Can I get a deal because this coachbuilder isn’t … Zagato? or Vignale? or Pinanfarina? Probably not! Though he isn’t a household name, Rocco Motto’s creations are every bit as desirable as his more famous peers. Motto founded his… more»
Flair Bird Anniversary Edition: 1965 Ford Thunderbird
Shepherding the Thunderbird through the ages, Ford followed the time-tested method of celebrating model anniversaries: trim, color, and limited production. That’s what the Special Landau coupe was all about. It offered Emberglo paint and accents, parchment interior and padded… more»
Project-In-Waiting: 1939 Fordson E83W Van
The Fordson E83W was central to Ford of Britain’s response to the changing economy during the Great Depression. With its small, economical motor and near-endless variety of cargo configurations – including open pickup, flatbed, barrel, concessionaire, and so on… more»
Sunroof Sedan! 1971 Honda N600
What’s that old saying – “good things come in small packages”? That proverb might as well have been invented by the first person who saw the diminutive Honda N-series. The N600 is the big-block version of the nearly identical… more»
Exceptional 1953 Packard Mayfair
In the 1920s, Packard’s brand name was akin to nobility, on a par with Cadillac, Pierce-Arrow, and Peerless. By the 1950s, the company had taken a different path toward financial stability, moving its product downstream to capture a larger… more»
Survivor! 1941 Dodge Cabover Fire Truck
Dodge began its run of “Job-Rated” trucks in 1939, but though the advertising nomenclature was prosaic, the trucks were anything but. The “Art Deco” movement had evolved, and the new streamline moderne style was all the rage: Americans bought… more»
Who’s Gonna Put An LS In It? Coffin Car Project
Wondering what to do with that coffin that’s been lying around in your backyard? Here’s an idea: make it into a car. Of course, the top-shelf coffin car would be a George Barris-built Drag-U-La from The Munsters. But today we’ll… more»
Italian Dropside: 1955 Fiat 1100 Industriale
The Fiat 1100 was the Swiss army knife of the automotive world. It was cheap transportation for thousands of people in berlina form; it was sportily elegant when clothed by a coachbuilder; it raced; it rallied; and it hauled…… more»
A Car for Kings: 1962 Maserati 5000 GT Coupe
I don’t know about you, but if I can’t get a Philips 45 rpm record player in my Maserati 5000 GT… well, I’m sending it back to the factory. And if I were the Aga Kahn – former owner… more»
Sportswagon: 1972 Volvo 1800ES
Tired of cramming your golf clubs crosswise into your British roadster? Can’t fit those 2x4s into the Karmann Ghia? Here’s the answer: Volvo’s sporty 1800ES. Produced for only two years in 1972 and ’73, just 8077 were made. The… more»
Soviet Chic: 1975 VAZ Lada 2103
In the convolution of Soviet central planning, Leonid Brezhnev created a new car company in the 1960s, edging it into the market below Moskvitch, which was Russia’s primary carmaker. The goal was to increase production and expand offerings to… more»
Happy New Year! A Retrospective
As the old year fades to a new beginning, I’m straying yet again from our typical vehicular themes to show you a broader round-up of my 2025 machinery encounters. This handsome but derelict tractor sits in a bay-side field… more»
A Mazda By Another Name: 1989 Ford Probe GT
Porsche tried to replace the air-cooled, rear-engined 911 with the water-cooled, front-engined 928. We all know how that worked out. Likewise, Ford tried to replace the Mustang with the Probe, following the same pattern of total reconfiguration of what… more»
Low Mileage Survivor! 1941 Ford De Luxe “Opera” Coupe
From one of my favorite dealers in Portland, Oregon, comes this wonderful, well-documented 1941 Ford “Opera” coupe with only 48,200 original miles. The recipient of three Rouge awards attesting to its originality, this coupe can be found at Matthews… more»
















