I'm noticing that most of the cars mentioned below as being missed either had their headlights pop up, or swivel up, into place (Opel GT, C2-C5 Corvettes, etc.).  By the opening paragraph, this list is limited to cars where the headlights themselves were firmly bolted in place and a cover was moved to expose the lamps. ... View more

By your definitely, you're correct on the '42 Desoto.  The '36-37 Cord 810-812 was first, but they're "pop up" well, "crank up" is more accurate. ... View more

Your first list where I agree with EVERYTHING.  That GS850 was a very popular long-haul tourer back in the late 70's/early 80's (a Canadian buddy of mine had one back when I was riding a '79 Triumph Bonneville), and those early UJM Sukuki's are about as unbreakable as you can get in a four cylinder Japanese motorcycle.  One warning if you get one: Back then Suzuki was speccing it's bikes like IBM PC-clone manufacturers were speccing their computers.  Every year there would be some minor changes as Suzuki found (I assume) a cheaper supplier for some certain parts.  Twenty years ago, when I worked at Ducati Richmond, we learned that if we had to hit the Suzuki dealership for parts on a repair job, we needed the full VIN to ensure we got the right parts.  We're talking part changes midway thru the model year at times.   CBR600 F2's and F3's are incredibly good bikes.  We still see a couple come thru the Honda/Yamaha/Can-Am shop that I recently retired from.  If you find one with the Smokin' Joe livery at anything like $2500, GRAB IT!  They definitely go for more money than that.   GPZ550's: Incredible bikes for the money.  A late riding partner of mine lost his keeping up  with a pair of Ducati 916's around the course at the Isle of Man during Mad Sunday.  Yes, he was holding with them all the way until he high sided.   FJ1100.  One of the first really good sport tourers. ... View more

Do they have a PayPal account to take donations? ... View more

You took a vegetarian to a Waffle House?  I thought that was against the Geneva Convention.   Hopefully it showed her the wrongness of her chosen lifestyle. ... View more

Possibly a smart marketing move.  You're talking selling to the most conservative auto buyers out there, just getting them to consider electric over a big honking ICE is going to be hard enough.  It doesn't need to look like a UFO. ... View more

As someone who's often ridden, and is attempting to purchase a '98 Excelsior-Henderson, I hope they're better built.  Let's start with a wiring harness that isn't biodegradable. ... View more

A very welcome break from all those damned muscle cars.  And I'd much rather have one of them than a 'Cuda Hemi. ... View more

In 2013, at age 63 and having just buried my wife, I got a case of the "you're not getting any younger, maybe you better finally deliver on some of those promises you've been putting off for decades" jitters.  High on that list was a 40+ year promise to someday own a two seat roadster.  So, I traded in my beloved '86 Porsche 924S (wonderful car, but it wasn't a roadster!).  Test drove a Solstice and a same year Miata back to back on the same back road (scaring the hell out of two car salesmen in the process), and to my surprise liked the Solstice better.  Deal done, say goodbye to the best car I've ever owned, with hopes for the future.   Fourteen months later, the Solstice was gone.  What was a wonderful car on a specific day, playing on a specific road or track turned out to be a pain in the ass to live with in terms of actually using it for transportation.  Plus, it never came out on the road in the rain (normal sports car), and if it was a gorgeous day I'd hit the other garage for one of my motorcycles.  Turns out I used the Porsche more often because it was more comfortable and practical (I could actually use it for grocery shopping).   And, in the long run, there was nothing particularly likable about the Solstice once you got past it's handing.  The interior was cheap, tight, and barely comfortable.  Why they claimed it had a trunk (even by sports car standards) is beyond me.  That top was a major pain in the ass to deal with unless I had the girlfriend with me.   Nope, that car explained to me very well why GM went bankrupt.  Love to borrow one for a day in the twisties, but to live with it?  No thanks.   And the part that really hurt?  Along with the Solstice and Miata, I also test drove a Porsche 968 Cabriolet.  Unfortunately, it was Triptronic. ... View more

Richmond, VA's Cars & Coffee is at the Regency Square Mall on the west side of Richmond.  Held every other Saturday (or at least it was until the state went into lockdown) from 0800-1000, I'm not sure what the status is currently, but am planning on trying to make the Memorial Day weekend gathering in the hopes that it's still going.  Anything and everything shows up, and there's so many Mustangs, Camaros, Challengers and various muscle cars that you can ignore them and still spend the entire morning looking at interesting, unique cars. ... View more

Triple Ugh!   I've got no problem with a period-correct looking alternator that has increased output and reliability due to modern materials and electrics under the case, but sorry, putting a modern Chevy engine in a '55 makes it a hot rod, not a restoration.  I'm AACA old school (started in '68), and the only cars that should have antique plates are cars restored to factory original based on the day they came off the production line.  Resto-rods are garbage. ... View more

No, that’s correct.  People usually forget that the first year or two of the C3 were also called Stingray.  And it’s the C3 that the car influenced. ... View more

Like you, potential repair costs scared me off.  The final nail in the dream was an email from a car freak buddy of mine.  "If you're going to pay Ferrari repair costs, then own the Ferrari."  Once the chance on buying mine was passed, I suddenly had a rational thought:  Yeah, it may cost as much as a Ferrari to repair, but it's a Porsche.  Which means you're not going to have to repair it anywhere near as often. ... View more

I'm an outlier - the only Porsche's that have ever turned me on are the front engine, rear transmission models.  Drove a 928 back in 1993, came oh-so-close to buying it (I think the lot was only asking $5000.00 for it), but chickened out because there were no repair shops in Johnstown, PA that had any idea what to do with one of them.  If I'd have needed repairs, I'd have had to go 75 miles west to Pittsburgh.   In the end, I finally somewhat scratched my Porsche itch by buying a 924S.  To this day, I consider it the best car I've ever owned.  Stupidly traded it on a Pontiac Solstice (because I'd been promising myself a roadster for 40 years at that point, and after my wife's death I decided I'd better start fulfilling a few of my promises soon), and regretted the move within 60 days.   Still want a 928, 5-speed only please.  And that's been the rub:  Like C4 Corvettes (another unfulfilled promise), every one I've ever seen for sale has been an automatic.  And there's no way I'm buying either of those two marques with a slushbox. ... View more

If you've got a choice of the three, go for the Honda.  Some parts are still available new (as in Honda is still making some of the engine parts, forget about any of the tinware), and it's going to be the most reliable of the three.   The Hodaka is pure fantasy.  The line of bikes went out of production in the early 70's when the Japanese motorcycle industry settled down to the Big 4.  Restoring and keeping one running today is a matter of having a couple of parts bikes stowed in the back of the garage.  Plus there's a matter of finding one in the first place.  Hodaka owners tend to know what they've got, and they're usually not interested in selling.   For serious riding, actually going somewhere on the street, and resembling day-to-day transportation, the Triumph Cub is the one to go for.  It's got the performance, comfort, and actually has some aftermarket support, mainly because once the aftermarket covered the Triumph and BSA 650's and 500's, the Cub was the next on the list.  Just the same:  All those horror stories you've heard about owning a vintage British motorcycle (electrics, leaks, vibration, fragile-ness, etc.) are here on display in spades.  It's nowhere near as reliable as it's vertical twin siblings, the parts availability is at best about half the bigger bikes, and you're going to be a pretty good mechanic by the time you've owned one of these for 2-3 years.  There's a reason why the Japanese motorcycle industry stomped the British industry flat, and this is a prime example.  It's a wonderful example of everything that was both wonderful and horrible about British motorcycles of the Sixties.   If you really want to live a wonderful history lesson, I strongly suggest owning both a Honda 90 and a Triumph Cub, and ride them both regularly.  No matter what you read in books, this will drive home the motorcycling Sixties. ... View more

Aaarrrggghhh! ... View more