Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2024 i Hemmings Classic Car

Derek Liecty wasn’t looking for a forever car when this Toyota Celica Supra fell into his line of vision back in 1983. But more than half a million miles later, it’s the one he’s kept. Forty years ago, a premium-priced Toyota seemed out of sorts with the company’s cheap-’n’-cheerful image. In America, Toyota built its reputation on the backs of Corollas, Coronas, and Celicas—basic, honest, efficient, reliable transportation, much of it in the $2,000 price range. The Crown, the car that brought Toyota to the dance, so to speak, got squeezed out of the U.S. market in ’71, when the notion of a $3,000 Toyota didn’t seem like such a bargain. Yet the company endeavored to build sporty cars: the 2000GT sports car, the pocket-sized Sports 800, and the cheap-fun-for-the-masses…

Established to give Plymouth and De Soto dealers a truck line to sell in the U.S. and Canada, the Fargo brand had recently launched when Chrysler Corporation purchased Dodge Brothers in 1928. It was a significant move, for the Twenties had been a decade of tumult and transition for Dodge Brothers. Sales in 1920 were second only to Ford, but John Dodge died in January of that year, followed by his brother Horace in December. The company floundered in the aftermath and sank to fifth in overall sales by 1925, and to thirteenth by 1927. One of the bright spots in those years was Dodge Brothers’ trucks. The company had partnered with Indiana-based Graham Brothers for truck bodies that were merged with Dodge chassis and powertrains, including heavy-duty models up…

Introduced in 1939, the Mercury brand wasn’t on the road very long before civilian production was halted for the duration of World War II. A month after V-J Day—August 15, 1945—though, Ford merged Mercury with Lincoln to form a separate marketing division, with a distinct dealer network. Ford of Canada followed suit and even added a Mercury truck line that wasn’t offered in the United States. With Canada’s vastly lower population density, the move was a boon to that nation’s dealers and customers, as it spread Ford’s reach farther across the often-wide distances between towns, particularly in the sparsely populated Western region. In fact, that’s one of the reasons Mercury Trucks were introduced, as many rural communities didn’t, or couldn’t, support separate Ford and Mercury dealerships. For those with only…

Henry Seth Taylor, a Quebecer, is credited with building Canada’s first horseless carriage. That was in 1867 and his steam-powered “pleasure carriage” forged a path for a nascent industry that, as in the United States, spawned countless start-up auto builders by the turn of the 20th century. And just as in the U.S., most faded away with only comparative handfuls of vehicles produced. In fact, the going was even tougher in Canada due to its vastly lower population and relatively limited technical resources. In 1900, there were 5.3 million residents across Canada, compared to the 76 million Americans to the south. Simply put, the U.S. had the population to support the economies of scale required to sustain successful manufacturers. The U.S. certainly shed its share of less-competitive brands as the…

SPECIAL AACA EASTERN FALL NATIONAL Virginia is for car lovers, too, thanks in part to the AACA’s 2024 Special Eastern Fall Nationals scheduled to take place in Hampton, Viriginia, on August 22-24. The three-day event is hosted by the club’s Historic Virginia Peninsula Region, making it convenient for attendees to tour nearby Colonial and Civil War sites, including Yorktown, Jamestown, and Williamsburg. Organized tours include visits to the Virginia Air & Space Science Center in Hampton, as well as a Hampton Roads Harbor Tour aboard the Hampton Queen. Anchoring the event will be the car show and swap meet held in the climate-controlled Hampton Roads Convention Center. Visit hvpr.aaca.com for more information. AUBURN CORD DUESENBERG FESTIVAL Labor Day weekend means one thing in Northern Indiana: the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival.…

In the decades prior to the signing of the Auto Pact in 1965—and even for a number of years after—Pontiac was more popular in Canada than the United States. It’s true. With Canada’s population roughly one-tenth of America’s, Pontiac wasn’t selling more cars in Canada by volume, but overall and even compared with the sales of its corporate cousins, Pontiac took a larger slice of the Canadian market’s pie. In fact, Canadian Pontiac sales only trailed Chevrolet by about 25 percent in some years, while Chevrolet generally outsold Pontiac by a three-to-one margin in the States. Pontiac also enjoyed the same slightly upmarket position in Canada, which helped GM earn even more money on the brand, as for approximately 30 years the Pontiac full-size models were largely based on Chevrolet…

AIR TIME Andrew Sidwell sent an email showing off this futuristic model that Ford’s Engineering and Research Staff had been working on in 1963 called the Aeolus. Named after the Greek god of wind, the Aeolus project was demonstrated at the Connecticut General Flight Forum and was a part of Ford’s ongoing promotion of its Levacar propulsion projects. The Levacar Mach I (not to be confused with the Mustang) was designed in the 1950s to be used on railways with “levapads” fitted underneath that pumped air between the pads and the track to minimize or eliminate friction and maximize high-speed land travel. Ford boasted speeds capable of 200-500 mph thanks to power from gas turbine-driven shrouded propellers and forced air from turbo-compressors. Here are some specs and snippets from Ford’s…

1. FORD TRUCK SENDING UNIT DENNIS CARPENTER FORD RESTORATION PARTS 704-786-8139 If you’ve noticed incorrect fuel gauge readings on your 1961-’77 Ford Truck, it’s possible the fuel sending unit has begun to corrode. These new fuel sending units have the same fit and function as the original parts, but they also use a dash of modern technology, as each is made with rust-resistant cadmium-plated bodies, a no-wear ceramic contact system, and fuel resistant foam floats. This combination will provide years of durability and reliable fuel readings. The sending units will work on all Ford trucks with the “incab tanks,” including most F-100 to F-750 trucks. Look up p/n C1TZ-9275-K for more information. $54.95 dennis-carpenter.com 2. MERCURY AND FORD UPDATE WIRING KIT AMERICAN AUTOWIRE 800-482-9473 Rewire your full-size 1961-’64 Mercury or 1960-’64 Ford…