Interesting conceptual drawing

While recently traveling the NYS Thruway (Interstate 87 for you who have not traveled up in the neck of the woods) I stopped at one of the rest areas in the Catskills and they were handing out this free postcard at the visitor’s center.

The picture looks very much like the overpass for the Kingston-Rhinebeck Bridge just north of exit 19. I don’t think the cars were supposed to represent any manufacturer in particular but the one pictured in front looks similar to a ‘46 Nash Ambassador sedan or maybe a 2-door fastback (if you remove the chrome hood center strip and added turn signals inside the headlights).

The back of the card reads “1946 artist’s rendering of the Catskill section of the NYS Thruway before it opened in 1954.” I wonder what the tolls were in 1954. President Eisenhower called the highway an “atomic defense asset” and “economic boost for New York.” Fifty-five years later and the tolls are still in effect, I guess it still is an economic boost, a trip from Albany to NYC is now $5.30 plus another $5.00 for the Tappan Zee Bridge. NYC to the Pennsylvania state line south of Buffalo is more than $20.00.

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Wanted: Sooner Sports Cars

I will be coming down to Tulsa to cover the Leake auction on the weekend of June 14th, and wouldn’t mind rounding up a car or two to photograph while there. We’ve got decent classic and muscle car contacts, but aside from one (very cool) 1970 Mazda, there are no sports cars in our files.

(note: this is a 1967 Mazda Luce, but it is from Oklahoma)

So if you’re anywhere near Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Ft. Smith - whatever’s west of Tulsa or Enid, I guess - with a car in which you think Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car might be interested, drop me a line. I’d consider going as far as Wichita if it was something special.

I’m planning on keeping Sunday the 14th open for photography, but I could probably fit a shoot in almost anytime on Friday or Saturday as well.

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High mileage memories

According to Time magazine, 50 years ago, 44-year-old Woody Bell drove a Rambler American Deluxe to a 25.2878 miles per gallon victory in the 1959 Mobilgas Economy Run. The marathon mileage competition was run over five days and 1,898 miles from Los Angeles California to Kansas City, Missouri.

Sure, it was a Rambler but even a Cadillac 62 managed 19.03 mpg.

Yesterday the Obama Administration announced that it wants the new car/light truck fleet average to be 10 mpg higher than what the Rambler was capable of a half century ago. Considering how far we’ve come in other areas: aviation, space travel, personal electronics, this nutty Internet thing, etc., and the fact that CAFE ratings peaked in the 1980s and have leveled off or declined slightly since (while 0 to 60 mph times have ramped up drastically) isn’t it about time this happened?

One thing is for sure, with Chrysler and GM on government life support, they won’t be in any position to resist. Here’s what GM President And CEO Fritz Henderson had to say yesterday:

General Motors commends President Obama’s leadership to establish a harmonized National Program to improve vehicle fuel economy and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Energy security and climate change are national priorities that require federal leadership and the President’s direction makes sense for the country and the industry. Harmonizing a variety of regulations will benefit consumers across America by getting cleaner, more efficient vehicles on the road quicker and more affordably. In turn, GM and the auto industry benefit by having more consistency and certainty to guide our product plans.

GM is fully committed to this new approach. As the President has previously said, all stakeholders must come together and act with a common purpose and sense of urgency to address the nation’s energy and environmental priorities.  We agree and this collaborative spirit is reflected in our viability plan.  Delivering innovation and solutions that will strengthen America’s energy security, economy and competitiveness are a central part of GM’s reinvention.

Maybe it’s just me, but why has this taken so long? Thoughts?

Image courtesy of The Old Car Manual Project

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