You Want New All Girl Garage Videos? Who Doesn't?

03/31/2013

We love bringing you new videos, especially when they are full of information that helps you get under the hood and do a little DIY. 

Check out some new clips from season two of All Girl Garage as the girls cover everything from replacing a suspension (yes, you CAN do it) to attaching a spoiler. We won't even mind if you check out the best of season one - after all you will need to change your spark plugs at some point too and who better to teach you how?

Enjoy! 

 

The Grand Ascent Hillclimb 2012

06/16/2012

On Tuesday 12/11, you'll get to see a classic episode of Chasing Classic Cars where Wayne Carini goes through his plan to market and then sell th Porsche Special Hill Climb Car. He takes it to the Hershey Hill Climb race to put it through its paces and has a darn good time doing it. But that doesn't stop him from taking it to auction.

THough the Hill Climb took place back in June, we were lucky enough to have Kenneth Visser - automobile fan, blogger and photographer extraordinaire on site and reporting back on the action. Take a walk down memory lane below, and don't forget to tune in to Chasing Classic Cars starting on Tuesday 12/11 starting at 9p.

Another fine tradition has been reignited with the second running of the The Grand Ascent Hillclimb held on the grounds of the Hershey Hotel.  This is a VSCCA sanctioned hill climb exhibition and features a wide variety historic racing cars thundering up a five turn three quarters of a mile long course.  A unique opportunity to see, hear and smell vintage race cars slamming gears.  This event was reignited with the start of the Elegance At Hershey.  We'll talk more about the Concours later.  Let's take a look at some of the neat machinery that was attacking the hill.

Wayne Carini was selected as the Honary Grand Marshall of the Grand Ascent.  He brought his smile and his driving skills to the hill.

Wayne Carini of Chasing Classic Cars took the Bill Rutan VW* special with a 356 four cam motor up the hill.  Wayne spoke about the rides up later "I had a blast"  And his sub 57 second times were reflective of his blistering pace. 

 

The Corvettes of Amelia Island Concours 2012

04/08/2012

One can find it challenging to define an automotive “golden age”.  For someone growing up in before WWII, it might have been the roaring twenties and the rise of custom bodied cars.  That sun settled with the depression and the start of WWII.  After which gave rise to the nimble sports car which in turn gave birth to the “golden age” of the American muscle car. 

In the fifties, the big 3 were focused on profit and marketing strategies.  Big was in as suburbia ventured out on the exponentially increasing highway system.  Even as the bean counters sought sturdy profits in comfortable sedans, there was an undercurrent coming from the youngsters. 

GM introduced the Corvette in 1953 to focus on the youth market.  It may not have been obnoxiously powered, but the Corvette used fiberglass to lighten the load of the 150 hp Blue Flame 235 cubic inch straight 6.

Beyond the gaze of management, there were guys tinkering with bold ideas and even bigger horsepower.  Zora Arkus-Duntov led a team of engineers to create the ultra light 1957 XP-64 SS concept.  The 1850 pound Corvette was powered by a 307 horsepower, fuel injected V-8.  Using the Mercedes 300SL as a template, the featherweight Magnesium bodied Corvette was created with the 24 hours of LeMans in mind.

The XP-64’s first test was to be the 12 hours of Sebring.  Juan Manuel Fangio, the winner of the 57 Sebring, came on board to test the XP-64.  In his virgin runs the Corvette was 4 seconds faster then the competition.  But the program fell victim to the American auto making industry uniting to ban the factory racecars.  Can't you just see Racer X running down the road in this ride?

The Latest Argument: 1932 Ford or 1955 Chevy?

03/28/2012

By Bill Stephens

Why is it motorheads love to argue, debate, and disagree? It’s almost inevitable that when two or more car nuts are placed in close proximity with one another, give them enough time and some kind of difference of opinion will break out.

“I’d rather have a 440-6 Pack than a Hemi.”

“A Boss 429 could never outrun an SS396 Chevelle.”

“An automatic is always quicker than a 4-speed in the quarter-mile.”

It’s like rubbing two sticks together. At some point, if you keep rubbing, you’re going to get a fire.

This past Friday night, I was sitting around with some friends at a small cookout when the topic of conversation turned to what car is the most popular starting point for any kind of hot rod modifications. Everyone had their own ideas on this, but what ultimately happened was that once the 1940 Ford, the 1934 and 1957 Chevy, and 1923 Ford Model T (the basis for an infinite number of T-Bucket street rods) had been considered and rejected, there were two logical choices remaining.

The 1932 Ford and 1955 Chevrolet.

The point-counterpoint was animated and emphatic. The 1932 Ford supporters presented a convincing laundry list of why the Deuce was the all-time most popular subject of a hot rod makeover.

• The ’32 Ford has been around a lot longer.
• They can be built as full-fendered rods, fenderless Highboys, roadsters, cabriolets, Victorias, Tudors, sedan deliveries, pickups, track roadsters, Woodies and racecars.
• There were over 276,000 1932 Fords built. Many of them became hot rods or racecars.
• The 1932 Ford chassis will accommodate an unlimited number of engine choices, from Flatheads to Hemis, and the aftermarket industry offers everything necessary to build whatever drivetrain you choose to drop in.
• A ’32 Ford can be built strictly from parts acquired from aftermarket suppliers: bodies, frames, suspensions, interiors, wheels, etc.

This 1932 Ford Highboy makes a strong case for the Deuce being the car that gets hot rodded the most. This weekend, it will be up for bids at the Mecum Auction in Kansas City.

How About Some Love for the AMX?

03/25/2012

By Bill Stephens

Call them what you like. Dark horses, underdogs, the unheralded, uncelebrated, or unloved. Regardless of the nickname they bear, theirs is a category of automobile in which recognition, respect, and reverence are in short supply. And when it comes to Muscle Cars, I believe the “King of the Underdog” has to be AMC’s AMX, which was built between 1968 and 1970.

This 1968 AMX doesn’t look like an underdog. But it is.

While G-Force junkies rave on about 396 Chevelles, Cobra Jet Mustangs, and Hemi Anythings, the AMX rarely gets the props it deserves. I remember when the AMX joined the high-performance street warfare which had escalated across the country some four years earlier and to say it set off a thunderous explosion of response would be, well, an exaggeration. Diehard AMC fans agreed they now had a real horse in the Torque Monster race, but GM, Ford, and Chrysler fans didn’t bat an eye.