Posted by Daniel Strohl - Photo courtesy Jenkins Competition One of drag racing's legends, Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, who was known just as much for his innovations and mechanical ability as for his infamous demeanor, died Thursday at the age of 81. Anybody who's ever spoken with Jenkins knows exactly how he got his nickname. On first impression a surly and gruff man, Jenkins revealed himself to those who cared to dig a little more as a no-nonsense gearhead driven by a tough work ethic who maintained his famous appearance so he could spend l... Read On>>
Hemmings Find of the Day - 1939 Fiat 508C
Posted by Daniel Strohl - The Germany-based seller of this 1939 Fiat 508C pickup on Hemmings.com believes it was converted into a pickup when it was new, though we could certainly believe that it was converted during the war as well. In either case, it's a handsome little truck, and there can't be too many examples like it anywhere in the world. From the seller's description: The vehicle comes from a Spanish collection, for years was dry and had stood safe. An older restoration has taken place, according to widow of the previous owner. The ...Read On>>Auctions America Fort Lauderdale sale records over $17 million; Tony Parella Corvette Collection sold
Posted by Matt Litwin - Auctions America by RM recently announced the results of the 10th Annual Collector Cars of Fort Lauderdale, which featured - among many other items - the 26 Corvettes from the Tony Parella Collection and a half-dozen microcars, most of which came from the Bruce Weiner collection. At the conclusion of the four-day event, the Auburn, Indiana-based company realized a little more than $17 million (which included a 10 percent buyer's premium on all sold lots), while achieving a 72 percent sell-through rate in the process...Read On>>Class of '87 - Dodge Dakota
Posted by Mike Bumbeck - Automobile classifications arise from various sources. Tax structures, legislation, half-plastered automotive journalists, and automakers filling a gap in the lineup can result in cars and trucks given compartmentalized monikers like crossover, or formal coupe. In 1987, Dodge already had the full-size and compact ends of the pickup truck lineup covered. What they needed was the middle ground. The solution? The Dodge Dakota. With the rebadged Mitsubishi Ram 50 already in place on the compact slot, and the Ram hold...Read On>>
Week in Review
Thursday, March 29, 2012
The British are coming! To LeMay, America's Car Museum
Posted by Mark J. McCourt - 1966 Jaguar E-type, typical of the cars that will appear in the British Invasion exhibit. Photo by Craig Fitzgerald The Tacoma, Washington-based America's Car Museum, also known as the LeMay Museum, has announced a new exhibit that will be available upon its official public opening on Saturday, June 2; their "British Invasion" display will commemorate the 1960s cultural revolution and will feature some of England's more notable vehicles, including Mini, MG, Austin-Healey, Jaguar and Aston Martin, as well as the Mus...Read On>>Hemmings Find of the Day - 1981 Chevrolet Corvette rolling chassis
Posted by Daniel Strohl - Corvette experts, please correct us if we're wrong, but after some research, we're fairly confident that this 1981 Chevrolet Corvette rolling chassis for sale on Hemmings.com (as we see from the monoleaf spring in the rear, it was from an automatic-equipped car) would definitely fit any 1973-1982 Corvette body without modification and should, with some minor fiddling, fit any 1963-1972 Corvette body. That opens up a wide range of possibilities if you're not concerned with having a matching-numbers car. What year bod...Read On>>American Police Motorcycle Museum an interesting side trip while in Laconia
Posted by Jim O'Clair - NYPD riot bike. Photos courtesy American Police Motorcycle Museum Most of the motorcycle riders attending Bike Week in Laconia, New Hampshire, are unaware that the American Police Motorcycle Museum is located nearby in Meredith. In fact, if they were at Bike Week last year after the museum's grand opening, they probably drove by it or were in traffic in front of it without realizing it's there. Located on U.S. Route 3 (194 Daniel Webster Highway) just south of the intersection with New Hampshire Route 104, the muse...Read On>>Lost Dealerships Project - Goad Motor Company
Posted by Daniel Strohl - Presuming that just one Goad family sold General Motors products in Texas, then that family had a remarkable run, remaining in business continuously or near-continuously from the early 1920s through at least the early 1990s in at least seven different locations. The earliest reference to the dynasty we see comes in an ad in the December 7, 1920, edition of the Breckenridge American of Breckenridge, Texas. Advertising just Buicks, the ad also gives billing to the Byers-Caldwell Company and gives an address of 430 ...Read On>>Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Silver Auctions denied re-entry into Reno for Hot August Nights
Posted by David Traver Adolphus - Silver Auctions and Reno's Hot August Nights fell out publicly and protractedly in 2010 and 2011 (see Hemmings Classic Car issues #81, 82 and 83), with Silver moving out of town to Carson City for a couple of years while they faced an injunction against holding a competing event. At the time, Mitch Silver said he would be back at the Reno Events Center in 2012 with a new auction two weeks ahead of HAN, but a recent change of tactic, with a plan to go head-to-head with HAN has been denied. The Reno Journal Gazette...Read On>>Hemmings Find of the Day - 1954 Kurtis 500KK
Posted by Daniel Strohl - No knocking the Corvette, but this is what an American sports car should have been. Sure, the Ferrari-like front end screams European, but the advanced tubular chassis, the big Chevrolet engine, and the Kurtis engineering that went into this 1954 Kurtis 500KK for sale on Hemmings.com are all American and would have been rather capable in contemporary competition. If only. From the seller's description: This particular car is the 51st example built and is surely one of the most unique examples, with a stunning custo...Read On>>Neon to light up new exhibit at NHRA Museum
Posted by Daniel Strohl - Neon at the RM Dingman auction, 2006. Photo by Daniel Strohl Neon signs and the automobile go way back. While the neon sign was invented in 1910 in Paris, it wasn't seen in the United States for another 11 years, when car dealer Earle Anthony commissioned two neon signs for his Los Angeles Packard dealership. Since then, car dealers and manufacturers have been among the countless number of companies to use neon signs to advertise their wares, so it comes as no surprise that a car museum - in this case the Wally Par...Read On>>A bubbletop in Norway: The story of Ralph Lysell's Rally sports car
Posted by Daniel Strohl - Automotive history is full of visionaries, people who dreamed up advances in engineering, styling, marketing, and performance, then went out and turned their visions into reality. Stockholm native and industrial designer Ralph Lysell, a lesser-known automotive visionary, came to the United States between the wars with dreams of building his own car. After building one streamlined example in the States, he then returned to Europe, where after World War II he made another attempt at building a car, one that he called ...Read On>>Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Smokey Yunick big-brake fuelie 1957 Corvette headed to auction
Posted by Daniel Strohl - Photos by David Hunt, courtesy Mecum Auctions Up until the June 6, 1957, Automobile Manufacturers Association ban on auto companies' direct involvement with racing, Chevrolet invested heavily in transforming the Corvette from a six-cylinder pretender into a legitimate sports car, and few cars encapsulate that effort as much as this 1957 Corvette that will cross the block at Mecum's upcoming Indianapolis auction. One of the earliest fuel-injected Corvettes - the unit on this car wears serial number 1005 - accordi...Read On>>Hemmings Find of the Day - 1989 Trabant 601 Deluxe
Posted by Daniel Strohl - While we know for sure that more than a few Trabants have made it stateside over the last couple of decades, it's probably safe to assume that the opportunity to buy one remains exceedingly rare. Yet here we see a 1989 Trabant 601 Deluxe for sale on Hemmings, which is still running and appears to remain in mostly original condition. From the seller's description: This is a very nice Trabant with only 32,000 miles (52,000 km) on it. It starts and runs very well and is a lot of fun to drive around in. Kinda like a go...Read On>>Connecticut Antique Machinery Association Power-Up to feature antique steam and stationary engines
Posted by Terry Shea - The Connecticut Antique Machinery Association's 8th Annual Spring Power-Up is planned for May 5. Featuring antique steam engines - both stationary and powering small locomotives - as well as gasoline and diesel combustion engines and plenty of antique tractors, the Power-Up is a visual and aural feast for fans of vintage machinery and engineering at CAMA's Kent, Connecticut, location. An all-volunteer organization, CAMA is dedicated to the "preservation, restoration and demonstration of antique machinery from...Read On>>Cars I've Loved and Hated - Michael Lamm's Unauthorized Auto Biography, Chapter Seven
Posted by Michael Lamm - This is pretty much what the 1953 Plymouth Cranbrook convertible looked like when Mike bought it in 1975 for $150. The front end had lost a battle with a lamp post, but the car was sound otherwise. Text and photos copyright Michael Lamm 2012 I occasionally tuck my business card under the wiper blade of a car I'd like to buy. On the back of the card, I'll scribble something like, "When you get ready to sell this car, please give me first dibs. Hang onto this card." Over the years, I've had three owners respond, o...Read On>>Monday, March 26, 2012
California considers the return of black license plates
Posted by Terry McGean - 1963 California black plate. Photo by woody1778a Anyone who has ever scanned listings for classic cars has likely seen sellers boasting of a "black-plate car," in reference to the California-native 1960s-era vehicle they have on offer. These era-correct license plates have long been viewed as a sort of badge of honor among West Coast enthusiasts, one that has been recognized by car folk across the country. Now the state of California is preparing to issue brand-new license plates with the familiar chrome-yellow dig...Read On>>Hemmings Find of the Day - 1950 Buick Super Riviera
Posted by Daniel Strohl - Where do you draw the line between "driveable dream" and well-preserved original car? What amount of patina distinguishes the two? Take, for instance, this 1950 Buick Super Riviera for sale on Hemmings.com, which the owner describes as a survivor, but which looks incredible in the photos. One would surely never restore it in either case. From the seller's description: I purchased car from 4th owner near Seattle in 2005 showing 36,000 miles and had it shipped to Urbana, Illinois. 90 percent original Olympic blue pai...Read On>>Alan Mann, 1936-2012; legendary Ford works team owner
Posted by Terry Shea - Alan Mann, whose distinctive red and gold Alan Mann Racing Fords were a force to be reckoned with in the 1960s in the U.K. and throughout Europe, died on March 21 after a long illness. He was 75. Having competed in a few hill climbs and even some non-points F1 races in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Mann started a racing team while working in sales at a U.K. Ford dealership. Campaigning a Cortina GT, his team - along with John Willment's Ford team - were invited by Ford, to compete in the Marlboro 12 Hours in Ma...Read On>>Forgotten Fiberglass - On the road again to Amelia Island
Posted by Geoff Hacker - One of the important tenets of Forgotten Fiberglass is the sharing of knowledge about rare, vintage fiberglass sports cars with everyone who is interested. What better way to do this than to embrace world-class opportunities to showcase these cars with the public at large - this time at the 2012 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. I'd be proud to say this was our idea, but the credit for it goes to Amelia Island founder Bill Warner, who has been an enthusiastic supporter of Forgotten Fiberglass since we met him in...Read On>>Source: http://01newsauto.blogspot.com/2012/03/hemmings-daily-drag-racing-legend-bill.html
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