Great thread, Carmine! The other evening, I happened into some YouTube videos, one of which was for a '71-era Plymouth Valiant. I wondered how we went from something efficient and generally enjoyable to drive to a sea of "utilities"? Was it the then-demise of rwd, as some still wanted rwd and that meant "truck-based" vehicle?
I think it was when the later-gen K-cars came out, and the Ford Taurus was popular, that Chairman Lee said "We don't build 'potatoe' cars"?
The bulbous front end designs were allegedly to be Euro in origin and a design that would decrease knee injuries of pedestrians who might contact moving vehicles. I don't believe that regulation every took place, but any car designed in that era for sale in Europe had that sort of front end shape, it seems. Kind of like how hood ornaments were flattened and then became spring-loaded in the USA brands.
Stylists have taken some efforts to make the current cars LOOK longer than they actually are. Take that mid-size SUV, chop off the roof rear of the 2nd seat, put in an angled rear window and suitable trunk lid. Put in a more angular windshield, and you'll discover just how short they really are. Probably more '70 Valiant/Dart than not. LOL All in the shape of the metal. Or a '68 Satellite station wagon next to one of the "larger" SUVs?
Light duty trucks have gotten out of hand, height wise! My daily-driver is similar to a Dodge Intrepid. The headlights on a Ford SD250 are even with the inside rear view mirror in elevation. One of those new F-150s with the 4-light + fog lights came up behind me the other night, obviously with some aftermarket bulbs in them, ALL 6+DRL in action. Reached over to adjust the inside rear view mirror to "nite", but that didn't do anything for the multitude of shadows in front of my car. Then, today, I walked up beside a new F250SD and I could barely see over the top of the bed! The headlights were shoulder-high on me. TOO dang high! When you need a hidden step mechanism in the tailgate to gain normal access to use the pickup truck bed, then the truck is TOO DANG HIGH.
The newer RAMS and Dodge Rams have always looked good. Fords look proportional, so their size kind of disappers. GM has had some nice looking pickups, but so much is sub-standard in their NEW 2019s it's not funny -- especially the HEIGHT.
Rootes Group Sunbeam made by the same company that made mixers? I guess that all Chevy Berettas came with a gun in the console compartment too? And a VHS tape of "Beretta" in the glove compartment?
Next time that "citizen" comes around, ask "What three USA vehicle corporations could touch the lives of every citizen in the USA in 1963?" Ford, GM, Packard, AMC, or Chrysler? PM me with comments.
Some of the newer "pods" do look kind of neat, but have no where the comfort of a C-body Chrysler/Plymouth/Dodge for the (former) Great American Summer Vacation.
CBODY67
