Sidehacks by the seashore

To everyone’s delight, last month’s spectacular Pebble Beach concours included a special category on historic British motorcycles. Most were competition bikes, or at least somewhat race-derived, but there were a couple of exceptions. Read on and you’ll understand that in some places (including the United States, we should add), the motorcycle and sidecar was marketed as a viable alternative to the automobile, at least for a while.

To me, this was one of the most fascinating sights on the green at Pebble. Believe it or not, this is a post-war motorcycle, a 1954 Ariel Square 4, so named for the layout of its four-cylinder, 997cc engine, with its famed quad exhausts. The roadster-type sidecar, built in Britain by Garrand, is called a Silchester Saloon Mark II. Look over both views, including the boat-keel bodywork faired into the windscreen, the side door and the rumble seat, along with that reverse-skirted fender. The owner is James Shaffer of Hawthorne, California.

An earlier, and more conventional, arrangment is this 1932 BSA 32-A, a traditionalist Brit bike if there ever was one, with a 499cc side-valve vertical single. Unlike many British sidehacks, this came from the factory as a complete, ready-to-ride set. Theresa Worsch of Rancho Santa Fe, California, is the owner.

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Projects from the Past: 1968 Pontiac Firebird

Over the weekend, I finally got my wife’s convertible running once again. All that I need to do now is update the registration and all will be well in my collector car household once again – except that my Roadmaster is next on the list. What’s all this have to do with a project from the past?

Not long ago, my wife suggested that we start a project car; start to finish – the works. I don’t need to tell you that getting the convertible running was all the motivation I needed at the possibility of dragging home another car full of potential. And then I remembered this:

A 1968 Pontiac Firebird convertible that was tucked into the swap meet field at Fall Carlisle back in 2007. There’s no telling how the sporadic damage could have occurred, and one probably doesn’t want to know anyway. But the otherwise complete-looking car had a $4,500 asking price. Looking back, that’s relatively cheap money for a drop top that didn’t serve as a boat anchor.

There was a catch, however, in that the unidentified block failed to include both cylinder heads and the intake manifold. Also missing was the rods, carburetor, radiator, fan blades, distributor and who knows what else. Still tempting, and I wonder if anyone took on the restoration challenge or used it as parts.

Incidentally, that proposed project suggested by my wife was merely a thought – you know, one for another year perhaps…

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A Stumper – For Some…

Are you one of those guys: the guy who springs automotive trivia on an unsuspecting friend every time you see something vintage roll by? The guy who knows the visual differences between a 1951 and a 1952 Buick or a 1968 and 1969 Corvette? The guy who knows exactly what parts interchange between every GM A-body from 1968-1972? Well, there were several dozen people who could have used the years of knowledge locked up in your cerebellum at Spring Carlisle this past April when they ran across this barn find:

For those of you who have not guessed what the car is just yet, here’s a closer look at the grille:

No prize – just a chance to be “The Guy” at your next automotive home game of Trivia Pursuit! Think you know? Post it! By the way, the asking price on this “nearly complete” car was $12,500.

And to think your teacher said you would never amount to anything…

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