Dream cars and dreams of cars
The Electric Starter
From the Crank to the Electric Starter “Notwithstanding the hilarious grandiosity of marketing materials from the early 20th century, many people believe the starter motor was the single car part that most transformed the automobile from a luxury fascination to...
1923 6-40 Touring Moon
The Ideal American Car “Long before the Big Three dominated the auto industry, plucky upstarts across the country brought their own ideas (along with myriad hopes and dreams) to the burgeoning industry.” - Saint Louis Style There was a time before the...
Gas Pumps
A Brief History “This was to solve the problem and mess of a storekeeper ladling flammable liquid into whatever random container the customer brought.” - SafeRock When people come to visit the Demers Car Collection, the cars are not the only artifacts on...
Alfa Romeo 1949 6C 2500 SS body by Ghia
The Last Coachbuilt Alfa Romeo “So everyone wanted the company to survive, but that depended on being able to turn out cars while the factory and the machinery on which mass-production depended were put back into working order.” - David Owen in Great Marques: Alfa...
Carrozzeria Ghia
An Introduction “These were the original dream cars” - Martin Buckley & Chris Rees in The World Encyclopedia of Cars Researching Ghia, you quickly encounter an endless list of car models signed by the Italian coachbuilder. This extensive list of cars, spanning...
Packard-Darrin Super Eight Convertible Victoria – 1940
Style Icon “Bona fide Classics all, the Packard Darrins remain the dream machines they were in 1940-42: rare and expensive rolling artwork that many can appreciate but only a few can own.” Collectible Cars by the editors of Consumer Guide The subject of this week’s...
Howard A. Darrin
A Story of Design “He was crusty, hardbitten and had no reticence about expressing his opinions. He had flashing blue eyes, snowy white hair in later life, a bubbling enthusiasm for what he liked, a withering contempt for what he didn't.” - the Auto Editors of...