Cars

Gestalt Imagery/Shutterstock By Brad Hill/July 14, 2024 5: 15 pm EST Long before Brad Pitt ever uttered «Ellllllll-Camino» in «The Mexican,» people everywhere already knew about the truck-sedan hybrid. It was one of the best utility coupe car-trucks of all time and a direct challenge to the Ford Ranchero in the 1959 model year. Unfortunately, Ford […]

Wangkun Jia/Shutterstock Newer generations of drivers may not know the name, but the silhouette of the vehicle has become indelible from the sheer number of images and movies it appears in — as a taxi, a family car, and a patrol car. The Ford Crown Victoria’s shape has been seared into the mind’s eye of

Martin Hospach/Getty Images Nothing can fill a motorist with dread quite like seeing something on their vehicle’s dashboard light up. Well, ideally, everything will light up when you first start your vehicle, but after a couple of seconds they should then shut off. If one or more remain illuminated, it’s a sign you have some

I have a long personal history with auto racing. My grandfather on my mother’s side, Samuel Castranova, raced on wooden tracks in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in the 1920s and ’30s and captivated me as a youngster with tales of pit lane engine fires, leather helmets, and racing at speeds upward of 100 miles per

The Ford Taurus was unveiled in 1985, and had a long production run with upwards of 8 million models leaving the Chicago plant over three decades. This family-friendly, economical four-door was extremely popular in the U.S., where it achieved the honor of being the highest-selling car from 1992-2001. Ford discontinued the Taurus after over 30

The great American road trip has been featured in films as diverse as «Little Miss Sunshine,» «Paul,» and «Thelma and Louise.» But long before cross-country drives became the subject of major motion pictures, the idea of driving a car from coast to coast was reserved for the most intrepid souls. In the early years of

By Ron King/July 13, 2024 3: 45 pm EST The world of internal combustion engines holds a number of engine types and designations. Listening to a discussion between a group of motorized transportation enthusiasts (gearheads) likely sounds like some sort of code to the uninitiated without knowing the meaning of terms like HEMI, VTEC, and NISMO.

Buying a new vehicle is not simply just purchasing a box that you enjoy driving. While it may be stocked with convenience features that make the driving experience very fun, that does not necessarily mean that the vehicle will be good in the long term for you. Vehicles are more than a product. They are

John Blottman/Shutterstock Buying a classic car can be an exhilarating experience — not to mention a solid investment. For one, older vehicles may be easier to work on and restore than contemporary cars, thanks to their lack of modern electrical systems and advanced safety equipment. Vintage vehicles typically have large, open engine bays with simple

Keith Bell/Shutterstock By Ron King/July 11, 2024 9: 15 pm EST You’d expect to find a 426 Street HEMI engine in late 1960s and early 1970s muscle cars like the Dodge Challenger, Charger, and Super Bee; the Plymouth Road Runner and Superbird; and most certainly the Plymouth Barracuda designated as the HEMI ‘Cuda for 1970 and

In the early 1990s, Toyota faced up to a bigger-is-better attitude among truck drivers in the U.S. market. The Japanese automotive manufacturer was not completely new to the truck market, nor to bringing them to the U.S., with notable early efforts including the Stout — imported in 1964 — unpopular stateside. In fact, only four

The fuel crisis of the 1970s had caused Ford of Europe to shut down its in-house racing division. This set the stage for the Ford Zakspeed Capri to make its mark in Group 5 racing in Europe during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Group 5 guidelines allowed racing teams a great deal of latitude,