The Ford E-Series, also known as the Ford Econoline in Mexico and Ford Club Wagon, is a line of full-size vans (both cargo and passenger) and truck chassis from the Ford Motor Company. The line was introduced in 1961 as a compact van and produced through four generations. The E-series is available in 2015 only as a stripped chassis and cutaway. Other versions have been replaced by the Ford Transit.
The E-Series has been a separate platform since 1968, it uses many components from the F-Series line of pickup trucks. The Econoline is manufactured at Ford's Ohio Assembly plant in Avon Lake, Ohio following the closure of the Lorain Assembly plant in December 2005.
Since 1980, E-Series has been the best selling American full-sized van, and held 79.6% of the full-size van market in the United States in 2007, with 168,722 vehicles sold.
The E-series was available with a GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating) of up to 20,000 lb (9,072 kg) making it a base for recreational vehicles and for towing trailers.
Ninety-five percent of van sales are to commercial or fleet-end users; about half are cargo vans. The E-Series cargo area featured a double-wall design that made the exterior sheet metal less vulnerable to damage from shifting cargo.
In early 2007, the E-Series was listed by Autodata as one of the top 20 best-selling vehicles in the United States, most likely due to fleet sales. In China, the Ford E-Series (E250 and E350) are manufactured by Jiangling Motors with Ford name plates. As of 2014, the Ford E-Series was marketed in North America, the Middle East, and China in LHD only. It has been discontinued in Mexico.
Based on the compact Ford Falcon, the first Ford Econoline was introduced for the 1961 model year. Sized roughly to compete with the Chevrolet Corvair 95 (Greenbrier Sportswagon) and Volkswagen Type 2, which was 172.3 in (4,376 mm) long. It was originally offered as a cargo van, an eight-passenger van with three rows of seats (which carried the Ford Falcon name) and as a pickup truck. A 165 lb (75 kg) counterweight was fitted over the rear wheels to balance the front-heavy vehicle; this was sometimes removed by later owners. The implementation of situating the driver on top of the front axle with the engine near the front wheels is called, in the US, a "cab over" short for cab over engine configuration. In Europe it is called a "forward control" vehicle. The body styling borrowed heavily from the, smaller, UK produced, Thames 400E which had been in production since 1957 and the 1956-64 Jeep Forward Control.
Instead of the rear-mounted engine used by Volkswagen and Chevrolet, the first E-Series had a flat nose with the engine between and behind the front seats. Early models had a 144 CID inline 6-cylinder engine with a three-speed manual transmission. Later models had 170 CID or 240 CID engines with a three-speed manual or automatic transmission. It was an immediate success with utilities like the Bell Telephone System.
In its first year, 29,932 standard vans, 6,571 custom Econoline buses, 11,893 standard pickups and 3,000 custom pickups were made. The success of the Econoline led to its layout adopted in 1964 by the Chevrolet Van/GMC Handi-Van and Dodge A100; it would also be utilized internationally and sold by Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Toyota, with microvans called the Subaru Sambar and the Daihatsu Hijet.
Mercury Econoline
In rural Canada, where automobile dealers were scarce, the Econoline was sold as a Mercury alongside the M-Series truck lineup. Only the first generation of Econolines were sold as Mercurys; the next van sold by the division would be the 1993 Villager minivan.
The Mitsubishi Eclipse is a sport compact car produced by Mitsubishi between 1989 and 2011. A convertible body style was added during the 1996 model year. The Eclipse was named after an unbeaten 18th-century English racehorse which won 26 races,[2] and has also been rebadged and sold as the Eagle Talon and the Plymouth Laser captive imports through Mitsubishi Motors' close relationship with the Chrysler Corporation. Their partnership was known as Diamond-Star Motors, or DSM, and the vehicle trio through the close of the second-generation line is sometimes referred to by the moniker "DSM" among enthusiast circles. In Japan, the first two generations were sold at a specific Japanese retail chain called Mitsubishi Car Plaza.
The Eclipse was officially marketed in North America, Oman, South Korea, the Philippines, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, and China. At the end of August 2011, the final Eclipse rolled off the assembly line, and was auctioned off, the proceeds donated to charity.[3] It was not related to the Mitsubishi FTO while having a similar marketing approach.
The Eclipse has undergone four distinct generations: the first two generations (1G and 2G) share the automobile platform and parts with the Eagle Talon, and the Plymouth Laser, while the third generation (3G) shared a redesigned platform with the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Stratus. During May 2005, the fourth, and final, generation (4G) Eclipse was introduced, abandoning the Chrysler platform used in the first three generations and replacing it with the PS platform.
The second generation car maintained the market focus of the first generation car, but had a major redesign and was fitted with different engines between trim levels. A convertible model, named the Spyder was introduced in 1996. The Spyder was available in two trims; the GS and the GS-T. The Spyder GS model was powered by a 2.4L I-4 non-turbo 4G64 engine. The Spyder GS-T was fitted with Mitsubishi's turbocharged 4G63 engine. The GSX model was also powered by this engine but with the addition of a high performance all wheel drive system. No convertible model was powered by the Chrysler's 420a engine, nor was there a convertible with all-wheel-drive.
The turbocharged engine option continued as the 4G63. It was also updated for more power as compared to the previous generation (210 hp vs 195 hp). The non-turbo equipped car had two different I-4 engines depending on the market they were produced for. The US version engines were producing 140 hp, found only in the hardtop RS and GS trims, was a modified version of the Chrysler Neon engine, the 420a, manufactured by Chrysler and delivered to and installed at the Diamond Star Motors facility. The European market engines were naturally aspirated 4G63 with 141 hp (105 kW; 143 PS).
The Talon was discontinued in 1998, along with the rest of the Eagle line, leaving only the Eclipse for sale during the 1999 model year.
As the width dimension and larger engines were offered to Japanese consumers, it was now regarded as a luxury car, as this generation no longer complied with Japanese Government dimension regulations, and Japanese consumers were liable for annual taxes as a result, which affected sales.
A special version of the Eclipse, called the "10th Anniversary OZ Rally", was sold at the end of the 1999 model run with unique 16-inch Enkei wheels with the OZ Racing logo. It also included the leather interior package, accented exhaust exit, and hoop-style spoiler that were available as standard equipment on GS-T and GSX models. The special edition package was only offered with the 420A engine.
A unique version of the 2G Eclipse was sold in some European countries. It used a normally aspirated Mitsubishi 4G63 motor, similar to what was available in the 1G, unique sideview mirrors, and unique amber rear turn signals.
Dodge, an American automobile brand, has produced three separate vehicles with the name Dodge Charger Daytona, all of which were modified Dodge Chargers. The name is taken from Daytona Beach, Florida, which was an early center for auto racing and still hosts the Daytona 500, one of NASCAR's premier events. The first use of the Daytona name on a car was on a version of the Studebaker Lark. The Daytona was the performance model of the compact Lark and it was produced from 1963–1966.This vehicle has also starred in the BlockBuster action film, Fast and Furious 6.
With the failure of the 1969 Dodge Charger 500 on the highbanks of the superspeedways (tracks of a mile, or more in length), the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona was created. It was intended to be a high-performance, limited-edition version of the Dodge Charger produced in the summer of 1969 for the sole purpose of winning high profile NASCAR races. It won its first race out, the inaugural Talladega 500 in the fall, although it was a rather hollow victory as all of the top names had left the track on Saturday in a boycott of the 1969 Talladega race. Buddy Baker in the #88 Chrysler Engineering Dodge Charger Daytona was the first driver in NASCAR history to break the 200 mph mark on March 24, 1970 at Talladega. The 1969 Dodge Daytona won two races in 1969 and another four in 1970 for a total of 6. Its successor, the 1970 Plymouth Superbird, won 8 races - all in 1970. (In a bit of irony, in 1969 a Daytona won at Talladega, and a Ford Torino Talladega won at Daytona.) These compare with 29 NASCAR victories for the 1969 Ford Torino Talladega, and 8 for the 1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II. The 1969 Dodge Charger 500 managed to win 22 NASCAR races over the 1969 and 1970 seasons; however, all but one of those victories came on the short tracks - several of which were still being run on dirt at the time.
One of the four famous aero-cars, the Dodge Daytona featured special body modifications that included a 23-inch-tall (584 mm) stabilizer wing on the rear deck, a special sheet-metal "nose cone" that replaced the traditional upright front grille, a flush rear backlight (rear window area), a 'window cap' to cover the original Charger's recessed rear window, specific front fenders and hood that were modeled after the upcoming 1970 Charger, stainless steel A-pillar covers and fender mounted tire clearance/brake cooling scoops. The Daytona was built on the 1969 Charger's R/T trim specifications, meaning that it carried a heavy-duty suspension and brake setup and was equipped with a 440 CID Magnum engine as standard. Of special note to collectors is the optional 426 CID Hemi V8 engine, which only 70 of the 503 Daytonas carried. It had a corporate cousin in the "one year-only" 1970 Plymouth Superbird.
Re-creation of record-breaking #88 NASCAR Charger Daytona at the 1998 Goodwood Festival of Speed
The "Winged Warriors", as they were affectionately known, did not compete for long in NASCAR's top Cup series. Because of their exceptional speed and performance, NASCAR subsequently changed the rule book, effectively banning all five of the Aero Cars from Dodge, Ford, Mercury, and Plymouth from competition by the end of 1970. See also Plymouth Superbird, Ford Torino Talladega and Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II for additional information about the aero cars.
The Dodge Daytona is now a very rare and valuable collectible, with 440-powered Daytonas reaching into six-figure territory and 426 hemi-engined cars passing the $300,000 mark. The "Super Charger IV EL", which looked like a roadster prototype spin-off of the Charger Daytona minus the roof and spoiler, is seen as a pimp-mobile in the 1974 film Truck Turner. Actually, it was just an older Charger show car updated with a SuperBird nose.
A car resembling the Daytona appeared in Universal Studio's 2013 action movie Fast & Furious 6. According to the story line of the film it was an ultra-expensive original Hemi Daytona that had been modified into a pro touring super car. It was driven aggressively by the character Domenic Toretto played by Vin Diesel. In truth, the vehicles used in filming were actually regular 1968 to 1970 chargers with nose pieces and spoilers welded on. They used Chevrolet Racing crate motors and Brembo racing brakes to create a versatile stunt car. Ultimately the car gets destroyed at the end of the film.
The Porsche 934 was a racing version of the Porsche 911 Turbo, prepared to FIA Group 4 rules, similar to the Porsche 935 which was prepared to FIA Group 5 rules.
The Porsche 934 was introduced for the 1976 racing season. It was manufactured for two years, 1976 and 1977, with at least 400 being manufactured. Toine Hezemans drove this car to victory at the European GT Championship, while in the U.S., with George Follmer at the wheel, it also became the Trans-Am champion. It continued to win races throughout the late 1970s.
The 934 as well as the 935 were raced in the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft in a distinctive orange "Jägermeister" livery.
Alan Hamilton the Australian Porsche distributor at the time owned one of these cars and competed and won the 1977 Australian Sports Car Championship and in 1980 the same car won the title with Allan Moffat behind the wheel
The 934 has a top speed approaching 190 mph (approximately 300 km/h) and has a zero to 60 mph (97 km/h) time of 3.9 seconds. It was one of the last designs to incorporate all the distinctive stylings of the original 911s, with only minor bodywork taken from the 911 Turbo, to include GRP (glass-reinforced plastic) wheelarch extensions, doors, engine lid and boot.
The car came in a regular trim, or a racing trim (also called "Group 4 trim"). Regular trim:
1,090 kg (2,403 lb)
Electric windows and door trim
32 gallon gas tank.[clarification needed]
480 bhp (358 kW) 3-litre, flat-six engine (in 1977, modifications took it to 550 bhp)
The racing trim was a modified regular trim to meet with the FIA rules, most notably it added 30 kg (66 lb) of weight, so that it complied with the minimum weight requirement of Group 4.
The C/K was Chevrolet and GMC's full-size pickup truck line from 1960 until 2002 in the United States, from 1965 to 1999 in Canada, from 1964 to 2001 in Brazil, and from 1975 to 1982 in Chile. The first Chevrolet pickup truck came out in 1924, though in-house designs did not appear until 1930. "C" indicated two-wheel drive and "K" indicated four-wheel drive. The aging C/K light-duty pickup truck was replaced with the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra names in 1999 in the US and Canada, and 2001 in Brazil; the Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD heavy-duty pickup trucks followed. Until this time, the names Silverado and Sierra were used to identify the trim level of the C/K trucks.
For the first Chevrolet C Series, made from 1911 to 1913, see Chevrolet Series C Classic Six, (the first Chevy).
A new, more modern look came in 1967, along with a new nickname: "Action Line". It was with this revision of the C/K truck that General Motors began to add comfort and convenience items to a vehicle line that had previously been for work purposes alone. Updated styling features for the 1967 Chevy Pickup trucks came with new body sheet metal that helps fight rust and a pickup box made of double-walled steel. The majority of 10 and 20 series Chevrolet trucks from 1967 to 1972 were built with a coil spring trailing arm rear suspension, which greatly improved the ride over traditional leaf springs. However, the leaf spring rear suspension was still available on those trucks, and standard on 30 series trucks. The front suspension on all Chevrolet trucks were independent front suspension with coil springs. GMC models came standard with leaf springs with coils springs optional; all four-wheel drive models (Chevrolet and GMC) had leaf springs on both axles.
1967 was the only year for the "small rear window" (RPO A10 offered a large rear window as a factory option). The standard drivetrain came with a three-speed manual transmission and one of two engines; the 250 in3 straight six or the 283 cu in (4.6 L) V8. The optional transmissions were the four-speed manual, the Powerglide and the Turbo-Hydramatic 350 and 400. The 292 six and the 327 in3 V8 were the optional engines. The 1/2 ton trucks came with a 6 x 5.5–inch bolt pattern, the 3/4 and 1 ton trucks came with an 8 x 6.5–inch bolt pattern.
Kenworth is an American and Australian manufacturer of medium and heavy-duty Class 8 trucks with its corporate office and engineering headquarters in Kirkland, Washington, United States, a suburb of Seattle, Washington. It is a subsidiary of Paccar, and is also a former manufacturer of transit buses and school buses.
Kenworth began its history in Portland, Oregon. In 1912, the company was founded by brothers George T. and Louis Gerlinger, Jr. as a car and truck dealership known as Gerlinger Motor Car Works. In 1914, they decided to build their own truck with a more powerful inline six-cylinder engine. This was the first ever put into a commercial truck. The Gersix, as it was known, unveiled in 1915, was framed in structural steel, which along with its power, made the truck ideal for the rugged Northwest, where it was used for logging. In 1916 the Gerlinger Motor Car Company moved to Tacoma, Washington. Seattle businessman Edgar K. Worthington was managing his mother's commercial building, where Gerlinger became a tenant, and became intrigued by the Gerlinger company. Worthington's tenant was doing quite well, or so it seemed, and the Gersix became a popular fixture in the Northwest. In 1917 Worthington and his business partner Captain Frederick Kent bought the Gerlinger business, renaming it the Gersix Motor Co.
In 1919 Kent retired from the business, and his son Harry Kent became Worthington's new partner. In 1922, Gersix made 53 trucks at its factory on Fairview Avenue at Valley Street. Under the new name, the company moved to 506 Mercer Street and later to 1263 Mercer Street. Trucks and motor coaches were assembled in individual bays rather than on a conventional assembly line. In 1923 Kent and Worthington reincorporated the business as the Kenworth Motor Truck Company. The name was a combination of the two names "Ken" and "Worth", the same as the surname "Kenworth". In 1926 they started making buses, and in 1933 Kenworth was the first American company to offer diesel engines as standard in their trucks. In 1945 Kenworth was bought by The Pacific Car and Foundry Company.
In the 1989 James Bond movie Licence to Kill, James Bond drives a Kenworth W900 Semi-truck as he duels drug dealer Franz Sanchez. In Licence to Kill, the producers had 6 Kenworth Trucks rigged for stunt work, but they only used one for the stunt which 007 raised the front of truck to protect himself from a fire.
