Old Cars features a reader’s barn find to beautiful 1939 Diamond T 406 truck.
Gary Unverzagt’s impressive ‘barn find” to beauty queen 1939 Diamond T 406 truck.
Gary added this about his Diamond T…
Where it is now
“It was a barn find, out of West Virginia. It was in pretty rusty condition. I am a retired firefighter and work on old vehicles in my shop about 40 to 45 hours a week. I do all the work myself for the exception of final paint and upholstery. The Diamond T was a frame-off, nut and bolt restoration. I rebuilt the motor, transmission and rear and there were a lot of missing parts that were unable to be gotten and had to be made in my shop. I designed and built the wooden body with no previous wood experience. Because it only goes 40 miles per hour top speed and 10 miles per gallon, I have to trailer going on far away shows.
Where it began
The original diamond t truck stoped being built in the sixties. Diamond T trucks were bought out by Rio in the sixties. Not to build, but to put them out of business. In their time they were the Cadillac of trucks, headliners and clocks.
I am currently working on a 1949 diamond T with all the modern conveniences.”
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Old Cars features a reader’s 1942 Hudson Traveler Business coupe.
Warren Henderson finally found the Hudson of his dreams.
“Back in 1956 when I was fifteen, my older brother Paul was in the Navy, stationed at Brunswick Naval Air Station, Brunswick, Maine. He asked dad to find him his first car. What dad found was the most beautiful car I had ever seen. Now I had seen plenty of great cars before in my young life. My dad had owned a 1932 Nash Lafayette big six, four door sedan, then a ‘38 Dodge four door sedan, a ‘40 Buick Special four door sedan, a 1953 Pontiac station wagon and now his first ever new 1956 Pontiac Station Wagon; I have two brothers and two sisters, requiring big cars to fit us all in. My uncle George owned a 1934 Hudson Terraplane coupe, that I can still see in my mind’s eye, Aunt Ann and him pulling up in front of our house and getting out those suicide front doors. What dad found was a 1940 Hudson sedan, in beautiful black paint, that shined like a mirror, I love the body on those cars, especially the back (no humpback, like the ’38 Dodge). The interior was every bit as nice as any living room I had ever seen, and the back seat was more comfortable than any couch I ever sat on. This was a low mileage car and dad got it for a good price, the only problem with the car was it needed a new oil bath cork clutch, which meant dropping the drive tube and pulling the transmission to get at it. Oh, did I forget to say that I was no mechanic, I was working alone, and this was the first car I was going to work on. My “garage” was an open field across the road from our house. My lift would be the Hudson’s bumper jack and my jack stands were stones from a nearby stone wall (Hey! I was 15 remember). So, with no knowledge “don’t ask me how I managed to accomplish this”, because even to this day I do not know. Somehow using a Motor’s Auto Repair Manual, working afternoons after high school, I managed to get the transmission out, install the new clutch and get the car back together running like new. I can say that only because my brother Paul never had a complaint about how it ran.
Ever since that day I have always wanted a vintage 1940s Hudson car, and after over 35 years in the classic car hobby, I finally bought one, the car of my dreams a 1942 Hudson Six Traveler two-doo, 3-passenger coupe. I find the ‘42s better looking than even the 1940s, with their new grille and side trim.
In 1942 Hudson made several positive changes and upgrades. Sheet metal “spats” on the lower body now covered the running boards and new wider front and rear fenders, the doors were now curved to minimize their prominence. If you are into driving 1930s and ’40s cars, Hudson was a technical leader of that era and drove very well. Braking, often a complaint of vintage car owners, is not an issue with Hudson’s Double-Safe system, a longstanding tradition of retaining a backup mechanical system linked to the brake pedal, in the event of a hydraulic failure. Wagner Electric invented a dual-cylinder brake system in 1960. This system has a dual master cylinder separating front and rear hydraulic lines. If one line developed a leak, the other line could still work. Double-Safe is especially welcome in vehicles with single-reservoir master cylinders, as all Hudson’s were.
My ’42 Hudson Six Traveler (I believe it was built around the end of October or early November in 1941), is a matching numbers (VIN#, engine# and frame#) and has all its trim pieces chrome plated or bright medal, something that they did not carry through for the remainder of the model year. The six-cylinder Hudson was by far the most often chosen engine option for the 1942, of which only 40,661 were produced. Any 1942 model car is quite rare, but the blackout models are even more rare. Only 5,396 1942 Hudson’s were built, during the war. The “blackout models”, also sometimes referred to as “victory models”, were the cars built on and after January 1, 1942. My Hudson looks and drives the exact same way as the day it left the dealership. Showing a recent total restoration, unfortunately the dealership did not have any documentation as to when or who had done the work. My 1942 Hudson 20T business coupe road test, starting from a stop 1st, 2nd, 3rd gear shifts, speed bumps, steep grade and flat road, just like driving on old Route 66.
Check out the video of the drive
I hope you enjoy my 1942 Hudson story as much as I enjoy owning and driving it.
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Old Cars features a reader’s award-winning 1957 Plymouth Belvedere convertible.
John Paxos’ Belvedere is a sharp award-winning convertible.
John can give you the 4-1-1 on his sweet Plymouth…
” This car was found in Texas in 2000. The car had off-frame restoration that was completed in 2007. It received AACA First Junior, and Senior awards and was selected AACA National Award Winner in 2019. The car is powered by the V-800 Fury engine with two four-barrel carbs, 3/4 race cam and 290 horsepower.”
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The Car & Its History The 500 SE has been a long term member of the Jalopy fleet since 2014 and has seen periods of use and periods of storage. It’s been a great continental cruiser, ok, driving to France and has been a reliable and stylish way to get around. I know due to […]
Here’s a little information about the beautiful 1953 Bristol 404 Coupe which was on display at the 2022 Concours of Elegance. What a beautiful looking car. What lovely lines. A very odd fin at the back of the car. Have you ever seen a car like this. You can see more Concours of Elegance news, reviews, videos and galleries here.
Created in parallel with the Le Mans class-winning Bristol 450, the 404 was a showcase for the best technologies of the day and a rolling showcase of Bristol’s engineering principles.
Just 52 Bristol 404s were made and this is the first – the original prototype. Prior to the current owner, there have been seven stewards of this fascinating car: the first, Sir George Stanley Middleton White, Chairman of Bristol Cars, who retained the car as his personal transport for over a decade. He insisted that the fin remained in place, even though it was judged “a little too flamboyant” for Bristol’s typical clients. Indeed the current Sir George White fondly remembers being driven to and from prep school in RAE 345, with its huge rear fin, recalling that it dramatically elevated his kudos and street credibility among his schoolboy peers.
RAE 345 played a key role in testing the aero fin potential for the 450 racers and road-going 404s that followed. The lower body mixed aluminium and steel, with a honeycomb sandwich construction for the rear floor, while the upper structure formed a canopy from a wooden framework and door pillars, with the whole encased in aluminium. The design for the nose of the car itself taken from the air intakes of the Brabazon Airliner – behind which sat eight 2650bhp engines, rather more than the 105bhp in the road car.
Aero engineering and racing nous found their way into the road cars – Bristol’s trademark installation of the spare wheel and battery in the front wings, first seen on the 404, were prompted by the desire to centralise mass, occupying the space created for the fuel tanks in the 450 racers.
This vehicle became a very familiar sight across Bristol’s huge Filton site because as well as Sir George’s daily transport, the car was used as a test bed and experimental platform. It went to and from Bristol’s aeronautical and automotive engineering departments for engine upgrades, braking enhancements and other tweaks. All these developments were documented in the factory service records and many of the innovative parts fitted, such as the short-ratio gearbox, remain on the car to this day.
When the car eventually left the family in 1965 the fin was removed. Fortunately the mounting brackets and internal structures remained, so with reference to many period images and drawings, and with the benefit of modern CAD technology, the fin was reinstated and constructed by hand in the traditional manner.
Back in the 1970s Mercedes-Benz were developing new safety measures and came up with the Experimental Safety Vehicle, ESF 13. This new car was first shown to the public at the Transpo 72 trade fair in Washington D.C on 31 May 1972. It was way ahead of its time featuring anti-lock brakes, ABS, Airbags for […]
An eclectic collection of classic cars in the Black Hills of South Dakota offered up through an ONLINE ONLY sale now through October 21st.
VanDerBrink Auctions
There’s gold in them there hills! The Black Hills of South Dakota are known for tales of the Wild West. The infamous “Dead Man’s Hand” and Wild Bill Hickock, Calamity Jane, Sioux Indians, and Pioneers searching for their fortunes in gold. But for Gary Kuchner, his treasure isn’t gold but iron that Gary has “dug up”, Yee Ha, approx. 80 Classic Cars.
Gary Started his search for old iron as a little kid in Nebraska. Gary’s Mother was fixing an old pedal car for him. She had just painted it and came back to find Gary had wiped off the seat and was riding it around the basement. From then on, he was car crazy. Gary got his first car, a 1942 Dodge that beat up on the local Chevrolets and Fords.
Gary built his 1st hotrod from a Ford Model A Sportster. He cut down the top and threw on some 1946 Ford wheels and raced up and down the country roads.
VanDerBrink Auctions
After graduating from high school in 1955, Gary went to trade school and learned to be a body man. His first job was at the Ford garage as a painter. This fueled his passion to build hotrods and a means to do it. Gary had heard about the hotrod craze in California and packed up his young wife and headed to California. Gary worked as a body man and loved the car culture. But the farm was calling him back and he went back to Nebraska to the family farm. Gary took over the operation and farmed for about 20 years and still did body work on the side. Soon, he was looking for a change and sold the farm to his cousin.
Gary has worked as a body man at a Ford garage and a Rambler garage, but his favorite job was at a Chrysler dealership. From Road Runners to Challengers, Gary loved seeing the yearly style changes arriving on the trucks.
VanDerBrink Auctions
He got divorced, and well, another marriage, and he headed out to find his treasures in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Gary’s choice of home is fitting for his wild nature and interests. His home is tucked amongst the granite cliffs and tall Pines of South Dakota. Lucky for him, the Internet was coming into its own, and this allowed him to “mine the web” for his “iron” treasures. The web was full of classic cars looking for a new home.
He bought a trailer and started buying cars from all over the area and United States. Gary has had a lifetime of adventures buying cars and pulling his trailer around the United States, but now at 84-years-young, Gary has decided to sell his collection. It’s not that he is parking the trailer, but he has more cars than time and he can’t restore them all, so it’s time for them to go to other collectors and for them to enjoy. VanDerBrink Auctions will sell the cars in an Online Only Auction.
Gary is a wealth of information and a truly car crazy guy. His mind is so full of car trivia, and he favors Fords and Chryslers. The collection is full of Fords and many Chryslers including “Big Fin” cars. The collection consists of everything from older restored to projects and parts cars. There is a rare 1971 AMC AMX Javelin that has the 401 V8 and is 1 of less than 2000 built. The 1966 Ford Mustang GT Fastback would make a fine addition to any collection as well. The collection has everything from big finned MoPars to a 1955 Chevrolet Belair 2dr. ht. that belonged to family. There are approx. 80 vehicles that are being offered up in the auction. Because the cars are tucked up by Gary’s home in the Black Hills, the auction will be Online Only and can also be viewed for buyers by appointment.
When you walk around Gary’s Collection, you start to see some of his fun personality. There’s a UFO crash sight, a car full of baby dolls, and characters that greet you as you come up the winding road to the collection. The trip to see this collection and buy one of Gary’s well worth it and truly “gold in them there Hills”
VanDerBrink Auctions will sell the Kuchner Collection in an Online Only auction and bidding starts Now! Bidding will end October 21st, 2022. For more info on the auction, catalog, video, and more auctions. www.vanderbrinkauctions.com or 605-201-7005.
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In Carlisle on September 29-30 Carlisle Auctions will offer three opportunities for attendees to support a trio of Causes.
CARLISLE, PA – There are 400+ consignments slated to cross the block on September 29-30 as part of the Fall Carlisle Collector Car Auction and of those 400+, a trio of them will benefit charity. Carlisle Auctions is excited to work with sellers who support Mission 23, Rescue 22, and Blue Star Mothers as a means to raise money and awareness for these great causes.
Cedar Grove United Methodist Church will offer up this 1923 Ford T Bucket
Of the three planned charity lots, one will run Thursday, while the other two run Friday. Thursday’s offering is at 11:45 a.m. and comes to the auction by way of Cedar Grove United Methodist Church. The church is showcasing and selling a 1923 Ford T Bucket that was built from the ground up by the church and its parishioners. More so, the youth of the church, with the help of their parents and other community members built the car as a fund raiser in support of their mission work. Annually the group serves the Appalachia Service Project and this year, the mission group will be working in Kentucky.
As the ’23 T Bucket crosses block, members from Cedar Grove UMC and Mission 23 will be on hand as a room full of car enthusiasts will bid on the ride. 100% of the sale plus any donations from the room will go directly to the group not only for their work in Kentucky, but to assist with funding future missions too.
Sission Pre-Owned of Uniontown, Pennsylvania will offer up this 2006 Cadillac DTS
In addition to the ’23 T Bucket, Carlisle Auctions welcomes Sission Pre-Owned of Uniontown, Pennsylvania back to the auction to sell a 2006 Cadillac DTS. Proceeds from this sale benefit the Rescue 22 Foundation. The Rescue 22 Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides the highest quality task trained service dogs to our nations combat veterans. 100% of the sale from the ’06 Cadillac will benefit Rescue 22 and the car will cross the block first thing Friday at approximately 12 p.m.
This Dodge Power Wagon Military tuck is part of the Dave Ferro Collection will go up for auction.
Not long after the Sission/Rescue 22 Cadillac sells, another lot of cars will come to the block with the third and final charitable tie-in. As part of the Dave Ferro Collection (4 p.m. on September 29), Mr. Ferro will run nine (9) lots, with one of them, a 1977 Dodge Power Wagon Military tuck, selling with dollars benefiting Blue Star Mothers. Blue Star Mothers is a group of moms throughout the nation who have children serving in the military. The first $10,000 from the sale of the ’77 Power Wagon will go to them for use within their organization.
“We are so glad to be able to assist three wonderful organizations as part of our Fall Carlisle Collector Car Auction,” said Director of Auction Operations Tony Cline. “We wish them well as they continue forward with the good work that they continue to do. Bid with your heart, knowing you’ll be helping a trio of worthy causes.”
The Fall Carlisle Collector Car Auction takes place in conjunction with Fall Carlisle itself (September 28-October 2) and starts at 12 p.m. each day. Preview hours for the in-person sale start at 8 a.m. on the 28th and continue each morning through the start of the auction. Complete details on each charity consignment as well as the rest of the lots scheduled to cross the block are available online at CarlisleAuctions.com. Bidder registration is ongoing by calling 717-960-6400 or by stopping into the Carlisle Auctions office starting Monday, September 26.
Carlisle Events is a partner or producer of over a dozen annual collector car/truck events. Events are held at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds (Carlisle, PA), Allentown Fairgrounds (Allentown, PA), and the SUN ‘n FUN Expo Campus (Lakeland, FL). The season schedule includes four automotive flea markets of varying size, four auctions, as well as individual specialty shows featuring Chryslers, Corvettes, Fords, GMs, Trucks, and Imports. Founded in 1974 by friends Bill Miller and Chip Miller, events hosted at Carlisle attract enthusiasts annually from all corners of the globe. More information is available at www.CarlisleEvents.com or www.CarlisleAuctions.com.
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All production versions of the Porsche Speedster on display at the Newport Car Museum.
With a 1994 Porsche 911 (964) Speedster added to its collection, the Newport Car Museum now has on display all five production versions of the Porsche Speedster built since 1954.
Newport Car Museum
PORTSMOUTH, R.I.– In June, the Newport Car Museum celebrated its fifth anniversary by adding five new cars to its collection, which is now 90+ strong and represents eight decades of automotive design. In September, it added yet another car: a 1994 Porsche 911 (964) Speedster, which is significant in that it means the Museum now has on display a Porsche representing every production Speedster version built since 1954.
“I’m fairly certain there are very few, if any, museums where the public can see all five production versions of the Porsche Speedster, which were built from 1954 to 2019,” said Newport Car Museum Founder Gunther Buerman, who personally selects frequent additions to his private collection just as he hand-picked the original 65 cars that launched the opening of the Museum in 2017.
The 911 Speedster, a minimalistic open-top two-seater, with a distinctive short, raked windshield, is a rare classic that combines timeless design with state-of-the-art technology. The model 964 was the third version of this famous car and featured significant styling revisions over previous 911 models.
It’s estimated that only 936 of the 964 Speedsters were built for the 1993 model year, with some of the later examples, like the one newly added to the Newport Car Museum collection being completed as 1994 cars. Only 427 of the 964s were allocated for the U.S. market.
The Museum’s ’94 Speedster joins Porsche Speedsters on display from 1956, ’89, 2011 and 2019. They are part of a more comprehensive showing of 14 Porsches in a Pop-Up Porsche Exhibit. But don’t let the “Pop-Up” part confuse you; the exhibit has earned semi-permanent status due to its popularity, so it’s not going to disappear anytime soon. It is set up in the Museum’s 5,000 square foot Event Space as a seventh gallery, complementing the six other galleries that represent World Cars, Corvettes, Ford/Shelby, Fin Cars, American Muscle and MoPars.
The Porsches, like all vehicles in the collection, are perched on low platforms or turntables, with no barrier ropes so that visitors can get up close and personal with these magnificent, iconic machines. Large-format artwork and award-winning historical videos commissioned specially for the Museum add to the experience, as does an impressive collection of Mid-Century Modern furniture that enables visitors to relax and reflect on the cars as art.
In addition to the newly acquired 1994 Speedster, the Newport Car Museum’s Porsche collection includes (clockwise from top left) a 2019 Speedster Heritage, 2011 Speedster, 1956 356a Speedster and 1989 Carrera Speedster.
Newport Car Museum
The Porsche Speedsters on display at the Newport Car Museum:
• 1956 Porsche (356a) Speedster
• 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Speedster
• 1994 Porsche 911 (964) Speedster
• 2011 Porsche 911 (997) Speedster
• 2019 Porsche 911 (991) Speedster Heritage
More About the Newport Car Museum – The Newport Car Museum, with over 90 cars displayed in six galleries and a Pop-Up Porsche Exhibit, tells the story of Ford/Shelby, Corvettes, World Cars, Fin Cars, MoPars and American Muscle Cars. Within 18 months of its 2017 opening, it was included in USA Today’s “Top 10 Best New Attractions” and named Yankee Magazine’s “Best Specialty Museum.” It also has won an award from the National Association of Automobile Museums for its originally produced historic videos and in 2021 won the Tripadvisor® Travelers’ Choice award for a second consecutive year and further designation as Tripadvisor’s top 10% of attractions worldwide.
The Newport Car Museum is handicap accessible and hours are daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets can be bought at the door or online at www.newportcarmuseum.org (401-848-2277). Regular admission: $19/adults; $15/Seniors, Military, Students; $9/Ages 5-12 (with an adult); Free/Ages 4 and under (with an adult)
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