Tag Archives: Classic Cars

American Classic Cars: “1948 Packard Standard Eight Station Sedan”

1948 Packard Standard Eight Station Sedan Interior Classic DriverPackard Super Eight was the name given to the larger of the two eight-cylinder luxury automobiles produced by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan. It shared frames and some body types with the top model Packard Twelve. Following the discontinuation of the Seventeenth Series Packard Twelve after the 1939 model year, a new Super Eight One-Eighty was derived from the Super Eight as the new top car range. The Super Eight was renamed the Packard Super Eight One-Sixty.

Classic Driver logoAfter 1942, Packard concentrated on the new Clipper styling that was developed for an upper-class sedan the previous year. There were Super Clippers and Custom Super Clipper in the One-Sixty and One-Eighty tradition until 1947. After a heavy facelift, the name Clipper was dropped. The most senior Super Eight One-Eighty became the Custom Eight, while its slightly lower-priced sibling, the Super Eight One-Sixty, once again became simply the Super Eight. Clipper Custom Super Eights and Custom Eights were very close relatives to their respective Super models, distinguished outside by the lack of an eggcrate grille and small rear chrome trim moulding under the trunk lid on Supers. In 1949, a new Super Eight Deluxe was added to the line. This car had also the Custom Eight’s eggcrate grille, but not the rear trim.

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From Wikipedia

American Classics: “1937 Cord 812” – Front Wheel Drive, Hidden Headlights

1937 Cord 812 Interior Classic DriverThe Cord 810, and later Cord 812, was a luxury automobile produced by the Cord Automobile division of the Auburn Automobile Company in 1936 and 1937. It was the first American-designed and built front wheel drive car with independent front suspension. It followed the 1934 Citroën Traction Avant and the Cord L-29, both of which also had front wheel drive. Both models were also the first to offer hidden headlights.

Classic Driver logoThe styling of the Cord 810 was the work of designer Gordon M. Buehrig and his team of stylists, which included young Vince Gardner and Alex Tremulis. While the first American front-wheel-drive car with independent front suspension, it had an archaic tube rear axle with semi-elliptic rear springs. Power came from a 4,739 cc (289 cu in) Lycoming V8 of the same 125 hp (93 kW) as the L-29. The semi-automatic four-speed transmission (three plus overdrive) extended in front of the engine, like on a Traction Avant. This allowed Buehrig to dispense with the driveshaft and transmission tunnel; as a result, the new car was so low it required no running boards. It had a 125 in (3,175 mm) wheelbase (shared with several 812 body styles), and in 1936 came in four models: the entry-level sedan at US$1995, the Beverly sedan ($2095), Sportsman ($2145), and Phaeton ($2195). The 1937 812s had the same models, priced $2445, $2545, $2585, and $2645, plus two more, on a 132 in (3,400 mm) wheelbase, the $2960 Custom Beverly and $3060 Custom Berline.

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Classic Cars: “Rétromobile 2020 Paris” – February 5 – 9

Rétromobile 2020 February 5 -9 Official Program Paris
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The winter break is finally over and the automotive year is about to kick off in emphatic fashion at Rétromobile, undeniably the finest event of its type on the planet.

 

Rétromobile 2020 February 5 -9 ParisThe annual salon is Paris provides manufacturers with a stage on which to show off their commitment to preserving their precious pasts, dealers the chance to set out their stalls and signal their intentions for the coming year and humble enthusiasts like us an opportunity to ogle thousands of collectable cars ranging from the affordable and the obscure to the rare and the downright priceless. 

Rétromobile 2020 February 5 -9 Paris

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Cars: “1961 Dodge Dart Phoenix Convertible”

1961 Dodge Dart Phoenix D-500 Convertible Coupe Interior RM Sotheby's Auction 2020For the 1961 model year, the Dart continued as the smallest full-size Dodge. It retained the 118 in (2,997 mm) wheelbase, and was restyled to emulate the larger Polara. The same three trim levels were available: the premium Phoenix, mid-range Pioneer, and base Seneca. Once again, wagons shared the Polara’s 122 in/310 cm wheelbase; they also shared the Polara’s unique side-mounted taillights.

The Dodge Dart is a line of automobiles marketed by Dodge from the 1959 to 1976 model years in North America, with production extended to later years in various other markets.

RM Sotheby's AuctionsThe Dart name originally appeared on a 1956 Chrysler show car featuring a streamlined body designed by the Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Ghia that was later modified and renamed the Dart Diablo. The production Dart was introduced as a lower-priced, full-size Dodge in 1960 and 1961, became a mid-size car for 1962, and then was a compact from 1963 to 1976.

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American Classics: “1955 Ford Fairlane Sunliner Convertible”

The Ford Fairlane is an automobile model that was sold between 1955 and 1970 by Ford in North America. The name is derived from Henry Ford’s estate, Fair Lane, near Dearborn, Michigan.

1955 Ford Fairlane Sunliner Convertible Rear View Classic Driver

For the 1955 model year the Fairlane name replaced the Crestline as Ford’s premier full-sized offering. Six different body styles were offered, including the Crown Victoria Skyliner with a tinted, transparent plastic roof, the regular Crown Victoria coupe with lots of stainless steel trim, a convertible Sunliner, the Victoria hardtop coupe, and traditional sedans. All featured the trademark stainless-steel “Fairlane stripe” on the side. Power options were a 223 cu in (3.7 L) straight-6 engine and a 272 cu in (4.5 L) V8. The 292 cu in (4.8 L) Y-block was offered as an option and was called the Thunderbird V-8.

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From Wikipedia

British Roadsters: “1966 Sunbeam Tiger Alpine 260”

1966 Sunbeam Tiger Alpine 260 Interior Classic DriverThe Sunbeam Tiger is a high-performance V8 version of the British Rootes Group’s Sunbeam Alpine roadster, designed in part by American car designer and racing driver Carroll Shelby and produced from 1964 until 1967. Shelby had carried out a similar V8 conversion on the AC Cobra, and hoped to be offered the contract to produce the Tiger at his facility in the United States. Rootes decided instead to contract the assembly work to Jensen at West Bromwich in England, and pay Shelby a royalty on every car produced.

Two major versions of the Tiger were built: the Mark I (1964–1967) was fitted with the 260 cu in (4.3 L) Ford V8; the Mark II, of which only 633 were built in the final year of Tiger production, was fitted with the larger Ford 289 cu in (4.7 L) engine. Two prototype and extensively modified versions of the Mark I competed in the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans, but neither completed the race. Rootes also entered the Tiger in European rallies with some success, and for two years it was the American Hot Rod Association’s national record holder over a quarter-mile drag strip.

From Wikipedia

Classic Car Books: “The Impossible Collection Of Bentley” (Assouline)

The Impossible Collection of Bentley The 100 At 100 AssoulineAssouline presents yet another fascinating volume dedicated to the preeminent British car brand—Bentley: 100. Housed in a hand-stitched leather bound, limited edition case, this all-inclusive work presents an exhaustive list of the one hundred single most important and groundbreaking Bentley models, with detailed critiques and explanations relating to each automobile’s unique engineering excellence and the various creative avenues Bentley may have taken during the manufacturing process.

Collection of Bentley The 100 at 100 book Assouline

From the 1924 3-Litre, the first Bentley to win Le Mans; to the 1959 S2, the first to feature a V8 engine; all the way up to the stunning 2018 Continental GT, this book is a decisive list of all the masterful models that have helped Bentley become the dominant and illustrious luxury car manufacturer that it is today.

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Classic Cars: “A Trio Of Bugattis At Speed” (Gooding & Company)

Gooding & Company is proud to present three stunning Bugattis from the Passion of a Lifetime Auction, a bespoke sale at Somerset House in central London on 1 April 2020.

This collection features 16 of the most coveted and valuable examples of European sports and racing automobiles of the 20th century. Visit the link below for event details and the complete list of vehicles presented at this exclusive auction event!

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Travel & Touring Video: “Aston Martin DB” Tour Of Scotland (SkyworksWA)

1,000 Miles & 1,000 Smiles
“We make beautiful art that that is meant to be driven and enjoyed” says Aston Martin….
Sadly, many of these works of art are destined for a life locked away in garages and only taken out for shows and events. Luckily we know someone who realises that a DB4, a DB5 and a DB6 love to be driven – enjoyed not only by the driver, but the countless people who stop to look and wave as they pass by. And driven in spectacular locations renowned for the winding roads and jaw dropping scenery. In 5 days, during which it rained every day, these cars covered over 1000 miles through the Scottish highlands, without a single issue (we lie – one electric window issue), and created a thousand smiles.

Aston Martin DB Tour of Scotland SkyworksWA January 15 2020

It was a rare privilege and pleasure to have been invited to film, photograph, and drive these working pieces of art, and enjoy Scotland in a unique way that is in fact priceless, and certainly a very big bucket list tick. The film is quite dark and moody, and almost black and white, but we think suits the occasion… (it’s also what the client wanted!). The brief appearance of the Rapide AMR only added to the convoy. Although it looks quite remote, deserted and desolate it was in fact peak holiday season, so between the traffic, the rain and the distances, every shot in this film was based on one take with no rehearsals… which justified the occasional use of strong language “och aye Jimmy”. However, we hope that this final brief overview of the journey, being a short edit of what was delivered to the client, gives these cars…nay laddie – these Aston Martins… and the location, Bonnie Scotland, the justice they deserve. Enjoy.

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American Classics: “1949 Cadillac Series 62”

1949 Cadillac Series 62 Interior Classic DriverThe Cadillac Series 62 is a series of cars which was produced by Cadillac from 1940 through 1964. Originally designed to replace the entry level Series 65, it became the Cadillac Series 6200 in 1959, and remained that until it was renamed to Cadillac Calais for the 1965 model year. The Series 62 was also marketed as the Sixty-Two  and the Series Sixty-Two.

The Cadillac Series 62 Coupe de Ville was introduced late in the 1949 model year. Along with the Buick Roadmaster Riviera, and the Oldsmobile 98 Holiday, it was among the first pillarless hardtop coupes ever produced.mAt $3,496 it was only a dollar less than the Series 62 convertible, and like the convertible, it came with power windows standard. It was luxuriously trimmed, with leather upholstery and chrome ‘bows’ in the headliner to simulate the ribs of a convertible top.

55,643 Series 62 Cadillacs were produced in 1949 out of a total volume of 92,554 vehicles.

From Wikipedia

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