Hemmings Classic Car September 2016

“This past March, I spent a full afternoon on the grounds of NPD’s warehouse photographing 11 automobiles, most of which had very low miles on them.” One of the single-most popular questions I often get asked is: “How do you find the cars you write about?” Gathering content is a combination of the Hemmings editorial staff attending various car shows and conventions throughout the country and car owners contacting us about the cars they own, although the bulk of the stories that we publish come from, as they say, “being out-in-the-field.” Using this issue as an example, let me tell you about how the Continental, Crosley, Pontiac and Hudson ended up on these pages. Last year, editors Matt Litwin and Terry Shea traveled down to Virginia Beach to…

2017 Great Race THIS YEAR’S GREAT RACE TOOK PLACE June 18-26, and ran from San Rafael, California, to Moline, Illinois, but it’s never too early to prepare for the 2017 event, which will begin in Jacksonville, Florida. This annual time-speed-distance rally will work its way from Florida up along parts of the old original Dixie Highway through Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan where the race will end in Traverse City. The event is slated to take place from June 24-July 2, with the schedule of lunch and overnight stops yet to be determined. The nine-day, 2,100-mile route is expected to see over 100 collector cars with teams from every corner of the U.S. as well as Canada, England, Germany and Japan driving automobiles dating back as far as 1916.…

Transparent Torino BURIED IN THE DETROIT PUBLIC LIBRARY’S online digital collections — specifically in its National Automotive History Collection — reside plenty of photographs of Ford Torinos, and among them a handful of photos of a 1971 Ford Torino with transparent panels fitted throughout its body. According to the caption, the photos were taken for advertising purposes for Ford Motor Company, and indeed we see toward the end of the 1971 Torino brochure one of the photos used to illustrate several Torino features, including its ventilation system. Curious that Ford would go through the expense of building a Torino with such cutouts rather than assigning the idea to an illustrator. Of course, had Ford assigned it to an illustrator, we wouldn’t be wondering if Ford kept the car or if…

Auburn Rising AUCTIONS AMERICA wrapped up its May event at the Auburn Auction Park in Auburn, Indiana, with total sales of $7.2 million, an increase of 40 percent from the 2015 sale that saw an 80 percent sell-through rate. Fittingly, one of the jewels of this auction was the 1936 Auburn 852 Supercharged Phaeton Sedan, which was a top-five sale changing hands for $90,750. ACD certified, the Auburn is confirmed to have its original engine, frame, drivetrain and suspension, as well as original body. You can view the results at www.auctionsamerica.com and see the cars to be sold at the upcoming Labor Day sale scheduled to take place September 1-4 at the same location. Leake Heads to Detroit THE LEAKE AUCTION COMPANY is known for its sales in Dallas, Oklahoma…

Barrel Back 800-423-5525 WWW.CALCARCOVER.COM $545.99 Sometimes you encounter something clever and ponder, “Now why didn’t I think of that?” It took some creativity and a bit of engineering to turn a well-used oil drum into a sturdy and comfortable armchair, perfect for a garage or den, and the credit goes to Drum Works Furniture (www.drumworksfurniture.com), the North Carolina company that transforms industrial drums into practical seating. These 55-gallon drums are thoroughly cleaned before being powder-coated in bright, durable colors, fitted with removable seat cushions (under which is storage space) and accented with vintage-petroliana logos. Available are a California Car Cover-exclusive red Flying A seat with Sunbrella indoor-outdoor upholstery, a green Sinclair Dino Gasoline seat with Nautolex marine-grade vinyl cushions, and yellow Roar with Gilmore and Polly Gas seats with Nautolex…

Ratchet Up GearWrench offers two new multi-function ratchets to make work in your shop go a lot smoother. The ratchets are available in 5.75-inch and 12-inch sizes with slim-line heads allowing for access in tight spaces. They will fit comfortably in your hand, yet give you enough torque and access to hard-to-reach fasteners. Each end has a locking flex head for greater control allowing you to stay on the fastener. The ¼-inch drive incorporates a quick-release design to easily let users to change sockets up to ½ inch. Cost: $56.29 (5.75-inch); $66.59 (12-inch). GEARWRENCH 800-621-8814 WWW.GEARWRENCH.COM Blue Oval Bumper Brackets Mac’s has parts for all eras of Ford cars and trucks, and now they’ve added bumper brackets for 1940 passenger cars and 1940-’41 pickups to their catalog. The stainless-steel brackets…