It's not often that people honour an engine unless its a monster V-8 like Chrysler's original Hemi or maybe a screaming Ferrari V-12. So I'm pleased to note that Pontiac's single-overhead-cam straight-six is finally getting the attention it deserves. Not that anyone's handing out awards, however the creation of a Pontiac OHC Registry is surely cause for celebration. This short-lived engine was quiet, lightweight, redlined at 6900 and was first in the world to incorporate a toothed rubber timing belt. The first American high-performance 6-cylinder engine since the Hudson Hornet, it bowed in the Pontiac Tempest and LeMans in 1966 with 165 hp or an optional 207 hp but a displacement increase soon changed those numbers to a very respectable 175 and 215, respectively.

From 1967 through 1969 it was the base engine in the all-new Firebird where its light weight contributed to better roadholding. With typical lack of foresight, GM dropped the OHC six in 1970 in favour of V-8 power; as we all know, within a short time the Middle-East oil embargo put an end to the muscle car era. That lovely overhead-cammer would soon have been an ideal antidote. With today's high fuel costs, twin-overhead-cam V-6's are suddenly the performance engines of choice. If you're fortunate enough to own an OHC-equipped Pontiac, you're encouraged to send an SASE for a registry form to: James Black, 307 Summerset Drive, Papillion, NE 68133; 402-597-8625.

Thanks to Hemmings newsletter for this lead.

Time was when automotive advertising images frequently placed an aircraft in the background, especially in the finned era of the 1950's. And why not? Both modes of transportation represented freedom, although of a different kind. The inference was that a pilot would prefer driving a car with in-flight responses and the car owner appreciated the joy of flight. Heck, I did the same thing in the late 1990's when, as a private pilot, I was also writing "he said, she said" test drives for Canada's leading magazine with companion Jody Ness. As a cover shot we had Jody looking pretty with the car, me obscurely in the background in the left seat of a Cessna 172 at Toronto's Island Airport (now renamed City Centre Airport). This week's Automotive Chronicles newsletter features cars from the 1950's and offers a delectable collection of brochures from that era. Worth buying just for the fun of remembering when two-and-three-tone paint was the excitement of the moment.

I'm really annoyed with myself for booking a trip to Toronto while the All British Field Meet is taking place in Vancouver, just a few miles across Georgia Strait from where I live. That'll teach me to pay attention to the calendar! The ABFM advertises itself as "The Greatest Show on British Wheels" and while that may be a slight exaggeration, it is certainly the best in North America, with hundreds of beautiful 4-wheeled Brits coming from all over the Pacific Northwest. The show takes place on Saturday, May 17, at Vancouver's Van Dusen Botanical Garden (itself a lovely destination) and this year will feature the Alvis and MGB. For more on the ABFM, see this Western Driver page.

Meanwhile, I may be lucky enough to spot some of the cars in the 2008 British Car Week, May 31st through June 08. The event is an invitation to all owners of classic British cars to get them out on the road, where the public can appreciate them. Whether it's in a church parking lot, town square, local restaurant, pub, park, shopping mall, or car rally, the intent is to get these cars out of their hiding places and into public view. Although it originated in the US, I'm hopeful that this "happening" has migrated north to Canada, which has always been a hotbed of British car enthusiasm.

Image: Western Driver

As the headline in our image shows, America's finest Italian concours d'elegance is on the move. No, Concorso Italiano is not leaving the beautiful Monterey Bay area but hotel construction adjacent to the Bayonet Black Horse golf course forced organisers to look elsewhere. By dint of much effort and good fortune they've found a new home and it's even better. Thus, in 2008 and beyond, Concorso Italiano will be celebrated ten miles north of Monterey at Marina California Airport.

The advantages of the new locale are several, including a vintage aircraft display. Along with those fabulous Riva speedboats such aircraft can help make this event not just an automotive concours, but a unique celebration of Italian transportation design. Of course, hundreds of classic and contemporary Italian cars will be there, along with the traditional fashion show, music, live commentary, fine food and festive atmosphere that have helped make Concorso Italiano so popular. The date to remember is Friday, August 15, a day that will also honour 45 years of Automobili Lamborghini, 40 years of the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona, and the creations of Marcello Ghandini. I will be arriving in a Piaggio Avanti, the world's fastest (and most elegant) turboprop business aircraft and official aircraft of the Ferrari F1 team.

Ah well, if one dreams, one should dream in Italian!

From the moment I first saw an XK120, followed by a Mark V, then a Mark VII, I fell in love with Jaguar cars. The sheer voluptuous beauty of those curvaceous, elegant lines did it for me. The famous double-overhead-cam six, one of history's great engines, merely added to the romance. Five (later, six) LeMans victories convinced me that Jaguars were the fastest road cars on earth. Test-driving the new E-Type for Track & Traffic magazine was sheer ecstasy.

In spite of a few less-than-perfect moments I'm still a fan, yet I'm disappointed with Jaguar's latest sedan: the XF. It has been described as the most important car in the company's history, another way of saying "if this doesn't work, guys, we're dead." The Jaguar XF replaces the S-Type which, when launched, was widely praised by the automotive press. The S-Type was a modern version of the legendary mid-size Jags of the 60's, arguably the most beautiful production sedans ever created. When the S-Type arrived the world's car writers, including me, wrote lavish reviews. Now (typical of my cheap-date colleagues) they're bad-mouthing the S-Type as being too reminiscent of the company's past. Ian Callum, Jaguar's design director, insists that the new XF was intended to maximize "Jaguarness." Sorry, Ian, but at a glance I'd mistake this for a Japanese luxury car or even a European competitor.

However the current trio of XF, XJ, and XK collectively symbolise what a luxury/sports marque should be. Let's hope its new Indian owners appreciate the meaning of Jaguar's one-time slogan "grace, space, pace" and ignore the car industry's foolish stampede to a car for every niche. Jaguar is a niche.

Well, this could get me back to using snail-mail! The U.S. Postal Service is issuing a second set of automobile stamps as part of its "America on the Move" series. The first set included cars up to 1950; the new set showcases "50s Fins and Chrome." Five 42-cent first-class stamps will be issued, featuring a '57 Chrysler 300C, '57 Lincoln Premiere, '57 Pontiac Safari, '57 Studebaker Golden Hawk, and a '59 Cadillac Eldorado.

A gorgeous collection, for sure, all created by the wonderful Art M. Fitzpatrick, whose paintings were often used as advertising illustrations during the heyday of Detroit Iron. Fitz is now in his 80's, helping prove my personal adage that "you can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old." The collection will be on sale from October 3, 2008.

Links (with thanks) are to the Autoblog stamp gallery.