SEPTEMBER 2020: ’56 STUDEBAKER—THE VETTE MOTOR MAKES THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE SOAR WITH THE EAGLES

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SEPTEMBER 2020: ’56 STUDEBAKER—THE VETTE MOTOR MAKES THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE SOAR WITH THE EAGLES

Studebakers were always the smart but quirky cousin in the world of cars.

They were dependable, their engineering led the pack and they never got past the little company versus Detroit phase but they left a legacy behind.

The problem is they quit building Studebakers in the mid-60s so if you want to keep the pace in 2020 you need to upgrade your Studey to handle the load.

JERRY SUTHERLAND

Malcolm Barr is the proud owner of a 1956 Studebaker and he faced that problem 23 years ago when he bought it as a project. It was a roller (no engine/transmission) at the time but he also inherited boxes of parts so he had it on the road and drove it stock for a few years.

Malcolm is the kind of owner who believes in driving his car—not trailering it—so he came to a crossroads about the future of his ’56 Studebaker. That future came in the form of a 1995 LT-1 Camaro small block.

Malcolm said “it came down to the difference between 300 horsepower and 180 horsepower” so the swap was made. Malcolm admitted it wasn’t easy fitting the new engine because it required cutting the frame to lower it and a number of other modifications to seat the Chevy small block properly.

This wasn’t just an engine swap because Malcolm wanted his Studebaker to handle infinitely better than it did when it rolled off the show room floor 64 years ago. Malcolm started with disc brakes at all four corners because today’s traffic flow is infinitely more challenging than it was in ’56 and he planned to do a lot of driving in his Studebaker.

The brakes were a good start and a rack and pinion front end was another stage in the transformation of a stock ’56 Studebaker. He wanted to avoid problems with a nimble car rather than plow through them with the stock handling you found in 50s era iron. He upped the game by adding sway bars front and back so now this Studey can out-handle a 2020 Toyota instead of driving through it.

Malcolm wanted the cabin experience to be more comfortable so he added ’65 Daytona seats, seat belts and Chrysler tilt steering. He also upgraded the dash with teak to match the steering wheel plus there are numerous gauges to monitor the Chevy small block’s vital signs. The paint is 1991 Ford Taurus blue.

The air conditioning is another welcome modification because Malcolm does so much time behind the wheel. He described the ride as “somewhat harsh but worth it” for the extra handling. The car pulls off 24 miles per gallon because it’s not working very hard with the 3:07 rear end.  The only time it gets warm is when it’s idling for a period of time with the AC on full blast—Malcolm said the shroud and electric fan help—but don’t completely cure this issue.

Malcolm built his ’56 Studebaker to drive and it’s lived up the promise because he’s run up 30,000 miles en route to many shows throughout western Canada and the United States. In fact he summed it up with words few car guys ever speak.

“It’s exactly where I want it to be”.  

By: Jerry Sutherland

Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post,  Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.

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MSCC SEPTEMBER 2 “WHAT’S IT?” WEDNESDAY – THE CORRECT ANSWER IN TWO CLUES

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MSCC SEPTEMBER 2 “WHAT’S IT?” WEDNESDAY – THE CORRECT ANSWER IN TWO CLUES

The best part about MyStarCollectorCar “What’s It?” Wednesday is the number of clues – you get two big ones to solve the puzzle.

Here’s the second clue to the puzzle.

Check out the solution on Thursday – you’ll find it below.

 It’s a ’68 Olds 442.

By: Jerry Sutherland

Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post,  Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.

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SEPTEMBER 2020 ROAD WARRIORS – A GUEST PHOTOGRAPHER TAKES A ROAD TRIP BACK TO 2012

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SEPTEMBER 2020 ROAD WARRIORS – A GUEST PHOTOGRAPHER TAKES A ROAD TRIP BACK TO 2012

Peter Underwood has many interests in life — two of them are cars and photography.

Fortunately, he had his camera with him on August 3, 2012.

That’s when he captured the moment when Red Deer, AB, Canada hosted a Super Run and a downtown cruise was part of the program.

Peter knows his way around a camera, and he sets impossibly high standards, so he wasn’t happy with the level of these shots – you be the judge.     

He started the evening near the Red Deer City Hall where he captured this scene at an intersection.

Peter has an eye for every type of vehicle and he took a great shot of this massive rat rod.

He looked at all angles when he took shots – this one was taken facing west.

Peter was there well into the evening, so he captured some night action too.

You can get a real sense of Peter’s direction back in August, 2012 by studying the rest of these classics.  

Click here for information.

By: Jerry Sutherland

Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post,  Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.

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ON THE ROAD TO CAROLINE FOR A GREAT DOUBLE-HEADER CAR SHOW WEEKEND

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ON THE ROAD TO CAROLINE FOR A GREAT DOUBLE-HEADER CAR SHOW WEEKEND

Car shows are not a common event during the summer of the plague but MyStarCollectorCar was fortunate enough to attend two shows this weekend.

Saturday’s show took place in Thorsby, Alberta while Sunday’s show was hosted by the car guy community in Caroline, Alberta.

JIM SUTHERLAND

Caroline is a small town of about 500 people located in west central Alberta close to the foothills and Canadian Rockies. The car hobby is alive and well in Caroline, so the local car guys decided to run their event and invite people to their show.

The show was an overwhelming success and indicated that car guys enjoy every opportunity to support a car event. The Caroline show was well-attended and MyStarCollectorCar was able to track down the owners of some interesting vintage rides.

A 1951 GMC 9300 ½ ton pickup truck rolled into the Caroline show and caused plenty of attention when the GMC’s living owner and his living dog, along with a skeleton guy and his skeleton dog, joined the lineup. We were able to interview the owner of this beautifully restored 69-year-old GMC and got a great story behind his decision to buy the truck.

The vintage GMC owner’s decision was based upon a strong farm influence in his life and we will connect the dots for our MyStarCollectorCar readers in a future article.

A survivor 1948(-ish) Austin A-40 Devon was also at the show. The little Brit was a big hit with a curious public, most of whom had likely not even seen a 72-year-old Austin sedan in their entire lifetime. To say the Austin was a conversation piece would be a massive understatement and MyStarCollectorCar was able to converse with its owner about why he chose to purchase an unusual little import from the other side of the big pond.

The Austin was an unrestored car that wore its history on its skin, but its current owner bought it for sentimental reasons-very interesting reasons that bonded him with vintage Austins when he was a kid.

MyStarCollectorCar will reveal those reasons in a future feature story.

A 1965 Mercury 250 pickup truck was also a star at the Caroline show. The Mercury truck will likely be a head-scratcher for some of our non-Canadian readers here at MyStarCollectorCar, but rest assured a Mercury truck was a reality in Canada from 1946 until 1968.

This ’65 Mercury truck was restored to a high level and had a big connection with its owner’s personal history. The process involved a frame-off restoration and the result is a spectacular example of a 55-year-old Canuck truck.

Learn why and how the Mercury was brought back to showroom condition in a future MyStarCollectorCar story.

The last entry in our preview of coming Caroline car show attractions is a first here at MyStarCollectorCar: a 1979 Suzuki LJ-80 compact 4×4 sport utility. There are few of these sporty little vehicles left because so few of them were purchased in 1979 during the early years of the Japanese auto invasion.

Consequently, we have never featured any story about these unique little sport utility vehicles- until now-or more correctly-until we release its full story in a future MyStarCollectorCar piece.                           

JIM SUTHERLAND

BY: Jim Sutherland

Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section. 

MYSTARCOLLECTORCAR’S FIRST VISIT TO THE THORSBY CAR SHOW WAS A MEMORABLE ONE

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MYSTARCOLLECTORCAR’S FIRST VISIT TO THE THORSBY CAR SHOW WAS A MEMORABLE ONE

Thorsby, Alberta is a small town of about 1000 people located about an hour southwest of Edmonton, Alberta — home of the giant mall for our international readers.

Their Saturday show was one of the bright spots on an uncrowded 2020 car show calendar that has been wiped out by the plague in most cases.

JIM SUTHERLAND

MystarCollectorCar’s first visit to the Thorsby show will not be our last because this community held a great event for visitors. The show’s organizers were friendly and helpful, plus the lineup was second to none.

It was hard to miss a 1967 Mercury Cougar because it was located near our entry point and it was a survivor car in excellent condition. Its happy owner was able to fill in the blanks about how this remarkably unblemished first-generation Cougar found its way from Yuma, Arizona to its current home in Alberta. 

Look for the entire story behind this beautiful 1967 Mercury Cougar in a future MyStarCollectorCar article.

A 1963 Studebaker GT Hawk is a rare addition to any car show, let alone a smaller show like the Thorsby event, so we pounced on an opportunity to interview its understandably proud owner.

We will share its story with MyStarCollectorCar readers in a future feature, but we are willing to share one important tidbit right now: the Studey’s owner has driven his car — a lot.

A 1959 Meteor Montcalm Rideau 500 convertible may resemble a 1959 Ford in a big way, but this car is not a Ford. It is a Canadian-only model that is as rare as palm trees in northern Saskatchewan. MyStarCollectorCar was able to locate its owner and get the details behind his 40 years with the car, including its brief stint with both of his sons during their high school years when they were rookie drivers.

Look for the ’59 Meteor’s long history with one family in a future MyStarCollectorCar piece.

A 1974 Javelin was modified into a beast of a car and now looked like it belonged in a Mad Max movie. Its owner was not completely onside with the Mad Max comparison because he created the radical new style for his ’74 Javelin and the car reflects his custom direction. He is a hands-on guy who dedicated many long hours to build his Javelin into a one-off AMC pony car.

MyStarCollectorCar will reveal the details behind this remarkable (and menacing-looking) 1974 Javelin in a future article. 

Another Studebaker was at the show and it was a 1960 Lark VIII four-door sedan that was also a survivor car. Incidentally, VIII is the Roman numeral equivalent of 8, just in case some of our readers are unfamiliar with this ancient number system.

The car left Studebaker’s South Bend, Indiana factory 60 years ago, but its current owner wanted to preserve the Studie in its original glory. Mission accomplished for this very original Studebaker and MyStarCollectorCar will tell its tale in a future feature.

Our last addition to the Thorsby show was a 1960 Chevy Biscayne four-door sedan that was clearly restored back to brand new standards. MyStarCollectorCar has been around for over 11 years and we learned very quickly that a barebones sedan restored to a high level of excellence has an amazing story behind it.

Unfortunately, we were unable to connect with its owner at the Thorsby show, but we are optimistic our paths will cross again in the future, particularly since we left contact information for its mystery owner and our track record is excellent in this department.                     

Jim Sutherland

BY: Jim Sutherland

Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section. 

AUGUST 2020: 1968 FORD COUNTRY SQUIRE WAGON – THIS MAY BE THE SLEEPER OF THE YEAR

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AUGUST 2020: 1968 FORD COUNTRY SQUIRE WAGON – THIS MAY BE THE SLEEPER OF THE YEAR

Sleepers are a very interesting niche in the car hobby because they’re built for an ambush – lots of horsepower in an unassuming package.

This 1968 Ford Country Squire station wagon may be the sleeper of the year.

JERRY SUTHERLAND

Brian Schneider is the proud owner of this mint 1960s kiddie-hauler and he bought it through unusual circumstances: “I bought it March 2015 –  I actually owned a ‘68 Country Squire wagon at the time. It needed work so I was always looking for parts. One night I google searched ‘68 County Squire wagon and one came up on a forum. I had to join the site with a username and password. But once I did, the original owner’s grandson had listed it on there. He was into the hit and miss engines. I contacted him via email and then phone”.

The deal was done quickly: “I purchased the car from The Erb Family (the original owners) owned it until he passed, then his son drove it some some, then he passed. I bought from the original owner’s two grandsons.  It sat from 1998 until I pulled out of the two-car attached garage – that’s where she sat for almost twenty years”.

The long hibernation wasn’t kind to this low-mileage survivor Country Squire so Brian took the car in a new direction under the hood: “It still has the original 390 in it but has new heads, intake and carb. The motor ran, but it lost compression in a couple cylinders, so we pulled the motor and actually put in a stroker kit that boosted HP up to 450 with 450 ft lbs of torque. The motor was now a little too much for the original FMX transmission, so we ended up putting in a C6 that could handle the horsepower”.

The exterior of the ’68 Ford wagon was less of a challenge: “My brother, John and I simply polished up the paint –  that came up really nice. I had the front and rear bumpers re-chromed. I had some NOS emblems that I replace the originals with. But everything else is 100% original. The original AM radio works but I did add a period correct 8-track that makes for fun cruising. The ‘68 also has the Magic Tailgate”.

The ’68 Ford’s ‘behind the wheel’ driving experience is a little different 52 years later as Brian explained: “It still drives like a stock station wagon until you step on the gas and it puts you back in the seat. It gets you to the grocery store quicker now…”

The sleeper side of this big wagon is something Brian truly enjoys: “Yes, it’s truly a sleeper – I forgot to mention – we thought it would be fun to add electric cut outs, so we put those in for some old school noise on demand. It’s fun when doing a cruise- people look around to see where the rumble is coming from- not expecting to come from the wagon. Also, people like to video the wagon while driving down the highway, so I’ll open up the exhaust to see the look on their faces”.

The Country Squire is a great road machine: “Our furthest trips have been to the Jersey Shores. We live about 10 minutes from Philadelphia in South Jersey, so we are about an hour and half from The Beaches”.

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This big wagon inspires many trips down Memory Lane for people when they see it and Brian gets to hear all their stories: “All the time … usually it’s the grandfather or father telling the kids or grandkids the stories. I always let the kids sit in it at shows so they can get their pictures taken in it. Hopefully, it will be a memory for them too”.

Brian has done everything he wants with the Country Squire, so now he wants to simply enjoy life as the 2nd owner of this long roof beauty: “I’m just going to keep her maintained. My wife and I recently had our 17th anniversary. We actually were trying to bring the wagon to Niagara Falls this year for our anniversary. But we’ll hopefully get to do that later this year”.

That’s a pretty good game plan for the Sleeper of the Year.

By: Jerry Sutherland

Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post,  Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.

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AUGUST 28 FIVE FOR FRIDAY: FIVE REASONS WHY MYSTARCOLLECTORCAR CONSIDERS THE 1992 DODGE VIPER A CLASSIC

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AUGUST 28 FIVE FOR FRIDAY: FIVE REASONS WHY MYSTARCOLLECTORCAR CONSIDERS THE 1992 DODGE VIPER A CLASSIC

Some of our MyStarCollectorCar readers may strongly believe a domestic car built during the early 1990s is a vehicle that barely moves the dial in terms of classic status.

We at MyStarCollectorCar respectfully disagree with this notion and would like to present five good reasons why a 1992 Dodge Viper belongs on any list of automotive greatness.

MyStarCollectorCar hopes we can build our case before the tables get turned over and the punches start to fly in this car guy brawl.

JIM SUTHERLAND

The first reason a Dodge Viper belongs on any classic car list is its outrageous style. Chrysler was in the midst of a significant tectonic shift of earthquake proportions when it introduced the Viper. The mid to late Eighties were financially kind to the Mopar team because they were able to capitalize heavily on their minivan and K-car models.

These front-wheel drive models saved Chrysler from financial ruination, although the admission price was zero street respect for most of the Mopar rides that left the dealership. Chrysler produced the odd wolf in sheep’s clothing (think tarted-up Horizons and Omnis), but their bread and butter was largely a front wheel drive gelding-mobile built for functionality and good MPG numbers.

The lack of a macho image for their cars was not great for Chrysler — even if their vehicles’ sales numbers were magnificent at the time.

Enter the Viper halo car (a vehicle built for the spotlight and not the bottom line) and its obvious homage to the legendary Ford Cobra. The Dodge Viper was created so Chrysler could resurrect the bad boy Cobra image under a Mopar badge.

Which brings us to the second reason why a Dodge Viper became an instant classic: Vipers were built like Cobras in many ways, including their lack of creature comforts. In fact, a 1992 Dodge Viper did not have AC, glass roll-up windows, and even door handles on it. Most importantly, it did not have a roof.

The driving experience was primitive and brutish because Chrysler built them to be primitive and brutish, not unlike their famous Ford Cobra role models from the 1960s.

The third reason was the neck-snapping performance of a 1992 Dodge Viper. The early 1990s were a time when Detroit had already moved toward technologically advanced powertrains with double overhead cams and massive turbo boosts to juice up the four and six-bangers like steroids for 98-lb. weakling motors. A naturally aspirated ’92 Viper was powered the old-fashioned way by comparison, and it delivered in spades. 

The obvious engine lead-in brings us to our fourth reason: serious old school muscle under the 1992 Viper’s hood. The Viper relied upon its iconic 488 cubic inch V-10 engine (based upon Mopar’s LA V-8 platform)-and it had no artificial boost to produce massive horsepower and torque. The car’s message was simple: “There is no replacement for displacement”, so the Viper blew the doors off the competition in 1992.

The fifth and final reason the 1992 Dodge Viper hit collector car status the day it left the factory is this cold-blooded predator left a huge impression on the public. The Viper was a killing machine that did not haul groceries and took no prisoners.

A 1992 Viper may have been considered a halo car, but it had no kinship with angelic behavior. It was a street fighter with a big punch, an even bigger bite, and a severely tarnished halo when the tire smoke finally cleared on the street.

An instant street legend.

BY: Jim Sutherland

Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section. 

CRYSTAL BALL – WHAT’S GOING TO BE HOT IN THE COLLECTOR CAR WORLD 20 YEARS FROM NOW

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CRYSTAL BALL – WHAT’S GOING TO BE HOT IN THE COLLECTOR CAR WORLD 20 YEARS FROM NOW

The car hobby is a lot like the stock market.

It involves educated guesses and a lot of luck so bear that in mind with these MyStarCollectorCar predictions about what will be hot in 2040.

JERRY SUTHERLAND

The first one might seem like a reckless guess, but the 1984 Plymouth Voyager Magic Wagon will be a rock star twenty years from now. There are many reasons why, but scarcity is going to be a big factor. They made millions of them but how often do you see them in 2020?  

Mopar guys hate to admit it, but these functional little boxes pulled Chrysler out of a tailspin and gave them new life.

The other reason is nostalgia. If you were a 7-year-old kid in 1985 and you rode in these kiddie-haulers in the 80s; that means you’ll be comfortably retired (or close to it) in 2040.  If history has taught us anything, nostalgia is a big factor in the car hobby so 60-something guys will pop on a rare mint Mopar minivan 20 years from now.

Click here for information.

The 1993 Ford Lightning F-150 will showcase trucks in the 2040 market. They were unique in the sense that trucks weren’t typical platforms for muscle, but these hot little pickups pulled it off in a big way.

Ford Lightnings didn’t exactly fly off the dealer’s floors in ’93 but neither did Super Birds in 1970 – look for a similar trajectory for these trucks in 2040.      

The next hot property in 2040 will be the last of the big wagons from GM. These large and in charge long roofs were the last version of the full-size wagon. The aforementioned minivan took their place, but the 1996 Caprice Classic wagon took them out in blaze of glory.

1996 was the last year for these brutes – the LT1 Vette pushed them from 0-60 in just over 7 seconds so they were a force plus you could haul 25 full-sized dogs in the cargo space. The GM wagons be hot because they were the end of an era.

The 1994 Dodge V-10 pickup will be another star in 2020. The Viper truck is a given but any Dodge with a V-10 under the hood will be gold in 20 years.

They debuted in 1994 and they were built to haul stuff – big stuff. You could argue that Chrysler was cashing in on the Viper legacy with the V-10 but it was a genuine workhorse and it did the job.

The key word is ‘job’ because these monsters were worked to death, so they are definitely on the endangered species list.  Car guys are going to love the quirky concept of a V-10 truck in 2040, so they’ll do well on the auction block.

The last version of the Ford Thunderbird will be hot in 2040. These T-birds got a lukewarm reception – mainly because they were fairly tame cars under the hood.

Despite the buyers’ attitude at the time, the last Gen Thunderbirds will be a big deal in 2040 because they were the final version of a legend and they look retro-cool in 2020 so imagine how they’ll be viewed in 20 years.

The final Firebird Trans Am (2002) will be another hot item in 2040. GM ended the series with a bang because the 2002 Trans Am was a rocket. The 325-horse W6 T/A could crack the 0-60 barrier in under 5 seconds so this ‘bird could fly.

The 2040 car market will welcome the last Trans Am because it will represent everything Pontiac stood for in their immortal words, “Pontiac builds excitement”.

Get your investment portfolio ready for 2040. 

By: Jerry Sutherland

Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post,  Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.

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MSCC AUGUST 26 “WHAT’S IT?” WEDNESDAY – PUT THE TWO PIECES TOGETHER

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MSCC AUGUST 26 “WHAT’S IT?” WEDNESDAY – PUT THE TWO PIECES TOGETHER

This may be the easiest jigsaw puzzle you’ll do because it only has two pieces and they line up for the whole car.

Here’s the back half of the puzzle.

If you can’t ID the car – even with two clues you can always come back on Thursday for the answer below.

It’s a ’71 Ford Galaxie.

By: Jerry Sutherland

Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post,  Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.

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AUGUST 2020: 1959 DESOTO FIREFLITE CONVERTIBLE – THIS CALIFORNIA CLASSIC CALLED TO HIM IN SWEDEN

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AUGUST 2020: 1959 DESOTO FIREFLITE CONVERTIBLE – THIS CALIFORNIA CLASSIC CALLED TO HIM IN SWEDEN

Sweden is a global hot spot for classic iron because they love cars vintage and built in Detroit.

This ’59 DeSoto convertible is a great example of how far American car culture reaches into Sweden.

JERRY SUTHERLAND

Henrik Björklund is the proud owner of this Forward Look star and he was happy to tell his story. He was heavily influenced by a chance encounter: “When I was around 20 years old, I saw a black 1959 Firedome convertible at a big car show here in my hometown and I was thinking that one day I would have such a car for myself!”

One day came sooner than later as Henrik explained: “I was at the big car show ” Power Big Meet ” in the town Västerås here in Sweden in 1994 with a 1959 DeSoto Fireflite 4-door hardtop that I had restored earlier and then a guy came forward to me and mentioned  a friend of his in Finland who had this car for sale”.

The DeSoto Fireflite convertible was not for the faint of heart: “The car had been parked outside in the warm California sun since the middle of the 60s  in San Bernadino so it was not so hard rusted out…mostly surface rust ! It had been hit here and there and everything was very dried out. The engine (383 dual 4-barrel) barely ran and the transmission only worked on the first and second gear. It was not complete, but the guy in Finland had fixed almost all the missing parts from another car”.

This was not an overnight, car-guy TV, fake timeline build as Henrik explained, “I had to restore absolute everything. Took me 14 years…” . Surprisingly, Henrik had a fairly easy parts search: “Here in Sweden we have many guys who deal with old American cars and after a couple of years you learn who you going to call for parts so that was not a big problem . And in later years, there is the Internet with Ebay and such places!”

Click here for information.

Henrik went through various stages of Swedish vehicle inspections with the DeSoto: “We had to do it every year before but a couple of years ago they changed that to every second year for cars that are 30 years and older. But last year they decided that if a car is 30 year and has passed through an inspection you never have to inspect it again”.

The big convertible is a lot of fun to drive: “Mostly wonderful. The roads are in great condition but in the last couple of years they have started to get a little worse depending of lack of money I guess. We have many great roads with great scenery here. And the traffic…at least in the countryside…is very great and not so many stressed drivers there”. Henrik gets a big reaction every time he drives it, “Most people are totally thrilled by the look of it”.

Some of Henrik’s road trip are a lot longer than a trip to the grocery store: “It´s actually been back to Finland two times for big car shows over there . Around 1000 kilometers each time”.

Henrik is very happy with the stage he’s at with the convertible but like every car guy – it’s never completely done: “No…the car is finished but sometimes I find some nice NOS parts that I change with the parts on the car . Some small repairs and a little service now and then are needed too.”

Henrik’s story ends the way it started – with a large connection to Mopar fin cars.

It´s one of my dream cars from the Mopar high fin era and I´m very proud of the fact that I could find such a rare car (only around 200 made of this model ) and could restore it to this tip top condition.

HENRIK BJORKLAND

By: Jerry Sutherland

Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post,  Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.

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