Automobile History

Secret Jeep Easter Eggs

A tiny spider greets you in Italian when you open the fuel door. Flip-flops honor a journalist who refused to wear proper shoes. A dinosaur skull hides under your floor mat. Jeep Easter eggs are small hidden designs that Jeep designers incorporate into every vehicle model. These range from tiny animal silhouettes to Morse code messages to tributes honoring the brand’s 1941 military origins. The tradition spans nearly three decades and includes every current Jeep: Wrangler, Gladiator, Grand Cherokee, Grand Wagoneer, and Compass. Some owners drive for years without noticing them. Others make finding every last one a personal mission. The tradition started with a single designer who wanted to leave his mark on an icon. According to Motor Authority’s

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What a concept! LA Auto Show continues future car prototype spotlight — barely

The 1938 Buick Y-Job has a unique and dubious place in automotive history. It arguably had the worst name of any vehicle ever made. More important, it was the first concept car. It’s the practice of showcasing a vehicle to the public it may never be able to purchase. Harley J. Earl, the automotive designer and industry executive icon whose “Project Opel” became the Chevrolet Corvette, drove the concept for years. It had electric windows, flush door handles, a “gunsight” hood ornament, power-operated hidden headlamps and wraparound bumpers. The Y-Job, a 2-door convertible coupe with a 5.2-liter engine, also featured the waterfall grille design still used by Buick. Its name, in part, was Earl’s penchant for being different. While other

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#268 Newport Car Museum Adds Prized Collection of Vintage Porsches

Gunther Buerman and his wife Maggie Buerman opened the Newport Car Museum in 2017 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. They’ve constantly updated the combined automobile and history museum including its latest presentation — an homage to Porsche. Gunther Buerman, whose interest in automobiles began as a young boy when practiced wax paper transfer etchings of car advertisements from National Geographic Magazine, is our guest on this week’s episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. A repeat guest who was willed a 1966 Ford Mustang nearly 40 years ago, Buerman owns dozens of vehicles, none any more important than his collection of the German sports cars of his early youth. He moved to New York as a young boy with his family where

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Aston Martin Bulldog exceeds 200 mph 44 years after debut

The first and only Aston Martin Bulldog has finally reached the 200 miles per hour milestone it was built to achieve. It took decades. Classic Motor Cars, a United Kingdom-based vintage car repair shop, recently announced the Bulldog reached a top speed of 205.4 mph at a former NATO base in Scotland. Darren Turner, three-time Le Mans class winner and test driver for Aston Martin, piloted the Bulldog. “Bulldog’s 200 mph goal has been over 40 years in the making, being part of that legacy is a fantastic feeling,” said Turner whose previous attempts at reaching 200 mph in 2021 fell short. Classic Motor Cars spent 7,000 hours over 18 months to bring this Bulldog as close as possible to

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Adam Levine singing Fake Maserati Blues, sues dealer

Adam Levine, lead vocalist for pop music group Maroon 5, purchased a $1 Million, one-of-25 Maserati Ghibli 4.9 Spyder in exchange for two Ferraris from classic car dealer Rick Cole in late 2020. Levine filed a lawsuit last Friday against Cole two years after the deal, claiming the ultra-rare Maserati isn’t authentic. The lawsuit accuses the classic car dealer of negligent misrepresentation, intentional misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, and breach of contract and is asking for at least $850,000 in damages or to undo the $950,000 exchange. Documents obtained by the New York Post claim Cole or those affiliated with his business intentionally faked the documentation, chassis, and engine authentication. Markings on the build plate, VIN, and stampings on various parts of the chassis were shown

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Velocity Invitational: Mario Andretti, epic races, big crowds

LAGUNA SECA – The Velocity Invitational, a motorsports festival held Oct. 14-16 at WeatherTech Raceway, was a nod to the adage that good things come in threes. First, there was living legend Mario Andretti, 82, behind the wheel of a modern Formula 1 car for the first time. Second was exciting split-second race finishes that thrilled the crowd of more than 15,000. Third was the tens of millions of dollars worth of vintage race and hypercars gracing the track. It made the Velocity Invitational one of the country’s more unique motorsports experiences. While the three-day event featured hundreds of vehicles across 10 different groups and classifications, it wasn’t hard to argue Andretti’s turn on the raceway was the highlight for

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#151, Interstate 80 museum honors military history

About halfway between Sacramento and San Francisco, travelers on Interstate 80 can visit an iconic brewery, renowned confectionery or an indoor-outdoor homage to military transportation within minutes. But a full day’s visit to one or any combination of the attractions is warranted. The setting is a trio of museums all located within a few-mile radius on farmland off frontage roads in Fairfield, an agricultural hub in Solano County. The Anheuser-Busch facility doesn’t have much in common with Jelly Belly or the American Armory Museum. But the latter two destinations share much. Geoff Lippman, the military museum’s general manager and curator, is our guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast. Lippman discusses the history of the museum, its ever-expanding collection

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For sale: 340 cars, 5 acres in British Columbia for $1 million

After 40 years of collecting vintage cars, Mike Hall has had enough. The rock scaler from British Columbia is selling more than 340 cars is various conditions as well as the property where the relics rest. Hall is the owner of the unique real estate listing. The combination of the five-acre listing includes the cars, a salvage business, storage property and a 900-square-foot stocked restoration shop. The asking price is slightly more than $1 million (converted from Canadian dollars). Hall explains further details of his obsession with old cars on the website www.driving.ca. While traveling often in his job as a rock scaler, Hall finds cars he wants and buys them. The cars range from Dodges to Fords to Chevy

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Bugatti As Kinetic Art? Rare Pedal Cars Honor Iconic Brand

Bugatti is often considered the world’s most prestigious automobile. The French car company was founded in 1909 by Ettore Bugatti. Throughout its more its now nearly 108-year history, the craftsmanship of its vehicles is unmatched. Despite the beauty and legend of Bugatti, the exclusive company has endured its pitfalls like nearly every other high-end manufacturer. Ettore Bugatti died in 1947 and was preceded in death by his son Jean. The elder’s passing marked the beginning of the demise of the original company. The company was in such financial disarray in the early 1960s, its inventory was sold for use as airplane parts. The company was sold to Hispano-Suiza in 1963, and the Bugatti name was sold to its current owner

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Barn Find: Old cars and three guys on the road

Chances are every vintage car enthusiast has had the same dream. You’re driving along a country road and notice the door open on an old barn. You catch a glimpse of an old car, perhaps sprouting weeds or rust or both. It’s a Barn Find. You stop and talk with owner and he’s willing to sell the Studebaker or the Porsche or the Volkswagen camper or the old Dodge pick-up or maybe even the Rolls-Royce or Bugatti. That’s the premise of the intriguing coffeetable-sized book, Barn Find Road Trip. Author and photographer Tom Cotter, collector friend Brian Barr and photographer Michael Alan Ross embarked on a 14-day trek through several states in a 1939 Ford Woody. They uncovered more than

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History of Ambulance Vehicles

The ambulance is among the most recognizable and unique vehicles on the road. The history of the ambulance is long and developmental, dating to 15th century when in Spain wagons were used for the transporting the wounded. The modern word ambulance derives the French word ambulant. It means “ambulant field hospital” and its first known use was in 1809. Since then, ambulance vehicles have undergone a vast transformation. Ambulances in the Civil War Prior to the 20th century, most emergency transportation was done with horse-drawn carts or wagons. During the American Civil War, these wagons were used to transport wounded soldiers from the battle field. It wasn’t until William A. Hammond took control of the Office of the Surgeon General

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