Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2024 i Hemmings Classic Car

“Any time we visited him, or vice versa, we usually got a spirited ride in that ole La Salle and we would take turns ‘riding shotgun’ up front.” IF YOU’VE NOT GUESSED by now, I grew up in a car-centric family. Every one of my parents’ vehicles, domestic and import alike, ended up with some sort of zany story permanently etched into its paint. I’ve already mentioned the Mercury Grand Marquis that was annihilated after a few thousand miles of travel, the Chevy Blazer that was mysteriously ingesting fluids at an alarming rate, and the MG Midget that my dad somehow managed to rev up far enough to attain yet another moving violation. Not to be outdone, Mom pushed a pair of turbo units to utter failure in her 1985…

EMAIL YOUR THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS TO: mlitwin@hemmings.com WHILE READING THE September 2024 issue of Hemmings Classic Car, I came across page 56. On the bottom of this News Reports page, I noticed Jersey Jams with a nice photo of several old oil cans and a Sunoco banner. This is a photo of all of my cans for sale at last year’s Englishtown, New Jersey (Raceway Park) vendors market. Please see the attached photo of me and my first car, a rare 1942 Dodge Deluxe fourdoor sedan. I still own this car, as I became the second owner in 1966 (58 years ago). At that time, I started to collect parts for this and other cars I bought over the years. This will be my 58th non-stop yearly visiting the Hershey,…

“They are the very antithesis of pursuit requirements, but believe it or not, the Metropolitan police car had merit and was rather popular.” SOME MALE drivers are obsessed with looking and acting macho. Why, I don’t know. But you see them often, driving huge pickups with loud exhausts, cruising around town without anything in the bed, just trying to look cool. I sometimes wonder how the more nefarious types would react if they were pulled over by a wimpy little police car—like a Nash Metropolitan. Impossible, you think? Why would a police chief allow a puddle-jumper like the diminutive Metropolitan in a patrol fleet? They are the very antithesis of pursuit requirements, but believe it or not, the Met police car had merit and was rather popular. Back in the…

ARAN LA’S FATHER, Vien, compares the path to success with climbing a steep hill. If you do the hard work early enough in life, he says, the rest can just be an easy downhill journey. Aran, a Londoner and presently 10 years old, is doing the hard work now. He’s a seasoned automotive artist and an international traveler, and his works never fail to impress. When we sat down with him in July 2024 just ahead of the Copshaholm Concours in South Bend, Indiana, he told us he’s already booked through February 2025 with client work. “I want to make it my career,” Aran says. He’s even branching out. “I’m already designing my own cars.” He also counts Moroccan-born Spanish-American automobile designer Frank Stephenson as a friend. Stephenson has worked…

1959 CADILLAC COUPE DE VILLE Few cars can turn heads and spark conversation like a 1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. This restored example, which sold as a Make Offer listing, featured striking two-tone paint and a split leather/cloth interior. Photos and videos showed a Cadillac that seemingly remained in fine shape, with unmarked Seminole Red paint and minor chrome pitting; the interior exhibited a bit of wear in the front compartment, and a modern CD stereo was hidden in the glovebox while the original remained in the dash. A Vintage Air A/C system shared the engine bay with the rebuilt 325-hp, 390-cu.in. V-8 and four-speed Hydra-Matic. The seller added a dual-master brake cylinder for safety, perfect for hitting the road. Reserve: $50,000 Selling Price: $54,705  Recent Market Range: N/A 1935…

SPONSORED BY GULLWING MOTOR CARS When Plymouth pulled the cover off its redesigned 1967 Barracuda, the automotive industry couldn’t help but take notice. Chrysler Corporation’s stylists had masterfully replaced the car’s relatively conservative Valiant-based coachwork with flowing, curvaceous flanks, a racy split grille, and a new tail panel of bespoke exuberance. With this sleek, new look, one that—it could be argued—had a subtle Italian flair, came news that the Barracuda was no longer part of the Valiant series, but rather its own line. As such, it was offered as a two-door notchback, convertible, and slippery fastback. There was more. While both standard engines were carried over—the 145-hp 225-cu.in. Slant Six and 180-hp, two-barrel 273-cu.in. V-8, as well as the optional four-barrel 273 rated at 235 hp—the all-new Barracuda welcomed the…

When is an ad for a car company not an ad, but rather an open letter of appreciation from one pioneer to another? The Budd Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was a one-page literary master of public felicitations during the early Fifties, whether it was delivered to the rail, airline or automobile industry–such as Nash at the dawn of its golden anniversary, when Budd and Nash were partners in adventure.…

MY DAD ALWAYS SEEMED to have more vehicles on the road than he needed, which undoubtedly was how I got the car bug. A dairy farmer who took over the historic 1793 family farm in Central New York when he was 16, Dad grew it into an operation that provided a source of income for a family of four. It also paid for new farm equipment, the taxes, and put two kids through college, all thanks to milk from 34 cows. That magic number was the limit of cow stanchions in the 1800 barn, as there was no room for extra cows or spare time to change them out if more were available to milk. From sunup to sundown, he worked on the farm, as well as drove a school…

I a recent column, I addressed the problem of vapor lock in carbureted classic cars when I related the story of an annoying jaunt in my 1940 La Salle Series 52 coupe. The Cadillacs and La Salles of that era had flathead V-8s that, while powerful, produced a lot of heat in the engine compartment, to the point that sometimes on hot days gas in the fuel pump, lines, and carburetor would vaporize, thus stalling the engine. The resulting heat sink of the dead engine meant that you might have to wait an hour or more with the hood open before trying to start the car again. Vapor lock has annoyed humankind since the invention of the internal combustion engine. It used to be an occasional problem on hot days…

“ I restore cars because I love the challenge of learning the skills and solving the problems involved, and I crave the feeling of accomplishment that restoring a car myself can provide.” I RECENTLY RECEIVED an email from a young reader who stated that his father had bequeathed him a ’66 Pontiac Ventura convertible, and he wanted to restore it. His question to me was, “Where do I start?” I chuckled, remembering my first naive effort many years ago, and only then considered how best to answer his question. I opened my reply with, “You are a lucky guy. That’s a beautiful car.” I then added, “Join the club.” I meant this in two ways. First, although I’ve been restoring cars for years, I’m still learning. Secondly, joining the Pontiac-Oakland…