In the go-go years of the 1920s, wealthy families often commissioned custom-made, one-of-a-kind automobiles. Some fabulous cars, treasured by today’s collections, resulted.
Gradually, costs and economic realities killed that mini-industry. But with new techniques, it’s again possible to have your own, one-of-a-kind car. It’s not cheap, but at the cost of two top-line Mercedes, it’s not totally out of question, either.
The background: about ten years ago, the Buick division of General Motors was seeking some inspiration in the form of a special show car. There was a design competition. A former GM designer, now in his own independent design business, won the contest and the contract to build the car: Steve Pasteiner, whose Advanced Automotive Techniques in Rochester, Michigan, is a leading design consultant to the auto industry.
Illustrations by Steve Pasteiner for versions of the custom C-Hawk
Pasteiner’s Buick design was a contemporary interpretation of the design themes that made 1939 and 1940 Buicks leaders in the industry. Any valet parker would place it front and center, even in a field of Ferraris and Bentleys. Last year, General Motors sold off some of its treasures, including the Blackhawk, which was the star of the show and the sale, bringing in $525,000!
Now Pasteiner has been commissioned by a private buyer to build a successor to the Buick. The new car, currently under construction, will be a two-seat retractable hardtop convertible (as opposed to the four-seat Blackhawk). The new car, to be called the C-Hawk (for Cadillac) is a Blackhawk-like approach to the elegant 1939 LaSalle. It will use a supercharged Cadillac engine of 545 horsepower, in a custom-tube frame with Corvette independent suspension. These components have proven to be capable of matching the world’s best, while retaining bulletproof reliability. To learn more about this unique company: AATcars.com.
ELECTRIC CARS
The most promising of all the electric cars, the Nissan Leaf, has finally been road-tested in England. Autocar magazine found it to be a typical Nissan: thoughtful, competent, and well thought out. Nissan is going the extra mile, working with cities and towns to streamline the permit process to make it easier for a Leaf owner to install a 220–240 volt overnight charger in his or her home (a $2,200 option). The alternative, with existing service, is a twenty-four-hour charging time. In either case, the useful range is seventy to eighty miles; probably okay for most daily commutes, but you couldn’t drive up to the Wine Country and back without a recharge.
In the rush to electric cars, we also continue glossing over some problems other than limited range, such as the cost of replacement batteries and recyclability. An eight-year-old electric car that needs new batteries might have a zero value. Solving the range problem will require some sort of breakthrough in battery technology that has not yet happened. A company as savvy as Honda has decided to defer a serious electric car program until there is such a breakthrough.
In the meantime, FIAT, perhaps the world leader in gasoline-engine technology, has just introduced a two-cylinder turbo-charged FIAT 500 that gets 50 to 60 miles per gallon, goes 108 miles per hour, and has plenty of power. They’re talking about a hybrid version for the U.S. in 2012 that could deliver 100 miles per gallon! No need for huge technological breakthroughs and no recycling worries.
NO HOPE, NO CHANGE
In late 1986, the TV news program “60 Minutes” attacked Audi, claiming the cars would accelerate out of control unnecessarily. Two German engineers appeared on the program and stated that the cars were okay; the problem was that the drivers were pushing on the wrong pedal. Those engineers were ridiculed.
The national press picked up on the story. The witch hunt was on. San Francisco public garages (and others) refused to accept Audis for parking. Lawsuits were filed. Audi sales collapsed. Some months later, the U.S government apologized to Audi. The National Highway Traffic Safety Agency (NHTSA) had determined that drivers were stepping on the wrong pedal! There was nothing wrong with the cars.
In Japan and Canada, the governments, having climbed on the same bandwagon, apologized. Audi has since recovered to be one of the most respected brands in the world.
But NHTSA and the general press either learned nothing or forgot all this when facing the same issue with Toyota. NHTSA is in a little different position now, being an agency of the government that controls two of Toyota’s competitors (GM and Chrysler). NHTSA announced that scores of people had died in Toyota acceleration incidents. Ray La Hood, head of NHTSA, suggested on national TV that people simply stop driving their Toyotas completely!
Now NHTSA has investigated more thoroughly. There were two Toyota recalls, one involving floor mats and one involving sticky accelerators. In total, there has been one fatal accident due to those issues. “Scores” of people have not been killed. NHTSA found that “pedal misapplication”—in plain words, drivers stepping on the gas, not the brake—accounted for the problems. The dark conspiracies by Toyota to conceal defects, suggested by many politicians, simply didn’t exist.
In the Audi matter, I never heard a “60 Minutes” apology. Do ya think La Hood will apologize to Toyota?
Martin Swig is a former San Francisco new-car dealer who now presents the internationally-celebrated California Mille and other historic car events. As a free service to Gazette readers, he’ll offer suggestions on how to dispose of a cherished car. Call him at 415-479-9950.
