Car Club Newsletter 4-10

The
Talepipe
April 2010
Fallbrook Vintage Car Club
Region of the AACA
The Talepipe
Materials for the
Talepipe can be sent to:
[email protected]
or call
760-723-1181.
Thanks,
Roy Moosa,
The TALEPIPE is the newsletter of the
FALLBROOK VINTAGE CAR CLUB REGION
of the AACA
Incorporated as a California Nonprofit
Mutual Benefit Corporation
P.O. Box 714
Fallbrook, CA 92088 www.fallbrookvintagecarclub.com
12 Biggest Flops
Of The Last Decade
Part One...
Chrysler Crossfire: It seemed like such a good idea
at the time. Now that Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz
were *ahem* happily wed, the Pentastar brand had
unlimited access to some of the most solid automotive
foundations on the planet. Why not see what Chrysler's undeniably good (at the time, that is) stylists can
do when they've got such great guts to work with?
Well, it was a good idea, at least when applied to
the well-received Chrysler 300 and its Magnum and
Charger platform-mates from Dodge. But the Crossfire? Not so much. Based on the previous-gen Mercedes-Benz SLK, Chrysler's two-seat sportster was
full of compromise and ultimately not a great car.
A stylish but impractical roofline made anyone
over six-feet tall instantly claustrophobic, plus the
steering wheel didn't tilt. Passenger legroom was nonexistent and the hatchback cargo area was too small
to be really useful. To make matters worse, a wonky
six-speed manual shifter took any inherent sportiness
out of the chassis and the standard engine -- a 3.2liter V6 from Mercedes -- didn't have enough power to
satisfy American tastes. Add it all up and what do you
get? A bust.
Cadillac STS:
Back in 2004 when the STS was introduced as a
2005 model, Cadillac was the poster boy for America's auto industry (if there was such a thing). Buoyed
by its well-received CTS sedan and high-profile -- and
profit-rich -- Escalade SUV, the STS was supposed to
really put the bricks to the European luxury establishment.
Instead, what we got was a more conservatively
styled sedan that has never managed strike fear into
BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, or much of anyone much less deliver awards from the automotive press
or (more importantly), solid sales numbers. In fact,
owing to its large-for-its-class size, the CTS was an
appreciably better car for less money with few penalties, and the second-gen CTS has rendered the STS
all but completely redundant.
To be fair, there were slow sellers in Cadillac's
portfolio back in 2005, but they were either
low-investment niche vehicles (XLR) or at least
enthusiasts' darlings (SRX). The STS was neither,
and even a high-horsepower STS-V version hasn't
been enough save the range from obscurity and flop
hood.
Page 2
Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger: This is the
car that seems to have come to represent all that has
been wrong with Chrysler over the last several years.
While the Sebring never really competed all that well
with rivals from General Motors and Ford -- let alone
standard-bearers from Honda and Toyota -- the current model is actually significantly less interesting car
than the original Chrysler Cloud Cars from the previous decade.
Pair a flaccid chassis with uninspiring engines and
a ridiculously plasticky interior that doesn't belong in
an '80s Hyundai and you have the recipe for an undesirable automobile. With the Sebring, though, it only
gets worse with the car's hideous sheet metal. The
look was supposed to be inspired from the Crossfire,
which, though it had plenty of its own faults, was visually interesting. That shape, though, does not translate
well into a midsize sedan, to put it mildly.
While the Sebring may be the worst car in Chrysler's
lineup, its sibling from Dodge isn't much better. It's
generally agreed that the Avenger at least looks a bit
more attractive than the Sebring -- though certainly
not by much -- but the Dodge is still plagued by the
same uncompetitive engines and lego-brick interior
finish as its Chrysler stable mate.
Ford Five Hundred: The Ford Five Hundred is everything the Chrysler Sebring is not. So then, why are
both of them on this same list? Where the Sebring
was offensive and uncompetitive, the Five Hundred
was bland and uninspiring. Two very different paths to
automotive bust hood, but each car had a similar effect on its intended audience ... which is to say they
just chose to purchase a competitor's car.
None of this is to say that the Ford Five Hundred
is a bad car, because it isn't. If all you are looking for
is a large, roomy automotive appliance to get from
your two-car garage in the suburbs to work, the grocery store and back, you'll find the Five Hundred fits
your needs rather well. If you happen to be an enthusiast with actual driving enjoyment high on your list of
necessities, you'll find that the Five Hundred is the
automotive equivalent to a bottle of melatonin.
Honda Accord Hybrid:
Honda just hasn't managed to have much luck with its
hybrids.
What exactly is wrong with the Honda
Accord Hybrid? Well, nothing really. Except that it was
too expensive for its small gain in fuel economy and
was next to impossible to drive smoothly, especially at
low speeds. Honda decided to make the Hybrid the
range-topping model in the Accord line, and as such
blessed it with a full options list. That made it
expensive. Further, Honda decided to tune the drive
train for power and performance, not ultimate efficiency, so its fuel economy was less than stellar and
the powerful engine and electric motor made the car
very punchy in the parking lot. Very un-Honda-like
indeed
Honda
Insight:
Remember
how we said
that Honda
hasn't had
much luck
with its hybrids? If the
Accord Hybrid was Exhibit A, we rest our case with the
Insight, and we'll go ahead and include both the original two-seater and the current reincarnation as a
cheaper alternative to the Prius.
On glassy-smooth roads, the latest Insight seems
to ride and handle just fine. Throw some bumps, potholes and frost heaves its way, though, and get ready
for a bumbling chassis that crashes over the pavement. Paradoxically, the Insight fails to feel sporty
when thrown around a nice, curvy road ... giving you
the worst of both worlds all at the same time.
Not only that, Honda's Integrated Motor Assist
technology fails to match the slightly pricier Prius in
economy, and the Insight is notably slower in a
straight line than its rival from Toyota. Plus, there's
hardly any space inside -- especially in the headroomlacking rear seat. If you're looking for the cheapest
way to put your small family into a hybrid, the Insight
delivers on the cost front. Just be sure to drive all your
options before signing on the dotted line.
Jaguar X-Type: Jaguar decided that if it was ever going to expand into a major player on the automotive
scene it needed a vehicle to compete against such
luxury and performance icons as the BMW 3 Series,
Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4.
Unfortunately for the British marque (owned at the
time by Ford), the X-Type failed miserably when directly compared on paper or on a dynamic level with
its most desirable competitors.
Driving enthusiasts expect rear-wheel drive in this
segment, or at least the history and legacy of a racewinning all-wheel drive setup like Audi's Quattro. Jaguar had neither. What it did have, though, was a legroom-averse rear seat and two underpowered V6 engines.
If there's anything good to consider about the XType it may be that many of them were bought at bargain-basement prices and the extremely low resale
value means you can put yourself behind the wheel of
one of the biggest busts of the decade for a steal.
Page 3
To be continued...
SourceBook Photo Shoot
On a Monday morning in mid-March a group of 11 car
club members braved the cold and the early hour to
meet Andrea Verdin of the Village News at the
newspaper office. Andrea was there to marshal everyone
for the photo shoot for the 2010 Sourcebook cover. T he
brave souls were Doug Allen, Mike Johnson, Fred
Ragland, Larry Cooke, Monte Voight, Glen Patterson,
Jim Massman, John Waugh, Marv Van Voorst, Joe Cusimano and Don Kratz. This marked the first official outing
for Mike Johnson's 57 Pontiac Safari. Upon arrival he
discovered he had no brake lights so we buried him in
the mix on the way to the photo spot. Some of the guys
brought their wives and Jim brought his dog Blue. After
some friendly member jabs and plenty of grousing about
the early hour (6:30) Andrea led the caravan to a spot on
Rice Canyon Road in Rainbow where Paul Gallaher, the
VN photographer, awaited
our arrival. Since the road
was not closed to normal
morning commuters Andrea and Paul played traffic cop to direct cars
around the group while
Paul set the stage for the
pictures.
Satisfied that the lighting and the stage was aligned
perfectly for the photos Paul clicked away from atop his
ladder to get the exact effect he wanted. The entire event
was done in about half an hour. Julie Reeder, publisher
of the VN, showed up shortly after the shoot was over to
be sure everything had gone well. We're most appreciative of the support
from the newspaper.
Everyone then
headed for the
Rainbow
Oaks
Restaurant for a
hearty breakfast.
The
restaurant's
parking lot was converted into a 50's style movie set
when everyone arrived and the lone terrified waitress
prepared to face off with about 20 hungry Fallbrook road
warriors. She performed so well under the pressure that
Fred Ragland asked her if she would like to join the club.
We all suggested that Jim order the full breakfast for
Blue. In the meantime Duke Maples, owner of the restaurant, arrived and visited with us while we placed our orders. He took a few friendly jabs at Mike Johnson asking
where his original artwork poster was hiding.
Page 4
One of the
members had
brought
a
copy of the
Talepipe
for
him which
featured
the
story
about
the
restaurant's
selection
for
this year's poster site.
As always there was
plenty of friendly chatter at
the breakfast table following
the meal. It was unanimous
that the shoot had gone well
and would prove to be good
publicity for the club
throughout the year. With
that, everyone paid their bill
and left for home.
About
half
the
group
confessed
they were going
back to bed when
they got there.
(Photos by
Doug Allen)
Silvergate “Swing
into Spring”
On Thursday March 25 a group of 6 Fallbrook
Vintage Car Club members , with their vintage cars
attended an open house at Silvergate Retirement
R e s i d e n c e
i n
F a l l b r o o k .
The theme was "swing into spring" music from
the 40's and 50's. along with dancing in the
Silvergate Dance Hall some 85 people attended
along with the club. We "shook it up" with cocktails,
hor d oevres, and a nice buffet lunch on the outside
patio. Our vintage cars added a perfect touch for this
occasion.
(Reported by Joe Cusimano, Photos by Ed Vivanco)
Beachcruiser Meet
On a sunny Friday afternoon in late March a group of
intrepid Fallbrook Vintage Car Club members met at the
parking lot at Albertson’s market to caravan to the annual
Huntington Beach Beachcruiser Meet. Driving their vintage cars were Mike and Lee Johnson in their Safari
wagon, Marv and Joyce Van Voorst in their Jeepster,
Glen and Louise Patterson in their Barracuda convertible
(who were joined by Joan and Chuck Oster) and John
and Connie Waugh in their Mercury Comet Caliente convertible. They were joined by the Maguires and the
Conleys in their daily drivers who were going along to
enjoy the party. Mike Maguire had made arrangements
for the group to make their way to the 5 freeway through
Camp Pendleton – which knocked several miles off the
trip. Mike Johnson made a stop before we exited Pendleton and we all thought catastrophe – breakdown!. It
turned out Mike had no gauges working in the Safari so
he stopped to check all systems for leaks before we
headed out to the freeway. Everything was working fine.
The catastrophe was the freeway which, upon entering, we found was in a sig alert all the way to Mission
Viejo due to an accident. Traffic was stop and go for the
next several miles before we finally got some open road.
The Maguires and the Conleys were trying to keep the
vintage cars sandwiched in between them to assure that
everyone arrived in Huntington Beach at the same time.
As we got to the Ortega Highway John Waugh’s car
started to billow clouds of white smoke so the Johnsons,
the Conleys and the Maguires exited the freeway to see
if we could help. Turned out John had blown an oil line
on his transmission and the car was done for the day. He
called the tow service, put the car on the truck and
headed back to Fallbrook while the rest of us (including
Connie) continued on our way.
Not wanting to
miss the party, John
had decided to park
the Caliente in his
garage and drive
back up to HB to do
the show with us the
next day.
Upon our arrival we
all checked into the Hotel Huntington Beach and gathered in the Patterson’s room where we did some snacks
and enjoyed some wine. We gathered later to do dinner
at the Cheescake Factory
and were on
the lookout
for John but
he didn’t
make it back
until later in
the evening.
We all
headed for
bed by about
10:00. We’d
had a big day.
The next morning the vintage cars were all on their
way to the show by about 6:00 but the rest of us met in
the hotel lobby later in the morning. Lois and Bob
Newkirk joined us there and we headed to the show together for an early tour. Following breakfast in Huntington Beach we met Tom Long who is one of the organizers for the show. He gave us some input on how it had
been pulled together and pointed us in the right direction
to see the highlights. Mike Johnson’s Safari was one of
the honored cars on the show poster so he had a prominent display space. There were about 400 cars shown
and most everything was a vintage vehicle from the early
glory days of the surfing culture. Woodies were in evidence everywhere alongside surfer cars of all descriptions – many of them highly modified from original specs.
The FVCC members set up our “command post” on
a central corner and headed out from there to tour the
show. Following our march around the area most of the
members headed for the exits and, by mid-afternoon, we
were all individually on our way back to Fallbrook.
The show was good, the company was great and this
gave us all an opportunity to share some fun time with
our fellow club members.
by
Tom Conley
Photos
courtesy
of
Lee Johnson
Page 5
DETROIT: GM is slowly coming around, even
talking of paying back the government loans this
year. Chrysler is still struggling, but Ford is cruising along quite well. The popular Ford Fusion was
named Motor Trend's car of the year for 2010! Ford
stock has increased over 400% in one year! Chrysler is rushing to bring out a restyled version of the
popular 300 sedan. Total annual car sales may end
up near 12 million units - short of normal, but much
better than last year.
TOKYO: Toyota has fallen to sixth place in perceived quality score according to ALG's spring
2010 survey. Honda's CR-Z hybrid sports car ( coming to US in summer ) is breaking sales records in
Japan. The Prius is Japan's most popular car by
sales volume in Japan - they like them too.
CHINA;
China surpassed the U.S. as the
world's biggest auto market last year as sales rose
50% to over 13 million units. Geely Automotive
Holdings, Hong Kong, bought Volvo from Ford recently. GM's Buick remains one of China's top selling brands.
STILL UNSAFE??
Chevrolet's
Corvair was
quickly labeled as unsafe shortly
after it was
introduced
in the fall of
1959. Engineered with similar rear suspension as the VW Beetle, it's main competitor, it would roll over easily if
one of it's rear wheels were allowed to "tuck" under
during hard cornering. GM quickly changed the
rear suspension, but Ralph Nader's book, "Unsafe
at Any Speed", permanently damaged the Corvair's reputation.
The early models, 1960 through 1964 were of a
blocky design, while the 1965 through the end in
1969 had a more modern flowing rounded design. The styling changes are readily seen in the
two brochure photographs - the first showing the
1961 models, and the lower one showing
the 1965 model. The lack of grill combined with the
4 small headlights gave a
distinctive
look.
Several mechanical improvements
were also made
with the 1965
Page 6
model introduction. Along with a
complete new suspension system, all
the coupes and sedans came with hardtop styling. The top
of the line Corsa
model was introduced, and 1965 and
later bodies were bigger with nicer interiors. It was the only
major Corvair restyling during it's entire production
run. Other models were added during the 10 years the Corvair was
produced - wagons were produced for a couple years starting in 1961, and the convertibles were added in 1962. Even
some pickups and vans
were available. All together, a little over 1.8
million Corvairs were
sold, and all used the
flat opposed 6 cylinder
air cooled engine sometimes
Turbo
charged. Both 4 speed
manual and 2 speed
automatics
were
offered. These were light cars, generally about 2500#, and
sold for $1950 in the beginning on up to $2650 in 1969. The
name Corvair came from combining two trademarked Chevrolet names - Corvette and Bel Air. Both the brutally powerful V-8 Mustang introduced in 1964 and Chevy's own popular Camaro in 1967 assured the end of the Corvair.
Other models were added during the 10 years the Corvair
was produced - wagons were produced for a couple years
starting in 1961, and the convertibles were added in 1962.
Even some pickups and vans were available. All together, a
little over 1.8 million Corvairs were sold, and all used the flat
opposed 6 cylinder air cooled engine - sometimes Turbo
charged. Both 4 speed manual and 2 speed automatics
were offered. These were light cars, generally about 2500#,
and sold for $1950 in the beginning on up to $2650 in
1969. The name Corvair came from combining two trademarked Chevrolet names - Corvette and Bel Air. Both the
brutally powerful V-8 Mustang introduced in 1964 and
Chevy's own popular Camaro in 1967 assured the end of
the Corvair.
Now however, some 40 years later, the Corvair has had a
rebirth in popularity, and good examples of interesting models are hard to find. Many are in collector's hands, including
Jay Leno, who owns an original 1966 Red Corsa coupe with
4 speed manual. Jay Leno's Garage web site has an interesting video of him explaining the merits of the car as well
as lots of driving footage. One of the most significant postwar cars, it was GM's only air cooled, only rear engined, first
Turbo charged and first unitized body car. Currrent prices
for a #2 condition 1965 or 1966 Corsa Coupe or Convertible
range from $11,000 to
$13,000. The optional 180 HP engine can add 30%. These
unique and historical cars are still affordable, and are bound
to increase in value with time. Because of their uniqueness, they may be "unsafe at speed", but could very well
prove to be "safe as investment".
——Don
——Don McCormick—
McCormick—
2009-2010
Board of Directors
Car Show Committees
President... Roy Moosa 760-723-1181
Vice President... Mike McGuire 760-728-6430
Secretary…Bob Newkirk 760-728-2780
Treasurer…Lee Johnson 760-723-8286
Past President…David Bergeson 760-731-3300
Car Show Chair…
David Bergeson 760-731-3300
Car Show Poster…
Mike Johnson...760-723-8286
Car Show Program…
Ed Vivanco...451-0850
Car Show Major Sponsors…
John Waugh 760-723-0705,
Marvin Van Vroost 760-728-6671
Car Show Registration…
Glen Patterson 760-723-2818
Don McCormick 760-723-3235
Car Show Field Layout…
Mike McGuire 760-728-6430
Marvin Van Vroost 760-728-6671
Car Show Swap Meet…
Frank Hainey 760-451-3041
Car Show Site Preparation…
Car Show Parking…
Car Show Judging…
Jim Mroz 760-728-9600
Car Show Raffle…
Lynn Burch 760-728-1496,
Louise Patterson 760-723-2818
Car Show Sale Items…
Lee Johnson 760-723-8286
Committee Chairs
Membership…
Louise Patterson 760-723-2818
Programs…
Roy Moosa 760-723-1181
Newsletter Editor…
Roy Moosa 760-723-1181
Public Relations…
Tom Conley 760-723-8596
Outside Activities…
Joe/Jeanne Cusimano
760-723-4085
Donations…
Dave Herting 760-451-9144
Tom Conley 760-723-8596
Sale Items…
Lee Johnson 760-723-8286
Sunshine…
Lynn Burch 760-728-1496
Communications…
Connie Waugh 760-723-0705
Avocado Festival…
Fred Ragland 760-723-5324
Christmas Parade…
Fred Ragland 760-723-5324
Christmas Party…
Louise Patterson 760-723-2818
Breakfast Chair…
Fred Ragland 760-723-5324
General Meetings
Monthly membership meetings are held at the Fallbrook Woman's Club, 238
West Mission Road in Fallbrook on the 4th Tuesday of each month unless otherwise
scheduled in advance. Meetings begin at 7:00 PM.
Pre-meeting Informal Dinner
An informal gathering of members is usually held at a selected Fallbrook area
restaurant prior to the general meeting. Plan on arriving for dinner by 5:00 PM to
insure that you have time to eat and socialize.
Major Market Receipts
Don’t’ forget to save and bring in your Major Market
receipts at the club meetings. Jeanne Cusimano is
collecting and turning them in. The club receives cash
for each receipt turned in.
April 27:
General Meeting: 7pm,
Stuff Show Posters:
Women’s Club: 238 W. Mission Rd.
Fallbrook, CA. 92028 #760-728-9971
Hospitality: Mike and Annette McGuire
Pre Meeting: La Caseta:
111 N. Vine St. Fallbrook, CA. 92028 #760-728-9737
May 11:
Board of Directors Meeting: 7pm
Hosts: Dick and Jo Ziemer,
208 White Horse Lane, Fallbrook, Ca. 92028,
760-723-5358
Board Meetings
Board Meetings are normally held at a member's home the 2nd Tuesday of
each month at 7:00 PM, unless otherwise scheduled.
All FVCC Board Meetings are open to all members. There is more to the
Fallbrook Vintage Car Club than just a Car Show. Come and join us at the Board
Meetings to get more involved with your club or just to socialize.
If you need more information please contact one of the club officers or committee chairs.
Membership Information
Membership information may be obtained by mail or from any FVCC officer or
chairperson. Membership Applications are also available on our
website at Fallbrookvintagecarclub.com.
Our email address is:
[email protected]
UPCOMING NON CLUB EVENTS
NON CLUB EVENTS CALENDAR will not
appear this month.
Everyone is too busy with the FVCC
May 30th Car Show Page 7
to go anywhere else in May.
Fallbrook Vintage Car Club
Region of AACA
P.O. Box 714
Fallbrook, Ca. 92088