Harry P.

This week's car is a 1961 Vauxhall Velox Estate. I think. Different sources label this a Cresta instead, and call it a 1959. The Cresta was the up-market version of the Velox, but between 1957 and 1965 they had the same body... so if you guessed either Velox or Cresta, between 1959-65, you get credit. Who got it right: carsntrucks4you wisdonm MikeMc Jantrix Badluck13 Frank Johnag4004 GeeBee dublin boy otherunicorn 62rebel ChrisR maltsr patami Tim J Matt Bacon customsrus

I just saw this thread for the first time today. But good to know you're not worried about it anymore.

So would a lot of us.

It's a diecast. This is the Diecast section. If you think it's "stupid" to put a diecast WIP in the Diecast section, I guess I can't explain it to you.

If we were allowed to talk politics here I'd get into the subject of tort reform, which is badly needed in this country. But we can't, so I won't...

Me too! There are some pretty scary stretches along that road where you can't even see the side of the road while you're driving... just ocean!

And stamps are meant to be used as postage. If you owned the world's rarest stamp, would you use it to mail an envelope?

The point isn't the state or skill of the driver, the point is how did the car react? Did the ignition switch off? Did the airbags deploy or not?

According to a recent geographical study, Florida is the flattest state in the country, and Illinois is second flattest. Woo Hoo! We're Number Two!

You're right... in the '70s Ford tried to hide the fact that Pintos were unsafe in rear-end collisions. Ford knew about the problem and even had conducted internal crash tests in 1970 and considered several different fixes, but the Pinto was not officially recalled until 1978. Lee Iaccoca was at Ford at the time. In his book "Talking Straight," he wrote: Clamming up is what we did at Ford in the late '70s when we were bombarded with suits over the Pinto, which was involved in a lot of gas tank fires. The suits might have bankrupted the company, so we kept our mouths shut for fear of saying anything that just one jury might have construed as an admission of guilt. Winning in court was our top priority; nothing else mattered. So this sort of thing is not confined to GM. There's plenty of blame to go around.

A few interesting details from GM CEO Mary Barra's appearance before Congress yesterday (July 18, 2014)... From Reuters News Agency: GM Chief Executive Mary Barra faced tough questions about widespread safety failures at GM in her third public appearance before Congress since the automaker started recalling millions of vehicles in February. U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday accused General Motors of a "disturbing pattern" of neglecting safety, and revealed emails from 2005 in which a GM employee warned a "big recall" may be necessary over an ignition-switch problem that was only addressed this week. In the emails made public on Wednesday, GM employee Laura Andres in 2005 sent one to engineers warning that a 2006 Chevy Impala Special car she was driving had experienced an engine stall when moving between a paved road and gravel. She said a technician had advised the problem may be with part of the ignition switch. "I think this is a serious safety problem, especially if this switch is on multiple programs (multiple GM models). I'm thinking big recall," Andres said in an email sent to 11 other GM employees including the vice president of North American engineering. The 2006 Impala was not recalled until Monday of this week, as part of an additional 3 million cars that GM recalled for an ignition-switch issue. Another familiar name on the Andres email chain was former GM engineer Ray DeGiorgio, one of the 15 employees pushed out (in the wake of the recall scandal). The former company engineer initially approved an ignition switch design for the Cobalt that did not meet company specifications. He later approved a redesign without changing the part number, an unheard-of move in the industry.

I have to wonder how "traditional" Harley types will take to the guys who ride the electrics. Will they be seen as part of the "brotherhood?" Or as geeks or nerds (or worse)?

Do you know about this place? http://www.policecarmodels.com/decals.html

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/06/19/harley-davidson-unveils-first-electric-motorcycle/?intcmp=features

My thoughts exactly! I couldn't believe I was seeing what I was seeing... a totally clueless driver being "saved" by his gadget-laden car! Agreed, a very odd marketing strategy. And the crazy tagline... something about the car watches out for danger so you have more time to drive or some such nonsense. http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7DFD/infiniti-q50-distracted-driving

People who drive with one foot constantly on the brakes drive me crazy. I think I read somewhere that they are actually teaching kids today to drive that way (left foot always on the brake) so they can "react faster." But the constant blinking of the brake lights drives everyone behind them nuts!

Not that one.

Oh come on! Cheap shot! Now you're just piling on poor GM!

Strive for mediocrity...

But the thing we have to remember is this: a recall is one thing. Hiding a known problem for years (as GM did) is a whole 'nother matter. Your run-of-the-mill recall isn't going to catch Congress' interest. But what GM did will.

I hear you, and I agree, at least as far as sentiment goes. But at some point an object becomes so rare and so valuable that its original function becomes secondary to its perceived value. The Mona Lisa, most Strads, and that 'cuda have gotten to that point. That car is more an investment today than it is a car.

Oh oh. Can it be true? Now Chrysler, too–for the same problem! http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/06/18/chrysler-ignition-investigation-nhtsa/10741315/

What's wrong with that? It's done with fine art all the time. Nobody buys the Mona Lisa so they can hang it in their den. Nobody would buy the rarest stamp in the world so they can slap it on an envelope and mail a birthday card. Nobody would buy a priceless Stradivarius so they can jam with the guys in the garage. I know, I know, a car is meant to be driven. But not a one-of-kind, $3.5M car.

For the "prestige." Most luxury car buyers buy luxury cars to make a personal statement. "Hey, look at me, I drive a car that you probably could never afford. I've made it." A lot of car buying is based on perception and emotion, a lot more than us here on this forum might think... because most of us are "car guys" and to us, mechanicals are a big part of the equation. But believe me, most "regular" car buyers based their purchase more on perceived prestige and style and electronic gadgets than on how many valves the engine has or how many speeds the automatic has. So to make Lincoln a success, you have to offer something that Ford (or other "lesser" makes) don't offer. You're right that the electronic wizardry is pretty much found on most mainstream cars these days, so that alone won't cut it. So you offer an "ownership experience" to give your potential customers that sense of being "special." Free lifetime oil changes and washes, concierge service, free loaners, free roadside service, that sort of thing. You make the experience of buying and owning a Lincoln special, make the Lincoln buyer feel that they are members of an exclusive club. And of course you offer standalone styling that is not shared (or even close to) "lesser" Fords. And you sell them in standalone dealerships, not in the same room with Escapes and Edges.

And it doesn't get more rare than the only one.