Gunsmoke

Man, does he have a stable of interesting cars in the background. Hope he does a few more, maybe even show a few engine shots.

Since there is a Navy Yard topper, most likely a plate indicating someone important, or for a particular reserved parking spot, or maybe a motor pool number. Rare car, so I'm leaning toward someone important!

"Guilty Pleasure" I always think of as something you are not supposed to do or have, but a little taste won't hurt! Like having a shot of nice single malt whiskey from a $500 bottle, oooh so good, but too pricey to be able to enjoy more than one or two at a time. I still vividly remember getting the chance to jump behind the wheel of a new friend's brand new Austin Healy 3000 (a gift from his grandmother) in fall of 1964 during university days and running it through the gears on a twisty rural road. I was driving a 1960 Consul at the time, like comparing a pair of alligator shoes to the box they came in. Another time I was filling up and a guy I sort of knew pulled up at next pump with a genuine mid-sixties red Cobra 427, I commented on what a great car they were. He said "want to take a spin around the block". Talk about a rush. So "guilty pleasures" should be not something you can achieve on your own, but something you just get to have a taste of now and then. Haven't had one for a while, maybe it's time to start looking again.

A topic like this can go places we might never understand or appreciate, I think bob Dylan captured the idea of change best back in 1964, a hymn to all of us who think we got it all figured out. One of the best set of lyrics ever written IMHO. Come gather 'round, people, Wherever you roam And admit that the waters, Around you have grown And accept it that soon, You'll be drenched to the bone If your time to you is worth savin' And you better start swimmin', Or you'll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin' Come writers and critics, Who prophesize with your pen And keep your eyes wide, The chance won't come again And don't speak too soon, For the wheel's still in spin And there's no tellin' who That it's namin' For the loser now, Will be later to win For the times they are a-changin' Come senators, congressmen, Please heed the call Don't stand in the doorway, Don't block up the hall For he that gets hurt, Will be he who has stalled The battle outside is ragin' Will soon shake your windows, And rattle your walls For the times they are a-changin' Come mothers and fathers, Throughout the land And don't criticize, What you can't understand Your sons and your daughters, Are beyond your command Your old road is rapidly agin' Please get out of the new one, If you can't lend your hand For the times they are a-changin' The line it is drawn, The curse it is cast The slow one now, Will later be fast As the present now, Will later be past The order is rapidly fadin' And the first one now, Will later be last For the times they are a-changin'

Not a thing wrong with fun!

Here's the Garage shot, a garage he built in tight quarters just to hold this old girl. He has a separate garage where he is currently working on a '36 Packard and a 1917 or so REO truck.

here are some more recent photos of my friends 1927 Pontiac Landauu Coupe, a sweet little ride, all finished now, garage shot taken today.

I helped a friend put one of these back together 6/7 years ago, a project his Dad had begun 50 years ago and never finished. This is a '27 Landau Coupe, and he has painted it same colors as yours. In his case, his Dad had finished the drivetrain and chassis and passed away 10 years ago. 50% of the wood framing was missing and we had nothing much to go by, but using the sheet metal as a guide and lots of period illustrations and photos, managed to make everything needed. It is now a great little better than "driver quality"beauty.

Are you folks aware of the "Isolation Island Concour's d'elegance" being run by Hemmings now? A virtual competition for model vehicles in diecast or resin, many different categories, check it out. different event every 2 weeks until the cloud breaks. And BTW, great looking aircraft.

Randal Pittman is still vey much alive. I hope he does not get to read these very uncharitable sarcastic comments. C'mon guys, grow up!

Tough group, and some nice ones, I got 3 including one you didn't!! # 6 is a 1959 Mercury, not a 1956. My older brother and my dad had '55 and '56 Mercurys back in the day and the taillights shapes are indellibly etched in my memory. Dad also had a '59, one year only style tailight. Thanks for keeping us sharp!

Probably easier to date photo by gauging your Dad's age in the picture, looks about 18 to me suggesting this is circa 1930, in a 1920 Ford T, and your "Dad out for his first drive", or at least that should be your caption.

I know it is blasphemy to many on this particular thread, but I've never been able to understand the styling decision regarding the Pierce Arrow "molded into fender" headlights. While I do realize the P-A's were great cars, (and love the Silver Arrow) this one little wrinkle has always turned me away from them stylistically. I don't know of any other company who adopted this seemingly odd practice, always reminds me of the much later Bugeye Sprites, which were loved or hated often because of those headlights. No offence guys, I'm assuming someone over the years has written a piece on this unique styling exercise. (must have also been a real challenge to do in sheet metal!).

Everything's relative. To keep to the car theme, I bought a '59 "Corvair powered" Karmann Ghia coupe in the summer of 1966 for $100 from a guy I was working with at an industrial site, he was leaving town. I was working as an instrument man, surveying, laying out bases for turbine gear etc and making the then princely sum of $300 a month (about $1.50 per hour). The resident engineer walked the large site daily and someone commented that "you know, he gets paid $1000 a month", imagine! I remember thinking what a guy could do with that kind of dough. Oh, I kept that KG thru university in 1970, what a great little car, pulled the corvair engine for a rebuild, bought a new 1970 TR6, and the KG eventually sold. Wish I still had both of them.

I doubt there is a man alive today who would be willing to jump into the seat of any of these pre 1930 entries and race around the oval at the speeds they did in the era, especially with 20-30 other competitiors nipping at their heels and not giving an inch. Don't know what kind of stuff they were made of, but it must have been very special. But then again, there are a few dare-devils on this forum, so who knows!!

Interesting comparativePfeil, E Fay Jones appartently apprenticed under Frank Lloyd Wright, who was by the way a car buff.

"Looks like a tall tale to me". C'mon 60FT, there always seems to be one sceptic in the crowd! I've met Randal Pittman, and know of him and his history with this great old truck. In fact he spoke at one of our old car club meetings a while back. Very humble unassuming guy, a true testament to those who love old trucks/cars. As far as wages, some people soon forget how times have changed. In the early 60's during University days, I worked as a summer student at the local steel plant in their casual labour pool, used to spell off full time workers during vacations. We got paid $0.60 per hour (cleared about $19 per week) and that was one of the best paying jobs around, most labor jobs at that time only paid $0.40 an hour, and field workers got less. So Mr. Pittman as a teenager just after WWII was likely right on the money when he says $0.10 per hour. Ask your grandfather!

I'm like most who followed the international racing scene since the 50's, Stirling Moss was the epidemy of class, stature, realism and success, on and off the track. Among the last of a generation of true drivers who drove for the love of the sport and not just for big paydays.

Happy Easter, Passover, etc to all who practice their faith, and also to those who don't. Most observers are likely sheltering at home, and Garages are not really a place of worship, although some of you may consider it as such. So I'm posting this set of images to offer you a visual place to contemplate the day, the events surrounding us and the hopefully better future ahead. The Thorncrown Chapel is a wonderful meditation structure built in the forest in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, USA, a widely recognized example of Modern Archicture, designed by E Fay Jones, on a commission from a retired school teacher. Much like some of our favorite cars, it is a bare bones symphony of form and function, demonstrating the skills of mankind to imagine, the beauty of nature, and the awe of common materials executed by real craftsmen. Hope I'm not too far offside in posting this, it is a time in our lives when a little distraction is likely a good thing.

Garbage written about garbage, can I politely ask that this example of stupidity and recklessness be removed. Thanks.

Wow, have never seen/heard of it, but what a great "Duesenberg variant Sports car". I say that because IMHO most Duesies are too big to be considered sports cars, except maybe the Cooper/Gable ones. But this little sweetie, wow again. I've viewed the posted threads, Duesie/Marmon/Custom, 1947 etc, but who cares. How do the experts purists view this machine? Edinmass, you like it for your stable?

Got close on 5 of them, but the Nash, c'mon man that's tough!

Twin6? What are we looking at here? Odd proportions to fenders.

I'm still trying to figure out why any car needs more than 250 horsepower! The driver(s) is stupid for sure, but he did not make this car. What is its intense speed capability meant for? Certainly not for racing on city streets at $700K a pop. Part of this Spoiled Society's Sickness.

You don't see many 1931 Chrysler Roadsters in the wild, especially a very early one. I'm currently rebuliding a CD8 Roadster (124"WB), this looks similar, but might also be a 1931 CM6 (116"WB)? Anybody able to tell? Is rear taillight a clue? For those not familiar with these cars, note the radiator shell was body color. Chrysler did that to make car/hood appear longer, but only for first few months of production as customers clamored for a chrome radiator shell like all other makes! I have never seen a restored car with a painted rad shell.