SEPTEMBER 3 STAR OF THE WEEK-THE HARDEST WORKING 1958 CADILLAC HEARSE IN CUBA

SEPTEMBER 3 STAR OF THE WEEK-THE HARDEST WORKING 1958 CADILLAC HEARSE IN CUBA

Hearses were considered working vehicles from Day 1. You could haul a large load of lumber or bricks in them and truly enjoy the smooth ride...but clearly they were designed for the last ride.

This 1958 Cadillac hearse is still a professional car in the true sense because it's still giving last rides in the Havana area.

This was another good week for Stars of the Day but a working 53 year old Caddy hearse is easily the Star of the Week.

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SEPTEMBER 2 STAR OF THE DAY-THE 70S MOPAR B BODY SEDAN...GONE AND CLEARLY FORGOTTEN

They used to be everywhere-Dodge and Plymouth B-body 4 door sedans.

Many of us rode in them whether it was in a taxi coming home from a party, Dad's car on the way to the football game or ...if you were really unlucky,handcuffed in the back of a police car. 

They were functional, with nearly indestructible power trains, and now they're history.

That's why this survivor B-body sedan made it an easy pick for Star of the Day.

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SEPTEMBER 1 2011 STAR OF THE DAY: 1941 MERCURY -A CLASSY COUSIN TO A CLASSIC

Most car guy think of the 40-41 era Ford as a classic and the evidence certainly backs it up in a big way. The 40 Ford is a hotrodders car of choice-a visit to any mid-size car show will usually turn up at least one version of this iconic Blue Oval poster car.

They loved the flathead in the early days-cheap, affordable V-8 power.

The Ford had a 1st cousin named Mercury and as you can see from this example, its DNA dictated that the Merc retain the class and style of the more famous Ford.

Hence, a Star of the Day thanks to a storied family tree.

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AUGUST 31 STAR OF THE DAY: VOLVO P1800ES THE SWEDISH ANSWER TO THE BORING STATION WAGON SCENARIO

Automotive buffs know that in the 1970s, Volvo was primarily known for boxy, safe sedans...except for the P1800. That was their sporty car-it was like a Swedish meatball dipped in hot sauce.

The British TV show "The Saint" made the P1800 cool in the 1960s (and well into the 70s) with the college frat boy crowd who made the show part of their beer bong happy hour protocol.

Volvo came up with a brilliant idea in the early 1970s when they decided to graft a station wagon to a P1800-the P1800ES was born.

Even though they took the boring tag out of station wagon life these little Viking-mobiles never really made it with the public. They weren't around very long but to this day these fuel injected Volvos evoke cool at a a level that would have humbled The Saint.

True Star of the Day material...

AUGUST 30 STAR OF THE DAY:THE PONTIAC T/A-70S MUSCLE WITH A HOLLYWOOD FLAIR

The 2nd Gen Pontiac T/A was the only serious answer to the question "what happened to American muscle after the 70s Arab oil embargo?"

Their engines became a little tepid thanks to new smog rules but at least these Ponchos still looked tough.

A guy named Burt Reynolds spotted that and a star was born with the Black T/A- Smokey and the Bandit franchise.

Here's a classic example of his star car from Bandit 2...your MSCC Star of the Day.

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AUGUST 29 STAR OF THE DAY-1958 CADDY HEARSE...GOING IN STYLE

We try to be upbeat for MSCC Star of the Day but this old Caddy hearse was just too enigmatic to ignore.

It's very likely the last working 1958 Caddy hearse on the planet-this isn't a hippie refugee from the 60s. This is still a professional car and it's still giving last rides in Cuba.

Is there a cooler way to shed your mortal coil?

Just to add to the mood, here's a classic song from the legendary Roger Miller-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEHLhz8L6vE

AUGUST 29 STAR OF THE DAY... 502 CUBIC INCHES - 600 HORSEPOWER

This MSCC Star of the Day doesn't reflect a switch in format to motorcycles. In fact, the only reason this 2-wheeler made it to Star status is its gargantuan 502 cubic inch 600 horse motor.

This monster evoked more questions than answers but the biggest one would be"Why?"

It had a big gas tank but you can bet this bike makes more stops for fuel than a HemiCuda with a leaky gas tank and riding it had to be harder than steer wrestling a full grown black rhino.

None of that matters-it's enough to know that somebody had the courage to fit a big block to a motorcycle and drive it in traffic.

That's clearly Star of the Day material.

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For past Stars of the Day click here- http://www.mystarcollectorcar.com/2-features/star-car-tunes/1233-august-27-star-of-the-week-1956-plymouth-fury50s-muscle.html