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Metropolitan “HOT WHEELS” Custom
Mustangs, Camaros, and ’32 Ford roadsters come to mind when you think of hot rods and custom cars. You don’t usually think of the diminutive Nash Metropolitan, a two-seater postwar microcar so cute it looks like a poodle would be on the factory options list. In its original teal green color, this car looks more…
Read MoreInsure it Properly or Lose Your A**
When the value of a vehicle is difficult to assess, the vehicle may be insured on a stated amount basis. This will explain what the stated amount means, and how it differs from the agreed value and actual cash value. The following example demonstrates a typical situation in which the stated amount of coverage might…
Read MoreLaughing Gas Questions (Nitrous)
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of acquiring a nitrous kit, the process might be daunting, and you may be unclear about where to begin. During World War II, nitrogen oxide was used in internal combustion aircraft engines to increase performance at high altitudes when the air is thinner, and oxygen is scarce. However, it…
Read MoreA look at a Few Muscle Car Prices
While some vintage vehicle enthusiasts may prefer a leisurely spring cruise in a convertible, others will be looking for something much sprightlier inside a fixed-roof coupe. Muscle cars, you know. In this week’s This or That, we’ve chosen a $35,000 garage price ceiling to bring you a selection of torque-happy steeds, all of which are…
Read More1955 Packard Clipper Custom
Contrary to popular belief, not every collector car requires a complete top-to-bottom, nut-and-bolt, ground-up restoration. Many cars have been used and appreciated but have never been subjected to the kind of physical torment that later necessitates hundreds of man-hours just to repair rust or collision damage on difficult-to-find body panels, or the need to track…
Read MoreHot Rods Hot Rods Hot Rods
Between the end of the war in 1945 and the beginning of the 1950s, several factors converged, primarily in southern California, to create a unique environment for the hot rod and its culture to emerge. In the history of hot rods, the term “hot rods” appears to have first appeared in southern California in the…
Read More“Rat Fink” Ed Roth
Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, a counterculture legend who brought snarling monsters and wacky fiberglass road oddities to the mainstream in the late 1950s and 1960s, was a kind of patron saint of hot rods, rock ‘n roll, and Rat Fink. Through stickers, t-shirts, posters, and model kits, his style of thick-lined, “weird” art combined with…
Read MoreA Look at Bare Metal Cars
Leaving an automobile unadorned isn’t new, but it’s resurging. Can’t see it? Consider the 1980s gull-wing DeLorean. It’s not the same, but it’ll give you an idea. Even if it appears to be a low-maintenance method to get into the hot rod scene, there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye. After all,…
Read MorePOTUS Private Rides
[wpadcenter_ad id=3527 align=’none’] So, what does it mean if the president enjoys driving? Cars can be divisive, but they can also unite us. Interested in a nonpartisan look at some of the presidents who have been car guys? We’ll begin with President Joe Biden and work our way backward. Joe Biden’s Corvette Joe Biden, as…
Read MoreWhat are Modern Suicide Doors
Mostly, we enter our vehicles in the same manner: we lift or squeeze a door handle, and hinges near the front tire allow the door to open. Then we climb into a driver’s seat and begin our journey. But why open doors in an old-fashioned manner when you can just place those hinges anywhere you…
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