Today, the collector car market has become very similar to the fine art market. Rare and significant pieces are carefully scrutinized for their condition, authenticity, and provenance. Their histories are sometimes well documented, though often shrouded in secrecy or mystery. Certain examples can disappear for decades in private collections, seemingly lost to the ages. Their … Continue reading
It’s been a while since this author has written for Ran When Parked. For that, I apologize, and it’s not that I have forgotten you, dear readers! One thing I have accomplished in the hiatus, is the completion of Project Saab, now known as “The Slaab” with some affection. I believe I last mentioned this … Continue reading
The International Harvester Scout is almost universally respected by all, even if the Scout isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Besides, it’s really more like a cup of strong, gritty, black coffee. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who has anything really bad to say about them aside from a total lack of any real … Continue reading
This article is typically (fashionably?) a couple weeks late, though part of it is because I had a hard time deciding what to say about the Mid-Ohio vintage races. There were too many cars to just mention a few and so it seemed appropriate to focus on the event as a whole. I have fond … Continue reading
Carlisle’s Import (and kit car) Nationals remain interesting because of some of the oddities that come out of the woodwork. It’s not just the things in the vendor areas (like a Merkur dealership sign, for example) but the car show which is heavily focused on brands often overlooked in more typical gatherings of imports held … Continue reading
The 320i is part of the E21 family of BMWs, most commonly recognized as the first of the “3-Series” cars. The E21 was the replacement for the Neue Klasse series of cars, including the timeless“02” models such as the 1802 and 2002. The E21 saw to BMWs entry into the important yuppie sector of the … Continue reading
Porsche as a company, and as a family, had suffered greatly as a result of World War II just as countless others had. In spite of the ravages of war, Porsche was driven to create his own sports car after having worked with the Italian company Cisitalia to design a racing car for their firm. … Continue reading
This is the latest installment of RWP’s series of articles on Porsche designs through the ages. This time, we focus on perhaps the most dubious period in the company’s history. Ferdinand Porsche first met Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in 1926 at an auto race. Unfortunately or not for Porsche, Hitler had a love for the … Continue reading
Looking back, my classmates in high school probably suspected there was something strange about me long before I started showing up every morning in an old Saab, though I doubt anyone found it all that surprising. I wore a lot of black, had a cynical attitude, took art classes, was terrible in gym, and liked … Continue reading
Project 12 had been an ongoing endeavor at the new Porsche company nearly from the start, although there was no commission for it. Ferdinand Porsche had already drafted his own criteria for how the vehicle should be designed, with an emphasis on affordability (including ease of manufacture), efficiency, and practicality. These considerations led Porsche to … Continue reading
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