Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2023 i Hemmings Classic Car

Perhaps nothing is more symbolic of the democratization of luxury in the late ’60s and early ’70s than this 1971 Ford Torino Brougham. Built the same year that Rolls-Royce went bankrupt and was purchased by the British government, the Torino marries the mass-market Blue Oval badge, made famous by the ubiquitous and utilitarian Model T, with the kind of high-end trappings long associated with far more expensive and prestigious marques like Rolls. Ultra-luxury and high wealth were out—comfort and style for the masses were in. Ford itself may have kicked off the so-called “Brougham epoch” that lasted through the 1980s with its introduction of the full-size LTD for 1965. After equipping its standard Galaxie models with special trim and upholstery, plus so much sound deadening that contemporary advertisements called out…

BUCKEYE BEASTS Subscriber Paul Watts of Clovis, California, sent us a photocopy of the January 1946 edition of Chilton’s Motor Age trade publication, which touted the Eisenhauer twin-engine truck (top and bottom right), out of Van Wert, Ohio. Boasting five axles in total, the two standard Chevy stovebolt six-cylinder 235-cu.in., 93-hp engines were featured below the hood and underneath the cab, with the front engine connected to the third axle, and the cab engine to the rearmost axle. Another unusual feature was the four front wheels steering together, said to provide greater handling and improved load capacity through better distribution. Speaking of capacity, the vehicle was rated to handle about 20 tons with a specialized frame and suspension, but all other parts were compatible with 1 ½-ton truck parts of…

I gnoring little issues in a vintage vehicle can lead to bigger problems, and that was exactly the case with the 1969 Ford F-250 that’s the subject of this story. It was an issue with the steering system that was put off simply because of the perceived hassle in removing the steering column to diagnose and correct it. The two-wheel-drive truck had power steering and ran and drove well enough. Recently, however, a noticeable gap that had existed between its steering column and steering wheel had grown. In fact, the gap meant the turn signals would no longer self-cancel after completing a turn, while the wheel itself could be moved fore and aft on the column by an inch or two. Even worse, it was apparent the lower column bearing…

I AM A LONGTIME Volkswagen bus owner and driver who calls the Chicago region home. My current example is a Campmobile painted Velvet Green that has been our escape pod since 1996. I’m just its second owner, and since obtaining it, the icon has been a big part of our annual fun that provided a connection to the people and places we cherish. Over the years, though, we tried to combat the slow accumulation of Midwest rust bit by bit, given our humble budget and parts availability. Over the years, I saved and saved, and sold off all extraneous things and miscellaneous collections so that I would be able to afford the full, quality restoration that the Campmobile deserved. Once I felt I had enough of a budget to get…

The automobile is, at its core, nothing more than a tool for personal transportation convenience. Our entire existence with self-propelled vehicles can attest to that. We buy them new—full of shiny gadgets and conveniences—drive them for several years, pass them along to another driver, and then another, until one day that car is put to pasture in some way. Nearly three decades later, the old steed has become a collectible antique. Need examples? We’re betting that 25 years ago, few would have suspected a 1998 Mazda MX-5 would be on sports car collectors’ radars 1968 Riviera—which helped redefine the personal luxury 10 years down the road, nobody gazed into a crystal ball today, or that 55 years ago Buick’s car market a second time—would still be alluring. A further seeking…

Chrysler’s relationship with Carrozzeria Ghia during the Fifties and Sixties produced a spectacular array of concept cars, Chrysler Specials and, later, the Imperial Crown Limousines that even most casual enthusiasts can identify. But the Chrysler/Ghia partnership spawned lesser-known one-off creations with Mario Boano—thanks to several events involving key players from various companies during the same time—that left us with the car gracing these pages: the 1956 Chrysler Boano Coupe Speciale. How it came to be, and why it still exists today, requires us to turn the clock back. The President of Chrysler throughout the late 1940’s was K.T. Keller. It was Keller who claimed that a man should be able to wear a hat comfortably while sitting in a car. Admittedly, this led to rather stodgy, upright styling despite Chrysler’s…

There are roads in Bucks County, Pennsylvania—more than you might realize—that were first scraped from the soil in the late 1600s, especially along the county’smeandering creeks, back when the followers of William Penn were carving the country from thick forests. Even today, Bucks County belies its just-north-of-Philly location, thanks to its abundance of narrow, high-crowned roads dotted by stone bridges that are close to semicircular as they arch across the streams. Remember, these roads were built for primitive carts pulled by draft horses and oxen. You’re reminded of that every time you take on one of these lanes in any kind of internal-combustion vehicle. They’re narrow, undulating, and meandering. You’d get that point if you were wheeling something as tiny as a Yugo. So, imagine what it’s like traversing this…

PACKARD PARTY Sonoma County will be the perfect place to ask the many men who own one about their Packards as the famous independents make their way to Rohnert Park, California, for the 56th Packard Automobile Classics National Meet. This is a perfect opportunity for Packard enthusiasts to show off their rides, attend swap meets, and explore the San Francisco area. Members and non-members of the Packard Club are encouraged to attend and participate, and tours will include visits to San Francisco, Healdsburg, the Napa Valley, the Russian River, and the Pacific Coast. The car show will take place on the final day with various awards given to the finest Packards at the meet. The show is scheduled for June 25-30. For registration, host hotel, and meet information, visit packardclub.org.…

Have you noticed how angry all the full-size trucks and SUVs look today? Could they look that way because we’ve been constantly at war for a couple decades? Even on their commute, people feel more secure in a giant, aggressive-looking, body-on-frame 4x4 that looks like it should be patrolling Kabul or Mosul rather than in a practical little sedan. Back in the late 1940s and early 1950s, war was on everybody’s mind, too. Instead of Humvees and helicopters, though, it was fighter planes flying high above the fray that drew Americans’ attention. Studebaker leaned into this, debuting a line of cars for 1947 that took obvious styling cues from the piston-driven planes of the recently finished World War II—most obviously the wrap-around rear window of certain coupe models that recalled…

I’M UNASHAMED TO SAY that I was previously satisfied with dish soap, a bucket, and a sponge—followed by the occasional coat of old-school hard wax. Unsurprisingly, these 1960s methods passed down to me from Dad are just as dated as the lacquer and enamel paints of that era. If you’re new to this title, I own a 1983 Cadillac Sedan de Ville. It has been in the family since new, and while it was always garaged and babied, that didn’t stop the paint on the hood and decklid from losing all luster. It also needed a wash, and given that it wears the original paint, I didn’t want to risk further degradation. I assembled a cast of car wash tools and materials, including several products from Poorboy’s World: QW+ quick…