Hemmings Auto Blog

On March 31, 1932, Fords equipped with the company’s new V-8 engine went on sale. The first low-priced V-8s on the market, Ford’s Model 18s attracted considerable attention in the wake of their February announcement; Ford dealers had 75,000 orders by March 5, and 100,000 more by the time the engines Read more

A truck is always made more handsome by stripping it down to the bare bones and leaving only what makes it useful. Who needs windows? Who needs a hardtop? Who needs cup holders and heated seats? That said, this 1966 Toyota FJ45 roadster pickup has to be one of the Read more

They seemed to have quite the selection of automobiles at Smith-May Motor Company in Port Arthur, Texas, in November 1948, when this photo was taken: used cars, new cars, trucks, and multiple brands. We’re also going to guess that Smith-May either just moved into this facility (at 949 Proctor Street, Read more

Some people want an old car to take to shows and preen over in their garage. Some want an old car as an investment vehicle. And some want an old car simply to drive something with a little more character and a lot less modern conveniences than modern cars offer. Read more

Tired of always seeing the same old Chevrolets and Fords at car shows, with maybe a Chrysler, Plymouth, Pontiac, or Buick thrown in? Be the change you want to see by getting behind the wheel of a classic independent! In the May 2013 issue of Hemmings Motor News, we guide Read more

Where’s all the motorcycles? From a time before every other storefront in Sturgis, South Dakota, catered to the bike week crowd comes this photo, courtesy the Black Hills Knowledge Network, of Main Street Sturgis looking west, sometime in the 1970s (take from between First and Junction), with the famed Black Read more

It seems like they had parades for just about every occasion, large or small, in 1950s Southern California. New highways, new supermarkets, even new parking lots, judging from this photo of the 929-car capacity Venice Beach parking lot that opened in May 1952, found on the USC Digital Libraries online Read more

History lesson for the day: Apparently the express checkout lane – the one you use at the grocery store when you have 10 items or less – was pioneered by James Earl “Doc” Webb at Webb’s City in St. Petersburg, Florida, a sort of proto-Wal-Mart, if Sam Walton had a Read more

On March 25, 1920, Walter P. Chrysler quit his posts at General Motors, where he had led the Buick division and was also executive vice-president for production. Alfred P. Sloan suggested that his decision to leave came out of several rancorous board meetings where he clashed with GM head Billy Read more

If you’ve been to Hershey the last few years, you’re sure to have seen a few restored K-cars and K-car derivatives, so it should come as no surprise that this 1983 Dodge Rampage for sale on Hemmings.com sports a relatively recent restoration, bringing it up to roadworthy condition. A little Read more