1950 Oldsmobile Futuramic 88 - Rocket Launcher

Did Oldsmobile inspire the first rock 'n' roll song? Possibly, but its Futuramic 88 was the first modern musclecar

Source: http://www.motortrend.com/classic/roadtests/c12_0612_1950_oldsmobile_88_coupe/index.html#ixzz0YnWGHbOe


Ike Turner's Fats Waller-like stride piano sets off two minutes, 51 seconds that changed music and signaled a new age of automotive power in America. The fuzz guitar, reportedly the result of a speaker damaged while Turner's Kings of Rhythm were on tour, that quickly joins in is part of the new sound. Raymond Hill's tenor sax break, taking 56 seconds, could've come from blues or jazz. It's the beat that pulls this all together into something new, although the tune owed much to rhythm and blues songs of the era. Indeed, the tune made the R&B charts-after all, there was no rock-'n'-roll Top 40 at the time, since many consider "Rocket 88" the very first song of the genre.


Click to view GalleryWhether you agree, there's no denying the impact of the opening line of "Rocket 88," sung by Jackie Brenston. One manufacturer, Oldsmobile, had successfully challenged the garage-built street primacy of the hot rod with a smooth, quick car, shiny and new and straight from the factory. The 1949 Rocket 88 came with the same high-compression (7.25:1) overhead-valve V-8 installed in the larger, heavier Ninety-Eight; thus, the Great American Musclecar was born. And it was launched with a high-compression, short-stroke power to match a postwar exuberance that had automobile styling mimicking the conveyances of the emerging space age.


Click to view GalleryBefore this, General Motors's hierarchy was clear, with only Cadillac/LaSalle producing V-8s, Buick building inline-eights, Olds and Pontiac straight-eights and sixes, and Chevy sixes. Cadillac experimented with OHVs to replace its L-heads in the 1930s, while after the war, Olds looked at new engines to power more stylish models for the "experimental division" known mostly for introducing the Hydra-matic four-speed automatic.

GM engineering wiz Charles F. "Boss" Kettering wrote a paper for the Society of Automotive Engineers that posited a compression increase from 6.25:1 to 12:1 could boost gas mileage by up to 40 percent and horsepower by 25. Better postwar availability of premium fuel also gave high compression a push.

Olds experimented with a 288-cubic-inch V-8, but Cadillac management complained. Olds switched to developing 60- and 70-degree V-8s and V-6s until GM approved a $9.4-million budget for Olds's 90-degree engine. With Kettering in charge, Olds upped its 90-degree V-8 to 303 cubic inches, prompting Cadillac to increase its 1948 models' V-8 from 309 to 331 (remember the word "hierarchy").

The Olds 98 was new for 1948, a year ahead of the rest of the Big Three, save for the Cadillac lineup. But Kettering and his crew were still busy working on the 303 V-8, and so the flagship with "Futuramic" styling had to launch with the carryover 110-horse, 257-cubic-inch L-head inline-eight. For 1949, the three-model Oldsmobile line featured Futuramic styling, including the six-cylinder 76 and the OHV 88s. Harley Earl's new two-door hardtop design was offered in the 98 series only in 1949 and trickled down to the 88 and 76 Holiday Coupes, with their wraparound rear windows, for 1950.

Vintage Cabovers & Transporters

I wonder if anyone remembers this type of car haulers of the 1950's. I found these pictures online I just wanted to share them with you.









Source: The Jalopy Journal

Steyr automobile

Steyr (or Steyr-Puch) was an Austrian automotive company from 1915 until 1990.


Swedish Ad for 1928 Steyr Type Xll 6cyl 4seat Convertible

Formed as a branch of Steyr Osterreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft (Steyr AG) in 1915, to diversify manufacturing, the founders hired 38-year-old designer Hans Ledwinka after he resigned from Nesseldorf. Ledwinka developed Steyr's new six-cylinder car and supervised hiring engineers and mechanics.


1939 Steyr 220.

This, the 12/40PS, featured the fashionable spitzkuhler (pointed radiator) of the prewar Mercedes and had very modern features: a 3255 cc (199ci) engine with SOHC, ball bearing-mounted crankshaft, four-speed gearbox, and multi-plate clutch, but not including four wheel brakes, though Ledwinka's designs had used them as early as 1909. The ability of the engine to rev led to 4014 cc (245ci) Type VI and 4890 cc (298ci) Type VI Klausen sport versions, and it was employed in a 2½ ton truck.

Ledwinka again came into conflict with management when the company wanted luxury cars and he preferred a cheap, simple car, the sidevalve four-cylinder Type IV. Steyr concentrated on luxury cars. Ledwinka did not give up, creating a car with and aircooled flat-twin and backbone chassis. Management ignored him, and he quit to join Tatra, taking the design with him; it also inspired the early Volkswagen Type 1.

Steyr realized their mistake too late, but Ledwinka acted as consulting engineer, influencing the 1925 Type XII, with a 14/35 hp 1.5 liter OHC six, crankshaft ball bearings, four-wheel brakes, half-elliptic front springs, and swing axle IRS. It came in two models, a four- or five-seater tourer at ₤440 and a four-door saloon at ₤560. This was joined by a 3.3 liter Type VII interior drive limousine, a luxurious four-door that seated up to seven and cost ₤1000; it shared its 17.75 kW (23.8 hp) chassis with the five- to seven-place, ₤975 Coupe de Ville.

The 1926 Olympia Motor Show premiered a new 10 kW (14 hp) tourer for ₤510. There was also another new small car in 1928, the 2060 cc (126ci) 16/40 hp Type XX and a 4 liter 29/70 hp six Type XVI, with vacuum servo-assisted brakes by Bosch-Dewandre.

In January 1929, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche joined Steyr from Mercedes. He quickly produced the 37/100 hp Austria, with a 5.3 liter straight eight, dual magneto ignition, and twin spark plugs, four-wheel Lockheed hydraulic brakes, and Steyr's first detachable cylinder head. It also had Steyr's half-elliptic front and swing axle rear suspension. It showed at the Paris Salon and Olympia, the cabriolet offered at ₤1550.

The Great Depression intervened, however, and Steyr was bailed out by Austro Daimler, which killed the project as competing with its own very similar car, while Porsche resigned to form Porsche Büro in Stuttgart. The crash hit hard. Steyr in 1929produced short of 5000 cars and 1000 trucks in all, and in 1930, just twelve.

Aid turned to buyout in 1935, and in the interim Steyr relied on a Porsche design, the Type XXX. Its 2078 cc (127ci) six had plain bearings and pushrod valves. It was developed into the 2.3 liter 530 of 1936. Steyr also displayed the unconventional, with the 120 of 1934, with double transverse-leaf independent front suspension and streamlined body; they sold 1200 cars of this model, and improved it into the 2.3 liter 220 of 1937.


Haflinger

There were also licence-built Opel P4s (Steyr-Opel, nicknamend "Stopel") and, still in 1934, the Type 100, a less attractive, low-cost economy car, of exactly the type (if not the appearance) Ledwinka had advocated ten years before, with a 1.4 liter sidevalve four of 34 hp, but similar streamlined appearance as the 120. The Type 50 in 1936 was smaller and "surpassingly ugly" (which was a lot to surpass in that era), the child of a Chrysler Airflow, and as aerodynamically efficient as the contemporary VW; even so, the Kleinwagen was popular (as its Type 1 cousin would be a generation later), due to a rather roomy interior and a metal sliding roof. The bigger 1158 cc (71ci) 25 hp (19 kW) engine and new number, Type 55, of 1938 could still hardly push it past 80 km/h (50 mph), but even so, some 13,000 were built by end of production in 1940.

During the war, Steyr built vehicles for the Wehrmacht, and afterwards, modified FIATs for Austrian consumption, adding swing axles and, in some models, engines of their own design. These were the 1100 Mod E, followed by the 1400, which got an Austrian 2-liter engine, and was namend Steyr 2000. From 1957 to 1973 the Puch 500 was built in the Graz plant with great success (almost 60,000 sold), using the FIAT 500 body but Steyr mechanics (to varying degrees - but always with the Austrian opposed twin engine); important versions were the 650 TR sports model and the 700 C microvan. From 1973 some few FIAT 126 were equipped with the boxer twin engine for the Austrian market.

In the 1960s, Steyr introduced the remarkable Haflinger (named for a Tyrolian horse) four wheel drive truck, "probably the most versatile off-road vehicle ever produced." Able to cross almost any terrain and scale mountains, they typically had only a two-cylinder aircooled boxer 643 cc (39ci) engine of 20 kW (27 hp). The performance attracted military orders, and led to the much heavier and stronger 4x4/6x6 Pinzgauer. Finally Steyr-Daimler-Puch collaborated with Mercedes in the design and manufacturing of the similar, but more comfortable, Puch G.

Do Tou Remember The LLoyd Cars?

Source: LLotd Automobiles

Hupmobile

Hupmobile Nameplate


1929 Hupmobile

The car in the foreground, on the back of a $10 bill is a 1925 Hupmobile.

The Hupmobile was an automobile built from 1909 through 1940 by the Hupp Motor Company of Detroit, Michigan, which was located at 345 Bellevue Avenue. Their first car, the Model 20, was introduced to the public at the Detroit Auto Show in February 1909. The company initially produced 500 vehicles.

History

Robert Craig Hupp (June 2, 1877 in Grand Rapids, Michigan – 1931), a former employee of Oldsmobile and Ford founded the company with his brother Louis Gorham Hupp (November 13,1872 in Michigan – December 10, 1961 in Michigan) in 1908. Production began in 1909. In 1910, production increased by more than 5000. Following disagreements with his financial backers Hupp sold his stock in the Hupp Motor Car Company and established the short-lived RCH Automobile Company, later the Hupp-Yeats Electric Car Company.


Hupmobile Model 32 Touring 1913

Hupp Motor Company, however, continued to grow after its founder had left. A new plant was purchased in 1924 as Hupp competed strongly against Ford and Chevrolet and by 1928 sales had reached over 65,000 units. To increase production and handle the growth in sales, Hupp purchased the Chandler-Cleveland Motors Corporation (Chandler Motor Car) for its manufacturing facilities. Hupp advertising began to take cues from the romantic Ned Jordan style of automotive prose. A 1930 Hupmobile advertisement read.


Hupmobile RRS Special Roadster 1924

"A Hupmobile becomes a little more than just a car. He'll lift the hood as a veteran would, and show Hupp's mechanical fineness. He knows! He's driven Hupmobile since the old outdated out-of-context but still-revered early Hupmobiles with the tall steel spout on its radiator. There's something about Hupp's faithfulness that gets to a man. A feeling that hasn't a name. But it's the same as the feeling a seaman gets for his ship, an engineer for his engine, or a woman for her home. He's got as much use for an adjective as a cowboy for a powder puff. He's rough on claims. Promises of what a car can do. He's the old-time Hupmobile owner. He's seen cars come, seen 'em go. Only he won't talk. He'll act! Give you fact after fact, not in words but in deeds, in bullet speeds and 'Big Bertha' power."


Hupmobile Touring 1924

Sales and production began to fall even before the onset of the depression in 1930. A strategy to make the Hupmobile a larger, more expensive car began with the 1925 introduction of an 8-cylinder model, followed by the discontinuance of the traditional 4-cylinder Hupmobile. While aiming for a seemingly more lucrative market segment, Hupp essentially turned its back on its established clientele. Nevertheless, in a constant effort to remain competitive, Hupp introduced a number of new features. They were one of the very first automakers to equip their cars with "free wheeling," a device that enjoyed immense, but brief, popularity in the early 1930s. Unfortunately, the company made the same mistake that many other medium-priced carmakers were making at the same time. Namely, in an attempt to capture every possible sale, they offered many different models. With Hupmobile's relatively low production volume, the result was that no model could be produced in sufficient quantity to keep manufacturing costs low enough to provide an operating profit. Hupp abandoned its more conservatively styled product line and turned to industrial designer Raymond Loewy to design its 1932 Hupp cyclefender, a flashy roadster which did well at the track, but sales continued to decline. 1934 saw the introduction of a striking restyle called the "Aerodynamic" by Loewy, as well as the lower-priced series 417-W using Murray-built slightly-modified Ford bodies.


Hupmobile Series M De Luxe Century Opera Coupe 1929

Despite these innovations, squabbles among stockholders and an attempted hostile takeover in 1935 took their toll on the company. By 1936 the company was forced to sell some of its plants and assets and in 1937 Hupmobile suspended manufacturing. A new line of six- and eight-cylinder cars was fielded for 1938, but by this time Hupp had very few dealers, and sales were disappointingly low.


Hupmobile Series M De Luxe Century 4-Door Sedan 1929

Desperate for a return to market strength, Hupmobile acquired the production dies of the Gordon Buehrig designed Cord 810/812 from the defunct Cord Automobile Company in 1938. Hupmobile hoped that utilizing the striking Cord design in a lower-priced conventional car, called the Skylark, would return the company to financial health. Enthusiastic orders came in by the thousands, but production delays soured customer support.


Hupmobile 4-Door Sedan 1932

Lacking adequate production facilities, Hupmobile worked out a deal with the ailing Graham-Paige Motor Co. to share the Cord dies, which would be built at Graham's facilities. The Graham edition, called the Hollywood, differed from the Skylark in only a few minor details.


Hupmobile Series 417-W 4-Door Sedan 1934

Final production

In 1939 the Hupmobile Skylark finally began delivery. Unfortunately, it had taken too many years to produce and most of the orders had been canceled. Production lasted only a couple of months, and only 319 Skylarks were produced. Hupmobile ceased production in late summer. Graham-Paige suspended production shortly after the last Hupmobile rolled off the line. The Skylark's grille later inspired the grilles used on Lincoln Continental models in the 1940's.

The last preserved Hupmobile dealership in the United States is located in Omaha, Nebraska.

Reference in Hollywood movies

In the Billy Wilder's movie Some Like It Hot Hupmobile is mentioned several times. When Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon witness a gangland slaying like the St. Valentine's Day Massacre it is in a garage to get a Hupmobile borrowed from one of Curtis's girlfriends. Later, when telling a fictional story to Marilyn Monroe while pretending to be a sexually frustrated millionaire, Curtis says his problems began when his fiance, the daughter of the President of Hupmobile, got killed in an accident at the Grand Canyon.

In the TV series Leave It To Beaver, Ward Cleaver (Hugh Beaumont) would on occasion wistfully recall his family's Hupmobile.

Hupmobile production models

For specifications on various Hupmobile models:

Hupmobile Club Sedan - R

Hupmobile Touring - E

External links:

Hupmobile Building

Hupmobile Welcomed at UniversalCity

Hupmobile at UniversalCity

Motorbase "Hupmobile"

"Skylark/Hollywood"

The Hupmobile Club

'47 International Harvester Coe Car Hauler

Beautiful One of a kind. Only 8,500 miles! 454 motor. Three Speed 400 turbo Hydra-matic Transmission. . "178" wheelbase. Dual Rear axle with dual tires on both. Air Ride Suspension with auto compressor. Power windows, steering, brakes. 6 way power seat. Digital heat, air, CB Radio. Absolutely beautiful

Source: Hotrod Hotline

'54 Plymouth Wagon , V8

Arizona car, in Michigan & Florida for the last 4. years. Always garaged. 2 door, Suburban model.
Gets over 20 mpg on highway at 75-80 mph on Regular gas...It will, however, go MUCH faster.

•Engine 1996 Dodge 360ci. efi,
•4 speed automatic overdrive transmission
•B&M shifter
•Lokar gas pedal
•Power steering
•Power brakes - Disc front, Drum rear
•8" Ford rear end
•3.00 gear ratio
•Mustang II front suspension with sway bar
•ididit tilt steering column with Lacarra wheel
•am/fm CD stereo
•Coker wide whites
•Aluminum radiator and overflow tank.
•Body is very straight and about 1/2 the paint is original
•Re-chromed, bumpers & headlight rings.
•Carpet Replaced 3 - 4 years ago
•62,500 Mileage showing
•VIN # 25164819
•We believe it is San Gabriel Green with Shasta Green around windows
This is a very rare car... when the licensed appraiser was over to appraise our cars, he was impressed with the condition and all the upgrades and appraised the car for $32,000.00. We did some research and found a production figure of only 450 Vehicles listed in the box for the 1954 2 door Plymouth Suburban

It appears that this car was one of 12,377 Plymouth Plaza, Savoy and Belvedere vehicles produced in Los Angeles

Source: Hotrod Hotline

1948 International Harvester

Red Arrow Harvester

The End?

By John Gilbert
Photography by Ken Lorek





From the sunset coast of southwest Michigan, Ken Lorek spotted what he thinks is a '48 International Harvester. "It was in plain sight along the Red Arrow highway between Hartford and Lawrence in Van Buren county about 10 miles from where I grew up." Ken went on to tell us southwest Michigan is the state's fruit belt and when these old produce haulers broke down they parked them in their tracks. The license plate is from 1967.

Source: Custom Classic Trucks

Ride in the Stout Scarab

Celebrating the Hudson's 100th anniversary

Legendary pilot Amelia Earhart christens the new Terraplane in Detroit in July 1932.

Somewhere near the headquarters of the Hudson Motor Car Co. on the corner of East Jefferson and Connor avenues in Detroit, nearly 2,000 Hudson dealers, auto industry officials, political dignitaries and members of the media jammed around a specially built outdoor stage. Everyone was filled with anticipation and excitement for the launch of a new car.

The date was July 21, 1932, three years after the stock market crash. My grandfather, Roy Chapin, was about to launch one of the most important new cars in his history as president of the Hudson Motor Car Co.

By 1931, Hudson sales had plummeted. Compared with 1929, they had dropped by 80 percent! Grandfather's solution for slow sales was a new car of extraordinary value. It combined a powerful six-cylinder engine with a lightweight body on a short wheelbase. It would sell for a low price. It was to be called Terraplane.

Grandfather decided to apply airplane imagery to the launch of the new car, so he invited Amelia Earhart, one of the most famous flyers of the day, to participate in the Terraplane launch event on this hot, muggy July day. After all, Americans had become fascinated with aviation following Charles Lindberg's historic 1927 flight. It was an extravagant introduction. Accounts of it appeared in newspapers throughout the country. But most importantly, it demonstrated that my grandfather's remarkable gift for salesmanship on a grand scale was not diminished by the depressing conditions of the time. Following the announcement ceremonies, dealers participated in a parade starting at the plant on Jefferson Avenue and then onto Woodward in downtown Detroit. It was the start of a journey for hundreds of bronze-colored Terraplane demonstrators as they returned to Hudson dealerships in 40 states throughout the country.

Terraplane was only one of the exceptional products designed and produced by the Hudson Motor Car Co. between 1909-54.

The Hudson story began in a leased, 80,000-square-foot plant on the corner of Mack Avenue and Beaufait in Detroit. (The building is still in use today.) My grandfather and a group lead by Joseph L. Hudson held the first board meeting of the Hudson Motor Car Co. on March 6, 1909. During the meeting, it was decided to name the company and the car after Mr. Hudson. After all, he was putting up the majority of the financing, and his name was already solidly established as a leading businessman and retailer in Detroit. His reputation and name recognition were particularly important because in the summer of 1909, there were at least 150 different companies engaged in the manufacturing of motor cars. That's a lot of competition!

The first Hudson was built in July 1909, just 10 months after Henry Ford built his first Model T in a plant on Piquette Avenue in Detroit, about 3 miles up the road. The Hudson was called the Model Twenty. Most everyone agreed it was a handsome new automobile with a low, racy and youthful look. The first Hudson ad promoted the Model Twenty as strong, speedy, roomy and stylish -- all for $900, which was only $50more than the launch price of the Model T Touring.

Maybe the most famous Hudson was the 1922 Essex Coach. In 1919, Hudson had launched the Essex brand as a lower-priced line for the company. By 1922, the company had decided to offer a closed car at a lower premium than anyone had ever tried before. The two-door Essex Coach provided all of the closed car comfort of much more expensive cars, at a price of only several hundred dollars more than an open touring car. Automotive historians generally credit the Essex Coach with being the one vehicle that heralded the end of the open car. Edsel Ford felt the Essex Coach was "Chapin's greatest contribution to the American public and to motor travel everywhere." The head of General Motors, Alfred Sloan, is quoted as saying that nothing like that had ever been seen before.

Hudson Motor Car Co. was one of a number of smaller, independent manufacturers that helped the formation of the American automobile industry. General Motors and Ford Motor Co. dominated in the early part of the 20th century, but many independent manufacturers made valuable contributions in engineering, product design, manufacturing and marketing.

Hudson merged with Nash-Kelvinator in May 1954 to become American Motors Corp. Although the Hudson name is not around today, the Hudson Essex Terraplane Club is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the company at a gala event this week at the Auburn Hills Marriott Pontiac at Centerpoint hotel on Opdyke Road.

















Hudson Motor Car Co. executive Roy Chapin drives a Hudson Model Twenty on the streets of Detroit in 1910.

Bloomington Gold show teaches car owners tp 'think twice'

This 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix SJ, owned by Mark Frieler of Oconomowoc, Wis., has a red velour interior.

Bloomington Gold show teaches car owners to 'think twice'
Source: By Larry Edsall / Special to The Detroit News

July 18, 2009

ST. CHARLES, Ill. -- They've already established the gold standard when it comes to collecting Chevrolet Corvettes, now the organizers of the famed Bloomington Gold Corvette show are spreading their passion for historically accurate vehicle preservation to all classic cars.

The 37th annual Bloomington Gold, America's Original Corvette Show, staged the last weekend in June at the Pheasant Run Resort here west of Chicago, concluded with the second annual Survivor Collector Car show.

The inaugural Survivor show was held last year, but the program was expanded this year to include several levels of awards designed to encourage vehicle owners to preserve rather than to restore their cars.

"We've tried to inspire and educate - Corvette owners in particular - to preserve or to restore to authentic condition," said Bloomington Gold founder and CEO David Burroughs.

To Burroughs, "authentic" means the way a vehicle left its assembly plant.

Thus Bloomington Gold, he said, wants collectors to "think twice before you 'fix' something," to realize that cars are like antique furniture, which is more valuable with its original patina and can have its value decreased through an over-zealous restoration process.

And, he added, as more and more classic cars are being restored, "what now unique is what's been unrestored."


This 1948 Packard Custom Deluxe 8 owned by Tony Ogarek of Frankfurt, Ill., has only 42,000 miles on its odometer and earned the highest ZZenith honors at the Survivor show.

To encourage preservation and the use of period-correct components when things finally do wear out, Bloomington Gold awards Survivor status to any vehicle at least 20 years old, that has successfully completed a road test, is at least 50-percent unrestored and has at least half of its finishes -- paint, fabrics, plating -- in good enough condition to serve as a model for the restoration of a similar vehicle so used that it really does need restoration.

Burroughs, a four-time national aerobatic flying champion, eight-time national formation flying champion and a former B-17 bomber pilot, said he worked closely with the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum in developing the Survivor certification guidelines and awards.

Those awards include Limited Survivor recognition for meeting the criteria above; Freeze Frame, for vehicles at least 30 years old with interior, exterior, underhood and chassis components at least 75-percent unrestored; and the top category: ZZenith, for vehicles at least 40 years of age, 90-percent unrestored in all four areas and yet "looking nearly new."

Thirteen cars earned Zzenith recognition at the show this year.

Cars offered for judging at the second annual Survivor show ranged from a 1930 Cord that shows 79 years of patina to a 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix with a red velour interior.

While most national auto shows stress gleaming chrome, fresh paint and restored or even over-restored interior and other details, Survivor cars are respected for being "worn in... but not worn out."

"These are artifacts of everyday life, social history on display" said Keith Martin, publisher of the Sports Car Market, a magazine that covers the entire spectrum of car collecting.

"These were everyday devices when they were bought, but they also were someone's dream. People were proud of these cars, and now each one of them is a time capsule."


Among the cars earning Zenith status was this 1962 Studebaker Lark owned by James Koenigsmark of Palos Park, III.

"Worn in... but not worn out" is the Survivor car theme, and this 1930 Auburn 8-95 Phaeton sedan shows the patina of a lot of wear after 79 years. The car is owned by Chuck and Sharon McCarthy of Barrington, Illinois.


This 1930 Auburn 8-95 Phaeton sedan is one of only six that survive from 552 that were produced. The McCarthys bought it four years ago from a neighbor who had owned the car since 1979. The neighbor bought the car from one of his boyhood friends after the car had been stored in a barn for 27 years. The neighbor drove the car for a few years, but then put it back into storage for three more decades.


"It's history, and it's not my place to change history," Auburn owner Chuck McCarthy said of preserving rather than restoring the car, which shows lots of patina after 79 years. The McCarthys' goal is to see the car celebrate its 100th anniversary.


After its appearance at the Survivor show, the Auburn is scheduled to get a convertible new top and to have windows made to fit its doors so it can be closed up to help preserve its interior.


This 1952 Nash Ambassador Custom 2-door accumulated all but 626 of its 20,415miles before 1962. The car, owned by Jerry Welden of Iowa Falls, Iowa, is believed to be the last remaining '52 Ambassador Custom 2-door.


Steve Perry's family (at right in photo) has become very understanding about being taken to car shows. Perry brought a 1956 Chevrolet convertible to the Survivor show from Bentonville, Ark. The car was built in Flint and was previously owned by a family in Armada, Mich., that never drove it further than 50 miles from home except for one trip into Canada. Perry's driving is restricted to local auto shows because the car still rides on its original tires.


Randy Olenz of Naperville, Ill., got his first 1957 Buick while in high school. This '57 Caballero Estate Wagon is his second station wagon and is one of only 46 such vehicles still on the road. Olenz has owned the wagon for 23 years and notes that the factory air conditioning still blows cold.


This 1958 Ford Skyliner was shown by Mike Marchese of North Aurora, Ill.


Todd Jodarski of Herbster, Wis., reports that his 27,581-mile 1961 Buick Invicta is so unrestored that he hasn't even fixed the dent in the driver's door.


The stereotypical little old lady traded in this 1963 Corvair Monza with only 15,000 miles on its odometer and the dealer put it into storage for two decades. Seven years ago, the dealer got tired of having to replace the battery and sold the car to Violet Johnson of Joliet, Ill. She entered the car in the Survivor show, where it was awarded ZZenith status.


Nick Januszcak of Hammond, Ind., owner of this 1964 Studebaker Avanti, shares the history of the brand with some Survivor show goers.


Michael Mitchell wanted to buy his wife, Teresa, a restored red Mustang but instead brought home this 1966 High Country Special Mustang coupe. Mitchell had first read of the High Country Special when he took a Mustang history book with him on a six-month U.S. Navy deployment. The High Country Special comprised 333 Timberline Green Mustangs sold only by Ford dealerships in Colorado. Mitchell bought the car from its long-time and 85-year-old owner.


This 1966 Chevrolet Nova, owned by Jim Nolan of Aurora, Ill., earned ZZenith honors at the Survivor show.


Among the most original of the cars at the Survivor show was this 1966 Volkswagen. The car originally was purchased by the VW dealer in Beverly, Mass., but he died after driving the car only 5826 miles. Since his wife did not drive, the car was stored for 20 years, until it was given to the couple's grandson, who sold it with only 6,600 miles on its odometer. The car now is owned by David Mars of Sioux City, Iowa.


A car can be both a survivor and a concours-quality machine. This 1968 Shelby GT500 KR, now owned by Dan Schmidt of Cleveland, was on the fairway at the Meadowbrook concours in 1983.


Years of exposure to the elements shows in the paint on the fender of this 1969 Pontiac TransAm, owned by Ken Kaufmann of LaCrosse, Wis.


Bill Sales of Plainfield, Ill., has owned this 1970 Stage 1 Buick GSX since 1975, though he kept the car in storage from 1976-2000.


Richard Torricelli drove his 1976 Chevrolet Monte Carlo from Long Island, N.Y., to St. Charles, Ill., for the Survivor show.


Gordon Grassle of Manteno, Ill., brought this 1988 Pontiac Fiero to the Survivor show.


Dozens of cars at least 30 years old assembly on one of the fairways of the Pheasant Run Resort golf course west of Chicago for the second annual Survivor Collector Car show staged by Bloomington Gold, an organization that supports preservation of classic cars instead of restoring them to better-than-new condition.

Source: Detroit News