Retro Thing

The Camaro Super Hugger

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 396 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 30 year-old car in 2007 with the intent of doing a little work and flipping it.

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 leopard skin 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]

Introducing Touch Tone Dialing

State of the art technology from the 1963 Seattle World's Fair.

1963 push button phone

The Lada Niva Returns To The UK

It's been 15 years since the Lada Niva was last imported into the UK, but that's suddenly changed with the introduction of two new versions of this classic Russian 4x4. The first, a utilitarian van, sells for £8695 and features delightfully stark metal panels where the rear windows should be, while its fancier family friendly stablemate retails for £10,974 and actually has rear seats and portholes for your darling sprogs to gaze out of.

Both feature a 1.7L 4-cylinder engine -- now mercifully equipped with Bosch fuel injection -- and the same delightful rubber interior flooring that almost dares you to clean it with a garden hose. Apart from that, not much has changed.

With zero to 60 times in the 16 second range, this isn't the ideal motorway cruiser. But that's OK, because carrying on a conversation over the road noise would be a definite challenge at 70 mph, anyway. One last minor detail: they're all left-hand drive.

I know it's crazy, but I want one. In bright orange.

Autocar's First Drive of the Niva 1.7 [thanks, Peter!]

The Camera Data Bank

The Kameradatenbank features a fantastic collection of movie camera photos from six German library and museum collections. Twenty four different film formats are represented, ranging from Regular 8mm through massive 60 mm cine monsters.

I wasn't initially going to post the site because it's in German, but it's too cool to pass up. From the main page, just click Stöbern (Browse). You'll be presented with a list of options:

Hersteller (Manufacturer)
Herstellungsdatum (Date of manufacture)
Objekttypen (Equipment type)
Filmformat (Film format)
Standorte (Collection)
Herstellungsort (Place of manufacture)

I'm sure you can take it from there. And, as always, Google Translate will do a nice job of mangling the accompanying text into almost-but-not-quite Klingon.

Explore the Kameradatenbank

Atari Rolls Out The Flashback 3 Classic Game Console

You have to wonder how many times Atari is going to allow AtGames to trot out repackaged editions of the 2600. This itty, bitty version of the old workhorse includes five dozen titles and has joystick ports on the front instead of the rear. It also includes a limited edition Atari poster, two slightly miniaturized versions of the classic single button stick and, um, that's about it.

This time around it looks like they've stuck exclusively to Atari titles — there are no Activision classics like Pitfall on board. Still, you get a handful of essential 2600 games like Asteroids (with trippy mauve asteroids), Missile Command, Yar's Revenge (with a trippy neutral zone) and Centipede. Sadly, there's a lot of filler here as well — only a dedicated (or very bored) fan is likely to while away hours playing Combat, 3D Tic-Tac-Toe or Hangman.

I can't say I'll be trading in my Flashback 2 for one of these, but if you missed out last time this is definitely a fun way to step back in time by about three decades. Just remember — Buy Microsoft, then dump it and buy Apple before the turn of the century and you'll be laughing.

The Flashback is available from Amazon for $60 [via Technabob]

21st Century Punched Tape Reader

Azog writes, "This guy re-created a punched tape reader. There are slim details about it, but he is apparently also selling them on e-bay."

I'm not sure what appeals to me most about the TR-01 paper tape reader — its simplicity or the renewed ability to retrieve and store data on gigantic paper reels.

It features a parallel interface and reads 8-bit data words. A bare board with light source is available for $100, or you can purchase a fully assembled version for $180. At first glance the TR-01 seems like a novelty, but it's also an inexpensive and reliable way to read old paper tape files from the dawn of the microcomputer era.

Besides, it's wickedly cool.

TR-01 Paper Tape Reader [Retro PC Desgn]

Getting Lost in the Covers

Hand me a map — any map will do, really — and I could stare at it for an hour. It's an addiction. And it turns out I have the same sort of sad addiction to old magazine covers. Thankfully, where there's an addiction, there's a website.

Cover Browser began primarily as a repository of comic book covers and now includes magazine, book and DVD covers. I wasted half a recent afternoon perusing only a few hundred of its more than 450,000 covers. I think I could spend an entire week looking at the more than 3,000 covers for The New Yorker. Week two would probably be spent on old car magazines like Car and Driver predecessor Sports Car Illustrated, Road & Track and Porsche Panorama. I would then move onto fashion (GQ, Vogue), pulp (Amazing Stories, For Men Only, Stag) and finally the never-ending array of old technology titles.

What's really striking to me is how boring and homogenized our magazine covers have become, with only a few exceptions. Nowadays each cover seems to be a pretty face and tantalizing blurbs. They probably work better as newsstand fodder, but that doesn't mean they're better.

The Last Film Movie Cameras?

Digital cameras have grabbed the lion's share of the consumer market over the past decade. Now it looks like the same thing is happening in the motion picture industry, as industry giants shift production to digital equipment.

Debra Kaufman of Creative COW Magazine reports, "ARRI, Panavision and Aaton have quietly ceased production of film cameras within the last year to focus exclusively on design and manufacture of digital cameras. That's right: someone, somewhere in the world is now holding the last film camera ever to roll off the line."

I think the reality is that there are no new film camera designs on the drawing board, but ARRI or Aaton will manufacture cameras on demand. However, I wouldn't be surprised if they had limited inventory of machined bodies and other components that don't wear out quickly.

This new reality is reflected in Kodak's recent stock price woes. The once mighty film giant's share price recently dipped well below $1 on news that the company had retained the services of bankruptcy protection experts and is looking for a buyer interested in its digital imaging patent portfolio.

Personally, I don't think film is dead yet and Kodak is a bargain at current prices.

Film Fading to Black [via a thread on Filmshooting.com]

Your Very Own Triumph 2000 Police Car

You just missed a chance to own a 1971 Triumph 2000 that once served with the Devon & Cornwall Constabulary. Upon learning its history, the seller set about dressing the car in 1970s police livery. The result is guaranteed to draw a crowd (and perhaps a few laughs).

He installed a vintage magnetic police roof box and explains, "This has an operational light that works with a remote switch and battery. The box also lights up in the dark through the same switching independently. There are also roof spot lights and an aerial which are for show only. All the roof equipment has magnetic fixings which means there are NO holes drilled or re drilled in the roof.

The car is drivable with all the roof gear connected, but only up to 50mph. Not too sure at what speed it would start to get shifted, I haven’t been brave enough to try!! As I said before though, its very easy to take off, place in the back and fix at the show."

The 1,998 cc 6-cylinder won't get you anywhere in a hurry, but with less than 60,000 miles on the odometer there's a fairly good chance you'll reach your destination sooner or later.

Honestly, if I were an eccentric millionaire I'd be hard pressed to choose between this and a vintage ice cream van. It was recently listed on eBay starting at £1,500, but looks like it sold privately. I wouldn't be surprised to see it in a period police drama sometime in the near future...

Triumph 2000 White Police Car - Tax Exempt

Explore The 1985 Argos Catalogue

Argos is a British catalogue retailer with over 800 outlets. Instead of wandering endless aisles of merchandise, shoppers select from a catalogue and pick up their merchandise from the counter a few minutes later.

Anthony Voz took the time to scan the entire Spring & Summer 1985 edition, and it makes for wonderful browsing. There's lots of wood grain and an amusing selection of video games, computers, dodgy stereo systems and weirdly named portable tape players.

I've highlighted a few hi-tech devices, but there's also exercise equipment endorsed by a young Arnold Schwarzenegger, a two page spread of curling irons, lots of ghastly leather luggage and some of the most hideous wall clocks ever created.

Explore the Vintage British Argos 1985 Catalogue [via someone on Twitter, just can't remember who]

A Polaroid A Day Keeps Digital Away

From slanted.de: "The first Poladarium History of Photography is a tear-off calendar just like the one in grandma's kitchen. Day by day, it reveals a new instant photo with its own short story. Year round, you'll discover tiny gems by famous photograhers as well as newcomers. The front of each of the 366 calendar sheets features a Polaroid image, while the rear presents the story behind the picture and some info about the photographer.

It's an eye catching treat for the desk, window sill, kitchen counter, hall table, shop window or bedside table. Three hundred and sixty six carefully selected Polaroids, painstakingly printed with special ink and paper, presented in a beautifully designed collector's box."

With Polaroids by Olaf Heine, Diana Scheunemann, Antonina Sure, Uwe Düttman and others. €24.90 each, with free shipping if you order a pair.

POLADARIUM 2012 [via Design Taxi]

Missing The de Havilland Mosquito

Despite the promise of imminent flight lurking in this old snapshot, there are no flying de Havilland DH-98 Mosquitoes left. The last airworthy model crashed at an airshow back in 1996.

When it entered service in April 1941, the wood-framed Mosquito was one of the fastest production aircraft in the world, capable of almost 400 mph. Astonishingly, this little fighter-bomber bested the Hawker Hurricane and matched the speed of the Supermarine Spitfire.

The fuselage of the Mosquito was made of balsa wood sandwiched between layers of cedar plywood, while the rest of the airframe was constructed of plywood covered spruce. It was an unusual construction technique, but the incorporation of wood instead of scarce metal ensured that the unorthodox design reached production.

The result was one of the most useful aircraft of WWII -- a multi-role design that excelled at photo reconnaissance, precision bombing and even as a night fighter. Perhaps most importantly, DH-98s were loaded with state-of-the-art radio navigation equipment and used as pathfinder aircraft to mark targets for waves of slow and cumbersome RAF bombers. Thanks to its high performance and well trained crews, the Mosquito saw the lowest losses of any Allied aircraft during WWII.

Sadly, the wooden frame wasn't built to last and the concrete molds required to shape the plywood are long gone, almost guaranteeing that the Mosquito will remain a memory.

For history, stories and technical details, visit The Mosquito Page.

Music From A Dry Cleaner

Tens of thousands of dry cleaning shops once dotted main streets across America. Of course, things were somewhat different then -- people usually dressed to go out, and clothing was comparatively expensive and often needed professional care.

These days, people are more likely to wear wrinkle resistant shirts and jeans 24/7. We're also more environmentally aware and realize that traditional dry cleaning methods aren't exactly earth friendly. The result is that thousands of local dry cleaners have closed, and many of the remaining ma and pa shops are just barely hanging on.

Composer and sound designer Diego Stocco's curiosity got the better of him while walking past one of these little shops -- Aviva Cleaners in Burbank.

"Almost everyday, on my way to a local bakery, I walk in front of a dry cleaners," Diego recalls. "When they have the front door open, I hear a lot of interesting sounds coming from their work equipment."

"Eventually, the different mechanical and steam sounds sparked something in my mind, so one day I asked the owners if I could record a piece of music by using their machines as musical instruments," he says.

"I used a puff iron, press and dry cleaning machines, a washer, clothes hangers, and a bucket full of soap. The bass and lead sounds were created from the buzzing tones coming from the conduits and engines. There are no additional sounds from any traditional or electronic instruments."

The result is fun to watch, featuring a wide array of vintage cleaning equipment used in a decidedly unconventional manner.

Music from a Dry Cleaner [Behance]

The Wireless Walkman... From 1988

In 1988, Sony unveiled a remarkably small unit, the WM-505 (I can't confirm this was ever released in the USA - mine has Japanese writing on it...). There was no shape-shifting transformation needed to play cassettes, and the unit boasted wireless headphones. That's right, 20 years before Bluetooth you could jam out to your mix tapes without getting tangled up in cords. Sadly, I can't report how well it works as I don't have the wireless earbuds, which also would have been relatively new in 1988.

Key to this model's compactness is the use of a slim ni-cad battery (sometimes called a "gumstick") in both the player and the headphones' wireless receiver. Fortunately an add-on unit lets you plug in a regular AA battery. Also the playback head is tucked into the door like on the WM-10 to save space. All metal construction is thinner and more durable than plastic would have been, and does a superior job of protecting the expensive unit from inevitable knocks. 

Back In 1983, Sony had created the WM-10; a miniaturized Walkman not much larger than the cassette itself, though it was a bit of a cheat. In order to play a cassette, the WM-10 has to expand to actually fit the tape. A new sort of motor, and new ideas about how to drive it with a single AA battery made it possible to create a cassette player about the size of a cassette case. The result was tres chic, and predictably fragile. Sony was justifiably proud of their achievement, and even show off the WM-10's innards in a commercial from the 80s.

These two aren't the only examples of miniaturization of the portable cassette player. Other manufacturers toyed with reducing the size of portable cassette players, but Sony was always at the forefront in the portable cassette player game in those years. Even non-brand players tried to get small. We once featured a cheap knock-off unit that paid tribute to (stole?) many of Sony's space-saving strategies - which would have been great if the darned thing actually worked.

Thanks, Steve.

“You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

- Steve Jobs, 1955 - 2011