Tag Archives: Savoy

Forward Design – Plymouth Savoy

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The arrival of of the 1957 Mopars saw a dramatic shift in styling from a conservative Plane Jane to Virgil Exner’s jet age inspired Forward Design featuring the outrageous tail fins that became synonymous with the late 1950’s and lead Plymouths advertising copy to read “Suddenly – It’s 1960!”

Plymouth Savoy, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

The only car that dared to break the time barrier Plymouth, De Soto, Dodge and Chrysler full size models all featured variations of the same body design that were available to meet a variety of needs at an all important variety of prices.

Plymouth Savoy, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

Two years after Chrysler replaced the ’55 body styles the Plymouth Savoy alone was offered with 2-door coupe, 2-door hardtop, 4-door sedan, 4-door hardtop and station wagon bodies which with 8 engine options and 3 transmission options allowed a diligent salesman to sell up or down according to the purse of just about anybody who walked through the dealers showroom door.

Plymouth Savoy, Summer Classics, Easter Compton,

Allegedly “The Forward Look of Motion” caused GM’s styling boss Harley Earl to ask Chevrolet exterior designer C.J. MacKichan “Why don’t you quit?” after seeing the 1957 Plymouth catalogue”.

Despite Torsion-Aire Ride using torsion bars but not airbags as the name might suggest, build quality problems with the Forward Designs meant many did not survive long before they started to rust away, the ’57 Savoy featured in these photographs is seen at last years Summer Classics meeting in Easter Compton.

Thanks for joining me on this “Forward Design” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Seven Laps Led – Plymouth Savoy

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“There’s no such thing as a ‘Plain Jane’ in the Plymouth line-up for 1959!” Plymouth dealers were informed and the base Savoy model proved the point with similar levels of chrome to the top Belvedere and Fury models with standard two-tone instrument panel, foam front seat cushion, dual sun visors, dual horns, and dual front door armrests.

Plymouth Savoy, Sonoma Historics,

After making 9 starts driving Petty Enterprises Oldsmobiles in the second half of the 51 race 1958 NASCAR Grand National series and winning $760, Richard Petty, later The King, continued with a 22 race schedule in the 44 race 1959 season.

Plymouth Savoy, Sonoma Historics,

Like his Dad Lee Petty the 22 year old Richard swapped over from Oldsmobiles to running Petty Enterprises entered Plymouth’s mid season. Turns out the same Petty Enterprises Plymouth’s would run in 2 door hard top Savoy form for some races and with the roof unbolted and removed in Convertible Belvedere form for others.

Plymouth Savoy, Sonoma Historics,

Lee Petty won his third and final NASCAR Grand National title with 11 race wins in the 1959 season, while Richard finished 15th in points with 9 top ten finishes and the NASCAR Rookie of the year award with his winnings for the year at $8110.21.

In his fourth drive in the Plymouth Richard recorded his first seven Grand National lead laps in the Southern 500 at Darlington where he finished 4th.

Today’s featured ’59 Plymouth Savoy is painted and stickered up in tribute to Richard Petty’s Rookie of The Year winning ’59 season.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photographs of the Plymouth taken at Sonoma Historics earlier this year.

Thanks for joining me on this “Seven Laps Led” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for Ferrari Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Striped Tomato Editon – Volkswagen Golf Mk III CL Diesel

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Volkswagen introduced the third iteration of it’s popular Golf to Europe, the UK and the USA in 1991, 1992 and 1993 respectively the latter was delayed by quality problems and industrial action in Volkswagen’s Mexican Puebla plant.

Volkswagen Golf CL Diesel, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

Additions to the the range were an estate / station wagon version and a six cylinder VR6 motor. The VR motor , standing for Verkurst Rheienmotor – shortened in line motor in English, featured a two banks of 3 cylinders separated by just 15 degrees so that the cylinders are effectively staggered meaning the six cylinder motor could easily fit into the space normally occupied by a four cylinder motor.

Volkswagen Golf CL Diesel, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol t

Volkswagen sponsored European Tours by the Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones and Bon Jovi during the production life of the Golf III, also known as the Mk 3, which led to special editions featuring the bands names, further special editions included the Movie, Joker, Savoy, New Orleans and multi coloured Harlequin.

Today’s featured Starsky and Hutch Striped Tomato Edition seen at an Avenue Drivers Club meeting in Bristol last year, is a one off peversely low performance 1996 Golf CL Diesel.

Thanks for joining me on this “Striped Tomato Edition” of Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Bristol Blue Hackney Carriage – LTI TX1

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A hackney carriage is a taxicab licensed by a local authority to ply the streets looking for passengers to pick up.

London’s stringent Public Carriage Office licensing authority has always been at the fore front of legislation demanding particular qualities of licensed taxicabs which have led to the evolution of a London Taxi. These include a max 28 foot / min 25 ft turning circle in order to be able to safely maneuver round the entrance of London’s Savoy Hotel and most recently, a wheel chair accessibility requirement.

London’s Black Cabs have mostly, but not exclusively been built by a company called Carbodies now known as London Taxis International (LTI), in Coventry since 1948, and are almost as well known as London’s bright red AEC Routemaster RML buses.

This model is a 2.7 litre / 164 cui Nissan powered TX1 built from 1997 to 2002 the retro lines recall the classic Carbodies FX4 / LTI Fairways design that dates back to 1958.

Recently the Bristol Hackney cab licensing authority issued an edict declaring that all of Bristols 780 Hackney Carriages would be Bristol Blue Glass blue by May 2011. There were attempts to appeal this decision in the courts on grounds of the repainting costs incurred by cab drivers, but the legal process proved too expensive to fight the decision.

Hope you have enjoyed this Bristol Blue edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil psycho on tyres’ and that you’ll join me tomorrow for a look at an award winning Brazilian in Switzerland. Don’t forget to come back now !

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