Rose Simpson earned her MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, then wowed the art world with her 85 Chevy El Camino art car. This is her 2nd art car, a 64 Riv, and it's going to be in her exhibition at San Francisco’s de Young Museum

“I learned to drive when I was 11 and bought my first car when I was 12,” she says.

When Simpson returned home from RISD, she enrolled in automotive science to learn collision repair and classic-car customization and met artist Jeff Brock, (builder of Bombshell Betty https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2013/11/i-finally-found-brocks-bombshell-betty.html the 52 Buick Super Riviera that has set seven world speed records at Bonneville)

“Jeff was incredibly influential,” says Simpson. “I wasn’t studying collision repair so I could build something to go in a museum. That was not the intention. I was there to build cars so that I could cruise. But Jeff said, ‘Why don’t you build [an art] car?’ ”

“Rose is one of my favorite human beings I’ve ever met,” says Brock, “I’m honored to have been there and been part of [creating Rose's 1st art car], but at the time, I thought, Oh, you crazy woman. You’re taking on way more than you can handle. The car she started with was a wreck. It was so sad how much damage was hiding under the paint, and the more she dug into it, the more I felt bad for her. It was so hard to even get it to the point of being a blank canvas.”

https://www.altaonline.com/culture/art/a65875713/rose-b-simpson-art-cars-de-young-museum

there is still a Pontiac dealership in Norwell Massachusetts (settled in 1634), and it was founded in 1925, and the founder's grandson's are currently running it, and great grandson's are working there

A fourth generation of Josephs is now working in the business, which was started in 1928 by John and Art’s grandfather Herbert B. Joseph, who handed it down to sons Art Sr. and Philip.

 “Everyone starts at the bottom, pumping gas and sweeping floors, like our dad and uncle before us” Art Joseph said, adding that he entered the family business when he was 9. “Now our nephews are doing the same.”

There was a Coke machine that still dispensed the drink in glass bottles, until they couldn’t get any more bottled Coke to put in it a few years ago. Empty glass bottles remain. “We used to have people come by just to buy the Cokes,” said John Joseph, who runs the business with brother Art.

“Change isn’t exactly something we’re big on,” Art Joseph said.

At Joseph’s, there’s no self-service gas.

It only had a 2 car showroom, but it had 3 gas pumps outside, which didn't go away when GM management decided they didn't like gas pumps anymore... however, the family operating this dealership knew from decades of experience, that no matter what GM did to advertise cars, nothing brought people to a dealership once or twice a week like gas pumps... which all dealerships knew since gas stations were invented AT car dealerships about 110 years ago

“The GM area reps hated the gas pumps,” Art says. They told us we had to update, that pumps were not in keeping with the image of a ‘modern dealership.’ ” But the pumps kept customers coming back regularly for a tank of gas, sparking conversations and building relationships that proved a major part of Joseph’s new-car sales success. The logic was simple, according to Art: “Why should I pay for advertising to get customers in the door, when I get them coming in twice a week for free?

More than anything else, the big key to their success was knowing their customers, and they’d often order a car with a particular buyer in mind. A card file of customers with detailed notes, combined with regular visits at the pump, helped them know when the time was right. Then it was a simple matter of choosing the right model, color, and options. “Knowing that Liberty Mutual paid bonuses in February meant it was time to call the Browns,” Art says.

Art Sr, the son of the founder, served in the Philippines with the U.S. Navy Seabees during the Korea Conflict. Art was a long-time supporter of the Boy Scouts of America, having been a troop leader for over 15 years in Scituate.

The brothers have worked at the garage for nearly their entire lives. John began when he was 15, around the time he took apart and rebuilt a 1967 Pontiac Firebird, his first car. Art started at the age of 9. One Saturday morning, he was about to settle in to watch TV when he noticed two lunch bags sitting on the table, instead of the usual one for his father. “The next thing I knew I was here,” he says.'

Art, who learned to drive by the age of 9 or 10, would help drop off cars with his dad. While his father drove a customer’s car, Art followed behind, driving his dad’s Pontiac. This one day caught the attention of the local police. “The first time I was pulled over I was 12 or 13,” Art admits. The officers told him: “We know you’re a good driver. Just stop waving at us.”

Joseph’s is as much a business as it is a living piece of their family history. In the cluttered service area sits their dad’s toolbox, Uncle Phil’s toolbox, and a host of cans, boxes, and parts that look as if they were put down years ago and haven’t moved since. “Everything is exactly where we put it, whether that’s this week or 40 years ago,” John says. Art’s office used to be his grandfather’s, and not much has changed. “I’m sitting here looking at the same paneling,” Art says. “It’s harder to change things in a family business because you know the guy who put it there.”

http://magazine.babson.edu/2016/05/04/ties-that-bind/
https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/2019/02/14/josephs-garage-is-a-pontiac-dealership
https://www.wickedlocal.com/article/20150723/news/150727972
https://www.townofnorwell.net/sites/norwellma/files/uploads/histori_norwellbookletfinal.pdf
https://www.josephsgarage.net/Norwell-slideshow.html
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Josephs-Pontiac/149587411750528
https://www.patriotledger.com/news/20190122/deep-freeze-keeps-aaa-auto-shops-busy

Joyride/Flatout... Hot Rods and Dream Machines by Dan Quarnstrom. Book review

If you can imagine the Beach Boys "Little Deuce Coupe" playing in you mind, while at a So Cal dragstrip in the mid 60's, with Ed "Big Daddy" Roth in the vendor row selling monster shirts... this book is for you (or just in time for your dad or grand dad who were there!)

It's a rare person who lives the dream, is at the right place at the right time, and meets his heroes. They did not disappoint him.

Dan grew up in California, somewhere near San Francisco, and got to see the Oakland Roadster Show (63-67) when Cushenberry, Barris, Jeffries, and Winfield were unveiling for the first time their great works of show car masterpieces.

He wrote a fan letter to Ed Roth, and got a response, and even talked to him on the phone... that, well damn, that is pretty frickin awesome...

and once while at a mall, saw Brian Wilson, and was fortunate to introduce his son, a Beach Boys music fan, to Brian. Wow.

Dan went from being a young kid inspired by the icons of hot rodding and show car masterpieces, to a bonafide participant in the Revell 2nd Annual National Custom Car Contest, the one judged by Ivo, Shelby, Nancy, Roth and Moon! Not a sideline fan at all! Dan was living the car nut life, high octane, full bore!

And when he grew up... he became an artist! Yeah, that is cool, that's the evolution we all hope for, and Dan made it happen. Grade school text books with flames and pinstripes to the Art Center College of Design graduate!

See how all of this is so similar to what I've been posting?

Well, here are things in common, so if you already like:
Ed "Big Daddy" Roth
Rod and Custom magazines of the early 60's
slingshot dragsters,
A/FXers
Mouse sweaters and t-shirts
Model car kits
Art Center College of Design
and hot rod art...

- you're going to love this book.

Dan made this book become a tribute to family, by incorporating his dads art and influence, as he taught Dan some drawing techniques for getting the tires and wheels to look right, took him to the car shows, and he was both a Boeing machinst on B17 parts and a WW2 soldier.
And I don't just mean the kind you're born with... he illumintates the Roth Industries family of artists and monster designers - Ed Newton, Tom Daniel, and Robert Williams.
Dan even, without realizing I suppose, makes the many connections between the Art Center College of Design and hot rodding, by pointing out the alumni of the ACC that went on to work in the Ed Roth world... as Jack Leynnwood, a WW2 P-38 pilot, and then illustration instructor at the ACC was working at Revell in the peak of the Roth - Revell collaborations and painted the model car box covers for Outlaw and Mysterion!

Plus, Ed Newton was creating the water transfer sticker and t-shirt designs while Ed was making the show cars, and Newton was also a ACC alumni. Look at the connections!

Also, the astute observations Dan has of art (Rod and Custom Sept 1963 cover with Roth's Mysterion is a Mondrian modernism color backdrop to frame the cars)
and that the sponsorship of Don Prudhomme's creation (Revell Snake anad Mongoose) led to him being priced out of drag racing (WHOA! Damn, I hadn't ever realized how true that is!)

Stats
143 pages
all color illustrations, photos, and art
it takes about 2 to 2 and a 1/2 hours to read/look at/enjoy
17 pieces of Ed Roth art
3 photos from the drag races
34 photos from Oakland Roadster Show
13 magazine covers from the golden age of Rod and Custom and Car Craft
6 kit car boxes from Revell or Monogram



How many hot rod book authors also have an IMDB page? Just this one is my guess!
You've enjoyed his work on Escape From Planet Earth and Arthur Christmas for example.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1673477/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
He also was an illustrator for Rolling Stone Magazine and Dan designed the polar bears for Coca Cola!

You can get a look at some pages via Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/JOYRIDE-FLATOUT-Rods-Dream-Machines/dp/1933492716

Or different ones at Design Studio Press (who were great as sent me this book to review!) http://designstudiopress.com/product/joyride/

Design Studio Press, where concept art and education meet (I like that motto)

I just learned of Kenny Scharf's Karbombz series, and he just collaborated with Hot Wheels! Hot Wheels expects to induct the Thunderbird art car into its Garage of Legends

 

https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/press-play-with-madeleine-brand/immigration-karbombz/kenny-scharf

https://worleygig.com/2024/08/01/kenny-scharf-art-car-ford-bronco-edition

Kenny Scharf has been putting his signature works on modes of transportation for years, dating all the way back to his days tagging New York City subway cars in the early-’80s

https://www.designboom.com/art/kenny-scharf-karbombz-art-car-full-scale-toy-hot-wheels-06-04-2025/
https://hypebeast.com/2025/6/kenny-scharf-hot-wheels-zooom-karbombz-edition-release
https://thehundreds.com/blogs/content/art-in-motion-kenny-scharf-gives-new-life-to-old-rides
https://www.sfgate.com/la/article/kenny-scharf-art-car-los-angeles-18617735.php

https://fordauthority.com/2025/06/kenny-scharfs-1967-ford-thunderbird-gets-premium-diecast-model

update Oct 4th 2025, I came across the Scharf T Bird at the Hot Wheels Tour stop in El Segundo

Union Pacific brings one home for refurbishment and restoration, #4014, one of the giants of trains "#4014 return home 2014)

The plan is to have the #4014 Big Boy lead special excursions across the Great West by 2019 for the 150th anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike in Utah which marked the link between the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific to create the first transcontinental railroad.

Thanks to Case for letting me know about this video!

The other cars in this are heritage fleet support cars, and here's a link http://www.uprr.com/newsinfo/attachments/media_kit/steam/844_support.pdf  that gives some info about the "Howard Fogg"

The Howard Fogg is Union Pacific’s last boiler car. It was built in 1949 by American Car and Foundry as baggage-dormitory No. 6006.

 The Howard Fogg was converted to boiler-baggage-dorm No. 304 in 1962.
 The car was converted to boiler-dorm-HEP (Head End Power) in 2000.
 It was renumbered again in 1987 to No. 209 and assigned to the Heritage Fleet in 1990.

In 1996, it was renamed Howard Fogg after the passing of the renowned railroad artist.

 The Howard Fogg still has a steam generator on board to provide steam if maintenance is required while locomotives No. 844 and No. 3985 are on the road. The car has been outfitted with an electric generator

The Art Lockmann was built in 1962 by the St. Louis Car Company as baggage car No. 6334. It was one of the last baggage cars purchased by Union Pacific.

The car was converted to a tool car for snowplow service and renumbered No. 904304 in 1973.
It was assigned to the Heritage Fleet in 1981.

 The car was named Art Lockman in 1992 and was renumbered UPP 6334 in 2003. The Art Lockman is a rolling “machine shop”. It carries tools, parts, machines, lubricants and numerous other items to maintain and repair the steam locomotives while on trips. The car also has a crew lounge area, locker room and laundry area.

Mr. Lockman retired as roundhouse foreman in Cheyenne, Wyoming, after working 43 years for Union Pacific. He is a well-known former employee who is still admired for his knowledge of steam locomotive maintenance and operation.


The Lynn Nystrom was built in 1957 by American Car & Foundry as postal storage car No. 5714. It was rebuilt as a baggage/recreation car for ski train service between Los Angeles, California; Sun Valley, Idaho; and Park City, Utah.

The car was renamed the Pony Express in 1993 to commemorate a Union Pacific train of the same name that ran between Denver, Colorado, and Salt Lake City, Utah, from August 1926 to November 1954.

And this is very cool, someone drove alongside for a while and paced it on the highway


You may even want to see the local tv station coverage: http://www.kgwn.tv/news/wyoming/headlines/Big-Boy-4014-comes-to-Cheyenne-258554061.html

Now it has a Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Union-Pacific-4014-restoration-BIG-BOY/455623014535432

" one of his people started out on his own and took the car. He turned out to be a criminal and more or less hijacked the body for three years" Holy crap... the things you learn by accident about a car you saw at a car show

The car was found via eBay, an unlikely vehicle for me to buy a car because normally you don’t get to inspect what you’ve bought unless you have enough money to fly there, but this was a local car. It had escaped two auctions and I called the owner, who happened to be a car dealer in a nearby town. We struck up a deal for $1,500 for the body. It was an intact car, fairly straight, but it had the Marauder package on it. It was a two barrel, 390, non-air conditioned car, very plebeian, nothing much, but the body still spelled NASCAR to me when I looked at it. Because of the way it was trimmed, had you elected to restore it, it would been a very expensive restoration.

I elected to strip the car and put it on a rotisserie and then the body went in one direction. It actually went back to the man’s shop who had built the Indy car all those years before. His son took over his business and we had been friends and they started the body work. Then at some point he decided that he was selling his business and one of his people started out on his own and took the car. He turned out to be a criminal and more or less hijacked the body for three years. Six months of which I didn’t know where the car was.


I saw this car at the Art Center College or Pasadena annual Car Classic last fall: http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2016/10/merc-marauder-at-art-center-classic.html


Petrolicious was so impressed by the car at the Car Classic that they did a full article and photo shoot   https://petrolicious.com/articles/this-mercury-marauder-is-one-mans-hand-built-legacy

and that is when I found out about it being stolen and snagged that headline for this post

San Diego Car Show Calendar for 2011

if you are looking for the 2012 calendar http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2012/01/2012-san-diego-and-southern-california.html

Cobras and Corvettes at Starbucks Mission Valley 7am in the Ikea / Costco shopping center (South west corner) 1st Saturday of the month

Encinitas Cruise every 3rd Thursday of the month, June through Sept... South Coast Highway 101, H to D streets

May 6th 7th and 8th Over the Hill Gang Annual Streak Campland on the Bay (pacific beach / San Diego)

May 7th Ramona High School http://www.ramonahighband.org/ or bulldogcarshow@gmail.com
May 14th and 15th El Mirage http://www.scta-bni.org/

May 14th 16th annual Muckenthaler Motor car festival Hot Rods and Customs, Fullerton (near Anaheim) but May 15th is the Concours De Elegance http://themuck.org/s/motor-car-festival/
may 14th Corvette Car show Embarcadero / Seaport Village

May 14th "Spring Fest Car Show", Allied Gardens Community Park, San Diego, CA

May 14th Corvettes of San Diego car club Ventura Point (mission Bay) http://corvettesofsandiego.com/users/editorialdisp.php?mn=110883&fn=events

May 14th Biggs Harley Davidson of San Marcos http://www.biggsh-d.com/ 11am to 3pm

May 15th Vintage Volkswagen Spring Festival, 18th annual, Bob Baker VW http://www.sv2s.com/ or pa.sdacs@hotmail.com Carlsbad Auto Mall, 5500 Paseo Del Norte

May 15th 34th annual North County Corvettes Embarcadero / Seaport Village http://www.ncocc.com/calendar.html

may 22nd Julian Classic Motoring Show “V8s In the Vineyard,” Menghini Winery, 5th annual show features sports and racing cars, classics, specialty vehicles and vintage motorcycles. Highlighted this year will be historic Trans Am racers with Christi Edelbrock as the Grand Marshal. There is a rally on that Saturday for all show participants and the main event is Sunday. http://www.julianclassicmotoringshow.com/

May 22nd BMW club Spanish Landing May 28th Escondido Grape Day Park Pre 1974 cars 9am to 3pm

May 22nd Dennis Park (off I15 and Market st by Costco) Viejitos Car Club 14th annual picnic: info 619-370-6833

May 26th Rockabilly Rumble
8 pm to 10 PM
West Coast Tavern, North Park, University Ave and 30th street http://www.westcoasttavern.com/ hosted by DiscoverSD
http://www.discoversd.com/events/details/rockabilly-riot-at-west-coast-tavern/6406.html

May 28th American Heritage Car Show. Grape Day Park, Escondido

May 29th AACA 46th Fallbrook Vintage car show, info: Tom Conley 760 723 8596

May 30th Qualcomm Swapmeet 7am to 2pm http://www.sandiegoautoswap.com/

June 2nd Start of LaMesa Car Cruise

June 4th Friends of Steve McQueen car show to benefit Steve's chosen charity and his alumnus, Boys Republic http://www.friendsofstevemcqueen.com/ in Chino Hills

June 4th and 5th Huntington Beach Concours de Elegance http://www.hbconcours.org/

June 4th
Torrey Pines High School 10am to 3pm
Touch a Truck http://www.touchatrucksd.com/
a childhood cancer fundraiser 501c3 charity car show, where the kids are encouraged to climb into and get interested in cars and trucks

June 6th
Imperial Beach Car show

June 8th
Mopars are the featured marque at the Escondido cruise

June 12th Fords and Friends Escondido Felicita Park http://www.pickupslimitedsandiego.com/images/PUL%20SD%20F&F%202010%20Flyer.pdf

June 12th Bugorama in Irvine www.bugorama.com/2011classicfull.jpg

June 14th
Start of the Chula Vista car cruise

June 18th and 19th LA Roadster Show 46th Annual L.A. Roadster Show, L.A. Fairplex, Pomona http://www.laroadsters.com/

June 18th Grossmont Gardens Senior Living center, 5480 Marengo Ave La Mesa.... 11am to 2 pm .. .. RSVP with Micaela @ 619-307-3333

June 18th North Park Recreational Park at the corner of Idaho and Howard, Set Free Tribal have their 1st annual Car and Bike show 11am to 4pm contact 619-647-4344

June 17th -19th Boozefighters MC 12th annual overnight Rancho Corrido RV park Info: chopbfmc3@yahoo.com

June 26 - July 1 Kaiser Frazer Owner Club International convention for info Larry Barker, 602-373-1456, thekaiserstore@gmail.com Rancho Bernardo
June 29th 8am to noon, Rancho Bernado Inn Parking lot
Kaiser Frazer convention car show and judging

July 2nd Ventura county fairgrounds, The Beatnik Blowout http://gambinocustoms.com/

July 4th Rancho Bernardo Wheels of Freedom Car Show no entry fee, but only has space for 130 cars, you have to register first, but open to all makes and models Webb Park Poway Cruisers car club http://powaycruisers.com/

July 10th Cops and Rodders North Park http://www.sdpolicemuseum.com/ 9am to 2pm at the Liberty Station (old Navy training base in Pt Loma)

July 10th Long Beach Dragster Expo and car show http://www.bixbyknollsinfo.com/pdf-files/2010%20entry%20form2-lores.pdf

July 10th East County Cruisers 9th Annual Car Show http://www.simpsonsnursery.com/ 9am to 2pm

July 16th King of Clubs Barona Dragstrip

July 16th San Diego Mopar Club annual show in Carlsbad http://www.moparclubsandiego.net/main.frame.set.htm

July 17th Jaguar Car show Spanish Landing

July 23rd Boys and Girls Club of San Dieguito (Carmel Valley/Del Mar)
The thing I found funny? They are having the Oceanside CHP Capt award a trophy tot he car the CHP would most like to pursue, I like that

July 23rd Crower Cams customer appreciation day and open house
10 am to 4pm , 6180 Business Center Court, a couple blocks East of the 805 on the 905

July 30th Toys For Tots car show MCRD San Diego http://www.ncocc.com/calendar.html or ortegagarciaj@usmc-mccs.org

July 31st is the "ALL VW car, bus, and truck show" in La Jolla, on Girard, first time I've learned of it, everything VW, nothing else (about TIME!) 1946 through 1985 only all1946.1985volkswagon@gmail.com

August 6th SD Porsche Club Concourse de Elegance Shelter Island

August 6th So Cal T's Emabarcadero / Seaport Village

August 6th Clairemont Neighborhood car show

August 7th Main Street America Embarcadero / Seaport Village

August 7th Chula Vista Lemon Festival http://www.sandiegocoastlife.com/events/san-diego-bay/chula-vista-lemon-festival.html

August 7th Vista Rod Run 9am to 2 pm

August 7th National City Kimball park annual show

August 20tht San Diego's 11th Annual Tiki Oasis

Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1950's and 60's Hawaiin shirts

25 hot rods are scheduled, and a whipped cream girl contest

http://www.tikioasis.com/2011/carshow/

August 20th Familienfest at Deer Park Winery,

Show hours are from 9am-3pm to the general public, and might be $10 per person

Hosted by Strictly Vintage 2s http://www.sv2s.com/ff_17.php

August 21st Charger Steve's PB car show on Garnet in PB http://www.chargersteve.com/

August 28th Picnic by the Bay (all makes) Seaport Village / Embarcadero Park http://www.classicchevyofsandiego.com/

Sept 2nd, 3rd, 4th Paso Robles http://www.goldenstateclassics.org/carshows.html

Sept 4th LaJolla Village is hosting a "Orphan car, dune buggy, and handcrafted vehicle" meet at the intersection of Girard and Siverado, just a block or so from the main street through downtown LaJolla  orphansdunebuggieshandcrafted@gmail.com

Sept 11th Liberty Station is the new location for the former Balboa Park father's day car show, also know as the Greatest Show On Turf

Sept 16th and 17th Hot Rods and High Rollers Autorama Pala Casino Spa and Resort http://www.palacasino.com/

Sept 17th Wavecrest, Encinitas

Sept 17th Motorhead Madness http://www.powaytransmissions.com/

Sept 17th (tour)
 18th (Show) 3rd Annual English Motors at Fairbrook - 4949 S. Mission Rd. Fallbrook- 8:30AM - 3:30PM http://www.englishmotorsatfairbrook.org/ ( Annual fundraiser Meals on Wheels)

Sept 18th Camaro Club fall show Coronado Tidelands park

Sept 22nd Coronado Village Parade

Sept 23rd
drag racing at Qualcomm

Sept 24th and 25th Speedfest on North Island Naval Air Station

Sept 24th Hellbillyfest and car show 2
Del Mar Arena fairgrounds
Benefits St Judes Childrens Hospital
Bo Huff will be there

http://www.socalhellbillyfest.com/

Sept 30th, Oct 1st, Oct 2nd

Long Beach Motorama

Friday 12pm-9pm, Saturday 10am-9pm, Sunday 10am-7pm

http://www.lbmotorama.com/

Oct 2nd 32nd Annual British Car Show Day
Liberty Station Pt Loma
http://www.sandiegobritishcarday.org/

October 2nd SD Mustang Club Embarcadero / Seaport Village

October 7th
Drag racing Qualcomm

October 8th Prowlers Car Club Car Show http://www.simpsonsnursery.com/

Oct 8th
JR competition open house - car show
http://www.facebook.com/JRCompetition

Oct 8th
Santee Car show
9am to 5pm
Riverview parkway and Mission gorge Rd

Oct 8th
Sweetwater Harley Charity Hot Rod and Custom Bike show
Proceeds to go to a Diabetes Program
pre 1965 and older
10 am to 4pm
3201 Hoover Ave, National City
info: 619 862 7528

Oct 9th
JBA sunday morning coffee and cars
Oct 9th SD Gaslamp Dist, 5th ave from E st to Market http://www.gaslamp.org/fifth-avenue-auto-showcase 11am to 4pm

Oct 9th
Antique drags, Barona dragstrip
http://www.baronadrags.com/

October 15th Pinstripers Toilet Seat Invitational Panel Jam and Charity Event
Starts at 10am, San Diego Kustom Shop, 6695 Rasha St. San Diego, CA 92121
30-40 Kustom pin-stripers and airbrush artists on hand creating beautiful pieces of Kustom Kulture art work. These are some of the top stripers in the world as well as some of the top airbrush artists. All the artwork will be auctioned off at the event and 100% off the proceeds will be donated to the The Parkinson's Association of San Diego. There will also be an area for cars to be striped during the show so if someone wants to have some lines thrown down on their ride the day of the show we can do that

Oct 15th
Chula Vista Olympic Training Center car show
1:00 PM to 9:00 PM
http://www.chulavista100.com/

Oct 15th
Viejas car show... "Road to Success"

Oct 15th
Mopar Fall Fling
Van Nuys

October 16th
Pal Joey's Lounge in San Carlos, 5147 Waring Rd, 8am - 2pm

Oct 21st
Studebaker National Convention (Paicific South West Zone)
and 3rd annual Cool Classic Car Show
9am
Town and Country Hotel and Convention Center (big parking lot in back by the river)
Info Bobhalgren@hotmail.com

Oct 29th
Ramona High School Auto Shop Car Show
10am to 2pm
760-789-2473

November 12th
Carl Burger Dodge dealership annual car show
10am - 2pm
8355 Hercules Dr, LaMesa
http://www.carlburger.com/

Nov 18th
8th annual Fall Classic Car show
Tidelands Park Coronado Island

November 25- 27
Del Mar Fall Nationals
http://www.delmarnats.com/

Dec 3rd
11th Annual Alpine car show in the Albertsons parking lot
11am to 3 pm

December 11th
Christmas Cruise for the kids, Del Mar
8am to 2pm
Torrey Pines High School, 3710 Del Mar Heights Rd

Feb 24th, 25th and 26th
Qualcomm's big 3 swapmeet and auto parts exchange

June 23-24, 2012
Dana Point concours de Elegance

http://www.sandiego.gov/qualcomm/event/
http://www.simpsonsnursery.com/
http://www.sandiego.gov/qualcomm/event/
http://www.sdr-scca.com/solo2/schedule
http://www.socalcarculture.com/events.html (really big calendar)
 http://www.racelegal.com/web/news.asp
http://www.goodoleboyssandiego.com/events.htm (really good calendar) http://local.signonsandiego.com/sections/cars/calendar
http://www.xavierthexman.com/events.php
 http://www.overthehillgang.com/calendar/calendar.htm
 http://www.moparclub.com/events/events.htm
 http://www.carshownews.com/national/CA.htm
 http://corvettesofsandiego.com/users/editorialdisp.php?mn=110883&fn=clubCalendar http://www.ncocc.com/calendar.html
 http://centralcoaststreetrods.com/CarShowCalendar.html

I'm just getting started, lots of improvements and additions to come

How much of a (pre1976) gear head car guy are you? I'm not testing you, just offering these for your use (but don't email me the answers! I know them already!)

What cars were factory Super Stockers in the 1960's drag racing wars? (Made by GM, Ford, Chrysler, AMC... and factory built only to drag race, sometimes not street legal in any way)

 I don't know anyone (I know they are out there, but I don't have them on the phone to ask for a helping hand to edit this) 
who knows more about all of the vast car world in general (versus hot rod or sports car fanatics for example)
than I do (I am not a specialist) 
because I'm just a car guy 
(like I say in this website title)

 with a passion for all things with wheels and have learned a friggin ton about all makes and models, from all countries and eras. So there are some errors in semantics, writing, and use of the English language following... 

And I seemed to have irritated all the HAMBers by coming across as a know it all that doesn't/hasn't worked on any cars. Only one realized I was asking for help, not challenging them to a pissing contest. Of course, they shut off the thread in 9 hours flat from the time they started commenting on it,  before I got online today, where I could have explained that my linguistic skills are so poor that my miscommunication of asking for their help to make this set of questions was my fault, and now I am unable to clarify to them that I went to them for help in making a fun/enjoyable test where the questions weren't redundant, vague, misleading. They didn't seem to understand the words "help please" when I asked for editting assistance

but I hope you enjoy this challenge, and maybe win a bet among your friends as to who knows more about cars.

I've tried not to drift into obscure things like option codes, COPO cars, designers, one off unique prototypes, etc

So I apologize for coming off as a know it all, and offending so many of you , because I simply am not fluent enough to communicate that this was intended as a fun test, not a presumptuous / pretentious challenge from me to you. 

I don't have anyone with more knowledge about pre-1976 cars in general to fall back on as a 2nd checker,  to proofread this test for the correct way to form the question without being to vague,
accuracy, 
mistakes, 
and questions that a regular car guy wouldn't have a chance of knowing. 

If you are that guru of the car guy world, PLEASE email me and help me make this test better! jbohjkl@yahoo.com 

What models of Chevys came with a base and a Super Sport option?

How many cars were pickup bed versions of a normal car (example El Camino and Chevelle) can you name? Not including Austalian cars.

What were the 1970 high impact colors for Mopars?

How many car companies can you name from Italy, Japan, France, Germany, Great Britains countries (you know, England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland ) The USA, and Australia?

What were the Canadian car model names of the GM (Pontiac, Chevrolet, and Buick) cars? Hint, there were 4 that I know of... and one was available in a convertible that was never available in the USA model that it was identical to.

What were the Canadian Chrysler cars (and one truck) model names? There are 8 that I know of.

How many dead car companies from America can you name?

How many AMC models can you name?

What models did Chevy have that started with the letter C?

Who patented the car, and legally forced all the big car companies to pay him a licensing fee until Ford fought lawsuits with appeals, because it was cutting into profits too much?

What company had the first modern mass production line?

Who made the Jeep prototype for the government contract but wasn't really able to produce it in numbers that the US govt needed to supply the Army in WW2?

What are the most famous car companies to make aircraft engines?

What is the last and only independant car company in England?

What were the three cars to be made in America that are synonymous with ugly?

What cars did Hurst get their name on through ventures with the big corporations?

What cars had a Shelby valve covers from the factory or dealership, and or Shelby badging on the outside of the car?

How many companies can you name that made bodies for car companies like Packard, Duesenburg, Cadillac, etc ?

What companies merged to become American Motor Corporation?

What car had the most options in the 1960's?

What cars had hood scoops, and which Mopar is a glaringly obvious model that didn't?

What Mopars came with 3 two barrels?

what caused them to name the Buick model, the Century?

What cars raced in the 1st New York to Paris?

What cars raced in the 1st Paris to Beijing?

What mid or rear engined cars can you name?

How many custom Mustang and Corvette companies can you name? (not parts suppliers... I mean companies that take factory cars, and made them faster or better handling or both, and stamped their name on them, like Saleen)

What are ARDUN heads, Clifford intakes,  6 pack carbs, Gurney Eagles, side oilers

How many carburetor companies can you name?

How many camshaft companies can you name?

Where would you find a Dana 60, a 9 inch, and a 12 bolt?

2 car parts are known as banjos, what are they?

Who invented the fuel log?

What car part did Nicola Tesla patent?

How many transmissions can you name?

What are sprints and midgets?

What 12 race did Steve McQueen enter in 1970?

What race car is Steve McQueen most commonly associated with?

What was the rarest car Steve McQueen owned?

What is the SCCA, SCTA, GNRS, SYC, OEM, NOS, COE?

What are the following people famous for?
Ed Cole, Ed Roth, Ed Winfield, Barney Oldfield, Barney Navarro, Wally Parks, Norm Grabowski,

Name the land speed record setting cars (not jet engine cars, piston powered)

Name land speed record setting drivers

Name land speed racing locations

Name the hot rodders 1940's dry lakes, there are at least 4

Who made the Dude and the Demon?

How many Chevy car models that came with a Super Sport option level can you name?

Name the most famous engine builders of Hemi's

Who is the Snake, the Mongoose, the Professor?

What cars came from the factory with flat black hoods?

What cars did Hurst collaborate on and get the Hurst name on?

What were the high impact Mopar colors of 1970?

Name the Aero war cars of 1968-1971 that were developed to get more Nascar victories and sold to the public only because of the homologation rule?

Name the after market shifter companies

What Super Stock cars can you name?

What was the sister car to the Torino Talledaga?

What were the AMC "X" car models?

What was the last of the muscle cars in the 1970's?

What 4 car companies comprised Auto Union, represented by the 4 rings

What cars came from Mopar with the 426 hemi?

What cars did Shelby put engines in or his name on?

Name at least 6 types of rims, not rim making companies

When did the big 3 switch from generators to alternators?

What car company made the Jeep prototype, but who built them in numbers needed for WW2?

What was the Jeep truck model named?

When vinyl tops were options, what was the point of getting your car optioned with one?

What were the big blocks in the 65-75 muscle cars years from the big 3?

What were the AMC v-8s sizes?

What was the biggest of the muscle car v-8s? Hint, smaller than the 460 truck engine

Which cars had stripes on the nose or tail?

Cars had the engine sizes indicated with numbers on the outside of the car in many ways... how many can you name? Stickers are a way, not a type. Mopar had at least 2 stickers with specific names that gave the engine size.

Who made "the Machine"?

Name the awesome muscle car era car dealerships you would go to to get the fastest cars

How many VW models can you name, pre 1971?

What company did Ford have build the Boss 429 Mustangs?

Who put together the ZL1 Camaros?

What is a UTE?

What cars came from the factory with dual quads?

What is the give away in the Mopar engine bay that you would look for to indicate a track pack optioned car?

Where was the name "Camaro" claimed by Chevrolet to have come from?

Who made the Delmont, Beaumont, Wildcat, Cyclone, Biscayne?

What did a Mustang GT-A come with?

What was Briggs Cunningham known for? Art Arfons? The Blastolene Brothers? Mad Man Muntz? Frank Kurtis?

Who were the Drag Masters?

What was the Wagon Master?

What was the Candymatic?

What cars came factory optioned with the Boss 302, Boss 429, ZL1?

What is a mountain motor?

What was the Rent a Racer?

What was the famous Alabama state trooper car?

How many supercharger manufacturers can you name?

Name the 2 seater sports cars made in america, before 1971. Not kit cars.

The top of the line Cougar was called the ? Coronet? Mustang? Charger? Road Runner? Maverick?

What cars have had a retro comeback? (A modern remake design in the past decade or two because the car companies are too stupid to innovate anything interesting)

California's contributions to the automotive world - nope, I didn't get on the list, (I am adding myself to it) but Don did with his Garage Style Magazine! So, congrats Don!

Creative Californians lead the world in entertainment, aerospace and automotive, particularly around Southern California, the car culture capital

 Notable car-related firsts and founders:

1919: Car Styling — Harley Earl, Los Angeles (incl. use of clay models.)
1925: Motel — Milestone Mo-Tel, San Luis Obispo.
1926: Kelley Blue Book — Les Kelley, Los Angeles.
1931: Drive In Take Out Restaurant — Pig Stand, Los Angeles.
1930s: Hot Rods — developed around Los Angeles, tested on nearby dry lake beds.
1930:  Art Center College of Design as the Art Center School.

1936: Maurice Schwatz — custom cars. He made the Topper Car.

1948: Road and Track magazine — John Bond, Burbank.
1948: Hot Rod magazine — Robert Petersen, Wally Parks, Los Angeles.
1948: Drive-Through Restaurant — In-N-Out Burger, Baldwin Park.
1949: Motor Trend magazine — Robert Petersen, Los Angeles.
1950: Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance — Sterling Edwards, Beverly Hills.
1951: National Hot Rod Association — Wally Parks, Glendora.
1951: Custom Cars — George Barris Hollywood custom cars for tv shows, Los Angeles.
1953: Pinewood Derby — Don Murphy, Manhattan Beach.
1956: Go Kart — Art Ingels, Echo Park, Los Angeles

1957: T Bucket  — Norm Grabowski, Hollywood
1963: Dune Buggy — Bruce Meyers, Newport Beach

1968: Hot Wheels — Mattel introduces kids to cool cars via toys
1973: Toyota Satellite Design Studio, El Segundo.
1983: Automotive Fine Arts Society — Ken Eberts, Temecula.
1984: Motor Press Guild — Matt DeLorenzo, San Pedro.
1986: Automobile magazine — David E. Davis, Los Angeles.
2003: Cars and Coffee — Marc Greeley, Bob Cheatley, Newport Beach

2004: Tv reality shows about custom cars — Boyd Coddington
2006: Just a Car Guy blog — me, San Diego
2008: Garage Style magazine — Don Weberg, La Habra.
2020: Modern Rodding magazine — Tim Foss, Brian Brennan, Fullerton.

Peter Aylett (Laguna Nigel) founded Car Art in 2002 in Southern California he is the great-grandson of a London carriage maker, and during his 25-year career as an automotive design engineer with Ford, Lotus, Mercedes, GM, Nissan, and Mazda, he helped create concepts like the Corvette Stingray III and production cars like the Esprit, De Lorean and RX-8.

Von Dutch and Ed Roth, maybe they should be included, selectively then based on your first comes makes the list for one category, unless you categorize them differently. 

For all I know you might think Ed Roth and Barris are the same category, but when I think of Roth, he was not in a category because of the monster shirts, and comic book marketing, and airbrushing the shirts and sweaters at car shows, plus the Choppers Magazine, and not just the singular focus on wacky custom cars.

Barris started as a reporter for Hot Rod, then customized cars for celebs - unlike Roth who made cars, for car show wins. 

Who invented flame jobs for hot rods? Two Red Lion Special sprint cars in 1934

Von Dutch certainly was not in a category with anyone else, though he did teach others like Jeffries to pinstripe, he was certainly the originator, and his contributions to hot rodding include the invention of lace paint - though Watson took that and popularized it, and Von Dutch got to working with helmets and did the design for the stars and stripes that was copied for the tank of Easy Rider's Capt America bike. 

Also, Norm Grabowski who invented the T Bucket was also the one that created custom shifter knobs. But, that T Bucket - that was pioneering a trend. 

Mr Jalopy invented blogging about car stuff. 

Max Bulchowsky for putting hot rods into GP racing with Ol Yaller

Gene Winfield, not just for the fade paintjob, but also for making Hollywood movie vehicles

Pete Chapouris hot rodding revival in the 70s

Bruce Crower

Cal Club plates

Joe Bailon for inventing candy apple red paint

Reaction to the GM recall on Chevy Cobalts and other GM cars with the ignition switch.. this is awesome. An owner is going to make a statement piece on his car

Six is inviting San Diego area artists to collaborate and paint a protest on his Chevy Cobalt. “This is a warning to people driving alongside this car. To shame General Motors into doing something about this car. And really, to draw attention to the matter.”

The Death Trap Art Car began life as a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, with a faulty ignition switch. It was sold to a family who returned it and resold to someone who was shocked to learn that he'd been driving a deathtrap since 2010.

 The news came in the form of a recall letter from General Motors. The letter from General Motors said that the car would be fixed. But not yet. While automobile owners wait for parts, cars with the same faulty ignition were responsible for 13 deaths (said General Motors, but others in the automobile business put that number at closer to 300).

A not-so-proud owner of a 2007 Chevy Cobalt, Six says that before he takes his car in to have it fixed, he's inviting artists to help him paint the outside of the vehicle with messages and imagery meant to communicate their disappointment in the slow and slimy way he says General Motors handled the recall.

Because the car is worthless -- and already Caution Tape Yellow -- it is the perfect venue for sternly worded, though poignantly beautiful, messages to General Motors about their responsibility to faultless owners, passengers and commuters.

Thus far, he has commitments from two artists. One painter is planning on doing an Arnold Schwarzenegger ‘Total Recall’ motif. “The other… She is a calligrapher and she said, you know, ‘Nothing says screw you like screw you written out really pretty.’” He is looking for others to join them.

Six is wary of driving the vehicle. He still needs to get to work or auditions. Since his model has a stick shift, he thinks he can downshift and pull over if something goes wrong.

Since he has to travel the California freeways, the painted protest will send a message of warning to residents in San Diego and Los Angeles Counties.

“I don’t want the car, even if they replace the ignition,” Six laughs. “Because I don’t trust them. For 10 years they knew this problem existed and kept making the cars and kept selling the cars while people were dying.”

Come see the DeathTrapArtCar at OnTheEdgeArtGallery this Saturday, April 26th, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This is an opportunity for the curious to see the car and hear our plans for it -- and for artists to claim their panels. Lead Artist Michael Arata will be there and calligrapher Justine Hince will be working right on the car! There are a finite number of panels so reserve yours soon!

The gallery is located at 7317 El Cajon Boulevard, La Mesa . Look for the bright yellow 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt in the parking lot.
 For more information, visit http://deathtrapartcar.com/ or http://bizcenterart.blogspot.com/ or e-mail us at: Car@DeathTrapArtCar.com

First panel seems odd... until you learn, that each fingerprint represents one of the people dead in Cobalts since GM knew of the problem, and hasn't acted, because of the lack of safety and focus at GM. 

3 years after being made, this 1976 group 5 BMW race car was damaged in a race, pushed into a Jakarta Indonesia garage, and forgotten for about 15 years

What you’re looking at here is one of four 3.5litre CSL’s built by the factory in 1976. Of those only three survive and two run. One is not used as it’s an original Art Car and stays with BMW under cover and Tony’s CSL is the only 1976 car with its original engine fitted.

Tony says of his find, “At the time it wasn’t one of those cars that had gone down in folklore, it was just simply forgotten. In fact when it came back to the UK, BMW Germany came over to inspect it as it had been lost from their records.”

The ex-Schnitzer car pictured here spent 1977 in the German Championship driven by Sepp Manhalter for the Memphis Racing Team in white with the red and two-tone blue stripes. The car won the Havirov International race in the Czech Republic, but at the end of the year a wealthy Indonesian businessman came and made an offer for the car that the team couldn’t refuse. It was then airfreighted to Asia where it was repainted again—this time with Bentol cigarette logos—and driven in the Jakarta Indonesian Grand Prix, which it won. But in 1978, running over a high curb cracked the sump and the resultant oil loss was bad enough to seize the engine. Spare parts and local mechanics that could work on such a car were understandably hard to find in the Far East, so it was pushed into a barn… where it stayed dormant until the early 1990s.

Englishman Tony Walker found the car by accident while looking at another stored in the same shed. The locals knew it was there, but they didn’t have any idea what it was, just thinking it was something someone had made as a one-off—who would put such an insane body kit on a race car? But under the dust Tony knew what it was instantly. Unfortunately the barn find of a lifetime wasn’t a fairytale, as despite doing nothing apart from letting it slowly decay, its Indonesian owner didn’t want to sell the CSL, and it took almost another decade before he finally gave in and let Tony take it back to Europe where it could be brought back to life.

Understandably after so long in the tropical climate, all the rubber and magnesium parts had perished, although this would be the same on any car left untouched for so long. The rebuild was thorough, painstaking, detailed, and it took six years in all, but the end result is one absolutely stunning car. And a very original one at that. The engine was repairable, the only damage on any of the bodywork was at the front splitter, damaged in the same curb-bashing incident that cracked the sump. Back in the original Gösser Bier colors

When finished with the restoration, it was brought to the 2006 Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Le Mans Classic of 2008 and 2012.

https://petrolicious.com/articles/this-group-5-bmw-csl-batmobile-spent-decades-in-an-indonesian-barn
http://www.speedhunters.com/2012/07/to-the-batmobile-the-lost-csl/

Prickly Heat: Designed and hand painted by Robert Williams

 

Reading an interview with RW, I found this fascinating, a perspective on Low Brow art from the guy who was there at the invention:

You had Paris, France as the capital of the art world for 200 years, then it was New York. I think Los Angeles could be the next capital of the art world. I say that because of what has become known as ‘lowbrow’ art. Lowbrow art is the disdained art.

On the West Coast you have hot rod art, you have biker art, you have tattoo art, you have skater art, you have surfer art, you have comic book and movie culture. You have all these arts that require people who can draw but who aren’t tolerated in the fine art world.

I make my living as an artist. I function in an art world that I have had to create. In the hot rod world I’m just a guy with a car. I have no aspirations to be some hot rod big shot.

But I do have these egotistical aspirations in the art world. I started an art form and had to launch a magazine [Juxtapoz] to support it. It’s only recently that the hot rod world and the art world have recognized each other.

The feminists hate it. The art world is run by extremely liberal people and the hot rod represents the decay of the environment, so the hot rod will never be accepted by them. Hot rods will be tolerated and marginalized, but they will never have any real influence even though they come with pin-striping.

https://www.streetmachine.com.au/features/artwork-robert-williams

https://voiceofoc.org/2022/01/lowbrow-art-champion-robert-williams-inspires-other-artists-at-occca/rw-pricklyheat1-1/

The Art of the Classic Sports Car: Pace and Grace, book review

by the numbers

205 pages,
4 categories of cars
27 cars
most cars have 6 to 10 photos of each

1st impression... damn, the author knows these cars. Who made them, why, how, and so much more. Which is no doubt the reason he's writing car books.

The photos are fantastic, all studio, and wonderful.

Only two minor complaints, as this is a top notch book. The selection of cars could be a bit more complete, as there are more Italian and American cars that I would have liked to have seen in this, like the Iso Rivolta, Morgan, O.S.C.A. etc. And where is the GT 350? Shelby Cobra 289? GT 40? The author instead features an AC Ace. Not a Cobra.

And the introduction? It's clear the author is an elitist snob. Clearly a trait common among the F1 crowd, and huh... the author has been part of F1 in TV, Radio, and F1 Magazine. Snobbery's not cool, and I think it might be easy to reign in that impulse when writing an intro to your book.

Here is likely the reason for snubbing the Fords, in the authors own words:
"In the last decades of the twentieth century, it became fashionable among volume car manufacturers, to offer "sporting" variants (the author doesn't see the hypocrisy of shaming American car makers for this, and ignoring Ferrari for doing the same) in their model ranges, usually distinguished by a mildly retuned engine, some hurriedly designed plastic bodywork addenda, and that great aesthetic horror, the "go-faster stripe." (maybe the author isn't aware that was first invented by Cunningham, race car team owner/driver/maker in 1950 http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2011/01/racing-stripes.html ) Buyers of secondhand machinery followed that lead, and soon the inner circular roads of most great cities were thrumming at night to the beat of strained low-capacity engines howling in agony through aftermarket mufflers"

Arbarth says "WTF ou talkin' about Willis?"

Get what I'm saying? Snob, and slamming Italian cars, not the cars he intended to criticise -  the Camaros, Scat Pack Dodges, GT 350s... you know, the big displacement American muscle cars.

The author does see the reality of luxury car makers going out of business (name one that is still owned and operated without having been bought and sold, bankrupt etc.) and points out "Many of the cars they built were commercial flops in their time, or built and sold in small numbers - whether because of world events, changing trends, or, more often than not, simply being too expensive. We remember these carsromantically, but in a century bedeviled by world wars and boom and bust economic cycles, actually being in the low-volume sports-car business was akin to a taking a flight with Icarus"

Car companies that couldn't hack it in business, (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, Jaguar) and are now owned by other car companies that made cheap cars (VW and Ford)

Here's an example of the good writing you can expect in this book, quite superb writing... "The 911 of today is as machine-built as a atypical Volkswagen, but each new generation has been sweated over just as the original was. It has become an iconic sports car precisely because of the pains surrounding it's conception, the fear of imperfectly following up on the 356 model on which the company built its reputation. Even in the twenty first century, every engineer coming to the 911 project knows that they are taking temporary custody of a baton they must not drop"

"Equally, Ferrari is now owned by Fiat, and it's modern factory has a largely automated production line with health-and-safety mandated "green zones" and breakout areas, but even a cursory tour reveals the still beating artisan heart of the company. A team of workers custom stitch the find hides used for upholstery. As you walk in you pass a line of classic Ferrari models that stand like finely polished sentinels, scrutinizing the next generation as each new car is wheeled out. Emerging models are only approved at the development stage after a good thrashing at the Fiorano test track across the road."

Because every car book is a new source of cool stuff to learn, and this one is too, as always in my book reviews, here is the stuff I learned because this author knows his shit, and I haven't learned about these things yet:

The AC company, was making a good Ace in 1957, it came in 2nd in class to a Ferrari in the 24 hours of Le Mans. Then the co-driver, a car dealer/racer, made a decision that changed the sports car world. He put a small Ford engine in the AC Ace. This resulted in the best AC Ace for racing, and he was selling more of his ''Ruddspeed" Ace than AC was selling of their Ace. Then Shelby one upped Rudd with a small Ford V8, and the rest of the world started putting American V8s into European sports cars, and now, as good ol Paul Harvey said, "you know the REST of the story".

Back to the expensive cars will put a company out of business theme, the BMW 507 was so expensive, costing more than a house, that they only sold 251 of them. That doesn't break even on the costs of engineering, r and d, part supply and logistics, distribution etc. Only the very rich could afford them, and that put BMW on the verge of bankruptcy.... and only the fast thinking to license the ISO Isetta kept BMW from going out of business. The Isetta, the world's first mass-production car to achieve 3 L/100 km - 78 mpg, and it was the top-selling single-cylinder car in the world.

Ferdinand Porsche spent 22 months in a French jail for working with the Nazis.

In 1947, Aston Martin was for sale in the newspaper classifieds of the Times. David Brown bought it and the Lagonda assets, put the Lagonda twin cam into the Aston Martin and made a better car. Then Brown dropped the in house styling, and outsourced to Carrozeria Touring, and the DB4 was a hit for it's looks and increased handling achieved by the fabrication by Touring, a tube frame work covered with aluminum body. It all resulted in the world's fastest production car, 0-100-0 in less than 30 seconds.

The 1st cars Enzo sold as commuters were old race cars which he had made street legal by adding turn signals and headlights.

Pre WW2, Enzo Ferrari was working for Alfa Romeo, but after WW2 he was competing against them, against all the improvements he had made to the Alfa racing team, engine, etc etc

When making the Marcos, the design was inspired by the de Havilland Mosquito, because the co-owner of Marcos had just been an engineer for de Havilland, and consulted for Lotus, and designed the bodies on the Vanwall Formula 1s. The successful design was a plywood monocoque chassis, and with a Marcos, Bill Moss won 9 consecutive 1000cc races in 1960

Jaguar was so panicked by the 300SL that they redesigned the Type C, and screwed up by making a nose for higher speeds when they didn't factor in increased cooling, and they lost the Le Mans

The company president of Datsun was at the theater, enjoyed the play, but was so impressed by the sound of the title, he called his next sports car the Fair Lady, from My Fair Lady (1958)

The 1967 Toyota 2000 GT was so expensive to make and import, it cost more in California than a Porsche 911. They only sold 351.

https://www.amazon.com/Art-Classic-Sports-Car-Grace/dp/076035216X