Hemmings Motor News June 2022

Yeah, it’s okay. Though, you know, (yawn) predictable. Recently, someone asked me what about my job makes me jump out of bed on a Monday morning, eager to take on the day. Well, first of all, I’m a white-haired, post-middle-age, hack writer of Irish-American descent, not Tony Robbins. So there’s more obscenity-laced grumbling and hangover nursing on Monday morning than “out-of-bed jumping” and “day taking on.” But what makes this job worth its weight in free magazines and car show passes is how it constantly reminds me that I’m pitifully unremarkable as a human being. Case in point: When I asked you people to send in some photos of your winter projects back in April, you responded enthusiastically. A couple of my takeaways from this exercise were: A) You all are working…

“We believe there’s a place in the hobby for everyone.” In the summer of 1986, at the final sale of the Bill Harrah automobile collection, Houston real estate developer Jerry Moore bought the Bugatti Royale Berline de Voyage, a yellow and black monstrosity of motoring excess, one of just six Royales made, the “car of kings” that no king ever owned. Everything about the Berline de Voyage was excessive: It weighed over 7,000 pounds. Its 781-cu.in. straight-eight made 300 horsepower and required 66 quarts of oil. Perhaps most excessively, the $6.5 million that Moore paid obliterated the previous record for an automobile sold at auction. The collector-car world was abuzz, but the car’s sale made the regular news, too. Decades later, I remember the price, the car, the event, and even the winning…

Lincoln Mk 9 and Mercury Messenger Concepts on Display at the Petersen A pair of early 21st century Lincoln-Mercury concept cars from the Bortz Auto Collection will be on display at the Petersen Museum now through April 2023. The cars, a 2001 Lincoln Mk 9 and a 2003 Mercury Messenger, “symbolize the advanced design work of Gerry McGovern, the then design director for Lincoln-Mercury,” according to collector and concept car expert, Joe Bortz. The 2001 Lincoln Mk 9 was “the sensation of the New York Auto Show in 2001,” and was at the time believed to herald the return of the personal-luxury concept at Lincoln. Although it never entered production, the collection’s Mk 9 is a fully functional car utilizing the standard Lincoln chassis and running gear from the time of its…

I really enjoyed Terry Shea’s Out of Balance column in the April issue. It seems today that almost all new cars are shod with some sort of “mag wheels.” As an automobile historian of some repute, please allow me to attempt to establish a timeline for this slow march from full wheel cover discs with wide whitewalls to the present day. For the sake of brevity, let’s start with one brand and one time period: Chevrolets from 1959 to 1964. The epitome of street coolness was to sport 1957 Plymouth wheel covers with “inchwalls.” De rigueur for that period was the installation of front coil springs from a 1958 station wagon with a 348 and every option on the books. This gave the car a “Dyno Don Nicholson” drag-racing raised-front-end look. In…

The Aston Martin V8 Buyer’s Guide in the March issue of Hemmings Motor News incorrectly stated that the car’s owner, Jim Taylor, is affiliated with the sports equipment company, TaylorMade Golf. Mr. Taylor is the former owner of Taylor Made, a manufacturer of boating accessories, and has no current or past involvement with TaylorMade Golf. We apologize for any confusion that the error might have caused. The 1964-’66 Chevrolet C10 Buyer’s Guide in the April issue stated that custom vinyl/cloth upholstery kits are available for these trucks. There are vinyl/cloth upholstery kits available, but they are not a match for the original custom trim level. For that, it’s necessary to contact a specialty material supplier like SMS Auto Fabrics (smsautofabrics.com) and have a cover made by an upholsterer.…

In the century-plus history of American domestic automobile production, several high-profile conglomerates were created. American Motors, Chrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors are the best known, and while casual enthusiasts might credit GM with being the first multi-division automaker, such was not the case. That credit could fall on Albert Augustus Pope. Pope was a native New Englander and Civil War veteran whose initial fortune stemmed from the family’s lumber legacy. After the War Between the States ended, Pope created America’s most successful bicycle company, manufacturing the Columbia bicycle out of a factory in Hartford, Connecticut. He also acquired countless bicycle-related patents, which meant Pope had a near monopolistic hold on the industry. Yet, Pope — like some others — had an inkling that profit margins in bicycle manufacturing…