Hemmings Classic Car September 2020

“... if you can read a shop manual and decipher the factory exploded-view illustrations, then it’s all a matter of piecing the puzzle together.” Disassembled Fun Currently, I am knee deep in the ground-up, body-off restoration of a 1960 Triumph TR3A. The car was disassembled when I purchased it, complete with dozens of boxes filled with parts, none labeled as to its contents. But now the body has been rebuilt, the chassis is about to be painted, and its components reattached. Years ago, former Hemmings Senior Editor Jim Donnelly and I drove down to Rosemont, Pennsylvania, loaded the separate body and chassis onto the trailer, and stuffed the pickup bed of the Hemmings GMC Sierra 2500 with as many boxes of parts as it would hold, along with the fenders,…

ACD Festival THE AUBURN CORD Duesenberg Festival is synonymous with Labor Day weekend fun in Auburn, Indiana, and at press time the show is still scheduled to go on. From August 29 to September 5, there will be a celebration to promote automotive history and heritage, with the show located near the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum, The National Automotive and Truck Museum, and the Early Ford V-8 Foundation Museum. One of the themes of this year’s show is a planned celebration of “Women Behind the Wheel.” The itinerary is still being put together, so visit www.acdfestival.org for more information. Hershey Swap Meet Cancelled FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE ITS inception in 1955, the Hershey Swap Meet, a staple of the AACA Eastern Fall Meet, has been cancelled, a victim of…

4-6 • Springfield Swap Meet & Car Show Springfield, Ohio • 937-376-0111 www.ohioswapmeet.com 6 • Sumter Swap Meets Bushnell, Florida • 727-848-7171 www.floridaswapmeets.com 10-13 • Adirondack Nationals Lake George, New York • 518-380-1874 www.adirondacknationals.com 18-19 • Corvette Funfest Effingham, Illinois • 866-309-3973 www.corvettefunfest.com 18-19 • Old Orchard Beach Car Show Old Orchard Beach, Maine • 207-934-2500 www.oldorchardbeachmaine.com 19-20 • Dayton Concours d’Elegance Dayton, Ohio • 937-866-2222 www.daytonconcours.com 23-25 • Fall Petit Jean Antique Auto Swap Meet Morrilton, Arkansas • 501-727-5427 www.museumofautos.com 25-27 • Fall Englishtown Swap Meet Old Bridge, New Jersey • 732-446-7800 www.etownracewaypark.com 25-27 • Fall Jefferson Swap Meet & Car Show Jefferson, Wisconsin • 608-244-8416 www.madisonclassics.com 26-27 • Midland Car Show Midland, Michigan • 989-687-9001 www.miantiquefestival.com…

Mid-Engine Canadian JUST AS AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURERS STARTED TO EXPLORE REAR- AND MID- engine chassis designs in the immediate postwar years, so did race car builders, all the way down to the local racing level. The question is, which Canadian builder tried out a mid-engine configuration on this unique racer? David Greenlees at The Old Motor was the first to spot this Duncan Macphail photo in the Royal British Columbia Museum’s archives, along with a number of other photos of local racers in more conventional cars. The photo dates to May 1947 and beyond that, the museum seems to have nothing else to help identify the car or the driver. A commenter on David’s post noted that one well-known Victoria-area race car builder, Jack Smith, had constructed at least a couple…

Mecum Triple AS THE U.S. TENTATIVELY BEGINS TO REOPEN, MECUM HAS THREE UPCOMING AUCTIONS planned. August 27-29 will be Mecum’s summer special in Kissimmee, Florida, the first sale from Kissimmee to be held in the summer. Also planned are the annual auctions in Dallas, Texas, and Louisville, Kentucky. The Dallas event, held September 9-12, had a 70-percent sell-through rate last year, with 743 cars changing hands. The Louisville auction is slated for September 25-26, and is expecting over 600 cars. Last year’s event surpassed $5.5 million in sales, with a 75-percent sell-through rate. As of press time, all three auctions are still on. Visit www.mecum.com for the latest consignments and details. Barrett-Jackson Online Barrett-Jackson had a successful online auction May 8-17, raising some money with a charity sale for COVID-19…

THE THIRD-GENERATION “STEP-DOWN” Hudsons made their debut in 1948, and by 1950 the stoutly built Commodores had begun to increase in popularity. The Commodore underwent minimal trim changes for 1950, and enjoyed a well-earned reputation for great handling. The Convertible Brougham had an estimated production run of 425 units, with a factory price of $2,893. This particular Hudson received a full restoration over the last decade and was finished in deep blue metallic with a black canvas top and new, freshly installed red leather upholstery. The body moldings and trim were rechromed throughout. The engine was rebuilt and had a new wiring harness installed. The Commodore featured a power-operated top and windows, sun visor, radio, and heater, with all gauges functioning properly. The convertible proved a great deal for the…