"Hot Chili And Cool Cars Come To Rocklin" takes place on Saturday, September 17th. L.C. of the Karel Staple Chapter of the Studebaker Drivers Club will be showing a rare 1958 Packard Hawk - only one of 100 still in existence - at the event.
See the video at KCRA.com.
A one-of-a-kind automobile by the Bendix Corporation. Bendix Woods, home of the orchard of trees that spells "STUDEBAKER" when viewed from the air, was once the Studebaker automobile company car testing ground.
"Tail Fins and Chrome" previewed an amazing personal car museum only open to the public three times a year. Great Packards, Chevy's, Fords, and more are inside - as well as the original Batmobile!
To see the video, visit TF and C's YouTube channel and www.TailFinsandChrome.com
Tom and Ray are right about old car dependability, parts hunting, safety, etc. However, the parts hunting, the times when a classic car is running like a clock, the beautiful design, the interaction with interested strangers - all of these factors outweigh the difficulty of maintaining a classic car.
My advice to Gary: buy the Versa and the Avanti.
Read the full article here.
With the volume of classic cars in midtown Sacramento, CA, I could have my own "Down the Street" series a la Jalopnik.
Here's a Mercedes-Benz 220 SE. The owner explained that he's had the car for 15-plus years. The mechanics are stock and the paint is period and new. It was a lovely car -- complete with a kid's booster seat.
Read more about this car on Wikipedia.
The Mid-Century Modern Home Tour has added a car show to the schedule. Admission to display and view cars is free, but limited to 150 cars total. The date is Saturday 26, 2010 at the Sacramento Executive Airport on Freeport Boulevard.
Click here for details. Or, contact Kris Lannin Liang at SacMCMHoneTour@gmail.com or call 916-919-1684 for more information.
Studebaker-Packard fans will enjoy the February 2010 issue of Hemmings Classic Car Magazine; the entire issue is dedicated to Packards. There is an interesting feature about the Studebaker President/Packard Clipper.
More about the 1957 and 1958 Packard Clipper.
There are also some shots of the Packard Clipper on Jalopnik.
You don't have to be rich to have fun.
"It wasn't the Studebaker's inherent beauty that motivated me to shoot this feature on Bruce Johnson's '47. Sure, it's a neat ol' truck but what motivated me is the fact that it's a low-buck owner-built one that exemplifies something I've been preaching for years: You don't have to be rich or a mechanical whiz to enjoy the fruits of the classic truck hobby. All one needs is the desire, some free time, and a few stray bucks here and there to end up with something that'll be worth its weight in gold in self satisfaction and a whole lotta fun."
Read the complete article on Classic Trucks.com.
Hagerty Picks Stylish, Sophisticated Collector Cars that Epitomize the Don Draper Lifestyle.
"Hagerty, the country's leading provider of collector car insurance, has put together its picks of the collector cars that the most powerful and influential professionals of the MAD MEN era would have driven." The 1963 Studebaker Avanti and the 1964 GT Hawk made the list! (of course)
Cars include:
- 1963 Buick Riviera ($28,000-$36,100)
- 1963 Corvette Sting Ray ($61,000-$74,000)
- 1961-63 Ford Thunderbird ($35,000-$45,000)
- 1961-63 Lincoln Continental Sedan ($18,000-$24,000)
- 1961 Chrysler 300G ($59,000-$67,000)
- 1963 Studebaker Avanti ($23,000-$31,000)
- 1962-63 Cadillac Coupe De Ville ($14,000-$20,000)
- 1962-64 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk ($27,000-$32,000)
- 1963 Buick Electra 225 ($13,000-$19,000)
- 1963 Ford Galaxie XL Convertible ($31,000-$36,000)
Read the full list of cars and their details here.
"A 1965 Volkswagen van stolen 35 years ago in Spokane, Washington, was found by customs agents in a shipping container in the Los Angeles port last month, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official said."
"While it was likely worth just a few hundred dollars when it was stolen, the VW is now valued at about $27,000, he said.
Allstate Insurance Company, which paid the original owner for the loss decades ago, now owns the van, according to Allstate spokeswoman Megan Brunet."
Read the full article on CNN.com.
MSNBC asks if the days of 'the classic car' are over, i.e., are there any cars made today that are worth saving for the future? I wonder if restoration of a modern car will be possible 25 years from now ... considering how much plastic and computer equipment goes into a modern car. Will a NOS Toyota Prius battery pack be available in 25 years? Probably not.
"There are a lot of reasons the classic car culture may fade. While modern versions of muscle cars such as the Camaro and Corvette retain a good deal of their aesthetic appeal, the design concerns of the contemporary carmaker — including government safety regulations regarding crash readiness and a car's aerodynamic profile — can lead to visual similarity across models."
"This is gone," said Beller, 68, sweeping his hand across a parking lot along the cruise's Woodward Avenue route, where 100 other classic cars were lined up. "This is gone forever."
Read the full article on MSNBC.com.
A friend sent me an amazing set of photographs taken by a good samaritan who helped a Tucker driver get back on the road.
"We were driving back from Las Vegas when we came upon a mint-condition '48 Tucker having tire problems. A tire was not flat, but starting to come apart. We followed him to an abandoned gas station in Yermo, Ca. to get out of the desert sun and helped him change the tire. During the process I got some great photos of a great car."
Read the full story here and see all of the photographs.
Many of America's classic cars have found a second life in Cuba. While complete restoration is not typical, you'll find 1950s icons roaming the streets and alleys of Havana.
The Studebaker Commander below is in terrible shape, but there's a 1950 Chevy convertible that looks mighty fine; see the June 29th blog post.
See a 1950 Studebaker Commander at Cuban Car Lovers.
I'm not sure that I'll ever use a Brody Knob, also known as a "Suicide Knob" and alternately spelled "Brodie," but they look so damn cool.
A bit of history on Brodie Knobs:
"Brodie Knobs were widely popularized, especially on the West Coast of the U.S., during the 1950s. The knob was used to spin the steering wheel, rapidly in one direction or the other, while accelerating, to cause the tire(s) to spin. Hence, come the terms "lay a brodie" and "Slob the knob". In the 1950s and '60s a person could choose from a large variety of "Brodie Knobs", with every conceivable theme, from "Candy Apple colored", "Product Logos", to "nude women," and everything in between, some automobile dealerships even used them for advertisements. They were very useful during a period of auto manufacturing, when power steering was truly a luxury." Source: Wikipedia
See a selection of Studebaker Brody Suicide Knobs here.
I would give this Studebaker Champion serious consideration if I didn't already have an amazing 1950 Studebaker Champion 75 percent restored. Oh, how I wish for an extra $5,000 and another garage!
From Craig's List: "For sale is an awesome 1950 Studebaker. Runs perfect, all original, suicide doors, split windows. $5,000/OBO Call for info. Larry 831-345-1334."
There's an excellent photostream of Studebaker vehicles on Flickr. More than 90 members added 900+ photographs of Studebaker vehicles. You can join the group to add your own photographs.
See a photostream of Studebaker vehicles.
From the Flickr group moderator:
"About STUDEBAKER - Different By Design
All things Studebaker. A group to post your photos of Studebakers past and present. Your scans and photos of Studebaker memorabilia and ephemera are welcome also. Vintage photos or the pic you took today. From the wagon era to the last 1966, post it here. Erskines included and Packards from the Studebaker - Packard Corporation years as well.
Just remember that Studebaker is the focus here and keep it positive. No put downs of other makes and no offensive language. No modern glamour photography - there are lots of flickr groups for pics where the gals are the main event. The primary interest here is the cars and the corporation. The history and the legacy."
This morning, Jack's Towing stopped by to pick up our 1950 Studebaker Champion, "Doc," and bring him to the shop. A wiring short has Doc out of commission for a few days.
I needed to move Doc from the driveway into the street in order to position him for the tow truck. I unhinged the emergency brake, and with one push from within the driver's seat Doc glided into the street without effort. The manual steering wheel eased with the car's movement. All was silent save the wind and Doc's aching joints.
Doc is an example of all that's right about cars of his day; he is a marvel of engineering and design. He is the manifestation of Loewy's and Exner's imagination. Pop the hood, and he's exposed. Every part is evident.
While parenthood and work are complex, Doc is simple and beautiful and real. Yes, he's a car, but he's our car - and there's only one of him.
Jay Leno of the "Tonight Show" is known as an avid classic car collector. His "Your Garage" website allows collectors to post pictures of their cars online. The link below shows one of the mint Studebaker Champion's on the Jay Leno Garage website.
View Jay Leno's "Your Garage" website.
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