Words by Bob Sblendorio, photos by Chris Penree. “Chronic car enthusiast’s affliction” is a serious condition I recently read about in an article by Don Sherman in Corvette Magazine.  It’s a life-long affliction with no known cure.  The symptoms can be treated though, but it’s expensive and usually involves buying more cars.  Diagnosis is relatively..

‘Most difficult antique bike endurance run in the world’ Words by Bob Sblendorio and photos by Robert Kenney Jr. & Steve DeCosa: “It was an ass-kicker,” is probably an understatement. How about riding for eight hours on a cantankerous 11-hp, rigid frame 1915 Harley-Davidson with no windshield, laboring up the “Going-to-the-Sun” road in Glacier National..

Words by Bob Sblendorio and photos by Chris Penree The late 1930s were a dark and tumultuous time in the history of the United States.  The Great Depression had been ravaging the American spirit to the core for nearly a decade.  The economy was in ruins with unrelenting high unemployment; most citizens were financially wiped-out..

Words Jim MacLachlan, photos Chris Penree:     Pat Abbott of Kirkville, NY was participating in a local car cruise last summer at Lewis Park in Minoa with his 1930 Model A coupe.  As he was listening to the band play, the priest from the church he attends came up to him and asked if..

Words Bob Sblendorio, photos Dalton Dobson:    “I’ve had this racing thing in my blood my whole life.  I like to push myself in a lot of cases, which can be intimidating,” explained Tracy Lyman.  This past year she embarked on the Trackmasters driver education program, which operates out of Watkins Glen International Speedway. The..

Words Bob Sblendorio, photos Chris Penree:     When someone asks about the color of her 1951 Mercury Sedan… “It’s chrome with red,” says Nancy Metrick with a laugh.  She loves old cars and chrome, hence her choice of a Mercury with voluminous amounts of chrome, especially that front bumper.  One of her favorite design..

Words Mike Mastracco, photos Chris Penree:    Pantera, Italian for panther, a very powerful animal that adapts well to a variety of habitats.  From 1971 to 1974 the De Tomaso car company of Modena, Italy produced the De Tomaso Pantera, a mid-engine supercar for export to the U.S. market.  This new Italian design sports car..

Words Bob Sblendorio, and photos Chris Penree:    Al Brandolini may be—just may be—the only person in the world to officially win a ¼-mile drag-race with a bone stock 24 hp Model A against a ‘60s era muscle car…an Oldsmobile 442 to be exact.  Is that really possible? It was 1968 at the New England..

Words by Bob Sblendorio:    The 24 Hours of Le Mans and the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 are impressive races – but how about a non-stop, 169 day, 22,000 mile race from NYC to Paris – in 1908!  Is that even possible?  Well, it did actually happen, at a time when horse and carriage was still..

I can still remember my first experiences with cars. Working with my grandfather, as he patched up his old cars, I admired his ability to seemingly fix everything and know the answer to any question. Being from the south, he taught me how to drive at a young age on twisty back roads and handmade..

By Nick Graziano and photos by Dalton Dobson:    After a year of marriage, Central Square couple Pati and Scott Pearse were faced with a decision that would ultimately change their life. Pati needed a new car, an affordable one, preferably, two.  One of Scott’s German co-workers suggested he buy an old Volkswagen Beetle that..

Words by Jacob Cetnar and Photos by Chris Penree:   In the year 1967, many would agree that Ford, Dodge, and Chevrolet pickup trucks ruled the land. International, Toyota, and a few others had trucks, but they did not have the popularity and mystique of “the big three” American brands. They were producing rugged, V8..

Words Sharie Sblendorio, Photos Jackie Tomarchio Hood:    The Village of Canastota rolled out the red carpet and welcomed the participants of the 2018 New York-to-Paris Great Race celebration. The members of Apex Automotive Magazine, village officials, the public and many car enthusiasts from around the area were there to greet the participants on June 22…

Words by Mike Mastracco and photos by Dalton Dobson:    Kaiser Darrin, also known as the Kaiser Darrin 161 or in short terms as the “Darrin” was an American sports car designed by Howard “Dutch” Darrin and built by Kaiser Motors for the 1954 model year.  In this one year production run, a scantly 435..

Words Bob Sblendorio, photos Chris Penree:    For Marcia Dunn, a ‘47 Indian Chief parked in the breakfast area of her small kitchen will probably be the best medicine in her journey of healing.  “It’s something that when I look at or touch it, I always think of Tim,” her late husband who recently died..

Words by Bob Sblendorio:    The 24 Hours of Le Mans and the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 are impressive races – but how about a non-stop, 169 day, 22,000 mile race from NYC to Paris – in 1908!  Is that even possible? Well, it did actually happen, at a time when horse and carriage was still..

After attending a car show in Ogdensburg with his 1977 Dodge Charger SE, Liverpool resident Tom Rose took a drive past his grandparents’ house in the area, opening a floodgate of memories. The Charger lived in the house’s garage for almost 20 years, collecting dust, before it soon became Rose’s. He had a love for..

Words Bob Sblendorio, photos Thomas Sblendorio:    A 1967 Shelby Cobra 427 is a car that you just don’t get to see very often…or ever.  It’s a legendary car. “The 427 is just monstrous to drive” is how Jim Taylor describes driving the car.  Of the many cars in his collection, it’s one of the..

Words Bob Sblendorio, photos Thomas Sblendorio:    “I love it — why else would I drive three hours a day to come and work here,” explained Ron Alexander, an instructor and the Department Chair of the automotive program at Morrisville College.  He’s not alone in his passion because 15 of the 16 instructors in the..

When you think of horse racing and New York State, it is almost impossible for Saratoga Springs not to come to mind. Dating back to 1863, it is arguably one of the most important pieces of history in the whole state. All summer the local news stations report on the latest odds, race results, and..

Words by Bob Sblendorio and photos by Dalton Dobson:    Passion — is when you work on cars all day long, all week for your business — and to relax, you work on your personal cars.  Oh yeah, when you really want to relax, you build racing go-karts with your sons.  That’s a passion!  Meet..

For most, the Indian Arrow is a forgotten motorcycle due to modern bikes plethora of power, features, and technology. But where did it all start? What made motorcycles so popular? I found out by riding John Brojakowski’s 1949 Indian Arrow among the now century old buildings of Little Falls. The year was 1949. It had..

There are many his & her items on the market today, wedding bands top the list.  Other than tying the knot there are sweat shirts, mugs watches and even vanity sinks.  Here’s a Baldwinsville couple with his & her Austin-Healey 3000 MK I roadsters. Pete Sanborn owns this two tone “Healey Blue-Old English White” early..

Parked at the peak of the driveway at Borys Buniak Fayetteville home is a 1971 Jaguar E-Type (also known as an XKE). It is the kind of car that would make any Englishman smile, but then spit out their tea and crush their biscuits in anger when he starts it. The E-Type is a British..

Words Bob Sblendorio, photos Thomas Sblendorio:     After a long time of resisting anything electric, especially an all-electric, there are now cracks in my reciprocating only mind.  Meet Dave Griffin, owner of a 2014 Tesla Model S and a resident expert in all things Tesla. Henry Ford (and others) experimented with producing electric cars..

Words Bob Sblendorio, photos Thomas Sblendorio: Nike’s famous slogan is “Just Do It.”  Meet Ray Hedger, a master at fabricating, and whose work many people feel is legendary.  When I asked about the skills to perform the highly specialized work as a fabricator, I was told, “I just started doing it.”  In other words…the skills are..

101 years in business…Mark Schultz is the 4th generation business owner! The original business was started in 1916 by Mark’s great, great grandfather, Jacob Schultz, who was a blacksmith. He built custom chassis, wagons and wheels in Utica. Mark’s grandfather, Walter Schultz, moved the business to Rome in 1940.  Walter was known as “Dutch”, a..