Artistic Photo #12

Citroen 2CV in Rome, Italy (Taken on August 11, 2015)

Car Lyric of The Week: Rocket 88 by Ike Turner and Jackie Brenston

"Let me introduce you to my Rocket 88
Yes, it's great, just won't wait
Everybody likes my Rocket 88
Baby, we'll ride in style movin' all along

A V8 motor baby, it's modern design
Black convertible top and the girls don't mind
Sportin' with me riding all around town with joy"


The lyrics above come from "Rocket 88," widely considered to be the first rock and roll song, by Jackie Brenston and Ike Turner. The song focuses on the singer's Oldsmobile Rocket 88, a full-size car that Olds introduced in 1949 that featured the new 135 hp Rocket V8 engine. This powerful new engine was 35 hp ahead of its rival Ford, and was quite successful. Oldsmobile produced 88-badged cars up until 1999. The classic early 50's styling of the car fits perfectly with the early rock and roll sound of the record.

Artistic Photo #3

Austin A30 in Rome, Italy (Taken on August 9, 2015)

Chevrolet Corvette: Through The Years - Part 1

      When the Corvette was first revealed in 1953 as a prototype, America fell in love and this iconic sports car was almost immediately put into production. Ever since then, the Corvette has been a legend and a constant reminder to the world that America is alive and breathing, even in it's darkest hours. Over the next few post, I will give a review of each generation, starting at the original C1 and finishing with the new, flashy C7.

Corvette C1: 1953-1962

1955 Corvette at the Henry Ford Museum

1955 Corvette

    The first 'Vette, being a Fifties car, is covered in shiny chrome, and is fitted with classic white walls tires. While at a glance, the curvacious body is gorgeous, but upon closer inspection I have a few criticisms. The headlights appear to be caged in, which along with the multitude of vertical bars in the grille and bumper, lend a prison-like appearance to the front fascia. The grille, which I've never particularly liked, always reminded me a big of an angry mouth, and doesn't fit in with the sensual bodywork. Despite these minor complaints, it is still a beautiful sports car. The chrome bumper pieces emerging from the underbelly along with the long thin strip running down the side give a '50's futuristic feel. Around back the small bullet-like taillights and trim pieces give a sporty, yet luxurious appearance.

     In 1956, the Corvette was heavily updated, fixing many of my complaints on the '53. The headlights became smaller and more circular, and made the front fin have less of a curved shape. The hideous mesh was gone, and the bumper "fangs" were significantly reduced. These changes create a more sophisticated face for the 'Vette. The chrome bar along the side disappeared, replaced by a sporty, indented oval, allowing the car to have a classic two-tone paint scheme. In the rear, the tail
lights are more slickly integrated into the swooping tail, giving a more elegant look to the Chevy.

1958 Corvette in Naples, Florida

1956 Corvette 

      1958 brought the double-headlamp, along with sporty air scoops beneath the headlights and behind the front wheels, smoothly fused into the side oval, giving the car an extremely bold face. There were also skinny chrome trim pieces extending back from the headlights over the hood and forward from the taillights across the trunk lid, an interesting and unique detail that adds a luxurious feel. While the '58 was a fair improvement over earlier versions, the 1961 'Vette changed the Corvette's image forever.
        '61 saw the introduction of the two-piece taillights, and this design element has been a staple of the Corvette ever since. The change to the taillights also created a more crisply tapered rear end, giving the Chevy a more muscular look. Up front, the grille lost the chrome "teeth," so the car had a more streamlined, sophisticated appearance.
      Over its ten years of production, constant updates meant the Corvette evolved into a mature yet aggressive sports car.

Grade
Front: '53 - B
'56 - B+
'58 - A-
'61 - A
Back: '53 - A-
'56 - A-
'58 - A
'61 - A
Overall: '53 - B+
'56 - A-
'58 - A
'61 - A

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

Bel Air in Naples, Florida

    Seeing this 1957 Chevy Bel Air cruise down the street, evokes a desire to have lived then, when cars came in pastel colors, had massive fins, and were works of art. This Chevy is especially gorgeous, with bright turquoise paint and many chrome accents. The majority of the chrome is on the complex front bumper which incorporates the grille, and an older version of the Chevrolet logo. The car, like other 50's cars, has airplane inspired elements. On the grille, beneath the circular headlights, is a cone-like protrusion that looks similar to a jet engine. Also, on the front of the hood, the Bel Air features two "windsplits" which appear to be airplane-inspired as well. They have what look like vertical stabilizers (the rear fin on planes) sticking up next to the missle-like main section of the windsplit. The Chevy's modest headlights hide under the hood, and sandwich the script "Chevrolet." The car's basic taillights also hide under an overhang, but this one is the sharp tail fins. While definitely not the largest fins from the 50's, these still prove adequate in representing the trends from that decade. Along the side of the Bel Air is a shiny silver character line, which makes a downward curve at the rear of the car, outlining the gorgeous fin. A smaller crease splits off, creating the top of a section of white paint, which is shaped like a smaller version of the fin. Bel Air is elegantly written in cursive, and is placed next to a coat of arms with a Chevy logo in the center, on the back end of the fin.

Bel Air in Naples, Florida

The white wall tires also signify this auto as vintage, and the rear wheels peek out from under wheel covers.
     And while it would be inefficient and inconvenient to build such large cars now, I still wish that design this beautiful and intricate was used today.



Grade
Front: A
Back: A-
Overall: A