Huge, Ugly 1960's Detroit Iron

[HO RacePro]

My wife and I have been watching old (really old!) 'Columbo' episodes on Netflix DVD's. What has caught my attention is the gigantic Detroit automobiles shown in the series. A two-door 'sports car' that looks about 35 feet long? About 12 feet wide? Did we really allow those things on the road?

Of course I am exaggerating the sizes, but oh my those cars were huge! I lived through that era, but seeing them now on television seems surreal. Talk about wretched excess! They must have handled like pigs.

I do get a giggle out of the vinyl roofs.

I've thought it might be fun to build a few of those monstrosities in 1/32nd for IROC racing. Side-swiping fender-bending mayhem! It could be challenging reproducing an authentic wallowing 'boulevard ride'.

I've found some model kits for sale online. I haven't bought any yet.

So what is the point of this post? Maybe get some reaction? Learn if anyone has gotten there ahead of me? Lessee.

[dungeonracer]

What models did you find that are monsters? Be sure to stay away from Pyro models.

Pioneer made a Charger, Scaley made a Charger and a Torino, Carrera made a GTO.

These are the 1st ones I thought of that are on the big and long side of things....

[HO RacePro]

Two cars I remember. There's the 1963 Ford Thunderbird convertible. And then there's the Buick Riviera.

I once saw a full-scale Riviera with the hood up. Hey, where's the engine? Oh there it is, tucked 'way under the firewall. Looks kinda tiny under there.

There was enough room in the engine compartment you could crawl in and take a nap.

And then there must have been a Cadillac, a Mercury and a Continental. Barges all.

I was thinking of buying model kits and building my own chassis. Seems more honest that way.

I suppose I am being a bit unfair unloading on the '60's like this. We have some worthy monstrosities of much more recent vintage. I mean, the Cadillac Escalade, the Ford Expedition, and the soon-to-be-revived Hummer. Suburban Assault Vehicles, yes? No lack of them these days. Perhaps a bit better handling, and more cup holders, but just as wretched in excess.

[Kevan]

'63 Buick Wildcat
'67 Impala
...they're strangely good looking once you've 3D printed one and holding it in your hands

[jaws]

If you want to see some of these cars, take a look at Chase-cars website. He is from Bedfordshire, UK, and he has built some of the cars you were talking about. He also built and sold a chassis for the cars that allowed the slot cars to handle just like the huge cars would handle. The chassis had springs and steering to get the cars to really lean in on the corners. The website is still up, but the cars and parts are not available any longer. His names of the cars are fun to also see. The video is fun to look at also.

http://www.chase-cars.com/gallery-and-videos

Jim W
Bennett, CO

[Michael Squier]

Buick Rivieras were awesome cars, very well designed. Engine compartments weren’t that much bigger, just a lot less stuff under the hood. You must have missed Harry’s land barge series, loads of large Detroit iron in 1:25 scale. IROC series might not be so fun for you, if done correctly all the cars in the series were the same. Often those big Camaros from the mid 70’s. Fast barges.
ps, old Columbus are great!

[Vintage 1/24]

Oh yeah Chase-Cars are/were great. He was one of the first if not *the first* to offer a 3D printed slot car - and it had that engineered chassis that let the American iron wallow into the turns.

Too bad he isn’t selling, I would love to see his product line available today using the latest crop of high quality uv resin printers - he had some genuinely unusual cars for sale.

Back in the day we considered the ‘63 Riviera a smaller car, an intermediate, which was not like the “full size” Electra 225 (deuce-and-quarter meant 225 inches in length).

The Bill Mitchell era left us with some great designs like the split window Vette and later the full size chassis boat tail Riviera. It was a pretty great time for American cars.

In my opinion the ‘71 boat tail Riv is styled so well that if you 3D printed it and held it in your hand you wouldn’t really know if it was a smaller sportier car.

It does seem that is all gone now, there is no big American luxury convertible - in the past that is what people aspired to, a big Cadillac convertible meant you had arrived, and were successful and enjoying life with the top down -

And today the 60-70s American cars do look especially long, low and wide, when you do encounter them in the wild.

I think it is extra cool to see these cars made into slot cars.

[FC47]

Nothing says 'Eat Me' like a black 65 suicide door Lincoln 😎

[Silberpfeil]

"RAMMMING SPEEEEED!"

[Hksk25]

In 1960 my aunt bought a new Pontiac Bonneville convertible, talk about HUGE.

Harry

[waaytoomuchintothis]

We had a silver 1959 Pontiac Catalina 4 door sedan. At Christmas that year, we traveled to be with the rest of the family and my father and my uncle stood in the yard freezing cold in the snow, looking at our Pontiac and his 1959 Buick convertible. It was a fin-fest to remember. We had twice the fins he had. By the way, the 1959 Buick Roadmaster Coupes and Convertibles were the most beautiful cars ever made. Just thought I'd point that out... some of us are young, after all. They need to know these things.




By the way, in the top picture, just peeking out in the background, is a black&white 1958 Ford Retractable Hardtop, just like the one I had back in the 1980s. Possibly the record holder for butt-ugliness in US cars.

[4424ever]

One hundred percent agree Rob 59 or 60 Buick two door or convertible is a car you just can’t get enough of

[Silberpfeil]

‘65 Pontiac Grand Prix was another one….a near never-ending rear “over hang”.

[dw5555]

They don't get much bigger than this and these are already slot cars.
Dave

[LAMing]

I thought the Carrera Fury is supposed to be noticeably undersized for 1/32?

[Wobble]

Even the early 70's had some pretty huge iron before the fuel crisis changed things. The Scalex Bluesmobile will be a monster and possibly a tad longer than the Carrera Aero Nascars. I have a slotified Palmers 1/32 Mercury Monterey kit and that thing is a barge and also a tad bit longer than the aero fleet cars.

[Silberpfeil]

The 1960’s produced numerous high water marks in automotive styling and design that have rarely since been “bettered”.

IMHO, the 1970’s were embarrassing years….equivalent of your junior high school class picture with braces.

[Michael Squier]

I agree with you on the 60’s cars but there were a few hood ones in the 70’s also. The ‘70-‘73 Firebirds were a great design. Well that’s one anyway.

[Silberpfeil]

The early F-Body was clean, but once the federal-mandated shock absorbing bumpers came in ‘74, everything was a cobbled-up mess.

[davidxl9]

I would love to have a "Land Barge" IROC race at our club! I've been looking at some of the resin bodies online: 1/32 RESIN 1964 Chevrolet Chevy Impala | eBay. These would be great fun!

[Michael Squier]

What do you mean when you say IROC race? Maybe it means something different in slot racing. Full scale was a drivers race, not about the cars. All the cars were identical. So maybe a land barge race with all Lincoln’s (or Bonnevilles or whatever) on the same chassis? Could be interesting.

[HO RacePro]

To my mind an IROC race is where the cars are provided and each stay in the same lane while the drivers rotate through, 'Round Robin' style. The cars don't have to be identical. Having a variety adds to the fun and the challenge.

I realize the original full-scale IROC used (supposedly) identical cars. 'Course in the real world there is no such thing. Close is the best you can hope for.

For a Land Barge IROC it would be neat to have all the cars different but similar varieties of the huge Detroit Iron '60's cars. Long, wide and awkward. Just for fun.

Ed Bianchi

[Michael Squier]

I guess I keep confusing full scale racing series with the slot car versions because I’ve been around those much longer. The IROC cars were all prepared by the same place so yeah, as close as you could get. Made for some good racing back in the old days.
Being all different seems like it would be more like a stock car series. Different cars, same rules. Sounds a lot like the last Land Barge series Harry just hosted.