Instagram Jump Start: Corvette rises, American Bantam surprises

27 February 2017

Another week, another shiny Corvette. And, hey, who doesn’t love the Batmobile? But let’s hear it for the little guy. Yes, a 1938 American Bantam, weighing in at a paltry 1,400 pounds, stepped into the Instagram ring and whooped all but two cars on Hagerty’s Instagram account last week. With a 75-inch wheelbase—and measuring less than nine feet from nose to tail—the diminutive Bantam stood tall among some automotive icons.

Here are the five most-popular posts on HagertyClassicCars last week:

1958 Chevrolet Corvette (1,765 likes) – When Harley Earl redesigned the ‘58 Chevrolet Corvette, he added chrome trunk spears—found no other year—and flush tail lamps that were integrated into each fender.
Batmobile / 1955 Lincoln Futura (1,350 likes) – It’s good to know that Batman is out and about, foiling evil doers’ plans and rubbing elbows with car lovers at events like Autorama and the Woodward Dream Cruise. George Barris, starting with the 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car, created the original Batmobile used in the 1960s Batman television show.
1938 American Bantam (1,305 likes) – An estimated 2,000 American Bantam two-door coupes were built in Butler, Pa., in 1938. The little car received a 20-hp, 45-cid four-cylinder engine. The Bantam was thought to be the inspiration for Donald Duck’s car in Disney cartoons.
1962 Ford Thunderbird (1,291 likes) – Among the design features on the ‘62 Ford Thunderbird were large round taillights, chrome-trimmed tail fins and trim accents on each rear fender.
1948 Tucker (1,285 likes) – America’s automotive establishment didn’t appreciate Preston Tucker’s innovative 1948 Tucker 48 because keeping pace would have cost a fortune. Among the Tucker’s safety features were a roll bar integrated into the roof, a padded dashboard and a third headlight that turned with the wheels.

You Liked It, We Love It – Every week there’s a photo on HagertyClassicCars that we think deserved a lot more likes than it received. This shot of a 1978 Chevrolet Corvette is one of those.

Best of the Rest – Want to feel on top of the world? Check out Iron & Air’s Instagram account. With an emphasis on “The motorcycle and the places it takes us,” @ironandair is filled with images that will delight and amaze you. This photo of a Land Rover Defender baited the hook, and it took all of two seconds for us to hit the “follow” button. It’s our favorite post of the week.