The Jack Russells of General Motors

Back in the early 1960s there was a group of engineers a General Motors that got to make their dreams come true. These were like the Jack Russell Terriers of the automotive engineers. They were the guys that were always wanting to try something different. In kindergarten they probably didn’t color inside the lines! And some things never change.In the early 60s their time had come. There were many unusual buzz words such as rear-engined, turbocharged, overhead cam, air-cooled, and transaxle. At this time Ford Motor Company had introduced the Falcon and Chrysler the Valiant as their small cars. Both were fairly conventional except for size although the Chrysler product did have a slant six engine. Chevrolet had introduced the true radical design for American automobiles, the Corvair. It was a rear-engined car with the engine air-cooled. Yes, there were similarities to the Volkswagen. The flat six cylinder engine produced 80 horsepower initially with up to 180 horsepower in later Spyder models. The models with turbochargers were rather quick and as well although not with a compact like the Corvair. The car would be the F-85, a smaller Olds. It had a variety of engines including an 215 cubic inch displacement aluminum V-8. The Jetfire version sported a turbocharger no doubt borrowed from Corvair Spyder. The engine developed a staggering 215 horsepower, one horsepower per cubic inch! Only the Chrysler 300 had achieved this before. And it could be coupled with a four speed manual transmission. Hardly

grandma’s grocery getter. However, performance was not without problems. The turbocharger tended to overheat. Pontiac Division got into the act with the Tempest. A small car comparable to the Oldsmobile F-85. John Z. DeLorean whose name would become synonymous with Pontiac performance was in chargof development. Due to budgetary constraints DeLorean chose to cut a V-8 engine in half to produce an economical four cylinder engine. The car also had an

innovative curved drive shaft coupled the a two speed automatic transaxle. The Tempest would eventually grow into the legendary GTO. Buick added its Special to the mix being the first production automobile with a standard V-6 engine. While the original versions were rather docile, the later models would morph into the Buick Grand National powered by a 500 horsepower turbocharged V-6. Like Ford’s Model T the car came in only one color, black. It was said to be the fasted

production automobile manufactured in America at that time.

And so it that American car fanciers witnessed four of the most innovative automobiles developed by the American automobile industry.

The Moth that Hovers

We were staying at a hotel about five miles from St Remy-de-Provence in the south of France when I saw it. I was sitting at a small table having afternoon tea when I saw this creature for the first time. The plantings beside the patio were of rosemary, thyme and other herb, with a smattering of flowering plants as well. I thought at first it was a hummingbird. The antennae were the major clue that it was not a hummingbird although it “hummed” like the bird. Its wings beat seventy times per second producing the sound as well as movement, that is flight. And it can fly sideways. Unlike other moths, it flies in daylight.

I was seeing a rare creature for sure, a hummingbird hawk-moth. It is amazing how God made some creatures with a survival mechanism or if you prefer that they evolved with certain characteristics as Darwin would have said. This moth is an insect that appears to be a bird. And that characteristic helps it escape the insect feeders of nature. Its tiny wings (wingspan of about two inches) appear almost invisible as it hovers near a flower. There are actually two pair of wings! It is quite an amazing creature which feeds on the nectar of flowers. When not flying the moth’s camouflage is complete as its color  blends perfectly with tree bark. It does have discriminatory tastes and determines particular flowers by color. It uses a beak-like drinking straw which uncurls to suck out the nectar. This “drinking straw” can be an inch long or as long as one on the hummingbird hawk-moth’s wings. Once the hummingbird hawk-moth discovers a favorite feeding spot it may return to it daily at a preferred time! The honeysuckle being one of its favorites. As a boy I enjoyed the sweetness from the honeysuckle blossom. 

They hatch from eggs as green worms with white stripes. These larvae consume leaves of the plant which held the eggs of the moth. When it reaches a certain size it becomes encased in a silken cocoon. The metamorphosis takes place a the moth emerges and feasts on the leaves of it’s birthplace. The moth will live three weeks to seven months feeding on flowers and pollinating them.

My initial response that I was seeing something other than a hummingbird was correct since hummingbirds exist only in the Americas.