Long before books were sold online, before you could shop for anything and have it delivered to your door, or...
In the 1980s, the idea of a Japanese Luxury Sedan was a radical concept. Most North American perceptions around Japanese...
I’ve been revisiting a series of cars recently from the period of my youth. There’s something to be said about the cars we saw everyday while young. Even if they were part of our general visual landscape some of them captivated us in a strangely endearing way. The Saab 900...
After suffering what must be called the worst five years of American car design 1974-1979, the 1980s ushered in the...
Every year the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance offers a spectacular showing of amazing cars. I am fortunate to get a...
I graduated from Art Center College of Design in 1987. MTV was in full swing, Compact Disc players were the rage, a cartoon snippet called “The Simpsons” saw its debut, and Rap music was coming on strong. Staring at the screen of my bulky desktop computer, floppy disc at the...
Few motoring experiences can compare to the exhilaration of driving a convertible sports car. The open road before you, the...
Car design has always been a passion of mine. The idea that you can begin with just a drawing, blend...
Automotive history is riddled with innovators and entrepreneurs seeking the very best, most powerful, and dynamic sports cars bearing their own name. And while we are familiar with many of those names operating on shoestring budgets, hopes, and dreams, there are a few lesser-known examples that achieved premium levels of...
This is technically the first issue of Vintage Roadcar as an online-only periodical. While many of us will miss the...
The BMW 507 is frequently cited as one of the most beautifully designed cars regardless of era, origin or classification. Designer...
With so much new digital technology arriving daily in our lives, it’s hard to imagine that something as simple as a new material could spawn an entirely new industry and market, lasting for decades. But that’s exactly what fiberglass did. Easy to use and relatively low cost, fiberglass fit perfectly...
From March 8 to Sept 30, the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, Italy, will host a special exhibit, the Ferrari Supercar....
My friend had done well that year. He was quite a bit older, but we’d bonded over cars, especially as...
The 1929 Lincoln Aero Phaeton, by LeBaron, was one of the earliest American vehicles to employ a tailfin. Priced at a towering $7,400, it sold poorly and was not cataloged the following year. Today fins are remembered as the outward expression of our automotive engineering prowess during the height of...
We’re all creatures of water. Millions of years ago we emerged from a boiling primordial stew as multi-cell organisms, evolved...
This is my 50th article for Vintage Road & Racecar. I didn’t realize it until my editor sent me a thank...
In 1972, I was 10-years old when my dad drove home in a tiny little black convertible. I’d never seen anything like it. American cars were giant hulks with trunks that could swallow a Mini-Cooper and front bench seats that could double as living room sofas. Our 1952 Crosley Super...
On January 15, 2021, Jerry Wiegert passed away. If you struggle to recall that name or its significance in the...
GT350 Dear Editor, As a 30-plus year owner of a GT350H, the Hertz car on the cover of your Roadcar...
When first introduced in 1959, the Mini Cooper was a revelation of automotive simplicity, economy, and delight. Designed by Sir Alec Issigonis, primarily called upon to respond to the 1958 fuel crisis plaguing the UK and much of Europe, the diminutive Mini instantly won hearts, charming a wide range of...
We purchased a 1964 Mercedes-Benz 230 SL in the early 1980s. The car came out of Dekalb, Georgia, so it...
The Steelers Wheel 1973 pop tune “Stuck in the Middle with You” could very well have been the theme song...
Quintessential adjective quin·tes·sen·tial | \ ˌkwin-tə-ˈsen(t)-shəl :of the pure and essential essence of something :of or relating to the most perfect embodiment of something By the time the second world war came to an end, the quintessential sports car featured a long rectangular hood, suspended headlights, flowing separate fenders, a flat wooden dashboard and wire wheels. For motoring enthusiasts, the SS Jaguar, Morgan, or vintage MG...
July 2017 Porsche 914 – The Racing History By Roy Smith Writing about a subject is relatively easy when there...
Regular readers of this column will know that I delight in the obscure, so imagine my joy when at the...
Red Line Oil Most classic car enthusiasts would sooner pour water into their crankcase before using synthetic oil in vintage applications (especially on anything built in Britain). Red Line Synthetic Oil is formulated, however, to meet the particular needs of older engines with wider bearing clearances despite its fully-synthetic ester...
Autodromo Stradale Autodromo’s latest timepiece design draws inspiration from dashboard instruments found in Italian sports cars of the late 1950s,...
In the mid 1990s, I had the pleasure of spending the day with Carroll Shelby. After walking through his LA...
Every year flocks of determined swallows return to mission San Juan Capistrano, California – a journey of 6,000 miles. It’s a sight that inspires many to reflect on certain things in life as a miracle. In 1954, a miracle could very well have changed the fate of a small car...
