About Michelle Rand

Despite no genetic predisposition towards cars whatsoever, I somehow became keenly interested in vintage cars, especially British vintage cars, in college. Sold a perfectly good Mazda RX7 with almost no miles (first car) to purchase a 1972 MGB roadster with a LOT of miles so I could have something to work on. Now have a collection spanning most countries and most years.

Potential Bargain? 1953 Siata 208S Motto Spider

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»

Tee Time: Vintage Harley-Davidson Golf Cart

Once upon a time, Harley-Davidson made all kinds of things. Of course, motorcycles were its mainstay, but the company also manufactured delivery vehicles, an in-town car (Utilicar), mower motors, drone motors, and… golf carts. Listed on eBay is this… 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»

French Flair: 1960 Facel Vega HK500

Rare. Powerful. Celebrity magnet. From a company that specialized in metal-bending for other car makers came the Facel Vega HK500, radiating that French “we do things differently” kind of charm. Why did a metal-bender decide to develop its own… 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»

Barn Finds