There are hot rods, there are hot rods, and then there's "Um... what is that?" Tom Cramer, an ex-GI and mechanic in Omaha says, "I wanted to see what would happen if you put a really high powered engine in a chassis." Sound familiar? That was in 1953. So he found a fresh 12-cylinder 1,710-cubic-inch Allison airplane engine that produces 1,350-hp/1,500 ft-lb and got to work.
The body of the Cramer Comet was Frankensteined from De Sotos, Dodges, Oldsmobiles, Buicks, Studebakers, Cadillacs, Lincolns, and Fords. Part of the tubular chassis is made up of four-inch refrigerator tubing filled with coolant that runs to a rear-mounted radiator. The engine is mounted in reverse and is heavily insulated -- it gets hot in there. Power is sent through a drive shaft mounted between two truck universals and on to a four-speed transmission. The top speed is said to be 160 MPH, which is low for so much power, but probably sensible considering it's hand built.
Check out that center console. To start the car, the driver (pilot?) sets the throttle quadrant to ten-percent, cranks the fuel mixture to full rich, turns the spark lever to retard, flips the master switch, turns the magnetos on, turns the fuel boost and primer switches on, flips the starter control first to energize and then to on. And then it's time to fly, hopefully not in the literal sense.
Tom didn't get rid of the car until 1991 and it's now up for auction for the first time at this year's Sport & Classics of Monterey held by RM Auctions August 15 and 16. It's expected to fetch up to $300,000. Even if you don't plan to buy, you should check out the gallery of high-res photos below for evidence of how powerful elbow grease is.
Harley-Davidson, the definitive American motorcycle manufacturer, has released its 2009 models, and there are a few surprises to take note of, including the introductions of two brand new bikes. The VRSCF V-Rod Muscle (above) builds on the same liquid cooled platform of past VR models and adds a new rear fender design, dual side exhaust pipes and revised bodywork to the wide 240 mm rear tire that some models already feature. The second new bike is The Motor Company's first trike, the Tri Glide. Using a brand new rear differential along with air suspension in back, Harley looks to capitalize on the growing three-wheeler trend in the states.
In other news, HD has also revised the frame of all its '09 Touring models, and we recently got the chance to feel the new, more solid-feeling frame ourselves. It's a definite improvement, especially important since the revised Tour-Pak is capable of holding even more gear and weight. Nearly all new Duna and Sportster models feature a new front fender said to more closely follow the contour of the front wheel, improving the appearance of the bikes in the process.
All the current clamor for the Euro Focus is reminiscent of the happenings nearly a decade ago. Ford's Escort had quite run its course with a third and final design refreshing having hit the streets in 1997. The very next year, an actual small-car contender wearing the Blue Oval launched in Europe. It was capable, well turned out, and wore Ford's sharp New Edge sheetmetal. American customers took one look at the Escort ZX2, which was supposed to fill the shoes of the Escort GT and kick it against the GTI, Civic Si, and others, and decided that it just wouldn't do, decent performance or not. Much like the current U.S.-Focus versus Euro C1 Focus debate, buyers set their gaze across the Atlantic and decreed the grass greener than the warmed over Mazda B platform ZX2.
You'll find the full brochure for the 2009 Dodge Challenger, and yeah, there's some good stuff to be found in there. We're particularly fond of the R/T Classic package (above), which gets a coat of B5 Blue, 20" torq-thrust lookalikes, T/A-style stripes, and the old-school script Challenger badge on the front fender. Unfortunately, while Chrysler was cooking up the retro badging, they neglected to order up some nouveau Fratzogs to really finish off the look, so the Ram-head shield sits on the hood, instead. Too bad. As for the rest of the car? Badass. There are some pretty cool stripe and wheel options to be had regardless of trim level, plus what's sure to be a bevy of aftermarket parts from Mopar and other third parties. Finally, Chrysler's offering a factory R/T Track Pack that, in its most aggressive form, combines the 6-speed Tremec with 20" wheels and a 3.91 rear axle ratio. Bring money for tires. Ford is the king of leveraging its heritage to keep the Mustang interesting. Chrysler has a shot at doing the same thing here with the Challenger. From the looks of things, it's off to a good start. That R/T Classic? Yeah, we could roll like that.
Unloved as they are, let's give Chrysler's K Car its due. Thirty years ago, the K represented a sea change in the Pentastar lineup. Not only did the K and its derivatives return Chrysler to the black, the architecture proved versatile enough to underpin basically the entire lineup, from minivans to LeBarons to turbocharged Daytonas. Southern California now has an official K Car club – fitting, as that's likely the only place you could find an early '80s Chrysler without lots of rust. Club membership is open to the entire swath of cars that share this similar architecture, known as the "EEK" models, so you won't get kicked out for showing up in a Caravelle instead of an Aries. Now's the time to hunt one of these cars down if you're looking for a cheap, enjoyable way to get into the hobby. They're available for a song, don't yet command any respect (perhaps they never will), yet the K Car is edging its way toward official classic status regardless of what some traditionalists might argue. The K Cars are nearly classic, they're historic and significant and worth saving. The hobby must live on after all the boomers are buried in their Tri-Fives, and a Reliant would be a great way to show an interested kid the basics.
The Woodward Dream Cruise has been a very professionally run event for most of the past 13 years, but when it came time to check for updates on the Dream Cruise website, it was amateur hour. That has changed, as the rip-roaring event has been given a more modern website with easy to traverse navigation and cleaner graphics. The site also includes a new blog that features the ideas and knowledge of the Dream Cruise leadership team.
Team Dream Cruise also wanted to feature an all-new logo that captures the spirit of an event that hosts a million people and 40,000 vintage hotrods. The team hand-picked former GM Design Director Dick Ruzzin to come up with a classic yet contemporary design that gives props to the classic car, while also providing the event an extra touch of class. Ruzzin chose the classic 1930's roadster as the new face of the Dream Cruise, and we'd say the end result is a job well done. Click on the gallery below for Ruzzin's progression from first sketch to final product, and click the link below to visit the Dream Cruise website. The actual event takes place Saturday, August 16th, and you know we'll be there.
Although most people don't realize it, Southern California does indeed have seasons. Sure the weather may be sunny and 70 all year-long, but there are most definitely seasons. We happen to be in the middle of concours season right now, with classic car shows popping up like, well, like poppies. The classic car fan is completely spoiled for choice out here, with shows occurring in Los Angeles, Long Beach, and in Huntington Beach just this past weekend. We already showed you some of the highlights from Los Angeles, and now we want to share a bit of HB too.
Now in its 23rd year, the Huntington Beach Concours d'Elegance is a much more casual event, with cars sprawled around Huntington's Central Park, in the shadow of the Central Library. It feels much more like a community festival than some of the other concours, but still has some top-notch machinery being judged for awards. Spread over two days, showgoers got to see muscle cars, woodies and hot rods on Saturday, while the motorbikes, European classics and exotics joined the featured Corvettes on Sunday. Celebrities on hand included Kar Kustomizer George Barris, Fireball Tim Lawrence and KABC car expert Dave Kunz. Not quite Pebble Beach, but a lot cheaper and just as fun for the spectators. Check out the gallery below to see everything from a Sport Pack Mini to a Lamborghini 400GT, a '50 Merc to a Fiat Abarth, and everything in between.
One of Steve McQueen's co-stars in the 1971 documentary-style film Le Mans, a Porsche racing car, is up for action this August in Carmel Valley, California. The car is a 1969-1970 Porsche 908/2 Spyder. It features a 3.0-liter oil-cooled flat-8 engine rated at 350 hp @ 8500 rpm. While many of today's production cars are making that type of power, with a fiberglass body on a tubular aluminum spaceframe, the Porsche 908/2 tips the scales at just under 1,322 pounds. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox giving the racer a top speed of 200 mph. This particular vehicle was mounted with two cameras and raced in the French city of Le Mans to create footage for the racing film (the car is said to have competed in the event five times). The classic Porsche sounds like a ton of fun to toss around a track, but the winning bidder may have second thoughts if the car fetches anywhere near its pre-auction estimate of $2 million -- not entirely unlikely as another one of McQueen's cars, a Ferrari Lusso, grabbed $2.31 million at an auction last year.
John Draxler has loved Ford's personal-luxury coupe for decades, and he's been a tremendous resource for the Thunderbird community for nearly as long with his Thunderbird Ranch operation. Located in Wisconsin, the Ranch could be over-simplified as a yard full of Thunderbirds, and the Badger State thinks it's a lot more complicated than that. Wisconsin has determined that the Thunderbird Ranch is really a salvage operation, and called for all sorts of permits and fees. Rather than deal with the hassle and the expense, Mr. Drexler is razing the ranch. Now would be a good time to get those parts for your '57-'88 'Bird, or possibly even pick up that entire project car. Act fast, or the offer from the scrap metal yard will likely win out.
City of Long Beach police cruisers were movie stars in the original Gone in 60 Seconds film. The 1970's cult classic featured the black and white playing chase with a 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1. These days, though, the officers use more efficient methods to capture muscle cars; they invite them over for a fundraising car show. Over the weekend, the Long Beach Police Academy held a classic car show to benefit the department's K9 Officers Association. A few dozen impeccable examples of automobile preservation took over the grounds of the Long Beach Police Officers Association Park. Not to be rude hosts, the organization even showed off an old Dodge Cornet and Model T police cruiser amongst the numerous Bel Airs, Mustangs and Vegas.
Browsing through the rows of vintage automobiles wasn't the only event incentive for us to attend. The Orange County German Shepherd rescue showed off dogs available for adoption and the K9 officers put on a training demonstration. As a new GSD owner, I could not resist the combination of sleek cars and furry wet noses. The dual purpose car show/charity event is always a relaxing way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Be sure and check out the event gallery in the link below.
