Put down that rubber chicken and pay attention! National Clown Week—yes, it’s a real thing—has been observed the first week of every August since President Richard Nixon signed a joint resolution into law back in 1971. To mark the occasion, we took a look back at some classic examples of one of clowning’s most iconic props.
Every July 1st the United States’ neighbor to the North celebrates a patriotic national holiday known as Canada Day. To mark the occasion, check out this rundown of our favorite Canadian classics.
Beauty, it’s been said, is in the eye of the beholder. In the world of custom vehicles, aesthetic beauty is admittedly subjective, but one thing that can’t be disputed is a vehicle’s historical significance. To follow-up the center-stage appearance of the Hirohata Merc at this year’s Cars at the Capital in Washington, D.C., this month we decided to take a look at five more of the interesting customs from the heyday of the trend.
Robert Pirsig, author of counter-culture classic Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, died last month at the age of 88. Though he never mentioned the make/model of motorcycle he rode in the book, it’s well documented that Pirsig loved touring on his Honda CB77 Super Hawk. This little bit of trivia got us to thinking: With the summer reading season almost here, what are some other great old books that use classic vehicles to help drive the plot? Read on.
Remember when you had to pay extra to have seat belts installed in a new car? How about 90-days warranties, new car “break-in” periods and 30,000-mile tires? It wasn’t so long ago that buying and maintaining a daily driver was really a chore. Here’s a few, fun little reminders of what went into buying and maintaining a new car 50-odd years ago when times were slower and our attention spans longer.
Bronco, Wagoneer, Scrambler and Ranger. When news from this month’s North American International Auto Show announced that these once hugely popular brands would be returning to automotive showrooms soon, longtime fans were all a twitter. Here, Hagerty’s Glenn Arlt takes a look back at some of what made these models so great.
If you’re an adult who loves old cars, you were probably once a child who loved automobile inspired toys like these. From the “Crashmobile” to the “The Visible V8,” here’s a look at five memorable car toys from Christmases past.
Reusing old model names is something pretty common in the auto industry. And it’s definitely nothing new. But here’s an interesting wrinkle: Have you ever seen a Studebaker Daytona? How about a Plymouth Concord? Some well-known car names actually owe their origins to entirely different makers than we associate them with today. We asked Hagerty Historian Glenn Arlt to give us a list of his all-time favorites.
For over 40 years, driver safety classes across America included the now bizarre practice of screening graphic educational films designed to scare the bejesus out of young drivers. Melodramatic narration and grisly images of bloody, broken bodies being pulled from twisted wrecks were shocking staples of this strange film genre. Here, we highlight some of the more notorious classics millions of Baby Boomers would probably like to forget.
HVA Celebrates First Winner, the Marmon Wasp
Historic Indy Race Car Laps the Brickyard with Four-Time Indy 500 Winner Al Unser Behind the Wheel
