AUGUST 11 MSCC STAR OF THE WEEK: POLLY WANT A PLYMOUTH HOT ROD?

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aug13-11imgp3241-001AUGUST 11 MSCC STAR OF THE WEEK: POLLY WANT A PLYMOUTH HOT ROD?

There are few constants in life outside of various laws of physics but one constant is nine out of ten hot rods will be a Ford.

Ford started the ball rolling with the Model T and they literally sold millions of these bulletproof workhorses but people didn’t buy them for speed.

That’s why the hot rod pioneers stripped the Ts down and tweaked them so they actually could get them up to speeds that would keep up with traffic in 2013.

The Model A followed and soon after that Ford pumped out an affordable V-8 for the masses. Early hot-rodders pounced on the Ford platforms and plunked in bigger and bigger V-8s until well into the 50s.

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Fords became the default position for hot rod builders because of this long history and the built-in cool factor of the early Fords.

That didn’t mean the Fords were the only cool choice because there were other options-they were just a little less common.

This MSCC Star of the Week is a good example of other options because it’s a Mopar-powered Plymouth, not a Chevy-powered Ford.

This all-Mopar ride is a combination that’s rarely seen so it really stood on its own merit but the parrot was a nice touch.


AUGUST 10 MSCC STAR OF THE DAY: ’64 VALIANT BARRACUDA-THE ORIGINAL PONY CAR

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The Plymouth Valiant Barracuda was technically the first pony car because it debuted two weeks before the Mustang.

Despite the honor of being first, the Barracuda is extinct while the Mustang is alive and well almost 50 years later.

Regardless of the cruel left turn in history the ‘cuda can always take comfort in being first. It didn’t quite turn out like Neil Armstrong on the moon because nobody talks about Buzz Aldrin, the 2nd guy on the moon like they do about the Mustang…the 2nd pony car.

Here’s look at the first pony car and MSCC Star of the Day.

AUGUST 9 MSCC STAR OF THE DAY: A SALUTE TO THE CAR SHOW DIEHARDS

2013 hasn’t been a hot,dry summer in some areas. Car shows have been harassed by Mother Nature every week so few of these events escape without out rain, hail, wind or a combination of the above.

Most car guys watch the weather with an intensity that would humble a grain farmer and the majority of them don’t risk their rides in crappy weather.

Then there are the diehards.

They’ll come out in anything short of a full-scale blizzard and this MSCC Star of the Day picture is a great example.

This was taken on May 23rd and the weather for this weekly show has been typically brutal all summer but you still get these hardcore guys.

They are the real stars…

AUGUST 8 MSCC STAR OF THE DAY: MODEL A ROD AND A ’57 FORD-SUMMER VACATION COOL

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This picture was taken back in August 2010 and it has a timeless quality because it represents the ultimate cool summer vacation.

These two cars were part of a cross-Canada tour and they did cross the country twice that year.

Obviously jet travel would have been the easiest, quickest and most efficient mode of transportation. A giant diesel truck would have made more sense with the trailer factored into the equation.

In reality, this Model A rod and the ’57 Ford were the best way to do a summer vacation because they were MSCC Star of the Day cool.

AUGUST 7 MSCC STAR OF THE DAY: SUPER BIRD AND A 300F- LEADING ENGINEERING IN MOPAR LAND

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Chrysler Corporation played from a solid number three position for most of its existence but they received the gold medal in engineering.

Mopar fanatics instinctively know what many rivals learn the hard way-if you can thump them on the track, you can thump them on the street.

These two cars are a classic example.

The Chrysler 300F in the background has a fire-breathing cross ram 413 under the hood. These massive cars could get up to and easily handle speeds of 140 miles per hour on the test track.

The Super Bird was so fast at the track NASCAR banned the Hemi version of these slippery birds.

Star of the Day-Mopar engineering in two unique forms.

AUGUST 6 MSCC STAR OF THE DAY: PONTIAC SEDAN DELIVERY ON AN ETERNAL VACATION

This is one of those scenes that you catch at the last second because it’s right beside a busy highway.

The trick is to see it, analyze it and not cause a big wreck in the middle of 75 miles per hour, bumper to bumper traffic.

This is a Pontiac Sedan Delivery with a vintage holiday trailer behind it. It looks like they’ve been camped there for awhile…sometime around the early Elvis era.

Regardless of the decades that have passed, this Star of the Day eternal vacation combination is still a very compelling sight.

AUGUST 5 MSCC STAR OF THE DAY: ’64 CORVAIR CONVERTIBLE-STYLE THAT WORKS DECADES LATER

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The Corvair was a bold step for GM because Detroit wasn’t known for air cooled, rear-engine cars.

They left that arena to the European manufacturers.

Corvairs made quite a splash in 1960 because they were such a departure from the typical Detroit philosophy of large and in charge sedans.

These cars were custom made for bucket seats and 4-speed manual sticks on the floor so it didn’t take long for GM to add stuff like that to the option list.

Any type of engineering like turbo-charging or sway bars that could help the sporty little Chevy was added to the option list.

Corvairs were a constant work in progress.

This little Corvair convertible was at a late June car show and it stood out enough to be an MSCC Star of the Day.

For a look back at past MSCC Stars of the Day please follow this link.

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