Hemmings Classic Car July 2020

“I was finally able to read those ‘special’ articles that I put aside for one of life’s quieter moments.” Back in the ’60s, when my brothers and I used to watch The Twilight Zone on our Du Mont console television set, not for one moment did I ever believe that one day we would all be experiencing a real life Twilight Zone episode. I bet even Rod Serling wouldn’t have thought so. But we are. With everyone cooped up at home, it’s evident that the little things in life really matter, and in order to get through this difficult, distressing period we need to keep busy. Whether holed up in your garage working on automotive projects, completing those long-overdue house chores like painting or planing warped doors (that always seem…

Museums Come to You THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC TEMPORARILY CLOSED MANY BUSINESSES IN MARCH and April and classic car museums were no exception. The good news is that many museums now offer digital programs allowing for virtual visits through the internet. Among the institutions that are viewable and featuring interactive programs during social distancing are: The Henry Ford, the Mullin Automotive Museum, the Gilmore Car Museum, the Petersen Automotive Museum, the National Corvette Museum, the Lane Motor Museum, the AACA Museum, the World of Speed Motorsports Museum, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. Editor Matt Litwin summed up each museum’s virtual programs at www.hemmings.com/stories. Hudsons in Vermont MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR JULY 27-31 AS THE HUDSON-ESSEX-TERRAPLANE club hosts its 2020 International Meet in Burlington, Vermont. The New England Chapter invites you…

Please note that these events are active as of press time despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Please verify the status of these events before making plans to attend. 9-11 • Iola Car Show • Iola, Wisconsin 715-445-4000 • www.iolaoldcarshow.com 10 • Collector Car Appreciation Day Bennington, Vermont • 800-227-4373 www.hemmings.com 10-12 • Chrysler Nationals Carlisle, Pennsylvania • 717-243-7855 www.carlisleevents.com 14-19 • Nash Grand NASHional Frankenmuth, Michigan • 248-396-9136 www.nashcarclub.org 15-19 • VCCA Central Meet • Aurora, Ohio 703-232-3790 • www.vcca.org 18-23 • Model T Ford Club National Tour Spokane, Washington • 509-998-9927 www.mtfca.com 23-25 • AACA Grand National Allentown, Pennsylvania • 717-534-1910 www.aaca.org 24-25 • Somernites Cruise Truckin’ Nationals Somerset, Kentucky • 606-872-2277 www.somernitescruise.com 27-31 • HET Club International Meet Burlington, Vermont • 603-352-8752 www.hetclub.org 28-August 2 • Oldsmobile Club of America National Meet • Murfreesboro, Tennessee 517-663-1811 • www.oldsmobileclub.org…

EDITOR’S NOTE: In light of recent events,Lost & Found will showcase oddities investigated from the Hemmings Daily until further notice. Pedestrian Grinder FROM THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS’ WEBSITE CAME THIS MYSTERY PHOTOGRAPH with little context other than a date of October 11, 1922. From a car nut’s perspective, the only immediately evident aspect of the photo would be the Hispano-Suiza engine driving the propeller. Just about everything else, including the nature of the wagon, we put up for guesses at HMN.com/contact. The only real consensus about the vehicle is that it likely wasn’t meant to be propelled by the propeller, à la Marcel Leyat’s propeller cars. The lack of a visible steering apparatus means this thing was probably fixed to one spot while in operation. And besides, as Bill Hegerty…

RM Sotheby’s Online SLATED TO TAKE PLACE IN PALM BEACH PRIOR TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, RM SOTHEBY’S completed its March auction as an online-only event. The lots and bidding were staggered from March 20 to 28 with a sell-through of 69 percent at a total of $13.7 million in sales. Delving deeper into the numbers, American classics sold at 53 percent, with 36 cars changing hands at a total just short of $1.6 million. Among the top sales was this 1934 Packard Eight Dual-Cowl Sport Phaeton. One of just 40 built, this Depression Era Packard received a body-off restoration in the late 1970s and still remains in nice condition. Equipped with dual side-mount spares, wide whitewall tires, wind wings, dual chrome horns, spotlamp, rear luggage rack, and cormorant hood ornament,…

CAR 1957 Oldsmobile Fiesta Wagon AUCTIONEER RM Sotheby’s LOCATION Palm Beach, Florida (online) DATE March 20, 2020 LOT NUMBER 231 RESERVE None AVERAGE SELLING PRICE N/A SELLING PRICE $33,500 THE FUNCTIONAL AND SPACIOUS FIESTA wagons were capable of easily accommodating six passengers and featured nearly 65 cubic feet of cargo space with the versatile rear bench seat folded down. Styling included a wraparound windshield, split rear-opening tailgate, crisp lines, and well-lit and ventilated interior. These wagons were the first ones built after a seven-year hiatus. This Fiesta was powered by the vaunted Rocket V-8 and was mated to a Hydra-Matic transmission. The interior was complete and equipped with air conditioning. The odometer showed just under 98,000 miles on the classy oval instrument display. There were some minor imperfections in the…