So then I was struck by a question: What's the most "American" car you can think of? For me, this is certainly one of the top three:
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air. While the Bel Air was in production from 1950 through 1981 (as a version of the Impala/Caprice in Canada). The '55 through '57 variants, the second generation of the breed, are certainly the best-known, made popular in a slew of movies and popular culture. Between "Greased Lightning" and "American Graffiti" (yes, I know the car driven by Harrison Ford was a '55 Bel Air), this model is about as damn American as apple pie and baseball.
Now, there's a pretty damn strong case to be made for the Ford Mustang as "America's Car," in that the 'Stang is pretty unique with regards to the small muscle car. Then again, pretty much any "muscle car" is rather American, as by the time the muscle wars were raging, our European counterparts were building either exotic racers or luxurious sedans.
What car comes to mind when you think of an American car?
That is all.
10 comments:
Ford F-150. As american as reality TV and political pandering. Best selling automobile for 32 years. 32.
Yeah, when I read that question, the F-150 was the first thing I thought as well.
Of course, I don't know if you could consider a pickup to be "a car", but 32 years is a long time to be on top.
A few years ago, I spent a week in Nuremberg Germany. In that entire time, I saw not a single pickup truck. Not one. There were plenty of deliver vans, and there were plenty of big rigs on the autobahn, but no pickups - that I saw anyway.
The pickup is certainly all-American, but for cars you certainly can't go wrong with the '57 Chevy.
Chevrolet El-Camino
Stop laughing.
It showed how far designers were willing to go in America because 'Murica, dammit.
Joseph in IL
Shoeboxes, Vettes, and pickup trucks... That is the triumvirate!!!
The classic Checker Cab.
It, along with the '57 Chevy Bel Air and the same year "porthole" Thunderbird scram "America!"
Had a street legal C-gasser in '65.
Fiber front, 400ci, injected.
B&M hydro, gutted interior 'cept for two buckets.
With wrinkle tires it would carry the front end across an intersection.
Miss that car.
For sheer "there's no other place that builds things like this"-ness, a '59 Eldorado Biarritz. 130 inch wheelbase, over 5,000 lbs.
Chris, you are a man after my own heart; a true man of wealth and taste...
Maybe you and Chris can go halves on one of these cars.
http://cars.oodle.com/1959-cadillac-eldorado/for-sale/
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