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What Is A Column Shifter and Why It Is Regaining Relevance?

Pictured here, the opulent multi-colour interior of the 1955 Packard Caribbean Convertible included a dazzling chrome column shift lever. (Photo Credit: Chris Nagy/Car FYI Canada)  The important role of a transmission paired with an internal combustion engine has been established for more than 100 years in facilitating the efficient flow of power through the drive wheels. Eventually through the evolution of automobile design, the familiar placement for a gearshift lever was mounted on the floor. However, for a time, it was also popular to find a gear shifter behind the steering wheel attached to the steering column. The Birth of Three on the Tree Although column shifters would become synonymous with automatic transmissions, the first appearance of the gear shift behind the steering wheel came with a manual gearbox. Referred to in brochures as remote control shifting, the 1939 Plymouth introduced the shifter positioning behind the steering wheel. The novel remote control shifting ...
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Surprising Past Winners of the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year

The original trophy awarded to the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year winner, this trophy was sponsored by Indiana meat company Stark and Wetzel. For 2025, an all-new Ray Harroun Trophy was given to this year's top rookie. (Photo Credit: JeromeG111 Link to image here )   As Spain’s Alex Palou claimed the ultimate prize at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend by winning the 2025 Indy 500, a race for a desirable secondary trophy was fought for throughout practice, qualifying as well as the race. For this year’s event, the Indianapolis 500's Rookie of the Year award was handed to Robert Shwartzman who stunned the motorsport world by taking pole position driving for Prema Racing (also an IndyCar newcomer for 2025). The honour being given to Shwartzman despite a forgettable 26th place result in the 500-mile race is the latest example for the somewhat unique criteria used in crowning the achievement. First given out in 1952, the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award as...
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Ways to Quickly Identify the Year of a First Generation Ford Thunderbird

1956 Ford Thunderbird at the 2009 Canadian International AutoShow (Photo taken by Chris Nagy) Recognized as being one of the most prolific auto brands, Ford Motor Company has produced well over 400 million automobiles entering 2025. Among one of their much-revered models celebrating 70 years since its debut, Ford’s Thunderbird launched as a near-perfect counter to the Chevrolet Corvette. With standard V8 power and added luxuries inside its two-seat 1950s interior, the Thunderbird enjoyed greater sales than its Chevrolet rival with 16,155 cars sold in 1955 making it an instant classic .  Produced between 1955 and 1957, the first generation Ford Thunderbird remains admired for how simply it combines elegance and performance. An attentive fan of the early T-birds will be further captivated by the year-to-year differences of the car. The glorious debut in 1955 was followed by improvements in 1956 and a significant exterior and interior update for 1957. By observing a few key details of...
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Why is the Classic Car Crowd Wary of Ethanol-blended Gasoline?

The preservation of classic and collector cars is a matter many people take seriously. The adoption of ethanol and other alternative fuels has exposed some well-placed worry. (Photo taken by Chris Nagy) Gasoline is regarded as an essential ingredient energizing the classic or collector car world thanks to its popular appearance in over 130 years of vehicles. The 20-horsepower four-cylinder engine of the Ford Model T, the first small block V8s installed in 1955 Chevrolets, a 426 cubic-inch Hemi in a 1968 Dodge Charger and a 710-horsepower, twin-turbocharged V8 engine powering an ultra-exotic Ferrari F8 Tributo are all united by the use of a precious, flammable fluid.  Generations of automobiles have been able to depend upon a reliable supply of gasoline providing assurance that older vehicles can become beloved classics. This doesn’t mean there haven't been challenges for vintage engines when the formulation of gasoline would be changed. Up until the last decade, the biggest concer...
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Outdated Automotive Terminology We've Grown to Love

Defined for its distinctive design trait, the 1901 Oldsmobile Model R is commonly referred to as a Curved Dash Oldsmobile. (Photo taken by Chris Nagy) Throughout our daily interactions, there may likely be one or two words/phrases which may be relics from the past. One example is when someone says to “dial” a phone number derived from the existence of rotary dials that were found on older telephones. Despite rotary telephones being obsolete for decades, many of us are still comfortable using the word to describe when making a phone call.  For automobiles, a number of basic, longstanding design features and components have survived more than a century. Amusingly, in spite of massive advancements in styling and automotive behaviour, these parts of automotive anatomy have kept their names from the past. Even as attempts are made by auto companies to attach different and perhaps more suitable names to these features, the general motoring public and even die hard car enthusiasts prefer ...
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