Car FYI

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 ...

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...

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 ...

  The 1968 Beaumont SD-396 (Photo Credit:  Elise240SX at Wikimedia Commons ) A time where immense horsepower could first be realized from relatively simple mechanics, the muscle car era is a wondrous occurrence in automotive history. An event billed on many vehicles that were produced in the United States, Canada also participated in the marriage of finely-formed sheetmetal meeting powerful V8 engines. Alongside the Chevrolet Chevelle being produced in General Motors of Canada long-time home of Oshawa, Ontario during the 1960s, a uniquely Canadian muscle car also rolled off the assembly line. From the 1950s into the late 1960s, the Canadian automobile market was furnished a large amount of vehicles built in the country. Due to import taxes between Canada and the United States at the time, there was a demand by some vehicle brands to create exclusive models for the domestic market. With Canadian Pontiac dealerships, their need for added models resulted in the creation of Acadia...

Photo Credit:  Historic Vehicle Association May 21st 1966, a coming together of steel, glass and other assorted material converged for the first time to shape Chevrolet's answer to the Ford Mustang. Born in an era when The Beetles, The Righteous Brothers as well as The Mamas & The Papas was freshly-pressed on records, Chevrolet's attention was focused on the construction of their very first example of the Camaro. Launched to compete in a hot sector for the 1960s, it would have been hard to forecast the car's lasting impact over five decades. Ironically, a Chevrolet Camaro marking the 50th anniversary in 2016 is a golden-colored vehicle. The historic bowtie performance is painted gold and completed with a gold-coloured interior. Documented by the Historic Vehicle Association as the first pilot car (a prototype vehicle manufactured traditionally to test the production procedures and equipment to be used ahead of mass-assembly), Chevrolet Camaro #100001 was preserve...