Hemmings Daily: Host of old car-related bills set to die when Congress adjourns

Photo by Martin Falbisoner. With just about a week left to go in the current Congressional session, a handful of bills ranging from ethanol reform to excluding competition vehicles from environmental regulations will likely expire before the end of the month. The majority of the federal legislation proposed over the last two years that would have a sizeable impact on the old car hobby concerns the Renewable Fuel Standard and the amount of ethanol blended into gasoline - and all of it has sat in committees for

View in Browser | Subscribe Friday, December 9, 2016 ANNOUNCEMENTS Reminder on our commenting policy: Posting under multiple identities and email accounts is forbidden and will result in a permanent user ban. Host of old car-related bills set to die when Congress adjourns Posted by Daniel Strohl - Photo by Martin Falbisoner. With just about a week left to go in the current Congressional session, a handful of bills ranging from ethanol reform to excluding competition vehicles from environmental regulations will likely expire before the end of the month. The majority of the federal legislation proposed over the last two years that would have a sizeable impact on the old car hobby concerns the Renewable Fuel Standard and the amount of ethanol blended into gasoline - and all of it has sat in committees for ... Read More Hemmings Find of the Day - 1976 International Scout II Posted by Kurt Ernst - >From the seller's description: 1976 Scout II - Incredibly low miles, great shape, runs great, no rust! Sale or trade! If you're looking for a Scout in great shape, not heavily modified, with very low miles, this the scout you're looking for. I drive it often and continue to update it and restore it as I have time, so some of the details may change. It's been a blast to own. I'm interested in selling it outright or trading it for something else interesting. Recently I drove it about 150 miles without issue. The p...Read More The strange, sad tale of Big Ed, Ford's most unloved GT40 roadster Posted by Kurt Ernst - Sebring 1966: Big Ed, driven by Ken Miles and LLoyd Ruby, makes a night pit stop. Images courtesy of Ford Motorsport History. Ford's GT40 coupes were once the scourge of racing circuits across the United States and Europe, besting formerly-dominant Ferrari. Though lesser-known than the coupes, Ford built five open-top GT40 roadster models for racing as well, including Big Ed, a car that achieved a single victory (the only win on U.S. soil for a GT40 roadster in-period) before meeting its fate at the hands of a cu...Read More On the ground at the 2016 Ocean Reef Vintage Weekend Posted by Hemmings contributor - En route to Ocean Reef in a 1951 Hudson Hornet convertible. Story and photos by Mark Elias. Depending on whether the glass is half-empty or half-full, the Ocean Reef Vintage Weekend is either the start or the finish of the classic car-collecting season. Now in its 22nd year, it features some of the nation's finest examples of automotive, aviation and nautical arts gathered in one tropical location. A Dodge Red Ram Hemi-powered Victress S1A. And what a location it is: The Ocean Reef Club is a privat...Read More Anchorage, Alaska, 1964, part 1 Posted by Daniel Strohl - Date: August 1964 Location: Third Avenue and D Street, Anchorage, Alaska Source: Department of the Army, via National Archives What do you see here?...Read More THIS DAY IN AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY 12/9/1876: Harry Miller born, Menomonie, Wisconsin 12/9/1963: Studebaker announces it will cease production in South Bend by the end of the month. UPCOMING EVENTS The Drive Home II-The Heritage Run December 27, 2016 - Tacoma, WA Streetside Classics Atlanta Cars & Coffee Cruise In December 31, 2016 - Lithia Springs, GA Sumter Swap Meets January 1, 2017 - Bushnell, FL 11th Annual Open Classic Car & Truck Show January 8, 2017 - Sunrise, FL Just Sell It Automotive Swap Meet January 8, 2017 - Glendale, AZ Indoor swap meet January 8, 2017 - Enfield, CT See All Events FEATURED CLASSIFIEDS Sponsored By: 1936 Ford Deluxe $11,000 1970 Mercury Cyclone GT $24,000 1940 Packard $59,500 1970 Plymouth Cuda $59,900 1988 Nissan 300ZX $11,500 1956 Plymouth Belvedere $7,950 1930 Pontiac $12,500 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air $49,500 Stewart Warnet Speedometer Model T Ford or other 1900-1910 $210 View All Classifieds FEATURED IN THE BLOG Sponsored By: Harley Earl's vision of the future, the Buick Y-Job, added to National Historic Vehicle Register Open Diff: Of men and mice See All Featured Blog Posts FOLLOW US: View Newsletter Archives WEEK IN REVIEW Thursday, December 8, 2016 Across the U.S.A. and back: 8,000 miles in an 80-year-old Packard Posted by Terry Shea - Travel photos courtesy of Doug Fernandez. Other photography by the author. Two things we love to see here at Hemmings are folks who restore their own cars and folks who don't mind putting miles on their cars. Often enough, if the restoration is of a high-enough caliber, those are often two different sets of people. If we were regular office workers forced into doing sleep-inducing presentations, we'd probably throw out a Venn diagram here. We'll spare you the PowerPoint, but trust us that the overlapping sectio...Read More Hemmings Find of the Day - 1965 Triumph Vitesse Posted by Kurt Ernst - >From the seller's description: 1965 Triumph Vitesse Reliable daily driver, everything works 2-liter motor, 6 cyl, w/external oil cooler and spin on filter adapter, electronic ignition, electric fuel pump, frt disc brakes, rear drum, Stainless exhaust Top is about three years old and in good shape except for a spot of oil that was dripped on it when shipped to US. No tears or damage to it, windows are good and clear. 4 speed transmission with overdrive 3rd & 4th gears, switch on the shifter knob B...Read More Crosley club selects a Hotshot for second youth project Posted by Daniel Strohl - Photos courtesy Crosley Automobile Club. It's much more complete than the bitsa that formed the basis of the first Crosley club youth project, but there's still plenty of work to be done on the 1950 Crosley Hotshot that club members hope will interest another generation of enthusiasts to continue restoring the American microcars. As announced this week, Bob Rogers of Oxford, New York, a member of the Crosley Automobile Club, donated the Hotshot for the youth project, a club program that recently awarded its fi...Read More This or That: 1960 Edsel versus 1961 De Soto Posted by Matt Litwin - 1960 Edsel Ranger (top); 1961 De Soto two-door hardtop (bottom). Images by the author. Editor's note: This or Thatenables us, in an idyllic world, to add a collectible vehicle into our dream garage on a weekly basis, but with a catch: We can only pick one vehicle fromthis pairing and it has to be for enjoyment purposes rather than as an investment. This episode of This or That stacks a 1960Edsel Rangeragainst a 1961 De Soto; both being two-door hardtops from their final, abbreviated year of production....Read More Richmond, Virginia, 1961 Posted by Daniel Strohl - Date: circa 1961 Location: East Franklin Street, Richmond, Virginia Source: Mapping American History What do you see here?...Read More Wednesday, December 7, 2016 Last-known Lancefield-bodied 1930 Stutz Model M heads to auction at Amelia Island Posted by Kurt Ernst - Photos by Theo Civitello, courtesy RM Sotheby's. British coachbuilder Lancefield is most often associated with automobiles from Rolls-Royce and Bentley, but the firm is also known to have crafted bodies for five Stutz models. Two of these went to discount store titans the Woolworth brothers, and of this pair, one, a 1930 Stutz Model M coupe, was supercharged. Today, the supercharged example is the last Lancefield-bodied Stutz Model M known to exist, and next March, this concours-winning juggernaut will head to au...Read More Hemmings Find of the Day - 1960 GMC Deluxe Posted by Daniel Strohl - Restored V-6-powered 1960 GMC Deluxe half-ton fleetside pickup for sale on Hemmings.com. From the seller's description: Rare optioned Deluxe 1960 GMC Truck. Big back window model. Frame off restoration on truck with less than 100,000 original miles. Many NOS parts. Lots of chrome and stainless. New custom stainless steel dual exhaust ($1890), new period correct black/white hounds tooth upholstery, Horke ash/stainless bed kit. Engine switched out to rebuilt vintage 351C GMC V6. Rebuilt to 40 thousandths over. Origin...Read More Automotive archaeologist, collector and promoter Rick D'Louhy dies at age 67 Posted by Kurt Ernst - Rick D'Louhy behind the wheel of The Californian. Photos courtesy Geoff Hacker. It would be hard to put a label on car collector Rick D'Louhy. With Geoff Hacker and a team of supporters, he was an automotive adventurer who found cars that many never knew were lost. As secretary and newsletter editor for the Volusia Region AACA, he shared his passion for, and knowledge of, all things automotive. As the promoter of the annual Daytona Beach Dream Cruise, he built a sizeable event that celebrated its ninth anniversar...Read More Do you happen to know Felicia? Skoda Felicia brochure Posted by Dave LaChance - What's this, a warm, romantic breeze from the other side of the Iron Curtain? Yes, indeed. Skoda's sporty Felicia convertible was all about having fun and looking good. It was sold not only in its native Czechoslovakia, but in Western Europe, the U.K., and even in the U.S. Based on the price scribbled on the cover, this undated brochure appears to be the U.K. version. Skoda, still in business today as part of the Volkswagen empire, is one of the world's oldest surviving marques. It was founded as a bicycle ma...Read More Hastings, Nebraska, 1940s Posted by Daniel Strohl - Date: circa 1944 Location: First Street, Hastings, Nebraska Source: Department of the Navy, via National Archives and Records Administration What do you see here?...Read More Tuesday, December 6, 2016 One Bonneville vandal gets fines, banned; others plead not guilty Posted by Daniel Strohl - Photo via High On Life SundayFundayz on Facebook. One of four Canadian men charged in connection with a publicity stunt involving an RV driving on the flooded Bonneville Salt Flats earlier this year received fines and a ban from the location last month while his colleagues all pled not guilty and face later court dates. Parker Heuser, a member of the Vancouver-based social media travel group High on Life SundayFundayz that faced criticism for disrespecting monuments and natural parks across the United States d...Read More Hemmings Find of the Day - 1932 Ford roadster Posted by Daniel Strohl - Riley OHV-headed 1932 Ford roadster for sale on Hemmings.com. From the seller's description: The Riley Roadster sports a very rare Riley V8 OHV conversion kit The Riley motor was owned by Harold Johansson in 1946 and the motor was installed in Jim Latten's roadster and raced at the lakes In the late 50's Wes Cooper and Ray Basso purchased the motor from Latten Ray then bought the roadster in 1963 from a fellow that had won the car in a raffle In 1973 Pete Eastwood updated the chassis and in 1974 Bill St...Read More Grace, the cancer-fighting 1953 Austin-Healey 100, comes to the Simeone Museum Posted by Kurt Ernst - John Nikas behind the wheel of Grace in 2012. Photos by David LaChance. Mike Newsome's 1953 Austin-Healey 100 should serve as a visual reminder to never purchase a classic car, sight unseen, from an internet auction site. Instead, thanks to the efforts of John Nikas, Andy Reid and others, Grace, as the BN-1 Austin Healey is known, has served as an inspiration, giving hope to thousands battling cancer over the past five years. Grace is currently making a pit stop at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum...Read More Planning a getaway, 1950s style Posted by Thomas A. DeMauro - The stylish, information-heavy cover made me want to learn more. Photos by author. If you are anything like me, you get nostalgic each time you see references to 1950s (or 1960s) family vacations or holiday travel, be they in vintage ads, pamphlets, magazines, books or anywhere else. Depictions of these excursions seem to touch a nerve for anyone who longs for the exciting summertime and/or holiday family activities of our childhoods. Ironically, my earliest recollections of these family road trips are rooted ...Read More London, 1978 Posted by Daniel Strohl - Date: October 1978 Location: The British Museum, London, England Source: Terry Dwyer on Flickr (with permission) What do you see here?...Read More Monday, December 5, 2016 Coachbuilt commoner - 1932 Ford Model 18 drophead coupe by Carlton Posted by Kurt Ernst - Photos by Trace Taylor, courtesy RM Sotheby's. In 1932, Henry Ford once again silenced his critics by launching a line of affordable, V-8-powered automobiles. Dubbed the Model 18, Ford's flathead V-8-propelled lineup offered buyers in the United States and Canada a range of models, but some consumers wanted more. At least one Model 18 chassis, in right hand drive, was shipped to London for reworking by the Carlton Carriage Company, and next January, this 1932 Ford Model 18 drophead coupe by Carlton, also known as...Read More Hemmings Find of the Day - 1956 Fargo Power Wagon Posted by Daniel Strohl - Former explosives hauler 1956 Fargo Power Wagon for sale on Hemmings.com. From the seller's description: This fine example of a Power Wagon features all the good stuff. Like: front tow hooks, a rear pintle hook, a PTO, and an original Braden Winch. It's a very hard working truck and started life as a explosives hauler in Northern Ontario. After that it was re-purposed as a welding truck, also in Northern Ontario. It features a 230 cubic-inch flathead inline-six engine, a two-speed transfer case, a 4-speed manual...Read More Concours-level slot car class created for International Scale Vehicle Championship Posted by Daniel Strohl - Photo by Kurt Ernst. Whatever you do, don't call them "thingies." Now that concours-level slot cars have earned a spot among other handcrafted small-scale vehicles at one of the country's largest shows for model and scale cars, enthusiasts who built the high-end racers have made it a point to distance themselves from that term. "There are a good number of builders who are constructing highly-detailed scale slot cars and that was enough to pique our interest in such models," said Mark Gustavson of the GSL Inter...Read More Year, Make and Model - 1969 Chevrolet El Camino SS 396 Posted by Mike McNessor - Photography by Matthew Litwin and Terry McGean. In the days before trucks were set up like big luxury sedans, the El Camino was a practical alternative for buyers wanting some light-truck capabilities with car-like road manners and amenities. Ford, not Chevy, deserves credit for the El Camino's design, as well as its Spanish-inspired name. For 1957, Dearborn realized that it could sell a few more station wagons by removing two-thirds of the car's roof and marketing the new machine as an open hauler. The early ...Read More Flooded road, 1950s Posted by Daniel Strohl - Date: circa late 1950s Location: unknown Source: found photo via Vieilles Annonces on Flickr What do you see here?...Read More Sunday, December 4, 2016 Four-Links - auto advent, Fiesta variants, Ford's assembly line workers, the origins of the model year Posted by Daniel Strohl - As he has for the last several years, artist Stefan Marjoram has taken on an auto advent calendar project, with a new piece of art each day until Christmas. * New Fiesta coming, so Adrian Flux's Influx recently took a look at some of the more unusual variants of the Fiesta that Ford has created over the last few decades, including the Ghia-designed Tuareg of 1978. * On this week's anniversary of Ford's assembly line, Smithsonian took a look at the impact the innovation had on Ford's workers, most of wh...Read More Hemmings Find of the Day - 1974 TVR 2500M coupe Posted by Kurt Ernst - >From the seller's description: 1974 TVR 2500m Sunroof Coupe An Exotic, Full Body-Off restoration. Tube Frame with Fiberglass body. Current and previous owner have been members of the Western Carolina British Car Club. A complete restoration in 2004 which included all upholstery and carpet. The entire car was rewired with a modern wiring harness, connectors, fuse-box and relays so the typical British gremlins have been banished! TVR used Triumph TR6 engines and drivetrains, so parts are easy to find and aff...Read More Hemmings Sunday Cinema - Hawkeye collection, racing model cars, Hammer Posted by Daniel Strohl - >From The Old Motor comes this Josh Clement video documenting the John "Hawkeye" Hawkinson collection before it was recently dispersed following Hawkeye's death. Some pretty remarkable vehicles there. * British Pathe collected a few of its shorts dedicated to model car racing, whether campaigned by Stirling Moss or by the enthusiasts at the local slot car track. * Finally, the car chase scene from the 1972 Fred Williamson flick "Hammer," featuring a 1964 Oldsmobile 98 and a gaggle of fishtailing LAPD cars....Read More Hemmings Find of the Day - 1965 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk III Posted by Kurt Ernst - 1965 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk III for sale. From the seller's description: This car was owned for two years by the original owner, and then was owned by one family for 46 years, and was stored in a climate controlled garage. I have owned it three years this summer. The color was changed in 1967 from BRG to Healey Blue. It was painted again about 11 years ago, and is still very nice. The chassis and interior were restored at that time, and the floor pans were replaced. The frame was also painted/undercoated and remains...Read More LAST WEEK'S MOST READ Ethanol-free gasoline spared in latest EPA ruling, though its days may be numbered Posted by Daniel Strohl - Photo by BrotherMagneto. Despite worries that the Environmental Protection Agency would put an end to ethanol-free gasoline sales with its Renewable Fuels Standard ruling for 2017, the agency permitted E0 a reprieve at the same time it declared its intention to transition the entire nation's fuel supply to E10 and above. While the EPA has no say on the exact proportions of E0, E10, E15, E85, and other ethanol-blended fuels that make up the country's fuel supply, it does set forth the total amounts of ethanol t...Read More LAST WEEK'S BEST DISCUSSION Open Diff: Automotive obscurities Posted by Kurt Ernst - 1985 Ford LTD LX. Photo by Jeff Koch. In 1984 and 1985, Ford built a four-door, 5.0-liter Mustang. It wasn't called a Mustang, of course, but it carried a Mustang V-8 (albeit the de-tuned one that came with the automatic transmission) and it rode on the Fox platform, just like its smaller stablemate. The Ford LTD LX sedan probably wouldn't have been built had it not been for the relationship between the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, the Ford Motor Company, and its then-president, Donald Peters...Read More Hemmings Motor News will not sell or share your e-mail address with other companies. For more information about this newsletter, email [email protected] or write to: Customer Service, Hemmings Motor News, 222 Main St., Bennington VT 05201. If you do not want to receive this newsletter from Hemmings Motor News, you can change your email preferences here.