COME 'N GIT 'EM!

1.) What American car is credited as having introduced the plastic front grille?

2.) In the '50s and '60s, Chrysler built the 300 series of high performance cars. They began naming them in alphabetic order, starting in ’56 with ‘300-B’. By the time the run concluded, Chrysler had skipped a letter- why?

3.) What ‘obsolete’ engine configuration did Chrysler use in one of its 1990s concept vehicles?

4.) The first (2000) 1976 Cadillac Sevilles produced were all metallic silver with grey leather interiors. Why no color deviation?

5.) A chief engineer for a vehicle manufacturer was laid up in the hospital for a stretch after surgery. To keep busy during the resulting downtime, he carved a bar of soap into a 3-D emblem for the company, which was put onto production vehicles nearly unaltered. What is the company & emblem?

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I'm not sure how much more my brain can be squeezed ... literally & figuratively.

 

 

Cort www.oldcarsstronghearts.com

1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics | pigValve, paceMaker, cowValve

"Does your conscience bother you?" __ Lynyrd Skynyrd __ 'Sweet Home Alabama'

2. i was skipped to not to confuse people with number 1.

 

3. Chrysler Atlantic had a 4.0L I8 made from two 2.0L Dodge Neon engines.

 

4. Ensure quality control, prior to ramp up of production.

 

5. Mack Bulldog.

Arg... the way you did this I can't promote to an article.  Needs to be it's own thread.

 

edit: nevermind, I made it work.

Nice going, Z; you are correct on all 4 your answered.

Only #1 remains...

Chevy Cavelier?

Chevy Cavelier?

 

It had to be way before that.  I know the '68 Toronado headlamp/grille covers were plastic

Maybe it was a Ford.  I know Henry was big on soy plastics way back in the day.

Ya- Cavalier is way too new. 
Ford's soybean push was in the '40s, but did it extend to grilles?

 

My buddy is hotly pursuing a '68 Toro (and not having any luck), but said pursual has had me recently looking into Toro info & a few videos- I am surprised to know the grilles were plastic- that's verified, DD?

Ya- Cavalier is way too new. 

Ford's soybean push was in the '40s, but did it extend to grilles?

 

My buddy is hotly pursuing a '68 Toro (and not having any luck), but said pursual has had me recently looking into Toro info & a few videos- I am surprised to know the grilles were plastic- that's verified, DD?

 

I guess it depends on what you consider "the grille".

 

If you consider these lattice pieces that cover the headlights to be "the grille", then I am 98.263% sure they are plastic.  On the earlier years where the headlights drop down, the grille on the '66 and '67 are metal. 

 

Of course those are the Toro's grilles. Your pics certainly verifies them being plastic AFA I am concerned. 

 

The '68 Toro is NOT the first tho.

The best I can come up with is the ~64 Plymouth Cuda... but even then I'm not sure if that center bit is metal or plastic.

 

my other guess was the Avanti since it is fiberglass.. but that doesn't really have a grille.

 

Aside from that, it's going to be something obscure like a Crosley or Allstate

Do I get to pick your guess from your FOUR CAR ANSWER….? 

 

- - - - -

'64 'cuda is incorrect. Crosley & Allstate are incorrect also.

Avanti gained a grille in '64, it's down under the bumper. It's steel.

The grille question really threw me off guard. The plastic grilles possibly will be just past WWII era.

Do I get to pick your guess from your FOUR CAR ANSWER….? 

 

- - - - -

'64 'cuda is incorrect. Crosley & Allstate are incorrect also.

Avanti gained a grille in '64, it's down under the bumper. It's steel.

 

 

SURE! 

Damn, the only one I actually knew was the Mack Bulldog being carved out of soap (#5) and Z-06 beat me to it

I'm going to go with the some what ridiculous answer for #1: 1958 Edsel

This smells like an AMC innovation.  I'm going to say its an early to mid '60s Rambler.

 

Edsel & Rambler are incorrect.

 

Perhaps a CLUE :: This brand in question debuted another front-end innovation within a few years of the plastic grille.

Pontiac with the endura nose? (that's the innovation I'm guessing on... and yes, just a shot in the dark)

Pontiac with the endura nose? (that's the innovation I'm guessing on... and yes, just a shot in the dark)

 

When was that? Late 60's?

 

Pontiac with the endura nose? (that's the innovation I'm guessing on... and yes, just a shot in the dark)

 

When was that? Late 60's?

 

 

1968 I believe... and we already know that the 1968 Toronado is not the answer, and Balth said that this plastic grille came a few years before.

Pontiac GTO?

Road Runner?

Pontiac Tempest?

All right, going to spill it here. I never did get a year from you guys, and subsequent research shows it spans more than one model, so I think it's due.

 

Answer is 1966 Pontiac. The GTO & GP both had plastic grille work (and bezels), tho for '67 the GTO reverted to metal grilles.
Everything built before this had metal grille work. I had heard it credited to only the GP, but I see GTO had 'em too.

 

Thanks for playing- see you next Tuesday!