A Bite of History - Marcos 

By Mike Thies

The Marcos was one of those wonderfully unconventional British sports car companies that could only have come from the postwar racing world. The company was founded in 1959 by Jem Marsh and aerodynamicist Frank Costin, with the name Marcos coming from Marsh and Costin. Costin brought serious aircraft and racing design experience to the project, and that influence showed up immediately in the cars: low frontal area, light weight,…

A Judge’s View from Pinehurst: Sandhills Motoring Expo 2026 by Mike Thies

The 2026 Sandhills Motoring Expo Concours in the Village was one of those days that reminds you why we do this. Held Sunday, May 24, in the historic Village of Pinehurst, the event brought together more than 130 judged automobiles representing over 40 manufacturers, and from this judge’s point of view, it was a first-class field, a well-run operation, and a genuinely enjoyable day with owners who were proud to…

Selecting the Cars: Building a Concours Field That Matters

by Mike Thies

There are so many aspects of a qulity Concours event, yet all would agree that the heart of any concours is the field itself. A concours succeeds when the vehicles tell a story worth walking through. The selection process should not be a random gathering of nice cars. It should be a deliberate effort to assemble vehicles that represent history, design, craftsmanship,…

A Bite of History- by Mike Thies

The Porsche 356 “Outlaw”

The term “Porsche 356 Outlaw” gets used a lot today, but at its core, it’s simple. An Outlaw is a Porsche 356 that deliberately walks away from factory-correct restoration in favor of performance,…

A Bite of History - By Mike Thies

Current Value Trends for Brass Era Cars (1896–1915)

Over the past decade, values for Brass Era automobiles (1896–1915) have followed a familiar but revealing pattern. The late 2010s saw steady appreciation as collectors sought early, historically significant cars with craftsmanship that…

A Bite of History by Mike Thies

Waffle House

Waffle House has a long-standing partnership with Richard Petty, featuring a custom Waffle House paint scheme on the No. 43 Ford. This connection to the racing world naturally bleeds into the broader car collector community. Waffle House is a staple for 'Cars and Coffee' style meetups. Because they are open 24/7 and located…

Hope everyone had good Thanksgiving and gave thanks to Him for our many blessings. Now, help us give back to children in our community that may otherwise go without this Christmas plus the organizations providing care for them. https://lnkd.in/e86vw5gj   or…

Pre-WWII Collector Car Market: A Shifting Landscape by Mike Thies

The market for pre-World War II collector cars has undergone a marked shift in recent years. Once considered untouchable crown jewels of the collector world, many pre-war classics are now experiencing declining values amid changing demand. A combination of shifting buyer demographics, broader economic pressures, and evolving tastes has reshaped this segment’s trajectory. This analysis summarizes the key…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMY_XGBrpiQ 

A Bite of History  by Mike Thies

 The Jaguar XK120

There are moments in automotive history when a single car changes everything, when elegance, engineering, and audacity collide to create something that feels more like a declaration than a machine. We learn that the Jaguar XK120 was one of those moments. When it first appeared at the 1948 London Motor Show, no one…

A Bite of History – by Mike Thies

The 1948 Ford F-1 Pickup

The 1948 Ford F-1 wasn’t just a new truck, it was the start of something big. When Ford introduced it, they launched the very first F-Series, the truck line that would become America’s favorite for generations. This was the first Ford pickup built on a dedicated truck chassis rather than a car-based frame,…

A Bite of History – by Mike Thies

The “Car Guy’s Garage”

Step inside a place like this and you can almost hear the echoes of every wrench turned and every engine fired back to life. The light hums off the old signs, Route 66, Coca-Cola, Phillips 66, and the smell is that unmistakable mix of oil, leather, and stories. This isn’t just a garage. It’s a…

A Bite of History – by Mike Thies

The RestoMod

There’s a sweet spot between keeping a car original and making it your own, and that’s where the restomod lives. It’s the perfect handshake between yesterday’s design and today’s technology. You keep the classic lines, the chrome, and that unmistakable old-school personality, but you update what counts. Underneath…

A Bite of History – by Mike Thies

If the hot rod was about shine and polish, the rat rod was about grit and guts. These weren’t built for trophies or perfection, they were built to run, to rattle, and to raise a little dust. The idea came from guys who were tired of trailer queens and six-figure show cars. They dug through junkyards, swapped parts in driveways, and welded with whatever they had. A true rat rod looked like it might’ve been found behind an old barn,…

A Bite of History – by Mike Thies

The Hot Rod

There was a time, just after the war, when America’s roads were full of promise, and plenty of flathead Fords. Young men came home with a new sense of purpose and mechanical know-how, and they weren’t about to leave it all behind in the motor pool. They started tinkering in driveways and borrowed barns, stripping weight,…

A Bite of History – (by Mike Thies)

1988 Alfa Romeo Spider Quadrifoglio

When you step back and look at an Alfa Romeo Spider Quadrifoglio, you’re not just seeing a sleek Italian convertible, you’re seeing one of the last gasps of true analog romance from the 1980s. By 1988, most sports cars had started to bulk up with electronics and smog equipment, but Alfa’s little Spider kept its…

A Bite of History – (by Mike Thies)

1988 Alfa Romeo Spider Quadrifoglio

When you step back and look at an Alfa Romeo Spider Quadrifoglio, you’re not just seeing a sleek Italian convertible, you’re seeing one of the last gasps of true analog romance from the 1980s. By 1988, most sports cars had started to bulk up with electronics and smog equipment, but Alfa’s little…

A Bite of History - 1977 Chevrolet Corvette

By Mike Thies

The 1977 Corvette carried forward one of America’s most recognizable shapes while quietly refining it for a changing era. By now, the third-generation Corvette had matured into a smoother, more comfortable grand-touring machine. The tall rear window of earlier years gave way to a cleaner fastback design that improved visibility and aerodynamics. Inside, Chevrolet focused on comfort and drivability, quieter…

A Bite of History: by MikeThies

Triumph TR8

The Triumph TR8, introduced in 1978, was often called the “English Corvette.” It was essentially a Triumph TR7 fitted with a Rover 3.5-liter aluminum V8, a powerplant with American Buick origins that had been adopted by British Leyland in the 1960s. With around 135 to 150 horsepower in…

A Bite of History: by Mike Thies

1967 Mercedes-Benz 250SL

Introduced in late 1966 for a short, single-year production run, the 1967 Mercedes-Benz 250SL holds a special place in the “Pagoda” lineage (W113 series) as the rarest variant, with only about 5,196 units built. Positioned between the earlier 230SL and the later 280SL, the 250SL…