By Dan Strohl

Hemmings

very now and then, I think I’d like to get a tattoo. Sure, everybody and their grandmother has one nowadays, so they don’t carry the sailor-on-shore-leave stigma they used to, but a tattoo is more than a social statement. It’s an expression of commitment to whatever that tattoo stands for. While they look good on others, and while I’m sure others have thoroughly thought through their decisions to get a tattoo, I know that I had better be fully wedded to this symbol or depiction I’ll place on my skin. Because I picture myself five, 10, 15 years down the road, and I know that my tastes will change, that I’ll have new influences and commitments in my life. Will I really want this moment in time to forever alter me? Will I really want to face laser tattoo removal to reverse that one decision? You know what I mean? From the description of this 1948 Packard Super 8 offered for $9,000 on Hemmings.com:

Vehicle was completely stripped down to the framework. Engine was completely factory rebuilt and reinstalled. Many of the engine parts have been chromed. New muffler. Lambo doors. Hood has been modified to tilt forward. Wiring and interior still needs to be done. Headliner good condition, seats need recovered.

See the rest of the pics at Hemmings

By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

On Saturday, December 12th 2009, Linhbergh and I arrived at a rather soggy Irwindale Speedway on a real mission. Among the rows of customs and hot rods attending the Mooneyes Xmas Party event, we needed to find a feature-ready custom to shoot for Speedhunters I had arranged for two pin-up models to attend the Xmas Party event, so we had no option but to find a machine for them to pose with. The weather was pretty horrible that weekend, so we thought a nice big interior would be a great way to shoot the girls and make some cool content for Speedhunters. So when I laid eyes on this amazing 1949 Buick I knew we had found our car! Continue reading at Speedhunters

By Rod Chong

By Dan Strohl

Hemmings

Didn’t recognize the name of Emmett Kelly, the clown who owned yesterday’s 1972 Citroën? Me neither. More likely, you’ll recognize the name of the man who purportedly once owned this 1948 Packard woody station wagon: Neil Young. He must’ve sold it before he go all bio-diesely. Offered for $49,500 out of Astoria, New York. The seller doesn’t give us much more info, but plenty of photos. See the rest at Hemmings

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Check out this awesome ’48 Caddy! More pics after the jump!

Continue reading "Bob Fryz's Shaboom Gone Wild" »

By Dan Strohl

Hemmings

So last week at Hershey, we got an earful on the issue of Chrysler Town and Country cars in the Classic Car Club of America. Whatever your position on the issue, there’s no denying that T&Cs are some of the most sought-after and prestigious postwar American cars, especially the convertible versions. So it’s not unusual to find one, beautifully restored with a few personal touches, on Hemmings.com. What is unusual is to find one on Hemmings.com, but physically located in Paris, France. We’re pointed to the seller’s website to find out how it found its way in the land of Simcas and Renaults. Continue reading at Hemmings

Ben Levy sent me a link to some photos he took at the Chi-Town Kruze, a huge classic car cruise and show that takes place near Chicago’s Lakefront. I really loved this ’48 Dodge, the "Orange Rufy." That’s not paint, that’s Rhino Hide! It’s got a 502 Chevy crate marine motor, Turbo 400 trans and Ford 9" rear end. More pics after the jump, and be sure to check out this video about the car.

Continue reading "Orange Rufy" »

Back in 1999, Edmunds bought a 1948 Cadillac Fleetwood, chopped it up and converted it to office furniture. Ok, maybe I could forgive them for a little wretched dot-com excess (not Jen, she is seriously pissed off). But then they brag about it in their goofy office tour video. Seriously, what’s up with that? Is nothing sacred? Couldn’t they just stick with the Aeron chairs?

Seeing one of these cars is kind of like seeing a unicorn: it just doesn’t happen. But Autoblog tells us that one of the original 51 Tuckers, built in 1948 by doomed visionary Preston Tucker, sold on eBay yesterday for a couple of hundred grand. This one was converted in 1964 to run a Mercury Monterey driveline, including a 390 V8 in place of the original Tucker’s rear-mounted Franklin aircraft engine. This is the kind of radical engine swap you could never get away with today on an original Tucker, which is valued in the hundreds of thousands.  But it’s clear that the conversion actually makes this ultra-rare classic a lot more feasible as a driver: with the 390, it’s something you could actually work on and enjoy, rather than just a giant paperweight.