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Some very weird car names ...

Pungs-Finch, Bow-V-Car, U.S. Long Distance ... some of the early car companies had some very odd names for their vehicles. Yes, of course I have a list, and you can see it at Sympatico Autos by clicking here.

Hood ornaments: Birds, planes and gods out front

Although they're almost extinct, hood ornaments and radiator mascots were among the coolest parts of the car in days gone by. I have a slide show of ten antique ones at Sympatico Autos; find it by clicking here.

What's way-cool? These cars!

A horse you can drive, tires that don't skid, and a fire truck for children - now this is way-cool motoring! Take a look at my gallery of oddball automotive oddities at Sympatico Autos by clicking here.

Canadian cars: How many do you remember?

Thanks primarily to high import duties imposed prior to the Auto Pact in 1965, automakers made several "Canadian" models to get around the extra fees - most of them American models with different trim. Check out my gallery at Sympatico Autos by clicking here and see how many you know.

McLaughlin: The almost all-Canadian Buick

Canada has a fascinating auto history, although most of its products were automobiles that were made from American parts or were American cars built under license. The country's largest independent, McLaughlin, threw in its lot with Buick. You can read all about it in my Sympatico Autos story by clicking here.

Think you know old cars?

You may know Packard and Pierce-Arrow, but do you know Midland, Carnation or American? See some antique cars you may not know in my Sympatico Autos gallery by clicking here.

Ten auto goodies you might not have known ...

Chrysler had record players, Studebaker ended its days in Canada, and BMW started as an aircraft company. I've compiled ten fascinating facts about autos for the Toronto Star, and you can find them by clicking here.

Antique luxury cars at the Hershey show

As I do each year, I trekked to the Antique Automobile Club of America's Fall Meet in Hershey, Pennsylvania in early October. It includes what's believed to be the world's largest antique-car flea market, along with a huge car show. My editor asked for something on luxury cars, and so I had a look at what you used to get if you were willing to spend the money. You can read my report (and see lots of pictures) in the Toronto Star by clicking here.

Cruise Nationals: Ten golden oldies will join new cars next year

For the past eight years, the Canadian International Auto Show - the Toronto new-car event - has included the Cruise Nationals, a celebration of older cars that are driven to the informal weekday events known as cruise nights.

At the big Autofest car show on August 28, the Auto Show reps made their choices of the ten cars that will go to the finals next February. You can read all about it in my Toronto Star story by clicking here.

The Cruise Nationals: Cast your vote for the winners

The Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto is coming up in February, and that also means the Cruise Nationals. The summer-long program involves cruise nights around the Greater Toronto Area, where 60 cars are selected. Late last summer they all met at Autofest, where ten finalists were chosen.

Those ten vehicles are now up for online voting, which will help to select the three top winners. All ten cars will be at the Auto Show, where the winners will be announced. Voting is easy and when you do, you'll be entered to win a netbook or other prizes. To check it all out and cast your ballot, click here. You've got until February 4 to pick your favorite.

Old cars and safety: These are the good old days

I'm still getting letters over an opinion piece I wrote in the Toronto Star - click here to read it - about how old cars are a lot of fun, but they're nowhere near as safe as the cars built today. The newspaper illustrated my story with pictures from a crash test performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), in which it banged up a 1959 Bel Air against a 2009 Malibu to show how far cars had come in the 50 years the IIHS had been around. (You can see the video here.)

What surprised me was how many readers said the test "wasn't fair," because the cars didn't hit precisely head-on. The reality is that the standard is what's known as the "frontal offset," where the cars hit with each vehicle's front quarter at the middle of the other vehicle's hood. It's done this way because this is how most so-called "head-on" collisions occur. The cars don't hit each other directly face-to-face. Rather, one driver veers across the line where he's hit by oncoming traffic, often by drivers who are swerving to avoid him, making the possibility of a straight-on hit even less likely.

The Bel Air's driver probably wouldn't have fared much better in a direct head-on that these readers might have considered to be more in the car's favor anyway. In old cars, it's the "secondary collision" that was often responsible for death or serious injury. Since these cars didn't crumple up, crash force was sent straight into the cabin, where the driver was crushed by or crashed into the interior panels. New cars "disintegrate," as one reader put it, because they're supposed to do that. By crumpling up, they help prevent crash energy from reaching and deforming the cabin.

Fewer people are killed on U.S. roads these days, and it certainly isn't because we're all much better drivers. It's primarily because cars are doing a better job of protecting us.

None of that will probably get through to most of these readers, of course; you stand a better chance standing between a bear and her cubs than you do when you criticize old cars. Hey, I love old cars. I've played with them for almost 30 years now, and as you can see by clicking on the link to the right, I still own a couple. I'm also realistic about how time marches on. A 2009 car is vastly superior, safety-wise, to a 1959. And in 2029, we'll look back and say my goodness, look how far we've come in twenty years.

Vote at the Smithsonian: What's your favorite car?

The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History owns 73 cars, but only 14 are on display; the rest are tucked away. So the museum is holding an online voting system to decide which two cars should come out of hiding in January.

The list includes a Curved Dash Olds (the first mass-produced car; that's a photo of one to the left), GM's EV1 electric car, a Miller race car, and the vehicle currently in the lead, a 1948 Tucker.

The two cars with the most votes will go on display in January and February. To cast your vote, visit Smithsonian.

Cars ain't what they used to be - and that's a good thing

I love old cars, but I'm also realistic about how much better the new ones are. I say so in the Toronto Star, and you can read all about it by clicking here.

Why I really love my job ...

This is Alex Xydias, and I met him tonight, thanks to an event at Cadillac's design studio courtesy of General Motors. I'm not much of a car racing fan, but you better believe I know this particular vehicle .. and I certainly know of Mr. Xydias. What an honor to meet him.

And while waiting for my food to be served, I stood and talked a while with Jay Leno ... who also waited in line, no star ego here, for his. But I let him go first. "You go," he said. "No," said I, "you drive a Duesenberg to work, and I only own a Studebaker." So he said that that sounded good, and he went up and ordered his burger. A very classy gentleman, and certainly a night I'll always remember.

Another look at the Hershey antique auto flea market

I have a story on my trip to the antique automotive flea market in Hershey, including something on the Ford Transit Connect that was my chariot, in Canadian Driver; find it by clicking here.

Buying an old car: Watch for the pitfalls

Having journeyed to Pennsylvania to the Hershey antique automotive flea market, I put together a piece on what can be involved in getting into the old-car hobby; you can find it by clicking here.

The Beater: The best car I ever owned

In the Toronto Star, I have a story on the best car I ever owned: a $100 Chevrolet affectionately known as The Beater. You can find it by clicking here.

Driving old cars: Think for yourself!

In the Toronto Star, I have an opinion piece on old-car safety, and the best way to travel in a group. You can find it by clicking here.

Longfields: Bringing old cars back to life

In the Toronto Star, I have a story on Longfields, a relatively new restoration shop in the tiny hamlet of Pefferlaw, Ontario. You can read it by clicking here. 

Antique auto flea markets: eBay can't compare

In a special section in the Toronto Star, I have a story on automotive flea markets, following a day at one in Woodstock, Ontario. With any luck, the payment for the story will cover what my better half spent on Hot Wheels there ... 

You can find it by clicking here.

A new blog for old cars

My good friend James Mays has finally put all of his old-car knowledge -- and he's forgotten more than most people will ever know, especially on Rambler -- into a blog, called Old Cars Canada. Cruise over and have a look by clicking here.

1932 Ford wins big at Toronto Auto Show

In a special Toronto Auto Show section in today's Toronto Star, I have a story on the 1932 Ford that won the Cruise Nationals, which you can find by clicking here.

A look at the Datsun 240Z

In today's Wheels Extra, I have a look back at the Datsun 240Z, which you can find by clicking here.

Want a collector car?

In the market for a collector car? I have a short piece on what to look for in Metro; you can find it by clicking here.

A look at the Pontiac GTO

In today's Wheels Extra, I have a look at the Pontiac GTO, available by clicking here.

More on Meadow Brook ...

On Canadian Driver, I have another look at the Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance show, with a large selection of photos. You can find it by clicking here; there's a link to the photo gallery from the story, or you can jump directly to it by clicking over here.

A look at Meadow Brook

I attended this year's Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance for the first time, and what a show it was. You can read my report by clicking here.

Pedestrian safety, and old cars on the drag strip

In today's Toronto Star, I have a story on the Flat-Out Weekend, a car show that included a chance for drivers to take their antique cars on the drag strip. You can find it by clicking here.

I also have an opinion piece on pedestrian safety, which you can find by looking here.

Nothing gets by you, does it?

I was at a car show today, driving an old car that doesn't have a working gas gauge. Car refused to start. So I got out, opened the trunk, and took out a can of gasoline.

I was standing beside the car, with a container of gas, feeding it into the fuel filler. And sure enough, someone came up to me, right on schedule, and said:

"Ran out of gas, huh?"

Ford's global cars, new and old: Fiesta and Model T

Ford recently gave me an opportunity to drive two of its global cars: the upcoming Fiesta, expected for 2010, and its first worldwide seller, the Model T. The story's on Canadian Driver and you can find it by clicking here.

Precious Metal: Nash-Healey

In today's Wheels Extra, I have a story on the creation of Nash-Healey. You can find it by clicking here.

Coast to coast with 55 Ford Model Ts!

Now here are some folks with a lot more gumption than I have: come June, some 55 Ford Model Ts will be driven from New York to Seattle. It's to commemorate a 1909 cross-country race, open to all models, in which a T was the first over the finish line.

The original race was sponsored by millionaire Robert Guggenheim and was part of an exposition in Seattle. This time around, it's a group of enthusiasts, representing all 50 states and five overseas cars. They'll take about a month to do it, following the original route as closely as they can, and stopping in the towns where the drivers of one hundred years ago bedded down each night.

The prize was eventually given to a Massachusetts-built Shawmut that finished 17 hours after the leader, since the judges claimed that the Model T had had its engine swapped out for a portion of the route. But that didn't stop Henry Ford from using the race extensively in his advertising for the Model T, which in 1909 was in its first full year of production.

It sounds like a blast, and here's hoping all 55 make it to the finish line with as few headaches and as much fun as possible. You can read more about it on the group's website, which you can reach by clicking here.

The 1948 Tucker

 

In today's Wheels Extra, I have a story on the 1948 Tucker. It's part of a series I'm writing for it, each featuring a car from a specific decade. You can find it by clicking here.

The Cadillac V16

   

The Toronto Star has a special automotive section, Wheels Extra, and in this edition I have a feature on the V16 models that Cadillac had in the 1930s. You can find it by clicking here.

Historical Corvettes and the Cruise Nationals

  In a special Toronto Auto Show section of the Toronto Star, I have two stories: one on the Cruise Nationals antique car event, which you can find here, and one on the historical Corvette display, available here.

Kia Borrego, and some historical Corvettes

                                                    On today's Canadian Driver, I have two stories: a review of the 2009 Kia Borrego, which you can find here, and a piece on the historical Corvette display, on now at the Toronto Auto Show, accessible by clicking here. 

A trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania

  I just got back from a trip to the annual AACA show and swap meet in Hershey, Pennsylvania. If you've never been, it's something to see. It takes three days to walk by all of the 9,000 vendor spots, and there are hundreds of cars in the show.

It's not quite the same as in the bygone days -- it's been going since 1955, and I've been attending for 15 years -- which is understandable, given that it makes more sense to go to online to find that one missing part for your 1911 Pope-Hartford than it does to tramp around the fields hoping that someone might have one. A lot of the rare stuff isn't there anymore for that reason. And it's now all on pavement, which means that the days of sinking hopelessly into the mud are gone (the show cars are now on grass). But I still wouldn't miss it for anything. No matter how much the Internet has changed the old-car hobby, there is still a need for hands-on shopping, along with piles of rusty, unidentifiable car parts, impulse buys, and the thrill of the chase.

As usual, I spent most of my money on taxi memorabilia -- a metal Yellow Cab sign, some taxi plates, a cap badge from Flint, Michigan, and a Yellow Cab directory for Chicago, date unknown, although I suspect it's the 1930s.

Prices for parts were generally reasonable, but when it came to the cars for sale, I swear there's crack cocaine in the Hershey's chocolate there. Or else people were figuring they could pay off their mortgages and ride out the economy on the strength of a single sale. How else to explain a 1930 Austin Bantam for $37,900, a 1972 BMW 3.0 for $39,900, and a Ford Skyliner at $92,000? I did notice that on Saturday morning, the last day of the event, prices on the windshields were dropping faster than the stock market. It's usual to see them go down by a couple of hundred dollars, but I saw a huge number that were reduced by as much as $5,000 (and were still too high). Reality, gentlemen, reality.

I drove down in a 2009 Ford Flex, which proved to be an extremely impressive vehicle, and paid anywhere from $3.69 to $2.99 for gasoline. Speaking of which, if there's a fuel crisis in the US, it sure isn't evident; every vehicle seemed to be a full-size SUV, sedan or pickup truck, all of them exceeding the speed limit by at least 15 mph. But I sure noticed the restaurants: in one chain where we normally have to make reservations, we were one of about eight tables, and the server told us that she makes $2.83 an hour plus tips, and one night last week took home $18. For a full shift. Scary? You betcha.

Light cars, big engines

In today's Toronto Star, I have a story on a 1969 Shelby and 1964 Thunderbolt that were at last week's Autofest event in Oshawa, Ontario. You can read about it here.

(And yes, I know there was no Mustang II in 1969. I'm ashamed to say it's a typo on my part.)

Cruise nights at Chrysler!

We slipped over the border last night into Michigan, to the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills. Throughout the summer, the museum's parking lot is the site of a series of six cruise nights, each with a special theme. Since last night's was Dodge Challenger night, we took the beast over to get in on the fun.

It really was quite a blast, with the front lot stuffed with all manner of cars -- every make is welcome -- in every configuration, from bone-stock to widely customized. There were also some very neat oddballs, including two Chrysler-Maserati TCs (perhaps the only two that were ever actually sold?) and these two cute little Metropolitans.

The cruise nights have wrapped up for the summer, but the museum is still worth a trip -- it contains a wealth of history, including all kinds of concept cars (there's even a Turbine), racing legends and some examples from the company's earliest days.

But the highlight of the evening wasn't even a car -- at least, not a full-size one. The big "O" sculpture outside the museum is actually made up of rings of channel steel, and on the far side, the end comes down to the base. And there was a little boy who looked up at the sculpture, looked down at his Hot Wheels car, looked up at the sculpture ... and then reached up as far as he could, set the toy on this ready-made track, and let it go ...

More on McLaughlin, the Canadian Buick

Another article is up on the McLaughlin-Buick Homecoming, a car show commemorating 100 years of GM and the McLaughlin-Buicks that were unique to Canadian production. The story's on Canadian Driver and you can find it here.

McLaughlins, Hyundai, and a rant about options

I have three stories in The Toronto Star this week. The first is a story on the McLaughlin-Buick Club of Canada's homecoming to Oshawa, where these Canadian versions of the American Buick were built by the company that became General Motors of Canada. You can find the story here.

I have a review of the Hyundai Elantra, available here.

And I took a rant written earlier on these pages, on options I find totally unnecessary, and turned it into a story that's here.

Model Ts and Hyundai Santa Fe

Today on Canadian Driver, I have another report on the Model T Ford Club of America's meet in honor of the car's 100th anniversary, which you can find here.

Also up today is a review of the Hyundai Santa Fe, available by clicking here.

McLaughlin Day in Oshawa

It was McLaughlin Day in Oshawa today -- the city names the civic holiday for GM of Canada founder Sam McLaughlin, who set up his company in the city (and ironically, while many businesses were closed for the day, the GM factories toiled).

The McLaughlin-Buick Club of Canada hosts an annual meet that moves to various locations each year, but for the company's 100th anniversary, it came home to Parkwood, McLaughlin's home and now a museum. Some 95 cars paraded through Oshawa's streets and ended up at the estate for a show. I'll be writing a couple of stories on it, but for now, let me tell you, there were some magnificent cars there, including a 1937 model that was driven to the show from Indiana. This 1932 in the photo came in from Alberta, and there was one from Maine. Although they weren't sold in the US, they sometimes show up at auctions and sales there, and American collectors seem to love them for their rarity. We just love them up here 'cause they look so nice.

Munich and Model Ts

In the Toronto Star, I have a report on the Model T Ford Club of America's meet in honor of the car's 100th anniversary, which you can find here.

I also wrote an opinion piece based on my trip to Munich and the drivers I saw there, which can be accessed by clicking here.

I learned how to drive!

That's me, at the wheel of a Model T Ford that I'd just learned how to drive. Okay, I could use a bit more time behind the wheel to really be proficient, but I managed to go up and down that field a number of times without stalling it, hitting anything, or turning my instructor's hair white, which I think is quite an accomplishment.

I did this at the T Party, and if you're anywhere near Richmond, Indiana from now until July 26, get yourself there. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Model T, and there are some 900 at the event, which is said to be the largest gathering of the cars anywhere since they originally left the factory.

The car I'm driving belongs to The Henry Ford and is used to shuttle visitors at the museum; it's an authentic replica built by Ford for the company's 100th anniversary.

The T was simple to drive compared to many vehicles of its day, but it requires some coordination and several moves that aren't familiar to the modern driver. Levers on the steering wheel control the spark advance and the throttle, while you use pedals for the gear (high or low), reverse and brake. On older ones, you crank it to start, but this T was equipped with an electric starter.

First, the handbrake must be all the way back, the spark advance all the way up, and the throttle halfway down. Crank it or push the starter button, and when it catches, retard the spark and adjust the throttle. When it's idling nicely, you push the handbrake halfway ahead and press the clutch pedal right to the floor. This is the tough part -- the car starts moving, but you don't take your foot off the clutch. You just drive along.

Once you're up to speed, you put your foot up halfway, push the handbrake all the way ahead, and take your foot off the clutch, and now you're in high gear. I'm told that if you're good at it, you can switch between the two by finding the "sweet spot" halfway on the pedal without the brake lever, but I figured I was lucky just to get it to go ahead.

I'd always wanted a Model T because I thought they were cool; now I want one 'cause I think they're fun. I'll be writing a lot more on this great show, which also included an "air parade" of some ten pre-1930s planes at a nearby airstrip. These T folks know how to have a blast.

Nissan Pathfinder, and the Auto Baron's Ball

On today's Canadian Driver, I have a review of the V8-powered Nissan Pathfinder, which you can find here.

I also dropped by Parkwood, the home of GM of Canada founder Robert McLaughlin, where the annual Auto Baron's Ball fundraiser was in full swing. There's a piece on it over here.

Drop the top: A history of convertibles

The Toronto Star has a special section in today's paper on convertibles, and includes a piece I wrote on the history of drop-tops. You can find it by clicking here.

Beverly Rae Kimes: In memorium

Beverly Rae Kimes has passed away. If my calculations are correct, she was 67. To say that the automotive world has lost a giant in the field is an understatement.

A writer and editor since 1963, Kimes had the helm of Automobile Quarterly for many years, and was a contributor for decades. She was the author or editor of more than twenty books, including the definitive history of such makes as Packard and Mercedes-Benz. She was also a rarity, a female writer and historian in a male-dominated field.

I had the opportunity to interview her by telephone in 2002 for Old Autos newspaper, and the first thing I mentioned was that when I first became aware of her writing, I assumed from her ambiguous name that she was a man. She said that just about everyone made that mistake, but in the early days, it was to her advantage: her meticulous work earned her a place on the page, and "By the time they found out I was a woman, (at a time) when women weren't regarded as favorably as they are today with regard to the workplace, I had already established myself," she told me. "I had been writing for several years, so they couldn't really take that out on me at that point."

Although she would gain a reputation as one of the top historians in her field, she told me that she'd known nothing about cars when she started. Fresh out of college, she first got a job with a theater magazine that folded shortly thereafter. Sent on a lead by her agent, the job turned out to be the fledgling Automobile Quarterly. Although she admitted her ignorance of automobiles, the editor hired her anyway, on the basis of the research she did for her Master's thesis. Her first story, on the Curved Dash Olds, sparked an interest in finding out the story behind the vehicles.

My story on her contained a minor error, which most readers would never have caught, but Kimes was mortified, especially when I showed her the transcript of our interview and she found the error was hers. I didn't realize it at the time, but she was recovering from a serious illness, which left her a little fuzzy at times. She requested (and received) a correction; her attention to detail would have allowed nothing less.

Kimes entered the field during the infancy of writing about automotive history, and along with a small handful of peers, she set the standard both for research, and for the stories that resulted. Every auto writer who's ever turned a key owes a debt to her, especially women writers, for whom Kimes put a foot in the door. I know I certainly do; all I can say is, thank you.

Those were the days ...

That's me, age 13, on my mother's new car, a 1972 Plymouth Scamp. (She just about had a bird when the photos came back from the drugstore.) I learned to drive on that car when I was 17, and not long afterwards, it became the first car I owned. Less than a year after I learned to drive, believe it or not, the city of Toronto gave me a taxi driver's license.

I was thinking about that Plymouth the other day, and the cabs I drove in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when I was assessing a brand-new car and marking against it because it had very few storage cubbies.

How times have changed. My Plymouth had a glovebox and an ashtray, and that was it. With the cabs, we'd sometimes buy plastic consoles that sat on the transmission hump. They could be a pain if someone wanted to sit in the middle, though, because most cars had front bench seats.

Cars didn't have cupholders back then, save for the inside of my glovebox's metal lid, which had a couple of indentations to hold a mug if you stopped at A&W for a root beer. I don't remember people drinking anything when they actually drove. We did in the taxis, because there wasn't time to stop. Coffee shops used styrofoam cups, not paper, and we'd wedge them between the dash and the windshield. Some guys bought cupholders that hung off the windowframe, but they were more trouble than they were worth. We'd put a lid on the cup and then tear out a hole so we could drink on the go, and sometimes passengers would marvel at such a great idea. Now the lids come with the holes already scored.

Cars didn't have door pockets. They didn't have a mirror on the passenger door, but they did have vinyl roofs that were definitely not the stylist's finer moment. If you ordered a rear defogger, it was a fan in the parcel shelf that blew warm air on the window, very noisily. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven the day I got a taxi that had air conditioning, power windows and power locks. It was like driving a Cadillac. And those were back in the days when the only thing better than a Cadillac was a Rolls Royce. Good heavens, I feel old.

Why I don't like car auctions

Last year, at a cruise night, someone came up and looked at my 1947 Cadillac. "That's worth about $80,000, right?" he asked.

That's about four times its value, but rather than give him a deal at $65,000, I asked what made him guess so high. Well, he said, one went at Barrett-Jackson the other night for that.

I don't like car auctions. They're too big, too noisy, and after a half-dozen go over the block, far too monotonous. But what I really don't like is that I think they're detrimental to the old-car hobby. Just as celebrity chefs have sent trendy fish to near-extinction, car auctions have sent otherwise ordinary vehicles into the stratosphere, from which they seldom return. Instead of people driving their cars to shows and cruise nights, piling in the family to go for an ice-cream run, and having fun with the old-car hobby, buyers have become speculators. They treat these machines like mutual funds, storing them away until the next sucker pays $150,000 for a 1958 Chevrolet and they bring them out in the hopes of getting rich.

Look around you: old-car owners are old. When I ask what it'll take to keep this hobby going into the next decade, the answer's always the same: "We need younger people to get involved." But if you're determined that your hot-rodded '32 Ford won't change hands for less than $75,000 -- because that's what they're all asking in the National Street Rod Association's classifieds -- what younger person do you think is going to buy it? And if they do invest that much into it, where do you think they're going to drive it?

I saw it in the money-soaked 1980s, when cars ran on cash instead of gasoline; it wasn't uncommon for speculators to buy and flip them without even seeing them. In 1982 I turned down a 1959 Cadillac at $5,000 because it was overpriced; five years later, they were trading at $60,000. Not every car that crosses the auction block is ridiculously priced, but these are soft-porn TV shows, and they're going for the money shot. If you can get someone to pay you eight times what your car is worth, well, good for you. But then don't complain when you go to a "classic" car show, and a Chrysler K-Car is the oldest thing there.