Tuesday, July 15, 2025

'big books on paper are much better than little screens'


1975 Hyundai Pony


The first and second generation Hyundai Pony (1975-1990), ancestor of the i30, was the first Hyundai exported outside the borders of its country of origin, South Korea. The first generation was marketed until 1982 and the second from that year until 1990.

With a design that was not very oriental and to a certain extent "known", its raison d'ĂȘtre was that, in addition to development engineers and personnel of British origin -- mainly from British Leyland, where the one who was hired as development director of the Pony came from -- its design was the work of Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign.

Presented at the 1974 Turin Motor Show as a five-door hatchback version, a year later it would also be marketed as a sedan - although visually it looked like a hatchback, it had a small door for the trunk, an element that would open next to the rear glass by 1981 and disappear as a sedan.

Monday, July 14, 2025

1973 Saab 99L 4-Speed

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NZR steam goods train to the Wairarapa, 1920s(?)


This is on the old alignment nor far from the Maymorn station at Mangaroa Station in the Mangaroa Valley. The house in the foreground, on the left, was the house for the station master. The opening of the Rimutaka Tunnel in 1955 involved realignment of the railway in this area. See earlier posts and our books for lots more. (Colorized pic from the collection of Brian Edward Spearpoint, 1925-2013)

1977 Mazda Capella


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Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Danish royal yacht HDMY 'Dannebrog'


His Danish Majesty's Yacht is named after the national flag of Denmark, the Dannebrog, and is both an official and private residence for members of the Danish royal family during their travels, particularly in Danish waters and around Europe.  The ship was launched in 1931 and has been in service since then, making it one of the oldest active royal yachts in the world.

Length: 78.43 m (257 ft 4 in); Breadth: 10.4 m (34 ft 1 in); Draft 3.62 m (11 ft 11 in).

Propulsion: 2 × B&W Alpha Diesel engines, type 6T23L-KVO, 870 hp (640 kW)[1] each
3 × Scania diesels, type DI12 62M 326 hp (240 kW)[1] each

Crew: 9 officers & 43 men of the Royal Danish Navy

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

1967 Chevrolet Yenko Super Camaro.

One of only 54 made.




Debuting 26 September 1966, the 1967 Chevy Camaro was Chevrolet’s response to the wildly successful Ford Mustang. The Camaro differed from the Mustang with a more streamlined appearance, front partial frame for improved ride quality and to minimize and isolate noise. A rear unibody design helped save space and reduce production costs. However, it took several steps to change a regular Chevy Camaro into a Yenko Super Camaro.

For those who were in the know, they could opt to spec the Chevy Camaro with a Central Office Production Order, or COPO, package. Most COPO cars were special-purpose vehicles, such as ambulances, police cruisers, or taxi cabs that had to be built for the job they would fulfill. Cop cars and taxis take lots of abuse, while ambulances and the like must be constructed differently than regular passenger cars. For a Chevy Camaro fan, few things are as stirring as a COPO car that came with the L72 427 cubic-inch Mark IV Big Block mill. The L72 came with 11.0:1 compression, forged aluminum pistons connected to a forged steel crank, an radical solid-lifter cam, rectangular port heads, a high-rise intake manifold, and a big Holley 800CFM four-barrel carb, all combined to crank out 450 horsepower. The COPO order was necessary as GM had an internal rule that kept mid-size passenger car engine displacement under 400 cubic inches.

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1928 Lincoln Spring Tourer

L.M.S. 4-6-0 Class 5MT Black 5


"Full Steam Ahead" by Trevor Mitchell. available as a print commercially

 A total 842 of these were built between 1934 and 1951, of which 18 are preserved.

More on the Hattons website