Hemmings Daily: One-off Rabbit-based Checker taxi prototype saved from the crusher

The dirt-crusted Volkswagen Rabbit that Jamie Orr picked up earlier this month has decayed so much it won't even roll off his trailer. He suspects fist-sized rust holes lurk in its crevices. Plenty of other people passed over it before him, and the seller had warned him that it would head to the crusher if nobody bought it soon. Still, he drove nearly 1,500 miles to buy the car that was supposed to save Checker Motor Company. "It's in this worthless to priceless category," he said. "To most people, this car is no [View in Browser | Subscribe]( [Hemmings Daily] Friday, August 9, 2019 [One-off Rabbit-based Checker taxi prototype saved from the crusher]( [One-off Rabbit-based Checker taxi prototype saved from the crusher]( Posted by Daniel Strohl - The dirt-crusted Volkswagen Rabbit that Jamie Orr picked up earlier this month has decayed so much it won't even roll off his trailer. He suspects fist-sized rust holes lurk in its crevices. Plenty of other people passed over it before him, and the seller had warned him that it would head to the crusher if nobody bought it soon. Still, he drove nearly 1,500 miles to buy the car that was supposed to save Checker Motor Company. "It's in this worthless to priceless category," he said. "To most people, this car is no... [Read More]( [Sponsor]( [Hemmings Find of the Day - 1984 Ford Country Squire]( [Hemmings Find of the Day - 1984 Ford Country Squire]( Posted by Daniel Strohl - Unrestored 1984 Ford Country Squire for sale on Hemmings.com. From the seller's description: For sale by the second owner, this 1984 Ford Country Squire station wagon is a true survivor that is in great running and driving condition. It's all original sheet metal, paint, glass and exterior trim presents very well with only a few cosmetic issues. The leather upholstery , carpet and headliner is also all in great condition. Mechanically this big wagon runs great. It's fuel injected 5.0 V8 and overdrive transmission m...[Read More]( [2020 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance to honor coachbuilder Sergio Scaglietti]( [2020 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance to honor coachbuilder Sergio Scaglietti]( Posted by Kurt Ernst - Born in Modena, Italy, in January 1920, coachbuilder Sergio Scaglietti--the metal artisan behind such iconic Ferraris as the 250 Testa Rossa and the 250 GTO--would have celebrated his 100th birthday in 2020. In recognition of this, the 2020 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance--marking its silver anniversary--will pay tribute to the "Centenary of Sergio Scaglietti" with a display of Scaglietti-bodied cars. Born into a family of carpenters, Scaglietti never had the opportunity to seek a formal education. At age 13, f...[Read More]( [Sponsor]( [Daily Briefing: Corvette Museum purchases more space; Celebration of the first 100 years of Zagato]( [Daily Briefing: Corvette Museum purchases more space; Celebration of the first 100 years of Zagato]( Posted by Tom Comerro - Courtesy of The National Corvette Museum Staff at the National Corvette Museum announce the purchase of an 8,000-square-foot building next to the Museum located at 150 Corvette Drive for $1.3 million. The building will provide urgently needed storage space for the Bowling Green facility. The added space will easily accommodate more donated cars and memorabilia, many of which had to be stored at the nearby NCM Motorsports Park and at the Museum itself. The new building will allow the curator and staff to consol...[Read More]( [When Buick pitched sporting cars with safety]( [When Buick pitched sporting cars with safety]( Posted by Kurt Ernst - Ruth Campanelli's husband was having a mid-life crisis. Perhaps he set out to buy a Ford Mustang (a 390-powered Mustang GT fastback would be our guess), or maybe even a final-year Corvette Sting Ray convertible (probably with the optional single four-barrel 427). "Happy wife, happy life," the saying goes, and when Ruth pointed out that the Buick Gran Sport was safer, possessed with "sure footedness and stamina," well, then Mr. Campanelli became a Buick man, signing on the dotted line for an Apple Red 1967 Buick ...[Read More]( [VIDEO: A great big, bad movie!]( [VIDEO: A great big, bad movie!]( Posted by Dan Stoner - Do we have a treat for you, this week: a terrible movie! Look, there's an art to a bad movie. It takes a certain amount of intestinal fortitude to actually endure it from one end to the other, but like we always say, "If there are cars in it, we'll watch it." And we're guessing you're probably the same way. "Car Crash" seems to have been foisted upon us in 1981 as a "Spanish-Italian-Mexican action film" headlined by none other than Travolta - not John, rather his older brother Joey. That's just sooooo B-movie,...[Read More]( [Sponsor]( [Las Vegas, 1972]( [Las Vegas, 1972]( Posted by Daniel Strohl - Date: May 1972 Location: Las Vegas, Nevada Source: Vintage Las Vegas What do you see here? ...[Read More]( [This Day in Automotive History] THIS DAY IN AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY 8/9/2000: Bridgestone/Firestone announce massive tire recall UPCOMING EVENTS [MRT's Mach My Day - 50th Anniversary of the Mach 1]( August 16, 2019 - Plymouth, MI [Pacific Grove Rotary Concours Auto Rally]( August 16, 2019 - Pacific Grove, CA [Cruise Night at TK's Ice Cream]( August 16, 2019 - Cream Ridge, NJ [Vintage Rides Car Show]( August 16, 2019 - Wheaton, IL [Chasing Cars and Vintage Steel]( August 16, 2019 - Dublin, VA [CHROME & CRAFT FESTIVAL, Cruise-In and Car Show- Fri/Sat Aug 16th & 17th]( August 16, 2019 - Ludlow, VT [See All Events]( [Sponsor]( FEATURED CLASSIFIEDS [1948 Buick Roadmaster]( [1948 Buick Roadmaster]( [$3,500]( [1986 Chrysler Fifth Avenue]( [1986 Chrysler Fifth Avenue]( [$11,000]( [1964 Ford Falcon]( [1964 Ford Falcon]( [$14,000]( [2003 Lotus Esprit]( [2003 Lotus Esprit]( [$57,000]( [1942 Crosley]( [1942 Crosley]( [$27,800]( [1967 Pontiac GTO]( [1967 Pontiac GTO]( [$16,500]( [1978 Dodge B200]( [1978 Dodge B200]( [$9,850]( [1937 Ford]( [1937 Ford]( [$59,900]( PROMOTED LISTING [1950 Ford F1]( [1950 Ford F1]( [Auction]( PROMOTED LISTING [1974 Volkswagen]( [1974 Volkswagen]( [Auction]( [Transmission GM Saginaw 3-Speed C-15-8.]( [Transmission GM Saginaw 3-Speed C-15-8.]( [$495]( [View All Classifieds]( FEATURED IN THE BLOG [1966 Chevrolet Corvair homecoming - July 2019 update]( [1966 Chevrolet Corvair homecoming - July 2019 update]( [Open Diff - What's the best car-themed prank?]( [Open Diff - What's the best car-themed prank?]( [See All Featured Blog Posts]( FOLLOW US: [Hemmings Instagram]( [Follow us on Twitter]( [Join us on Facebook]( [View our Flickr pool]( [View Newsletter Archives]( WEEK IN REVIEW Thursday, August 8, 2019 [From father to son to show-winner - the rebirth of a 1961 Jaguar E-type]( [From father to son to show-winner - the rebirth of a 1961 Jaguar E-type]( Posted by Kurt Ernst - Henry Platts wasn't yet born when his father Patrick received a 1961 Jaguar E-type as a present from his wife, Diane, in 1982. Henry came along four years later, and remembers his father's obsession with the rarely driven sports car; in fact, he credits the Jaguar with instilling his life-long love of automobiles. Patrick died in 2013, and in 2015, Henry purchased the E-type from his father's estate. Four years later, the freshly restored Jaguar has just captured its first show win, earning a first-place award (and ...[Read More]( [Hemmings Find of the Day - 1970 AMC Javelin Trans Am]( [Hemmings Find of the Day - 1970 AMC Javelin Trans Am]( Posted by Daniel Strohl - Authenticated 1970 AMC Javelin Trans Am for sale on Hemmings.com. From the seller's description: 1 of 100 built in the Trans Am registry. Its the 99th car built in October of 1969 only 2 cars built in October the first 98 were built in September of 1969. I have a letter from the president of the Trans Am Javelin registry confirming this is a real one. California car very solid hard to find all original sheet metal car! This is an original 36000 mile car. This car sat in a garage from 1983 to 2013. It has the origin...[Read More]( [Because heritage sells - Chevrolet's 25th Anniversary Corvette]( [Because heritage sells - Chevrolet's 25th Anniversary Corvette]( Posted by Kurt Ernst - In 1978, Chevrolet marked a milestone anniversary for its celebrated sports car: The Corvette turned 25 years old. For the first time in the model's history, it was chosen to pace the running of the Indianapolis 500, so the bowtie brand pulled out the stops in creating a limited number of pace car replicas. It also offered buyers a unique Silver Anniversary paint scheme, though all 1978 Corvettes wore commemorative 25th Anniversary badging on nose and tail. The 1978 model year also saw the most significant change...[Read More]( [Daily Briefing: Swigart Museums 50th car show; McPherson College students featured at Pebble Beach]( [Daily Briefing: Swigart Museums 50th car show; McPherson College students featured at Pebble Beach]( Posted by Tom Comerro - Courtesy of The Swigart Museum The Allegheny Mountain Region of the AACA announces that the 50th Swigart Museum Car Show will take place this Saturday. Early registration is still available as well as registration at the event from 8:30-10:30 a.m. The judging will begin at 11:00 with a lunch available at the museum's park. After the day-long show, there will be an awards banquet at the Standing Stone Golf Club, scheduled at 5:30. The show is open to anyone who would like to participate and all classics and a...[Read More]( [Packard, the captain, and the wavy-crank opposed-piston engine]( [Packard, the captain, and the wavy-crank opposed-piston engine]( Posted by Daniel Strohl - There must be an unwritten rule somewhere that every engineer - even the most button-down, nose-to-the-grindstone straight-shooter - is allowed at least one flight of fancy. Prolific Packard inventor Captain Lionel M. Woolson seemed to have spent his idle hours dreaming of an internal-combustion engine that nobody else seems to have considered. Woolson, though little known to Packard automobile enthusiasts, holds high esteem among Packard aviation enthusiasts. He is, after all, the man who designed Packard's succ...[Read More]( [Brecksville, Ohio, 1968]( [Brecksville, Ohio, 1968]( Posted by Daniel Strohl - Date: 1968 Location: Cuyahoga River, Brecksville, Ohio Source: Alfred Eisenstaedt, EPA's Documerica project What do you see here?...[Read More]( Wednesday, August 7, 2019 [Exner not included: Chrysler's Firearrow II and Belmont flaunted outside design]( [Exner not included: Chrysler's Firearrow II and Belmont flaunted outside design]( Posted by Daniel Strohl - It's easy to credit (or blame, depending on your tastes) Virgil Exner for designing just about every production and concept car Chrysler built in the Fifties, but that's just not the case, as one can see from the pair of Chrysler concept cars from 1954 - the Dodge Firearrow II and the Plymouth Belmont - that Mecum will showcase during its Monterey auction. The first Dodge Firearrow concept car of 1953 may not have had a working drivetrain - relegating it to pushmobile status - but it did carry styling distinct fr...[Read More]( [Hemmings Find of the Day - 1987 Citroen CX 25 TRD Turbo 2]( [Hemmings Find of the Day - 1987 Citroen CX 25 TRD Turbo 2]( Posted by Kurt Ernst - From the seller's description: 1987 Citroen CX 25 TRD Turbo 2 Famously known as the world's fastest diesel-powered executive sedan. For model year 1987 Citroen made few changes to the body or interior of their flagship sedan. The big news was under the hood. An intercooler was added to the turbo-diesels. The car was received with great acclaim, and Citroen sold more of these fast luxury sedans than in the previous year. I bought this particular car just a few years ago from a collector in Carpenteras, located in t...[Read More]( [Missed opportunities - the tale of the 1967 Gerhardt Ford Indy Car C-71]( [Missed opportunities - the tale of the 1967 Gerhardt Ford Indy Car C-71]( Posted by Kurt Ernst - Car owner Walter "Wally" Weir wanted a shot at running competitively in the Indianapolis 500, so for 1967 he purchased a new Gerhardt Indy Car chassis powered by a four-cam, 255-cu.in. Ford V-8. Believing that a Formula 1 driver would deliver his best chance for a respectable finish at Indy, Weir hired Scuderia Ferrari driver Lorenzo Bandini, who'd perish following a crash at Monaco before he could even test Weir's new Indy Car. This was the first of several missed opportunities that surround the 1967 Gerhardt Ford ...[Read More]( [Daily Briefing: IMS Museum turns to crowdfunding to bring back Gurney Lotus; Wade Kawasaki joins automotive icons for Connect2Cars event]( [Daily Briefing: IMS Museum turns to crowdfunding to bring back Gurney Lotus; Wade Kawasaki joins automotive icons for Connect2Cars event]( Posted by Tom Comerro - The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is looking to get Dan Gurney's Lotus 29/1 back on the racetrack. The IMS Museum's Restoration team are approaching the final stages of making that happen. The staff at the Museum chose to restore the Lotus because of its historic significance, high interest and value. The project began 18 months ago, but the $103,000 budget is short approximately $15,000. All funds generated for the Museum will go directly to the $15,000 goal with any additional funds going to the Mus...[Read More]( [Hemmings Monterey Itinerary Revealed]( [Hemmings Monterey Itinerary Revealed]( Posted by David Conwill - Concorso Italiano, 2017. Just one part of Monterey Car Week. Photo by David Conwill. Monterey Car Week approaches, dear readers, and Hemmings is going to be there to cover it for you. Car Week kicks off this Friday, August 9 with a cruise in Downtown Monterey and winds up with the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on Sunday, August 18. Senior Editor Matt Litwin and I will be arriving August 13 to take it all in on your behalf. What we want to know before we go is what you hope to see via our reporting. Partic...[Read More]( [Chicago, 1986]( [Chicago, 1986]( Posted by Daniel Strohl - Date: 1986 Location: O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois Source: VintageTribune on Instagram What do you see here?...[Read More]( Tuesday, August 6, 2019 [British drag racing enthusiasts rally against development near Santa Pod Raceway]( [British drag racing enthusiasts rally against development near Santa Pod Raceway]( Posted by Daniel Strohl - Set up in a rural corner of England to celebrate American-style drag racing, Santa Pod Raceway has also been beset with American-style conflicts over noise with area housing developers - conflicts that threaten the dragstrip's existence, according to local racing enthusiasts opposed to the development. Founded in 1966 on an old World War II bomber base, Santa Pod lies closer to its half-namesake Podington than to the town of Bedford, but it's the latter's Local Plan - which encompasses all of Bedfordshire - and a...[Read More]( [Hemmings Find of the Day - 1968 Pontiac Firebird convertible]( [Hemmings Find of the Day - 1968 Pontiac Firebird convertible]( Posted by Kurt Ernst - From the seller's description: 1968 Pontiac Firebird Convertible. Beautiful, clean and stock Bird with a freshly re-painted and detailed 350CI motor with stock 2bbl carb. This beauty comes with a Hurst 4 speed tranny. Car is a real head turner and cruises smoothly with the top down. All correct emblems and decals. Even comes with all Original Dealer Manuals and Documentation! Find more Pontiacs for sale on Hemmings.com....[Read More]( [Trio of Sox & Martin Mopars crack the top-10 at Mecum's Harrisburg sale]( [Trio of Sox & Martin Mopars crack the top-10 at Mecum's Harrisburg sale]( Posted by Kurt Ernst - As Charles R. Morris wrote in his book, Factory Lightweights: Detroit's Drag Racing Specialties of the 1960s, "No auto manufacturer ever got more bang for their advertising buck than Plymouth did with Ronnie Sox and Buddy Martin." The Sox & Martin team earned legions of fans in the 1960s and '70s, so perhaps its no surprise that a trio of their Hemi Moparsa 1970 Plymouth 'Cuda, a 1968 Plymouth Barracuda B029, and an altered-wheelbase 1965 Plymouth Belvederenetted spots in the top-10 of Mecum...[Read More]( [Daily Briefings: Second Thursday Talk at National Automobile Museum; MVPA 2019 Transcontinental Motor Convoy]( [Daily Briefings: Second Thursday Talk at National Automobile Museum; MVPA 2019 Transcontinental Motor Convoy]( Posted by Tom Comerro - The organizers at the National Automobile Museum invite you to join them this Thursday to talk about a unique but iconic piece of automotive history, The Lincoln Highway. Speaker Jim Bonar became interested in the Lincoln Highway as a young child in Green River, Wyoming, watching traffic pass through town on the route. Jim became a charter member of The Lincoln Highway Association in the early 1990s and he now serves as the group's national board member for Nevada. The half-hour talk will take place Thursday...[Read More]( [Open Diff: What car would you buy as a weekend driver and potential investment?]( [Open Diff: What car would you buy as a weekend driver and potential investment?]( Posted by Kurt Ernst - "What car should I buy?" is a question frequently asked by our readers. There's no right answer to the question, as often it comes down to budget and personal preference, but sooner or later the conversation turns to value, and no one wants to lose money on a classic car or weekend driver. The truth is that car values are driven by market trends and disposable income. Muscle cars rose in value once the relevant audience (Baby Boomers, primarily) began buying them, fueled by a rolling stock market (pre-2009, of co...[Read More]( [Tucson, Arizona, 1981]( [Tucson, Arizona, 1981]( Posted by Daniel Strohl - Date: February 1981 Location: East Grant Road, Tucson, Arizona Source: Tucson.com What do you see here?...[Read More]( Monday, August 5, 2019 [Hemmings Auctions: Meet the Team Charlotte Edition]( [Hemmings Auctions: Meet the Team Charlotte Edition]( Posted by Terry Shea - Hemmings Motor News has been the authoritative marketplace for buying and selling classic cars for 65 years. For the majority of that time, Hemmings has made a home in Bennington, Vermont, which is where the bulk of our operations take place. For the past 17 years, Hemmings has also been part of American City Business Journals, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. A handful of us work down here in the Queen City, including some important people involved in the Hemmings Auctions operations. Just as we shared a...[Read More]( [Hemmings Find of the Day - 1977 Dodge B200]( [Hemmings Find of the Day - 1977 Dodge B200]( Posted by Daniel Strohl - Shag carpeted 1977 Dodge B200 for sale on Hemmings.com. From the seller's description: 2nd Owner 1977 Dodge B200 From California Low Miles Only 51xxx Original Miles!!318 2 bbl Automatic Power Steering & Power Brakes. Starts Runs & Drives Perfect!!California Rust Free Body!! Block Sanded & Cherry-ed Stunning Sour Apple Bright Green Metallic Custom Paint Job,Shaved Door Handles,2 Flip Up/Pop Out Sun Roofs, Port Hole Side Windows. Fully Insulated Inside With Several Thousand Dollars of HUSH MAT:)Full Custo...[Read More]( [1932 Mercedes-Benz SSKL Avus recreation honors the brand's 125th year in motorsports]( [1932 Mercedes-Benz SSKL Avus recreation honors the brand's 125th year in motorsports]( Posted by Kurt Ernst - Crippled by an ailing global economy, Mercedes-Benz divested itself from racing after 1931, the year that Rudolf Caracciola became the first non-Italian driver to win the Mille Miglia, behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz SSKL. In 1932, however, privateer racer Manfred von Brauchitsch debuted a streamlined SSKL at Avus, its alloy body accurately predicting the future of race car design. The original von Brauchitsch car has been lost to history, but in honor of its 125th anniversary in motorsports, Mercedes-Benz Class...[Read More]( [Daily Briefing: Concours-winning 1953 Ferrari added to Las Vegas Concours dElegance; New President of Sportscar Vintage Racing Association named]( [Daily Briefing: Concours-winning 1953 Ferrari added to Las Vegas Concours dElegance; New President of Sportscar Vintage Racing Association named]( Posted by Tom Comerro - The "Best in Show" 1953 Ferrari 250 Europa Vignale at the 2019 Concours d'Elegance Suisse, courtesy of Las Vegas Concours d'Elegance The organizers of the inaugural Las Vegas Concours d'Elegance (LVCE) have announced the addition of the 2019 Concours d'Elegance Suisse best in show winner, a 1953 Ferrari 250 Europa Vignale. Ferrari provided the engine and chassis while Pininarina and Vignale did the coachwork. Only 22 1953 Ferrari 250 Europas were built and just four of those 22 were built by Vignale. First...[Read More]( [Lost and Found overflow - a little bit customized]( [Lost and Found overflow - a little bit customized]( Posted by Daniel Strohl - Not to admonish anybody, but every now and then we receive an otherwise great submission for the Lost and Found department in Hemmings Classic Car that we can't use because the images are unprintable, either due to quality (home printers generally are inadequate at printing publication-worthy photos), poor composition (show the whole vehicle, please), or size. The quartet of photos that Rudy Dracka sent us a while ago fall into the latter category, at just 320 pixels wide each. That said, we found the car in the ...[Read More]( [Biarritz, France, 1970s]( [Biarritz, France, 1970s]( Posted by Daniel Strohl - Date: circa 1970s Location: Place Georges Clmenceau, Biarritz, France Source: via Frenchcurious What do you see here?...[Read More]( Sunday, August 4, 2019 ["Sometimes you think it'd be better to walk:" The Lada as metaphor for Russian determination]( ['Sometimes you think it'd be better to walk:' The Lada as metaphor for Russian determination]( Posted by Daniel Strohl - Dieter Deswarte doesn't care about the Lada's development, where it was built, how much power its engine was good for. Instead, as we see in his short film, "Lada," he's more concerned with where the vehicles end up decades after they're built, how they're used, and who's still driving them. They're rugged, but they break down all the time; they're maligned, but also cherished; they're cold machines, but they're also parts of their owners' families. And through the cars we get to see the complex and resolute people ...[Read More]( [Hemmings Find of the Day - 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera]( [Hemmings Find of the Day - 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera]( Posted by Daniel Strohl - Indy pace car 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera for sale on Hemmings.com. From the seller's description: One of only 35 produced and 3 known remaining. Used at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1985 for the Indy 500. Factory commissioned convertible conversion done by Hess & Eisenhardt Coachworks in Ohio. Well maintained with regular oil changes and dealer services. Always garage stored. Never driven in inclement weather. Never in an accident. Driven infrequently (Less than 37,000 total miles). Key Featu...[Read More]( [Four-Links - GT-R celebration at a rest stop, the freeway revolts, BBC's auto sounds, Miss Elfrieda Mais]( [Four-Links - GT-R celebration at a rest stop, the freeway revolts, BBC's auto sounds, Miss Elfrieda Mais]( Posted by Daniel Strohl - Why did Nissan recently celebrate the 50th anniversaries of the Z and the GT-R at a rest stop? As Ben Hsu at Japanese Nostalgic Car noted, the rest stop wasn't on just any old highway. That's because Ashigara Service Area is located along the Tomei Expressway, which is also celebrating its golden anniversary this year. Sections of it opened starting February 1, 1969 and continued through that spring until the full line was open by May 26. Though Nissan would never officially admit it, the histories of the Tomei a...[Read More]( [Hemmings Find of the Day - 1952 Nash Ambassador Custom]( [Hemmings Find of the Day - 1952 Nash Ambassador Custom]( Posted by Daniel Strohl - Driveable dream 1952 Nash Ambassador Custom for sale on Hemmings.com. From the seller's description: This incredibly rare 1952 Nash Ambassador Custom two-door sedan is a documented four-owner, 24,000 mile original car, and has its original paint, chrome, stainless, glass, interior and powertrain. I refer to it as my vintage Lexus. It's tight, comfortable, squeak- and rattle-free with near perfect reliability. The doors click shut; the windows open/close smoothly. Turn the key, bump the starter and the car starts...[Read More]( LAST WEEK'S BEST DISCUSSION [Hemmings Web Editor Daniel Strohl recognized at Automotive Heritage Awards]( [Hemmings Web Editor Daniel Strohl recognized at Automotive Heritage Awards]( Posted by Hemmings Admin - Web Editor Daniel Strohl's comprehensive story on the construction and fates of the John Graham-designed factories that Ford built across North America to assemble the Ford Model T took a category-winning award in the annual Automotive Heritage Journalism Awards over the weekend. The award, a gold in the Best Automotive Heritage Facility Story category, was one of 32 awards across nine categories that the AHA handed out at the Concours d'Elegance of America at the Inn at St. John's in Plymouth, Michigan. Other ca...[Read More]( LAST WEEK'S MOST READ [The story behind that photo of the Pinto in front of the Mt. St. Helens eruption]( [The story behind that photo of the Pinto in front of the Mt. St. Helens eruption]( Posted by Daniel Strohl - A towering plume of ash rises in the distance of the photo, swirling with menace and threat, lightning arcing within it. As if to accent the peril, the canyon of trees that frame the gray clouds themselves have gone dark toward their tops, occluded by unseen looming clouds of ash. One shaft of morning light still reaches the lower branches of the trees, splashing over a cut of greenery and the least probable thing in the photo: a red Ford Pinto with a blue dirt bike hitched to its bumper, angled across a forest road...[Read More]( Hemmings Motor News will not sell or share your e-mail address with other companies. For more information about this newsletter, email webmaster@hemmings.com or write to: Customer Service, Hemmings Motor News, 222 Main St., Bennington VT 05201. If you do not want to receive this newsletter from Hemmings Motor News, you can [change your email preferences here](.