2020 SHOW CANCELED DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC Dear Friends of the Steve McQueen Car and Motorcycle ShowOver the last thirteen years the Steve McQueen Car and Motorcycle Show has been a pillar of support for the Boys Republic, helping to create an environment for the public to know and understand the benefit of supporting this…
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OFFICER ERIC GAONA’S HOT PURSUIT IS RESTORATION OF SSP MUSTANGS BAKERSFIELD, Calif — Ford has been producing and selling law enforcement patrol and pursuit vehicles for many decades, as have most other American-brand carmakers. The majority of those cars have been large rear-drive four-door sedans with huge V-8 engines. You know, just like Elwood said in…
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Some damn fine news in my world, and I hope in yours too…MS PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM TO REOPEN FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2020 The museum will strictly adhere to the guidelines set by the CDC, State of California and County of Los Angeles to ensure the health and safety of community members, visitors and employees LOS…
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FLIGHT OF FANCY: STORY OF ‘MIZAR,’ THE GALPINIZED FLYING FORD PINTO VAN NUYS, CA – A flying Ford Pinto? Yes, we promise. A flying Galpinized Ford Pinto? Sure, why not? In 1973, aeronautical engineer and inventor Henry Smolinski had the idea of beginning with a rear single-engined Cessna Skymaster, removing the main front cockpit section, and replacing it…
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As a guy who writes car books for a living, I pay close attention to all the new bookware that gets published. Plus of course I love to read them. Here’s a couple new ones for your consideration. JUNKYARD: Behind the gates at California’s Secretive European Car Salvage Yard, by Dieter Rebmann and Roland Lowisch…
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3 of 3: The Scimitars Reunited Highlights from the 25th Annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance The three Scimitar prototypes were reunited at the 25th Annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Photo: Deremer Studios, LLC. Industrial designer Brooks Stevens might be best remembered for the clever, low-cost product makeovers he performed for independent automakers. But sometimes he…
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You may or may not know that one of my daughters lives and works in Japan. She’s lived in several places during her tenure there, but is most currently based in Tokyo, and currently riding out the Co-19 wave in a lovely, historic city called Kanazawa (which I’ve visited and highly recommend). Mo isn’t an…
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This makes me sad, one less great car museum in the world. Like most, World of Speed recently went on what it intended as temporary shutdown due to Co-19. Instead I rec’d word last night that it is shuttering its doors for good, dispersing its assets, and calling it a day. This is a crime…
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Most of you will remember Italy’s deTomaso Automobili (later deTomaso Modena) as producer of the Pantera in joint venture with Ford from 1971-74. This relatively small specialty carmaker had other models too, relying mostly on Ford engines for power. Even though Alejandro (Italianized as Allessandro) deTomaso tried to develop a wide variety of his own…
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Dear gang, I miss my daily, weekly, monthly, favorite car events just as much as you do. But in order to keep the old personal hardware active and moving, Linda and I take a walk at the end of nearly every work day. We seldom go far from our neighborhood, but constantly see interesting cars,…
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