Jun 8, 2020
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...
Jun 3, 2020
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...
May 29, 2020
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...
May 26, 2020
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...
May 13, 2020
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...
May 8, 2020
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...
May 4, 2020
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...
Apr 30, 2020
I was talking cars with a friend who has recently moved from SoCal up to Oregon, and he shared with me some charming photos (dated 1943) of his father and uncle and their hot rodded Model A. My guy’s name is Larry Harlan, and if you look closely at a couple of...
Apr 27, 2020
By the late 1990’s, Italy’s scrappy DeTomaso Modena car company (makers of the Vallelunga, Mangusta, Longchamp, Deauville, Guara and Pantera) was struggling to survive. Allessandro deTomaso was in poor health, the much-loved Pantera had run its production...
Apr 25, 2020
Car Culture evolves over time and with society… My thanks to Kirk Gerbracht for the idea and the pix. Stay healthy and well y’all, and hopefully someday we’ll all be back to fuzzy dice....
Apr 21, 2020
You MUST double click this to see it large, then go slowly around with your eyes, and you’ll understand not how risky, but how truly dangerous (and stupid) this was. I wouldn’t use this rig to change a set of wiper blades, much less an engine and trans....
Apr 16, 2020
At Least 101 ways to screw up a Perfectly good car… By Kirk Gerbracht, and me We understand and respect that everyone is entitled their taste, be that for architecture, wine, movies, music and of course cars. But some stuff is just so stupid it warrants a hard...
Apr 13, 2020
A lot has been said and written, and will continue to be, about Sir Stirling Moss who passed away April 12, 2020, at the age of 90, at his London home. His racing record generally speaks for itself: Sir Stirling Moss is one of the world’s most accomplished racing...
Apr 7, 2020
SHOW RESCHEDULED DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC As some may know, we have been forced to reschedule the 2020 show due to COVID-19 NEW DATES: The car and motorcycle show will now be Sunday September 06 (and not Saturday) for 2020. The commemorative dinner will...
Apr 4, 2020
Dear Gang, I hope you are all sheltering in place and supporting social distancing and such — all the better time to read. Assuming the book publishing business and market returns to normal once the virus crises is over, I’ll have two new books out for...
Mar 26, 2020
Everyone has opinions about Toyota’s Prius Hybrid; some love them, some revile them as the killers of all automotive fun, or accuse their owners of being arrogant — which to me is all BS. I’ve owned one — a second gen 2005 model that we bought...
Mar 19, 2020
Most people know something about India; a deep long cultural history, for a time under British rule; the sacred cow, the Taj Mahal, exotic foods, faces and places. What you may not be familiar with is this amazing country’s century long motoring culture. From...
Mar 16, 2020
50th Anniversary of 12 Hours of Sebring 1970 Celebrated with Expanded E-book Dear Gang…for my money, Sebring 1970 was one of the most compelling and exciting endurance sports car races ever, and most certainly the finish was. Peter Revson and Steve McQueen were...
Mar 11, 2020
The annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is among my very favorite automotive events in the world. So many things make it special. It’s held at a Ritz-Carlton Resort on the beach in Florida, so let’s talk venue. Founder and chairman Bill Warner...
Mar 5, 2020
When the first Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedans came out in 1985/6, it was truly compact, not much bigger than a BMW 2002 / 3-series. At first they were only four-cylinder powered, tidy, nicely equipped, and a sales smash. Because of its diminutive size, everyone...
Feb 22, 2020
I make it my point to attend “breakfast cruises” or “Cars N Coffee” events all over the world whenever I can find one. One configuration of my posse: Norbert on the left, then Paul, with the camera, who now lives in Oregon but was down visiting, Kirk in the striped...
Feb 11, 2020
You may or may not know of James Hetfield, lead guitarist, singer and all around front man for the pioneering metal band Metallica. I don’t know him personally, but among his talents and passions is a huge spot in his heart for custom cars and hot rods. Many...
Feb 3, 2020
I’m crushed over the passing of John Andretti, January 30, 2020, after a four year long battle with colon cancer. He was just 56 years old. Even though he wore the benefit and baggage of that famous name (being nephew of Mario, son of Aldo, cousin to Michael...
Jan 27, 2020
I hope you’ll enjoy this photo as much as I did setting it up and shooting it… Here’s the story: Clark Cable Greats Gather at Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles Acting icon and Hollywood macho guy and sex symbol Clark Cable needs little...
