One-hundred and fifteen years ago, with automotive fever sweeping the country and car manufacturers looking to stand out from the crowd, three Indiana communities were preparing to host the greatest automobile race that the “west” had ever seen.

No, it wasn’t the Indianapolis 500. The first running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Sports” was two years and 135 miles away. 

It was 1909, and northwest Indiana was gearing up for its own version of the East Coast’s famed Vanderbilt Cup. Chicago investor, entrepreneur, and auto enthusiast Ira Cobe, president of the Chicago Automobile Club, admired the success of the Vanderbilt road races, which were held annually from 1904 to 1910 on New York’s Long Island. Cobe wanted to bring that excitement to the Windy City, but when it became apparent that Chicago’s heavily traveled railroad lines impeded the design of a safe road course, Cobe looked to neighboring communities for help. Residents of Crown Point, Lowell, and Cedar Lake, located just across the state line in Lake County, Indiana, raised their collective hands.

A deal was struck after Cobe promised to make road improvements, and the Cobe Cup was born. Technically called the Western Stock Chassis Races, the weekend event actually consisted of two races: The 232-mile Indiana Trophy, open to automobiles with engine displacements of less than 300 cubic inches, was set for Saturday, June 18, followed by the 396-mile Cobe Cup, open to larger-displacement engines, on Sunday, June 19.

Preparations

With help from Ira Cobe’s Chicago Automobile Club, a 23.37-mile course was mapped out along Lake County roads and small-town streets. It included an S curve, some hairpin turns, and two long straightaways: a 5.7-mile stretch between Cedar Lake and Lowell, and a 7.1-mile section to the start-finish line near Crown Point. The course was held entirely on unpaved roads, most of which were essentially loose gravel covered in tar. Although the conditions weren’t exactly ideal, they were seemingly perfect for what the Chicago Examiner referred to as “bronzed and brawny men, nerves stretched to the utmost tension, anxiously awaiting the sound of the starter’s pistol, which will send them on their perilous, nerve-racking, and history-making drive.”

According to longtime Lake County historian Richard Schmal, whose father, Fred, owned a hotel in Crown Point and hosted race fans during the event, two walking bridges were constructed over the raceway, along with an even larger viaduct for horses. “Owing to the immense crowd of people and autos,” a notice in The Lowell Tribune warned, “it will be found necessary to blindfold horses coming in from the country, especially when crossing the viaducts.” 

A large grandstand was built near the start-finish line in Crown Point, along with press boxes and a staging/pit area, while two smaller grandstands were constructed in Lowell. 

“The (Crown Point) stand was an immense structure in length: 864 feet, in depth: 60 feet, and in height: about 25 feet,” Rev. Timothy Ball wrote in a letter that was later shared in Richard Schmal’s weekly “Pioneer History” column in the Lowell Tribune. “The number of seats: 10,000. Amount of lumber used: 400,000 feet (with) 59 kegs of nails. Contract price for construction: $10,000.”

Advertisements promised patrons that the bleacher seats were “free from the dangerous racing machines … with a two-mile view each way.” Cost of admission was $2, equal to nearly $65 today.

Nine telegraph stations were built to relay standings from one checkpoint to another, and National Guard soldiers were stationed at 40 locations along the route.

With large crowds expected, round-trip train tickets were offered from Chicago, about 50 miles away, aboard the Pennsylvania Railroad. Hotel rooms could be had for $4 a night, and guests could rent chairs to sit on the front porch and watch the races. Farmers offered hitching posts for horse teams, at 35 cents each, and locals looked to make a killing by selling a variety of concessions in and around the grandstands.

“Three hundred men, women, and boys will be ready to pass out 400,000 sandwiches to the automobilists,” The Lake County Times wrote. “There will be no necessity under the present arrangement for anyone leaving his seat in the grandstand during the races, because lunches will be served them at any time.”

The day before the first race, the Times gave a preview of what attendees could expect. “It will be the greatest thing ever seen in the west, and the town and countryside quivers with excitement … You will see a faint tremulous speck in the distance. A red flag flutters in the breeze. You hear the cry ‘car coming,’ and in your veins—as you see the speck get larger and larger, swerving from side to side—the blood burns and the thrill of expectancy grows on you. Nearer and nearer comes the wicked looking machine, half in the air, hurtling, leaping, shaking, containing two weird, goggle-eyed dusty demons strapped in, hanging on for dear life. It hurricanes along in a cloud of dust, spitting like musketry and bounding toward you. The earth vibrates as the demon car hurls itself on, palpitating, swerving from side to side, growning, rattling, chug-chugging and coughing, and you hold your breath as the cheering from thousands rocks the air.”

Race Day Reality

Surprisingly, as the sun rose on race day and the cars got underway, the grandstands were nearly empty. Perhaps the newspapers, despite playing up the thrill of the action, were to blame, scaring away fans by questioning whether there would be enough food and rooms to accommodate the expected throng. Elmer Ragon, editor of the The Lowell Tribune, certainly thought so, and he lamented that fewer than 50,000 people attended both races.

The Lake County Times, perhaps stretching the truth a bit, reported that the towering Crown Point grandstand “held a single paying customer and a brass band.” Another story claimed, “All the grandstands were crowded—with emptiness.”

Maybe there was a lack of paying customers simply because they realized they could watch the race from other points along the course—for free, and in the shade. Instead of paying $2 to sit in undercovered grandstands and purchase the food and drink on sale, many decided to park, sleep, and picnic along the race course, where trees provided shade and, for some, a better view high in the branches.

Different Story on the Track

Although attendance was a disappointment, the competition in the two races was not. In Saturday’s Indiana Cup, Joe Matson was the last of 19 drivers to launch from the starting line—cars started at one-minute intervals—but when the dust and smoke cleared, his 25.6-horsepower Chalmers-Detroit Bluebird placed first. Matson, who the newspapers referred to as the “Durable Dane,” completed 10 laps in 4 hours, 31 minutes, 21 seconds, an average of 51.5 mph. He also had a top speed of 78 mph. (Earlier in the week, Matson scared the living daylights out of Chicago Examiner reporter Delaney Holden, who occupied the mechanic’s seat during an exhibition run, an experience Holden vowed never to repeat.)

A dozen drivers took part in Sunday’s race for the Cobe Cup Trophy, which included cars built by Buick, Apperson, Fiat, Knox, Locomobile, and Stoddard-Dayton. Again, the final race car off the line also became the champion. Louis Chevrolet, who the press nicknamed the “Demon Frenchman,” drove his Buick to victory, covering nearly 400 miles in 8 hours, 1 minute, 30 seconds. He finished just 1 minute, 5 seconds ahead of Billy Borque’s Knox. 

(Two years later, on November 3, 1911, Chevrolet co-founded the Chevrolet Motor Car Company with his brother Arthur Chevrolet, William C. Durant, and investment partners William Little and Dr. Edwin R. Campbell.)

The Cobe Cup course was in such rough shape during the second race that every one of the larger cars averaged less than 50 mph. Chevrolet managed to push his Buick over 80 mph on one stretch, but he had to overcome a blown cylinder to hold off Borque, a feat that the Chicago Examiner applauded by declaring that Chevrolet “won the race on his nerve.”

“The race was run over roads that were in terrible condition,” the newspaper reported. “There were patches on the course that were hardly in shape for travel, and yet the dozen daredevil drivers who faced the starter willingly took their lives in their hands and sent their cars tearing around the course at mile-a-minute speed, turning sharp corners and ploughing [sic] up the rough places with never a thought of the danger that was theirs.”

Driver Herbert Lytle, whose Apperson broke a rear spring and completed only 11 of the 17 laps, told the Chicago Daily News: “The course is in awful shape for a short stretch. If I could have saved the machine in any sort of shape I would have kept running on three springs. [One spot on the course is so bad that] all the cars are slowing up as they strike their running gear … Other parts of the course are fine. This bad spot must be built over if the race is to be run again.”

The Lake County Star didn’t mince words about a potential return. A headline on the front page trumpeted: “THE GREAT RACES ARE OVER. The Crowds Have Dispersed. Thank God.”

A Change of Venue

With the lack of paying customers, promoters lost an estimated $25,000–$40,000 (about $780,000–$1,262,000 today). Although Cobe stated publicly that he planned to give the Cobe Cup another go in Lake County—“I believe we can repeat our races next year … We are going ahead with our preparations”—he soon changed his mind. The Indianapolis News reported in October 1909 that the Crown Point grandstand was being torn down. The newspaper added that the new Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which opened in August 1909, was interested in the lumber.

The Chicago Automobile Club later announced that it would move the Cobe Cup to Indy for 1910. Joe Dawson, driving a Marmon, averaged 73.423 mph and won the 200-mile race, which was held on Independence Day.

The following year, the Indianapolis 500 was held for the first time, and the Cobe Cup was no more.

Indiana Remembers

It has been more than a century since Indiana hosted its first major car race, and although the later Indy 500 has received much more fame and adulation, the three Lake County communities have never forgotten the Cobe Cup. In fact, the Regional Streeters Car Club will retrace the original racecourse when it hosts the commemorative Cobe Cup Car Cruise on Saturday, May 25, the day before the 108th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Sports.

“It isn’t exactly the same route,” says first-year Regional Streeters president Bob Schroader, “but it’s close.”

The cruise doubles as a fundraiser for local charities. Beneficiaries have included Shriner’s Children’s Hospital in Chicago, automotive education scholarships, Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, and Community Health Network’s “Buddy Bags” program, which provides school children take-home meals on weekends.

Last year’s Cobe Cup Cruise included 105 cars, up from 80 the previous year. That’s an encouraging sign for Schroader, who is hoping to add younger members to the club’s membership. While Bob owns a 1947 Ford F1 pickup, and his wife, Susan, the club’s secretary, owns a 1979 Chevrolet El Camino, they say classic car ownership is not a requirement to join the club.

“If you enjoy them and want to be part of it,” Bob says, “we’d love to have you.”

The Schroaders say the annual Cobe Cup Car Cruise requires the cooperation of the Crown Point, Lowell, and Cedar Lake Police Departments, as well as the Lake County Sheriff’s Department and all three communities.

As the 1909 Cobe Cup proved, it takes a village. Or, in this case, three.

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Visitors to Detroit for the 2024 NFL Draft this month will likely amazed (or confused) by the enormous Uniroyal tire sitting on the south side of Interstate 94 in Allen Park, not far from the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. It’s a sight Detroit commuters have viewed since 1966. Even Detroiters may not know, however, that the tire made its first appearance at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. April 22 marked the 60th anniversary of opening day, so we’re resharing the tale of the tire, published here originally in July of 2022, for that reason. –Ed.

If you’ve driven past the giant Uniroyal tire alongside I-94 near Detroit, you know it’s a big wheel. A very big wheel. It’s so unusual that celebrities are drawn to it. Fantastical stories have been told about it (no, it never rolled onto the freeway). A book was written about it. Yet, while an estimated 100,000 or so cars pass the landmark every day, it’s likely that many of the drivers have little or no idea of how it came to be.

The giant tire was created for the 1964–65 New York World’s Fair, not as the 80-foot-tall billboard it is now, but as a Ferris wheel. It was originally part of a static design that featured a tire wrapped around a globe, meant to symbolize the automotive boom of the early 1960s. World’s Fair officials ultimately decided to use the globe by itself as the event’s central figure, calling the steel structure the Unisphere (it still stands in Flushing Meadows).

They didn’t give up on the tire idea, however. Conceptual drawings were created of a unique Ferris wheel—appropriate, considering that George Washington Gale Ferris debuted his famous invention at the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893. Designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, the same architectural firm behind the Empire State Building, the towering New York World’s Fair Ferris wheel was shopped around to tire companies. U.S. Rubber bought in, but only after it was guaranteed exclusivity as the only Ferris wheel at the event. The tire originally read “US Royal Tires” and included 24 barrel-shaped gondolas that could carry four passengers each. Among the 2 million fairgoers who enjoyed the picturesque ride were Jacqueline Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, John F. Kennedy Jr., actor Telly Savalas, and the Shah of Iran.

At the end of the fair’s second six-month season in October 1965, the giant tire was offered to anyone willing to dismantle it and haul it away. U.S. Rubber found no takers, so it decided to gut the Ferris wheel components and place the outer structure near its headquarters along I-94 between the Detroit Metropolitan Airport and the Motor City. As Steven J. Frey, author of The Giant Tire – From New York’s World Fair to Detroit Landmark, told Michigan’s Press & Guide last year, the tire company really didn’t have much choice in the matter—and not only because World’s Fair exhibitors were contractually obligated to disassemble or demolish their structures.

“They tried very hard to give it away,” Frey said. “Can you imagine the publicity disaster if the world’s largest tire went to a landfill? So, they decided if they can’t give it away, they have to keep it.”

The tire was shipped to Allen Park in 116 sections, loaded onto 22 railroad cars, and reassembled in 1966.

Although it looks like a giant rubber tire, the 12-ton structure is constructed of steel and polyester resin with a fiberglass surface. Of course, that hasn’t stopped people from trying to “deflate” it, as arrows have been removed from time to time. Uniroyal even stuck an 11-foot, 250-pound “nail” into the tire in 1998 to promote its self-repairing tires. When the nail was removed five years later, a real estate agent bought it for $3000 and used it to promote his business.

The tire sits on a structure supported by pylons set 15 feet into the ground, and the pedestal is surrounding by fencing. The tire, by the way, is not round—it’s flat at the bottom where it attaches to the base, further dispelling the 1974 hoax that it had rolled onto I-94.

The tire’s wheel/hub design and lettering have changed only slightly over the years, as U.S. Rubber became Uniroyal and then merged briefly with BFGoodrich before the Uniroyal brand was acquired by Michelin. It sits on property now owned by Baker College; sale of the land was contingent upon Baker promising to keep the tire right where it is.

To say that the Uniroyal tire is a celebrity is a bit of an understatement. It has been featured on products ranging from official World’s Fair toys to Christmas ornaments and can even be seen in music videos like “Silly Love Songs,” released by Paul McCartney and Wings in 1976, and Kid Rock’s “Roll On” in 2008.

McCartney first saw the tire when the Beatles opened their 1965 U.S. Tour at Shea Stadium in Queens, not far from the World’s Fair. For security reasons, the wildly popular Fab Four took a helicopter to the fair’s Port Authority Heliport, then rode inside a Wells Fargo armored truck to the stadium. Though the concert became legendary, McCartney never forgot the tire, which he only saw from a distance. When Wings made a tour stop in Detroit in ’76, McCartney and the band just had to check it out.

Similarly, when Super Bowl XL was played at Detroit Ford Field in 2006, members of the Seattle Seahawks asked to visit the tire too.

As the Detroit News so wistfully wrote in 2015, once upon a time Uniroyal plants in Detroit employed 10,000 workers who produced 60,000 tires a day, but now “the plants and corporate building are gone. The tire endures.”

In our hearts, in our minds, and alongside I-94.

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Much has changed since we first learned about the amazing Anthony Schmidt in 2020. He is older now, of course, all of 16. He treasures his driver’s license, owns two classic cars, slicks back his dark hair, enjoys wearing leather jackets and sunglasses, and has seen his fame rise right along with his height. Anthony is no longer just a local celebrity in and around his hometown of Woodinville, Washington; he now has nearly 750,000 followers on Facebook, and 250,000 on Instagram.

The teenager never asked for any of this, but when you have an obsession that runs deep and reveals talent that few others possess, it’s difficult to avoid the limelight. Anthony has autism, a developmental disorder that, in his case, makes him hyper-focused on what interests him. And what interests him most are cars and photography. He’s skillfully meshed the two passions through his use of forced perspective photography, a technique that turns Anthony’s extensive collection of die-cast miniature cars into images that appear real.

The secret behind his realistic optical illusions?

“It’s because of his autism that he’s able to do this,” his mother, Ramona Schmidt, told People magazine. “His visual perception is off the charts whenever it’s tested. People with autism are visual thinkers and very detailed people. It’s an advantage for him. And the photography is such a good boost for his self-esteem.”

Ramona Schmidt also points out that people with autism can be more awkward in social settings, and some (like Anthony) suffer from misophonia—a severe sensitivity to specific soft sounds, like hearing others chew or rustle paper. Anthony sometimes wears headphones to deal with the disorder.

“Imagine what it’s like for him at school,” his mother says on Facebook. “… Imagine eating in the cafeteria, gum chewing. Everything that’s perfectly normal and common in school becomes excruciating. Of all the things he has to cope with, this one is the one I wish I could take away from him.”

Anthony has always overcome obstacles, and he continues to do so. Every day he painstakingly modifies his model cars (if he wants them to look like barn finds) and meticulously places them in settings that make them appear life-sized, using only an iPhone for photography. Nothing is photoshopped. 

His hobby has blossomed into a web-based business in which he sells calendars, books, clothing, postcards, and prints at anthonyschmidtphotography.com. You can also follow his work on Facebook and Instagram.

Anthony’s photography has become so popular that, in addition to his real-life 1959 Studebaker Silver Hawk, he received a 1957 Ford Custom 300, nicknamed “Betty,” from a gentleman named Greg Wilkinson. Wilkinson, who was also diagnosed with autism at a young age, was so moved by Anthony’s photography that he gifted him the Ford.

Then, last Halloween, Anthony met musician Craig Martin at a Trunk or Treat event where Martin was showing his black 1987 Buick Grand National. Martin’s grandson has autism, so he and Anthony immediately connected. Martin offered to write a song to accompany Anthony’s photography for online posting.

“He sent me the first mix of the song, and I nearly fell off my chair,” Ramona Schmidt shared in the video description of “Here I Am … I Am Me” on YouTube. “It was so much more than I ever expected. The quality of the vocals and the music itself are amazing, but the subject matter is so heartfelt and moving and describes Anthony perfectly, even mentioning his ’57 Ford and Silver Hawk. Anthony got a huge kick out of that part.”

Martin called it “probably the hardest song I’ve ever written with a pre-determined subject matter. Especially trying to say something through the eyes of Anthony or my grandson, Peyton. I’m not them and I can only speculate how they might view life around them. At times, when I was recording and mixing this song, I would get choked up.”

Anthony’s amazing story and incredible talent have the same effect on us. You can be sure you haven’t heard the last of this talented automotive photographer.

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April 17 marks sixty years since the Ford Mustang’s public debut at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. The original pony car immediately became a pop-culture and automotive phenom, and it remains one of the most impactful cars in history. We’re celebrating with stories of the events surrounding the Mustang’s launch, the history of the early cars, and tales from owners. Click here to follow along with our multi-week 60 Years of Mustang coverage. —Ed.

The beauty of celebrating an automotive icon like the Ford Mustang is there are more historic moments to commemorate and significant places to visit than there are candles on the pony car’s birthday cake. As the Mustang turns 60 on April 17, enthusiasts have plenty of opportunities to pay proper homage.

Of course, there are many impressive museums out there to whet your Mustang appetite—including The Henry Ford, the Gilmore Car Museum, the Mustang Owners Museum, and the Mustang Museum of America. And the Flat Rock Assembly Plant, which manufactures current Mustangs, offers a potential photo op with your ride (although the last time we checked there were no tours).

If you’re looking for something a little different, however, here are some suggested destinations where Mustang history was made. Some of them don’t look like they used to, so keep an eye out for ghosts of Mustangs past.

1964–65 New York World’s Fair site

Although the public unveiling of the Mustang was held on April 17, 1964—which is considered the official birthdate of the car—members of the press were given a sneak peek three days earlier. Both showings were held in front of the Ford Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair. Although the Fair featured 140 pavilions and 110 restaurants during its two summers at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, few of the original structures remain. Skeletons include the New York State Pavilion, a pair of towers topped with circular observation platforms (they are no longer operational); the roofless Tent of Tomorrow pavilion; and the iconic Unisphere, a 120-foot-tall stainless-steel globe. (If you’re in the Detroit area, you can get a taste of the ’64–65 World’s Fair by checking out the giant Uniroyal tire that was originally a Ferris Wheel.)

Dearborn Mustang Plant

Mustang production began at Ford’s Dearborn Assembly Plant on Miller Road, and although Ford also built Mustangs at facilities in Edison, New Jersey, and San Jose, California, only D.A.P. (as it was often called) was active for four decades. After more than 6.7 million ponies rolled off the line in Dearborn, the final Mustang produced there was completed at 1:07 p.m. on Monday, May 10, 2004.

Riverside International Raceway

Mustangs and motorsports are forever linked, and Mustangs often made history at California’s Riverside Raceway, not only for racing but for vehicle development. Carroll Shelby tested his original Cobras at Riverside, and the 1967 and ’68 Shelby Mustang models were revealed there. In 1970, with Riverside serving as the Trans-American Sedan Series championship finale, Parnelli Jones came back to win in a Bud Moore Ford Mustang, giving Jones the unofficial driver championship by one point. It was the first and only year that every Detroit pony car manufacturer had a factory-backed team in Trans-Am.

Alas, Riverside closed on July 2, 1989 and was bulldozed to make room for a shopping mall that opened in 1992. Riverside’s old administration building remained until 2005, when it was torn down to make way for townhouses. If you’re moved to pay a visit to the former location of the southern California track, the Moreno Valley mall is located at 22500 Town Circle in Moreno Valley, about a half-hour south of San Bernardino.

Bullitt movie locations, San Francisco

There may be no more famous Mustang than the 1968 GT390 fastback driven by Steve McQueen in the legendary movie Bullitt. Certainly there’s no Mustang that’s worth more; in 2020, the Highland Green Bullitt car sold for $3.74 million. Many consider the movie’s chase scene the best in film history, and although we don’t encourage any Mustang enthusiasts to recreate that iconic chase, you could—if you really, really wanted to—on the hilly section of San Francisco’s Fillmore Street.

Shelby American at LAX

Carroll Shelby started Shelby American in 1962 and completed the 260 Roadster—later known as the Cobra—soon after. Within a couple of months, Shelby set up shop in Venice, California, and by June 1963 he was being courted by Ford, which was hellbent on beating Ferrari at Le Mans. Shelby succeeded, winning the GT Class at the storied French endurance race the following year, thanks to the Daytona Coupe.

After outgrowing the Venice location, Shelby American moved to a hangar on the south end of Los Angeles International Airport in 1965, and it became the birthplace of the famous Shelby Mustang GT350. Shelby moved his operations again in 1967 after losing his lease at LAX, and today the hangar is home to the Japanese aviation firm Nippon Cargo Airlines.

The Empire State Building

Yes, we’re back in New York, but this is the one site that hasn’t changed much in the last six decades (even if the view has). And the story is so incredible that we had to end with it. In 1965, with the Mustang selling at a record-setting pace in the U.S., the general manager of the Empire State Building—then the tallest building in the world—came up with a big idea. Robert L. Leury wondered if Ford might be interested in displaying a Mustang on the 86th-floor observation deck. As crazy as it sounds, Ford was all in … except its technicians had to figure out how to get a car up there.

A crew of engineers took meticulous measurements (or so they thought) and decided that by disassembling a Mustang into four sections, they could fit everything inside the Empire State Building’s seven-foot tall elevations, then reassemble the car up top. On the night of October 20, 1965, after taking the Mustang apart as planned, the crew discovered that the steering column was a quarter-inch too tall for the elevator. Undeterred, they improvised and made it fit, and the car was completed by the next morning. The Mustang was displayed for five months before it was taken apart and removed. The stunt was recreated with a 2015 Mustang GT to celebrate the Mustang’s 50th anniversary.

Did we miss something cool? Do you know of some historic sites that your fellow Mustang enthusiasts might enjoy visiting? Please let us know in the comments section below.

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So many Smokey and the Bandit tribute cars have crossed the auction block in recent years that it’s difficult to keep track of them all. What’s different about this one? According to Barrett-Jackson, the 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am SE being auctioned at its April 18-20 Palm Beach event was the last one personally owned by Burt Reynolds.

As the story goes, Smokey and the Bandit was such a runaway hit that General Motors promised Reynolds a new car every year for life. Reynolds, who died in September 2018 at age 82, later joked that when the cars stopped showing up he was told that the deal was not for the rest of Reynolds’ life but “the president’s life—and he’s dead now.” That didn’t stop Reynolds from owning several Bandit Trans Ams, however, including a custom 1979 model that sold for more than $300,000 in June 2019.

Barrett-Jackson describes this ’77 Trans Am, painted black with gold and emblazoned with its iconic screaming chicken, as “the only currently licensed and tagged Burt Reynolds’ Trans Am left,” and it says the car has been authenticated by Reynolds’ estate. “Carefully restored by Bandit Movie Cars in Florida to Mr. Reynolds’ specifications, every detail was thought out and discussed with Mr. Reynolds, from the correct antenna to the proper tires from the movie.”

VIN 2W87Z7N146448 is powered by a 6.6-liter 8-cylinder engine paired with a three-speed automatic transmission. Since Reynolds passing, the car has been cared for by Reynolds’ friend and business partner, Gene Kennedy. It has 45,330 miles on the odometer and wears Reynolds’ famous “BAN ONE” Florida license plate.

A 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am SE in #1 (Concours) condition carries an average value of $124,000, but considering Reynolds’ ownership and his second-place standing on the Hagerty Power List, it should go for much more than that.

Reynolds was Hollywood’s top-grossing star for five consecutive years from 1978–82. In addition to Smokey and the Bandit (and Smokey and the Bandit II), he was best known for Deliverance, The Longest Yard, and Semi-Tough. Of course, it was the original Bandit movie that struck a chord with American moviegoers for its rebellious theme and hilarious banter, and it catapulted Reynolds to superstar status. 

And, although technically Smokey and the Bandit starred Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, and Jackie Gleason, Reynolds admitted that the real star of the 1977 comedy was the Trans Am.

“When we saw that car, we all fell apart,” Reynolds once told Powernation. “I’d never seen one; Jerry’d never seen one; the whole crew was amazed. And then we got in it, and I had fun with it … It was a rush to drive that car.”

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More than a century ago, the largest automobile dealership in the American West was located at the corner of Park and Idaho Streets in uptown Butte, Montana, and it wasn’t affiliated with Ford or Chevrolet. It proudly sold Dodge Brothers motor cars.

Butte, then known as the “Richest Hill on Earth” for its gold, silver, and copper mining operations, was nestled among mountain ranges, rivers, and streams, halfway between Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park. By the early 1900s, Butte was a bustling town that offered a wealth of opportunity for those who worked hard and weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. At one point, Butte had a population of more than 100,000 and was so diverse that “No Smoking” had to be written in 16 different languages. As John and Horace Dodge soon learned, however, there is no language barrier when it comes to automobiles and innovation.

The Dodge Brothers Company, originally formed in 1900, had designed and built components for the original Ford Model A, and later complete drivetrains for the Model T, before leaving the company due to what the brothers perceived as Henry Ford’s lack of innovation. Vowing to build a better automobile, John and Horace Dodge completed their first car in 1914, and their reputation for quality and modernization led to more than 20,000 dealership applications. One of those selected was from Butte, which opened a state-of-the-art showroom, auto parts store, and garage and unveiled Dodge’s new four-cylinder Model 30-35 touring car.

The Dodge was popular, and not just in Montana. In 1915, the automaker’s first full year of production at its Michigan plant, Dodge Brothers became America’s #3 brand, with more than 45,000 sales. Advertising took direct aim at the brothers’ former employer with slogans like “Think of all the Ford owners who would like to own an Automobile.”

Butte’s 20,000-square-foot Dodge Brothers Building maintained its status as the largest dealership in the West as Dodge built hundreds of thousands of cars and trucks, but that began to change in the 1920s. John and Horace Dodge, who were three years apart in age and practically inseparable, both died within months of each other in 1920. Longtime employee Frederick J. Haynes was promoted to manage the business, but the Dodge family heirs had little interest in running a car company. By 1925, with development and innovation practically at a standstill, Dodge tumbled from the third-best-selling automaker in the U.S. to fifth. The family sold Dodge Brothers to a banking firm for $146 million in cash, then the largest cash transaction in American history, and three years later Walter Chrysler took over.

Butte’s Uptown automotive palace eventually folded, but while many historic automotive buildings around the country are being torn down, the historic Dodge Brothers Building still stands and is looking for a new lease on life. Cate Stillman, who co-owns the four-story building with her husband, Winston Welch of ICW Properties, says the site is for sale and is perfect for urban offices, apartments, condos, industrial loft space, and other innovative uses. Stillman and Welch are hoping to find a buyer in the automotive industry or someone related to the Dodge family.

Stillman admits that the building, which broke ground in 1912 before Dodge later took ownership, “needs a lot of work.” It is for sale as-is or can be built to spec. Stillman and Welch already constructed a wine bar and commercial kitchen on the street level, to go along with the parking garage. They hope that the building will play a key role in Butte’s revitalization.

“Butte is going through a bit of a revival,” Stillman says of the city, which has a current population of 35,000. “It’s beautiful—surrounded by wilderness hiking, hunting, skiing, snowmobiling—and it has this crazy historic town experience … We’d really just love to see this building get into the right hands.”

That’s why, despite some interest already, the two want to spread the word before agreeing to a deal.

“We have offers to basically ‘condo out’ and split it up, [but] we want to give people connected to Dodge a shot at getting this building back,” Stillman says. “To me, the building in its integrity has a lot of potential for more of a unified, cohesive experience between all four floors … I really see a lot of potential for this to be returned to people connected to Dodge and to see what they would want to do with it in the spirit of partnership and the spirit of innovation and the spirit of true brothers in proximity.”

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Bill Shea is at it again. The Massachusetts collector, who specializes in automotive, movie, and World War II items, is the winning bidder for a very rough 1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am that was used as a stunt vehicle in Steve McQueen’s final film, The Hunter.

The dilapidated Poncho set Shea back $99,750 including fees, which is about six times the average value of a similar model in #4 (Fair) condition, proving once again the power of McQueen’s stardom—and Shea’s love for Hollywood icons. In 2011, he paid more than $500,000 for a 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 that appeared in all three segments of the Back to the Future trilogy.

“I’d buy more,” Shea said in a six-year-old YouTube video about the DeLorean, “but I like being married.”

Shea, who owns several McQueen motorcycles, wrote “HELL YEAH BABY!” in the comments section when the McQueen Firebird auction closed and he was declared the winner. Congratulatory messages from other users followed, as did notes of surprise from some about the amount that Shea was willing to pay for a car in that state, McQueen-adjacent or otherwise. This is just the latest sale among many that shows how strong the McQueen factor can be—as we’ve noted in the Hagerty Power List. This Trans Am was, after all, the last special car associated with the noted-car-guy actor; The Hunter was released in August 1980, and McQueen died three months later.

According to Bring a Trailer, VIN #29N100008 remained in the Pontiac Motor Division show car fleet following its assembly in November 1978, but it was sold a year later to Paramount Pictures and used as a stunt vehicle in the McQueen film. It was one of two cars used for an explosion scene, explaining its condition (including missing body panels and burns to the passenger side of the dashboard), and it was gifted to a farmer in Illinois as compensation for aiding the crew in the production of the movie. The Firebird was stored in the farmer’s barn for nearly 40 years before it was obtained by the seller in 2018.

Among the car’s features are a non-running 403-cubic-inch V-8 mated to a three-speed automatic transmission and Safe-T-Track limited-slip differential, along with the WS6 Special Performance Package, which added power-assisted four-wheel disc brakes, a quick-ratio steering box, and a larger sway bar.

The Firebird’s camel-colored vinyl dash features a 100-mph speedometer, a 6000-rpm tachometer, auxiliary gauges, inset analog clock, and a five-digit odometer that shows 1300 miles. The Firebird also has bucket seats and snowflake-style, 15-inch wheels with gold accents and 225/70 Goodyear Polysteel Radial white-letter tires. (The seller notes that the front right tire does not hold air, though we expect that’s not a major concern.)

Originally painted Nocturne Blue, the car was repainted black for The Hunter; the factory paint is visible on the rear fascia. The frame rails were modified with slides, hooks, and chains at the firewall to prepare for the explosion scene. After filming was complete, the car was stripped of its rear spoiler, side mirrors, wheel center caps, and badges. Other defects include a damaged three-spoke steering wheel (which is missing its adjustment lever), rust holes in the floor, and rodent damage to the rear bench seat. The car is also missing side panels, carpeting, overhead lighting, seat belts, and AM/FM radio. Of course, these are all likely of little concern, as restoration is probably not on the docket for this car.

Sale of the Firebird includes the build sheet, a copy of the original window sticker, documentation from Paramount Pictures and Pontiac Historical Services, a 30-foot-long dual-axle trailer, and large vinyl banners and cardboard cutouts of McQueen, which the previous owner displayed at car shows.

The Firebird does not have a title, but it likely won’t need one, since its “as-is” movie condition is likely of considerable value to Shea, who is clearly thrilled with his new acquisition. “We love our movie crash cars!” he wrote, to which one BaT commenter joked, “Good luck with your wife.”

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The historic Packard plant could be history by the end of the year. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced earlier this month that the mammoth facility, which stopped producing Packard luxury automobiles in 1956 and has been mostly abandoned since the 1990s, will be fully torn down by the end of 2024. 

Once the standard-bearer of modern automotive factories, the Packard plant is one of a handful of transportation-related buildings in the Motor City that have become popular “ruin porn” attractions during the last several decades.

“Sixty-eight years,” Duggan told Fox 2 Detroit, referencing the last time a car was produced at the plant, “but it was worth the wait.”

Duggan and city officials, speaking at a press conference on March 4, said they hope to have a new automotive-related plant built on the 42-acre site, located on East Grand Boulevard, northeast of downtown.

“You can see that a lot of it has already been cleared out,” Duggan said. “This is an ideal site for manufacturing. I want to see people making auto parts again here.”

The press conference actually marked the beginning of the third phase of the demolition, which began in 2022. Peruvian developer Fernando Palazuelo had planned a $350 million mixed-use development there, but the project was slowed by the pandemic and eventually came to a halt. When Palazuelo failed to comply with a court order to demolish the dilapidated buildings, the city took ownership and immediately announced demolition plans.

The first portion of the Packard plant opened for business in 1903. The complex would eventually comprise four million square feet of factory space and employ up to 40,000 workers at its peak.

In 1954, Packard merged with Studebaker and two years later, production was moved to a smaller plant on Conner Avenue. The last true Packard rolled off the line on June 25, 1956.

Portions of the Packard site were used by numerous small businesses until the late 1990s, when most of the structures were abandoned, left to scrappers, squatters, and the elements.

According to The Detroit News, Detroit-based contractor Adamo Group began demolition at 5409 Concord Street, comprising about 200,000 square feet, on the southern section of the plant. The teardown work is expected to take five months and cost $1.2 million to complete. Three more portions of the plant will need to come down. All told, about $26 million in pandemic relief funding will be used to demolish the plant.

“This project is monumental for the city’s mission [to eradicate blight],” said LaJuan Counts, director of the Detroit Construction and Demolition Department. “It symbolizes Detroit’s resilience and its commitment to revitalization. As we look to a new era for this site, we honor the history of the old Packard Plant while embracing future possibilities for our city.”

Duggan said that not all of the Packard plant will be razed. “The part of it (that) we are preserving is on Grand Boulevard, because this plant is a big part of Detroit’s history. … There will be a small section of the plant on each side of Grand Boulevard that will be incorporated in any developer’s proposal so we can recognize the history at the same time we’re building the future.”

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It is the birthplace of the Model T, arguably the most significant automobile ever produced. Henry Ford himself dreamed, created, and tinkered inside these walls, perfecting the car that put America on wheels. In a city filled with automotive history and notable transportation-related buildings, Detroit’s Ford Piquette Avenue Plant might be the most noteworthy.

One-hundred and twenty years after the long and narrow structure was built in 1904, the Piquette Plant not only lives, it thrives—in an amazing state of preservation—for enthusiasts to enjoy. Located a few blocks east of Detroit’s Woodward Avenue, the plant is now a museum operated by a non-profit organization. It is the world’s oldest purpose-built car factory open to the public.

“This is where Detroit’s origin story as The Motor City begins,” says Jill Woodward, President & Chief Operating Officer of the museum, “right here in our Milwaukee Junction neighborhood, where Ford, Dodge, Cadillac, Detroit Electric, and dozens of other automakers and auto suppliers were all operating.”

As the non-profit Model-T Automotive Heritage Complex, Inc. celebrates the factory’s 120th birthday, it has received a $500,000 Infrastructure and Capacity Building Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). This federal grant will match one dollar for every three dollars raised by the museum in support of “crucial infrastructure projects and increased accessibility for the many thousands of visitors who tour the historic structure each year.”

The Piquette Plant will use the NEH grant and donations from the public to address an estimated $10 million in capital needs, including wiring, plumbing, heating and cooling, fire suppression, and its century-old elevator.

“Our greatest artifact is the building itself,” Woodward says. “Visitors from all over the world are amazed to experience the history of this place with its original patina intact.”

Henry Ford hired legendary architect Albert Kahn to build the wood-and-brick Piquette Plant, which is 56 feet wide and 400 feet long, in 1904 to provide maximum light and air for his workers. Four years later, the first Model T rolled out of the plant. Only the initial 12,000 of the more than 15 million Model Ts assembled between 1908 and ’27 were produced there. In 1910, Ford moved production three miles north to a larger facility, the enormous Highland Park factory, and sold the Piquette Plant to Studebaker, which was expanding its own factory located next door.

(Today, the adjoining former Studebaker Plant is getting a new life as Piquette Flats, a residential complex.)

The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant was dedicated as a MotorCities National Heritage Area site in 1996, included on the list of U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2002, named a Michigan State Historic Site in 2003, deemed a U.S. Historic District Contributing Property in 2004, and declared a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 2006.

The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant is home to more than 65 rare automobiles, as well as photographs, film, exhibits, and original artifacts that tell the story of Ford, the Model T, and other significant early motor vehicles built in Detroit. Matching donations to support the “Preserving the Legend” fund at the  Ford Piquette Avenue Plant Museum can be made online at www.fordpiquetteplant.org.  For more information, contact info@piquetteplant.org or call (313) 872-8759.

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With the muscle car wars already in full swing, Dodge jumped into the fray in 1966 with an upsized—and upmarket—two-door fastback that it called the Charger. Meant to take on AMC’s Rambler Marlin, which rolled out one year earlier, the Charger was built on Chrysler’s B-body platform, following in the footsteps of its Coronet sibling. The Charger shared some of the Coronet’s features, but it wasn’t about to share the spotlight.

First-year Chargers sport fluted sides and a distinctive grille that resembles an electric shaver. They also have concealed headlights, full-width taillights (emblazoned with block letters that spell out “Charger”), and a 117-inch wheelbase. The car’s length, and its 75.3-inch width, provide plenty of room for four bucket seats, which are divided by a front-to-back center console with courtesy lights and an illuminated compartment. The rear seats fold down to create a large storage area.

Along with one of the coolest dashes ever created—featuring four round instrument pods that look incredible when lit up at night—new buyers could choose from a list of options that included air conditioning, AM/FM radio, cruise control, power steering, power door locks, tinted glass, two-tone paint, tachometer, power bucket seats, and 21 paint colors.

The Charger’s base engine was a 230-horsepower, 318-cubic-inch V-8, but three upgrades were also available: a 265-hp, 361 V-8; a 325-hp, 383 V-8; and a 425-hp, 426 Street Hemi—the rarest of all, with only 468 ordered. Chargers could be had with either a three-speed automatic or a three- or four-speed manual gearbox.

Only 37,344 first-year models were produced, with even fewer in 1967. The redesign that followed—the Coke-bottle-shaped 1968–70 Charger—is the model that turned the model into an icon, but it all began with the ’66.

Which brings us to this gorgeous, Silver-Metallic-over-red-vinyl Charger that is up for auction on Hagerty Marketplace. Purchased by its current owner in 1981, the well-kept, first-year Charger (VIN XP29G61248312) is powered by a 383 V-8 that was rebuilt in 2004 by Pierce Service Company Garage and Machine Shop in Punta Gorda, Florida, where it received hardened valve seats to run on unleaded fuel, an Edelbrock Performer 600 cfm carburetor, a 2.5-inch exhaust system with Flowmaster mufflers, and a Pertronix “points-less” distributor cap.

The Charger has an automatic transmission, rides on its original steel wheels with original hubcaps (mounted with 205/75/R14 Redline radial tires), and wears a reproduction dealer-installed rear spoiler.

Among the car’s features are dual exhaust, self-adjusting brakes, three-spoke steering wheel, cigarette lighter, lockable glove compartment, and rear pillar lights. The five-digit odometer shows 49,500 miles—believed to be 149,500 actual miles—with 10,000 miles since the engine rebuild.

Among this Charger’s known imperfections: The headlights and dash lights flicker on/off, the A/C needs to be recharged, and the power steering is operational but has a leak.

Included in the sale are the original Carter carburetor (removed), comprehensive documentation (including the original shipping form as well as the signed, handwritten bill of sale from the original owner), and receipts for the engine build/machine work, bodywork, and paint.

Overshadowed by their restyled successors, first-gen Chargers offer an uncommon alternative to the other muscle cars of the ’60s. And with less than a week until the auction closes on Wednesday, March 13 at 3:10 p.m. EDT, bidding for this one has reached $10,000—and we don’t expect it to stay there.

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Preston Tucker’s story has been told many times, most notably on the big screen in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1988 film Tucker: The Man and His Dream, but there’s something about Tucker’s “Car of Tomorrow” that never gets old—even though it is. Seventy-five years ago, on March 3, 1949, the automaker’s dream officially ended, when production of the Tucker 48 (sometimes referred to as the Torpedo) was shut down by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission amid accusations of stock fraud. 

While Coppola and others have suggested Detroit’s Big Three (Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler) had plenty to do with turning Tucker’s dream into a nightmare, South Dakota State University professor George Langelett says “historians have found no evidence of a conspiracy.” In fact, Preston Tucker may have been his own worst enemy. 

Multiple accounts reveal that the creator of the 1948 Tucker sedan was such a micromanager that he insisted on being involved in even the smallest details of the car, and that often led to production delays. Road & Track reported several years ago that as the futuristic automobile neared production, it still didn’t have a final steering wheel design because Tucker hadn’t yet approved one. So Alex Tremulis, who oversaw the design of the car, reached out to an acquaintance at Lincoln and asked for help. Amazingly, the man (whose name we may never know) offered to supply 50 flawed Lincoln Zephyr steering wheels as long as Tremulis promised to send back 50 Tucker steering wheels when the design was finally ironed out. That never happened, as Tucker built only 50 production cars, as well as the original prototype, known as the Tin Goose.

The cutting-edge Tucker 48 boasted a rear-mounted flat-six engine and safety features like seat belts, a pop-out windshield, a padded dash, and a center-mounted headlight that turned with the steering wheel—a Lincoln Zephyr steering wheel, as it turns out.

Just as the Tucker seemed poised to take the automotive world by storm, however, a tornado of trouble brought it down. According to Hagerty Drivers Club magazine, “The summer of 1948 should have been a victory lap for Preston Tucker. The Tucker 48 sedan was finally starting to come off the assembly line at a gigantic former airplane engine factory on the South Side of Chicago. He had been riding a wave of tremendous publicity from an adoring public, who were dazzled by the vision of this singular man to put them behind the wheel of something new and different, a car better than the warmed-over versions of prewar designs that Detroit was peddling. His stock offering had been a tremendous success, with 44,000 Americans buying into his dream and helping the Tucker Corporation raise some $15 million in development funds.

“Tucker was just getting the taste of that success when, on June 6, 1948, Drew Pearson, a well-connected muckraker in Washington, D.C., told listeners of his widely distributed radio show that the Securities and Exchange Commission had launched an investigation into Preston Tucker and his stock plan that would ‘blow Tucker higher than a kite.’ Four days later, Pearson followed up in his national newspaper column, The Washington Merry-Go-Round, declaring that ‘the ax is falling on Preston Tucker, the revolutionary automobile man, and falling hard.’ The War Assets Administration, Pearson gleefully wrote, had denied Tucker’s bid to purchase a steel factory in Cleveland, which the automaker desperately needed to provide sheetmetal for its cars, and that Tucker the man and Tucker the company were also being investigated by the FBI, the SEC, and a U.S. Senate committee.”

Tucker was eventually acquitted of all charges, but by then his company was dead. He had tried everything to keep it afloat, but it wasn’t enough. He died in 1956 while working on his next car design.

Professor Langelett, writing in The Journal of Private Enterprise, attempted in 2008 to answer the question: “What Caused the Tucker Automobile Corporation to Fail?” He concluded that instead of the popular Big Three conspiracy theory, “historical evidence suggests that the demise of the Tucker Corporation was the result of two problems. First, the company’s lack of financial planning led to continual crises. Tucker’s refusal to utilize conventional bank loans combined with the company’s attempt to sell dealerships and stock before building a car prototype scared away normal venture capital. Second, unable to sell additional stock or dealerships, the Tucker Corporation needed money to start producing cars. With no inventory to sell and the SEC’s determination that pre-selling car features was illegal, the Tucker Corporation was financially bankrupt.”

Regardless of who was most responsible for the automaker’s demise, the car lives on 75 years later, and the enthusiasm of Tucker fans never seems to fade. Mark Lieberman, whose company, Nostalgic Motors, offers restoration, parts, and service for Tucker survivors, told Hagerty last summer that the Tucker 48 is popular for many reasons, some of them unconventional.

“Most people become a loyalist to a specific car because of its physical attributes or their past experience with it,” Lieberman said. “Tucker fans are attracted to the story, the history, the people, and the car itself. There is a lot to love, even if you’ve never seen one in person.”

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The go-anywhere Unimog is an odd truck with an odd name, but it’s much more than an automotive oddity. The German-built utility vehicle, designed shortly after World War II as a self-propelled agricultural machine, is part truck and part tractor. And more than 75 years after the first model rolled out, it’s still going strong—and evolving.

The Unimog (pronounced YOU-nuh-mog) gets its name from the motivating force behind its design; it’s an acronym for the German word “UNIversal-MOtorGerät,” or universal motor carrier. Developed as a highly adaptable vehicle that could serve all the needs of a farmer—including, most notably, possessing the ability to flawlessly transition from field to the road—the demand for the vehicle increased along with its uses. Boehringer began production in 1947 and built the Unimog for four years before Mercedes-Benz took over in 1951 and continues to build them to this day.

According to the 2016 book Der Unimog: Arbeitstier und Kultmobil [in English, The Unimog: Workhorse and Cult Vehicle], the Unimog was designed with rear-wheel drive and switchable front-wheel drive, along with equal-size wheels, in order to be driven on roads at higher speeds than standard farm tractors. With high ground clearance and a flexible frame (which is essentially part of the suspension), Unimogs are not designed to carry as much load as regular trucks, but buyers have been sweet on classic and modern versions of the rig for years.

That brings us to this fully restored 1959 Mercedes-Benz U411 Unimog, which is listed at Broad Arrow Auctions’ sale at The Amelia, taking place on March 1–2.

A copy of the original Data Card shows that this particular U411 completed production in Gaggenau, Germany, on April 9, 1959 and was designated for export to the United States. The truck is powered by a correct 1.7-liter OM636 inline four-cylinder diesel engine, mated to a six-speed manual transmission, featuring standard synchronized gears. The original, numbers-matching block is also included.

It is believed that this Unimog (chassis 411.110.9500596) and one other were initially sold to equipment dealer A. Fassnacht & Sons of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The seller purchased the truck, which had already received a mechanical rehab, in Georgia in 2012, and immediately began a complete cosmetic restoration. The vehicle received bodywork and rust repair from Chris Radbill Automotive of West Chester, Pennsylvania, and was given a new grille, doors, cab floors, front and rear fenders, front wheel arches, cab sides, and battery box. The frame, axles, and transmission had been painted black prior to professional painting of the wheels (red) and body (DB 6286 Unimog Green). New oak boards in the bed (painted on the outside, with natural stain on the inside) offer an attractive contrast. Similar contrasting colors were used in the interior, with the seats reupholstered in black vinyl and the surfaces finished in matching Unimog Green.

In addition, the vehicle received a new folding canvas roof, and numerous factory labels were reapplied in yellow to indicate towing capacity on and off-road, as well as the operation of each lever just to the right over the driver. The Unimog also received a new wiring harness, headlights, taillights, clutch, starter, oil bath air cleaner, and door windows, while the front portal axles were rebuilt with new seals and bearings. The truck is outfitted with the optional wide 18×10-inch wheels, which wear 10.5-18 BKT tires.

The odometer shows only 462 kilometers (287 miles), all since completion of the restoration. Actual mileage is unknown.

When outfitted with a camper for overlanding, Unimogs can easily climb into the six-figure range; without them, they go for much less. This 1959 Mercedes-Benz U411 Unimog is being offered at no reserve and has a pre-auction estimate of $50,000–$60,000, a number that reflects a first-generation truck in freshly restored condition. However, if two eager collectors at The Amelia are both looking to fill a hole in their Mercedes-Benz collections, it could go higher.

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Fifty years ago today, on February 21, 1974, National Hockey League star Tim Horton was killed when he lost control of his DeTomaso Pantera and crashed in St. Catharines, Ontario. His death sent shockwaves through the sports world, particularly in Canada, where he was hockey royalty. Thirty years passed before details of Horton’s autopsy were released and the public learned exactly what happened to Horton. Today, most remember the Hockey Hall of Famer as the namesake of a massive doughnut café empire, which he founded with a business partner 10 years before his death. 

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It was the summer of 1972, and Miles Gilbert “Tim” Horton was considering retirement. Again. After more than two decades in the National Hockey League, mostly with the Toronto Maple Leafs, his 42-year-old body had taken more than its share of abuse. The star defenseman was also so nearsighted that he joked he might not see a puck quickly enough to avoid taking a shot to the head.

Horton had been “quitting” since 1969, and he had once again planned to retire after 1970–71, but thanks to a former teammate, Red Kelly, who was then coaching in Pittsburgh, he was persuaded to join the Penguins for the 1971–72 season. That decision didn’t end well, as a broken ankle and shoulder separation limited him to only 44 games. So Horton was back in a familiar situation, wondering if it was time to hang up his skates and devote all of his time and energy to his budding doughnut business.

Then the Buffalo Sabres came calling. Former Leafs’ general manager Punch Imlach, at that point GM of the Sabres, desperately needed some star power—a grizzled veteran who could help shepherd a young team—and the four-time Stanley Cup champion filled the bill. Buffalo owners Seymour and Northrup Knox made Horton a deal he couldn’t refuse: $100,000 for the 1972–73 season, a nearly unheard-of salary at the time (well over $700K today). It was a successful partnership for both sides; Buffalo made the playoffs for the first time, and Horton was named the team’s MVP.

Horton made it clear afterward, however, that he was done. Imlach would have nothing of it. He offered Horton $150,000. Horton agreed to come back again if he was also given a DeTomaso Pantera—the radically styled, Italian-built coupe powered by a Ford V-8—as a signing bonus. Horton received the Pantera from Gateway Lincoln Mercury (at a cost of about $17,000) and the deal was done. Horton often drove the white Pantera the 100-mile route on Queen Elizabeth Way (the QEW), back and forth from Buffalo to his home in suburban Toronto.

Midway through the 1973–74 season, the Sabres were struggling to find the same success as the previous year. On February 20, 1974, the team traveled to Toronto to play Horton’s former club at the famed Maple Leaf Gardens. Instead of riding on the bus with his Buffalo teammates, Horton drove his Pantera.

Although the 5-foot-9, 210-pound Horton was known for his toughness—Detroit Red Wings superstar Gordie Howe once called him “the strongest guy in hockey”—he was unable to finish playing in the Sabres’ 4-2 loss to the Maple Leafs. During practice the day before, Horton had taken a puck to the jaw (perhaps fulfilling his earlier prediction regarding his eyesight), which left his face swollen and bruised. Regardless, he wanted to play in Toronto, since his friends and family would be in attendance, including his wife Lori and their four children. Early in the third period, however, the pain became too much for Horton to bear.

Afterward, Imlach chatted with the all-star while the rest of the Sabres boarded the bus. Imlach said Horton felt that he’d let the team down.

“He was hurting too bad[ly] to play a regular shift in the third period. We faded without him and lost …,” Imlach said, according to Bleacher Report. “After the game, he and I took a little walk up Church Street and had what was our last talk. He was down in the dumps because he didn’t like to miss a shift, and he felt he had cost us the game. I got on the bus with the team [and] Tim drove the cursed car back to Buffalo. He didn’t make it.”

The “cursed car” was Horton’s 1972 Pantera. As everyone knew, Horton liked to drive it aggressively and fast.

According to the Ottawa Citizen newspaper, Horton left Maple Leaf Gardens and met with his business partner, Ron Joyce, at the Tim Donut company office in Oakville, about 23 miles southwest of Toronto. “Tim was sitting in our office, his coat on, an ice pack wrapped around his jaw, his driver’s gloves on,” Joyce recalled in Open Ice: The Tim Horton Story, a 1994 biography by Douglas Hunter. “He was sitting in the dark with his feet up on the table, with a vodka and soda in his hand.”

Joyce later claimed that his friend didn’t consume enough at the time to get drunk. Others thought differently. At approximately 3:00 a.m. on February 21, Horton called his wife and his brother, Gerry. Lori Horton wrote in her 1997 book, In Loving Memory: A Tribute to Tim Horton, that “Gerry recognized Tim had been drinking, and he tried to convince him to stay where he was.”

The Ottawa Citizen wrote that there were conflicting accounts about whether Horton planned to drive to Joyce’s home in nearby Burlington to spend the night or continue to Buffalo. Ultimately, he chose to drive.

According to Open Ice, Joyce saw Horton take a handful of painkillers before he sped off in the Pantera, reaching an estimated speed of about 175 kilometers per hour (110 mph) on the QEW. The Ottawa Citizen reported that a motorist near Burlington alerted police to “a sports car driving dangerously fast.” When Horton roared into St. Catharines around 4:30 a.m., a police officer was waiting in his cruiser, but Ontario Provincial Police Constable Mike Gula said he couldn’t keep up with the Pantera.

“I saw him go by and took off after him, but I never caught him,” Gula later told the media. “As far as I’m concerned, he didn’t know he was being chased. I was doing over 100, but I lost sight; I never got close. A few minutes later I came [upon] the accident scene.”

Horton, who was not wearing a seatbelt, had been thrown from the vehicle. Gula found him in the grass median of the divided highway. He was still wearing the brown checker top coat, yellow sports coat, yellow shirt, brown pants, and brown boots that he was wearing when he left Maple Leaf Gardens that night.

Horton, 44, was declared dead on arrival at St. Catharines General Hospital at 4:50 a.m. Police found the phone number of his coach, Joe Crozier, inside his wallet, so Crozier was the first to learn the news.

“When they called me to come down and identify the body, I couldn’t believe that this could ever take place,’’ Crozier recalled. “When I lost Tim Horton, damn it, I lost my heart.’’

So did Imlach, who never forgave himself for agreeing to buy Horton the Pantera.

An autopsy, released in 2005 in response to a Freedom of Information request from the Ottawa Citizen, revealed that Horton had died of a broken neck and fractured skull. And although the Citizen wrote that hospital officials claimed at the time that “there were no contributing factors, and that no inquest was required”—perhaps to protect the star’s legacy—documents showed that Horton had a blood-alcohol level well beyond the legal limit and also had prescription drugs in his system.

A broken bottle of Smirnoff vodka was found at the scene, and Horton’s pockets contained five tablets of Dexamyl, a sedative, and two tablets of Dexedrine, a stimulant.

Horton’s Pantera was first transported to Simpson’s Towing Yard in St. Catharine and examined by police (and dozens of curious fans). According to the Ontario Provincial Police report, it was released to Grant Collision in Toronto on March 29, 1974. Salvage price was listed as $500 CAD. Speculation was that the car was destroyed, but the St. Catharines Standard recently reported that the engine, at least, was purchased by race car enthusiast Don Alexander, who converted Horton’s V-8 into a stock car engine and installed it into a 1973 Ford Mach 1 Mustang.

At the time of Horton’s death, there were approximately 40 Tim Hortons restaurants in Canada. Today there are some 5700 locations in 13 countries. According to the CBC, in 1975 Horton’s widow sold her husband’s half of the business to Joyce for $1 million CAD and a Cadillac Eldorado. Lori Horton later sued to get her half back, but her request was denied in court. She died of a heart attack on Christmas Day, 2000.

As for Joyce, in 1996 he sold the business to Wendy’s International in a deal worth $400 million CAD. In 2014, Tim Hortons was purchased by Burger King for $12 billion CAD ($11.5 billion USD). Joyce died in 2019.

Fans of Tim Horton lament the fact that he is better known today for donuts and coffee than for hockey. In the years since his autopsy report was released, however, Horton’s passing has also become an unfortunate, tragic example of the dangers of driving under the influence. Forever beloved as an athlete and businessman, his legacy endures, and his death serves as a “where were you when?” moment, especially for Canadian hockey fans.

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Much has been made of the elegant and expensive 1956–57 Continental Mark II and the fact that Ford Motor Company lost approximately $1000 (more than $11K today) on each one that it built. Regardless of the financial numbers, the upscale model successfully accomplished Ford’s mission of creating a luxury vehicle that turned the right heads and brought previously unattainable clientele into the fold.

Elvis Presley owned one. So did Frank Sinatra, Dwight Eisenhower, Nelson Rockefeller, and Elizabeth Taylor, who received hers as a gift from Warner Bros. studio. Beautifully styled and slightly understated in an era when chrome was king, the Continental Mark II offered a European vibe. So there was no better place for its debut than the Paris Motor Show in October 1955, just 20 months after the introduction of the Ford Thunderbird.

Born from Ford Motor Company’s “Special Products Division,” headed by William Clay Ford, Henry Ford II’s brother, the 1956 Continental Mark II arrived eight years after Lincoln last used the model name. Although the car is sometimes referred to as a Lincoln, Continental was its own marque at the time. The confusion is understandable—Mark IIs were powered by Lincoln’s new 368-cubic-inch Y-block V-8, utilized a “Turbo-Drive” three-speed automatic built by Lincoln and Borg-Warner, and were sold through Lincoln dealerships.

Styled by Gordon Buehrig and John Reinhart, the Mark II featured a low roofline and gentle curves. Each Mark II was built (and painted) by hand. Mechanically, the cars were praised for their performance, handling, and quality control. The Mark II was also heavy; at 4825 pounds, it was the heaviest vehicle built in America for both model years.

Slightly more than 3000 Mark IIs were built for 1956 and ’57, and with a price of about $10,000 ($113,389 today), the model was the most expensive American-built car at the time. With standard features that included power steering, power brakes, power front seat, leather upholstery, radio, heater, and whitewall tires, it’s no wonder. The only option available was air-conditioning, which cost an additional $595 ($6747).

Ford advertising proclaimed: “The excitement it stirs in your heart when you see the Continental Mark II lies in the way it has dared to depart from the conventional, the obvious. And that’s as we intended it. For in designing and building this distinguished motor car, we were thinking, especially, of those who admire the beauty of honest, simple lines … and of those who most appreciate a car which has been so conscientiously crafted. The man who owns a Continental Mark II will possess a motor car that is truly distinctive and will keep its distinction for years to come.”

That brings us to this gorgeous 1956 Continental Mark II, available on Hagerty Marketplace. Finished in Starmist White with a two-tone Medium Blue and White leather interior, chassis/VIN C56D2824 is one of 189 examples built in this color combination.

Among the car’s features: optional A/C, 15-inch wheels with turbine vane wheel covers, push-button seat controls, AM radio, and dual exhaust. In addition, a bespoke center console houses a Panasonic Bluetooth stereo, which is connected to a trunk-mounted CD changer and subwoofer.

Service work in 2022 is reported to include replacement of front wheel bearings, brake shoes, wheel cylinders, and brake drums. In May 2023, service work included repairing the charging system, replacing the points, condenser, carburetor, fuel filters, repacking the front wheel bearings, and rectifying the turn signal wiring for just over $4000.

The odometer shows 53,357 miles, but actual mileage is unknown. The left rear window operates slowly.

Located in Marine City, Michigan, the Mark II comes with service literature, period marketing material, and Continental Owners Club magazines.

With less than a week remaining in the auction, which ends on February 20 at 3:10 p.m. EST, bidding has reached $34,500. Might you be the next enthusiast to join the likes of Elvis, Frank, and Liz?

***

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For those of us who call Michigan home, there was something sorely missing from this year’s Super Bowl: our Detroit Lions. Again. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. 

Sadly, the Lions—whose principal owner is Sheila Ford Hamp, a descendant of both the Ford and Firestone families—weren’t the only Detroiters who didn’t show up for the big game. For the third straight season, Ford Motor Company sat out too, choosing not to spend $7 million for a 30-second commercial on CBS. General Motors? Nope. Stellantis, the conglomerate that owns Ram, Jeep, and Chrysler? Nada.

Fortunately, several automakers played like champions. So did the Kansas City Chiefs, who after a slow start defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25–22 in overtime to claim their second consecutive Super Bowl title. Cheers to all who entertained us on and off the field, and even those who tried and failed. We appreciate the effort.

Touchdown

Volkswagen USA: “Arrival”

Most great Super Bowl commercials are great because they make us laugh, but some hit us right in the heart. Count Volkswagen’s “Arrival” among the latter. Celebrating VW’s 75 years in the USA, starting when the Beetle turned heads and changed minds upon its arrival in 1949, this commercial is actually an “American Love Story.” Using Neil Diamond’s impassioned 1971 hit “I Am … I Said” as the soundtrack and utilizing both actual and recreated film footage and photos, VW did the opposite of its award-winning “Think Small” ad campaign. It dreamed big and absolutely nailed it, right down to its ending tagline: “We shape its metal. You shape its soul.” (We’ve included the two-minute version above because it’s twice as nice as the one-minute version that ran during the third quarter.)

BMW i5 M60: “Talkin’ Like Walken”

Admit it: You’ve done your own Christopher Walken impression before. Lots of times, in fact. You probably started way back in 2000 when Walken appeared on Saturday Night Live and scored laughs (even from the cast) in his role as record producer Bruce Dickinson. “I have a fever, and the only prescription is MORE COWBELL!”

BMW knows us all too well. From the valet to the coffee barista to the tailor to the makeup artist to the waiter, everyone in this ad for the new i5 M60 electric sedan is “Talkin’ Like Walken.” The commercial ends with a proclamation from the announcer: “There’s only one Christopher Walken, and only one ultimate driving machine,” before he goes into his own Walken impersonation: “The rest are just imitations.” Walken, driving his BMW, laughs: “Come on.”

Nailed it.

Toyota Tacoma: “Dareful Handle”

Toyota had a banner day Sunday, especially considering that (according to Ad Age) it was going to skip the Super Bowl entirely until CBS came calling. Thankfully, Toyota’s marketing team already had a great commercial in the can: “Dareful Handle,” which refers to that handy dandy interior safety feature that we often call the “Jesus Bar”—as in, “Oh, Jesus, please save me while I hang on for dear life.”

As the camera jumps from one frightened passenger to the next, we’re shown an orange Tacoma kickin’ up dust while doing donuts and other herky-jerky maneuvers at high speed. “Introducing the most powerful Tacoma ever,” the announcer says, “With [echoing the truck’s flustered passengers] the ‘Shut the Front Door!’ handle … also known as the ‘Seriously Rob!’ handle … or the ‘Woah, woah, woah … woah, woah!’ handle … or the ‘No Me Gusta! (I don’t like!)’ handle … standard.”

Kia EV9: “Perfect 10”

Kia went the VW route, tugged at our heartstrings, and delivered another winner. Showcasing its new EV9, “the first mass-market three-row EV SUV in the U.S.,” the car isn’t just for transportation, it’s designed to be a mobile power source. When a young skater’s grandfather misses her performance, she brings the show to him and dazzles on a lighted rink just outside his window—and the Kia EV9 provides the juice. Well done.

BONUS: Toyota Tacoma: “Celebration”

This ad was among those offered up during the week leading up to the game, so even though it didn’t have an official time slot, we thought we’d include it. In “Celebration,” a herd of Tacomas—and motorcycles, and even a souped-up riding lawn mower—roar through a canyon before stopping, en masse, at a desolate cabin. When a bearded man comes to the door, one of the Tacoma drivers asks, “Can Billy come out to play?” The man, who we quickly deduce is Billy, shouts “YES! Woohoo!” and jumps into his own Tacoma to join the fun.

Field Goal

Kawasaki Ridge: “Mullets”

In this mildly amusing spot, everyone who comes in contact with Kawasaki’s up-market, four-cylinder side-by-side—even a (formerly) bald eagle and wrestler Steve “Stone Cold” Austin—suddenly wears a mullet. “Business in the front, party in the back. The all-new Kawasaki Ridge.”

Pluto TV: “Couch Potatoes”

Cute. And yes, we know, it isn’t an automotive commercial. But it has a fictional Pluto tractor in it, so it gets in on a technicality. “This here, this is Pluto TV country. Here on this farm, we grow couch potatoes.” The best line in this ad, showing potatoes glued to their couch, thanks to Pluto’s streaming television service? “I like anything where a hot person throws a glass of wine at another hot person.”

Turbo Tax: “Streamer”

Kris came to Turbo Tax because she “switched gears from delivering part-time to streaming full time.” The ad has almost nothing to do with cars, except that when she makes the switch she suddenly becomes part of a fast-driving video game. “That’s how you corner chat!” Don’t we all wish filing our taxes was this fun?

OFF-SETTING PENALTIES

The Dawn Project: “Boycott Tesla Now”

Like a football referee who calls out both teams for messing up, we’re introducing this new category for an ad that ultimately left nobody in a better position.

Dan O’Dowd is a tech entrepreneur who heads The Dawn Project, a group that wants to ban Tesla’s “defective self-driving software,” which “drives like a drunk teenager.” The fact that Tesla tends to pirouette away from liability claims when its cars get into accidents while using the autosteer system is not lost on The Dawn Project. It’s the second year in a row the group has purchased ad space during the big game to criticize Tesla, according to The Washington Post. We agree, of course, that software shouldn’t put the lives of people at risk, but a night of festivities and sports didn’t feel like the right venue for this ad.

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The post 2024 Super Bowl Car Ads: Touchdowns, Field Goals, and Penalties appeared first on Hagerty Media.

There are Bronco restomods, and there are Gateway Bronco restomods. That’s a notable difference for enthusiasts of first-generation Ford Broncos who refuse to settle for anything less than the very best in style, comfort, safety, and performance. And the difference maker is Seth Burgett.

Burgett, who started Gateway Bronco in southern Illinois in 2017, grew up with grease on his hands, cars on the brain, and a desire to create something to improve people’s quality of life. It was an honorable goal that kept him focused on the health industry—instead of the auto industry—for years and resulted in the engineer’s invention of a medical robot to navigate wires into the brain and heart. Burgett later invented Yurbuds sports headphones, which quickly grew to account for 40 percent of the market, then decided to sell the company to JBL.

It was then—during a self-imposed year off in 2016 to decide what to do next—when Burgett decided to return to his automotive roots, and it was the women in his family who unknowingly helped steer him towards creating the best restomod Broncos on the road.

The road to Gateway

The son of school teachers, Burgett says he spent every summer of his youth devoted to a building project of some sort, and by age 12 he was running a small-engine repair business out of his parents’ wood shed. That eventually led to ar repair and restoration.

“I had a huge passion,” Burgett says, “for turning something that looked gnarly into something beautiful.”

Burgett often started with barn-find cars and had a particular fondness for Broncos, which decades later led to a fateful spring road trip in a vintage Bronco, with his wife riding shotgun, to attend a 50th anniversary gathering of Broncos. Later that summer his daughter expressed interest in a coast-to-coast Bronco trip, and the two “learned that Bronco inside and out.” It became clear that when it came to driving enjoyment—beyond the coolness of doing it in a classic automobile—first-generation Broncos left something to be desired in overall comfort, safety, and performance. Burgett decided to do something about it, and Gateway Bronco was born soon after.

Burgett says his goal was “to create the world’s greatest vintage Ford Bronco in terms of driving performance, safety, and pure enjoyment.” To make it happen, he invested heavily in market research, engineering, and production, and the innovative results are astonishing. Proof of that: Although they aren’t cheap, a steady stream of Gateway Broncos continue to roll out of the company’s 60,000-square-foot facility in Hamel, Illinois, located 35 miles northeast of St. Louis and not far from old Route 66.

What sets a Gateway Bronco apart?

Much like Ford’s iconic Mustang, which famously boasted “a steed for every need,” Gateway Bronco’s lineup of revitalized Ford Broncos aims to cater to a diverse range of preferences and lifestyles.

The original 1966–77 Bronco was celebrated for its versatility as a Sport Utility Vehicle that could be adapted for various outdoor adventures and inner-city tasks. Buyers of that era could select from Roadster, Wagon, and Sports Utility pickup configurations, with Ford later introducing a Sport model and a Ranger package that added comfort and convenience features.

Decades later, the first-gen Bronco has been resurrected and reimagined by the skilled craftsmen at Gateway Bronco, breathing new life into this American legend.

The Gateway lineup includes three distinct, customizable two-door Broncos: the Fuelie Edition, which uses an original factory chassis and suspension and includes a three-year warranty, starts at $180,000; the Coyote Edition, which uses a more modern four-link suspension front and rear and comes with a five-year warranty, starts at $250,000; and the new LUXE-GT Edition, which has a proprietary frame developed in Australia by Premcar Ltd. and offers a seven-year warranty, starts at $400,000. An all-electric LUXE-GT starts at $565,000.

For those who are looking for something completely different, there’s even a custom four-door Bronco option starting at $325,000.

Each model comes equipped with a new Ford Coyote 5.0-liter engine that provides 460 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque, mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. The LUXE-GT offers 0–60 mph acceleration in 5.3 seconds.

All Gateway Broncos can be tailored to individual preferences with personalized features, colors, and accessories, making them accessible to a wide range of budgets and use. Deciding what you want—using Gateway’s 3-D configurator—is part of the fun.

Gateway starts with new, Ford-licensed reproduction Bronco bodies and uses all-new parts throughout. The seams are welded to reinforce the structure before those seams are coated in sealant and the entire underside is sprayed in polyurethane. The TIG-welding process takes weeks and results in a more rigid body, helping keep the door and tailgate gaps tight and uniform.

For the LUXE-GT, Premcar started with the newest body-on-frame architecture available, and it created proprietary crossmembers to get a narrower chassis to fit the classic Bronco body. The tall, boxed frame rails help increase the chassis stiffness, which is up 70 percent compared to the stock reproduction piece used in the Coyote Edition. The chassis also includes crush structures front and rear to absorb crash damage. Although it was engineered in Australia, the new chassis is assembled at an ISO 9000 facility by Michigan’s RLE International, which previously has lent its engineering expertise to companies like Fisker and Rivian.

The LUXE-GT’s suspension, while looking like a modern chassis at first glance, features unique control arms and geometry. Premcar was also tasked with developing an antilock braking system that integrates with traction control and stability control systems to truly set the LUXE-GT apart from the rest of the high-end restomod 4×4 competition. Even with all-terrain tires, the braking system affords the LUXE-GT an impressive stopping time; Gateway recorded the halt from 60 to 0 mph at 143 feet, putting it in spitting distance of a new Land Rover Defender 90. That kind of performance, along with the ability to keep the vehicle pointed where the driver wants, even under panic braking situations, is an important selling point.

And, since every aspect of the build is handled in-house using Gateway’s assembly line process in which employees focus on specialized roles, the production time from deposit to delivery is only about 12 months.

Gateway is on schedule to deliver 75 Broncos in 2024.

How does it drive?

With all of that attention to detail, Gateway Broncos provide a smooth, comfortable ride. The LUXE-GT, in particular, delivers on Ford’s original promise to make the Bronco a 4×4 sports car, this time with much more modern expectations.

Henry Catchpole, host of The Driver’s Seat, tested Gateway’s “Big Sur Love” LUXE-GT and came away thoroughly impressed with both the Bronco’s look and its performance.

“Wherever you park it, it looks like it’s been art-directed into place, and wherever you drive it, people smile and want to know more,” he says. Catchpole later adds, “It’s quicker than it has any right to be … And the gearbox, provided you leave it in its sportier setting, means you’ve got decent response from the engine. Wow!”

While other companies offer high-quality Broncos, Gateway has set itself apart by providing the exact vehicle that Burgett envisioned before taking the plunge six years ago: a reliable, safe, fun, rugged, luxurious driving machine. In other words, the world’s greatest vintage Ford Bronco.

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The Mercedes-Benz 300SL coupe is never out of the spotlight for long. And for good reason—it remains one of the most acclaimed automobiles ever built. Today, though, marks a special moment for the model—on this day 70 years ago, the 300SL debuted at the New York International Automobile Show.

Now a centerpiece of any car collection fortunate enough to have one, the 300SL was a sports car ahead of its time. Known for its hallmark gullwing doors, extraordinary power, and technological advancement, it remains among the most acclaimed automobiles ever built. And, as is often the case when it comes to European cars of the 1950s, we have Max Hoffman to thank for its existence in the U.S.

The 300SL was a direct descendant of the Mercedes-Benz W194 race car that won the Carrera Panamericana and 24 hours of Le Mans in 1952. Hoffman, an influential U.S. importer who was responsible for popularizing European cars in America, convinced the Stuttgart automaker that the German sports car would be met by an eager American market. He was right—so right, in fact, that seven decades later a 1954–57 300SL coupe has an average value of seven figures, even in #4 (Fair) condition. When new, the car sold for $6820 (equal to about $77,252 today).

When unveiled on February 6, 1954, the Mercedes-Benz 300SL (W198) was applauded for its elegance and innovation. Powered by a water-cooled 3.0-liter overhead cam straight-six engine, it was the world’s first four-stroke production passenger car to be equipped with output- and efficiency-enhancing direct fuel injection. With 215 horsepower, the 300SL had a top speed of 155 mph, making it the fastest production car of its day.

The 300SL’s unforgettable styling was dictated by its engineering: the lightweight coupe’s rigid 110-pound space frame supported the engine, transmission, and axles, but left no room for conventional doors. That resulted in the 300SL’s most distinctive feature—upswinging doors that hinged at the top and, when open, gave the look of a bird extending its wings. The car almost immediately gained the nickname “Gullwing” throughout the media and with the public, although Mercedes-Benz never calls it that. In fact, the original hand-typed manual referred to the doors as “trap doors.”

While the gullwing doors look impressive when open, getting into the 300SL is a little more difficult than a car with standard doors. The driver and passenger have to sit on the sill and swing their legs inside before sliding onto the seat. Regardless, buyers seemed to consider it a minor inconvenience.

To gain publicity for the new 300SL, Hoffman turned to one of his regular customers, racing driver Briggs Cunningham, to purchase the first one (serial number 198 040 4500003) from his showroom.

The car has changed hands three times since Cunningham bought it, the last time in 2013 when it was purchased by Dennis Nicotra.

“It’s the greatest car, and I love it, and most people that have them love them,” Nicotra says in the above Hagerty video featuring the car. “But it’s about as impractical as you’d ever want it to be. When you see what it takes to get in and out of this car, it’s quite a chore… but driving it, it feels great, it looks great, it performs exceptionally well. They’re just a joy.”

They also draw plenty of attention.

“This is such a great car to own,” Nicotra says. “No matter where I go, people stop and ask about it.”

The market for the 300SL coupes, of which approximately 1400 were built, generally remains strong, although it does fluctuate. Last month, Barrett-Jackson’s annual Scottsdale auction yielded the dramatic sale of a 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL for $3.41 million, the highest amount ever paid for a 300SL steel-bodied coupe. That sale may have been an outlier though, according to John Wiley, Hagerty manager of valuation analytics.

“Generally, the 300SL market is becoming more sophisticated, as values for cars with great provenance are pulling ahead of those without,” Wiley says. “Oftentimes, that means unrestored and only one or two owners from new. The 300SL Gullwing auctioned by Barrett-Jackson was restored by a model expert, but it only has a partial ownership history. Yes, the 300SL market is improving, but we’ve often seen how Barrett-Jackson’s prime-time audience produces unrepeatable prices, and this concours restoration 300SL is one of the latest examples.”

Though that record sale might not be indicative of the 300SL market as a whole, it’s a shining reminder of how the car always finds its way back into the spotlight.

“The 300SL played an important role in the United States … [and] really showed the best of what Mercedes-Benz could offer,” says Michael F. Kunz, manager of Mercedes-Benz Classic Center USA. “… It is Mercedes-Benz.”

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Few people are as knowledgeable about automobiles and their unique driving characteristics than Jay Leno, so it’s a rare occurrence when he needs help to “fill in a gap.” In the latest episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, Jay decides it’s high time to learn about the Volkswagen Scirocco. And who better to school Jay than award-winning automotive journalist, YouTube host, and Scirocco aficionado Jason Cammisa?

The question is, what took him so long to take one for a spin? As Jay explains, he was pretty busy building his comedy career in the 1980s and had little interest in most Volkswagens at the time. In fact, he’d just purchased a year-old 1986 Lamborghini Countach for $70,000, which “seemed like crazy money at the time … I was so captivated by that whole Italian thing and Ford Cobras, so Scirocco just seemed like a regular car.”

Cammisa admits that it is—and isn’t. The knowledgeable and hilarious host of three Hagerty YouTube series—Icons, Know It All, and Revelations, where he has racked up more than 450 million views—has owned his 1987 Scirocco 16-valve since 1997. He went to high school in Germany and was a fan of German cars, but he knew nothing about Sciroccos. He wanted a Golf. But when his father “kind of reneged” on a promise to buy him a car in college, he used his dad’s credit card—designated for emergencies—to buy this second-gen Scirocco for $1500 (in the U.S.).

Somehow, he survived his father’s wrath and never let go of the car.

“I’ve driven literally thousands of cars for work, basically everything in production for the last 30 years, and this is still the one that makes me laugh the most,” he says, “which is weird because it shouldn’t. It’s a common car for common people.”

“And you were pretty common, as I remember,” Jay says.

“I still am,” Jason admits. “Trash, complete trash.”

“To me, Volkswagen was always nice, and there was a cute aspect to the Bug and the hippie van and all that kind of stuff,” Jay says. “And then the next gen, the Rabbit, didn’t do much for me. And I didn’t pay much attention to the Golf. The Scirocco just seemed like another version, but it’s not. This is much more sophisticated.”

Styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro and bodied by Karmann, this Scirocco began its life with a 1.8-liter, 123-horsepower four-cylinder engine mated to a manual five-speed transmission. It still has that gearbox, but it is now powered by a 2.0-liter with European cams and intake, which boosted horsepower to 170.

“This is a Mark II Scirocco, but it’s the same exact platform underneath,” Jason says. “And the Scirocco was a first-gen GTI—the original Golf GTI with a lower roof.”

Jason dives even deeper into the car’s styling and lineage. “Look at the rear window … this looks to me like a BMW Hofmeister kink,” he says, then continues to explain some of the car’s finer points. When Jason is finished, Jay says, “More information than I wanted to know, but that’s OK.”

Cammisa is undeterred. “This was the last of the A-1 chassis, so it got all the things the original GTI never got, like power steering, four-wheel discs, 16 valves …”

Jay is clearly trying to figure out exactly why this car is priceless to Cammisa.

“You bought it when you didn’t know what it was, and then you fell in love with it. So it’s like imprinting on a goose. The first thing you see when you open your eyes, that’s your parents. If you were driven home in a ’71 Pinto, would that have … ?”

“Nooooo,” Jason says, emphatically. There’s more to it than that. The thing “weighs 2356 (pounds) and has enough power to have fun. It loves to be sideways.”

Cammisa even shipped it to Germany and cut it loose on the Autobahn. Top speed: 135 mph, “which is horrifying. Don’t do it.”

The car is also a rare sight on the West Coast, Jason says.

“In 15 years of living in California, I’ve seen two Scirocco 16-valves on the road. You just don’t see them. They were fast and cheap, and they snap oversteer. Fast, cheap, and sideways means tree. So they’re all gone. It’s been a challenge to keep this one [on the road].”

Jay asks, “Is this a car you’re keeping your whole life?”

“This is it,” Jason says. “No. 1. Bury me in it.”

Offered the chance to find out if the Sirocco is everything that Cammissa says it is, Jay slides behind the wheel and turns the key. Did he enjoy driving it? Check out the last half of the show to see the verdict, but you can be sure that Jay’s knowledge gap has been properly filled.

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Well, here’s a line shift that won’t draw a penalty—or any complaints from the Detroit Lions or their gritty head coach, Dan Campbell.

General Motors has delayed Sunday’s 10 p.m.–7 a.m. shift at its Flint Assembly plant, which is roughly 70 miles northwest of Detroit, so that employees won’t miss any of the Lions’ NFC championship football game in San Francisco. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST. The contest is the first NFC title game the Lions have participated in since the 1991 season.

In a social media post informing its 1500 third-shift workers of the change, GM wrote, “We recognize the Detroit Lions playing in an NFC Championship game as a rare, unique opportunity that warrants this temporary schedule adjustment to allow employees to enjoy the game and to make it to work on time.”

GM spokesman Kevin Kelly confirmed to the Detroit Free Press that normal production will begin at 10:42 p.m. for Body and Paint, and at 11 p.m. for General Assembly. The Flint Assembly plant is the only GM plant with a third shift on Sundays. It builds the HD, or heavy-duty, versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks.

So far, no other Detroit-based automaker has followed suit. In fact, Stellantis (which owns the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram brands) has already punted the idea. A spokesperson says that although the automaker “is proud of our hometown team … Stellantis will run normal production schedules on Sunday to meet the expectations of our customers and dealers.”

Prior to this month’s NFC playoff victories over the Rams and Buccaneers, the Lions hadn’t won a playoff game in more than three decades, so naturally the reaction to General Motors’ announcement was met with jubilation. One person wrote on Reddit, “This brings a tear to my eyes.” Another joked, “‘We aren’t going to give you a raise, but we’re going to let you watch the Lions game [instead]. Ok, I’m good with that.” A third wondered, “So what happens if the game goes into overtime???”

Perhaps the best comment of all (posted on Instagram) was discovered by the Free Press: “In my 13+ years at GM I’ve never seen a postponement to start the week … even 2 feet of snow wouldn’t do it lol. This is for the city! Go Lions!”

While many commenters suggest that GM is just trying to avoid mass absenteeism at the Flint plant, there’s no doubt that the automaker’s decision is at the very least a great public relations move. It certainly isn’t a free gift, however, as third-shifters will lose an hour’s pay.

That brings us to this: Although the Lions are owned by the Ford family, Ford Motor Company has not yet announced if it is going to adjust its third-shift schedule. Perhaps it is holding out for a Super Bowl? Regardless, we’re guessing there will soon be a massive outbreak of the Silver and Honolulu Blue (Oval) flu … right about 6:30 p.m. on Sunday. Here’s our prescription: Football, pizza, and beer. Cheers to Detroit.

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If your answer to the question “What’s a bear’s natural habitat?” is anything but “a Studebaker,” it’s time to grab some popcorn and watch (or re-watch) Jim Henson’s The Muppet Movie. Thirty-five years after Fozzie Bear and Kermit the Frog road-tripped to Hollywood in a 1951 Studebaker Commander, the colorful movie car has embarked on an even longer journey, an 18-month road to restoration.

One of two ’51 Studebakers used in the 1979 comedy musical and now owned by the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana, the one-time movie prop is headed to Razorfly Studios in Sylva, North Carolina, for a full makeover. The transformation of the now-dilapidated car is expected to be finished by summer 2025.

The news has drawn plenty of media attention and rekindled happy memories for fans of all ages. That comes as no surprise to Studebaker National Museum Archivist Andrew Beckman, who says the car and Henson’s characters make great co-stars.

“The style and whimsy of the Muppets dovetails nicely with the Studebaker’s far-out styling,” Beckman says. “The film’s producers were intent on finding a Studebaker to serve as Kermit and Fozzie’s ride, as they felt it was a good fit.”

Beckman was a child when the movie came out, and he didn’t have to twist his dad’s arm to take him to see it. In fact, his father owned a handful of Studebakers at the time, and he was the one who suggested going to watch The Muppet Movie. It’s no wonder why Fozzie’s ’51 Commander has been special to Beckman ever since.

“The car is more of a character in the film, similar to the Love Bug or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” he says. “The film came out when the Muppets were at the height of their popularity, on TV every week, and Kermit was on Sesame Street. The movie was designed for all ages and was a huge success.”

The story follows Fozzie and his sidekick Kermit as they drive cross country to make it big in show business. Along the way they meet dozens of other Muppet characters and an endless stream of real-life stars, including Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, Bob Hope, Edgar Bergen, Milton Berle, Mel Brooks, Telly Savalas, Orson Welles, James Coburn, Dom DeLuise, Elliott Gould, Madeline Kahn, and Carol Kane.

Chased by villainous Doc Hopper, played by Charles Durning, Fozzie and Kermit run into the fictional rock band Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. Offering to help the weary travelers, the band members decide to disguise the car, but the psychedelic paint job they choose is hardly subtle.

When the group is finished, Fozzie is impressed. Kermit? Not so much.

“I don’t know how to thank you guys,” Fozzie says.

Kermit quickly adds, “I don’t know why to thank you guys.”

Since computer-generated imagery was not yet available to Henson and other filmmakers in the late 1970s, two Muppet cars were used during production, one for long shots and the other—the museum’s Studebaker—for closer shots showing Fozzie and Kermit driving. To pull that off, puppeteers were required. They hid below the dashboard, so they couldn’t be seen, but that also meant they couldn’t operate the car. Henson installed a camera in the nose of the Commander, allowing the actual driver to drive from inside the trunk using a television monitor.

According to The Muppet Show Fan Club newsletter, “The first time they tried ‘driving,’ the television monitor went on the blink, and the driver had to be talked through the scene by an assistant director on a walkie-talkie. ‘A little to the right, now, to the left … hold it …’”

After filming was complete, the close-up car was parked on a studio backlot. Left to the elements, its paint—actually poster paint, which the crew preferred for its resistance to glare—quickly faded. In 2004, after the car was acquired by the Studebaker Drivers Club’s Orange Empire Chapter in California, it was gifted to the Studebaker Museum. Beckman says the Commander was in “pretty rough shape” when it arrived; its engine had seized up, and it was in desperate need of major rehab. But that would cost money—a lot of it—an estimated $175,000 for a full restoration. That would include returning the actual steering wheel and controls to their original position so that the car can be driven as intended.

The Studebaker National Museum cleaned up Fozzie’s car and put it on display, as is, along with a donation box to get the rehab work done. Only about $9000 was raised over the years, so two years ago the museum decided to start a crowd-sourcing campaign. Including the money raised from a GoFundMe page, the museum has secured approximately $60,000 in funding, enough to get things started.

RazorFly Studios, an Academy Award-winning prop house and custom-car builder, has agreed to partner on the project. Again, there wasn’t any arm-twisting involved. As Eric Hokanson, a restorer with Razorfly, told the South Bend Tribune, “I grew up with the Muppets. I said, ‘Really, we get to work on a Muppet car? Cool!’”

That famous ’51 Commander is about to get cooler.

“This project is so special to museum staff, the community, and Muppet fans around the world,” says Studebaker National Museum Curator Kyle Sater. “We are one step closer to returning a bear to his natural habitat—a Studebaker.”

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Are you kidding me? This must be a joke. Except that it isn’t.

In the spirit of Tommy Lee Jones’ character in Men in Black—“We at the FBI do not have a sense of humor we are aware of”—the U.S. Federal Highway Administration is banning humorous messages on electronic signs that appear on our highways and freeways.

According to the Associated Press and other news outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, states have two years to implement all of the changes outlined in the agency’s new 1100-page manual, which includes restrictions on “General Information Signs” like electronic message boards. The manual explains that signage should be “simple, direct, brief, legible, and clear” and only be used for important information such as warning drivers of crashes ahead, adverse weather conditions, and traffic delays, as well as seatbelt reminders and warnings about the dangers of speeding or driving while impaired.

“A CMS [changeable message sign] should not be used to display a traffic safety campaign message if doing so could adversely affect respect for the sign,” the manual reads. “Messages with obscure or secondary meanings, such as those with popular culture references, unconventional sign legend syntax, or that are intended to be humorous, should not be used as they might be misunderstood or understood only by a limited segment of road users and require greater time to process and understand.”

That’s bad news for those who enjoy the jokes, puns, and pop-culture references used by many states as a way to draw attention to important messages. Among those highlighted by the Associated Press: “Use Yah Blinkah” in Massachusetts; “Visiting in-laws? Slow down, get there late,” from Ohio; “Don’t drive Star Spangled Hammered,” from Pennsylvania; “Hocus pocus, drive with focus” from New Jersey; and “Hands on the wheel, not your meal” from Arizona.

Non-compliance with the new standards, which go into effect in 2026, could cost states federal assistance. Local officials may even end up in court.

Arizona state Rep. David Cook (R), whose state has more than 300 electronic signs along its highways, considers the new law an unneeded case of government overreach. “Why are you trying to have the federal government come in and tell us what we can do in our own state? Prime example that the federal government is not focusing on what they need to be.”

While the Federal Highway Administration claims humorous signs are distracting, the WSJ says there are conflicting studies about their effectiveness. In fact, the newspaper cited a 2020 analysis conducted for Virginia’s DOT which found that humorous signs actually “commanded the most cognitive attention.”

In addition to Arizona, President Joe Biden’s home state of Delaware is among those states balking at the federal directive.

“Our position is that the messaging we use has a safety theme and therefore is appropriate for use,” the Delaware Department of Transportation says.

Before you ask, four states—Vermont, Maine, Alaska, and Hawaii—already ban roadside advertising billboards, not because they distract drivers but because they detract from the natural beauty of the area. Which begs the question, isn’t natural beauty also distracting to drivers? And what about those do-everything electronic screens that are commonplace inside today’s modern vehicles?

We have no doubt that the issue is far from over. Perhaps someday we’ll all look back on this and … laugh.

***

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Dan Campbell is a gritty, laser-focused, no-nonsense everyman who’s also been described as an affable, goofy meathead. All are true. If there’s a job to do, you want him on your team. And when that work is done, he’s a guy you want to party with. In football terms, he’s a “player’s coach”—he loves his guys, and they love him.

When it comes to Campbell, it’s all about authenticity and loyalty, two things the playoff-bound Detroit Lions head coach has exemplified his entire life. He doesn’t pretend to be something he’s not, a philosophy that was reflected early on in his choice of vehicles. During Campbell’s playing days at Texas A&M and early in his NFL career with the New York Giants, he continued to drive a tired 1990s Chevrolet pickup truck that he affectionately called Betsy. The exact details are a bit sketchy, and after an extensive internet search we could find no direct quotes from Campbell about the single-cab pickup, but everyone who knew Betsy remembers her fondly. Sort of.

“It was a white pickup, beat-up—it was ugly, too,” former A&M teammate and NFL All-Pro Dat Nguyen tells ESPN. “I don’t know if it had rust, and I don’t know how he got it, but I know we didn’t grow up with much, so I’m assuming it might’ve been passed down from his dad to him … 

“[When] you see Betsy, you know that’s Dan. If he parked in front of the weight room … your ass better get in there quick because he’s going to be on you, because he’s already started.”

Speaking of starting (or not starting), Shane Lechler, another former A&M teammate and roommate, says Campbell and the truck needed to be rescued every now and then.

“I had to go get him a couple times,” Lechler says. “He was trying to drive to Glen Rose [Texas] one day, and I think something happened and I had to tow him back or some shit, I don’t know.”

The truck, and Campbell’s loyalty to Texas A&M, converged when head coach R.C. Slocum brought in a top recruit to visit the Aggies’ College Station campus. Campbell and Lechler took the player under their wing—until the guy expressed his appreciation for one of their rivals.

“We were hosting a recruiting trip for somebody that came in, and me and Dan were taking the guy out,” Lechler tells ESPN. “And the guy is like, ‘I really like it here, but I think I’m going to go to the University of Texas.’ Dan just pulled the truck over, kicked him out of the truck, and we left. He’s like, ‘You got to go, you’ve got to get out.’ 

“I thought Dan was going to drive like a mile down the road, then turn around and go get him, but we never went back. We were at a party out of town too, not a fraternity party, but someone was hosting a party out of town, like away from town. Man, next morning R.C. Slocum was so mad at us.”

A tight end, Campbell was selected by the New York Giants in the third round of the 1999 NFL draft, the 79th player taken overall. Betsy came along—Nguyen jokes that he can’t confirm whether Campbell drove the truck there or it was towed—even though Campbell suddenly had enough money to buy whatever vehicle he wanted.

Campbell, now 47, spent four NFL seasons with the Giants (1999–2002), three with the Dallas Cowboys (2003–05), three with the Lions (2006–08), and one with the New Orleans Saints (2009) before retiring as a player. He later served as an assistant coach for the Miami Dolphins (2010–15) and went 5-7 as the team’s interim head coach in 2015. He was an assistant for the New Orleans Saints for five seasons (2016–20) before the Lions named him as their head coach in 2021. 

After a legendary press conference to introduce Campbell, in which he promised that his team would make the city proud and never go down without a fight (he even suggested there would be some knee biting involved), some in Detroit suggested that the coach’s rah-rah persona might wear thin if he didn’t win in the Motor City. That proved to be untrue. After the Lions stumbled to a 3-13-1 record in his first year and got off to a 1-6 start in 2022, Campbell and his team rose from the ashes. Detroit has gone 20-7 since, including a 12-5 record this season and the team’s first division title in three decades. On Sunday night, the Lions will host the Los Angeles Rams in the first round of the playoffs, where they’ll attempt to score their first postseason victory since January 5, 1992.

Alas, it appears Betsy did not come along for the ride. Regardless, she lives on, as legends do, through the memories of those who knew her as Campbell’s beloved truck.

“He was proud of it,” says Steve McKinney, Campbell’s close friend and former Texas A&M teammate. “He loved that truck … ol’ Betsy.”

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If Earl Muntz was a madman, as his nickname suggests, then we should all strive to be a little crazy. Muntz, born 110 years ago this week, was no ordinary child—or teenager, or man. Muntz was a creative and technological genius who made, and ultimately lost, several fortunes, most with direct ties to the automotive industry.

Born on January 3, 1914, in Elgin, Illinois, Muntz was always fascinated by how things worked. He built his first radio at age eight, and by 14 he had already created a radio for his parents’ car. Higher education wasn’t meant to be, however. Muntz didn’t even graduate high school; he dropped out during the Great Depression to work in his parents’ hardware store, but he never stopped learning or inventing. Muntz also never stopped striving to make a better life for himself.

At age 20, he started his own dealership selling used cars, but until he turned 21 his mother had to sign all of the required documentation whenever he sold a vehicle. Muntz was earning a decent living when, at 26, he vacationed in California and decided there was even more money to be made on the West Coast. He opened a used car lot in Glendale, then lucked out by purchasing a handful of new cars that were scheduled to be shipped to Asia before World War II broke out and kept the vehicles stateside. Muntz decided to drum up hype in the local newspaper, and the cars quickly sold. He realized that the more attention he got, the more cars he would sell. The “Madman” was born.

Nothing was too over the top for Muntz, as long as it generated publicity. He would don red full-body underwear and a Napoleon-like hat and boast on billboards and in newspaper ads that “I wanna give ’em away, but Mrs. Muntz won’t let me!” His commercials bombarded the radio airwaves. He would often feature a car, threaten to smash it with a sledgehammer if it didn’t sell by the end of the day, and follow through, which only generated more attention. His dealerships made millions.

Already a Southern California legend, Muntz turned his attention to manufacturing televisions, drawing from his early interest in electronics. He was all about simplification, making intricate TV sets a little less complicated by reducing the number of components required while also reducing the price. The “less is more” philosophy became known as “Muntzing.”

The Madman’s TVs sold for about $100 in 1949, about one-quarter the price of most of his competitors, and he made millions—again. The good times didn’t last, however, as Muntz’s stripped-down televisions required more maintenance than other brands, and he folded his TV venture in 1959.

During the same time, although Muntz had rejected an opportunity to sell Volkswagen Beetles when they rolled into the U.S. market in 1949, he owned Kaiser-Frazer dealerships on both coasts, one in Los Angeles and another in New York. The experience motivated him to create a car of his own, the Muntz Jet, beginning in ’49.

Oddly, while Muntz emphasized simplification when it came to TVs, he went in the other direction when designing his automobile. After purchasing Frank Kurtis’ two-year-old Kurtis Sport Car Company, Muntz transformed the KSC design into the Jet. He offered upgraded V-8s, built by Cadillac and Lincoln, that propelled the car to 125 mph and could be mated with either a General Motors Hydramatic automatic or a three-speed Borg-Warner manual transmission. He also extended the wheelbase by 13 inches to allow room for a backseat, which had a drink cabinet in the armrest. Buyers could order upholstery made of alligator, emu, leopard, or snakeskin. Each hubcap wore an emblem of a Napoleon-like cartoon character wearing red underwear.

Built both in Glendale and Evanston, Illinois, the aluminum-bodied Jet was fast, luxurious, and innovative, with cutting-edge features like seat belts and a padded dash. Notable buyers included Hollywood stars Grace Kelly and Mickey Rooney. Once again, however, Muntz’s venture was unsustainable. The Jet retailed for $5500 in 1953 (about $63,250 today), but it cost $6500 ($74,750) to build. Only 198 were sold—Muntz claimed the number was twice that—and the Madman lost nearly a half-million dollars before shuttering his car factories.

He wasn’t done, however. Turning his attention to car stereos in the late 1950s, Muntz took great interest in the new Fidelipac audio tape, the first recorded audio tape cartridge. It used an endless quarter-inch tape loop with three tracks, but Muntz added a fourth track so it could play full albums in stereo. Launching Muntz Stereo, in Van Nuys, California, in 1962, the Madman offered pre-recorded albums and Stereo-Pak players for both home and automobile. He made another fortune—and, once again, it didn’t last.

The graphite on Muntz’s tapes didn’t bond well with the tape—a problem that Muntz chose not to correct because the supplier offered him a favorable credit agreement—giving the tapes a short lifespan. Consumers eventually looked elsewhere, namely to Bill Lear’s new 8-track cartridge. Already buried in debt, Muntz Stereo suffered a warehouse fire in 1970, and the company folded.

Muntz trudged on, offering an alternative compact videotape in the 1980s that competed with VHS and Beta (and failed), and he later rented motorhomes (a venture he called Muntz Motor Mansions) and sold Hitachi cell phones and satellite dishes.

Earl “Madman” Muntz died of lung cancer on June 21, 1987, at the age of 73, having won and lost several fortunes and an endless number of fans. He will long be remembered as an ingenious and relentless inventor, entrepreneur, unconventional showman, and—most importantly to auto enthusiasts—the creator of the Muntz Jet. And you can always find him on the hubcaps.

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If, as the saying goes, a high tide lifts all boats, then the 1968 Dodge Dart can give some credit to the legendary, wedge-shaped, second-generation Dodge Charger for giving it a lift. While the 1968 Charger’s crisp redesign and badass persona made it an icon, the less-expensive Dart also had some punch, particularly in GT form.

Driving a Dart GT equipped with a 340-cubic-inch V-8 engine, Hot Rod magazine managed 0–60 mph in six seconds and a quarter-mile in 14.38 seconds at 97 mph—heady stuff for the era. Now turn that up a notch.

This week’s auction pick of the week, a Dark Green 1968 Dart GT two-door hardtop with a black vinyl top over a black vinyl interior, is powered by a 425-hp, 408-cu-in V-8 that’s dressed as a 340-cu-in unit. Offered on Hagerty Marketplace, it has been bid to $7777 with less than a week to go before the auction closes on Wednesday, January 10 at 3 p.m. EST.

While the 1968 Dart GT came with front bucket seats, a padded dash, full wheel covers, squared front-end styling, and cool concave glass in the rear, buyers could make the car their own by choosing from a long list of colors and performance options. Although a number of V-8 engine choices were available from the factory, many Darts have been restomodded with larger-displacement engines and other performance modifications—like this one.

Among the car’s highlights: four-speed manual transmission with floor-mounted Hurst shifter; new Holley 650-cfm carburetor, distributor, and fuel pump, which were installed in December 2020; TTI headers and Dynomax dual exhaust; 8.75 Posi-Traction rear end; dash-mounted tachometer; under-dash-mounted oil pressure, water temperature, and voltmeter gauge pack; power-assisted drum brakes; and body-color 14-inch wheels with Fratzog-branded “dog dish” wheel covers. The Dart’s five-digit odometer shows 55,065 miles; the true mileage is unknown.

Additional features include round side-marker lights, pivoting vent windows, manually operated windows, dual sun visors, dome light, center console, three-spoke steering wheel, lap seat belts, rear bench seat, heater/defroster, fully carpeted floor, rubber floor mats, cigarette lighter, locking glove box, independent front torsion bars, and rear leaf springs.

The car’s aftermarket Pioneer stereo (with aftermarket speakers installed in the rear package tray) does not work. Other imperfections include peeling clearcoat on the passenger side fender and both rear quarter panels, minor dents in the rear chrome trunk lid trim, and some patina on the undercarriage.

Included in the sale are a spare wheel and tire, jack, and two sets of keys, along with invoices and receipts.

On offer from a consignor in West Chester, Pennsylvania, this Dart GT looks equally comfortable cruising Detroit’s Woodward Avenue or squaring off against similar muscle machines on the drag strip.

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You’ll likely get no argument, even among Ferrari diehards, about the legendary prowess of the Ford GT40. After Ferrari won the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans six consecutive times, it was the GT40 that finally put an end to the streak in 1966 … and the car kept on winning the French endurance race through 1969. The GT40’s story—and the rivalry between Enzo Ferrari and Henry Ford II—is so compelling that decades later Hollywood turned it into a blockbuster movie, Ford v. Ferrari.

Now the Revs Institute, located in Naples, Florida, is shining a spotlight on the GT40’s legacy with a special exhibition called “Pony Pedigree,” which features three generations of GT40s. Highlight of the exhibit is an exceptional 1967 Ford GT40 Mark III on loan from the Margie and Robert E. Petersen Collection at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. The car is one of only seven built.

“Pony Pedigree,” which runs through July 2024, traces the iconic model’s evolution from the Mustang I concept to the groundbreaking design of the GT40, which blossomed under the direction of Carroll Shelby. Powered by a 4.7-liter V-8 and driven in the period by the likes of A.J. Foyt, Dan Gurney, Bruce McLaren, and Jacky Ickx, the GT40 burst onto the international stage by sweeping the podium at Le Mans in 1966.

The Revs Institute exhibition also includes an Mk I and Mk II-B from the Miles Collier Collection, housed at the museum.

“Hosting three generations of the GT40, including the rare 1967 Mark III, in one exhibition is a way to give our visitors both a truly special experience and a deeper understanding of Ford’s road to victory at Le Mans,” says Lauren Goodman, Supervising Producer of Media and Exhibitions at Revs Institute. Goodman describes the exhibition as a deep dive into the ingenuity and ambition that drove Ford to international racing success.

“Rivet for rivet, I’m not sure you can find a car that matches the Ford GT40’s raw collectibility,” Hagerty’s Conner Golden wrote last spring, attempting to explain the allure of the GT40. “Ford’s mid-engine wunderkind exists at the intersection of historical importance, motorsport legend, iconic personalities, exemplary engineering, and pure desirability. Not every Ferrari race car is important, but I reckon every GT40 built is noteworthy by its existence alone … It’s not an everyman car, but it is a storybook car—maybe the storybook car in America’s sports car history.”

The Revs Institute, which touts itself as “a haven for scholars, preservationists, and passionate connoisseurs of automotive history,” operates as a working facility and contains more than 100 significant automobiles built between 1896 and 1995.

The museum is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All visitors are required to reserve tickets online in advance of their visit. There are no walk-up sales.

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Ewan McGregor isn’t just a Hollywood heavyweight—he packs quite a punch when it comes to cars. The Scottish-born actor has eclectic taste, as well as the money to buy pretty much whatever he wants, but he doesn’t always hang onto his automotive treasure.

Two years ago, McGregor sold a 1927 Buick Master Six sedan for $28,000 on BringATrailer.com because, he says, he moved to a house on a hill and the car struggled to make it up the incline. Now he’s back on BaT with a 1972 Porsche 911T Targa that he acquired in 2020.

McGregor has also owned a number of other classics, including a 1969 Aston Martin DBS, which he sold in order to buy a 1967 split-windshield VW Westfalia Camper.

So where did McGregor’s love of classic vehicles come from? He told Top Gear that he likely caught the bug from his grandfather, since his dad wasn’t much of a car guy. Volkswagen Beetles were the family’s car of choice when McGregor was growing up, but he was first attracted to motorcycles. He started with a 1978 Moto Guzzi T3, and later moved on to a Ducati and some Spanish Ossa dirt bikes. Cars came later.

“I bought my first ‘proper’ car when I was in Australia doing Moulin Rouge,” he told Top Gear. “A member of the crew had a 1972 Ford Mustang fastback, and he always parked it outside my dressing room because he wanted me to buy it. Anyway, for some reason I found out about another Mustang that was being sold in Sydney at the time—a 1965 convertible. It was the color of vanilla ice cream with a light blue roof. I fell in love, bought it and shipped it back to Britain because it had been converted to right-hand drive. That was my only car for a long time because I was always on my bikes.”

McGregor began collecting cars when he moved to the United States in 2008. Among his many purchases: a 1960 Silver Cloud II, Porsche 718 Cayman, two rat rods (one based on a 1920 Dodge and and the second “a ridiculously slammed 1927 Ford Tudor”), a 1937 Wolseley that served as the family car in the 2018 film Christopher Robin, and several VW Beetles, one of which is an electric-converted 1954 model that he commissioned from SoCal specialist EV West. McGregor also plans to buy a Volkswagen ID Buzz when it hits dealerships in 2024.

As for McGregor’s 1972 Porsche 911T Targa, bidding has reached $93,000 with three days remaining in the BaT auction.

According to the vehicle description, the Targa had been stored from the late 1970s until 2019, and it was acquired by McGregor the following year. Finished in black paint over black leatherette and Pepita fabric, the German sports car is powered by a 2.4-liter flat-six that’s mated to a five-speed 915 manual transaxle.

Features include a removable roof panel, stainless-steel Targa bar, 911S-style front spoiler, four-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel, driver’s sport seat, right bucket seat, fold-down rear seats, staggered-width 15-inch Fuchs alloy wheels, and factory air conditioning. A timing chain update kit, Porsche Classic radio (with Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, satellite radio, and USB charging ports), and replacement speakers have recently been installed. Performed maintenance includes a valve adjustment, resealing the transmission, and replacing the clutch, flywheel, shifter bushings, various engine oil seals, and ignition components.

This 911T Targa comes with a Porsche Production Specifications certificate, as well as the owner’s manual, recent service records, spare parts, and a clean California title in the owner’s name.

The Porsche’s left front fender was repainted prior to McGregor’s ownership, and the antenna has been relocated to the right front fender. The front has rock chips, and the paint has other imperfections as well.

The car wears 185/70 Vredestein Sprint Classic tires and retains its factory-equipped ventilated disc brakes. The rear shocks were replaced in 2020.

The five-digit odometer shows 38,000 miles, but the car’s true mileage is unknown. Also unknown is why McGregor has decided to part with the car. Perhaps he has his eye on another Westfalia.

***

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If this 1970 Pontiac GTO could talk, oh the stories it might tell. Drive-ins and date nights, cruises and wrenching sessions … perhaps even some street racing on Woodward Avenue. A one-owner car for 51 years, it finally changed hands in 2021, and its second Detroit-area owner has given it a new lease on life. Perhaps its next home will be yours.

Offered on Hagerty Marketplace, the iconic GTO is powered by its original, numbers-matching, 366-horsepower, 400-cubic-inch V-8, mated to a four-speed manual transmission with Hurst shifter. 

Far from living a pampered life, the nearly all-original Ram Air III survivor has almost 100,000 miles on the odometer and some visible flaws, but over the last two years, it has received second-owner upgrades like rebuilt cylinder heads and new exhaust system, replacement floor, carpet, and vinyl roof.

As for that GTO swagger, that’s been there all along.

The Gran Turismo Omologato was born when Pontiac engineers John DeLorean, Bill Collins, and Russ Gee inserted a 389 engine into a 1964 LeMans and created what is generally considered the first muscle car. Offered as an optional package on the LeMans in 1964 and ’65, the GTO became a separate Pontiac model in 1966 and sold nearly 100,000 units that year. After the GTO averaged almost 85,000 in sales from ’66-69, the market began to move away from muscle machines and toward smaller cars—think Plymouth Duster, Dodge Dart, and Ford Maverick—and 1970 GTO sales plummeted to 40,149, just over half as many as the previous year.

The ’70 GTO, which received a slight facelift over the previous year’s model, had a base price of $3267 for the hardtop and $3492 for the convertible, equivalent to $25,854 and $27,635 in today’s money. 

The standard engine was the 350-horsepower 400-cubic-inch V-8, paired with a floor-shifted three-speed manual gearbox. The legendary Judge package added an extra $337.02 ($2667 today), and the most popular engine upgrade was the Ram Air III, which could be had for an additional $168.51 ($1334). A total of 2380 buyers selected the RA III with an optional four-speed manual, which added $143.50 ($1136) to the bottom line. One of those 2380 was the original owner of today’s featured car.

According to the build sheet, the Granada Gold-over-brown GTO (chassis/VIN 242370P173928) was purchased on December 28, 1969, from Red Holman Pontiac in Wayne, Michigan. With options that included a Cordova top, 14-inch Rallye wheels, and power-assisted front disc brakes, it carried a retail price of $4199.58 ($33,234).

Among the car’s features: a three-spoke steering wheel, power steering, dual bucket seats, adjustable headrests, frameless doors, aluminum door sills, manually-operated windows, center console, AM radio, 140-mph speedometer, cigarette lighter, heater, fog lights, and hood pins.

While the bodywork retains large portions of its original paintwork, it has multiple imperfections and some minor retouching. Other known flaws are a cracked dash, wear on the driver’s seat, and minor rust on the inside bottom of the doors.

The sale includes the original build order sheet, a copy of the original window sticker, and Pontiac Historical Society documentation. The car has a clean title.

With just under two weeks remaining in the auction, bidding has reached $16,000. Considering the GTO’s iconic roots, classic design, and legendary performance—plus its documented ownership from new—this 1970 Pontiac GTO Ram Air III should draw a lot of interest before the auction closes on Wednesday, December 27 at 3 p.m. EST. Could its third owner be you?

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Drew Scott, known as one-half of the Property Brothers on HGTV, admits that if there’s one thing he enjoys as much as a property makeover, it’s a car makeover—and this week he brought proof to Jay Leno’s Garage. Scott, who along with twin brother Jonathan spends much of his time renovating houses, loves European sports cars and the concept of renewable energy, and he merged the two by designing a very attractive electric car, the Lanark DS.

“It’s a tribute to my dad, who’s from Scotland,” Scott says, sharing that the Lanark is named for his father’s hometown. Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Scott twins and their father “would admire the cars” they saw on the street, which jump-started Drew’s interest in European sports cars.

The bespoke Lanark is inspired by those cars but is also completely different. It has Mini Cooper headlights, Miata taillights, an electric charging port hidden inside a gas tank lid, scallops in the fenders (which Drew admits are influenced by the Corvette), bespoke wheels, and a touchscreen on the dash. The car also has a hood emblem, designed by Drew’s wife, which shows a Scottish Thistle and the Cascade Mountains, since his parents lived most of their lives in Colorado.

The Lanark also has British flag emblems on the sides, not Scottish. Scott tried to explain his reasoning for that, saying he chose what he thought was “a nice midpoint” between Scotland and the European cars that he loved as a kid.

“I kinda haven’t mentioned that to my dad yet,” Scott admitted about the British flag. “He’ll probably be like, ‘Get that off of there and put on the Lion Rampant!’”

Scott worked on the one-off automobile with master mechanic Ant Anstead, and their collaboration turned into a Discovery+ television series, Drew’s Dream Car. It wasn’t an easy ride, especially for Anstead, who learned that his “client” was very insistent about what he wanted. Scott also admits that despite his deep affection for automobiles, he was also a little surprised by the complexity of actually building one.

“I’ve designed so many houses over the years—we’ve done everything from new developments to renovations and rehabs, and also taking historic homes and trying to revitalize (them) while keeping the original charm …,” Drew tells Jay. “I do houses that are a lot bigger and have a lot more rooms and (I thought), ‘This is just a car. How hard can it be?’ Then I got into it and I realized it was hard. I got in a little over my head.”

“And you’re tall,” Jay jokes, “so to be in over your head, that’s a lot.”

“It’s 10,000 components coming all together,” says Scott, who is 6-foot-4, “… but it was fun and we got it done in the end.”

Actually, Scott’s height came into play from the start, as the car’s batteries had to be stacked to allow for plenty of legroom. And although the windscreen isn’t very large—because Scott didn’t want it to “look like a clown car”—it still does the job because the ample leg room allows the driver and passenger to sit lower in the car.

Built with “a Tesla motor, two-tube frame, a lot of Miata pieces,” the Lanark DS weighs only 2200 pounds, less than half that of a Tesla. It gets 300 miles on a full charge.

“Everything about this car speaks to me or my family in some way,” says Scott, who owns a Tesla Model S and a Rivian. “(Even) the fabric in the ‘chairs’ and mid-console is Scottish tartan.”

Oddly enough, considering that the car is electric, Scott decided against power steering because classic European sports cars don’t have it. “I was asked if I wanted power steering, (and) I was like, ‘Yeah, sure.’ Then I was given a look like, ‘You’re making this very unauthentic’ … So I said no to power steering.”

After Jay makes a joke about his wedding night while trying to get the bonnet to latch properly, the two go for a drive. Jay applauds the Lanark’s “excellent throttle response. This really is linear … They did a really good job on that.”

He also mentions that the car may eventually be auctioned for charity.

“This whole experience was amazing,” Scott says. “To make something that’s a family tribute means a lot to me, but what also means a lot is giving back … To be able to have somebody else who’s a huge car lover have something custom like this while still raising money for charity, that would be amazing.”

The discussion turns to EVs, renewable energy, and the high cost of gasoline.

“It is what it is,” Scott says. “It’s not like we can flip the switch and make everything electric tomorrow … (but) we’re getting there.”

Nearing the end of their time together, Jay—who insists he appreciates both combustion-engine and electric vehicles—praises the Lanark. “Well, Drew, it turned out very nice … You have a few scratches to fix on the front, but whoever gets this will be pretty lucky.”

“Wait a minute,” Scott interjects. “Did you scratch my car?”

“Um, no, that was there when it got here.”

“I’ve heard that before.”

“Tell me about it.”

Jay quickly signs off, telling his viewers, “We’ll see you next week with more gas cars, I promise!”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Scott says, pretending to be offended, “I’m still here.”

***

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The 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is still eight months away, but competition for entry into the prestigious automobile showcase has already begun. The 73rd Concours, scheduled for August 18, 2024, is accepting applications through January 5.

Five featured categories will celebrate an expanded range of cars, from early pioneers to 1990s supercars.

Links to the online entry form have been sent to regular participants. Others with a car that they believe to be worthy of inclusion in the California concours can send a brief description and images to entries@pebblebeachconcours.net.

The five featured categories include:

Packard 125th Anniversary

Synonymous with American luxury for nearly six decades (1899–1958), Packard automobiles have won Best of Show at Pebble Beach four times—most recently in 2013, when Joseph and Margie Cassini III’s 1934 Packard 1108 Twelve Dietrich Convertible Victoria was crowned. To celebrate the 125th anniversary of Packard’s founding, Pebble is offering a special class for early Packard automobiles, ranging from the very earliest single-cylinder horseless carriages to the era of the massive Dominant Six in 1915. In addition, there will be a curated display of models in the 1930 Packard Speedster Series, which was essentially a line-up of factory hot rods based on a custom-built shortened chassis and equipped with a whole host of performance options. The Speedsters were available in five unique body styles, including the iconic boattail design.

Maserati

Italy’s Maserati brothers—Alfieri (1887–1932), Bindo (1883–1980), Carlo (1881–1910), Ettore (1894–1990), and Ernesto (1898–1975)—were all involved with automobiles from the beginning of the 20th century. After founding Maserati S.p.A. in 1914, the brothers produced their first racing car in 1926, and one of the first, driven by Alfieri, won that year’s Targa Florio. In 1948, long after the Maserati’s competition models became legendary and now under the management of the Orsi family, the automaker began building non-racing sports cars, and Maserati’s venerable GT series cars emerged.

Frua Coachwork

Pietro Frua was not just part of the golden age of creativity in Italian design and coachbuilding, his work all but defined it for many. From the rounded lines of the early 1950s to the sleek squared-off shapes of the ’60s, Frua was a master of all. His designs were sometimes a little off-putting, but they were still tasteful and inherently beautiful. Frua began his career with Farina and then built his own design studio, which, after many successful projects, he eventually sold to Ghia. Along the way, he bodied many marques, but his creations built for Maserati, which featured smooth, low-slung bodywork, are among his most celebrated.

Wedge-Shaped Concept Cars & Prototypes

A few 1950s prototypes hinted at the idea, but wedge-shaped designs really stepped into the public’s consciousness with concept cars in the three decades that followed. The trend began with the Ghia Gilda Streamline S and blossomed with the Alfa Romeo Carabo, Ferrari Modulo 512, and Lancia Stratos HF. These dramatically different cars weren’t just styling pipe dreams, either; their lines went on to influence a whole host of production models like the Lamborghini Miura and Countach, DeLorean DMC-12, Lotus Esprit, Fiat X1/9, Lancia Stratos, and Vector W2. Traces of the wedge design also appear in the Tesla Cybertruck of today.

1990s BPR & FIA GT Race Cars

The BPR Series—named for founders Jürgen Barth, Patrick Peter, and Stéphane Ratel—brought iconic supercars to the track in the mid-1990s, just as legendary sports cars like the Jaguar E-type, Ferrari 250 GT, and Shelby Cobra had gone from road to racecourse with few changes in the 1950s and ’60s. The McLaren F1, Ferrari F40, Bugatti EB110, Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR, and Porsche 911 GT1 all took part in the series, as did exotics like the Lotus Elise GT1 and Dodge Viper. These titans of performance and style competed on tracks worldwide—from Europe to Zhuhai, China, and California’s Laguna Seca. The BPR Series began in 1994 and became the FIA GT Series in 1997.

***

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It’s been a big year for Right to Repair. Starting with John Deere signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in January that allows farmers and independent repair shops to perform maintenance on their own tractors, 2023 has provided multiple victories on behalf of consumers. Some of those wins are directly related to the automotive industry.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 33 states and Puerto Rico considered Right to Repair legislation during the 2023 legislative session. Maine became the fifth state in 11 months to approve Right to Repair legislation, when 84 percent of voters said yes to the question, “Should auto manufacturers enable owners and their preferred mechanics to access their car’s diagnostics systems?” Other states to pass similar laws in 2023 are:

• Colorado, which now “requires agricultural equipment manufacturers to provide resources for individuals to repair their own agricultural equipment”;
• California, which “requires manufacturers [of electronic or appliance products, with some exclusions*] to provide the means to diagnose, maintain, or repair for seven years for products with a price point more than $100 and three years for products under $100”;
• New York, which “requires manufacturers [excluding makers of cars and farm equipment, among others**] to provide consumers with parts or tools for electronic equipment manufactured for the first time and sold or used in New York after July 1, 2023”; and
• Minnesota, which enacted the Digital Fair Repair Act, which requires “manufacturers of certain electronic products to make documentation, parts, and tools for diagnosis, maintenance, or repair available to independent repair providers and product owners on fair and reasonable terms.”

In a nutshell, the Right to Repair fight comes down to this: Consumers want the right to work on their own cars, farm machinery, and electronics. Manufacturers, of course, would rather keep the required computer codes and specialized tools to themselves, citing trademark issues and trade secrets.

Gay Gordon-Byrne, executive director of The Repair Association, says that not allowing consumers the right or resources to repair their own electronics seems illogical.

“When people hear about the right to repair, they say, ‘Oh my God, my dishwasher was broken and I couldn’t get it fixed. My cell phone was broken and it cost me an arm and a leg,’” Gay Gordon-Byrne says. “And it’s very popular from that standpoint because everybody needs to get their stuff fixed.”

However, the idea that “I own it, therefore I should be able to fix it” isn’t popular among manufacturers—and some in the media—who are concerned that sharing proprietary information could affect safety, efficiency, and incentive to innovate. Regardless, Right to Repair advocates remain steadfast.

“It’s pretty incredible the array of people coming out to support (Right to Repair) …” says Allison Conwell, an advocate for Colorado Public Interest Research Group (CoPIRG). “But it’s pretty clear that this is going to take a big effort when you look at who’s across the table.”

Specific to automobiles, the first of many attempts to establish the right to repair arrived in 2001, when the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act was introduced in the United States Congress. However, the bill went nowhere. Eleven years later, in 2012, Massachusetts voters approved a Right to Repair proposal that “required vehicle owners and independent repair facilities in Massachusetts to have access to the same vehicle diagnostic and repair information made available to the manufacturers’ Massachusetts dealers and authorized repair facilities.” The law was then used as a starting draft to create similar legislation in other states.

Three years ago, in November 2020, Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly approved a measure that expanded the rights of do-it-yourselfers and independent mechanics, allowing them access not only to mechanical information but also to wirelessly transmitted information such as telematics, driving, and diagnostics data. Automakers almost immediately filed suit to stop the measure, claiming the law was “unenforceable because it is unconstitutional.” While the case is still working its way through the courts, in August 2023 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) instructed Massachusetts authorities to begin enforcing the Right to Repair law—just months after the same agency told automakers to ignore it.

Of the 74 Right to Repair legislation proposals introduced in 2023, most either failed or remain pending. Of those that specifically mention “motor vehicles,” two failed (in Maryland and Montana), and two are pending (in Hawaii and New York).

While Right to Repair advocates applaud victories in Massachusetts, Colorado, California, New York, Minnesota, and Maine in the last three years, they also admit they have a long way to go. For now, those six states will provide a litmus test that will be closely watched by legislators in the other 44. Stay tuned.

* Agricultural, forestry, industrial, or construction industry equipment; video game consoles; and alarm systems, like fire alarms are all excluded from California’s 2023 Right to Repair legislation. 

** As reported by the New York National Law Review, home appliances that have a “digital electronic product embedded within,” medical devices, motor vehicle manufacturers, and farm and utility tractors and off-road equipment are all excluded from New York’s Right to Repair law. 

***

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Tony Ierardi knows a thing or two about celebrity cars, having restored the iconic Countach from Cannonball Run for his friend Jeff Ippoliti. Now Ierardi and his team at DeLorean Motor Company in Orlando are back in the collector-car spotlight with their latest project, a 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 that once belonged to Tonight Show legend Johnny Carson.

The car, available on Hagerty Marketplace, is the first of two company DMC-12s that John Z. DeLorean shipped to Carson in appreciation for his $500,000 investment in DeLorean’s automaking venture. This one (VIN SCEDT26T8BD002439, generally referred to as 2439) is notable because Carson accidentally locked himself inside it shortly after it was delivered to his California home. (His second DeLorean, VIN 4523, made headlines when Carson was pulled over while driving it in 1982 and charged with drunken driving. That DMC sold for $115,000 on Bring a Trailer almost three years ago.)

Ierardi, who owns one of three official Classic DeLorean sales and service centers in the U.S. (the others are located in Texas and California), has owned five Lamborghini Countachs in his life, but he fell in love with DeLoreans at an early age, years before the car became a time-traveling legend in 1985’s Back to the Future.

“When the first one came out, I was 12. For me it wasn’t about sports and girls, it was about this cool car. I always dreamed of owning one,” Ierardi says. “I know they say don’t meet your heroes, but meeting the DeLorean has been a great experience. The movie was great and brought a lot of attention to the car, but I already loved it before that. It was always about the car.”

This particular car was one of those “special” DeLoreans on Ierardi’s list. It all started when he joined the DeLorean Owners Association in 1990; four years later, Ierardi bought his first DMC-12. In 2003, after meeting DeLorean Motor Company CEO Stephen Wynne, who purchased DeLorean’s entire stockpile of parts and resurrected the company name in the mid-1990s, Ierardi opened the Florida location of DMC in January 2005. His shop is not affiliated with the original car company started by John Z. Delorean.

“We’ve been buying and selling DeLoreans for almost 19 years, and we have a VIN list of what we consider special cars,” Ierardi says. “This one was actually auctioned through a heavy construction equipment site (Vantage Auctions Inc.), and the guy who won it kind of threw out the idea that since he had two DeLoreans he’d be willing to part with one. So, when we saw the VIN and realized it was the first Carson car, we offered to buy it directly from the auction company ourselves.”

The deal was done on September 19, 2022, and Ierardi and his team were in a quandary about their next move.

“We knew it deserved a restoration, but we were trying to decide: Should we sell it as-is and let someone else restore it, or restore it ourselves? So we worked on it in between jobs for six months, then we kind of changed gears and said, ‘Let’s do it all.’”

Engineered in part by Lotus, with an angular form styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro, this particular DMC-12 was completed at the DeLorean Motor Company plant in Belfast, Ireland, in July 1981 and delivered to Carson a short time later.

It features DeLorean’s instantly recognizable brushed stainless-steel body and gullwing doors, as well as an optional gray leather interior, louvered rear window, Dolby sound system, air conditioning, power windows, power door locks, power side mirrors, and early digital clock. It is powered by a 2.85-liter V-6 engine—located in the rear—that’s rated at 130 horsepower with 153 lb-ft of torque and mated to a manual transmission. It sits on cast-alloy wheels (14 inches in front, 15 inches in the rear).

The car comes with a 6000-mile or six-month warranty on all the parts, which were sourced directly from DeLorean Motor Company. There are 89,680 miles on the odometer.

In addition to this car and the previously mentioned Cannonball Run Countach, Ierardi has restored DeLorean Prototype-1 (designed by Bill Collins), which resides at the AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania; the twin-turbo DeLorean; and the third-built 1983 Delorean DMC-12 Gold Edition.

With more than a week remaining in the Hagerty Marketplace auction, Johnny Carson’s first DeLorean (one of fewer than 9000 DMCs built) has been bid to $31,000. The auction closes on Friday, December 8, at 3 p.m. EST.

“DeLorean is a great car, and had it not been for a couple of missteps, I think it would have made it,” Ierardi opines. “I’m glad it lives on though. I had a five-year-old kid in here the other day who said, ‘I’m going to own one of these someday.’ It definitely has lasting appeal for people of all ages.”

***

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It didn’t receive the hoopla that the Dodge Ramcharger did, but the Plymouth Trail Duster is nearly identical except for a few pieces of trim. Plus, it’s rarer. Which makes it a solid alternative to the more expensive and more popular Ramcharger.

Plymouth’s first and only SUV, the Trail Duster PW-100 was introduced along with the new Ramcharger AW-100, which served as Dodge’s long-awaited answer to the Ford Bronco, Chevrolet K5 Blazer, and International Scout. The Trail Duster, which received less attention and was offered as a discounted version of the Dodge, was built from 1974–81 and had approximately 36,000 buyers—about one-third as many as the Ramcharger did during the same time period. And since these trucks were primarily utilitarian and designed for off-roading, who knows how many still survive.

Which brings us to this 1976 Plymouth Trail Duster Sport listed on Hagerty Marketplace. Showing only 19,459 actual miles—yes, we said actual—this Trail Duster 4×4 (VIN AAOBE6X104516) was sold new to Bob Stoody by Sankey Motor Company in Delta, Colorado. And, although Plymouth advertised the Trail Duster as a “highly maneuverable, extremely capable sports-utility vehicle with up-to-the-minute styling that makes it at home anywhere,” its home has always been in Delta. In fact, its second and current owner told Old Cars Weekly in 2021 that it had never even traveled outside the state of Colorado. He purchased it from his next-door neighbor’s widow in 2017 after admiring it from afar for years.

Clearly, both of the Trail Duster’s owners treated it like a cherished member of the family. Finished in Light Gold and white over a tan vinyl interior, it wears its original paint, rides on its original Goodyear Tracker A/T 10-15 LT-B raised white letter tires (safer for display than real-world driving, we’d suggest), and has its original, optional removable hardtop. It even retains its original valve-cover stickers. Under the hood is a 150-horsepower 318-cubic-inch V-8 with a dual-barrel carburetor, mated to the optional Torqueflite automatic transmission.

The Sport package includes Sport medallions, simulated wood-grain vinyl applique, bright tail-light bezels, bright hubcaps, deluxe front bucket seats, and a lockable floor console with a removable Styrofoam cooler.

Among its many features: power steering, power front disc brakes, manual windows, pivoting vent windows, electronic ignition, air conditioning, AM radio, door-mounted map pockets, three-passenger rear bench seat, pneumatic assist for lifting the rear tailgate glass, white spoke steel wheels, chrome bumpers, rear hitch, and a 3.55:1 axle ratio.

Known imperfections include a minor dent on the passenger front fender, minor paint chips, a minor dent in the hardtop on the driver’s side, and a small imperfection on the passenger side of the hood.

While a 1976 Dodge Ramcharger SE (with 318-cu-in V-8) in #2 (Excellent) condition carries an average value of $25,100, a nearly-identical 1976 Plymouth Trail Duster Sport is valued at $23,600. You won’t get this one for that, though. With eight days remaining until the auction closes on Friday, December 1 at 3:30 p.m. EST, bidding has already rocketed to $24,500.

Perhaps the Trail Duster is finally getting its due—this time around, at least.

***

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With all due respect to author Thomas Wolfe, you can go home again. Sometimes the road is just a little longer and bumpier than anticipated.

No one knows that better than Ohio brothers Matt and Kevin Harris, who relentlessly searched for the car that their parents drove from their wedding in 1983 and miraculously found it just in time to surprise them for their 40th anniversary. To make a very long story short, the two found a needle in a haystack, and that needle—a blue 1932 Plymouth Model PB two-door sedan—was still as sharp and shiny as they remembered it as kids.

“We were back here again today, just standing and looking at it, and we’re all still thinking the same thing,” Matt Harris says. “This can’t be real.”

But it is.

When Dennis and Ruth Harris were married on September 24, 1983, their chariot of choice was one that had been in the Harris family for decades, passed down by original owner Raymond Claude Seat, Dennis’ great grandfather. Dennis cherished the car for years, but he began to look at it differently once he and Ruth had two sons.

“I thought, I have two boys and one car, and I wasn’t sure how to handle that,” Dennis says. So, in August 1995, he made the gut-wrenching decision to donate the Plymouth to the Charlie Sens Auto Museum in Marion, Ohio—about 50 miles from the family’s home in Ashland—in exchange for lifetime passes for Matt and Kevin. The story made the front page of The Marion Star.

“Our boys actually shed tears over the thought of giving up the car,” Ruth Harris told the newspaper. “We let them play a big part in the decision to give (it) away.”

Although Dennis “figured that later in life the boys could go and see the car whenever they wanted,” it didn’t work out that way. The museum closed two years later, and Charlie Sans’ entire collection—including the Harris’ Plymouth—was auctioned off on June 14, 1997.

“When we found out,” Matt Harris says, “we were brokenhearted.”

No one more than Dennis. “I thought it was gone for good.”

Matt and Kevin Harris were still kids at the time, so there wasn’t much they could do, but the two never forgot about their parents’ Plymouth. Matt’s curiosity finally got the best of him when he was in his late teens.

“In 2005, I was dating a girl who worked at the DMV, and she told me more info than she probably should have,” Matt says. “At that point it was still in Ohio, which was a relief. The cars from that auction went all over the world—Russia, Switzerland, Holland, Japan, New Zealand, England, Turkey. I was in college then and couldn’t afford to buy it even if I had the chance to, but it was good to know that it was still in Ohio.”

That was information for another day, and that day finally arrived earlier this year. Three decades after the Harris family left the car at the museum, Matt joined online Plymouth groups and other car sites that he thought might be helpful, inquiring about the car’s whereabouts. There were no leads. So he hired a detective. Bingo.

“Our detective was fantastic,” Matt says. “He found out that the car originally went to a guy in Cardington (Ohio) named John B. Wilhelm, who went to the auction that day to buy that specific car. It was the same year, model, and color as one that had belonged to his father, John F. Wilhelm, and he wanted to give it to his parents for their wedding anniversary [sound familiar?]. When his parents’ passed away, it was nearly chopped and hot rodded by the guy’s 14-year-old son, but he couldn’t bring himself to let that happen, so he bought his son a truck instead. And in 2017, he sold the Plymouth to Danny Ray Miller of Sydney, Ohio.”

The detective gave Matt three phone numbers associated with Miller. The moment had arrived.

“I was actually terrified to call. I had never lost hope of finding it, but I had serious doubts,” Matt says. “Then I tried the first number and Danny answered. I said, ‘I hear you have an old Plymouth.’ And he said, ‘Yeah, I do.’ I asked, ‘Can we come and take a look at it?’”

What Matt didn’t realize was that Miller, who bought the Harris car six years earlier, actually owned two Plymouths. One was a 1933 hot rod, and he had planned to hot rod the Harris family’s ’32 as well but had recently decided to sell it. Miller hadn’t advertised it yet, however, so he wondered how Matt knew about it.

“He told me the story, and it was pretty awesome—kind of unbelievable,” Miller admits. “You hardly ever hear something like that.”

Matt and Kevin were eager to see the Plymouth, but they were also anxious about its condition. “Curiosity was killing me,” Matt says. “I thought, ‘What is this car going to look like?’ I just had the VIN, Danny’s name and address, and his phone number. I had no idea what kind of condition it was in.”

Within moments of the reunion, however, all fear was gone. “The stars really aligned,” Matt says. “It was beautiful. He had taken such good care of it.”

Matt immediately noticed that the Plymouth had retained its custom shifter, plus “a discreetly repaired passenger door handle, which Dad meticulously welded decades ago. I saw that and I knew for sure this was it.

“It definitely makes for a good story.”

Except the story wasn’t over. Some clandestine work had to be done before Dennis and Ruth Harris’ fast-approaching 40th Anniversary celebration.

“Kevin and I knew we had to work in secret if we were going to surprise them,” Matt says. “We went through it mechanically and did some things; we rebuilt the fuel pump, the diaphragm leaked, there were 30-plus grease points in the chassis and engine bay, and we changed all the fluids. As for the body, we washed it. That’s it. Didn’t even need to wax it.

“We spent the majority of our time (before the anniversary party) recreating all of their wedding decorations. The only change we made was adding ‘40 Years Ago’ to the ‘Just Married’ sign.”

When the car was finally revealed on September 24, Dennis and Ruth were understandably emotional.

“I felt like I was going to drop,” Dennis says. “I walked out and saw that car, and it looked like it was in the same condition as it was the last time I saw it 30 years ago. The amazing thing was, a lot of people knew about this, but nobody spilled the beans. There were almost 100 people there, including the press. They were asking questions and taking pictures. It was amazing.”

Matt says the timing was also amazing, beyond the obvious anniversary celebration. “Dad was 37 when he put the Plymouth in the museum—the same age as I am now,” he says. “The car has now been in two weddings (including John Wilhelm’s niece), has been an anniversary gift twice, and it escaped being chopped twice. The stars were definitely aligned.”

Oddly enough, while the Plymouth’s 30-year odyssey began because Dennis Harris didn’t want to favor one of his sons over the other, the brothers are more than happy to share it.

“We’re like, ‘You take it’ … ‘No, you take it,’” Matt says. “We both want to see the other enjoy it.”

They’ll have plenty of time to do that, since the car won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Plus, Matt’s wife, Karra, is due to give birth to the couple’s first child (Vivian) any day now, so perhaps a next-generation Plymouth enthusiast is already on her way.

“Dad and Mom sacrificed a lot for us. Finally, this is the chapter in our lives when we can give something back to them,” Matt says, then insists, “This car isn’t going to leave the family as long as I’m alive. I don’t think I could go through this again.”

While the Plymouth’s journey home is an amazing one, Dennis says that as he and Ruth eagerly anticipate sharing a Thanksgiving meal with their children this week, they’re feeling more grateful than ever.

“My sons have a love for the car, just like we do, but this is more about their love for their parents and everything they did to surprise us with it. To us, that’s the most important thing.”

Even Thomas Wolfe could appreciate that.

***

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Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias waited 29 years to get the car he lusted after in high school. So you’ll have to forgive him if he gets a little excited about his 1994 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra.

It was clearly worth the wait.

Iglesias brought his newly acquired—and practically brand-new—Mustang SVT Cobra to Jay Leno’s Garage, and it was difficult to tell whether Jay was more blown away by the car and its ultra-low mileage or the fact that Iglesias actually graduated high school.

“Original and unrestored … only 12 miles from new,” Jay says, introducing the car before he then introduces his fellow comedian. “Also original and unrestored …”

“Much like the car, I have only 12 miles on me,” Iglesias jokes.

“It’s a hard 12 though,” Jay quips, “A lot of potholes.”

Jay explains that Ford built five 1994 Mustang SVT (Special Vehicle Team) Indianapolis 500 pace cars and 1000 additional replicas, one of which now belongs to Iglesias, who bought this one from a collector who started it regularly but rarely drove it. The Cobra features a 302-cubic-inch V-8 that produces 240 horsepower and is mated to a five-speed manual transmission.

“Let me tell you what’s so special about this car for me: 1994 is my (graduation) year,” Iglesias says. “This one is the car I wanted, but I couldn’t get my hands on it. This is the car that everybody wanted.”

When Fluffy mentions Vanilla Ice, Leno appears speechless, but not for the reason Iglesias thinks.

“I’m just stunned that you graduated,” Leno says. “I can’t believe it.”

After more banter, Iglesias says that he’s considering taking the car to the Woodward Dream Cruise next summer for its 30th birthday. He also explains how the Cobra is essentially a new car.

“I basically took all of the plastic off it,” he says. The only work he had done was to replace the tires and the gas tank, just to be safe. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it … the car is perfect.”

The biggest difference between Iglesias and the car’s previous owner is that Fluffy says he’s going to drive it. A lot. In that vein, the two comedians decide to “go out and double the mileage.” Jay happily agrees to take the wheel.

Iglesias says he feels a little sad for the previous owner, who obviously didn’t fully engage with the Cobra.

“I’m going to enjoy this car,” Iglesias vows. “My version of ‘enjoy it’ is driving it.”

***

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Motivated to raise awareness of his daughter’s neurological condition and inspired by the cross-country exploits of early-1900s automobiles (as well as a few of his favorite car movies), Todd Touchberry is about to drive coast-to-coast in a 1920 Ford Model T. 

Considering that Touchberry and his wife, Jennifer, knew nothing about Model Ts before they bought two of them a year ago, that plan might sound a little ambitious. Adding to the challenge, Todd hopes to complete the drive from South Carolina to California’s Pacific Coast in less than two weeks so that he can break the current 14-day solo record. That’s way more than ambitious; Todd admits that it’s “crazy.”

“I’m at a loss for words,” he says in a promotional video for the drive. “What have I gotten myself into?”

Touchberry knows full well what he’s gotten himself into. It was his idea. The 3000-mile cross-country quest, which begins today (November 17), is to benefit his 22-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, and others like her who suffer from hydrocephalus, a life-altering, life-threatening condition caused by an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid, resulting in pressure on the brain. Hydrocephalus affects more than one million Americans, and there is no cure. The only treatment involves surgery to insert a shunt into the brain to drain the fluid and relieve the pressure.

Elizabeth Touchberry says that while most people can get rid of a headache with aspirin or some other over-the-counter medication, when she needs relief “it really is brain surgery.” She’s had 19 surgeries since she was born on April 23, 2001, most of them occurring prior to her 13th birthday.

Todd’s suggestion of a cross-country drive to shine light on his daughter’s disorder seems appropriate since the Touchberrys are classic car enthusiasts and enjoy coming up with ideas for fundraisers. Plus, Todd is a fan of road-trip movies like Convoy, Smokey and the Bandit, and Cannonball Run. 

Jennifer, who is Elizabeth’s step-mom—Elizabeth’s mother is Brandy Stevens—calls it “the ultimate way to raise money for hydrocephalus while still showing our love and appreciation for old cars.”

But why drive 3000 miles in an automobile that was built more than a century ago? History. “While we were researching our Ford Model Ts, which we knew nothing about when we purchased them, Todd came across a couple of books about people who traveled across the country over a hundred years ago,” Jennifer says. “We were just in awe of the reliability of the cars.”

Todd says that one of the books that inspired him was Tom Cotter’s Ford Model T Coast to Coast: A Slow Drive across a Fast Country. Todd wrote on Facebook that he has “nothing but respect” for Cotter and hopes to meet him someday. He also decided that since Cotter referred to his Model T as “Something SPL,” he was naming his Model T “Nuthin’ Special.”

Cotter is well aware of the Touchberrys’ new-found appreciation for Model Ts and their support for the Hydrocephalus Association.

“Driving a Model T from coast-to-coast is the driving adventure of a lifetime,” he says. “I think they’ll find the car is up to the task, and this trip is one they’ll never forget. I hope they exceed their fundraising goals.”

The Touchberrys hope to raise at least $10/mile and donate the funds to assist with critical hydrocephalus research. They plan to share updates of their drive—from South Carolina through Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and into California—via social media, including on Todd’s Facebook page. To donate to “Coast for Hydrocephalus,” visit www.hydroassoc.org/coast-2-coast/.

***

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The trees are almost bare and the evening arrives sooner each day. We all know what that means: It’s time to tuck away our classics into storage. We may have published this article in 2018, but it’s still our go-to checklist, and we hope it serves you well. —Ed. 

Just when you thought you’d heard every suggestion and clever tip for properly storing your classic automobile, along comes another recommendation—or two, or three.

As you can imagine, we’ve shared plenty of ideas and advice about winter storage over the years. Some of those annual recommendations are repeated here. And some have been amended—for example, the fragrance of dryer sheets is way more pleasing to our noses than the stench of moth balls, and the fresh smell actually does a superior job of repelling mice.

Finally, each year we receive tried-and-true suggestions from our readers that we just have to share. In 2017, our resident do-it-yourself mechanic Rob Siegel received plenty of kudos for his winter prep story, which included some valuable myth busting, and his story also drew a number of storage ideas from readers.

Armed with information old and new, here are our top tips for storing your classic vehicle. Did we miss something important? Let us know in the comments section below. We’re all in this together.

Wash and wax

It may seem fruitless to wash the car when it is about to be put away for months, but it is an easy step that shouldn’t be overlooked. Water stains or bird droppings left on the car can permanently damage the paint. Make sure to clean the wheels and undersides of the fenders to get rid of mud, grease and tar. For added protection, give the car a coat of wax and treat any interior leather with a good conditioner.

Car cover

Even though your classic is stored in the garage in semi-stable temperatures and protected from the elements, a car cover will keep any spills or dust off of the paint. It can also protect from scratches while moving objects around the parked car.

Oil change

If you will be storing the vehicle for longer than 30 days, consider getting the oil changed. Used engine oil has contaminants that could damage the engine or lead to sludge buildup. (And if your transmission fluid is due for a change, do it now too. When spring rolls around, you’ll be happy you did.)

Fuel tank

Before any extended storage period, remember to fill the gas tank to prevent moisture from accumulating inside the fuel tank and to keep the seals from drying out. You should also pour in fuel stabilizer to prevent buildup and protect the engine from gum, varnish, and rust. This is especially critical in modern gasoline blended with ethanol, which gums up more easily. The fuel stabilizer will prevent the gas from deteriorating for up to 12 months.

Radiator

This is another area where fresh fluids will help prevent contaminants from slowly wearing down engine parts. If it’s time to flush the radiator fluid, doing it before winter storage is a good idea. Whether or not you put in new antifreeze, check your freezing point with a hydrometer or test strips to make sure you’re good for the lowest of winter temperatures.

Battery

An unattended battery will slowly lose its charge and eventually go bad, resulting in having to purchase a new battery in the spring. The easiest, low-tech solution is to disconnect the battery cables—the negative (ground) first, then the positive. You’ll likely lose any stereo presets, time, and other settings. If you want to keep those settings and ensure that your battery starts the moment you return, purchase a trickle charger. This device hooks up to your car battery on one end, then plugs into a wall outlet on the other and delivers just enough electrical power to keep the battery topped up. Warning: Do not use a trickle charger if you’re storing your car off property. In rare cases they’ve been known to spark a fire.

Parking brake

For general driving use it is a good idea to use the parking brake, but don’t do it when you leave a car in storage long term; if the brake pads make contact with the rotors for an extended period of time, they could fuse together. Instead of risking your emergency brake, purchase a tire chock or two to prevent the car from moving.

Tire care

If a vehicle is left stationary for too long, the tires could develop flat spots from the weight of the vehicle pressing down on the tires’ treads. This occurs at a faster rate in colder temperatures, especially with high-performance or low-profile tires, and in severe cases a flat spot becomes a permanent part of the tire, causing a need for replacement. If your car will be in storage for more than 30 days, consider taking off the wheels and placing the car on jack stands at all four corners. With that said, some argue that this procedure isn’t good for the suspension, and there’s always this consideration: If there’s a fire, you have no way to save your car.

If you don’t want to go through the hassle of jack stands, overinflate your tires slightly (2–5 pounds) to account for any air loss while it hibernates, and make sure the tires are on plywood, not in direct contact with the floor.

Repel rodents

A solid garage will keep your car dry and relatively warm, conditions that can also attract unwanted rodents during the cold winter months. There are plenty of places in your car for critters to hide and even more things for them to destroy. Prevent them from entering your car by covering any gaps where a mouse could enter, such as the exhaust pipe or an air intake; steel wool works well for this. Next, spread scented dryer sheets or Irish Spring soap shavings inside the car and moth balls around the perimeter of the vehicle. For a more proactive approach, also lay down a few mouse traps (although you’ll need to check regularly for casualties).

Maintain insurance

In order to save money, you might be tempted to cancel your auto insurance when your vehicle is in storage. Bad idea. If you remove coverage completely, you’ll be on your own if there’s a fire, the weight of snow collapses the roof, or your car is stolen. If you have classic car insurance, the policy covers a full year and takes winter storage into account in your annual premium.

Your comments/suggestions

• “A good friend of mine and ex-Ferrari race mechanic (Le Mans three times) recommends adding half a cup of automatic transmission fluid to the fuel tank before topping up, and then running the engine for 10 minutes. This applies ONLY to carburetor cars. The oil coats the fuel tank, lines and carb bowls and helps avoid corrosion. It will easily burn off when you restart the car.”
• A warning regarding car covers: “The only time I covered was years ago when stored in the shop side of my machine shed. No heat that year and the condensation from the concrete caused rust on my bumpers where the cover was tight. The next year I had it in the dirt floor shed and the mice used the cover ties as rope ladders to get in.”
• “I use the right amount of Camguard in the oil to protect the engine from rust. It’s good stuff.”
• “Your car’s biggest villain is rust, that’s why I clean the car inside and out, and wax it prior to putting it in storage. For extra protection, I generously wax the bumpers and other chrome surfaces, but I do not buff out the wax. Mildew can form on the interior; to prevent this I treat the vinyl, plastic, and rubber surfaces with a product such as Armor All.
• “Ideally, your car should be stored in a clean, dry garage. I prepare the floor of the storage area by laying down a layer of plastic drop cloth, followed by cardboard. The plastic drop cloth and cardboard act as a barrier to keep the moisture that is in the ground from seeping through the cement floor and attacking the underside of my car.”
• “Fog out the engine. I do this once the car is parked where it is to be stored for the winter, and while it is still warm from its trip. Remove the air cleaner and spray engine fogging oil into the carburetor with the engine running at a high idle. Once I see smoke coming out of the exhaust, I shut off the engine and replace the air cleaner. Fogging out the engine coats many of the internal engine surfaces, as well as the inside of the exhaust with a coating of oil designed to prevent rust formation.”

Relax, rest, and be patient

For those of us who live in cold weather states, there’s actually a great sense of relief when you finally complete your winter prep and all of your summer toys are safely put to bed before the snow flies. Relax; you’ve properly protected your classic. It won’t be long before the snow is waist-high and you’re longing for summer—and that long wait may be the most difficult part of the entire storage process. Practice patience and find something auto-related to capture your attention and bide your time. You’ll be cruising again before you know it. (Keep telling yourself that, anyway.)

***

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Alan Poster, much to his chagrin (and astonishment), has already received more than his 15 minutes of fame, all because his new 1968 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible was stolen less than three months after he bought it.

Actually, the theft of the Corvette wasn’t what made Poster famous; it was the return of that stolen Corvette that made him famous. That’s because the car was gone for 37 years before it was miraculously returned to him.

Now, more than five decades after Poster first saw that C3 in a New York dealership and spent pretty much every cent he had on it, he’s saying goodbye to the car once again. Willingly, this time.

“It’s a crazy story,” Poster says of the Corvette’s wild journey, “… a really crazy story.”

It was January 1969, and the 26-year-old guitar salesman was fighting the winter blues. Fresh off a divorce, the Brooklyn native took solace in driving his blue Corvette ragtop, even on snow-covered roads. Although The New York Times later reported that Poster purchased the C3 to ease the pain of his breakup, Poster says he bought it before his divorce. The sports car, based on Larry Shinoda’s radical Mako Shark concept, rolled off the assembly line on July 16, 1968 and was shipped to a Chevrolet dealer in Great Neck, on Long Island. Poster, perhaps already mourning the demise of his personal relationship—or maybe expediting it—was enthralled with the Corvette and shelled out about $6000 for it. That would be $55,320 today.

“I got the Corvette in the divorce,” he says now, “and she got everything else.”

Poster told The Times in 2006 that it was a financial stretch to buy his dream car. “I didn’t have a lot of money. I went out on a limb to get this thing. It was an egocentric muscle car that just came out. Back then, Corvette was hot as heck. [Owning one] was an absolute fantasy of mine.”

Poster lived in Queens at the time and drove the Vette fast whenever he could. He also liked to impress women with it. In fact, on the night before the car was stolen, he was picking up a date and returned to the car just in time to thwart an attempted theft. “People were yelling, ‘Kill him!’ but I let the guy go,” Poster says. “I actually started laughing. I thought that was a little severe.”

As it turned out, he had only postponed the inevitable.

The following night, when Poster went to pick up the Corvette at a parking garage, the attendant returned and said it was gone. Poster reported it stolen on January 22, 1969. Just three weeks into the new year, his C3 was the 6620th automobile swiped in New York in 1969. By year’s end, that number had risen to 78,000.

Poster never received an insurance settlement for the Vette because he didn’t have the money to insure it. “I was heartbroken,” he says. “It was a big wake-up call. I never thought I’d see it again.”

As the years passed, the odds of recovering the car grew. Poster moved to California and settled in Petaluma, just north of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. In 1976, he founded Ace Products Group, which makes gear for musicians—things like bags, cases, cables, stands, adapters, and connectors. His business became a huge global success, and it allowed him to travel around the world “a hundred times,” he says. It also afforded Poster a yellow 1974 Corvette. “I was still trying to live my dream,” he admits. He eventually sold the car and moved on.

Then, nearly four decades after his 1968 Corvette convertible was swiped in New York, Poster received a phone call from the New York Police Department, saying his car had been located. He thought the call was a prank.

It wasn’t. Somehow, Poster’s Corvette had mysteriously followed him to California. Although he hadn’t insured it way back when, the theft had been reported to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which maintains a database of stolen vehicles. Before an automobile can be shipped out of the country, U.S. Customs routinely runs the VIN through that database. On December 7, 2005, as three classic cars were about to be shipped to Sweden, Customs got a hit: One of the cars, a ’68 Corvette, was flagged as stolen in New York on January 22, 1969. There was no other information—no name, no address, not even a record of the police bureau where the theft had been reported.

Contacted by the California Highway Patrol, the NYPD suddenly had a lot of work to do, and they had to do it quickly. If the owner wasn’t found by January 1, the Corvette would be released to its Swedish buyer.

As The Times explained in 2006, Cliff Bieder and William Heiser, two detectives in the auto crimes division in Queens, were assigned the case. “It was the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack,” Heiser said at the time. After four days of meticulously searching through microfilm, “Our eyes were hurting,” Bieder said. Then, on December 23, Heiser scored. “I thought [my partner] was going to pass out.”

Locating Poster didn’t take very long; the two detectives spoke to the buyer of Poster’s last house, who said he had moved to California. They soon found Poster through his company, and on Christmas Eve, Bieder called him at his office.

“He said, ‘You had a car stolen in ’69? A Corvette? We have your car,’” Poster explains. “I thought, ‘This is a scam, a cruel joke.’ They had to convince me that it was true.”

The CHP picked up Poster and drove him to see the Corvette for himself. The media, which had been alerted ahead of time, was waiting for him to arrive.

“It was really something,” Poster says. “When I got out of the police car, there were cameras everywhere. It seemed like 40 or 50 people were asking questions. It was insane. I thought, ‘I’m not built for this.’ In retrospect it was fun, but going through it was not.”

The story was on TV, radio, and in newspapers all over the country, and Poster was inundated with calls and emails for weeks. “The woman that I’d taken on that blind date the night before it was stolen, she called me. I got a call from an old girlfriend that I hadn’t seen in years. I even got a proposal, but I had no interest in that,” Poster says with a laugh.

“My accountant was in Brazil at the time, and he saw my picture on the front of a newspaper there and he thought, ‘Oh, oh. What did he do?’ It was a big deal. That story was everywhere. It was crazy for a while. One day I thought, ‘I don’t want to be famous anymore.’”

Poster initially had big dreams for the car, but it never materialized. “I drove it only once after I got it back,” he laments. “It had been painted silver before it was returned to me, and the interior had been changed to red, so I had it repainted blue like it was (Le Mans Blue Poly 976, to be exact, over a blue interior). I tried to rekindle my excitement for it, but it felt different—that was another life. I was going to take it to shows and tell the story, but it never happened. Everything had changed. Looking back, I should have done something with it; I regret that I didn’t. It was big news.”

Even comedian Jerry Lewis saw the story, and he wanted the car. “His people contacted me and offered me a hundred grand for it,” Poster says. “I told them ‘Nah, I’m going to have fun with it.’”

He didn’t. Instead, the car sat for years. Several months ago, Poster decided to bring the Corvette up to snuff so he could sell it, and he enlisted the help of Nathan Stratton, who assisted him in selling a 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SL years earlier. They refreshed it cosmetically and mechanically, but most importantly they installed an original (but not the original) 327-cubic-inch V-8 engine, since the one with which the Corvette was born had been swapped out somewhere along the line.

“We did our best to make it look like it did before it was stolen,” Poster says, “and I think it does.”

The car’s odometer shows 60,000 miles, but most of those were driven by strangers. The New York Post reported at the time that there were three prior owners of the Corvette dating to 2001, including the person shipping it to Sweden, but since those people apparently had no idea the car was hot, they were not charged. The thief who stole the C3 in January 1969 has never been identified.

Poster’s Corvette will soon be offered on BringATrailer.com, and since a ’68 Corvette Stingray convertible in #2 (Excellent) condition has an average value of $53,700, he will finally get his $6000 back. But that isn’t the reason he has decided to part with it.

“I just turned 80 … 80! I can’t believe that,” Poster says with a laugh. “My life is a lot different now than it was back then. I live on a houseboat in Sausalito—the SS Maggie (built in 1889), which I bought four years ago. I didn’t used to believe in ghosts, but I do now. That thing (the houseboat) is haunted. Plus, I have an apartment in New York. I own a Range Rover. I’m in a different place.

“You know, I’m just so grateful. A lot of great things have happened to me, including getting the Corvette back. Now it’s time for it to go to someone else.”

This time around, however, if Poster wants to check on his old flame from time to time, he’ll know where to find it.

***

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Thirty years after the last American-built Ramcharger rolled off the assembly line, the automotive world received big news. This week, Dodge announced the return of the nameplate—this time, in the form of a hybrid pickup.

Though the Ramcharger name has been associated with Chrysler since the late ’50s, when a group of Chrysler engineers banded together as the Ramchargers to create innovative drag-racing cars, the truck carrying that nameplate rolled out in 1974. Built on a short-wheelbase Dodge pickup-truck chassis along with its Plymouth Trail Duster cousin, the Ramcharger was Mopar’s entry into the growing off-road vehicle segment. Known as the Rhino early in its development, the Ramcharger served as Dodge’s answer to the Ford Bronco, Chevrolet K5 Blazer, and International Scout, all of which arrived years earlier. Despite the competition’s head start, the Ramcharger lasted two generations and 20 model years—three generations and 23 model years if you count the 1999–2001 Ramcharger that was built and sold in Mexico.

First-year Ramchargers were exclusively four-wheel drive vehicles. In 1975, sensing that consumers also wanted to use their SUVs as daily drivers, Dodge began offering a rear-wheel-drive version. Three years later, Ramchargers received a game-changing transfer case, which gave the Mopar SUVs the ability to shift from four-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive and back again.

The 1974–80 (first-generation) models wore a dealer-installed fabric roof or an optional removable steel roof with a flip-up tailgate window. The ’74 versions are easily distinguishable from later years because the top would come off in one piece, including the front pillars connected to the door, leaving a convertible with half-doors. That changed midway through the first model year, when the roof was restyled to utilize regular pickup-style doors.

Oddly, only the driver’s seat was standard equipment on the early Dodge SUVs; passenger seats were optional until 1976. The Ramcharger could also be had with an insulated center console, perfect for keeping beverages cold on long jaunts off the beaten path.

Early Ramchargers were offered with five engine choices. A 225-cubic-inch (3.7-liter) slant-six mill came standard, with four optional V-8 upgrades available: a 318-cubic-inch (5.2-liter) and 360-cubic inch (5.9-liter) Chrysler small-block and the 400-cubic-inch (6.6-liter) and 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) big-blocks. Transmission options included a three-speed manual, a four-speed manual, and a three-speed Torqueflite automatic.

Brakes (front disc, rear drum) were power-assisted, and suspension was traditional leaf springs. Power steering was optional.

The second-generation Ramcharger arrived in 1981 and lasted through 1993. The most notable styling changes included an egg-crate-style grille (through ’86), a fixed metal roof, and—instead of a tailgate—a one-piece rear hatch that hinged at the top, allowing easy access to the cargo area. Dodge also added legroom in the rear, and buyers could choose a 5.2-liter or 5.9-liter V-8. Rear antilock brakes arrived in 1989.

Though the Ramcharger and its competitors continued to evolve with the times, the market took a major turn when Ford introduced its four-door Explorer in 1991. The upscale SUV not only offered twice as many doors as its rivals (and Ford’s own Bronco), but it was also roomy, comfortable, and easy to drive. The days of the big two-door SUV were numbered.

These days, early Ramchargers offer a more accessible entry point into the classic SUV market compared to their peers. For example, a 1979 Ramcharger (with the 360 engine) in #2 (Excellent) condition has an average value of $26,100, while a 1979 Ford Bronco Custom (with the 351) in similar condition is valued at $49,600, and a 1979 Chevrolet K10 Blazer Custom Deluxe (with the 350) at $47,800.

Later Ramchargers—durable, more refined, and more evolved versions of the earlier trucks—are generally on par with their contemporaries. A 1989 Ramcharger AD-100 (360-cubic-inch) in #2 condition is valued at $26,000, while a similar 1989 Ford Bronco XLT Lariat (351-cubic-inch) is valued at $27,500 and a 1989 Chevrolet V1500 Blazer Scottsdale (350-cubic-inch) is $26,000.

Admittedly, Dodge’s resurrection of the Ramcharger name for a hybrid truck makes sense. But, if in your mind “Ramcharger” instead conjures a rugged and utilitarian bruiser of an old SUV, there are plenty of old-school Ramchargers out there with life left in their body-on-frame bones, and they’re still comparatively affordable.

***

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They independently shared the name Carrera for decades, so it was only natural when Porsche and TAG Heuer combined their storied histories two years ago and partnered to create a new motorsports-inspired Carrera watch. 

Hold on tight; they’ve turned it up a notch.

The two legendary companies continue their collaboration with the introduction of a new showstopper, the perfect timepiece for every Porsche enthusiast: the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche. Offered in two versions, the watch pays homage to the momentous celebration of the 60th anniversaries of the TAG Heuer Carrera collection as well as the Porsche 911 (called the 901 in pre-production). Merging elements from both the watch and the car, TAG Heuer says the timepieces “offer an unparalleled timekeeping experience.”

With the new release, speed and precision converge, capturing the essence of the original Porsche 901’s remarkable achievement: reaching 0–100 km/h in a mere 9.1 seconds, an enhanced milestone as the history of the 911 unfolds.

“This watch perfectly encapsulates the essence of the motorsport universe, which is a shared value in our partnership with Porsche,” says Frédéric Arnault, CEO of TAG Heuer. “We have seamlessly merged the heritage of the 911 and the TAG Heuer Carrera, leveraging cutting-edge technology and unique design. It is a testament to our shared values of precision, innovation, and a deep appreciation for our respective histories.”

Inspired by Carrera Panamericana

Both TAG Heuer and Porsche’s use of the name Carrera—the Spanish word for race—was inspired by the nine-stage, five-day, 2100-mile Carrera Panamericana, Mexico’s famed 1950s road race. While Porsche’s use of the name clearly celebrated its success in the event (the automaker’s first victory came in 1953 when a 550 Spyder claimed the Small Sports Car category), TAG Heuer’s path there was a little less obvious.

In 1962, Jack Heuer, then head of the company founded by his great-grandfather a century earlier in St-Imier, Switzerland, was in Florida for the 12 Hours Race of Sebring. Heuer, a talented driver in his own right and fan of the entire racing experience, was told stories of the Carrera Panamericana. His interest was instantly piqued. When Heuer returned to Europe he immediately registered rights to use “Carrera,” deciding it was the perfect name for a watch with a racing spirit—useful and functional, featuring a clean and legible design, without extraneous elements that would distract the wearer’s gaze. 

“I loved not only its ‘sexy’ sound, but also its multiple meanings—which include road, race, course and career,” Heuer explained in his 2013 autobiography, The Times of My Life.

In 1963, the first Heuer Carrera watch arrived in the form of the Heuer Carrera ref. 2447, also known as the “Carrera-12.” Sixty years later, with a historic list of enthusiasts that includes racing legends like Bruce McLaren, Ayrton Senna, and Niki Lauda, TAG Heuer continues to create watches that motorsports drivers and fans are proud to wear. 

The Power of Precision

Since its groundbreaking introduction in 1963, the Porsche 911 has captivated enthusiasts with its unwavering commitment to performance, precision, and innovation. Its acceleration from 0–100 km/h in 9.1 seconds not only achieved those goals but paved the way for future generations of the 911, pushing boundaries and setting new records for speed and driving dynamics.

In that vein, TAG Heuer once again pays tribute to Porsche’s exceptional speed achievement. Bringing to life revolutionary designs and conceptual timepieces, the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche watches stand out. Both the Steel and Gold Editions celebrate the iconic status of the Porsche 911 and its remarkable performance heritage, fusing the spirit of Porsche’s groundbreaking achievements with TAG Heuer’s unwavering pursuit of excellence.

As a tribute to precision and speed, TAG Heuer introduces the groundbreaking TH20-08 movement, a new interpretation of the in-house caliber TH20 launched at the 2023 Watches & Wonders fair.  Designed for precise measurements of short time intervals, the TH20-08 movement mirrors Porsche 901’s acceleration from 0–100 km/h in 9.1 seconds. Its central hand accelerates swiftly, gradually decelerates over 60 seconds, and quickly restarts. In a word, it’s cool.

The movement’s unique mechanism features two snail-shaped wheels, creating a decelerating motion for the central hand. These wheels are crafted with state-of-the-art technology, the so-called LiGA process widely used in the MEMS (microelectromechanical system) industry. The TH20-08 represents TAG Heuer’s commitment to precision, craftsmanship, and captivating design, setting a new standard in watchmaking.

The dial of these watches beguiles with “a visual representation of speed and acceleration.” Red lines on the flange mirror the 0–100 km/h achievement in just 9.1 seconds, paying homage to the very first Porsche 911. Adding a touch of automotive inspiration, further subtle red details can be found throughout. The 6 o’clock subdial features a reference to the iconic dashboard of the 1970s Porsche, where the area around 50 km/h was often highlighted to indicate the recommended speed in urban areas.

An additional nod to the rich sportscar heritage lies in the red portion of the 9 o’clock subdial. It serves as a reminder of the critical engine speed beyond which damage may occur. It’s not by chance that TAG Heuer chose to place the red line at 6.8 hours; it refers to the limit of 6800 revolutions per minute. In addition, the counter hands of the watch are similar to the shape of a car dashboard, completing the cohesive automotive design aesthetic.

The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche also offers an innovative double glassbox—a curved crystal glass that pays homage to similarly domed Hesalite crystal designs from the 1970s. Re-engineered to have a curve that flows seamlessly over the tachymeter scale, it runs along the edge of the dial, blending into the case. This design, a first for the TAG Heuer Carrera, offers easy reading of the indications on the dial via the domed crystal and a captivating view of the watch’s intricate mechanics through the see-through caseback. The caseback is designed to replicate the iconic three-spoke steering wheel of Porsche.

Both watches feature a calfskin leather strap, in brown for the gold edition and in black for the steel edition, with the embossed original number “911” on the strap.

The steel version boasts a silver dial and flange, while the gold edition wears a beige dial and flange. Each watch is presented in specially designed, co-branded TAG Heuer x Porsche packaging with subtle touches of gold and steel reminiscent of the watches.

Decades after TAG Heuer and Porsche came to the same conclusion about the magical name “Carrera,” the two have created a watch that embodies their shared spirit of speed and precision—and their unwavering pursuit of excellence. 

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When Pontiac marketers called the redesigned 1970 Firebird “The Beginning of Tomorrow,” they likely didn’t imagine that the second-generation muscle car would see more than 4000 tomorrows in what would become a 12-year production run. The new Firebird not only looked good, it offered more power, a winning combination for performance-minded buyers of the era—and auto enthusiasts today.

As Hagerty Price Guide editor Greg Ingold wrote in 2021, “Although the second-gen Firebird achieved pop-culture fame in its later years—think T-Tops and screaming chicken—serious collectors prefer the high-horsepower, tightly wound thoroughbreds of the early ’70s.”

General Motors’ first-generation F-body cars were rapidly developed in response to the wild popularity of the Ford Mustang, and plans for a second generation were green-lit almost as soon as the first Chevrolet Camaros and Pontiac Firebirds went on sale in 1967. Designed by legendary GM design chief Bill Mitchell, the second-iteration Firebird received positive reviews when it was introduced at the 1970 Chicago Auto Show.

The new Firebird, wearing dramatic, European-influenced bodywork with long hood and truncated fastback rear end, was available in four models, all coupes. The entry-level Firebird offered both six-cylinder and eight-cylinder engine options; the Esprit had an upgraded interior, bright moldings around the hood, doors, and wheel lips, and a wider chrome molding on the rocker panel; the Formula 400 featured unique dual snorkel hood scoops and a 400-cubic-inch, four-barrel V-8 standard (with the Ram Air III 400 as an option); and that fourth model, the Trans Am, that became a legend.

With all of its high-performance options, the Trans Am was built for the serious driver—so serious, in fact, that in addition to the standard 345-horsepower Ram Air III 400, the racing-focused Ram Air IV 400 offered 375 hp and could only be had through the special order form. (Only 88 of those were built, 59 with standard transmission and 29 automatics, making them the most valuable and sought after second-gen Trans Ams.)

The top-end Firebird model’s styling also offered fender flares, “shaker” hood scoop, and spats ahead of the front and rear wheel openings, all unique to the Trans Am.

That brings us to this beautiful 1970 Firebird T-A, one of 1739 built with the venerable Ram Air III and mated to a four-speed manual gearbox. Fully restored in 2015 and offered on Hagerty Marketplace, this legendary muscle machine was refinished in its original factory shade of Polar White (10) with a blue stripe and Black (218) vinyl interior, and it rides on 15-inch Rally II wheels mounted with raised white-letter BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires. Its five-digit odometer shows 15,500 miles; exact mileage is unknown.

The car’s many features include front air dam, chrome rear bumper, color-keyed dual exterior racing mirrors, engine-turned aluminum dash panel, rear ducktail spoiler, thick stabilizer bars (front and rear), heavy-duty springs and shocks, bucket seats and lap belts, padded three-spoke steering wheel, Hurst shifter, power steering and brakes, manually operated windows, center console, gauges for voltmeter, water temperature, and oil pressure, dual-speed windshield wipers, Delco push-button AM/FM radio, heater, dual padded sun visors, locking glove compartment, lined trunk compartment, back-up lights, and dual exhaust outlets.

Known imperfections include cracking in the front grille surround and discoloration of the clear coat in some areas. Included in the sale are a PHS Automotive Services, Inc. information packet, digital copy of original build sheet, tire jack, and spare wheel/tire.

Currently located in Lakeville, Massachusetts, the Trans Am was originally delivered to All American Pontiac in San Jose, California, in June 1970 with a sticker price of $4748.64, which is the equivalent of approximately $37,670 today.

A 1970 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am with Ram Air III 400 carries an average value of $93,300 in #2 (Excellent) condition and $55,300 in #3 (Good) condition. With 11 days remaining in the auction, which ends on November 13 at 3:30 p.m., bidding has reached $18,500.

If you’ve been searching for a second-gen Trans Am, perhaps this is the beginning of your tomorrow.

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The most recent episode of Jay Leno’s Garage could be boiled down to one phrase: ”It’s not that bad”—which, when describing the much-maligned, low-priced 1980s Yugo, might actually be a compliment.

“Production problems, quality problems, safety issues—and they all break down,” comedian and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham says, listing the economy car’s drawbacks. “But when it’s running the way it’s supposed to, I will defend this thing and say it’s not that bad.

“This would have been a car that my dad probably would have purchased, because his idea of a vehicle was to just get from Point A to Point B, and that’s all that mattered. I think 4000 bucks (the price of the earliest base-model Yugos available in the U.S.), he would have walked in, handed them cash for one of these things, and driven away happy.”

Marketed in the United States by Malcolm Bricklin from 1985–92, the Yugoslavian-built Yugo was essentially a disposable car, which is why they’re no longer prevalent in the U.S.

“Its reputation precedes it,” Leno says when introducing Dunham and his almost-all-original 1988 Yugo GVS to the show. “(But) I have to admit, it’s one of the nicest ones I’ve ever seen. It’s probably one of the few left.”

“Because who would keep a $4000 car?” Dunham says, as Leno points in his direction.

“It wasn’t a terrible car,” Leno admits, despite the Yugo’s reputation as the worst car sold in America.

“Have you ever driven one?” Dunham asks.

“I might have,” Leno replies. “It’s not like ‘Oh, boy, remember that day when we took the Yugo out? We went up to Laguna Seca.’ It’s the kind of car … when somebody offers you a ride, you say, ‘Well, alright.’”

Which begs the question, why would Dunham own one? “I love cars that start conversations,” he says. “You put this in a car show next to a car that’s two million bucks, and people are going to gather around this one.”

Dunham’s front-wheel drive Yugo is powered by a 1.1-liter four-cylinder engine that generates 55 horsepower and is mated to a four-speed transmission. The spare tire is nestled up front between the engine and the driver, which Dunham says Yugo actually promoted as a safety feature.

Leno guesses that the car weighs 2300 pounds, but in fact it is almost 450 pounds lighter than that. “It’s like a motorcycle,” Dunham says. “You know if you get in an accident you’re probably dead.”

Dunham explains that 142,000 Yugos were sold in the U.S. and 800,000 worldwide, yet you rarely see one anymore because “nobody’s going to do preventive maintenance on a $4000 car … Does a real car person buy this car?” The answer is no.

In that vein, Dunham points out, “The ad campaign for this was pretty funny. The ads said, ‘Everybody needs a Yugo sometime.’ What does that mean? It means that at some point in your life you’re poor, and you need to settle for crap.”

Opening the trunk, Dunham “surprisingly” discovers a ventriloquist dummy and brings it to life so that he can tell a few jokes. The best one: “Hey, Jay, you know what’s included with every Yugo owners’ manual? A bus schedule!”

Before taking the car out for a drive in the Los Angeles area, Leno asks Dunham what GVS stands for. “Great Vehicle … Sorta,” he answers. 

The Yugo jokes continue on the road, even when Dunham tries to be serious. After a couple of women recognize the car (we’re not sure if they recognize Leno and Dunham), Dunham once again praises the Yugo’s unusual celebrity status.

“You show up someplace driving something like this,” he says, “and you’re approachable.”

To which Leno replies, “Actually, people try to avoid you.”

Joking aside, the two agree that Dunham’s Yugo is adequate transportation, with decent pep and a smoother-than-expected gearbox—especially for its original $4000 price tag, which would be less than $11,000 today. But humor is how these two make a living, so …

“Did you buy this because of the Yugo jokes?” Leno asks.

“No, the Yugo jokes came with the car.”

***

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Few people that we know have seen a 1968 Opel Kadett Deluxe Wagon in person. The phenomenon begs the question: Are these German wagons so rare in the U.S. that the same vehicles keep getting sold and resold, or is this example just so nice that each new owner can’t resist the urge to flip it? Perhaps it’s both.

Crossing the virtual auction block via Hagerty Marketplace, this restored and award-winning Kadett Deluxe Wagon has changed hands several times since 2018. It’s an unusual automobile, to be sure, and there’s plenty to like about it.

The Opel Kadett, distributed by Buick in the U.S. and sold around the world as Opel’s entry-level car, was designed to compete directly with Volkswagen. Slightly different from its European brethren, the Kadett was offered stateside in a variety of two-door body styles: Sedan, Sport Sedan, LS and Deluxe Sport Coupes (fastbacks), Rallye (fastback), and Deluxe Wagon (with a swing-up tailgate).

Nicknamed the “Mini-Brute” by Buick-Opel marketers—a tongue-in-cheek description if there ever were one—rear-wheel-drive Kadetts were simple, lightweight, and economical. The “brutiest” of the Mini-Brutes was the Deluxe Wagon. Engine choices for 1968 included an overhead-valve 1.1-liter inline-four, the default powerplant, which mustered 55 horsepower; the optional higher-output dual-carb 1.1-liter SR, with 60 hp; the 1.5-liter CIH, 80 hp; and the 1.9-liter Super Kadett, 102 hp. Mated to a four-speed manual powertrain and with a high axle ratio, a Deluxe Wagon with the 1.1-liter engine could score 30 mpg. It also took an agonizingly long 18.4 seconds to go 0-to-60 mph.

Advertising, naturally, accentuated the positives of the Kadett (and also embellished a bit). “Impervious to desert heat, invincible in trackless sands, amazingly dependable from oasis to oasis: The Mini-Brute Buick’s new Opel Kadett Deluxe Wagon. The economy import that provides so much low-cost transportation for the price you’ll wonder why you ever tried any other way.”

Opel also promised that “confidence is part of the standard equipment you get with every ’68 Opel Kadett.”

Painted bright red with a black interior, this ’68 Opel Kadett Deluxe Wagon (chassis/VIN 391383662) was immaculately restored and looks as if it just rolled out of a Buick-Opel dealership—with its MSRP of $2070 (about $18,308 today). The wagon’s 1.1-liter engine has dual Solex 35 PDSI carburetors, and the California seller says its “underhood components were sourced from German suppliers, including Bosch, SWF, and ATE during its refurbishment.”

The interior features a replacement headliner and carpets, as well as a factory three-spoke steering wheel with an Opel center cap. Instrumentation includes a 100-mph speedometer and tachometer with a 6000-rpm redline. The five-digit odometer reads 85,096 miles.

In addition, the car has a padded dashboard, AM radio and supplemental FM receiver, electric clock, front bucket seats, a rear bench seat that folds down, hinged back windows, original German Sekurit glass, and 56 cubic feet of cargo space (“Enough for an average-sized refrigerator,” Opel advertised)—plus a luggage rack up top.

The Kadett wagon previously spent time in a collection whose owner showed it in events with the Opel Motorsports Club and won numerous awards, including Best in Show, First in Class, and People’s Choice at the Opel Nationals.

With less than one week remaining until the auction ends on Thursday, October 26 at 3:50 p.m. EDT, bidding has reached $5750. Perhaps this is your turn to own it.

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Paul McCartney was already a rock ’n’ roll legend when, in the wake of the Beatles’ break-up, he started the band Wings. The group’s 1972 Wings Over Europe Tour bus soon became a legend in its own right—a legend of rock ’n’ road.

The Wings’ tour bus, a 1953 Bristol KSW 5G ECW double-decker bus will be one of the star attractions at Julien’s “Played, Worn, and Torn: Rock ’n’ Roll Iconic Guitars and Memorabilia” auction November 16–18 at Hard Rock Cafe Nashville.

The historic vehicle joins the previously announced lineup of 1000 marquee items, including two of the most important guitars ever to be offered at auction: Eric Clapton’s “The Fool” and Kurt Cobain’s “Skystang I,” as well as items from Nirvana, Elvis Presley, Prince, The Beatles, Janis Joplin, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Eddie Van Halen, Frank Zappa, Dee Dee Ramone, Snoop Dogg, Albert King, Kirk Hammett, Pete Townshend, and more.

In the summer of ’72, Paul and Linda McCartney—along with Denny Laine, Henry McCullough, and Denny Seiwell—set flight as Wings embarked on its first tour, which was in Europe. The open-top ’53 Bristol KSW became the band’s home away from home, and it stood out, not only because of the legendary musicians inside it but for the artwork on the outside.

Renowned artist Geoffrey Cleghorn (also known for his work with The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and The Who) modeled the psychedelic design after the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine album cover to give it the appearance of “a magic bus of love and peace.” A children’s playpen was installed on the open top deck, along with mattresses, bean-bag chairs, and blankets so that the band members and their families could enjoy the sunshine on warm summer days.

The Wings’ tour bus transported the band 7500 miles through nine countries across Europe—France, Germany, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom—often with fans in hot pursuit, since it didn’t exactly blend in.

“Much like John Lennon’s iconic psychedelic Rolls-Royce and George Harrison’s psychedelic Mini Cooper, McCartney’s tour bus represents a moment in the psychedelic era and its status as the world’s first Beatles-related double-decker bus,” Julien’s says. “The bus is a touchstone of Beatlemania and cultural importance as the year of 1972 spurred a wellspring of creativity that inspired McCartney to write Wings’ classic songs for Red Rose Speedway and record for the Grammy award–winning and Oscar-nominated classic James Bond theme song ‘Live and Let Die.’”

The 1972 Wings Over Europe tour sparked the band’s trajectory into superstardom as the bestselling pop act of the 1970s, with an extraordinary five No. 1 albums and 27 Top 40 hits in the U.S., including “Maybe I’m Amazed,” “My Love,” “Band On The Run,” “Jet,” “Junior’s Farm,” “Listen To What The Man Said,” and “Silly Love Songs.”

Sir Paul McCartney has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice, first with the Beatles in 1988 and again as a solo artist in 1999. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1997.

The bus was fully restored by a workshop in Thorpe-le-Soken, Essex, after being discovered in Spain in a state of decay. Its three-year restoration was completed in November 2022, and it was unveiled in England for the tour’s 50th anniversary celebration before 90,000 visitors at the NEC Classic Motor Show in Birmingham.

The interior of the bus has been restored with great detail to bring it back to the condition as it would have been on the 1972 tour. The refinished interior is complemented by wooden bunk beds, which the band members’ children would have slept on, and an original Wings tour trunk that was donated to the project by Denny Seiwell. The lower cabin perimeter has bright yellow curtains that accent the psychedelic paint scheme of the exterior. Also included is a custom-built cover for the upper deck that displays “1972 Wings Tour Bus” graphics on the roof. It is powered by a Gardner 5LW 7-liter diesel engine mated to a manual transmission.

In celebration of the vehicle’s restoration and the upcoming auction, fans will have a chance to win a ticket to ride on the historic bus through London—along with the Beatles only secretary, Freda Kelly—in an exclusive Magical History Tour contest sponsored by Hard Rock Cafe and Julien’s Auctions. The tour will be held October 17. To enter, like this post on Instagram, tag a friend you’d take on the bus with you, and follow both @juliens_auctions and @hardrockcafelondon. The contest closes on Friday, October 13.

“Tour buses have been a part of rock ’n’ roll music lore for generations,” says Martin Nolan, executive director and co-founder of Julien’s Auctions, “and there is no other one quite as famous and remarkable as Paul McCartney’s 1972 Wings Tour Over Europe bus.”

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The collector-car world loves a good barn find, and this 1936 Ford Model 48 Fordor Deluxe Sedan certainly qualifies: Just look at the vertical dust lines across the windshield and the length of the car, marks that confirm that it was parked and neglected years ago. If you’re a barn-find aficionado, you’re already salivating.

This handsome sedan is more than an 87-year-old car somebody forgot about, however. It’s an 87-year-old car that’s almost completely intact. Nothing rotten. No missing hard-to-find trim pieces. Reasonably tidy engine and interior. A perfect candidate for a mechanical refresh or full restoration.

The Ford Model 48 was introduced in 1935, and behind the car’s tall, vertical grille was a 221-cubic-inch flathead V-8 that produced about 90 horsepower and was mated to a three-speed gearbox. Although V-8s weren’t a new thing in the mid-1930s, the simplicity of Ford’s flathead V-8 made it more affordable for more people, an important factor during the Great Depression. In addition to the four-door sedan, the Model 48 could be had as a two-door roadster, four-door convertible, or four-door station wagon, each priced below $600 (or about $13,253 today). The car was a hit; Ford sold 820,000 Model 48s in 1935.

Improving upon one of the most significant automobiles ever produced by the Ford Motor Company, the 1936 Fords offered updated styling, including an inverted pentagonal grille with all-vertical bars beneath a longer hood, as well as three horizontal chrome side strips on DeLuxe models.

The ’36s also featured redesigned fenders and wheels—pressed steel instead of wire—that gave the car a more modern appearance. And, yes, finished in black, it also has the look of something a gangster might drive. Inside, the Fordor offered comfortable bench seating, stylish Johansson instrumentation, and typical amenities of the era.

This seller of this barn find, which is offered on Hagerty Marketplace and located in Van Nuys, California, notes that the Deluxe sedan (Chassis/VIN 2560487) features pivoted rear quarter windows, one-piece welded steel wheels, torque-tube drive, double-drop X-type frame, downdraft carburetor, and rearview mirror. The odometer displays 65,431 miles, but its actual mileage is unknown. Bidding sits at $1500 with nearly a week left in the auction, which ends Wednesday, October 11 at 4 p.m. EDT. A spare driveshaft and additional leaf-spring suspension components are included.

Since a similar 1935 Ford Model 48 Fordor Sedan Deluxe in #4 (Fair) condition has an average value of $11,400, the potential buyer of this ’36 Fordor Deluxe might be able to snag a deal. The barn-find dust is a bonus.

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The Walt Disney franchise has had a long relationship with the automobile, from Mickey Mouse’s jalopy to The Love Bug to the animated Disney Pixar movie Cars. Not to be left out, Disneyland, when it opened in California on July 17, 1955, introduced Autopia, a popular hands-on car experience for kids of all ages. Today, Disney World’s Epcot turns it up a notch with the Chevrolet-themed Test Track. If you’re looking for something a little different, you can take a spin around the lake—well, actually, on it—in an Amphicar at Disney Springs.

For a more leisurely ride, however, Disney parks offer trolleys and shuttles. Some of the older models occasionally make it into the public’s hands after they’re decommissioned. Take, for example, this “1970 Walt Disney World Trolley,” located in Lutz, Florida.

Offered on barnfinds.com, the trolley car was supposedly used in the early years at Disney World, which opened to the public on October 1, 1971. The seller explains that Disney’s trolleys were built by the Noland Car Company before Cushman bought the business in 1987 and continued to produce them. “Almost every resort on Disney property had a car built to the theme of that resort,” the seller says, providing an image of a similar trolley parked outside the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, which opened in 1988.

If dates don’t seem to quite add up, there’s a good reason: the data tag (VIN 30148588) identifies the trolley as a 1990 Cushman, meaning it is actually two decades newer than the classified ad’s title. Regardless, the vehicle did transport visitors at Disney—often called “the happiest place on earth”—and it is in running condition. The batteries in the electric-powered trolley were new in 2021.

The previous owner added some personal touches, like installing a loudspeaker with multiple sirens/horns, as well as plug-in strip lighting, which can change color. The seller says the rearview mirror is original, and “the rear brake lights and one of the front LED lights work.” Included in the sale are a charger and a spare tire.

The seller warns that some rust and wood will need to be repaired or replaced, “so I would consider it a project.” Once that work is done, however, imagine how much fun it would be to take your children (and perhaps their friends, too) to school every day. Chances are, they’d be the happiest kids on earth.

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From the depths of the Great Depression and World War II to the economic resurgence and baby boom that followed, U.S. Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman had more than their share of bumpy rides. They also shared a smooth one, a 1941 Packard Super Eight One-Eighty Custom Touring Limousine, bodied by LeBaron. Or did they?

FDR, who became the 32nd President of the United States in the depths of the Great Depression, was in office from 1933–45, the longest tenure of any American president. Truman, Roosevelt’s third understudy in 12 years, had served only four months as Vice President when Roosevelt suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died on April 12, 1945. Truman immediately became the 33rd President and faced crucial decisions as WWII entered its final stages.

Germany surrendered less than one month after Truman took office (Italy had already done so in 1943), and Japan officially surrendered on September 2, 1945, putting an end to hostilities and returning a semblance of normalcy to the U.S. and its allies. That included new automobile production, which was halted when America joined the war following the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, which Roosevelt so famously called “a date which will live in infamy.”

Just months prior, a 1941 Packard Super Eight One-Eighty Custom Touring Limousine—the second of only 51 limousines built by LeBaron in ’41—was, according to RM Sotheby’s, “[s]aid to have been delivered new to the White House.” If that sentence sounds less than emphatic, it’s because RM admits, “Although documentation does not exist to confirm the claim, former owner and Packard aficionado Dr. Charles Blackman believed this Packard to have been delivered to the White House during the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and used in an official capacity during both the Roosevelt and Truman presidencies. Dr. Blackman also believed that it was later used in the fleet of vehicles maintained for the use of the governor of New York and reportedly spent time in a museum before finding its way into his private collection.”

So, what can we make of the limousine (Vehicle No. 1420-2002 / Engine No. D503448D), which will cross the block at RM Sotheby’s Hershey (Pennsylvania) auction on Wednesday, October 4? RM has given it a pre-auction estimate of $30,000–$40,000, which would no doubt be higher if it included documentation proving that it was used to transport FDR and Truman. Regardless, it definitely looks the part with red emergency driving lights, fender-mounted flag holders, and the Seal of the President of the United States on the rear doors.

From the stylish heights of the 1930s, the American custom coachbuilding industry was beginning to fade from existence by the early 1940s. American luxury automakers were slowly discontinuing top-of-the-line factory-cataloged semi-customs, which had featured prominently for well over a decade. Packard was among the last to offer bodies by coachbuilders Rollson and LeBaron, with the latter being a division of Briggs by 1941. Most of LeBaron’s final Packard offerings were formal limousines, largely with hand-built bodies and beautifully appointed for the most select clients.

This one, which RM Sotheby’s says underwent a cosmetic restoration years ago, is powered by Packard’s legendary 356-cubic inch, 160-horsepower straight-eight engine, mated to a three-speed manual transmission. It features independent front suspension and four-wheel hydraulic brakes, making it surprisingly capable on the road despite the lengthy 148-inch wheelbase. “The car has impressive mobility and seemingly unlimited torque,” RM says, “something that is quite welcome when motoring in such an impressively large, well-constructed automobile.”

The limo, considered one of the rarest Packards of the late prewar period, is fitted with leather upholstery in the front and wool broadcloth in the rear. Did Roosevelt and Truman sit on that broadcloth? Hagerty Manager of Valuation Analytics John Wiley says there’s no way to know for sure unless some form of proof surfaces, but this luxury automobile would still be a worthy addition to anyone’s collection.

“While this car’s connection to the White House is circumstantial at best, appreciating it as one of the last coachbuilt Packard limousines—by LeBaron, no less—is perhaps more appropriate,” Wiley says. “It certainly represents a period when America assumed a leadership role in the global order. Someday, perhaps even a Presidential connection to the White House, or as some other official car, can eventually be documented, too.”

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Before she was Penny Benjamin in Top Gun: Maverick, or Alicia Nash in A Beautiful Mind, Hollywood star Jennifer Connelly bought a beautiful car—and it wasn’t a Maverick. It was a 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme convertible. And that classic, which Connelly has owned for the last 23 years, just sold for $36,500 on BringATrailer.com.

The winner of the auction, Jeff2306, jumped into the fray on the final day; his last bid came with two minutes to go and proved to be enough to snag the car. While some of the commenters on BaT asked “Jennifer who?” they likely know exactly who she is, because the 52-year-old actress has appeared in more than 40 films since her first role in 1984’s Once Upon A Time in America. According to the BaT description, Connelly purchased the Matador Red-over-black-vinyl Oldsmobile in 2000, her busiest year as an actress up to that point.

Connelly’s breakthrough role came a year later when she co-starred with Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind.

The actress’ 1972 Cutlass Supreme convertible is powered by a 180-horsepower, 350-cubic-inch V-8 engine—with a four-barrel carburetor, black air cleaner, and gold intake manifold, cylinder heads, and valve covers—mated to a three-speed automatic transmission. The California car features a power-operated black convertible top, power steering, power-adjustable front bench seat, power windows, a Pioneer CD stereo and speakers, faux woodgrain trim accents, power-assisted front disc brakes, color-keyed mirrors, dual exhaust outlets, and body-side moldings. Red-accented 14-inch Super Stock II Rallye wheels wear bright trim rings and Oldsmobile center caps and are mounted with 225/70 BFGoodrich Radial T/A white-letter tires. A full-size spare with a mismatched tire is stored in the trunk.

Work on the Olds that was completed in July 2023 includes the installation of a PerTronix electronic ignition conversion and replacement of the throttle cable, distributor cap, spark plugs, coolant overflow tank, brake master cylinder, tires, and rear wheel cylinders and brake hoses.

Notable flaws include chips, swirls, and scratches in the paint, a non-working air conditioner, and a broken gear indicator needle in the speedometer. The five-digit odometer shows 70,000 miles; actual mileage is unknown.

The Cutlass (chassis 3J67K2M206822) was completed in April 1972 at the Oldsmobile plant in Lansing, Michigan, about 17 months after Connelly’s birth on December 12, 1970.

Although Connelly has a more public connection to the 1973 Porsche 911 S coupe that she drove as Penny Benjamin in 2022’s top-grossing film, Top Gun: Maverick, she has a more personal connection to the Cutlass. Did that make a difference in the bidding? It doesn’t appear so.

A 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme convertible in #2 (Excellent) condition has an average value of $32,600, meaning the Connelly factor may have added $3900.

“While celebrity ownership usually equates to buyers willing to pay a premium, there’s generally a bigger bump when the owner is known as a hardcore car enthusiast—which Jenninfer Connelly is not,” says Hagerty Price Guide editor Greg Ingold, adding that the Hagerty Power List provides a detailed account of the impact top celebrities have on vehicle values. “What is truly priceless, however, is this car’s cool factor and the fun that its new owner will have being able to tell people who owned it before he did.”

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Harold “Pete” Johnson was one of a kind. The same could be said for his favorite truck. Today the two live on—one of them in spirit, the other as a popular entry at Jeep shows—thanks to the love and dedication of his grandchildren. And a promise to Pete’s wife.

“We love to tell Grandpa’s story, and the truck gives us the opportunity to do that,” says Mike Smith, who met and married Johnson’s granddaughter Paula in the 1980s. “He was a pretty special person.”

“Special” is also an appropriate (and literal) description of Pete Johnson’s 1977 Jeep J10 extended cab, the only one of its kind; Johnson supervised the prototype project at AMC/Jeep’s Toledo factory. Built on a Wagoneer frame, the extended cab offered a second row of seating, an idea that “was ahead of its time,” Mike says. “Now it’s difficult to find a regular cab these days.”

Johnson and his team created a unicorn, although they didn’t know it at the time. To distinguish the extended cab from other vehicles during production, the word “Special” was hastily scrawled onto the frame. Decades later, that word would help prove its authenticity.

The fact that the only Jeep extended cab is still with us is a testament to Johnson’s love for the truck and his tenacity in protecting it. After AMC/Jeep declined to put the special truck into production, Johnson was ordered to crush it, a common practice for prototypes, whether or not the company decides to put them into production. Johnson couldn’t destroy the truck. Instead, he and his team hid it from their superiors behind filing cabinets and debris, biding their time until Johnson’s new boss agreed to sell it to him for $1.

“That truck was Grandpa’s dream,” says Mike Smith, 56. “He drove it every day. Thank God it blew the transmission at 64,000 miles.” The non-running truck sat idle for years, waiting for the right time, and person, to be brought back to life. That person would be Mike.

“I’ll never forget the first time I met Grandpa, which I believe would have been in ’86,” says Mike, who was a U.S. Marine at the time. “He grabbed me by the back of the neck and said, ‘Son, in this family we don’t buy depreciable value.’ I know now that he was probably talking about cars, but at the time I thought, ‘What does that mean?’

“He was old school. He’d explain how they did things [when designing a new vehicle]—how they’d start with a clay mold. You hear the term ‘one-off’ and you wonder, ‘Is this a really big deal?’ But everybody in the family knew that truck was a big deal.”

Following Johnson’s death, the family talked about restoring the heirloom. Paula’s brother Jeff suggested to Pete’s wife, Ruth, that Mike was the one for the job.

“He went to Grandma and said, ‘There’s only one person who has the skills and means to do it, and that’s Mike,’” remembers Smith, a contractor from Findlay, Ohio. “I told her, ‘Grandma, if you give me this truck, I promise it will go back together like it came out of the factory, right down to the last bolt.’ It was tough, but I kept that promise. It was critical for me to keep my word to her.”

It wouldn’t be an easy restoration. True to his word, Mike removed every last piece and laid everything out on cardboard, determining what was missing and what needed to be replaced. Keeping his promise, there would be no shortcuts.

“Somebody had started to work on it—maybe him,” Smith says. “The left front fender was missing, and the hood was in the back with a box of parts. I used everything that I could, but I had to get a new fender, and there were things that needed to be replaced.”

Smith did the work himself, including bringing the engine back to life. He also received help from an unexpected source, Zach Heisey, owner of Z&M Jeeps Ltd., in Maumee, Ohio, and a senior manager at Dana, Inc., an aftermarket engineering company. Heisey provided a ray of sunshine during a social media storm.

“I didn’t realize how radical Jeep people are,” Smith says. “When I went on a Jeep site and said that I owned an original J10 extended cab that had avoided the crusher, literally 500–1000 people called me a liar. I try not to get caught up in the negative, but it did bother me a bit because so many people doubted it. Then one guy saw it and wanted to see it for himself.”

That guy was Heisey.

“He saw the word ‘Special’ and he said, ‘Oh, my God. Oh, my God. This is real. Whatever you do, do not lose this on the frame,’” Smith says. “So we acid-dipped everything but the frame, and we sandblasted that to protect it. If you want to verify a Jeep’s authenticity, Zach’s the guy to do it. He verified what we already knew to be true.”

Heisey also helped procure parts, and when it came to correctness, Smith was like a dog with a bone.

For example, “The original vinyl had small holes in it, like you’d see on seats (today) that air-conditioning blows through. I couldn’t find any to match, so I thought maybe I’d grid out the material and poke holes in it so it looked like the original, but I realized that would never work. I finally found a place in [the state of] Washington that had one roll of the original vinyl left.”

Another box checked.

The Ginger Poly–painted Jeep received further authentication when, in March 2019, the Smiths started a Facebook page so fans could watch the truck’s transformation. Former Jeep employees who had worked for Johnson began reaching out, including the man who wrote the word “Special” on the frame. “We knew those people were telling the truth because I’d ask them what Grandpa would eat for lunch.”

That simple sentence requires a little more explanation. “Grandma and Grandpa were inseparable; they loved being together; they always held hands,” Smith explains. “She’d often fix a big dinner for everyone, but Grandpa loved tomato soup and noodles—we called them ‘Grandpa noodles’—and he always had ice cream for dessert, so she’d always fix that for him no matter what everyone else was eating. I’d ask the people who worked with him what he ate for lunch, and they’d all say, ‘It’s the strangest thing—he only ate ice cream.’ That’s because he could only get Grandpa noodles at home, so he’d only eat ice cream for lunch when he was at work.”

Smith says telling stories like that helps keep Pete and Ruth Johnson’s spirits alive. The extended cab provides the vessel. Although an entire team of workers built the truck, the family doesn’t have to look far to find Pete’s personal handiwork. “The front seat slides all the way forward and tips forward to the windshield to let people get in the back seat,” Smith says. “Grandpa made that bracket himself.”

After completing the restoration, the one-and-only 1977 Jeep J10 extended cab has been shown at the Toledo Jeep Fest and the Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Club Invasion in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. There are plans to show it far and wide, including (but not yet confirmed) at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, October 31–November 3.

Sadly, Pete and Ruth Johnson never saw the completed truck. Mike Smith imagines how they would have reacted.

“I’ve actually had a dream about that,” he says. “The two of them were there, and Grandma did this [restoration] to surprise him. I think once their tears stopped, Grandpa would say, ‘Well done.’ I think he would be very proud and happy that someone cared about it almost as much as he did.”

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After automotive styling and performance slipped into the 1970s Malaise Era, Pontiac engineers offered a mid-engine, mid-’80s ray of hope: the Fiero. Marketed as an economy car—a claim that didn’t jibe with its sports-car good looks—it took several years before the two-seater’s performance matched its appearance. By then, however, General Motors deemed it too expensive to continue production. That’s unfortunate, because there’s a lot to like about the 1984–88 Fiero, especially the later versions.

As our own Jason Cammisa explains in Episode 27 of his popular Revelations YouTube series, GM’s brass gave Fiero the green light based on the assumption that it would be a gas-sipping commuter. As a result, Pontiac borrowed heavily from GM’s parts bin to keep costs low. Most notably, its front suspension came from GM’s compact rear-wheel-drive Chevette, and the front suspension of GM’s front-drive Chevy Citation/Pontiac Phoenix was repurposed for the rear. The car was compact, rigid, and relatively lightweight; it featured Enduroflex body panels over a steel space frame and weighed around 2600 pounds.

At its launch, the four-speed Fiero—Italian for “proud”—was powered by the 2.5-liter Iron Duke four-cylinder engine, which produced only 92 horses and fit its econo-car label. While Pontiac made tweaks every year to incrementally improve the car, the public yearned for performance to match its styling, and that upgrade arrived in 1985, when the GT model received a 140-hp 2.8-liter V-6 and wider tires. A five-speed manual transmission arrived the following year.

Dogged by a series of early engine fires, the Fiero’s reputation is forever tarnished in the minds of some enthusiasts, but the sports car (econo coupe?) has plenty of fans, too. In fact, the Fiero, the first and only mid-engine production car offered by General Motors until the launch of the C8 Corvette in 2020, has seen its values rise in recent months.

That brings us to this 1986 Fiero GT, which Cammisa drove in his entertaining and insightful Revelations episode. Located in Novato, California, VIN 1G2PG9795GP281348 is finished in black paint with silver accents over a gray cloth interior. Its 2.8-liter V-6 has been upgraded with Hypertech Street Runner tune, Accel 15-pound fuel injectors, and an MSD coil, cap, and wires. It also has upgraded Ravetti 18-inch wheels (originals are included with the purchase of the vehicle).

Purchased in Texas by its current owner in August 2021, the Fiero is equipped with a new air-conditioning compressor, lines, hoses, shocks, struts, steering damper, and cruise control components. It also received a 7-inch Garmin GPS unit with a backup camera, as well as a Delco radio with AM/FM/CD and hands-free Bluetooth capabilities in place of the original radio.

Features include: A/C, rear spoiler, fog lights, pop-up headlights, four-wheel power disc brakes, cruise control, power windows, power door locks, tilt steering wheel, electric rear window defroster, intermittent wipers, and carpeted cargo area.

While a 1986 Pontiac Fiero GT in #2 (Excellent) condition has an average value of just over $10,000, bidding for this one on Hagerty Marketplace has reached $6000 with less than a week remaining.

Will Pontiac’s “We Build Excitement” marketing slogan also describe the auction? We’ll soon find out, as bidding ends Wednesday, September 13 at 3:50 p.m. Eastern Time.

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Matt Bange is a “self-made” hot rodder, whose parents made up for their lack of car knowledge by passing down their creativity and pouring on the positive feedback. The combination proved valuable for Bange, who has built four hot rods. He would likely be working on his fifth if his first child weren’t due in a couple of months.

“I was pretty much on my own when it came to cars,” says Bange, 33. “When I was a kid I had fun tinkering with stuff and playing with Legos and K’nex. Then I got tired of drawing hot rods and decided to actually build one. I worked a bunch of jobs as a teenager and used that money to build my first one [a 1929 Ford Model A Tudor Sedan] when I was 20. I taught myself everything—welding, fabricating, woodworking, electrical … and over the years I’ve continued to grow my connections in the hot rod world.”

That first hot rod, which Bange sold when he was 25, gave him the confidence to do more. His second build was a 1928 Model A pickup, then he tackled a 1935 Ford Model 50 pickup before taking on the 1937 Ford Model 78 Slantback Tudor Sedan pictured here. Custom work on the sedan had already been started by a former Ridler Award winner, but the vehicle had been left outside and exposed to the elements for years. When the owner passed away, Bange bought the ’37 in April 2021. He drove 14 hours to pick it up in Minnesota and then trailered it home to Michigan. The roof had been chopped three inches, which gave him a decent head start, but the car was also covered with patina and moss, neither of which scared him off.

Bange installed a small-block 307-cubic-inch V-8 engine and a two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission from a 1969 Chevy Chevelle, upgraded with a 9 Super 7 intake manifold for three two-barrel carburetors, polished pulleys, a new water pump, mechanical fuel pump, Offenhauser fuel regulator, translucent red fuel lines, a small cap HEI distributor, and Smoothie Rams Horn exhaust manifolds. The Ford also has a nine-inch rear end, a Ford Mustang II front end, front disc brakes, rear drum brakes, Wheelsmith 16×4-inch wheels with polished baby moon hubcaps, and a staggered set of Coker Firestone vintage bias-ply tires. The car has no odometer or speedometer.

Bange’s creativity doesn’t stop at the body and mechanicals. He turned an aluminum “Bob’s Beer” can (a tribute to his wife’s grandfather) into the coil cover, used an early 1900s brass fire extinguisher container as his radiator overflow bottle, installed a replica 1890s revolver as an air vent handle, glued a Lego Frankenstein inside a hole under the hood, and painted a clown—reminiscent of Pennywise, the main character in the horror movie It—on the rear of the car.

“It’s wild and wicked, kind of like Frankenstein’s monster,” he says of the ’37 Ford. “It definitely snaps necks. A lot of people appreciate that it’s chopped and has a bare steel/patina body. Some will ask, ‘Are you going to paint it?’ And I’ll say, ‘No, it’s done.’ And they’ll say, ‘Thank you! I love it just the way it is.’”

Bange has always thrived on that kind of feedback. “There’s definitely creativity in the family,” he says. “My dad went to college to be an architect, and he likes tweaking things, just not so much on cars—he doesn’t even change his own oil. Mom is creative when it comes to crafts and stuff. And I’m told my grandpa worked on World War II vehicles.

“My parents and grandparents were always giving me positive reinforcement about the things that interested me, telling me I could do whatever I set out to do. My grandpa would take me to the airport to watch the planes, and that led to me becoming a pilot; I was in aviation for years.”

Bange has been into cars longer than he has worked in aviation, and someone out there may soon benefit from his self-made automotive skills. He says the ’37 Ford currently shares garage space with his 1935 Ford pickup truck and a 1929 Chevrolet 1.5-ton pickup that will become his next project—someday, just not someday soon.

“[My wife, Heather, and I] are expecting our firstborn, Wyatt, in late October, and obviously all of our attention is going to go to him,” Bange says. “And I have to make some room in the garage for something that’s good in the winter weather.”

That means something has to go, and that something is his ’37 Ford hot rod. Since Bange serves as Hagerty Marketplace coordinator, what better place to put it up for auction? With 11 days remaining in the auction, bidding has reached $7300. The auction closes on September 11 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, when Bange can officially turn his attention to a new baby. We’re guessing little Wyatt won’t be lacking in creativity.

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Tom Cotter is about as close to Briggs Cunningham as possible, considering he only met the man once. Amazingly, their bond continues to grow, 20 years after the renowned racer and entrepreneur’s death. A shared love for a special car will do that.

“I dreamed of owning one of these since my mid-20s,” Cotter says of his 1952 Cunningham C-3 Vignale Coupe. “I had everything Cunningham—artwork, diecast cars, model kits, books. I’d been to his museum. The only thing I didn’t have was a car, but I was satisfied with that because I knew I could never afford one.”

That all changed about 15 years ago. Cotter, well known in the collector car community for his Barn Find Hunter series of books and Hagerty videos, attended a Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) gathering in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and spoke about his relentless pursuit of automotive treasure. His friend Joe Finger asked, “What would be your ultimate barn find?” Cotter explained that he’d already found it: a 1965 Shelby Cobra that became the subject of his book, The Cobra in the Barn.

“So then he asked, ‘What would be your second?’ I said I always thought it would be fun to find a Cunningham, but that would be impossible,” Cotter says. “He said he knew of one 20 miles away in Greenville. I thought, ‘There is no way it can be real.’ And son of a gun, it was.”

Briggs Cunningham (January 19, 1907–July 2, 2003) was a man of many talents. Born into a wealthy family, he loved sailing, tennis, and racing cars, and he was good at all three. Outside of automotive circles, Cunningham is best known for skippering the yacht Columbia to victory in the 1958 America’s Cup race, but he also had an extensive auto racing resume.

Cunningham began racing internationally in 1930 with Yale University classmates and brothers Cowles “Miles” Collier and Sam Collier, who established the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) in 1933. ARCA became the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) in 1944, and Cunningham became one of the most successful SCCA racers of the era. That led to Le Mans—and, ultimately, a series of 1952 Cunningham C-3 Vignales.

Due to homologation requirements, race car builders were obligated to manufacture a minimum of 25 street cars in order to compete at Le Mans, so Cunningham built 27 C-3s. Two received U.S.-constructed bodies, and the other 25 were bodied in Italy by Vignale and made available to the public—20 coupes and five roadsters. All of the C-3s still exist. (In fact, 35 of the 36 total cars built by the B.S. Cunningham company are still extant; an incredible survival rate for 70-year-old automobiles.)

Two C-3s are crossing the auction block at Monterey this weekend. One is on offer through Broad Arrow and the other through RM Sotheby’s; each could surpass $1 million.

Fortunately for Cotter, there was a C-3 hiding in Greenville, just waiting for him to find it.

“It was a completely undocumented Cunningham that hadn’t seen the light of day in 50 years,” Cotter says. “It took me two years to talk the guy into selling it, and when he finally said yes he said it was because ‘there’s a Lamborghini sitting right next to it, and you walked right past it to look at the Cunningham.’”

The tired C-3 had five previous owners, and the car had never left Greenville until Cotter took it home to North Carolina. It had only 39,000 miles on the clock. Cotter’s infatuation with all things Cunningham grew to a fever pitch as he researched the car.

“It went from being an undocumented Cunningham to the most documented Cunningham,” he says. “(I learned that) it won two concours in 1952 at Watkins Glen (New York) and Elkhart Lake (Wisconsin), was displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and was in the museum’s book Ten Automobiles. It has an amazing history, and I’ve been able to document it all.

“I have so much stuff on this car, and I keep finding more and more. It has more than fulfilled my appetite for research and history. I always say, owning the car is only half the fun. Researching it and telling its story is the other half.”

The story of the C-3 can’t be told without also telling the story of Briggs Cunningham. Cotter knows it well. He met Cunningham in 1982, long before he purchased the C-3, and eventually became friends with Cunningham’s son and daughter.

“When Briggs went to Yale in 1926, he got a raccoon coat to wear to football games. His daughter gave me that coat,” Cotter says. “And I have a driving suit that belonged to John Fitch, one of his drivers. So I’m pretty deep into it, obviously.” (He isn’t kidding. Cotter even has a Goldendoodle dog named Briggs.)

Cotter loves the look of his “ratty, old car,” so much so that although he performed a mechanical restoration, he left the aesthetics alone. The C-3 is powered by a 331-cubic-inch “FirePower” Chrysler Hemi V-8 with four carbs, mated to a Cadillac three-speed manual transmission, and it weighs 3400 pounds.

“It’s heavy, handles badly, and doesn’t stop,” Cotter says with a laugh. Naturally, he longed to put it on the track.

“Briggs was a reluctant manufacturer; he only did it because he had to,” Cotter says. “My car never raced, but I decided—in the spirit of Briggs—I was going to race it. So I not only drive it on the street, I’ve road raced it, drag raced it, and done speed trials and hill climbs. Without a doubt it’s the most unusual, rare, valuable car in these events.”

One of those events was the recent Mount Equinox (Vermont) Hillclimb, held August 11–13 on a closed 5.2-mile toll road chock full of hairpins, winding turns, and straightaways.

“You pass a Catholic Monastery, and it’s always a thrill to see a monk sitting on a rock and watching,” Cotter says. “They’ve taken a vow of silence, but they watch and smile.”

Cotter’s fastest time on the course was 5:50, and he finished 15th of 40 in a field that included Allards, MGs, Alfa Romeos, and Aston Martins. “(The C-3) may be slow and handle like a truck, but I drive it in a spiritive manner,” he says.

The month prior, Cotter’s Barn Find Hunter film crew joined him July 12–14 as he competed in the Loring Speed Trials, held on 2.5 miles of concrete runways at a former U.S. Air Force base in Limestone, Maine. “Two years ago, I hit 121 mph, and I went 123 this time. My goal is 125.”

The third event in Cotter’s 2023 tour is the Lime Rock Fall Finale: The Litchfield Cup vintage races, scheduled for September 29-30 at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut.

“It’s been held since 1950, and some of the greatest drivers in history have competed in it, including Briggs Cunningham, John Fitch, Carroll Shelby …,” Cotter says. “It was big time until the early- to mid-’70s. There’s no paddock; you just pull onto the grass. It’s like you’ve stepped back into the ’50s. If I could have lived in any other time, it would have been then. I was born 50 years too late.”

At least Cotter has his C-3 time machine and a special connection to its creator, who would be proud of how he drives it.

“If my car gets nicks and scratches, so be it. It’s for Briggs,” Cotter says. “He’s looking down and smiling.”

Almost as much as Cotter is.

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Jay Leno has driven countless automobiles in his life, yet he still manages to find unique rides. Among the most memorable is the 1948 Ford F6 rat rod featured on the latest installment of Jay Leno’s Garage.

“This is what people will be driving on the last day of gasoline—when it’s all used up,” Leno jokes. “… In most modern cars, you go 100 [mph] and you feel like you’re going 60. In this one, you go 60 and feel like you’re going 200.”

Owned by Brett Gregory, CEO of the Circle G Movie Ranch in Agua Dulce, California, says the truck “checked three boxes” for him: rat rod, vintage tow truck, and blower motor all in one package.

“So you’re ready to die,” Leno says. “Leave this with me and I’ll take care of it. You’ve pretty much accomplished everything.”

Just about every major American auto manufacturer is represented in the F6. Under the hood, the ’48 Ford has a Chevrolet 350-cubic-inch roller motor with a 671 blower that’s mated to a three-speed Turbo 400 transmission. (The driveline averages 3 to 4 mpg.) The build also features ’42 Chevy headlights, Dodge motorhome wheels (19.5 inch tires on the front, 20s on the back), ’50 Pontiac running lights, and so much more.

The roof has been chopped five inches, the front axle raised two feet, and the back lowered to create its head-turning stance. Yet “it looks authentic,” Leno says. “There’s still a lot of 1948 there.”

Created by Larry Mason and Ed West about a decade ago, the patina-laden rat rod has numerous unique—and sometimes hidden—features. The “GPS” is a World War II compass. There are two antique brass fire extinguishers in back. A JVC stereo system with a back-up camera is concealed behind a drop-down panel on the dash. The battery is hidden inside a tool box. And the fuel tank is located beneath a hinged gas can in the truck bed; the can is secured in place by an old Winchester lock.

Though the license plates read BADNUWZ, this truck is anything but.

“It must be a lot of fun when you go to car shows,” Leno says, “because this is what people go crazy for.”

“They really do,” Gregory admits. “… It really makes people smile. They want to come up, they want to talk about it, they follow me on the street, the cameras come out … It’s very, very unique.”

***

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Mention The Love Bug and people immediately think of the spunky little Volkswagen Beetle that became a Hollywood legend. However, Herbie wasn’t the only star car in the 1968 Disney movie. A 1965 Apollo GT, known in the film as the Thorndyke Special, was definitely a scene stealer. And it may be once again.

Fifty-five years after the release of the Disney comedy that starred Dean Jones, Michele Lee, Buddy Hackett, and David Tomlinson, the yellow-and-black sports car with Italian-American roots is back in the spotlight. The Apollo, which will cross the block at Bonhams’ Quail Auction in Monterey on August 18, has quite a story to tell.

“The sports car history books are chock full of ambitious young folks dreaming big, pooling their cash, and setting up shop to take on the world,” Hagerty’s Andrew Newton once wrote. “Then they often run out of money, throw up their hands, and close their doors after just a few years and a few dozen examples are finished.”

That’s essentially the road taken by Apollo, which was the brainchild of Milt Brown, Ron Plescia, and Ned Davis. In the early 1960s, the California friends wanted to emulate the best of the large sports cars then coming out of Italy and Britain while taking advantage of more reliable American underpinnings. The idea kicked into high gear when Brown met Frank Reisner, of Carrozzeria Intermeccanica, while at the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix. Reisner agreed to provide finished bodies, so Plescia went to work on the design, sketching a European-influenced coupe body that Bertone designer Franco Scaglione refined.

The finished product, the Apollo 3500 GT, was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 1963. It had styling elements reminiscent of both the Jaguar E-Type and Ferrari 250 GT, used a steel ladder frame with Buick front subframe and front suspension, and had four-link trailing arm rear suspension. Power was provided by Buick’s lightweight aluminum 3.5-liter V-8, which was mated to a Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed manual transmission. The car offered a claimed top speed of 130 mph.

The price tag of the new Apollo was about $7000 ($69,800 today), and the initial response was overwhelmingly positive. The automaker soon came out with a convertible model, and the demand for more power led to the 5000 GT, which was essentially the same car but with Buick’s new iron-block, aluminum-head 5.0-liter V-8. Apollo also planned a four-passenger car and a mid-engine sports car, but by 1965 the writing was on the wall. Although Apollo offered a solid product, the cost of shipping bodies from Italy to California was predictably huge, and cash flow problems meant the business was unsustainable. Apollo sold its assets after building a total of 88 cars.

Two of those 88 cars ended up in the hands of Disney filmmakers. Modified and prepped for The Love Bug by Max Balchowsky of Hollywood Motors, the Thorndyke Special actually appears on screen before Herbie does, when out-of-work racing driver Jim Douglas (Jones) spies it through the window of a European Imported Car dealership owned by villain Peter Thorndyke (Tomlinson).

When Thorndyke realizes Douglas doesn’t have the money to buy such an expensive car, he sends him on his way, but not before Herbie literally bumps into him. Thorndyke, angry that his employees have displayed the Volkswagen in his high-class showroom, demands that the car be thrown out too.

The fun begins when Herbie follows Douglas home.

After being accused of stealing the car, Douglas eventually buys it and learns that Herbie has the heart of a top-notch race car. Predictably, Thorndyke is infuriated by the duo’s success.

“There isn’t a driver in the world who can get that speed out of a car like that,” he says. “He’s done something to it.”

Thorndyke vows to defeat Douglas and Herbie, and he uses the Apollo to do it. Comedy ensues, of course.

While multiple VW Beetles were used to portray Herbie in The Love Bug, only two were used for The Thorndyke Special, and—as Bonhams tells us—“even then it is only careful and forensic viewing of the movie that reveals this, as there are plainly two different license plates among other details. It seems likely that one was more orientated towards the stunts and the other for the uncompromised, panning scenes.”

It was through those stunts that the owner of this car (chassis #1052) was able to establish its connection to the movie. Purchased in 2004, it was a project car that had already been started but was never completed; the rolling chassis and bodywork were in gray primer. The new owner, an Apollo enthusiast, grew curious about the car’s origins when he found a lot of yellow paint beneath the primer. Only two Apollos had been delivered in that color, and his research showed that those Apollos had been prepared and provided for Disney by Max Balchowsky.

Watching hours of slow-motion film footage from The Love Bug, he was able to match the body damage to scenes in the movie. Bonhams says that when a DVD documentary revealed that the other Apollo had been cut up for filming different angles, it was clear that #1052 was the only one that could have survived, and an exhaustive restoration began. Nine years later, the Thorndyke Special re-emerged at the Concorso Italiano in 2013, where its owner was introduced to Milt Brown, Ron Plescia, Frank Reisner’s widow, and original Apollo salesman George Finley.

Now the film star is back in the spotlight at Bonhams, which has set the presale estimate at $175,000–$250,000. Considering that a 1965 Apollo GT 5000 in #1 (Concours) condition has an average value of $240,000—and one in #2 (Excellent) is valued at $204,000—will the Apollo’s Hollywood provenance push it beyond the estimate? We’ll know in eight days.

***

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There’s a reason Harley Earl is often referred to as the father of car design. Multiple reasons, in fact, including the Buick Y-Job, Project Opel, and the LeSabre Concept. One of Earl’s most famous production vehicles, however, isn’t a car but a pickup. As head of General Motors’ first design studio, Earl is responsible for Chevrolet’s stylish and hugely popular Advance Design light- and medium-duty trucks, which were produced from 1947–55.

Although Chevy wasn’t the first of the Big Three to enter the pickup market—that honor goes to Ford—the Bowtie was Detroit’s No. 1 truck seller entering World War II. Following the war, GM was back in the business of building civilian automobiles by May 1945, but it would be two years before new designs rolled off the line. They were worth the wait. As America got back to work, so did Earl, and his new Advance Design pickups were much more than utilitarian.

Wider, longer, and lower than the prewar leftovers, the Advance Design models looked thoroughly modern. Headlights were incorporated into the wide front fenders. The grille featured five curved horizontal chrome bars, much like Chevy passenger vehicles. The windshield was larger. Under the hood was Chevy’s proven 216-cubic-inch “Stovebolt” six-cylinder engine, mated to a three-speed, column-shifted manual transmission.

The new cab was wider and offered more head and leg room. Thanks to its Unisteel design, which formed a single unit, the cab offered enough room for three people. The bench seat could be adjusted to the height of the driver, and it rose when moved forward, increasing visibility for shorter drivers. A pop-up cowl vent routed fresh air inside. Heater/defroster and AM radio were optional.

The same basic design was used for all Chevrolet Advance Design trucks, including the Suburban, panel trucks, canopy express, and cab-overs.

Advance Design pickups received new series designations based on cargo capacity. A half-tons was known as a 3100, a 3/4-ton as 3600, and a one-ton as 3800. Vent windows in the doors first appeared in 1951, and push-button door handles (as opposed to the previous turn-down style) were introduced in 1952. That year, half-ton Chevys were also available as chassis and cowl, chassis and cab, panel trucks, canopy trucks, and Suburbans with either tailgates or doors in back.

All of this brings us to the 1952 Chevrolet 3100 pickup on Hagerty Marketplace. Offered from the Gateway (Colorado) Automobile Museum Collection, it features a deluxe five-window design and has been beautifully restored in two-tone Cream and Windsor Blue. 

Among its features are a heater, AM radio, dash-mounted traffic light refractor, rubber floor covering to reduce noise, running boards, 16-inch steel wheels with chrome hubcaps, chrome grille, and oak-varnished bed floor and matching bed rails.

Purchased by the Gateway Collection in 2012, this 3100 (VIN 14KPK12372) has received multiple AACA awards,  including a First National Junior and Senior, and a Second Place Grand National Award.

Although the odometer reads 799 miles, actual mileage is unknown.

With a base price of $1407 when new (that’s about $16,200 today), 1952 Chevrolet 3100 pickup trucks have an average value of $45,600 in #2 (Excellent) condition. The bid for this one is at $23,000 with less than a week remaining until the auction closes on Wednesday, August 9, at 3:30 pm EDT.

A total of 147,756 Advance Design 3100s were produced for the 1952 model year, making them America’s most popular Chevrolet commercial vehicles that year, and they remain popular among collectors. Regardless of their age, it seems that these old-school pickups just never get old. Thank you, Harley Earl.

***

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If the sound of four jingling bells makes your mouth water like that of Pavlov’s dog, you’re probably of a certain age. You’re also now craving Good Humor ice cream bars, and, most likely, you love the vehicles that once delivered those delightful summertime treats to kids of all ages.

We can thank confectioner Harry Burt for both.

As our own Ronnie Schreiber explained last fall, Burt started the Good Humor company in Youngstown, Ohio, more than a century ago. The Burt family ran an ice cream parlor and had some success selling the Jolly Boy Sucker, a hard sugar candy mounted on a wooden stick. Business really took off, however, when Burt replicated the chocolate-shell coating first used on the rival Eskimo Pie and added a stick handle to create the Good Humor ice cream bar.

Before long, Burt no longer waited for customers to walk into his ice cream parlor; he took his new ice cream bars to them. Burt purchased a dozen Ford pickups, mounted an ice box on the back of each truck to keep the ice cream frozen, and installed a set of bells up front—the first of which he borrowed from his son’s bobsled—so that drivers could announce their presence to children of all ages. It worked. 

Although Burt died in 1926, the sight and sound of those white Good Humor trucks has had a profound effect on millions of Americans. In 1950, Columbia Pictures even made a murder-mystery movie titled The Good Humor Man, in which comedian Jack Carson’s Ford F-1 Good Humor truck is the star of the film.

Although Good Humor’s sales continued to increase into the 1960s, and the fleet expanded beyond trucks to include push carts and pedal carts, competition eventually took its toll. The last two traditional Good Humor trucks were built in 1973. By the end of the decade, the company had sold off what remained of its fleet for $1000–$3000 per truck. Many of those went to Good Humor vendors, who continued to operate as independents.

Most vintage Good Humor trucks are now in the hands of collectors, and the vehicle’s value has skyrocketed in recent years. For example, a 1966 Ford Good Humor truck sold for $107,000 at Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach auction in 2018, while a 1948 version went for $88,000 at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction in 2020.

All this brings us to this 1956 Ford F-100 Good Humor ice cream truck from the Gateway (Colorado) Automobile Museum Collection, on offer through Hagerty Marketplace. Based on a Ford F-100 truck chassis, the nicely restored replica is powered by a 223-cubic-inch inline six-cylinder engine, which is mated to a three-speed manual transmission. The single-seat Good Humor truck (VIN F10D6E53987) features beautiful hand-painted exterior lettering and graphics, 16-inch painted steel wheels with Ford hubcaps, and, of course, a set of those iconic bells. It also has Hotchkiss straight-line drive universal joints, a parallel channel frame with heavy-duty cross members, and a modified I-beam front suspension made of heat-treated, forged alloy steel. The odometer shows 71,500+ miles, but the truck’s true mileage is unknown.

Although the vehicle’s ice cream cooling system is inoperable, that doesn’t appear to be a deal breaker. The bid is already up to $42,600 with nearly two weeks remaining until the auction closes on Wednesday, August 9, at 3:40 pm EDT.

If you’ve always wanted to own an iconic Good Humor ice cream truck, perhaps now is the time to test the mesmerizing power of those bells. It may even be working on you.

***

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In a world where the best examples of collectible cars bring six figures or more at auction and pristine automobiles are admired at concours, Jeff Krekeler’s barn-find Pantera is the worst of its kind—a distinction that he wholeheartedly embraces.

“It’s the world’s rustiest Pantera,” Krekeler says of the 1972 De Tomaso that he nicknamed the Patina Pantera. “I’d be amazed if there’s another one out there that’s rustier.”

So why did he pay $33,333 in April 2022 for the dilapidated, non-running exotic offered on bringatrailer.com?

“I’ve always loved them, always wanted one, and finding a good one that’s affordable is almost impossible these days,” he says. “People think I’m wealthy, but I’m just wildly irresponsible. The Pantera is the perfect example of that.”

Introduced to the world at the 1970 New York Auto Show, the mid-engine Pantera was Ford’s entry into the exotic car market. Under the deal with the Italian automaker, the Blue Oval would import 10,000 De Tomasos to the U.S. and sell the cars through Lincoln-Mercury dealerships. Early production issues plagued the Pantera, with fit and finish leaving much to be desired. After three years, fewer than 6000 had been sold—at a base price of about $10,000 ($73,000 today). Ford pulled the plug. De Tomaso continued to sell the cars in Europe through 1992.

Krekeler isn’t alone in his infatuation for the low-slung Pantera. In August 1971, Car and Driver opined: “As you skim over the pavement in the Pantera you can’t help feeling smug. You hear the engine rumbling along from its station back by your shoulder blades—a mechanical arrangement even novitiate automotive visionaries will recognize as a little piece of tomorrow today. And the looks. Oh, wow.”

Krekeler, a third-generation jeweler from Farmington, Missouri, says his love of automobiles came naturally. “Dad liked cars—he bought a new one every two years. Whenever something new and shiny came along, he bought it. When I was 10 or 11, I bought my first car magazine. I don’t remember the magazine, but to this day I remember every single car in it.” (No, it wasn’t the Car and Driver mentioned above; Krekeler would have been only five when that issue was published.)

The first car that Krekeler owned was a 1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster Deluxe that his grandfather drove into the late 1960s. “It sat out in the barn, and I’d sneak in there and pretend I was driving it. When my grandfather passed away in the late 1970s, my parents arranged for me to get that car.”

Krekeler learned how to drive in the Fleetmaster, but it wasn’t practical to drive it to high school every day, so he bought a 1973 AMC Hornet, which he hot-rodded. “I didn’t appreciate it at the time—straight six, metallic blue, hatchback—but in hindsight it was such a cool car. I get nostalgic about it once a year and think I should look for another one, then I remember all the other stuff I’m not working on.”

Among the cars he owned back then were a 1980 Ford Mustang Turbo, a full-size Bronco, and a new 1987 Pontiac Grand Am. “I have a short attention span, plus I’m easily amused.”

Krekeler has a few partners in crime that encourage his behavior. He and his wife, Sheila, have two sons, Gray (22) and Henry (19), “plus we took in a stray—Zack [AuBuchon, 20], who’s our bonus kid,” Jeff jokes. “All three boys are car guys.”

Krekeler specifically blames his eldest son for the purchase of the Pantera, although he didn’t exactly need a ton of encouragement to buy it. “The Pantera is a car that has always been in the back of my mind,” Jeff says. “The looks, the gated shifter, the Ford engine [330-horsepower V-8] and drivetrain. There was a time when you could buy a decent example in the $35,000–$40,000 range. I missed that window.”

15 months ago, the window opened a crack, revealing a less-than-perfect 1972 Pantera on Bring A Trailer.

“A colleague of mine sent me a link to a Porsche bus he was bidding on and, of course, they tracked me and started sending things to my feed,” Krekeler says. “Low and behold, there was the rustiest Pantera I’d ever seen.”

Krekeler says that with only three hours left in the auction, bidding sat in teens, so he sent the link to Gray. “It was a Saturday morning, he was at college, and I didn’t think he’d be awake. I mean, 51 of 52 Saturday mornings a year, he would have still been sleeping. But that morning he replied immediately with one word: ‘DUDE!’”

Jeff called his son. They discussed what they’d do if they owned the Pantera. “You can’t restore it—the cost would be way too much. So what in the world would you do with it? Then Gray says, ‘I’d take it to the most high-end car show and put it next to all the nice cars and watch people walk past the million-dollar cars to see the rusty Pantera.’”

Krekeler loved the idea. Since he had some money set aside “for something entirely different,” he convinced himself to place a single bid “and let the universe decide.” That bid didn’t remain on top for long.

Father and son reconvened. Jeff took matters into his own hands by placing “a second, ill-advised bid.” It turned out to be just enough.

“I couldn’t believe I got it,” Krekeler says of the car, which Hagerty UK featured shortly after the auction closed. “Then I had to tell my wife that I did something incredibly stupid. Not only that, [the car] was in Georgia, north of Atlanta, and we’re in southeast Missouri, so I had to figure out how to get it here. So all of us went, put it on a trailer, and brought it home.”

Although Jeff jokes about having to break the news of the purchase to Sheila, he says his wife has been “incredibly supportive” of the project. “None of this happens without her encouragement. We’ve been invited to show the car at the BaT Alumni event at Laguna Seca during the Rolex Monterey Reunion in August, and when I told her she immediately said, ‘You’ve gotta do it.’ That’s pretty awesome. Not everyone gets that kind of support.”

He would need it. Once the Pantera arrived in Missouri, reality set in. “It sat in a barn for a very long time—like 20 years—much of that time under a roof that leaked, so obviously it isn’t in the best shape. All of the wiring was chewed up by rodents, and massive amounts of that unibody are missing.”

In addition, Krekeler says, “It’s not an easy car to get in and out of, or to steer. The idea of taking it to a car show and then putting it back onto a trailer at the end of the day seemed a little arduous.”

So the De Tomaso sat on the back burner for months. Then Krekeler saw a photo of a GT40 on a custom trailer, being towed behind an older Ford station wagon, and he was inspired. He bought a 1971 Ford F250—“a nice, two-tone blue truck but with some rust and bruises, and cheap”—and converted an old boat trailer into a car hauler. In June 2023, “Blue Lou” towed the Patina Pantera to its first show, a cruise-in at Griffin Automotive Design in Bonne Terre, Missouri, and Gray Krekeler’s initial prediction proved to be true: The car was a huge hit.

“We enjoyed our fair share of attention,” Jeff admits. “It may be the saddest, rustiest Pantera alive, but everybody loves it.”

There’s plenty of work yet to be done. First, the truck broke down on the way home from a second show appearance, so Blue Lou will need to be made roadworthy again. And Gray Krekeler has been diligently working to get the Pantera running before he adds some subtle upgrades. Part of that pursuit was accomplished earlier this week, when he sorted out the most pressing of the engine’s issues and proudly drove the Pantera up and down the family’s long driveway … without brakes.

“That was pretty exciting to see,” Jeff says. “People want to know if it runs; they want us to start it so they can hear the engine, so it’s cool that we’ll now be able to do that.”

Although everyone in the family has contributed sweat equity to the Pantera project, Gray has taken the leading role in resurrecting it—and he’s definitely qualified. He already has an automotive degree in high-performance vehicles from State Technical College of Missouri, and he’s currently studying engineering at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. 

“Gray’s pretty focused, so I’m sure he’ll have the brakes sorted out before too long,” Jeff says. “For every step forward there’s six steps back, but the kid has no quit in him. When he runs out of ideas he calls his buddies, or his mentors, or searches the internet until he finds the answer. Last night he worked on getting the wheels off, but galvanic corrosion [where two metals fuse together] made that a really tough job.

“He really wants to be the guy who brings it back to life, and he’s taking his time to do it right. The plan is to gift this to him when he graduates, so who knows what he’ll eventually do with it, but for now we’ll tow it around behind Blue Lou and let people enjoy it.”

Among the planned upgrades are new tires and, of course, those new brakes, but additional repairs, like dropping the floor pan and repairing some gaping holes, will need to be made if the car is expected to ever make a safe return to the road.

“The trick,” Krekeler says, “is to do the work without enhancing the aesthetics.”

That’s right, he said without enhancing the aesthetics. Not only does Krekeler love the car’s patina, but he also knows there will come a point when “good enough” is plenty for the Pantera. He credits MotorTrend Roadkill’s David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan for changing his attitude in that area.

“When those two idiots—and I say that with the utmost love and respect—started their YouTube show with the goal to ‘just get it running,’ it changed people’s perspective. Cars and trucks don’t have to be perfect; they can be enjoyed as-is. When you allow yourself to think that way, it takes away a lot of the stress.

“Life is short, you know? I could throw clichés at you all day long, but the old saying that ‘you’ll regret the choices you don’t make more than the ones you do’ really rings true. You just have to be fully committed to it. I’ve lost the fear of ‘What’s the worst thing that could happen?’ Now I think, ‘What’s the best thing that could happen?’”

Krekeler already knows the answer when it comes to the Pantera. “This thing has cost us less than the price of a new minivan. It’s just about the most fun-per-dollar you can ever have,” he says. “We’re taking our time, and we really enjoy doing the work together. That, to me, means everything. I’m excited that I’ve been able to pass on my passion for this stuff to my boys. It keeps us connected. It’s pretty special.”

It’s no wonder Krekeler thinks the world’s rustiest Pantera is worth every penny.

***

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Hoping to convert his carriage business from horse power to horsepower, Harry McFarlan went big. Huge, actually. The McFarlan Motor Car Company of Connersville, Indiana, produced large, luxurious automobiles from 1910–1928, and one of them was a perfect fit for Roscoe Conkling “Fatty” Arbuckle, the 300-pound silent-film star and comedian.

One hundred years later, Jay Leno snags an opportunity to drive Arbuckle’s 1923 McFarlan Knickerbocker Cabriolet Model 154 in an episode of Jay Leno’s Garage.

“I’m the second comedian to drive this car …,” Leno jokes. He may actually be the only one to drive it, considering Arbuckle’s size and the lack of legroom up front in the normally chauffeur-driven automobile. Although conceptcarz.com says 50 were built in 1923, the McFarlan is a rare breed, perhaps the only one.

“How rare is it?” Leno asks. “I’ve never seen one before.”

Hagerty senior auction editor Andrew Newton says there’s plenty to like about McFarlan automobiles. “McFarlan isn’t a well-known carmaker, as it didn’t produce many cars and didn’t even make it to the Great Depression, but it made advanced, well-engineered cars for wealthy clients.

“Part of what is so neat about the built-to-order, coachbuilt nature of the top-end cars of the 1920s and ’30s is their wide range of cool and interesting body styles and features. Arbuckle’s car not only features McFarlan’s signature Twin-Valve Six engine, which was very advanced stuff for the ’20s, but its Knickerbocker body includes flamboyant stuff like six fenders.”

Cameron Richards, vice president of the Nethercutt Collection in Sylmar, California, northwest of downtown Los Angeles, says the Knickerbocker Cabriolet Model 154 on this episode of Jay Leno’s Garage is “the only known survivor.” It was also the only one built for Arbuckle, who likely enjoyed the car’s plush passenger compartment. 

Fatty Arbuckle likely gained his nickname early on, as he weighed in excess of 13 pounds when he was born on March 24, 1887. His size shocked his parents, both of whom had slender builds, and Arbuckle’s father was so convinced—and angered—that his wife had cheated, he named the boy Roscoe Conkling Arbuckle, after New York Senator Roscoe Conkling, a known womanizer.

Thirty-four years later, another accusation of infidelity (and much worse) ruined Arbuckle’s reputation and essentially ended his acting career. In 1921, Arbuckle—by then a star—was accused of raping actress Virginia Rappe after Rappe was found seriously ill in Arbuckle’s hotel room after a night of partying. Rappe died three days later, and a friend of Rappe’s claimed that Arbuckle was responsible. He maintained his innocence through three trials, the first two of which ended in a hung jury before Arbuckle was ultimately acquitted in April 1922.

Will H. Hays, who served as the head of the Motion Pictures Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) censor board, decided that regardless of the court’s ruling, Arbuckle embodied everything that was wrong with Hollywood. Hays banned Arbuckle from ever working in U.S. movies again, and all of Arbuckle’s previous films were prohibited from being shown. Public pressure forced Hays to lift the ban in December 1922, but it was too late to save Arbuckle’s career. He later worked incognito as a director by using his father’s name, William Goodrich, after Arbuckle’s friend Buster Keaton suggested he go by “Will B. Good.”

Arbuckle’s reputation may have been destroyed by the Rappe scandal, but he still managed to purchase his luxurious 1923 McFarlan Knickerbocker Cabriolet Model 154, thanks to the $1 million annual contract that he had secured from Paramount in 1920 (that amount would be more than $15 million today).

Arbuckle’s 5200-pound McFarlan is powered by a 572.5-cubic-inch, 120-horsepower six-cylinder engine with a 4.5-inch bore and 6-inch stroke. The T-head engine features 18 spark plugs and four valves per cylinder.

“This is an enormous engine for the period,” Leno says. “… T-heads were popular because the gas was not very good; the octane was very low. With a T-head, the piston is in the middle and the valves are on the side …. The cars would run cooler because there’s a lot more space for the water to go around and keep the valves cool.”

The car also had a custom canopy that attached to the rear, along with a matching director’s chair, so that Arbuckle (who passed away in his sleep on June 29, 1933, at the age of 46) could also stay cool by sitting in the shade and enjoying a beverage.

After Leno and Richards discuss the finer points of the McFarlan, Leno starts the car and immediately notices a hissing sound coming from beneath the hood. “One of your primer cups is open,” he says. The show’s head mechanic, George Swift, confirms that Leno’s ears are correct. After a quick fix, Leno chauffeurs Richards around L.A., causing Richards to joke that his career has just peaked.

“I’m being driven around by Jay Leno. I could get used to this.”

Leno’s attention is glued to the car.

“You know, this has got a lot of power—well, I guess torque is what it has, really,” he says. “It feels like [it needs] just a little gas and it pulls right away … Boy, I’d put this right up there with the (Rolls-Royce) Silver Ghost.”

Leno praises the quality of the McFarlan, which he says compares favorably to other high-class luxury cars of the period and predates the Duesenberg Model J. “These things were bulletproof—built to run and start under any circumstance. The quality just oozes out of this car.”

A century ago, another famous comedian thought the very same thing.

***

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Flint’s Buick City once made quality automobiles that delighted thousands of customers, but the massive Michigan site hasn’t delivered much of anything since the plant closed in 1999 and the 413-acre property was vacated by General Motors in 2010. That inactivity is about to change.

On June 5, 2023, state and GM officials broke ground on the Flint Commerce Center industrial park, a $300 million redevelopment project that will bring new life to the Buick City site, much like the $66 million warehouse development that is currently under construction at the former AMC headquarters property in Detroit. Upon completion, the Flint Commerce Center will include 10 buildings, with a total footprint of 3.5 million square feet, and could provide up to 3000 new jobs.

Ashley Capital, the real estate firm that is redeveloping the site, has purchased 20 acres and expects to acquire 330 more this summer from Flint’s Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response Trust. Also known as RACER, the trust was formed to clean up and sell off old GM properties after the automaker filed for bankruptcy in 2011. Construction of the first Flint Commerce Center building is expected to be completed in 2024.

For more than a century—dating back to the Flint Wagon Works in the early 1900s—the Buick City site was a source of automotive pride in Flint, a city located about 60 miles north of the Motor City. Buick, founded in Detroit by David Dunbar Buick in 1903, was originally financed by Buick’s friend and fellow automobile enthusiast Benjamin Briscoe, who sold his controlling interest to James H. Whiting the same year. Whiting moved operations to Flint, keeping David Buick as manager. The Associated Press called the first Buick automobile built at the site “little more than a buggy frame bolted to a 21-horsepower engine and a steering wheel, with a love seat stuck on top.”

When Whiting ran out of money in 1904, he invited William C. Durant to become a controlling investor. The move would change automotive history. In 1908, Durant merged Buick and several other automakers to form General Motors. Buick soon became the biggest-selling automobile brand in the U.S., known for innovations like the overhead valve (OHV) engine, which Buick called a “valve-in-head” engine.

In addition to Durant, noteworthy names from the Buick family tree include Charles W. Nash, founder of what would became AMC; Walter P. Chrysler, founder of Chrysler Corporation; and Harlow H. Curtice, GM president from 1953–58. In addition, Louis Chevrolet, cofounder of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company, gained fame as a Buick race team driver.

Buick continued its rise in the 1920s, with production reaching more than 260,000 units in 1926. The Flint facility continued to grow to keep up with consumer demand. Buick’s strong reputation and financial position helped the automaker survive the Great Depression and the stoppage of civilian auto production during World War II. The first all-new Buick was the redesigned Roadmaster, which received the all-new Dynaflow automatic transmission in 1948.

By 1950, Buick was producing 550,000 vehicles annually. Five years later, production rose to 745,000 units. Sales continued to rise through the 1960s and hit a record 821,165 for the 1973 model year, just before the oil embargo took its toll on the luxury car market. A bright spot during the period was Buick’s first front-wheel-drive automobile, the 1979 Riviera S Type, which featured a turbocharged V-6 engine and earned Motor Trend‘s Car of the Year award.

After major factory renovations were completed in the 1980s, the Flint complex was dubbed “Buick City.” As GM’s answer to Toyota and its eponymous Japanese city, Buick City placed a heavy emphasis on quality, and the automaker’s star rose again.

In 1989, independent market research firm J.D. Power and Associates named Buick City No. 1 in North America and No. 2 in the world in quality rankings. The same year, the Buick LeSabre was ranked as No. 1 in North America and No. 2 in the world among 154 domestic and imported models. Buick immediately began advertising itself as “the new symbol for quality in America.”

The 1990s brought the upscale Buick Park Avenue and Park Avenue Ultra and also marked the return of the popular Roadmaster name. For the 1991 model year, Buick led all automakers in market share improvement and sales volume improvement in the U.S. market. The Park Avenue, Roadmaster, and Le Sabre all won major awards in ’91 and ’92.

Buick couldn’t maintain its lofty market position, however. By 1997 the automaker’s share of the car and truck market was down from a high of nearly 40 percent to 30.7 percent. In 1997, GM announced that it planned to close Buick City. The following summer, two worker strikes erupted at GM parts plants in Flint, virtually closing the automaker’s North American operations.

Buick City, which according to the Automotive News employed nearly 30,000 workers at its peak in the 1950s, produced its last vehicle on June 29, 1999.

Today, Buicks are built at several locations in the U.S., including Detroit, as well as in China (Envision) and South Korea (Encore GX). Buick reported sales of 38,138 vehicles in the first quarter of 2023, compared to 19,146 in the first quarter of 2022—a 100 percent year-over-year increase but still a far cry from its heyday in Flint.

Regardless, the redevelopment of the Buick City property shines the spotlight on what once was and what may yet be.

“This can be a lighthouse of hope for the northern portions of our city down the poverty corridor of Genesee County,” says Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley. “This is a great day for our families.”

***

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One of only 25 Brubaker Boxes—essentially kit cars built on Volkswagen Beetle chassis—recently sold on eBay for an astounding $68,900 (plus taxes and fees), but Hagerty Price Guide publisher Dave Kinney isn’t surprised at how much money the fully restored example brought. He owned one himself, in the 1970s.

“I think the good news for somebody is if [Brubaker Boxes are] selling for sixty-eight nine, then you should go make some molds, get some old VW chassis, and you’re in business,” Kinney jokes. “Seriously, that’s a lot of money, but good luck finding another one. They just aren’t out there.”

Kinney understands the draw of the Bug-based Box, which he says is arguably the first minivan. “It was a big sensation because it was on the cover of Car and Driver [in March 1972],” he says. “It was a completely new concept, and it made a big splash. People would stop and stare at it. It was really, really, really mind-boggling.”

The Box was the invention of California inventor Curtis Brubaker, who studied car styling at Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design and worked for Lear Jet and General Motors before setting up his own design studio in Los Angeles. He created dozens of innovations over the years, including the 8-track tape player while working with Bill Lear. Brubaker envisioned the Box as a tool for surfers to get their boards, gear, and friends to the beach.

As Brubaker explained to the Galpin Auto Sports team on Discovery UK’s G.A.S. Extreme Customs in 2020, it all started with the theft of his brother’s VW van. “I was thinking, ‘Why is this guy stealing a used Volkswagen?’ And we got to thinking about all the surfer kids driving these things. We took a trip down to Newport Beach; I took one picture where there were like seven or eight of ’em on one tiny street, and I said, ‘There’s a market here … something that appeals more to the kids.’”

Brubaker debuted the prototype Baha Box at the 1972 Los Angeles International Motorsports Show and gained enough funding to start production, but Volkswagen refused to sell him any chassis. That meant he’d have to buy new Beetles and remove the bodies, which proved too costly and time consuming. Three concept vehicles were built before Brubaker sold the design to Mike Hansen’s Automecca of Chatsworth, California. Most sources agree that Automecca, which offered the vehicle as the Sports Van, built 25 in total, including the one that just sold on eBay.

The innovative one-box van—fashioned with 13 fiberglass panels mounted on a stiff tube frame and attached to the Type 1 chassis—features sloping front and back glass, a removable roof, and a single sliding door on the passenger side. To keep costs down, the windshield was borrowed from an AMC Hornet and the rear glass came from a Chevrolet El Camino. Although there is debate about whether the bumpers were made of wood or a composite material, Kinney says they were wood: “Two slabs of wood, front and back.”

In addition to the VW’s driver and passenger seats, the rear seating was “essentially a tan, vinyl-covered couch,” Kinney says. The love seat could be removed to add cargo space.

The Brubaker Box stood only 53 inches tall, which made it an adventure to get in and out of. “You had to step into it from the side and walk to the drivers’ seat while stooping over.”

Kinney bought a brown metallic Brubaker Box/Automecca Sports Van in 1977 after hearing about it from a friend who owned an auto dealership near Fort Lauderdale. He traveled to Florida from Virginia to check it out. “I remembered it from when it was on the cover of Car and Driver,” Kinney says. “I bought it without really knowing any of its (individual) history, as you did back then. I think I paid $3000 for it and sold it 18 months later for $4000.

“I drove it for at least a year—used it as a daily driver in the summer, and boy, was it hot in there. The driver- and passenger-side windows slid back, and it was hard to see out the back and the sides. It wasn’t the most practical car; it was a totally enclosed dune buggy. It had a VW semi-automatic transmission, which never worked properly. If I’d kept it, I would have swapped that out.”

With that said, “It was really fun, and pretty well-made in that I never had a problem with anything falling off. It was a good-looking little truck. I wish I knew what happened to mine. I hope it’s still out there somewhere.”

Last week, when we wrote about the Jungle Green Metallic 1971 Bug-based Brubaker Box/Automecca Sports Van offered on eBay, readers wondered where the surf boards were intended to reside, inside or outside, since the roof was removable and there was no rack. Kinney says it was an easily solved problem.

“You’d just buy a universal roof rack from the Sears catalog and strap the boards on top,” he says, then adds, “Don’t ask about my surfing skills, because they’re non-existent.”

While Kinney jokes that the nearly $70K paid for the Box/Sports Van on eBay should motivate someone to start building them again, California entrepreneurs Tomo Bullum and Dale Davis are way ahead of him. Four years ago, Bullum and Davis announced plans to launch a vehicle inspired by the Brubaker Box, but they have not yet responded to inquiries through their website.

If their plan comes to fruition, would Kinney consider buying one?

“Nah, I’ve been there, done that,” he says. “They’re great to own, but they aren’t great to drive.”

One lucky bidder is about to find out.

***

This article first appeared in Hagerty Drivers Club magazine. Click here to subscribe and join the club.

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The Volkswagen Beetle has long been the chassis of choice for numerous car kits and factory-produced models. You definitely know the iconic Meyers Manx dune buggy, the Bradley GT, and perhaps even the MiniHome motorhome. Keep driving down that long and winding VW road, and you’ll eventually discover the Brubaker Box.

The 1970s Bug–based “minivan” is cool, weird, practical, jaw-dropping, and rare. So when one surfaced on eBay this week, bidding quickly soared past $50,000, days before the end of the auction, which is set for Saturday, July 1 at 5 p.m. Eastern.

The bidding frenzy is noteworthy, especially because the subject of all the attention isn’t even one of the original three Brubaker Boxes; it’s one of 25 Automecca-built bodies that were offered after the original makers went bankrupt.

The story began with Californian Curtis Brubaker, who studied car styling at Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design and worked for Lear Jet and General Motors before setting up his own studio in Los Angeles. Brubaker liked the Meyers Manx, but he imagined an even better tool for surfers to get their boards, gear, and friends to the beach.

Starting with a Volkswagen Type 1 chassis and working with fellow designers Todd Gerstenberger and Harry Wykes, Brubaker penned an innovative, “one-box” van with sloping front and back glass, a removable roof, and a single sliding door on the passenger side. Why only one? The fewer doors, the more rigid the fiberglass body, which was fashioned with 13 panels mounted on a tube frame and attached to the VW floorpan. To limit overhead costs, the windshield was borrowed from an AMC Hornet, the rear glass came from a Chevrolet El Camino, and the bumpers were made of wood or a composite material made to look like wood (opinions vary).

In addition to the driver and passenger seats up front, the rear featured a stylish love seat that could be removed to add cargo space. It’s difficult to imagine a minivan this, well, mini, but the unusual-looking vehicle stood only 53 inches tall.

Car and Driver featured the Brubaker Box on the cover of its March 1972 issue, and it was so well received at the 1972 Los Angeles International Motorsports Show that Brubaker was able to score $160,000 in funding. Flush with what amounts to nearly $1.2 million today, Brubaker obtained a 17,000-square-foot space for production. He estimated that his team could build five Boxes per month at $3995 apiece ($29K). In time, he hoped to increase that number to 400 per month.

The problem, as it turned out, was that Volkswagen wasn’t impressed with the idea. The German automaker declined to sell Brubaker any Type 1 chassis, which meant he would be forced to buy new (or used) Beetles and remove the bodies. When that process proved too costly, Brubaker eventually filed for bankruptcy. With Plan A dead, he eventually sold the design to Mike Hansen’s Automecca of Chatsworth, California. Most sources agree that Automecca, which offered the vehicle as the Sports Van, built 25 in total, including this one.

The seller, oldbug.com, explains that the 1971 Brubaker Box/Automecca Sports Van (VIN 1102392016) was “discovered as a bare, sun-cooked body in the high desert of California” and underwent a year-long, full restoration. It has been painted “in its original Jungle Green Metallic with period-correct long, green shag carpet, and the interior is true to the original design and pattern in a brown vinyl.”

The Box features a chrome bare-foot gas pedal, period Kraco 8-track player, period accessory wood shift knob and controls, and “exceedingly rare” original early ’70s Empi logo instrumentation and Empi sport steering wheel with padded center. 

“This is the ONLY example known to have the optional in-dash ice chest/storage box that was offered in the original sales prospect and order form,” the seller writes. “The wheels are period correct U.S. Indy four-lug slot mags, cleanly polished with chrome lugs and period key locks, with BFGoodrich raised white-letter tires on all four corners.

“The textured roof and end panels are done in the correct-style grain, and the controversial original fiberglass ‘faux wood’ bumpers are fitted front and rear. New Old Stock 1970s Sears and Roebuck driving lights were sourced and fitted up front. New windshield and rear window glass (AMC Hornet and El Camino, respectively, as the original).”

Mechanically, the car is powered by a new—as opposed to rebuilt—1.6-liter dual-port engine with a new AS-41 engine case, all new internals and externals, mated to a four-speed manual transmission. The vehicle has 12 volt electrics with alternator, mechanical advance distributor, single barrel carb with electric choke, and mechanical fuel pump. The exhaust system is a period-original header set up with two tips “that exit perfectly just below the bumper.” 

The chassis is from a 1971 Beetle and has IRS rear suspension, ball joint front beam, and stock drum brakes all around with new CV boots and shocks. The Brubaker Box/Automecca Sports Van has been driven fewer than 100 miles since the restoration was complete.

A collection of original documentation and literature from Brubaker and Automecca is included in the sale, but the personalized California “BUGNBOX” plates are not. Of course, if you’re in it for the plates, you’re missing the point.

“It is simply crazy to drive,” the seller writes. “From the single side door, to the driving position, the short shifter, the side-mounted switches, sliding side windows, the view across that immense dash and out the front windows, and, of course, the big wrap-around swanky love seat couch seating in the back … it is an experience like no other car in the world to go for a spin around the block in this.”

It’s also an opportunity that doesn’t come around often.

***

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If you’re going to be late to the party, why not be fashionably late? More than five years after Ford kicked off the pony-car wars by unveiling the Mustang, and three years after Chevrolet answered with the Camaro, the last of the Big Three automakers entered the fray with the 1970 Dodge Challenger. 

The Mopar muscle machine, designed to compete with the Mercury Cougar and Pontiac Firebird, offered a slightly longer, 110-inch wheelbase and a spacious and well-appointed interior. Designed by Carl Cameron, who also penned the 1966 Dodge Charger, the E-body Challenger’s aggressive look included a long hood, short decklid, and low-slung stance.

The car, similar in appearance to its slightly shorter cousin, the Plymouth Barracuda, had power to match its badass looks; Dodge left no doubt that it intended the Challenger to be “the most potent pony car ever.” Offered as a two-door hardtop or convertible, the Challenger could be had with virtually every engine in Chrysler’s repertoire—eight in all—including seven eight-cylinder options ranging from a 230-horsepower, 318-cubic-inch V-8 to a thundering 455-hp, 426-cu-in Hemi V-8.

Among the transmission choices were three- and four-speed manuals, which could be equipped with a Hurst pistol-grip shifter, and Chrysler’s TorqueFlite automatic.

Paint colors were even more varied than the myriad engine choices, and some came with unforgettable names like Plumb Crazy, Sublime, Go Mango, Panther Pink, and Hemi Orange. Buyers could further customize their cars with twin-scooped hoods, “shaker” hoods, and rear deck wings.

According to the original Dodge brochure, the Challenger could be had in base and R/T (Road/Track) models in two-door hardtop, two-door convertible, and two-door hardtop SE (Special Edition) configurations. R/T upgrades included wood-grain finish on the dash and a blacked-out grille, and the SE package came with “vinyl roof, formal roof line with small rear window, leather and vinyl bucket seats, and many distinctive exterior trim touches.”

Wasting little time putting the car on the track—and in the spotlight—Dodge offered the Challenger as a limited-edition T/A model to meet homologation requirements for Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Trans-Am racing. Sam Posey famously raced a Sublime-painted Challenger T/A in 1970, and although the No. 77 car didn’t win a race, Posey finished fourth overall in the series.

Dodge had hoped for sales of 200,000 cars annually, but 1970 turned out to be the Challenger’s best year, with only 83,032 sold. First-gen production ended after the 1974 model year. Among ’70 Challenger models, base hardtops were most common, with 53,337 sold, starting at $2851 ($22,347 today). The second-most popular Challengers that year were R/T hardtops, with 14,889 sold from $3266 ($25,600). The rarest ’70 version is the R/T convertible, with only 1070 built, starting at $3083 ($24,166).

That brings us to this 1970 Dodge Challenger hardtop coupe on offer through Hagerty Marketplace. Although it is among the highest-production versions of the ’70 Challenger, the car is also among the rarest of classics: It was purchased new by its owner and has never changed hands in the 53 years since—until now.

Packing a 318-cu-in V-8 and wearing iconic Posey-preferred Sublime paint with a black vinyl roof, the Challenger was built in Los Angeles on March 31, 1970, and the cosigner took possession in April 1970 at Skyline Dodge in Denver, Colorado. The car underwent a complete frame-off restoration (performed by Wheels of Time LLC in Englewood, Colorado) beginning in 1998, and the engine was rebuilt in 2011 with larger pistons and a more aggressive camshaft.

Aside from the front bucket seats being rebuilt on the original frames in 2015, the interior is unrestored.

When ordering the car, the owner selected: 

• Light Package (A01): ashtray light, glove box light, ignition light with time delay, map and courtesy light, instrument panel flood lamp, and fender-mounted turn signal indicators.
• Basic Group (A04): power steering, left remote control mirror, and a Music Master Radio.
• Three-speed automatic transmission (D31)
• Bucket Seats (C55)
• Three-speed Variable Wipers (J25)
• Drip Rail Moldings (M21)
• Console w/ Woodgrain (C16)
• Black Molding (V5X)
• Painted Driver Side Racing Mirror (Left)/Remote Adjusting (G34)
• Ungraded JVC head unit
• Larger capacity radiator

The Challenger’s odometer shows 54,372 miles; the consigner says the actual mileage is 154,372, as it was used on “rides to work, pursuing the woman who would become his wife, and even bringing his son home from the hospital,” and served as a family car, the second car, the third car, and even as his son’s high school car.

Among the Challenger’s known imperfections: The steering wheel is mounted upside down; the differential fill plug is reportedly stripped, as per a mechanic at the most recent oil change, which was performed earlier in 2023; the windshield washer tubing and nozzles are missing and the reservoir is original but cracked; the cigarette lighter and ashtray lights are inoperable; and some of the interior light bulbs are burned out and need replacing (but believed to function once replaced).

In addition, there is a rock chip on the passenger-side rear deck; the original chrome strips on the trunk lid show signs of wear and tear; and there is a small scratch on the passenger-side front fender near the turn signal, a rock chip on the driver-side door, and a large chip on the drive-side rearview mirror.

The Challenger was unfortunately involved in a front-end accident in 1994, but it was repaired then, in addition to its restoration four years later.

Included in the sale of the Colorado car are a spare tire, aftermarket jack, repair and tune-up guide, Budge car cover, and ownership history.

Here’s your chance to become only the second owner of this well-loved, pony car–era icon. The auction closes on Monday, July 10, at 4:20 p.m. Eastern.

***

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Builders, start your engines! And start ’em young. That’s the enthusiastic message in Minnesota, where NASCAR legend Richard Petty and celebrity motorcycle builder Billy Lane have joined forces with Northern Tool + Equipment to sponsor a go-kart-building competition between two of the state’s high schools.

The build-off, which kicked off June 23 at the Minnesota Street Rod Association “Back to the ’50s” event in St. Paul, is part of Northern Tool + Equipment’s Tools for the Trades program. Under the guidance of celebrity mentors Petty and Lane, teams from Minneapolis North and Lakeville North will spend the 2023–24 school year constructing go-karts using 740cc NorthStar EFI engines. The finished karts will then be unveiled at the 50th anniversary of “Back to the ’50s” in June 2024 and raced at Lane’s Sons of Speed® classic motorcycle racing series.

It’s all in the name of bringing more young people into the automotive trades.

“Tools for the Trades is a great program, and it’s important for kids to know they have career options,” Petty says. “This country will always need tradespeople to make and manufacture things … More and more people are getting away from using their hands, waiting for somebody else to do the job. Well, we’re trying to tell young people they’re going to have a job because not everybody will do it.”

With that in mind, Petty adds, “Team Petty is excited to meet the students and help them with this build-off.”

Lane is too.

“It’s a thrill and an honor to be involved in teaching students these skills,” he says. “There are a lot of good ways to make a living, and this effort by Northern Tool + Equipment to expose students to the trades at a young age is critical.”

According to statistics provided by Northern Tool + Equipment, a family-owned company in Burnsville, Minnesota, nearly 25 percent of those in the manufacturing workforce are age 55 or older. The build-off is designed to help fill the gap that will be created when those tradespeople age out of the workforce. Northern Tool hopes the competition will help to ignite a passion for the trades in high school students by providing hands-on, real-world experience with professional-grade tools and mentorship.

Each school’s career and technical education program will receive a new NorthStar EFI engine and professional-grade tools and equipment, including air compressors and air-powered tools donated by Ingersoll Rand. Work will begin this fall. The finished karts will be custom-pinstriped by renowned pinstriper Cliff Anderson, Jr, and the eight-month process will be featured on social media with progress narration by celebrity YouTuber Dylan McCool.

“What I’m most excited for,” says student Luis Torres, “is the opportunity that they’re giving us to work with our hands, getting to learn new things, and apply skills we already know …  This is going to be huge for us.”

Hopefully it will be huge for the rest of the automotive world too.

***

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Henry Ford never intended for his innovative Edison Institute to be open to the public. However, it didn’t take long for him to realize that excluding the public from this treasure trove of American history would limit its educational potential and disappoint the hundreds of curious people who showed up each day. It needed to be shared.

So, on June 22, 1933—less than four years after the Institute was officially dedicated—the automotive pioneer and historian threw open the gates to his remarkable collection. Nine decades later, more than 1.7 million people annually enjoy all that “America’s Greatest History Attraction” has to offer.

“The gifted man bears his gifts into the world, not for his own benefit, but for the people among whom he is placed,” Ford wrote in 1922, long before the Edison Institute came to be. “For the gifts are not his; he himself is a gift to the community.”

Located in Dearborn, Michigan, and now known as The Henry Ford, the complex encompasses the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Greenfield Village, as well as the nearby Ford Rouge Factory Tour.

It all began with Henry Ford’s personal interest in preserving items of historical significance, a collection that he began accumulating as far back as 1906. Ford’s idea of “historically significant” often meant “common,” as he acquired not only rare artifacts but also everyday items from America’s past that helped tell the story of the country’s founding and development. Later, Ford would begin collecting actual buildings—like the Wright Cycle Shop, operated from 1897–1908 by aeronautical pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright in Dayton, Ohio—and carefully move them to the Michigan property.

The Edison Institute, named for inventor and friend Thomas Edison, was originally a private site for educational purposes only. It was dedicated by President Herbert Hoover on October 21, 1929, the 50th anniversary of Edison’s first successful incandescent light bulb. Among the 250 attendees were French physicist and chemist Marie Curie, Eastman Kodak Company founder George Eastman, business magnate John D. Rockefeller, actor and social commentator Will Rogers, and Orville Wright.

In addition to the museum and the outdoor Greenfield Village site, the Institute was also home to the Greenfield Village School, an experimental education facility that promoted hands-on learning.

“The whole school would start each day at the Martha Mary Chapel in the village, where we would have a 20-minute non-denominational service,” former Greenfield student Bob Panter told Hagerty in 2017. “Students would sing a few hymns, a couple of students were assigned to read a poem, and a teacher might give a motivational word or two, often from the Bible. Then we would all disperse into the village or museum to our assigned areas and get on with our day.”

According to the book A Home For Our Heritage, in 1932 construction began on the Greenfield Village gates, a visiting room, and public restrooms as more and more uninvited visitors began to look around the property.

“The public, [seeing] articles in the nation’s periodicals, knew well that Henry Ford had something going on behind his brick walls,” author Geoffrey C. Upward wrote in 1979. “The few curious passersby a day grew to about 400 a day early in the 1930s. By the late spring of 1933, however, a curious public had swelled to nearly 1000. To turn this many people away simply amounted to bad public relations.”

When the gates finally opened, Greenfield Village had 28 buildings, and visitors could tour the site and watch old-school craftsmen create items at various shops on the property. Admission was 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for children.

The Village, encompassing 80 acres, is now home to nearly 100 buildings, some dating as far back as the 17th century and others that replicate historic sites like Edison’s laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey. In addition to self-guided tours, shops, and food, guests can ride a train or take a leisurely stroll in one of many Model Ts onsite.

The neighboring Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation occupies more than 12 acres, much of that by the main exhibition hall, which is essentially a single eight-acre room with a distinctive teak floor. Taking a page from the Greenfield Village theme, the front façade of the museum replicates Philadelphia’s Independence Hall.

Among the historical items in the Ford Museum are the rocking chair that Abraham Lincoln was sitting in on the night he was assassinated in 1865, the bus in which Rosa Parks was riding when she stood up to racial prejudice in 1955, a full-size steam locomotive, an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, several airplanes, a fully functioning ’40s-era lunch car, and the Presidential limousines of Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan.

The third piece to the puzzle, the Ford Rouge Factory Tour, is a behind-the-scenes look at a modern, working automobile factory. Boarding buses at the museum, visitors are taken to the River Rouge Plant and Dearborn Truck Plant, an industrial complex where Ford has built cars since the Model A and that once employed 100,000 people.

Anyone who has visited The Henry Ford can attest to its founder’s extraordinary vision, not only in the automotive industry but in preserving history. It was a task that Ford did not take lightly.

“Many people seem to believe that Greenfield Village and the Edison Institute & Museum … with their specimens of American life and industry, are just a kind of an antiquarian hobby of mine,” Ford wrote in 1934. “I do not deny that they have given me a great deal of interest and pleasure, but the project is vastly more than a hobby. It has very definite purposes [that] I hope will have results lasting down the years.”

Mission accomplished.

***

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Morris Markin had quite a Checkered past, and that’s a good thing. In a rags-to-riches story that exemplifies the American Dream, the Russian-born Markin immigrated to Chicago in 1912 in search of a better life, and within 10 years he forever changed the automotive landscape in America, particularly in large metropolitan areas that rely heavily on public transportation.

Unable to speak English when he arrived in the U.S., 19-year-old Markin worked as an errand boy and also used his experience as a laborer in a Russian clothing factory to become a tailor’s apprentice. When his boss died suddenly, Markin purchased the shop on credit from the man’s widow.

That decision ultimately made Markin a fortune, thanks to a government contract to produce U.S. Army uniforms during World War I. It also sent him on an unexpected automotive journey. Markin, in addition to being a tailor, began running a fleet of taxicabs and an auto body shop.

By 1920, two dominant taxicab companies were operating in Chicago: Yellow Cab and Checker Taxi. Yellow Cab owned its own cab-manufacturing company, but Checker did not. Instead, Checker relied on a partnership between Lomberg Auto Body Manufacturing Co. and Commonwealth Motors to build a purpose-built cab called the Mogul Taxi. As fate would have it, Markin would soon have a hand in determining Checker’s future.

Due to his good fortune making uniforms for the military, Markin was able to loan $15,000 (the equivalent of about $230,000 today) to his friend Abe Lomberg so that Lomberg could keep his financially strapped coachbuilding business afloat. When Lomberg defaulted on the loan, Markin took possession of the company and put his name on it. By that point, Commonwealth Motors, which provided chassis for the Mogul Taxis, was also having its own monetary issues, so in October 1921, Markin took a leap of faith and purchased that company, too. Merging the two, Markin formed the Checker Cab Manufacturing Co. on February 28, 1922.

While much of the automotive world celebrated the 100th anniversary of Checker’s founding last year, it’s difficult to argue that a second, perhaps equally significant centennial celebration is about to occur.

Markin’s vision and business acumen helped grow Checker so quickly that by the end of 1922, the automaker was producing 100-plus taxicabs per month in Joliet, Illinois, and there were already 600 of them on the job in New York City. Feeling the need to expand in order to keep up with demand, Markin took over two recently vacated auto factories in Kalamazoo, Michigan—once home to Dort Motor Car Company and Handley-Knight Motor—and moved operations there in 1923.

The first Kalamazoo-built Checker, a Model H, rolled off the assembly line on June 18, 1923. By the end of the year, an improved Model H2 was already being introduced. Later models—E (1924), F (1926), and G (1927)—were all versions of the original Mogul, until the newly designed Model H debuted in 1928. A year later, Markin bought controlling stock of the Parmalee Transportation Company, which included Yellow Cab, and Parmalee became the largest taxicab company in the U.S.

After Markin won a showdown with General Motors, which began manufacturing Yellow Coach taxis, he sold the company to friend E.L. Cord in 1933, staying on as company chief until buying it back in 1936. Cord’s influence was profound, as the beautiful lines of the 1935 Checker Model Y not only resembled an Auburn, the cab was powered by the same Lycoming GFD 8 straight-eight engine installed in Auburns of the period.

The legendary toughness of Checker cabs proved invaluable during World War II, when civilian vehicle production was halted and Americans at home had to make due with what they already had. When the war ended four years after the U.S. joined the fray, Checker began a run of five different models from 1947–63, then unveiled the new Model A11/A12—arguably the most iconic Checker ever built. The A11/A12 remained in production for nearly 20 years, and it can be seen in opening and closing credits of the 1978–83 television series Taxi, as well as movies like Bill Murray’s Scrooged.

Markin also sold Checker passenger cars for a time, starting with the 1960 A10 Superba sedan and station wagon, and later the Marathon. Checker production peaked in 1962 with 8173 cars, most of them taxicabs.

Markin died on July 8, 1970, just shy of his 77th birthday. His son, David, took the helm at Checker, but he had a tough time of it during the ’70s as the country converted to smaller, more economical automobiles, something that the 4000-pound Checker taxicab was not. The final Checker Cab rolled off the line in Kalamazoo on July 12, 1982 (although the plant continued to make parts until 2009). Oddly enough, that last Checker was not painted yellow but apple green.

New York City, which at one time was home to as many as 8000 Checker taxicabs, retired its last working Checker in August 1999, 87 years after a penniless Morris Markin stepped off a ship at Ellis Island, hoping to make his mark in America.

***

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Whether you’re looking for economical family entertainment or a more intimate way to watch a movie with a love interest, there’s nothing quite like a drive-in theater. While some accounts claim that movies were shown outdoors as early as the 1910s, the first patented “Park-In Theatre”—as they were first called—opened 90 years ago on June 6, 1933 in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey, near Camden.

The brainchild of Richard Milton Hollingshead, Jr., the venue offered moviegoers a new—and for many, an easier—way to watch a film: in the comfort of their own “Private Theatre Box.” Hollingshead, a sales manager at his father’s Camden company, Whiz Auto Products, was reportedly inspired by his mother’s struggle to sit comfortably in traditional movie-theater seats. According to PBS.com, Hollingshead tested the idea of an outdoor theater by using a 1928 Kodak projector, a sheet nailed to a tree in his backyard, and a speaker placed behind the “screen.” He spent weeks perfecting the idea, even turning on his sprinkler to simulate rainy conditions. By spacing and staggering the parking spots, he also ensured that the occupants of each car would have an unobstructed view of the screen.

On August 6, 1932, Hollingshead applied for a patent. “My invention relates to a new and useful outdoor theater,” he wrote in his application, “whereby the transportation facilities to and from the theater are made to constitute an element of the seating facilities.”

The patent was approved on May 16, 1933, and within three weeks, Hollingshead’s outdoor theater was open for business. Charging 25 cents per car and 25 cents per person—and capping the cost at $1 per vehicle—Hollingshead advertised this new-fangled entertainment venue as a more comfortable alternative to traditional movie houses. “The whole family is welcome,” he told New Jersey’s Courier-Post newspaper, “regardless of how noisy the children are.”

The first film shown on the outdoor screen was the comedy Wives Beware (also known as Two White Arms), starring Adolphe Menjou and Margaret Bannerman. Menjou began his acting career in silent films but was able to make a successful jump to “talkies.” In fact, he sang the title song on Wives Beware.

The drive-in’s sound quality was initially poor—Hollingshead mounted three RCA Victor speakers near the screen—but later technological advances allowed individual speakers to be hung on each driver’s-side window. Eventually, passengers could tune the car’s FM radio to the movie soundtrack.

Other entrepreneurs began to copy Hollingshead’s idea. After years of fighting in court, his patent was overturned in 1949. With the threat of legal action removed, drive-in theaters began popping up all over the country, particularly in rural areas. At one point in the 1950s, there were as many as 4000 outdoor venues in the U.S., proving the idea was more than a fad. One of the largest drive-ins was the All-Weather Drive-In of Copiague, New York, which featured parking space for 2500 cars. Its 28-acre property included a children’s playground and full-service restaurant.

Of course, in many parts of the country, drive-ins could only be operated during the summer, limiting revenue. By the 1970s, drive-in theaters began to lose their appeal as people began to buy smaller, less lounge-friendly cars, and VCRs offered movie fans the opportunity to watch from their couches.

According to the National Association of Theater Owners, in 2020 only 549 drive-ins remained in the U.S., a number that no doubt received a financial bump from COVID-19 restrictions that limited or eliminated indoor gatherings. In fact, many “pop-up” drive-ins using inflatable screens opened during the pandemic.

Though it may be a less popular venue, a drive-in is still a fun way to watch a movie. Today most venues offer double features, continuing their reputation as affordable entertainment. Somewhere, Richard Hollingshead is smiling … and so is his mom.

***

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The beauty of Hot Wheels, like many of the toys we treasure, is the way they inspire kids to use their imaginations. Turns out, Hot Wheels does the same for big kids, too. 

Mattel’s iconic die-cast vehicles have been inspiring car lovers of all ages since 1968, and now some of those kids are turning their actual cars into life-size Hot Wheels on NBC’s new hour-long show Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge, which debuted on May 30. 

Like the iconic toy cars that we grew up loving, the competition is good, clean, family fun. And although it airs at a time—Tuesdays at 10 p.m. Eastern—that’s not exactly family friendly, each episode can be streamed on Peacock the following day.

Hosted by aw-shucks nice guy Rutledge Wood, Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge features two “superfans” who are tasked with turning their dream designs into reality. Each contestant has a touching story to tell about a car that changed their lives, and an identical model serves as the basis for their build.

“Buckle up for the ride of your life,” Wood says in the intro, “where car-loving Hot Wheels fans get the chance of a lifetime … transforming nostalgic cars from their past into life-size Hot Wheels of their dreams.”

The winner of each round gets $25,000 and a spot in the finals. The overall champion (of 16 contestants) gets an additional $50,000, plus the honor of having their custom creation made into a Hot Wheels car that will be sold to the public. 

Wood, who auto enthusiasts may know from the American version of Top Gear, is joined by fellow judges Dalal Elsheikh, a Hot Wheels ambassador and designer for Ford Motor Company, and car culture influencer Hertrech “Hert” Eugene Jr. Each week also introduces a new celebrity judge, who in the premiere episode is Terry Crews, host of America’s Got Talent.

The first two superfans to square off are 24-year-old Jadejha Edwards, of Houston, and 58-year-old “Jerzey” Jim Farrell, of Forked River, New Jersey.

Jadejha chooses a 2009 Chevrolet Camaro to match the car her aunt drove when Jadejha went to live with her as a teenager. Now a cybersecurity engineer, Jadejha says her aunt offered her constant encouragement and a safe place to live and dream. “Who I am today,” she says, “started right there in that car.”

Jim, a custom van outfitter, selects a 1969 Dodge Charger like the one that he and his father restored together—and painted bright yellow—decades ago. This one wears black matte paint, just as his previous Charger did prior to its final paint job. “Seeing that car again feels like I’m 18 years old, man,” Jim says.

Given one week to design and build their cars, each contestant receives help from three experts from the “Car Pool,” who are charged with making their dreams a reality. It all begins in the “Chrome Zone,” where hundreds of actual Hot Wheels serve as inspiration. Once the build begins, there are plenty of hurdles to clear along the way. That includes a curveball thrown by the Hot Wheels crew more than halfway through the build: the Inspirationator 5000, the huge centerpiece of the set, selects an actual Hot Wheels car, and the fabricators are required to incorporate one of its design elements into their own cars.

Jadejha wants the Camaro to be green and have a low, wide, futuristic look that reflects her job in cybersecurity—and the sense of indestructability she felt whenever she rode in her aunt’s car. Jim requires two things: the Charger must be yellow, like his first car, and pop a wheelie. That last criterion prompts him to pull the engine from the front and put it in back; he also wants the engine to be a Hemi V-8.

Although we know that each team has seven days to complete the work, the editors of the show manage to manufacture some drama by making it look like the cars are completed just in time. Regardless, both are gorgeous successes and receive plenty of praise from the judges. Jim’s Charger can indeed pop a wheelie (thanks to hydraulics), and that’s enough to steal the show and take the win.

The real winners, however, are those of us who remember the first time we imagined driving one of those spectacular little cars on the track, the street, or some remote two-track. Yes, the show’s jokes are a little lame, and we want to know more about the specifics of each build, but the kids are going to love it all. Even some of us kids who remember playing with their first Hot Wheels cars 55 years ago.

***

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Tina Turner was known for many things: her unmistakable raspy voice, her unrivaled on-stage energy, and her ability to overcome whatever life threw her way. Did you know she was also an avid an auto enthusiast?

The Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll, who died on May 24 at the age of 83, loved the freedom that cars provided. They represented a blessed escape for the musical superstar, who couldn’t go anywhere in public without being recognized. Perhaps that inescapable cost of fame was part of the reason she lived out her later years in Switzerland, rather than the United States.

Turner always found solace in automobiles, most notably her white Jaguar XJ6, which she received as a gift from Sammy Davis Jr. in 1970. She also had a silver E-Type, given to her in 1973 by then-husband Ike Turner.

According to Turner’s 2018 autobiography, My Love Story, Davis originally wanted to gift her a Mercedes-Benz, but her assistant suggested a Jaguar instead because the singer “was into English cars.” Turner admitted the Jag “awakened my passion for fast cars.”

“It may sound silly,” Turner wrote, “but one of my favorite escapes, and a secret pleasure, was driving my Jaguar. I loved it because it was something I could do by myself, one of the few times I could be alone and free.”

The 12-time Grammy Award winner experienced similar joy in the Jaguar XKE.

“I’ll never forget the moment I got behind the wheel and pulled out of the dealership,” she wrote. “It was late and a little misty when I drove the sleek silver Jaguar on Wilshire Boulevard. As far as I was concerned, there was no one else on the road—just me, driving with the windows down, looking and feeling fabulous. I can still hear the sound of the motor, the vroom that signaled it was ready to take me anywhere I wanted to go.”

RIP to the great Tina Turner, here with her 1973 Jaguar XKE. pic.twitter.com/pVTVA9sc6L

— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) May 24, 2023

In 1978, she nearly lost both cars in a contentious divorce from Ike, whose mental and physical abuse is well documented. Ultimately, the judge sided with Tina.

With the success of Turner’s 1984 comeback album, Private Dancer, she treated herself to a new Lamborghini LM002. Turner and German record producer Erwin Bach, who would become her husband in 2013, had it customized to Tina’s liking. The biggest change to the bespoke Lambo was swapping the LM002’s V-12 engine and manual transmission for a V-8 and automatic gearbox from a Mercedes-Benz 500E. Turner sold it in 2008.

Even if you didn’t know about those vehicles, Turner offered plenty of clues that she appreciated automobiles, most notably when she did a series of television commercials for the 1990 Plymouth lineup.

In one ad for the new Acclaim, Turner walks past the driver’s side door and gets into the back seat. Running her hand over the car’s plush interior, she says, “Mmmm. Now, this car is built for comfort. Wonder what else we have in common?”

Before getting behind the wheel of a Laser, Turner suggests she’s ready for a drive, and confirms what we already knew about her flamboyant personality.

“Sometimes you get to know someone so well that they kind of get … predictable. Well, not this time. This is the new Laser by Plymouth. That’s right: Plymouth. And no matter what you thought about it before, my friend, I promise you: This is not for wallflowers.”

Spoken like a true rock goddess … and, as it turns out, a car lover too.

***

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The Bridge. By May 24, 1883, the official opening of the Brooklyn Bridge, New Yorkers didn’t need to use its official name. It was simply The Bridge, a 1.1-mile structure over the East River that not only linked the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn but also put its stamp on Gotham as The City.

When the Brooklyn Bridge opened 140 years ago, no other municipality in America—no other city in the world, for that matter—had a suspension bridge as long or majestic. Both functional and artistic, it remains one of New York’s best-known and most-visited attractions. Its ability to inspire is difficult to put into words.

“The bridge was, not just for New York but for America in general, the great symbol of 19th-century progress and optimism,” says Michael Kimmelman, architecture critic for The New York Times. “It was of an era that we now forget was an extraordinary time of change and connection. You had the transcontinental railroad. You had the transoceanic cable. You had the Suez Canal. All of these were being built around the same time. We were shrinking the world.

“In New York itself, the bridge tied together two separate cities, Brooklyn and New York, in anticipation of what became the one great city … But the bridge did something else; it created a public street, a great public square in midair, this enormous road that literally connected the two. They suddenly became one. That’s a big reason the bridge remains our great civic symbol of hope and of possibility.”

Designed by German immigrant John A. Roebling, the Brooklyn Bridge took 14 years to complete, and for good reason. Not only were the swift waters of the East River a concern, but the bridge had to be tall enough to allow ships to easily pass beneath it. The bridge’s two granite foundations were built in watertight timber caissons that descended 78 feet into the riverbed on the New York side and 44 feet on the Brooklyn side. Each tower rose 278.25 feet above the water—119.25 feet from the water to the bridge itself, and another 159 feet to the top of the stone arches.

Danger lurked above and below the water and made working conditions difficult. According to History.com, compressed air pressurized the caissons to allow underwater construction, but little was known of the risks of working under these conditions. More than 100 workers suffered compression sickness (commonly known as “the bends”). There were also collapses and a fire.

At least 20 workers died during the bridge’s construction, the most notable loss being its designer. Shortly after work began in 1869, John Roebling’s foot was crushed by an arriving ferry, and he had to have several toes amputated. His condition worsened over the next three weeks, and he died of tetanus on July 22, 1869.

Roebling’s son, Washington Roebling, took over as chief engineer of the project, but two years into the construction he too suffered compression sickness, which left him paralyzed. His wife, Emily Warren Roebling, who taught herself bridge construction, assumed much of the chief engineer’s duties and oversaw the bridge’s completion.

The highly anticipated opening of the Brooklyn Bridge—hailed as “The Eighth Wonder of the World”—was attended by thousands, including schoolchildren and workers, who were given a rare day off. Among those who participated in the opening ceremony were President Chester Arthur and New York governor Grover Cleveland.

Long before the motor vehicles were invented, the bridge accommodated horse-drawn carriages and train trolley traffic, but as of 2018 it saw an average of 116,000 vehicles, 30,000 pedestrians, and 3000 cyclists each day. The popular walkway above the highway portion of the bridge offers majestic views of the city.

Recently, The New York Times’ Kimmelman walked the bridge with documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, whose 1981 project about the bridge earned him an Oscar nomination. The two discussed the structure’s lasting impact and what it means to those who interact with it both daily and occasionally. Burns admits the Brooklyn Bridge inspired him to leave a positive mark on the world, just like Roebling did, and Kimmelman says he isn’t the only one to feel its motivational power.

“Roebling represents so much about America of that moment … the immigrant, the dreamer, the inventor,” Kimmelman says. “He had spiritual beliefs that sort of brought him here. So there was something about him that was like the bridge—the kind of emblem of America at that time.”

The Brooklyn Bridge was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1972.

According to the Library of Congress, it cost $16 million to build, or nearly $500 million today. The bridge has undergone millions of dollars in improvements over the years—including rehabilitation of the approaches and ramp superstructure from 2010–17 for $650 million—but it’s difficult to put a price on its value to the city and the history of America.

“There’s something reassuring about the bridge—about our ability as a city to strive for and achieve great, impossible things,” Kimmelman tells The New York Times. “It’s really remarkable that 140 years later, it continues to have this role in our lives as a reminder of what we are capable of … In a city where we often feel overwhelmed or battered, the bridge is a place to go to consider what New York is at heart, which is a place of dreams and aspirations.”

***

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The first time that Joseph Reyer saw American Graffiti, it turned into an all-day affair—and ignited a lifelong obsession with the movie.

“I was about 13 when it came out,” Reyer says of the 1973 film created and directed by George Lucas. “My mom dropped me off at the movie theater, and it was so good that I called her afterward and said, ‘Don’t pick me up. I’m going to watch it again.’ Then I called her again and said, ‘Don’t pick me up yet. I’m going to watch it again.’ She said, ‘This is the last time!’”

It wouldn’t be.

“I’m such a huge American Graffiti fan,” the Detroit-area native says. “I’ve seen it probably 30 times, and I have it in all forms—VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray. I also have all sorts of memorabilia, including an original poster. I’m just nuts about this movie.

“It had such a profound effect on me, especially (John) Milner’s coupe. I couldn’t tell you the (name of the) first girl I kissed, but I can tell you the first car I fell in love with. That one.”

Reyer’s appreciation for the American Graffiti, which turns 50 later this summer, has never waned. Twenty-five years ago he bought a black 1955 Chevy 150 similar to the one that a young Harrison Ford (playing Bob Falfa) drove in the film. He still owns the car. “It isn’t a replica,” Reyer says, “but it’s black, turn-key, and gorgeous, so I went for it.” The seller also had a ’32 Ford, but as much as Reyer would have loved to buy it and recreate the yellow hot rod that Paul Le Mat (Milner) drove in the film, he decided against it. The financial math just didn’t make sense.

A detailed ’32 Ford replica became his holy grail.

***

Reyer’s passion for cars came from both his parents, but his father, Joe, was his biggest influence. “My dad was very supportive of my love for cars. I can remember sitting on the fender of his ’64 Impala. He said he never had to look for me because he always knew he could find me in the garage.”

The son not only followed his father into the garage but also in his professional footsteps, becoming an electrician for Ford Motor Company. “Dad worked at the Michigan Truck Plant for 35 years, and I worked there for 15. He always encouraged me. He really made all of this possible.”

For its part, American Graffiti opened doors for nascent talents to break into the movie business, many of whom became Hollywood heavyweights. Even Lucas, whose resume to that point included just one film—a sci-fi flick called THX 1138—can look to Graffiti as his launch pad to stardom. Reflecting on his own experiences with cars, cruising, and rock ’n’ roll music as a teenager in Modesto, California, Lucas needed only three weeks to write the movie’s coming-of-age script about one end-of-summer night in 1962. That was after his friends, screenwriters Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, had to back out to work on another film.

“Like most kids who grew up in the Valley, I had a strong interest in cruising,” Lucas said in a documentary included on the Blu-Ray edition of American Graffiti. “When I got to college (at the University of Southern California), I studied anthropology and began to realize that [cruising] was a uniquely American dating ritual involving automobiles.

“When I came up with the idea of doing the movie … I really felt compelled to document the whole experience of cruising and what my generation used as a way of meeting girls and what we did in our spare time. I wanted to document the end of an era, how things change—life passages—how you go from being a student into the real world.”

Lucas shopped the script around Hollywood, but he says “nobody wanted to do it.” After a rewrite, Universal agreed to make the movie, a decision that came no doubt with help from Lucas’ friend Francis Ford Coppola, who signed on as executive producer. Just before production began, Huyck and Katz—freed from their previous commitment—assisted in beefing up the script, particularly the love story of Steve Bolander (Ron Howard) and Laurie Henderson (Cindy Williams).

Lucas spent six months casting the film and says he “saw thousands of kids.” Those he ultimately chose to include in the film did not disappoint. The best known actor of the group was Howard, who starred as Opie on the Andy Griffith Show when he was a kid; the rest were basically unknowns—at the time, anyway. In addition to Howard, Williams, Ford, and Le Mat, the lead parts went to Richard Dreyfuss, Mackenzie Phillips, Charlie Martin Smith, and Candy Clark. Lucas also brought in legendary disc jockey Robert Weston Smith, better known as “Wolfman Jack,” to string together the 41 hit songs that serve as the soundtrack.

Henry Travers, the film’s transportation manager, was responsible for locating and maintaining the cars that Lucas wanted in the film, including the ’32 Ford (originally purchased for $1300), the ’55 Chevy (which was also used in Two-Lane Blacktop), the 1958 Chevrolet Impala driven by Howard, the 1958 Edsel Corsair driven by Williams, the 1967 Citroën 2CV (yes, a ’67 for a movie that was set in ’62) driven by Dreyfuss, the 1951 Mercury coupe driven by the Pharaohs, and the 1956 Ford Thunderbird driven by another newcomer, Suzanne Somers.

The entire movie was filmed in 28 days, mostly at night and on a budget of $750,000 (about $5.1 million today). There was no money for original music or incidentals. The budget was so tight, in fact, that between takes the cast members sat on the curb or rested in cars. Fancy trailers were nowhere to be seen.

As Howard recalled in the documentary, “I finally went to Francis and I said, ‘You know, Francis, I know it’s a low-budget movie; it’s great—the spirit of the movie is wonderful … Do you think we could have a chair? Could we just have chairs?’ And he said, ‘Well, no, there’s nothing in the budget for chairs.’”

American Graffiti went on to make $140 million.

“I met Paul Le Mat once about 20 years ago,” Reyer says, “and I said, ‘It looked like you had a great time making that movie.’ He said, ‘It was the greatest 30 days of my life.’”

***

Reyer, 61, saw plenty of replicas of John Milner’s ’32 Ford through the years, “but there was always just too much to do to make them right.” Then, in 2022, opportunity knocked: an astonishingly accurate replica came up for sale, built by Jack Bell and perfected in Arkansas by second owner Nick Coe, with help from Rob Pruitt, Dan Griffin, Tim Bowman, and Dr. Rachel’s Upholstery Clinic, which cloned the interior of the original.

“The more I looked at it, the more I thought, ‘Holy cow, this guy nailed this,’” Reyer says. “I mean it’s 99.9 percent correct. I’ve seen a lot of replicas over the years, and nothing comes close to this one. I thought, ‘This guy is as crazy as I am.’ I asked Nick, ‘Do we have a sickness?’ And he said, ‘Yes, we do. And it’s a good one.’”

Reyer just had to have the car.

Coe, a fellow American Graffiti fanatic, decided to let the yellow Deuce go only because his son was ill and he could use the money. Reyer assured him that it would be in good hands. “You still have visitation,” he promised.

Among the Ford’s movie-matching features are small-block 327 Chevy V-8 engine, Ansen swing pedals, interior trim off a ’56 Ford, steering wheel, piston gear shift knob, front axle, front chrome shocks, rear suspension, headlights and headlight bars, and tinted windows.

Reyer loves taking the Ford to car shows and advancing the American Graffiti gospel. “I want everybody to catch the bug,” he says. “I’m a super spreader.”

No one is immune, especially not his family, which includes son Jeremiah and daughter Christin, five grandchildren, and a sixth grandchild on the way. “I’m just the caretaker; this will be Jeremiah’s someday,” Reyer says. “And I’m going to get a gearhead out of one of those grandkids, you can be sure of that.”

It’s a lineage that began with his parents, particularly his dad.

“He would be as excited about this car as I am,” Reyer says of his father, who passed away in 2020. “I wish he was still here to see it come to fruition. I restored a ’66 F-100 pickup for him, and it was his pride and joy. I remember he’d look at it in the garage every night before he went to bed. I do that now with this car. I feel like I won the lottery.”

***

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Starting out as an imaginary band in a make-believe television show about “four insane boys” trying to make it in the music business, The Monkees—Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and Micky Dolenz—eventually became an authentic, chart-topping band. Their famous car, however, has been the real deal all along.

The Monkeemobile, an iconic custom car that takes a back seat only to the Batmobile among ’60s TV cars, was the creation of Dean Jeffries and is now considered a cultural icon. Getting to know the Monkeemobile first requires getting to know The Monkees.

Contrary to popular belief, Jones, Nesmith, Tork, and Dolenz weren’t actors who became musicians; they all had musical backgrounds. Jones starred as the Artful Dodger in the Broadway musical production of Oliver!, Nesmith had been recording music in Los Angeles since the early ’60s, Tork was performing folk music in New York’s Greenwich Village, and Dolenz was a former kid actor who played guitar and sang in a couple of bands, including The Missing Links.

In other words, the four already knew the challenge of making it in the music biz.

The idea for The Monkees was first suggested by aspiring filmmaker Bob Rafelson in 1962 but never gained momentum. Rafelson and collaborator Bert Schneider revived the idea after the Beatles found movie success with A Hard Day’s Night (1964) and Help! (1965), and Screen Gems Television bought the idea in April 1965.

Jones was the first to be cast for the show, since he was already under contract with Screen Gems. Nesmith, Tork, and Dolenz were among 437 aspiring actors/musicians who answered this ad in Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter in September 1965:

Madness!! Auditions. Folk & Roll Musicians-Singers for acting roles in new TV series. Running parts for 4 insane boys, age 17–21. Want spirited Ben Frank’s* types. Have courage to work. Must come down for interview.

*A popular late-night hangout in West Hollywood.

Nesmith was the only one of the future Monkees who actually saw the ad; Tork learned of the cattle call through his friend Stephen Sills, while Dolenz heard about it from his agent. Although Jones was a good drummer, he was only 5 foot 3, and the show’s producers thought he’d look even more diminutive sitting behind the drums, so they made him the frontman.

Nesmith and Tork could both play guitar and bass, and since neither was interested in playing the drums, Dolenz was tasked with learning to play from scratch.

Regardless of The Monkees’ musical talents, Don Kirshner, Screen Gems’ head of music, originally had the four fake their parts and used studio musicians for the show while bringing Jones and Dolenz into the studio to record vocals. Jones had a strong voice and sang ballads like “Daydream Believer,” while Dolenz handled the rest. Nesmith often said Dolenz’s voice defined The Monkees’ sound more than Jones’ did.

The first episode of The Monkees aired on NBC on September 12, 1966. It was an immediate hit, ran two full seasons, and won two Emmy Awards, but before long The Monkees’ music was more popular than the show itself.

After Screen Gems Television released the group’s first album without indicating that the instruments heard on the record were played by studio musicians, Nesmith and Tork were embarrassed and infuriated, and The Monkees successfully fought for control of their own music.

“Everyone was accomplished,” Nesmith once told Rolling Stone. “The notion [that] I was the only musician is one of those rumors that got started and won’t stop—but it was not true … We were also kids with our own taste in music and were happier performing songs we liked—and/or wrote—than songs that were handed to us.”

On January 16, 1967, the band held its first, full-fledged recording session. The group’s “second” album, More of the Monkees, spent 70 weeks on the Billboard charts and was No. 1 for 18 weeks. It was certified quintuple platinum, selling more than five million copies, and was the third-highest-selling album of the 1960s. The Monkees sold 75 million albums worldwide during their career.

Only Dolenz is still alive. Jones died in 2012, followed by Tork in 2019 and Nesmith in 2021.

As The Monkees—both the show and the group—vaulted into television and music history, so did the amazing, instantly recognizable Monkeemobile. Who knows what the car might have looked like if designer Dean Jeffries hadn’t received permission from his employer to build it.

When he received the request to build the Monkeemobile, Jeffries was under contract with Model Products Corporation (MPC). He approached CEO George Toteff and shared the offer that he’d received. Toteff was immediately supportive—in fact, he turned it into a win-win.

Toteff reached out to Pontiac advertising exec Jim Wangers, who is often referred to in the classic-car community as the godfather of the GTO, arguable the world’s first muscle car. Two worked out a deal that was mutually beneficial. Wangers took advantage of the promotional opportunity and sent Jeffries two 1966 Pontiac GTO convertibles, both powered by a 389-cubic-inch, four-barrel V-8 mated to an automatic transmission.

Meanwhile, MPC was given exclusive rights to produce toy Monkeemobile model kits and went on to sell seven million of them.

The first Monkeemobile that Jeffries built for the show was completed in 10 days. The second, slightly different and used for promotional appearances, was finished in four.

Among each car’s distinct features were a split two-piece windshield, stretched nose and tail, swooped hood, flares in back, exaggerated headlamps and taillamps, touring-car convertible top, four bucket seats and a third row bench seat where the trunk was originally located, rear-mounted parachute, and GTO emblem on the front grille. In addition, side pipes protruded from just behind the front wheels, and a GMC 6-71 supercharger stuck out of the hood.

The promo version was also equipped with a solid rear axle (without springs) and was given extra weight in the rear so that it could pop a wheelie.

When the NBC show ended in March 1968, designer Jeffries was offered the opportunity to own one of the Monkeemobiles for $2000 (or less, depending on who’s telling the story), but he thought he could always build one of his own, so he passed.

Later that year, the TV Monkeemobile accompanied The Monkees on a world tour and was somehow left behind in Australia. It eventually showed up in Puerto Rico, where it was used as a hotel courtesy car, but when the hotel went out of business in 1992, the Puerto Rican government auctioned it for $5000 to a collector in New York, who restored it in time for a Monkees television special in 1997. It was later displayed at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. The car remains in the John Norris family—it’s owned by Norris, his three sisters, and an uncle—and now resides in New Jersey.

Another custom car icon, George Barris, the creator of the ’60s Batmobile, bought the second Monkeemobile and added a few modifications of his own, including new paint and a modern sound system. In 2008, Barris auctioned the car at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale, and Michigan’s Mel Guthrie purchased it for $396,000. He has no regrets.

“I’m very proud of this car. I’ve loved it since I was a little kid,” Guthrie told a Hagerty film crew in 2014. “I used to watch reruns of the show after school … I just thought this was the coolest car ever … I never dreamed that I would own it.”

And few could have dreamed that—nearly six decades later—the show, the band, and the Monkeemobile would become so beloved that they still draw adulation from fans from all over the world.

***

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Today marks five years to the day since backup cameras became mandatory, so we decided to republish this story, which originally ran on this site two years ago. Enjoy! —Ed. 

While we always enjoy gazing in rearview at automotive history, today we’re doing so in a more literal sense. Backup cameras, which are also referred to as reverse cameras and rearview cameras, have been a required safety feature in all new American-made cars since May 1, 2018. That means the technology is relatively new, right? Wrong. It’s been around for decades.

The 1956 Buick Centurion concept car, unveiled at the General Motors Motorama in January 1956, was the first vehicle to feature a reverse camera that allowed its driver to see behind the car without having to physically turn around and look backward. Designers were so confident in the rearview camera that there were no mirrors on the car. The Centurion also featured a bubble roof and cockpit, offering unobstructed views all around.

The shapely concept car’s backup system was bulkier and more conspicuous than modern versions—a large TV camera lens was mounted in the Centurion’s rear and a screen was located on its dash—but the setup was definitely cutting-edge technology. Except that it didn’t catch on for years, not even at Buick.

It wasn’t until 1991, when a backup camera was mounted on the rear spoiler of the Japanese-market-only Toyota Soarer coupe, that a production car came equipped with the rearview feature. It took another 11 years before a vehicle with backup tech was available in the U.S., and that car—the 2002 Infiniti Q45 sedan—also came from a Japanese automaker. The Q45’s optional backup system, called a Rear-View Monitor, featured a small camera located near the rear license plate, and the image on a dashboard screen included guidance lines to help the driver park.

Beyond providing parking assistance, backup cameras have also saved lives. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 200 people are killed annually in accidents that occur while the driver is backing up and cannot see behind the vehicle. Cameras have the ability to see the blind spots that traditional rearview mirrors cannot.

Even without the federal mandate, some manufacturers—Acura, Buick, Honda, and Infiniti—were already making them standard as early as 2015. Ford, Nissan, and Toyota soon followed, also prior to the 2018 deadline.

These days, some modern reverse systems also provide audible warnings and even automatic braking if the car that is reversing is in the path of other vehicles or objects—even if they’re moving, like pedestrians or bicycles. The combination of all three technological advances has proven to be most effective.

According to Carfax, a 2019 study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) concluded that while “rear cameras alone reduced collision rates by only 5 percent, combining a camera with rear parking sensors reduced the backup collision rate by 42 percent, and adding automatic rear braking to the camera and parking sensors lowered the collision rate by 78 percent.”

In hindsight, it seems the 1956 Centurion’s innovative backup system was looking forward all along.

***

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It’d be right at home cruising “The Streets of Philadelphia” or tearing up “Thunder Road.” First, though, this Chevrolet Chevelle convertible formerly owned by Bruce Springsteen is cruising to the Mecum Indianapolis auction block. An SS tribute car configured with a 396-cubic inch big-block engine and a Hurst on the floor like the Chevy in The Boss’ “Racing in the Street,” this Chevelle is a rock star in its own right. Will Springsteen’s ownership elevate it to a sale price beyond the value of similarly-built models?

If more than one bidder has an attitude of “No Surrender” and raises their paddle with a “Hungry Heart,” chances could be good.

“Celebrity cars are always a draw and almost always bring a premium. The estimate suggests that this Chevelle might bring two to three times or more than the market value this car would otherwise bring if not owned by The Boss,” says Hagerty Price Guide editor Greg Ingold.

“But here’s the thing: Simply being a celebrity doesn’t necessarily equate to big premiums; it usually helps to be a massive car person as well. While Springsteen is undoubtedly that—nobody can argue otherwise—it’s not as big a part of his persona as it is for Paul Newman or Steve McQueen, for instance.

“Bottom line: How high this car will go is anyone’s guess.”

The Chevelle (VIN #136679B400523), which will cross the block on May 20 at Mecum’s Indianapolis Auction, has a presale estimate of $150,000–$200,000. Mecum confirmed that the vehicle is not a factory SS 396. Even so, the estimate is well above values for the 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle 396 SS convertible, which come in at $70,200 for an example in #2 (Excellent) condition and $90,600 for one in #1 (Concours) condition. (To read a breakdown of how we evaluate a vehicle’s condition, and 1-to-4 the scale we use, click here.)

The Chevelle was owned by the legendary rock star from 1981 until Christmas 1987, when Springsteen gifted it to Toby Scott, who worked as a recording engineer or mixer on 18 of Springsteen’s albums. A prolonged rotisserie restoration that started in 1988 and wrapped up in 2020 included returning the Chevelle to its original LeMans Blue from the Midnight Black it wore during Springsteen’s ownership.

Shortly after its rebirth, the car was delivered to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in August 2020 and displayed with the same surfboard that The Boss would put in back whenever he headed to the beach in New Jersey.

The 396-cubic-inch big-block V-8 in the classic GM A-body produces 350 horsepower and is mated to a four-speed manual transmission. Though the Chevy featured in “Racing in the Street” wears Fuelie heads, the real-life car does not—small-block Fuelie heads won’t fit the big-block 396—and Springsteen acknowledged that bit of creative license in a 1978 radio interview.

Other features include a white convertible top, white bucket seats, a white side stripe, chrome Cragar SS wheels with BFGoodrich Radial T/A raised white-letter tires, power disc brakes, electronic ignition, MSD tachometer adapter, serpentine belt system with polished alternator and water pump, ceramic-coated Hooker headers, and dual exhaust. The Chevelle also has a period radio, which has been installed but is not hooked up.

It also wears Super Sport emblems, SS-style blacked-out grille and rear panel, and a double-domed hood.

The sale includes a signed letter from Springsteen regarding his ownership, a document from his mechanic describing the purchase of the car on Springsteen’s behalf, and a photo of the license plate that the car wore while registered to The Boss.

Advertised as “America’s most popular mid-size car,” nearly 455,000 Chevelles—in coupe, convertible, sedan, station wagon, and pickup (El Camino) form—were produced in 1969. Only one was owned by Bruce Springsteen.

While Springsteen didn’t make our 2022 Power List of Musicians whose ownership adds significantly to the value of a car, there’s no denying his presence in American culture. We’ll be watching to see if his provenance tacks on a decent premium to this Chevelle, especially considering its sentimental ties to one of his most iconic songs.

***

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Buick, long considered an affordable luxury brand, veered from of its traditional comfort zone in the 1960s in an attempt to snag a share of the muscle car market. Although Buick’s piece of the pie was small compared to the massive portion on Pontiac’s plate, the GS400 left a lasting impression, especially on those who dared to underestimate its performance on the street.

Of course, Buick engineers underestimated it a tad too. Purposely.

Launched midway through the 1965 model year, the Gran Sport (GS) was based on the Skylark Custom and was available with a 325-horsepower, 401-cubic-inch nailhead V-8. Except Buick didn’t market it as a 401. To conform to General Motors’ restrictions on engine size for its A-body chassis, Buick marketed the GS’ power plant as 400 cubic inches, bending the rules a bit to compete with its in-house competition.

Buick engineers were continuously looking for more power, and by 1968 they delivered the GS400 Stage 1. The high-performance Stage 1 package added a high-lift camshaft, a four-barrel Rochester Quadrajet carburetor, and a 3.42 positraction rear end to the already potent options list of the GS 400. Offering customers an impressive 345 hp (some say it was actually more than that), the Stage 1 upgrade also delivered a whopping 440 ft-lb of low-end torque crucial to upholding Buick’s “Fast with Class” reputation. It could be had with either a four-speed manual or three-speed Turbo Hydramatic automatic transmission.

For those who really want to blow their hair back, there’s a 1969 Buick GS400 Stage 1 convertible up for auction on Hagerty Marketplace. It is one of only 131 GS400 Stage 1 convertibles produced that year.

Finished in a striking Signal Red exterior with a white convertible top, the GS400’s bucket seats are trimmed in vinyl Pearl White upholstery. Among the car’s features are AM/FM radio, cigarette lighter, ashtrays in the front and rear, and low-profile window control knobs; the air-conditioning was converted to R134. It also has coil-spring front and rear suspension, functional hood scoops, power front disc brakes, power recirculating ball steering, power convertible top, and 14-inch wheels with BF Goodrich Radial tires.

The odometer reads 17,387 miles, but the seller notes that the true mileage is unknown.

This Buick GS 400 Stage 1 was purchased by its current owner in 2012, and while he reports that the paintwork was redone at some point during previous ownership, the car has received plenty of upgrades since he bought it. In 2022, the GS400 was given an upgraded oil pump, timing cover, timing gear, new belts, fuel pump, water pump, and transmission pan gasket. In 2020, a new frame was installed, along with new rear quarter panels, floor pans, trunk pans, brake lines, fuel lines, fuel pump, steering gear and lines, and transmission pan gasket. In 2018, the car received new suspension, shocks, progressive springs, Doug’s headers, and a 2.5-inch exhaust system sourced from the Buick GS Club.

Bidding is currently at $5000. The auction ends on Wednesday, April 19, at 4:30 p.m. ET.

***

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In the late 1950s and early ’60s, Goodyear engineers were feeling enlightened—and their tires actually were. The glow, unfortunately, didn’t last.

More than five decades ago, in what the Ohio tire manufacturer called “one of the most dramatic tire developments in the history of the industry,” Goodyear unveiled a custom car accessory unlike no other: illuminated tires.

“Once the tires reach the market—and that could happen in a few years—auto stylists may use them to carry out a car’s color scheme, perhaps matching the tires with the upholstery,” Goodyear predicted in a 1961 press release. “And it’s not at all unlikely that milady will want tires that enhance her wardrobe, her hair, or even her eyes. Imagine, if you will, one girl telling another: ‘But, my dear, green tires just don’t do a thing for your complexion.’ When that day comes, it will mean a whole new frontier for the tire designer.”

Sexist perhaps, but typical of marketing in the era. And Goodyear didn’t stop there.

“Goodyear’s translucent tire can be produced in any color to match the car … or perhaps the wife’s new outfit,” said Goodyear development manager John J. Hartz, doubling down on the awkward characterization. “Someday a wife may tell a husband, ‘Charlie, go out and change the tires. I’m wearing my blue dress tonight.’”

Regardless of what you might think about its marketing strategy, Goodyear’s illuminated tires offered custom car enthusiasts plenty of exciting possibilities. The creation of Goodyear chemist William Larson and co-worker Anthony Finelli, the tires were made of Neothane, a synthetic polyurethane rubber that combined the hardness of plastic with the resilience of rubber. To create the new-fangled tires, the Neothane was poured into molds and baked at 250°F, a temperature much lower than required to make standard tires. Eliminating the more complicated layering construction of traditional tires, Neothane tires were tubeless, cordless, and—bonus—translucent.

Goodyear could add dye to create a rainbow of different tire colors, and 18 small lights were mounted on the rims inside each tire to create a glow that was particularly brilliant at night. The invention caused quite a stir when Goodyear put a set of red illuminated tires on a Dodge Polara and drove around Miami. It did the same with a Chrysler Silver 300 parading around New York City.

While Goodyear reasoned that the glowing tires would provide an additional layer of safety because they were more visible in fog and poor weather, they oftentimes had the opposite effect. Since they looked like something straight out of science fiction, other drivers would dangerously hit their brakes or turn their heads to get a better look.

Although the tires never went into production, one set made it into the hands of Jim “Street” Skonzakes, who poured $75,000 (or about $750K today) into creating the tripped-out Golden Sahara II in the early ’60s. The second iteration of a George Barris custom that started with a 1953 Lincoln Capri, the Golden Sahara II wore gold paint mixed with pulverized fish scales, was adorned with gold-plated ornamental work, and featured TV, (non-working) telephone, and a bar in back. It was equipped with state-of-the-art features like remote control start, sensor-based automatic emergency braking, and the ability to drive with one hand by using a “unitrol stick” that controlled both steering and braking.

Those new-fangled Goodyear tires, which Skonzakes referred to as “glass,” were the cherry on the sundae. In 2018, the Golden Sahara II sold at auction—in unrestored condition—for $385,000.

“We refer to the car as a laboratory on wheels,” Skonzakes told television host Garry Moore on I’ve Got A Secret in 1962. “Everyone seems interested in a futuristic car, and the Golden Sahara is a very successful car at auto shows. People appreciate it.”

When the Golden Sahara II was restored following Skonzakes’ death in 2018, Goodyear contributed to the restoration by re-creating a set of urethane tires. While the originals could be filled with air, the new ones are completely solid, meaning the car is only drivable at low speeds.

Goodyear held tight to the idea that its Neothane tires would one day become as common as their black rubber counterparts, but that didn’t happen. After 10 years of work, engineers threw in the towel.

Keith Buckley, senior engineer at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., said in a brief phone interview—with the promise of a longer conversation that never materialized—that the new-fangled tires were doomed for several reasons. For one, while the low melting point made them easy to manufacture, the same low melting point also made them susceptible to melting while braking. And while the idea of changing tires to match your mood (or your wife’s outfit) seemed like an amazing idea at the time, each tire weighed about 150 pounds, meaning there was no such thing as a “quick change.”

But wait! There’s more!

“Cost was the big thing, but they weren’t practical either,” Buckley said. “The Neothane didn’t have the grip of standard tires, which made them more dangerous in rainy conditions. And it wouldn’t take long before they were covered in road grime, which negated the illumination—and that was their big drawing card.”

That’s still their primary source of fascination, even if they’re just a footnote in automotive history.

***

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Many of us look back at the muscle car era as “the good ol’ days,” but long before the energy crisis put the kibosh on high-end performance engines in the 1970s, the U.S. Department of Transportation was already concerned that vehicle safety couldn’t keep up with all that power and speed.

With car crashes on the rise as the decade of the ’60s came to a close, the DOT focused on safety innovation. To help advance its goals, the department hosted a Technical Conference of the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles in 1968 and encouraged automakers to develop Experimental Safety Vehicles (ESVs). The DOT had ambitious aspirations, like ensuring that occupants survive a front or rear crash into a rigid barrier at 49.6 mph and side impacts against a fixed pole at 12.4 mph. Front and rear bumper impacts at 10 mph were required to leave no permanent damage to the vehicle. Braking from 60 mph to a complete stop was expected within 155 feet or less. Automakers were also encouraged to develop automated seat belt systems (which would eventually lead to their routine use by all drivers).

Germany’s Mercedes-Benz, which as early as 1959 had raised standards with the safety bodyshell of its “Fintail” saloons, was among the car manufacturers that accepted the challenge, along with General Motors, Volkswagen, and Volvo. Over the next four years, Mercedes constructed 35 safety vehicles—referred to as ESFs in Germany—which were based on five experimental models. The company’s third iteration, the ESF 22, just turned 50 years old.

While the Stuttgart-based automaker’s first two experimental safety cars were based on W114 sedans—and were noteworthy for their smooth interior areas, ABS, headlamp wipers, and bodyshell improvements—the ESF 22 started as a W116 (S-Class) sedan. While attempting to maintain a conventional design, the front end of the ESF 22 stands out. It makes extensive use of plastic, deleting the typical chrome radiator grille and instead using the front section of an SL sports car, with a large central star, wrapped in impact-absorbing material. The headlamps are also surrounded by this substance and are recessed slightly. The bumpers are likewise designed to absorb energy.

“The front section alone is already a tour de force of the engineers in the service of safety,” Mercedes-Benz said then.

The impact technology didn’t quite meet the front/rear impact standard set by the DOT, but the other impact zones were better. The ESF 22 was built to withstand a frontal solid-barrier impact of 40.3 mph, a frontal pole impact of 31 mph, a side impact from another vehicle of 35 mph, a side impact from a stationary pole of 12.4 mph, and a rear impact of 31 mph.

Additional safety features in the ESF 22, which is powered by a 4.5-liter V-8 engine, include padded steering wheel and dash, and three-point seat-belt harnesses, each with force limiters and belt pre-tensioners; the driver’s harness has a force-limiting feature and an airbag. The car also received anti-lock brakes, a common feature in today’s automobiles but a revolutionary safety advancement in 1973. All of the safety features added 631 pounds to the weight of a standard S-Class sedan.

Many of those safety elements were incorporated into the W116 S-Class and later models.

The ESF 22 was unveiled at the fourth International ESV Conference in Kyoto, Japan, in March 1973. In the DOT’s official report on the conference, Daimler-Benz AG Chief Engineer Dr. Hans Scherenberg explained why the ESF 22 could never reach mass production.

“The research vehicle shows 660 pounds of additional weight,” Scherenberg said. “A further increase by 140 pounds would be inevitable should the drive train and the driving gear have to withstand a durability test. As a result of the requirements for higher engine output with increased weight, both fuel consumption and exhaust gas flow will be increased by about 10 to 15 percent. For these reasons, the ESF 22 cannot be regarded as an economically feasible solution for mass production.”

However, Scherenberg reasoned that many of the advancements should be incorporated into new vehicles. He was especially encouraged by ESF 22’s three-point seat belts and emphasized that countries should consider mandatory seat belt laws. (Eleven years later, on December 1, 1984, New York became the first state to make that happen.)

“The belts in today’s mass-production cars are designed for the 30-mph frontal collision. These belts could help prevent more than half of all severe and fatal injuries, if each occupant would wear them,” Scherenberg explained. “The new experimental belts offer corresponding survivability up to 40-mph frontal collisions. It is justified to assume that they could prevent a considerable additional number of severe and fatal injuries. At the same time, modern retractor belts are easy to handle, convenient to wear, permit sufficient freedom of motion and are reliable.

“In view of these factors, it would be inexplicable if the majority of car occupants would refuse to wear belts in the future. Furthermore, such a rejection would not be tolerable, and so, only one consequence remains—a legal requirement to use belts.”

Scherenberg emphasized that the ESV program “has led to new questions. This is not to say that it has not been worthwhile, but now these questions must be precisely formulated and investigated before we attempt to establish any new program.”

Although most of Mercedes-Benz’s experimental safety automobiles were created in the ’70s, the automaker’s quest for safety innovation continues today. Its most recent ESV, the ESF 2019, was presented four years ago, and the electric EQXX prototype (unveiled in 2021) showcases some of the engineering that will trickle down to future battery-powered cars.

The 50-year-old ESF 22 is currently on display in the Mercedes-Benz Museum as part of Mercedes’ “Close-up” series. Once considered a groundbreaking experimental project, it serves as a tribute to the work of engineers from Mercedes-Benz and a symbol of how far automobile safety has come since 1973, thanks to a nudge from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

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Depending on who you ask, the Datsun 280ZX was either an abomination or a delight. Purists who appreciated the original 240Z (and the similar 260Z and 280Z that followed it) were disgusted by the redesigned 280ZX that Datsun rolled out in 1978. The Z they loved was tiny and quick. This new ZX was larger, heavier, softer, and lacked the performance of previous iterations.

But did those attributes make it a bad car? Hardly.

While it retained its predecessor’s L28 inline-six engine of its predecessor and some of the Z’s visual characteristics, like those scalloped headlight tunnels, the ZX brought a slew of changes that made it more of a grand tourer. The 280Z offered more aerodynamic styling, which resulted in better fuel economy and high-speed stability, plus better-integrated safety bumpers, T-tops, two-tone paint, a softer suspension, improved sound insulation, and a larger (21-gallon) fuel tank, as well as a luxurious interior with more comfortable seats, numerous power options, and a high-quality stereo system.

Two trim levels were available: the no-frills, two-seat version and the highly optioned Grand Luxury (GL) package, like the 1981 model shown here, on offer via Hagerty Marketplace.

In its first year, a two-seat ’79 Datsun 280ZX could be had for $1931 (about $8K today), while the MSRP for a 2+2 was $2321 ($9618). Those incredibly low prices would not stick around long. By the end of its five-year run, a new 280ZX cost $14,799–$18,599 ($44,700–$56,178).

The ZX received mixed reviews early on, but it found a believer in Car and Driver, which in its November 1978 issue admitted that skepticism had turned to appreciation.

“When Datsun introduced its 1979 model to the press, the joke of the meeting was that these cars would be competing head-on with Buick and BMW by Christmas—not because of a massive overhaul in the Japanese company’s marketing philosophy, but rather because of the plummeting value of the dollar relative to that of the yen. Datsun would not be building Buick-style cars; it would simply be offering its weight-watcher compacts at Buick prices.

“But driving the new 280ZX coupe suggests that Nissan has been anticipating exactly this sort of repositioning in the market all along and has already dialed in the appropriate correction. The new Z-car (ZX-car?) is strongly biased toward the luxury side of life. It’s longer, lower, and wider than the old version; quieter and more vibration-free on the inside; calibrated for a mashed-potatoes ride underneath; and just itching to be dolled up with all sorts of packages and gadgets, which the option list cheerfully offers. What was once an appealingly lean sportster has been transformed into a plush boulevardier, a personal cruiser not altogether different from what you’d expect of Buick if it took up a position in the two-seater and 2+2 market.”

The 280ZX sold well, proving its designers were onto something. By 1981, the car received added performance as well, thanks to an optional, turbocharged version of its I-6 engine. Brakes and suspension were subsequently improved in 1982. The ZX was discontinued following 1983’s production run; in its five model years, nearly 332,000 examples were sold in the U.S.

That brings us to the 1981 280ZX Grand Luxury up for auction on Hagerty Marketplace.

Our Pick of the Week is offered for sale from single-family ownership with 38,352 documented miles at the time of its cataloging. Its original owner purchased the ZX from Bobo Motors Datsun in Dallas, Texas, for $15,837.70 (about $52,416 today) on May 26, 1981.

Finished in a quintessential 280ZX combination of Light Brown Metallic over a tan leather interior, the Grand Luxury model is powered by a 2.8-liter L28E engine—the E stands for electronic multiport fuel injection, provided by Bosch using the L-Jetronic system—mated to a five-speed manual transmission.

The ZX features leather seats, power windows, power door locks, power steering, dual-needle fuel gauge, air conditioning, six-way adjustable seats with lumbar support, four-wheel independent suspension, tinted T-tops with storage bags and locks, AM/FM tape deck stereo, and 14-inch Datsun Z aluminum wheels with Vredestein Sprint Classic tires.

Among the car’s known flaws, the seller notes that the headliner is beginning to sag in the area between the T-Tops and the rear cargo area, the power antenna does not function, and there some minor wear is noted on the center console armrest.

The car was recently fitted with a 50-state-legal catalytic converter to make it emissions-compliant, and it passed the State of Colorado emissions test.

In preparation for the sale, the seller removed and resealed the power-steering rack, replaced the oil-pan gasket, and installed new exhaust-manifold gaskets and new rear swaybar link in addition to a fresh oil change.

The car is offered with a clean Carfax Vehicle History Report and recent service records, as well as owners manual, two vehicle keys, and ownership history.

After relocating from Texas to Aspen, Colorado, in 1984, the original owner of this 1981 280ZX Grand Luxury—valued at $24,900 in #2 (Excellent) condition and $13,600 in #3 (Good) condition—drove it only periodically. He had the car routinely serviced at an independent shop in Snowmass, Colorado, and it was completely repainted in 1994. The ZX remained with its original owner until 2020, when he sold the vehicle to his grandson.

Admittedly, a 280ZX isn’t a 240Z … or 260Z … or 280Z. But it wasn’t meant to be. As Car and Driver told us more than four decades ago, “Its extra length and weight in no way make it less fun to drive than the two-seater. The message here is that Datsun has made a bit of a side step. The old Z has grown up to be a 2+2 sort of car—a sporting carriage rather than a hell-raiser—and it’ll haul your body around with a minimum of abuse.”

Here’s your chance to own one. The auction ends on Thursday, April 6, at 4:30 pm Eastern.

***

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Stop us if you’ve heard this one: Two comedians jump into a Bricklin and love it. Seriously.

In the latest episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, Leno and fellow funnyman Jeff Dunham explore the mysteries of the much-maligned Bricklin SV-1 when Dunham brings his 1975 model onto the show. Leno later admits that he was expecting the worst, but in the end he is pleasantly surprised.

“You know, I gotta say I like this,” Leno says. “It makes me smile … It’s just so interesting. It’s just sad that it was a failure of workmanship over design, cuz the idea was good.”

Quick history lesson: The Bricklin SV-1 (Safety Vehicle One) was the brainchild of Malcolm Bricklin, who sought to create a safer—as well as unique, good looking, and sporty—vehicle and manufacture it at a new automobile plant in New Brunswick, Canada. Bricklin succeeded and failed at the same time. Assembled in Saint John beginning in 1974, the SV-1 had plenty of admirable attributes, including gullwing doors, but the sports car’s less-than-stellar build quality would ultimately render it a footnote in automotive history by 1976.

Encountering the production and supply problems typical of automakers in their infancy, Bricklin switched from AMC 360-cubic-inch V-8 engines and running gear to Ford 351 Windsor V-8s and transmissions and tried to push through additional manufacturing hurdles.

“This is one of the most misunderstood cars of all time,” Leno says. “It got a reputation—not for being a bad car but for being badly built.” That’s because, Leno says, Bricklin “brought in workers who’d never worked on automobiles before.” In the end, approximately 2900 SV-1s were produced before operations ceased.

“When I was a kid I had a friend whose father had one of these,” Dunham says, “and it’s one of those things that sticks in your head.”

Leno applauds the Bricklin’s safety features, including the roll bar and 10-mph bumpers, and pointed out that its cost-cutting “safety paint” isn’t paint at all. The car actually has color-impregnated acrylic body panels with fiberglass backing, which are resistant to dents and surface scratches.

“It was a time—in the early ’70s—when safety became a primary issue,” Leno says. “[Automakers began asking,] ‘How can we cut down on road deaths and still make an exciting car?’”

Dunham points out a couple of his car’s glitches: the operation of its gullwing doors and pop-up headlights. Well, the headlights don’t really pop up … they slowly open in about 30 seconds, and Dunham has to bang on the hood a bit to get the driver’s side light to open completely.

“That’s quality,” Leno jokes.

Once on the road, Leno thoroughly enjoys the ride, despite the interior noise that Dunham says drivers of a certain age aren’t used to. “This is one of those ‘horsepower cures all problems,’” Leno says. “You say to yourself, ‘It’s kind of rattley, the panel fit isn’t good, but it goes like hell when you put your foot in it.’ It’s such a visceral experience.”

The two discuss the future of older cars and the availability of fuel. Leno is optimistic about both. When the subject returns to the Bricklin, Dunham expresses his appreciation for the car.

“I love magnificent failures,” he says.

Leno chimes in, “I’d call it noble … because it’s not magnificent.”

Regardless, Leno likes the SV-1 and wishes things had turned out differently.

“I was pleasantly surprised by this car,” he says. “I expected to rip it apart. But as I said, it’s a noble effort … Sadly, it didn’t work out.”

***

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It looks like no other Porsche, because it isn’t just any other Porsche. That sentence alone should be enough for aficionados to fork over $450,000 Canadian ($328,092.34 U.S.) for the 1981 911 Carrera–based Wingho Spexter that’s up for sale on Hemmings. Except there’s even more to the story: Some argue that this roofless one-off provided inspiration for the Boxster.

Motor Trend gushed over it, putting it on the cover of its June 1988 issue. Road & Track fawned over it too. So did Autoweek.

Porsche designers? Not so much—at least, not publicly.

So how did the Wingho Spexter come to be? As Jim Koscs wrote in 2019, it all began with Spex Design, a small Montreal-based manufacturer run by Paul Deutschman and Kell Warshaw. In the mid-1980s, the two created the Elf, “a cheeky roadster body kit based on the first-generation Honda Civic.” A couple dozen were made (Deutschman still owns one).

The Elf caught the attention of Clyde Kwok, a Montreal Porsche aficionado and collector. Kwok’s business, Wingho Auto Classique in Montreal, had started commissioning one-offs, and his futuristic wedge-shaped Concordia II played a fictitious 300-mph prototype called the Black Moon in the forgettable 1986 movie Black Moon Rising. Kwok approached Deutschman with an idea: creating a contemporary Porsche Speedster.

“He owned classic 356 Speedsters,” Deutschman told Koscs three years ago, “and wanted to see that kind of ‘bathtub’ design modernized.”

Kwok’s request, which came months before Porsche showed its own 911 Speedster concept at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September 1987, energized Deutschman, a Quebec native who studied design in England. “I really wanted to show what we could do,” he says.

And what Deutschman did has been turning heads for nearly four decades. The silver metallic Spexter is based on the 911 Carrera Targa, but Deutschman used none of its body panels—he implemented custom sculpted Kevlar and fiberglass instead—while taking the original 356 Speedster’s stripped-down persona to an extreme.

Among its features: rounded front fenders separated from the hood and tipped by dark-tinted, flush-mounted oval headlight covers; an ultra-low plastic windscreen with no A-pillars; a body center section that curves inward and then sweeps outward to envelop the rear wheels; a dark-tinted taillight panel that stretches the width of the car; black bumperettes that flank the license plate; and a large, single tailpipe. The Spexter rides on a set of custom BBS modular racing wheels (sourced from Paul Newman’s racing team through Porsche four-cam expert Cole Scrogham), which feature hand-made center caps and Bridgestone RE71 tires.

Despite all of his modifications, Deutschman told Koscs, “If I had another shot at it, I’d try to pare down the rear of the vehicle.”

Inside the Spexter, a triangular instrument pod houses three large gauges, reminiscent of the original 1950s Speedster (a fourth gauge containing the fuel and oil level meter is located in the trunk), and there are switches for the ignition, hazard flashers, and parking brake located in front of the shifter. The seats are molded into the same fiberglass structure as the dash and console.

The car, which shows only 2325 miles, retains its original (read: Porsche 911 Carrera Targa) five-speed manual transaxle, and the air-cooled, 3.2-liter flat-six engine has been modified to produce a claimed output of 252 horsepower.

The spectacular, one-off masterpiece was a huge hit with the automotive media—even bigger, it seems, than Porsche’s actual Speedster was. “The true spirit of the Speedster is much better captured by the Spexter,” Road & Track wrote at the time. “It is a proper example of coachcraft with wholly original contours that still say ‘Porsche.’”

That likely didn’t sit well with the folks from Zuffenhausen, as Deutschman learned firsthand when he visited Porsche’s design studio a few years after he unveiled his version.

“They had noticed the Spexter,” he told Koscs, “but they didn’t express any kind of obvious significant reaction.”

Perhaps not so coincidentally, when Porsche unveiled a new concept car at the 1993 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, it looked awfully familiar.

“The cover comes off, and it’s called the Boxster, which isn’t too far removed from Spexter,” Deutschman says. “Then, I get a poke in the ribs, turn around, and it’s John Lamm, the Road & Track journalist. And he says, ‘Paul, doesn’t that piss you off?’ It was a bizarre moment. It was flattering that he thought there was some link between the Boxster and my Spexter.”

With that said, while the Boxster went into production four years later and was instrumental in lifting Porsche’s fortunes, the Spexter’s total build count remained at one. “We never took reproducing it too seriously,” Deutschman admits.

The Spexter has remained in Kwok’s collection ever since, but now the rare sports car is looking for a new home. The sale includes the original books and toolkit from the donor vehicle, an original hand-built scale model of the car, and a clean title for a North American 911 Carrera Targa.

As for the car’s historic influence on what ultimately became the Porsche Boxster, you’ll have to rely on your eyes for that.

***

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Hagerty readers and Hagerty Drivers Club members share their cherished collector and enthusiast vehicles with us via our contact email, tips@hagerty.com. We’re showcasing some of our favorite stories among these submissions. To have your car featured, send complete photography and your story of ownership to the above email address.

Michael Tobin’s great-grandfather Walter Cory went all out on the last new car he ever purchased, and his family is still enjoying the 1938 Chevrolet Master Deluxe years after his death.

Michael, who lives in Savannah, Texas, says his great-grandpa bought the car in June of 1938. “The base price for a Master Deluxe was around $700, but Walt had managed, by ordering just about every option available, to boost the price to over $1000,” Tobin says. “It had fender skirts, fog lights, a spotlight, push-button radio, deluxe heater, banjo steering wheel with town and country horns, special chrome fender trim, and a rubber-bladed fan on the dash. He even had his initials added to the hood. The paint—Robin’s Egg Blue—was also special ordered with cream stripes on the body and wheels.

“As Great-Grandpa Walt said, ‘This is the last car I’ll ever buy, and I want it just right.’”

He nailed it. When Cory retired to the small town of Twenty Nine Palms, California, the Chevy—with its 85-horsepower, 216-cubic-inch Stovebolt Six with “knee-action” front end—was soon pressed into service hauling soldiers and supplies from the Marine Corps base to the train station at Whitewater.

“My father, Ron, often rode along on these trips with a full load of soldiers—often pulling a two-wheel trailer full of mail, ice cream, or whatever,” Michael says. “Walt often told him, ‘Someday, when I get too old to drive, I want you to have this car.’”

Walt drove his beloved Chevy until 1967. “When he was in the hospital at nearly 90,” Michael says, “his main concern was to get the pink slip signed over to my father.”

Following Great-Grandpa Walt’s death, the Chevy took up residence at the family cabin in Big Bear Lake, California. “It was our summer car, wintering under a tarp, as we didn’t yet have a garage,” Michael recalls. “As cracks appeared in the old lacquer finish, we covered them with Ricky Ticky stickers, large flower decals popular in the ’60s. Many times, while driving through the village, we would get a vee (peace) sign from the kids. At the time, the car was referred to by many of the locals as the Heavy Chevy.”

In 1985, Michael’s family built a garage exclusively for the Master Deluxe. At last, it was out of the weather. “Thanks to the smogless and salt-free air of the mountains, there was little or no rust on the body or chrome,” Michael says. “Finally, in 1992 my father brought the Chevy to a professional restorer. Thirteen months and a whole lot of money later, it was finished.”

The ’38 Chevy is all-stock except for a Hampton interior kit with synthetic fibers rather than mohair, “because he didn’t want to worry about ice cream cones in the back seat,” Michael says.

The car returned to Big Bear and is driven on weekends and summer vacations. “It always draws a crowd, and we have met a lot of new friends. It seems everyone has had one, ridden in one as a kid, or wanted one.”

Michael says his father always enjoyed taking his grandkids for a ride in the Chevy, just as Walt had driven him. “With his passing (in May 2014), the stewardship of Great-Grandpa’s Chevy has now been transferred to us,” he says. “I take it to various shows in the Dallas area. My dad thought long and hard about whether to leave the car stock or go the restomod route. While not as flashy as some of the ‘new old cars,’ it always gets its share of compliments.”

Add us to the list of admirers.

***

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Elvis’ plane has left the desert. Finally. And much like the musical legacy of the King of Rock ’n’ Roll, whose rabid fans were often alerted that “Elvis has left the building, ”Presley’s 1962 Lockheed 1329 JetStar lives on. Just not in its original form.

Florida YouTube personality James Webb, known for his popular Jimmy’s World videos, successfully bid $234,000 to acquire the dilapidated and engineless JetStar at Mecum’s annual Kissimmee Auction in January, 2023. What Webb was going to do with it was anyone’s guess at the time, but in the last six weeks his plans have unfolded on YouTube and in the news media.

“I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Webb tells Fox 13 Tampa Bay. “And the whole time I was never quite sure if this was the best choice or the worst choice of my life.”

Lockheed’s JetStar was the executive jet of choice for countless A-listers, dignitaries, and celebrities. It was powered by four engines, contained in pods mounted at the rear of the fuselage, that together provided a maximum speed of around 565 mph. Range was 2500 miles. Inside, there was room for 8 to 10 passengers to ride in style, serviced by two pilots and a cabin attendant.

About 200 JetStars were produced at Lockheed’s Marietta, Georgia, facility. Presley bought this one, registered with the FAA as N-20TF, from Omni Aircraft Sales, Inc. on December 22, 1976. He paid a whopping $840,000, the equivalent of about $4.4 million today.

No stranger to luxury aircraft, the King already owned a custom Convair 880 that he named “Lisa Marie,” after his daughter, and another JetStar. Those planes are currently on display at Graceland, Presley’s mansion in Memphis, Tennessee.

The interior of N-20TF leaves little doubt that it once belonged to Elvis, resplendent in wood paneling and red velvet upholstery with hardware finished in gold. Six plush chairs swivel and recline, and there’s also a couch. An onboard entertainment system is tucked away in a media cabinet and features a television, RCA VCR player, and audio cassette player, and there are headphone ports and audio controls at every seat. The galley contains a meal-prep area (complete with a Kenmore microwave and beverage dispenser) and storage. A restroom is in the rear of the jet.

As luxurious as the JetStar is (er, was), Presley didn’t own it long, selling it not six months later, in the spring of 1977. According to Mecum, the plane ended up with a Saudi Arabian company but was eventually moved to Roswell International Air Center (ROW) in Roswell, New Mexico, where it resided for decades.

The JetStar has been offered at auction at least three times, and Webb says his $234K bid was deemed the winner this January after a higher bid fell through. That’s when his adventure began.

Webb traveled to New Mexico to check out his new acquisition a couple of weeks ago and revealed his obvious admiration for both planes and Elvis in a video on his YouTube channel.

During the 22-minute video, Webb acts like a kid in a candy store, excitedly discovering that many of its interior features still work, the cockpit controls light up, and the landing lights, taxi lights, and beacon still function.

“The lights work!”

“The microwave works! Yes!”

“This is my favorite thing EVER!”

“I’m just beside myself with excitement … if you couldn’t tell.”

A week later, Webb followed with a second video in which he invites Roswell’s Aerodesign Services to answer the question: “Will it ever fly again?” The answer blew his mind, and it didn’t take long to realize the news wasn’t going to be good.

“This is going to be a nightmare, if it’s even possible,” says Aerodesign’s Ryan Zaharia while inspecting the exterior of the plane. “… It would be a miracle. I’ve never seen an aircraft so damaged in my life.”

After a full inspection, Ryan takes to the whiteboard and shares the results: Inspections, $80K; testing, $20K; stripping/painting, $120K; panel and rivet replacement, $75K; flight control panels ($35K each x 9 panels), $450K; landing gear ($120K each x 3), $360K; brakes ($6K per brake pad, two on each), $24K; fuel tanks ($5K x 2), $10K; avionics/electrical, $1.5 million; Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), $180K; miscellaneous hardware, hoses, and fittings, $100K; four JT12 engines (“If the stars align and you can find them”), $2.2 million; flight testing, $100K; and mandatory Airworthy Directives, $450K.

Grand total: $5.7 million.

“I’m numb,” Webb says.

Zaharia then delivers the final blow. Even if the plane were made functional again, current noise regulations wouldn’t allow it to fly.

“It’s too loud to even start up and run,” he says. “They make ‘hush kits’ to reduce noise, but they don’t make them for your aircraft.”

In other words, as Webb acknowledges, this cost analysis doesn’t matter.

“That’s true,” Zaharia says. “There’s no possible way that plane is flying.”

Webb turns to the camera: “Plan A was to get the airplane flying again … It’s not going to fly again. Plan B: What are we going to do with this thing?”

Before he could answer that question, the JetStar had to be disassembled so it could be hauled cross-country to Florida. It was easy to watch the process through a couple of Instagram accounts: Webb’s (therealjimmysworld) and the hauling company’s (gns_trucking379).

Once in Florida, Webb chatted with members of the media, which was given access to the plane in a warehouse in Plant City. Webb’s next big idea, it appears, is to turn Elvis’ jet into a giant, roadworthy vehicle that will tour the country.

“We’re going to take an RV chassis, take the house part of the RV off, put [the plane] on that, so this can drive around,” Webb tells FOX 13. “It would be like the Elvis Mobile. We’re going to take it to Las Vegas, maybe Graceland.”

Then he stops and considers. “They kicked us out when we were [at Graceland] trying to bring it here. That’s another story.”

Webb—wearing a t-shirt that reads, “What could go wrong?”—says he also plans to cut the wings and fuel tanks into pieces and sell them as Elvis memorabilia. You can understand why he’d like to recoup some of what he spent to buy a plane that doesn’t—can’t, legally—fly.

“This was, ironically, more expensive than my house,” he admits. “How crazy is that?”

Depends on how much you love The King.

***

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Bill Collins was an enthusiastic, creative, no-nonsense car guy who will be forever connected to John DeLorean, both through his career at Pontiac and in designing DeLorean’s ill-fated—and iconic—DMC-12. But Collins, who died on March 5, 2023, at the age of 91, was a community hero in Northport, Michigan, regardless of his automotive accomplishments. As the Leelanau Enterprise wrote, “The legacy of service to the community that Collins leaves behind is immeasurable, and can be seen in both the people and the projects still thriving today.”

In the story below, originally published in 2019, Collins discusses his relationship with DeLorean, his ultimate ouster from the company, and the release of the movie Framing John DeLorean. Here’s to one of the good guys. —JP

Bill Collins was part of something big. Something historic, as it turned out. And then he wasn’t. Perhaps it was for the best.

In the 1970s, Collins designed and built the prototype for the DeLorean DMC-12—a car that became both an automotive and Hollywood icon (thanks to Back to the Future)—and his work helped John Z. DeLorean secure a deal with Lotus founder Colin Chapman to engineer the car.

However, when DeLorean and Chapman procured a $17.65 million investment from a Swiss company called General Product Development (GPD), Collins was asked to sign a contract that essentially ousted him and gave Lotus full control of design and production.

“I was upset with John. He forced me to resign,” says Collins, who was at the Traverse City (Michigan) Film Festival’s screening of Framing John DeLorean, a new docudrama in which he played a key role. “I think he was happy to see me go—he didn’t try to stop me. A short time later, in the early ’80s, when I tried to exercise my stock options, he and his lawyer wanted me to pay a withholding tax. There was no reason to do that. I just wanted what I had been promised.

“That was the last time I spoke to him.” DeLorean died on March 19, 2005.

After Collins, now in his late 80s, left the DeLorean Motor Company in 1979 and started the Vixen Motor Company in 1981, the $17.65 million that DeLorean received from GPD went missing. A forensic accountant later determined that DeLorean and Chapman had laundered the money and split it. Desperate to save his floundering company, DeLorean was arrested by DEA agents in 1982 and charged with drug trafficking after taking part in a sting operation to sell cocaine. Although DeLorean was found not guilty, it was too late for his company and its stylish DMC-12 sports car.

Framing John DeLorean was a 15-year passion project for producer Tamir Ardon, who has always been fascinated with DeLorean’s stainless steel, gull-winged DMC-12. (He learned that a sedan was already in the works when the company folded, by the way.) Ardon’s unique film, which mixes interviews with reenactments starring Alec Baldwin as DeLorean, is the first DeLorean-based movie to be produced, although many other filmmakers have tried. Driven, a second, more-conventional DeLorean feature film, will be released later this month.

“I think Tamir had way too much about me in it,” Collins says of Framing John DeLorean, although he admits he played a big role in moving the car from concept to prototype. “I think [the movie] is very well done. It puts it all out there and lets you decide. And the make-up people did such a good job—[Baldwin] really does look like John DeLorean.”

What about Josh Charles, who portrays Collins? “The first time we saw the movie, my wife, Nina, said, ‘That’s supposed to be you, Bill. What’s he doing up there?’” Collins laughs. “I think he did a good job.”

Collins says he worked for John DeLorean longer than anyone—beginning as a GM engineer in December 1958 until he left DMC in March 1979. The two had a lot of shared success, including the hugely popular 1964 Pontiac GTO performance package that evolved into its own model, and, of course, the DMC-12 prototype, which was a vital tool to secure investors.

“I wasn’t involved in the production [of the DMC-12], but the car was very close to the prototype,” Collins says. “The important thing was getting it to (Italian designer Giorgetto) Giugiaro. He was the right person. I think he did a good job of integrating a Lotus chassis with the shape.

“There are some little things I would have changed—like there’s nothing inside the car that tells you it’s a DeLorean. But the biggest thing is it should have had a bigger engine [than its 2.85-liter, fuel-injected aluminum PRV (Peugeot-Renault-Volvo) SOHC V-6, rated at 130 hp]. Everyone said it was underpowered, and they were right.

“DeLorean and Chapman should have gone out and gotten a better engine instead of stroking each other’s ego,” Collins says. “They were two peas in a pod.”

That’s about as critical as Collins is willing to get when it comes to DeLorean. When asked if he is bitter about how things went down, he chooses his words carefully.

“Well, I couldn’t bring myself to buy [a DeLorean] until 10 years ago. It took me that long,” he says. “And I changed the hood [from his ’82] because I like how the grooves look on the ’81.”

Collins assesses his two-decade-long friendship with DeLorean. “He was essentially my mentor at Pontiac. I was the guy who took his ideas and made them work—and I left Pontiac to join him. He was persuasive. But he was a different person [after GM]. The guy was not intellectually honest. We didn’t see that early on.”

On the bright side, Collins admits, “I learned something from it. I learned how to build something from nothing, starting with a clean sheet of paper. And I learned what to do and what not to do to raise money when I launched my own company.”

Near the end of Framing John DeLorean, DeLorean is asked in a television interview if he feels any regret about his failed DMC venture. He answers with a quote that he says is from Shakespeare, although the words were actually spoken by Alfred Lord Tennyson: “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

Do those words also apply to Collins’ DeLorean experience? He smiles. “I love that statement,” he says without elaborating further. “I think we all do.”

***

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Although she is famous for her historic achievements as a pilot, Amelia Earhart’s love for mechanical marvels went far beyond airplanes. Earhart was also passionate about automobiles, and she owned a number of noteworthy rides through the years—none more impressive than her 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton Convertible. In honor of Earhart’s passionate advocacy of women’s rights and to coincide with Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, the Hagerty Drivers Foundation is announcing the aviation pioneer’s 812 Phaeton as the newest member of the National Historic Vehicle Register.

The car inducted and immortalized in the Library of Congress, as revealed several days ago on March 5 at the Amelia Concours d’Elegance in Florida, is part of The JBS Collection, which was represented at The Amelia by Laura and Jack Boyd Smith Jr.

“Find me any car that has more provenance, history, ties to aviation, and ties to women,” Smith Jr. told Hagerty, and his confidence is well founded.

The Cord, the 33rd vehicle honored by the Hagerty Drivers Foundation, has an amazing backstory that’s worthy of its world-famous original owner. Earhart, who in 1932 became the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, later attempted to become the first woman to fly around the world. On July 2, 1937—approximately 10 months after she bought the Cord—Earhart, navigator Fred Noonan, and her Lockheed Electra airplane went missing somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. Despite an expansive search at the time and the work of professional and amateur sleuths in the nearly 86 years since, the plane and its occupants were never found.

Locating Earhart’s Cord 812—pieces of it, anyway—also required years of searching; the car was partially dissembled and the parts used in other cars after it was sold by Earhart’s husband, George Putnam, in the late 1930s. Longtime Earhart history buff Ray Foster spent decades researching, traveling, and acquiring the original components before selling the car to The JBS Collection along with a plethora of documentation, including Earhart’s last will and testament.

Jason Stoller, restorer and project manager for Indiana’s LaVine Restorations, Inc., began working on the Cord in 2018 and says the years-long restoration is the culmination of “a 30-year process to put the car back together,” requiring “buying three cars to gather all of the lost parts.”

The result is nothing short of spectacular. Since its completion, Smith Jr. says, the Cord has been showered with appreciation. “We have been to shows around the country, and even Italy, with the car and received eleven awards. These include two for Best-in-Show, for the car’s restoration and provenance.”

Earhart was proud of the Cord, too. Perhaps her affection for it, at least in part, had something to do with its similarities to an airplane. In addition to the car’s aerodynamic curves, the dashboard’s uninterrupted surface of machine-turned aluminum resembles the interior of a cockpit, and the headlights are retooled aircraft landing lights produced by the Stinson Aircraft Company.

Earhart was famously photographed in September 1936 standing with the car and the Lockheed Electra that she would ultimately take on her final flight.

The car

The pilot’s 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton (serial 1501H, engine FB2008, body C91 413, and frame 1714) was originally a ’36 Cord 810, but it was renumbered at the factory and sold as a ’37 812. Wearing an all-steel body built by Central Manufacturing Company, of Connersville, Indiana, it is one of approximately 3000 810/812 models that were produced and one of 1800 or so that survive.

“The car is unique in a few ways, maybe most notably that it’s one of the 1936 cars that Cord rebadged as a ’37,” Stoller says. “It’s one of those pieces of Cord lore that people in the community know.”

One of the indicators that it’s a renumbered ’36 is that the glovebox pull was changed to handles. The rarest bits are a compass and steering-wheel assist knob.

“Judges who regularly judge Cords had never seen those items in person, only in pictures,” Stoller says. “Another hyper-specific detail is the little rubber bellows underneath the gas pedal. Nobody remembers to put that in.”

The car’s 288-cubic-inch, Lycoming flathead V-8 provided an advertised 125 horsepower. Its four-speed gearbox is actuated by a Bendix Electric Hand shifter. The front-wheel-drive design was influenced by the Citroën Traction Avant.

As for its overall design, Stoller says “the Cord 812 was envisioned as a kind of baby Duesenberg, which is one of the reasons it has turned metal in the dashboard.”

A 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton convertible in #1 (Concours) condition, minus the Earhart provenance, is worth $265,000 according to the Hagerty Price Guide. It would be difficult to put a value on Earhart’s car, which carries its original color scheme of Palm Beach Tan over Deep Maroon.

According to documentation provided by Ray Foster’s research, Earhart’s husband filed an Inventory and Statement of Assets for the Earhart estate on February 28, 1939. The inventory lists one “Cord 8 Phaeton Convertible Sedan automobile, 1936 model, Engine No. FB 2008—appraised at $900.” Accounting for inflation, that’s only $19,371 today.

Lost and found

Before reading further and following the winding path of the various Earhart Cord pieces, you might want to grab a cup of coffee. It’ll take full concentration to keep up, or maybe one of those maps with the thumbtacks and colored strings you see in detective movies.

Ownership of the vehicle from 1939 through January 6, 1952 is largely unknown. Charles F. Sternburg purchased the 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton with serial number 1501H and engine number FB 2008 in January 1952. Sternburg removed engine FB 2008 from its original body and placed it in a 1937 Supercharged Cord Phaeton body. Sternburg took the grille, hood, and side pipes from the Supercharged Phaeton body and placed them on the 1501H body. He sold the Supercharged Phaeton body with engine FB 2008 to Gene Hansard of Great Falls, Montana, on May 11, 1992.

Sternburg took the identification plate off the AE body and placed it on the Supercharged Phaeton body holding engine FB 2008. Ray Foster purchased a 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton with serial number 32509H and engine FB 2008 from Gene Hansard on June 11, 1992. The VIN inspection certificate done at the time of this sale identifies the car as number 1501H because of the tag Sternburg affixed to the cowl amid the sale to Hansard. The actual 1501H body remained in the possession of Sternburg in California.

Meanwhile, the 1937 Cord 812 Phaeton with serial number 32509H and engine FB 2008 was registered and titled in Texas on September 27, 2011, using the information from the ID tag received from Hansard. On February 23, 2004, Foster purchased the 1501H body from Sternburg for $80,000.

Finally, on the title from Sternburg, the VIN is listed as FC 3232; this number is from the engine number on the ID tag that Sternburg switched from the Supercharged Phaeton body before selling it to Hansard. Foster subsequently removed engine FB 2008 from the vehicle purchased from Hansard and placed it into the vehicle purchased from Sternburg.

Foster eventually sold the Cord to Jack Boyd Smith, Jr. in 2018. If it all seems convoluted, it is. Now imagine trying to track down all of the pieces, acquire them, and fit them together in pursuit of exacting historical accuracy.

Return to glory

Foster deserves a lot of credit for reuniting the scattered Cord components. Smith Jr. and Stoller are certainly thankful.

“We paid a lot of extra attention to this car, even beyond what we normally do for a restoration,” Stoller says. “It’s just so well known in the Cord community, we had to make it as perfect as we could.”

In September 2021, Earhart’s 812 took home Best of Show honors at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival. It repeated the win with Best in Show honors at the Chattanooga Motor Car Festival in October 2022.

The restoration of this wonderful car is a victory for the Hagerty Drivers Foundation, the National Historic Vehicle Register, and the overall collector car community, as well.

“Highlighting the story of Amelia Earhart and her passion for the automobile is a unique glimpse into the varied and widespread love of cars that has captivated our society since the turn of the 20th century,” says the Foundation’s senior manager of heritage, Casey Maxon. “It is one more example of the way America’s automotive history is interwoven in our nation’s diverse history.”

The National Historic Vehicle Register, which recognizes America’s most historically significant vehicles, was created in 2009 by The Hagerty Drivers Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) and is permanently archived in the Library of Congress.

Earhart’s Cord, as well as a yet-to-be-announced vehicle that will be added to the register later this year, will be shown at various events around the country, including during the annual Cars at the Capital exhibition on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in September 2023.

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Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine is seeing red over being sold what he claims is a fake Maserati. According to multiple media outlets, Levine is suing Houston classic car dealer Rick Cole, alleging that Cole or his agents altered documentation and chassis and engine authentication markings on what was presented as a rare 1971 Maserati Ghibli 4.9 Liter SS Spyder. 

The Los Angeles Times, New York Post, and Robb Report were among the news organizations reporting that the Adam Levine Living Trust filed suit in California on February 17 to undo the $950,000 deal. According to court documents, in 2020 Levine traded two Ferraris and cash to classic car dealer Rick Cole for the 4.9-liter Ghibli SS Spyder, which Levine believed was one of only 25 models built.

Levine alleges that Cole—whose website describes him as an “internationally recognized sales agent, auctioneer, and appraiser of investment grade automobiles” with 50 years of experience—was “well aware” the Ghibli 4.9 Liter SS Spyder was not authentic when he made the deal. The lawsuit accuses Cole of negligent misrepresentation, intentional misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, and breach of contract.

Cole has not responded to a request for comment.

The Maserati Ghibli, an Italian gran turismo (grand tourer) with a long, sleek Giugiaro-styled steel body and aggressive posture, debuted at the Turin Motor Show in 1966 to much fanfare. Produced from 1967–73, Ghiblis share their underpinnings and mechanicals with the Mexico 2+2 coupe and Quattroporte sedan, and most came with a twin-cam 4.7-liter V-8.

Only 125 received the more-powerful 4.9-liter V-8, including 25 SS Spyders, such as the 1972 model above. With 335 horsepower and a 168-mph top speed to match its stunning looks, the SS was one of the most desirable sports cars in the world. It was also one of the most expensive at the time, costing about $21,000 ($155,125 today).

Maserati Ghibli 4.9 Liter SS Spyders rarely change hands, either privately or via public auction, but VIN 1237 sold for $1.5 million at Gooding & Company’s 2016 Pebble Beach auction. 

According to Levine’s lawsuit, a representative of his Trust drove “an authentic Maserati Ghibli 4.9 Liter Spyder with a clear and indisputable identity” in Monterey in 2019, and a year later Cole alerted Levine that he had found an authentic Ghibli 4.9 Liter Spyder that he said was “as good” as the other one. In December 2020, the Levine Trust agreed to trade a 1972 Ferrari 365 GTC/4, a 1968 Ferrari 365 GTC, and $100,000 for the ’71 SS Spyder.

 

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The lawsuit claims that Cole represented the Ghibli as VIN AM115.492.1241, but that car was actually sold several years ago to British luxury car collector Clive Joy and “has been in Switzerland ever since as part of Clive Joy’s collection.” In addition, the lawsuit alleges that numbers stamped on the chassis and engine in the Levine car do not match the original fonts and styles.

The authenticity of the Levine Ghibli was disputed as far back as 2015, the suit claims, when it was pulled from an auction.

“After the questioning of the authenticity of the vehicle [at the auction], someone tried to make the vehicle appear authentic by reproducing or stamping a new chassis plate to make the writing seem more like that used by Maserati at the time, in an obvious attempt to convince a potential buyer,” the lawsuit alleges. “Upon information and belief, it was Cole and/or his agents who made these changes.”

The suit also claims that Cole attempted to authenticate the car by showing documentation signed by Maserati expert Fabio Collina, but that document was for the “real” 1241, not the car that Levine purchased. The suit acknowledges that the car may be an original Ghibli Spyder with a swapped engine or perhaps a converted coupe, “but either way, the vehicle is not authentic, has no identity and/or has a very questionable identity, which seriously undermines its value.”

***

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In a real-life game of hide and seek, American Pickers found a needle in a haystack—and everybody won. Especially musician Jack White and studio engineer Bill Skibbe.

In January, we told you about White’s discovery of a one-of-a-kind studio van that recorded 1970s live albums like Bob Seger’s Live Bullet, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s One More From the Road, and Alive! from KISS. The converted 1969 Chevrolet P30 van also recorded sound for movies like Robert Altman’s Nashville and was even used to record President Jimmy Carter’s inaugural address on January 20, 1977.

As if that isn’t cool enough, White told American Pickers’ Mike Wolfe and Danielle Colby on a recent visit to Third Man Records in Detroit that the Metro Audio studio van came with a converted trailer, which when parked connected to the recording studio via an elevated walkway. Inside the trailer were a tools and service area, storage and lounging space, and a refrigerator. The only problem: White and Skibbe had no idea where it was, so they asked the Pickers’ help to find it.

“It might not even exist anymore,” Skibbe admits. Wolfe concurs, calling the search a “shot in the dark.” Colby, however, is eager to start looking.

Working from a handwritten receipt that Skibbe found from 2005, Colby works the phones until she locates the buyer, Jamie Ambrose, in Florida. Good news: Ambrose still owns the trailer, but it hasn’t been used in years. Mike Wolfe’s brother, Rob, and his sidekick Diamond Dave are soon on the road to check it out.

What the two discover is a dilapidated trailer that doesn’t look much like the one in the Metro Audio brochure. All four tires are flat, it suffers from rust and rot, and it’s painted white, not yellow and red like in the pictures. Ambrose says she bought the trailer years ago to transfer her belongings from Pennsylvania to Florida, but she didn’t know its significance at the time.

Robbie and Dave, still unsure if this is the trailer they’re looking for, peer inside. Their doubt dissipates. The letters QP were stenciled on the main door, and Dave says, “QP is ‘Quiet Please.’ There’s no reason to have ‘Quiet Please’ on a trailer unless it was used for some sort of recording.”

Further proof is the wood-paneled walls and the additional door up front.

“The outside of this thing looks like it’s trashed, but the inside—it had a purpose,” Robbie says. “Having that door in the front that would actually connect to the main rig was a big piece to that puzzle.”

The two decide that this is, indeed, the Metro Audio trailer.

“It’s so crazy, man,” Robbie says. “Can you imagine? It’s in bad shape, but the fact of the matter is it connects to the truck, and that’s why Third Man Records needs this piece.”

Ambrose, “amazed” by the trailer’s history, asks $5000 for it. Robbie offers $3500. They shake on $4000. With all of its problems, Robbie and Dave decide to haul it to Detroit on a flatbed trailer.

Meanwhile, Mike Wolfe and Colby are picking in Deckerville, Michigan, located north of Detroit, and they agree to meet White and Skibbe at Third Man to check it out after Robbie and Dave drop it off.

“You did it. I don’t know how, but you did it,” White says, then repeats the lyrics of a hit song by Peaches & Herb. “Reunited, and it feels so good.”

White says gleefully, “There’s no doubt this is it,” and then Skibbe seals the deal when he discovers a metal hook in the trailer’s toolbox that perfectly matches one that’s missing from the trailer’s wall.

“It’s pretty cool to go over the small details with these guys, because every time we talk about one, they get more excited, and I get it …,” Wolfe says. “If they really really want to do this and do it right, they really need this trailer—and this is it.”

White, a 12-time Grammy Award winner, is already considering the possibilities.

“I can’t wait for us to bring this back to life and have that first band record through it and see what they do with it,” he says. “I want to get to the future by embracing the beauty of the past and marrying it to what’s good right now.”

The reunion wouldn’t have happened without the help of American Pickers.

“Every piece of this has come together just like a puzzle, just like a story,” Colby says. “It was meant to be here with you.”

“I believe it was,” White says.

We’ll let you know when a full restoration is complete and the Metro Audio rig is ready to record music again.

***

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The 2023 Super Bowl had a little bit of everything: incredible plays, controversial calls, and an outcome that wasn’t decided until the final seconds. As for the annual “game within the game”—the highly anticipated and ultra-expensive commercials—we felt a little short-changed when it came to the automotive-related ads. Or we were feeling that way until Stellantis saved the day with its Ram masterpiece.

To our disappointment, some heavyweights sat out this year and watched from the sideline like the rest of us. We get it. In these uncertain economic times it’s tough to justify paying $7 million for a 30-second spot—there are stockholders to answer to and all that. So, since we can’t tell manufacturers how to spend their money, we’ll just say this: We missed you, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, and Nissan.

More importantly, we needed you guys on the field, especially after you helped raise the advertising bar with some extremely effective commercials in 2020, ’21, and ’22. With that said, it’s hard to imagine anyone beating Ram this year, so maybe the rest of y’all did the right thing.

Congrats to the Kansas City Chiefs, who defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38–35, and to those 30- and 60-second spots that entertained us.

TOUCHDOWN

RAM: “Premature Electrification”

Hands-down the best automotive Super Bowl commercial of 2023, Stellantis scores a touchdown (and a two-point conversion) for its absolutely hilarious spoof on ads for men’s performance-enhancing drugs. Narrated by comedian Jason Jones, the commercial debuts the production version of the Ram 1500 REV electric pickup on the same day that Stellantis begins accepting online orders for the truck. 

With Jones leading the discussion, we hear from couples who bought early EVs and realized too late that the cars just don’t have the juice to consistently get the job done, a malady called “Premature Electrification.” While RAM’s new electric pickup won’t be available until sometime in 2024, the promise from Stellantis is that a solution is on the way, and it’s definitely worth waiting for. There’s even a drug-like disclaimer at the bottom of the screen: “Ask a professional if Ram 1500 REV is right for you. Reserve today at RamREV.com.”

We could say so much more, but words cannot compare to watching it for yourself. Do it. Now.

GM & Netflix: “Why not an EV?”

Will Ferrell does it again. Two years after he nailed his “No Way, Norway” rant on behalf of General Motors’ electric vehicles, he’s back alongside a selection of Netflix stars to promote—you guessed it—GM EVs. What does one have to do with the other? We’ll let Ferrell explain.

“General Motors is going electric,” he says in the 60-second commercial, as Army of the Dead zombies swarm his GM Sierra EV Denali. “And Netflix is joining in by including more EVs in their movies and shows. It’s the least they can do. So if you’re going to get swarmed by an army of the dead, why not get swarmed in an EV?

“Ow! I said no biting!”

We later see Ferrell (in a fleet of GM EVs, some of which aren’t available yet) in Squid Game, Bridgerton, Queer Eye, and posing as Dustin Henderson in Stranger Things. The commercial ends with Ferrell, now a zombie, sharing a ride with the monster who bit him in the first scene.

“Oh, Gordon, you kill me. You literally did kill me.”

This one killed us too. In a good way.

Jeep: “Electric Boogie”

Not quite as good as Ram’s gem, but this fun EV commercial from Jeep secures Stellantis’ position as Super Bowl LVII car-commercial champion. Focusing on Jeep’s Wrangler 4xe and Grand Cherokee 4xe plug-in hybrid electric SUVs, the commercial blends the future of automobiles with great retro music. The remix of Marcia Griffiths’ 1983 hit “Electric Boogie,” which includes reggae artist Shaggy, is so good that even the wildest of jungle beasts can’t help but dance along. Naturally, Jeep is hoping you dance all the way into the showroom.

Sam Adams: “Your Cousin’s Brighter Boston”

Before you say it, we know this isn’t a car commercial. But we’re so desperate for something good that we’re making an exception, especially since we saw some cars in it. Better still, it reminds us of Hyundai’s hilarious “Smaht Pahk” from 2020, which plays big on the wicked awesome stereotypes of Bostonians’ accents and not-always-friendly personalities.

If you’re from Boston, and you hate this, our apologies. Maybe you’d rather hug a New Yorker? Regardless, we laughed at this alternate reality of a “Brighter Boston.” It’s so well done, in fact, that we even remember the product that was advertised. Let’s all raise a glass to Sam Adams.

FIELD GOAL

Kia: “Binky Dad”

Kia is pretty proud of its 14th Super Bowl commercial, explaining in a pregame press release that “the new 2023 Kia Telluride’s rugged and refined personality is on full display in this action-packed tale of everyday heroism.” Hmmm. The commercial is cute, yes. And mildly entertaining. But while we can all relate to the poor dad who “forgot the binky” and went to great lengths to go back and get it, is that effort heroic? Maybe to his wife and baby daughter. 

Regardless, the unexpected ending saves this one, even if it doesn’t exactly drive home the tagline: “Kia Telluride X-Pro. More ruggedly capable.”

If you disagree and you’re looking for more, we’re told that three alternate endings are available exclusively on TikTok. Considering Kia is paying $233,333.33 per second for the TV version, we’re guessing we’ve already seen the best one.

Universal: Fast X trailer

There’s a small part of us that wonders how this saga is still cruising—didn’t we go to space last time around? Nevertheless, Fast X popped into the Super Bowl ad mayhem with all the hallmarks of the franchise: cars, action, explosions, and Dom Toretto’s favorite: family.

The recipe is familiar at this point, but it’s familiar in the way that an old, well-worn sweatshirt is—a little corny, but welcome nonetheless. The usual cast of wild cars is on full display, from svelte Alfa Romeos and McLarens to Dom’s inimitable Dodge Charger and more. (If we were betting people, we’d have money down on an appearance of Dodge’s all-electric Daytona SRT Concept, made public in August of ’22.)

While the YouTube trailer was just 60 seconds long, there’s a full trailer out for the new Fast X movie as well, which you can view here. Fast X hits theaters May 19.

Uber One: “Diddy makes a hit song”

Again, this isn’t exactly an automotive commercial, but it slips in on a technicality since an Uber driver requires a motor vehicle. In this one, Sean “Diddy” Combs is asked to make a hit song—a song, not a jingle, since “Diddy don’t do jingles”—on behalf of Uber One, a membership program for Uber and Uber Eats. 

He auditions potential collaborators like Montell Jordan, Kelis, Donna Lewis, and the Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis, who sing Uber-focused versions of their own hit songs before Diddy settles on Haddaway’s “What Is Love” version. “Uber One. Uber One saves me, saves me … way more.” 

In the end, Uber marketing execs don’t look exactly thrilled with the finished product, but one of Combs’ sidekicks makes it clear that “Diddy is excited.” We’re not sure who wins on this one, but the ad is amusing enough and effective enough to earn a field goal, if only because we can’t get that dang jingle—we mean hit song—out of our head.

WeatherTech: “We All Win”

Here’s one thing we can always count on this time of year: WeatherTech’s high-quality automotive products and get-’er-done crew will roll out a Super Bowl commercial, and the spot will almost always be patriotic. Don’t ever tell America that it can’t. WeatherTech proves that it can. Again. That’s gotta be good enough for a field goal.

FUMBLE

Paramount: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

Shown moments before kickoff, the Transformers trailer got off on the right foot by showing us a sweet early-generation Porsche 911 … and things went down from there. The seventh installment of the action series is scheduled to hit theaters on June 9 with a new breed of Transformer—the Maximal—as the earthly battle continues between Autobots and Decepticons. But we had to find that out on our own. As for the commercial, we didn’t see anything to get excited about after our first glimpse of the 911.

Everyone else: “Missed Opportunity”

When we first heard the news that the Super Bowl was going to be light on automotive commercials, we were bummed out, of course. Now we’re wondering if those who skipped it are feeling a little remorseful. When you add it all up, the entire night was about as good as it gets for a sporting event that rarely lives up to the hype: great game, entertaining halftime (you go, Rhianna), and strong ads overall.

While we still have the microphone, Bradley Cooper and his mom trying to sell T-Mobile and Ben Affleck working the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru were the cherries on the Sunday. (Yes, we meant to spell it that way.)

Think we nailed it? Think we blew it? Since opinions are like belly buttons, you must have one. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. (And if you disagree, please keep it civil, folks.)

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In the early 1970s, Eric Sabelman and his future wife, MaryAnn, had a love for travel, a pickup truck, and a budget that left them residing with Eric’s parents. So they decided to hit two birds with one stone and build a cabin on wheels. Now, more than five decades later, they’re reluctantly letting it go.

Meet the Trundlehouse, a head-turning redwood housecar that sits atop a 1959 GMC pickup truck. The future Mr. and Mrs. Sabelman built it in the summer of 1971 at Eric’s grandfather’s farm west of Santa Rosa, California.

“We wanted to go traveling and had no money for motels,” Eric says, “so putting a cabin on the pickup that I’d been driving seemed reasonable.”

Devout Quakers, Eric and MaryAnn had originally hoped to put the Trundlehouse on the road by July 1971 so they could attend a Quaker gathering in Oregon. That didn’t happen, but they eventually drove it north along the Pacific Coast Highway and into Canada to visit friends. Later, they took it to California’s Lassen Volcanic National Park for their honeymoon in 1972 and drove it back and forth to Los Angeles numerous times to visit MaryAnn’s parents. The couple also lived in the housecar while Eric worked on his PhD at Stanford.

“Buying a real house in 1979 pretty much ended long trips,” Sabelman says. After that, “We used it as a guest room and kids’ playhouse.”

The Trundlehouse takes its name from the word trundle, which refers to a wheeled vehicle that “moves slowly and heavily, typically in a noisy or uneven way.” But its name isn’t the only thing the housecar borrowed, since Eric Sabelman sourced reusable wood, parts, and accessories wherever he could in order to save money. While some commenters who saw the Trundlehouse on barnfinds.com have speculated that Sabelman built it using a kit or design plans, he did it all himself. From scratch.

“There were no plans,” he says. “I had examined a friend’s wood camper shell and decided how to improve it. I had two requirements: reducing the weight [by removing excess steel from the bed] and providing stand-up height without adding wind resistance—hence, the low roofline and cupola.”

Among the Trundlehouse’s oddities: The truck wears bucket seats from a 1960s Ford Mustang, seat belts from an airplane, an under-dash compass from a Sherman tank, and a tachometer that reads in roentgens, normally used to measure radiation exposure but in this case used for engine rpm. Sabelman says the “old-growth redwood siding, moldings, and closet doors are from a pre-1900 house in Santa Rosa that my father dismantled and saved.” He points out that the cabinet doors are not plywood, but 1×16 redwood.

Sabelman installed separate electrical systems so the Trundlehouse can be powered by an electrical outlet or battery. There’s also an icebox, freshwater tank, and sink, but no toilet. The cabin, which is permanently attached to the truck’s modified frame, has a folding seating/sleeping area that rests on slide-out beams. There is a crawl-through from the cabin into the truck cab.

As for any additional accouterments, Eric says, “MaryAnn did most of the interior once the carpentry was done.”

Perhaps the housecar’s coolest feature is its vintage, cast-iron Sears and Roebuck pot belly stove, which is insulated by tile walls and has a chimney that extends through the roof.

The Trundlehouse is 112 inches tall to the top of the smokestack, 228 inches long, and 84 inches wide (plus an additional 4 inches on each side where the roof overhangs). “It’s about 8 inches wider and 18 inches longer than the original bed of the 1959 GMC Wideside pickup,” Eric says, “which has a wheelbase of 126 inches and a width to the outside edge of tires of 69 inches.”

As for the truck itself, the ’59 GMC pickup is powered by a 270-cubic-inch straight-six engine, mated to a heavy duty four-speed transmission “with compound low gear and an oversize ‘school bus’ differential.”

Sabelman says the truck hasn’t run in a couple of years, and when he recently tried to start it, “it turned over OK but doesn’t seem to maintain a strong spark.” He purchased a new battery and may decide to take it to a mechanic who has worked on it before.

Unfortunately, the non-starting problem isn’t the only concern with the Sabelmans’ 52-year-old creation. Although the siding is redwood, there is termite damage in the non-redwood studs and rafters that will require repairs. Also, the cedar-shingle roof is covered in moss and mold, and Eric fears some might blow off on the road unless they’re fixed. Additionally, rust has penetrated the truck’s fenders and damaged the door hinges.

“It’s definitely a ‘fixer-upper,’” Sabelman admits.

He says he always tried to keep the truck running, and “about 10 years ago it went into the shop for radiator repair and new tires, brakes, gas tank, muffler, and tailpipe.” He also had plans to add upgrades, like a CB radio, which he purchased but never installed. Sabelman even kept the housecar’s California registration current. However, in a story as old as automobiles, the years continued to slip past and the work wasn’t completed.

“I kept putting things off because there would always be time to do it later,” Sabelman says. “The procrastination came to an end when we decided to sell our house and move, but then there was no time left to work on it.”

That move—from the couple’s Menlo Park home to Friends House, a Quaker retirement community in Santa Rosa—means there’s no place to store the Trundlehouse or work on it. Eric was thinking about giving it up long before that, however.

“Some years ago I began to realize that I would have to pass the Trundlehouse into other hands,” he says. “I would drive it around the block to keep it in running order and reminisce about places we had gone in it, not dream of new places we could go.”

Sabelman listed it on craigslist for $6000 after trying to give it away to charity. “I offered it to a local high school, and teachers really liked the idea of a project combining a number of trade classes,” he says. But the school ultimately turned down the donation, citing a rule against storing cars on campus. “Beats me how they teach autoshop without cars.”

Sabelman says he would still consider donating it to the right organization, with the hope that he be allowed to help with the restoration, but selling it will also benefit a long list of Quaker charities (which he is willing to provide upon request).

In addition to the new CB radio, included in the sale are clear old-growth redwood 2x6s and 1x12s for structural repair, a 1960s-finish dashboard AM/FM radio, timing light and engine analyzer, camping cookware and propane stove, stainless steel drinking-water tank (to replace a 5-gallon glass bottle), 60-amp 12-volt DC supply for fast battery charging and starting, and more.

“I tend to keep everything of value that passes into my hands,” Sabelman says. That includes some of the sketches he made during the building process, which he’ll give to the new owner in a binder, along with other historical material “like letters to the Menlo Park Police Dept stating that I was not storing an abandoned vehicle in my driveway, in violation of city ordinance—to which they agreed.”

Sabelman says that although his family has “wonderful memories” in the Trundlehouse, it’s time for it to go to a new home.

“I had a cousin who died about eight years ago of a brain tumor, and he left his Formula 1 racer disassembled in his garage,” he says. “If you want to keep something you value that needs work, start working on it now. Don’t wait.”

As for the Sabelmans and their precious cabin on wheels, Eric says, “Traveling in the Trundlehouse is a dream for people who are younger than MaryAnn and I.”

Perhaps he’s talking about you?

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Ah, the adorable Vespa. The iconic transportation of choice for Italian lovers like Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday. Simple, cute, and unassuming. And, as it turns out, also an armor-piercing killer.

The Vespa 150 TAP, so named for its use by French paratroopers (Troupes AéroPortées), was an anti-tank scooter introduced in 1956. Produced for three years by Ateliers de Construction de Motocycles et Automobiles (ACMA), the licensed assembler of Vespas in France, it was the French military’s answer to the more powerful machines employed by its enemies.

After German tanks broke through French defenses and quickly occupied the country during World War II, France needed a better way to quickly mobilize its anti-tank defenses and prevent a future blitzkrieg. The answer was a 246-pound gnat that could be dropped from an airplane and quickly put into action upon landing.

The 150 TAP was nicknamed the Bazooka Vespa, although it didn’t actually employ a bazooka. It featured a reinforced frame, lower gear ratios than standard models, and a mounted recoilless rifle, its barrel extending forward through a hole in the leg shield. Soldiers literally straddled the American-made M20 75-millimeter rifle while driving.

Painted olive drab or sand, the Vespa itself was powered by a 145.5-cubic-centimeter, single-cylinder, two-stroke engine with a rotary valve design, and it could reach speeds of up to 37 mph. It was designed to also carry ammunition or additional gear and even haul a small trailer, if needed.

The little scooters would be parachuted from the rear of a cargo plane in pairs, strapped to a pallet cushioned by hay bales to lessen the impact.

Although technically a round could be fired from the rifle as an emergency measure while it was still mounted to the frame, the scooter was designed to simply get the M20 rifle to wherever it was needed as quickly as possible. The gun would then be removed and mounted onto a Browning M1917 machine gun tripod. According to Popular Mechanics, the M20 “belched out a 22-pound projectile moving at 1000 feet per second, with the help of a perforated artillery shell casing.”