Archive for the ‘Pickup Trucks’ Category

There are few of us who don’t have some fond memory of the original Thunderbird. Those of us with grey up top may have had a love affair from the day the showroom opened in 1955. Our next generation fell in love with the unattainable white T-bird that the elusive Susanne Sommers frustrated Richard Dreyfuss with in ‘American Graffiti¿. (I just saw a vision! I saw a goddess. Come on, you’ve got to catch up to her…This was the most perfect, dazzling creature I’ve ever seen…She spoke to me. She spoke to me right through the window. I think she said, ‘I love you ­ A lot of guys thought Dreyfuss was talking about the car.) Even our current generation has been captivated by the images from old movies, TV shows and vintage car meets. On lots of lips is the question, why did they quit making this car?This was Ford’s answer to the dull car; their expression that we had finally shaken off the Depression and deprivation of WWII. It answered Chevrolet’s Corvette and trumped the many sporty designs that were coming out of Europe. Movie stars swapped their Mercedes, Jaguars and Facel Vegas for the Thunderbird and even the colors seemed to reflect the fun and lifestyles of Hollywood and Florida. And it was priced to fit into most anyone’s pocketbook.

Appropriately at the launch Ford showed us a series of video interviews with early T-Bird owners. I was touched when a woman fondly remembered how her father told her that she could have any car for a graduation present if she maintained it and paid the insurance. Then he seemed a bit miffed at her choice of a T-Bird, but soon he would always find that it needed some little attention or a tank fill and drove it as much as she did. Then she reminisced how at a beach a guy fed its parking meter, telling her as she ran up that such a neat car didn’t deserve a ticket. She married that guy, but realities of a family let the car go away. Then at the end of the video she reappeared to relate how her husband had surprised her recently by secretly tracking down and finding that exact car and having it restored. It was kind of humid, as a bunch of jaded journalists got seriously misty eyed.

Then Richard McNamara, the same guy who tried to run the Viet Nam war with a balance sheet, took away the enchantment in search of a few more sales units by changing it to a four seater. Since then the Thunderbird has had memorable cars and even a great record in NASCAR racing, but none had the visceral excitement of the original ’55-57 models . . . until now.

According to designer Douglas Gaffka, ¿We started with the classic proportions ­ used a reverse wedge to provide motion and still keep the original look. The hood scoop was important, and wanted to be integrated in the design. The porthole was needed to convey T-bird’s heritage and insure its identity. The colors are what you remember; not what they were.¿ They succeeded.

The car is offered in five colors: Inspiration Yellow, Torch Red, Thunderbird Blue, Evening Black and Whisper White. All are badged with the American Indian inspired emblem on the cowl, highlighted with nostalgic turquoise. These colors and details pay homage to the past while 21st century materials, technology and design language brings the car into the present.

¿This car, its style, the statement it makes, the feelings it evokes – all will make it an icon in its own right,  says Jim O’Connor, President of Ford Division. ¿For those who, like me, really loved the original Thunderbirds, this moment has been 45 years in the making.¿

The two-place interior reflects the exterior design and the car’s romantic heritage with bold style combined with modern comfort and convenience. It comes standard as a convertible and offers an optional removable top with classic portholes, although modern headrests keep them from being useful as windows. The fully loaded ¿premium¿ model – which includes the hardtop, chrome wheels, traction control and a unique interior trim color is priced at $39,795. The removable top will take some planning to use and store, but is an excellent feature in our weather and lifestyles.

Back in the fifties one of the unique features was a speed sensitive volume control, which used a Rube Goldberg system of pulleys, cables and slipping clutches between the speedometer and loudness knob. It returns today, made much simpler and more reliable by modern electronics.

On the sensible side, front and side airbags are standard and there is a deactivation switch for the passenger when a latched child seat is installed. Smart lock prevents your keys from being locked inside with a key in the ignition. There is a passive antitheft system, and for comfort and sporty driving, there is a dead pedal left footrest. And to address the needs of modern lifestyles, there is a large enough trunk for two golf bags or all the get away weekend bags a couple needs.

To match the looks, the ride and handling are specially tuned and structural braces were installed under the car enhance the chassis rigidity, giving the roadster the expected driving dynamics and quietness. Chief vehicle engineer Nancy Giolla used extra large shocks to create a well-balanced, rear-wheel drive car that utilizes a fine-tuned, lightweight four-wheel independent suspension system to deliver the ride we thought the original car had. The variable-assist rack-and-pinion steering provides lower turning efforts at parking speeds and better road feel at highway speeds.

Four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes (ABS) and electronic brake force distribution (EBD) comes standard and the brake rotors are vented and calipers are dual piston-type for quick response and safety. An optional all-speed traction control system helps in adverse road conditions. For optimum visual and driving performance, Thunderbird comes standard with 17-inch cast aluminum wheels.

All 2002 Thunderbirds are equipped with the smooth, all-aluminum 3.9-liter DOHC V8 pioneered by Jaguar and Lincoln. The engine is matched to a specially engineered close-ratio, five-speed automatic transmission.

From the slipstream of dreams this car wafts its way into our lives.

Last September Neiman Marcus made 200 special edition Thunderbirds available in its annual Christmas Book. The black and silver cars were priced at a premium $41,995 and sold out in a record 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Passion is the key for past owners and with only 25,000 being made, it will be the driving element for today’s buyers. To quote one of the original owners from the video, ¿We should have things we wanted when we are young, because we treasure them more!¿

Thank you Doug, Nancy, Jim and all the people from Ford who keep our dreams alive.2002 Ford Thunderbird

Price Range – $35,495 – 44,000

Engine ­ 3.9 liter, 252 hp V8

Front Engine/Rear Drive

MPG (city/hwy) ­ 17/23

Airbags – DP + side ABS – std.

The vista was eye-grabbing. Winding our way through the high country of California a€™s Sierras, fellow auto writer Russ Heaps and I took in the view that stretched for miles before us. There was not a soul in sight, in this land of pinion pines and scrub, where hawks swirl peacefully on the updrafts.

Ita€™s a view accessible to a small group of fortunates: hikers, with strong legs; bikers, with good tires; or off-road enthusiasts, with a capable 4 x 4. We fell into the latter category. Read the rest of this entry »

To many collectible car owners, cruising in your classic with the tunes cranked on the radio down an open stretch of road is a dream come true. How many sunny Sundays have you pulled your classic out of the garage, just to go for a drive? If you are like many car enthusiasts I know, probably quite a few. But when it comes to taking a long road trip, more often than not the collectible car stays in the garage and it’s the daily driver that hits the Interstate. Read the rest of this entry »

Introduced in 1994, this truck has been refined and upgraded for the past six years. Its latest changes include more powerful engines, increased trailer ratings, improved suspensions and a greater selection of options, including a third door. Also new is a top-of-the-line SLE version, previously available as an option package. Read the rest of this entry »

We talked a lot about green cars and hybrid cars, now is the time to talk about the green trucks that are being developed around the world and with different technologies to meet a variety of functions and transport requirements.

We introduce three of the most prominent green trucks we’ve seen lately:

The first is the truck to collect garbage that operates with garbage. The garbage is taken to a center where it is transformed into electrical energy which is used to feed the collection trucks.

The latter are the hybrid truck for Wal-Mart. This major retailer has a great impact on our environment due to its large transport logistics. It is for them who are committed to reducing its carbon emissions by making more efficient hybrid technology for their trucks. Among its projects are hybrid diesel trucks, trucks that run on used cooking oil and natural gas trucks.

The third passenger buses are double decker in London, which in early 2009 and will be circulating in the European city, with the aim of reducing pollution as they are equipped with hybrid technology, which in addition to reducing their carbon emissions makes them quieter.

Confirming its commitment to fuel solutions and the vanguard of the vans, Chevrolet introduced the Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid 2009, a full size truck provides 40 percent more fuel economy in town and a 25% improvement in total fuel savings. Expected to be the full-size pickup truck more efficient in fuel economy, to challenge the current leader of V-8 engine: the non-hybrid Silverado.

For truck lovers who want a little more toughness in their already rugged pickup trucks, Ford has the answer for you.

The 2002 Ford Ranger features the new FX4 premium off-road package, which is built on the four-door SuperCab chassis. Ford first promised this when the Ranger was redesigned for the 2001 model year, and now delivers it.

According to the automakers, one of the benefits of this package is that owners do not have to purchase a lot of aftermarket parts to toughen the truck for off-road adventures. This is for the most part true, as Ford has done a good job outfitting the Ranger with many off-road features that enthusiasts of this type of vehicle covet. This includes: Read the rest of this entry »

GMC Canyon in new mid-size format brings truck-tough traits

By Bob Plunkett

BULVERDE, Tex. — On a dusty trace running through Texas Hill Country, a new truck in the line of GMC manages to smother any chuckhole indentions and deliver a smooth and stable ride that, despite the absence of hard pavement, borders on the cushy.

It’s a sophisticated quality — far removed from the image of a rough and rugged truck — yet this new model comes with a choice of powerful new in-line engines and scores high marks for hauling and towing to rank as a serious machine for truck-tough work. Read the rest of this entry »

GMC Sierra Denali truck maneuvers with four wheels steering

TORREY PINES, Calif. — This is it: The ultimate pickup, stoked with power from a massive engine, stuffed with luxurious comforts in a four-door and five-seat cabin, then outfitted with sophisticated electronic controls that make the big rig as easy to maneuver around a crowded parking lot as a small sports car.

Call it Denali, top trim for the Sierra 1500 full-size truck by GMC of General Motors.a humongous 6.0-liter V8 engine sits beneath that scored hood and it carries the strength of 325 horses, plus as much as 370 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm. Read the rest of this entry »

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — On a hilly course through the Ozark Mountains of southern Missouri, a big trailer — packed with dead weight equivalent to a load of two big horses — trailed behind a four-door rendition of the hefty workhorse pickup truck that bore a bold red-letter nameplate from the GMC Truck Division of General Motors.

This particular truck, a prototype for the new Sierra HD (Heavy Duty) line in one-ton 3500HD series with four-wheel-drive, had an extended cab with front bucket seats and a small rear bench, as well as a long-box bed in back stretching for eight feet. Read the rest of this entry »