Jaybokay

No bones about that. I once had the privilege of seeing an actual Lancia Stratos whiz by me on a rally circuit. It was a fantastic sight!

Am I right in assuming that that's a Kaiser-Darrin? If so, cheers to you! I always though Kaiser in general got a rotten deal in the automotive world and the sliding-in doors were a neat trick.

Thank you very much for the warm welcome! I do hope to become fairly active here soon enough! As for getting young people more interested with cars, I have two suggestions: No. I: Set up driving events that happen on a time that fits with most young people's schedule (because of school). If a mentor is supplied with his car, and these kids are allowed to drive these cars under supervision for a period, I feel like they would appreciate it more than just static displays. Young people such as myself are more likely to care then. I believe Hagerty runs such a program. No. II: Remove or reduce the astigmatism currently in place in most of the car community for restomods/customs. While I don't like them myself, it does offer a broader scope for people to become involved. This is important for obvious reasons.

Well, this is exactly what it says in the title. A little poll in order to determine how people here at the AACA feel about that time-honored automotive accessory. I personally am in the camp of YAY because I'm in Florida, a naturally hot and humid place (also the reason why I prefer fingerless ones as seen in this fun little video I made some time ago.) Also, my Stude just so happens to have MANUAL steering and a four-speed MANUAL (Borg-Warner, T-10) transmission, so it is good for that too!

This seems really similar to the thread I made up a day ago concerning "gulity pleasures" so I'm going to put my choice for that down here. GAZ M-21 "Volga"

As trite as it may appear, what's ugly to you really may be someone else's beautiful. Even then, I'd like the own the Imp knowing full well that its ugly to me because it has plenty of other properties that make owning it worthwhile.

It is worth mentioning that I quite like a lot of American cars too, not just weird foreign stuff (as I do drive a Studebaker after all). My top American "guilty pleasure" right now would be a Kaiser Dragon. It is like the Rodney Dangerfield of collector cars for me. It just can't get no respect!

Right then, I'm sure that all of you here enjoy the unusual, so I'd thought I'd pose this question. What is the one car that you absolutely love and would love to own, but most of the world disagrees? I'm talking about the misfits, the ones that for whatever odd reason have very bad reputations. Go on then, spill the beans. This'll be fun! As for me, it would have to be the Hillman Imp (with the Californian version being especially tasty). It was a technologically brilliant gem of a car from the Rootes Group with cute and quirky styling to boot. Unfortunately, the car wasn't built as well as it should have been because it was mostly assembled by ex-shipbuilders from Glasgow. A real shame because it absolutely should have run circles around the Austin/Morris Mini in terms of both performance and popularity. The other REALLY WEIRD car I would love to own as of now (even though it may not necessarily be bad), is a GAZ (Russian: Го́рьковский автомоби́льный заво́д or Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod transliterated). To be precise, a GAZ M-21 "Volga". This was a middle manager's type car that would have originally been supplied to important civilians in the USSR. They were readily available in both Hungary and Poland, so I have a deep relationship with this car as a result. Unfortunately, due to Soviet cars being basically worthless from the fall of the Union until about five years ago, the amount of surviving examples has greatly diminished. *Sad Magyar noises* How about you all?

Thank you kindly! The paint's not original, as the previous (2nd) owner decided to respray the car at some point in the 1980s into the wonderful shade of green you see today. I happen to like the way it looks, because green is my favorite color and a car as unusual as this deserves an unusual color scheme. Factory correctness be darned! The original aqua interior is largely preserved though. To answer your question, yes! That Bridge has been used for many a test car and will doubtlessly be used for many more in the future. Put that one right next to the Kennedy Bunker in terms of attractions, which my Studebaker would be a survivor of the event that led to its creation: the Cuban Missile Crisis.

I don't doubt that for a New York minute or a Palm Beach acre! I think I'll quite like this group, as it seems that a good deal of us like those nameplates that have been mostly lost to history. Cheers!

I do believe that I'm just going to leave this here. Happy reading!

I do believe that I'm just going to leave this here. Happy reading!

Got all except No. 12 right. Blast it!

Well, as it says in the title, I'm a brand-spanking new member of this forum! Let me tell you, I'm rather excited to be here, as I think this to be a very worthwhile group. Let me tell you a bit about myself first. I am 19 years of age and my first car is a 1962 Studebaker GT Hawk that I've had for a couple of years now. When I was a young lad of seven, I had my earliest and one of my most vivid memories of a car and all that they really meant. It was an Austin-Healey 3000 Mk. III dressed in red with a stunning camel tan and burled walnut interior. The throaty rasp of the 3.0 liter Austin straight six kept itself at a full baritone and was truly glorious. The four speed manual gearbox was also sweet as pecan pie. Needless to say, I was a full convert over to Automobilia! From that point forward, I patiently saved up my money for a full seven years working odd jobs and doing well at school, anxious for the day when I could finally declare to the world that I had wheels all my own. While I did consider imports and Big Three-mobiles alike, I came to the conclusion that an Independent would be more my taste.While I believe that you all at the AACA likely know what the Independent moniker means, plenty of people don't. It is in reference to those American car companies that both survived WWII and were not connected with the Big Three in any way. Nash, Hudson, (later) AMC, Packard, Studebaker, Kaiser, Willys, and Crosley all are a part of it. I chose Studebaker out of all these because I was captivated by their history as well as the refreshingly different styling of their cars. Now for the engine. The Studebaker 289 cu. (or 4.7 liters, which isn't actually that big by American standards) V8 is a marvel of engineering that dates all the way back to 1951. The Ford 289 cu. V8, which mine often gets mistaken for because people are ignorant, weighs 450 pounds with all accessories. Meanwhile, the Stude unit weighs closer to 700 pounds. This gives the engine ungodly reliability, and even a fair bit of power potential too. In R2 and R3 trim, this lump could generate up to 450 hp. to the rear wheels. Mine is a basic one with a Carter 4-venturi (barrel) carburetor that I have not set on a dyno yet. If I had to make a guess, though, it would probably deliver 200 hp. to the pavement and I am fine with that. Daisy-Mae here is a cruiser, to be dignified and enjoy life in, not to race around. I have been a Scout for 10 years now, culminating in the rank of Eagle Scout. I've since used those skills to better my community as well as promote my Studebaker some (as I believe it to be a worthwhile thing to do). with a lot more planned It was featured in: The Wall Street Journal on July 3, 2019 and again on December 30. The December 2019 edition of “Classic and Sports Car” - a very notable UK based enthusiast publication Several YouTube videos within the past year, most notably on Scotty Kilmer’s channel The 2020 Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance as a part of the "30 under 30 group" Anyway, I'm excited to be here and look forward to participating in it more. Hello I suppose!

Well, as it says in the title, I'm a brand-spanking new member of this forum! Let me tell you, I'm rather excited to be here, as I think this to be a very worthwhile group. Let me tell you a bit about myself first. I am 19 years of age and my first car is a 1962 Studebaker GT Hawk that I've had for a couple of years now. When I was a young lad of seven, I had my earliest and one of my most vivid memories of a car and all that they really meant. It was an Austin-Healey 3000 Mk. III dressed in red with a stunning camel tan and burled walnut interior. The throaty rasp of the 3.0 liter Austin straight six kept itself at a full baritone and was truly glorious. The four speed manual gearbox was also sweet as pecan pie. Needless to say, I was a full convert over to Automobilia! From that point forward, I patiently saved up my money for a full seven years working odd jobs and doing well at school, anxious for the day when I could finally declare to the world that I had wheels all my own. While I did consider imports and Big Three-mobiles alike, I came to the conclusion that an Independent would be more my taste.While I believe that you all at the AACA likely know what the Independent moniker means, plenty of people don't. It is in reference to those American car companies that both survived WWII and were not connected with the Big Three in any way. Nash, Hudson, (later) AMC, Packard, Studebaker, Kaiser, Willys, and Crosley all are a part of it. I chose Studebaker out of all these because I was captivated by their history as well as the refreshingly different styling of their cars. Now for the engine. The Studebaker 289 cu. (or 4.7 liters, which isn't actually that big by American standards) V8 is a marvel of engineering that dates all the way back to 1951. The Ford 289 cu. V8, which mine often gets mistaken for because people are ignorant, weighs 450 pounds with all accessories. Meanwhile, the Stude unit weighs closer to 700 pounds. This gives the engine ungodly reliability, and even a fair bit of power potential too. In R2 and R3 trim, this lump could generate up to 450 hp. to the rear wheels. Mine is a basic one with a Carter 4-venturi (barrel) carburetor that I have not set on a dyno yet. If I had to make a guess, though, it would probably deliver 200 hp. to the pavement and I am fine with that. Daisy-Mae here is a cruiser, to be dignified and enjoy life in, not to race around. I have been a Scout for 10 years now, culminating in the rank of Eagle Scout. I've since used those skills to better my community as well as promote my Studebaker some (as I believe it to be a worthwhile thing to do). with a lot more planned It was featured in: The Wall Street Journal on July 3, 2019 and again on December 30. The December 2019 edition of “Classic and Sports Car” - a very notable UK based enthusiast publication Several YouTube videos within the past year, most notably on Scotty Kilmer’s channel The 2020 Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance as a part of the "30 under 30 group" Anyway, I'm excited to be here and look forward to participating in it more. Hello I suppose!