To celebrate its 90th anniversary, Ferrari will race in Sunday’s 2019 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix using a special livery. The livery will be on thenew SF90 F1 car, as well as on the drivers’ race suits and some of the team’s equipment.
The famed automaker celebrated its70th anniversary in 2017, but its race team, Scuderia Ferrari, is much older. The SF90 name of the F1 car itself is a pointer to the anniversary.
Long before he ever dreamed of building road cars, founder and namesake Enzo Ferrari established the race team and company. That was on November 16, 1929, though court approval of the company didn’t arrive until Nov. 29 of that same year.
The directors of the company were Alfredo and Augusto Caniato, Ferrari and Ferruccio Testi — fellow Italian firms Alfa Romeo and Pirelli were also involved. Ferrari had raced for Alfa Romeo several years earlier and later moved into motorsport management, with Scuderia Ferrari initially serving as the motorsport department of Alfa Romeo.
In 1932, the famous Prancing Horse logo appeared on some of the Alfa Romeo race cars. The first win for a car bearing the logo was at the 1932 24 Hours of Spa, thanks to the efforts of Antonio Brivio and Eugenio Siena behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo 8C.
Scuderia Ferrari wouldn’t race its first actual vehicle until May 11, 1947. The car was the 125 S, which was driven by Franco Cortese at a race held at the Piacenza Circuit.
A number of celebrations are planned to mark the 90th anniversary. This will include the launch of a special show in May at the marque’s museum in Maranello, Italy, which will highlight the race team’s motorsport history.
Electric work can be daunting while restoring a classic car, and it can turn into a real headache. One easy check if you’re having difficulty getting any electrical power is seeing whether you need to replace a battery cable.
It seems like such a simple idea, but a corroded copper cable can fail to carry any current, which will obviously be a big problem — no ignition power, no radio, nothing. The problem is that battery cables are wrapped in insulation, which can make spotting corrosion difficult.
In the video above,Ron Francis Wiring owner and president Scott Bowers offers a tip for diagnosing a bad battery cable without cutting through the insulation.
“One little trick is, even though it’s kind of stiff, if you bend it in places, and if it’s stiffer in one area than the rest, there’s a pretty good chance that there’s something going on in there, like corrosion, that is stiffening up that area of the copper,” he says.
Bowers also pointed out that if a battery cable is 20 years old or older, it’s likely a good idea to just replace it. While you’re at it, you should replace both cables. It’s cheap and easy insurance.
That also would be a good time to increase the cable’s gauge — the bigger the gauge, the more current it can handle — to support any additional accessories that you might have added to the vehicle.
Bicester Heritage, the former Royal Air Force bomber training base that has become a vintage automotive and aviation center, will be enfolded into the proposed Bicester Motion, an “immersive automotive resort” which aims to become a top-20 tourist destination in England, organizers have announced.
Bicester Heritage, home to more than 40 vintage vehicle facilities and site of frequent car shows, occupies only 5 percent of the former base’s 444-acre footprint. Plans for Bicester Motion call for the addition of:
Bicester Motion to include a place where people can experience the newest in vehicles and technology
• A “brand experience center” will include driving experiences for all ages on- and off-road, a driver training academy, and autonomous-vehicle area.
• The Future Automotive Speed Technologies hub for advanced technologies and “cutting-edge” businesses.
• The Motor Vaults, private car garages and entertainment spaces for car collectors.
• Bicester Reserve, a health and well-being zone to include parts and lodges.
• Bicester Expo, an events and entertainment area.
Bicester Motion reveals expansion plan
All of that in addition to an already announced and approved 344-room hotel and convention center.
“This expansion will ensure that the historic airfield location it calls home will fulfill its original and continued purpose as a focal point for cutting edge technology,” Bicester Motion said in the news release announcing its new masterplan.
“Bicester Motion aims to be the first experiential automotive resort where visitors can become fully immersed in the breadth of our automotive culture, from existing on-site historic vehicle specialists through to future electric and autonomous technology.”
“The automotive industry is in a fascinating state of flux owing to changing customer habits and requirements, alongside the technology shift in drivetrains and autonomy,” Dan Geoghegan, chief executive of Bicester Motion, was quoted in the news release.
“Bicester Motion will enable both new and existing manufacturers to interact more effectively with their clientele.It will help build those relationships in a revolutionary way by providing an immersive environment that offers a lifestyle experience beyond just cars on tracks or visiting a showroom.The automotive world is changing, and we plan to offer a first-of-its-kind resort that will have multi-generational appeal.”
Mario (standing) and his twin brother Aldo | World of Speed museum photo
Museums celebrate Andretti anniversary
Mario Andretti won the Indianapolis 500 in 1969. On April 10, that victory will be celebrated with a 50th anniversary dinner at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, where the evening program includes a “fireside chat” with Andretti.
And the Petersen isn’t alone in remembering Andretti’s victory at Indy.
“Mario Andretti: ICON” opens May 1 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. and on March 23, the World of Speed museum in Wilsonville, Oregon, will display 11 cars in a special Andretti exhibition, including the 1949 Hudson that Mario and his twin, Aldo, built and raced to a 1967 Ford GT40 Mk IV that he Mario drove to victory at Sebring.
Special events this weekend
The California Automobile Museum in Sacramento opens a new exhibit, Micro Cars, on March 15.
March 16-17 is a hoods-up weekend at the Newport Car Museum in Rhode Island.
The National Corvette Museum’s Motorsports Park will be the site of BingeTokyo on March 16-17. Though it may sound as though only Japanese vehicles are welcome, organizers say all makes and models are welcome in what they believe to be “hands down the cheapest seat time you will get,” seven hours of track time over two days for $500.
LeMay Collections at Marymount participates in the Almost Spring swap meet and car show at the Washington State Fair Events Center in Puyallup, Washington, on March 16-17.
Mark your calendar
The Miles Through Time Automotive Museum in Toccoa, Georgia, stages a car club cruise-in on March 23 and opens for the season on April 10.
The AACA Library & Research Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, continues its “Saturday Matinee” program at 1 p.m. March 23 with viewing of film footage featuring the Glidden Tour History. The series ends April 13 with A History of Motor Racing.
“RADwood: Cleveland Goes Rad” is the title for an exhibit/experience running through March 24 at the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland. Staged in partnership with RADwood car shows, the exhibit will celebrate 1980s and ‘90s car culture and will showcase vehicles, clothing, music “and everything in between.”
The Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile in Torino, Italy, opens a new exhibit on the interaction of passion, graphics and design on March 28.
The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland hosts a cars and coffee cruise-in from 8 until 11 a.m. on March 30.
LeMay Collections at Marymount in Tacoma, Washington, hosts the LeMay Tea Party on March 30.
The Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild will stage a reunion and model car exposition April 4-7 at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan, where more than 100 of the cars will remain on exhibit through October.
April 5 is the registration deadline for the teen driving day being held in conjunction with the Kentucky Safe Driver Program at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green on April 13.
“USAC Stars: From Dirt Tracks to the Brickyard” is the theme of a panel discussion at 6 p.m. April 9 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum featuring U.S. Auto Club racing champions Brady Bacon, Tyler Courtney, Dave Darland, Justin Grant and Kody Swanson.
The Miles Through Time museum in Toccoa, Georgia, opens for its 2019 season on April 10. The museum will be open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
The National Corvette Museum’s NCM Motorsports Park will stage a special “Drive Toward a Curve Day” program on April 12 to fight Parkinson’s Disease. The track in Bowling Green, Kentucky, will off an all-day, lead-follow lapping program with $50 of the $125 entry going toward the charity. The track stages its teen driving day being held in conjunction with the Kentucky Safe Driver Program at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green on April 13.
SEMA’s CuS.T.E.M. Car Experience visits the LeMay – America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington, on April 19. The program introduces middle school students to the automotive customization hobby through STEM education experiences.
Britain’s National Motor Museum at Beaulieu hosts its annual “Simply Audi” car show on April 21.
The AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, is organizing a bus trip to the New York International Auto Show on April 27.
“Mario Andretti: ICON” is a special exhibit that opens May 1 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. The exhibit is designed as a comprehensive 50th anniversary celebration of Andretti’s victory in the 1969 Indianapolis 500 race.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame museum in Charlotte, North Carolina, opens a special “RCR 50: Only in America” exhibit featuring 50 years of Richard Childress Racing in May.
“My dream is longer than the night,” a radio play about Bertha Benz and her influence on the early motorcar, will be performed May 3-5 at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Germany.
The Simply Ford gathering May 5 at Britain’s National Motor Museum at Beaulieu will feature the 60th anniversary of the Ford Anglia 105E and the 50th birthday celebration for the Ford Capri.
The Murphy Auto Museum in Oxnard, California opens its new Fireball Gallery of automotive art with a special event from 6 until 10 p.m. on May 11.
917 concept study among the cars to be featured at the Porsche Museum in Germany
“Colors of Speed — 50 Years of the 917,” a special exhibition of 10 of the famed Porsche racing cars, opens May 14 and runs through September 15 at the Porsche Museum in Germany.
The AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania, opens two new summer exhibits on May 18 — Studebaker Cool: 114 Years of Innovation, and Harley-Davidson: History, Mythology and Perceptions of America’s Motorcycle. Both exhibits run through October 20.
Britain’s National Motor Museum at Beaulieu hosts both its silver-anniversary spring autojumble (swap meet) May 18-19 and a 60th anniversary celebration of the Mini.
LeMay Collections at Marymount in Tacoma, Washington, offers Model T drivers education classes May 18, June 8, July 7, August 4 and September 8.
The IMS Museum presents the 21st annual Indianapolis Historic Racing Exhibition on May 23-25 when around 70 Indianapolis 500 racing cars are expected to return to the track for exhibition laps and to be displayed in the museum parking lot inside Turn 2. The event is open to cars that raced at Indy between 1911 and 1994.
‘Spitfire’ sculpture by Richard Cresswell
Britain’s National Motor Museum and the Montagu home at Beaulieu will host a major exhibition of sculpture from May 25 through July 14. “Sculpture at Beaulieu” will feature more than 350 works by more than 60 sculptors.
LeMay Collections stages LeMay Motorcycle Days from June 13-23 with 200 motorcycles on exhibit and with rounds of motorcycle soccer.
The Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California, will stage its annual Father’s Day car show on June 16.
The Miles Through Time museum in Toccoa, Georgia, hosts its second annual car show from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on June 22.
The Murphy Auto Museum in Oxnard, California, hosts its seventh annual vintage trailer show from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on June 29, with more than 40 vintage trailers and campers on display.
“The Car. The Future. Me” is the title of an exhibit scheduled to open July 13 at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, UK, to explore “futuristic car design and (to) challenge your idea of how we will interact with the cars for the future,” the museum said.
The Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan, inducts new members Sergio Marchionne, the late chief executive of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles; Janet Guthrie, the first woman to qualify as a driver in the Indianapolis 500; Richard “Dick” Dauch, co-founder of American Axle Manufacturing; and Patrick Ryan, creator of the first auto dealership finance and insurance department, on July 18 in Detroit.
On August 3, the British Motor Museum will be the site of the Classic Mini Mosaic world-record attempt that is expected to draw more than 600 classic Minis. The following day the museum will be the site of the National Metro & Mini Show.
The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, inducts racer Briggs Cunningham, Corvette designer Tom Peters, and Dollie Cole, Corvette enthusiast and widow of former GM president Ed Cole, into its hall of fame on August 30.
“Legends of Speed,” a showcase of nearly two dozen historic racing cars, opens November 2 at the Phoenix Art Museum.
Does your local car museum have special events or exhibitions planned? Let us know. Email [email protected].
Editor’s note: TheClassicCars.com Journal is your source for Amelia Island news – from collector car auctions and shows to the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Read more of our coverage on ourdedicated page.
While 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the fabled Porsche 917 race car,there is another Porsche prototype that completely surpassed the 917. That car is the 962.
When introduced in 1984, the 962 immediately made it known that there was a new race car on the circuit. In its debut, the first 962, driven by Mario and Michael Andretti, led the Daytona 24-hour race until retiring with a gearbox failure. A similar fate would fall on the 962 at Le Mans later that year when the car retired with an ignition system issue.
But things would be different in the years that followed.
When a car raced with different sponsorship support at different times, this is one way to show it
The championships won by teams campaigning the 962 included The World Sportscar Championship title in 1985 and 1986, the IMSA GT Chmpionship from 1985 to 1988, the Interserie Championship from 1987 until 1992, every Supercup series championship from 1986 to 1989, and every All Japan Sports Car Championship from 1985 until 1989.
In addition, the car was dominant in the American IMSA series well into the 1990s.
The 962 won Le Mans in 1986 and 1987, with Derek Bell, Al Holbert and Hans Stuck driving on both occasions. The 926 also won Le Mans again in 1994 as the Dauer 962. In total, the 962 won an astounding 21 constructors championships.
A Porsche advertisement at the time of the 962’s dominance stated in bold letters, ‘The Porsche 962. 0 to 50 in 4.6 years.” An astounding accomplishment indeed, 50 race victories in barely 4 1/2 seasons.
Storied drivers who raced the 962 included Jackie Ickx, the aforementioned team of Derek Bell, Al Holbert and Hans-Joachim Stuck, Hurly Haywood, John Andretti, and Tiff Needell, among others.
In total, the 962 won Le Mans three times, the Daytona 24 six times, and Sebring four times.
Cars rolled onto the show field in the pre-dawn hours
When asked to describe the 962, Stuck summed the car up: “The 962 is the best race car that I ever drove. Brute force and unbelievable ground effects. The centrifugal forces were enormous, and there was no power steering. You needed the strength of a bear and a lot of courage.”
Derek Bell is has said much the same of the 962 calling the car his “personal favorite race car.” He added that the car “had no opposition, except from other teams racing the 962.”
This past weekend, the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance celebrated the story of the 962 with a large group of the cars on the field, as well as with a seminar about the historic race car.
For the 1965 model year, Ford added a second car-based pickup truck to its truck line. This one also was called the Ranchero, but instead of being based on the compact Falcon platform, it rode on the chassis otherwise used for the mid-size Fairlane sedan.
Five years later, a new top-of-the-line model joined the Fairlane-based Ranchero mix in the form of the Ranchero Squire. One of them (fewer than 4,000 were produced), a 1970 Ford Ranchero Squire, is the Pick of the Day.
The Squire designation traces to the Country Squire station wagon-style wood-tone paneling on the truck’s body sides and tailgate.
At the time, Ford claimed the Ranchero Squire was the “new ultimate in personal pickup luxury.”
According to the Standard Catalog of American Light-Duty Trucks, in addition to the distinctive exterior trim panels, the Squires were equipped with deep-pile wall-to-wall carpeting, wood-tone interior trim (including the steering wheel hub), an electric clock, deluxe grille with center crest, whitewall fiberglass-belted tires with deluxe wheel covers and special brightwork to hide the windshield wipers.
By being built atop the Fairlane chassis, the Ranchero could be equipped with various V8 engines, including the 429cid Cobra Jet. The one on offer in the advertisement onClassicCars.com came with the optional 351cid V8.
The truck is advertised by a dealership in Thief River, Minnesota, which notes that it doesn’t know many details since, “This beauty came off a bank repossession sale this month.”
The advertisement does state that the 351 V8 is original to the truck and “We drove this car home from the sale. It drives nice at 60 mph. Starts, idles and shifts as it should.”
However, the dealership adds, “We would suggest the new owner take the gas tank out and clean it and put a new fuel filter in. It would run much better.
“This car hasn’t been driven regularly in a few years.”
The dealership also notes “some minor damage” to the driver-side door, and that the truck originally was gray but at some point was repainted in its brilliant red shade.
The dealership notes the exterior is in “good condition,” and the truck has an automatic transmission and cloth seats.
Mecum Auctions has been eyeballing the fertile collector car market in the Phoenix area for some time, watching as no fewer than seven major auctions hold sales in January during Arizona Car Week, which is dominated by Barrett-Jackson’s monumental home-turf Scottsdale sale.
Now Mecum has arrived in the Valley of the Sun at last, only in March instead of January, when the auction company has a conflict with its biggest auction of the year in Kissimmee, Florida. Mecum’s newest auction starts Thursday, March 14, in Glendale, just west of Phoenix, at State Farm Stadium, which is a full-scale football stadium where the Arizona Cardinals play their home games.
Mecum is looking to rack up a better record in Arizona than the Cardinals did this past season (don’t ask), and so far, all indications are favorable that the inaugural Arizona auction will score a touchdown.
One of the gaggle of handsome Triumph motorcycles at Mecum
So far, consignor turnout has been huge, which prompted the auction to expand from its original plan for two days of bidding with about 600 cars to four full days and 1,250 vehicles, including a dazzling contingent of classic motorcycles. That really says something when the auction doubles in size before it even starts.
With its unique roll-out playing field that leaves a concrete floor for the car display and auction, the stadium seems like an ideal venue for the collector car sale. There also are loads of spectator parking and auction-car display areas around the stadium.
The stadium floor has room for the top-tier vehicles to be parked, as well as space for the auction stage and seating for bidders and spectators. Overflow should not be a problem since the stadium boasts more than 60,000 seats.
The 1932 Duesenberg Model J Rollston Torpedo Berline
Mecum has brought together a diverse collection of vehicles for its first Arizona sale, with lots of crowd-pleasing muscle cars, street rods, modern exotics and restored classics among them. The queen of the auction is undoubtedly the spectacular 1932 Duesenberg Model J Rollston Torpedo Berline, which could sell into seven figures.
On Wednesday, many of the vehicles were still going through registration as Tuesday was a rare rainy March day in Glendale, prompting many owners to wait to check in. But during the afternoon while I stalked the offerings searching for my favorites, most of the cars, trucks and motorcycles seemed to be in place, ready for bidding to start. The auction continues through Sunday.
While there were way too many interesting vehicles from which to choose, I narrowed them down to these that I would like to take home with me:
1966 Mustang GT K-code fastback
There are a good number of very-nice Mustangs, and a few Shelby Mustangs, among the contingent of Mecum cars, but this one parked inside the stadium caught my eye not only because of its vibrant orange hue (actually called Flare Red) but because it is a rare performance-tweaked K-code model.
1957 Dual-Ghia convertible
The stylish craft is redolent of the Rat Pack days, and this one actually had a role in the 1992 mini-series Sinatra. Frankie, Dino and the guys loved these limited-production specials with bodywork by Ghia and power by Chrysler, a unique take on personal luxury with a touch of Italian pizzazz.
1965 Apollo 3500 GT
Here’s another piece of hand-built rarity, a shapely GT built by Carrozzeria Intermeccanica and powered by a small, aluminum Buick V8. Just 80 of these beauties were built and, like the previous Dual-Ghia, the bodies were made in Italy although the car was assembled in Oakland, California. These are special cars with loads of style, performance and rarity.
1938 Ford Deluxe convertible V8
Getting a little more down to earth is this handsome vintage Ford. Its styling is basically continued from the 1937 Fords, with a new grille among the updates. The convertible has a poised stance and looks ready for a cross-country road trip powered by its original flathead V8. Nicely restored, and it has a rumble seat.
1959 Bonneville Streamliner Super Shaker
This is one of the auctions stars, a historic Salt Flats speed demon built and driven by hot rod pioneer Bill Burke. Lightweight and smoothly streamlined, the racer is motivated by a Harley-Davidson “knucklehead” V-twin with chain drive. Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah is about as good as it gets, and how great would it be to show up with this little gem and take it for a run?
1915 Excelsior Twin Cylinder with Goulding sidecar
There are so many exceptional motorcycles on the docket, many of them from the collection of Buddy Stubbs, a Phoenix Harley-Davidson dealer and veteran rider, racer and all-around cyclist. I was sorely tempted to pick one of the lovely Triumphs from the U.K. until this excellent antique caught my eye. Sympathetically restored and rallied by Stubbs, who added the period-correct sidecar, the rig also has quite a colorful history.
1957 Chevrolet Cameo pickup truck
The Cameo was a styling effort by Chevy designers to create a gentrified pickup before the car-based El Camino took up that role. This was also a precursor to the luxury pickups that we see running around today, with a smoothly styled bed, extra chrome trim and a well-furnished interior. The ’57 model is already a good-looking truck, and the Cameo upgrade in bright red and white has style to spare.
2015 Porsche 918 Spyder
While ultra-exotic hypercars are not usually on my radar, this crazy bit of German ingenuity seems like it would be a nice bauble to own. A plug-in gas/electric hybrid (though not of the Prius variety), its powertrain generates a wacky 887 combined horsepower, which would require quite a high level of emotional maturity to stay out of bad trouble. It’s beautiful and terrifying and very desirable. The list price was $930,475, so it will most likely draw some decent bids.
A proposed act in the Arkansas legislature would change the state’s definition of classic cars. Current law defines vehicles produced 25 years or more ago as historic but Act 368 would change that requirement to 45 years.
State Rep. Jack Fortner toldKSFM-TV he is concerned that people are getting unequal treatment under current state law, which allows registration of a classic vehicle for a one-time fee of $7.
“I wanted to make it more fair and equitable,” Fortner said. “We all pay registration, we all are required to have insurance on our car and we register every year. This is the only tag in the state of Arkansas that is not renewed ever.”
The act would leave a requirement in place that classic car owners register at least one other vehicle they use for regular transportation.
The Specialty Equipment Market Association argued the act, should it become law, would affect the classic car hobby, especially those interested in future classics.
“Should this legislation become law, such modern classic vehicles as the 1981 DeLorean DMC-12, 1994 Toyota Supra, 1985 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z, 1991 Acura NSX, and 1991 Dodge Viper would no longer meet the criteria required to be considered an historic vehicle,” Christian Robinson, SEMA’s director of state government affairs, wrote in an email to the ClassicCars.com Journal.
Robinson said current law only affects a small fraction of the 2.6 million vehicles on Arkansas roads and the act would restrict that even further.
Act 368 has passed the Legislature and is on Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s desk. SEMA said its members and other automotive enthusiasts should encourage Hutchinson to veto it.
Fortner introduced a similar measure in 2017. He rescinded it after public backlash.
There’s heartache and joy that come with owning, and caring for, an older vehicle. It’s helpful ifyou can sort out a number of problems on your own, it will save you cash and trips to your local mechanic. One of the more seemingly puzzling aspects of old-car ownership occurs when you drive a vehicle with a carburetor. Hagerty is here to demystify the deliverer of air and fuel for you.
The best way to familiarize yourself with any car part is to disassemble it. So the first part of Hagerty’s two-part video guide involves a walkthrough of a carburetor teardown. There are floats, jets, needles, valves, and springs all waiting for your venture into the world of your carb. You don’t need of tools to get started, just a few pliers and screwdrivers should get you moving. And a bottle of carb cleaner will get plenty of usage as well.
If you’re going to tear down and rebuild your carburetor, you’ll want a simple rebuild kit handy. A proper kit includes all of the diaphragms, seals, needles, seats, and more.
As you tear down the carb, you’ll find parts that are either due for replacement or just need a simple cleanup. That’s the beauty of a carb rebuild. Once properly addressed, and the carb rebuilt, your car will be running better than ever.
Once you have the carb completely broken down and cleaned up, it’s time to crack open the rebuild kit and put everything back together.It’s an entertaining puzzle, but a puzzle that makes more and more sense every time you tinker with it. The video below can help you with that part.
Editor’s note: TheClassicCars.com Journal is your source for Amelia Island news – from collector car auctions and shows to the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Read more of our coverage on ourdedicated page.
Anyone walking through the gates at the 2019 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance would expect to see some great cars, cars like Auburns, Duesenbergs, Packards, Isotta Fraschinis, Delages, Delahayes, Rolls-Royces and Mercedes-Benzes.That’s what concours were created for.Elegant, wonderful cars.
But, Amelia plays by a different set of rules.Yes, all those cars were all there, but, over in the center of the field, under the trees, there was a wonderful display of Volkswagen Beetles, only two of which actually looked like a Beetle.
These cars all used the basic and classic Beetle rear-drive platform and an air-cooled engine, but they were customized or completely rebodied by some very creative, very skillful firms to look like something else entirely.
Several of the custom Beetles at Amelia were produced by the Berlin-based Rometsch company, all hand-built using steel frames and wooden pillars to mount aluminum skins, and many of them were designed by German genius Johannes Beeskow for Rometsch.
Several of the rest were originally built by another German coachbuilder, Dannenhauer und Stauss in the 1950s, and those all looked more like very early Porsches than Beetles.
To top it all off, there was a very rare VW Tempo Matador flatbed hauler built in Hamburg by the firm of Vidal und Sohn, a coachbuilder we had never, ever heard of.
The sleeper of the group was an innocuous tan 1956 Beetle that looked completely stock, but was in fact built by Southern California genius Dick Troutman of Troutman & Barnes. It was built using a hot-rodded Porsche engine, a 911 transmission,Porsche brakes, and every single removable panel on the car was hand-built in aluminum.
This was definitely not one of those car displays where you hear the guy with silver hair say to his wife, “I had one just like that when I was in high school.”
Hats off to Bill Warner and his crew for another great car display from the lunatic fringe.
The Ford Model A is the heart of pre-war collector cars, a piece of Americana that satisfies the lure of antique machinery while still being affordable and easy to own.
The Pick of the Day is a 1930 Ford Model A rumble-seat roadster that recently was treated to a comprehensive nut-and-bolt restoration, according to the Rockville, Maryland, dealer advertising the car on ClassicCars.com.
The rumble seat is a fun way to stow extra passengers
The roadster looks sweet and authentic in the photos accompanying the ad, with what the seller calls “mirror-finish two-tone Ford Maroon and Black paint show-waxed and detailed,” an all-new interior and rumble seat, and a new black canvas top with zip-out side curtains.
The Modal A rides on “hand-laced black powder-coated wire wheels with wide whitewalls and great-looking side-mounted spare,” the ad says.
The side-valve 201cid 4-cylinder engine and 3-speed transmission have been rebuilt, the seller says, and the car has a new stainless-steel exhaust system. Everything works, including the “oogah horn,” the seller adds, and the car is ready to go.
The roadster rides on wire wheels with whitewalls
“Just a beautifully done example that is approaching 100 years old and can be driven like it was 1930,” the seller says.
The roadster appears to be wonderfully fresh and original, a beautiful rendition of a stylish “everyman’s” car that is sure to turn heads everywhere it goes. These sturdy Fords can be driven with confidence as long as they’re properly cared for, as this one obviously has been.
Model As were built from 1927-31 in just about every possible configuration, from Deluxe sedans to pickup trucks, and millions of them were rolled out by Ford as the era’s most-prolific vehicle. The chattering 4-cylinder engine was rated at 40 horsepower, giving the cars a top speed around 65 miles per hour.
The restored interior looks correct
One of the best parts of owning a Model A is the tremendous club support, with fellow owners just about everywhere, and a wide variety of vendors supplying parts. And Model As are recognizable by just about everyone, so there will be plenty of conversation wherever it’s driven.
The asking price for what appears to be a top-condition Model A roadster is $34,990, which is about down the middle for this special rumble-seat model, according to the value guides.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
1966 Mustang GT K-code fastback
1957 Dual-Ghia convertible
1965 Apollo 3500 GT
1938 Ford Deluxe convertible V8
1959 Bonneville Streamliner Super Shaker
1915 Excelsior Twin Cylinder with Goulding sidecar
1957 Chevrolet Cameo pickup truck
2015 Porsche 918 Spyder 
