With so much new digital technology arriving daily in our lives, it’s hard to imagine that something as simple as...
Vintage Roadcar Columns
I’ve had a fortunate car life. I’ve owned a wide range of cars, enjoying various shows, events and the pleasure...
A few weeks ago McLaren released their new sports car to the public. It’s not fair to really call it a sports car anymore. Sports cars have radically changed since the term first classified these vehicles as lightweight steeds with agile road handling capabilities and spirited performance, more than 60...
I can think of few feelings worse than that moment of instant shock, when you turn the ignition key and...
When first introduced in 1959, the Mini Cooper was a revelation of automotive simplicity, economy, and delight. Designed by Sir...
As a car designer and vintage car enthusiast, I get a lot of questions about cars, the interest behind certain brands, why some cars look better than others, and what makes a car collectible. For the most part, cars are reflections of general tastes, cultural interests, and very often convey...
You may have read the news piece we posted a week ago about Jaguar’s announcement that their Classic division will...
Quintessential designs of the 20th century are all around us. These items are so familiar we often take their shape, color...
Over the past several years, I’ve waxed whimsical in this space about various historical, psychological and emotional aspects of the humble steering wheel. But a recent chain of events forced me to consider an aspect of the steering wheel I hadn’t contemplated before—the financial. A couple of months back, I...
Fair disclosure—I’ve wanted to write about this car for years. The Ford GT appeared, in 2005, as a production offering...
Over the course of the past month, a surge of activism has swirled through the American car collecting community. What...
This is technically the first issue of Vintage Roadcar as an online-only periodical. While many of us will miss the paper magazine, I felt it was important to take a moment to recognize the significance of this transition both in how cars are talked about, perceived by the public, and...
One of the interesting things about getting older—at least as a car enthusiast—is looking back on all the cars that...
May 2018 The first major car show I attended was the 1971 L.A. Auto Expo. As a wide-eyed nine-year-old, everything...
If you’ve been reading this space for any period of time (yes, I’m talking to both of you), then you’ll know that I’ve been occasionally whinging about parting with my 1962 Triumph Spitfire racecar. With the car essentially finished, but not track tested, I found I was kind of trapped...
The year 1962 was a big one. Not only was Seattle sporting its beautiful piercing tribute to the futuramic skyline...
I recently crossed another one of those landmarks that make you pause and consider your age and life. My youngest...
When I was a college student, some friends told me about a woman who ran a hair salon in her...
It’s come to my recent attention that I have an alcohol problem. Truthfully, I had no idea, but apparently, I’ve had one for at least the past two years. It was insidiously gradual. At first, it was just occasional, but then as time progressed, it became pretty much every weekend....
I pedaled my bike past the edge of our main street and down the Santa Monica canyon road toward the...
During the early days of the automobile (1890–1940), coachbuilding—the construction of bodywork for a vehicle—was as vital a part of...
December 2017 Comb through the history of 20th century car designs, and one name continually appears over and over again. Tom Tjaarda. Though Tjaarda never penned his name as a brand or touted his individual accomplishments, he quietly assembled an astonishing career of automotive achievements. Indeed, Tjaarda (a U.S.-born, Detroit...
“One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in the...
Stunning looks, capable performance and, today, an undisputed fixture in the automotive lexicon of excellence, the Jaguar D-Type has become...
Does the recent passing of a cornerstone in the Lotus community mark the end of an era? Just as we were going to press with this issue, at the end of August, I was heart broken to learn of the passing of Lotus enthusiast Dave Bean. Over the course of...
Where were you when the engine died? Sudden death of a close friend or a high profile celebrity is always...
I had dinner with Carroll Shelby in 1997. Among the dozens of things I remember him telling me, the most poignant...
What if you could change cars as frequently as your wardrobe? Since I’m currently single-handedly underwriting the University of Southern California’s latest campus expansion, I’m about to give you—our valued subscriber—a tremendous money-making opportunity…for free. But first, a little backstory. Become a Member & Get Ad-Free Access To This Article...