f there’s a year to feel nostalgic about the Indy 500, it’s 2020. Due to the global pandemic, no spectators were allowed and the hallowed May running date was swapped for August. Let’s cast our minds back to another Indianapolis 500, one held away from the shadow of COVID-19 and the very first event to be paced by America’s sports car. This pristine C3 Corvette Pace Car celebrates that 1978 running at the Brickyard in near time-capsule style. The car quite literally checks all of the boxes, and it’s up for grabs on Hemmings and on Craigslist as of this writing.   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/buying-and-selling/dont-hate-this-626-mile-1978-corvette-pace-car-simply-because-its-perfect/ ... View more

Most car enthusiasts older than about eight years old have likely assembled a plastic scale model car kit at one time or another, though the hobby is long past its golden years of the 1960s. It shouldn't surprise you that like their full-scale siblings, much of the history of plastic scale-model cars took place in and around Detroit. While California's Revell and Chicago's Monogram were major players in the model kit industry, they didn't concentrate on model cars. It was companies in the Detroit area, Jo-Han, AMT, and later MPC, that provided the foundation for the model car kit industry.   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com:  https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/how-plastic-model-cars-stoked-interest-in-their-real-life-peers-and-vice-versa/ ... View more

Cars are flippin' dangerous, especially old ones, when you consider that they were produced at a time when "safety-third" was the rule, not the joke. One of the many ways to injure yourself is by a rough-cut edge protruding out like a janky razor blade—worse, abrasion between two parts on the vehicle can quickly wear through them and cause failure, and it seems nothing is more prone to this than rubber lines. Today's Wrenchin' Wednesday will show you how to turn your scrap hose into productive pieces in your vehicle build, while simultaneously preventing any accidental leakage, from both man and machine.   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/maintenance-and-tech/wrenchin-wednesday-using-rubber-hoses-to-protect-tight-fitting-parts/ ... View more

Hagerty readers and Hagerty Drivers Club members share their cherished collector and enthusiast vehicles with us via our contact email. Today's featured vehicle is a 1968 Plymouth Fury III convertible.   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/hagerty-community/rides-from-the-readers-1968-plymouth-fury-iii/ ... View more

Five months ago in these virtual pages I discussed the increasingly popular idea of pickup-truck-as-cultural-signifier. In the long, hot summer between then and now, the privately-owned half-ton has taken a best-supporting-actor role in our (mostly) cold civil war drama: targeted by crowds of protesters, driving through impromptu roadblocks, festooned with flags in motorized counter-demonstrations.   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/avoidable-contact-76-the-easiest-60-grand-youll-ever-spend-and-youll-get-most-of-it-back/ ... View more

While no one can deny the sheer power of modern-day Bugattis, it often seems like the creative juices at Molsheim are running a bit low. Bugatti claims that the Divo represents a revival of coachbuilding, but the days of manufacturers out-sourcing bodies to third-party metalworkers and interior designers are long past. Mechanically, the Divo is astounding; gorgeous it is not. What if Bugatti truly resurrected the lavish creative spirit of the prewar period?   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/we-dare-bugatti-to-resurrect-its-prewar-design-language/ ... View more

One of the events canceled this summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been the EyesOn Design Car Show, organized by Detroit's automotive styling community to benefit the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology and held at the Eleanor and Edsel Ford Estate. In many ways it's a special car show, not the least of which is the fact that you get to see many of the cars actually being driven as they go up and down the quarter-mile-long driveway to the reviewing stand in front of the estate's Tudor mansion. I was looking forward to this year's show in part because I'd get to see the Packard Predictor, the 2020 show's poster car, in motion.   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com:  https://www.hagerty.com/media/car-profiles/the-last-packard-that-never-was-dick-teagues-predictor/ ... View more

By the time you read this, my 11-year-old son will have ridden perhaps 50 miles in the new 2020 McLaren GT. I'm picking him up from school tomorrow and taking him for an early dinner so we will both be free to help my photography crew get some pictures of this utterly gorgeous quarter-million-dollar metallic-blue-with-cream-interior supercar later on in the evening. I know this car is catnip for kids because about 20 different neighborhood groms came over to my house this evening to watch the doors go up and down, ooh-and-aah at the roar of the engine, poke-and-prod at the various expensive-looking controls scattered throughout the interior, and stare open-mouthed at the way the nose can lift itself to clear the breakover angle of my driveway.   Read the entire column on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/avoidable-contact-75-how-did-i-get-a-son-who-doesnt-love-cars/ ... View more

With ESPN’s recent “The Last Dance” documentary putting Michael Jordan back in the spotlight and creating in a new generation of MJ fans, it should come as no surprise that bidding on Jordan’s 1996 Mercedes-Benz S-Class S600 is rising higher than His Airness lifting off from the foul line.   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/buying-and-selling/michael-jordans-1996-mercedes-benz-s-class-s600-higher-than-his-airness/ ... View more

Colin Chapman's 1981 Turbo Esprit is homeward bound following its auction in May, and it's boasting some new, highly official paperwork. After buying s/n 0970, Lotus has honored the Esprit as the first recipient of its Certificate of Provenance Programme, which is comprised of a certificate of provenance (naturally), a build specification letter, and a personalized letter signed by Lotus CEO Phil Popham.   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/chapmans-esprit-is-hethel-bound-with-inaugural-certificate-of-provenance/ ... View more

There’s something special about the vehicles of our youth. The sight of one, the sound of it, the smell—they can all can trigger memories. Even if that vehicle of choice was a public bus. “People tend to gravitate to the vehicles they grew up around or spent time with, whether it’s Mom’s station wagon on road trips, a first car, or even a city bus used day-in, day-out,” says Evan McCausland, author of Rapid Transit Series Buses: General Motors and Beyond. The RTS first began operating for the New York City Transit Authority in Brooklyn 39 years ago on August 5, 1981. To those in metropolitan areas—New York City, in particular—that’s a big deal.   Read the entire article online at Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/car-profiles/what-checker-cab-was-to-taxis-rts-was-to-nyc-buses/ ... View more

Emergency! If you want to own this rare, super cool 1955 Ford Courier National Ambulette, you’d better act soon. It could get the call from its next owner at any moment. Available on Craigslist in Salem, Oregon, for $16,500, the ambulance rolled off the Ford assembly line as a ’55 sedan delivery and was immediately shipped to the National Body Manufacturing Company, which operated in Knightstown, Indiana, from 1946–68.   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/buying-and-selling/this-1955-ford-courier-national-ambulette-is-not-for-the-introverted/ ... View more

Formula 1 announced today that it has canceled the U.S. Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, which was scheduled for October 25, due to COVID-19 health concerns. In addition, there will not be any races held in Mexico, Canada, or Brazil in 2020.   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/formula-1-cancels-2020-races-in-u-s-canada-and-brazil-adds-3-new-races/ ... View more

The 2020 Festival of the Unexceptional, which hosts the forgotten heroes of mundane motoring, has been canceled due to COVID-19, so we're celebrating online instead. If this were any other year, Hagerty U.K.'s Festival of the Unexceptional might need a bit of justification. How many car shows celebrate ... the normal? In 2020, however, we all have a little more appreciation for normality—and its rarity.   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/the-2020-festival-of-the-unexceptional-is-canceled-but-normal-classics-are-still-worth-celebrating/ ... View more

You hang around folks who love vintage cars enough and you'll inevitably meet vintage motorcycle guy or gal. They mean well, love all things with oil pumps (and some without) but will take every opportunity to espouse the virtues of the under-appreciated vintage motorcycle world. "You can store a dozen in the space of a single Cadillac!" he or she will exclaim before shifting to extolling the virtues of the fun-per-dollar that few four-wheel contraptions can rival. Allow them to ramble. Contemplate their points. Come to your own conclusions. You now want to buy a motorcycle. I thought so. Good for you. Now what do you buy?   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/entertainment/6-vintage-motorcycles-to-buy-based-on-your-favorite-car/ ... View more

“I can sleep when I’m dead.” It’s the humorous battle cry coined by those who rise and shine before the sun and get stuff done. It’s also the mentality required to set your alarm for 4 a.m., brave the cool morning breeze at the edge of the Pacific Ocean, and watch some of the world’s greatest automobiles arrive at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance each year. It isn’t as crazy as cutting a hole through the ice of a frozen lake and joining the slightly odd dunkers in the Polar Bear Club, but it’s a stretch for many car enthusiasts. So, beyond the awesome cars, what is your reward for becoming a hearty member of the Hagerty Dawn Patrol? Donuts. Coffee. And, as anyone who has ever participated can attest, the cerise sur le sundae is an exclusive Dawn Patrol hat, which proclaims to the world that you’re no ordinary car lover.   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/events/how-to-score-a-sweet-dawn-patrol-hat-without-flying-to-monterey/ ... View more

Ford knows it has a formidably high bar to step over with the Mach-E, the all-electric CUV that co-opts the Mustang's branding and styling. It's a bar that, to be frank, Ford will never reach—since, to diehard enthusiasts, a Mustang is strictly defined as a two-door pony car—but that hasn't stopped Ford from trying to prove the haters wrong with the rowdy Mach-E 1400 Prototype.   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/ford-looks-to-prove-the-haters-wrong-with-a-1400-horse-mach-e/ ... View more

Anthony Hamilton, known to most of the world as racing driver Lewis Hamilton’s dad, has consigned 18 cars from his collection to UK-based Silverstone Auctions as part of the company’s “Classic Live Online Auction” July 31–August 1. Hamilton has good taste, if I do say so myself. There's a group of well-restored British sports cars (particularly Triumphs), a few nice Minis, and a couple of supercars thrown in for good measure. A full list of the collection is below.   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/auctions/lewis-hamiltons-dad-is-selling-his-exquisite-and-sporty-18-car-collection/ ... View more

Hagerty readers and Hagerty Drivers Club members share their cherished collector and enthusiast vehicles with us via our contact email, tips@hagerty.com. We’re showcasing some of our favorite stories among these submissions. To have your car featured, send complete photography and your story of ownership to the above email address. Today's featured car is a 1955 Chevrolet 210.   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/hagerty-community/rides-from-the-readers-1955-chevrolet-210/ ... View more

"What kind of trips did you take in your Fox?" Gosh, that's the one question I was hoping Olivia wouldn't ask. Thirty years ago, I'd have been strongly tempted to lie in response; 15 years ago, I'd likely have offered some sort of evasion. As I shamble towards the completion of my fifth decade, however, I've come to appreciate the obscure advantages of age that trail the obvious miseries at a more-than-respectful distance, and one of them is this: I had neither a reason, nor the ability, to impress the young woman who was asking the question. So ...   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/avoidable-contact-68-a-housecat-falls-in-love-once-more-with-a-fox/ ... View more

It’s rare for a daily newspaper reporter to be able to revisit a story that he wrote 30 years ago and find out how it turned out. At the very least it suggests I never found a real job in the meantime. It’s even less likely that, as I combed the darkest recesses of my memory to remember who/when/where, I found that a fellow ink-stained wretch quite recently answered all my questions but one.   Read the full article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/110-year-old-renault-taxi-recalls-the-battle-of-the-marne/ ... View more

As I write this, Ford is dealing with a very serious problem: the number of people trying to put deposits down on a 2021 Bronco has actually crashed their website. That's right: in the middle of a global pandemic and some of the worst (albeit likely temporary) economic news since the Carter era, there are thousands upon thousands of people trying to give Ford money for a vehicle they won't be able to drive until the middle of 2021, at least. Many of them didn't even bother to take a run at the configurator before putting a deposit down. They saw the vehicle, they saw some basic information about the powertrain and options, and they took out their credit cards. Take that, Tesla!   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/avoidable-contact-67-having-built-some-blazers-i-want-to-make-a-bronco/ ... View more

For our latest Hagerty Drivers Club livestream, our own Brad Phillips was joined by Alain Squindo, RM Sotheby’s COO. The topic this time was concept cars—the gorgeous, often outlandish styling exercises that give customers a hint at the future styling direction of their favorite automotive brands. As Alain explains, concept cars “are critically important because they’re either the genesis of something very cool, or a flashback to something that was very cool long ago.”   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/lists/10-technically-14-of-our-favorite-concept-cars/ ... View more

When Edsel Ford became interested in the Elgin Road race in Elgin, Illinois, the country’s first-ever stock car race, he turned to Don “Wild Irishman” Sullivan to prepare 10 entries on behalf of the company. This one, wonderfully restored in 1988 by Roy Nacewitz, took the checkered flag at the 1932 Indianapolis 500, with Fred Frame at the wheel. That makes it the first of many Fords to claim stock-car racing victory.   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/historic-1933-ford-roadster-racer-is-a-star-of-the-mecum-collection/ ... View more

Following rumors from an inside source in June, and a bit of mild confusion with Mazda's Mexican branch earlier this week, Mazda of North America has officially released details for its 2021 Mazda 3 lineup. You won't find many surprises here, but if you're in the market for a compact Japanese hatch in the next year, here's what we know for sure about Mazda's offering.   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/its-officially-official-2021-mazda-3-adds-two-new-engines-but-no-mazdaspeed/ ... View more

The Great Race has chosen to join the ever-growing list of large events electing to push their planned gatherings out a year. Despite a previous reschedule from late June to August, race director Jeff Stumb has chosen to cancel the 2020 race.  The classic car road rally will return in June 2021.   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/events/the-great-race-cancels-2020-rally-will-run-same-route-next-june/ ... View more

The adventure started in Traverse City, Michigan, when I pulled tight the straps holding four motorcycles in a 32-foot trailer and hitched it up to a Ford F-350. My destination was almost directly south, and I’d pass through the racing capital of the U.S. and the country music capital before arriving in Leeds, Alabama. A mere 17 miles from the heart of Birmingham, Leeds is home to Barber Motorsports Park, a dreamland for any motorcycle enthusiast.   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/magazine-features/three-guys-bike-box-truck-take-on-barber-vintage-festival/ ... View more

Taking the time to make the painted surfaces on a car look as good as possible is nothing new. Humans were polishing materials like brass or copper centuries before the advent of modern paint. With cars being a status symbol, and also ever more expensive, it makes sense to keep them looking as good as possible. To accomplish that, there is no shortage of specialty tools and products to get that perfect mirror finish on your paint. Dual-action buffers are considered standard for most that do regular amounts of compounding and polishing—which is quickly becoming labeled as "paint correction"—but there will always be someone who swears by the ol' manual labor hand-rub method. Are they as crazy as they seem?   Read the entire article on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/maintenance-and-tech/is-hand-polishing-still-worth-the-work/ ... View more

After stumbling through reveal dates because of an ironic but accidental tie-in with O.J. Simpson, Ford has moved the reveal date of the 2021 Bronco to July 13 and entered a holding pattern. In lieu of the covers being pulled off the new off-road contender against the likes of the Jeep Wrangler and Toyota 4Runner, Ford has dropped a quick teaser of its EcoBoost howling into the horizon.   Read the entire story on Hagerty.com: https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/hear-the-2021-ford-broncos-turbocharged-powerplant/ ... View more