Sunday, February 23, 2014

1964 Ford Cortina

Anyone who knows me well, probably knows that I've always preferred smaller cars. And going back to Car #1 (a 1967 Sunbeam Imp), I've been known to show a soft spot for the off-beat every now and then. So why not drive this 1964 Ford Cortina Mk.1 into the Lotto Garage? It's British Ford at its best — some of these were converted into highly desirable Lotus Cortinas by famed race car developer Colin Chapman; but I've never been one for the glamor, high-speed cars. Give me the Plain Janes any day, like the Lotuses (Loti?) which were available as two- and four-door sedans (saloons) and a four-door wagon (estate). The Mk.1 debuted as the Ford Consul Cortina for 1962 (the Consul name was dropped for 1964), and gave way to the completely redesigned (and in my opinion, duller-looking) Mk.2 for the '67 model year. The Cortina disappeared from the American market with the birth of the Pinto in 1971, and in Canada two years later. — jc

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

2001 Pontiac Aztek

What??!! Heck, you don't have to win the Lotto to buy an Aztek! Right now there's one on eBay for a mere $1,295. But... unless I had the disposable income that a Lotto win would provide, I'd never spend a dime on one of these things. In time I believe the negative press about the Aztek's styling will rival the Edsel's, and the only reason I'd drive one into the Lotto Garage is to have something to drive when I'm going somewhere that I wouldn't drive anything I'd care about. Plus the added bonus that the odds are no one would park within ten feet of one of these things, fearing what its owner must be like! — jc