Q. Did General Motors ever build a Chevrolet Corvette station wagon? I’ve bet with a friend that GM would never do such a thing with its sports car. — E.H. (via Internet) 

A. You lose. GM actually built a Corvette station wagon in the early 1950s strictly as an auto show car. After it got lots of public exposure, GM ordered its destruction. But guess what? It survived, being hidden by some GM employees who loved it. In fact, it still exists and is in a major car collection open to the pubic in Chicago. I’ve personally seen it at the museum, and it looks brand new. 



Q. The media keeps writing about electric and self-driving cars, as if they are just a few years away. I think this whole thing is overblown. Your thoughts? — J.L. (via Internet)

A. The general mass media knows little about cars so it latches onto some aspect of them that is rather sensational and easily swallowed by most readers. Truth is, electric vehicles have accounted for around 1 percent of sales in recent years. Driverless cars driven on public roads are a potential menace and should be confined to the elaborate proving grounds of major automakers for further development. Nobody knows what the future acceptance of electric and driverless vehicles will be by a significant number of people. 



Q. Do you see the demise of the auto gasoline engine? — P.W. (via Internet)

A. It’s not generally known that automakers are making great progress in developing smaller, more powerful, more efficient and less polluting gas engines. Autos with smaller, turbocharged engines are outperforming older cars with much larger, far less fuel-efficient engines. But don’t expect to see anything about this in the general mass media. Or hear auto dimwit politicians talk about them. 



Q. Were the muscle cars of the 1960s really as fast and desirable as I hear they were? I’m thinking about cars such as the Pontiac GTO, Dodge Charger Hemi and Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396. — J.N. (via Internet)

A. You must put things into perspective here. These cars in decent original condition now sell for fairly high prices although they’re approximately 50 or so years old. But in their time they were colorful, fast and very desirable—especially to younger drivers. A few, such as the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, was special because it had a genuine racing engine and other modifications that qualified it right off the showroom floor for the Trans Am race series. While fast, most muscle cars of the 1960s and early 1970s used lots of gas, had marginal handling, mediocre tires and brakes by today’s standards. Many also had poor aerodynamics that created lots of wind noise at highway speeds, although they looked sexy. For the most part, through, they were superior to conventional cars of their era. 

Q. What’s going on at Ford? I hear it’s dropping virtually all its cars. Ford Motor founder Henry Ford I must be turning over in his grave. — D.M. (via Internet)

A. The authoritative trade publication Automotive News says Ford is “aiming for the industry’s freshest lineup by 2020, with pickups, vans and utilities representing roughly 90 percent of its volume.”  It adds that the “only cars remaining are the Mustang and upcoming Focus Active wagon.” Ford Motor Co. has named Jim Hackett, a guy from far outside the car industry, as its CEO.



Q. Why do Porsche cars and parts cost so much? It seemingly thinks its customer want to take their cars to race tracks. — D.W. (via Internet)

A. Porsche, which builds fast, great-handling cars, charges a lot because it can get away with it. Truth is, other automakers build cars that come close to matching the Porsche for less money, although they don’t have Porsche’s illustrious nameplate.



Q. What car offers the best all-around performance for the money? — E.T. (via Internet)
 
A. The Chevrolet Corvette.




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