Filed in archive
American Independents
, American Specials
, British Cars
, Concours
, Information About
by Philip Powell on April 2, 2009
Of all the North American 2009 concours, nothing could be more appropriate than one that takes place in Detroit and honours the best in American design, especially when the industry is threatened with...
Filed in archive
American Specials
, Design
by Philip Powell on January 10, 2009
During the 20's and 30's, when fast wooden runabouts and racers captured the imaginations of boat lovers, marine architects terminated their hulls in a sleek stern not unlike that of a duck. ...
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American Specials
, Aviation
, General Motors
by Philip Powell on December 3, 2008
So The Three Amigos had their egos slapped in Washington for arriving at the moneyfest in their corporate jets? Like other critics I railed at this flagrant abuse of funds while secretly envying them ...
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American Specials
, Auctions
, Racers
by Philip Powell on June 16, 2008
When Joe MacPherson began his collection of sports, racing, custom cars and vintage motorcycles many years ago, he probably never thought it would eventually be worth in excess of $10,000,000. But tha...
Filed in archive
American Specials
by Philip Powell on March 28, 2008
No, that's not a Corvette, though the similarity is striking. It's a 1964 Pontiac Banshee concept that never got past the prototype stage when GM management worried that it would threaten Corv...
Filed in archive
American Specials
, Auctions
, Concours
, Design
, Deusenberg
, Ford
by Philip Powell on March 12, 2008
Once again Florida's Amelia Island Concours and RM Auctions combo has come and gone, with the highlight being this 1934 Ford Model 40 Special Speedster, custom-built for Edsel Bryant Ford, former ...
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American Specials
by Philip Powell on January 27, 2008
You won't see many rods and customs at an RM auction but those that make the grade are among the finest. The 2008 RM Scottsdale sale brought out a car that turned my crank the moment I saw it. Ken...
Filed in archive
American Specials
, Chevrolet
by Philip Powell on December 27, 2007
One of the auto world's many urban legends claims that when the 1957 Chevrolet went out of production a bunch of GM workers spirited away the last few examples, keeping them hidden until that magi...
Filed in archive
American Specials
, Auctions
, Design
by Philip Powell on December 23, 2007
henry ford was the inspiration behind the company. Henry II rebuilt it into a powerful industrial force following WW2. But the most creative of the family was Edsel Ford, a talented artist and designe...
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American Specials
, Books
, Gifts
by Philip Powell on December 20, 2007
If you're into that "last-minute" state of panic this Christmas, here's something that will appeal to anyone who loves classic cars, and you can order it online or by phone. I'm ...
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American Specials
by Philip Powell on September 12, 2007
File this under "what if?" As in "what if Kaiser-Frazer had built a pickup version of a Kaiser sedan a la Ranchero or El Camino." Well, it seems Kaiser did, and Autoblog found the ...
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American Specials
by Philip Powell on August 4, 2007
We were seated next to the sound engineer as a select group of Toronto jazz musicians recorded background music for a General Motors TV spot I'd written for my ad agency employers. Pianist Jimmy D...
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American Specials
by Philip Powell on July 28, 2007
Dan Gurney was one of my hero race drivers: Californian, handsome, nice guy; winner in sports cars and F1, Indy 500 contender, NASCAR myth spoiler, built his own team cars... Gurney was every bit as t...
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American Specials
by Philip Powell on June 12, 2007
Saturn is about to bring its version of the compact Opel Astra, the Saturn Astra, to North America as the division unofficially becomes "Opel America." Smart move, Saturn, but the name prece...
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American Specials
by Philip Powell on April 16, 2007
At first glance I thought "oh, no, not another botched attempt at updating a great old classic." Then I took a second glance and my reaction changed to "wow!" Friend and sometime c...
Filed in archive
American Specials
by Philip Powell on March 26, 2007
Today's Lincoln certainly has its problems, brought about by a lack of product that can live up to its long and distinguished history. What the marque needs now is excitement of the kind it enjoye...
Filed in archive
American Specials
by Philip Powell on March 3, 2007
Back in the carefree days of the 50's anyone with mechanical talents, a little cash, and a custom fiberglass body, could build his own hot rod or sports car. A number of bodymakers catered to this...
