Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2022 i Hemmings Classic Car

“To the untrained eye, there was plenty of rust to be seen in those derelict hulks, but really, much of it was superficial.” Recently, I came across several videos online showing collections of vintage cars languishing in Texas fields that were being parsed off. In each case, these troves represented years of gathering, some that seemed intended to save the vehicles for later restoration and some that were essentially auto graveyards, aimed at salvaging parts. The degree to which the cars had deteriorated varied but given the age of so many of them—from the early ’70s, back to the ’20s in some cases—I was astounded to see so much vintage steel still intact. Much of what was being sold off or scrapped in those Texas hoards would likely be considered…

3 • Sumter Swap Meets Bushnell, Florida 727-848-7171 • floridaswapmeets.com 7-10 • Charlotte AutoFair Concord, North Carolina 704-841-1990 • charlotte-autofair.com 8-10• Lincoln & Continental Owner’s Club Tri-Regional Show • La Grange, Texas 713-465-3603 • elforbes07@gmail.com 20-24• Spring Carlisle Carlisle, Pennsylvania 717-243-7855 • carlisleevents.com 22-24• Spring Jefferson Auto Swap Meet & Car Show • Jefferson, Wisconsin 608-244-8416 • madisonclassics.com 28-30• Pate Swap Meet Fort Worth, Texas 713-649-0922 • pateswapmeet.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.…

’57 Trunk Trim DANCHUK MANUFACTURING 800-648-9554 • DANCHUK.COM • $257.45 Spruce up your 1957 Chevrolet with these new, made in the USA anodized rear deck moldings. The parts, which were unavailable for years, install across the bottom of the trunk lid and rear filler panels. They fit all 1957 Chevys except for wagons, Nomads, and sedan deliveries. Both silver and gold finishes are available, and each kit includes hardware for do-it-yourself installation. Call and ask about p/n 535 and 535G. Chevy Truck Clusters CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS • 800-575-0461 CLASSICINSTRUMENTS.COM STARTING AT $995 New instrument clusters are now available for 1960-’63 Chevy trucks. Each is a direct fit and completely electric for easy installation. Clusters use the existing factory bezel to maintain that stock look, and the kits come with a snapin…

“The design was never used, probably because the company’s finances were stretched at the time…” Ed Anderson was annoyed. As the head of Nash Styling, his job was to oversee all automotive styling efforts at the company. However, Nash-Kelvinator Executive Vice President George Romney, under orders from CEO George Mason, had hired Italian designer “Pinin” Farina to design Nash’s most expensive automobile, the Nash-Healey sports car. Not surprisingly, Farina ended up doing an excellent job. His 1952-’54 Nash-Healey was beautiful; even Anderson had to admit that, but darn it all, it wasn’t a product of the company’s in-house design studios. So, although no one in management had requested he come up with a design for a “next generation” of Nash-Healeys, Anderson decided to create one to see if he could…

AFTER SEVERAL STELLAR ROUNDS OF SALES LAST SPRING AND SUMMER, Mecum Auctions began early fall with its first-ever event in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on October 15-16, 2021. The auction was held in conjunction with what was effectively—due to the pandemic conditions of 2020—the second-annual Chattanooga Motorcar Festival. Thus, the setting was ideal for in-person bidding and spectating alike, with all attendees witnessing a catalog of 543 vehicles cross the block at the city’s convention center. Leading the charge to the top of the sales chart was a 2021 Mercedes-Benz G550 “Brabus Edition” that realized $302,500, followed by an LS3-powered—albeit stock-ish looking—1958 Chevrolet Corvette that brought $264,000. Another restomod Corvette, a 1963 split window coupe, netted third overall with a sale price of $214,500. A fast Ford raced its way into fourth:…

“I live in the past, it is true. And what’s more, I like to see it, feel it, and be part of it…” I still own a tiny chess set that my father had in World War II, when he was a radioman on a destroyer. The little wooden folding board is about 6 x 6 inches in size, and it has a tiny hole in each square to accommodate the pegs on the bottoms of the pieces. It also has a big coffee stain across the board from when his ship was in a typhoon off of Japan in 1944. My pop was a good chess player. I never beat him even once. I cherish this memento because it reminds me of him, and it is also an artifact…

LINCOLNS OF ALL ERAS ARE ENCOURAGED TO VISIT PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, this May to be a part of the Lincoln & Continental Owner’s Club Western National Meet. It will take place at the Desert Princess Country Club and Golf Course, and the five-day event will be centered on the Double Tree Hotel next to the country club. In addition to the car show, there will be technical seminars with “The Lincoln Whisperer,” noted expert John Kiszla, ready to divulge tips and secrets to make your Lincoln perform its best. Convertible tops, A/C systems, and general repairs are on the agenda, as is a Q&A session. Tours are being planned to show off some of the area’s private collections and houses of the stars, and there will also be a silent…

THE STUDEBAKER NATIONAL MUSEUM announced a GoFundMe campaign to restore its 1951_Studebaker Commander “Muppet Car.” The hope is to bring the Commander back to its original cinematic condition, as it appeared in the 1979 feature The Muppet Movie. In the film, the car took Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear on a cross-country adventure, but when the production ended, the Commander sat parked on the Warner Brothers backlot. In 2004, it made its way to the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana, where it was gifted to the facility by members of the Studebaker’s Drivers Club’s Orange Empire Chapter, in care of Richard and Phyllis Holcomb. To match its on-screen appearance, the Commander will be refinished in its custom paint scheme, and it will be driveable. Special-effects modifications, needed…

I ENJOYED THE 1969 MERCURY Cougar article in the December 2021 issue (HCC #207). The mention in the piece of the optional CJ (Cobra Jet) 428 engine brought to mind a car about which I have mixed emotions even now, some 52 years after I first laid eyes on it. In the spring of 1969, while having my 1967 English Ford Cortina GT serviced at Northside Lincoln-Mercury in Minneapolis, I wandered into the showroom to kill a little time. There, among the various 1969 Mercury and Lincoln models, was a 1968 Cougar XR-7 finished in what the window sticker called Lime Frost Poly. First off, it seemed strange to see what was obviously a new 1968 automobile on the dealership floor in April, 1969. But what really caught my eye…

“Catalina, Holiday, Hollywood, Panama… even Willys Bermuda: such carefree names!” How many prestigious, high-line hardtop body styles morphed into common, low-price trim levels after World War II… and into the 1970s? Consider the sales agreement for this 1957 Pontiac. It was my father’s Carib Coral (pink) and Chateau Gray demonstrator when he was sales manager at Widdis-Nielsen Pontiac in 1957. When he left, under pleasant terms, he bought his “demo” wholesale, using his residual dealer name and address. Hobbyists familiar with 1950s models might question the possibility of this car being a Super Chief and a Catalina and a sedan, but that is the correct nomenclature for a 1957 Super Chief four-door hardtop… and an example of a hardtop body style that became a trim level. That’s because Catalina denoted…

In the late 1950s and early ’60s, it was the full-size cars offered by the Big Three manufacturers that kept enthusiasts coming back for more. By 1960, the intermediates were still a few years away from entering production and Ford was now offering the less-than-thrilling compact Falcon, but with models like the Galaxie Sunliner and Starliner, there was still plenty to get excited about within the Blue Oval camp. When Robert Fuchs, a self-employed farmer from Arlington, Nebraska, first began seeing ads for the Ford Starliner, it was love at first sight. “I graduated from Arlington High School in May of 1961 and decided to treat myself to a graduation present by ordering a new Starliner,” Robert recalls. “Dad and I went to Diers Ford in Fremont, Nebraska, and we…

THE FINAL EDITION OF RM SOTHEBY’S ONLINE-ONLY OPEN ROADS AUCTION TOOK PLACE IN December 2021, with sales reaching $2.7 million and a sell-through of 80 percent. More than 60 cars were available, and among those to find a new home was a 1961 Imperial Crown convertible. It was part of a Swedish collection for the last quarter-century, and it was thought to be one of 429 produced that model year. The thorough restoration saw the body removed from the frame and stripped to bare metal. The parts used were NOS, sourced from the U.S., and some of the interior included donated parts from other Imperial Crowns. The 413-cu.in. V-8 engine and TorqueFlite transmission were rebuilt, and the car was finished in period-correct Teal Blue with a black canvas top. Power…

3/31-4/2• Mecum Auctions Houston, Texas 262-275-5050 • mecum.com 7-9• Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach, Florida 480-421-6694 • barrett-jackson.com 21-22• Carlisle Auctions Carlisle, Pennsylvania 717-960-6400 • carlisleauctions.com 22-23• The Branson Auction Branson, Missouri 800-335-3063 • bransonauction.com 22-23• Vicari Auction Biloxi, Mississippi 504-264-2277 • vicariauction.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.…

THE LA JOLLA CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE HAS ANNOUNCED THE CLASSES for its 16th annual celebration. Bugatti will be the featured marque and the Mercedes-Benz_300 SL “gullwing” will have a special display. The weekend of events starts off with a free “Ferrari Friday” event, followed up by the tour d’elegance around the San Diego area on Saturday and the concours d’elegance taking place Sunday. More than 150 cars will be showcased, covering all eras and types. The show will take place April 22-24, and online vehicle display applications are currently being accepted. Tickets are on sale now with discounts available, but pricing will increase as the show approaches. For more information, visit lajollaconcours.com.…

AS BEST AS FIBERGLASS-CAR EXPERT GEOFF HACKER CAN FIGURE, THE ALLARD CLIPPER BECAME THE FIRST BRITISH FIBERGLASS-BODIED production car when it debuted in 1954. It also may very well be the last production car offered with a dickey seat (aka rumble seat). It’s also the least likely vehicle to bear the famed Allard name and certainly the most poorly received, two prime reasons why the example that Hacker recently unearthed and intends to restore is one of only three known survivors of the odd little three-wheeler. Based on a design by David Gottlieb and using fiberglass bodies produced by aircraft engineering company Hordern-Richmond, the three-wheeled Allard roadster, with a removable hardtop, used a 346-cc Villiers twin driving one of the 8-inch wheels, with compressed rubber blocks for a suspension. Allard…

“…many balk at the idea of a vintage steed being used as a frequent all-season driver…” Current situation: It’s winter. There’s no need to explain ground level conditions in detail, since the six-letter word does justice. Traditionally, that means most of the vintage vehicles calling the Northeastern U.S. home—including my Buicks—are hibernating more soundly than black bears, garter snakes, and swimwear. On the comparatively few dry and “warmer” days—if you consider the thermometer nudging 30 degrees warm—an old ride might occasionally be seen floating across the pavement, driven by the type of owner who bucks the notion that old cars can only emerge on cloudless, sunny summer days. While many balk at the idea of a vintage steed being used as a frequent all-season driver, I admit the concept had…

If you’ve owned a car for a while—any car—you invariably amass related items. Whether it’s spare parts to keep it running or endless collectible tchotchkes that recall the vehicle in question, and whether those parts live in basements, attics, rafters, or on display shelves, often those leftover items remain with us long after the car itself has disappeared from our lives. Which helps explain the set of wine glasses that are in Ken Nowicki’s possession. It’s not usual old-car fare, particularly not these days, when any possible combination of drinking and driving (stated or implied) is firmly out of fashion. Even so, these six crystal goblets—each with a Thunderbird logo etched into the glass, placed carefully in a red-velvet-lined hardback case about half the size of a briefcase—are indirectly responsible…

The Eighties were when American automakers affected European accents. A new generation of consumers appreciated the understated styling, buttoned-down road manners, and real or imagined prestige that vehicles from Germany, England, Sweden, Italy, and France offered. Even true-blue American icons like Ford’s personal luxury car, the Thunderbird, looked overseas for inspiration, the result being the Turbo Coupe that the company hailed as “A World Class Touring Car.” This popular flagship forever changed buyers’ perceptions of the Thunderbird, and nearly 40 years later, its surprisingly contemporary driving characteristics make it a modern classic worth owning. The ninth-generation Thunderbird, which still shared Fairmont-derived Fox-platform underpinnings with the Mustang, rocked the market upon its 1983 debut. Adding fuel to the fire was the unprecedented Turbo Coupe. Introduced midyear, this top-of-the-line, forced-induction variant attracted…

THOUGH COVID-19 FORCED THE CANCELLATION OF BARRETT-JACKSON’S 2020 AND 2021 Palm Beach Auctions, the 2022 sale is still a go as of this writing. The 2019 event was a large success, with $30.18 million in total sales and a 98.9_percent sell-through rate. When all results were tabulated, 632 cars changed hands at the South Florida Fairgrounds in West Palm Beach. “Last year we postponed our Palm Beach Auction as a precaution for the health and safety of our guests,” said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson. “We can’t express how excited we are to bring the Barrett-Jackson experience back to the Sunshine State with the incredible collector car community in South Florida.” Expect to see larger numbers at this year’s auction, which will take place April 7-9. Advance tickets…

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. 1959 MERCEDES-BENZ 190 SL Reserve: $175,000 Selling Price: $210,000 Recent Market Range: $170,230-$206,350 This beautiful 190 SL, restored by a noted…