Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2023 i Hemmings Classic Car

“The notion of students managing a good old-fashioned Saturday morning car show during the school year is hardly a new thing.” MYTHS HAVE A TERRIBLE habit of becoming mistaken for reality. Examples are bountiful, like that of film comedian W.C. Fields, who was said to have hidden a vast fortune under countless false names around the world—not true. A penny dropped from the top of the Eiffel Tower, or the Empire State Building, could kill someone—also not true. Field mice prefer cheese and houseflies live only 24 hours. You guessed it—neither is a factual statement. Add to that the still-common myth regarding the next generation’s little or no interest in vintage vehicles. Dispelling such theoretical notions is not an easy feat, despite ample evidence to the contrary. A relevant instance:…

AS A CLASSIC CAR SUBSCRIBER since 2004, I wanted to compliment you on the April 2023 issue. It came yesterday and when I finish it again tonight, I’ll pass it on to a Model T guy who is not yet a subscriber, who will in return pass it to another early car lover. This is the best issue in many years with a cover that drew me into reading it cover-to-cover before breakfast. Matthew Litwin’s editorial on the Sympathetic Restoration was spot on. Then the story on the Hemmings 1940 Buick convertible sedan drew me in, too. It was photographed next to Hemmings’ 1936 Dodge panel truck that was driven by Justus Taylor in several of the 11 Great American Races I participated in. Subsequently, my wife and I visited…

There are Porsche owners, and then Porsche collectors, and then there are those people who flog Porsches on the race track. Some people in that last group are very particular about their cars, in terms of appearance and execution, and are fanatical when it comes to maintenance and such. But not every collectible Porsche is a track-only car with modifications. In some cases, they approach perfection from the standpoint of untouched factory authenticity. That reality exists, even if it’s under enough soil to plant snap peas on the hood. The question of preserving the car becomes more acute when it bears an uncommon degree of exclusivity, historical significance, or untouched correctness. This was the sort of dilemma faced by Karl Durkheimer, who owns this 1967 Porsche 911S that’s virtually 100-percent…

DESIGNER AUTOMOBILES are really nothing new. If we turn the clock back far enough, we’ll find that stylists have always been given credit for great automotive designs, but it’s rare to have their names physically attached to their work. There are noteworthy instances, though. During the prewar era, coachbuilding firms affixed nameplates to cars touting a design as theirs while simultaneously developing a signature style, but perhaps the earliest renowned individual stylist to be rewarded with his eponym as part of a vehicle’s official name was Howard “Dutch” Darrin, who crafted what ultimately named the Packard Darrin of 1940. The notion of recognizing a stylist resumed after the war, albeit briefly. For its 1952 models, Packard hired fashion and design consultant Dorothy Draper to create colorful new interiors, notably two-tones,…

1989 FORD YT GARDEN TRACTOR ASKING PRICE: UNDISCLOSED FOUND AT: 2022 FORD NATIONALS AT CARLISLE IF YOU’RE LIKE US, odds are good that you experience a heightened sense of anticipation when setting foot into a large automotive swap meet. Think “kid in a candy store,” giddy with excitement over the prospect of finding the one thing you need to complete a project or a collection. Imagine, then, you’re a Ford fan attending the annual Ford Nationals at Carlisle (in Pennsylvania), where devotees of the Ford Motor Company products can spend three days in early June scouring row upon row of swap meet space brimming with parts and memorabilia. Or, as we discovered at the 2022 gathering, a rather pristine-looking Ford…lawn mower? Yup. A lawn mower, proving once again that you can…

1. AIR TIME SLIME 888-457-5463 This new wall-mounted air station is compact and versatile, enabling you to put air in everything in your home or garage. Measuring only 7 x 4 inches, its petite size means the unit is never in the way of a project. Capable of inflating a tire from 0 to 35 psi in about six minutes, the Air Time unit features a 20-foot retractable hose and a digital display—to help prevent overinflating any number of objects made possible by the inclusion of multiple quick connect adapters—and requires a 120-volt home outlet. Video demonstrations are available on their website. Inquire about p/n 40070 for more information. $69.99 slime.com 2. PORSCHE 911 BIG BRAKE KIT WILWOOD ENGINEERING 805-388-1188 New brake upgrade kits for 1969-’89 Porsche 911s are now…

LORE SURROUNDING this car holds that when teenaged Winslow Pierce (scion of a wealthy Long Island family and a future engineer) started modifying his 1908 Ford Model S, circa 1912, he was also given the family’s Stevens-Duryea as a parts donor, and that the front axle and four-cylinder engine from the Stevens-Duryea ended up in the Model S. A good story, but it doesn’t fit with the equally interesting realities present on the car. “There are no Stevens-Duryea parts present,” current owner Clayton Paddison of Vancouver, Washington, says. The car hasn’t had any engine since sometime in the 1950s, and the front suspension’s origins are somewhat murky—though they’re definitely not Ford, as the Model S used transverse leaf springs just like the Model T, and every other Ford car…

1948 FORD F1 The honest character of Ford’s postwar F1 pickup has broad appeal, as this restored example proved. Coming out of long-term ownership, the 1/2-ton was said to be a rust-free West Coast truck with minimally blemished red paint dating to 2004. The varnished bed floor looked great from both sides, and the simple interior was equally well-presented, save for a missing wiper knob on the dashboard. The flathead straight-six under the hood worked in conjunction with the manual transmission, although an oil leak was noted at their seam. Reproduction Coker bias-ply tires completed the F1’s period look. This pickup hammered in the heart of its value range, and the result was good for all parties. Reserve: $32,000 Selling Price: $38,850 Recent Market Range: $29,000-$44,800 1967 DATSUN 1600 ROADSTER…

“I’m a race driver. I’ve driven in the 24 Hours of Daytona three times. I drove a Porsche 911 in the GTU class, and my family has always had at least one 911 in it since 1974. I still have my 1974 race car, plus a 1973 RS and a 1957 Speedster. So, I’m a Porsche collector, and this is the first short-wheelbase 911 I’ve ever owned. I think my plan is to sell it to buy a car that was raced in period. I’m totally paranoid in that I’ve got this original-paint car, and you know, there’s going to be some kid who’s on his cellphone texting, and he ends up backing into me. There’s been no body work and no rust repairs on this car. This 911S sat…

The Unser Racing Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has closed its doors; however, the collection will not be liquidated. Instead, the more than forty race, pace, and Pikes Peak cars, as well as trophies, artwork, helmets, drivers’ suits, and other racing memorabilia, will be transferred to the Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed in Lincoln, Nebraska. Founded by Al and Susan Unser in 2003, the 20,000-sq.ft. Unser Racing Museum had plans to keep the Unser legacy alive prior to Al’s death in 2021. The Speedway Motors Museum is a natural fit for the collection: the famed Johnny Lightning Special—Al’s 1970 Indianapolis 500 winning car—and a 1971 Gurney Eagle, driven by his brother Bobby, were among the Unser cars already on display. “The Unsers are one of the most storied families…

“Those who can work from home should, because we could stop choking the motorways for those who have no alternative.” MY SON, who engineers heating and air conditioning systems in big, Los Angeles commercial buildings, tells me that since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, many high-rise buildings remain virtually empty. Faded family photos gather dust on desks alongside withered houseplants, with the only light coming in from distant windows. There is an eerie silence. This sounds like a scene from an apocalyptic science fiction movie, but it is reality—and maybe that’s a good thing. Over 12 million people live in the Los Angeles basin, and on any weekday 370,000 of them use the 405—just one of several freeways—to get to work. But the 405 is not the most congested. That distinction…

John T. Houlihan GM Stylist GM Tech Center Warren, Michigan, July 1968 “Young people can’t afford a B-body wagon, and even an A-body wagon is a bit pricey. Young families need the space and capacity of a wagon.” IN JULY OF 1968, I was in my third year as an exterior designer for General Motors, working in the Styling Department at the GM Tech Center in Warren, Michigan. GM Styling was recognized as the pinnacle of American automotive design, and I somehow managed to escape the draft and land this prestigious job right out of college. My best friend and college roommate, less fortunate than I, entered the Navy upon graduation and had just been reassigned to a destroyer off the coast of Vietnam. Prior to departing, he flew in…

“Therare Saab 92 is highly sought after by collectors today.” HAS THIS EVER happened to you? A few months ago, I was driving around town when, out of the corner of my eye, I thought I spotted a two-door 1950 Nash Statesman in a small parking lot. “Wow,” I thought, “a two-door ‘Bathtub’—now that’s a rare sighting!” In the 1949-’51 period, when the fastback Nash “Tubs” were being produced, the majority were four-door sedans, so seeing a two-door, especially in my rust-producing New England seaside town, is extremely rare. I immediately began searching for a place to turn around so I could go back and look at the rare find. Who knows? If the owner was there maybe I would have made an offer to buy it. I’m currently sans…