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Introduced in 1940, Buick’s Series 50 Super models featured sleek exterior styling and an interior that provided seating for up to six adults. One range up from the entry-level Series 40 Special models, the Buick Super range proved to be a hit with consumers, selling 128,736 examples in its debut year. The four-door Super sedan was by far the most popular model in Buick’s product range, and of the 95,875 units built, few have weathered the decades as well as this 1940 Buick Super Eight sedan, for sale on Hemmings.com. It’s said to benefit from a recent restoration, including its period correct interior. All gauges are functional, as are the Fore-Aft Flash-Way directionals, and the sale even includes the original tool kit and owner’s manual. For a car that needs little aside from a new name on the title, it’s priced fairly, too. From the seller’s description:

Recently resotred 1940 Buick Super 8 4 door sedan with period corrrect restoration interior, complete dash with all gauges working, original trunk interior with tools, orginal owners pamphlet and other equipment. Must see to appreciate as an authentic example of GM pre-war product with last of the “suicide doors.” This car will comfortably seat 6 adults. It has a manual shift “thrree on the tree” with the original 248 cu in (4.1L.) 107 hp Fireball I8 straight eight engine. It is equipped with original sealed beam headlights and Fore-Aft Flash-Way directionals (all lamps work.) This is a fun car to drive and show off.

Photo by Vincent Lammin.

Other highways came before it. Others stretched farther. Others probably conducted more traffic throughout the country. But no highway gets more recognition or praise than Route 66, America’s first numbered highway, which will turn 90 next year amid a brace of celebrations and the founding of a new organization dedicated to Route 66’s preservation.

That instant recognition of Route 66 as the Mother Road and as the Main Street of America comes in part from its role in popular culture, from Nat King Cole’s song of the same name to John Steinbeck’s description of it in “The Grapes of Wrath” to the allusion to it in the 2006 Disney/Pixar film “Cars.” But the true legacy of the road was essentially baked into its conception and early promotion, thanks in large part to Tulsa-based businessman Cyrus Avery.

As far back as 1916, Congress began passing laws that would establish a nation-wide network of public roads, and one of its proposals called for a Route 60 that would connect Virginia Beach, Virginia, to Los Angeles, California, passing through Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada along the way. Avery, who recognized the economic potential of such a road, argued that it should avoid the Rockies and instead take a more southerly route from St. Louis to Los Angeles – passing through Tulsa, of course – and that from St. Louis it should swing northward to Chicago rather than head due east to Virginia, following natural routes of commerce.

While he was at it, Avery also suggested the route be renumbered from 60 to 66, arguing that the latter would become more memorable and more likely to roll off the tongue. Indeed, while Route 60 did eventually connect Virginia Beach to points west, few if any people celebrate that road these days.

Photo by Victor Solanoy.

Established on November 20, 1926, Route 66 ran from Chicago – specifically Lake Shore Drive – to St. Louis, through a slim corner of Kansas, then through Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, ending in Santa Monica. A year later, Avery went on to establish the U.S. Highway 66 Association, which promoted the road to travelers and which led the effort to pave the entire length of the road, a project that wrapped up in 1938.

As many have pointed out, the advent of the Interstate Highway System in the mid-1950s essentially doomed Route 66. Though a number of interstates eventually followed the general direction of Route 66, most of them bypassed the road itself and the various businesses and small towns that prospered as a result of the road. The U.S. Highway 66 Association, despite its latter focus on preventing the demise of the Mother Road, disbanded in 1975; official decertification of Route 66 came in 1985.

Yet, despite 30 years of official nonexistence, Route 66 remains immensely popular today, with annual festivals and celebrations taking place in many towns that the road once ran through – and even one in Europe. As Route 66 author Jim Hinckley related recently, a number of those celebrations will focus on the anniversary in 2016, including Kingman, Arizona’s 66 Celebrates 90, Santa Monica’s 90th anniversary festival, and Germany’s European Route 66 Festival.

Hinckley also reported that, for the first time since the U.S. Highway 66 Association disbanded, a national effort called Route 66: The Road Ahead Initiative, organized in part by the National Park Service, will soon begin Route 66 advocacy work, with a charter that calls for preservation, education, tourism promotion, and economic development along Route 66.

As for earlier reports on the re-boot of the “Route 66” television show, no news on that effort has circulated since December 14, when the re-boot was first announced.

1954 Ford Crestline Sunliner. Photos courtesy Mecum Auctions.

To win concours d’elegance gold, one must be prepared to spend whatever it takes to achieve automotive perfection, or so says conventional wisdom. Last weekend in Austin, Texas, one bidder put a price on that, paying a fee-inclusive $33,000 for a restored 1954 Ford Crestline Sunliner described as a “multiple concours winner.”

The Crestline topped Ford’s product range from 1952 through 1954, and the automaker proudly proclaimed, “You can pay more, but you can’t buy better.” By 1954, standard equipment on Crestline models included automatic interior courtesy lighting, full carpeting, stainless steel window moldings, stainless steel trim, and a hydraulically operated top on Sunliner convertible models. Popular options included a heater ($44), Magic Air heater and defroster ($70), electric clock ($15), radio ($88), windshield washers (10), Master-Guide power steering ($134) and Swift Sure power brakes ($45). On all Crestline models except the Country Squire station wagon, power windows were also an available option.

In 1954, power came from a either a 223-cu.in Mileage Maker six, fed by a single one-barrel carburetor and rated at 115 horsepower, or the optional 239-cu.in. V-8, which produced 130 horsepower. A three-speed manual transmission was the base choice for either engine, while both overdrive and the Ford-O-Matic transmission remained optional extras.

The example sold in Austin came with the optional Y-block V-8 and the Day and Night demonstrator hood, built in limited numbers for dealers to show off the new overhead valve eight-cylinder engine. Other options on the car included windshield washers, AM radio, electric clock, heater and rear fender skirts, and at some point in the car’s life a Continental kit was also added.

Details of exactly what awards were earned in concours competition, and where those victories took place, were surely handed down to the car’s new owner, along with the original owner’s manual and photographs documenting the car’s restoration. While $33,000 isn’t inexpensive, it is roughly the average price of a new family sedan, proving that even at higher levels of competition, the hobby need not be stratospherically expensive.

1965 Sunbeam Tiger restomod.

Lots in the top-10 in Austin included a 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition, which sold for $440,000; a 2006 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Silver Arrow, which sold for $245,000; a 1965 Sunbeam Tiger restomod, which sold for $142,500; a 1959 Chevrolet Corvette restomod, which sold for $130,000; a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette coupe, which sold for $130,000; a 1954 Ford F100 pickup restomod, which sold for $120,000; a 1994 Porsche 911 RS coupe, which sold for $115,000; a 1959 Mercedes-Benz 190SL roadster, which sold for $105,000; a 1964 Chevrolet Corvette convertible, which sold for $102,500; and a 1955 Chevrolet 210 restomod, which sold for $100,000.

1952 Chevrolet Deluxe.

More affordable lots included a 1973 Lincoln Continental Mark IV, which sold for $3,000; a 1952 Chevrolet Deluxe, which sold for $4,750; a 1982 GMC Jimmy, which sold for $5,500; a 1978 BMW 320i, which sold for $5,500; a 1981 Chevrolet Corvette coupe, which sold for $6,000; a 1954 Chevrolet 210, which sold for $6,000; a 1967 Cadillac Calais, which sold for $6,500; a 1973 Jeep CJ-5, which sold for $6,500; a 1924 Ford Model T pickup, which sold for $6,500; and a 1979 Volkswagen Beetle convertible, which sold for $7,250.

For complete results from Austin, visit Mecum.com.

Photo by the author.

It is well known that before World War II, Ford Motor Company was never a well-organized corporation, and that in the wake of Edsel Ford’s death in 1943 things spiraled so nearly out of control that the Roosevelt administration contemplated nationalizing the company to preserve its contributions to the war effort. Instead, Henry Ford’s grandson, Henry Ford II was released from his service with the U.S. Navy to take control of the ailing company and curb the excesses of his increasingly senile grandfather and corrupt henchman Harry Bennett.

After the war, Henry II set about remaking the company in the style of its arch competitor, General Motors. Included in this effort was the hiring of former GM executive Ernest Breech and others with a background at what was then the world’s largest automaker. Breech, in turn, hired a group of veterans of the Army Air Forces’ Statistical Control units who would be collectively remembered as the “Whiz Kids”.

Had it not been for newly hired product planner Chase Morsey, Jr., the 1952 Ford brochure pages pictured above would have featured only the Mileage Maker Six and not Ford’s venerated flathead V-8. Photos courtesy Ford Motor Company unless noted.

While Breech was remaking FoMoCo as GM Lite, the Whiz Kids were tasked with rationalizing the way management was performed, replacing the anachronistic, seat-of-the-pants decision-making process with something logical and driven by data. In 1949 they elected to create a department tasked with product planning, the first of its kind in the industry. The 1952 Ford was the first model to come under the oversight of the product planning department and its newly hired head, Chase Morsey, Jr.

Morsey was a sort of Junior Whiz Kid in that he too was a Statistical Control veteran, and had served under Robert S. McNamara and Jack Reith during the war, but had not been hired in with the original group of Whiz Kids in 1946. To Morsey’s advantage, however, was that he was a lifelong Ford enthusiast with a personal enthusiasm for the product he would now help to shape. The original Whiz Kids were interested in scientific management and had dispassionately hired themselves out to the highest bidder.

By 1949, Ford’s 1932-vintage V-8 design was getting long in the tooth.

It was into this environment of GM men and statisticians that Morsey stepped and almost immediately came into conflict. Handed the already approved plans for the 1952 Ford, Morsey learned that his beloved flathead V-8 (he had owned V-8 Fords exclusively since high school in the 1930s) was to be unceremoniously dropped in favor of a very Chevrolet-like inline six. Morsey’s gut instinct was that this was a very bad move for Ford that would not only fail to solve the company’s existing problems, but would drive off a presently very dedicated customer base.

Morsey’s journey to prove to Breech, McNamara, Henry Ford II and the rest of the decision makers at Ford that the V-8 needed to remain in production is just the springboard for the rest of his memoir, The Man Who Saved the V-8, but it forms an important frame of reference for all of his later actions at FoMoCo. And important actions they were: Morsey would be instrumental in the creation of the Thunderbird, the Skyliner retractable and ultimately the Mustang—not as an engineer, or a stylist, but as someone who understood what the public wanted and how the company could give it to them and thereby sell more cars.

Morsey’s customer-oriented approach to product planning resulted in the 1955 Thunderbird halo car, something that would have been unimaginable under the Chevrolet-centric approach that existed in the company in 1949.

Other reviews have criticized The Man Who Saved the V-8 as egotistical or hyperbolic, but in reality it is neither. Morsey is not modest, but he is humble. While Morsey is highly aware of his own contributions to Ford and to the industry as a whole, he recounts those contributions without boast and he is quick to give credit to the others involved as well.

Further, it does not seem Morsey gives unwarranted urgency to the action or weight to the decisions. The past is a comfortable place because we know the outcomes, but at the time these were current events with the potential to make or break the company’s place in the market. It is also worth noting that Morsey was a young man at the time, and his enthusiasm for the product and view of its importance to the consumer comes off as completely genuine.

The Thunderbird’s spiritual successor was the Mustang, the last car that received substantial input from Morsey before he left the company.

Not only is this book an amazing peek behind the curtain at Ford Motor Company in the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s, and as such an invaluable historical account, but it’s also an inspirational primer on leadership and courage in the workplace. Morsey came to Ford not only with a great work ethic, but a vision for the company that he was not afraid to defend to his superiors. He was still a probationary employee when he made his boardroom presentation in defense of the flathead V-8. That level of commitment and willingness to risk his job for the sake of the product was not often seen at that time or ever, and that daring act led him to become the de facto voice of the customer within Ford.

If you’re looking for something to read as the weather turns colder, you could do far worse than to pick up a copy of The Man Who Saved the V-8 and learn something about a little-known chapter in Ford history.

Kott Motorcycles cafe racer based upon a 1973 Honda CB750. Photos by author unless otherwise noted.

Since the plunge in motorcycle sales that occurred from 2008 to 2009, the powersports industry has been building momentum year on year, with sales showing an annual increase, albeit a gradual one, from 2010 to 2014. This year, 2015, stands to show even more sales growth across the board, with some manufacturers (BMW, for example) posting record numbers. One factor potentially driving the trend is a renewed emphasis on customization at the manufacturer level, something that was clearly evident at last weekend’s New York International Motorcycle Show.

Triumph’s revamped Bonneville lineup includes the 2016 Street Twin.

Harley-Davidson has long understood that there’s more profit to be made in accessories than in motorcycles themselves, but other manufacturers have been slow to embrace this concept. For 2015, however, numerous brands, in a variety of price ranges, are offering motorcycles as blank canvases, along with a wide variety of parts for owner customization, ranging from handlebars, to exhausts, to mirrors and trim. Take Triumph, for example: While the brand was duly proud of its revamped Bonneville range, it was equally proud of the number of accessories that dealers will offer for owner personalization.

2015 Ducati Scrambler, with an aftermarket Termignoni “high pipe” exhaust.

Retro is once again hot, and several manufacturers (Triumph, Ducati and soon, BMW) once again have scrambler models in their lineups. Though scramblers were once intended to serve their owners on road and off, dual-sport motorcycles, among the industry’s hottest segments, now fill that niche. Modern scramblers, then, are more about a custom look (generally at a more affordable bare-bones price point) than true off-road capability.

2016 Yamaha XSR900, in 60th anniversary livery.

Perhaps the most interesting introduction at the show, for the author anyway, was the 2016 Yamaha XSR900, which potentially breathes new life into the under-represented “UJM,” or Universal Japanese Motorcycle, segment.

Best custom award went to this Yamaha cafe racer, built by Keino Sasaki. Photo by Jim O’Clair.

Also on display in New York was a huge array of customs, covering the gamut from American V-Twin choppers through vintage Japanese and British café racers. More eclectic selections included a Triumph bobber with a hardtail frame and a carbon-fiber tank, seat pan and rear fender; a Moto Guzzi hybrid that demonstrated what the offspring of a Le Mans and a California might look like; a scrambler based on a Harley-Davison Sportster; and Widow Jane, a Vincent café racer that looked sinister even standing still.

“Widow Jane,” a Vincent cafe racer.

Here’s a look at a few more of the bikes on display during last Friday’s press day.

Fortunately for us carspotters, photos of jampacked parking lots – like this one in the collection of photos that Joe Sokola provided us – tended to make for compelling visuals and so attracted photographers like ants to dropped candy bars. We appreciate the visuals too, but we also want to crawl over every inch of the photo to drool over the cars. Location? Dunno. What do you see here?

While this 1926 Ford Model T lakes modified for sale on Hemmings.com was inspired by the Bo Jones lakes modified, somehow it looks to have better proportions and a sleeker profile. Could be the attention to detail, especially in that sanitary Miata four-cylinder installation, or it could simply be the lack of excessive pinstriping and other decoration on the Bo Jones car. Either way, this one looks to be clean and a fun little ride. From the seller’s description:

all hand built 6 years ago. Starting with a flawless steel body that was narrowed by 8 ½ inches, the car was modeled to resemble Bo Jones famous modified-style T although this car is unique and not intended to be a clone. Painted in a brilliant Polyurethane Orange with bright red accents, this car gets noticed anywhere it goes. In addition to the laser straight body the exterior features custom aluminum hood and false side panels, Bell style dropped front axle, Posie rear spring, cut down windshield, and 1935 Ford wire wheels (rears widened by 2”) wrapped in Coker Firestone Deluxe Champion tires. The interior features a custom built Swedish Brown Leather Seat, floor shifter, Classic Instruments, removable steering wheel and tan carpet. The unique power train consists of a 4 cylinder Mazda Miata 1.8 liter / 133 HP that is fully chromed and polished and features a custom cut down manifold. All of this is backed by a close ratio 5 Speed manual transmission and 1940 Ford Quick Change rear axle.

Photos by David Newhardt, courtesy Mecum Auctions.

Built for NASCAR homologation purposes, Plymouth’s 1970-only Superbird proved to be a tough sell to consumers. By the mid-1970s, most dealers were doing all they could to get these “Winged Warriors” off their lots, but one Kansas dealership understood that the limited production car would one day be collectible. It kept the blue ‘Bird until 1989, selling the previously untitled car with 208 miles on the odometer; 26 years later, the all-original, two-owner 1970 Plymouth Superbird is up for grabs again at Mecum’s January Kissimmee, Florida sale.

VIN RM23U0A167071 was built at the Plymouth Assembly Plant on Lynch Road in Detroit, and delivered new to Sampson Motors in Junction City, Kansas, in December of 1969. It didn’t stay on the lot for long, and in March of 1970 it was driven 90 miles to Nemaha Motors in Junction City, Kansas. Perhaps understanding that the Superbird was one of just 1,935 produced (per the March 2007 Buyer’s Guide published in Hemmings Muscle Machines), the dealership retained possession for the next 19 years, displaying the car in its indoor showroom and reserving it for the occasional parade or special appearance.

As delivered, the car came with the 440 Super Commando V-8, fed by a single Carter four-barrel carburetor and rated at 375 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque. Shifting was handled by a three-speed TorqueFlite automatic (with a column shift), and power was sent to the pavement via the A36 Performance Axle Package, which consisted of the Sure Grip differential fitted with 3.55:1 gearing. As for options, the Superbird came with tinted windows ($25.90) and Rallye wheels ($43.10), stickering out at $4,454, including destination charge.

It’s not clear how much William Carney paid for the car when he purchased it in 1989, but it’s safe to assume it was more than the sticker price. Later, the Plymouth became part of Wayne Schmeekle’s impressive muscle car collection, which centers on the years between 1967 and 1971 and includes prime choices from all of Detroit’s big three automakers, as well as Shelby American. As photographed for the Kissimmee sale, the Superbird’s odometer reads just 671 miles, and four-plus decades of indoor storage has been kind to the car. The original paint still carries a high gloss, and the original interior looks to be in showroom-fresh condition. The rear seat belts are still wrapped in plastic, and the factory provided “Starting Tips” hang tag is even part of the sale.

Schmeekle will be offering a total of 23 muscle cars for sale in Kissimmee, and his reasons for downsizing seem to mirror those of Ron Pratte, who sold off his collection in January of 2015. As Schmeekle told Mecum Auctions:

I think we’re always going to continue to be in the collector market,” he says. “But a little bit of it is just changing the wallpaper, and we’d like to maybe let some other collectors enjoy these cars. We’ll continue to look around also, but of the cars that we have, we’ve actually upgraded and upgraded until we finally got what we felt were the best cars with the best documentation available.

Given that this may be among the best-preserved and most original Plymouth Superbirds in existence, the lack of a 426 Hemi V-8 beneath the hood may have less of an impact on value than one might expect. Mecum is predicting a selling price between $300,000 – $450,000 when the car crosses the auction stage on Friday, January 22.

For further details on the Kissimmee sale, visit Mecum.com.