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Category / Hot Wheels

Forget the World Cup, Let’s Play Motor-Ball!

Not to rag on the World Cup or anything, but why run after a football when you can just drive towards it on a motorbike? Well that’s the spirit of Motor-ball, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. All you need to play is 1) a huge inflatable ball, 2) a bike of…

Fantastic French Publicity Caravans of Yesteryear

My wormhole began with this photo of the world’s first (possibly only) vehicle-shaped pen, the BIC mobile, photographed at the Tour de France in 1953. I’ve never been an avid follower of the annual cycling race that was created in 1903 by a French newspaper as a gimmick to sell more papers– but this? Give…

1940s Chevy Dealer Re-opens to Auction off 500 Time Capsule Cars

Car collectors dream about finding a forgotten “new” classic car, discovered in a barn or warehouse somewhere, covered in dust. This is that dream, only 500 times better…. A small-town Midwestern dealership in Pierce, Nebraska sold Chevrolets to local families and first-time buyers for 50 years until it’s husband and wife team finally closed their…

The Cutest & Tiniest Cars Ever Made

Let’s talk cars. Cute ones. Like they used to make ’em. BMW Isetta, 1957 It’s said to be the very best microcar of its time. BMW teamed up with Milan-based refrigerator company, Iso Spa of all things on this one, thus the name “Isetta”, meaning “little Iso”. Probably the most unusual thing about it is the…

Vintage Italian Scooter Sale of the Century

In the 1960s, the scooter became as much a fashion statement as humble transport. Vespa and Lambretta were the Coco-cola and Pepsi of the Mediterranean and you couldn’t be a fan of both. They had their own magazines, clubs and mod gangs across the continent. Then there was the Moto Guzzi and the futurist Maico Mobil,…

Found in a Derelict Castle: The Lost Fleet of Alfa Romeos

So there’s a “barn find”– the term used for uncovering lost priceless cars sitting in a garage covered in dust– and then there’s a “castle find“. This is the rather more unique story of six Alfa Romeo 1960s sport cars discovered beneath a stunning abandoned castle in Belgium. On a winter’s morning before the break…

The Fantastic Folding Mini-Motel Caravan, 1959

You probably know by now that caravans are one of my favourite things and with summer holidays and road trip wanderlust in the air, I’d like to present my latest find, the (fantastic) folding Mini-Motel caravan. Somewhat forgotten in automobile history, I came across it in this terribly English promotional feature from 1959 through the archive of British Pathé… The Mini-Motel,…

That Time Someone Found a Ferrari Buried in Their Front yard

In February, 1978, a Dino 246 GTS was discovered by a group of kids digging in the front yard of their home in Los Angeles. After much speculation and media attention with very few leads, it was eventually concluded that the car, which had been declared stolen four years prior by its owners, had been buried…

A Brief Compendium of Crazy Campers

By land or by sea, as big as a suburban house or as small as a tiki hut, nothing beats the charm of a kitschy caravan. We’ve whittled down a fresh compendium of our favourites, and if there’s one trend we’ve noticed amongst the winning lot, it’s that they bring the vacation to you. A…

Oh, to Have Ridden England’s Forgotten Post Bus

I never knew the post bus existed. I grew up in England’s capital, but never in my 25 years of living there did I ever see or hear of these delightful red buses that both delivered mail and served as the only public transport in some of the UK’s most remote areas. Then again, until the…

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