Car Club Newsletter 3-10 - Fallbrook Vintage Car Club

The
Talepipe
March 2010
Fallbrook Vintage Car Club
Region of the AACA
The Talepipe
'74-'77 AMC Matador Coupe
AMC
surely
deserves
some credit for
Materials for the
Talepipe can be sent to:
RoyMoosa@ATT.Net
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
10 Cars We Loved to Hate
recognizing that even
on a limited budget, it
could imbue its cars
with distinctive styling.
Unfortunately, as
happens
in
military
campaigns,
daring
sometimes meets with legendary failure rather than the
hoped-for surprise victory.
So it was for the lumpy Matador Coupe, which looked like
a designer’s droopy clay model that was accidentally left in the
sun. In an uncharacteristic failure to identify a naked emperor
when it saw one, Car and Driver magazine inexplicably named
Matador coupe the “Best Styled Car of 1974.”
Any question of the Matador’s place on this list is put to
rest by the ’77-’78 Barcelona version festooned with a padded
Uptight art snobs periodically work themselves into a lather when a
vinyl top, opera windows and two-tone paint. Earth tones only,
respected art museum decides to host an exhibit celebrating
natch.
'75-'78 AMC Pacer
automotive design as an art form.
Outside the orthodoxy of such rigid thinking, however, it is
The Pacer really de-
obvious to most people that the very best automotive design is
served better than this.
unquestionably the product of the very best artistic inspiration.
There
But what about the worst designs? What of the automotive
innovation
equivalent of atrocious community college art class watercolors?
true
in
the
Pacer’s fishbowl body,
Museums have no space for the ugliest cars, but fortunately,
such as the industry-
we do, just as a reminder that artistic daring doesn't always have a
happy ending.
was
leading elimination of
rain gutters to reduce wind drag (now accepted practice), a
Such selections, of course, are subject to debate and opinion.
longer passenger-side door for more convenient back seat
It is impossible to include every deserving offender on our list of 10
access from that side, and rack-and-pinion steering which was
of the most egregious cars, so please submit your own sugges-
uncommon among domestic cars at the time. A planned rotary
tions, with a description of why they deserve to be considered
engine would have truly put the Pacer on the cutting edge.
But the rotary engine never reached production, leaving the Pacer with AMC’s antiquated straight-six engine, and the unorthodox, bloated styling never got
any less shocking to the eye
among the ugliest cars ever.
Here is our list, in random order, so take a look and be glad
that one of these babies doesn't (dis)grace your driveway.
'80-'83 Cadillac Seville
'70-'78 AMC Gremlin
It may be an unsubstantiated legend that American Motors
Cadillac
designer Richard Teague sketched the Gremlin on an airline air-
designers
sickness bag, but it is a
apparently
fact that AMC launched
paying attention
the car on April Fools
to
the
were
not
ridicule
Day, 1970, a fitting
heaped on the
arrival for a car with
Gremlin for its unbalanced proportions and chopped-off rear
clownish ill-proportioned
end.
Evidently enamored of ‘70s neo-classics like the Excalibur
lines.
(a worthy candidate in its own right), Cadillac sought to lend its
The long hood and near-vertical tail gave the car the aspect of a
mid-size model weight of heritage by borrowing the “bustle
clown’s oversized shoe.
back” trunk from an earlier era. At least they didn’t attempt
running boards or exposed exhaust pipes.
Page 2
74-'78 Datsun B210
The ugly styling and a plague of mechanical problems from its
new front-drive layout and attempts at fuel-efficient engines
One might think from the
dropped sales of the once-popular model in the tank.
earlier entrants that only
'58-'59 Edsel
domestic companies have
In the 1950s,
made ugly cars, but that
Ford wanted
would be untrue.
It is just that many of
to establish a
the most ugly foreign cars
new luxury
division, so to
either never came to the U.S., or sank so fast upon arrival that
create this
they didn’t even leave a ripple.
Datsun’s mainstream, high-volume compact model of the
new brand’s
prestige bona fides, naturally the company named the new car
mid-‘70s, the B210, is a notable exception. Its lumpy
after Henry Ford’s well-liked but unusually named late son
silhouette, tiny windows and suspect details like the
Edsel.
honeycomb hubcaps firmly established Japan as a force to be
They then bestowed upon it laughable styling that closely
reckoned with when it came to uglifying American roads.
'76-'78 Datsun F10
approximated the expression formed by people laying eyes on
the car for the first time. This negative first impression of the
In case the domestic
“sucking a lemon” grille on the ’58 Edsel models was reinforced
car
by Ford’s months-long ad campaign building up consumer
the B210 was a fluke,
anticipation of the big reveal.
Datsun followed it up
'60-'62 Plymouth Valiant
makers
with
its
thought
first
front-
The observant reader
wheel-drive
may have noticed a
mobile, the F10.
ugly-
trend by now. Most of
“As with the B210, the F10 is a bit garish, with its GREAT
the cars on this list are
BIG EYES for headlights,” noted Road & Track magazine in
the result of car manu-
1976.
facturers
operating
The absurd headlights and taillights bookmarked an
outside their comfort
absurdly high beltline that squeezed the side windows to
zones, attempting to enter new markets or entice new custom-
squinty proportions, and raised the rear hatchback to the
ers. That is why so many of our ugliest cars are the early
height of a rear sunroof.
'01-'05 Pontiac Aztek
attempts at compact car design by domestic carmakers. You
can’t get much farther outside the comfort zone than old
Though bankruptcy was still a decade away when
Detroit trying to conceive small cars when General Motors still
General Motors was designing the 2001 Pontiac Aztek, the
held
itself.
same desperation that led American Motors to build its verge-of
The 1960 Plymouth Valiant apparently tried to set itself
-bankruptcy atrocities in the ‘70s had Pontiac executives willing
60
percent
of
the
U.S.
market
all
by
apart with all manner of slashing lines and jutting edges, but
to risk anything
the resulting mess earned the car a solid spot on this list.
on the chance for
'70-'80 Ford Pinto
a breakout hit.
Animal forms serve as
the
inspiration
But while con-
for
many automotive
sumers have at
designs. The reason is
times embraced
obvious; their
cars with unorthodox styling, like the original Volkswagen Bee-
organically
tle, there are no recorded instances of popular cars which vio-
powerful
and efficient lines can be quite evocative. Why the Ford Pinto
lently defile basic standards of design decency, such as the
designers thought anyone would be excited by an automotive
enduring appeal of balanced, flowing lines.
frog, though, has never been discovered. Especially when
finished in the popular dull green of the era, the Pinto looked
Instead, the Aztek was a contrived, hunch-backed, trying-too-
like it should have been named after it amphibious inspiration
hard, plastic-clad abomination and its failure was certain before
rather than wild equine.
it even rolled off the assembly line.
If Ford had been able to use even
smaller wheels so it could seal off the wheel wells, the look
would have been complete.
Page 3
2010Car Show Poster
Presented to
Rainbow Oaks
At FVCC President Roy Moosa’s request club members John Waugh and Mike Johnson this year took on
the task of finding a suitable location for our annual
car show poster.
After looking at several potential sites they both concluded that the Rainbow Oaks Restaurant on Old 395
would be the place. Mike had frequented it many
times over the past years and they both felt its historical significance, overall rustic appearance, association with other local car clubs and its bike and old carfriendly orientation would make it the perfect venue.
Artist Jim Krogle was selected as this year’s painter
and he then visited the location, took some pictures to
get perspective and went to work on the painting.
Saturday, March 6th was selected as the day the original art would be presented to Duke and Jonell Maples, the owners of the restaurant. In order to celebrate the happening, Events Chairman Joe Cusimano
and wife Jeanne arranged for a luncheon at the restaurant to coincide with the presentation ceremony
which preceded the Fallbrook Historical Society’s review of historical buildings in the area. About 40 car
club members attended the event, many driving their
vintage cars to the restaurant. Rain threatened but
held off till later in the day - luckily for Ron and Beverly Mintle who left the top down on their vintage Barracuda in the lot.
Page 4
Mike and John made the presentation and congratulated Duke and Jonell for having their site selected
this year. Mike thanked them for their cooperation
and generosity and wished them good luck in the operation of the restaurant for many years to come. He
explained that we were as excited to present them
with the original art as they were to have it. The food
was great, the hospitality was terrific and the club
members, typically, enjoyed the day together.
The poster, when suitably framed, will be hung on the
wall in the most prominent place behind the bar and
will act as a perpetual reminder of the 45th annual
Fallbrook Vintage Car Show.
In researching the restaurant’s history it was discovered that Duke and Jonell had passed the place
many times on Duke’s commute from home in Corona to his office in San Diego where he was Food
and Beverage Manager for the Marriott Hotels in San
Diego. The first time they stopped to investigate the
place (it was closed and had a “For Lease” sign on it)
Jonell called the broker before even entering the
building. She knew immediately that this was the location they wanted to open their own restaurant. After
spending lots of time and lots of money on a restoration they opened for business in April last year and
have enjoyed a very successful year and developed a
very loyal following. Their featured highlight is Prime
Rib night on Wednesdays. The restaurant is open
seven days a week from 6AM to 9PM. You’ll find
Duke and Jonell to be very entertaining and personable hosts.
-Tom Conley-
The Many Chevy Styles of 1940
Page 5
———Don
———Don McCormick—
McCormick—
WHAT'S A MORRIS GARAGE???
Originally, in the early 1920's, Morris Garages were
the dealers that sold the Morris cars made in Oxford, England. Later on the Morris Garage distributor made a special custom Morris with a sporty
body and they named it the "MG" model, which because of it's great sales success became the MG
Car Company later in the 1920's.
Before WWII,
they
were
selling
the
MG's
throughout
the world in
good
volume.
Not many
made
their
way to the U.S. before the
war, but as the Yanks
came home after the war,
popularity of these sporty
cars
gained,
and
distribution
was
brisk. These cars were
responsible for the fast
growth of sports car culture here with the quirky,
cheap,
and
fun
models from MG.
Largely developed
and mechanically
based
on prewar engineering,
the two
most popular U.S. models from MG then were the
TD and TF,plus a few 4 door sedans called the Magnette.
In 1955, MG introduced the all newly designed
MGA.
By that time
British Motor
Corporation
owned MG,
and prototype
MGA's
had
been entered
in the Le Mans
race and done well.
Page 6
So the MGA frame was widened, floor
attached to the bottom of the frame to lower the
center of gravity, fitted with a new 4 cylinder engine, running through a 4 speed manual transmission to it's rear drive. Independent front suspension and a rigid rear axle with semi-elliptic
springs in the rear made the MGA a race worthy
competitor, and was popular and won regularly in
Sports Car Club of America races, both Regional
and National.
While MG had been only roadsters before, when the MGA was introduced, a coupe was
also added. These wonderful MGA's were made
from 1955 to 1962 when they were replaced by the
not so graceful MGB. A little over 100,000 of
MGAs were produced during that 8 year period,
and 80-90% of them were exported.
Fun to drive
and yet still affordable,
they
give sporty wind
in the face
driving
pleasure.
Parts
are readily
available, and the
current
price guide lists a #2 condition coupe at $17,500
and the roadster at $18,200.
——Don
——Don McCormick——
McCormick——
UPCOMING NON CLUB EVENTS
March 27:
Riverside - 18th Annual Air show Wings & Fins
Info: riversideca.gov/air show
April 9-11:
Del Mar - Good Guys 10th Del Mar
Info: good-guys.com
April 18:
Coronado - Cars on Main Street
Info: coronadomainstreet.com
April 22-24:
Tucson - AACA Western Spring Meet
Info: local.aaca.org/tuscan
April 24:
Dana Point: Doheny Wood Woodie Show
Info: socalwoodies.com
April 25:
Pomona - Car show & swap
Info: pomonaswapmeet.com
April 26-30:
Santa Maria - Jaguar Western States Meet
Info: jagswestmeet.com
——
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.
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:
Membership@fallbrookvintagecarclub.com
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.
March 23: General Meeting: 7pm
Women’s Club: 238 W. Mission Rd. Fallbrook, CA. 92028 #760-728-9971
Hospitality: David and Margaret Bergeson
Pre-Meeting: Trupiano’s:
945 S. Main St. Fallbrook, CA. 92028
#760-728-02001
April 13: Board of Directors Meeting: 7pm
Hosts: Frank and Joan Hainey,
3441 Sarah Ann Drive, Fallbrook, Ca. 92028,
760-451-3041
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
Page 7
Fallbrook Vintage Car Club
Region of AACA
P.O. Box 714
Fallbrook, Ca. 92088