By Stefan Abrutat   Tue, Feb 02, 2010

It’s not easy to flip a 65 ton dump truck, but somehow these guys managed it! They seem fairly happy about it, too!

The Caterpillar 777 is used mainly in mining operations, where its huge capacity makes short work of hauling earth. It can carry up to 100 tons of material, which is when its 1,000hp engine will burn up to 22 gallons of diesel every hour. Each tire weighs 2,500lbs and costs $10,000. These monsters are manufactured on Caterpillar’s 350 acre plant in Peoria, Illinois. Over half of the earth moved in the world is moved by Caterpillar trucks like these.

By Steven Hennis   Thu, Feb 18, 2010

The January 2010 collector car auction season in the Arizona desert has come and gone.  Thousands of cars were bought and sold, millions of dollars changed hands, and the weather was some of the worst on record for the region.  Despite the sluggish economy and wild weather, the beginning of the 2010 collector car auction scene can be deemed a success.

Most people who follow the collector car markets closely, or even on the periphery, know about the annual Barrett-Jackson auction conducted in Scottsdale every January.  It has become a staple of SpeedTV’s schedule, both the live broadcasts and the edited re-broadcasts shown periodically throughout the year.  Craig Jackson, his auctioneers, car wranglers and high profile buyers and sellers are the celebrities of the collector car sales industry.

However, fewer people realize that during that same week there are three other collector car auctions conducted around the Scottsdale area.  The auction houses of Russo & Steele, Silver and RM also conduct collector car auctions during that same week. Although these three other auctions are smaller than Barrett-Jackson, they are still seen as significant events.

The Barrett-Jackson broadcast illustrated the severe weather in the region.  Winds blew steadily and gusted at speeds up to sixty miles per hour, nearly four inches of rain fell, flash flooding developed and there was even a reported tornado in the area.  These collector car auctions make use of massive scale tents in which to conduct their auctions and under which to display the cars to be sold until it is their turn to be on the auction block.

Unfortunately, one of the storage tents at the Russo & Steele auction site succumbed to the storm during Friday night. The tent lifted from its tie downs and supports, dragged across hundreds of cars staged beneath the tent, and blew out onto Highway 101 dragging metal parts and tent poles along.  The damage to cars ranged from some chaffing caused by the tent fabric to serious damage from the tall, steel tent support poles falling directly onto vehicles.  Hagerty Insurance, a collector car insurer, was on the scene Saturday morning to assess the damage, which is estimated at over $1 million in claims. Thankfully, nobody was injured during the incident and most of the cars are likely repairable, however there may be some total losses. It is suspected some consignors were not insured, as the auction does not provide insurance for the cars. The auction did manage to get under way by Sunday, and extended into Monday to get all of the cars to the block.

Despite these difficulties, the auction managed to sell $6.88 million in vehicles (down from over $17 million the past two years), with a sales percentage of 39% and an average sale price per car of $48,000. The RM Auctions event in Phoenix sold $18.2 million in vehicles, with an impressive total sales percentage of 89%.  Additionally, the Silver Auctions event was the same weekend and the Kruse International event was held the previous weekend.

Each of these car auctions is unique, with each auction house catering to different niches and markets.  Barrett-Jackson, with total sales of $68 million (an increase of 11% from 2009) and an average per car of just under $55,000, is the only auction which has absolutely no reserve prices on any of its vehicles.  A “reserve” is a price which is set by the owner such that if no bidder offers a price at or above that reserve, the vehicle will not be sold but will remain with its seller/owner. 

The “Top Sale” of the auction wasn’t even a car though, but a 1929 Hamilton Metalplane which sold for $671,000, the sole airworthy example remaining from a very short production run of twenty nine units.

The next twenty top sales vehicles at Barrett-Jackson were a very eclectic mix.  The two highest-priced cars were original Shelby Cobras (Lots #1317 & #1303), both powered by 289 cid V8’s, which sold for $478,500 and $410,500, respectively.  Shelby Cobras have a very long and well established record of high dollar sales, based upon their incredible performance, race ready looks, extreme rareness, and amazing racing history. It also didn’t hurt that the man himself, Carroll Shelby was there in attendance.

Eight of those top twenty were musclecars from 1966 through 1970.  The top vehicle among this group of immaculate fire breathers was a full bore rottiserie restored 1970 Plymouth Superbird (lot #1289) which featured a 426 cid Hemi engine mated to a 727 Torqueflite automatic transmission. 

Superbirds are very rare birds indeed, produced along with its Dodge Daytona clone, simply to homologate the body for NASCAR racing purposes.  Superbirds are associated with Richard Petty, who dominated the 1970 NASCAR season driving a powder blue one. The design used the basic Mopar B-body design and added an aerodynamic nose, outrageously high rear wing, aerodynamic rear window design and front wheel well air extractors.  Rare by any standards, only 77 were built with the 425 horsepower hemi engine and automatic transmission.

Rounding out the top twenty cars were two immaculately restored pre War models, a 1935 Cadillac Fleetwood and 1937 Cord Phaeton, an amazing 1941 Lincoln Zephyr Coupe transformed into a hot rod, an ultra rare Kaiser Darrin convertible, a resto-modded 1956 Chevy Bel Air convertible, an unusual 1958 Corvette that’s party a resto-mod and partly restored, a very specially ordered 1966 Shelby Mustang GT350, a one-off 2011 Mustang pace car, a limited edition 2008 Corvette factory-built with a 427 cid LS7 engine and a 2008 Mustang FR500S racecar.

The final car in the top twenty is an extremely unique Watson Roadster (Lot #1292) which was custom-built by street rod builders Randy Grubb and Michael Leeds.  These two visionaries came across two vintage M47 Patton Tank engines, which are 1792 cid aluminum air cooled V-12’s which produce an estimated 910 horsepower and 1500 lb-ft of torque.  The first engine was used to build the “Blastolene Special”, which was completed in 2002 and immediately sold to Jay Leno.  This car sold for $280,500 and was the second, and last, Blastolene Special.  The body is an open wheeled design which resembles 1950’s Indy race cars.  The vehicle’s stunning body is over twenty two feet long and overall weight is in excess of four tons, due to very heavy tank engine and Greyhound bus transmission.  This is the sort of car that has come to symbolize the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction – completely over the top!

The RM Auction was conducted in Scottsdale at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, a very fitting location for RM’s typically high end collection of cars for sale.  The highest-bid vehicle did not even sell - an incredible 1940 Chrysler Thunderbolt which was bid up to $1,175,000 but failed to reach the seller’s reserve!

The theme of RM’s 2010 auction at the Biltmore was “The British Are Coming” and that proved to be prophetic as five of the top ten sellers were British. 

The highest selling vehicle was a 1963 Aston Martin DB4 GT, which went for $1,001,000.  This lightweight coupe featured a 302hp six cylinder engine with a close ratio four speed transmission, capable of 0-60 barely six seconds and a top speed in excess of 150 mph.  The handling was extraordinary for the time, thanks to a fully independent front suspension, a live rear axle and four wheel disc brakes.  Only 75 DB4 GT models were produced from 1959 though 1963, making this car extraordinarily rare.  The eighth highest seller was a 282-hp Aston Martin DB5 GT which went for $429,000.

At number two was a $632,500 1967 Shelby 427 Cobra, powered by a 427 cid Ford V8 tuned to produce around 500-hp with an all aluminum body, capable of 0-60 in barely four seconds and 0-60-0 runs of less than ten seconds, a record that stood for decades. 

Three Rolls-Royce models made the top ten: a 1933 PII Continental, a 1934 Phantom II Continental Sedanca and a 1963 Silver Cloud III.  Similarly, two early ‘30s American made Duesenberg Model J cars held down the third and fifth positions among RM’s top sellers.  The ninth highest position was taken by a well optioned, mocha colored, 1933 Chrysler CL Custom Imperial which looks very much at home beside the two Rolls-Royces.

The fifth highest sale at $429,000, was a stunning 1954 Mercury XM-800 Dream Car built for display at the 1954 Detroit Auto Show.  This car possesses a well documented and history.  By 1957, its car show display days were over so the Ford Motor Company gifted it to the University of Michigan’s Automotive Engineering Lab for training and education.  In the mid ‘60s the University sold the XM-800 to a private owner and he moved the car to a rural farm where it was stored in a rented barn space.  At some point the barn storage was needed for other matters and the former Dream Car was pushed outdoors where it sat neglected for several years until it caught the eye of a young car enthusiast who purchased it from the farmer with hopes of restoring it.  This young man never restored the car, but his actions preserved it for over twenty years until he sold it to the most recent owner.  This owner painstakingly researched the XM-800 and restored it back to its original condition and beyond – unlike the original 1954 version, it is now fully functional and drivable.

The XM-800 Dream Car included many forward thinking design and style kudos such as the forward canted A-pillars, aerodynamic fender skirts, and sweeping curves due to the use of fiberglass body panels.

From airplanes and cast off Show Cars to lavish luxury and neck snapping performance, the 2010 Arizona auto auctions once again prove that men really are still smitten with their cars.

By Mandy Edmondson   Sat, Feb 06, 2010

In the early spring of 1999 we needed a truck. My husband and I were both in college, and short on funds, so we went to the junk yard. Neither of us was sure if we would find anything suitable. We paid at the gate, walked in and there it was. A primer grey GMC half ton pickup, a bit beaten up but it had tons of potential.

After a closer look, it looked to be road worthy enough to at least get it home if it started. We found and asked the manager if the early ‘80s GMC truck ran.  He said “We don’t have an early ‘80s GMC.” When we pointed it out to him, he said “That’s a 76’ GMC. At least that’s what the paperwork says! We bought it anyway for $1,500 and left once we got it started. After barely getting it home, we parked it and let it cool down. Soon after we started looking closer at the front end, we found more than expected. The entire front end was shot. The tie rod ends were bent, bushings shot, and the wheel bearings were melted to the spindles!

We had all that fixed in no time, plus added a break booster to go with that straight six motor. We put a fresh coat of grey primer and drove it just like that for a while, even going cross country that summer with no A/C. Going through the desert was hot, I wished we had A/C the whole way!

The straight six finally had a big problem, a spun main bearing, but it was fixable. My husband had been telling me for sometime that he wanted to replace the straight six with a 350, and after a little thinking I said “Honey, if you paint the truck that dark purple I want, you can build your motor.” His eyes lit up like a green light and he agreed, “So that means I can make it a hot rod” he said. I looked at him “No that’s not what I said” and he just stood there. Then it hit me that the other day he had been telling me that that was exactly what he wanted to do. 

And so it started. We bought a used block with heads, had the block bored fourty over and had the heads shaved. We ordered almost everything else we needed to build the engine. While we awaited the arrival of the internal motor parts he painted our truck my beloved deep purple.  It turned out he liked the color too once it was done.

When the parts arrived it only took him a few days to get everything put together and ready to put in the truck. He was rather proud of his accomplishment as this was the first time he had ever done this.  

Just a few days after completing the motor install he told me he was not done, he wanted to put an after market muffler on the truck. A few hundred bucks and a day later and you could hear him about three blocks from our house! Hooker Headers and Flowmaster exhaust were the perfect addition. The neighbors did not like it at all, but he loved it. 

Things went really smooth for several months, and then the transmission started slipping. I guess we should have replaced it with the motor, but with money being tight we didn’t. I asked my mom and her husband, who own a mechanics shop for a little help. They got in contact with a guy that builds custom racing transmissions and we told him exactly what we had so he could build us a transmission. Just a short time later, our transmission was ready, paying just $600 for it. Now his 650 hp engine had a proper transmission; a turbo 350 SS.

Once the motor and transmission were complete he started working on the interior of our truck in his spare time.

He decided he wanted to refinish the dash, as it was still the original. We ended up just recovering the existing dash with an automotive grade vinyl material. That lasted for a few months, and then the decision was made to buy a complete new set of gauges. We had already bought an oil pressure gage since the original gage cluster did not have one. We decided on the PRO-COMP ULTRA-LITE Auto Meter brand sliver faced gages with a silver outer ring. At this point we designed a custom dash and crafted it out of wood. We were looking for something different and unique. You can’t get more unique than designing something yourself. Once we had a final design we found that it was going to be very difficult to cover. Ultimately we decided not to cover the dash, but to leave it in a raw wood state. 

As time went on we found that many people in our community knew of our truck. Our daughter loved it, saying “Faster daddy, faster!” anytime we went anywhere. She also loved to go in the parking garage at the mall and set off car alarms as they drove through. I think my husband did too. His favorite thing to do was to race the person who pulled up next to him at a light and thought they could beat him. He won most, and lost a few, but always in good fun. We all enjoyed having people ask us about our truck, and always drove it to the local car shows, but we never entered it in a show. Sometimes I think we really should have entered it in a few shows, but you know the old saying “Hind sight is 20 / 20”. 

In February 2002, he ended up killing the 350 engine too, as the cam bolts backed off and caused all kinds of things to go wrong. The block and most of the internal parts were ok and it could have been fixed, but we decided to buy a new Chevy Silverado instead. He was comminuting about 65 miles a day, five days a week for work, and the gas prices were killing us. As I think with most people who build a hot rod style car, we did not intend for it to be daily driver commuter. My little brothers’ 16^th birthday was coming up, and he was restoring a ‘64 C10 Chevy and he wanted to build his own engine. At this point he did not have a block to start with, so I talked to my husband and we decided to pull our engine and give it to him. My husband wanted to turn our truck into a drag only truck anyway. 

Our truck sat untouched for several months, but then we pulled the transmission out to put it into our next project, our daughters Camaro.  

My husband received a job offer in Texas that we could not pass up, so we moved. We could only take one of the project cars with us so we took the Camaro. We decided that the Camaro was more important because it was our daughters’ car, with which she had helped with every step of the way. The truck was left on my grandmother’s property in Southern California. Eventually we signed the truck over to my little brother so he could sell it. Keep in mind this is the same brother that we gave the engine to, so eventually he got the whole thing! Just a short time later my grandmother told me that our truck was gone.  

My car “loving” brother sold our truck, to a scrap yard! When I asked him why he would do such a thing, he told me it was in his way and he did not have the time to try and sell it. It still makes us mad when we think about what happened to our truck. We would have never signed it over to him had we had known that he would cut it up like that.  

We will always have good memories about our first project truck. It was a great and humbling experience that taught us just how much we enjoyed working on cars and trucks. I can’t wait until we have the room to start on another project.

By Carson Honaker   Tue, Feb 09, 2010

If you love muscle cars like I do, then get ready to have your “pistons blown off” at Floyd Garrett's Muscle Car Museum.   Floyd Garrett is a nationally known muscle car expert with over 40 years of hands on experience with these high performance vehicles.  When it comes to answering questions about muscle cars, he probably knows the answer.

Floyd Garrett built up a highly successful trucking company that hauled wood chips from local lumberyards to paper mills in Fernandina Beach, Florida.  Once he was financially secure, he started collecting vintage muscle cars that he loved from his youth.  He focused on the rare and unusual, starting with the first car in his collection, a black 1970 Chevelle that he bought in 1975.

As Floyd's collection of muscle cars grew, he wanted to share his love of these high performance machines with the public.  Eventually he moved to Tennessee and after collecting a number of muscle cars through the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, he opened Floyd Garrett's Muscle Car Museum on April 26^th, 1996.  The museum is located in Sevierville,  Tennessee in the beautiful Smoky Mountains. Floyd's collection has grown to over 90 cars that are worth over $7 million.  Besides muscle cars, there are also cars of beauty, distinction, and style from the ‘40s and ‘50s. 

The museum is Nirvana for anyone who loves American muscle cars.  It is definitely one of the finest collections of such vehicles anywhere.  The museum has rare cars, early drag cars, factory race cars, and even some celebrity owned cars which all make for a fascinating collection.  The first automobile that you'll encounter as you enter the museum is Elvis Presley's first limo, a 1960 Lincoln.  The cost for the limo new was a whopping $10,544!

But muscle cars are Floyd Garrett's true love and passion.  Some of the cars in the museum are vehicles that most of us have only read about in magazines.  Among them are a 1971 Cuda convertible, a 1969 ZL1 Camaro, a 1971 Dodge 440 Superbee, a 1962 409, and a 1969 Boss 429 Mustang.

1962 Chevy Impala 409

1971 Dodge 440 Superbee

1971 Cuda Convertible

In addition to the breath taking vehicles on display, the museum also includes a display of rare racing engines, a collection of racing memorabilia, and a gift shop with various souvenirs for automobile junkies.  Touring the museum will take about 45 minutes to an hour for visitors to take everything in.  Floyd owns many of the cars in the museum but the majority of classic vehicles are on loan from other car collectors.  All automobiles have been restored to immaculate, running condition.

The museum is also home to a couple of ‘60s-era Pontiac drag cars, as well.  One of the classics is a “Swiss cheese” 1963 Catalina two door Sedan.  There is also a an amazing black '62 Super Duty 421 lightweight that was campaigned in the early ‘60s by dealer Ted Ware Pontiac. 

If you love race cars from yesteryear, Garrett's museum has some of these, too.  There is Dyno Don Nicholson's '65 Comet A/FX car and early NASCAR is represented by an unusual 1957 Chevy convertible originally driven by Joe Lee Johnson, winner of NASCAR’s 1959 National Convertible Championship.

There is something for everyone with more than 90 ground-pounding, fire-breathing examples of human engineering.  The museum is open all year except for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from April to December and and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from January to March.  Adults tickets are $9.75, ages 8 to 12 are $4.00, and under 8 years old is no charge (taxes not included).  The museum is located at 320 Winfield Dunn Parkway in Sevierville, Tennessee. 

By Christopher Smith   Thu, Feb 04, 2010

Can’t have too much of a good thing, right? Just like the glam rock bands of the era, 80’s cars came in a variety of flavors and sizes, they were at times a bit over-the-top, and there were way too many to try and keep up all of them. Here are 10 honorable mentions that could rock out the clubs on the Strip, but for various reasons never cracked the Billboard top 20.

1988 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe—Large and in charge with the Mustang SVO’s 2.3 liter turbocharged four cylinder, an available five-speed manual tranny, and a host of luxury items like active suspension control.

1984 Volkswagen Rabbit GTI—Modern day hot hatchbacks like the Ford Focus RS, MazdaSpeed 3 and Honda Civic Si owe their existence to the GTI. It was lightweight and practical, it handled like a go-kart, and it was quick enough to be fun.

1988 Camaro IROC-Z—One can’t think of mullet cuts and rocking out to Whitesnake without thinking IROC-Z, and with the bugs worked out of the General’s 350 V-8 it was a tire-smoking boulevard bruiser, not to mention one of the quicker rides of the decade.

1985 Porsche 928—Who can forget Tom Cruise sinking his Dad’s 928 in the movie Risky Business? Add in the 928’s all-new, 288-horsepower DOHC 5.0 liter V-8 for 1985 and you have another iconic 80’s ride made famous by Hollywood.

1989 Chevrolet Corvette—Arguably the least-desirable generation for America’s premier sports car, the C4 Corvette’s modern styling and handing improvements (albeit at the cost of ride quality) helped to keep the ‘vette magic alive until the horsepower caught up with the styling.

1986 BMW 635CSI—The classy lines of BMW’s first 6-series are punctuated by the sexy growl of its gutsy inline six-cylinder engine, never mind the endless list of luxury items offered by this coupe. Folks may also recall a pre-Die Hard Bruce Willis and 80’s goddess Cybil Shepard sporting a 635 in the quirky drama Moonlighting. Hollywood strikes again.

1983 Mazda RX-7—This tiny road racer embodied the essence of sports car motoring with its light weight and balanced handling. Though initially down on power, by the end of the decade the RX-7 would evolve into one of the best sports cars in the world.

1980 Ferrari 308—It’s hard to imagine the early 80s without Magnum P.I. rocking the airwaves in his red Ferrari 308. Though technically a mid-70’s design, the 308 lived through 1985 and became the car of choice for guys with neat mustaches and an abundance of chest hair.

1988 Honda Prelude 4WS—Aside from being one of the original tuner cars, its sleek styling, robustly-economical engine and rock-solid reliability would set a benchmark in this class. And oh yeah, it was also the first production car to offer four-wheel steering. How cool is that?

1984 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible—Not all memorable 80’s autos are purely performance oriented. Aside from being the last “large” droptop Caddy, the Eldorado’s rarity, distinctive 80’s style and front-wheel drive V-8 power make it a sought after collectible of the era.

By Isaac Small   Thu, Feb 04, 2010

So, you think you know your cars now, do you? Well, consider this to be a test of your knowledge of Pontiac history. 21 Pontiacs are featured here: some are current models while others are truly classic in every sense of the word, dating back to the early 1960s. 

Aztec - Ugly is as ugly does. This crossover vehicle ashamed the Pontiac fleet for two years during the early 00s.

Bonneville - Full sized Pontiac sedan excitement retired in 2005 after more than 40 years of service. Part of GM’s massive restructuring and retiring of top model names.

Catalina - This model hearkens back to the mid 60s when two door hard tops ruled the day. Discontinued during the late 70s during GM’s "down sizing" shell game days.

Fiero - Mid-engine sport two-seater built for Pontiac during the go-go 80s. GM reached into their parts bin and took out Chevette and other components to create this little roadster.

Firebird - It goes without saying that this "pony" car is sorely missed. The good news is that it may be back by the time the 2009 model year rolls around.

Firefly - Twin to the Geo Metro, the Firefly was Pontiac’s 3 cylinder captive import of the late eighties to mid nineties.

G6 - Current compact model in Pontiac’s arsenal available in rakish coupe or sporty sedan.

Grand Am — With its 1973 debut, the Grand Am quickly became the division’s mid-range performance car. Retired in 2005 with a host of other Pontiac model names.

Grand Prix - Hidden tail lights and a concave rear window marked the Grand Prix’s 1963 debut. The car has survived GM’s model name shake out and today’s car is a mid-sized, front wheel drive sports sedan.

GTO - Introduced in 1967, the GTO was a true coupe turned sports car. Eliminated in the 1970s, the GTO is back thanks to GM’s Australian division, Holden. Rear wheel drive and a big V8 too.

LeMans - Originally a Tempest model, the LeMans became its own model once the Tempest name was retired in the 1970s. Retired in the mid 1990s after a cheap Korean car was allowed to carry its name. Sheesh!

Montana — A minivan for Pontiac, if not for the ages.

Parisienne - During the 1980s Pontiac needed a version of the Chevrolet Caprice. This full sized, rear wheel drive sedan filled the bill.

Phoenix - Part of GM’s "X cars" of compact import fighting vehicles introduced during 1979 as a 1980 model.

Sunbird - Nothing but a rebadged Chevy Cavalier.

Sunfire - Compact coupe retired in 2005 as part of, you guessed, GM’s model restructuring.

Sunrunner - Nothing but a rebadged Geo/Chevy Tracker.

Tempest - From the early sixties until the early seventies, the term "muscle car" befit this hot coupe. Especially nice as a convertible!

Trans Sport - Hideous looking minivan that debuted in the early 1990s. Mercifully replaced years later by the Montana.

Vibe - A currently produced compact five door sport wagon; cousin to the Toyota Matrix.

So, there you have it. At least another half dozen models were left out from this time period plus many models that dated back to the division’s founding as part of the Oakland Automobile Company in 1926. Pontiac excitement...have you caught it yet?

By Car Chat Guy   Mon, Feb 01, 2010

I heard an interesting interview with an environment group the other day that took a sociological approach. He said that sales were just over 10 million cars last year in the US, down about 2 million from 2008. China sold about 12 million this year, in China.

He said that for the first time since WWII there were more cars scrapped than sold new in the US, and he did not attribute that to the "Cash for Clunkers" program. He attributed it with the "urbanization" of America, where more people, especially younger ones, and “empty nesters”, were moving back from the suburbs to the urban centers, thus not having as much of a need for cars. Also, these urbanite young people are communicating in new ways (internet, smart phones) and don't travel as much for socialization. So the social aspects of the car are changing more dramatically than the cars themselves.

He said four out of five Americans live in cities (albeit some small ones) as opposed to rural areas. Auto sales have been above 15 million cars annually since 1994, and there is a large existing fleet of used cars still in service. With an average used car lifespan of some 15 years, it might be another 10 years before more than 15 million cars per year are again sold in the U.S., even without economic turmoil.

Demolition derby, anyone?

By Aussie Diamond   Wed, Feb 10, 2010

Today, police autos help in patrols, traffic stops, and other activities in every town. They were developed soon afterwards the advent of cars. Before that time, police would patrol their jurisdiction on horseback, or even on foot.

The very first police automobile is alleged to date to 1899, when an electric automobile patrolled the streets of Akron, Ohio. It might only go 16 miles per hour, and had to be recharged every thirty miles, but it was regarded as a major development in the history of police forces. Police officers actually used bikes far before they used patrol cars, in part because autos were more expensive. The switch to cars was motivated essentially by the proven fact that law breakers were using cars ; chasing a car on foot or on horseback became unrealistic.

Early police cars were often referred to as squad cars because they were used to hold a group, or squad, of officials to a crime scene. In the 1920s and 1930s, they were driven by one officer, who could cover a much wider area by driving than on horseback, thus saving the police dep. money. These autos were often the same ones driven by non combatants with a few alterations, sometimes just markings and lights.

The 1932 Ford was an extremely preferred car offering high power for a good price ; as a consequence, many police automobiles were adapted from this model. For that period of time, the Ford offered way higher power than both Chevy and Dodge. It was not till the 1950's that major motor corporations started offering special police packages ; Ford was the first to do so in 1950, followed by Chevy in 1955 and Dodge in 1956.

Though new police cars aren't supplied to non combatants, vintage police vehicles are very popular for restoration and display. Retired patrol vehicles can be restored with all of the proper equipment, since a lot of this is available to the general public. it can be hard to find period-correct parts and accessories for older autos.

Modern police automobiles come in all shapes and colours, although the majority are black and white or white and blue, with decals to allow them to be easily identifiable for non combatants. They might be called patrol vehicles, cruisers, or interceptors. Various makes and models have been used across the years ; most are based on standard models of civilian autos. Popular models throughout the years have included the Chrysler Enforcer in the early 1960s, the Mercury Monterey of the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Ford Torino and LTD during the 1970s, the Chevy Impala during the late 70's and early 1980's, and the Chevrolet Caprice in the late 1980s and 1990s.

Most police cars today are adapted from mainline cars like Mercedes-Benz autos in Germany, or the Chevrolet Caprice and Impala, Ford Focus, Dodge Charger, or other well-liked models in the U. S. . Today, the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor is a popular model designed specifically for police use based on the Crown Victoria civilian car. Today police cars are hi-tech with every tool imaginable.

By Gabriel Lozen   Mon, Feb 08, 2010

You could collect hood ornaments not just because they are considered collectors’ pieces or because they are old but also because of their intrinsic, artistic value. Hood ornaments are essentially company logos but some of the hood ornaments that people collect are beautiful enough to be considered works of art.

Hood ornaments are also called ‘mascots’. These may be categorized as ‘factory’ mascots or ‘accessory’ mascots. The figure of the ram on the 1935 Dodge is an example of a ‘factory mascot’. The car manufacturer made the factory mascots while the more fancy ‘accessory’ mascots were specially created by jewelers or artists. This is why accessory mascots are considered to be of much greater value than other types of hood ornaments.

You will find that the hood ornaments you collect will be mostly made of nickel or chrome-plated zinc. However, you may come across hood ornaments that are worth collecting in brass, bronze, glass, pewter, and polished aluminum as well. Most hood ornaments end up getting dented or pitted so you may find it difficult to build up a collection of hood ornaments that are in an unused state. Accessory ornaments fetch a higher value if they still have their original price tags or packing. The best known examples of hood ornaments that belong to collections are the twenty nine glass mascots designed by French designer, Rene Lalique.

Your first step towards collecting is to specialize in a segment that will allow you to collect hood ornaments that fit your budget. Hood ornaments made by Ford, Chrysler, Kaiser and Buick are far more affordable than the ones made by Rolls Royce, Auburn and Cord.

Every once in a while you may chance upon hood ornaments that you can collect, in auto salvage yards. Another good option is to look for hood ornaments in flea markets and yard sales that are still attached to old cars. If you do find a hood ornament that is part of an old automobile, request the owner to allow you to buy only the ornament. You can sometimes pick up a collectible hood ornament really cheap especially in rural areas.

Look after your collection of hood ornaments very well as they will be useless as collector’s pieces if they get develop pits or dents. Keep them in a dry place, away from any kind of moisture. Do not use any harsh cleaning agents on them.

Remember: if you cannot afford to build your collection of hood ornaments from Lalique don’t despair! You can build up a collection of hood ornaments even on a budget and yet be proud of it.

By Carson Honaker   Mon, Feb 22, 2010

Eighteen year old foreign exchange student, Nicolas Carranza from Quito, Ecuador brought with him not only his Ecuadorian culture but a strong love for the automobile.  He turned 18 over the summer and came to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin and attends high school as a senior. His hometown with a population of 1.5 million, is the capital of Ecuador, but he and his family live in the outer parts of Quito, what we would call the suburbs. 

It is often in these areas that there will be local car shows.  Nicolas tries to attend as many as he can.  In fact, Nicolas and his father entered one of his father's classic cars, a 1972 Mercedes Benz 280, in a local car show recently.  Nicolas recalls that it was a very exciting moment when the car won a showmanship trophy and he and his father enjoyed the many compliments they received about the car.

Nicolas isn't fully sure why he has such a love for cars.  His father is a program officer for the United Nations, so he is often away on business.  His mother is a chemical engineer.  So that often leaves Nicolas and his younger brother on their own, mostly spending time with friends.  Nicolas believes the time he had to spend with friends, who also love cars, is probably the reason why cars hold his fascination. 

Back in Quito, Nicolas was able to take an automotive repair class at his high school.  He says this was by far his favorite class.  Last year, he and his friends were lucky enough to work on one of his favorite cars, a Ford Mustang.  In the class, the focus was on taking an engine from a '64 Mustang apart and then putting it back together.  The class project lasted almost six months but Nicolas says it was very exhilarating and something that he'll never forget.

When Nicolas arrived in Chippewa Falls, he hoped to take an automotive class at the high school he was going to attend.  Unfortunately the class was already full, so instead he   went about looking for a local car club with which to get involved. He ended up calling the Chippewa Valley Sports Car Club.  He isn't a member since his stay in the U.S. is so short, but he is able to meet with the club once a month. 

As part of the car club, Nicolas was able to be a part of the “Wheels & Wings” event this past September which had an aviation fly-in, air show, and a collector car show.  Nicolas says that it was a blast and he saw many amazing vehicles.

Of course, like everyone, Nicolas is more partial to certain vehicles than others. His favorite car is the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer.

He really loves the sleek styling of the body and the performance-tuned suspension.  Back in Quito, he was able to test drive one with his father and he said it drove so smoothly and had “amazing” power.  When it comes to something more classic, Nicolas really loves the '67 Porsche 911 as he says it has a lot of power and rides very comfortably.

He has really enjoyed his time in the United States, but he is excited about his future as he finishes high school.  He plans to do something automobile related.  He'd like to try his hand at car racing but also likes taking cars apart.  So his initial plan is to go to mechanics school back in Quito, Ecuador.  He'd also like to collect some classic cars on the side and fix them up in his spare time.

By Kenneth Reilley   Fri, Feb 12, 2010

Calling the Chevrolet Corvette a cultural icon is an understatement of almost blasphemous proportions. Like baseball and mom's apple pie, the Corvette is without question one of those too rare examples of perfect form meeting ingenious function that helps define our national heritage. Since its introduction in 1953, the Corvette has been the undeniable standard by which all others are judged; its inspired design not only enhances the journey, it impassions the soul.

That passion is the first thing you notice when you meet Tim and Deanna Cipriani. They share a fiery passion for life, an obvious passion for each other and an enduring passion for cars, especially the Corvette. Tim says, "When I was young, my uncle had a ‘67 Stingray with a 427 in it. It was a beautiful ride and I've loved GM's ever since." Not to be outdone, Deanna replies, "When I was a kid, my brother and I would go on vacation with our parents and count how many Stingrays were on the road." Clearly, the argument of which of them has loved Corvettes the longest wouldn't be settled any time soon.

Ironically, Tim's first car wasn't a ‘Vette, it was a 1967 Camaro Z28 at the age of 16; it would be almost 30 years and 11 Camaros later before he'd own his first Corvette, a black 1999 C5 Coupe. In contrast, Deanna first drove a burgundy ‘94 C4 Coupe back in her early 20’s, but she's never owned a Corvette for herself. That all changed when her and Tim bought that black C5, which they subsequently traded in for a silver 2001 C5 Z06 two years later. Not long after that, as if guided by fate, an accidental click on a link in a Corvette forum led them to a site they’d never been on before. When the home page opened, they couldn't believe their eyes: A silver 2006 C6 Z06, their dream car, staring right back at them with the words "FOR SALE" stenciled along the bottom of the picture. Three days later, they parked it in front of a restaurant and celebrated with friends.

For some, owning a Corvette is an ego-boosting status symbol, and understandably so, but for Tim and Deanna it goes so much deeper than that. They genuinely love the car for its own sake and enjoy sharing that passion with others. "We haven't made very many modifications," Tim says, "the Z06 doesn't need any, it's a magnificent machine." Indeed it is; from front to back, top to bottom and inside out, this car is the epitome of quality and performance. From the moment you sit in the racing-inspired seats, you're captivated by the impeccable fit and finish throughout the cabin - and then you start the engine. It rumbles to life in a fraction of a second and your heart rate peaks with every blip the throttle. There are 505 horses sitting under the hood of this car, and Tim likes to take them all out for a little run whenever he can… just to keep ‘em in shape.

There's no better way to enjoy your passions than to share them with people who feel the same way, and that's exactly what the Cipriani's have found in the Diablo Valley Corvettes club in Concord, California. Established in 1970, the club is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary with a full calendar of events and activities. They take regular scenic excursions up and down the California coast and trips to places like Oregon's Rogue River. They go on wine runs, holiday runs, local runs and charity runs , even the occasional AutoCross racing event, all as a way to express their common appreciation for the same passion.

Having already owned three Corvettes in the last 10 years, I asked both of them if this one was their last or might they be thinking about trading up sometime in the future? “We love this car but we'll never say ‘never’," Tim responds. "If the right opportunity presents itself, we may not be able to say ‘no’.” That sentiment isn't hard to understand; one taste of this engineering masterpiece and your appetite will beg for more. Deanna says, "We don't need a four-seater car anymore, so as long as they keep making Corvettes we’ll keep buying ‘em!”

Who could blame them?