Don Lee did everything with style, even his tow truck

For all the posts on Don Lee: https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/search/label/Don%20Lee

But since few of you will click through to read the good stuff, and I want you to know it, here:

Don Lee had been a bicycle shop owner who became a protégé of Los Angeles pioneer businessman Earle C. Anthony, purchased his Los Angeles radio station KHJ from Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler in 1927.

Don was the exclusive west coast distributor of Cadillac automobiles in the early 20th century. In 1919 Don purchased the Earl Automobile Works of Hollywood, California.

Harley Earl, the son of the company's owner, was kept on as manager. Renamed Don Lee Coach and Body Works, the company produced many custom designed Cadillacs for the rich and famous. Harley Earl left the company to become the head of General Motors styling department in 1927

Having amassed a fortune selling automobiles, Lee branched out in broadcasting in 1926, purchased or built 12 radio stations, creating his own network, and having such a power base he put his transmitters and antennas on a hill in Griffin Park Los Angeles... now became known as "Mount Lee.".. .just above the Hollywood sign.

Don bought a 20-acre site on a mountain top at the eastern boundary of Griffith Park, widening the transmission field equipment to take in new thousands of homes in the Hollywood hills and the San Fernando Valley. The site is one and a half times higher than the top floor of the Empire State Building in New York. Mount Lee is thus the highest television location in the world. (Info circa 1937)

Part of Mount Lee was sold to Howard Hughes, who intended to erect an estate for his then current love interest, Ginger Rogers

Frank Kurtis got started working with automotive fabrication when he was hired by Willet Brown and Tommy Lee to rework Don Lee Racing Team's midget car bodies.

collector car prices are starting the inevitable slide.

1996-2002 Vipers are down 8%

68-79 VW bugs are down 11%

1950-67 VW type 2 micro bus are down 19%

https://www.hagerty.com/media/market-trends/hagerty-insider/hagerty-price-guide/5-cars-taking-notable-losses-to-start-2026/

Royce Williams, Korean War fighter pilot, now 100 years old will be recognized for taking on 7 MIGs in 1952, shooting down 4 and surviving 263 bullet holes in his plane... and keeping it a secret for the rest of his life.

Williams agreed to keep his heroics a secret because the Soviet Union was unofficially involved in the war at the time. He did so for over 50 years, until the story was revealed 2016. Until then, he had never revealed his role or the existence of the dogfight even to his wife or brother.

But after Soviet records of the war were released and declassified decades later, which revealed Williams' efforts, military veterans and elected officials led a campaign to ensure he was recognized.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Bonsall, who was among those that campaigned for Williams' recognition, said in a statement, "My friend, constituent, and hero Royce Williams is 100 years young, a Top Gun pilot like no other, and an American hero for all time. The heroism and valor he demonstrated for more than 35 harrowing minutes almost 70 years ago in the skies over the North Pacific and the coast of North Korea unquestionably saved the lives of his fellow pilots, shipmates, and crew. His story is one for the ages and it now has its rightful chapter as Royce receives the Medal of Honor."

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/escondido-man-100-to-receive-medal-of-honor-for-heroics-kept-secret-for-50-years/3972897

thank you Richard C for kachinging my tip jar!

 

Sad news, I must relay, Isky has passed away at age 104. That's about 80s years of hot rodding probably no one else can match (thanks George!)

https://www.nhra.com/news/2026/ed-iskenderian-beloved-camfather-hot-rodding-passes-away-104

A bill recently introduced in Ohio by a local legislator would protect racetracks from nuisance complaints relating to racing to create a "clear legal framework for nuisance claims involving racing facilities and racetracks" in Ohio,

Specifically, it would create a "complete legal defense" for racing facilities against certain nuisance claims and would apply to a property owner who acquired or developed property after the racing facility was constructed, the release states.

“Each ‘Right to Race’ bill aims to give long-established race tracks more stability and predictability, enabling them to continue hosting events, supporting local jobs and serving the motorsports community,” Deeter said. “Together, these proposals reflect a growing, pro-motorsports approach in statehouses to protect the places where grassroots racing happens and where the next generation of racers and builders get their start.”

https://sanduskyregister.com/news/743472/bill-protects-right-to-race/

Thank you Marc! 

A 13-year-old boy who drove his family’s Volkswagen (underage and without a license) in the middle of the night for a joyride, was given six penalty points on his driving license which he will not be eligible to receive for another two years

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was spotted by other motorists driving the 2.5-litre silver van on the A35, a busy dual carriageway in Poole. 

When asked by the district judge, the boy admitted it was not the first time he had taken the vehicle.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/feb/04/boy-13-who-took-family-campervan-on-70mph-joyride-given-points-on-future-licence

imagine what car insurance will cost him? I bet he continues to drive illegally, without insurance. 

a UK ban on asylum seekers using taxis to attend medical appointments has come into force.

The government changed the policy after a BBC investigation which showed people travelling long distances at high cost. 

In one case, an asylum seeker said he went on a 250-mile cab journey to a GP, costing the Home Office £600. 

The ban will not stop the use of taxis completely and there will be some exemptions for people with physical disabilities, chronic illnesses and pregnancy-related needs.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: "I have ended the wasteful use of taxis for medical appointments to protect the taxpayer's purse.

"I will stop at nothing to remove the incentives that draw illegal migrants to Britain, to restore order and control to our borders."

It was revealed in November that an average of £15.8m had been spent a year on taxis for asylum seekers.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2peyj1vdgo

This is the follow up to https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2025/11/im-going-to-sum-up-couple-of-stories.html

some people are perfectly suited for a certain job, some of them gravitate to it, and some can't leave it at the office, on the clock. This FAA Inspector did, and it cost him. Now he's trying to flip it, and sue for 12 million (no idea how he came up with that number) for getting kicked off a flight while he was off the clock.

So, this officious nitpicker took a flight and the seat pocket that holds the safety bullshit was torn. So he took a photo of the storage pocket which he says “impaired” securing and accessing the safety briefing card, which is a violation of FAA rules.

(omg! a rule is broken! Oh no! it's the end of civilization! Waaaaa!  JFC)

The crew thought he was taking photos of them, and seems to have had enough of his crap, and decided to complain he was being combative, (and angling to move to a better seat for free) so the pilot turned the plane around, and kicked him off. 

United then allegedly imposed a lifetime travel ban, and filed a complaint with the FAA, and since he was under investigation, he was removed from safety oversight duties involving United. He alleges this was United’s objective. 

That would be really clever

He says that the enforcement case against him was dropped, because United’s witnesses were deemed unreliable, but that United refused to lift his ban.

So, he's come up with an amount that will make him wealthy, but United won't notice... they are probably going to pay their lawyers more regardless,

If United allegedly portrayed him to the FAA as disruptive, dishonest, greedy, or threatening (factual assertions) then there’s a claim for defamation and reputational harm especially with his role as a safety inspector.

https://viewfromthewing.com/faa-safety-inspector-sues-united-for-12-75-million-claims-he-was-banned-for-life-after-reporting-torn-seat-pocket/

I wonder if we'll learn the outcome

Vacuum Oil Company ad, very elegant and tasteful

https://morphyauctions.com/auctions/

80 x 34 advertising banner that has survived a long time, longer than the fuel company it advertises? Tydol gasoline, Flying A

https://morphyauctions.com/auctions/

Tidewater Oil Company (rendered as Tide Water Oil Company from 1887 to 1936) was a major vertically integrated oil company that operated independently from 1887 to 1926, when it was sold to a holding company. 

Over the decades, it passed through various corporate hands. It sold petroleum and gasoline products and fuel under various brand names, including Tydol, Flying A, and Veedol.

 In 2011, Veedol was sold by British Petroleum to Tidewater India.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidewater_Oil_Company

Chicago had a snow plow naming contest

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/streets/supp_info/chicagoshovels.html

https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/02/01/here-are-the-25-finalists-in-the-citys-name-a-snowplow-contest-abolish-ice-made-the-list/

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-snow-plow-naming-contest-finalists/

standing ovation for LVPD Officer Deb Rinkovsky, who was patrolling near Charleston and Decatur boulevards in November when she saw a person in a motorized wheelchair being splashed by passing cars, and stopped to help (finally a cool cop!)

Rinkovsky stepped into the rain and offered the person her own poncho in a moment that a bystander captured in a photograph.

https://news3lv.com/news/local/las-vegas-police-officer-gets-recognition-for-help-person-in-wheelchair-soaked-in-storm

Billy bought a 1957 Chevrolet with a 283 in 1968 for $375. Fifty-eight years later he's still driving it, though after some great upgrades

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/he-bought-a-1957-chevy-for-375-back-in-1968-58-years-later-he-still-drives-it-264712.html#

in upcoming cool car movie news, Anthony Hopkins is starring in a movie about Maserati

Maserati: The Brothers tells the story of siblings driven by their love of cars to create an automotive company from scratch in 1914 

As many as 60 Maseratis of 1920s and 1930s designs were made for the film, a vast investment within a budget thought to be well over £90m

Hopkins, who has a passion for classic cars, plays the key role of an Italian financier who bankrolls the Maserati brothers.

Set in early 20th-century Italy, it focuses on the eldest brother Carlo, the ambitious Alfieri and their siblings Bindo, Ettore and Ernesto, as they pursue the idea of building innovative cars that combine art and technology.

Tensions escalated with financial struggles, the risks of racing and a forbidden love affair. Carlo strived to unite the family around the shared goal of founding Maserati but died of tuberculosis before he could see his dream come true. Alfieri dreamed of racing and winning prestigious competitions but he died in 1932 from complications arising from injuries sustained years earlier in a crash.

The film is produced by Andrea Iervolino, who has produced two other well-received motoring films: Moresco’s Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend, and Micheal Mann’s Ferrari starring Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz. He is also planning one on Bugatti. 

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/01/italy-historic-cars-recreated-film-maserati

seen on today's walk

I think this is only the 2nd Bronco I've ever come across on the walks 

interesting to see an arrow in the grill

I'm guessing it's a 90s Trans Am

Any guesses? 

and maximum patina K5

do you recall that Ford Model e Certified program for dealers? Requiring big investments from dealerships wanting to sell electric vehicles... until the backlash and lawsuits, and Ford giving up on the whole plan, when it finally woke up and discovered that there is no consumer demand for EVs

54 percent of the car dealers it surveyed say that they haven't yet recovered a dime of those EV investments

https://fordauthority.com/2026/02/american-car-dealers-say-ev-investments-werent-worth-it

that Ford guy that yelled at the President, calling him a "pedophile protector" is officially no longer suspended. No one connected to the issue will comment on it, not the UAW, not Ford, and not the guy.

 https://fordauthority.com/2026/02/ford-f-150-plant-worker-who-pissed-off-trump-no-longer-suspended
https://phoebewallhoward.substack.com/p/status-of-suspended-ford-worker-changes

It's stunning how many abandoned cars with years old expired registration are on the streets, not getting tickets, all over the area I'm walking around. 1993 Nissan NX 2000, stick shift

So, is THIS the secret to not getting a ticket? Have several colors in the registration area? 

A 59-vehicle pile-up shut down a main California highway Saturday morning as people weren't smart enough to slow the hell down and get off the road so they didn't get run into from behind in severe fog. It's not the 1st time it's happened

The crash happened on Highway 99, nearly 40 miles north of Bakersfield, in Tulare County.

CHP officers said there was an initial crash on each side of the highway, which was followed by a series of other crashes, with 59 vehicles involved in total. 

Fog limited visibility in the area to about 150-200 feet, the CHP said.

Ten injured people were taken to area hospitals in the pileup, which was reported shortly after 8 a.m.

https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/california-highway-99-tulare-county-59-vehicle-pile-up/

https://bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/chp-about-60-vehicles-involved-in-highway-99-crash-near-earlimart-tulare-county-delano-kern-county-california-highway-patrol

https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/tulare-county-pileup-21326281.php

west coast fishers and conservationists allege that a chemical additive used in tires is polluting rivers and waterways, killing coho salmon and other fish.

The case was initiated after the apparent solving of a decades-old mystery: what was causing mass deaths of endangered coho salmon in the Pacific north-west as they returned to streams to spawn. The deaths happened after heavy rain.

Scientists, suspecting storm runoff, described the phenomenon as “urban runoff mortality syndrome”.

It took years for scientists from Washington State University to pinpoint what they now allege is the chemical culprit. In 2020, they published a study in Science that claimed to solve the mystery: they found a toxic substance in leachate from car tyres that killed the fish. Known as 6PPD-quinone or 6PPD-q, it is an oxidation product from 6PPD, a chemical added to car tyres to prevent them breaking down.

The judge will determine whether the tyre manufacturers are violating the Endangered Species Act by harming fish species, including coho salmon, protected under the legislation.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/02/is-tyre-pollution-causing-mass-deaths-in-vulnerable-salmon-populations

I'm sure you're away that tires wear away, and that's evident by them going bald, and the amount of tire that disappears, is ground off by the asphalt and concrete that we drive on, plus sand and gravel. Every time it rains, all the tire dust is washed away, and heads down the roads, sidewalks, yards, ditches, culverts, streams, and then accumulating amounts are then hitting the rivers 

cool looking fat fender 34 LaSalle

https://dailytimewaster.blogspot.com/2026/02/lasalle-series-50-convertible-coupe-1934.html

the star got center stage, obviously

This neighborhood was so full of abandoned cars... probably 1 out of 3 yards had a dead car in them... then there is this place. So much junk in the yard, they are putting up a damn fence to reduce the complaints and legal scrutiny

what the hell is this license plate trying to say? It's on a full size GMC truck

If this was on a Jeep Grand Cherokee, it would make sense, "Grand Cherokee, JeeP Jeep Grand Cherokee"

But it's on a GMC

rims are a great looking upgrade. Nice license plate for it too.. Project Outlander Sport

I'm not sure what this is, other than a 67-71 muscle car that was last cared for in the 70s. and the overspray got onto the leaf spring extensions.

I'll guess it's a 69 Mustang

this Power Wagon Dodge is a pretty uncommon sight around here, and rust free

and it's got the spare tire door on the side of the bed. I remember posting about that a couple months ago, but it was a Ford https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2025/12/f-350-super-camper-special-powered-by.html

it's been a while since I've posted a side mirror... maybe more people get them fixed nowadays, but this one, in a cast, was a new thing for me to find.

it wouldn't be the first thing I did, but if I had a time machine, eventually I'd go check out the car and motorcycle shows of the newly made stuff in the brass era

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/341211-period-images-to-relieve-some-of-the-stress/page/57/

Cool look at a tire service sidecar business booth display

This is a Barton and Rumble made truck, from London Ontario, demonstrating the structural integrity of McClary's milk cans.

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/341211-period-images-to-relieve-some-of-the-stress/page/57

sweet Lincoln towtruck!

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/341211-period-images-to-relieve-some-of-the-stress/page/58

bored kids will do about anything for entertainment... even hooking up a horse to a roller

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/341211-period-images-to-relieve-some-of-the-stress/page/58/

this reminds me of a James Cagney movie

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/341211-period-images-to-relieve-some-of-the-stress/page/59/

a couple worked a car theft scam across the Northeast, stealing or attempting to steal high-value cars and pickup trucks by relying on test drives, subtle distractions, and modern key technology to walk away with vehicles worth $2.4M across Ct, NY, and NJ

The investigation, led by the Old Saybrook Police Department, ultimately linked at least 20 vehicles to the same two-person operation.

According to police, the couple followed a consistent pattern when visiting dealerships. They would arrive posing as legitimate buyers, often asking to see or test-drive specific high-dollar trucks, like the Ford F-450 Super Duty. During those visits, investigators believe the male suspect either swapped the vehicle’s original key fob with a decoy or cloned it using the vehicle’s OBDII port, a process that can take less than a minute with the right equipment.

The woman allegedly played a key role in the distraction. In one documented case, police say she acted “playful” with a salesperson, drawing attention away from the vehicle while her partner started it or accessed the electronics. Once the key was cloned or swapped, the pair would leave without incident.

https://www.hotcars.com/police-24-million-vehicle-theft-ring-test-drives

Thank you Doug! 

meanwhile, over in vintage race car photos.... is this gem. Marjorie Eccles relaxing at Brooklands with a quick smoke and a couple of lines of knitting while a mechanic works on her supercharged Rapier Special.

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/341211-period-images-to-relieve-some-of-the-stress/page/59/

I've seen a lot of Hollywood celebs run for pres, including WC Fields, but never until now seen the Marx brothers for Vice Pres

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/341211-period-images-to-relieve-some-of-the-stress/page/61/

Top 50 most memorable hot rods and street cars of all time that have made an appearance in a television series, or a memorable television episode. No. 41: Jack Benny’s 1923 The Good Maxwell Tourer

At the turn of the century, industrialist Ben Briscoe hired Jon Maxwell to build a new car. 

Jon had worked with Ransom Olds on the famed “curved dash Oldsmobile,” the first car made on an assembly line. A 1910 auto history credited Maxwell with “the unit power plant, multiple-disc clutch, and thermo-syphon system of cooling with the radiator in front of the engine;”

 The original 1904 Maxwell was popular, and Briscoe built numerous factories to make it before going on a buying spree which bankrupted the company. Walter Flanders bought the remains, swapped out the aging Maxwell cars for his own (renaming the Flanders to the Maxwell). After Flanders retired, Maxwell again started to fail, and Walter Chrysler stepped in with expert engineers to fix the car’s troubles and to create a car in his own name—the Chrysler. After 1925, the Maxwell was upgraded and sold as the “Chrysler Four” (the original 1924 Chrysler was a six) then upgraded again to be the “new” Plymouth.

In a skit, Rochester called Jack at 11:05 in the morning to tell him the Maxwell had been stolen. Jack asked when it happened, and Rochester said it was taken at 10:30 AM and he let the police know at 10:50 AM. When Jack then asked Rochester why it took so long for him to call the police, Rochester replied that he called them when he stopped laughing. 

Because of Jack Benny and Harry Conn, not to mention Mel Blanc, many Americans know Maxwell—if they know it at all—solely as the dilapidated, obsolete, sad car of Jack Benny.

 Jack Benny donated his Maxwell for the scrap metal drive in support of the war effort, Oct 18 1942  

https://www.streetmusclemag.com/news/top-50-tv-cars-of-all-time-no-41-jack-bennys-1923-maxwell/

https://thisdaybenny.com/2021/07/02/the-maxwell-for-scrap/

https://www.motales.com/chrysler-corp/people/jack-benny-maxwell.php

https://www.reddit.com/r/RareHistoricalPhotos/comments/1bwydkf/jack_benny_and_eddie_anderson_toying_with_a/#lightbox