DISCOVERIES

1. The Willys-Overland Jeepster was the manufacturer’s attempt to branch into the passenger car market. Only 19,132 found buyers during its short (1948-1950) production run, making this New Mexico junkyard find quite unusual.

2. In 1956, for one year only, the Clipper ceased being a Packard model and became a make in its own right. The thought process behind this decision was to prevent the entry-level car from ruining Packard’s image as a luxury car brand. With a $2586-$3076 price tag, it went head-to-head with Oldsmobile, Mercury and DeSoto. The short-lived marque was discontinued later that year when Packard’s Detroit factory closed. This example, residing in southern California, is a four-door Custom model, and one of only 8708 built.

3. I struggle to tell the difference between 1941 and 1942 Hudsons, especially from this angle. However, I found a picture of this one on CTC Auto Ranch’s website, revealing it to be the later of the two. Judging by the chrome, it’s not one of the rare late 1942 wartime blackout cars, that were only permitted to have shiny bumpers and bumper guards.

4. When they rolled off the line, 1956 Chrysler Imperial four-door sedans cost $4832, which is only slightly more than what the owner wants for this one today. New for 1956 was additional chrome, more power from the Hemi (280hp) and halfway through the year, a three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission.

5. Jackpot, Nevada, is located on Route 93, just a mile from the Idaho border. Consisting of little more than a handful of casinos, the town was formed in 1958 after gambling was outlawed in Idaho. I once had a fantastic, and very lucrative stay here, when an elderly roulette croupier told me that his 50 years of experience meant he could spin a zero or double-zero whenever he wanted. He then went on to prove it, hitting zeros three times in a row, each time with my chips stacked on green. If