Interested in the 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee? We have new spy shots!
http://www.allpar.com/news/index.php/2009/09/new-jeep-grand-cherokee-spy-shots
Now for our usually weekly announcement... the big news for "frequent list" subscribers is the 1959 Plymouth story, the last chapter of Jim's book...
This week, we introduce html-formatted announcements, only a decade or so after everyone else has switched over. In keeping with that sense of timeliness, our lead story is Plymouth 1959 -- the end of an era, in many ways.
The 1959 Plymouths (as well as most other Chryslers) were the last body-on-frame cars from the venerable brand; from 1960 onwards, Plymouth would use unit-body construction, allowing their cars to be lighter and stiffer. The flat-head six, which probably lasted well beyond its design intent, was also on its rapid way out, replaced by a hot, modern new six that would help Valiants to sweep the compact-car races so comprehensively that the series was cancelled due to lack of serious competition.
Daytime running lights have been out for one or two years now, and we figure it might be time for those of you in Northern climes to start using them, if only because other drivers seem to expect 'em now. You have a few choices, but lighting expert Daniel Stern sent us a kit, and longevity-wiring veteran Richard Henley installed it in his daily-driver Duster, so you have some excellent leads to follow. Richard will take you step by step through the process, which should be similar for most of the classics and some of the not-so-classics. See Adding Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) to Classics
Next, we go really modern with the 1981-83 Imperial -- a car so new, it actually had electronic fuel injection! All right, the Imperial was based on the once-low-end B-body platform, and the 318 cubic inch V8 under the hood had been Plymouth's entry-level engine not long ago, but Chrysler tried hard to make the 1981-83 Imperial a true top of the line car.
Aside from the fuel injection, the final Imperial-brand car included top end features such as a garage door opener, thermostatic temperature control, electronic gauges, leather, and a powerful stereo with a choice of cassette, 8-track, or CB. The car was quieter than the Cordoba on which it was closely based, thanks to aerodynamic styling (which cut wind resistance by 14%), heavier gauge steel, and more padding.
Finally, Bob Lincoln attended the Mass Mopar 2009 Cookout and Show, and brought back numerous photos of the well-restored (or well-preserved) cars there, along with a good description of the show.
In the news this week, some dealers and pundits are whining that the government is too slow to pay them (I wonder, do they pay their bills in less than 30 days? I have precious few clients who pay as fast as the dealers seem to want the government to pay.) General Motors is running a huge ad campaign to tell people that they are back in business, no longer bankrupt, and have a future -- unfortunately Chrysler is doing nothing to counter the widespread perception that they're still in bankruptcy and are owned by Fiat. On the lighter side, the factories seem to be running again.
That's it for this week; next week we'll have, oh, some more stuff, with at least one tech feature.
Let me know if you love or hate the new formatted e-mails, please?
