Hemmings Classic Car January 2019

It’s like our very own high school reunion for old-car guys, except we get to attend this reunion every year. Just got back from having another great time at Hershey. This was my 35th year attending the AACA’s Eastern Division National Fall Meet, and while the event is no longer the same as it once was, it’s still an enjoyable experience to be there. With Hershey being the last major collector-car event of the season, what better way to enter winter hibernation than enjoying brisk autumn days walking among old car parts, searching for automobilia, hunting down car books, and seeing many interesting cars for sale, the likes of which you won’t find at most other swap meets? The car corral alone was packed with some 1,000 cars and trucks…

Online Junkyard HOT ROD BUILDER VERN TARDEL IS OPENING A NEW ONLINE JUNKYARD TO SELL HIS several-acre collection of old-car parts. Vern has been collecting old iron from Ford and other makes over the past five decades and is now offering items to restorers, builders, and hot rodders. The junkyard is located in Santa Rosa, California, and hard-to-find items of all types are available, including electrical components, lights, sheet metal, moldings, trim, carburetors, accessories, horns, gauges, and ignitions and more. Most of the parts range from 1924-1975, and most pricing includes shipping to the lower 48 states. To see what is available, visit www.vernsjunkyard.com. Tampa Debut THE FIRST CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE TO take place in Tampa Bay is scheduled for April 13 at the Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. The Gasparilla Concours…

6 • Freeman’s Super Sunday Swap Meet Indianapolis, Indiana • 317-296-0336 www.freemanssupersunday.com 6 • Sumter Swap Meet Bushnell, Florida • 727-848-7171 www.floridaswapmeets.com 12 • Model A & T Swap Meet Shepherdsville, Kentucky • 502-543-4189 www.mafca.com 18-20 • Auto Mania Swap Meet Allentown, Pennsylvania • 717-243-7855 www.carlisleevents.com 19-20 • Autoparts Swap n’ Sell West Springfield, Massachusetts • 860-871-6376 www.apswapnsell.com 19-20 • Nashville Auto Fest Nashville, Tennessee • 502-893-6731 www.nashvilleautofest.com 25-27 • Grand National Roadster Show Pomona, California • 877-763-7469 www.rodshows.com 26-27 • Turlock Swap Meet Turlock, California • 209-571-1232 www.turlockswapmeet.com…

RE: WDAF Packard WHILE THE HISTORY OF WDAF’S PACKARD-BASED BROADCAST UNIT (SEE HCC #169) remains far from certain, we did hear from Gregg Merksamer and George Hamlin at the Professional Car Society regarding a very similar Henney-bodied Packard. Built in 1948 for WOW-TV of Omaha, Nebraska, “this fascinating vehicle employed a model 14800-L landau hearse body finished without quarter panel S-irons but fitted with both a rooftop TV camera platform and novel neon sign above the windshield that proclaimed the station’s call letters,” Gregg wrote. While Gregg takes that information as proof Henney built more than one such broadcast unit, George said he’s inclined to believe WOW sold its unit to WDAF. RE: Mars Express FINALLY,WE’RE STILL GATHERING WHATEVER BITS OF INFORMATION COME OUR way regarding…

Barrett-Jackson in Vegas BARRETT-JACKSON HAD A HUGE haul in Las Vegas in late September, selling 733 vehicles at no reserve for a total figure of $32.9 million. Among the sales were some charity vehicles, including this fully restored 1956 Ford Thunderbird that generated proceeds for the American Heart Association and Regional West Foundation. The final bid brought in $295,000 for the two charities. Full results are now available at www.barrett-jackson.com. Cadillac Bounty at Mecum MECUM JUST CONCLUDED ITS AUCTION IN DALLAS,TEXAS, which included a nice Cadillac collection from Bill’s Backyard Classics. Bill’s is a family-friendly museum based out of Amarillo, Texas, and the no-reserve sale featured a variety of Cadillacs from the 1940s to the mid-1970s. Twenty-five Cadillacs found new homes, selling for a combined $254,100. Among those available was…

CAR: 1957 MERCURY TURNPIKE CRUISER AUCTIONEER: RM SOTHEBY’S LOCATION: AUBURN, INDIANA DATE: AUGUST 30, 2018 LOT NUMBER: 2179 RESERVE: NONE CONDITION: 3+ AVERAGE SELLING PRICE: $22,000 SELLING PRICE: $25,850 THIS TURNPIKE CRUISER CAME WITH ALL power items in 1957. Its interesting styling included air ducts on top of the windshield, overhanging roof with retractable rear window, and gold inserts that ran the length of the sculpted rear fenders. The four-door hardtop sedan was the most common body style that year, with 8,305 produced. This particular Mercury had been a part of the Shrine of the Holy Grille, known for its large collection of Edsels among other FoMoCo cars. The subject of an older restoration, this Turnpike Cruiser still had a brilliant two-tone scheme in Sunset Orchid over Classic White. This…