New Book Developments: Blue Bug Books Are In!
Recently we completed final editing and sent files out to four different publishers to produce different editions of Blue Bug. The chickens have all come home to roost, and boy, are these books beautiful! The several editions are set at different price points and there's something for everyone, so go check out the revamped website after October 15. (https://BlueBugBook.com)
Aimée loves this little Blue Bugatti that she calls “Blue Bug.” This children’s tale is about wishing for something very important and holding onto that dream. More info at BlueBugBook.com.
Books go on sale November 1. The holidays are coming!
Recent Auction with Speedsters for Sale
Of all the auctions that occurred this year, the one that I found most interesting was the estate sale of a longtime car enthusiast, Stanley Lucas. Gooding Christie's handled the auction on September 22, and it was flush with speedsters up for grabs. With over 60 vehicles being auctioned, 11 of them were speedsters. Three examples are shown below.
Battleship gray with brass trim. Shipshape, or what? image courtesy Gooding Christie’s
This 1913 Stutz Bearcat Model 6B was a direct competitor to the Mercer Raceabout.
image courtesy Gooding Christie’s
The 1930 Packard 734 Speedsters were not heavily advertised, probably because they were stripped-down sports cars with no baubles or bangles with which to extract a profit. Simply a go-fast car in a Packard sort of way!
image courtesy Gooding Christie’s
Spotlight on Hyman Ltd.
There are several dealers whose inventories I regularly check, and one of them is Hyman Ltd. Mr. Mark Hyman is also a major presence at Hershey, with his open tent always sporting a collection of beautiful cars to sell.
This year's inventory includes several speedsters in the lineup, all very tempting.
This is a really cool speedster, made by marrying a Model 48 Ford V-8 chassis to an Adler Trumf Junior body. Completed in Argentina back in the day, this example is emblematic of the aerodynamic trends that were shaping car design of the 1930’s. Sharp little buggy, eh? image courtesy Hyman Ltd.
This manly-man speedster is not for the faint of heart. Built by Simplex for American LaFrance for fire chiefs to get to the scene quickly, this example is every bit of big and quick! image courtesy Hyman Ltd.
It’s hard to believe that Gordon Beuhrig was tasked with repurposing unsold Auburn bodies and parts to move them out of the Connersville factory. His redesign of the Auburn Speedsters, the Model 851 and 852 Auburns, were hands-down the classiest speedsters to have ever been made at Auburn! image courtesy Hyman Ltd.
I'm looking forward to seeing what Mark Hyman brings to Hershey!
Why I visit Fall Hershey
Hershey in the fall has perfect weather. Bright and sunny most days, cool and dry at night. A giant parking lot filled with people, cars and parts, and activities. All of this stretching as far as the eye can see.
Isn’t this logo cool?
Stacy Zimmerman, editor of the AACA's monthly ezine named—Speedster—describes what she sees in the four-day festival known as Fall Hershey:
" There are now 9,000 vendor spaces making up 20 miles of flea market rows to walk up and down. The car corral now hosts about 600 antique cars for sale each year. The (flea market) now takes over almost every inch of the 235 acres that make up the Hersheypark parking lots, the Giant Center, Hershey Stadium and the field behind AACA National Headquarters.
"Additional events have been added over the years to enhance the experience for visitors such as the vintage race car "conditioning run" and (the veteran era) high-wheeler event, the RM Sotheby’s collector car auction, the AACA Library yard sale (I'll be there again, selling books!), Juniors at Hershey, and the talent show and nighttime movies."
The good weather always seems to continue until Friday, when it starts to drizzle just a little bit for Show Day.
Stacy concludes: "The Friday car show has become an awesome display of 1,000 cars competing for awards and showing off all their features to the 150,000-200,000 attendees from all over the world. Hershey is not just a car show, it’s a 4-day experience that will make you fall in love with this hobby all over again and again every time you attend."
Every time I go to Fall Hershey, I discover new cars I've never seen before, and I meet old friends who are also showing up for this awesome experience. That's why I go. You should go and see for yourself how great this event is!
Holiday Plug for Classic Speedsters
I'm honestly not sure that all readers of this blog are aware that the most comprehensive work to date on the subject of speedsters is only a click away.
That's right—you can get it by clicking on this link. (https://ClassicSpeedsters.com)
Go ahead, at least look at the book if you never have, or click on that button if you have a gearhead friend who deserves a great present.
304 pages, 350 images, 12 chapters, great stories about the cars and the people who drove them.
After all, the holiday season will soon be upon us. Stores in Whoville will be brimming with tariff-inflated goods and swarmed by impatient shoppers anxious to find something that'll make their loved ones happy.
Here’s a thought—avoid the crowds—go online and check out Classic Speedsters!
Don't be a Grinch. You won't be disappointed.
Correspondent Kevin Mercer of New Zealand kindly shared this photo of a friend driving his Bugatti Type 35 speedster on a beautiful day. Something we should all be doing…
…driving our speedsters!
Thanks, Kevin!