Comments by "CalBob750" (@calbob750) on "Ed's Auto Reviews" channel.

  1. I owned a 1964 Corvair. Like the Volkswagen the engine in the rear caused serious oversteer. In other words if you went into a corner too fast you would go off road rear end first. This was known by GM and corrected In 1964 and beyond with sway bars added to the suspension to prevent this. One advantage the Corvair had was that it had great traction in the snow. If you lived in the “snow belt” you would appreciate the better traction that a rear engine car offered.
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  2. Owned a new 1971 Hornet. I thought it was a good car. Better in some ways than offerings from Ford, Chevy, Chrysler. I think what killed AMC was styling. The Gremlin and Pacer were examples. AMC had fewer dealerships than the big three. Chrysler bought AMC because of Jeep. Jeep is the only brand that survived the merger.
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  3. One thing I remember sitting in a Crossfire at a local car show. Cramped seating and the windshield header in line of sight. Not a comfortable drive.
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  4. From an Edsel ad. “The car with the look today that others will be copying tomorrow.”
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  5. Another factor was that sports cars wore radial tires (Michelin) and all radial tires at the time were all black, late fifties, early sixties. A small group of driving enthusiasts saw the superior performance of radial tires and in time radials become trendy and popular. Radials cost more and provided a better driving experience and greater tread life. Good bye whitewalls. In the fifties an AM radio might cost $27, but for $8 more your new Bel Air would have real eye appeal with two tone paint and whitewalls. Some marketing genius decided that 16” wheels and tires weren’t enough and 20” would generate bigger profits. Dubs anyone.
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