The worldwide recession is, as everyone knows, leading to talk of auto manufacturer buyouts: GM buys Chrysler, Renault buys Chrysler, the Chinese buy GM, etc. You'd better hope it never happens as...

Back in my teen years, working out daily at Toronto's Balmy Beach Canoe Club to become a flatwater canoe racer in flimsy "peanut shells," I was encouraged by a gentleman from a much...

I'm fortunate that the closest Restoration Hardware store is in Vancouver. Even though I can spot that city's ski-lift lighting from a mountain restaurant near Sidney, it takes a half-day to...

The elegance of this beautiful 1931 Hudson Greater Eight Boat-Tailed Sport Roadster can only be matched by the elegance of its late owner, Dr. Barbara Mae Atwood. Ms. Atwood was one of the exceptions...

We're still in the early days of November and already the January 2009 Scottsdale auction calendar is heating up as sellers submit their cars for bidding. Russo & Steele have carved out a...

Thomas Nottleman, proprietor of the Serious Coffee franchise in Sidney BC, uses a 1947 Hudson pickup as his daily driver. Thanks to the previous owner's attempts at modifying it sure ain't...

As an admirer of architecture, automobiles, and industrial design, I have two words that best describe my taste: elegance and grace. Both, in my opinion, are missing in today's cars. And so I was...

There seems to be a trend sweeping the country (perhaps I should say "countries" as it includes the US and Canada) towards weekly classic car meets adjacent to coffee houses and restaurants....

Gordon Buehrig was one of the great automobile designers of the 20th Century. His work began in the 1920's and continued into the 1980's. He designed the Model J Duesenberg, the Auburn...

I'm often curious about obscure cars with attractive names. The Diana is an example, me having once had a splendid affair with a Diana (woman, not car) who'd been married to a famous NHL...

The other day I was chatting with a friend about the current trend to massive grilles. You can see them on the Chrysler 300, Audi, Cadillac, Volvo and Mitsubishi, and others on the way. All have split...

The inaugural Palm Springs Desert Classic Concours got under way Friday and our intrepid photographer Mel Satok was on hand to photograph the cars. I was delighted when I saw this shot of a 1930's...

What would an auction be without a Cord? Although if I were an owner I might gain a bigger buck selling it at RM or Gooding, rather than Barrett-Jackson where this Westchester sedan was offered. Not...

You are, shall we say, moderately wealthy. You have an elegant trophy wife who looks absolutely stunning, even in a room full of sexy competitors. Turning aside an offer of delightful French wine in...

Here's a car I was prepared to dislike, based on its origins plus photos I'd seen in various magazines. And yet, when I came upon the 1958 Packard Hawk in RM Auction's tent at the Arizona...

With all due respect to Barrett-Jackson, it was a relief to move on to the RM Auction site at the Arizona Biltmore. The first is a circus, with 1000 cars sold at no reserve, many of them, in the...

One of the pleasures for the auction visitor is the opportunity to view, in the metal or in this case plastic, cars normally only seen in magazines or other media. This happened to me while strolling...

Aside from muscle cars, the next most popular segment at the 2008 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction appeared to be the ubiquitous American pickup. Almost as much fun and considerably cheaper to buy,...

I still find it hard to believe that a luxury marque I grew up with and once was the standard of America could so quickly fade away. How could the factories, the designers, the dealers, and the...

With the action already heating up in preparation for Scottsdale auction week, Barrett-Jackson has released a "Sneak Peek" download in the form of a PDF file that reveals a number cars to be...