Brian Earnest tells the tale of a 1967 Mustang that came back for an encore

The “gone but not forgotten” saga of Gene Leopold’s 1967 Ford Mustang GT was almost more of a “gone and good riddance” story.

But Gene’s son Kris was determined to change the ending.

It’s not that Gene, a resident of Superior, Wis., didn’t like the hot Acapulco Blue Mustang GT he bought new back in 1967. Heck, he custom ordered it exactly the way he wanted it, and he loved driving it for the first five years of the car’s life.

But when Kris wanted to play detective and determine if the car still existed many years later­ — and maybe see if he and his dad could somehow get it back — Gene wasn’t so sure.

John Norris takes us across the pond for the ‘Haynes Classic’ car show

In the world of motor enthusiasts, the name John Haynes looms large and is instantly recognizable among vehicle owners. A life-long motor enthusiast himself, he founded the internationally recognized Haynes Motor Museum in the U.K. in 1984, some 20 years after he had founded a publishing empire which printed easy-to-follow, do-it-yourself maintenance manuals for vehicle owners. John sadly passed away in February 2019 at age 80, leaving the museum which bears his name as one strand of his legacy in the small Somerset village of Sparkford in southwest England.

David Temple talks Motorama dream car Skylark

Buick turned 50 years old in 1953 and celebrated its birthday in style. The company delayed the release of its new V-8 until this model year, improved the Dynaflow (which some had called “Dyna-slush”), updated its B- and C-body cars for the final time in that styling cycle and released the new Skylark, a sporty-looking, limited-production, factory-customized model.

Old Cars reports on the best ‘Barn Finds’ from MCAN 2025

MCACN’s Barn Finds and Hidden Gems display of forlorn muscle cars is just as popular as the much larger display of restored and beautifully preserved muscle cars that share the floor of the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. Here, in the barn finds display, gear heads can live out the dream of discovery and ponder the potential of about two dozen desirable but deteriorated muscle cars, from Shelby and Boss Mustangs to Hemi MoPars and big-displacement cars from “The General.” 

Al Rogers unearths the hidden history of a special 1970 Olds 4-4-2

On May 30, 1970, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway came alive for the annual 500-mile race with racing legend Rodger Ward behind the wheel of a muscular 1970 Oldsmobile 4-4-2, that year’s official Indy Pace Car. Ward paced a formidable lineup of race car drivers including Mario Andretti, Mark Donohue, A.J. Foyt, Dan Gurney and Al Unser, Sr. When the checkered flag dropped after 500 miles, Unser had claimed victory driving the Johnny Lightning Special.

As part of the post-race celebrations, Unser took a victory lap in the Indy Pace Car for all the spectators to see. He was met with the cheers of the hundreds of thousands of people at the speedway echoing across the race track. Unser forever became a part of Indianapolis Motor Speedway history with his win, as did the pace car that carried him.

More than 30 years after millions of people watched Unser’s post-win procession on their televisions at home and in-person at the track, the once-famous 1970 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 Indy Pace Car was left to decay in Michigan. 

David Burrows coverage of the Studebaker and Avanti dual meet

The 61st Annual Studebaker Driver’s Club (SDC) and the Avanti Owner’s Association International (AOAI) completed their joint meet at Meadowlands, Pa., near Pittsburgh, Sept. 16-20. Members of both clubs had been asking for renewal of a joint meeting with a full sharing of events, joint meetings and activities. It was two years in the planning with many of the activities finally taking place at the Washington County Fairgrounds, close to the host hotel.

Gregg Merksamer talks ‘Hearsemania 2025’

The 2025 “Hearsemania,” held in Lima, Ohio, from June 13-15, proved a truly epic experience marking the centennial of the Superior Coach Co. entering the hearse- and ambulance-building business. The firm was originally founded in 1923 to manufacture bus bodies for locally made Garford Motor Truck chassis.

AngeloVan Bogart talks about a fine 1933 Graham Blue Streak

Amid the depths of the Great Depression, Graham was on top with the most modern-looking American car in 1932. When the little-changed 1933 models returned to the streets in 1933, Graham could boast it had “the most imitated car.” 

Gregg Merksamer highlights some ‘weathered wheels’

Weathered Wheels has long been one of the most popular departments in Old Cars, and we’ve had a lot of folks contribute over the years. Ron Kowalke, Steve Isola, Ken Lorek and Coy Thomas have all shared dozens, even hundreds, of images with us over the years.

We simply can’t get enough cool “yard art” photos, and we know a lot of our readers share our affinity for colorful, rusty iron.

These articles and a whole lot more can be found inside the January 1, 2026, issue of Old Cars.

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“I was on assignment to take a photo for our business magazine of an engineering firm doing test drilling at a site where a flood had washed out a huge section of road,” says Steve Isola. “The location was quite rural (in northern Minnesota). I had to backtrack and take a separate road to the site. Long story short – I spotted this Mercury station wagon sitting in a yard. I knocked on the door of a house that said ‘trespassers will be shot’ and a few other ominous signs. No one answered. I listened for barking dogs or gun barrels poking through curtains (I had left the car running with the door open). Nothing. So, I framed my shot and then shot out of there. The car was too good a photo opportunity to pass up. And too far away to drive up there again…. The car has been sitting for years. Note the license plate: 1971.”

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Clark Adams of Greensboro, N.C., owns this lovely 1926 Pontiac two-door coach. 1926 was the first year of Pontiac, and only a pair of two-door models were offered early in the year. Later in the year, the so-called “1926-1/2” models were launched with a lineup that also included a Deluxe coupe, four-door Landau sedan and four-door Deluxe Landau sedan.

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Longtime “Old Cars” reader Stu Mattonen of Esko, Minn., saw this frightening scene in Barnum, Minn. recently – the ghost of a 1960 Chevrolet Impala 2-door hardtop sporting a vintage early 70s look and the entire car possessed by body snatchers (rust). Looks like the homeowner took advantage of the scary look of the aging car, and used it as part of their Halloween décor. The witches on the wall seem to be diggin’ it!

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“Rarely seen these days — to be replaced by minivans,” notes OC contributor John Bellah, who spotted this Ford 1/2-ton panel truck slowly rusting away in a public park in Springdale, Utah. This circa 1948-’50 Ford could carry either a 226-cid six with 95 hp or a 239.4-cid V-8 with 100 hp. The postwar Ford haulers were billed as the “Bonus-Built Trucks” with the panel truck using an all-new body.

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Gregg D. Merksamer found this very cool — and very unlikely — trio of retired 1950s gems keeping each other company a while back at a yard in Wilkes Barre, Pa. On one side of the Singer Nine roadster is the weather-beaten shell of a tiny King Midget. On the other side is what looks to be a very restorable 1960s Studebaker Hawk.

Weathered Wheels: 1970 MBG GT

Weathered Wheels: 1943 Ford, 1948 Dodge trucks

Weathered Wheels: 1950s Kaiser sedan

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Weathered Wheels: 1968 Cadillac-Superior Royale hearse

Weathered Wheels: 1950s Kaiser sedan

Weathered Wheels: 1964 Ford Mustang

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Old Cars contributor and professional cars expert Gregg D. Merksamer
spotted this beauty a while back near Danville, Pa.: a used-up and weather-
ravaged 1968 Cadillac-Superior Royale hearse. This land barge has been retired for quite some time and is serving as a very large piece of yard art. It looks like a great candidate for a jumbo-sized rat rod.

Weathered Wheels: 1950s Kaiser sedan

Weathered Wheels: 1964 Ford Mustang

Weathered Wheels: 1969 Chevrolet Impala

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Tom Miller, of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., had a pleasant surprise during some recent travels — an early-1950s Kaiser four-door sedan sighting. “How rare is that? A Kaiser with a visor,” notes Miller. “But no grille or motor.” Somebody has been mowing around this survivor for quite a while. The body looks pretty decent, but it’s hard to tell if this orphan will ever be anything more than a donor car.

Weathered Wheels: 1972 Pontiac Grand Prix

Weathered Wheels: 1970 MBG GT

Weathered Wheels: 1929 Model A Ford

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Don Ekstrum of North Oxford, Mass., spotted this once-proud 1964 Mustang. The Mustang is “intact, but neglected — probably restorable, but the owner won’t part with it,” according to Ekstrum. “It’s a nice lawn ornament anyhow.”

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