Antique & Classic Cars Blog

If you can hear the clock ticking in your mind and see with your eyes closed all the unchecked names on your gift list, maybe you’re feeling some holiday stress— Can you get everything you need on time?

How remiss would I be not to mention an easy gift for the car fans on your list? Survivor: The Unrestored Collector Car is just in from the printers. It’s filled with facts and stories about cars that have survived the decades without a major restoration, showing in patina and beauty marks their many years of adventures.

The book covers cars from California to England, including many exciting models from our very own Minnesota. Among the machines featured are a 1925 Amilcar, hidden for half a century in a Massachusetts barn. Red Leonard’s 1959 Plymouth Fury sat nearly as long in a St. Paul garage and remains pristine today, with just over 3,000 original miles.

Winner of the Minnesota State Fairgrounds’ first hot rod race in 1946 is included (a flathead-powered 1923 model T), as is the famous Jaguar SS 100 raced throughout the East Coast by the Today Show’s first host, Dave Garroway. Some of the best unrestored ’32 Fords in the world are covered here, as is a pair of Porsche 356s that have been in the same family for a combined total of 75 years.

The book has two parts. The first talks about the nature and appeal of the unrestored survivor; the second examines many cool and fun examples. I hired some ace photographers, including Classic and Sports Car’s James Mann, Star Tribune’s Tom Witta and former Sports Illustrated snapper, Jerry Lee.

And Tom Cotter, author of the much loved Cobra in the Barn and Hemi in the Barn books, wrote the introduction.

Santa’s not getting any younger and those flying deer can’t move like they did in the Rankin & Bass animation days. Why not give the North Pole crew a break and let Amazon.com send a few gifts for you. Easy as a few mouse clicks. Send ’em Dream Garages too, to assure free shipping. I’m sure they’ll love these books—and I’m not just saying that as the author. Promise. ;^)

This entry was posted on Monday, December 15th, 2008 at 4:06 pm and is filed under Car stories, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.