Societa Italiana Auto Trasformazioni Accessori was an aftermarket company that produced parts to “hot rod” Fiats. The company was started in 1926 by Giorgio Ambrosini, an aspiring racecar driver. After the second World War, the company started building its own cars under the Siata name. The first original design to come out was the Amica...
Monterey, CA August 17, 2016...
La Jolla, California April 10, 2016...
1931 AJS 9hp Richmond Saloon Mention AJS and most will think of motorcycles, but there was more to AJS than just motorcycles, they produced radios, buses and cars too. The company had quite a checkered history during its short reign at the beginning of the last century. AJS was spawned from a region in the...
Generation 7, Littler Birds:1977-1979 This next generation of Thunderbirds resulted from conditions outside the company’s control. Lee Iacocca was in charge at Ford, and he saw the Thunderbird as too big, expensive and inefficient. With the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) looming, the 1977 car had to be smaller, more fuel efficient, and less costly....
Can a fictional spy save the world…and a car company? I write this column on the eve of Halloween. While my youngest daughter is busting at the seams for what is one of her favorite holidays, I have to say it no longer holds much allure for me. The holiday I’m really looking forward to...
Executive Director, Petersen Automotive Museum VR: Can you tell me a little bit about how you first came to cars and when you were first bitten by the bug? TK: My first real experience with cars was when I think I was seven, in Joliet, Illinois. I can remember, distinctly, going to the Chicago Auto...
The 2015 Santa Fe Concorso gathered more than 100 rare and exotic cars on the grounds of The Club at Las Campanas in late September to celebrate one of the event’s founding forces, American racing legend Denise McCluggage, and pay tribute to Luigi Chinetti and Ferrari. The three-day Concorso also featured a celebration of mechanical motion with several seminars, an evening gathering in Hangar K at the Santa Fe Municipal Airport and a Mountain Tour of local roads for entrants, then closed with Sunday’s judged exhibition of the automobiles. McCluggage, who died last May at the age of 88, was…
Barrett-Jackson finished one of its strongest years in the company’s history following the 8th Annual Las Vegas Auction on Sept. 24-26, 2015. Barrett-Jackson’s Las Vegas auction enjoyed a 98 percent sell-through rate with sales totaling more than $26.9 million and $750,000 raised for charity. Top lot of the sale was a 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 selling for $330,000. The 21st Annual Keels & Wheels Concours d’Elegance, benefiting The Boys & Girls Harbor, has announced its new event date of April 23-24, 2016. The date change is for 2016 only and the event will return to its regular schedule on the first…
Throughout the 1950s, American automobile manufacturers developed some of the most extravagant concept cars. While many of these efforts were styling exercises and prototypes, a great many were visionary, featuring futuristic (if not dream-like) scenarios including self-driving cars, flying and nuclear-powered cars. With enormous resources behind them, car designers had an open checkbook to visualize...
