What happened to US Autos since 1968?
The movie BULLIT features a car chase between a Dodge Charge (probably 440 hemi) and a Mustang GT 500? throught the streets of San Francisco. Remarkable film this showing NOTHING but American Cars in their GLORY days! could watch it a hundred times~ the Japanese invasion did not happen until at least 1970, and our bounceback?? Not sure it's even happened today.
9 Answers
Before the Japanese "invasion" as you call it, we experienced the "peoples car" from Germany in the 60's. More young people were seeking higher education than ever before and inexpensive, reliable, basic vehicles were attractive. They didn't need and couldn't afford large, heavy American cars that were prevalent at that time. The Japanese started with low cost scooters and motorcycles on the west coast in the 60's before introducing inexpensive cars in the 70's. -- "You meet the nicest people on a Honda"...
migration_judge_roy answered 11 years ago
You do LOVE bullitt tho tenspeed, doncha? Steve McQueen music by lalo shifrin clever cinemetography?
Yes the movie "Bullitt" is an entertaining movie with a excellent chase scene in which McQueen drove the green fastback Mustang. I thought the question part was about the Japanese vehicles for sale after the 70's. There was not any Japanese cars to be seen in the McQueen film but there were plenty of Volkswagons. They passed the same dark green beetle four times in a down hill section of the chase.
In the question he states, the Charger (probably a 440 Hemi) and the Mustang a GT 500 tells me this is no car guy. I'm sure he has a few foreign cars in his stable. Japanese cars didn't hit our shores til the early '70s (east coast) They were cheap transportation. While they ran geat, the body integrity (rusting) was evident.
migration_judge_roy answered 11 years ago
Okay Billy, how' d I get a rating of 905 if I'm NOT a petrolhead- See, just don't know these engines....they are printed on popular culture, but no where you can see. "not a car guy'....well I never...Billy, you are free to look at my garage. Datsun was my favorite buggy yet seem to have updated to NISSAN. whoo wee- got like twenty cars I've driven minus the four punch buggies I cared to NOT list-
BOB ANOTHER MOVIE YOU MIGHT LIKE IS "VANISHING POINT".
Somewhere along the line, the North American car companies let the Japanese advertisers win the war. I will never understand how it happened, but somewhere along the way, someone decided that to get good fuel economy, you needed a tiny car, with a small engine, and light weight. What you really need is a LARGE enough engine with enough torque for the car, and good gearing. I had a 1989 Mercury Grand Marquis with the HO 351W, the Trailer Tow III Package, and the aerodynamics of a brick. It matched a 1989 Honda Civic for highway fuel economy, sat 6, could carry 1,000 pounds of cargo, AND tow 6,000 pounds of trailer! In the 1990s, the big G.M. sedans and wagons were rated to match a V-6 Toyota Camry for mileage, but everyone was afraid of the gas in the big cars. It makes no sense to me at all! Even more, the front wheel drive cars cost a LOT more to repair. At $100 an hour, labour charges add up in a big hurry! Oh, and by the way, the Charger R/T in the movie came with a 383 as the base engine, with the 440 4bbl as the one up. You could also get the 440 6-pack (3X2bbl carbs) or the 426 Street Hemi as options. The Mustang they used had, I believe, the 390 under the hood.
migration_judge_roy answered 11 years ago
yes. vanishing point. Ends tragically as our hero commits suicide with that Challenger that we've all sought out since we were children. Not the Charger, the Challenger, the movie 'blue velvet; has a joyride scene in a challenger too- them things HOWL!
As has probably already been stated, in the movie Bullitt, the two mustangs were 390 powered, 1 a GT 1 a regular fastback. The charger was likely a 440 magnum wedge motor.
