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 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 Jim Brennan

UDMan

Welcome to the year end wrap-up of the Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot. If you recall, this series was all about uncovering obscure makes, and redefining what a Muscle Car could be. We have discovered that Muscle originated during the 1950s, blossomed during the 1960s, and continued on through the 70s and 80s in a somewhat de-tuned state only to find a re-birth we are enjoying today. My focus was not to highlight the already established Muscle Cars like the Chevelle SS, the Pontiac GTO, or the Hemi Chryslers, but to find hidden gems that you may not have known about.

So it is now up to you, the Car Domain reader, to vote on your favorites. There will be specific categories, like today’s example, the 1950s Cruisers. In the end, sometime after the New Years Holiday, there will be one car crowned as your favorite Obscure Muscle Car, and park it in the Parking Lot, with a few CarDomain Members rides highlighted.

So what was your favorite 50′s cruiser from the Series?
- The 1957 Rambler Rebel, defined as the one car that started the Muscle Car Period.
- The 1958 Packard Hawk, with it’s Supercharged V8, and were very rare.
- The 1957 Pontiac Bonneville, the car that ushered in Performance at Pontiac.
- The Studebaker Golden Hawk, with either a Packard Big Block, or a Supercharged Small Block.
- The Fabulous Hudson Hornet, a car that virtually dominated NASCAR during the first half of the 50s.
- The 1957 Supercharged Fords (Called the F-Series), which included the Thunderbird, and at least one Wagon!
- The Dual-Ghia, with Chrysler Power, and Movie Star Panache.
- The Dodge D-500, with rip snorting power, and huge tail fins!

By Dan Strohl

Hemmings

The story of Steve Williams will probably sound familiar to many of you: Car collector amasses more cars than he could ever restore, and when he dies, the collection gets sold off. This time, at least, Steve’s family is trying to get the cars to other collectors who will appreciate them rather than crush the whole set, and a couple of the cars stand out. Continue reading at Hemmings

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Welcome to the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, a regular feature which aims to expand the notion of what a muscle car is, and maybe to drop the hint that the muscle car’s roots can be traced back a lot further than the range of years that we generally think of these cars as coming from. It has been over 50 years since the Studebaker Golden Hawk graced America’s highways. Since Studebaker is no longer in business, can we now ask if the Golden Hawk is or is not a muscle car? I think it’s worth taking a look. Introducing the Studebaker Golden Hawk.

Continue reading "CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot – The 1956 – 58 Studebaker Golden Hawk" »

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Welcome to the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, a regular feature which aims to expand the notion of what a muscle car is. Today’s featured car is that last of the once great Packard line of cars, but by this time they were nothing but glorified Studebakers. Let me introduce you to the 1958 Packard Hawk.

Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot: The 1958 Packard Hawk" »

Last week my brother Fred Einaudi went out to visit his girlfriend in Detroit, and he did a bit of sightseeing while he was there. One of his stops was the old Packard plant, a 3.5 million square foot manufacturing facility which shut down fifty years ago. He found the place strangely devoid of life and eerily quiet, the only sounds coming from creaking girders and the occasional window casing or loose sheet of steel banging in the wind. Everything has been stripped, most of the windows are blown out, and the place seems to now primarily function as a dumping ground for miscellaneous crap. With the Detroit bailout before Congress, these photos seem especially timely. More pics after the jump, and you can see the rest of Fred’s Detroit photos over at Flickr.

Continue reading "Packard Plant" »

In one of his recent campaign ads, John McCain compared Barack Obama toParis—famous for being famous—Hilton. Well, Paris apparently wasn’thappy about it, and has fired back with an ad of her own. The spot details her energy policy, and while the whole thing is pretty funny, the description of McCain—"he’s old enough to remember when dancingwas a sin, and beer was served in a bucket"—is hilarious. Anyway, here’s the news:

• Unless you’re making high-end luxury cars, it’s a tough time to be in the auto business. Even the mighty Toyota is laying people off. 800 contract workers in Japan have been let go. Wall Street Journal
• The Lotus Evora is probably going to get a supercharger, which will boost power to around 400 horsepower. While that’s all well and good, maybe they should just put the camo back on this design disaster. That car was so much cooler when it was "Project Eagle" and nobody knew what it looked like. Autocar
• Packard made some gorgeous machines back in the day, and now the rights to the luxury marque are up for sale. Do yourself a favor and don’t look at the prototype. Damn, it’s ugly. Automotive News
• Next-gen versions of Porsche’s Cayenne have been spotted in the wild, and you have to admit, the uber-powerful SUV looks a lot better when it’s riding low. World Car Fans