Torq-O

AMC Pacer is a "dirt cheap collectible car".

Todd Ruel — 2010-02-21T10:54:15-05:00

CNN Money.com has a slideshow of its top ten “dirt cheap collectible cars”. AMC’s Pacer scored a silver medal. What, no Gremlin, Matador, Rambler, Studebaker Lark, Oldsmobile almost anything, or any of the other scores, bushels, and pecks of granny cars from Plymouth, Pontiac, and Saturn?

Torq-O's Rootes Group DVD is now available!

Todd Ruel — 2010-02-09T18:25:38-05:00

For all of you Hillman and Sunbeam fans, Torq-O is now selling our Rootes 3 DVD in the Torq-O Store. What’s on it, you plead. Great question. Last year, I bought three Rootes Group promotional films off of eBay. A group of Sunbeam Alpine Owners Club members pooled some money together to have the films digitized and burned onto a DVD. Now I want to help my graphic artist, who designed this excellent package. Feed your British orphan car jones, AND help out my friend, the extremely talented Ed Ford. For more information and previews of all three films, go to the Rootes 3 page in the Torq-O store, and check it out for yourself.

Oldsmobile interior in Hemmings Motor News's interior

Todd Ruel — 2010-01-28T20:43:24-05:00

Before it disappears from the news stands, you should check out the February 2010 issue of Hemmings Motor News. I really liked his article about the oval-shaped dash in the 1957 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight. It’s unique. It’s amazing how they crammed so many gauges inside several concentric ovals of shiny chrome. On another note, it’s nice to see the Hemmings guys do an article specifically about interior design. Usually, I find them focused on the big picture - the entire car. Nice to know that they can zoom in and appreciate the smaller details too.

Everything old is renewed again.

Todd Ruel — 2010-01-25T00:20:40-05:00

Last week I made my annual trek to the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. ...Every time I go, I see ideas that look suspiciously familiar. Sometimes I poke around the archives to confirm hunches. Other times, it’s as obvious as dropping a toaster in a tub full of water. Here’s an idea that was already 50 years old. The only update is that the CT&T vehicle is fully electric. Plus, it’s built in China and South Korea. Of course, electric cars have been around since the early 1900’s, so in the scheme of things, the idea of using cars specifically for parking patrol is relatively new. I found this car on Electric Avenue, the place in Cobo Hall specifically for electric vehicles. More posts about the latest NAIAS coming soon.

Franklin engine in Hemmings Motor News

Todd Ruel — 2010-01-22T23:50:49-05:00

If you’re into internal combustion, there’s a decent story about Franklin’s 1904 auxiliary, valve-and-a-half engine in the February 2010 issue of Hemmings Motor News. Unfortunately, the article reads like a Society of Automotive Engineers white paper. Couldn’t there be a more accessible way to learn about this stuff? Like maybe using some graphics? Maybe hire a graphic artist or two? Just saying.

Stout Scarab in Hemmings Motor News

Todd Ruel — 2010-01-21T23:43:50-05:00

There’s a nice refresher by Ed Heys about the Stout Scarab in the February 2010 issue of Hemmings Motor News. The Scarab was a mid-1930’s car that looked more like an Art Deco bus. It kinda reminds me of Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion with a 1950 Nash Airflyte rear end. Like Fuller, Bill Stout was another ahead-of-his-time designer. He designed the Ford Tri-Motor and thought he could translate his success from airplanes to autos. He might have done it if he had built more than four (maybe nine) Scarabs. (One of them was built in 1945 in conjunction with Kaiser-Frazer and Owens/Corning Fiberglass.)

Kaiser/IKA in Gearhead

Todd Ruel — 2010-01-20T13:11:25-05:00

I am really loving Chas’ Compendium of Automotive Oddities in Gearhead Magazine #18. After an entire issue crammed full of kar kulture attitude and cheesecake, Editor Mike LaVella sneaks a straight auto history article into the back of the magazine. It’s devoted to the Kaiser cars built by IKA in Argentina. Writer Chas Glynn gets down to business starting with how the Kaiser Manhattan went south of the border and became the Carabela. Fun Fact: IKA replaced the Carlton Spencer-inspired bamboo vinyl interiors with authentic leather upholstery from local Argentinian craftsmen. Then he talks about the ultimate auto mutt: the IKA Torino. It was an AMC Rambler American and Rambler Classic hybrid with a front and rear styled by Pinin Farina and built by Renault after Renault acquired IKA. (Who’s your daddy?) If you’re not into rods & customs & car chicks, read this magazine Japanese-style: start at the back.

1969 Iso Lele in Hemmings Motor News

Todd Ruel — 2010-01-19T14:29:09-05:00

Torq-O is very American orphan-centric, but stories about multinational marques are always interesting and welcome. One such story popped up in Hemmings Motor News (February 2010). It’s about the Iso Lele. Jim Donnely writes about this incredibly rare Italian orphan. Iso was an Italian industrial manufacturer that got into automobile production after World War II. The Lele was an incredibly upscale 2 + 2 hard top made between 1969 and 1974. Bertone styling. Chevy (later Ford) engines. The boss was Piero Rivolta, and he named the car after his wife. The company only made 260 of them before fading into obscurity.

Kaiser Darrins are finally valuable!

Todd Ruel — 2010-01-18T09:30:41-05:00

Dave LaChance reports a huge price spike in the value of Kaiser Darrins (Hemmings Motor News, February 2010). It seems the Darrin has rocketed in value about US $50,000 in five years (from 2004-2009). Not bad for a car with a standard six-cylinder Willys F-head engine.

1958 De Soto Firesweep in Hemmings Motor News

Todd Ruel — 2010-01-17T10:00:51-05:00

More specifically, that’s a 1958 De Soto Firesweep Sportsman 2-door hard top. It’s in the February 2010 issue of Hemmings Motor News. (I love HMN, but I sure wish they’d use a little right-brain creativity and figure out some ways to make this information more visually appealing. If Garage and Gearhead and other magazines can do it, why not the hobby’s bible? You guys don’t have to go crazy. Just push it a little. ... That’s my 2010 contribution to your Comment Box.) By the way, the picture above is not from the article. You can’t get access to their images from the current issue online. Thanks to oldcarsandtruckpictures.com for posting this image from an original De Soto brochure.

Plymouth Duster 340 in Muscle Car Review

Todd Ruel — 2010-01-10T19:59:09-05:00

Geoff Stunkard has reminded us all why Plymouth Dusters are cool in his story Final Call for the January 2010 issue of Muscle Car Review (no web site? ...(Not the Duster from the article but close! Image courtesy of cars-on-line.com) When I was a kid, there was a Pinto, a Vega, and a Plymouth Duster parked at every third house. If a Duster hit a Pinto in the rear, and both cars melted in the forthcoming explosion, the world had just improved a little bit in my estimation. (As for the Vega, it would rust all by itself in an open field on a sunny day. No need to fantasize about various adolescent doomsday scenarios.) Now, however, Stunkard has changed my mind...about the Duster. He writes about a 1972 Plymouth Duster 340, and it brought back a whole bunch of long-ago suburban neighborhood memories. Read this article, and you’ll know why Dusters deserve better than crushers, crashes, and collisions.

Fiat accidentally summons the ghost of Nash.

Todd Ruel — 2010-01-08T21:26:18-05:00

It’s called the Fiat 500 1.2 Pop Convertible. ...This descendant of the original Fiat 500 Topolino looks less like its predecessors and more like the original Nash Rambler to me. Compare the photo above to our copy of a 1950 Nash Rambler TV commercial. It looks like Fiat’s shamans accidentally summoned Nash’s ancestors along with their own. ...This reminds me of Studebaker’s Lark Wagonaire and GMC’s 2003-04 Envoy. ... (In GM’s case, they claimed that their recycled feature was brand spankin’ new. FF to about 45 seconds into their commercial to see what I mean.)

AMC intermediates at Ate Up With Motor

Todd Ruel — 2009-12-27T09:31:32-05:00

Aaron Severson has a holiday treat for you. He’s written an article about AMC’s intermediate-sized cars. You’ll find great information about Classics, Marlins, Rebels, and Matadors. Check it out at his web site Ate Up With Motor. Torq-O has a treat for you, too. We provided three rare movie clips from the The Torq-O Media Archive. (As far as I know, Aaron and I are the only ones who are using the written word and multimedia to chronicle car history.) Happy Holidays!

REO Royale in Cars & Parts

Todd Ruel — 2009-12-07T22:23:17-05:00

Look for an article by Dave Duricy on the beautiful 1931-35 REO Royale in the December 1, 2009, issue of Cars & Parts. It was stylist Amos Northup’s first streamlined design. Indeed, it was the first streamline automobile design, and it was beautiful. If you can still find the issue on magazine racks, have a look.

Willys-Knight sleeve-valve engine development in Collectible Automobile

Todd Ruel — 2009-12-06T23:39:41-05:00

I always wondered why John North Willys shared the name Knight on his cars. ...I read all about it in the February 2010 issue of Collectible Automobile. It’s a great article not only about the development of the sleeve-valve engine but also about the lives of Willys and the engine’s inventor Charles Knight. I learned that after Knight developed his engine in the early 1900’s, he shopped it around all over the country. ... So he went over to Europe and licensed it to Daimler. ...First, he licensed the engine to only one country’s automaker at a time. Second, he insisted that any automaker who licensed his engine added a hyphen and his name to the product. When he returned to America, he attracted Willy’s attention, and voila! ... The most well-known Willys-Knight model was the Great Six built from 1925-33. The article is a great mix of human interest and mechanical innovation stories.

Pontiac: End of the (Assembly) Line

Todd Ruel — 2009-12-03T22:06:47-05:00

Thus endeth Pontiac.

Found: Martha Wright, Your Packard Girl

Todd Ruel — 2009-11-21T17:34:38-05:00

I just got off the phone with Martha Wright, an actress who had her own TV show sponsored by Packard over the Summer of 1954. Recently, I purchased a recording off of eBay featurng Martha and Packard Sales Manager C.E. ... I also have a vinyl record of 1954 radio commercials featuring Martha. I started wondering if Martha Wright was still alive, and I started investigating. Thanks to a gentleman named Harlan Conti, I found her! Martha remembers her Packard experience as Your Packard Girl on radio and TV. She got the job right after she closed the Rogers & Hammerstein musical South Pacific on Broadway after taking over for Mary Martin. (She was handpicked by R & H personally to succeed Martin.) Martha remembers the Packard Caribbean that the company gave her, and she'll tell you all about it in the podcast I'm going to record on December 5th. (She even said she'd dig around through some photo albums to find some Packard publicity photos that she has from that time.)

A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck

Todd Ruel — 2009-11-14T19:08:43-05:00

And if the cover of Richard Peck's book A Season of Gifts is any indication, I'm going to like it. It's the first kids' book I've ever seen with a green 1950 Nash Airflyte on the cover. ... They're both long enough to strap a Christmas tree to.) I'm not going to reveal the plot, but one section of the book is like a walk through an orphan car parking lot. ...The description: "The steering on a 1950 Nash is loose as a goose, and the hood's as big as an aircraft carrier." (Couldn't be more true if it was a police report.) Exhibit B: on page 135, Miss Flora Shellabarger owns a 1942 Packard Clipper. ... She's not strapping any Christmas trees to the top of her car.) ...Exhibit D: the homecoming queen's float is built on a 1932 Hupmobile sedan. I didn't see any illustrations other than the cover Nash, but I love the fact that Peck has excellent taste when it comes to orphans.

Rootes 3 DVD now available for a limited time!

Todd Ruel — 2009-10-12T22:50:54-04:00

Earlier this year, I bought three very rare Rootes Group promotional films from Scott Christie, the President of the Sunbeam Alpine Owners Club of America. Some members of the club were very concerned that the films would disappear from the club's influence forever. I challenged the club to assemble a group of investors who would pool their money together to help pay for the film transfer costs + postage. If they could get the money together, I would get the films transferred and produce a limited quantity of DVDs. ...I have some extra DVDs, and a graphic artist who never got his rewards for designing such excellent packaging. I'm trying to correct my mistake by offering this DVD on eBay for a limited time. ...If you want to check out clips of these films, here's a clip from The New Sunbeam Alpine, a film about the moment when the British got fins: ... ...

Ate Up With Motor

Todd Ruel — 2009-09-24T22:29:27-04:00

If you need an alternative to the automotive scholarship of Hemmings Classic Car, Collectible Automobile, and even the Society of Automotive Historians, you should try Aaron Severson's site Ate Up With Motor. Severson writes with a desire to share the human drama behind the stories of our favorite cars. Like me, he values first person accounts and numerous quotes in his stories from the people who were there at the time. I recommend his latest article Ramble and Roll: The Compact Nash Rambler. Look for Torq-O's contribution: a where-do-you-find-this-stuff 1950 Nash Rambler TV commercial. (Anything to help out a car fan who wants to write something more interesting than a book report!)

Carleton Spencer in Collectible Automobile

Todd Ruel — 2009-08-03T22:25:38-04:00

When it comes to writing history, readers of this blog know how much I hate “book reports.” ...In fact, his first book Kaiser-Frazer, The Last Onslaught on Detroit is a fantastic read. ... Because he went out and interviewed everyone still alive in 1975 and incorporated a ton of quotes into the narrative. ... We’ve learned so much about K-F since then!) History is always most interesting when it’s told by the people who created it. So I was very psyched to read Langworth’s article about Carleton Spencer, the wunderdesigner at Kaiser-Frazer who dressed up an otherwise limited product line. It’s in the October 2009 issue of Collectible Automobile (still no web site. ...Besides a ton of great pictures of Spencer’s K-F interiors, there is a sprinkling of Spencer quotes that help to drive the story. My only small quibble: since the article is a Personality Profile, I wish that CA had chosen some pull quotes and printed them in large blocks throughout the article. They would have evoked Spencer’s personality and helped us understand better the man who created such striking interior designs for Kaiser-Frazer.

1977 -78 AMC AMX in Collectible Automobile

Todd Ruel — 2009-08-02T12:27:52-04:00

In the Cheap Wheels section of the October 2009 issue of Collectible Automobile (still no web site), there’s a great article about the 1977-78 AMC AMX first built on the Hornet/Concord chassis. ...The 1977’s look like Hornets that kinda suffered through beauty school makeovers. ... And there’s no mistaking the popularity of flaming hood decals on the ’78. Pontiac had the flaming chicken, and AMC had the flaming Hornet. Anybody who has visited this blog in the past year knows that Torq-O has a lot of vintage AMC movies. I’m pretty sure that we have the most hours of AMC audio-visual material in the U.S. if not the world. ...One of the films that we just had digitized is the 1977 AMC Dealer Announcement Show. ... And, you probably already guessed it, the 1977 AMX is prominently featured. Check out this splashy introduction featuring an actor playing a very Fonz-like greaser (with very 70’s-like hair). ...

British films DVD update #3

Todd Ruel — 2009-08-02T12:16:16-04:00

Hey, Sunbeam and Hillman investors! A quick note: all of the DVDs that you paid for have either been handed over to the U.S. Post Office or have been delivered personally. (Jan Servaites is one lucky dude.) I hope you enjoy the films! They’re fun, quirky, and extremely British. For those of you who want one but did not get involved in the original investment, I’ve made a few extra copies for sale. They are US $36.90 for U.S. fans and US $39.90 for international fans. Just email me, and let me know, because once they’re gone, they’re gone for good.

Just had to share

Todd Ruel — 2009-07-29T23:07:40-04:00

When I’m behind the wheel of my Metropolitan, I get smiles and waves. I get all the ego strokes a guy could want. ...Even while I’m smiling back and giving the Queen wave to awestruck admirers, I know that my Met will try to grind my gears. ...Two good guys helped me push my rusting, Unitbody-constructed hulk into a parking lot. ...Then I forked over $70 to The Man. When you have an old car, breakdowns are inevitable. Sometimes you have friends with you who can help. ...This incident made me wonder how you feel every time your classic orphan ride leaves the garage. ... I’ve re-activated the Comments section of the blog (below). ... I’d love to hear how you deal with the inevitability of mechanical failure.

British films DVD update #2

Todd Ruel — 2009-07-24T20:43:53-04:00

Hey, Rootes Group film investors! ...I’m assembling them now, and I’ll be shipping them shortly. Keep an eye on your mailboxes. You’ll be getting them soon! (And when you do, please tell me what you think. I’d really appreciate your feedback.) Remember: this DVD will feature the following Rootes Group promotional films: 1) Alpine Challenge (about Sunbeam Rapiers in European rally competions in 1959) 2) The New Hillman Minx (1959) 3) The New Sunbeam Alpine (1959)

Glenn Pray in Hemmings Classic Car

Todd Ruel — 2009-07-24T06:51:20-04:00

Dave LaChance wrote a great article about Glenn Pray, the man who, for one brief, shining moment, brought the Cord 810 back to life. (Hemmings Classic Car, September 2009) You might not like reproductions. You might not like Corvair engines powering your reproductions. But you have to admire Pray’s dream and his persistence. After doing a little bit of internet research, I found that Pray is still with us. However, it looks like he’s pretty frail. Look for more info about the man at The Glenn Pray Cord Group web site.

AMC Concept 80 cars in Hemmings Classic Car

Todd Ruel — 2009-07-19T22:10:15-04:00

If you’re an AMC fan, you need to check out Patrick Foster’s latest article in the September 2009 issue of Hemmings Classic Car. Foster tells a great story about his personal trip in 1977 to AMC’s Concept 80 show in New York City. AMC was showing some automotive ideas to the public, and Foster was there. In fact, he was escorted around the show floor by John Conde (AMC’s unofficial historian and public relations executive) and styling guru Dick Teague. The article features all of the Concept 80 cars, but there’s one total standout: the AM Van. AMC coulda/shoulda built this stylish minivan and beat Chrysler to market by three or more years. Even though the article features several great color illustrations of the cars, there’s no substitute for being there. So we dug through the Torq-O Media Archive and found this vintage 1977 news film. (We bought the film from John Conde himself several years back.)

Lucky Lee Lott in Garage Magazine

Todd Ruel — 2009-07-23T18:51:34-04:00

Back in the day, it seems like every car manufacturer had a group of stunt drivers who jumped, burned, wrecked, and tortured its cars at public events like county fairs. ...And Nash had Lucky Lee Lott. So imagine my jaw-dropping surprise when I saw a picture of the late Lucky Lee Lott in Issue 18 of Jesse James’ Garage Magazine. ... Only some chest thumping from Garage at Lott’s expense.) The picture shows an older Lucky Lee behind the wheel of one of his stunt cars. A reader sent in the photo claiming that THIS is the kind of guy who reads Garage. I laughed, and it’s all in good humor. But Garage reminds me of some nerd who has to stand in front of the mirror and tell himself every morning what a badass he is even at the expense of others (like Lucky). ... Friends, if you have to loudly announce your garage cred to everyone who cracks the spine of your magazine, then you, sirs, are not really badasses. ...There’s an awful lot that Garage does right.

Hudson, DeSoto, & Muntz in Collectible Automobile

Todd Ruel — 2009-07-04T21:51:17-04:00

Collectible Automobile (STILL no web site) hit home runs with each of its three Photo Features in its August 2009 issue. ...It looks like a long, sleek, beautiful vitamin tablet with headlights. ... Very slab sided like a lot of postwar cars. ... I’d love to drift my way through the weekly cruise in with this car. ...It has one of those painted-on, fake wooden dashboards that were so popular in midsize cars like Nash. Thank God they stopped building tanks for war and reverted to building tanks for the boulevard. I’m sure it’s no accident that the first picture in this Feature is a closeup of the hood ornament. ... It’s the kind of design statement that says, “Wherever you’re going, I’m following.” The last spread in this issue is a pretty 1941 Hudson pickup. I’ve always liked these trucks along with the ’46-’47 Hudson pickups.

1966 AMC Ambassador convertible in Cars & Parts

Todd Ruel — 2009-07-06T00:35:35-04:00

The folks at Cars & Parts (right up the highway from us in Sidney, OH) often give the guys who work for the Hemmpire in Vermont a run for their money. Their cover story about the ’66 AMC Ambassador 990 convertible in the July 2009 issue is a great example. Richard Truesdell wrote a great story about what American Motors was doing at that time. He talks about how owner Ken Norman’s car is tricked out with every factory option except the tachometer. ...So I burrowed deep into the Torq-O Media Archive until only my feet were sticking of the hole. ... The 16mm commercial spot that they crowbarred out of my hands is the secret sauce for this article. ... ...You would have seen this video running in the middle of some big TV special on one of the big three networks at that time. ...Nevertheless, for one glorious year, AMC showed that the littlest American car company could write checks just as big as the Big Three.

Pontiac: welcome to the Torq-O Garage!

Todd Ruel — 2009-05-13T12:30:00-04:00

Orphan car fans: we hate to be the last to report that Pontiac is joining the Torq-O Garage. We’re really late to jump on the story, because we’ve been rearranging the cars in our 250-car orphan garage with a giant Weather Eye conditioned air system. ...Since all of our cars are iconic examples of their marques, we traded in our rusty Pontiac Astre for a fresh new Solstice Coupe. ...Instead of commenting on Pontiac’s demise ourselves, we thought we’d provide you with a variety of viewpoints from across the internetosphere. Before Pontiac went floor pan up, the New York Times had an interesting article about the brand’s shriveling. ...Then there was a bit of news about Pontiac dealers trying to buy the brand from G.M. ...Steven Cole Smith of The Orlando Sentinel tried to educate readers about our particular brand of classic car appreciation with his own article about orphan cars. ...We didn’t want to be left out of the party, so we waded into The Torq-O Media Archive to bring you an audio snack. ...So we hopped on over to The Auburn University Library Special Collections as well as John MacDonald’s Oldcarandtruckpictures web site to add some zazz to to the sounds. ...

British films DVD update #1

Todd Ruel — 2009-04-17T20:23:38-04:00

Some of the interesting material includes a Graham-Paige film called Four Speeds Forward as well as a copy of the Graham-Paige Legion March. ...We’ve also carted home tons of AMC and Studebaker media as well as a sprinkling of Packard, Hudson, and Kaiser-Frazer films and radio commercials. ...Recently, however, we “strayed” from our American roots and bought three 1959 British orphan car films from the poor man’s Sotheby’s. ...The New Hillman Minx: a seven-minute promotional ode to a British granny car best remembered by humorist/heckler Dave Barry (We love the that article, but we also would love to have a Hillman Minx. ...Usually, when we buy these films, there are always one or two people who want a copy on DVD. You’d think that would be an easy way to make a buck and help recoup the cost of buying the film. ...So we were doubtful when a few members of the Sunbeam Alpine Owners Club of America wanted DVD copies of these Rootes Group films. We said, “Okay, but we need a firm commitment from at least 10 people, and we need payment up front, and we need a list of names and addresses.” ...I’m happy to report that the films are safely in the hands of our film transfer service. ...If you’re interested in joining the ranks of these Alpine owners who put their money where their passion is, send me an email.

Torq-O Podcast #10: Margery Krevsky and the Sirens of Chrome

Todd Ruel — 2009-03-13T23:49:21-04:00

Torq-O talks with Margery Krevsky, the author of a new book about auto show models called Sirens of Chrome. Margery tells us how models at auto shows evolved from decorations to walking automotive encyclopedias. She also takes us behind the scenes and tells us what it takes for a model to become fully turntable enabled. Also, listen in for a rare soundtrack from an early female product specialist: Florence Henderson. (That’s right, before she married into The Brady Bunch, she was Oldsmobile’s favorite spokesactress in the late 1950’s.) Go to our Podcast page to get the straight audio podcast or the video-enhanced version featuring stills from the book.

AMC Pacers in Collectible Automobile

Todd Ruel — 2009-02-09T21:34:33-05:00

Here’s great news for Pacer fans, especially those of you who invested in our limited edition Gremlin/Pacer DVD last year. Collectible Automobile Magazine (still no web site) has published a Patrick Foster article on the first “wide small car” in its April 2009 edition. I applaud Foster and CA for starting to incorporate some quotes into their stories. ... However, I have to give Foster & Co. some credit for actually incorporating quotes from Gerald Meyers, Roy Chapin, and Bill Luneberg. (I realize it’s easier for Foster to use quotes from actual interviews, because many AMC execs are still alive and accessible. Eg., take a listen to our Bill McNealy and Gerald Meyers podcasts.) To add to the Pacer love, we’d like to offer a very special video. ... (We could not include this video in our Gremlin/Pacer DVD, because we stuffed the DVD with other important and previously unseen films.) ... By the way, we have a few extra copies of our Gremlin/Pacer DVD.

BTDT #3: Auto Towers

Todd Ruel — 2009-01-25T22:30:07-05:00

I went to the 2009 North American Auto Show on Friday. Before I got into the building, I knew I had something great to show you. Right across the street from Cobo Center, Smart had built a tower and stacked it full of its Matchbox-sized automotive triangles. It reminded me immediately of Nash's Tower of Progress at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. The Nash tower was a glass-enclosed box with an elevator that raised and lowered cars inside the tower. ...Check out this photo on Virtual Tourist of a Smart Car tower in Germany. It's virtually identical to Nash's 1933 effort. The cars rise and lower inside the tower. However, the Smart version is more like a vending machine. A customer could choose a car to take for a test drive, and the car would exit at ground level ready for a spin around town.

Jeff Teague draws on father's work to update classic AMCs

Todd Ruel — 2008-12-06T18:39:38-05:00

Jeff Teague, the son of Dick Teague, AMC's Vice-President of Design, has published some 3D renderings of an updated AMX and Gremlin on the Hemmings Auto Blog. I like the AMX version, and I really like the top of Jeff's Gremlin, but together, they don't make my EKG start beeping fast. ...Autoblog said about the Gremlin "we like that it's not blatantly retro." ... I think virtually all of the blatantly retro designs from the past 10 years have been very appealing. Maybe retro design is waning, but I've never found ugliness in the clever updating of classic designs that have proven timeless and successful. A few more classic Gremlin and AMX design cues would not have hurt those renderings at all. So Jeff, here's my $10 Torq-O Challenge: please update the Matador Coupe! Since AMC used the letter X to denote a lot of trim variations in their cars, I'm putting up a Hamilton to see what you can do to help out the aesthetically challenged Matador Coupe. Send the renderings and your PayPal ID, and I'll be happy to share your work with the rest of the world. ...Give us AMC fans a Christmas present, and I'll send you 10 of the U.S.

High-Performance Studebakers in Collectible Automobile

Todd Ruel — 2008-11-23T17:43:20-05:00

Look for Bob Palma's story about Studebaker's fast Fifties and Sixties cars in the February 2009 issue of Collectible Automobile. Lotsa facts and figures. (Couldn't you guys do that stuff with some friendly charts or graphics? Why keep writing these stories like college textbooks? Will there be an exam after the article?) Nevertheless, Palma does a good job shoehorning all those stats under the hood of a nine page story that is 65% pictures. And I DO like seeing those beautifully styled Hawks, Larks and Avantis.

Jim Richardson on restoration vs. rodsteration

Todd Ruel — 2008-11-22T18:13:53-05:00

Jim tells the story of a guy who had a rare 1933 Hupmobile that was all original and had been stored since World War II. He then listened in horror as the owner said he was going to rod it out and "personalize" it. ...Jim feels, and I agree, that it's better to restore these vehicles to their original condition rather than turn them into just another canvas for self-expression. ...If that car was one step away from the crusher, it's better that a car gets rodded out rather than squished into a door stop. However, if that car is an orphan, especially a rare one like a Hupmobile, ya gotta keep it the way the manufacturer built it. It's more important as a rolling piece of history rather than your personal art car. ...Accusing them of lacking "wisdom and maturity" won't exactly keep the purple flames off of their Packards, Willys Americars, or Studebakers. Just like our current national political situation, I think we need to find a way to unite the street rodders with us rather than driving them away. They'll respect us a little more, and I think we'll find that we all have a lot more in common than we first thought. And the next time an old original Graham-Paige or Hudson pops up, we might just steer the tempted owner away from the Dark Purple Side.

Orphan brands in shorthand

Todd Ruel — 2008-11-12T22:55:24-05:00

What better way to stir up interest in our favorite orphan cars than the threat of GM, Ford, and Chrysler going chassis up? While the media chew on the subject, I found a BusinessWeek slide show that devotes a picture and a paragraph each to dozens of our favorite orphan brands. (What's up with some of those weird pix they chose to represent some of the most famous brands? If you mention a Lark or an Avanti as an example of a Studebaker, wouldn't it make sense to use a picture of said vehicles? Hmm.)

RIP: Evelyn Ay Sempier (1933-2008)

Todd Ruel — 2008-10-26T23:00:13-04:00

I just learned from Chris Custin, the Historian for the Metropolitan Owners Club of North America, that Evelyn Ay Sempier, Miss America 1954, died last Saturday. ...Courtesy of David Austin ...Evelyn was special to Metropolitan fans, because Nash sponsored the Miss America contest when she was crowned. Nash called upon her to officially "unveil" the Metropolitan to the public at the Chicago Auto Show in early 1954. She also bought (with some of her Miss America prize money) one of the early Metropolitan convertibles for her brother. ... ...Evelyn Ay Sempier when Torq-O
spoke with her: July 12th, 1997 ...Back in 1997, we started to interview all of the surviving participants in the design, building, and selling of the Metropolitan. ...We went to her home near Philadelphia and spent the afternoon of July 12th, 1997, talking to her about her association with the pageant and with Nash. ...My favorite anecdote that she shared with us was about a typical day in the life of Miss America: always smiling, sleeping on the plane, riding in Nash Ambassadors, breathless, hungry, expected to have opinions on world hunger, Communism, crop rotation, and juvenile delinquency.

Torq-O Podcast #9: AMC CEO Gerald Meyers

Todd Ruel — 2008-10-13T15:41:35-04:00

If you want to know what goes on in a car company, you go straight to the top. Torq-O's newest podcast features a rare and exclusive interview with Gerald Meyers, the CEO at American Motors from 1977 to 1982. Meyers talks about his early days at the company and some of its unforgettable cars. Don't miss Meyers' take on the Marlin, the Javelin, the AMX, and a little project called the AMX/3. Meyers also shares his memories about the men behind the machines: George Romney, Roy Abernethy, and Dick Teague. Go to our Podcast page, and get it straight from the CEO's mouth. ... Fire up iTunes, and search for Torq-O. Then click the Torq-O logo, and download this podcast. (This podcast is a perfect companion to our Bill McNealy interview. If you haven't listened to that conversation, go to our Podcast page and download both of them!)

RIP: John Conde (1918-2008)

Todd Ruel — 2008-10-05T00:00:27-04:00

...John reaches out and touches someone in this 1956 Nash publicity photo ...He had a front row seat to that history as a public relations exec who watched Nash merge with Hudson to form American Motors which later bought the Jeep brand. ...In addition, he allowed me into his house in 2000 to interview him extensively about his Nash/AMC career. ... ...John talks to Torq-O about the Metropolitan in 1998 ...He once told me that former AMC President Bill Luneberg called him "the company's greatest used car salesman" for his efforts to preserve materials about AMC's past. In fact, he was allowed to take a lot of that material with him when he retired. ...If he sensed your motives were in the interest of helping someone or preserving auto history, he was always very selfless and giving. John lived through some fascinating times in the auto industry, and we're lucky that he chronicled and catalogued them vividly and prodigiously.

Torq-O Podcast #8: Random Rides

Todd Ruel — 2008-10-04T00:08:55-04:00

Torq-O often talks with authors and executives about your favorite orphan cars. This time, we spoke with owners. Join us for conversations with the people who own the titles at the Bob Poole Orphan Car Show at Carillon Park in Dayton, Ohio, on September 27, 2008. You'll meet the drivers of some great cars: a 1968 AMC Javelin, a 1963 Studebaker Lark Wagonaire, a 1959 AMC Ambassador, a 1973 Plymouth Gold Duster, a 1954 Hudson Jet, a 1935 Hupmobile, and a 1965 AMC Marlin. Go to our Podcast page for the audio-only and video-enhanced versions.

I'm just saying: can't car shows be more exciting?

Todd Ruel — 2008-09-28T22:42:15-04:00

I love orphan cars, but I hate it when people go to all the trouble of organizing the event, but they don't publicize it well. ...What was painful to see was all that wide open space in the park that was formerly covered with Studebakers, Packards, AMCs, Hudsons, Oldsmobiles, etc. ...Furthermore, I wish that people who organized these events could figure out something new and interesting to do with them rather than create the same old shows that look and feel like old car parking lots. ...For instance, why can't we offer casual visitors the opportunity to drive these cars themselves (with close supervision, of course)? Let them experience what it's like to start a brass-era car or drive a '31 Hupmobile? ...Would it be very difficult to borrow or rent a car-sized turntable for the event and put cars on the turntable for 10 minutes each? Turntables at car shows almost always enhance the image of a show and the prestige of the cars that are on them. (You could snag some extra cash by videotaping the cars on the turntable and selling that footage to the owners.) ...When I sold my products at the 2006 AMO International show, I created a CD filled with vintage AMC radio spots. ...Isn't it time we created a little excitement about old cars the way new car dealers do?

Jack Miller gets more ink.

Todd Ruel — 2008-08-03T09:04:35-04:00

There's a really beautiful pictorial spread of Jack Miller's Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum in Issue 308 of AmericanDriver Magazine. Jack is well known as the founder of the annual Orphan Car Show and for being the operator of Miller Motors, the last Hudson dealership. But don't take my word for it. Try some words from The Detroit News. Or maybe Hemmings Motor News. Or The New York Times, perhaps? Or Forward Magazine. Or The Kalamazoo Gazette. Or... Jack, can I get your the name of your publicist?

Another AMC interview!

Todd Ruel — 2008-07-27T16:38:27-04:00

Hey, AMC fans! I just got off the phone with a great guy. In fact, he's the subject of my next podcast. Gerald Meyers, the former Chairman of American Motors, spent an hour reminiscing about AMC and several of the cars they built. Check back here for some fun stories about Roy Abernethy, the Marlin, the Javelin, the AMX, and the AMX/3. (Give me some time to edit it first, okay?)

Torq-O Podcast #7: Bill McNealy on the Javelin

Todd Ruel — 2008-07-20T19:29:39-04:00

He was a force of nature at AMC in the Late Sixties. He drove the company to modernize its image. He took American Motors by the shoulders and yelled, "Wake up!!" as he shook the company out of its sleepy granny-car complacency. He helped to make AMC more appealing to the exploding youth market. He had passion and energy and impatience that seemed almost elemental. Call it McNealium. Now, in a Torq-O exclusive podcast, we bring you an interview with AMC's former Vice-President of Marketing, Bill McNealy. Listen in as he talks about the car that he used to create a tidal wave of good buzz for AMC: the Javelin.

My Metropolitan: it's alive!!!

Todd Ruel — 2008-07-20T11:37:25-04:00

Last week, I got my 1961 Metropolitan hard top back from MG Automotive! I took it to owner/operator Steve Miller and told him to fix every mechanical component that looked like it wanted to take the day off. ...Yesterday, I went to the local BMV to get new plates and tags. As I left, I noticed an old furniture showroom had been turned into an indoor flea market. I've always been a total sucker for that kind of stuff, so I went in and looked around. By total chance, I found a booth that sold vintage Ohio license plates. ... I bought 'em on the spot and retraced my steps back to the BMV 100 yards away to get the vintage plates registered. ...I've already had a "discussion" with the insurance folks about the definition of "pleasure drive." I don't intend to keep this car hermetically sealed in the garage. ... (Even though the photo doesn't show it, there are little rust bubbles, and the rubber is old & crusty.)

Gremlin/Pacer DVD update

Todd Ruel — 2008-06-28T19:57:02-04:00

Friends, there are gremlins in my Gremlin/Pacer DVD. To all of my investors, I want you to know that I've been working very diligently to burn a usable master for this project. But currently I'm stuck in the garage up on blocks. I use a MacBook Pro and iDVD to burn my masters. ... Like a Rambler, the whole project is simple. It's simple to author the project in iDVD and simple to burn on my Mac. ...I have to switch to Plan B to burn a good master. It will take some time, but I'll do it. And all of you who are investors on my list WILL get your DVDs. I will kick these Gremlins across the horizon line.

Nash Airflytes in The New York Times

Todd Ruel — 2008-05-27T22:31:37-04:00

I was wondering why the traffic to our site spiked on May 23rd. ...The New York Times published a story by Kit Kiefer about the 1949-51 Nash Airflytes and the Nash Car Club of America's founder Jim Dworschack. The story reminds America that the bathtub Nashes were part sleeper sofa, part camper, and completely comfortable. You could drive an Airflyte Statesman or Ambassador off the beaten path and park it near a stream. There you could cast your line into the water and later sleep under the stars in your bedroom-on-wheels Nash. ...It's great at long last to see this story in print. ... Kiefer with a copy of our 1950 Nash Airflyte Trailer. I was happy to help, but honestly, I forgot about the whole affair until I saw the story in print. ... It's a great tribute to the Airflytes and to Jim, who founded the Nash Car Club at age 15 in 1969. One of the most impressive elements of the story is the fantastic photo of Jim by photographer Andy Manis.

1916 Scripps-Booth in Collectible Automobile

Todd Ruel — 2008-05-18T20:16:18-04:00

I keep coming back to the June 2008 issue of Collectible Automobile, because there are a lot of great orphans in this issue. I always thought that CA confined itself to post-WWII cars, but I may have to change my thinking about this magazine. (I suspect it's because the content in their chosen field is finite. ...When you turn a few chapters farther back in history, you find some really interesting stuff. The Photo Feature of the 1916 Scripps-Booth Model C Roadster is a good example. Before this company was gobbled up by GM, they produced some cool Brass Era buggies. The Model C, pictured here on another web site, was a "luxurious light car" with a floor that was lower than the chassis rails. The Model C pioneered this concept 32 years before (and several hundred pounds lighter than) the Stepdown Hudsons of 1948. They made 6,000 of these from 1915 to 1916 before William Durant bought the company in 1917. ...Maybe it was a "safety feature" like the padded dashes of Kaiser-Frazers in the 1950s.

1965-66 Rambler Classics in Collectible Automobile

Todd Ruel — 2008-05-15T23:50:13-04:00

AMC historian du jour Patrick Foster (It used to be folks like John Conde and Arch Brown.) just wrote a story about the 1965-66 Rambler Classics. Look for it in the June 2008 issue of Collectible Automobile. These cars are usually forgotten, because they weren't sexy, and they were built at a time when AMC was pursuing the disastrous policy of competing with The Big Three. But I like the clean styling. The boxy shape definitely screams, "Get out of the way, or I'm gonna clip some hippies!" You'll get the usual ho-hum recitation of facts and figures, but I found some new and interesting items. Look for the sidebar story about the 1966 one-off Rebel station wagon called the St. ... It was a winter-themed custom car built for the 1966 Detroit Auto Show. I love the tinted rear windows that wrapped up into the roof. Also, look for the '66 Rebel hardtop owned by Christine and David McGowan (two fellow Buckeyes and friends of Torq-O).

Collectible Automobile has a sense of humor!

Todd Ruel — 2008-05-09T22:45:44-04:00

I really like what Collectible Automobile has done with their Design Fantasy sketch series. Basically, CA has asked, "What if Brand X cross-pollinated with Brand Y to create a car that looked a little like both?" Publisher Frank Peiler then sketches up the results. These visual mashups are fun. Some of them force you to do a double take. The Ford/Nash mutation in the June 2008 issue almost makes me do a spit take. Good job, Editor Biel. At least you're trying to lighten up the magazine while maintaining its scholarly credentials. (Now if we could just get CA to create a web site!)

Torq-O Podcast #6: Torq-O talks tubes!

Todd Ruel — 2008-04-29T19:27:15-04:00

Snap! Crackle! Pop! That's not the Rice Krispies elves, kids. That's the noise coming out of your vintage orphan car tube radio! You'll jump on it first thing after that engine rebuild, right? Well, now you don't have to wait. Torq-O talks with Jim Cross, the owner of Vacuum Tubes, Inc. Jim will tell you why car radios with tubes aren't that difficult or expensive to repair. Listen here, or check out the Enhanced Version on our Podcast page!

New Documentary: America's Original Crash Test Dummies

Todd Ruel — 2008-04-04T23:10:04-04:00

Pete Koziell, a Nash Car Club of America member, has co-produced a new documentary about the folks who crash cars for fun and not so much profit. The movie is called Hell Drivers: America's Original Crash Test Dummies, and Pete plans to take it on the road through the film festival circuit this summer. I checked out the web site. Although the film seems to be about modern hell drivers, I know that Pete has probably included historical footage of past hell drivers like Lucky Lee Lott (who wrecked Nashes for a living) and Aut Swenson (who destroyed Kaiser-Frazers).

New Video: Making the Gremlin/Pacer DVD

Todd Ruel — 2008-03-29T23:04:39-04:00

You might love old cars, and you're good with a wrench. At Torq-O, we love orphan cars, but we're better with a video camera. We've just posted a new video on YouTube that we think you'll like. It's a behind-the-scenes look at how we produced all of the media for our upcoming Gremlin/Pacer DVD. Watch below, and enjoy! Production Update: this sucker is 90% done! I still have to create introductions for two of the movies on the DVD, but everything else is ready to go. Bottom line: the DVD that all of you have been patiently waiting for will start shipping near the end of April.

Why do AMC fans want to throw Hot Rod Magazine into a raging tire fire?

Todd Ruel — 2008-03-07T16:50:25-05:00

In its April 2008 issue, writer Steve Stanford gave us the scoop on "the biggest story of the year, and no one saw it coming." His six page article is stuffed with details about the resurgence of AMC. He even had illustrations of modernized AMC classics like the Javelin, the AMX, the Gremlin, the Pacer, the Ambassador, and even the Matador coupe as visual proof that the brand was coming back. But then you get to the very bottom of the article where you learn that "... Hot Rod and Steve Stanford have been jacking with you-APRIL FOOLS!" AMC fans have responded with all the humor of a Marine drill sergeant. ... Over at the HotRod.com General Topics Forum, the response has ranged from "Chrysler are you listening? This is your chance to make a difference and make AMERICAN mean something! ... to "Do you know how many guys I have to tell that I'm a dumb ass - for not reading the fine print!" To the editors at Hot Rod: look both ways before crossing the street.

Torq-O

AMC Pacer is a "dirt cheap collectible car".

Torq-O's Rootes Group DVD is now available!

Oldsmobile interior in <em>Hemmings Motor News's</em> interior

Everything old is renewed again.

Franklin engine in <em>Hemmings Motor News</em>

Stout Scarab in <em>Hemmings Motor News</em>

Kaiser/IKA in <em>Gearhead</em>

1969 Iso Lele in <em>Hemmings Motor News</em>

Kaiser Darrins are <em>finally</em> valuable!

1958 De Soto Firesweep in <em>Hemmings Motor News</em>

Plymouth Duster 340 in <em>Muscle Car Review</em>

Fiat accidentally summons the ghost of Nash.

AMC intermediates at <em>Ate Up With Motor</em>

REO Royale in <em>Cars & Parts</em>

Willys-Knight sleeve-valve engine development in <em>Collectible Automobile</em>

Pontiac: End of the (Assembly) Line

Found: Martha Wright, Your Packard Girl

<i>A Season of Gifts</i> by Richard Peck

Rootes 3 DVD now available for a limited time!

<i>Ate Up With Motor</i>

Carleton Spencer in <em>Collectible Automobile</em>

1977 -78 AMC AMX in <em>Collectible Automobile</em>

British films DVD update #3

Just had to share

British films DVD update #2

Glenn Pray in <em>Hemmings Classic Car</em>

AMC Concept 80 cars in <em>Hemmings Classic Car</em>

Lucky Lee Lott in <em>Garage Magazine</em>

Hudson, DeSoto, & Muntz in <em>Collectible Automobile</em>

1966 AMC Ambassador convertible in <em>Cars & Parts</em>

Pontiac: welcome to the Torq-O Garage!

British films DVD update #1

Torq-O Podcast #10: Margery Krevsky and the <em>Sirens of Chrome</em>

AMC Pacers in <em>Collectible Automobile</em>

BTDT #3: Auto Towers

Jeff Teague draws on father's work to update classic AMCs

High-Performance Studebakers in <em>Collectible Automobile</em>