Automotive History

(February 7, 2021) Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is celebrating the 110th anniversary of the Spirit of Ecstasy — its official emblem. The intellectual property of the design was registered on Feb. 6, 1911, establishing a defining feature of the Rolls-Royce brand and one of the most famous, iconic and desirable symbols of luxury in the world. Almost unaltered throughout her long and storied life, the Spirit of Ecstasy graces the bonnet of every Rolls-Royce motor car built at the Home of Rolls-Royce, Goodwood, England.

By Larry Edsall
Classic Car Journal

(January 20, 2021) On Jan. 17, 1921, a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost rolled off an assembly line, but it wasn’t in Derby, England. Instead, that car and 2,945 that followed were assembled in Springfield, Mass. “These Rolls-Royce ‘Springfield’ Motor cars benefited from the creativity of U.S. coach builders including Brewster, Willoughby, Merimac and Hollbrook, and brought us some wonderful early commissions,” the British automaker noted in a news release celebrating the centennial of its American production effort.

(December 6, 2020) The National Historic Vehicle Register has officially added two cars this year to their list — the 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE and the 1921 Duesenberg Straight Eight. They will be joining the 26 other significant automobiles that are on the register. Their significant stories will be documented for all future generations at the Library of Congress. The National Historic Vehicle Register was developed by Historic Vehicle Association to thoroughly document America’s most historically important automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, and commercial vehicles.

(October 23, 2020) What do touring musicians, alpine explorers and beach bums all have in common? You could catch them behind the wheel of the elusive and highly sought-after hippie classic — the Volkswagen 23-window bus. Known to U.S. buyers as the “Deluxe Microbus with Samba package," the 23-window bus was originally designed as a vehicle to tour the Swiss Alps, offering up to nine passengers maximum visibility, but was quickly adopted by families, campers and members of the counterculture. The van features a collection of unique windows including eight skylights, two curved rear windows, a retractable skylight, and a coveted split windshield.