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A very special Studebaker

Most antique-car owners look for original brochures of their cars, but Les Graham does one better -- he owns the car that's in the brochure. His 1966 Studebaker Wagonaire was the car used in auto shows, brochures, and dealer signs back in the day. Find out more in my story at Driving.ca.

When Studebaker met Mercedes-Benz ...

When Mercedes-Benz first came to the United States, it was sold through a New York importer. When he didn't sell enough, the company looked elsewhere -- and in an odd arrangement involving an aircraft company and the government, the cars were sold by Studebaker. Find out more in my "Rearview Mirror" column at the National Post.

Studebaker: The Canadian connection

Having started as a wagon maker in 1852, Studebaker was technically America's oldest auto brand. But it would finish its life north of the border, in Hamilton, Ontario, having exhausted its efforts to stay alive by working with Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen Canada, and Datsun. Find out more in my "Rearview Mirror" column at the National Post.

Hot rods: just too much damn fun

Last night being one of the first in recent memory without a torrential downpour, I fired up the Studebaker and headed out to the local cruise night. I'd forgotten just how much fun I can have with this truck.

The Stude used to be my daily driver from April through November; it was how I got to work, bought my groceries home, and how we hauled everything from a queen-sized mattress to our kitchen cupboards back from the store. It saw less use when I started reviewing cars, because you can't judge a vehicle when it's sitting in the driveway. That's a shame, because this little truck's a blast.

I went out to a local cruise night, one of the real ones that are still the way it "used to be". No offense to the guys who work so hard to present regular cruise nights each week, but I'm not a fan of being told what year vehicles can come into the roped-off area of the mall parking lot, and here's your ticket, and park where the attendants tell you, and when the last prize of the night is drawn, everyone fires up their cars and drives straight home via the shortest route possible.

No, this one out here (Pete's Big Bite in Whitby, Ontario, if you're ever out on a Friday night after about 9 pm) is as it was in the beginning: you come in, wait until one of the families getting a meal gets back in the minivan and vacates a spot, you double-park if necessary, and you hang around and talk cars until you've had enough, and then you slowly cruise on home because the night's so nice, and the car's running just right, and you're in the coolest thing on the road, and it's just good to be alive. Gas is how much a litre? At times like this, I really don't care.

Okay, I'm old ...

A little secret: I like tattoos, and I have several of them, including one that's a copy of the Studebaker logo, in honor of my 1949 pickup truck.

I'm going to get another one next week (non-automotive-related) and I dropped by my tattoo shop today to hand in some artwork. My artist was gone for the day, but I met his young apprentice, who asked if I had any work by the older master.

Why yes, I said, and proceeded to show him the logo. "That's the Studebaker crest," I said.

He replied, "I'm sorry. I don't know what Studebaker means."

Would you let this woman fix your car?

I was going through some old photos and found this one. I'd all but forgotten this!

I think this photo was taken some 27 years ago. I went to visit my aunt in Michigan and found her somewhat upset because her trusty Studebaker had developed a nasty exhaust leak. She didn't like spending money and didn't want to take it to the shop, so I offered to fix it for her. Of course she couldn't bear the thought of me getting dirty, so she found a pair of my late uncle's overalls, along with one of his work shirts and a bandana to wrap around my head. I think it took me longer to get all dressed than it did to fix the car!