As a young man forced to quit art school when his stepmother locked him out of the house for dallying with a female student, thus missing the 11 PM curfew his father had imposed while absent on business, my career as a designer ended before it started. Yet like most young guys I wasn't easily dissuaded so I tried selling concepts to anyone who'd listen. One who paid attention was John McKenny Bingham, president of his own ad agency. Mr. Bingham was impressed by my design for an automobile trunk lid. By today's standards it may seem silly but that was before the days of hatchbacks and minivans, when buyers were limited by the carrying capacity of conventional automobile trunks. My trunk lid was hinged, not only from the top. but from the bottom. When opened, a pair of side panels swung into place creating, in effect, a trunk similar to a pickup bed. Mr. Bingham paid for temporary patent protection, then approached the Detroit manufacturers. Their response? "We do not accept submissions from outsiders in order to avoid legal complications if we should be pursuing similar ideas." Fast forward to Flash of Genius, a new movie starring Greg Kinnear with Alan Alda. Dr. Richard Kearns invented the intermittent windshield wiper and then (so he thought) sold the concept to the Ford Motor Company. His intermittent windshield wiper was far more lasting and important than the Powell "reverse trunk lid" but the movie reminded me of how difficult it can be to sell an invention to a major corporation. And what might have happened if we'd succeeded. This is a car movie worth seeing.

[Image: Universal Pictures]

Once again the United States Postal Service has honoured the classic car world with a set of five commemorative postage stamps. This new set features classic American cars of the 1950s and includes a 1957 Chrysler 300C, a 1957 Lincoln Premiere, a 1957 Pontiac Safari, a 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk (above) and a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado. An article in a New York Times blogsite quotes a spokesman for the postal service, Ray Daiutolo Sr., saying the cars on the new stamps were selected by the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee after it was "inundated" by suggestions from the public following the success of the first series. Collector interest made the sporty cars set of 2005 one of the best-selling American stamp issues of all time, he said. Both series are based on paintings by 89-year-old Art Fitzpatrick, whose illustrations for automobile ads in the 60's and 70's have themselves become collector's items. This is a return engagement for Studebaker, as its Starliner hardtop was included in the first set of stamps. The Golden Hawk is a development of the Starliner, less elegant but typical of the period when fins, chrome, and multi-tone paint jobs were the rage.

[image: USPS]

India has never hosted an international Concours d'Elegance, however it is about to step into the limelight with what promises to be a fabulous affair. From October 31st through to November 02. 2008, the Royal Western India Turf Club in Mumbai will host the Cartier 'Travel With Style' Concours. The 64 cars on display, owned by Indian royalty and private collectors, have never been exhibited internationally and many have never been shown in India. One might not associate India with classic cars but as elsewhere, those with the means to purchase them had, during the time of the Raj, bought a vast number of magnificent autos, many with custom bodies.

The cars have been selected by Manvendra Singh Barwani, India's most respected and experienced classic car expert, who has included a 1937 Delahaye (Figoni et Falaschi) Geo Ham Roadster; 1937 Daimler DB18 Dual Cowl Sports Tourer (made for H.E. The Aga Khan); three 1931 Pierce Arrow Tourers; a 1949 Bentley Mark VI Sports Tourer (specially built for H.H. The Maharaja of Mysore, one of six Bentleys ordered in a single commission); 1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Arrow Coupe (specially built for H.H. the Maharaja of Jodhpur); 1928 McLaughlin-Buick (H.R.H. The Prince of Wales Canadian Tour car); 1948 Jaguar XK120 (aluminum-bodied, and the first XK120 to arrive in India). And in case the cars aren't enough to entertain the onlookers, the judging panel may. A partial list includes H.R.H. Prince Michael of Kent, Lord March, Sir Anthony Bamford, Nick Mason, Imran Khan, Monica Bellucci and Sophie Marceau. Orchestrating the event is H.R.H. The Duchess of Cornwall's brother, travel writer and conservationist Mark Shand.

Thanks to Classic Driver Magazine for this lead.

[Photo: Cartier]

The worst car in the world? I think not. I've driven many worse cars than the Sebring convertible. The trouble is that the people who make these pronouncements are automobile journalists whose every moment is consumed with things like 0-60 acceleration, braking stats, and G-forces when cornering. I understand: been there myself but maturity (also known as old age) leads one to respect the needs of average folk who don't care about car enthusiast's opinions. This suggestion, that the Sebring is the worst car in the world, comes via Autoblog, eagerly promoting the opinions of the London Times' Jeremy Clarkson. Mr. Clarkson is a brilliant writer and eminently quotable. Autoblog expresses it as follows: "The way Clarkson sees it, quality sucks in the Sebring and other American cars because we Americans have no sense of history and are thus incapable of planning for the future (by making something built to last)." Okay. I agree with that but there are many Americans living in Florida and Canadians living in British Columbia who could care less. Can the Sebring accommodate their golf clubs? Yes! Is it a pleasant ride for four people on a summer's day? Absolutely! In the rarified world of affordable 4-seat convertibles, the Chrysler Sebring stands alone. Sadly, the damn thing is ugly (do not be misled by the above pr photo).

It's no secret to regular viewers of Classical Drives that I appreciate all forms of vintage transport, and that includes railroads. I'm especially enthusiastic about the luxury trains that roam the rails in various countries of which this one, The Danube Express, is the latest. It is billed as the "first five-star hotel on wheels to be launched in central Europe for almost 30 years." Cars on the Danube Express are genuine classics that have been restored and upgraded with hand-built wood-paneled sleeping compartments featuring en suite baths. The London Times reports that there's also a VIP compartment with velvet and copper accents that was formerly the private quarters of Hungary's last Communist president. That one will cost you an addional $5000 for the journey between Budapest and Berlin. Other destinations to be added soon are Prague, Vienna, and Istanbul.

It's one of my ambitions to travel on one of these luxury classics but considering that the tickets are very expensive such a journey won't be happening any time soon. Meanwhile I frequently browse through the pages of my favorite coffee table book, "Great Railway Journeys of the World." Among the luxury train rides featured are South Africa's Blue Train, from Cape Town to Pretoria; India's Palace on Wheels from Delhi to Jodhpur; Singapore's magnificent Eastern and Oriental Express to Bankok via Malaysia and Thailand; Canada's Canadian linking Toronto and Vancouver; and, of course, the legendary Venice-Simplon Orient Express traveling from London, across the channel by ferry, and on to Venice and other exotic destinations.

[Thanks to Luxist.com for this lead]

Amid all the 100-year auto celebrations taking place a significant diamond (60th) anniversary may have been overlooked. It honours the anniversary of one of the greatest auto engines ever created, equal to the Chevy Small Block, the Chrysler Hemi, and the Ferrari V-12. Arriving just two years after the end of WW2, the Jaguar XK 6-cylinder engine was built in different variations until 1994. It drove Jaguar to five LeMans victories in C-Type and D-Type racers. It was fitted to sports and touring cars, including legendary models like the Mark2 and the fabulous XJ6, both contenders for the most beautiful sedan of all time.

The XK engine was conceived during the last years of WW2 by Jaguar head William Lyons, chief engineer William Heynes, chief experimental engineer Wally Hassan, chief engine designer Claude Baily, and Harry Mundy. The XK 120 that was unveiled at the London Motor Show in 1948 was billed as "the sports car that had everything." Twin-overhead camshafts and hemispherical combustion chambers were among its advanced features. The XK 6 started at 3442 cc.'s with 160 hp, soon achieved 250 hp in the racing D-Type. The Mark 2 sedan arrived with 210 hp, which made it a frequent winner in touring car races. Like the XK 120 in which it first appeared this engine also looked good. Raise the hood on any XK-equipped Jag to see mechanical engineering at its finest.