The 1969 Corvette Manta Ray Visits the LeMay Museum

The Manta Ray joined two other historical Corvettes (Mako Shark, and the Stingray Racer) this past weekend to kick off the 60 Years of Corvette exhibit at the LeMay's America's Car Museum. This is a car you rarely hear about but I was quite interesting in it's own right. I was surprised to see the many interesting innovations such as the "panic braking" lights and the interesting "space age"interior that reminded me of the movie 2001 A Space Odyssey.

The 1959 Stingray Racer Visits the LeMay Museum

What a special opportunity it was to see the 1959 Stingray racer up close. It is a unique car that is deeply engrained in Corvette history. It was also the inpiration for the second generation Corvette. It was definitively the highlight of LeMay's America's Car Museum 60 Years of 'Vette celebration. Also on display was the Mako Shark and the Manta Ray. Next stop for this trio is the 2013 Pebble Beach Concour D'Elegance!

Corvette Show Cars - The Mako Shark Visits the LeMay Museum

This weekend was a special one for Corvette enthusiasts as LeMay America's Car Museum hosted three special Corvettes on loan from the GM Heritage Center. We had a great time yesterday looking at these cars up close and I am going to start this series of posts by sharing the Mako Shark. To be honest, I am not a fan of the interior but the body styling and the paint scheme makes it stand out.

Spotted - 1955 Corvette

Spotted this beautiful 1955 Covette at the Portland International Raceway last Sunday. A nice example finished in Harvest Gold. A color that I have never seen before.

Spotted - 1947 Kurtis-Omohundro Comet

Considered by some as the first documented coach-built sports car built in the United States of America after World War II, the Comet is a beautiful work of automotive art.

Spotted - 1941 Willys MA Jeep

Many of us are very familiar with the front end of the iconic MB/GPW Jeeps of World War II but have you ever seen a Willys MA? This is the design that won Willys the contract to produce this most reognizable vehicle of WWII. I have read about them but this is the first time I have seen one. The differences are very apparent when parked side-by-side.

Willys MA (on the right) sitting next to it's better known MB model.

The nterior is a bit different from the MB as well.

Spotted - Vector M12

Spotted the mythical Vector M12. Not exactly a timeless design. I think the angular lines of the W8 that was the topic of the iconic 90's posters looked sooo much cooler...

Spotted - International Harvester L-110 Pickup Truck

Spotted this beautifully restored 1950 International Harvester L-110 pick-up truck in Plaza Las Americas a couple weeks ago. Nice piece of work on a rare truck.

Spotted - 1963 Dodge 330 Max Wedge

Back in 1963 you could order your Dodge 330 with a Ramcharger 426 with either 11.0:1 compression (415 horsepower) or 13.5:1 compression (425 horsepower). More on these monsters at the Max Wedge site...

This thing is a beast...

Pebble Beach 2011 - 1913 Stutz Bearcat Series B

In 1913 Stutz incorporated a 6 cylinder engine into their lineup. This new engine displacing 426 cubic inches was built by Wisconsin Motor Manufacturing Company. Imaging yourself pushing this thing to it's limits...

Spotted - 1941 Chrysler Newport Dual Cowl Phaeton

This car is one of only five Newport Phaetons built, one of only two built with the retracting headlamps, and one of the first concept cars built by Chrysler. It was great to see it up close this past summer. More about the story of the Newports at the Ridestory site.

Spotted - 1979 Dodge Lil Red Truck

The Lil Express Truck. I remember seeing a couple of these when I was a kid. The 1978 version of this pickup was named by Car and Driver magazine as the fastest American made vehicle in the 0 to 100 MPH  run. A 360 cubic inch 4 barrel V8 producing 225 net @ 3800 RPM provides the motivation. Spotted this one at the 2011 Harnish Car Show in Puyallup, Washington. I think the twin vertical stack exhaust make the look. What do you think?

Spotted - 1951 Nash Statesman Airflyte

It looks a bit cartoonish but it is still cool nevertheless. The covered wheels wells are part of it's appeal. This one was spotted at the 2010 Harnish Auto Family car show in Puyallup, Washington.

Spotted - AMC Gremlin

My family had one of these abominations back in the day. Comfortable up front, cramped in the back. A Hornet with the back chopped off and a tiny hatch to get the groceries in. Good acceleration for what it was but the suspension really could not cope with anything resembling a curve. Ours died of terminal rust...

Spotted at the 2010 Goodguys Pacific Northwest Nationals, Puyallup, Washington.

Spotted - AMC Rebel SST

I came across this immaculate AMC Rebel SST about a ago in a local car show in Puyallup, Washington. Not quite my cup of tea but it does reminds me of the holiday trips we took on my uncle's Rebel station wagon back in the early 70's.

Blackhawk Spotlight - 1930 Ruxton

This 1930 Ruxton is one of my favorites of the Blackhawk museum in Danville, California. I like the way it sits low on the chassis and it's unusual paint. There are no less than 8 color bands on this paint scheme. Not the kind of thing we associate with pre-war sedans. However, the secret sauce of this beautiful car is that it is front-wheel-drive. An arrangement that allows for the lower body silhouette. A 100 hp in-line 8 cylinder Continental provides the power. One of only 298 cars, it was built by both the Moon Car Company of St. Louis Missouri and the Kissel Motor Car Company of Hartford, Wisconsin under contract for the New Era Motors of New York City. Less than 20 examples are believed to survive.

1951 Frazer Vagabond

Once upon a time you could go camping in a car...

Especially, if you owned a Frazer Vagabond...

No idea is really new, isn't it?


Source: Photographed by the author at the LeMay Museum in Tacoma, Washington.

Pebble Beach 2011 - 1934 Ford Model 40 Special Speedster

I saw this beauty in a magazine not too long ago. Really special to see it "in the metal". There are plenty of details about the history of this Edsel Ford's speedster at the Ford Media site. You can also take a look at the interview done by Jay Leno during the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

Spotted - 1955 Dodge Royal Lancer

Great color combination on this 1955 Royal Lancer shown last week the Goodguys Pacific Northwest Nationals. Check out the size of that original air conditioner compressor!

Spotted - 1961 Divco Milk Truck

Got Milk... Divco milk truck that is.

Click on the images to enlarge.