A sneak peek of what’s inside Old Cars’ April 1, 2026, issue!

When it comes to finding the right car, Robert Dee knows that waiting 25 years or so can pay off.

“I’ve always liked the ’69s and ’70s,” said Dee, owner of the 1970 Mustang Mach 1 shown here. “I was looking online. The ’69s have always kind of been my favorite, with the scoops on the rear quarters, but I was looking for a ’69 and I came across the ’70. I really liked it a lot.”

After all the media buildup, plus a hit movie that emphasized the conspiratorial aspects, the Tucker 48 — serial number 1044 of the 51 built — felt surprisingly normal on the road and like any other softly sprung, big 1950s boat. The major difference was that, as a passenger, there was no glovebox in sight, and I was looking at a big empty space. If an accident loomed, I was to dive forward into the footwell. This was just one of the sometimes-wacky safety aspects of Preston Tucker’s postwar vision for revolutionizing driving in America with a clean-sheet car of the future. 

Howard Kroplick has just nine cars in his waterside Roslyn, Long Island, garage, but they are very select. In addition to the Tucker, won at auction in 2017, Kroplick also owns what may be the first pre-production Mustang, a 1963 model; the personal Chrysler Imperial of Walter P. Chrysler’s wife; a fire-breathing, 100-hp “Black Beast” American Locomotive Co. (Alco) roadster that competed in the first 1911 Indianapolis 500 (and won the Vanderbilt Cup twice); and the 1962 Holman & Moody Challenger III, an ultra-cool fastback performance Ford Falcon.

They’re there — you just need a sharp eye

In the summer of 1965, I was a sophomore at Berry College in Rome, Ga., and freshmen were not allowed to have a car. My parents offered me my choice of their aged family cars. One was a Sweptwing Dodge that had been a Georgia State Patrol vehicle with an enormous engine. They thought I’d surely take it. The other I loved and still do. It was the pretty family car, the blue-and-white 1956 Ford Customline. 

During his time in high school, Ron Keister was employed at a Union 76 Service Station in Somerset, Ohio, where he worked alongside his stepfather, Clyde “Buck” Allen, an accomplished mechanic. On one occasion, Keister observed his stepfather servicing a 1969 Mercury Cougar, and he was immediately impressed by the car’s unique body contours, elegant styling and refined interior, particularly its dashboard and instrumentation. This experience fostered a strong appreciation for the 1969 Mercury Cougar.

In 2013, he encountered an advertisement in a magazine for a Pastel Blue 1971 Mercury Cougar XR-7 available in Florida.

Old Cars reader Gary Williams was a firefighter by week and a drag racer by weekend when he and his cars started catching the eyes of Ford Motor Co. officials at California race tracks. Williams’ success racing a 1965 Falcon — and his 1968 Torino Squire station wagon tow car — led Ford management to offer him a position managing the western division of the new Ford Total Performance Show. 

Springfield, Mo., the city where Route 66 originated, is set to kick off a year-long national celebration of the 100th anniversary of the most-recognized highway in the United States, maybe the world.

On April 30, the city is hosting commemorative ceremonies and a kickoff concert at Great Southern Bank Arena on the Missouri State University campus. Little Big Town will headline the show with other big names in country, rock and Americana music.

These articles and a whole lot more can be found inside the April 1, 2026, issue of Old Cars.

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