Author name: Mike

… We purchased this Merc from the original owner, a World War II veteran whose fascination with Mercedes began when he fell in love with the 540K of the 1930s while serving overseas. Years later, back on home soil, he purchased this ‘58 220S Convertible and drove it for a number of years before falling ill. The owner was in the early phases of a restoration of the car when he became ill and could no longer work on the car himself. Knowing that his health was an issue, he decided to let the car go. The family of the owner contacted us and asked if we would like to come take a look. The car was nearby, in Chicago’s Sauganash neighborhood, so we jumped in the flatbed and headed over there. When we arrived, we found the dusty, albeit nicely preserved and largely complete 220S that you see in the photos. The 220S is a handsome car, and we were happy to bring this one back into the limelight.

… We bought this XKE from a guy in Michigan who had acquired it with the purchase of an old warehouse.  The car was buried underneath broken ceiling tiles and a hefty glaze of pigeon droppings.  We were told that the poor Jag had been taken on a storage lien after it sat in annual storage for over thirty years.  Luckily the windows and doors were closed when the car was originally parked, so the interior was surprisingly well-preserved.  We dragged the car out of the tight nook it had been confined to only to realize that the rear end and transmission had been dropped and stored next to the car.  We bolted some caster wheels on the car and rolled it up onto a flatbed.  Back at CCC we took inventory of all the scattered parts and got the rear end, transmission, and brakes back on the car.  Four carburetor rebuild kits later, we had the Jag purring just as it had the day it was parked.  Shortly after the completion of a long and thorough restoration, the car was sold the car to an XKE enthusiast in Sweden.  

… This truck had been trapped in a garage in a suburb of western Chicago for about five years after a downed tree cut off access to the garage.  We dragged away the tree, rolled the truck out of the garage, and gave it a once over.  The truck looked great, original wood and decals were perfectly intact and the frame did not show any significant corrosion.  We purchased the truck from the family of the gentleman who had owned it since the early 1980s, who were happy to free up some now-accessible garage space.   We rolled the truck onto a trailer and brought it over to the shop.  We cleaned the ignition points and put some fresh gas in ‘er, and she fired right up.   We were so drawn to this truck because of the interesting history of the “Lil’ Red Express”…..in 1978 this was THE FASTEST AMERICAN PRODUCTION VEHICLE FROM 0-100 MPH as tested by Car and Driver.  An amazing feat for a vehicle, let alone a pickup truck, with aerodynamics not much better than that of a refrigerator.  Because of a loophole in emissions regulations, the 1978 Dodge Lil’ Red Express Trucks did not have catalytic converters.  What they did have was a special High Performance 360 C.I.  4-barrel small block (EH1), which was a modified version of the 360 police engine (E58) producing 225 horsepower @ 3800 RPM. The package also included Hemi style mufflers with a crossover pipe breathing through two chrome stacks located behind the cab, a special 727 transmission, and 3.55:1 rear gearing. We sold the truck to an enthusiast who loves the truck dearly and is in the process of restoring it to its original condition.

… “Ask the man who owns one” – Packard sales moto Thanks to a tip from a friend who frequently drops by CCC to talk cars, we unearthed this beautiful Packard from a home in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago.  The car sat in the corner of a dusty body shop for nearly twenty years before we were made aware of it.  We were blown away by the originality of the car, and especially by the fact that the motor still turned over.  The car was 99% original, still wearing it’s original black paint and broadcloth seats. The car had originally been owned by a wealthy woman who had the jump seats removed, as she would not be driving the car, but rather, shuttled around by her chauffeur.  When she passed away, the car was given to a museum in Northern Ohio, where it sat on display from 1951-1963.  In 1963 the museum went belly-up, forcing them to liquidate their entire collection. As the Packard was heading to a local auction to be sold to the highest bidder, Charles Millner (Millner’s Cafeteria – Urbana, OH) literally chased the car down and bought it before it went across the auction block.  He paid $600 for the car, an all-original museum piece.  At the time, Charles had a large car collection, which, over time, was narrowed down to only 3 cars; a ‘35 Ford Phaeton, a Model-T Roadster, and this ‘38 Packard Super 8. In 1998, Charles sold the car to a man named Wally in Chicago. Wally installed an electric fan and temperature gauge in the driver side glove box and parked the car, storing it in a garage here in Chicago for the better part of the last two decades, where we discovered it. Upon purchasing the car, we rolled it onto a flatbed and brought it to CCC, this being the first time the car had seen sunlight in nearly twenty years.  We poured some Marvin’s Mystery Oil in the cylinders and let the car sit overnight.  In the morning, we gave the car some fresh gas and fired it up.  Much to our surprise, the car’s straight-8 ran fairly well.  We have since gotten the car running and driving as it should, and take every opportunity we can to get the car out in the public eye.   *Many thanks to Dave Millner (son of Charles), for giving us such a neat history lesson on this stunning Packard.  

… This TR3a is one of our favorites here at CCC.  We found the car in a garage almost twelve years ago now, the car having sat underneath a cover for twenty years before we got to it.  As soon as we peeled back the car cover we knew this was something special. The car’s original windshield had been replaced with low profile windscreens and it was optioned with the desireable wire wheels, just how we would have spec’d it out ourselves.  Thanks to the heads-up move by the previous owner of storing the car underneath a cover, it was fairly well-preserved and rust-free.   The owner was thrilled to see our excitement in pulling back the car cover; his children had not expressed any desire to own the car and he was clearly very happy to see the car go to proper enthusiasts who would appreciate the car for what it is.  The owner told us that he’d sell us the car under one condition, that we never deny anyone who asks for a ride in the car.  We’ve kept true to his wishes, keeping the car in our private collection and taking it out for a spirited drive a handful of times every year, appreciating every second of time behind the wheel.  We have just recently listed this car for sale, as it deserves to be enjoyed more than just a few times a year.  

…The Chicago Car Club was proud to co-sponsor The “Drive to Defeat ALS” event, which brought dozens of people together to raise awareness for ALS while having some on-track fun behind the wheel of today’s most advanced sports cars.

A few months back we received a call from a man who told us he had an “old Mercedes” tucked away in a storage unit in Mississippi.  Of course even with the as-vague-as-could-be description, we started getting excited about the possibilities of what the car could be.  The seller gave us a brief run-down of the car’s history; he had driven it while working on oil rigs in the 1980s, stationed in Mississippi.  When he was forced to relocate, the seller could not take the car with him and decided to hand it off to one of his engineers.  The car remained in Mississippi until we got the call and shipped it up to Chicago. We were surprised to hear the specifications of the car; it was a right-hand-drive “California Coupe” 250SL, originally delivered to Australia.  The “California Coupe” moniker refers to a car with a removable hardtop and no soft-top, the assumption being that in California the weather is so nice that owners need not bother with a soft-top, it’s either hard top or open-top weather.  The “California Coupe” also included a rear seat, so the kids could enjoy the sunshine too.    When we unloaded the SL from the trailer here at CCC, we wiped off the dust and got the car running.  It ran and drove just as it looked – in need of a little TLC.  The car was complete and appeared to be a perfect restoration candidate.  We were lucky enough to find a buyer in London who was on the hunt for a 250SL in this same spec to restore – perfect.   In only five days this Merc went from tucked away in a storage unit in Mississippi to a New Jersey port headed for London. Our friend in Mississippi was happy, we were happy, and the buyer in London was ecstatic to find such a rare-spec piece of Mercedes history.  

… Vintage steering wheels:  Take a look at an old Nardi or Momo wheel, they’re just gorgeous. Simple yet elegant, vintage steering wheels have a real charm to them. When looking at the interior of a classic car, the eye is immediately drawn to the centerpiece, the steering wheel.  No longer.  Airbags rained on their parade. Hidden headlamps: As of 2004, when the Lotus Espirit and C5 Corvette ceased production, pop-up headlamps are a thing of the past. A shame, really. Pop-ups allow for the sleek, wedge-like front end shape that we all adore; at night, there’s the novelty of flipping that switch. For guys like me that are so fond of ‘80s sports cars, pop-ups hit a real soft spot. Gated shifter: One of the staples of the classic-car driving experience. It’ll seem insignificant to someone who hasn’t driven one, but the quiet click of selecting the next gear through a gated manual shifter is, in short, what all of us gear-heads love about classic cars.  Just that little click reminds the driver of the fact that the car is truly a sum of its parts, all working together to create that experience. Rubber: Fat sidewalls have quickly fallen into extinction; it seems as though wheels are getting bigger every year. In 1967, when the Porsche 911S debuted, it was fitted with 15×4.5” wheels with 165mm tires. Fifty years later, the 911S comes standard with 21×11.5” wheels, with 305mm rubber. While these larger wheels and low-profile tires are necessary for the car to reach its full handling potential, they can give the car a more flashy appearance, rather than the purposeful look of the earlier cars that we all are so fond of. Colors: With the exception of the occasional bright pink Chevy Spark, today’s roads are a sea of silver, dark silver, really dark silver, and black. It wasn’t always this way. Hell, I know a guy whose ‘69 Porsche 911 came from the factory bright yellow with full red interior. And that was about as cool as it got in 1969. However, times are a changing; the “sinister” look is in right now, many owners opting for a dark, often matte paint job and black wheels. Meh. I’m ready for the resurgence of Irish Green, Aubergine, and Tangerine whenever you guys are. Roof Racks: Yes, Thules make total sense. They’re weatherproof and aerodynamic, and that’s all you could really ask for from a luggage-carrier. However, roof racks were once a key element of a car’s aesthetic. Not only could a tasteful roof rack give your car a very “California” look, but luggage was exposed rather than enclosed, allowing for maximum expression of style. Fog lamps: With all the LED lights and sensor-tech on today’s cars, there’s no need for additional bumper-mounted lights. Back in the 1960s though, fog lights were an extremely common upgrade. They served their purpose, and from an aesthetic standpoint, paid homage to the rally greats of the era. Magnesium:  In the 1950s and 1960s, auto racing was in the midst of a pivotal era. Engineers were experimenting, at the expense of driver and spectator safety, with ways to shave weight from their racing cars. Magnesium is lightweight, so engineers began to apply it to their racing cars wherever possible. Though the use of magnesium did save weight, it had some drawbacks.  Magnesium parts could become weak under high temperatures, were vulnerable to corrosion, and were more flammable than traditional alloys. The most widespread application of magnesium in motorsport was in the wheels. Nowadays, vintage magnesium wheels are sought-after because of their rarity and ties to that developmental period in motorsport history.

…The late 1950s through early 1970s were a bright time in automotive interior design, both literally and figuratively.  The intricate patterns and vibrant colors that had defined the interiors of 1950s homes were finding their way into many of America’s luxury coupes. The market for luxury cars was red-hot at the time, with a number of well-equipped and stylistically bold offerings coming from each of America’s top manufacturers. While well-heeled luxury car buyers at the time were spoiled for choice, the cars that really epitomized American opulence were the upmarket offerings from Cadillac.  While the Eldorado, DeVille, and SeVille were all made available with a host of over-the-top interior patterns; the following five images exemplify five of our favorites, Monticello, Metamora, Maharajah, Brocade, and Mosaic. Monticello Velour: Maharajah Cloth: Brocade Cloth/Leather: Metamora Plaid Cloth: Mosaic Check Cloth:

…First off, what is this thing? In the early 1950s Volvo was commissioned to develop and build a new utility vehicle for use by the Swedish Army. By the end of the 1950s, Volvo’s first Laplanders, or L2304s as they were called, were rolling off the assembly line. There were only 90 of these early, military-ordered trucks built, but they were well-received-enough that Volvo then moved to offer the Laplander to the public. Full-scale production began, and Volvo’s new-and-improved Laplander, the L3314, was offered to the public for the 1963 model year. Our ‘67 Laplander, as seen here, is one of those L3314 variants. The L3314 Laplander was fitted with the 1.8L B18 motor derived from Volvo’s P1800 coupé, a motor that has since earned an astounding reputation for longevity, having powered the world’s highest-mileage car, a ‘66 P1800 with over 3 million miles on its original B18 engine. Volvo’s Laplanders are all ‘mid-engined’; the engine is accessible through the center console. This means that if a mechanical issue were to arise while crossing the frozen Swedish tundra, the driver would be able to tend to the issue while remaining in the warm, sheltered cabin. While all Laplanders were forward control, meaning that the cab is located directly over the front axle, Laplanders could be had in a variety of different body styles. The most popular body style was the soft-top, which is considered the base version. There were also half-cab variants, as well as hardtops and a special run of vehicles designed to mount anti-tank weapons. This particular example is a L3314HT, a hardtop with a mechanical winch usable from both front and rear. While our Laplander is a bit out of place at the moment, being housed in urban Chicago, it wasn’t always confined to the concrete jungle that is the city. This Laplander has spent the large majority of its life in Idaho, where it was used on a routine basis to commute across large, treacherous stretches of land.  So what’s the Lappy like to drive around the city? Well, I’ll say that it’s a bit more at-home off-piste. The truck’s 90hp B18 motor gets it moving through traffic surprisingly well, with ample power throughout the rev range, but the driving experience is admittedly a bit agricultural, as there is minimal sound deadening.  While I may not fancy daily-driving the Lappy in the city, that’s not what it’s intended for.  The Laplander is first and foremost an all-terrain vehicle, with capabilities far beyond what Chicago has to offer.  On the road though, there’s nothing that draws attention quite like it. I may as well be behind the wheel of a chrome-bodied Bugatti, because everyone stares. Our ‘67 Laplander L3314HT is currently listed for sale here; we’d love to see it go to someone who will return it to it’s overland roots and really put its capabilities to the test.  We’ve seen a number of these Laplanders serve as the basis for “overland camper” builds, and man are those cool; I cannot think of a better basis for a camper than an oddball vintage truck with a spacious cargo area, phenomenal off-road capabilities, and a tough-as-nails motor.  Although, with its head-turning nature, it’d make for an awesome parade/advertisement vehicle as well.