Solar Car Wash

05/10/2026

1938 Buick Series 80 Roadmaster Opera Brougham (by Fernandez & Darrin)

Designed by Howard "Dutch" Darrin, the Opera Brougham body eliminated running boards for a cleaner lower-body profile, fitted front fenders that swept more deeply than the factory Roadmaster's contemporary styling, and set the windshield at a sharper rake.

Oversized rear-hinged doors gave access to a generously appointed rear compartment, and hand-painted faux caning across the rear doors added a European decorative accent.

The car was built for the 1938 Paris Auto Salon, intended both to catch the eye of show-goers and to demonstrate the coachbuilder's capabilities against European competition.

The chassis beneath was the 1938 Buick Series 80 Roadmaster, which that year adopted coil springs at all four corners in place of the prior rear semi-elliptic leaf springs, along with Buick's robust X-braced frame.

The engine featured revised combustion chambers and Buick's so-called turbulator pistons, raising compression to 6.5:1 and output to 141 horsepower.

The 320 CI Dynaflash overhead-valve inline eight was backed by a three-speed manual transmission, with hydraulic drum brakes at all four corners. The 133-inch wheelbase Roadmaster was the second-ranking car in the 1938 Buick range, below the longer-wheelbase Limited.

05/10/2026

05/03/2026

1959 Goggomobil Dart

Sydney automotive entrepreneur Bill Buckle created one of Australia’s most distinctive microcars by combining German engineering with Australian ingenuity.

The Goggomobil Dart utilized the proven chassis and mechanical components of Hans Glas’s German Goggomobil, topped with Buckle’s own fiberglass roadster body to circumvent Australia’s prohibitive import duties on complete vehicles.

This doorless two-seater featured step-in access over low body sides, with bucket seats that tilted forward for easier entry. The minimalist approach extended to instrumentation, with only a single Kienzle speedometer mounted in the simple dashboard.

Weather protection consisted of a convertible soft top and removable side curtains secured with basic fasteners.

The rear-mounted twin-cylinder two-stroke engine came in either 293 cc or 392 cc configurations, producing 15 to 20 horsepower respectively. Connected to a four-speed manual transmission, these air-cooled powerplants delivered top speeds of approximately 60–65 mph while achieving excellent fuel economy.

The complete package weighed just 760 lbs (345 kg), making it light enough for two people to physically lift and reposition.

Buckle produced approximately 700 Darts between 1959 and 1961, when rising sales taxes and the arrival of the BMC Mini effectively ended the microcar boom. Today, fewer than 100 examples are believed to survive, making the Dart a significant piece of Australian automotive history.

05/03/2026

1937 Packard Motorhome

04/16/2026

1964 Mercury Comet Cyclone (w/ matching motorcycle)

Mercury launched its performance credentials in 1964 with the introduction of the Cyclone package, transforming the compact Comet into a legitimate muscle car contender.

The hardtop coupe featured horizontal quad headlights mounted in a distinctive mesh grille, plus checkered flag insignias on the rear fenders that announced its sporting intentions.

Chrome wheel covers and a wider stance on 14-inch tires gave the Cyclone an aggressive appearance that backed up its performance claims.

The heart of the Cyclone was a 289 cubic inch overhead-valve V8 producing 210 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque through a four-barrel carburetor. This powerplant could be paired with a three-speed manual, four-speed manual, or Mercury's Merc-O-Matic automatic transmission.

Period tests recorded 0-60 mph times in the 7.9–9.7 second range depending on transmission and gearing.

Interior appointments included bucket seats with sewn-through pleats, a three-spoke steering wheel, and optional Rally-Pac gauges.

Mercury produced approximately 7,454 Cyclones in 1964, establishing the nameplate that would become synonymous with Ford Motor Company's intermediate muscle car efforts.

The example shown demonstrates the enthusiast appeal of these cars, complete with a custom matching Honda motorcycle and trailer painted in coordinating red, creating a cohesive ensemble that reflects the owner's attention to detail and passion for period-correct styling.

04/16/2026

1966 Oldsmobile Toronado Deluxe Coupe

American automotive conventional wisdom held that front-wheel drive was impractical for cars with engines larger than two liters. Oldsmobile shattered this belief in 1966 with the Toronado, earning Motor Trend's Car of the Year award and proving wrong the old limitations by 350 percent.

The styling featured clean, flat surfaces with enlarged wheel arches and pop-up headlights flanked by tall fenders that pointed forward like aerodynamic knives.

The wide grille extended from side to side below the headlights, positioned above the integrated chrome bumper. Its dramatic greenhouse and sloped roofline created a distinctly modern profile.

Engineer John Beltz and his team developed the innovative drivetrain layout, placing the transmission beside the engine rather than ahead or behind it, connected by a Hy-Vo drive chain. This compact arrangement allowed the massive 425 cubic-inch V8 to produce 385 horsepower while maintaining reasonable packaging.

Despite weighing 4,500 pounds (2,041 kg), the car could accelerate from 0-60 mph in 7.5 seconds.

The Toronado's unique speedometer featured a "slot-machine" style design with a stationary horizontal needle and a vertically rotating drum displaying white numerals on black.

More than 40,000 Toronados were produced in the inaugural 1966 model year.

04/16/2026

1951 Willys 4-73 4WD Pickup

Willys-Overland introduced the civilian Jeep truck in 1947, translating the utility of the wartime MB Jeep into a light commercial vehicle with an enclosed cab, a full-size pickup bed, and the same four-wheel drive capability that had made the military vehicle famous.

By 1951, four-wheel drive was standard on the 4-73, reflecting the model’s strong association with off-road and utility use.

Power comes from the 134 ci Hurricane F-head inline four (introduced for the 1950 model year), an evolution of the wartime Go-Devil flathead fitted with an inlet-over-exhaust cylinder head that raised compression and improved airflow, bringing output to 72 horsepower and approximately 114 lb-ft of torque.

Drive reaches all four wheels through a Borg-Warner T-90 three-speed manual, a Spicer transfer case (with high and low range), and Dana front and rear axles.

The cab is straightforward but reasonably appointed for a working truck of the period, with a bench seat, roll-down windows, and an optional heater available, a step up from the spartan CJ series the 4-73 shared much of its mechanical architecture with.

The 4-73 designation was replaced after 1951 as Willys adopted new model coding, with the basic pickup platform continuing in production, in evolved form, into the early 1960s.

04/09/2026

1940 GMC AC 101 Panel Truck

Commercial durability met practical design in the 1940 GMC AC 101 Panel Truck, a vehicle that reflected General Motors’ commitment to the growing light-duty delivery market.

These panel trucks served businesses across America, hauling everything from bakery goods to repair equipment on both city streets and rural routes.

The AC 101 featured GMC’s distinctive front-end styling with prominent horizontal grille bars and integrated headlights. The enclosed cargo area provided weather protection for valuable merchandise while maintaining a professional appearance for business use.

Many originally carried painted commercial liveries on the sides, advertising the companies that relied on these dependable workhorses.

Under the hood sat GMC’s 228-cubic-inch overhead valve inline six-cylinder engine, introduced in 1939 as part of significant mechanical upgrades.

While it shared some design principles with Chevrolet’s engines, the GMC unit was built with heavier-duty components suited for sustained commercial use. Hot rodders later nicknamed these engines “Jimmy” during the 1950s, recognizing their strength and performance potential.

Today, unmodified examples are difficult to find, as many AC 101s were either worn out through hard service or altered over the decades.