Classic Cars: My Top 10 lists.

I know this is a card blog, but today I'm going to be talking about cars. Don't worry, I will work a card into the post as well.

Classic cars are my passion. My #1 thing I care about. As I've mentioned in the past, all my life I've dreamed about owning a classic car. I have had this dream my entire life, literally- I can't remember a time when it wasn't on my mind. Every day, 30+ years.

Yet it probably will never happen. I'm not going to get into that again here- it's too depressing- this is going to be a good post, not a whiny one.

Since I can't have a classic car of my own, I've settled for photographing as many of them as I can. And I've done pretty well with that. I have photographed thousands upon thousands of cars, and I've shot pictures of over 125 different brands of cars, from the common like Ford and Chevrolet, to the absolute rarities like Tucker and Horch, to the supercars like Duesenberg and Lamborghini.

I recently, at a car show, saw a King Midget for the first time. It's one of the cars I've always wanted to see, after reading about it in Hemmings many years ago. They are tiny cars, and were actually sold in kit form, though magazine ads! There were not many made and so you never see them. I've been attending car shows and museums my entire life and never saw one before. (They are so small, the owner of the one I saw is running golf cart wheels on it!)

So, when I was talking about that, and saying how it's something I have wanted to see forever, my family gave me a question that I actually had to think about- what were the cars I've wanted to see but hadn't?

I have been thinking about it now for a month and I've only come up with 4 cars, although I'm sure there are more I just can't think of right now, and will when I see them.

#1. 1958 Edsel Wagon

This is by far #1 on the list. It's my absolute dream car.  Although I'm known as "El Camino Billy" I have just as much love for the Edsels, and the 58 Wagon has taken almost mythical proportions. I've never seen one in person in any setting. If I were going to buy a classic car, this would be tied for #1 on that list- which, spoiler alert, see below!.
The amazing thing is, there's one for sale by me locally. The owner had a photo of it on a sign board at a local show I went to a couple weeks back. I was so hyped up that there is one locally, that I might someday see, that I forgot to take a picture of the pictures. Sadly, it's not in running condition...which means I probably could afford it. My health doesn't allow me to fix it though.
This is a Danbury Mint model of the 1958 Edsel Wagon.

It's not the best picture...I took this photo in 2010, but I have better capabilities now, I should reshoot it. It's the only Danbury Mint car in my collection.

#2, A Crosley. Any Crosley! This is kind of iffy one to put on the list- I've seen three Crosleys in my life. Two were in the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum in Indiana, and one was for sale in a field off the side of Route 149 in Lake George, NY, about 1997. I wasn't able to get close to either of them, and get detailed photos.  This is the best I was able to get. As you can see, not great.

Editorial note: When I was looking through my pictures for later in the post, it appears I DID see a Crosley, in 2014, and I just plain forgot. So, scratch that one off the list!

#3. A Nash-Healey. I was reminded that I had never seen one of them when one appeared on a Chasing Classic Cars rerun I saw for the first time this week. I don't have anything to show for them, not a card or diecast.

#4. A STOCK 1941 Willys Americar. These are almost all turned into customs or drag racers. Most large shows have at least a couple customized versions, aided by the fact that you can get full reproduction bodies as well. But a factory stock version? Good luck. I've seen it estimated that there are less than 50 left in the world.

#5. A Reeves Octoauto.

1953-54 Topps World on Wheels #135

 Yes, this crazy contraption actually existed...but it's believed that none have survived. I'm not sure how many were built, but it could be as few as one. While I throw this on the list...I only really count four of them.

And, that's it. While there are plenty of cars I'd love to see, these are the 4 that jump out at me. There are lots from the Brass Era that I simply don't know about- my knowledge of that era is severely lacking- so I can't search for something I probably don't know exists. I was not quite able to make a top 10 list.

The crazy thing is...I have absolutely no control over if I will ever see any of these, ever.  Other than the OctoAuto, they are out there...the question is, will I ever be where they are? I have a limited ability to walk around, and there are more than a few large car shows where I can't physically see all of it. And a large enough show, there could be cars there that I know are there, but I can't find. Case in point, the Adirondack Nationals, 2016. When driving by after dinner the night before the show officially opened, I saw an Edsel sedan turning into the show grounds. I was able to cover the entire show over the next two days, but I never saw it again, and was not able to get a photo of it! I can only do about 45 minutes before I start to have some real trouble, 99% of the time. Occasionally I will have a lucky day where I can do more, but it's rare. And I still end up paying for it physically later.

Now...I'm going to do something I've never done before. I'm finally going to put down, on "paper", my list of Top 10 Classic cars I want to own. Keep in mind, I love cars, all cars, so the list is subject to change, and if I could afford it, I'd collect cars like I currently do cards. I've kept a working copy of this list in my head for years...I think the first time I ever made a ranking in my head was in the 1990s.

#1 (TIE) a 58 Edsel Wagon and an El Camino
See above for the Edsel. For the El Camino, I'm going to cheat here and list them all as one entry or else half the list will be El Caminos. I first discovered the El Camino in the late 1990s. I had seen them before then, as I had scale replicas of them going back to the late 1980s, but they really made an impression on me circa 1997. I have become known for them- my website, my email address, even my ebay ID are all El Camino Billy in some form or another. I even have the Facebook.com/ElCaminoBilly address for my automotive photography page (linked above). So to say I've been obsessed with them, is not an understatement. While there's none I dislike, my favorites are, in chronological order:

1959, photographed by me last year at the Adirondack Nationals.

1970, photographed by me at the 2007 Adirondack Nationals, and...

1973-77, also photographed by me at the 2017 Adirondack Nationals. The body was basically unchanged for those years,  but the grill changed. The 1970 body was used in 1971 and 1972 as well, but only 1970 had the quad headlights, which is what I prefer. The 1959 was a one-year-only bodystyle.

I feel kind of bad that I'm not including the 4th, final and longest generation of El Camino on the list, which ran with just minor changes, mostly in the grill, from 1978-87. I like them too, and would gladly drive one around if I had the chance.

The major problem the El Camino offers is that it's only two seats. There are three people in my family. The Edsel wagon would offer 4 seats at the minimum, 9 at the maximum. If I ever do get an El Camino, it will mean we can't do things as a family, which is not cool.

#3: 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air.

As any person who's known me for a long time knows, I tend to favor the obscure. Not in this case. The 57 Chevrolet is one of the most popular cars ever- so popular, in fact, that they are just about ubiquitous. And, in the only instance where color really matters, I want it to be red. I have always liked the looks of the 50s Chevrolets, and the big, chrome covered fins of 1957 sure set it off. If you notice, this one, another 2017 Adirondack Nationals photo, is a four door. I actually prefer four doors to two-doors. To me, the only vehicles that look better with two doors are trucks. I actually remember a specific dream I had once, that was in a red 57 Chevrolet. It was so real....in that dream, I remember driving north on the Adirondack Northway, headed to the Adirondack Nationals. My dad was driving, I was in the passenger seat, and my mom and brother were driving their cars- it was the Aerostar and the Cavalier at that time- in a convoy behind us. I remember the windows were down, with the smell of pine trees permeating the air, with the sun glinting off the chrome dashboard. It was so realistic but of course, can never happen. Even if my dad was still here, I probably wouldn't have driven to Lake George with him, as his eyesight was worse than mine, which is saying something. Whenever we went anywhere as a family, my mom always drove. I generally don't remember dreams very much- which is a good thing, usually, but this one, I remember. Just a small portion of. I hope I never forget it.

#4: 1950 Pontiac

Another Adirondack Nationals photo, this one I don't remember the year on. It's pre-2009.
I had never really thought too much about early Pontiacs. I mean, I love all 50s cars- there's not a single one I dislike. But then I got to see a couple of 1950 Pontiacs up close, and I just fell in love. The bodyshape, the grill, the chrome strips running the length of the hood, the hood ornament...which, although not on this car, you can get that actually lights up when you have the headlights on...it just oozes 50s class. The same basic bodystyle was also used on Chevrolets, Oldsmobiles, Buicks and Cadillacs, but the chrome strips on the hood and the grill set Pontiac above the rest for me.

#5 Bullet Nose Studebaker

Produced in both 1950 and 51, the Studebaker of those years had some very unique styling. Most people don't like it, but I love it. Aside from the rather unique nose treatment, the interior cabin had a rather unusual, circular shape on the back end. I've always had a bit of an affinity for Studebakers, and this is my favorite by far. This photo was taken by my mom at the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana, in 2003.

#6. a 1950s Ford Pickup

This is a 1955, but this same body design was used from 1953-56. It's not a coincidence that AMT's 1953 kit was the first model I ever built by myself. This is one I photographed in 2011 at the Adirondack Nationals, and it's been customized quite a bit.

#7. an early Mustang

I've always been a Mustang fan, even though they only come in two-door form. They are iconic. There's not a Mustang I don't love- even the Mustang II- but the early examples are my favorites. I photographed this one at the Orange County Antique Auto Show on July 27th, 2008.

#8 ANY wagon

I've always loved Wagons, even when they were not cool. Now, finally, other people have clued in on what I've known forever- wagons are awesome. I remember very well our 1973 Torino wagon, with it's metallic orange paint and brown vinyl interior, that we had until 1991. Great memories of that car. I don't really care what wagon it is...as long as it's a wagon. This one pictured happens to be a 1968 Pontiac, that I photographed at Rhinebeck sometime in the past 15 years.

#9 Any sedan Delivery

Sedan Deliveries were popular in the early days of automobiles, but they stopped producing them during the 1960s. Chevrolet brought them back in the mid-2000s when they produced an HHR Sedan Delivery, but for the most part, they were replaced by vans. (which I also like). this is a 1946 Chevrolet, that has been customized a little too much for my taste- I don't care for the idea of painting the grill and bumpers the same color as the body when they were originally chrome, or removing all badging and trim, but if somebody were to give it to me- you can bet I'd cherish it all the same. I photographed this one at the Goodguys East Coast Nationals at some point pre-2011.

#10 Dodge Daytona/Plymouth Superbird

Each produced one year only, in 1969 for the Dodge, and 1970 for the Plymouth, as shown here, photographed by me at the 2018 Goodguys East Coast Nationals, these were created specifically to race in NASCAR. But, due to NASCAR's rulebook, they had to produce them for the street as well. They are wild. I've always been a fan. The first time I saw one, a white Superbird, I literally ran down the street after it, in a failed attempt to get a better look. I've actually seen a few now- more Superbirds then Daytonas. You may notice these are the only Mopars to be on the list. We've had a bad history with their brands. The only times (yes, plural) we've had to walk home was with Mopars. We've had 4 in my lifetime, and they have ALL been nothing but problems. So, I've said that I don't plan to ever own any Mopars again, even though they are all very good looking vehicles. For these two, I'd make an exception. However, with the lowest price for these being roughly 140,000 dollars- it will never, ever happen.

And that's 10 already...but I could easily keep going with more and more cars, and I wouldn't be surprised if it hit triple digits. I just love them all.