Yasuhiro Ishimoto photo "Convertible in Snow, 1979" for sale at Clars auction.

New XO Retro Automotive Mercedes Benz 300SL Gullwing rose gold leather watch. $89.99

Please go out to Barnes and Nobles (and SOME Walmarts) and support this small AMERICAN business. The cover was painted by the amazing Lawrence Gardinier for RRM. The size is different that other magazines---BECAUSE they all look the same. The lay out is unlike the others---because they all look the same. The content is different---because who want's to be like them? This is AMERICAN--on American paper, printed in America. Plus THE PORK REPORT is about Steve Tate's LITTLE BASTARD--a good ole American tragedy made good. Who doesn't love a little nailhead? Please help us survive--because we ain't some big fancy corporation with advertisements out the ying-yang (blatant reference to their chinese masters)

Covent Garden, 1928 Ford apple delivery truck.

Don't try this at home.

Ad for the 1963-1/2 Ford Falcon Sprint and Fairlane Sport Coupe, photographed in Monaco.

The cars shown in this ad were among those shipped to Monaco for Ford's big mid-year Command Performance Event. Several Falcons actually participated in the annual Monte Carlo Rally on January 19th, but were besieged with problems. One ran off the icy road, but was returned to the race when a support team was able to determine it wasn't severely damaged. Later, it was disqualified due to missing a check point on time. Another suffered a tire blowout and a clutch failure, costly in time to repair.

As a result of these set backs, one Falcon finished 43rd overall and the other finished 35th overall, good enough for first in its class.

James Bond has a thing for Aston Martin's but the Bond girl prefers Lotus. Britt Ekland in a Lotus Elan fastback.

The Joe Niti roadster set a new build template for Deuce hiboys. Peaked grille, spreader bar, lamp locations, the stance, and that incredible purple! Skinny bigs and littles WW complete the ensemble. Perfection!

There was an era where the most important feature of a car was storage for your board.

Magazine for the retro in us. Check it out www.retro-motoring.com.

The Tatra is the first production aero-dynamic automobile. This luxury car features a unique design including a sloped 45-degree three-piece windshield - fenders, headlamps, door hinges and handles integrated into the body - the absence of running boards and a smooth underbody. The large tailfin decreases side wind effect and increases stability (the drag coefficient is 0.212). The engine is a 3.4-liter, air-cooled, overhead valve Hemi V8 that develops 75 horsepower.

The Tatra Company began manufacturing cars in 1897 in Kopřivnice, Moravia, today's Czech republic, making it the third oldest still existing automobile manufacturer in the world. During the time the company lured many genius minds of automotive history, including Hans Ledwinka, Erich Übelacker and Paul Jaray, who all took part in designing Tatra 77.

Jaray first worked at Luftschiffbau Zeppelin where he gained experience with aerodynamic design of airships. He used his access to LZ's wind tunnels and subsequently he established streamlining principles for car design. In 1927 he founded a company specializing in development of streamlined car bodies and selling issuing licenses to major vehicle manufacturers including Tatra. Tatra was the only manufacturer to incorporate Jaray streamline principles into their series car production, starting with the Tatra 77.

Before designing the large luxurious T77, Jaray designed an aerodynamic body for the Tatra 57, a mid-range model. This prototype was not further developed and failed to reach production. Instead, Jaray constructed two prototypes for a concept designated as the Tatra V570, which more closely conformed to his aerodynamic streamlining principles, featuring a beetle-shaped body.

However at the time Tatra already had cheap well selling car in its production range, which was moreover popular due to its continuation of simple and ultra-reliable tradition started by model Tatra 11. Although the management saw advantages of Jaray's concept, they believed that the new model will be only an additional model with limited production - which meant that it should be aimed at the top of automobile market. The Ledwinka's team subsequently stopped work on V570 and concentrated on designing large luxurious car. Tatra aimed at making state-of-the-art car that would be fast, silent, stable, economical and built to the most rigorous engineering standards as well as reflect modern aerodynamic research.

Lauren & John McKee have recently purchased the coolest barn find in America. This is the “Surprise Package” 1957 Chevy D/Gas machine that is exactly how it was last raced in the early 1970s complete with a 426ci Max Wedge Chrysler engine, B&M Torqueflite transmission, and 8 3/4 Chrysler rear end! The car is an absolute time capsule that has both Chad and I literally sweating bullets as we sit here and look at it. The car has lived most of its life in the PA area and terrorized the gasser ranks at Numidia Dragway during its heyday. Lauren and John purchased the car from the original ower/racer who campaigned it. He is moving to the comfier confines of Florida soon so he had to part with the car which he’s had for something on the order of 40 years!

Even cooler is the fact that the engine in the car was a spare from one of the the legendary Jerry Stein’s “Teacher’s Pet” cars. The car is a real 1957 Bel Air and was a factory equipped V8 model. The amazingly cool hand lettered graphics on the car appear to be weathered but completely intact and perfect in our eyes. The period decals from the likes of Pete Jackson, Lunati, Mr Gasket, B&M, and others are awesome, and the car came with a Numidia time skip from back in the day as well.

We do now know Lauren and John’s immediate plans for the car but seeing that they have a great appreciation for its history and its configuration we don’t think any major changes are in its future. We have all of our fingers and toes crossed that they’ll get it back into running order and hit some nostalgia races, even if just to show the car off. Making laps would be complete and utter icing on the cake. And we like cake!

We have a gallery of about 20 photos that Lauren and John shot of the car’s recovery, some period black and whites, and plenty of details as well. This is one of the coolest “barn find” cars we have ever seen and we can’t wait to get a closer look at it sometime down the road!

Hit the link for a gallery of photos featuring the barn find “Surprise Package” 1957 Chevy Bel Air packing Max Wedge power!

Annette Funicello with her custom painted '57 Thunderbird. The teen icon passed away today after a long illness:

Times Square was an appropriate starting point for an event the world media would use terms like “stupendous”, “a Gallic dream” and “beginning of the end for European supremacy” in describing the unfolding adventure. 250,000 spectators jammed in to the Square to see the competitors with their marvels of automotive technology. The world super-powers were well represented.

Italy fielded the Zust, to defend her title as world champion earned just the year before in the Peking to Paris Race. For the young Italian team it would be a grand romantic adventure.

The start was to be far more elaborate than the simple waving of a green flag we would see today. This would be the Mayor of New York City firing a gold plated pistol into the air above Times Square. Something unthinkable in today’s world…

As it turned out with a quarter of a million people crowding the Square, even with a police escort Mayor George B. McClellan could not reach the starting line. The honor of the start was then given to Colgate Hoyt, the President of the Automobile Club. At 11:15 AM he raised the gold pistol and fired the shot that began the Race Around the World!
From www.theoldmotor.com.

Breaker one nine, come on back.