great article about a Ferrari repair shop, that's been in business since 1961... that's when most of the cars it's fixing - were new! Dominick’s garage in White Plains NY (a bit north of the Bronx)

Unlike Frank who was working here when he was eight, Santo wasn’t always in the family business. He worked a corporate job in advertising in nearby Stamford until his father had a stroke in ‘96. Through the early ‘90s, he had been easing in more hours at the shop, but he went from half-time to full-time “because all hell was breaking loose.”

His sister Vera has a similar story. Already retired from Wall Street, one day “someone called me that you’ll have to open the shop in the morning,” Vera says from her desk in the office. Santo was across the country on a vintage rally and Frank had a health scare. That was 2007. “I’ve stayed ever since.”

Vera admits that she “doesn’t know a thing about cars,” but keeps the shop organized with her finance background. She was an Associate Director in the Investment Banking division of Bear Stearns. For her, “It’s not about the cars. It’s the people.”

https://robbreport.com/motors/cars/gallery/worlds-rarest-cars-alive-1235942907/img_7372b

it turns out there is a LOT of money for the govt in forcing people to pay to register their cars. But there is a side effect when the govt suddenly digs for more money from it's people.

The Mexican govt made 375 Million, in the last 3 years, JUST on the tiny fraction of cars that hadn't yet been registered by the few people who went into the USA to buy a car and bring it over the border into Mexico

According to the president of the Tijuana’s chamber of commerce, who said there are currently 115 used car lots in Tijuana when there were more than 1,000 just a few years ago.

And, he says, it’s the result of the state of Baja California’s policy on so-called “chocolate cars,” or unregulated vehicles imported from the United States.

The term “chocolate cars” is a play on words from the word “chueco,” which means crooked in Spanish.

For years, many residents in Tijuana purchased vehicles north of the border and used them in Mexico without registering them or paying for Mexican license plates.

Seeing the revenue-generating potential, the Mexican government has extended the deadline several times allowing for more cars to get registered.

According to the Mexican government, through the end of September, 2.6 million of these cars had been registered in 14 different states, earning $346 million for road-infrastructure projects throughout the country.

In Baja California alone, 400,000 chocolate cars have been registered.

https://www.borderreport.com/hot-topics/border-culture/mexican-government-has-made-346-million-by-registering-chocolate-cars-in-last-3-years/

the lost and found of Norfolk International Airport is now being auctioned online

Five vehicles are also available, four that were abandoned at the airport and one former airport police SUV.

Lots of watches, jewelry, headphones, sunglasses, etc 

https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/norfolk/online-bidding-opens-for-norfolk-international-airport-auction-of-lost-and-found-surplus-items/

https://auction757.com/auction_listings/norfolk-international-airport-auction-october-22-2024/

Jimmy Stewart's P51, has turned up at the Dakota Territory Air Museum

https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2016/09/jimmy-stewart-i-dont-know-whats-going.html

https://www.minotdailynews.com/news/local-news/2024/09/p-51-mustang-known-for-records-famous-owners/

in 2026, Toyota is planning to revive the MR2

2liter, twin turbo, 600 hp, rear engine, all wheel drive, not electric or hybrid.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterlyon/2024/05/30/toyota-to-revive-the-mr2-sports-coupe-with-ferrari-like-curves
https://unionrayo.com/us/rear-engine-toyota-resurrection-iconic-model 

David McGraw, from the McGraw-Hill publishing company founding family, built a house in Osterville on Cape Cod to store his collection of 68 motorcycles.

McGraw Hill, one of the country’s biggest textbook and education publishers, was founded by David’s great-grandfather, James H. McGraw. David’s father and grandfather worked for the company, but David chose a different path. The New Jersey native moved to Cape Cod in 1980 and opened a business restoring antique cars, Classic Coachworks

A lot of his motorcycles were on exhibit in 2019, Art On Two Wheels, on Long Island, including a 

1915 K Board Tracker, 

1927 Pea Shooter, 

1927 Hill Climber, 

1928 JDH, 

1936 EL Knucklehead, 

1949 Flat Track, 

1950 Panhead, 

1966 CRS Scrambler, 

1967 XLRT Lance Weil, 

1968 Drag Bike, 

1970 XRTT 750 Daytona Roadracer, 

1970 XLCH Land Speed Streamliner, 

and a 2005 Destroyer Drag Bike

https://www.mansionglobal.com/articles/a-publishing-heir-built-a-home-to-show-off-his-motorcycle-collection-now-its-hitting-the-market-91a8d4dc

https://www.barnstablepatriot.com/story/entertainment/2019/09/13/fast-company/2801997007/

https://www.antiquesandthearts.com/art-on-two-wheels-at-cultural-center-of-cape-cod/

Buddy "L" Bus circa 1925, the wheels can be steered by rotating the spare wheel

https://watch.montanapbs.org/video/appraisal-buddy-l-bus-fire-truck-ca-1925-c0vvrg/  or 

https://www.tpt.org/antiques-roadshow/video/appraisal-buddy-l-toy-bus-ca-1930-296zth/  for the video of this getting appraised on Antiques Roadshow

looks like an art car, but it's actually the original Miura “Sperimentale” prototype revealed at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show, then painted over and over because Lamborghini wanted to test public reaction to the different colors.

https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/the-first-lamborghini-miura-hid-in-plain-sight-for-decades/

the uncle of a San Jose realtor knew of a woman selling her 1932 Packard nearby, so he called, got invited over, and when she rolled up her garage door, it was the Packard from the 1991 first Addams Family movie

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/classic-cars/he-just-wanted-a-classic-packard-he-ended-up-with-the-addams-family-s-ride/ar-AA1no6eV?ocid=st#fullscreen

hemi 4 speed 'Cuda

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/b5-blue-1971-plymouth-cuda-has-it-all-rare-hemi-4-speed-original-paint-241288.html#

Anthony Hopkins is attached to star in “Maserati: The Brothers,” to play an Italian financier who bankrolls the Maserati brothers.

Maserati was founded in 1914 in a garage in the central Italian city of Bologna by three brothers: Alfieri, Ettore and Ernesto.

https://variety.com/2024/film/global/anthony-hopkins-maserati-the-brothers-bobby-moresco-1236175373/

Spotted in traffic... damn, it's really nice to see cool 1960s cars in traffic on the interstate

 

new movie on streaming, and it was ok, but, the ghost claimed to have been run over by a Duesenberg, but the scene that showed it, had this Buick instead

 I'm guessing they decided they could pass off any old car as the Duesenberg, and used whatever was easily available. They sure as hell didn't have the budget for a 3 second scene with a rented Duesy

I've never seen an excavator that's been sitting around unused so long it gets graffitied

and why the hell is balloon font so damn hard to read? I can't make out a single letter

good vanity plates

 

2025 Retromobile is going to shine a spotlight on Adolphe Kégresse, and showcase his invention, the half-track. This innovative solution provided vehicles with the opportunity to move around in extreme environments, and aided in creating exciting automobile expeditions.

If you're not familiar with those expeditions, there was one across Africa, and one across Canada (I'm sure there must have been more I haven't heard of though)

After the cruise through Africa in 1926, 

http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2014/10/from-algeria-to-mozambique-by-eight-10.html 

(which was a better post than this one) and before the cross Canada expedition http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2009/12/failed-1934-expedition-acorss-canada-in.html

there was the cruise across China 

https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2015/09/beyond-end-of-road-they-once-pioneered.html

I laughed at this a lot, you probably will too

 

https://dailytimewaster.blogspot.com/2024/10/heh_14.html

American Airlines is battling it out in court this week against Skiplagged, over fliers using the controversial travel hack to save money.

skiplagging, which involves passengers booking flights that have a layover in their desired destination and simply ditching the trip's second leg.

https://www.chron.com/culture/article/american-airlines-skiplagging-lawsuit-19826291.php

Christie’s will offer Ed Ruscha’s 1964 painting ‘Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half’ in the sale in New York, it's estimated to be worth 50 million dollars. That's nuts, but if someone figures that it will be worth more someday, they'll pay that much to invest in that hope

 

it's 10 feet wider, and was featured in the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 2023-24.

Ruscha, who was born in Oklahoma, first saw Standard Oil gas stations during a 1962 road trip to Los Angeles along Route 66, according to Christie’s. 

He was enthralled by the contrast of the bold design set against the vast landscape of the Western United States, and his six gas station paintings have become some of his best known. 

The gasoline station is Ruscha's most iconic image. He began experimenting with the subject in his first artist's book, Twentysix Gasoline Stations (1963), which reproduces a series of banal photographs the artist took while driving on Route 66 between Los Angeles and his hometown of Oklahoma City. 

That year, converting an otherwise ordinary locale into a dramatic, even mysterious symbol of the American vernacular landscape, Ruscha created a monumental painting titled Standard Station, Amarillo, Texas, based on one of the photographs but with a radically foreshortened composition. 

A few years later he made this print, further exploring the nuances of his emblematic image. Using the medium of screenprint, Ruscha was able to achieve areas of solid, flat color, as well as sinuously blended colors made with the "split fountain" technique, one of the first fine-art applications of this commercial process that combines differently colored inks. Reusing the screens from the print, Ruscha continued to experiment with Standard Station, and eventually varied colors and compositions to create three additional printed versions.

Several have come to market in the past few years, including Burning Standard (1968), which sold for $22.2m with fees at Christie’s New York in 2023.

https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/fine-art/christies-ed-ruscha-gas-station-painting-auction-19e68dea
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/sep/15/ed-ruscha-moma-exhibition-pop-art
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/76637

https://www.christies.com/en/stories/mark-rozzo-on-ed-ruscha-standard-station-ten-cent-western-being-torn-in-half-8ef0a26b0a4e42a58784c5ed313ffe56

one of only two online images I've ever seen with the temporary license plate number on a car

 https://www.curbsideclassic.com/vintage-snapshots-and-photography/vintage-snapshots-car-washing-in-the-50s-60s-2/

I found a Road Runner in the San Marino Classic car show of 2017, and learned that these were dealership temporary paper license plates.

https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2015/06/a-68-road-runner-restored-to-level-ive.html

a van with lace paint and a set of Keystones... that's mighty 70s

https://www.vonskip.com/2023/02/monday-buzzz-1977-chevrolet-g20-custom.html

If Toyota was advertising a Gazoo Racing made - pet project forklift

https://theawesomer.com/the-toyota-gr-forklift-gt3-parody-video/747917/

a 1926 Hudson that was hand fabricated into a woody surf wagon

https://www.driveonline.com/feature-2/wood-you-believe/

https://m.roadkillcustoms.com/rollin-in-a-woody-jack-dicks-surf-wagon/

https://theawesomer.com/jack-dick-customs-surf-wagon/270873/

https://www.motortopia.com/1928-hudson-woodie/

Did you hear the one about the Sheriff that was so outraged about Burger King getting his order wrong, he called 3 patrol cars from across town, in code 3 / lights and sirens, to get the uniformed deputies to get the manager. Yes, this is a small town in Georgia

"I'm shocked the sheriff feels so flippant about this issue that he would have deputies run lights and sirens, placing citizens at risk and his deputies at risk, just so he could get information from a business owner that clearly could have been followed up on another day," Dondelinger said.

Owens is up for re-election this year, and his challenger, David Cavender, posted the video to Facebook on Friday

https://www.foxnews.com/us/georgia-sheriff-calls-deputies-help-after-becoming-upset-burger-king-got-his-order-wrong

I really get upset that corrupt, power mad, unprofessional Grade A assholes disrespect the uniform like this

August Pabst Jr., brewing legends' descendant and racing icon, dies at 90 years old

In 1956, after founding Pabst Motors, an imported car dealership in Milwaukee, Augie began his racing career in the SCCA, which quickly led to opportunities driving for some of the greatest teams of his time, including Meister Brauser, Shelby American, John Wyer, Briggs Cunningham, NART-Ferrari, and John Mecom.

Pabst's 10-year racing journey included two national championships, Road America said: the 1959 USAC Road Racing Championship and the 1960 SCCA Championship. He became a beloved figure in American sports car racing, competing in iconic vehicles such as the Ferrari TR, Birdcage Maserati and the Meister Brauser Scarab.

He won two National Championships during his storied career. He competed in Europe in the 24hrs of Le Mans twice, and Brands Hatch in the UK. He even managed to throw in a handful of stock car races including the 1963 Riverside NASCAR event, in a Ford Galaxy.

During his career, Pabst also raced in the Road America 500. He secured victories in 1962 and 1963, among many other achievements.

An avid outdoorsman, Augie enjoyed hunting ducks on Lake Winnebago, fly fishing the Deschutes River, hunting upland game and cruising Oconomowoc Lake on his pontoon boat. He became passionate about snowmobiling after his dear late friends Richard Bickler and John Fitch introduced him the more modern snowmobiles in 1984.

https://www.fox6now.com/sports/august-pabst-jr-dead-road-america

https://vintagemotorsport.com/2024/10/11/august-augie-pabst-1933-2024/

thank you Tim D for the coffee cash/ ringing the tip jar!

 

Toyota has unveiled a new portable hydrogen cartridge that will allow H2 vehicles to be refuelled anywhere in the world.

https://www.hydrogeninsight.com/innovation/toyota-unveils-hydrogen-cartridges-for-portable-vehicle-charging-just-dont-drop-one-of-them/2-1-1722054

a helmet signed by Top Gear staff, Clarkson and May, as well as The Stig - were auctioned 3 days ago, it was left behind after the shut down of the original Top Gear show. It sold for £3,800

The helmet was left in the Top Gear offices when the studio was abandoned once the show was axed, according to the auctioneers.

https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/people/bbc-top-gear-helmet-signed-by-jeremy-clarkson-up-for-auction-in-eastbourne-4818919

https://www.eastbourneauction.com/catalogue/lot/56e2add9142b9040c4d9780c7e47ca59/dd35fcc31bea70cc0f55263601434562/october-live-online-auction-to-include-antiques-collec-lot-2387/

The New York City MTA and local law enforcement had to stage a crack down (instead of daily doing their job, it's now a special occasion) with six operations at MTA crossings, including the Verrazano and RFK Bridges, to bust people that don't pay tolls

Vehicles were impounded for various violations, including suspended registrations due to unpaid tolls, unregistered vehicles, suspended licenses, and unreadable disguised plates.

Nearly 2,500 vehicles have been impounded since the multi-agency crackdown began. 

Through 44 operations, approximately $17 million in unpaid tolls, fees and judgments have been amassed. The operations also resulted in 521 arrests and 22,960 summonses issued.

https://abc7ny.com/post/mta-nypd-impound-300-vehicles-latest-ghost-cars-crackdown/15404972/

What if Steve McQueen raced a 911 S/T instead of a 917? Porsche Englewood's dedicated Classic team recreated the iconic McQueen 917 from the movie Le Mans, reimagined as a 1971 Nürburgring S/T race car.

To make this a reality, the team sourced a 964 engine and upgraded it to a 3.8L with internal throttle bodies, modernized the transmission with a hydraulic clutch, and shortened gears one to four for enhanced acceleration.

 https://newsroom.porsche.com/en_US/2024/company/2024-Porsche-Restoration-Challenge-Winners-Gaudin-Englewood-Louisville-37463.html

irony, is, two articles that come out in the same week, that are contradicting each other

they guy that last week I posted about, who was freaked out that Harleys are loud, is at it again. 

He  must feel he needs to rage bait people to read his column. Hell, for all I know, that works.

https://www.themesatribune.com/opinion/opinion-state-s-dumbest-law-benefits-motorcyclists/article_eca774cc-7d25-11ef-ad55-efdc222d9955.html

But over at RideApart.com I read an article https://www.rideapart.com/news/736926/lane-filtering-paris-law-change that was coincidentally written about the same time, that points out how the issue of letting motorcycles out of the lanes of traffic to avoid being re-ended by car and truck drivers who don't see them because they aren't large, is a good idea. 

The very next day, the author on RideApart.com heard about the guy who writes the hater articles, and replied https://www.rideapart.com/news/736905/arizona-citizen-motorcycle-lane-filtering-mesa-tribune-opinion/ 

Opinions are like...buttholes. Everyone has them, but not everyone needs to hear them.

New York City street vendor

 https://www.westsiderag.com/2024/10/10/throwback-thursday-living-by-the-streets-of-the-uws-in-the-1970s-and-80s

Iowa's speed cameras have mostly found to be illegal, by the Iowa DOT

In Iowa, several cities recently had to shut off most of their fixed-location speed cameras due to the implementation of a new law by the state’s Department of Transportation

Out of the 139 fixed camera locations across the state, only 11 were approved to continue operating.

By requiring local governments to prove the necessity of speed cameras, Iowa has created a system where safety measures must meet a high standard of justification.

https://unionrayo.com/us/goodbye-speed-cameras-state-turn-off-all/

Ratan Tata, a car enthusiast, has died aged 86, was India’s most celebrated industrialist. In 2008, he bought the troubled Jaguar Land Rover business for £1.75bn.

Tata produced what was called “the first Indian car”, designed by and for Indians, in 1998. Ratan did some of the first drawings himself. The Tata Indica was a success. 

He went further a decade later, and the company conceived the Nano, a tiny saloon described as the world’s most affordable car at a price of about £2,000

In 1999 Tata had travelled to Detroit to discuss the sale of the motor business to Ford, only to be asked why his firm had gone into the passenger car business when it clearly knew nothing about it. Later he would turn the tables, buying underperforming Jaguar Land Rover from Ford and reviving it.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/oct/11/ratan-tata-obituary

U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Oct 3rd announced the seizure of 265 packages / 2,686 pounds / $3.2 million worth of methamphetamine found inside a single tractor-trailer at the California-Mexico border.

Looks like they installed a fake floor to hide all that meth

https://ktla.com/news/california/meth-smugglers-ruse-fails-to-trick-border-agents-in-california/

2009 Vette pulled off 263.93 miles per hour in the standing mile

 https://www.autoevolution.com/news/2200-rwhp-c6-corvette-makes-world-record-standing-mile-pass-at-264-mph-lsx-is-not-happy-241176.html#

interesting choice of vehicles for a guy that can own anything, Ashton Kutcher

 I would have guessed a classic Porsche, or Mustang, but not a late 50s or early 60s Vette

https://www.tmz.com/2024/10/10/ashton-kutcher-corvette-breaks-down/

a basket case in pieces in a box, a 1955 Vincent 998cc Black Prince project broke the world record sale at auction, at $153,000, about 4x the estimate

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10226721058392790&set=a.1617402035143

the photographer got lucky to find such a cool variety in close proximity

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10226732320514336&set=a.1617402035143

1933 Sunbeam 346cc Model 8 with Launch sidecar

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10226747122884386&set=a.1617402035143