Latest news with #Autopian
The Drive
4 days ago
- Automotive
- The Drive
Huge Auto Museum Is Shutting Down and Selling Off 295 Pristine Collector Cars
If you're a Midwesterner and a fan of classic cars, the name Larry Klairmont might ring a bell. However, you may not be aware that he passed in 2021, leaving his namesake auto museum in Chicago in the hands of his partner. This fall, it's closing for good, and the hundreds of remaining cars, scooters, motorcycles, and other automotive oddities are all headed to auction in September. Klairmont had an eye for the unique and collectible, and as is the case with many museums, this one began as overflow storage for the car-buying habits of its 'curator.' He turned a successful cleaning business into a small real estate empire, putting him in a position to acquire the space he needed to store his four-wheeled curiosities. Eventually, the collection grew to more than 300 cars. As of 2017, Larry and his wife (who managed it) said it was the largest collection on display anywhere in the Midwest. The sale listing caught our attention after Mercedes Streeter posted about it on the Autopian. Having visited the museum herself, she had some great photos from the msueum floor, too. While the majority of the collection consists of what I would consider established vintage staples (plenty of vintage muscle and the like), there are a few noteworthy exceptions. Maybe he liked superhero cars, or maybe he just knew they'd generate buzz with potential visitors, but either way, Klairmont managed to stash away a few iconic TV and movie replicas, including both Keaton- and West-era Batmobiles, a 'Black Beauty' Imperial, and a Mystery Machine. But if you ask me, the crown jewel in this collection is much newer than any of those. Klairmont somehow got his hands on Lincoln's wild, Aston-Martin-powered Continental Concept Sedan from 2002—the year I graduated from high school. Here it sits, hiding an Aston V12 under the hood and displaying its full set of custom luggage for all to see. This thing is just insanely cool, and I'm not the only one on staff who thinks so: You can browse all the 'Larry's Legacy' lots at Mecum; the auction itself takes place September 19-21, just a week after the museum closes its doors for good.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
'Worst Car in History,' the Yugo, Is Making a Major Comeback
A car dubbed the "worst car in history" is making a comeback even though it hasn't been sold in the United States since the 1990s and went defunct globally about 17 years ago. A local library in the U.S. even has a blog post on its website devoted to the car, along with the headline, "The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History." "Poorly engineered, ugly, and cheap, it survived much longer as a punch line for comedians than it did as a vehicle on the roads," that post reads, calling it the "ultimate automotive failure." But now it has a retro feel that is According to Autopian, the car, called the Zastava Yugo, is an "Eastern European bargain-basement car that has advanced to cult status." The car, which is known for its boxy look, was launched 45 years ago "based on Fiat technology," the site reported. "It was a hit on the domestic market and was subsequently exported, where it earned quite a bit of respect," Autopian reported. But then it faded away, leaving the U.S. market completely in 1992 and going out of production globally in 2008, a victim, in part, of the Yugoslavia War, Autopian reported. But now the Yugo is coming back. On May 6, 2025, a scale model of the new Yugo was unveiled, according to Car Magazine. According to the company "traveled to the Car Design Event 2025 held in Munich, Germany, to show a 1:5-scale model of its upcoming econobox." The site proclaimed it "really cool." The design is not exactly like the Yugos of lore, but rather is a "logical continuation of its predecessor," reported. According to Car Magazine, the Yugo brand was purchased by Prof. Dr. Aleksandar Bjelić, who has "links to the automotive industry in Germany." The scale model introduced in Munich is the car that Bjelić intends "to put forward for production," the site reported. More details will come in September, and the brand may even produce an electric version, Car Magazine reported, although it's not clear which markets the new Yugos will be sold in or when.
