American

Its massive fins reflect the height of American optimism, a sculptural representation of the opulence of the era {vsig}2005-5_1836{/vsig} This 1959 Cadillac convertible was previously owned by Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis of German Royalty. The onetime waitress who used to be known as the “Punk Princess” because of her wild clothes and hairstyles…

GM’s Motorama displays ignited millions of automotive passions, and the heat can still be felt in 2005 {vsig}2005-4_1830{/vsig} Throughout the 1950s, the grandest expressions of General Motors’ visions of the automobile’s future routinely went on display at the corporation’s Motorama shows. But once out of the spotlight, GM’s “dream cars” were supposed to be destroyed.…

Slowly examine one of these cars from every angle and the true genius of Walter Dorwin Teague Jr.’s design is apparent {vsig}2005-3_1823{/vsig} Howard Marmon was a brilliant engineer; he completed his first automobile in 1902 at the age of 23. It was remarkably advanced for its time, featuring an overhead-valve, air-cooled engine. This would be…

The Hemi brand is now potent enough that DaimlerChrysler is fashioning its entire North American automotive operation around it {vsig}2005-2_1816{/vsig} Plymouth added the Road Runner to its model lineup in 1968, a bare-bones performance car built to a price. At only $3,000, Road Runners came with standard Plymouth Belvedere equipment, plus heavy duty suspension and…

In 1959, Ford kept its Blue Oval models relatively devoid of chrome, mile-high fins, and many of the other excesses that were common to the era   {vsig}2005-1_1808{/vsig} New for 1959, the Galaxie began life as a variant of the highly successful Fairlane. The year is considered by many to be a high water mark…

GM design chief Bill Mitchell’s “personal luxury” land yacht set sail as a sophisticated merger of Ferrari GT car style with Rolls-Royce luxury {vsig}2004-12_1536{/vsig} Although Buick was primarily a luxury line, in 1963 it issued a sports model, a beautiful coupe called the Riviera. It was America’s answer to the Ferrari GTs, a car for…

Prior to the auction, guesses as to its eventual selling price were rampant, and the result was a staggering achievement for a Duesenberg. {vsig}2004-11_1470{/vsig} In an era of record-setters, Ab Jenkins and his Duesenberg Special surpassed them all. Racing on the Bonneville Salt Flats, he performed landmark miracles of speed and endurance. The Model J…

Purists cry out in despair when custom cars are made from desirable models, but in this case the builder told me he had found four Cord Westchester bodies in a Texas wrecking yard and used “the worst of the four” {vsig}2004-10_1423{/vsig} This all-steel, all-real 1937 Cord Westchester 812 started life as a four-door sedan but…

Inside a 1990s-vintage Hummer, fit and finish and quality of materials rival only those vehicles built under Eastern European Communist regimes; think gargantuan all-wheel-drive Trabant {vsig}2004-9_1210{/vsig} Not just another 4×4, the Hummer is an all-terrain vehicle in a class of its own, as capable off the road as it is imposing on it. The Hummer…

The new V8 was a landmark achievement, as it was quieter, more powerful and lighter than even the new Oldsmobile engine that was introduced at the same time It is abundantly clear that The Motor found much to commend in the Series 62 Cadillac when testing Briggs Cunningham’s personal car early in 1950: “The Cadillac…