Posted by Dave LaChance - The Fiat 124 Sport Spider and the Alfa Romeo Spider, two Italian twin-cam beauties introduced 50 years ago this year, will be among the special classes at the 11th annual Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car Show, scheduled for Saturday, August 6 at the Saratoga Automobile Museum in Saratoga Springs, New York. They join Jaguar (pre-1992), Porsche 356, Toyota sports cars and GTs (pre-1992), and BMW Motorcycles (pre-1992) as this year's special judged classes. That's in addition to our customary classes: pre-1992 sports c... Read On>> 
Hemmings Find of the Day - 1966 Pontiac Grand Prix Posted by Daniel Strohl - Though this 1966 Pontiac Grand Prix for sale on Hemmings.com didn't originally come with a four-speed, a) it's what the owner wanted, b) it's probably what a good chunk of potential buyers would like as well, c) there's probably plenty of automatic-equipped GPs left in the world, and d) GPs did come with four-speeds from the factory and this one was built using factory parts. Looks like a fun, needs-nothing, Saturday night bruiser. From the seller's description: Factory 421 4 bbl automatic car converted to 4 speed.... Read On>>
Albert Kahn exhibit documents some of the architect's thousands of buildings Posted by Daniel Strohl - Photos courtesy Albert Kahn Associates, Library of Congress. He designed theaters and houses for senators and industry titans. He designed apartments and university buildings. But most people outside of the world of architecture know of Albert Kahn for the massive automobile plants he and his associates created, in the process helping establish Detroit as a city of industry. A new exhibit aims to illustrate - literally - how those monuments to industry came to be. The exact number of buildings attributed to Ka... Read On>>
Million-mile Volvo becomes the AACA Museum's latest acquisition Posted by Kurt Ernst - Seldon Cooper's former 1987 Volvo 240, now a resident of the AACA Museum. Photos courtesy AACA Museum, unless otherwise specified. In September of 2012, Maryland resident Seldon Cooper pulled into Lehman Motors Volvo for the 200th oil change on his 1987 Volvo 240 sedan, turning the odometer past the one-million mile mark in the process. Almost three years later, in June of 2015, the car was donated to dealership, and earlier this month Lehman Motors donated what may be the second-best-known high mileage Volvo in ... Read On>>
When Chevrolet wrote the book, or at least the pamphlet, on performance Posted by Kurt Ernst - The close of the 1970s wasn't exactly the high-water mark for performance cars from American manufacturers, yet that didn't keep automakers from marketing them. In 1979, Chevrolet produced a consumer pamphlet featuring a cover shot of IROC Camaros in competition, with the bold proclamation "From people who know what performance is all about." Inside, the GM division touted its range of models aimed at enthusiast buyers, not all of which have stood the test of time. The Camaro, in Z28 guise, was the starring a... Read On>>
California, 1960s Posted by Daniel Strohl - >From the various reviews online, the 1967 flick "Hot Rods to Hell" probably isn't worth tracking down for the cinematic value, but it does at least offer some decent carspotting, as we see from the above and below stills taken from the movie. Perhaps somebody better versed in B-grade hotrodsploitation movies can tell us more about when and where the movie was filmed, but the latest vehicle we see in the movie's IMCDB page dates to 1966. What do you see here? ... Read On>>
This Day in Automotive History | 3/25/1901: | Daimler introduces the Mercedes at the "Week of Nice" races. | | 3/25/1920: | Walter P. Chrysler quits his jobs managing automotive production at General Motors. | | 3/25/1930: | Larry Shinoda born |
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Upcoming Events Southeast Street Rod Nationals April 1, 2016 - Tampa, FL 52nd Annual Portland Antique Auto Swap Meet April 1, 2016 - Portland, OR Chino Valley, AZ Cruise Night April 1, 2016 - Chino Valley, AZ 2016 Chasing Cars Swap Meet and Cruise In April 1, 2016 - Mount Airy, NC Peerless Motor Car Club National Meet April 1, 2016 - Odessa N. Tampa, FL Goodguys 16th Meguiars Del Mar Nationals - The Best in the West April 1, 2016 - Del Mar, CA Lincoln Spring Swap Meet April 1, 2016 - Lancaster, PA Northeast Wisconsin Motorama April 1, 2016 - Green Bay, WI  | |
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Week in Review Thursday, March 24, 2016 Six decades on, Jaguar to complete production of the XKSS Posted by Kurt Ernst - Jaguar XKSS. Photos courtesy Jaguar Land Rover. On February 12, 1957, a fire began in a tire storage area of Jaguar's Browns Lane plant in Coventry, England, consuming much of the assembly area before being brought under control. Among the cars destroyed by the conflagration were nine XKSS (for XK Super Sport) models, the road-going variant of the legendary Jaguar D-Type, along with the assembly jigs needed to build the cars. Now, nearly six decades later, Jaguar Classic will finish production of the XKSS, comple... Read On>>
Hemmings Find of the Day - 1963 King Midget Series III roadster Posted by Daniel Strohl - Who knew you could get Keystone-style mag wheels for a King Midget, the pride of Athens, Ohio? And they fit on this dressed-up - at least, as dressed-up as a Spartan King Midget can get - 1963 King Midget Series III roadster for sale on Hemmings.com, a car that's been treated to a full restoration and, apparently, a pampered show-going life since then. From the seller's description: Extensive body off nut & bolt restoration, everything rebuilt or new. Bright red w/ white top, red & white interior, mag wheel... Read On>>
Plans call for transforming Iowa airport into quarter-mile dragstrip Posted by Daniel Strohl - Image courtesy Google Maps. Other than a nine-hole golf course and Interstate 29, there's not much around the former Onawa Municipal Airport - just a long strip of concrete in the middle of the Iowa cornfields - which makes it just about ideal for a dragstrip, say supporters who hope to bring quarter-mile racing there later this year. Commissioned in April of 1959 and operated for the last 20 years by the city of Onawa, which lies about a hard stone's throw from the Nebraska border, the airport with its sole 3... Read On>>
Presenting the Hemmings $25,000 Editor's Choice Challenge Posted by Kurt Ernst - The $5,000 Challenge was started as a way to prove that the collector car hobby can still have an affordable point of entry, but it highlights a mere fraction of the cars we have for sale in our classifieds. Worse, perhaps, was that the choices came from a single editor's perspective, which got the aforementioned editor thinking about ways to diversify the "challenge" series. Below is the net result, something we're calling the $25,000 Editor's Choice Challenge. Opened up to our magazine and online editors, the p... Read On>>
Behind the Bucktooth: Buick's monstrous 1950-only grille Posted by Matt Litwin - 1950 Buick grille; image by the author. If 1949 was the year that put Buick at the forefront of elegant, modern, postwar design, then 1950 has to be the year that should have seen--if anything--mild facelifts that only improved the new look from Flint. This, in fact, happened to some degree, as is often the case when a complete redesign is a few years into the future. But of all the mechanical advancements and visual updates that appeared, it was the new face of Buick that stole the headlines. Upon introduction, the... Read On>>
Las Vegas, 1955 and 1960 Posted by Daniel Strohl - We're sure it's no coincidence that Vintage Las Vegas posted two collections including shots of the Silver Slipper Saloon in quick succession recently, and as it just so happens, both feature a decent selection of cars parked out front. Above, we see a snap from 1960 as somebody was cruising the Strip, and below a similar Strip-cruise shot from 1955. What do you see here? ... Read On>>
Wednesday, March 23, 2016 Ford, Shelby and Hertz celebrate the G.T.350H's golden anniversary with new Mustang GT-H rental car Posted by Kurt Ernst - Three generations of Ford Shelby Rent-A-Racers. Photos courtesy Ford Motor Company, unless otherwise noted. In 1966, Carroll Shelby struck a deal with rental car giant Hertz to build a fleet of "Rent-A-Racer" Shelby American-tuned Mustangs, labeled as the G.T.350H. The move helped to make Shelby a household name (among car enthusiasts, anyway), and 40 years later, a new Mustang GT-H helped to launch the next generation of Shelby-tuned Mustangs. For the 50th anniversary of the original Shelby G.T.350H, Ford, Shelb... Read On>>
Hemmings Find of the Day - 1964 Chrysler 300-K Posted by Kurt Ernst - Described in period literature as "Chrysler's fiery-spirited full-size sports car," the 1964 Chrysler 300-K was targeted towards discerning buyers looking for a blend of performance, luxury and style. A significant reduction in price (nearly 22-percent) from the previous year's 300-J helped to drive sales, and Chrysler produced 3,022 two-door hardtops for the model year, as well as 625 new-for-1964 convertibles. This 1964 Chrysler 300-K two-door hardtop, for sale on Hemmings.com, comes with day-two touches like... Read On>>
Fan-restored "Back to the Future" De Lorean finds permanent home Posted by Daniel Strohl - Photos courtesy Petersen Automotive Museum. For the first time starting next month, fans of the Back to the Future film series can get up close and personal with one of the most famous movie and TV cars without going through a Universal theme park when the fan-restored De Lorean from the movies goes on permanent loan to the Petersen Automotive Museum. One of three cars built for the 1985 film that kicked off the series, the A-car De Lorean - designed and built by a Universal Studios crew that includedart dep... Read On>>
AACA Museum to host tour of Italy Posted by Kurt Ernst - The Maserati Museum in Modena. Photos courtesy International Expeditions, unless otherwise specified. If one could put together the ultimate car-lover's vacation, what would it include? Tours of private car collections, including automobiles that have appeared at Pebble Beach and Villa d'Este? A tour of several automakers' own museums, perhaps with a factory visit or two? A bit of culture and sightseeing for the significant other who may not have the same passion for automobiles that we enjoy? If the answer to al... Read On>>
A history of Volvo, as told through its concept cars Posted by Hemmings contributor - Story and photos by Ronan Glon. Editor's Note: Ronan Glon of Ran When Parked recently took in the Volvo Museum and sent us this piece on the various concept cars housed there. Volvo's first-ever concept car was the Venus Bilo, a highly aerodynamic sedan that debuted at a private event held in Sweden in 1933. Motorists never warmed up to the design, so the project was quickly canceled, and the Bilo was eventually purchased by a Danish scrapyard owner who converted it into a pickup and drove it into the ground.... Read On>>
Amsterdam, 1970s Posted by Daniel Strohl - We haven't traveled to Europe much lately, so let's fix that with today's carspotting scene, which we came across over on the Gemeente Amsterdam Stadsarchief and which depicts the intersection of Haarlemmerplein and Marnixstraat, as seen from the Haarlemmerpoort. No date affixed to the photo, so let's try to pin one down by identifying the cars. What do you see here? ... Read On>>
Tuesday, March 22, 2016 Pair of events to showcase Fisher Body Craftsman's Guild cars Posted by Daniel Strohl - GM Media photo. Members and fans of the Fisher Body Craftsman's Guild used to have to wait four or five years between public gatherings dedicated to the vehicle design contests, the boys (now men) who participated in them, and the wildly imaginative models that resulted, but this year will see two such gatherings spaced just months apart. Of the two, one - scheduled to take place during this year's Art Center College of Design's Art Center Classic - is considered a full-fledged reunion, while the second - whic... Read On>>
Hemmings Find of the Day - 1951 Nash Statesman Super Posted by Kurt Ernst - Every car has a story, and we can't help wonder about the tale behind this 1951 Nash Statesman Super, for sale on Hemmings.com. The Nash Statesman wasn't a limited-production car, nor was it the kind of automobile likely to turn neighbors green with envy. Why, then, would someone buy Nash's sensible midsize sedan and not drive it? As described by the seller, the car is all original, with a mere 305 miles on the odometer, and appearance-wise, it's hard to refute the claim. Sure, we suppose the car could have been car... Read On>>
New Classic RS Cup vintage racing series recalls the debut of IROC Posted by Kurt Ernst - Peter Revson's 1973-'74 IROC Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RSR. Photo by Brian Henniker, courtesy of Gooding & Company. The International Race of Champions (IROC) debuted in October of 1973, pitting star drivers from various forms of motorsport against one another in identically prepared Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 RSRs. The Classic RS Cup, a new series developed by Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) and promoted by Jochen Mass, will pay tribute to IROC's inaugural year with a series of five races devoted exclusively to... Read On>>
Ford Motor Company Worldwide Employee Badges, ID Cards, Passes & Permits Posted by Daniel Beaudry - Since 1912, employees of Ford Motor Company have been required to wear badgesfirst made of metal and later of plasticthat identified them and indicated what plant and department they worked in. Now, the Early Ford V-8 Foundation has published the first reference designed to help FoMoCo fans identify the badges and other forms of I.D. used by Ford through the years. This well-organized, thoroughly researched, 250-page,8.5 x 11-inch volume is the result of the substantial efforts of Jim Krucki, Ke... Read On>>
Eighties Excitement: Pontiac's 1986 full-line brochure, 30 years later Posted by Mark J. McCourt - Images are from the brochure collection of Hemmings Motor News Devoted fans of GM's Pontiac Motor Division still mourn the 2010 death of the 83-year-old brand, an unfortunate result of the company's 2009 bankruptcy. Many felt Pontiac's last offerings, which included the G8 and Solstice, had great potential as unique sporting vehicles. With this in mind, it's interesting to look back 30 years to 1986, when Pontiac had a very full lineup that was in a state of flux. There were some old-fashioned, late-1970s-style c... Read On>>
Hartford, Connecticut, 1960s Posted by Daniel Strohl - We've seen on-street parking in the series of Hartford street scenes provided to us by Joe Sokola in the past, so why do these two show such a premium for off-street parking and absolutely zero on-street? One of many questions to ponder, including those of dates (sometime in the Sixties, we know), and locations (DePasquale's below was apparently on Market Street, according to commenters on a previous Hartford street scene). So what do you see here? ... Read On>>
Monday, March 21, 2016 An American abroad: Tucker 1049 heads to auction in Monaco Posted by Kurt Ernst - Tucker 48 chassis 1049. Photos by Tom Gidden, courtesy RM Sotheby's. With just 50 examples completed before the factory was shuttered for good, an original Tucker 48 is a rare automobile by anyone's standards. Rarer still is a Tucker 48 living outside the United States, since the once-neglected prototypes have become coveted cars among American collectors, but on May 14 chassis 1049, a Waltz Blue Tucker 48 currently owned by a British enthusiast, will cross the auction stage at RM Sotheby's sale in Monaco. ... Read On>>
Hemmings Find of the Day - 1957 DKW Schnellaster Kastenwagen Posted by Kurt Ernst - Aimed at commercial customers, DKW's Schnellaster series came in a variety of formats, ranging from compact pickups though panel vans. Window vans, like this 1957 DKW Schnellaster Kastenwagen 3=6, for sale on Hemmings.com, were also part of the lineup, though not many made their way to these shores (in fact, this is the first window van we remember seeing in our classifieds). Like most of the others (discounting special electric powered variants), this Schnellaster comes with the "3=6" two-stroke three-cylinder en... Read On>>
Roger Penske to receive prestigious Argetsinger Award Posted by Jim Donnelly - It's been 50 years since Team Penske, as it's known today, first came into existence. That's one number you need to know. The others are 16, for the number of Indianapolis 500 wins it can claim; 170, its total number of IndyCar wins; 13, its number of season championships in American open-wheel racing; 28, for its total number of series championships in a variety of disciplines; and you can also throw in a pair of Daytona 500 wins and a NASCAR Sprint Cup title. The race teams that Roger Penske organized have w... Read On>>
Trinkets, doodads and geegaws for display... forever Posted by Thomas A. DeMauro - Here are just a few examples of the things I've acquired over the years. Photography by author. Over the past few years I've blogged about vintage tools, dash gauges, and other car parts that could be collected to use for their intended purpose in a car or simply displayed to invoke feelings of nostalgia in those who view them. Their dual purpose has always interested me and it keeps me searching for more. This time, however, the subject matter will be a little different, as you may have surmised from the title. ... Read On>>
14 tips for buying vintage car parts online Posted by Thomas A. DeMauro - Photos by author. Buying a used anything that you haven't actually held in your hands, from a seller that you don't really know, can be a daunting proposition. Yet, since we can't have a swap meet in our backyard each weekend, and most times the parts we desire for our vintage cars are hundreds of miles away, we roll the dice and hope for the best, in an effort to get our projects finished. If you've found yourself participating in an online treasure hunt, wading through auction listings and/or classifieds in ... Read On>>
Boston, 1980s Posted by Daniel Strohl - While the Boston Public Library has these two Spencer Grant photos of Boston's Central Artery dated to the mid-1970s, a quick scan shows that they're at least from the following decade, which makes for a great followup to yesterday's 1980s carspotting photo. Boston's Big Dig erased the Central Artery from the map, so instead of determining a location for the photos, let's instead try to ID all the cars and trucks on the Artery. What do you see here? ... Read On>>
Sunday, March 20, 2016 Four-Links - first Porsche, first Sebring, first street sweepers, last Studebakers Posted by Daniel Strohl - Other vehicles designed and built by Ferdinand Porsche going back to the turn of the century have adopted the Porsche name in the years since, but the first to actually wear the Porsche name, according to Ronan Glon at Ran When Parked, was the 1948 Type 356, a mid-engine prototype of what would eventually become the production 356, and a car that Ronan recently photographed in the Porsche museum. * While we're on the topic of firsts, the Tampa Tribune recently took a look back at the first Sebring race, which... Read On>>
Hemmings Find of the Day - 1935 Morgan Super Sports barrelback replica Posted by Daniel Strohl - "Hoot to drive" should really be in every old car listing, unless it's something we all take for granted, in which case, we have this replica 1935 Morgan Super Sports barrelback for sale on Hemmings.com to remind us that's what the hobby is all about. Besides, how else would one describe a Harley-powered right-hand drive three-wheeled roadster? From the seller's description: It has some modifications from original. It has a V twin Harley-Davidson engine, with a three speed transmission. The upper sheet metal is mac... Read On>>
Hemmings Sunday Cinema - tsunami Corolla restored, 'round-the-world Model T, Roma Violenta Posted by Daniel Strohl - Out of the recent spate of stories about the five-year anniversary of the tsunami that hit Japan came this rather special one, highlighted by Japanese Nostalgic Car, about a one-owner unrestored 1971 Toyota Corolla 1400SR that the tsnuami damaged. Thanks to fellow old-car owners, the Corolla has since been restored for its original owner and is now back on the road. * Dirk and Trudy Regter of the Netherlands decided to take a trip but couldn't decide where, so they decided to see the entire world from behind the ... Read On>>
Hemmings Find of the Day - 2002 Dodge Viper RT/10 Posted by Kurt Ernst - >From a strictly financial perspective, the Dodge Viper is a car that never should have been built. Expensive to produce and targeted to an audience optimistically described as "limited," the Viper was never meant to be anything other than a halo performance car for Dodge. Killed off in 2010, the Viper was reborn in 2013, only to be slated for the chopping block again in 2017. All pre-2013 Vipers come powered by an 8.0-liter V-10 engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission, with 2002 RT/10 models like this one, f... Read On>>
LAST WEEK'S MOST READ1952 Pegaso Z-102 Cupola takes Best in Show Concours de Sport at Amelia Island Posted by Kurt Ernst - 1952 Pegaso Z-102 Cupola. Photos by Richard Lentinello, unless otherwise indicated. Best known for producing trucks and buses, Spanish automaker Pegaso also built high-end sports cars from 1951-'58. The exact quantity produced (believed to be 80) remains something of a mystery, but only two "Cupola" models, with a distinctive and oversize rear window, side exhausts and partially skirted fenders, were ever built. Of these, chassis 0102 150 0121, a car first shown at the 1953 New York Motor Show, is the sole surviv... Read On>>
LAST WEEK'S BEST DISCUSSIONNot worth keeping around to restore: the "murder AMX" Posted by Hemmings contributor - I don't know how many of you believe in ghosts, or care, but sometimes there is a story worth telling. This '73 AMX Pierre Cardin is known as "the murder AMX," as its owner was killed in a garage, body dumped in the car and thrown in the bayou. Three guys were convicted of the murder in Harris County, Texas. I owned it in the late 1980s and bought it from the widow. It has several big caliber bullet holes in it. When I got it home, I was freaked out by the car, which smelled of blood. I sold it 1-1/2 hours after... Read On>> |
