Excerpts taken from world famous ‘Hemmings Auto Blog’
Images are from the brochure collection of Hemmings Motor News Mercury was a brand in flux in the early 1960s. The compact Comet was the best-selling model in 1961, widely outselling the less expensive full-sized Meteor 600 and 800, and the flagship Monterey. Ford brass felt the need to broaden Read more
What has a fiberglass body, rides on a steel backbone chassis, is powered by some other automaker’s engine, and does not wear a Lotus badge? Here’s one possible answer. TVR, of Blackpool, England, launched the Tasmin, the car that would become the 280i, at the Belgian Motor Show in 1980; Read more
Jack Kiely’s 1940 Merc three-window coupe, built by Rob Ida Customs. Photos by author. Rob Ida’s build of a 1940 Mercury coupe for owner Jack Kiely has been in the works since at least 2008. As with any project this ambitious, delays are inevitable, but in this case, worth the Read more
Photos by the author. Set among the stately moss-covered oak trees at the Port Royal Golf Club on Hilton Head Island, this was the 14th year of the Hilton Head Motoring Festival & Concours d’Elegance. The event took place on Sunday, November 1st, with Saturday being a special day for Read more
Photos courtesy Barris Kustoms on Facebook. George Barris, perhaps one of the most prolific builders and promoters of show cars, custom cars, and TV and movie cars, died early Thursday morning at his home in Encino, California, at the age of 89. “He was surrounded by his family in the Read more
Photos courtesy Ron George. If any individual cars can be considered key to the existence and continuance of Chrysler’s legendary 426 Hemi, it’s a pair of A-body Barracudas – cars that never originally came with the 426 – driven to dragstrip dominance by Richard Petty – a man not normally Read more
Watch any contemporary high-end automobile auction, and it’s apparent that originality sells, with some “barn find” cars delivering higher prices than comparable cars in restored condition. This 1960 Chrysler 300F, for sale on Hemmings.com, is described by the seller as “original, unrestored and numbers-matching,” though that’s not to say it Read more
The 1963 Pontiac Bonneville “Nudie Mobile” formerly owned by Roy Rogers. Photos by Nathan Leach-Proffer, Speed-Photos, courtesy RM Sotheby’s. New York City’s gun laws are among the strictest in the nation, and the only cowboy with a regular job in the Big Apple is one who prances around sans (much) Read more
Bill and Christine Snyder with the final Lee Iacocca award. Photo courtesy Iacocca Foundation. Since 2006, the iconic automotive executive Lee Iacocca has presented an award in his own name to nearly 200 individuals within the classic car community for consistent dedication to the hobby, and for doing good works Read more
Photos by the author. [Editor’s Note: Reader Joe Essid recently had the chance to visit coachbuilder/customizer Marty Martino on the occasion of the debut of Martino’s latest creation, the PsyClone, a Corvette-based tribute to the Cadillac Cyclone Motorama car. He sat down with Martino for a conversation on the PsyClone’s Read more