Another Thanksgiving is upon us. And we hope it brings you a day of family, friends, and feasting.
While we’re more gearheads than foodies here at OnAllCylinders, we figured you may enjoy a 12-course serving of some of America’s finest vehicles on this Day of Thanks. That said, we put together this series of food-inspired automobiles with all the fiiiiixins’ for you to enjoy. Disagree with any of our picks? Have some alternate car cuisine for us to dine upon? Let us know in the comments below.
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The OnAllCylinders 12-Course Thanksgiving Automobile Meal
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1. Hors-d’oeuvres – Crosley Hotshot
Most chefs would say good hors-d’oeuvres should be light, yet pack a punch. That pretty much sums up the Hotshot. Its diminutive size belies the fact that it was a solid performer at the time, culminating in an overall victory at the inaugural Sebring endurance race in 1950.
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2. Amuse-bouche – Meyers Manx
Literally translating from French as “amuses the mouth,” we can think of no better smile-inducing vehicle than the Meyers Manx. The brainchild of off-roader and engineer Bruce Meyers, when you look up “Dune Buggy” in the dictionary, you’ll find a picture of the Manx.
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3. Soup – Pontiac Trans Am
When we hear soup, we think chicken soup. So how about a bowl of “Screamin’ Chicken” soup courtesy of a Pontiac Trans Am. Its iconic hood decal would inspire several copycats and be a recurring theme throughout the 1970s and beyond.
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4. Appetizer – Oldsmobile Rocket 88
A good appetizer makes you hungry for more. And that’s exactly what the Olds Rocket 88 did. Viewed by many as the first muscle car, the Rocket 88 stuffed Oldsmobile’s high compression V8 into the lightweight Olds 76 coupe, establishing the “small car/big engine” recipe that would soon define the segment.
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5. Salad – Jeep Wrangler
What better way to enjoy your leafy greens than in an open-top 4×4. You’ll have no trouble finding ruffage in one of the many generations of the Jeep Wrangler. Born out of the iconic Jeep CJ series, the Wrangler first appeared as the square-headlight YJ in 1987 on its way to becoming the ubiquitous off-roader it is today.
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6. Fish – Plymouth Barracuda
Unless you enjoy Stingray, you options may be limited for this course. Launched in 1964 as a sporty coupe based on the staid Valiant, Plymouth’s fish-named ponycar actually beat the Ford Mustang to the market by a few weeks. And with a little help from an Elephant, the Barracuda has become one of the most coveted cars of the 1960s and 70s.
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7. First Main Course: Tri-Five Chevy
For many folks, the 1955-57 Chevy Bel Airs represent the high water mark for vintage American style. Wearing tailfins and tons of chrome, these cars certainly stand out—and let’s not forget the new-for-1955 Small Block Chevy V8 that you could get under the hood. It’s a feast all on its own.
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8. Palate Cleanser – Lincoln Continental
While the Tri-Five Chevy may be a lesson in excess, the Lincoln Continental (specifically the fourth-gen, 1961-69), was a tad more restrained. Clean, straight lines, a modest dash of chrome, and those oh-so-cool suicide doors are a great transition to our next course.
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9. Second Main Course – Ford GT
Still hungry? With style the mimics the legendary GT40 race cars, Ford’s new GTs can certainly give you something to chew on—like a 550 horsepower V8 (2004-06) or a 650(ish) horsepower twin-turbo V6 (2017+) for starters. With a sub-11 second quarter mile time and 215+ mph top speed, there won’t be much left on your plate here.
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10. Cheese Plate – AMC AMX
We needn’t look anywhere beyond Kenosha, Wisconsin for this one. Available with a 340 horsepower, 390cid V8, AMC hoped its AMX would be a budget Corvette fighter. But alas, tightening federal regulations and rising insurance rates limited the AMX to just three model years, 1968-70 (as a standalone model, anyway).
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11. Dessert – Buick Grand National
A dessert often signals the meal is coming to an end. Which is sort of what the Buick Grand National and its corporate cousins the Monte Carlo SS, Grand Prix 2+2, and Cutlass 442 signified in the late 1980s. These G-body cars were some of the last rear-wheel drive, body-on-frame musclecars to come out of Detroit—turning the page on a massive chapter in GM performance history.
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12. Post-Meal Pastries & Digestifs – Cadillac Eldorado
Eat too much and need to settle into a nice food coma? Well friend, embrace the plush front seats and pillowlike suspension of a 1970s-era luxo-barge and be rocked to sleep by the rumble of a large-displacement American V8. Sweet dreams…
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We hope you enjoyed the meal, and Happy Thanksgiving OnAllCylinders readers!
Excellent! I’m an old car guy with a good old fashion appetite and really enjoyed this. Thanks!