1956 Porsche 356 1500 GS Carrera Returns to Pebble Beach

Every old car comes with a story, and if that old car receives an invitation to the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, you can be quite certain that it will tell a great story. 

In a press release, it was announced that a 1956 Porsche 356 1500 GS Carrera coupe is making a return engagement after a 53-year absence to this year’s Pebble Peach event. The car’s owner, Dr. Roger Craig, a former NASA scientist, purchased the Carrera in 1957 and used it as his everyday car for years. 

1956 Porsche 356 1500 GS Carrera

“I first saw the car at the 1956 Pebble Beach Road Races,” says Dr. Craig. “It was so beautiful and had that great turbine-like Carrera sound. I was so impressed; I even took a picture of the car while it was racing.” Subsequent research indicates this was the 41st Carrera ever made, and the first in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

At the ’56 Pebble Beach Road Race, contested along a twisting, tree-lined course in Del Monte Forest, the rear-engine 356 Porsche was driven by Don Dickey, who would be named Mobile Driver of the Year in 1958. It finished third in class. 

Prevent Your Classic Car From Overheating

Engines are designed to run hot for excellent efficiency, but not to the extent that they overheat and damage components by overpressure or loss of coolant. Some say that overheating engines are the typical shortcomings of older cars and anyone who owns one will eventually be left stuck and steaming on the side of the road. 

Prevent Car From Overheating

We say that's not necessarily the case. When these older cars came off the assembly line they didn't have an overheating problem, so they obviously have an adequate cooling system (This is mainly true, but many cars during their development were never tested in the summer heat in Arizona or a similar climate, as many are today). It's just that after decades without regular maintenance or a complete overhaul, the car's parts, radiator, engine block, hoses, fans and belts have aged and may not be working as efficiently as they did when new. 

If the temperature gauge on your car indicates that the engine is running a bit hotter than usual on short or long trips, don’t wait too long to look into what the car is telling you. It doesn’t mean you need to start tearing apart the car's cooling system, just series of tests and preventative maintenance might be the cure to keeping your classic cool. 

Belts and Hoses

Belts and Hoses

 

Replace any belts that are fraying, have cracks or slipping on water pumps and cooling fans. Do a thorough inspect of all hoses for cracks, swelling and signs of leakage. A good rule of thumb is to check the cars belts and hoses with every oil change and replace them every five years regardless of how many miles you put on the car. 

Radial Tires or Bias-ply for Your Classic Car

Radial Tires or Bias-ply ???

Before we comment on the debate over which tire is better, radial or bias-ply, let's talk a little about these tires. All tires are made with layers of rubber permeated fabric, the most common fabric used today is polyester. 

The difference between the construction of radials and bias is the direction of how these layers or plies are applied in relation to each other and to the center line of the tread. The plies on a bias-ply tire run approximately 45 degrees to the center line of the tread, alternating in direction with each layer. The plies on a radial tire run 90 degrees to the center line of the tire and basically overlap instead of crisscrossing. 

The other physical difference between the two is radials tend to be a lower profile tire while bias tire are usually taller and thinner. But both styles are considered to be a safe driving tire for your car, although most would agree that the radials have the better technology and are the better design for higher speed driving. 

Aston Martin DB5 - James Bond Version

Aston Martin DB5

One lucky bidder had a license to spend a ridiculous amount of money in an RM auction in London earlier this week. The interested bidder bought the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 made famous used in two classic James Bond films, Goldfinger and Thunderball.

Aston Martin DB5

The silver DB5 is the most famous of 007 vehicles has dual machine guns behind the driving lights, turntables, ejector seat, rear visor, wheel caps and oil stains slicer console enabled. The bidder was a Harry Yeaggy who won with a bid of 2.9 million pounds (U.S. $ 6,100,000). It is the sale price with 12 percent and auction fees estimate was actually below the pre-sale of 3.5 million pounds.

Tips for suspension classic car

classic car suspension

 

It was love at first sight, the sleek lines, the shiny paint. Underneath the hood sat a powerful engine, and the interior fit you like a comfortable pair of three-year old sneakers. And when you test-drove your dream classic, the car you had always wanted in high school, it felt perfect. A few quirks, but that's what makes owning a classic car fun, right?

Hidden Problems

Well, now that the honeymoon is over, all of the things you once thought were endearing are becoming annoying. You start to notice the clunks and rattles over every bump. To make things worse, it goes around corners like a Yugo on stilts. Mysterious things are happening to the underpinnings of your beautiful car.

Initially it might be easy to overlook a problem in the suspension of an older car. The suspension is hard to see and sometimes a problem is only apparent at high speed or under load. If you are contemplating the purchase of a restored classic, keep in mind that you may not notice a problem right away on a test drive.
We'll take a look at some of the components that you might need to replace. Along the way, we'll also try to improve on a few things that will add even more enjoyment to your ride. All of the handling symptoms mentioned above point to the need for a complete restoration of the suspension, and possibly some mods as well.
Some people might think only of shock absorbers when they hear the word suspension, but this actually refers to the entire system that supports the weight of the car. Think of the amount of stress and strain that these components go through. Almost all of the weight of the car has been supported by the suspension for decades. Really, this is an amazing feat. If your resto vehicle is a sports car, or an American musclecar, the stresses of spirited driving and great amounts of power have no doubt added strain to the suspension.

Gallery of Classic Car Competition #1

red flame

White Pearl

Black Beauty

Old Style

Elegant

The incredibly unusual 1925 Jonckheere Rolls-Royce Phantom Aerodynamic Coupe

Rolls-Royce Phantom Aerodynamic Coupe

The Raja of Nanpara Estate had already contained a polished aluminum 40/50HP Silver Ghost when he ordered Rolls-Royce’s latest Phantom. Upon arrival, the owner probably didn’t like the conventional Hooper cabriolet bodywork because it was eventually scrapped and replaced with what you see here.

Almost 10 years old, this rolling chassis was then shipped to Belgium to the shop of Henri Jonckheere and his son Joseph Jonckheere. They were well known throughout Europe for making bodies on both cars and busses. The later of which is still in production today as VDL Jonckheere. The commissioning owner of the car is uncertain due to war damage at the factory, but the design is not. The Jonckheeres created an extravagant body which has just as much impact 75 years after its constuction as it did in 1935. The car was finished in time for the Concours on the French Riviera where it won the ‘Prix de Cannes’ award.