Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • 198

(fhicago Tribune TIM ON SECTION 12 SUNDAY DECEMBER 30, 2001 AUTOMOTIVE CLASSIFIED INSIDE 1 TT urn i--. fvK I ill rv, -V r-- I if; Photos for the Tribune by Warren Skalski A Boeing PT 17 biplane, also known as a 1941 Stearman.is one of the warbirds on display at the Indiana Aviation Museum. Jim Mateja New rear, price make Aztek more attractive The Pontine Aztek has been transformed from an ugly duckling into, well, a less ugly duckling. Hasn't reached the swan stage, but this is only its second year on the market and it was quite a feat just making the changes that give the sport-utility vehicle more respectability for '02. Can't place all the blame on the Pon-tiac designers, however.

Aztek shares platforms with the Buick Rendezvous sport-ute, and the directive from on high was that Rendezvous be the luxury beauty in keeping with the Buick image and Aztek the performance beast in keeping with Pontiac's character. And that is why Rendezvous has the shapely derriere, Aztek the bulging behind. "The underlying concern with Aztek has been its appearance," GM President and Chief Executive Rick Wagoner told us. "Some love the appearancethough fewer than we hoped." But, as noted, for '02 things have changed. "We've softened the look," Aztek brand manager Jim Vurpillat said in an interview.

The thick, black rubber strip that ran across the hatchback window and was the main gripe, because it drew the eye to the large and tall tailend, has been covered by a body-colored spoiler. Maybe smoke and mirrors, but it works. Also, the thick, multiribbed, gray plastic lower body extensions are now thin, single-ribbed, body-colored extensions. And they sit lower on the panels to be less conspicuous rather than higher, where they looked more menacing. With body-colored plastic extensions, two-tone Azteks are no more, a combo that served only to make the plastic cladding appear overwhelming.

Upfront, those huge, bulging-eye orange marker lamps flanking the hood have been replaced with smaller lamps with clear lenses. Nice touch. And what better way to get people who were turned off in '01 to be turned on for '02 than to lower the base price by $1,500. In addition to the price cut, Pontiac made the removable center console that doubles as a portable cooler stan- LEASE SEE MATEJA, PAGE 10 TEST DRIVE "TVO A Lake Michigan 10 Mats Chica3 KiiTvnond Wo Retired Marine lyboy keeps military planes alive -and aloft at Indiana museum By Mary Beth Klatt Special to the Tribune 1 11 1 p- Chicago National W' cu.oie (m Chesterton Gary V80 I iB0''90 A the latest generation of military jets en gage in a war, a new Indiana museum dis A INDIANA I Schererville i JMerrillville Valparaiso plays the old planes used to train pilots to fight in World War II and the Korean War f- -30 Jf In Valparaiso, the Indiana Aviation St. John PORTER COUNTY Crown.

The museum, at the Porter County (Ind.) Airport, is the work of Jim Read. i Point Porter County Airport's Indiana Aviation Museum LAKE I COUNTY Chicago Tribune Museum facts ft.mmm i 7W 1 F- 11 1 if L'V i Jfe. T-n nt fc.tV. lit Museum is home to mostly military aircraft known as warbirds. There's only one jet and a civilian airplane in this private museum.

The museum's president, Jim Read, 68, has always been fascinated by warbirds. He flew the T-34 trainer and the F-9 Cougar in the Marine Corps from 1953 to 1957. Even after he left the military to enter the family's banking business, he continued to be fascinated by these massive flying machines, attending air shows across the country "It always seemed like the people who had the war-birds got treated better," he observes. "I thought to myself, 'maybe I should get a After he retired from banking, he did. He began with a 1958 T-34B Mentor, which lie found disassembled in a hangar.

He had a friend in the restoration business look at the pieces and learned that the plane was developed in 1948 and produced from 1953 through the late '70s. This particular plane was used by the Marine Corps for a fly ing club at Quantico, Va. Read's friend thought the T-34B was a worthwhile investment, so Read bought the plana That was in 1992. It took four years to restore. "It had a lot of problems.

It was filthy dirty We power blasted and chromated it to look all new on the inside," Read said. In addition, rehabbers installed a lot of new hardware, including new spars, firewall and instruments. "It came back looking like a brand-new aircraft," Read said. Read took the plane out for its first official spin in 1997 at an air show in Lakeland, Fla. Show organizers rolled out the red carpet, so Read began taking the plane to the Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-In in Oshkosh, Wis.

That got him thinking about how he would be treated if he had a bigger warbird. He asked Mark Clark, owner of Courtesy Aircraft in Rockford, to find him that plane. Clark found a 1947 F4U-5N Corsair, a version of the fighter made famous in the television series "Baa Baa Black Sheep." This plane served with the Hon-duran Air Force and saw combat supporting troops in ground attacks in 1969 in El Salvador. It was one of 22 Corsairs flown by Honduras then. The plane was bought by a pair of British collectors, who later sold it to focus on World War II planes.

Read's next acquisition was a 1941 PT-Stearman, a blue and yellow two-seater. "It was the primary trainer used by the Air Force in World War II," he said. Instructors initially would take their students up in a' PLEASE SEE MUSEUM, PAGE 5 Read's P-S1 Mustang Excalibur 4601 Murvihill Valparaiso, at the Porter County Airport U.S. Highway 30 State Road 49 219-548-3123 Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday 1 p.m. -4 p.m. Sunday Other days by appointment Admission: $3 for adults, free for children 12 and younger Ad touts rarest of Fords-the '44 INSIDE TRANSPORTATION A SECOND LOOK Researchers say a sophisticated test could have shown flaws in ill-fated plane. PAGE 3 2002 Pontiac Aztek AWD Wheelbase: 108.3 inches Length: 182.1 inches Engine: 3.4-liter, Transmission: 4-speed automatic Fuel economy: 18 m.p.g. city25 m.p.g.

highway Base price: $22,995 Price as tested: $28,485. Includes $5,055 for option package 1SD with deep tinted glass, cruise control, remote keyless entry, roof rack, front door removable utility packs, overhead console, dual zone air conditioning with pollen filter, security alarm, leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio controls, leather seats, six-way power driverpassenger seat, sliding rear cargo tray, AMFM stereo with single CD player and cassette and 10 speakers; $140 for power sunroof; and $295 for six-disc CD player. Add $550 for freight. Pluses: Smooth, no-jostle ride. Precise handling.

AWD security. Good mileage for an AWD machine. Plenty of surprisedelight touches, from slide-out rear cargo tray for ease of loadingunloading to center console that doubles as removable cooler. Much better styling than the original '01 model. Minuses: Styling much better, but gawky rear end still needs work and that's coming.

Decent price if you pass on the 1 SD package. By Rick Popely Tribune staff reporter By touting its heritage in a television commercial sponsored by Chicago-area dealers, Ford Motor Co. has learned an embarrassing history lesson. The commercial shows a vintage Ford as the voice-over says, "In 1944, Americans trusted Fords as soundly engineered cars," and then segues into shots of current models as the announcer touts zero-percent financing. Later, the voice-over notes, "Whether it's 1944 or 2001, Ford drives America with great cars and great deals," showing another static view of a vintage Ford from a print advertisement.

The history lesson for Ford: There were In recalling Ford's heritage, an ad sponsored by Chicagoland dealers shows this car and talks about a '44 Ford. There were no '44 Fords because automobile production stopped for World War II in 1 942. MONDAY IN CARS Novel interiors make a car your home away from home. MOTORMOUTH PAGE 2 2-WHEEL DRIVE PAGE 6 REBATES PAGE AUTO LOAN RATES PAGE 11 no 1944 models. Like other domestic manufacturers, Ford stopped building cars in January 1942 by federal decree, as the auto industry switched to military production for World War II.

In 1944. Ford was building B-24 bombers, tanks and jeeps. Though those facts escaped Ford and its longtime advertising agency, J. Walter Thompson, it registered with several Tribune readers. "I've been laughing about it for weeks," said John PLEASE SEE FORD, PAGE 7 i ill!.