Reverse Imerpialism, fins and grills, Champ Car Series

It’s always hard to admit when a vacation is over. After two days of being back in reality, I’m still in denial. But the world won’t stop turning because I want a longer spring break, so let me catch you up on what’s happened lately in the world of cars.
First, for those of you living under a rock, Tata Motors bought the money-sucking-blackhole Jaguar from Ford in a package deal where they also got Land Rover. Ford wouldn’t sell Land Rover on its own; it was all or nothing. Tata Motors, India’s largest auto manufacturer, bought the two daughter companies for the bargain price of $2.3 billion.
The sale is supposed to be completed in the second quarter of 2008, and Ford will also pay $600 million to Jaguar and Land Rover pension plans.
It’s interesting to see an Indian company take control of British companies after the British Empire controlled India for about 100 years. I hope there are no hard feelings.
Another exciting event that occurred over spring break happened right here in California, in the small town of Pleasanton.
Yes, it’s a real place. No, it’s not a movie.
It was time again for the Goodguys’ 26th All American Get-Together, which is one of my favorite shows, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. By now you should know about my love for muscle cars, so, needless to say, I was in heaven.
The show featured American-made cars from all years, but most of them were classics. There were Mustangs, GTOs, Camaros, Corvettes, Cougars, low-riders, hot rods and so much more.
Another one of my favorites, the Chevy Bel-Air, was there in large numbers.
The car shows in my hometown (that’s right, I grew up in Pleasanton) always mean more to me than any show here in L.A. Here, I tend to go by myself, because no one else can understand my need to wander around car after car for hours at a time. But at home, my dad always goes with me and tells me what he knows about cars. This time, we talked a lot about tailfins, their growth and decline.
Tailfins began appearing on cars around the late 1940s and early 1950s (though some autos show hints of fins back in the ’30s). The tailfin was inspired by jets and space rockets which were becoming more publicly recognized at the time.
Though tailfins started modestly, the popularity of the trend grew, and so did the size of the fin. The height of the tailfin era was around 1959, and after that the tailfins shrank into non-existence.
I’ve always been a fan of the modest tailfin, circa mid-’50s. I wouldn’t mind seeing a new car with a new take on the tailfin, as long as it doesn’t get too carried away. To see a collection of tailfins, check out the photos from the show on my blog.
Finally, something very exciting is going to happen next weekend. It’s the 34th annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, and yours truly will be attending. You can expect coverage, photos, hopefully some video and interviews all here. Check back next week for a preview of what’s going down at the event.