Hemmings Auto Blog

In his farewell address, General Douglas MacArthur stated that old soldiers never die, they just fade away, but MacArthur didn’t follow that pattern. Instead, amid rumors he’d run for president, he took a tour of the country that included a June 1951 stop in Austin, Texas, the cause of the Read more

While postwar Packards may not always generate the same interest as period cars from rival brands, this 1951 Packard 200 Deluxe four-door sedan for sale on Hemmings.com may be the exception. It’s seen just 82,000 miles pass beneath its wide whitewall tires, and the inline eight-cylinder engine between its front Read more

1971 Alfa Romeo Montreal. Photos by Brian Henniker, courtesy Gooding and Company. Despite its concept-car looks, despite its relative rarity here in the United States, despite its Italian exoticness, the Alfa Romeo Montreal had always been considered a budget GT car, an affordable alternative to, say, a Ferrari 308. Those Read more

The original California “black plate” design. Photo by woody1778a. In January of 2013, the California Department of Motor Vehicles announced a new program that would, potentially, bring back a series of memorable license plates from the past, including a yellow plate (issued from 1956-’63), a black plate (issued from 1963-’69) Read more

A 1959 Austin Seven, recently restored by BMW. Photos courtesy BMW Group. Though designer Alec Issigonis couldn’t know it at the time, the compact and fuel-efficient commuter car he was tasked to produce by British Motor Corporation (BMC) president Leonard Lord would ultimately set the stage for generations of compact Read more

“Light rust.” Photo by the author. This morning’s little lecture about how salt accelerates the rusting process brought out a few interesting comments on how some people combat the tin worm – post-salt scrub-downs and waste-oil belly sprays among them. But from spending a few years in this hobby, we Read more

About the only thing remaining today in this 1965 photo of San Juan Street and Red Hill Avenue in Tustin, California, which we came across over on the Orange County Archives on Flickr, seems to be the two streets and the overpass in the distance. Then again, maybe some of Read more

Nice car, this 1966 Chrysler New Yorker four-door hardtop for sale on Hemmings.com. But here’s something to consider: Those who dig unrestored cars point to the personal histories imbued in them, so are nicknames bestowed by previous owners part of that individual heritage? And if so, should they be preserved Read more

The World’s Fastest Tempest. Photo by David Newhardt, courtesy Mecum Auctions. Pontiac only built six factory lightweight Super Duty Tempest Le Mans coupes, and four of these have reportedly been lost to history. Last Saturday, a 1963 Pontiac Le Mans Super Duty factory lightweight coupe, one of two surviving examples Read more

The new Shelby Heritage Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photos courtesy Shelby American. To fans of Carroll Shelby and his high-performance creations, Las Vegas, Nevada, is a destination that offers far more excitement than just cards, dice, chips and slot machines. While the desert tourist Mecca has long been home Read more