Retro Thing

Knight Rider Toy With A Lesson For TV Producers

In the early 80's, freewheeling Matchbox cars and Hot Wheels just weren't enough. Imagine one of your toy cars rolling down a tabletop – what happens when it hits a loose pile of pencils? So toymaker Schaper introduced a line of battery powered cars with real 4 wheel drive to trundle over such obstacles. They were terribly popular among the fifth grade set as I recall, so it was inevitable that competition would crowd the showroom at your local toy store.

LJN entered the AA powered 4x4 fray with their “Rough Riders” line based on popular TV vehicles. Besides a whole fleet of A-Team rigs, there was this model of K.I.T.T. The ol' Knight Industries 2000 might have been a historical curiosity, but this nation's appetite for 80's kitsch, and the drive to create needless sequels have kept the talking Trans Am alive in our hearts even today.

You may recall that NBC recently brought Knight Rider back in an expensive TV movie that introduced a new (destined to be short-lived) series about a boy and his frequently computer generated car. The pilot film was okay-ish, but the series was mysteriously abominable. How do you mess up the Talking Jumping Car Show? Perhaps NBC could have taken a few cues from this toy version of K.I.T.T.

Both have the crucial red “computer” light on the front. The large gear shift sticking out the top of the toy switches the toy between speedy 2 wheel drive, and rough & ready 4 wheelin'. In the TV world, that could have translated neatly into episodes alternating between breakneck chases and cheap off-road stunts. Now there's the premise for a show!

In my little impromptu head to head, the toy wins as much less a waste of time. It does not venture into emotional territory it clearly can't convey, does not try to resolve ridiculous issues in 43 minutes, and it's perfectly okay if while driving around it looks like it's made out of cheap plastic.

Let's not waste any more time on that awful franchise reboot. Clearly the toy is the more successful. I'll wrap up by pointing out that you can put the model car into freewheeling mode so that your other toy cars don't feel so bad. Another cool feature of the LJN toy version is the conical hub caps. These let K.I.T.T. do some side wheelie action just like in the old show. Just don't let any enthusiastic car customizers see this feature, otherwise they'll bolt 'em on to every real-life 80's classic car to come through the shop.

Related:

Anniversary of the 4x4 that helped start it all
Our report on the return of Knight Rider
Hot Wheels manufacturing errors

1969: GM's Clever Hybrid Was Decades Ahead Of Its Time

The Stir-Lec I was a hybrid gasoline-electric version of the Opel Kadett. It was a wickedly clever design incorporating a Stirling engine that could conceivably run on a wide variety of fuels.

A vintage GM ad enthused, "It's got an Opel body. But it's powered by electricity. The power plant consists of 14 conventional lead-acid batteries that you could buy down at the corner. The energy from the batteries is transferred to an electric motor which in turn drives the rear wheels. And the car can tool along at speeds of up to 55 miles an hour.

While the car's running, the batteries are constantly recharged by a small Stirling engine in the rear. It's so quiet that you can hardly tell whether it's on or off. And since the Stirling is an external combustion engine, the exhaust has no odor and pollution levels can be made very low."

GM eventually deemed this experimental series-hybrid program too complicated and expensive and it quickly faded into history. Of course, four decades later computer-controlled hybrids are all the rage.

Sadly, hybrid technology is too little, too late. Producing millions of gasoline-electric hybrids cars won't change the fact that we're running out of easy-to-reach oil. Besides, about half somewhere between 2% and 12% of the total energy consumed by a car is used to build it in the first place, so the best thing most of us can do is to look after our current ride while using it sparingly.

Hybrids and their sexy 'plug-in hybrid' cousins merely buy us a little extra time before the inevitable end of the Hydrocarbon Era. In the meantime, I'd suggest shopping for a few good pairs of walking shoes.

GM’s Electrifying Idea [inspired by Treehugger]

Alfa Romeo's Beautiful Flying Saucer

The 1952 Alfa Romeo C52 Spider is one gorgeous Italian redhead that was quickly dubbed the Disco Volante (Flying Saucer) because of its futuristic shape, which resulted in a drag coefficient of only 0.26. It was produced in three versions - the two seat Spider, a Coupe and a single seat open racer.

The Disco Volante was built on a space frame chassis and proved capable of reaching speeds of 220 km/h (approximately 137 furlongs per fortnight in Victorian units). Two examples were powered by 158 hp 2.0 L straight 4s, while a single vehicle was built with an aggressive 3.5 L straight 6. Both power plants were mated to a 4-speed manual gearbox.

All three variants are preserved in a couple of Italian museums, so getting up close and personal with this unique machine isn't totally out of the question. 

Breaking Wind: Wired.com's Fave Aerodynamic Cars
More Disco Volante photos [ultimatecarpage.com]

The Shadowy Origin of TV's Batmobile

When my father was learning English in the 1950's, his school provided copies of Scholastic Magazine. I found several issues recently, and while thumbing through the fragile yellow pages, I had to stop when I found this picture of the Lincoln Futura. The Futura was a concept car built by the Italian firm Ghia for auto shows. Unlike many concept cars, this one was actually road-worthy. Many of the Futura's ideas survived in the fins and rocketship stylings of later cars, but other kooky ideas like the bubble canopy made the Futura too radical for the road. It had a starring role in 1959 movie "It Started With A Kiss", and then was pretty much forgotten.

  Somehow the quarter million dollar prototype ended up in the hands of George Barris, noted Hollywood car customizer who legend says picked up the car for a buck. The vehicle was uninsurable, so simply rusted away in Barris' lot until 1966 when he got a rush order to build Batman's car for the radical new TV series. With a looming three week deadline, Barris added a few modifications to the Futura, and the Batmobile was born.

The Caped Crusader's cowled conveyance was not without its difficulties. The first year of the TV show put great strain on the aging internals, and brought on tire blowouts. In the second season of the show, the original Lincoln chassis was replaced with one from a Ford Galaxie (hence all the misinformation out there that the Batmobile is a modified Galaxie). Barris also took molds of the car to create a number of duplicates to tour the country, which they still do! You may have seen one covered with deep purple flocking - this was to hide the years of stress fractures on these fiberglass copies.

If you ever hear anything of the Futura now, it is only in reference to its cannibalization for TV. It's interesting to see a photo from 1954 when the hope still was to have the Futura roll off assembly lines to become the car of the future. Now that we're in the future, we've had several vehicles that bear the name "Batmobile", but there will only ever be one for me - and it has dragster parachutes coming out the back (to be tidily picked up by vans marked "Batmobile Parachute Pickup Service"!)

Exhaustive information at 1966batmobile.com

related:
When will the 60's Batman series finally come out on DVD?
Our favorite retro cars

Turn An 8-Track Player Into An Equally Useful CB Radio

Bellsound understood the need of the 1979 driver & lo-fi audio bug. 8-track was still on the scene, but what if you still wanted to be part of the CB radio technology scene? (for those kiddies who don't know what CB is, think of it as a static filled analog of Twitter without the irritating 140 character limit)

Instead of rewiring a car to prepare for the power of the Citizen Band, the Bellsound C-8 fit a whole CB radio inside an 8-track compatible adapter. Chuck the whole device into the Craig 8-track in your stylin' El Camino, and you can tell the whole convoy to stick to double nickel because there's a bear in the air.

"Smokey and the Bandit" lingo aside, I had no idea that this kind of thing existed. I've seen plenty of 8 track adapters that played conventional cassettes, but none that were actually a little broadcast station. It sounds like a neat solution to adding CB to your car, but you'd still need a wire running to an aerial so it's not a completely clean fix. Does this also mean that you could CB enable other 8 track appliances, like your phony fireplace stereo or educational robot 2-XL?

Unfortunately you could only use one of these super-70's abilities at a time. That means that you couldn't be listening to an 8 track of Conway Twitty while at the same time you were telling all your good buddies that you were listening to Conway Twitty. Life is full of tough decisions like that.

P.S. to all those websites that like to borrow our content, thanks for spreading the word about Retro Thing - just please don't refer to this commercially available 70's product as a "hack". It makes me crazy when you guys do that.

[thanks to Pocket Calculator Show for the picture.]

Fiat Returns To North America

 

Fiat hasn't had a North American presence since 1984. That's about to change, thanks to a recently announced strategic alliance with Chrysler. In return for a 35% stake in the ailing Detroit giant, Fiat will provide sorely needed small car expertise. I suspect the initial wave of vehicles will be re-badged Fiat compacts such as the Grande Punto and Bravo hatchbacks.

However, the most exciting news could be the arrival of the diminutive Fiat 500 on American roads. "We are examining ways and means to manufacture the cars in the United States," Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne remarked last June. "I don't want to bring it over made. I want to manufacture in [North America]."

Given the relative weakness of the US dollar against the Euro it makes a great deal of sense to build new facilities here to avoid higher European labor costs and the expense of intercontinental shipping. So far, the cleverly redesigned 500 has sold more than 250,000 units, proving that its success is more than simple nostalgia.

Fiat introduced the new Fiat 500 (the Cinquecento) on July 4th, 2007, exactly 50 years since they debuted the original Nuova Fiat 500 in 1957. The old 500 had more than its share of quirks: It was powered by a minuscule rear-mounted 479 cc 2-cylinder engine that whipped up an equally minuscule 13 BHP. It featured a pair of reverse-opening "Suicide Doors" and offered a canvas top that rolled back the full length of the roof. A total of six models were produced until 1975, and at only about 3 meters in length the 500 was perhaps the prototypical City Car.

The new 500's resemblance to the original is only skin-deep. For one thing, it's based on the second-generation Fiat Panda platform and comes equipped with a range of 4-cylinder engines (how often does one get to tout that as a feature?) including a 75hp 1.3L turbo diesel and a pair of gasoline motors that offer either 69hp or 100hp of fun.

Fiat is by no means the first European company to introduce an updated version of a popular classic: VW did it with the New Beetle, BMW is enjoying success with their slot-car inspired Mini sports car, and nearly everything introduced by Porsche these days seems to hearken back to their original designs.

I suspect Fiat will do well with their stylish compact lineup. Fuel prices will soon resume their torturous climb to record highs, and little gems like the 500 could add a splash of style to an otherwise frumpy Chrysler lineup.

The British Steam Car Challenge - 23 Cups Per Second

Reality is often far stranger than fiction. A case in point: the British Steam Car project, an effort to surpass Fred Marriott's 1906 speed record of 121.573 mph set in the unbelievably quaint Stanley Steamer Rocket.

The British steam car takes advantage of modern technology, and is clearly built for speed at the expense of economy and common sense. It burns liquefied petrolium gas, generating 3 megawatts of power to create a head of superheated steam that drives a dual-stage turbine running at 13,000 rpm and putting out 360 hp. That's enough thermal energy to boil 23 cups of tea per second, should you be so inclined.

Come to think of it, the propulsion system has more in common with a nuclear powered ship than a traditional automobile.

All this technology comes at a price: the beast weighs a monstrous three tons and measures slightly more than 25 feet long. It carries 60 liters of LPG to heat 140 liters of water - sufficient for a mere 3.5 minutes. There's no attempt to condense the steam to improve thermal efficiency. This vehicle is all about brute force and speed; the turbine simply blasts a massive cloud of insanely hot water vapor out of the rear end. It's as if the designers were trying to evoke a Flash Gordon-era space vehicle.

The team had intended to try a record attempt this year, but recently reported, "Sadly, we have missed the shipping date for reaching the Bonneville Salt Flats this year, but are continuing with our UK testing program. We are looking for alternative venues where we can make a World record attempt, but in the mean time, the next goal is to get the car running independently of the support rigs."

While the BSC team's target speed of 170 mph is well short of Andy Green's current jet-powered 766.609 mph record, the British Steam Car running all-out on the Salt Flats is sure to be a sight to remember. Oh, and need I point out that the car is painted a glorious shade of British Racing Green?

The British Steam Car Challenge [via Wired]

Bob The Builder Goes Nuclear

I wish Vanadium Corp. of America had actually produced this stunning nuclear-powered road-maker in the early 1960s.

Just imagine the thrill of terraforming America's beautiful but useless rural hills into productive ribbons of concrete at the touch of a single button. Sadly, they probably feared the arrival of mass-produced personal aircars before this magnificent eco-mangler could be rushed into production.

Unearthed in the Plan 59 archives

Camaro Cool

The much maligned second generation Chevy Camaro just might be cool again. It was introduced in 1970 and remained in production for a bone-jarring 11 years. While some possessed angry 454 cubic inch V-8 big blocks, the Camaro's weight gradually increased over the years and its engine displacement shrank -- just like many of us.

As the 1980s wore on, old Camaros increasingly became the butt of jokes until they were handed over to a final generation of grunge kids before vanishing from the road at alarming speed. And now, 27 years since they ceased production, they're suddenly desirable again.

Mister Jalopy of Dinosaurs & Robots fame bought this particular car in 2007 with the intent of doing a little work and flipping it. Over a year later, it's still part of his stable.

He recently explained its peculiar charm "Though the Camaro is considerably more solid than I found it, there are certainly still Easter eggs to be found. For example, there is a terrific example of farmyard welding to patch the exhaust system. With ample MIG wire still remaining at the site of the repair, the hole is mostly closed with just enough of a leak to produce a satisfying growl. The effect is particularly effective while driving through a tunnel - heavy on the gas with the V-8 roar echoing off the walls until you are bearing down on a hapless Hyundai only to lift off the gas to produce an epic backfire amplified by the close quarters. People get out of the way, I assure you."

I can only imagine the looks of contempt this chunk of automotive history gets as it pulls up beside a foofy gas-sipping hybrid at a traffic light. And -- sadly -- it's probably the greener option, since the environmental damage done through its manufacture is long forgotten in the mists of time. Besides, I doubt they make fuzzy leopardskin print seat covers for a Prius (please don't prove me wrong, dear readers).

It makes me wonder. Thirty years from now, which of today's mass market cars will be sought after by nostalgic backyard mechanics?

Some Expenses Spared [Hoopty Rides]

Stirling Engines: A Way to Save The Auto Industry?

A technology well over a century old may soon revolutionize transportation. Robert Stirling's novel engine was an attempt to make steam technology safe. By repeatedly heating and cooling gas inside a sealed chamber, he was able to avoid the nasty explosions and scaldings that were the bane of steam engine technology.

While quite popular in the 19th Century, Stirlings were no match for the practical electric motors that appeared a few decades later. The technology languished as a laboratory curiosity for decades - the little $379.95 desktop Stirling engine above is a typical modern example.

However, Stirling technology might get a new lease on life thanks to Segway inventor Dean Kamen, who recently announced a prototype Stirling hybrid electric car. His development mule is built on the chassis of a Ford Think, a tiny 2-seat electric car that ceased production in 2000. The little car is driven by a lithium battery and can travel around 60 miles on a charge.

The futuristic Stirling engine is tucked into a compartment on the floor of the hatchback for easy access. It  can recharge the battery when needed and also powers the heater and window defroster directly. It's an approach that makes a lot of sense.

It remains to be seen how efficient Kaman's Stirling engine is in the real world, but it holds significant promise, especially since the Stirling engine has the ability to run on multiple fuels. Essentially, any liquid with sufficient energy density can serve as fuel.

Sadly, Kaman doesn't expect Detroit's Big Three to adopt his technology. "I think what Darwin really was saying was: It's not the fittest, not the smartest, not the strongest; it's the ones that can adapt to change. And big industries that have long histories, particularly successful long histories, and a lot of ingrained infrastructure become the least adaptable to change. And when a disruptive opportunity comes along, they are the last that are capable of dealing with it," he mused recently.

The Desktop Stirling Engine
Dean Kamen: part man, part machine
DEKA Research, Kamen's think-tank

VW Designs That Just Won't Die

A zillion years after its 1950 introduction, the iconic VW hippie van is still rolling off the production line in Brazil. Known there as the Kombi, it features a rear-mounted 1.4L water-cooled "Total Flex" engine which replaced the original air-cooled design in 2006. The modern multi-fuel engine produces 78 hp when running on gasoline and a whopping 80hp when sipping ethanol. Alas, the new black plastic radiator grill makes it look like it's wearing the automotive equivalent of a fake beard.

Not to be outdone, VW South Africa continues to build an updated version of the Golf Mark 1 hatchback, with prices starting at a shockingly reasonable R74,400.00 ($7500). Sold as the Citi, it's built using tooling rescued from a plant in Pennsylvania, USA which ceased production in 1984.

VW Brazil: Kombi Standard 1.4
VW South Africa: Citi Product Pages

Toyota RV-2 Mini RV

The Toyota RV-2 prototype was unveiled at the 1972 Tokyo Motor Show. This bizarre 4-person camperwagon concept car was built around a Corona Mark II chassis and drivetrain. It seems that Toyota was attempting to capitalize on the popularity of the VW camper bus, but with a vehicle small enough to fit in a standard garage and practical enough to serve as everyday transport.

The rear clamshell roof pops open to reveal a tent-sized sleeping area, although I suspect the canvas top and side panels would be like sleeping under a $20 fabric tent equipped with a kick-ass 8-track stereo sound system. Alas, there was little interest from distributors or the public and the quirky design faded into the mists of time.

Of course, the biggest problem with this thing is that there's no way any sane parent would lend one to their teenage offspring for the evening....

Featured in Popular Science, July 1973 [via Modern Mechanix]

80's Car Alarm Fakeout: Could It Still Work Today?

There are two kinds of security; the physical and the psychological. Physical are devices like locks and bolts. Psychological is posting a “Beware of Leopard” sign when there is, in fact, no leopard handy.

I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but the Studio Spec 'Disguise' Car Alarm model # ARM123 is pure psych out. The box mounts on your car (where?) with the totally inadequate included double sided tape. Press three of the keys at the same time to start a little red LED flashing. Press them again to turn it off.  Not very much to it at all, really.

To finish off the illusion, the package also includes a pair of hexagonal octagonal silver stickers. They don't say “alarm” or “stop” or anything; they're just silver. The manufacturer bears the impressive name Alliance Research Corporation, so I guess at AR labs determined that some silver stickers and a flashing red LED are enough to - according to the package - “scare off potential burglars”. 

While this product has the complexity of a Radio Shack children's kit, it might actually work as a deterrent. Perhaps a car thief upon seeing the blinking light might skip over your car instead of taking a chance that you have an actual alarm that's less cheesy than the toy keypad? Hopefully no thieves that read Retro Thing know where I live and know that I drive a blue '91 Corolla now equipped with a blinking red light & a keypad. Whoops.

1968: AMC's Amazing Amitron Electric Car

Keith Chapman writes, "Electric cars are a subject of increasing interest lately. But, of course, they aren't all that new - work was going on long ago to try to get a modern electric car into consumers' hands.

Way back in 1968, the long-defunct American Motors company showed an interesting prototype called the Amitron. Besides being, in my ever-humble opinion, one of the cooler-looking electric prototypes I have seen, it also had some interesting claims and features.

A dual-battery arrangement, with nickel-cadmium and lithium-nickel-fluoride batteries, made possible a claimed range of 150 miles (241 km) per charge, with a top speed of 50 mph (80 kph). This with a total battery weight of only 200 pounds (91 kg) which is pretty light for an electric car. Regenerative braking was also part of the deal. The small battery pack just in front of the car in the second picture is the whole thing, and was claimed to have the capacity of the entire wall of lead-acid batteries visible in back (behind the 60's chick in miniskirt and go-go boots).

The car, small as it was, could seat three across - and if you didn't need all three seats, you could deflate 'em to provide some luggage space! The car was apparently well-received when shown to the public, but nothing further ever resulted; the price of the rather exotic batteries probably being one of the major reasons. Still - sorta makes you wonder what this thing called 'progress' is, doesn't it?"

1950s Cars For The 21st Century

You have the chance of a lifetime to experience a fleet of classic GM concept cars at the Pebble Beach Concourse d’Elegance on Saturday August 16, 2008. Nearly all were featured in one of eight GM Motorama shows between 1949 and 1961, which showcased a stunning array of mouth-watering automobiles to feed America's post-war appetite for mobility.

The 1953 GM Motorama marked the first time that show cars were presented to the public, including the futuristic fiberglass Chevrolet Corvette. Amazingly, GM ordered the destruction of many of these pre-production vehicles after their exhibition. A company executive was required to witness them getting cut and crushed, although I suspect they were none to excited at the thought of demolishing these gems.

Several were eventually discovered in a Detroit junkyard by auto enthusiast Joe Bortz, who restored them to their former glory. The Bortz collection will be exhibited alongside nearly a dozen dream cars preserved by GM.

All that's needed to bring some of them up to date is a touch of carbon fiber trim, an iPod dock and an eco-friendly engine that runs on hominy grits.