Pre-War Classics

Prewar Classics: Perhaps the only truly great thing to come out of the Great Depression were the Classics, those often large and very powerful machines with couture coachwork built by cutting-edge body builders. Although these ultra-expensive cars were built for the wealthiest of clientele before the October 1929 stock market crash, the drive to stay alive by builders of these innovative chassis and custom-made bodies in the ensuing 1930s produced the most elegant and beautiful automobiles the world has seen. Here, news and features stories on those extraordinary cars recognized by the Classic Car Club of America are featured, from the straight-eight-powered Duesenberg and Packard to the V-16 Marmon and Cadillac along with every other Classic-era creation that elevated the automobile to an art form.

Is $9.4 million ‘crazy money’ for a Duesenberg coupe?

Just when I thought Duesenberg prices were simmering down, the one-of-a-kind Murphy coupe built for George Whittell fetched a record auction price for a domestic automobile at Gooding Co.’s Monterey sale last weekend. That record price — $9.4 million, before … More »

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Vintage Vanderbilt Packard picture found?

1934 Packard believed to be sporting Rollston town car coachwork. The car is pictured on New York City's Fifth Avenue in 1937.

You may recall the article on the unusual 1934 Packard Rollston town car that appeared in Old Cars Weekly and this website here. While writing that article, I knew I had seen a picture of a similar car on eBay, … More »

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1941 Graham Hollywood joins ACD Museum permanent collection

A spectacular and rare, supercharged 1941 Graham Hollywood has been given a permanent home at the prestigious Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in Auburn, Ind. Ken and Stephanie Dunsire, Fort Wayne, Ind., donated the beautiful and significantly historic Graham automobile. … More »

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Car of the Week: 1926 Ford Model T hot rod

Clayton Paddison figures if he had lived eight decades ago, and he had designs on putting together a rod in his back yard, he’d have produced something very similar to the modified 1926 Ford Model T roadster that is now his baby. More »

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Car of the Week: 1925 Rollin touring

There aren’t many sure things in life, but Steve Jansen can be almost dead certain of one thing: Wherever he goes in his 1925 Rollin touring car — whether it’s to the grocery store or a big national car show — he’s going to have the only Rollin there.
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Car of the Week: 1912 Oldsmobile Model 45A

Keith Korbut is a fan of early automobiles – really old, brass-era, wooden-wheel relics. He’s also a fan of V-8 propulsion. Those two fascinations are generally mutually exclusive. You normally can’t have them both at the same time, unless you’re heading down the street rod path. So when Korbut came across a 1918 Oldsmobile, and learned that it actually came equipped with a factory V-8 — one of the only cars of the “nickel era” so equipped — he couldn’t help himself. More »

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Car of the Week: 1925 Packard limousine

Sometimes, when in doubt, just go big. That was certainly the strategy Ken Chartier subscribed to when he entered the car hobby back in 2004. Chartier admits he’d never even been in an old car when he took possession of his amazing 1925 Packard limousine. More »

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Car of the Week: 1920 Ford Model TT Truck

Bob Hansen is never in a hurry when he is behind the wheel of his gorgeous 1920 Ford Model TT truck. The venerable Ford wasn’t meant to go very fast, and that’s just the way Hansen likes it these days. More »

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RM offers 1908 Olds Limited Prototype at Amelia Island

March 12 auction will showcase over 100 quality motor cars More »

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What is it?

Bill Napoli of the Motion Unlimited Museum in Rapid City, S.D., asked the OCW staff to identify the early touring in this vintage photo.  Unfortunately, this one has us stumped. Someone with more knowledge of late-1910s and 1920s cars should … More »

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