Stewart Warner has been one of the most trusted names in gauges for 95 years. Many have been standard OEM equipment on every kind of car. Stewart Warner designs have had an immense impact on the interiors and cockpits of cars we recognize for style.
While their gauges have been practical too, the, the new Muscle Series mixes the classic look with oden technology, dress up a dash, and put a smile on the driver’s face while looking upon the attractive dials.
These gauges feature a black face with white-and-red graphics, brushed aluminum bezel and a retro-styled red pointer for an authentic muscle car look. And since they’re made by Stewart Warner, they should be accurate and reliable.
The five-gauge kit makes a dashboard revamp easy. Included is a speedometer, water temperature, oil pressure, fuel level and voltmeter gauges, plus all the necessary sending units and hardware. Stewart Warner Muscle Series Gauges also are available individually.
The tachometer and speedometer measure 3.375 inches in diameter and the other gauges are 2.2 inches.
We liked the racy look of the dials and certainly recognize the provenance of the brand. These particular gauges are so fresh from the factory, they have not even made it to the SW website, but there is a way to be the first on the block with this custom option.
Check out the full line of Stewart Warner gauges, including the new Muscle Series at Summit Racing. For a project such as this, the experts can advise on fitment and matching the right part for the job.
Available in the Muscle Series Analog Gauges:
• 0-8,000 rpm tachometer
• 0-160 mph speedometer
• 100-280° F water temperature gauge
• 0-100 psi oil pressure gauge
• Fuel level gauge
• 10-16V voltmeter
The Nurburgring, or the Green Hell, as it is nicknamed is a 12.5-mile racing circuit in western Germany. It is undoubtedly iconic in racing circles and reminds us of a far more daring era of motorsport. When there is not testing and racing going on, it is open daily as a tollroad.
One of the more interesting tourist attractions for visitors is the “Ring Taxi.” Rather than taking your daily or rent-a-car onto the circuit, for 225 Euro, BMW offers a hot lap of the circuit with factory drivers who know all the intricacies. One such former Ring Taxi driver is known as “the Queen of the Ring,” Sabine Schmitz. She is also known around the world as a successful sports car racer and host of the BBC’s Top Gear after Clarkson and company departed.
In the early 2010s, if you were fortunate enough, by the luck of the draw, Sabine would be your driver for a very spirited tour of tire squealing and G-forces. Sabine grew up in the town, where her mother, Ursula, still operates the Teirgarten Hotel. As one of the few hotels right at the circuit, the list of names of occupants over the years reads like a Motorsports Hall of Fame — form Ascari to Schumacher…
Sabine began racing in her late teens and has been very successful — she holds the lap record for a woman at the famed circuit. So just imagine the thrill of getting to ride with a driver of Sabine’s stature, combined with her level of intimacy with the circuit. The affable German takes some tourists for a ride they will most likely never forget.
Not much was known about Africa until the 19th century. Europeans called it the Dark Continent, because of the savagery and mysteries that was thought existing in the interior. I was fortunate enough to venture a trip to the Dark Continent a number of years ago and discovered a gleaming jewel in a sleepy town, better known for their wine and cuisine than for their cars, called the Franschhoek Motor Museum.
Porsche and Foreign Sports Car Hall #22a | Howard Koby photo
The facility is located on the L’Omarina wine estate that’s less than an hour’s drive from the seaport city of Cape Town — not far from where the Atlantic and Indian Ocean meet (Cape Point). The museum buildings are at the foot of the Groot Drakenstein Mountains in the beautiful wine lands valley (Breed River Valley) of Franschhoek. This area known as the “French Corner” was originally the refuge of Huguenot settlers fleeing religious persecution in France over 300 years ago. As a tribute to this movement the Huguenot Memorial Museum was erected in 1948 in a spectacular setting with a handsome Cape Dutch-style building on the grounds that celebrates the influence of the French in South Africa.
Moto Morini 3.5 | Howard Koby photo
The museum is an exclusive private collection of cars which pay homage to over 100 years of rich motoring history and is owned by industrialist Johann Rupert, heir to one of the largest fortunes in the country (net worth $5.9 billion). Rupert established the museum in honor of his father Anton Rupert who was a dedicated vintage car enthusiast. Anton created and structured a museum of vintage cars in Heidelberg in the Cape and his son Johann moved the automobile collection to the L’Omarins farm when it closed which belonged to his late brother Antionij after his father’s passing. In this quiet serene town of Franschhoek sits a monument of cars with interesting South African stories to tell.
74 Tyrrell Ford | Howard Koby photo
On May 6, 2007, the museum opened to the public with historic automotive examples such as the first Ford to have been imported into South Africa (a 1903 Model A, a Rolls Royce Phantom II with hatches in the roof for ventilation while on safari, a three-wheel Messerschmitt ‘cabin scooter,’ a 1925 Chevy “Superior” Tourer that was owned by Anton Rupert’s father John, and a 1956 Aston Martin DB2/4 (one of only three in the world). Currently, the museum’s collection exceeds 220 vehicles ranging from a 1898 Beeston Motor Tricycle to a 2003 Enzo supercar.
54 Maserati 250F | Howard Koby photo
About 80 exhibit cars are on view at any one time that are presented in four purpose-built temperature controlled de-humidified exhibition halls. The structures are state of the art with excellent high quality lighting, interesting audio-visuals, with all cars presented in chronological order in an un-crowded spacious setting. Each of the rectangular barn-like Dutch style buildings focuses on a selection of different manufacturers and shows the cars from earliest to newest. Every automotive work of art is kept in pristine condition and is the country’s largest collection of classic and vintage vehicles that include bicycles, pedal cars, collectables, racecars and exotic motor vehicles. Each hall holds 20 cars which are rotated from the collection that are in mint condition and are all regularly started and driven to ensure that they remain in roadworthy condition.
25 Bugatti Type 23 | Howard Koby photo
When Johann Rupert bought the collection from the defunct Heidelberg Motor Museum that was established by his late father Anton and founded the Museum, Wayne Harley was the former Heidelberg curator and luckily Rupert brought the collection to the new location and took Harley with when everything was moved to the Cape. Harley was responsible for the entire packing and moving of the museum and became the museum curator. He was also influential on the construction of the specially designed museum with the “focus being on not just cars but matching the architectural style of the Cape wine lands,” remarked Harley.
55 Jaguar D Type | Howard Koby photo
The museum facilitates a full workshop and technical team that operates under Harley’s direction while a fair amount of outside companies have been contracted to restore and spiff up the collection. Rupert chuckles as he mentions “a mate of mine whose wife still knows nothing of a car we store for him.”
37 Maserati 6CM | Howard Koby photo
The museum is always delivering a profound presence in South Africa participation in important events that encompass a diverse and interesting array of subjects related in some was to the automobile. On January 10, 2020, the premier horse race, L’Ormarins Queens’s Plate Racing Festival held at Kenilworth Club, the Franschhoek Museum played host to a display of vintage cars. The showcase presented a reminder of the elegance of an era of the role that horses played in the history of transport in South Africa. “Showing off these automotive masterpieces at a prestigious horse event marries horses and cars in support of a cause aimed at the well being of these elegant creatures that still continue to work in many of South Africa’s rural communities” said Harley.
38 Jaguar SS100 | Howard Koby photo
Another event that the museum was immensely proud to be a part of was a “Top Gear Festival” at Kyalami racetrack located in Midrand, Gauteng Province, South Africa. The track was packed for days at the Grand Prix Circuit where some of the cars were driven around the track by Derek Bell, Sir Stirling Moss, Eddie Jordan, David Coulthard and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason.
28 Rolls Phantom l | Howard Koby photo
Back at the museum, the finest collection of racing Maseratis are splendidly presented including the oldest example, the Roots supercharged 1500cc pre-war Grand Prix 6CM Maserati raced by South African-based Italian Massacurati. The most significant Maserati on display is the 250F designed by Gioacchino Colombo that reigned supreme in F1 from 1954 to 1958.
62 AC Cobra | Howard Koby photo
The very rare and first Jaguar SS is on display where the ‘SS’ became a no-no name and Jaguar dropped the SS and became Jaguar (SS stood for Swallow Sidecar Company), a brilliant red 1936 Cord 810 Convertible which was unique for its time as it had no running boards, no visible door hinges and was front wheel drive, a 1966 Ford GT40 that was the result of a failed proposal between Ford and Ferrari, the amazing Rothmans Porsche 956 which was owned by the Rupert family when it was raced by Jacky Ickx, a striking 1935 Austro-Daimler Bergmeister that was first seen at the Vienna Auto Show, and last but by no means least, the most mysterious car in South Africa at the museum, the ‘lost 1930 Mercedes 540K’, the country’s most expensive classic car. The legend is that Adolf Hitler donated the car to the German Embassy in South Africa during WWI and that the Third Reich gave several of them to sympathetic governments during the war. The car eventually was bought by Johann Rupert at an auction and brought it to the Cape estate to share with the public at the museum.
1938 BMW 328 | Howard Koby photo
While at the museum, the Pit stop Café is a lovely place to have a refreshing milkshake or an espresso, muffins and scones and the famous Ploughman’s Platter consisting of cheeses olives and meats.
1955 Aston Martin DB3S | Howard Koby photo
The four farm-like exhibition halls nestled in this majestic and historic valley house:
Antique- built before 31 December 1904
Veteran- built between 1 January 1919 and 31 December 1930
Post-Vintage- built 1 January 1931 and 31 December 1945
Post-1945- built between 1 January 1946 and 31 December 1960
Post-1960- built after 1 January 1961
1936 Cord 810 Convertible | Howard Koby photo
Wayne Harley states June 2020: “Under this current situation plus the fact the museum is shut leaves us not too sure as to when we will be allowed to reopen or if we will be allowed to. Over the last few months I’ve been fighting making sure that none of our employees are let go, plus on top of that maintaining the collection, buildings and grounds with only a handful of staff that are permitted to work under lockdown has massively effected my work days and priorities.”
When I was decades younger, my family and the Kobliska family liked to go fossil hunting. We’d drive to some rock pile, find a rock with a promising shape, take our geology hammers (sort of a miniature hand-held pick axe) and crack the rock open. Sometimes we’d even find a fossil, and when we did it was a thrill.
Searching through the collector car automobile advertisements on ClassicCars.com can be a similar experience as we hunt for that special vehicle we feel is worth sharing with our audience here at the Journal. The Pick of the Day is such a car, and it’s from a brand I’d not known previously.
It is a 1940 Stoewer Sedina Pullman with cabriolet roof, which is being advertised on ClassicCars.com by a private party in New Providence, New Jersey. However, and it’s a big however, the vehicle is located in Russia, though the seller notes that “worldwide shipping is available at purchaser’s cost.”
“This car is so rare that ClassicCars.com had to add the make and model in order for us to list it,” the seller notes. “Believe it or not, this vehicle actually runs,” and the ad includes a 10-second video of the engine running.
“Currently, it is estimated that only 12 of these vehicles are left in the world — and this may be the only (one) with a cabriolet roof left,” the seller adds.
There’s not a lot more information in the ad, other than the exterior color — cream and burgundy — the interior color — burgundy — and that the car has a manual transmission. The car is being offered for $75,000.
Although I’d never heard of Stoewer,The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile devotes more than two pages to the brand. The company was in operation from 1899 to 1940 in Germany, not in the heart of the German auto industry but in the Baltic port city of Stettin, where it produced 40,000 vehicles through the years.
Brothers Emil and Bernhard Stoewer established the auto company after working for their family’s ironworks.
Kaiser Wilhelm II bought a Stoewer in the first decade of the 20th Century, and it was about the same time that a Stoewer G5 did 67 mph in the flying-mile trials at England’s Brooklands circuit. The Encyclopedia shows photos of four Stoewers, each with what might have been considered advanced design for the periods of their production.
The Encyclopedia notes that Bernhard Stoewer left the company to join Opel in 1934 and that the subsequent “Sedina and Arkona were good-looking cars but offered nothing original.”
Imagine waking up in the early hours of the morning of June 4, 1896 to ungodly sputtering and clanging sounds coming in from the street. That’s what residents of Detroit, MI woke to that day.
Most likely they were annoyed and certainly none realized they were witnesses to what would become one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century. Henry Ford had just driven past them in the first automobile he’d built on its very first test drive.
Ford was not the first person to build an automobile. What
he did do is change the way they were built and sold and thus opened up
automobile ownership to almost every American. His success with early models
gave him the experience in design and manufacturing to launch the Ford Model T
in 1908, the car that put American on wheels.
This first Ford was named the Quadricycle, as it ran on four bicycle tires. As many struggled to build their own motorcars, Ford took the route of simplicity and made the Quadricycle as uncomplicated as possible by using commonly available materials like angle iron for the frame and the seat from a horse-drawn carriage. There was no steering wheel, just a tiller, and the transmission was a simple affair with two forward gears and no reverse, constructed of a leather belt and metal chain.
Footage of the Quadricycle
The 32-year-old Ford had built the Quadricycle in a workshop behind his home. After two years of tinkering, his car ready to drive, and Ford had to remove part of a brick wall to deliver the Quadricycle from its birthplace and roll it out onto the street.
The inline two cylinder engine was based on a design from
American Machinist magazine. The Kane-Pennington engine, as modified by Ford, displaced
59 cubic inches and developed four horsepower. Unfortunately the design was
incomplete and Ford had to devise his own ignition system. At first the engine
was air cooled though Ford later added water jackets to the cylinders to
eliminate overheating. It was said the Ford Quadricycle could attain a
breathtaking 20 miles per hour – only a train was faster at the time.
Working on the Quadricycle at night, Ford was employed full-time during the day as Chief Engineer at the Edison Illuminating Company in Detroit. The Quadricycle impressed Edison who encouraged Ford to establish his own manufacturing company. Ford sold the original Quadricycle in late 1896 for $200, which he spent on materials to build a second car.
The Quadricycle as it appears today at the henry Ford Museum
After two failed attempts, the third company Ford
established in 1903 continues to this day as the Ford Motor Company. The
relationship between Edison and Ford went from employer-employee to that of fellow
inventors and industrialists, often camping together along with tire magnate
Harvey Firestone.
In its first year, the Ford Motor Company turned a
profit of $37,000 with a shareholder investment of just $28,000 (about one
million dollars of profit against an investment of about $700,000, adjusted for
inflation).
An astute businessman, Ford bought the Quadricycle back in
1904 for $65. Today the first Ford car is proudly on display at the Henry Ford
Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
The “road” through the Spirit Mountain Wilderness near Laughlin, Nevada, is designated as Christmas Tree Pass. I put road in quotes because this sometimes gravel, sometimes sand, sometimes rocky, sometimes narrow and sometimes even washed-out route is best driven in a vehicle with 4-wheel drive and decent ground clearance.
It is called Christmas Tree Pass because people have placed Christmas ornaments on the various bushes and juniper trees along the trail. That practice apparently was begun by locals, but on our most recent visit, we saw signs proclaiming the holiday handiwork of the Cassata Family from Buffalo, New York, and another noting that the ornaments had been placed by Minnesotans.
Although we didn’t bring any holiday baubles with us, my teenage grandson did connect his iPhone to the audio system of the 2020 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4×4 pickup truck we drove and shared Christmas music as we traveled along.
The 2020 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road 4×4 Double Cab has no trouble making its way well away from paved roads
For much of the 16 or so miles that Christmas Tree Pass covers, 4-wheel drive isn’t necessary, though it is helpful. But there was a substantial stretch covered in very soft, deep sand and I was grateful for the enhanced steering provided by powered front wheels.
That sand section stretched for maybe a mile or two, and I also was thankful for instructions I received years ago on various drives with off-roading experts from Land Rover, who shared their off-pavement mantra: “As slow as possible, as fast as necessary.”
High-speed off-road racing may appear glamorous, and can be fun, but it’s also brutal and if you don’t want to break your vehicle or get bogged down, driving slowly so you can avoid obstacles yet with enough momentum to get through mud or sand or snow is the way to go.
And the 2020 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road 4×4 Double Cab went just fine, thank you, both on and off pavement during our week with the vehicle.
TRD is short for Toyota Racing Development and is Toyota’s in-house U.S. tuning shop for performance on or off pavement. Its modifications to the Tacoma, Toyota’s mid-size pickup truck, include off-road suspension with 2.5-inch internal bypass Fox coil-overs and rear remote reservoir shocks, P265/70R16 tires (all-seasons, but you’d likely opt for more aggressive tread for serious off-roading), multi-terrain select crawl control, hill-start assist and a towing package with engine-oil and steering coolers, and trailer anti-sway control.
One result is larger angles of approach, departure and breakover, all good things for off-roading.
The TRD alterations also include projector-beam headlamps with LED daytime illumination, gray grille with smoked finish, color-keyed and heated power mirrors with turn-signal indicators, black overfenders (flares) and chrome rear bumper, a 120-volt power outlet in the pickup bed, a power tilt/slide moonroof, power sliding center section of the rear window, push-button start, analog instrumentation, smartphone charging station in the center console, and 10-way power driver’s seat.
Cameras show what’s just ahead and all around
An array of driver-assist safety technology also is standard, as is an 8-inch touchscreen audio display, Bluetooth, and for 2020, Android Auto and Apply Car Play connectivity.
Also available is a new Panoramic View Monitor that provides a 360-degree image around the truck and a Multi Terrain Monitor that shows video from the front undercarriage to help the driver avoid obstacles.
Christmas Tree Pass road varies in surface and width as it winds around the Newberry Range
Base price is $36,965 but out test truck stickered out at $46,328, in part because of a $1,670 Advanced Technology Package with blind spot monitor and rear parking sonar. It also was equipped with $485-worth of LED head and fog lamps, a $300 step to enhance access to the truck bed, a $499 front skid plate, and what we consider to be a misnamed $4,285 TRD Premium Off Road Package.
That “Off Road” package includes dual-zone climate control, leather seats with heated seats up front, auto-on headlamps, premium JBL audio, navigation and more, though none of it seems to relate to off-road driving other than he navigation display.
Empowering the Tacoma is a 3.5-liter V6 rated at 278 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of torque. Our truck had a 6-speed automatic transmission that at times hunted for the right gear on long uphill stretches on the 100 miles of highway between Las Vegas and Laughlin, but that responded properly on gravel and sand, and that can be shifted manually so you can control downhill speed without touching the brake pedal.
Petroglyphs in Grapevine Canyon date to 1100 A.D.
While those sitting in the rear seat would have appreciated a little more legroom, no one was complaining about the cold-blowing air conditioning on a day that pushed just into triple temperature digits. That was especially the case near the end of the trail when we parked and hiked into Grapevine Canyon to see (look in amazement and appreciation, photograph but do not touch) petroglyphs said to date to perhaps 1100 A.D.
Spirit Mountain, tallest in the Newberry range west of Laughlin and the Colorado River, is considered holy ground by the ancient tribes. Visiting such sites, even driving Christmas Tree Pass, is a privilege, and a vehicle such as the Tacoma TRD Off-Road not only enables but enhances the experience.
Roger Corman is known as the “King of the B-Movies.” While many of his hundreds of films were inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and other tales of terror, several of his films surrounded racing and cars. Certainly the franchise, which took the name from this film, is much better known to the younger generation. However, this is also an action adventure chok-full of Jaguar XK120s!
Fortunate was I to sit with the legend at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, CA during a wrap party for the Ron Howard film RUSH. As it turns out, Mr. Corman was a mentor in filmmaking to Ron Howard. Roger was very kind and engaging as we spoke about his filmography. Naturally the conversation moved to cars as we spoke about the various Deathrace films and a few others involving real racing.
Inspired by this memory, ClassicCars.com presents Roger Corman’s The Fast and the Furious.
The Plot (from Wikipedia): Charged with a murder he did not commit, truck driver Frank Webster (John Ireland) has broken out of jail. While on the run, and the subject of radio news reports, he is cornered in a small coffee shop by a zealous citizen who is suspicious of the stranger. Frank manages to escape and, as he gets away, kidnaps a young woman named Connie (Dorothy Malone).
Frank drives off with Connie in her Jaguar sports car. She soon proves a difficult hostage, trying to escape a few times, which leads him to treat her more roughly than they both would prefer. This mutual struggle soon leads the two to fall in love.
Continuing to elude police, the couple slips into a cross-border sports car race, which Frank plans to use to his advantage to escape into Mexico. Faber (Bruce Carlisle), one of Connie’s friends, is wary of the new stranger driving her car and tries to learn more about Frank.
During the race, Frank abandons his chance to escape when he chooses to aid Faber who has crashed. Out of sympathy for Frank and a desire to be with him, Connie informs the police of his plan to reach Mexico so he might face trial and be acquitted. At the last moment, Frank also decides it is better to turn himself in and somehow find a future with Connie. The race ends with his imminent capture by the police.
A lovely sports car with a curvaceous body designed by Pininfarina and a hot V6 engine from Ferrari, the Fiat Dino Spider was an anomaly then as it is now: a limited-edition exotic with great credentials sold by Italy’s mass-market automaker.
There were two versions: a handsome 2+2 coupe designed by Bertone and the Pininfarina-styled Spider. Either version packed the Ferrari V6, the same engine found in the Ferrari Dino and used in the company’s F2 race cars.
The Pick of the Day is a 1972 Fiat Dino 2400 Spider that “wears a stunning restoration,” according to the Astoria, New York, dealer advertising the roadster on ClassicCars.com.
“The car was disassembled, and the body taken down to the bare metal before being refinished in an attractive silver-blue metallic,” the dealer says in the ad. “Trim was refinished or replaced as needed, and a new convertible top was installed. The interior was reupholstered in black vinyl.
“To ensure the mechanicals matched the aesthetics, an engine rebuild was performed that, by itself, totaled nearly $22,000.”
The
Fiat Dino was named after Enzo Ferrari’s son, who died at a young age and who,
with engineer Vittorio Jano, created the lightweight V6 engine; the Ferrari
Dino also is named after him.
The Fiat models were produced because Ferrari needed to homologate its 2.0-liter aluminum V6 for F2 racing. There needed to be at least 500 road cars sold to the public with that engine, and the only way Ferrari could arrive quickly at that number was to have Fiat build and sell them en masse.
The homologation number was soon reached and, in all, there were 7,651 Fiat Dino coupes and spiders built between 1966 and June 1972, when production ceased. The later cars, built in-house by Ferrari with a 2.4-liter cast-iron version of the engine and a ZF 5-speed transmission, are considered to be more-reliable and all-around better cars. Just 424 2.4-liter spiders were built.
In
the nicely composed urban photos with the ad, this Fiat Dino looks like a
splendid example, said to be completely redone and finished in highly desirable
Silver Blue Metallic.
“By appearances, all work was completed to a high standard,
and this Dino Spider runs and drives superb with that fantastic Ferrari V-6
exhaust note,” the seller notes.
The styling of the Spider was controversial from the start, but they have grown over time on most aficionados of Italian cars. And for what they are – Ferrari-built and -powered roadsters – they are still reasonably priced, especially when compared with the similar-spec Ferrari Dino.
This one can be had for $167,500, certainly not inexpensive but a lot of spicy Italian meatball for the money.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
With only one major change in the ClassicCars.com Marketplace most-searched lists for May 2020 (more on that below), we’re applying a twist to this monthly report by noting what folks in the UK are searching on their side of the pond.
According to a story in the Evening Express, the Ford Capri tops the list of most-searched-for classic cars, according to date supplied byCar and Classicmagazine.
“The Capri remains as iconic today as it did when it was first launched,” the Evening Express reports. “In terms of outright classic car fame, the Capri is akin to Elvis Presley… Iconic both in terms of design and the time period it was made in, the Capri was one of the first cars to bring a slice of American muscle to the UK – in a uniquely British way.”
Ford Cortina among most-searched classics in the UK | Evening Express photo
Runner-up in the UK is the Volkswagen Beetle with the Ford Cortina third, followed by the MGB GT and Triumph Stag.
Those results from the UK are based on what we term “all-year” searches, so we’ll begin our monthly report on the ClassicCars.com Marketplace with our comparable list which, as usual, is topped — in order — by Chevrolet, Ford and Mustang.
In May, the Volkswagen Bus and Chevy C10 pickup truck swapped fourth and fifth places. But then comes the big news: The DeLorean surged from barely looked at to sixth overall!
We’d say “blimey!” but DeLoreans were assembled in Northern Ireland, so perhaps it’s “Bang on!”
“A few weeks ago, Jim Volgarino did a story here on ClassicCars.com about a DeLorean comeback – and some crazy Frankenstein creations,” said Journal managing editor Tom Stahler. “Add to that, Delorean Motor Company is beginning to produce a new DMC-12. Consider also the passion for interesting ’80s cars has been growing by leaps and bounds.”
Meanwhile, Willys/Jeep and Volkswagen dune buggy both climbed into the top-10 list for May, joining DeLorean and bumping out Corvette, Bronco and Pontiac.
Among searches done by year-make-model, the 1967 For Mustang retained the top spot with the 67 Chevrolet Impala against second. But the 1969 Mustang climbed from fourth in April to third in May and the ’65 Mustang from sixth to fourth, a spot ahead of the 1969 Charger.
Mustangs of various years in the 1960s took six of the top-10 spots in the year-make-model search list for May.
The Bureau of Land Management, Utah’s Tooele County and the Utah Health Department all have signed off on the necessary permits, and the Southern California Timing Association has announced plans to stage Bonneville Speed Week 2020 on August 8-14, with the Bonneville World Finals set for September 29-October 2.
“We had one major choice in front of us this year concerning the Bonneville National’s Speed Week 2020,” SCTA president Bill Lattin and Bonneville Nationals chairman Pat McCowell wrote on SCTA website. “Should we keep our plans in motion or should we stop and cancel it due to Covid19?”
The decision was to proceed, and while there will be some changes for social distancing and health concerns, Speed Week is on, and record-setting runs are anticipated in a wide variety of categories.
Officials said they hope to be at the Bonneville Salt Flats to prepare the course within the next week or so, and entry fees are being accepted from racers.
The COVID precautions, officials said, include sneeze guards at various official trailers, hand-sanitizer stations, taped-off social-distancing boundaries, enlarged pit spaces, recommendations that people bring and wear masks or bandanas, etc.
