911 History - Video

60 Years of Land Cruiser

"What was far became near. What was impassable was crossed. And the world became smaller"

Top Five Cars in GM History | Chevy Centennial

Greg Wallace, manager of the GM Heritage Center talks about the top five cars in GM history, including the 1914 Chevrolet Royal Mail, 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air, 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air, 1953 Corvette Stingray and 2010 Corvette ZR1.

Happy 100th, Chevy!

Vote for the Best Chevy of All-Time

GM and Pandora team up for Chevy Centennial-themed station

Pandora’s Top 100 Chevy songs

Music has played an integral part in Chevrolet's history, so for the Chevy Centennial, internet radio service Pandora has created a dedicated Chevrolet station playing the Top 100 songs that mention the brand. A few hits include "American Pie" by Don McLean, "Crocodile Rock" by Elton John, "Little Red Corvette" by Prince, and "Tim McGraw" by Taylor Swift. The station is accessible at pandora.com/chevy100.

“99 In the Shade,” Bon Jovi
“All the Best,” John Prine
“American Pie,” Don McLean
“Amy’s Back in Austin,” Little Texas
“Ball and Chain,” Social Distortion
“Blitz,” Audio Adrenaline
“Blue (Da Ba Dee) (Remix),” Eiffel 65
“Blue Jeans,” Silvertide
“Captain Jack,” Billy Joel
“Chattahoochee,” Alan Jackson
“Chevrolet,” ZZ Top
“Chevy Van,” Sammy Johns
“Chrome,” Trace Adkins
“Contact,” Citizen Cope
“Crazy About Her,” Rod Stewart
“Crocodile Rock,” Elton John
“Dare to be Stupid,” “Weird Al” Yankovic
“Don’t Forget to Remember Me,” Carrie Underwood
“Dr. Feelgood (Live),” Motley Crue
“Drive South,” John Hiatt
“El Camino,” Ween
“El Tejano,” Cowboy Troy
“Everytime It Rains,” George Strait
“Fall in Love,” Kenny Chesney
“Family Reserve,” Lyle Lovett
“Fightin’ Words,” Trace Adkins
“Girls with Guitars,” Wynonna Judd
“Go ‘Head,” Mystikal
“Go Lil’ Camaro Go,” The Ramones
“Going Back to Cali,” LL Cool J
“Here I Am,” Lyle Lovett
“Here’s to You,” Rascal Flatts
“How Bizarre,” OMC
“Hustlin’,” Rick Ross
“I Can Only Think of One,” Dierks Bentley
“I Go Back,” Kenny Chesney
“I Got You,” Dwight Yoakam
“I Learned That From You,” Sara Evans
“I Won All the Battles,” Tracy Lawrence
“I’ll Be Your Johnny on the Spot,” Ween
“I’m Customized,” The Cramps
“I’m Just a Girl,” Deana Carter
“I’ve Got a Rock N’ Roll Heart,” Eric Clapton
“If I Stay,” Tracy Byrd
“Jesse Went to War,” Marcy Playground
“Joe Rey,” Fountains of Wayne
“Keeping the Faith,” Billy Joel
“Less Than Zero,” Elvis Costello
“Let You Go,” The Clarks
“Little Red Corvette,” Prince
“Lost in the Flood (Live 2000),” Bruce Springsteen
“Lucky 4 You (Tonight I’m Just Me),” SheDaisy
“Make Me a Chevy,” The Promise Ring
“Metropolis,” Trace Adkins
“Miss Popularity,” Jordan Pruitt
“Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song),” Billy Joel
“Mud On the Tires,” Brad Paisley
“Natural Beauty,” Neil Young
“Neutron Dance,” The Pointer Sisters
“Night Moves,” Bob Seger
“One Bud Wiser,” Gretchen Wilson
“Paint the Town Redneck,” J.M. Montgomery
“Pickin’ Wildflowers,” Keith Anderson
“Picture Perfect,” Nelly Furtado
“Putting the Damage On,” Tori Amos
“Racing In the Street,” Bruce Springsteen
“Rapid Roy (The Stock Car Boy),” Jim Croce
“Real Gone,” Sheryl Crow
“Renegade,” Tim McGraw
“Repetition,” David Bowie
“Ridin’ In My Chevy,” Snoop Dogg
“Riding With Private Malone,” David Ball
“Right Time of the Night,” Jennifer Warnes
“She’s In Love With the Boy,” Trisha Yearwood
“Small Town Girl,” Kellie Pickler
“Something On,” The Tragically Hip
“Song of the South,” Alabama
“Still Love You,” Rod Stewart
“Superstar,” Sheryl Crow
“Suzy and Jeffrey,” Blondie
“Tannin Bed Song,” Shawn Mullins
“The Greeting Song,” Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man,” Rolling Stones
“Three Marlenas,” The Wallflowers
“Thunder Road,” Bruce Springsteen
“Thundering Hearts,” John Mellencamp
“Tim McGraw,” Taylor Swift
“Twentieth Century Fox,” 38 Special
“Unappreciated,” Cherish
“Uneasy Rider,” Charlie Daniels
“Union Sundown,” Bob Dylan
“Water,” The Who
“West Texas Highway,” Lyle Lovett
“When I Think About Leaving,” Kenny Chesney
“When You Close Your Eyes,” Night Ranger
“Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?” Paula Cole
“Why Do We Want What We Know We Can’t Have?” Reba McEntire
“You Never Know Just How Good You’ve Got It,” Tracy Byrd
“You Win My Love,” Shania Twain
“Young Blood,” Rickie Lee Jones

Volvo History: SCC turns 10 years

"When we began work on the concept car at the end of the 1990s, Volvo was still primarily known for making family cars designed to protect their occupants in a collision. The SCC signaled the start of a new approach which enhanced safety for the occupants, where the car's most important safety task is to help avoid dangerous situations and accidents in the first place," explains Östen Strandberg, who was responsible for the development of the SCC.

Volvo SCC turns 10 years:

No other concept car in the history of Volvo Car Corporation has meant more for the company's technological advancement than the Volvo SCC (Safety Concept Car).
Ten years after its 2001 world premiere in Detroit, the Safety Concept Car can look back on a fantastic "career".

• It was the starting point of the company's leadership in active safety. About 15 of the advanced technical solutions found in today's Volvo models first saw the light of day in the Volvo SCC.
• From the design viewpoint the SCC also inspired the design of the successful Volvo C30 model.

The Volvo SCC is an early example of the cumulative effect of close cooperation between Volvo Cars' designers and engineers.
"Concept vehicles are usually design or technology studies that give car buyers a taste of the future. The Volvo SCC, however, has added impact because it was both attractive and high-tech. It is an early example of how we design our cars around our customers' wishes, needs and limitations," says Volvo Car Corporation's President and CEO Stefan Jacoby.

One of the project group's most important goals was to demonstrate the possibility of combining world-class safety with a sporty, sleek shape all packaged in a relatively small car. 
"When we began work on the concept car at the end of the 1990s, Volvo was still primarily known for making family cars designed to protect their occupants in a collision. The SCC signalled the start of a new approach which enhanced safety for the occupants, where the car's most important safety task is to help avoid dangerous situations and accidents in the first place," explains Östen Strandberg, who was responsible for the development of the Volvo SCC. He adds:
"With the driveable Safety Concept Car, we showed that all these smart, collision-preventive technological solutions were within reach. It is fair to say that the success of the SCC project triggered Volvo Car Corporation's groundbreaking dedication to active safety systems."

Star in DetroitThe Volvo SCC generated enormous interest at its unveiling to a massive audience on the Volvo Cars stand at Detroit Auto Show in January 2001. That autumn, the world press had the opportunity to test-drive the concept car in a closed-off section of Seville International Airport in southern Spain.
The following year, Swedish Prime Minster Göran Persson was one of many people that tested the car - and later the car went on a nationwide tour of the USA, reaping immense praise from coast to coast.
"The attention it attracted was actually greater than we dared hope. I'm convinced that this was largely because the SCC was attractive as well as technically advanced - but without being complicated. That's exactly the combination that echoes Volvo's approach and it is still our strength," says Mikael Edvardsson, one of the engineers responsible of the technology integrated into the Safety Concept Car.

From concept to productionIn 2002 work got under way on translating the technical studies showcased in the Volvo SCC into production-ready safety technology. One year later, Volvo Car Corporation initiated the project that would result in the world debut of the Volvo C30 in Paris in 2006.

Today - ten years after the premiere success - around 15 of the technological solutions presented in the Volvo SCC can be found in Volvo Car Corporation's model range. Technological solutions that now help drivers the world over avoid both minor incidents and major collisions.

"One small but revealing example of just how much of the SCC made it into series production is the fact that even the car's livery became reality - the paintwork of the one-off SCC bears a remarkable resemblance to the Orange Flame colour that you can specify for your Volvo C30," relates Östen Strandberg.

There's an exception to every rule, however. One of the SCC's most attention-grabbing features never made it into production: the Eiffel Tower-like see-through A-pillars remained a part of the C30 project, but eventually made way for a conventional alternative owing to obstacles when it comes to strength, build complexity and cost.

SCC technology in today's Volvo modelsHere is a list of the technological solutions that made it from the Volvo SCC to some or all of Volvo Car Corporation's current models:

• Forward collision warning - today in its third generation with Pedestrian Detection, Collision Warning and Full Auto Brake. In addition, there is the ground-braking low-speed system, City Safety, which is fitted as standard to several Volvo models.
• Information projected on the windscreen - today the head-up display is part of the Collision Warning system.
• Technology that monitors vehicles in the "blind spot" and alerts the driver. Today this is known as BLIS (Blind Spot Information System).
• Warning system to alert the driver to the risk of straying from the lane. Today known as Lane Departure Warning and Driver Alert.
• Cruise control that maintains a set distance behind the vehicle in front. The present ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) operates all the way down to standstill in cars with automatic transmission.
• Flashing brake lights during hard braking - today known as Emergency Brake Lights.
• Safety cameras - today there are integrated reversing camera and grille-mounted camera offering drivers a 180-degree field of vision (accessory). A camera is also a key component in the Pedestrian Detection and Collision Warning system.
• Advanced headlights that follow the curvature of the road as the car turns - today Active Bending Lights.
• Further-developed HMI (Human Machine Interface) - now Volvo Sensus.
• Height-adjustable rear seat. Present today in the integrated two-stage child booster cushions.
• Protection for pedestrians - today this system is found as the energy-absorbing front structure and bonnet and in Pedestrian Detection.
• Steering wheel adjustable for height and reach - fitted today as standard.
• Passive unlocking and engine starting - today Keyless Go.
• Communication with the car via mobile phone - today via a newly developed Mobile Application that was introduced in spring 2011.

Ahead of its timeMikael Edvardsson sums up:
"When the Volvo SCC was unveiled, it was packed with sensational technology. Bearing in mind the interest of the car-buying public in active safety systems today, it's easy to see that the concept car was way ahead of its time. It's evidence that Volvo is and will remain at the cutting edge when it comes to automotive safety."

source: Volvo

Happy 39 Civic

In recognition of Honda's 9th Generation Civic, Tier10 Marketing has developed a "heritage" video, aimed to create a visual experience that best represents the theme: "One Car. A Million Stories."

The Honda Civic has gained notoriety because of its widespread demographic appeal and longevity. Tier10 celebrates this 9th Generation Civic by creating an integrated viral video campaign that explores the evolution of the Civic.

Tier10 Marketing's Creative Director Scott Rodgers explains, "Personifying the Civic by instilling emotion was objective one. Bringing in a human element accomplishes two things: it promotes a generational feel and connects the Civic with it's far-reaching fan-base. Capturing the Civic's evolution in correlation with the various people featured in the video was key in attaining the correct tone."

The video incorporates vintage commercial footage of the 1978 Honda Civic to present-day models. An edit composed of new and old Civics, with a progressive pace, allows for 30+ years of the Honda Civic to be showcased in 90 seconds.

Shot on a Canon 7D, the video taps into a technology being utilized by the likes of The Jay Leno Show, House, and Saturday Night Live. The choice to use DSLR technology was deliberate, speaking to the Civic's universal, grass-roots appeal. DSLR cameras like Canon's 7D and Nikon's D3s has brought high quality video to the masses at an affordable price.

A collaboration with Grammy award-winning Dirty Vegas brought an important emotional element. The video features the song, "Today," a progressive pop composition. There's a delicate bass beat that builds throughout, ultimately helping the story come through. The song lends a sense of nostalgia, a key element needed for the tone of this short video.

The video's Producer and Editor Joseph Olesh adds, "The video should leave the viewer wanting to see more. My experience producing this video has made me a big fan of the Civic. My hope for the video is one that inspires viewers to investigate the Civic's proud history and even take a test drive of their own."

Honda Civic customers span the spectrum of automotive drivers. They are high school graduates and college students, families with young children, schoolteachers, and environmentalists. The video pays homage to these Civic owners, young and old. See http://www.facebook.com/newcivic for more information.

Happy 50 P1800 Again!

A true cosmopolitan turns 50


Volvo P1800 1961 - 2011

Planned in Sweden, designed in Italy, unveiled at the car show in Brussels, built in Britain and a huge success in the USA. The Volvo P1800 is perhaps Volvo's most internationally renowned model ever and the one that arouses most emotions. In 2011 this remarkable people's favourite turns 50. It was in 1961 that it entered production and reached showrooms after four years of careful planning and development, remaining in production for the next twelve years. From the sales perspective it played perhaps a marginal role for the company, but from the image viewpoint it played a far bigger role than any previous Volvo model – and few if any subsequent models have matched it image-wise.

Design coup
The Volvo P1800 was born for that very reason – to attract the attention of passersby to Volvo's display windows and to increase what today is known as 'floor traffic' so that people who entered the showroom left it in a new Volvo.
Volvo had tried its hand at a sports car back in the early 1950s – the open two-seater plastic-bodied Volvo Sport which was built from 1955 to 1957 with a total production run of just 67 cars. "Not a bad car, but a bad Volvo" was the way Volvo President Gunnar Engellau put it when he retired the model. However, he did recognise the importance of having a prestigious and exciting model to boost overall sales, and Volvo dealers were desperate for just such a car.
Design proposals were ordered from Italy, where Volvo consultant Helmer Petterson – who was deeply involved in the planning of the new car – had got his son Pelle a job at Pietro Frua thanks to Pelle's fresh degree in industrial design from the Pratt Institute in New York. When the time came to unveil the four proposals to Volvo's board in 1957, Helmer sneaked in his son Pelle's fifth design – and that was the one that everyone picked. Engellau in particular liked it since he had very definite views about wanting an Italian-designed car. That of course is precisely what he did get, but it was penned by a 25 year old native of Göteborg who would later make his mark as a boat designer and win Olympic medals in yacht racing. Eventually, however, the truth behind the winning design proposal emerged. The choleric Engellau blew his top, felt he had been hoodwinked and promised that Pelle would never be acknowledged as the car's designer. And indeed many years went by before the truth was made known and Pelle Petterson received the credit he was due for penning one of the world's most attractive sports coupes.

The new sports car – which is how Volvo presented the model – had a fixed roof, a steel body, a lot of the mechanical components lifted straight from the Amazon and the newly developed B18 engine in its 100 hp sports version when it eventually arrived in the showrooms.
Three prototypes were built by Frua in Turin in 1957-1958 on Amazon underpinnings and these cars were used for a variety of purposes, for instances as templates for the production of press tools, in a range of tests, at shows, for press work and advertising photo-shoots and much else. All three have survived and are still on the road.

Production overseas
At this time, Volvo found itself in a hugely expansive phase and the company realised from the outset that it did not have sufficient in-house capacity to manufacture the new model – not for pressing of body panels, nor for painting or assembly, not even on a small scale. The hunt for a suitable partner got under way, led by Helmer Petterson, and after much deliberation a decision was taken to use two British companies to build the car: Pressed Steel would build the bodies and Jensen Motors would paint and assemble the cars. Production got under way but this was a far from friction-free method. Constant problems with personnel, working methods, quality, suppliers and logistics along with an unwillingness to deal with these issues meant that as soon as it was possible, Volvo transferred production home to Sweden.

As of spring 1963 – after 6000 Jensen-built cars – production of the 1800 started up in Volvo's Lundby factory but it was not until 1969 that body pressings were transferred from Pressed Steel in Scotland to Volvo's press shop in Olofström. The move home also coincided with a change of name for the P1800. First it was badged the P1800 S, later in 1963 it was known simply as the 1800 S, S standing for Sweden.
During the coupe's long life, no radical changes were made to the successful exterior lines. Only details such as the grille, trim mouldings, wheels and colours differentiate the various model years. From the technical viewpoint the 1800 shadowed the development of Volvo's other models and was continuously upgraded. Disc brakes all round, more powerful engines and electronic fuel injection were the most noticeable changes.

Cult car for The Saint and a world record-holder
In 1971, however, a new body variant was presented, the 1800 ES. A sporting hatchback with an extended roofline and an estate car rear featuring a large glass tailgate. A GT and estate car combined. The ES was designed in Göteborg and attracted considerable attention, but it also divided opinion into two camps. It has nonetheless achieved cult status along with its coupe sister and many have survived to this day. Volvo's 1800 models are very sought-after by enthusiasts – there are several clubs serving the model – and they were for many years relatively inexpensive to buy, although in recent years their prices have started to rise on the classic-car market. Renovating an 1800 is neither easy nor cheap. Many parts are no longer available, particularly for the Jensen-built cars, but owners who have taken the trouble can expect many miles behind the wheel of an exceptionally pleasant, agile and robust car whose value to Volvo in terms of image can never really be fully quantified.

Just ask Roger Moore, who was fortunate enough to drive a P1800 in his role as debonair crime-fighter Simon Templar, a sort of modern-day Robin Hood, in the British TV drama series based on Leslie Charteris's "The Saint". The TV production company was looking for an attractive sports car that would suit a gentleman of independent means, and after being turned down by Jaguar approached Volvo to ask for the P1800. Volvo was quick to oblige. It was a brilliant PR move for the new Volvo model and the car became etched firmly in the minds of everyone at the time. To this day the P1800 is still often referred to as The Saint's car.

Another person who can testify to the car's excellence is New Yorker Irv Gordon, who has covered more than 4,500,000 kilometres in the 1800 S he purchased in 1966, making him the holder of a Guinness world record that will probably never be able to be beaten. Irv Gordon has spent a total of almost 12 years behind the wheel of his car and he is now aiming for 3,000,000 miles, that is to say about 4,800,000 kilometres. On the same engine!

Timeless 50 year old
The Volvo P1800, this alert 50 year old, was never intended to be a mass-produced car. It was and still is a niche product, the top of the model range, yet at the same time viable enough to be within the reach of ordinary people who wanted a car that looked like a Ferrari but cost and functioned like a Volvo: pleasant, reliable and economical. It appealed to people even before it arrived in the showrooms in 1961 and its design has been shown to stand the test of time: it is timeless, classic and sporty in a well-balanced way. Congratulations to Gunnar Engellau and Helmer Petterson who pushed for Volvo to build the car, to Pelle Petterson who designed it, to Volvo who kept the model going in good times and bad over a period of twelve years, and to all those people who today own and value an 1800 – a truly living piece of Volvo history.

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