Excerpts taken from world famous ‘Hemmings Auto Blog’
Jeep’s CJ-8 Scrambler, launched in 1981, was intended to take advantage of the mini pickup craze of the day, but apparently Jeep forgot to tell consumers this. Puzzled by the half-pickup, half-Jeep contraption, buyers largely ignored the Scrambler when it was on dealer lots (making it highly collectible today), but Read more
1967 Yenko Super Camaro. All photos by Chip Riegel, courtesy Gooding & Company. Near the top of the list of desirable muscle cars from the 1960s are the special edition Chevrolet Camaros sold through Yenko Chevrolet in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Produced in extremely limited quantities and, more often than not, driven Read more
1970 Plymouth Road Runner convertible restomod. Photos courtesy Mecum Auctions. Conventional wisdom says that restomods can be a tough sell at auction, as many fail to cover their build costs, let alone turn a profit for owners. At Mecum’s Kansas City sale, however, restomods proved to be popular lots, filling Read more
Images courtesy Carlos Everett. The most enthusiastic car nuts among us understand the urge to learn all we can about the history of our classic cars. Why did the original purchaser choose this color, those options? What personal touches did subsequent owners bestow upon the machine? Where has it been, Read more
Photos courtesy Vince Geraci, Frank Pascoe, Bill St. Clair. Sometimes it’s just enough to retire, head south to a warmer place, and soak up the sun. For a handful of retired Detroit designers, though, imagineering new cars remains a habit they just can’t shake, and they’ve been spending the last Read more
For a couple more views of Senior House at MIT, let’s go back to Roger Wollstadt’s Flickrstream, which includes a later 1970s look at the dormitory, above, and another 1955 photo of the cars parked outside, below, focused on the convertible that Wollstadt’s roommate, Bob Logcher, drove. Quite the contrast. Read more
When you’re America’s Number 4 carmaker, you’d better be good at doing a lot with a little. Given the job of updating the bulbous Rambler American, AMC stylists did some sleight-of-hand, wrapping the existing unit-body with a crisp new look for 1961. The engineers came through with an aluminum-block, OHV straight-six that year, too, but Read more
Photos courtesy Barrett-Jackson, except where noted. Long before he became known for his appearances on hot rod-related television shows, long before he started traveling the globe as a hot rodding celebrity, Jimmy Shine set the hot rodding world on its ear with his chopped and channeled 1934 Ford pickup, a Read more
Mazda Miatas on U.S. 129. Photo by Dread Pirate Jeff. Known as The Tail of the Dragon, US 129 is a challenging road to drive under ideal circumstances. With 318 turns in 11-miles of two-lane, the dangers include blind corners, over-enthusiastic drivers, wildlife – and tractor-trailers. Now, thanks to an Read more
All photography courtesy of Rodder’s Journal. One of my favorite aspects of building traditional hot rods and gow jobs is that there’s just so much room for creativity and experimentation. Didn’t like how the twin-81 carbs ran last time? Try dual 97s. Heard that Stude V-8s are untapped high-compression colossuses? Drop Read more