Skip to main content

Why have an air compressor in your garage? There are plenty of reasons

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on November 18, 2021.

Having an air compressor in the garage makes so many jobs easier, including the most-obvious task of inflating tires.  Or footballs. But there’s a lot more to it than that.

The tire (or football) inflation in itself makes a home compressor worthwhile.  Really, who wants to schlep down to the convenience store to feed quarters into their bitty machine? Yes, children, there was a time long ago when air was free.

compressor
A basic explanation of air compressor parts | Brian Elliott/Wikipedia Commons

But there are so many other chores that can be accomplished with an air compressor, particularly those involving cars, trucks and motorcycles. Compressed air provides extra muscle and versatility, and there are a myriad tools and pieces of equipment that operate efficiently via the power of air.

Compressors come in many shapes and sizes, from the massive units seen at auto shops to scaled-down versions for home use, and all the way down to small portable compressors that run on your vehicle’s 12-volt system, made specifically for filling tires.

compressor
A 6-gallon pancake compressor, good for portability | Amazon

You’ll often see contractors and construction crews on the job site equipped with small-capacity compressors capable of containing a few gallons of air generated by the attached electric pumps.  These most often are used to provide immediate, short-burst power for such tools as nail guns and staplers. 

For a home garage, a somewhat bigger compressor with larger capacity should be considered so that there’s more air contained in its tank for continuous use. That way, the pump motor is not constantly – and noisily – running, which also makes it wear out faster. 

My garage contains a fairly typical home-garage compressor with a 25-gallon tank that can generate as much as 130 psi, runs on 120-volt house current, and draws 15 amps. Easy and convenient, it stands against the wall and, when cranked up, will fill the tank in about five minutes, with a pump that is maintenance free. 

There are bigger and much-bigger compressor/tank combinations, some of which require 220 volts and sometimes special high-capacity wiring, but that’s generally overkill for the home auto hobbyist.

A space-saving vertical compressor can be easily moved around | Home Depot

I originally got my compressor (actually, a Christmas present from my dear wife) so that I could power an impact socket wrench and, of course, inflate tires and such.  But compressed air can be used for so much more, as I gradually found out.

Here are a few of the things that can be done with an air compressor:

Cleaning things.  With a blow-gun nozzle attached (hand actuated by a lever), high-pressurized air can be used to blow the dust and grit out of many things, including screens and filters.   Most usefully, it can be used to blast out those little niches and crevasses in your car’s interior way more efficiently than a vacuum alone.

Quick-connect fittings are a must for switching tools | Home Depot

If so inclined, you can even blow dirt and leaves out the door, or clear away sawdust. I have an extra-long hose attached to my compressor, which I occasionally run into the house to blow off accumulated dust (we live in the desert).  Sure, I know that’s a real Tim Allen/Tool Time (or maybe Red Green) solution, and I hope you don’t think less of me for it.

Powering pneumatic tools. Besides the aforementioned impact wrench, there’s a wide assortment of automotive hand tools that can be hooked up to the compressor, such as powered ratchet wrenches, grinders, rotary saws, sand blasters, drills, grease guns and air brushes.  

An upright 20-gallon compressor would be a good choice for a garage | Craftsman tools

Some of those would require a compressor with the higher air-storage capacities.  My 25-gallon unit would suffice for most. Although, running low on compressed air is a good excuse for a short beer break while the pump refills the tank.

Spray painting.  Compressed air is the way to go for achieving a professional-quality paint job, from small items to entire vehicles.  Practice is important, so if you’re a newbie, you might try out your nascent skill on a disposable piece, such as an old car hood from a junkyard.  And don’t make the rookie mistake of trying to paint with air pressure that’s set too high.  That’s a recipe for a mess. There’s plenty of detailed instructions about spray painting available online.

Pressure washing.  Compressed air can be used to pump water through a specialized device to pressure wash driveways, equipment, even vehicles.

Blowing up things. OK, you can’t discuss air compressors without talking about inflation, which might be a dirty word economically these days but still the most notable use of a compressor.  Car, truck and motorcycle tires would be the obvious targets, and a moderately sized compressor, at least, makes the job easier, especially with big truck tires containing large volumes of air. 

But how about the other things in life that require inflation, such as that football?  Or basketball, volleyball, beach ball, pool toy, etc.  For the flimsier objects, such as beach balls and pool toys, a judicious use of the pressure gauge is required so that you don’t explode them. 

Same with bicycle tires, which can too quickly blow up beyond their capacity because of their small air volume, especially skinny tires on lightweight road bikes, for which a regular hand pump would be the more-judicious alternative.

I’m sure you can conjure up, and most likely already have, other ways to use your air compressor.  If you would like to share your ideas, add them to the comments section below.

The “Warhol Gullwing” To Be Auctioned

Mercedes-Benz has several vehicles that rank at the top of automotive history, but the 300 SL “Gullwing” may be the one that wins out. The combination of styling and engineering can be seen as art to some, Andy Warhol being one. His gallerist in Germany, Hans Mayer, came up with the idea for Warhol to collaborate with Mercedes for a commissioned set of works based on its vehicles throughout history. The first one was a 1955 300 SL—this one—and now it can be yours.

This Silver Grey SL was originally purchased in Paris in August 1955, complete with blue leather interior and Rudge knock-off wheels. In 1981, it was sold to a doctor in Germany, who kept it until it was purchased in 2020 by Brabus, the German tuning company.

 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Gullwing”

Brabus invested more than 4,500 hours in the restoration as part of the Brabus 6-Star Restoration program, of which the company devotes hours and hours of labor combined with 40+ years of experience working with Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The result is new-car character that surpasses the condition when the vehicle was new.

So how is it known that the car in the Warhol illustration is this car? Look at the license plate, then check out an image of Warhol’s SL. German registration records link EI-DR 1 to this very vehicle before your eyes.

Sotheby’s Sealed, Sotheby’s online platform where some of the world’s most significant cars are auctioned, will handle the sale of this 300 SL starting on November 10, 2022, with bidding closing on the 17th. It is being offered without reserve, with estimates ranging from $1,500,000-3,000,000. That’s much more than the opulent Rolls-Royce Sceptre we wrote about a few days ago.

 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Gullwing”

Warhol only managed to finish 49 out of the 80 works for Mercedes when he unexpectedly died in 1987. Though art is a subjective medium, one would be hard-pressed to argue with Warhol’s choice to put this vehicle on canvas.

GM’s Firebird III or Chrysler’s Turbine: Which was more convincing of a jet-powered future for cars?

While Ford did have its own turbine program, largely focused on powering heavy-duty trucks, it was General Motors and Chrysler that put significant and long-term investments into the engine technology for automotive use, often touting it as an engine that would power the cars of the future. Chrysler arguably came closest to implementing turbines in production cars with the 1964 Ghia-bodied Turbine cars that a select few in the public got to experience first-hand before most of the cars were subsequently scrapped, and the company spent far longer investigating turbines with multiple generations of its engine design spanning several decades. But let’s not forget that GM had its own multi-generation turbine program in the Fifties, that it too looked into using turbines to power big rigs, and that GM returned to turbines in the Eighties and Nineties.

But which automaker really sold the public on the potential for turbines? To decide that question, let’s look at how they both showcased their turbine programs. The body of literature between the two certainly far exceeds one promotional video from each, but that’s just what we’re going to highlight here today, starting with GM’s introduction of its bubble topped and befinned Firebird III gas turbine-powered concept car from 1958.


GM Firebird lll Gas Turbine Car Promo Film – 1958

Then from just a few years later, Chrysler’s pronunciation that “tomorrow is today” with the Turbine.


Tomorrow Is Today, Chrysler Corporation Turbine Car (1963)

Now, before anybody wonders where Rover fits into this comparison, yes, the company also spent plenty of time investigating turbine technology for automobiles, but I’ve yet to come across any more substantial videos about the Rover gas turbines than Pathe and AP shorts. If you know of anything longer that Rover produced, send it along and I’ll add it here.


Rover T4 GAS TURBINE CAR

That said, which is the most convincing and makes you wonder why we all weren’t driving gas turbine-powered cars over the last half-century?

AutoHunter Spotlight: 1966 Chevrolet Impala

Featured on AutoHunter, the online auction platform driven by ClassicCars.com, is this 1966 Chevrolet Impala.

This 1966 Impala was refinished in metallic red with a metallic silver roof. The metallic red exterior is complemented by an aluminum grille, chrome bumpers, and full-length bodyside trim. It rides on a set of chrome reversed 14″ x 7″ U.S. Wheel Supreme wheels with chrome center cap and Remington whitewall tires.

1966 Chevrolet Impala

“The front bucket seats and the curved rear Thunderbird seat are upholstered in black vinyl,” the listing states. “Features include black vinyl rear trim and door panels with manual windows, a black center console, a floor-mounted B&M automatic transmission shifter, black carpeting, and black floor mats with Impala logos and red piping. Additional features include a chrome tilt steering column and an AM/FM touchscreen stereo with Bluetooth.”

Under the hood is 350ci V8 engine featuring an Edelbrock four-barrel carburetor with an electric choke, an HEI distributor, and tube exhaust headers. The engine is dressed up with chrome valve covers, a chrome air cleaner lid, and an aluminum radiator keeps everything cool.

The engine is paired with a floor-shifted TH350 transmission.

350ci V8 engine

The sale includes a clear California title in the seller’s name. One hundred miles have been added during current ownership and the odometer reads 72K miles but the true mileage of this Impala in unknown. The listing states an oil and filter change was completed within the last two months.

This 1966 Chevrolet Impala’s auction ends on Friday, October 28, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. (PDT)

Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and photo gallery.

Chevrolet should have offered a 12-port head and three pedals in the 1954 Corvette. Here’s how I’d build it.

The original Chevrolet Corvette with the screened-over headlamps, like this 1954 model listed for sale on Hemmings.com, has a bit of a milquetoast reputation. Though built in the then-high-tech (and lightweight!) material of fiberglass, and with lines intentionally reminiscent of the Jaguar XK-series roadster, the Corvette’s combination of 235-cu.in. Blue Flame Six and two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission, even with 3.55:1 gearing, didn’t match up to the roguish promises of a two-seater that still made use of side curtains.

In fairness, Harley Earl’s purported target was not actual sports car enthusiasts, but collegiate types who wanted sporty transportation with Chevrolet convenience. It delivered that, but there weren’t enough people in its imagined niche to justify its production for long. It was only after the V-8 came along and turned it into a real contender on the burgeoning SCCA sports-car racing circuit—and the looks were re-styled to bring to mind Ferraris instead of Jaguars—that Chevrolet considered the Corvette a successful model.

How I'd Build a 1954 Corvette

Imagine this with three pedals, a floor shifter, a Stewart-Warner tachometer, and the simple horn button of a 150 passenger car. Just enough to tell the observer that there’s more going on here than a mild 235 and Powerglide.

Imagine, though, if one of those early Corvettes had been turned over to a pack of engineers with instructions to build something with some real power—a worthy American equivalent to the XK140. The standard Chevrolet three-speed at that time wasn’t sporty or robust enough to put behind the hopped-up 235 that came standard in the 1953-’54 cars, so it certainly wouldn’t have done the trick if the Corvette engine had been breathed on even harder. Four-speeds like those actually found in Jaguars (a Moss unit with an unsynchronized first gear) were expensive and exotic, but there was a robust and well-respected transmission already in the GM parts bin. Known to hotrodders as the “Cad-LaSalle ‘box,” it was a three-speed used in Cadillacs, LaSalles, and Buicks starting in 1937. In that first year, it used an integrated top shifter, making it the sought-after transmission for high-powered engines in the days before T-10 four-speeds and Hydra-Matics became the norm.

Would its 2-3 shift beat the 2-3-4 combo of a Jaguar trans? Certainly not, but it would be a lot of fun to drive compared with the Powerglide. Especially if we really went wild with the engine.

How I'd Build a 1954 Corvette

The 155hp 235 was not your typical Stovebolt six, but it was still super mild and tractable. A 12-port would wake it up.

The 155 hp 235 was an improvement over the 115 hp unit found in Chevrolet sedans, no doubt, but in the 13 years since the 235 came out, hot rodders had found numerous ways to make the Blue Flame a worthy competitor to the hopped-up flatheads that were the staple of the American performance scene in 1954. Two important names were Wayne Horning and Harry Warner, who had gotten into the business of producing 12-port (six intake/six exhaust), cross-flow cylinder heads for Chevrolet six cylinders and the large-displacement GMC “Jimmy” sixes. By 1953, the partners had gone their separate ways, but Harry Warner was still producing the Wayne 12-port for the Chevrolet engine and both men offered 12-port Jimmy heads.

A Jimmy 302 would be my first choice for this car, but it’s larger externally than the Chevy, and likely would require making some chassis mods I wouldn’t care to perform. A cammed-up 235 (or the nearly identical 261-cu.in. version) with a Wayne 12-port, three Carter YFs (they used them to feed 312-cu.in. V-8s in boats, so I think they’re up to feeding a 12-port 261), and two stainless 3-into-1 headers turning into dual exhausts with glasspack mufflers would completely turn around the attitude of the Corvette roadster.

How I'd Build a 1954 Corvette

That nose-high, speedboat stance actually looks pretty good. To contribute to the cosmetic toughness, I’d swap on body-color steel wheels, blackwalls, and the little bowtie hubcaps used on cheap Chevys.

Beyond that, I wouldn’t change things much. I’d hang the wheelcovers on the garage wall and instead paint the wheels Polo White, wrap them in blackwalls, and top them with ’52 Chevy center caps. That, along with the clutch pedal and the exhaust note would tell the complete story.

How do you like your screen-headlamp Corvettes?

Pick of the Day: 1936 Ford four-door sedan

Motor swaps are commonplace in the collector car universe. In the perpetual quest for more power, better reliability, and parts availability, it’s not unusual to see a hot rod or classic on its second or third powerplant. What I find interesting is when a car receives an engine transplant from another brand entirely.

The Pick of the Day is a 1936 Ford four-door sedan listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Stanley, North Carolina. (Click the link to view the listing)

1936 Ford four-door sedan

This Ford is powered by a Chevy – a 350ci Chevy crate engine, to be exact.

“Up for sale is my 1936 Ford slant-back four-door sedan custom,” the listing states. “Built from a very nice running original car, this vehicle was disassembled, blasted, and rebuilt as a mild street machine.”

1936 Ford four-door sedan

The heart of this custom build (which some Ford purists may consider blasphemous) has been upgraded with a PerTronix ignition system and a Holley Street Avenger carburetor. The seller states that it “runs, drives, and rides great.”

350ci V8 Chevrolet crate engine

Ford models from 1936 rode on what was known as the Model 48 platform which used a traditional body-on-frame design and was offered in ten different body styles. Design language up front came from an inverted pentagon-shaped grille. While its chassis is 86 years old, modern conveniences were weaved into this build so that it could be driven just as comfortably as a late-model car. Among the features are power steering, Vintage Air A/C, tinted windows, power door locks, and a Jensen CD player with Pioneer speakers.

1936 Ford four-door sedan

The body – which features suicide doors out back – shows clean finishes throughout, decorated by a black and red two-tone paint scheme and accessorized with a prominent chrome-finished hood ornament, pin striping, a luggage rack, and dual stainless-steel exhaust outlets beneath the rear bumper. A few of the photos in the gallery illustrate the car and its frame during various stages of restoration about 20 years ago.

1936 Ford four-door sedan during the restoration

“Car was built back in 2002 to 2003 and was my main show car for about ten years,” the seller states. “But as time passed and I built newer cars, it has taken a back seat to them. Now driven only to keep in good running order, it is time to sell and move on.”

Does a Chevy motor in this Ford add or subtract from its appeal? Let me know what you think in the comments. The seller is asking $34,000 for this “Fordvolet” (or Chevord) sedan.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

Freddie Mercury’s 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow heads to auction

A 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow owned by Queen frontman Freddie Mercury is heading to auction with RM Sotheby’s on November 5, with proceeds from the sale going to the Superhumans Center, a charity providing aid to Ukraine.

While the Silver Chalice-painted sedan was registered in the United Kingdom when it was new, it didn’t enter Mercury’s orbit until 1979, when it was purchased by the rock star’s production company, Goos Productions Ltd., the listing says. While Mercury was likely chauffered in the Rolls, he probably never drove it himself because he seemingly never got a license.

1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow owned by Freddie Mercury (photo via RM Sotheby’s)

The car is accompanied by documents supporting its connection to Mercury, including workshop invoices in the singer’s name, other documents in the name of his former partner Mary Austin, and a letter from longtime Queen manager Jim Beach confirming Mercury’s ownership.

Produced from 1965 to 1980, the Silver Shadow was a big technological step forward for Rolls. The Shadow (and related Bentley T-Series) had unibody construction rather than the body-on-frame construction of previous models, along with a hydraulic self-leveling suspension system licensed from Citroën.

Power is provided by the ubiquitous Rolls-Royce/Bentley L-Series V-8, which started at 6.3 liters when the Silver Shadow launched, but was later enlarged to 6.8 liters (this car has the larger-displacement version). Iterations of this engine—with electronic fuel injection and turbocharging—continued in production until 2020.

1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow owned by Freddie Mercury (photo via RM Sotheby’s)

After Mercury’s death in November 1991, the Silver Shadow was driven by the late rock star’s sister Kashmira Cooke, who bought the car from the Freddie Mercury Estate in 2003. It was then auctioned off in 2013, when it was bought by the current owner. The listing notes that the car has been stored for awhile, and should be inspected before being driven.

RM Sotheby’s expects the Silver Shadow to sell for between 20,000 and 30,000 British pounds, equivalent to $22,539 to $33,808 at current exchange rates. Even those relatively low estimates likely reflect this car’s celebrity connection. The Silver Shadow’s long production run makes it relatively common for a Rolls-Royce, so values have never been particularly high.

This article was originally published by Motor Authority, an editorial partner of ClassicCars.com.

Gran Turismo 7 adds four new cars in October update

Gran Turismo 7 added four new cars to the PlayStation video game in its October update. The racing simulator features more than more than 400 vehicles and the additional cars in the update run the gamut from current racecars to vintage sports cars. While four cars were added to GT7, no tracks were included in the update.

1973 Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R (KPGC110)

The Skyline features a 1,989cc six-cylinder four-valve DOHC S20 engine that produced a factory-rated 157 horsepower and 130 lb-ft of torque.

According to Nissan, “This is the fourth generation Skyline that became very popular by the copy “Skyline for Ken and Mary.” However, this “2000GT-R” model was manufactured for only 4 months from January to April of 1973 and the total number of manufactured cars was less than 200 due to the stricter emission standards.”

1980 Maserati Merak SS

A Giorgetto Giugiaro designed, mid-engine supercar. The Maserati Merak SS is powered by a 3.0-liter V6 engine that produced a factory-rated 220 horsepower and with a five-speed manual transmission it could go from 0-60 mph in 9.0 seconds. Not lightning quick by modern standard but with some modifications in GT7 you should be able to get some improved performance in this 2+2 fastback coupe.

(Image courtesy of Sony Interactive Entertainment)

2018 Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3

A true racecar for GT7 powered by a 3.8-liter V6 engine with 542 horsepower paired with a six-speed sequential transmission. The GT-R is a motorsports icon and should be a great car to use in GT7. I’m a fan of the GT-R and I’m curious to see how NISMO GT3 performs on my PS4.

2022 Mazda Roadster NR-A

The Miata (MX-5?) is always a solid choice in any Gran Turismo game. With sharp handling and a peppy engine, it can hang with cars that have more Performance Points. The Mazda Roadster NR-A is race ready for GT7.

Be a track hero, buy this Maserati MC12 Versione Corse

Deep-pocketed buyers looking for an extreme track car have a rare chance to snap up a Maserati MC12 Versione Corse.

The MC12 Versione Corse is the track-only version of Maserati’s MC12 supercar from the mid-2000s. It was launched in 2006 and just 12 were built, plus a prototype, and now one of them is listed for sale on duPont Registry.

The car is the third MC12 Versione Corse in the 12-car run, and incredibly it was never taken to the track. Its odometer shows just 129 miles of delivery mileage.

No price is listed, but the MC12 Versione Corse originally sold for about 1.2 million euros (approximately $1.17 million at today’s exchange rates).

2006 Maserati MC12 Versione Corse – Photo credit: duPont Registry

The Versione Corse is actually closer in spec to Maserati’s MC12 GT1 race cars that were quite successful in GT competition. The chassis is based on the one in the Ferrari Enzo, but the engine is the same 6.0-liter V-12 fitted to the Enzo-based FXX track car. It generates 755 hp in a vehicle that weighs just 2,535 lb.

The 0-62 mph run takes about 3.8 seconds and the top speed is in excess of 202 mph. Drive is sent to the rear wheels via a heavily revised version of the MC12’s 6-speed automated manual transmission, designed for quicker shifts.

A handful of the MC12 Versione Corses have been modified to make them street-legal. That isn’t the case for this car, but it doesn’t matter as any buyer would probably never want to drive it on a public road, and there’s a good chance it won’t even make it out of a climate-controlled garage. For anyone who would take it on the road, there’s some seriously stiff suspension tuning to deal with as well as a severe lack of outward vision.

Maserati has a new supercar in its lineup in the form of the MC20 and it’s set to spawn a track-only version in the same vein as the MC12 Versione. Maserati has yet to say when the car, code-named the Project24, will be available.

This article was originally published by Motor Authority, an editorial partner of ClassicCars.com.

Four-Links – never-used Moke, DMC44, Alfa Classiche, why Ford didn’t buy Austin

1. Typically, when one buys a vehicle, they bring it home not long after. But when one Swede agreed to buy a 1966 Mini Moke that apparently hadn’t been driven since it was purchased, he also agreed to leave it sit untouched for another 20 years until after the seller died, as Fredrik Nyblad wrote for Klassiker.

What you can see with your eyes is that this is a car that has never been in traffic and has instead been left standing – probably it has almost always been well stored considering the condition. Jonas, who owns Mini Moke today, has some clues about the car’s history, but not all. He got to buy the car after a long friendship with a man who owned it for several decades. The previous owner was an artist who lived in the same suburb in Stockholm as Jonas. “That’s where we met,” says Jonas. “He was going to walk home with a lot of grocery bags so I gave him a ride in my car instead.” Jonas started helping the man with practical things. The artist was sometimes in contact with people who wanted see the Mini Moke, but one of the few who actually got to see it was Jonas.

DeLorean DMC 44

2. While checking out the description of this 1976 Lohr-Fardier listed for sale on Hemmings.com, we came to learn that it served as a test car for DeLorean’s proposed DMC Model 44, which looked more or less like a kei truck. The DeLorean Museum has more on the DMC44 project.

Alfa Romeo Classiche

3. Stellantis this week announced that it will, as many other European carmakers have already done, develop a Classiche program to offer repair and restoration services for classic Alfa Romeos.

The Alfa Romeo Classiche heritage program consists of the Certificate of Origin – which has been offered for Alfa Romeo cars since 2016 – together with the Certificate of Authenticity and the Restoration. The top management of the brand personally chairs and intervenes in the committee that evaluates historic cars and issues the certifications with the support of the Heritage team and experts in Alfa Romeo history.

Ford Escort Mk3

4. In the mid-Eighties, the British government was talking with both Ford and General Motors about selling off much of what remained of the British car industry: Austin Rover to Ford, and Leyland to GM. Interestingly, as Ian Nicholls at AROnline tells the story, the ramifications of those talks—and of the abrupt end to the talks—may have played into Ford’s decision to approve the Miata for production and certainly opened the door to Ford’s purchase of Jaguar, BMW’s of Mini, and Chinese ownership of MG.

On 3 February 1986 the Conservative Government of Margaret Thatcher admitted it was in talks about an American takeover of a large chunk of what remained of the British-owned vehicle industry. The talks were described as being at ‘an advanced stage’. General Motors was interested in acquiring the loss-making Leyland Vehicles division. Ford wanted to buy Austin Rover, Britain’s last home-owned volume car manufacturer. Labour Front Bench spokesman John Smith asked: ‘Is there nothing not for sale?’ Workington MP Dale Campbell Savours accused the Government of ‘dropping the Union Jack and raising the Stars and Stripes over British industry once again.’ This was at the time of the Westland crisis when two cabinet ministers resigned and the Government was accused of selling out the national interest to American big business. On 6 February 1986, the Government discontinued the Ford/Austin Rover talks.

5. Last weekend, I featured a trio of videos looking at ancient steam, electric, and gas-engined vehicles, and as a few readers pointed out I didn’t include anything on hybrids, so let’s take a look at this video featuring the one-off 1896 Armstrong hybrid.