Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2022 i Hemmings Classic Car

“All these years later, I recall being astonished at just how quiet the interior of that Coupe de Ville was” A recent conversation turned to luxury cars, and what made for the best ones. The group I was chatting with included some guys in their early 30s, and there was plenty of talk about European sedans, like the S-Class Mercedes, BMW 7-Series, Audi A8, and so on. It struck me that no one mentioned Cadillac, the marque that was long synonymous with plush motoring in this country. The omission made clear to me that the qualities considered essential for a properly posh vehicle have shifted over the years. Back when I was a kid, still too young to drive, it seemed like Cadillacs were fairly common on the roads, though…

3-6 • Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance Amelia Island, Florida 904-636-0027 • ameliaconcours.org 6 • Sumter Swap Meet • Bushnell, Florida 727-848-7171 • floridaswapmeets.com 10-12 • AACA Western Spring Nationals Henderson, Nevada • 717-534-1910 • aaca.org 12-13 • Kyana Auto Swap Meet Louisville, Kentucky 502-619-2917 • kyanaswapmeet.com 18-19 • Corvette Expo Pigeon Forge, Tennessee 865-687-3976 • corvetteexpo.com 20-26 • AACA Founders Tour • Mobile, Alabama/Biloxi, Mississippi • 717-534-1910 • aaca.org 25-27 • Turkey Run • Daytona Beach, Florida 386-767-9070 • turkeyrun.com 27 • Minuteman Model A Ford Club Swap Meet Maynard, Massachusetts • 508-561-3977 • oilleak.org 31-4/2 • The Texas Packard Association Meet Salado, Texas • 832-905-3904 • texaspackardmeet.org Please note that these events are active as of press time despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We recommend you verify the status…

“What if Studebaker reintroduced Packard in 1962 as a high-priced coupe called the Balboa?” I think by now most readers realize I’m a bit obsessed with the idea that some of the independent automakers might have been saved if only someone had made the effort. What if Nash had partnered with Packard instead of Hudson? Or if Studebaker merged with International Harvester? What if Kaiser developed its own V-8 instead of squandering its money bringing out the Henry J? Today, I’d like you to consider a different scenario: What if Studebaker reintroduced Packard in 1962 as a highpriced coupe called the Balboa? Which, as one reader showed me, could have been done easily and inexpensively if only someone had tried it. The Balboa name already had some history with Packard.…

Even though Cadillac’s lineup was all new for 1971, it remained distinctively Cadillac. The generous proportions, the toothy grille, the clean flanks, the subtle fins—you could never mistake it for anything else. The Calais (available as a two-door or four-door hardtop) was the entry-level ’71 Cadillac; from there you stepped up to the de Ville (Coupe or hardtop Sedan, depending on the number of doors you choose). The two-door Calais had a unique roofline but both Calais and De Ville rode a 130-inch wheelbase. The Fleetwood Sixty Special Brougham, at 133 inches between the wheel centers, was a pillared-sedan-only proposition. The Fleetwood 75, with its 151.5-inch wheelbase, was a full-on limousine, with strictly limited production. The lineup held until 1975, when the Fleetwood Sixty Special was renamed the Fleetwood Brougham,…

MECUM WRAPPED UP ITS 2021 SEASON WITH AUCTIONS IN CHICAGO AND KANSAS CITY. The Schaumburg Convention Center just outside of Chicago hosted an event that delivered $21.7 million in sales and a sell-through rate of 83 percent. Diving into the numbers and looking at American classics and collectibles up to 1960, the sell-through rate was 73.2 percent, with overall sales reaching $2.46 million. Among the lots to sell were a pair of 1951 Frazers. First, a Manhattan sedan—thought to be one of 152 made for 1951—crossed the block. It was powered by a 226-cu.in. six-cylinder mated to an automatic transmission. Finished in green with a green interior, it had a split bench seat and pushbutton radio, and it rode on wide whitewall tires; the Manhattan sold for $37,400. The other…

HEMMINGS AUCTIONS IS OUR LIVE, ONLINE AUCTION SITE STAFFED BY customer service professionals ready to help bidders and sellers with any questions. A wide variety of classic and specialty vehicles from all eras are up for bid. Auctions run for two weeks, and qualified bidders place their bids electronically. Once a vehicle is accepted into the auction, the seller pays only a $99.95 listing fee. The winning bidder is responsible for a 5-percent fee on all completed auctions. The following are examples of auctions that transpired during the month leading up to press time. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, email Director of Auction Operations Terry Shea: terryshea@hemmings.com. 1966 AUSTIN-HEALEY 3000 MK III Reserve: $56,500 Selling Price: $60,375 Recent Market Range: $57,150-$72,540 Compared to the Sprite, the Big Healey…

THE GRADY COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS IN CHICKASHA, Oklahoma, marks the location of the 32nd Annual Chickasha International Pre-War Swap Meet, where hobbyists from the East and West come together to share their love of old cars. The meet is well known for its impressive selection of Brass-Era parts and automobiles, and all items sold must range from 1895-1945. Located near Oklahoma City, this event provides a great opportunity to locate hard-to-find items if you’re unable to make Hershey or the other antique and classic car swap meets around the coasts. The fairgrounds have more than 500 indoor spaces available with plenty more spots outdoors, so rain or shine, this is a great opportunity find old parts. The Sooner State swap meet takes place March 18-19; visit pwsm.com for more information.…

Cadillac didn’t build its renowned image on the “Standard of the World” tagline. Instead, that bold phrase was earned through decades of superb engineering and elegant styling—qualities that continued to set Cadillac cars apart from what remained of the true domestic competition in the luxury market at the dawn of the Sixties. Cadillac’s reputation was unwavering and uncompromising, and the company was supremely confident. It should have been after 60 years of business. The 1962 Eldorado Biarritz convertible depicted here is tangible proof of Cadillac’s prowess at that time. It’s currently under the care of Hershey, Pennsylvania’s Hank Hallowell, and is one of 1,450 built during the model year. Hank recently described it as, “The most beautiful Cadillac ever produced in the modern era.” That’s another bold statement, since the…

AFTER GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL in 1968, I got a job at a paper mill in the Delray section of Detroit. Shortly after starting, I was passed over for a job I was qualified for, so I quit. A short time later, a friend and I applied for jobs at Chrysler Trenton Engine, where his brother worked. After filling out applications and taking physicals, we were asked if we wanted to start work that day; we both said yes. I reported for work that afternoon and a foreman told me I would be working in his department, machining six-cylinder heads. My first job was loading a conveyor with heads that came directly from the two foundries that Chrysler owned. I was shown how to use the electric hoist to load the…

RM SOTHEBY’S FINISHED ITS 15TH-ANNUAL LONDON AUCTION IN NOVEMBER, DURING THE London Motor Week, with an impressive array of exotic and foreign cars offered for sale. The auction grossed $10.3 million in overall sales, with a sell-through of 63.4_percent. One of the stars of the event was this 1928_Mercedes-Benz 630K. Chassis number_35861 featured the four-passenger Tourenwagen (touring car) body by Sindelfingen. Everything was thought to be original down to the side curtains, though the description hinted that the top may have been replaced early in the car’s life. It was also believed that the 630—built with the supercharged “K” engine—had been in the same family for more than nine decades. The unrestored car spent much of its time in Spain and had unusual touches, including some bullet holes from the…

IN OTHER EXPANDING COLLECTION NEWS, THE AACA MUSEUM INC. HAS RECENTLY added a 1940 Ford De Luxe convertible. The car was donated by Roberta Sliker, in loving memory of her husband Roger Sliker. Roger paid just $400 for the Ford in 1969, after it had been off the road for 12 years. When he acquired it, it had no front fenders, engine, seats, or bumpers, but it did have plenty of rust. Though he owned it for several decades, he didn’t begin restoration until 2010. Unfortunately, Roger was not able to finish the restoration, bringing it to the primer phase before dying from cancer. Roberta and friends took the baton and installed the parts that had been ordered, including trim, door handles, window mechanisms, and wiring. Slowly the De Luxe…

“Fields’ automotive antics flooded my mind when we ran across a 1928 La Salle pouring out of a trailer…” There have been many comedic talents, but arguably one of the giants of his day was William Claude Dukenfield, known to most by the stage name W.C. Fields. He was a man who claimed to have been born over a bar in a poor district of Philadelphia, was believed to dislike kids and dogs, rumored to have more than 500 bank accounts under false names across the globe, and who had an infamous love for the drink. The only problem with the perpetually beleaguered curmudgeon we saw on film was that Fields—as Simon Louvish stated in his investigative biography of the former Vaudevillian, Man on The Flying Trapeze; The Life and…

General Motors in the 20th century was the master of platform sharing. When fuel-economy concerns dictated a general downsizing of full-size American cars in the 1970s, GM performed its final wholesale redesign of its traditional B and C platforms, which had been the mainstay of the company since the 1920s. Both retained construction then typical of an American car: rear-wheel drive, body on frame, and an available V-8 engine. The C platform, used under bigger, more luxurious cars like the Oldsmobile 98, Buick Electra, Cadillac De Ville and its upscale twin, the Brougham, was essentially a stretched version of the B, itself underpinning the Chevrolet Caprice/Impala, Pontiac Bonneville/Catalina, Oldsmobile Delta 88, and Buick Le Sabre. As the nameplates imply, these were the most typical of GM’s offerings in the era…

AS NOTED IN LAST MONTH’S ISSUE, RM SOTHEBY’S HOSTED ITS 15THannual sale at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on October 7-8, held in conjunction with the AACA’s famed Eastern Division Fall Meet. As has been the case since the auction’s inception, RM Sotheby’s curated a two-volume catalog of vehicles, spanning eight decades, for registered in-person and online or phone bidders. In total, there were 134 automotive lots complemented by 71 automobilia lots, the former category dominated by a wide array of icons from the prewar era. It was no surprise, then, to see Full Classics and Brass-Era cars dominate the top 10 sales results, led by a 1931 Duesenberg Model J Roadster—known as Green Hornet—that realized $1,650,000. The highly desirable Full Classic was followed by a 1935 Auburn Eight…

3 • Bonhams Amelia Island, Florida 323-850-7500 • bonhams.com 4 • Gooding & Company Amelia Island, Florida 310-899-1960 • goodingco.com 5 • RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island, Florida 772-219-9215 • rmsothebys.com 16-19 • Mecum Glendale, Arizona 262-275-5050 • mecum.com 25-26 • RM Sotheby’s Fort Lauderdale, Florida 772-219-9215 • rmsothebys.com 31-4/2 • Mecum Houston, Texas 262-275-5050 • mecum.com Please note that these events are active as of press time despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We recommend you verify the status before making plans to attend.…

“We loved cars, and we enjoyed the challenge of fixing them. It didn’t occur to us that we didn’t know how.” I was a tall, skinny guy in high school, and not very effective at defending myself. But I didn’t need to be because my best friend, Rick, was formidable. He was my height, but had hands like baseball mitts, 17-inch biceps, and could bench press 170 pounds. I had 11-inch pipe-stem arms, like the wimp in the Charles Atlas ads. Neither of us took auto shop because it wasn’t offered where we went to school, but we were blessed, because we lived in a workingclass neighborhood filled with machinists who built airplanes at Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach, California, a mile from where we lived. Many of our families…