It's that time of year again when the weather is getting  too nasty  to cruise in your classic, and it will stay that way for the next few months.  That means putting the car away for its winter's nap.

Because cars and trucks were made to be driven regularly, any prolonged period of non-use can really take its toll.  Veteran car owners will tell you it's just as important to take care of your vehicle when you're not using it, as when you are.  We've all seen cars that have received much more damage from bad storage than hard use, and cars that are improperly put into long-term storage tend to stay there indefinitely.

Fortunately, with a little bit of work on your older car before you put it away can pay huge dividends when spring arrives and it's time for that first drive of the season.  Read more...

You've probably seen it in the automotive stores, the red bottle with the nostalgic looking label. But who would ever think of using an oil and fuel additive called "Marvel Mystery Oil" in your precious older car. Well, we do. For some, MMO is a mystery, but to many others, it's a marvel.

Marvel Mystery Oil claims it "combats internal motor rust and corrosion, lubricates valves, piston rings, upper cylinder walls, and eliminates valve sticking. Keeps rings free and reduces piston and cylinder wear. Also keeps a fuel pump and carburetor parts clean, eliminating the need for frequent adjusting. Marvel Mystery Oil retards formation of power dissipating motor deposits, such as gums, varnish, and sludge.

As good as that sounds, if you decide to try it in hopes of stopping that "ticking" valve, we suggest you follow the manufacturers' instructions. Overuse of solvents, such as this, are reported to cause harmful metal-to-metal contact within your engine.

The Marvel Oil Company was founded in 1923 by Burt Pierce, inventor of the Marvel Carburetor. His carburetor was standard equipment on eighty percent of all vehicles produced after World War I.

Why did he give it the name Mystery Oil? Is it said that Burt Pierce refused to divulge the formula for his new product and, when asked about its ingredients; he would say "It's a Mystery", and the name caught on.

You can find more information on Marvel Mystery Oil and it application here.

Some Amphicar owners have been quoted to say, "It's not a good car and it's not a good boat, but it does just fine" and "We like to think of it as the fastest car on the water and fastest boat on the road."

Another thing they will tell you is that the most difficult part about driving an Amphicar is that they can't take it out for a cruise, on land or by sea, without being bombarded by questions about the car from whomever they come in contact with.

We understand the curiosity as this was the only amphibious car ever mass produced for personal use, albeit in small numbers, and want to know more about how it works as well.

So with the help of some Amphicar owners, we've put together a list of answers to their most frequently asked questions.  In doing so, we have acquired a new appreciation of how special this little amphibious car really is.

Read more on The Most Frequently Asked Questions About an Amphicar.

Photo - Getty Images

The next best thing to paging through our newly delivered classic car magazine is reading an old new car magazine, like the February 1959 printing of Motor Trend we just found. This particular issue caught our eye because of the caption "Electric Cars Are Back."

On page 48, reporter Bob Rolofson writes enthusiastically about his test drive with the Charles "Town-About" concept electric car with rave reviews using terms like light, safe, noiseless, odorless, clean, durable, comfortable, simple in operation and ready for production.  Where have we heard that before?

In 1959, the Town-About was the newest automobile manufactured by the Stinson Aircraft Tool & Engineering Co. of San Diego, California.  And according to the Motor Trend article,  Stinson owners had secretly developed this electric car and built a factory designed to mass produce it, but when word got out, the company was inundated with mail from brokers, dealers seeking franchises and privates parties asking for stock quotes. Rolofson was even shown a pile of four-digit certified checks from power and light companies ordering cars for trial.

So why aren't we driving a Charles electric car today, or better yet, why haven't we even heard of it?  Howstuffworks.com was the only place we found any information about the "Town-About" and why it faded into the mists of electric car history. Read more here...1959 Charles Town About Concept Car

Photo - Michele Hamer