Tag: 1971

Jason’s New Ride “The Clunker” – Issa Caprese!

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By now I think most of you know of my land-yacht refurbishing friend in Spokane, Jason Bagge. He’s had pretty much one of every ’70s gunboat, sometimes more than one! For instance, I conservatively estimate he’s had at least fifteen 1971-76 Chevrolet Caprices, Impalas and Bel Airs. His latest acquisition is today’s subject, affectionately termed The Clunker: A 1971 Caprice. I’ll let him give you all the details. These are excerpted from posts he’s done on the car between late October and now. -TK

The car, upon arrival, 10/28/2022.

“1971 Chevrolet Caprice 4 door hardtop. Runs great. Has some rust issues here and there and someone torched out the rear wheel lips on the both sides-fender skirts are not an option right now. But I don’t care really. It’s a 1971-more pluses than minuses and I can hop in and drive it. There are parts on this car that are perfect. The expensive ones. That brushed aluminum tail panel piece and the grille are worth almost as much as what I paid for the whole car. I’m going to tinker with it.” Continue Reading →

1971 Stutz Blackhawk: Ostentatious Ostentation

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NOTE: Another submission by my friend in Sweden, Billie Biscayne. She previously wrote a column on the Chrysler Plainsman ‘dream car.’ If you missed that one, check it out here. Cheers. -TK

This is the tale of one of the most ostentatious and flamboyant neo-classic luxury “rat rods” ever created, and some of the eccentric, unorthodox and rather dubious owners it has had since 1971!

It all started in the late 1800’s with an Ohio farm boy who had a natural talent for engineering. Harry Stutz assembled his first gasoline powered vehicle, a creation he called “Old Hickory”, mainly from bits and pieces of old farming equipment. One can only assume that he refined these skills somewhat over the years as he later went on to become the founder of The Stutz Motor Company (originally Ideal Motor Company) in 1911. The first car rolled off the production line in Indianapolis, Indiana, that very year and Stutz Motor Company continued to build high-end sports and luxury cars, like the Bearcat and the Blackhawk, there until 1935 when they unfortunately became yet another automobile manufacturer to succumb to the Great Depression. Continue Reading →

1971 Ford LTD Country Squire: Vintage Suburbia

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Today, most family haulers are silver silvermist or beige beigemist crossovers. But 45 plus years ago, things were different.

Yes, in 1971 Ford was Wagon King. Sure, GM sold tons of wagons too, but despite their being all new, not everyone was sure about GM’s new disappearing tailgate, where it retracted behind the rear bumper instead of folding down. Though GM still trounced FoMoCo in overall production.

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1971 Chrysler New Yorker Coupe – I’m In A New Yorker State Of Mind

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Today, we discuss the early 1970s Chrysler New Yorker. Yes, the “Fuselage” full-size Mopars, which were first introduced in autumn 1968 as ’69 models. It was a brand new look for the big Mopars, which had been rather square-rigged from 1965 to 1968. But now, from Plymouth to cream-of-the-crop Imperial, curviness and smooth lines were the order of the day.

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1971 Lincoln Continental – I Have A History With These

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I am well known for my love of Ford Motor Company’s flagship, the Lincoln Continental. Very few people, at least those who appreciate classic cars, would argue that the 1961-69 Continental was anything but a classic design and a true American luxury car, but I also am rather fond of the 1970-73 version. Remember those? They’ve kind of faded from memory over the decades, with the ’60s Continentals on one side and the square-rigged, luxury railroad coaches that were the 1975-79 Continentals.

I certainly remember them. A big part of that is due to an old, forgotten triple black 1971 Lincoln Continental that was sitting in a 1920s-era one-car garage not far from my neighborhood. From the age of approximately five through the end of junior high, my beloved bicycles took me where I wanted to go. Heck, I still have my first bike sitting in my garage!

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1970 Continental Mark III – Iacocca’s Crowning Triumph

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Mr. Lido A. Iacocca is a polarizing figure. For some, he took all the glory, imposed his will at his own peril, and took credit for the work of others. Alternately, he was a super salesman, made his career from nothing, created some new market segments no one else had ever thought of, and saved a car company at the brink of being toast. Few are neutral about the man. But I fall a bit more into the latter camp, and the subject of today’s daily dose of Lincoln is why: The magnificent Continental Mark III.

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1971 Chevrolet Monte Carlo – The Chevelle Goes Brougham!

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This is the car that brought personal luxury to the masses. The 1970-72 Monte Carlo. Sure, personal-lux coupes had been around for years, but generally they were flossier high-end cars. Cars like the first of its type, the Ford Thunderbird, which had more or less set the mold in 1958 with its low-slung lines, bucket seats and soon-to-be-ubiquitous center console.

1963 Pontiac Grand Prix

Other makes immediately set their sights on the T-Bird, with cars like the Pontiac Grand Prix, Buick Riviera, and Oldsmobile Toronado. A case can be made for the 1967 Mercury Cougar as well, with its luxury touches, but really, it was still Mustang-derived and thus a ponycar, not a personal luxury car. Yes indeed, luxury coupe mania spread like wildfire throughout the Sixties, but there really were no offerings for the “Low Priced Three”, Chevrolet, Ford and Plymouth. Until 1970.

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1971 Ford Thunderbird Landau Sedan – Thunderbrougham

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The Ford Thunderbird underwent multiple personality changes throughout its life. What started out as a two-seat convertible had, by the time the fifth-generation Thunderbird debuted in the autumn of 1966, become a much different automobile. Sure, it was still flashy and typically loaded with power gadgets, but one thing was missing for the first time since the first T-Birds appeared: A convertible top.

Well, the writing had been on the wall for some time, with topless T-Bird sales dropping across several previous years. Indeed, by the early ’70s nearly all the topless cars built in the Land of the Free were gone, or on borrowed time. But what to replace it with? The answer was — believe it or not — a four-door sedan.

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