Browsing: Vehicles

A Brief History On June 30, 1953, the first Chevrolet Corvette rolled off the assembly line and ever since speed demons, preppies, spoiled rich kids, and every American male with insecurity has wanted one.  Last year on June 30 we ran a list of the 10 Most Iconic American Cars which covered our entire history of building the automobile, but this time we list those made today that we (okay, that I) think you would most like to have.  (Practicality may or may not have anything to do with it.) Digging Deeper 10. Jeep Wrangler.  Starting with the World War…

A Brief History On June 21, 1944, the US Navy was basking in the glow of an enormous victory over the Japanese Imperial Navy in the Battle of the Philippine Sea.  Yesterday we told you about this battle (The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot) in which we suggested the US aircraft were superior to the Japanese aircraft at this time.  US aircraft developed during the war much faster than did those of Japan, changing the qualitative edge from Japan to the US.  Meanwhile, the Royal Navy was also developing improved models of their own naval aviation planes, though they had used “string…

A Brief History On May 29, 1940, the F4U Corsair made its first flight, an event that spurred us to offer a list of the “10 Greatest Fighter Planes” on May 29, 2014.  This year we counter that with listing 10 of the most under-appreciated, under-rated fighter planes of all time, planes that served well but did not get much press or credit for their contribution, or are often mentioned with caveats about being obsolete or with some deficiency or another.  Here we attempt to list the best of that lot. Digging Deeper 10. Mikoyan and Gurevich MiG-17.  A follow…

A Brief History On May 24, 1940, Ukrainian born Igor Sikorsky flew the first successful single rotor helicopter in history, the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300 (untethered flight).  Within 2 years, his Sikorsky R-4 became the first mass produced helicopter in the world. Digging Deeper Sikorsky was born in Kiev, Ukraine, in 1889 back in the days of the Russian Empire.  He was of Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian origin, and became a noted aviation pioneer while a Russian subject.  Some of his early Russian accomplishments included design and flying of the first multi-engine fixed wing aircraft, the Russky Vitas (1913) and the Ilya…

A Brief History Earlier today, we noted how the 50 millionth Ford automobile rolled off the assembly line, a shiny new Thunderbird!  Nevertheless, not all automotive ideas have been winners… Digging Deeper 10. Bricklin (1974-1976) The only car ever with gull wing doors that opened and closed electrically looked good, but was not good.  Only 2,854 of the Canadian cars were built, costing the province of New Brunswick $23 million of their investment.  Built with either an AMC or Ford V-8, the Bricklin had no ashtrays, which made it ahead of its time for sure! 9. Cadillac Cimmaron (1982-1988) Based…