At the End of Every Rainbow… Aerostar

Corey Lewis
by Corey Lewis

This photo could only be better if there were a leprechaun pouring Skittles on the road, like a corn syrup carpet.

Corey Lewis
Corey Lewis

Interested in lots of cars and their various historical contexts. Started writing articles for TTAC in late 2016, when my first posts were QOTDs. From there I started a few new series like Rare Rides, Buy/Drive/Burn, Abandoned History, and most recently Rare Rides Icons. Operating from a home base in Cincinnati, Ohio, a relative auto journalist dead zone. Many of my articles are prompted by something I'll see on social media that sparks my interest and causes me to research. Finding articles and information from the early days of the internet and beyond that covers the little details lost to time: trim packages, color and wheel choices, interior fabrics. Beyond those, I'm fascinated by automotive industry experiments, both failures and successes. Lately I've taken an interest in AI, and generating "what if" type images for car models long dead. Reincarnating a modern Toyota Paseo, Lincoln Mark IX, or Isuzu Trooper through a text prompt is fun. Fun to post them on Twitter too, and watch people overreact. To that end, the social media I use most is Twitter, @CoreyLewis86. I also contribute pieces for Forbes Wheels and Forbes Home.

More by Corey Lewis

Comments
Join the conversation
9 of 65 comments
  • Stckshft Stckshft on Mar 30, 2017

    Saw the title and thought the author was initially referring to the aircraft of same name. http://www.flyingmag.com/pilot-reports/pistons/aerostar-702p I remember back in the day driving one of these for a pharmaceutical delivery company. Tough as nails and dead reliable with the Vulcan V6. Pretty comfortable too on long hauls.

    • See 1 previous
    • Stckshft Stckshft on Mar 31, 2017

      @Corey Lewis The Aerostar was a heavy piston twin that developed a bad rap for low speed loss of control accidents on final approach. Pilots would fly it like a Baron when it needed to be flown like a King Air. Back to the subject matter... the fleet also had several Astro's on hand. The Astro was ok, but the overall package was crude compared to the Ford. Whereas the Ford would consistently get 21mpg on the highway the GM's would return tops 17mpg. Maybe it was the gearing. On long evening hauls to no man's land to deliver controlled substances to nursing facilities I felt safer in the Aerostar.

  • BigOldChryslers BigOldChryslers on Mar 30, 2017

    Some rainbows have a Chrysler at the end. :) I was driving one of my big old Chryslers down to Chryslers at Carlisle. We drove into a rainstorm on the highway. Both my brother and I witnessed a rainbow terminating on the front of my car! This confirmed what I already knew: there's a pot of gold under the hood of that one.

    • See 1 previous
    • BigOldChryslers BigOldChryslers on Mar 31, 2017

      @bikegoesbaa They weren't leaking oil, they were marking their territory. This was a real rainbow which ended on top of the hood, while I was driving.

  • True_Blue True_Blue on Mar 30, 2017

    Had myself a Vulcan in my 1993 Taurus GL, and my sis had one in her 2001 SE. I did an alternator at 130k, a water pump on hers at 142k, and kept the trans fluid changed on the reg. Used to state "Vulcans are hewn, from the granite in Grant's tomb." It rolls off the tongue.

    • JohnTaurus JohnTaurus on Mar 30, 2017

      I have owned dozens of them, I have much respect and love for it. I put my Vulcans through hell and back. Yes, after like 240k and a severe overheating incident, it finally blew a head gasket in my 1996 Aerostar. Like 8,000 miles later. Try overheating a 22re like that. I promise a ruined engine (cracked block, and/or warped or cracked head guaranteed), and it damn sure won't take 8,000 miles to let you know about it. The Vulcan in that van still ran decently, just the temp gauge went higher than it was supposed to for a bit before it went back down, and you could smell coolant in the exhaust.

  • STS_Endeavour STS_Endeavour on Apr 02, 2017

    My hippie van!!! Should I ever decide to become a hippie.

Next