Transitions

FALL IS A TIME of reflection. We remember the great times and acknowledge those who have left us. As I write this letter, legendary racer, writer and dear friend Denise McCluggage recently passed. She will be missed. The hobby also lost Margaret Dunning, the car-loving centenarian and longtime Packard fan. You’ll find tributes to both here.

At the same time, we also welcome racing and television personality Ray Evernham to the magazine. His first column appears on page 26.

Turning to the passion we all share, this issue provides glimpses into many different eras and aspects. The Rat Pack, for instance. These men lived large, and the cars they chose to drive reflected that in every way. Rob Sass takes us back to the late ’50s, when the glitz and glamour of Vegas shone brightly on the chrome, fins and polished fenders of their incredible automobiles.

NASCAR fans know the cars that inspired stock car racing actually had a different — and not necessarily legal — purpose. With their origins in the South, the cars that looked like they came from the factory had modifications that made them anything but stock. Learn more about the men who drove them and their tricks of the trade in Jerry Burton’s story, “Whiskey Men and Whiskey Machines.”

In “The Mail-Order Motorcycle,” John L. Stein describes a time when you could order small-displacement bikes through a catalog. From 1950 to 1970, both Sears and Wards offered many choices for novices and experts alike.

Finally, our very own Jonathan A. Stein takes the road less traveled in a three-wheel Dymaxion, Buckminster Fuller’s automotive vision of the future. Ride along with him on a three-day journey from Nashville to Amelia Island in this rear-engine, rear-steer wonder.

Happy motoring…