Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2019 i Hemmings Classic Car

The start of a new model year used to be a BIG deal. Each fall in the 1930s, ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s, new-car dealers would smuggle in the next year’s models in the dark of night, stage them carefully on the showroom floor, and embargo any view of them before a certain date.Then, sometime in September or October, and amid much fanfare, the new-and-improved models would be revealed to the public. The result was many potential buyers physically on-site to view the new cars and (hopefully) a desirable front-loading of sales. The flip side of this, naturally, was a lull in off-the-street customers and thus in sales about midway through the model year. Roughly, this coincided with the end of winter, and it gave rise to “spring special” models that…

Collecting low-mileage original cars makes a lot of sense. A restored car never seems to quite capture the quality of an original factory build when it comes to the feel of the chassis, drivetrain, and even the fit-and-finish of the body. Something is always compromised or not quite right. Don’t get us wrong — restored cars are still loads of fun to drive and well worth owning, they’re just not the same. But what about cars that are unrestored but aren’t low-mileage? Or, regardless of mileage, cars that are no longer mechanically perfect? Take the 1939 Pontiac Deluxe Six shown here. It’s unrestored, sure, but it has hardly lived a pampered life. Its patina was earned the hard way — first by usage and then by sitting, exposed to the…

If you’re drawn to old cars, you’re almost certainly going to find yourself working on them. Whether out of necessity or desire, turning wrenches on vintage vehicles is part and parcel of ownership. Even those among us who can afford to have professionals handle restorations and rebuilds very often still want to have a space to maintain those hobby cars. But most of us won’t have access to commercial-style buildings in which to work — instead, we have to create suitable workshops from whatever garages came with our homes. If you’re a little more fortunate, you may have been able to erect a dedicated garage on your property just for old-car projects. In any case, the space is just the start — outfitting it is what turns it into a…

During March 1960, the citizens of Fort Wayne, Indiana, wondered what was going on. Manufacturing giant International Harvester had acquired a more than half-million-square-foot factory building next door to its existing truck plant and locals wondered why. After all, the company didn’t need additional space for the trucks it was producing. But International was readying a brand-new model for introduction as a 1961 and would build it in the new plant. The facility needed to be large because the new vehicle was expected to be a high-volume model. In fact, it became the most popular International of all. Debuted in the fall of 1960, the new product was a range of small utility vehicles dubbed the International Scout 80. A compact two-door utility car along the lines of the Jeep…

Founded in 1906 by its namesake Vincenzo Lancia, Lancia & C. Fabbrica Automobili pioneered many firsts in the industry: the first V-4 and V-6 engines commercially produced, the first unibody chassis, the first independent front suspension, the first five-speed gearbox, and so on. Though rarely clothed in bodywork that anyone would call stunning, Lancias were, instead, engineered to a far higher standard than their price point would indicate. Talk Lancias with anyone in the know, and the conversation quickly turns to how well engineered the cars were. We spoke with Santo Spadaro, who runs Dominick European Car Repair in White Plains, New York, along with his brother Frank and sister Vera. In the greater New York City area, Dominick (named by and for their father when he founded the business…

Norb Berres Machine Tool Technician IN THE EARLY 1960S I WAS A STUDENT in the Engineering School at Marquette University [in Milwaukee, Wisconsin]. During the summer break, I took a job at a small manufacturing company not far from the school. The company was owned by the widow of the founder and run by its vice president and his younger brother, all basically chiefs. I was to be the only Indian at that time. It made my job interesting because I needed to be involved in almost all phases of the company’s manufacturing operations. I chose to skip a year of school and stayed at this company, because I was actually learning much more than I would have been learning at school. I had gotten a fair amount of mechanical…

Washington Stumps for Route 66 A PAIR OF U.S. SENATORS HAVE INTRODUCED A BILL TO DESIGNATE ROUTE 66 a National Historic Trail, allowing the iconic road to receive long-term funding and facilitate its preservation. Senators Tom Udall (D-Utah) and Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) introduced the legislation that replicates the House version of the Route 66 National Historic Trail Designation Act that was put forth earlier this year. Should it pass the Senate, it could wind up on the president’s desk, cutting through a lot of the red tape of the earlier House version. At stake is a steady source of federal funding along the 2,400-mile route that opened in November of 1926, spanning from Chicago to Santa Monica. Duesenbergs on Display THE GILMORE CAR MUSEUM WILL celebrate one of the most…

McCormick in Palm Springs McCORMICK’S CLASSIC CAR AUCTIONS WRAPPED UP ITS 65TH PALM SPRINGS SALE THIS PAST November with a total of 520 vehicles crossing the block. Of those, 334 were sold, bringing the sell-through rate to a healthy 64.2 percent, and total sales eclipsed the $5.6-million mark. Among those cars that changed hands was this 1959 Chevrolet Corvette that featured a top-quality restoration. It was powered by a 245-hp/283-cu.in. V-8 and had both hard- and soft-tops. The final bid — and sale — for this solid-axle classic was tallied at $70,875. For more details on this and future auctions, be sure to visit McCormick’s site at www.classic-carauction.com. Dallas Dealings LEAKE FINISHED UP ANOTHER DALLAS auction last November, seeing more than $6.4 million in sales and 260-plus cars finding new…

Cadillac Style WWW.LENTINELLO.COM  • CADILLACSTYLEBOOKS@GMAIL.COM  • $35 (PLUS $3 S&H) From its earliest days, Cadillac strived to offer the very finest automobiles that General Motors could produce. It was that aspirational quality that hooked HCC editor Richard Lentinello on the cars bearing the wreath and crest at a young age, and inspired the creation of his latest book, Cadillac Style. In the first of what promises to be a series of volumes on this subject, Richard takes readers through nearly 100 years of Cadillac and La Salle history, focusing on their design, engineering, and ownership experience by highlighting 27 restored and original examples that range from a 1909 Model 30 Demi-Tonneau to a 1993 Allanté. Each car gets its own chapter, which is handsomely illustrated with unique photography, and the text…

I started out with a 1940 De Soto and now I’ve actually got four of them. What I wanted was something different when I went to car shows, and normally when I go, I’ve got probably the only De Soto. A lot of people have never seen a De Soto. They want to know who it was made by. They always ask a lot of questions about it. In our De Soto club there is just a handful of Coronados. There are only a very few ’55 De Sotos anyway, and most of those are not Coronados. We just love taking this car anywhere we go — sometimes we take two De Sotos, and my wife always wants to drive the ’55.…

There’s little debate that 1949 was a landmark year for Detroit, which poured sweeping mechanical and styling changes from its automotive factories by the cubic ton. History tells us, though, that Cadillac had a head start. Inspired by a sneak peek at the P-38 Lightning, Harley Earl’s stylists had drafted some of the fighter plane’s radical features into the division’s “Interceptor” concept exercises. After the end of hostilities, several Interceptor elements debuted on six of Cadillac’s 11 1948 models, most notably “rudder-type styling” adorning each rear fender. While the tailfin was intended to complement the graceful new look of the Cadillac, it effectively stole the show when it appeared at dealerships in March 1948. A year later, the styling was joined by the division’s high-compression 331-cu.in. overhead-valve V-8 engine. All…

Automotive history has been written every single day since the first person dreamed of a vehicle that moved under its own power. Much of that history would have gone by, unrecognized, unrecorded, and never shared, had it not been for efforts by members of the Society of Automotive Historians. That group, now 800 strong and this year celebrating its founding a half-century ago, is owed a nearly unimaginable debt, for its collective work has enabled the very magazine you’re reading right now, and every other serious automotive publication that has informed and entertained readers for the past six decades or more. Let’s travel to that world-famous classic-car destination of Hershey, specifically to the Antique Automobile Club of America’s annual Fall Meet. Since the mid-1950s, this Pennsylvania town has been a…

CAR: 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible AUCTIONEER: RM Sotheby’s LOCATION: Petersen Museum, Los Angeles, California DATE: December 8, 2018 LOT NUMBER: 187 RESERVE: None AVERAGE SELLING PRICE: $225,000 SELLING PRICE: $324,000 THE ELDORADO SUB-SERIES OF 1959 WAS made up of the Seville hardtop, Brougham hardtop, and the luxurious Biarritz convertible. Only 1,320 Biarritz’s were made this year, and what was viewed as over-the-top styling back then has become a symbol of Cadillac’s late ’50s power, luxury, and beauty that has become synonymous with the marque today. This head-turner featured state-of-the-art items of the time including Autronic-Eye, heater, fog lamps, air suspension, and power everything. The engine was the enlarged Q-code 390-cu.in. V-8 with three two-barrel Rochester carbs mated to a three-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmission. The smooth black paint over red…

Radial Expansion COKER TIRE • 800-251-6336 • WWW.COKERTIRE.COM  • $206/EACH (BLACKWALL); $247/EACH (WHITEWALL) American Classic Bias Look Radial tires offer upgraded radial performance while maintaining a bias-ply appearance. Now available for select late 1920-’30s automobiles, the 475/500R19 and 440/450R21 tires feature a vintage-style tread pattern and smooth sidewall with the same sizing but leave off the letter “R” for radial construction. DOT and ECE approved, the R19 tire is designed for 1930-’31 Model A Fords with fitment for others such as Dodge, De Soto, Essex, and more; the R21 fits 1926-’29 Ford cars and trucks, as well as 1926-’28 Chevrolet cars and others. Portable Power JUMPSMART • 855-843-4828 • WWW.THEJUMPSMART.COM  • $159.99 When you need extra power, the JumpSmart vehicle jump-starter may be just the ticket. This high-powered unit is equipped with an LED…

Although it’s impossible to know the exact amount, unquestionably there’s a finite number of original old cars left in the world. Being the custodians that we are, it is our responsibility to save as many original cars as we can and preserve them so future generations will be able to see firsthand exactly how these automobiles appeared when they rolled off the assembly line for the first time. Sadly, with each passing year the remaining number of original collector cars gets reduced; while some are destroyed in accidents, the majority of them are mainly ruined through unnecessary restorations. Thankfully, after way too many decades of unwarranted restorations and repaints, simply because the cars weren’t “perfect” for their owners, that mindset has now changed. As a result, the fastest growing trend…

At the New York World’s Fair on April 17, 1964, Ford launched the Mustang, which has since become an automotive legend that remains in production today. It was sporty and affordable, and it arrived just as an influx of baby boomers were entering the new-car market. Dealerships were inundated with customers, and the resulting orders totaled 22,000 that first day. There was also a barrage of print and TV ads, the covers of Time and Newsweek featured Ford Vice President, Division General Manager, and champion of the Mustang Lee Iacocca, a Tiffany Award for “Excellence in Design” was received, and more. In May, the Mustang paced the Indianapolis 500. Though it featured conventional engineering primarily from the Falcon, the Mustang excelled in styling with its modern long-hood/short-deck theme, taut lines,…

48 INNER SANCTUM 58 OUTFITTING INSIGHTS NEXT MONTH’S SPECIAL SECTION IN HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR: ENJOYING YOUR COLLECTOR CAR ADVERTISER DEADLINE: 1/14/19 A garage — a good garage — is more than simply a place to store a car, its varied extra and replacement parts, and its associated revitalizing fluids. It goes beyond mere structure, more than protection. It strives to exceed the drab basics — three walls, an opening door, a roof, and big enough to hold a car inside. It’s an oasis from the outside world, keeping everything from weather to prying eyes far away. Yet, at the same time, a garage should be welcoming and wondrous, as well as a place where, on occasion, automotive-related work can be performed. What makes a great garage? It has to be…

Doing what I call a “concours restoration” on a car that’s been restored once is almost more difficult; you have to be careful to preserve what doesn’t require work while addressing areas that do. To that point, my advice to anyone considering the same body-on-frame approach is to begin with a car that has a minimal amount of modifications — or ideally, none at all. Start at the front bumper and work back, documenting every variance and issue that needs to be fixed, and put it together in an itemized checklist. Allow for a variance in your budget — because there’s always something that pops up that wasn’t accounted for — and then start at it.…

There are frills on modern trucks that would’ve been unimaginable just a few decades ago (We’re looking at you, power retracting running boards). But there’s a serious emphasis on utility today, too. New trucks are more powerful than ever for hauling and towing, yet easier on a gallon of gas. They drive down the highway like big sedans, yet remain capable off road. They’re also loaded with neat places to store stuff and offer options that make life on the job site easier than ever. But what if we were to travel back in time to the real no-frills days — say, almost 100 years ago — and build a prewar interpretation of today’s light-duty trucks? A plush but practical light hauler that used the technology and materials available at…

It’s a dream come true for many hardcore imported-car enthusiasts: Pick up your new sports car at the factory and experience it on the roads it was designed for. For a dedicated Porschephile, that means a trip to the German city of Stuttgart, home of Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, and the chance to drive on the Autobahn. Such an enviable adventure would be the start of a decades-long connection between a 1987 911 Carrera Targa and its owner, and that relationship remains as durable as the largely hand-built car itself. Vincent Ponzo was driving a Triumph TR4 when he bought his first Porsche in 1969, on impulse. “It was a moment of envy,” he admits. “I discovered a coworker driving a 1965 356, and thought, ‘He doesn’t make more money than…

THE CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO IS A TOTAL AUTOMOBILE, WITH A RIDE AND HANDLING UNLIKE any other. The 250-hp V-8 comes standard, with Chevy’s full line of engine options available if you are looking for more performance. The comforts of the interior include soft vinyl and deep padding you would be proud to decorate your home with. The simplified instrument panel is highly visible, so you get the most out of your ride. The new Monte Carlo stickers for as low as $3,123. SALES RACE (total model-year production) 1. Ford ............................2,096,383 2. Chevrolet .....................1,644,229 3. Plymouth ........................747,508 4. Pontiac...........................690,953 5. Buick .............................666,501 6. Oldsmobile......................634,981 7. Dodge ............................532,657 8. Mercury ..........................324,716 9. AMC ...............................242,664 10. Cadillac.........................238,744 CHAMPIONS Indy 500 ...................................................................Al Unser (155.749 mph)Daytona 500.......................................................Pete Hamilton (149.601 mph)F1 ...........................................................................Jochen Rindt (45 points) FORD’S…