In the light of the 35th Annual Dakar Rally which at the time of my writing just wrapped up its seventh leg of journey I felt it apposite that I give this saddle another whirl, or even better, the driver's seat of a 1974 Cuda Hardtop (make that a dark metallic blue on the rocks) and resume the 'car-tharsis' series so there would be no chance of this u-turning into a vanishing point. Let your first cat calls go out to the following : from the American International Pictures hybrid beach blanket car film Fireball 500, now speaking about those comely Cudas, what we have here is a Barris-doctored 1966 Barracuda of the Plymouth persuasion, this tantalizing tin trap has got it all, looks, personality and has the uncanny ability to reunite the Mouseketeers without compromising its street credentials. Go on and say it, your heart would be a fireball 500, wouldn't it just.
Now let us cross the puddle so that we can allocate some respect to the elusive Austin FX4 that gets a few test drives in the 1974 British release Callan. Now David Callan (Edward Woodward) who was a special ops agent for British Intelligence and wasn't about to be on an assignment to assassinate a German mogul zipping around in any old Cortina, heavens no - let us not forget the ol' Hawthorne effect. And not that there is anything wrong with a Cortina, mind you and according to musician extra-extraordinaire Ian Dury, that said motor supplied it's fair share of watershed moments for him even if it took an entire lustrum to remove the candy floss residue from its interior. The Austin FX4 is also known as a classic black cab however but nonetheless it will not disillusion you for this is one serious sedan.
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| Callan all cars |
Now if you ask me, yes me, your humble narrator, estate cars a.k.a. station wagons, never seem to inspire a forty gun salute but they surely do complete the circle and this back burner beauty was dressed to impress in 1972's Cisco Pike that starred an infinitely less hirsute Kris Kristofferson and she surely was the purdiest thang in that there parking lot, I say. Okay, okay maybe she could use a dye job or perhaps some wispy highlights.
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| Cisko Pike, was a friend of mine. |