Category Archives: Fine Lines

Finelines: The original Mini
FineLines May 23, 2016

Overview

Don’t wait for stories to appear in the store when you can become a member of Wheelbase Media’s weekly news service and save more than 50 percent while gaining instant access to the new features as they’re produced. Click here to get started.

If you are not a member of the media, but still wish to check out some of our stories online, visit www.theoctanelounge.com, which is owned by Wheelbase Media.
Use: Media professionals demanding top-quality automotive content for their print products and/or Web sites. Professional artwork, editing.

What it is: Many of you asked if we could put our expertise to work to create a feature that covers not just classic cars, but those vehicles that have left an indelible mark on car culture. The Fine Lines series examines significant vehicle marques, their backgrounds and their contributions to the history of the automobile. All this, with real artwork.

Product specifications

Mac and PC page layout with accompanying text and
art files for maximum work flexibility.
About 850 words: separate text file included.
Layout is 8×21.5 inches (newspaper), but can be
reconfigured by your designer to fit most spaces.
PDF of layout included.
High-resolution artwork suitable for print.
Includes Photoshop layers file of main art.
Multi-platform page layout opens with either Quark
Xpress or Adobe Indesign.
Fonts are not included, but we attempt to stay with
standard system fonts. If not, just change the fonts to
match your style.

Description

When the Mini was launched in the late-1950s, it was supposed to be an answer to fears that the global supply of oil would be reduced to a trickle. It was 1956 during the Suez Crisis and Britain, along with a number of other countries, had succumb to gas shortages and invoked rationing. What was needed was a small car that was cheap to own and good on gas. That’s it, that’s all. Little did anyone know it would become the coolest car in the world, a fashion statement, the ultimate in front-wheel-drive chic and an icon, racking up sales that topped five million over a period spanning four decades.

Please contact us to order this feature.

The Buick Y-Job
FineLines May 16, 2016

Overview

Product specifications

Mac and PC page layout with accompanying text and
art files for maximum work flexibility.
About 850 words: separate text file included.
Layout is 8×21.5 inches (newspaper), but can be
reconfigured by your designer to fit most spaces.
PDF of layout included.
High-resolution artwork suitable for print.
Includes Photoshop layers file of main art.
Multi-platform page layout opens with either Quark
Xpress or Adobe Indesign.
Fonts are not included, but we attempt to stay with
standard system fonts. If not, just change the fonts to
match your style.

Description

Well, chances are you have never seen it, or even heard of it, but there’s a little piece of the 1938 Buick Y-Job in every one of today’s automobiles. That’s because this 20-foot-long dream machine just happened to be one of the first (if not the first) concept car to ever be built. From its hidden headlights to the tip of its massive rear bumper, the Y-Job is pure automotive sculpture that was never intended to be sold. It was built for one reason only: to stare into the face of the future.

Please contact us to order this feature.

1969 Plymouth Sport Satellite Convertible
FineLines May 9, 2016

Overview

Product specifications

Mac and PC page layout with accompanying text and
art files for maximum work flexibility.
About 850 words: separate text file included.
Layout is 8×21.5 inches (newspaper), but can be
reconfigured by your designer to fit most spaces.
PDF of layout included.
High-resolution artwork suitable for print.
Includes Photoshop layers file of main art.
Multi-platform page layout opens with either Quark
Xpress or Adobe Indesign.
Fonts are not included, but we attempt to stay with
standard system fonts. If not, just change the fonts to
match your style.

Description

If you think it’s tough selecting a new car today, imagine life back in 1969. Generally, three types of buyers went after Plymouth’s B-body. On the one hand, the trunk and interior volume worked particularly well for families looking to cram a lot space into their monthly payments. And, of course, go-fast die-hards couldn’t get enough of the Road Runner and GTX performance cars which, starting around $3,000, could tear the tires clean off their 14×6 road wheels. The third category of buyer was perhaps the most interesting, simply because its members seemed to desire the look and feel of a performance car but with a lower sticker price, better fuel economy and fewer speeding tickets.

Please contact us to order this feature.

1965-’66 AMC Ambassador
FineLines May 3, 2016

Overview

Product specifications

Mac and PC page layout with accompanying text and
art files for maximum work flexibility.
About 850 words: separate text file included.
Layout is 8×21.5 inches (newspaper), but can be
reconfigured by your designer to fit most spaces.
PDF of layout included.
High-resolution artwork suitable for print.
Includes Photoshop layers file of main art.
Multi-platform page layout opens with either Quark
Xpress or Adobe Indesign.
Fonts are not included, but we attempt to stay with
standard system fonts. If not, just change the fonts to
match your style.

Description

When people are willing to spend money on big cars, why try to sell them something smaller? The 1960s was an age where excess wasn’t actually seen as excessive, so the market for small and thrifty cars was indeed thin. And if an automaker didn’t build big cars, it was missing out on both sales and huge profits. Sleek and stylish, the redesigned American Motors Ambassador had everything going for it when it first appeared in 1965. As the company’s flagship fashion statement, the car seemed (on paper, at least) to be the equal of its Big Three competition.

Please contact us to order this feature.

Finelines: 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona
FineLines April 25, 2016

Overview

Product specifications

Mac and PC page layout with accompanying text and
art files for maximum work flexibility.
About 850 words: separate text file included.
Layout is 8×21.5 inches (newspaper), but can be
reconfigured by your designer to fit most spaces.
PDF of layout included.
High-resolution artwork suitable for print.
Includes Photoshop layers file of main art.
Multi-platform page layout opens with either Quark
Xpress or Adobe Indesign.
Fonts are not included, but we attempt to stay with
standard system fonts. If not, just change the fonts to
match your style.

Description

Parked on the showroom floor beside a hulking Monaco wagon or plain-Jane Dart sedan, the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona must have looked like it was from another planet . . . or at least another world. Truth be told, that wasn’t far off the mark since back in the late 1960s, car sales were heavily connected with racing and, of course, winning. Since you had to race what you built for street, the Daytona’s slippery shape, and the strange bodywork that went along with it, was solely intended to play along with the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) rules of the day.

Please contact us to order this feature.

Finelines: Oldsmobile W-30
FineLines April 18, 2016

Overview

Product specifications

Mac and PC page layout with accompanying text and
art files for maximum work flexibility.
About 850 words: separate text file included.
Layout is 8×21.5 inches (newspaper), but can be
reconfigured by your designer to fit most spaces.
PDF of layout included.
High-resolution artwork suitable for print.
Includes Photoshop layers file of main art.
Multi-platform page layout opens with either Quark
Xpress or Adobe Indesign.
Fonts are not included, but we attempt to stay with
standard system fonts. If not, just change the fonts to
match your style.

Description

Many hero cars from the musclecar era of the late 1960s and early 1970s didn’t start out as heros. They began as secrets, often developed as covert after-hours projects. Built in secret and even sold in secret. And as far as deep and dark automotive secrets go, few were any deeper or darker than Oldsmobile’s W-30. It was so secret, in fact, that most of the company’s dealers weren’t even aware it existed. The W-30 was meant to win races on Sunday and sell Oldsmobiles on Monday.

Please contact us to order this feature.

Finelines: Pontiac Fiero
FineLines April 11, 2016

Overview

Product specifications

Mac and PC page layout with accompanying text and
art files for maximum work flexibility.
About 850 words: separate text file included.
Layout is 8×21.5 inches (newspaper), but can be
reconfigured by your designer to fit most spaces.
PDF of layout included.
High-resolution artwork suitable for print.
Includes Photoshop layers file of main art.
Multi-platform page layout opens with either Quark
Xpress or Adobe Indesign.
Fonts are not included, but we attempt to stay with
standard system fonts. If not, just change the fonts to
match your style.

Description

It was supposed to be a ground-breaking car for General Motors, a little two-seater that would put Pontiac in the spotlight and make buyers weak in the knees.
On paper, it must have looked like a fantastic dream: build a sporty and inexpensive two-seat car for buyers who really wanted a Corvette but couldn’t afford the payments, the insurance and the gas. The Fiero was a car destined for greatness as the star of the Pontiac lineup, but not without confusing some buyers who wondered what it was and why it existed. In the end, even General Motors was wondering.

Please contact us to order this feature.

Finelines: Packard
FineLines April 4, 2016

Overview

Product specifications

Mac and PC page layout with accompanying text and
art files for maximum work flexibility.
About 850 words: separate text file included.
Layout is 8×21.5 inches (newspaper), but can be
reconfigured by your designer to fit most spaces.
PDF of layout included.
High-resolution artwork suitable for print.
Includes Photoshop layers file of main art.
Multi-platform page layout opens with either Quark
Xpress or Adobe Indesign.
Fonts are not included, but we attempt to stay with
standard system fonts. If not, just change the fonts to
match your style.

Description

My father once told me that his uncle, a well-to-do businessman during the time of the Great Depression, would order a new Packard automobile every few years. Family legend has it that each of his specially tailored motor carriages would undergo a thorough shakedown at various speeds and road conditions. Following this, the engine would be completely disassembled to uncover any signs of undue stress or damage to its various internal pieces. After ensuring that all components were working as they should, it was buttoned up and the well-tested Packard was shipped off to said uncle, who would be assured of trouble-free ownership until his next purchase.

Please contact us to order this feature.

Finelines: McLaren F1
FineLines March 28, 2016

Overview

Product specifications

Mac and PC page layout with accompanying text and
art files for maximum work flexibility.
About 850 words: separate text file included.
Layout is 8×21.5 inches (newspaper), but can be
reconfigured by your designer to fit most spaces.
PDF of layout included.
High-resolution artwork suitable for print.
Includes Photoshop layers file of main art.
Multi-platform page layout opens with either Quark
Xpress or Adobe Indesign.
Fonts are not included, but we attempt to stay with
standard system fonts. If not, just change the fonts to
match your style.

Description

If you were a child of the 1990s, you probably had a poster of this car on your bedroom wall. Nevermind the Lamborghinis and Porches of the day, the McLaren F1 was the supercar of all supercars. It had record-breaking performance, exclusivity and, of course, the right look. And if it looks like a million bucks, it’s because that amount just happened to be the sticker price of the car during the 1998 model year, which was the last year it was offered for sale.

Please contact us to order this feature.

Finelines: Mazda Cosmo
FineLines March 21, 2016

Overview

Product specifications

Mac and PC page layout with accompanying text and
art files for maximum work flexibility.
About 850 words: separate text file included.
Layout is 8×21.5 inches (newspaper), but can be
reconfigured by your designer to fit most spaces.
PDF of layout included.
High-resolution artwork suitable for print.
Includes Photoshop layers file of main art.
Multi-platform page layout opens with either Quark
Xpress or Adobe Indesign.
Fonts are not included, but we attempt to stay with
standard system fonts. If not, just change the fonts to
match your style.

Description

An engine without pistons, a crankshaft and cylinder heads? It sounds impossible, but if you follow one particular branch on the automotive family tree, you’ll find an anomaly. Something really special. Something called a Cosmo. In principle, the internal-combustion engine has changed very little since the beginning. The assorted internal parts used in today’s powerplants would easily be recognized by those early inventors who struggled to breathe life into their four-wheeled wonders. Then there’s Mazda and its Cosmo.