Just as we have a fascination with foreign metal here in the States, the same star-crossed love affair springs up across the pond. Depending on the sort of music, television, and movies you’re exposed to as you grow up, your automotive world can be colored in very different ways. That’s why Philipp von dem Knesebeck in Germany knew he needed something big, American, and possessing of a V8 engine under its hood.
He found it in the form of a 1972 Ford Country Sedan. Up front sat 6.6-liters of American grunt, that made more noise than power. It was everything Philipp wanted, and it got it and brought to Europe. Our old friend Blake Z. Rong chatted with Philipp about the car, and also the time he brought it to the Nürburgring.
The full story is over on Jalopnik, and it’s one you’re going to want to read.
[Image taken from the Jalopnik article, photographer credited as Charles Tao]
A big blue American longroof has found its home in Germany
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“Just as we have a fascination with foreign metal here in the States, the same star-crossed love affair springs up across the pond. Depending on the sort of music, television, and movies you’re exposed to as you grow up, your automotive world can be colored in very different ways.” – couldn’t have summed it up better, this is exactly the sort of “mundane in it’s homeland” US barge I’d love once the MX5 is sorted.
Grass is greener effect isn’t limited to the translatlantic, my Polish friends with only memories of childhood roadtrips crammed in the back of one, can’t fathom why I find the prospect of their numerous and cheap Polski Fiat 126s intruiguing… -
My ’71 Country Squire with 50k miles was a sweetheart. I loaned it to the set of Bert Gordon’s “Secrets of a Psychopath” and was happy to see it co-star in that oh-so schlocky but rewarding movie. See it here in the movie trailer at the 1min 25sec mark. Just like the Jalop article states, 9mpg, except that figure for me was city, highway and everywhere else. Better buy ’em while they’re still kind-of cheap my fellow hoons…
https://youtu.be/B6kknb38_1Q-
Very cool! Looks like it’s at 0:20 in the posted clip, though:
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Dang, I don’t even. Total YouTube fail on my part, thanks for correcting it! I moved away from Austin soon after this was filmed, but I always wanted to take it around COTA. I’m partial to fake wood grain. An unsung hero of mine is Mr Jalopy and his many hoopties documented at hooptyrides.blogspot.com – he had the Country Squire that preceded mine – he contracted a local artist to paint fake wood grain with exaggerated knot holes. Mine was too nice to do that to, but I loved that look anyway.
http://hooptyrides.blogspot.com/2005/07/hooptyrides-honest-cars-for-liars.html
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*Diner pictured not in Germany
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For those like me experiencing deja vu, this car was previously seen in this part of the series of tubes almost exactly 18 months ago. Neat to see that he got to the ‘ring with it.
http://hooniverse.info/2015/02/18/big-in-berlin-lucille-is-a-1972-ford-country-sedan-turned-german/-
Nice find, I though this seemed familiar.
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I remember seeing pictures of that Country Sedan somewhere (the stickers in the back window reminded me).
What brand are those headlights in it now? I ran Cibie’ lights in my ’68 Bonneville, but Cibie’ is long gone now. -
I haven’t had time to read the full article yet, so can someone please fill me in on the one bit I’m itching to know:
How long did it take the Nurburgring to do one lap of the Country Sedan?-
Lucille was hampered by brake problems (cheap pads he said), so it took 17:20 for her to complete a lap. Philipp (the owner) is resolved to get a better time next year.
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In case people didn’t read the article, Craig here is the hero who made this possible. Me, I’m just a guy (also known as “Charles Tao”, who lives close enough to the diner in the header pic to meet up with Philipp and take that picture).
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I don’t know if I’d go as far to say hero. Just crazy enough to buy a wagon for a guy I had never met, from another country.
It was not without it’s rewards though. Philipp and I became friends. Lucille was a blast to drive around town. My wife and I got to take a road trip to Chicago in a classic American wagon and return on an AmTrak train. All in all I would would do it again.
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Shortly after being assigned to Germany in 1980, I bought a 1974 Ford Gran Torino longroof from a departing G.I. 351, 4bbl, auto. Good friend had a ’76 Olds Toronado. More than once we tied up traffic big time when 1 or the other of us would “stall” in the middle of an intersection & the other would get nose-to-nose & give a jump start. Eventually sold it to a German for about 3X what I paid for it. When I left in ’87, that old Ford was still going strong.
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