With Harley Earl at the  controls  of General Motors design staff,  auto show “dream cars” came fast and furious during the late Forties and early Fifties. Corvette Classic carThough indications of these dream machines would often turn up on the production cars that followed, none of Earl’s creations had made the direct leap from auto show to production-until the Corvette. Read more . . .

When fantasy collides head-on with reality something’s got to give, and, unfortunately, reality usually wins out. Classic car ChevelleSo it was with the famous Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454. In this case, the fantasy was having a National Hot Rod Association Pro Stocker virtually straight out of the box from your local Chevy dealer. The reality was  consumer concern for fuel economy, tightening exhaust emission controls, and the costliness of small production runs. In the end, reality overwhelmed the SS 454, but for several shining moments the car showed how hot a factory-built hot rod could be. Read more . . .

There was an era  when Chevrolets were nothing but plain vanilla cars with nothing much to recommend them but price and reliability.Chevy classic  carIt’s hard to imagine now, but such was the case in the Twenties, Thirties, Forties, and early Fifties. Chevrolet offered good value, and Chevies weren’t likely to leave you stranded by the road in the pouring rain, but if you were a driving aficonado you shopped elsewhere.

At least, that was until 1955. Read more . . .

Petro Canada signage

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As oil passes the $50 per barrel mark, and gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles generate headlines, it is worth noting that there is more than one way to attain improved fuel economy. Yet, as gas prices continue to rise across the country, the need for more fuel-efficient trucks and SUVs is becoming more prevalent. While gas-electric hybrid engines have been hailed for their fuel-savings, they’re still an expensive option available on a limited number of vehicles.   Read more . . .