Man reunited with restored Cord automobile
BALTIMORE (UPI) -- A 90-year old Maryland man has been reunited with a 1936 Cord automobile he restored decades ago, his sons say.
Richard Reeve discovered the car in pieces in a Pennsylvania barn in 1970 and paid $300 for it. He completely restored it and his children learned to drive in the vehicle, The Baltimore Sun reported Sunday.
But when offered $10,000 and a fancy Mercedes Benz, Reeve sold the vehicle, a decision he's regretted ever since, the newspaper said.
About three weeks ago son Rick Reeve thought about the car, did a computer search for C-O-R-D and found one listed on the Internet auction site eBay. The car turned out to be the same vehicle his father restored.
After consulting with his brother Michael, the pair decided to get the car back for their father, paying $43,000.
Last month they lured their father away from home under guise of a family affair and surprised him with the maroon and black vehicle, one of just 2,000 manufactured, the paper said.
"When I drove it, it sounded tremendous," Rick Reeve said. "I want my father to take it up to Panera's and show it to his cronies."
Crash-test dummies land in Smithsonian
WASHINGTON (UPI) -- Crash-test dummies Vince and Larry, who crashed again and again for auto safety, landed in the Smithsonian Institution, the U.S. Transportation Department said.
"We learned a lot from Vince and Larry about the importance of buckling up," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Wednesday in a release. "They are a part of American culture and became household names while educating the public on seat belt use. Their message still holds true today."
The Vince and Larry television and radio ads, around since 1985, promoted highway safety for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, using slapstick humor and comedy to remind people about the importance of buckling up.
The spots aired on television and radio and also ran in magazines. The campaign was conducted through 1998.
The objects are part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington.
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