Classic Ad: Blizzard of 2010 Edition

December 31, 2010, 2:00 pm

By ROBERT PEELE

Yes, plenty of New Yorkers have suffered the city’s snow-snarled streets with something less than equanimity. But here at the Wheels blog, we like to keep things in perspective. Case in point: our final classic ad of the year, which proves that with snow, as in life, everything is relative.

In this dramatization of a (supposedly) true story, a fierce storm in the Sierra Nevada Mountains leaves a Volkswagen buried for six months beneath tons of snow and ice. When finally uncovered, the plucky Beetle putters away as if it had been waiting at a traffic light. No word on whether the crew supervisor, last seen hightailing it from the scene of the dig, ever bothered to return.

Meanwhile, drivers stuck on New York’s dreaded “tertiary streets” may have to take matters — not to mention shovels — into their own hands, lest their own wait for for the snowplow last until spring. Here’s hoping everyone digs out the right car.

Happy shoveling!

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Classic Ad: Tap Dancing for Dodge

December 4, 2010, 6:00 am

By ROBERT PEELE

In this Sunday’s Automobiles section, Paul Stenquist delves into the history of transmission shifters, tracing both the technological breakthroughs and the memorable ideas that never quite caught on.

Among the innovations of yesteryear was the pushbutton gear selector, featured on 1956-64 Chrysler models and demonstrated with ample flair in our classic ad above, for the “Swept Wing” 1958 Dodge. Both this clip and the one that follows it appear to be from the early days of the Lawrence Welk show, which (trivia!) was originally titled “The Dodge Dancing Party.”

Elsewhere there’s more from Chrysler, as Christopher Jensen reviews the “civilized” 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, while John Pearley Huffman takes a final spin in the now-retired Dodge Viper, which he calls a “raw-nerved, hardcore and glorious monster.”

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Classic Ad: General Motors, the Day After

November 20, 2010, 7:00 am

By ROBERT PEELE

Two cars race across an arid plain, hurling clouds of desert dust. A Casio keyboard goes silent as in tandem the drivers shift to neutral. The older car slows, then crawls to a stop; its driver emerges, still helmeted, and watches the newer model glide into the ashen distance.

Classic? Maybe not. Mysterious? Definitely.

As General Motors presented its new face to the stockholding public this week, Wheels came across this strange commercial from a previous (and entirely forgotten) G.M. rebranding effort. The newer model is better, the ad seems to say, but as for what particular automotive feature was being promoted in this desolate, post-apocalyptic landscape, your guess is as good as ours. Was it the ’84 Celebrity’s superior fuel economy? G.M.’s move toward front-wheel drive technology? Increased coasting range during the inevitable nuclear-winter gas shortages?

A decidedly informal survey of automotive experts and amateur film critics could not determine the exact intent of the ad. I’ve watched it more than a dozen times, and I still can’t figure it out. Mystery works great in the movie theater, but it’s less helpful when you’re trying to move units — perhaps that’s why no one we surveyed could remember the commercial being broadcast. (And speaking of mysteries, is that the Stig behind the wheel?)

Honk if you remember this commercial. And if you can help us decipher it, honk twice.

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Classic Ad: General Motors, the Day After

November 20, 2010, 7:00 am

By ROBERT PEELE

Two cars race across an arid plain, hurling clouds of desert dust. A Casio keyboard goes silent as in tandem the drivers shift to neutral. The older car slows, then crawls to a stop; its driver emerges, still helmeted, and watches the newer model glide into the ashen distance.

Classic? Maybe not. Mysterious? Definitely.

As General Motors presented its new face to the stockholding public this week, Wheels came across this strange commercial from a previous (and entirely forgotten) G.M. rebranding effort. The newer model is better, the ad seems to say, but as for what particular automotive feature was being touted in this desolate, post-apocalyptic landscape, your guess is as good as ours. Was it the ’84 Celebrity’s superior fuel economy? G.M.’s move toward front-wheel drive technology? Increased coasting range during the inevitable nuclear-winter gas shortages?

A decidedly informal survey of automotive experts and amateur film critics could not determine the exact intent of the ad. I’ve watched it more than a dozen times, and I still can’t figure it out. Mystery works great in the movie theater, but it’s less helpful when you’re trying to move units — perhaps that’s why no one we surveyed could remember the commercial being aired. (And speaking of mysteries, is that the Stig behind the wheel?)

Honk if you remember this commercial. And if you can help us decipher it, honk twice.

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Porsche Club Awaits a Lovingly Restored Classic

A coming automobile raffle adds some credence to that old saw about membership and its privileges.

Next summer, dues-paying associates of the Porsche Club of America will have an opportunity to win a 1973 911 T, which is receiving a meticulously complete restoration at the Porsche Classic workshop, located outside Zuffenhausen, Germany.

The club holds semi-annual raffles of new models, most recently giving away a Boxster Spyder last spring, but it has never offered a classic car. When club leadership was approached by the classic workshop about altering the prize format, however, they quite literally bought into the idea.

“Our budget for the project — locating and buying the car, the restoration, promotion, transportation — was about $100,000,” said Porsche Club of America’s vice president, Manny Alban, in a telephone interview. “All told it’ll wind up being a little bit more than that.”

The club was initially charged with locating a good restoration candidate, but despite many promising inquiries, leaders were left empty-handed.

“We were initially looking for a 911 S,” Mr. Alban said, referencing the first high-power 911 variant. “But S owners thought, regardless of condition, they were sitting on gold mines, so they weren’t selling. We got frustrated.”

Porsche Club headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, fared better, purchasing a 1973 911 T for an undisclosed sum from a Californian on eBay. Crucially, the car met the workshop’s requirement for minimal rust — however, that might have been its sole positive attribute.

As documented on the workshop’s Web site, the project 911 T is bedecked with nonoriginal parts, not the least of which is the spoiler, endearingly called “homemade” on the workshop’s restoration log. Nesting materials were also pulled from the car’s undercarriage.

In keeping with the trend in bespoke factory restorations, Porsche’s workshop plans to re-create tooling techniques as necessary to ensure fidelity to the original car’s manufacturing. Additionally, factory workers who built the 911 T have been brought on to supervise and assist the restoration.

Mr. Alban hopes to present the fully restored car at the club’s 2011 parade, scheduled from July 31-Aug. 6 in Savannah, Ga. Members can purchase an unlimited quantity of raffle tickets at $50 apiece, and Mr. Alban expects over 5,000 entries.

“It’s definitely enticing for people in the club with older cars who might not be that interested in the newer cars,” he noted. “That said, I don’t know anyone who’d turn down a new Porsche.”

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