Tag Archives: Classic Cars

Car Shows

New Hope Auto Show: Buick Super 8 Woody Wagon

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Buick Super 8 Woody Wagon

This Buick Super 8 is a woody among woodies. It rolled in a little later in the day at the New Hope Auto Show this summer, and it immediately ripped our eyes away from the corral of supercars. This is one of those cases where they literally just don’t make them like this anymore. With modern safety regulations and cost concerns, the woody is a thing of the past. While that is quite sad, it also makes spectacular examples, such as this Buick, that much more special.

The details on this Super 8 Wagon were nothing short of immaculate. It is from an era when American cars were at their peak, a level that modern American companies wish they could reach now. I’m sorry, but next to this Buick Super 8, a Verano or a Lacrosse might as well be invisible. GM, and other American companies, need to bring this sort of luscious flavor back into their products. They may not be able to use large wooden panels anymore, but how about some inspired design and a bold sense of style?

I’ll let the photos do the talking from here. Enjoy.

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Car Shows, SHOWCASE

St. Michaels Concours d’Elegance: 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster

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Back in 2011, this Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster didn’t start when it was supposed to arrive at the podium to recieve an award.  I’d forgotten about this until Nick reminded me of it upon seeing it in Maryland at the end of September.  Looking clean as ever, this 300SL is even more special than it normally should be.  It is, in fact, one of the last crop of first-generation Mercedes SLs to roll off the line.  According to the official record, this car was made on the very last day of production and is one of the last six 300SLs made.  At this point, Mercedes-Benz was desperate to clear out the lots of this outdated model (at the time) in favor of the new Pagoda series.  Its interior is completely original, as are the mechanical components.  The paint is new after a fender-bender damaged the rear of the car.  Other than that, though, the car’s original.  The white paint looked beautiful against the clear Maryland sky, and the red interior, combined with this car’s optional hardtop, looked very professional.  All of the original paperwork and luggage was on display too–even the toolkit was there.  This is among the most complete of any 300SL I have seen at a show, and I was elated to have seen it at the St. Michael’s Concours this fall.  Enjoy the photos. Continue reading St. Michaels Concours d’Elegance: 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster →

Car Shows, SHOWCASE

Radnor Hunt CDE: 1955 Porsche 356 Continental Cabriolet, owned by Barry Wolk.

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I’ve talked about Barry Wolk here on Mind Over Motor before.  He brought a stunning 1956 Continental Mark II convertible to the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours, and a month later, I ran into him again with this Porsche at Radnor.  He collects exclusively automobiles which carry the Continental name.  The story of the Continental series is quite unusual.  Max Hoffman, Porsche’s USA importer at the time, convinced the top brass in Germany that the 356 would sell better if it used a series name rather than an alphanumeric one.  Porsche obliged and attached the Continental nameplate to the 356 series.  However, Ford intervened and complained that the Continental name was theirs and theirs alone, forcing Porsche to cease using it.  As a result, the Continental name was only used on any Porsche products in 1955.  This pretty little Turkish Red Cabriolet brought Barry the Porsche Radnor Award by the end of the day.  Congratulations to you Barry–it’s a striking and rather rare Porshe 356.  Enjoy the photographs. Continue reading Radnor Hunt CDE: 1955 Porsche 356 Continental Cabriolet, owned by Barry Wolk. →

Car Shows

Radnor Hunt Concours: 1927 Rolls Royce “Springfield” Phantom I Pall Mall Phaeton

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1927 Rolls Royce "Springfield" Phantom I Pall Mall Phaeton

We saw this gorgeous 1927 Rolls Royce “Springfield” Phantom I Pall Mall Phaeton at the Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance back in September. It was among the majority of Phantom Is that were built stateside, at Rolls Royce’s factory in Massachusetts. This particular car has been completely restored to its original condition, with its stunning tri-color scheme that consisted of a creme tan and navy blue with red accents. I have seen a few stunning prewar Rolls Royces this summer, but this one may well be my favorite because of its color scheme alone. It is just so rich looking, and extremely unique.

This example also had the distinct honor of carrying none other than Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor Roosevelt during a 1936 parade in Houston, Texas. Its original owner, at the time, was Roy Garret Watson, the Publisher of the Houston Post. This Phantom I resided in Houston until just recently in 2012, when it changed hands and moved to Pittsburgh, PA.

This was my pick for “Best In Show” at Radnor Hunt this year. It didn’t win (my picks never do, somehow), but it was still my favorite car in attendance that day. Enjoy the photos of this immaculate machine.

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Car Shows, SHOWCASE

2013 Radnor Hunt Concours: 1948 Chrysler Town and Country Sedan

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When people think of a Chrysler with wood paneling, of course the Town and Country comes to mind.  However, this particular body style rarely is brought up.  Loren J. Hulber, however, bucks this trend and was happy to bring this pristine 1948 Sedan to the 2013 Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance.  Only 1,175 wood-bodied sedans were produced for 1948 and this was the final year for that body style, making this Chrysler quite rare today.  These cars needed hand assembly after the panels were fitted due to the difficulty of the curved frames of the wood.  This Sumac Red example features a Highlander plaid finish interior, and won the American Classic Postwar class.  Nick and I saw it yet again at the St. Michael’s Concours, where it also won its class.  I was happy to see not only two different Town and Country models in the same place, but joyful that the rarer (and very striking) sedan was the award winner instead of the more often-seen convertible variant at this show.  Note the unique wood roof rack as well.  Enjoy the photos. Continue reading 2013 Radnor Hunt Concours: 1948 Chrysler Town and Country Sedan →

Car Shows, SHOWCASE

St. Michaels Concours d’Elegance 2013: 1954 Jaguar XK-120

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On my way home from Pebble Beach, I met this guy named Ron Schotland.  He and I got to talking and we both realized that we lived in the tri-state area and had both attended the Pebble Beach Concours.  He showed me a few pictures of his XK-120, which I was delighted to see in person at the St. Michael’s Concours down in Chesapeake, MD.  In fact, I wasn’t the only one who was elated to see this clean and well-cared-for little cat–the car won 1st in its class that weekend over a 1953 model.  The deep maroon finish over natural leather looked stunning against the chrome wire wheels and brilliant sunshine.  Enjoy the photographs.   Ron, congrats on your award–we hope to see your car at many more events in the near future. Continue reading St. Michaels Concours d’Elegance 2013: 1954 Jaguar XK-120 →

Cars We've Seen

Spotted! 1940 Buick Eight Woodie Wagon, Carmel, CA

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After a long day of watching race cars tear around Laguna Seca and shooting some amazing cars in the paddock, Nick and I headed back to Carmel as the customary Pacific fog began to roll in.  Luckily, I got some pictures of this very well-kept Buick wagon which was making rounds over on Ocean Avenue in the early portion of the evening.  The driver seemed to be happy just to have the car outside that evening.  We stopped shooting cars as the lighting got worse, but luckily, this car arrived before that happened.
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Auto Idolatry, Car Shows, SHOWCASE

Best in Show at Radnor Hunt, 2013: 1928 Isotta Fraschini 8A SS Boattail Convertible Coupe by Lebaron

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Coachbuilt cars tend to attract a crowd.  The name Isotta Fraschini is a well-known one inside the world of classic car connoisseurs, but not really known as well in the automotive public.  This particularly pretty burgundy boat-tail coupe at Radnor Hunt is the first one I’ve gotten a good look at and I was very impressed.  The brightwork looked great, the coachwork was full of great details and the car’s history offered a lot of information on just how famous this one is.  Owned by a silent-film star actress by the name of Marguerite Clark and her aviation pioneer husband Harry Williams, this gorgeous convertible had only 22,000 original miles on the clock.  It fully deserved its win at Radnor Hunt this year, and the owner, Peter Boyle, looked incredibly proud.  Congrats to Mr. Boyle on your award-winning Isotta Fraschini, thank you for showing it at Radnor this year.
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Car Shows

The 2013 Scarsdale Concours d’Elegance

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Maserati 300S
Maserati 300S

We attended the Scarsdale Concours d’Elegance last weekend. As always it was a wonderful event with a fantastic turnout, and the Fall leaves beginning to turn just made the pictures that much better. I’ll let the photos from the event do the talking from here. Enjoy.

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Car Shows, SHOWCASE

2013 New Hope Auto Show: Porsche 356 Speedster

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As soon as I arrived for the second day of the New Hope Auto Show, I found myself face-to-face with this little Porsche.  I happen to love the 356 Speedster, and it’s not often that I see one in original condition.  This 1954 or 1955 pre-A model was a sight to see and kept my attention for a solid amount of time among the other early Porsches around it.  Less than 1300 of the pre-A Speedsters were made until 1955 and they tend to sell high at auctions–in fact, don’t be surprised to see one sell for over 200K.  A red 1955 model sold by RM went for more than $250,000 at an auction this past May.  This one, with its light blue exterior and timeless bathtub looks, grabbed everyone’s attention effortlessly.  Enjoy the photos.

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Car Shows, SHOWCASE

2013 Monterey Motorsports Reunion: Ferrari 250GT SWB

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The Motorsports Reunion at the famed Laguna Seca racetrack in Monterey during Concours weekend is a place where the phrase “expect the unexpected” is more true than anywhere else in the car world. This is a place where it’s no surprise to see a older Formula One car, a Porsche Le Mans racer decked out in the classic orange Jagermeister livery, and a Trans-Am era Chevrolet Camaro in the same place. However, I wasn’t necessarily expecting to see a pristine Ferrari 250GT SWB in the paddock. Nonetheless, this bright yellow piece of Italian craftwork sat in the side of the paddock, sharing space with a Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster. Against the gray sky and flanked by a blue Porsche racer, calling it a standout would be a bit of an understatement. Enjoy the photos.
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Auto Idolatry, Car Shows, Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE

The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering: The 1935 Bugatti Type 57 Aerolithe Coupe Re-Creation

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When The Quail came to a close, I stepped into the grassy field and stumbled upon this gorgeous piece of automotive sculpture. My skin tanned from the sunlight, but this icy green Bugatti looked frozen cold. This particular Type 57 example is built as an Aerolithe Coupe, a styling study done by Bugatti back in 1935 and lost since 1936. Very little visual information is left of the original Aerolithe coupe–there was enough technical information passed down through the years, but it took a Canadian group 5 years to build a version of the Aerolithe. This remake of that famous automobile uses 100% genuine Bugatti components. Even the tires, a set of Dunlop Ballon whitewalls, are completely correct and were custom-made for it. The color was matched through a painting made of the original to Bugatti paint chips of the era. However, by far the most impressive aspect of this breathtaking automobile is the bodywork. The body is made from a magnesium alloy, notorious for its flammability and volatility–this is why the body is riveted, not welded, together. The swoopy lines and stunning shapes of this car were more than enough to keep my attention for a solid hour or so. It was difficult for me to stop shooting pictures, even after a frantic call from Nick about Pagani allowing people to sit in the new Huayra (if that’s what it had to take to get me away from this Bugatti, then not much else would have). Enjoy the photos.

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