Hemmings Classic Car October 2023

Write to our Editor at mlitwin@hemmings.com and follow him on Instagram @matt.litwin.hemmings. “The new four-door Olds was smaller than the old two-door LTD, the result of downsizing throughout Detroit.” IT FINALLY happened. After 31 years, I relented and purchased a new vehicle, only the second such acquisition since obtaining my driver’s license. Considering my dad’s monumental track record of purchase-trade-purchase ownership, my record is, well, paltry. I’m unsure if that’s because of my decades-long effort to squeeze every ounce of value out of a succession of hand-me-downs, or my unwillingness to part with hard-earned cash due to other necessities, such as home mortgage, repairs, and remodeling. Perhaps, it’s a combination—it’s not like I’ve never had a hankerin’ for new wheels over the years. Back in 1992, when I was the…

HEMMINGS GARAGE – formerly known as the Hemmings Vehicle Display to visitors – has been a bevy of activity since the Hemmings Classic Car team revived our long-dormant 1940 Buick Century, part two of which appears on pages 56 to 62 of this issue. Expansion of our workspace has permitted us to tackle multiple projects simultaneously, including our 1932 Ford Model B pickup truck, parked 25 years ago. Ford folks know that in March of 1932, the Model 18 was introduced with 221-inch V-8 that made 65 hp. The V-8 equipped Fords became known simply as Deuces, ’32s, or Ford V-8s. That same year, the Model B was also introduced with the 200-cu.in. four-cylinder that made 50 hp. Both the B and the Deuce shared the same basic body, front…

TACOMA, WASHINGTON IN LATE 1962 I turned 16 and was already on my eighth contemporary car rebuild. It was also the year I started a subscription to Hemmings Motor News, which fueled my antique car interests, particularly a desire to find and restore a Ford Model A. After weeks of unsuccessfully searching the length of Long Island—where I lived at the time—I was heading home and something behind a garage caught my eye. It was a 1931 Model A woody wagon. All the wood was intact but also full of dry rot. The metal bodywork was dented but rust-free and easily restorable. So, too, was the stainless hardware, nearly all of which was with the Ford. The mechanical systems were in crates. I talked to the owner, who told me…

EMAIL YOUR THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS TO: mlitwin@hemmings.com I AM A SUBSCRIBER to Hemmings Motor News. When I saw that Hemmings Classic Car was going to have a feature on the Lotus Elan Sprint, I had to buy a copy. It was the first time that I bought the magazine. The Lotus Elan Sprint is one of my favorite cars. I came close to buying one several times but never pulled the trigger. I appreciate all the work completed by Larry Carbonetti. This was the same Lotus that was at the Hemmings Cruise-In. Mark McCourt wrote an excellent article detailing the restoration process. The article described all the phases of restoration, and the pictures displayed the complete restoration. The article did not disappoint. As a result, I plan on buying Hemmings…

1933 FORD DE LUXE Even the most practical and common body type Ford offered for 1933 was beautifully styled in the popular Streamline Moderne vein. This upmarket, De Luxe-trimmed Tudor Sedan owed its attractive presentation to a “first class” body-off restoration that included the use of a rebuilt, 1940-vintage 85-hp 221-cu.in. V-8 mated to a three-speed manual. The accommodating coachwork was repainted in 2010 and no flaws were reported; the grille, bumpers, and other chrome looked nice. A LeBaron Bonney interior kit was fitted and called “excellent.” This Ford’s undercarriage was virtually spotless. Its Make Offer sale figure at the bottom of this model’s market range represented a genuine bargain. Reserve: $32,000 Selling Price: $30,450 Recent Market Range: $30,140-$42,450 1963 CHEVROLET CORVAIR MONZA SPYDER Automotive turbocharging was in its infancy…

What’s the default image of an Alfa Romeo for an enthusiast of automotive history? Perhaps it’s Tazio Nuvolari doggedly assaulting the Mille Miglia course while team manager Enzo Ferrari fumes impatiently in the pits. Or it’s a Tipo 33 scissoring up the Little Madonie circuit around Sicily during the tortures of the Targa Florio. It could be a beautifully turned out GTV, or even the Stelvio in your driveway. Rarely, however, does an Alfa Romeo memory involve hauling a family of four, two of them very young kids, on errands around NewYork City in an ever-rustier car. Yet it’s just that variety of pleasant recollections that led a Massachusetts man to invest in an Alfa Romeo that’s become very attractive to collectors only within the past decade or so. That’s…