FranktoidTM No. 3 - Big Brother is Older Then You Think

Who doesn't hate traffic light cameras? Your city's bean counters, that's who. They just love all the revenue these "silent cops" bring in. Well you can send your thank-you cards and notes of praise to Germany, Frankfurt to be exact, because that's where it all started back in 1968 in an effort to catch drivers who were dashing illegally through traffic lights. The early photos included a record of the date and hour, plus the number of seconds since the light changed. So you see, Big Brother has been around quite awhile, and he appears to be of German decent. That's enough to drive a person to drink...

German beer anyone?

FranktoidTM No. 2 - AMC's Amitron

 
Did you know that AMC debuted an all electric commuter car in 1968? The Amitron, a three-passenger electric car, was jointly developed by American Motors and Gulton Industries. With a range of 150 miles and an average speed of 50 mph, the Amitron was way ahead of it's time. Of special interest is that it was equipped with lithium-nickle fluoride batteries. Can you imagine if they had continued to develop this car where we would be with battery technology today?

Looks kind of like a mini AMC Pacer...

Frank's Factoids

I think it's time for a new feature here at the Amberlight Garage. In an effort to share some of my vast knowledge and incalculable bullcrap, I have created "Franktoids". Franktoids are my version of automotive related factoids, or any factoid that I feel like writing about. What I like about factoids is that they could be true, unverified, questionable, or just pure BS. We here at the Amberlight Garage will strive to bring you the most accurate Franktoids possible, perseverant to our brains capabilities or our internet search engine, whichever has the least amount of traffic at the time. Without further ado, I present the very first Franktoid:

FranktoidTM No. 1 - AC Cobra's Big Brother

Most folks have seen or know about the AC 427 Cobra. This was the car that put Carroll Shelby on the map in the mid-sixties. Did you know that the AC 427 had a big brother? It was called the AC 428, and like the name implies, it was equipped with the Ford 428 cubic inch big block V-8. Available in either a fastback or convertible body style, it could be ordered with either a manual or automatic transmission. Capable of a 150 mph top speed and quarter mile times of 13.8 seconds, the AC 428 lived up to being the big brother of the Cobra.

Behold the AC 428 convertible. Looks kind of like a Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder, doesn't it?






Photo: AC Cars Ltd.