We just finished photographing a spectacular 40,000 mile 2011 Dodge Challenger R/T for our update of Mike Mueller’s great book, The Complete Book of Dodge & Plymouth Muscle Cars. This R/T features Redline 3 Coat Pearl paint and the 5.7L Hemi producing 372 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. We used one of our favorite locations, the East Troy Railroad Museum in East Troy, Wisconsin. It’s always a joy photographing such an original and immaculate automobile!
We just photographed our first Dodge Charger, a 2023 SRT Hellcat Jailbreak in F8 Green, for our update of Mike Mueller’s great book, The Complete Book of Dodge & Plymouth Muscle Cars. At 717 horsepower, this “last call” of the Dodge Charger and Challenger is truly going out in style!
I have been asked by Motorbooks to write an update to Mike Mueller’s excellent book “The Complete Book of Classic Dodge and Plymouth Muscle Cars”. Mike’s book covers 1960 to 1974, but so much has happened at Dodge in the 21st century that Motorbooks wanted to add two more chapters on the 2006 to current Dodge Charger and 2008 to current Dodge Challenger. Mike did not want to tackle this project, so they offered it to me. I will also be photographing some of these cars for the books. I’ve admired Mike Mueller’s work for 30 years or more, and I’ve contributed some photos to his books over the years. It will be a challenge to match Mike’s always first-class work, but we both write with a similar “voice” and photograph in a similar style. This should be fun!
Quite simply, the 1973 — 74 Trans Am Super Duty was the fastest, most powerful automobile from the company that built excitement. Tom Goad, Pontiac legendary Project Manager, said of the Super Duty, “These were by far the strongest-running production Pontiac V8s of all time, even with the low compression ratio required for lower-octane, regular-grade gasoline.” And when you have one, like Broad Arrow auctions did in March, preserved from new with all original equipment (down to the tires), it’s sure to set records.
You can read my review of this auction in the June 2023 issue of Sports Car Market magazine. Selling for $173,600, this was a smashing Super Duty sale.
I was hoping John Maher’s 1969 Corvette ZL1 would set the record for highest Corvette sale at auction. $3 million Ferraris are almost expected at auctions today, yet Corvettes rarely break seven figures, much less $3m. But the 1969 ZL1s are shrouded in mystery — it was known two were built but with Maher’s one-of-a-kind ZL1 automatic convertible the total is clearly three. In the end this Corvette broke the $3m mark but did not set the record, two 1967 L88 Corvettes sold for more in the past, but it is now the highest priced C3 Corvette ever and certainly worth every penny. You can read all about it in the Market Moment I wrote in the May issue of Sports Car Market magazine, which will be published in a few weeks.
I was again asked by Broad Arrow Auctions to provide some of the catalog descriptions for their upcoming Amelia Island auction, March 2 – 3, 2023. Every vehicle has a story, and the challenge for me again is to tell that story in an engaging and accurate way in 400 words or less. In its first year, Broad Arrows’ three auctions were very successful — not surprising since the company is loaded with auction industry veterans. For example, Carl Bauer, the Director of Development for Broad Arrow, is an absolute expert on Porsches, and writes most of the texts on those lots. To be included in this group, and to support this important upcoming auction, is a true honor!
December in Wisconsin is usually freezing and dreary, but on this day in 1998 it was in the 60s, a rare event.
I picked my daughter up from Kindergarten and we photographed a neighbor’s 1933 Alfa Romeo 2300. His collection was comprised of Italian classics (mostly Alfas) with little or no restoration, just the graceful patina of time. He lived a few blocks away in a large 1920s home known affectionally as “The Castle.”
Often we’ll search for hours for the perfect location to photograph a vehicle; on this day “The Castle” was perfect!
Sinar F1 4×5 camera, Schneider 210 Symmar lens, Fuji Velvia 50 film.
Images © 1998 Tom Glatch – All Rights Reserved
Since 2017 Motorbooks/QuartoKnows⎘ has asked me to write the captions of their popular Muscle Car Calendar. I’ve worked with Motorbooks since 1991, and Publisher Zack Miller and Project Manager Dennis Pernu are the best in the book business. Telling the story of an automobile in 80 words or less is a real challenge, but one I thoroughly enjoy. The Motorbooks Muscle Car Calendar 2023 is now available on the Motorbooks/QuartoKnows⎘ site or wherever you buy calendars.
We photographed this spectacular 1977 Ford LTD II for Collectible Automobile magazine in July. This beautiful Ford has only 24,000 miles (38,624 km) on it and is completely original, including the factory CB radio and antenna. The current owner just purchased this car from the original owner.
This was our first opportunity using the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 85mm f1.8G lens we recently purchased. The goal of automobile photography is to make the vehicle look as good as possible, and for nearly 40 years I’ve been looking for the perfect solution to separate the vehicle from the foreground and background. When we were photographing with a 4×5 view camera, I used 210mm and 305mm lenses, which are equivalent to 70mm and 100mm lenses in 35mm format. These came close to the “bokeh” I was looking for, but even with careful tilts and swings, I often had to stop down too much to fully blur the background while leaving the vehicle sharp.
Quite simply, the Nikon AF-S Nikon 85mm f1.8G⎘ lens is a dream come true! Look for these photographs in a 2023 issue of Collectible Automobile⎘ magazine.
Harry Miller’s cars won ten Indianapolis 500 events, and his engines dominated championship racing in the U.S. for decades, claiming 39 Indy 500 victories. When Johnny Rutherford took the checkered flag in the 1976 500, his McLaren/Offy became the last victor powered by a Miller-derived engine – 33 years after Harry Miller’s passing. Miller’s carburetors were the choice of racers in the teens and twenties, and he consulted with E.L. Cord on the front wheel drive Cord L-29. This is just a sample of Miller’s genius.
Fearing the legacy of Miller’s accomplishments would fade with time, industrialist David Vogel Uihlein, Sr. founded the Harry A. Miller Club⎘ in 1989. Knowing these machines were born to run, Uihlein also wanted track time for club members. They rented The Milwaukee Mile in 1995 for the first of what would be the annual “Millers at Milwaukee” event.
This is a fitting location, since Harry Miller was born in Menomonee, Wisconsin, and The Milwaukee Mile is the oldest continuously running automobile racetrack in the world, with the first contest taking place in 1903. Unlike other vintage events, Millers at Milwaukee is different: no competition, no concourse judging, no restricted paddock access – just the opportunity for comradery, education, and exercising these thoroughbreds. Any front-engine Indy Car is eligible, along with pre-World War II Grand Prix racers. David Uihlein passed away in 2010, but Harry Miller’s legacy is in good hands. That was evident at the Harry A. Miller Club’s 27th annual Millers at Milwaukee event on July 8th and 9th this year.
Kelly and I covered this event which is scheduled for the Winter 2022 issue of Linkage⎘ magazine.
Images © 2022 Tom & Kelly Glatch – All Rights Reserved