What's in a "car" name

After I got the VW Passatt wagon, for months, had fun with my Mom quizzing her on the car's name whenever I took her anywhere.
"Mom, do you remember what kind of car this is?"
"Its a VW."
"A VW what?"
"A VW Piss something."
" Mom, Its a VW Passatt."
"A Piss what?"
" Mom, its a Passatt."
"A Piss ant?"

 

I agree. They'll have to do alot more than stick 68 style tail lights on it to make me like it. I'll take the new Challenger instead, and keep my 68 Charger.

 

Absolutely I'll take a used one. My in-laws had a 99 and then an 03. With the third row in there was enough room in the cargo area to store the contents of a small home. Talk about yer ultimate tow rig, power, comfort for 8 and class. We took an Expedition EL to the beach last summer. It was nice. It was no Excursion.

Yes I know they stopped making the 7.3 in 04. Dumbest thing they ever did. Every tow rig we operate has the 7.3 (except for one lonely 04 6.0. Poor thing. It's had it's share of issues.) One has 300 some thousand miles on it another has 490 thousand miles on it. Not one of em is under 100K. I love the 7.3 PSD.

And that is why I'll take a (Used) Excursion with the (discontinued) 7.3 PSD.

 

from what i understand....it you remove the emmissions equipment from the 6.0...it becomes almost as reliable as the 7.3.
btw ..a 2wd excursion with a 7.3 will fetch 30 mpg hwy (not towing!)

 

In 1968/69 Ford came out with the Talledega, to jump on the brand new, highest banked, fastest track in the world (at that time, no idea now). The Talledega was a modified Ford Torino, designed for the high speed tracks, and making enough to qualify in NASCAR. Chrysler, not to be outdone, when they modified their 1969 Dodge Charger 500 with the nose cone, wing, etc in the spring of 1969 took the name Daytona.

I don't believe Ford ever used the Talledega name again on a production car, but Chrysler bastardized the Daytona name again and again on 4 bangers, trucks, anything they could make a nickel on.

Only one Superbird though.

 

I thought it was interesting that Ford introduced the Talledega at Daytona and the first Dodge Daytonas first raced at Talledega!

 

Another name twist, Ford had their heavy duty Truck line starting in the 50s called Super Duty.
In the early 60s Pontiac started their racing parts line calling them Super Duty Parts which culmulnated in the Super Duty Catalinas, Grand Prixs and Tempests. Pontiac wanted to use cool outside the hood air to add more horse power to their SDs. To be legal in Super Stock racing it had to be a factory part. Pontiac did not have hood scoops in their parts catalogs in the early 60s, but Ford did. So Pontiac bought a number of scoops from Ford, put their own part number on them and made them a part of their Super Duty Parts program.
You might be asking where did Ford use a seperate hood scoop in the early 60s? Why on their Super Duty Trucks! A Super Duty Ford part was used on Pontiac Super Duties!!

 

The hood scoop on this '59 Ford F-1000 Super Duty.........



is the same one that was installed on this rare '63 Pontiac Tempest Super Duty...........



or this very rare wagon version.......

 

Too bad, they didn't share the Starfire's concave rear window and roofline. Didn't a sporty Pontiac full-sized (Catalina 2+2?) also have that window?