Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2023 i Hemmings Classic Car

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…

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…

1. CADDY COASTER CADILLAC PARTS & RESTORATION 845-462-5959 Replace your Cadillac’s worn, corroded, and rickety battery tray with one of these new reproduction trays designed for 1959 and 1960 models. Each is said to be made of high-quality steel and powder-coated to a semi-gloss black finish, and they are the same size as the factory-original trays. The design enables the trays to accommodate a variety of batteries, including original-style Delco DC12 batteries from the era. They are ready to be installed upon delivery and include all the necessary hold-down hardware, though the actual hold-down bar is not included. $219.99 cprrestorationparts.com 2. TIME FOR REFLECTION ORIGINAL PARTS GROUP 800-243-8355 Replacement interior rearview mirrors designed to fit just like factory originals are now available for various GM models. These new mirrors replicate…

“I’ve come to grips with being a misfit of my generation, loving cars and styles that happened before I was born.” WHEN I WAS about 10 years old, I delivered circulars door to door, and one day I noticed an ancient car parked on a neighbor’s front lawn. It was painted a dark green that had aged, dulled, and become chalky. Rust was showing through on various parts of the body, and its chrome was pitted. But the car had a distinctive, almost sinister look, with its low slit-like windshield and unique classic grille styling. I fell in love with it, and when I completed my route, I went home and tried to draw it and understand why its look was so distinctive. For example, it had running boards. Running…

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…

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…

“William Flajole, the man who created the original design for the Nash Metropolitan… I found him a very interesting, forward-thinking individual.” YEARS AGO, I was privileged to interview designer William Flajole, the man who created the original design for the Nash Metropolitan, among other things. I found him a very interesting, forward-thinking individual who, over a long career, worked for such companies as Graham-Paige, Nash-Kelvinator, Chrysler, and General Motors, along with various motorhome and boat manufacturers. During his career as an independent designer, he introduced some unique styling features that were soon adopted by the automotive industry, including a hood-line lower than the front fender tops. First seen on his NXI (Metropolitan) prototype, that design debuted on production cars with the 1952 Nash Ambassador and Statesman. People have long thought…

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…

When you are elbow-deep in the world of vintage vehicles, having a significant presence in the local car community can pay off. Jon Ponulak of Bridgewater, New Jersey, is one of those guys who has stayed in the proverbial loop, keeping an eye on the surrounding scene and on a constant vigil for potential purchases. That’s because Jon is a diehard barn-find aficionado who has enjoyed a lifelong career in seeking out lost, abandoned, and tucked away vintage rides, and bringing them back to market where they can be enjoyed by others. Truth be told, several such treasures have been tucked away in Jon’s sizeable collection over the years, where he enjoys them on a nearly daily basis. Jon started in the automotive resale business right out of high school,…

IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, most every board game is—in effect—some sort of race, whether it be against the clock or other competitors. Consider popular games, such as “Aggravation” and “Trouble,” in which you have to race your game pieces around a course and past hazards to be the first to reach “home.” “Monopoly” is based on the same principle: Race around the board while out-maneuvering and collecting as many properties as possible. So, why not base an assortment of games on automobile racing? We’ve highlighted a handful of old racing games previously in our sister publication Hemmings Motor News, including the demolition derby themed “Collision” (March 2021) and “Stock Car Race” (April 2021). At the 2022 AACA Eastern Fall Meet in Hershey, Pennsylvania, we raced across two other nearly…

Chevrolet introduced its line of “lower, wider, longer” passenger cars for 1958. Just a year later, the division boasted, “all new, all over again. Wider in body, and functionally so—surer on the road, roomier and more comfortable to sit and relax in.” They were visually easy to distinguish, including all five station wagons offered with an economy six or “vim-packed V8’s.”…