It all began in 1909 with Hudson as a startup—"the car that made good in a year.” That could have been their slogan, as Hudson was that successful. We continue the story of Hudson from a previous post and include the Essex to highlight their speedster years of 1927-1932.
Read MoreThe Overland Speedster
Overland’s special history involved several forceful personalities who tried out their ideas using this brand. John North Willys won out, and in the process, a special speedster was produced, but for one year only. Care to guess what year that was? Read on to find out….
Read MoreMarion
At one time or other, almost 80 automotive firms operated in the state of Indiana in what many believed would become the epicenter of American automobile production. Certainly, there was a ferment of automobiling going on in the Hoosier state, and Marion was right in the middle of Indiana’s early turmoil. In this episode we look at what the engineers at Marion, chiefly Harry Stutz, cooked up!
Read MoreThe Magic of the Mercer Raceabouts, pt. 2
Mercer was just hitting its stride in 1913 as it transitioned from the Type 35-R to something even racier. We’ll consider that and more events in this episode of the Mercer story. Hang on to your seat!
Read MoreThe Magic of the Mercer Raceabouts, pt 1
Few cars captured the mojo of the early speedster movement better than did the Mercer. Although it got a late start in 1910, Mercer quickly grabbed at the ring and rode it to fame and notoriety. In this first of two episodes, we look at the Gen-1 Raceabouts through 1914.
Read MoreSpeedsters at The Amelia 2022
Hagerty Corporation purchased several concours in 2021, and Amelia Island was one of that group. Although assisted by Bill Warner, its former owner, the new management still had a herculean task of producing what turned out to be a pretty decent event, complete with sunny Florida weather. And a few speedsters in the mix…
Read MoreThe Gransden Special—From Australia
I look forward to messages from readers, especially if they have a speedster tale to share. This one’s from Australia, and Rick shared the story behind his very special speedster a couple of years ago. That is, before the fires swept the Outback, and then Covid swarmed. I hope that he’s still okay…
Read MoreThe American Underslung Speedster, pt. 2
In our last episode, we introduced American Motor Car, the company that fostered the underslung suspension system to improve its vehicle handling. What put them on the map, however, were their body styles. This time we look at the Traveler, the Scout, … and the Speedster.
Read MoreThe American Underslung, pt. 1
There are over 100 listings for car companies using the word “American” in them that are presented in the Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805-1942, but only one company made the infamous American Underslung Speedster. This is its story….
Read More1928 Packard 533 Custom Speedster
What happens when a habitual tinkerer meets up with a forlorn farm truck needing resurrection? Well, friends, read on and be inspired: a story about a 1928 Packard 533 Speedster project!
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