Hemmings Classic Car September 2018

“As soon as I laid eyes on it — even though the front clip had been removed and there was no interior — I knew I was going to buy it.” After a long, dreary winter, when that first warm, sunny weekend hit in late March, my wife and I couldn’t get out of the house fast enough. We spent the day in nearby Sturbridge, in south-central Massachusetts, looking for vintage furniture at the many antique shops there. By the end of the day, I bought not only a Hitchcock nightstand that I’ve long been looking for, but, unexpectedly, a 1961 Pontiac Ventura “bubbletop.” So, there I was, head deep in a vendor’s stall looking at old stuff when a voice behind me said, “Don’t bother looking for Pontiac parts;…

Corvair Museum Home THE CORVAIR MUSEUM HAS FOUND A NEW HOME WITH HELP FROM THE CHEVROLET Hall of Fame Museum. As of its May Grand Opening, the 9,000-square-foot museum is now located at its new facility in Decatur, Illinois. Everything you could imagine from Chevrolet’s famous air-cooled car is on display and guaranteed to hit home with Corvair owners and fans. The museum is now able to exhibit its entire collection for the first time. A selection of cars covering almost every model year is shown alongside engines, literature, and artwork. The museum is maintained by the Corvair Preservation Foundation. Visit their website at www.corvair.org and click on the “Preservation Foundation” link for operating hours and donation information. AAA Glidden Tour THE BONNEVILLE REGION OF THE VINTAGE MOTOR Car Club…

8/25-9/2 • Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Festival Auburn, Indiana • 260-925-3600 www.acdfestival.org 8/26 • Geneva Concours d’Elegance Geneva, Illinois • 630-584-3107 www.genevaconcours.net 2 • Sumter Swap Meet Bushnell, Florida • 727-848-7171 www.floridaswapmeets.com 6-9 • Charlotte AutoFair Concord, North Carolina • 704-841-1990 www.charlotte-autofair.com 7-9 • Springfield Swap Meet & Car Show Springfield, Ohio • 937-376-0111 www.ohioswapmeet.com 8 • A Day in the Park Car Show Redlands, California • 909-793-2345 www.youthhope.org/fundraisers/carshow 14-15 • Annual Car Show Old Orchard Beach, Maine • 207-934-2500 www.oldorchardbeachmaine.com 14-16 • Hemmings Concours d’Elegance Lake George, New York • 800-227-4373 www.hemmings.com 16 • Dayton Concours d’Elegance Dayton, Ohio • 937-866-2222 www.daytonconcours.com 19-22 • Petit Jean Antique Auto Swap Meet Morrilton, Arkansas • 501-727-5427 www.museumofautos.com 20-23 • Corvette Funfest Effingham, Illinois • 866-309-3973 www.corvettefunfest.com 22-23 • Michigan Antique Swap Meet Midland, Michigan…

Oldsmobed “SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE PUT A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT INTO THIS RIDE,” Joe Martin of Louisa, Virginia, said about the 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Special Edition that he owns. Just who that someone was, however, Joe doesn’t know. What he does know is that he bought the pickup from a fellow Virginian who bought it 18 years prior from a car lot that specialized in muscle cars in California. Along with the pickup came a notarized statement from a previous owner named Gordon Hantschel claiming that the pickup was built by Oldsmobile as a concept car. “The model was never produced and this car is the only one in existence,” according to the statement. Of course, it takes little imagination to add an Oldsmobile nose, dash, and wheels to a…

Mecum Spring Results MECUM HAS FINISHED ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL AUCTION IN INDIANA THIS PAST MAY WITH A 24-percent increase in sales from its 2017 event, making this year’s the highest selling auction in its Spring Classic history. The six-day event raked in $69.4 million in total sales, with over 1,400 cars changing hands for a sell-through rate of 76 percent. There were some fine cars available for every kind of budget, and there was a nice selection of classics that didn’t break the bank. This nice 1958 Lincoln Continental Mark III featured a 430/375-hp V-8 with automatic, and had a straight and clean body, floors, and trunk. The car was believed to have only 29,000 miles and had a new top. When it was all finished, the high bid rang home…

CAR: 1957 Buick Century 2-Door Riviera AUCTIONEER: RM Sotheby’s LOCATION: Auburn, Indiana DATE: May 12, 2018 LOT NUMBER: 5014 CONDITION: #3 RESERVE: None AVERAGE SELLING PRICE: $30,000 SELLING PRICE: $26,400 THE BUICK CENTURY WAS BROUGHT BACK in 1954 for the first time in the postwar era. Buick combined its small-bodied Special with its powerful 322-cu.in. V-8 engine in hopes of making an attractive performance-oriented car. By 1957, Buick had increased the engine to 364 cubic inches, which allowed it to produce 300 horsepower. It was very similar to the Special, but adorned with an extra VentiPort, different trim, and a nicer interior that included nylon/Cordaveen combinations and Cordaveen with leather. This second-generation Century had the correct 300-hp engine and dual exhaust with an automatic transmission. It was finished in two-tone…