In Great Bend, Kan., the Denning family had six boys and three girls. The boys all worked and that meant they needed cars to get to their jobs.
But you know boys and horsepower. Most of the Denning boys chose Plymouth Roadrunners. Because there were so many cars in the family, Jim said his mother referred to them by nicknames based on their colors. She called his 1973 black and white Roadrunner “Skunk.” Read More→
John Muller loves the design of early Corvettes more than any other American car. He once owned a 1955, but in spite of how much he liked its styling, he wasn’t happy with the way it drove. What he really wanted was an original look with modern drivability. Read More→
When it comes to restorations, a 1962 Plymouth Belvedere is one of the last cars to come to mind, but the Belvedere was precisely what Jerry E. Ward wanted. Ward said he loves Camaros, Mustangs and the like, but there are thousands of those. He prefers restoring cars that are different and more unusual. Read More→
Tiny cars have intrigued Duane Saunders since he first saw a BMW Isetta at Fort Sill, Okla., in 1963. Saunders, from Downs, Kan., was in the Army after graduating from K-State in 1961.
“Many soldiers brought Isettas home from overseas duty,” he said, because it only cost $50 to have the car transported. Saunders bought one for $200 and kept it for five or six years. Read More→
An icon is a recognizable, famous symbol, but the dictionary says it is also an image of a holy person. I smiled when I read that because when it comes to worshipping at the altar of automotive performance, few icons are as easily recognized or worshipped more faithfully than the Porsche 911.
For engineers and stylists, designing a new 911 is a delicate process, like balancing on a knife’s edge. The goal is to innovate and move the concept forward while keeping its essence, or DNA, alive and well. The task is like reinventing Coca Cola or the Big Mac. Read More→
ST. LOUIS — Cliff and Jack Reuter have been playing with cars since Cliff was born, and some of the 37 cars that have passed through Jack’s hands have been the stuff of legends.
The list is staggering, but it includes such famous Ferraris as 1962 Ferrari GTO, a 1954 250 Monza “Loud Mouth,” a 1953 166 Mille Miglia that was the personal car of Enzo Ferrari’s son Dino and two Short Wheelbase Berlinettas. He also owned such luminaries as a Birdcage Maserati, Porsche 550 Spyder and a 1927 Bugatti Type 37. Read More→
Last Christmas Eve, as Dick Weber and his family left mass at St. Agnes Catholic Church, he spotted a 1961 Chevy Bel Air hardtop.
“That’s my car,” he blurted as the car drove around the corner. “That’s just like the car I want.” Read More→
Here’s a little video I put together about my recently acquired 2005 Porsche Boxster. It took the place of my 1979 Intermeccanica Speedster, now in the hands of a friend.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — When Paul Epperson and a friend looked at Corvairs in a southern Missouri barn he spied a Lotus buried under layers of garage junk, but it wasn’t for sale. Yet. Talk about serendipity.
Epperson, 46, is a former airline pilot who likes to restore cars and he was haunted by the hulk of the Lotus, which he later discovered to be a 1958 Lotus Eleven Series 2 LeMans. Read More→
You would think Bob Holloway’s 1947 Cadillac Series 61 Sedanette is a lovingly restored classic until he turns the key and the Northstar V-8 rumbles to life. That’s when it becomes clear that this is more than just another pretty restoration.
Holloway, of Leawood, is a retired businessman whose company did body and paintwork for over-the-road trucks, fire trucks and trucks of all kinds. He started his business in 1975 and closed it in 2010. Read More→
