Personally I was always a big fan of the Saturday Night Live skit where Chris Farley portrayed pudgy motivational speaker Matt Foley. It always made me wonder what would happen if I didn’t get my life on track and actually ended up “Living in a van down by the river.”

Luckily, I always stuck to the straight and narrow path and the closest I ever came to misfortune was living in a camper down by the river just outside of good ol’ Iola, WI. (it wasn’t nearly as bad as Matt Foley had warned!).

However, never once did I consider trying to capitalize on my misfortune like Aaron Heideman of Oregon. I guess I maybe I missed out on a prime opportunity to cash in.

Heideman is now living in his 1989 Dodge van (I’m sure it is parked near a river whenever possible) and is encouraging folks to write their hard-luck tales on the side of his van. His goal: to win an art competition worth a cool $250K.

Oh well, I guess that I never really understood “fine art” anyway.

You can check out Aaron’s touching tale by clicking here.

Unfortunately, like way too many people over the years, Tom Burden's life was put into a tail-spin earlier this month when he opened his garage and found that the classic he had devoted 13 years of his life to was missing.

"I haven't felt this bad since the day my mother died. I hadn't realized that car had gotten to me so much," Tom told the Dallas News recently.

You can read the whole sad story HERE.

Anyone with information is asked to call Garland police at 972-272-8477.

I was saddened to read just moments ago that actor Dom DeLuise had passed away following a long illness.

DeLuise had played crucial roles in many great movies including the classics Cannonball Run and Smokey and the Bandit II.

Who can ever forget Captain Chaos

You can check out the Washington Post article on DeLuise by clicking HERE.

(The image above is not the AeroCar being sold...Please Click on the link below to see actual photos of the AeroCar...and let me know if you find a photo of a real flying Edsel!)

Yep, you heard me correctly...a flying car, and it can be yours for the mere price of a small Lear Jet!

According to published reports, back in her earlier years, Marilyn Felling would wait intently for the aerocar to cruise into Burbank Airport on the 1961 television hit “The Bob ****s Show.” And every week, she wished she had an aerocar of her very own.

Her dream came true years later when she and husband Carl Felling purchased an aerocar from a tobacco farmer in Kansas City, Mo.

Fastforward 25 years, and as the result of a recent divorce settlement, the car/airplane is now for sale...for a mere $3.5 million dollars!

“The asking price defines a serious buyer, so you’re not going to take it home and blow it up,” Marilyn Felling told the Grand Junction Free Press, (as if a lower sticker price might lead to the recreation of the "Big Bang Theory" on a slightly smaller scale).

The former couple is not disclosing how much they paid for the car when they purchased it back in the early 80s, but from what I can tell this model cost around $11,000 when they were introduced back in the late 50s.

While I am not sure what real impact this car's history will have on its final selling price, the car does have appear to have had a rather storied past.

According to its owner, this car once served as a plane for KISN radio traffic out in Portland and later carried Raul Castro (Fidel's brother) around Cuba before hitting a horse on the runway while landing.

While the current owner hopes that her car/aeroplane/one-of-five-ever-built-gold-plated-trailer-queens will eventually land in a museum, serious private buyers are still welcome to make an offer.

If you are interested in parking an Aerocar in your garage/hanger, you can click here to learn more about this extremely unique car...and just in case I failed to mention it, if you are a more "thrifty-minded" buyer, the car can apparently fly up to 300 miles on a single tank of gas at speeds of up to 110 miles per hour in the air, and a more sedate 62 miles of hour while safely on the ground.

Happy Flying/Driving!

Ever since this very car flew out of the Ford production plant back in late 1954, America has had a long-running love affair with the Thunderbird.

No one can deny that the flight of the Ford Thunderbird has taken several twists, turns, and a couple of nose-dives during the past 50, or so, years while maintaining its path in the forefront of American automobile legends. However, I am excited to see what path the very first production Thunderbird will take when it is offered at the Barrett-Jackson sale come January.

Valued at more than $66k in #1 condition according to the 2009 Collector Car Price Guide, the history surrounding this unique offering is sure to drive the bidding through the roof.

If my count is correct, no fewer than eleven generations of Thunderbird have produced treasured collectors’ items in a variety of models, including the design which in 1989 earned Thunderbird its third award as Motor Trend’s "Car of the Year."

With all this great history behind it, I know that I will be glued to the TV when the first production Ford Thunderbird is sold at No Reserve at the 38th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event out in Scottsdale, AZ., Jan. 11-18, 2009.

What other "First Production" cars would you be interested in seeing cross the auction block?

Click Here to view a brief history of the Thunderbird.

Read on to view the press release from Barrett-Jackson:

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--One of the most significant American sports cars ever built, the first production Ford Thunderbird, will be sold at No Reserve during the 38th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event in Scottsdale, Ariz., Jan. 11-18, 2009. The Raven Black 1955 T-Bird was produced by Ford Motor Company on Sept. 9, 1954, and represents the birth of Ford’s sports car program. Hailed as “The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions™,” the Scottsdale auction and lavish lifestyle events will feature a diverse mix of the world’s most desirable collector vehicles. As always, SPEED will broadcast nearly 40 hours of live, high-definition coverage of all six auction days.

“We’re extremely proud to offer this incredible vehicle that I’ve followed closely over the years,” said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson. “For Thunderbird enthusiasts and general collectors alike, this is a rare chance to own the first production Ford T-Bird – an American icon. It’s been meticulously restored to original specifications and comes with plenty of documentation to tell its amazing story.”

Penned by Ford designer Frank Hershey, the Thunderbird was a hit among sports car fans across America and became an instant competitor for the Chevrolet Corvette. The first T-Bird is equipped with a 292 Y-block engine, Fordomatic (automatic) transmission, power steering, power windows and power seats. The creature comforts incorporated into the build gave the debut of the first T-Bird even more sizzle.

Ford’s new star was tested and featured in numerous articles upon its release, including “Testing the Thunderbird” in the Oct. 4, 1954 issue of “Sports Illustrated.” The first Thunderbird has also been displayed at venues across the United States, from Ford’s headquarters in Dearborn, Mich., to the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

“After Ford authenticated this 1955 T-Bird as number one, it became a superstar in the automotive world and was paraded across the country for years,” added Davis. “First production vehicles have an appeal that no other car in their lineage can compete with, especially when they represent the beginning of one of the most legendary marques of the 1950s. As a result, this first production Thunderbird will be extremely valuable to collectors.”

The 1955 Thunderbird will be joined by approximately 1,000 collector vehicles and automobilia to be sold at the historic Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction. Lifestyle attractions will also return to Barrett-Jackson in January in the form of luxury vendors, galas and fashion shows. Barrett-Jackson’s trendy night-spot, “The Garage,” will be the site of exclusive gatherings throughout the event.

Paul, an Old Cars Weekly reader from Ohio is needing a little help. A buddy of his recently received the radiator cap pictured below and is trying to find out what it might have come off of. Realizing that Old Cars Weekly readers are some of the most knowledgable car folks around, he was wondering if anyone has any information on this radiator cap and can help him identify what vehicle it has come off of?

Any ideas?

Please click on the "Leave a Comment" link below if you have any information on this radiator cap and I will forward it along ot Paul and his buddy.

Thanks,
Matt

I am grabbing this interesting post from Angelo's blog because I happen to find this case extremely interesting.

What do you all think? Was Leno at fault, is this a case where the family is simply wanting more money, or do you think there is something more to the story?

An unwarranted law suit? Perhaps. Here are the details:

According to the Associated Press, Wendy Lubin, daughter of John W. Straus, the grandson of the founder of the Macy's department store chain, has sued Jay Leno and others over the value of cars sold by Straus when he was ill. Among those cars sold was the F.R. Wood & Son-bodied town car sold to Leno and featured elsewhere on this site and a 1930 Rolls-Royce. The famous unrestored Bugatti Atalante coupe that has been making the concours rounds was also part of the Strauss collection and was sold around the same time, but it's unclear if that car was included in the law suit. The law suite contends the "Tonight Show'' host was illegally sold the scion's 1931 Duesenberg automobile. All of the cars were garaged in Manhattan for more than 50 years.

Court papers say Straus paid all that was owed to store the cars, but they were auctioned off in 2005. They say Leno bought the Duesenberg and someone else bought the Rolls-Royce.

The lawsuit says the two cars were worth $1.7 million. It says the auction was a sham designed to illegally take the cars while Straus was ill. Straus died May 18 at age 88.

A Leno spokeswoman did not immediately return a call for comment.



My opinion: Some sources state Leno bought the car for around $200,000, which was fair market value in 2005 for a Duesenberg with this extremely conservative body style in this condition (Number 4 to Number 5, according to the Old Cars Price Guide standards). The car had been poorly stored in a New York City parking garage, and although it was initially thought the car had 7,000 miles, upon tear-down, the car's mechanical parts made it clear the odometer had rolled over at least once. The upholstery in the rear was not original, and needed replacement due to the condition. At least one fender had rusted completely through due to the poor storage conditions.

This particular town car carried a rather stodgy and formal body style, an important element (and in this case, detriment) to Duesenberg pricing, and its lack of a supercharger made it a mechanically basic Model J. To reach the million-dollar mark in Duesenberg land, the car needs to be a completely open model, or an extremely rakish closed model, and this car was neither.

Unfortunately, when many people both in and out of the hobby hear the word "Duesenberg," they picture seven figures with lots of zeros. That's simply not the case. In this instance, even restored, the one-of-a-kind car probably wouldn't fetch $1 million, and if it did, you can credit Leno's ownership to the selling price. And you can bet Leno will have more than $1 million into the car after buying it and having it restored -- way more than it's worth.

It's important to note that, since the economic roller coaster began, Duesenberg prices have been going up as more people take their assets and put them into Classic cars, which tend to have more stable prices. As a result, prices have gone up in the past three years, and the car would likely sell for more than the $200,000 paid three years ago. This is also happening with fine art.

The law suit does not separate how much of the total $1.7 million is attributed to the value of the Duesenberg and how much goes to the Rolls-Royce. Regardless, Duesenbergs tend to be worth more than Rolls-Royces, so it's a fair guess to say that at least half of that money in the law suit is slated for the Duesenberg.

By the way, here are some prices:

2004: The restored Derham phaeton, an attractive open body and a car driven by Elvis in the movie "Spinout," sold for $540,000.

2004: A handsome, restored Murphy convertible sedan, another attractive open body, sold for $600,000.

2005: A very desirable and restored LaGrande phaeton, sold for $650,000.

2005: A handsome and very presentable Rollston town car sold for $550,000.

2008: An old restoration on a Murphy convertible coupe, one of the most desirable body styles on a Duesenberg chassis, sold for $680,000.

All of the cars above were in MUCH better condition, and were MUCH more attractive and desirable cars.

My judgment: For the defendant. A fair price for a fair car at the time it was sold, and to believe otherwise shows a clear misunderstanding for the collector car market. This case should be immediately thrown out of court with apologies to Mr. Leno.

Catch the original article here.

Well, I guess that this wouldn’t actually qualify as a “barn find”, but the collection being offered for sale does seem to be really dusty and includes some cars that most folks haven’t seen in years. And, if it helps folks get excited about them we could always claim that these cars were found in a locked barn down in Portugal...and not in SoCal...but no matter how you look at it, this is an interesting find.

The guys over at Bring a Trailer are handling the sale of a collection that is currently in the hands of a lifelong racer out in Southern California. His fairly extensive collection includes a sweet ’51 Ford, an Austin Healey 100-4, and several more…just keep in mind that all but the XK140 Jag and the classic Triumph motorcycle in the photos are up for sale.

It looks like they are all too rich for my wallet, but they are still interesting to look at, so I thought I’d post a few links.

Enjoy,
Matt

The listing includes:

1954 BN1 Austin Healey 100-4

1951 Ford Club Coupe Shoebox

Alpha Romeo GTAm Tribute Car

1946 Alpha Guilia Sprint Vintage Race/Rally Car

While I only had the pleasure of shaking Boyd Coddington’s larger-than-life hand on one occasion, I can’t deny that my brief encounter with the boisterous, Hawaiian-shirt wrapped bear of a man, had an impact on how I viewed the world of hot rods and the folks that build ’em.

After bumping into Boyd and his crew out in Tulsa last year while the world’s attention was focused on the circus that surrounded the digging up of “Miss Belvedere,” no longer was I be able to merely associate the world of custom Hot Rods builders with tattoo-covered wrench-jockeys who have a tendency to throw caution to the wind in their quest for stripped-down speed. Or even with top hat wearing eccentrics like “Big Daddy” Roth…Nope, now I was left with a nagging desire to storm out of the garage at the drop of a hat like Duane Mayer, buy orange shirts with bright green and yellow parrots or simply give myself a cool new nickname like “Blue Bear,” or maybe even “Arkieditor.”

Having watched hours of entertainment unfold on Boyd’s reality show, “American Hot Rod,” on TV, I guess that it should really come as no surprise that the drama would continue to unfold even after he left this world to go show St. Peter the finer points of doing a proper burnout.

However, I have to admit that I was surprised to read earlier today in the Orange County (Calif.) Register that Boyd’s empire had crumbled so rapidly in his absence.

According to the article, Jo Coddington is currently engaged in an ongoing legal battle that will most likely take decades to straighten out and will leave only the lawyers healthier, wealthier and wiser, since Boyd apparently never got around to putting pen to paper and writing out a will.

While the briefcase carrying vultures are left to fight over the scraps of his once shining empire, Boyd’s southern California shop has closed and most of his other businesses ventures have been turned over to others.  Despite her initial struggle to hold all the pieces together, it seems that Boyd’s Hawaiian-shirt was simply too big to fill for his widow Jo who has been left spinning her wheels as she peddles custom rims over the Internet.

I guess it is only the natural progression of the modern business world that somebody was left holding the bag. And unfortunately in this case, she doesn’t appear to have a “Golden Parachute” waiting for her as the paint covered walls come tumbling down or a hope and a prayer that Congress will step in and offer a “bailout” plan like they are working on for the rest of the automotive industry.

Since I don’t want to steal all the thunder from the folks over at the Orange County Register, you can click here to read the entire article.

What do y’all think…are the days of big-builders like Boyd Coddington over? And what does the future holds for Boyd’s empire, his cars, and his legacy?

On the heels of the announcement that the ink is now drying on a low-interest loan package worth up to $25 billion designed to aid U.S. automakers, it looks like at least one of the Big-Three is working hard to keep up its public image.  

The folks at Ford Motor Co. have released an announcement attempting to dispel the idea being promoted in the upcoming movie “Flash of Genius” that their former businesses practices may not have been as American as Apple Pie.  

The upcoming movie staring Greg Kinnear as inventor Robert Kearns dramatizes the battle that followed the creation of the intermittent windshield wiper. While I haven’t seen this flick yet (it is scheduled to release on Oct. 3) the premise of the movie is that Kearns hatched out the idea and built a working model of his invention two years before Ford introduced the design on its new model cars. Unfortunately for Kearns, Ford chose to "develop" its own system rather than licensing his design.

Needless to say, litigation ensued and it took until 1995 for the U.S. Supreme Court to finally rule against Ford and Chrysler and award Kearns $30 million.  

Worried that the few potential new car buyers out there these days might hold a grudge against the automotive giant after watching the movie, the good folks at Ford have issued the press release below:  

The film "Flash of Genius" chronicles the life story of Bob Kearns, who asserted that he invented the intermittent windshield wiper and sued Ford, Chrysler and other automakers for patent infringement. While films like "Flash of Genius" are made for entertainment purposes, the facts are often less dramatic. Bob Kearns as well as hundreds of engineers from many companies, including Ford, helped develop the intermittent wiper as part of an evolution of existing automotive and electronic components. While there are inaccuracies in the film, Ford sees no value in re-hashing the history of a legal case that was resolved in court almost 20 years ago, when a jury ruled that Ford did not willfully violate Mr. Kearns' patent. Today, Ford continues to make engineering and design breakthroughs in areas such as fuel efficiency, safety and smart technology, and is proud of its 100-year legacy of innovation in automotive technology.  

You can view the entire statement from Ford HERE.

I guess truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.