Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2017 i Hemmings Classic Car

Stretched Packards DOWN IN TULSA, CARL HIBBERD HAS BEEN KEEPING AN EYE ON A COLLECTION OF about three dozen Fifties-era Packards in varying states of decay. While an impressive assemblage, the sight of not just one, but two limo-length Packards parked amid the group, caused us to pause. Now, Packard didn’t build limousines from the factory in the mid-Fifties, and we hit the books to confirm as much. But we do see that Henney, a coach-builder long associated with building Packard professional cars, did stretch a few Packards in 1953 and 1954. Specifically, Henney built 150 executive sedans and corporate limousines in 1953, and 100 executive sedans and corporate limousines in 1954. Hard to tell exactly what year these two are without a closer look. Given the low production numbers,…

Seven Slots 800-230-3030 • WWW.SUMMITRACING.COM  • $19.99 There are few automotive sights more celebrated around the world than that of a genuine American Jeep; and its seven-slot grille, nestled between traditional round headlamps, is truly iconic. Whether an open-top Jeep is in your driveway or not, you can surely appreciate the cool shade offered by this black-and-white Jeep “trucker hat.” This baseball cap (item OTB-JHSUM-2) features an embroidered grille logo accenting the 100-percent cotton front panel, along with breathable polyester mesh side and back panels; a comfort-enhancing sweatband is sewn inside, and the back sports an adjustable-fit plastic snap closure. It’ll quickly become a grab-and-go favorite. Muscle Cars In Detail 800-551-4754 • WWW.CARTECHBOOKS.COM  • $18.95 EACH Introduced earlier this year, this new series of 8¼ x 9-inch softcover books provides a good…

It never fails that if one manufacturer comes up with a good idea, in a year or two somebody else will have copied it. Oftentimes, everyone else copies it. Such was the case with the sporty station wagon. The station wagon, a previously utilitarian automobile, went through a period of reinvention in the 1950s. With the substitution of low-maintenance steel for real wood paneling early in the decade, they became a more practical option for families that could afford them — instead of an estate car for the wealthy or a commercial vehicle for hoteliers and resort owners. The next phase of development was to cover wagons with the same glory as their coupe and convertible counterparts. Chevrolet may have been the first to attempt that change with the 1955…

It’s something we take for granted today, when a mere three percent of new cars sold in America have a clutch pedal in the driver’s footwell.The automatic transmission is virtually ubiquitous, preferred by many for its ease of use and, in its modern form, for the improved fuel economy and performance it may offer over a traditional manual. Most automatics sold today owe a debt that goes back 77 years, to the 1940 Oldsmobile’s exclusive Hydra-Matic Drive. General Motors began developing a fully automatic transmission back in 1932, when members of the Cadillac Engineering Department were assigned a secret project mysteriously dubbed “Military Transmission.” Working under the Cadillac Motor Division’s assistant chief engineer, Earl Thompson — himself having invented the manual transmission synchronizers that Cadillac and La Salle released for…

The compact car had captured the minds of budget-conscious Americans in the late Fifties, spearheaded by American Motors’ Rambler, which was already in a sales race with Volkswagen. By then, plans had been drafted by volume-leaders Chevrolet, Ford and Plymouth that later came to fruition as the 1960 Corvair, Falcon and Valiant. Until May 1960, what few outside of Detroit realized was that General Motors — believing, correctly, that there was an upscale segment of the compact-car market — had gone one step further, positioning Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac to fill the niche. Flint agreed to move forward with a compact design when Fisher Body offered a modified version of the unit-body Corvair as a foundation. Among the alterations were the switch to a conventional front-engine/rear-wheel-drive layout and the stretching…

“What’s in a name? That which we call a Mopar by any other name would run as strong.” Well, William Shakespeare may never have had the chance to have sampled the comfort of an Imperial, or experienced his neck snapping back in a 10-second Max Wedge-powered Belvedere, but given the opportunity, he may well have done so. But Shakespeare was never above making up words, and so Mopar could well have been something of his creation, had he not died some 320 years too early. The Mopar name has become car-guy short-hand for anything made by the Chrysler Corporation, or its subsequent owners, synonymous with Chrysler-powered cars and trucks: whether they’re long-running brands like Dodge and Chrysler; defunct vintage brands like De Soto, Imperial and Plymouth; or more recent names…

I’ve always been a fan of cars from the Thirties and Forties, so when this Ford was brought to my attention, I couldn’t refuse looking at it. Rarity aside, I love the styling, and despite the fact that I knew it needed a lot of work, I was determined to test my ability and see the restoration through to the end. A lot of parts were missing — windshield frame, spare tire cover and lock, windshield wiper motor and more — and some of them were tough to locate, but in the end, the effort was worth it. I couldn’t possibly be happier with the way it turned out.” – Ronald Liska…

Tacoma Drop-Tops LEMAY—AMERICA’S CAR MUSEUM, LOCATED IN TACOMA, WASHINGTON, BRINGS you a summer exhibit featuring American convertibles. It kicked off April 21 and will run through the summer season in the museum’s Route 66 Gallery. In keeping with celebrating the illustrious Route 66 that helped shape transportation across America, the cars on display will range from 1955 to 1968 models and will feature many iconic classics like Bel Airs and Thunderbirds, as well as other rarities such as the 1955 Packard Caribbean. This is a part of LeMay’s Summer Drive Series, which will feature other themed exhibits in the museum’s 165,000 square-foot facility. For information on all exhibits and activities, visit www.americascarmuseum.org. Cadillac Clamoring THE VALLEY FORGE AND Potomac Region of the Cadillac LaSalle Club will be hosting this year’s…

Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach WRAPPING UP ITS 15TH ANNUAL PALM BEACH AUCTION, BARRETT-JACKSON BROUGHT IN AN impressive $20.5 million in sales, with a 99.4-percent sell-through rate. As always, there was a large variety of cars at this year’s event, including this very affordable 1953 Plymouth Cambridge. Owned by two families, it had resided in Southern California its entire existence. After 60-plus years, this well-maintained Plymouth saw a final sale of $9,900, making it one of the best buys of the entire auction. All sales results are available at www.barrett-jackson.com. Houston Highlights MECUM FINISHED UP A SUCCESSFUL auction in Houston this past April, with sales reaching over $21.7 million and a 70-percent sell-through rate. Among those cars to find a new home was this 1938 Cadillac Series 90 Fleetwood Convertible. Apart from…

The model year 1964 was the most significant in Pontiac’s storied history but also in Detroit’s, too.This was the year that Pontiac unleashed the first muscle car — the GTO. This one car forever changed the automotive landscape like no other automobile had ever done before. It was a watershed moment in America’s automotive history. While young enthusiasts flocked to Pontiac showrooms to take an up-close look at the potent new GTO, so did many family guys and older professionals. Everyone, it seemed, was interested in the GTO’s performance ability, but not everyone was interested in the GTO itself. For some buyers it was too small, for others it wasn’t luxurious enough. And while everyone wanted to experience the new Pontiac excitement, there were those who still craved the handsome…

Plymouth did its best to persuade buyers that its mid-level Belvedere had everything that a family could want in a new car in 1961: Beauty, performance, economical operation, and, most important of all, room for everyone to stretch out and enjoy the ride. “Belvedere is big and roomy and comfortable. Important? You bet!” the brochure declared. How well do those claims hold up today, 56 years later? Let’s find out. Standards of performance and economy are moving targets; thanks to evolving technology, the slowest and thirstiest cars of 2017 would be among the quickest and most frugal of 1961. So the Belvedere should get a pass. Beauty is nothing if not subjective; styling trends come and go, though it is fair to note that the full-size Plymouth’s styling was polarizing…

I GOT A JOB WITH SUN ELECTRIC IN the early 1960s as a sales rep during the time when Sun was the primo automotive test equipment company, which provided me with the opportunity to visit lots of automotive service facilities. The Sun Man was supposed to be an expert in everything to do with engines and electrical systems, so sometimes a sales call turned out to actually be a call for help. But that was okay, because it allowed me to demonstrate, and possibly sell, something. In one case, the technician who called had done a tune-up but could not get the engine to run right, even though he had done everything by the book. The dwell setting was okay, and the oscilloscope didn’t show anything amiss, but I found…

The F-Series that so many truck buyers know and love today owes much of its heritage to enterprising fabricators, upfitters, and coachbuilders who powered the evolution of the pickup. It’s true that Ford blazed one of the earliest trails into the factory-built pickup truck market by offering, in 1925, an optional cargo box for the Model T Runabout. But commercial body manufacturer Galion, among others, built and sold add-on pickup beds for Lizzie several years prior to that. Ditto for four-wheel drive — which has become ubiquitous on light-trucks today. Ford didn’t officially get into the four-wheel-drive pickup business until 1959, when it first offered its F-100 and F-250 with a live front axle and divorced transfer case. Prior to that, aftermarket companies like Marmon-Herrington, NAPCO, and American-Coleman gave Ford…

IN THE EARLY 1960S, WHEN FORD  teamed up with Lotus Cars for a Total Performance assault on the Indianapolis 500, they hit a major snag with their new DOHC V-8 design, forcing them to use an aluminum version of the standard Fairlane small-block V-8 for 1963. To work out the disappointing results from the DOHC, they turned to a man with a half century of mechanical experience: Ed Winfield. Winfield’s name was synonymous with the Brickyard before the advent of fuel injection. Every Indy winner from 1927 to 1937 was equipped with his carburetor. At the same time, many homebuilt speed machines were running Winfield camshafts and cylinder heads. Even then, racers, both professional and amateur, were gaining the benefit of Winfield’s years of experience. Born in Flintridge, California, on…

I have always liked old automobiles, especially cars of the 1960s era. The Pontiacs, with their wide body, wide track, great lines and, best of all, the beautiful chrome-filled interiors and offset gauges, have always been my favorite of the era. This Grand Prix currently has about 54,000 miles on its odometer, but I do drive it about 1,000 miles a year. Apart from a hard to replace neutral safety switch, it has been extremely reliable. Of course, it does not go out unless the sun is shining! I also think the ‘62 Grand Prix is an awesome car, and someday I will have one with a four-speed.…

When Studebaker introduced the President luxury line in 1928, it shook up the very notion of what the name Studebaker meant. Efficiently priced, solidly built, and impeccably engineered, Studebakers made their owners look smart. But from 1928 through 1933, Studebaker produced the President, a powerful, long-wheelbase luxury model that today deserves to be uttered in the same breath as the finest cars of the era from Chrysler, Buick, Cadillac, Lincoln, and even Packard. The President drove the maker to a class not previously occupied by any other car to carry the Studebaker name. Like those other hallowed American marques, the President flaunted its reputation, not only with a robust and powerful engine under the hood, but also with more than a dash of style and a magnificent wallop of presence.…

“ A good used car is infinitely better than a cheap new one.” So was the advice to prospective customers by the Packard Motor Car Company of Boston in a sales folder it issued in 1939. The classified ad section at the backs of newspapers has historically been a good source of used cars for sale. Car dealers employed classified ads on a steady basis, but several in the New York metropolitan and Boston areas also had special folders printed that they would send out to customers. Rolls-Royce in New York City issued an annual Removal Sale used-car sales pamphlet that had photographs illustrating the wide variety of cars and body styles that it had on its lots that it had taken in on trade when its clients bought new…

Some enthusiasts, like Ronald Liska, just have a knack for restoring collector cars. A resident of Middletown, Connecticut, Ron has humbly built a résumé of award-winning work that has emerged from his home-based shop tucked within an oversized two-bay garage. Over the years, his carefully honed, unwavering talent has helped him resurrect several cars owned by friends, as well as his own, including this 1934 Ford Cabriolet. “A friend of mine knew of this car and said that it would be available if I was interested,” Ron tells us. “Apparently, the Cabriolet had been sitting in a garage in Stafford Springs for 30 years, but the owner wouldn’t sell it. When he passed away, his widow sold off parts of the collection, including this Ford.” The Cabriolet is relatively rare.…

PIERCE IS BACK IN ITS FOURTH YEAR as it introduces the new Arrow. Also available later this year is the Great Arrow, which seats five and has a four-cylinder 24/28 hp engine on a 93-inch wheelbase. Pierce automobiles still offers the 8-hp Stanhope as well. Pricing begins at $1,200. NATIONAL RETURNS WITH AN ASSORTMENT OF ELECTRIC vehicles, with five different runabouts. Each comes upholstered in elegant trimmed leather, and with a motor of improved design that gives you 2½ to 7½ horsepower, with push-button reverse and four forward and backward speeds. Gasoline models are now also available. Starting as low as $950. HENRY FORD STARTED THE YEAR SETTING THE WORLD RECORD FOR fastest one-mile straightaway in his famous “999,” and now his company brings you the Model “F.” Its two-cylinder…