Ladies and gentlemen: the 1958 GM line

Pontiac

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: ads • automotive • gernsback continuum • Old school • tailfin gothic

More at Boing Boing

Eurovision 2013: An American in London

The technology that links taxonomy and Star Trek

http://twitter.com/smknghrtdesigns SmokingHeartDesigns

Old cars are great. I have a bunch of old brochures but they don’t seem to get the price I was fantasizing about.
- aliktren
  
  I never really understand why they cant be remade with modern materials and systems, because they just look so flippin awesome, surely people would still buy them
  - Donald Petersen
    
    Be a hot rodder. The economy + gas prices have depressed values. Find a straight and rust-free candidate on eBay or Craigslist or Hemmings or some such. You won’t have any luck finding the truly desirable ones (the ’57 Bel Airs and ’51 Mercs and ’63 Impalas are long, long gone now), but as you can see, the fuddy-duddy station wagons were pretty badass as well. Swap in an LS Chevy V8 drivetrain (including overdrive transmission) from a wrecked late-model, and surprise yourself with 25+ mpg and 300+hp. Swap in disc brakes and radial tires and a fuel cell. Install some seat belts. Update the suspension. The aftermarket is out there, and the technology is vastly improved over the original equipment. God help ya if you get in a wreck, since crumple zones and SRS airbags aren’t really an option, but otherwise you can end up with a car that’s functionally equivalent to (or better than) a land barge from the Clinton Administration, with looks and style that’ll be the envy of all your neighbors. Do it right and you can end up with something that runs much cleaner as well. I was given a 1987 Jaguar XJ6 for free once, and I swapped in a Chevy V8 and ended up with a car that made more power, weighed 200 lbs less, was much easier and cheaper to work on, got better gas mileage, was far more reliable, and met more stringent smog requirements than the original engine did.
    
    Plus, it’s a whole lot of fun. And I don’t see any good reason why a clever mechanic couldn’t adapt hybrid technology to an older platform as well. How hard could it be?
  - EH
    
    Your PT Cruiser is waiting for you at the dealership.
Nash Rambler

Oh man, I know they are screaming metal death traps, but death never looked so good! The lines on that Catalina Coupe! Ach! *lower lip quivers*
- Thomas Shellock
  
  Quiver indeed! That less than subliminal body side arrow has got you by the tail.
http://twitter.com/bobledrew Bob LeDrew

In the immortal words of Fred J. Eaglesmith and the Flying Squirrels: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVl0mIMti9w
http://twitter.com/johndavidstutts johndavidstutts

Lotsa room to lose your virginity in those
Boundegar

Screw the polar bears, I want one!
http://imcravingpresidency.tumblr.com/ SedanChair

Think of it, from 1954 to 1964 GM cars looked radically different every year. The fin craze reached its peak in the ’59 Chevy.

(also these cars are all deathtraps)
http://www.markcrummett.com crummett

My inner 5-year-old is jumping up and down, squealing with delight! Maybe Santa will bring me a toy Chieftain Safari! In red! Baby!
Halloween_Jack

Didn’t I see that Chieftain Convertible on Tattooine?
Paul Renault

This would be a good time to plug a friend:
Ray Bonneville – Roll It Down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu9EkMpMbM4

/Yep, he used to own a Bonneville.