one of these robots. Can you imagine how much the insurance would be on one of these! You would certainly need bad credit car loans if you owned one of these robots and a new car lease would be necessary.

Falling Sales For Vehicles In 2010?

Guest Writer — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 21:51:03 +0000

2010 is going to be an important year for both cars and vans as it is quite unexpected on whether or not there is going to be a rise or fall in the sales of the motor industry. It has to be said that last year was one of the worst years the motor industry have had in a long time losing out on many profits and jobs. What on earth is going to happen in 2010.

There is no way to tell, here are just two ways it could go.

One Outcome

How about the recession ending in the way it should and people starting to realise they have money again. It will then all go mad and people will start to buy cars again starting with the ones that they are really after. Although I suppose this could happen I am not too sure that the average person could find the funds for a new car. If this happens I am certainly expecting a rise in the number of transit van leasing as well as minibus lease simply because it will be cheaper to travel as a group.

The More Likely Outcome

The motor industry will see enough drop in general sales but a rise in eco-friendly vehicles. The fall in sales will be down to the tax increases that are on the way but if you have money you are still going to buy the car you want. Saving the world is now a big thing which is why people are starting to walk to work and ride bicycles everywhere, sooner or later this will make an impact on sales.

No more refrigerated van lease then?

In conclusion it could happen either way and the only way we can find out what will happen is to sit and wait.

The 5 Most Famous Fictional Cars Of All Time

Guest Writer — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:26:14 +0000

Over time, the entertainment industry has elevated the popularity of particular brands of vehicles by highlighting some of the fictional rides that have graced the pages of novels, the lyrics of songs, the 30-minute TV show, and the silver screen. Fred and Wilma peddling around in their signature rockmobile, James Bond car chases with their array of “special” features or the Beach Boys bring life to the Little Deuce Coupe, these fictional cars have become a part of our childhood memories.. Throughout the years these 5 cars have gained fame and a place in the hearts of thousands of viewers.

Sit back and enjoy as NorCal Vintage Cars brings you the Top 5 fictional Cars

Batmobile
In both the Batman television shows and movies, the superhero-on-the-go often hopped into a sleek, black, highly customized vehicle that provided protection for his Bruce Wayne alter ego. Heavy armor plating and a high performance engine, and a jet black paint job equipped Batmans ride, the evolution of the Batman series displayed increasing levels of gadgets. To reach increased speeds, the Batmobile sometimes offered rocket boosts (a little cheesy in the original series), while additional weapons and a computerized assistance helped subdue the villains.

KITT
The talking car (a Pontiac Trans Am) aided David Hasselhoff’s character, Michael Knight, navigate through a sea of enemies and bad guys.. The television series focused on a high-tech approach to entertain the audience. Numerous fans watched the show just to see what KITT would do or say next. The popularity of the show even helped to boost Pontiac car sales as the verbal wonder could drive without a passenger and even displayed its own set of entertaining stunts.

Christine
Driven by supernatural forces, the antique car reeked havoc in both the novel and the movie. Published in 1983 the book Christine (name after the fictional car) sent chills down the spines of horror fans. Driven by supernatural forces, the antique auto created havoc in both the novel and the movie.

Herbie
Several Disney movies and cartoons have focused on Herbie the Lovebug, which was a Volkswagon Beetle that made its first appearance in 1969. Just like Christine, the red, white, and blue striped car with a “53″ on its side could also drive without assistance and had a reputation for acting on its own. Most of the time, the car was featured in some sort of racing competition.

General Lee
The television series and movie named the Dukes of Hazzard showed main characters, Bo and Luke Duke soaring through the air, causing mischief with their get-rich schemes. Their vehicle of choice was a colorful Dodge Charger that allowed the cousins to complete high jumps in almost every episode. The car is also known for its controversial Confederate flag decoration.