When Futurliner No. 10 goes on display today at the Washington Auto Show as part of its induction into the National Historic Vehicle Register, it’ll have some fitting and significant company when two GM Motorama dream cars – the 1954 Buick Wildcat II and a 1953 Cadillac Le Mans – join it on stage as the next two nominees to the National Historic Vehicle Register.

While GM’s Motoramas never featured the Futurliners, both the Motoramas and the Parade of Progress ran at roughly the same time (January 1953 through April 1956 for the Motoramas, April 1953 through July 1956 for the Parade of Progress) and contributed toward the same ultimate goal of establishing General Motors as a forward-thinking and technologically advanced carmaker. Here and there, however, a Motorama car would meet up with the Parade of Progress, usually after its initial time in the spotlight – Bruce Berghoff and George Ferris’s book on Futurliner No. 10 includes photos of an Oldsmobile F-88 leading the parade and of the Cadillac La Espada on display in the parade – and Historic Vehicle Association president Mark Gessler said he believes the Wildcat II also appeared at promotional events alongside the Futurliners.

The Wildcat I of 1953 certainly seemed sporting enough, and nearly went into production, but with the Chevrolet Corvette stealing the show that year (and reaching production), the other divisions soon began to clamor for their own lighter, lither, livelier two-seat sports car. Oldsmobile built its F-88, Pontiac its Bonneville Special, and Buick its Wildcat II. Ordered in May of 1953 under Shop Order 1940 and initially called the 4XC, the Wildcat II was to sit on a 100-inch wheelbase (two inches shorter than the Corvette’s) and be made to run and drive. To accomplish the latter, Buick installed a 322-cu.in. V-8 with quad sidedraft carburetors, a twin-turbine Dynaflow automatic transmission, and four-wheel coil-sprung suspensions on a typical channel-section frame. To make the Wildcat II stand out, Buick then wrapped the chassis with a Ned Nichols-designed roadster body featuring a severely raked wraparound windshield, flying front fenders, a disappearing soft top, the all-important VentiPorts, and rear fenders similar to those that appeared on the 1955-1956 Buicks, all rendered in fiberglass.

In its initial configuration – that is, as it appeared in press photos and at its January 1954 introduction at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, the Wildcat II even sported a couple of rather unusual features. Like its predecessor, the Wildcat II had a version of the Roto-Static hubcaps – scooped wheelcovers affixed to the hubs in order to remain stationary while the wheel turned – on its front wheels. Unlike its predecessor, the Wildcat II had its driving lamps mounted just inside its flying front fenders and its headlamps mounted to the doors, just beside the A-pillars. Within a year, it appears, Buick replaced the Roto-Statics with wire wheels and relocated the headlamps to sit next to the driving lamps. (The company also seems to have added a leaping Wildcat mascot to the hood at about the same time, even though it bears a passing resemblance to the old Lincoln greyhound mascot.)

In his book GM’s Motorama, author David Temple presents some evidence that Buick may have built a second Wildcat II – making one for its president, Harlow Curtice, and one for its general manager and vice president, Ivan Wiles. However, no second Wildcat II has appeared, nor has any documentation confirming a second example was built. At least one replica of the Wildcat II has been built.

The Cadillac Le Mans that will appear at the Washington Auto Show has a somewhat more involved history. Cadillac’s presence at the 1953 Motorama included two show cars: the Orleans four-door hardtop, and the Le Mans two-door, two-seater roadster. Built on a 115-inch wheelbase and powered by a 250-hp version of the 331-cu.in. V-8, the fiberglass-bodied Le Mans predicted the front-end styling of the 1954 Cadillacs and included a power top that would automatically raise itself when a sensor detected rain.

And as it turns out, the Le Mans was one of four that Cadillac would eventually build. According to Temple, a one-off 1952 Cadillac that Harley Earl had built for a friend of his not only did its part in inspiring the Le Mans, but also may have led Earl to push for a production version and to use the Le Mans as a gauge to see whether the public would buy a two-seater Cadillac. “Though the Le Mans grabbed the attention of many during the Motorama tour, Harley Earl observed that those who would actually ‘back up their approval with a check’ showed a preference for the Orleans,” Temple wrote.

Of the four Le Manses that Cadillac built, three were built consecutively, early on in the 1953 production cycle (the first bears an engine ID number of 5300 00002), while the fourth was built for James E. “Bud” Goodman, then the CEO of Fisher Body, late in the 1953 model year. According to Temple, in 1954, GM sold the first to California-based shoe store owner Harry Karl, who had George Barris customize it; in 1985, it was destroyed in a fire. In 1953, GM sent the second Le Mans to Oklahoma to participate in the state’s Oil Progress Exposition, but nobody seems to know where it went after a scheduled stop in the Greenlease-Moore Cadillac-Chevrolet showroom in Oklahoma City. Goodman had GM restyle his Le Mans in 1959 with quad headlamps and more up-to-date fins before eventually giving it to his son, who has since sold the car back to GM for its Heritage Collection.

GM sold the third Le Mans in June 1955 to Washington, D.C.-based Cadillac dealer Floyd Akers, who had it made roadworthy (Temple wrote that the process included an all-new wiring harness as well as suspension modifications to lift it to a street-legal height), painted white, and fitted with air conditioning so his daughter could drive it in Florida. By the early 1960s, the Le Mans made its way back to D.C., where Akers displayed it in his showroom. He then sold it along with his dealership in 1977 to Coleman Cadillac, which in turn sold the Le Mans in 1989 to its current owner.

According to Holly Smith, a spokesperson for the current owner and handler of the Le Mans, the car remained hidden away until about 2008, when a local Cadillac-La Salle Car Club member tracked it down and asked the current owner to display it at a club event. It’s since appeared at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, though Smith notes that it’s never been restored – it still has the original whitewall tires, which she’s been forbidden to clean, she said – and still has its original 331-cu.in. V-8 under its hood.

“It’ll be exciting to see this car go on the register, considering that of the two left, this is the only Le Mans to remain in its original state,” she said.

If any class of cars should be instantly eligible for the National Historic Vehicle Register, it’s the various Motorama and other such dream cars that sparked imaginations and passions for the automobile during the 1950s. Indeed, Gessler said that they’re all certainly eligible, “we’re just working our way through things before we get to the rest.”

To go on the register, a vehicle must meet one of four criteria: It must be associated with an important event in automotive or American history; it must be associated with a significant person in automotive or American history; it must be distinctive based on design, engineering, craftsmanship, or aesthetic value; or it must be the first produced, last produced, or be among the most well-preserved or authentically restored surviving examples.

Selection to the register involves a complete documentation of the vehicle, including a fully referenced narrative of the vehicle’s provenance and full photography, which will then be placed in the Library of Congress. No restrictions are placed on subsequent use or sale of the vehicle.

Other vehicles already added to the National Historic Vehicle Register include CSX2287, one of the six Shelby Cobra Daytona coupes; Old Red, the first Meyers Manx dune buggy; the Tin Goose, the Tucker 48 prototype; and the last remaining World War I Cadillac. Futurliner No. 10, the Wildcat II, and the Cadillac Le Mans will all remain on display for the entirety of the Washington Auto Show.

The Washington, D.C. Auto Show will take place January 23 through February 1. For more information, visit WashingtonAutoShow.com.

Article courtesy of Hemmings Daily, written by Daniel Strohl.

Bet you can't remember the last time your saw a Packard featured on the pages ofStreet Rodder magazine, or at a car show, or on the street. In a forest of Bow Ties and Blue Ovals, Packards—especially post-war specimens—are virtually nowhere to be seen. That's a shame because a lot of the '51-56 models have the potential for great customs.

Don't just take our word for it. Take a look at this glowing black 1951 Packard Sedan 200 owned by Grover McMurray of Gallatin, Tennessee. If there's one thing Grover likes, it's variety. His barn full of cars includes as a '48 Buick custom, a '57 Olds, and about a dozen others. The unusualness of this car is part of its appeal. "Everybody's got everything except a Packard," he told us.

Packards got an overdue redesign for the '51 model year, updating the hippopotamus-inspired body lines of the '48-50 models to something with trimmer style. Grover's car nudges the styling even further with a few exterior custom touches. The base model was called the 200, and came without the vertical grille teeth or the rear fender trim that other models did, an omission corrected on Grover's car. The driprails have been shaved to clean up the top, and the front and rear door windows—which came from the factory with wind wing vents—have been changed to one-piece glass. The most significant change to the body is the hood. It's been shaved of its ornament and lettering and reshaped with a pair of entirely functional cold air intake scoops.

The car was a stocker when Grover bought it. It had been purchased new in Minnesota. Then it's a familiar story of the first owner dying and the car going into a barn, only to be discovered, unmodified and unrestored, a few decades later. It ended up in the family of a guy who worked for Grover, and Grover bought it—still a stocker—in 2007. "I wanted something to be different and drive it like hell," he told us.

The Body and Soul Shop, just a few miles from Grover, has a growing nationwide reputation for hot rods and customs. Grover met shop owner Paul Herman through a mutual friend and knew that he was the right guy to build the Packard.

Some mild modifications were made to the original chassis to make sure the car rode just right, and sat with a ready-to-pounce rake. The front suspension was swapped for a Mustang II frontend, including rack-and-pinion steering and coil springs from a Chevy pickup "to get it off the ground," as Grover put it. A Ford 9-inch rearend is packed with 3.73:1 gears, and rides on stock springs and shocks. The factory drums were removed in favor of Wilwood discs with cross-drilled and slotted rotors.

The car's profile is enhanced by the slight big 'n' little look of the tires and wheels. The rear wheelwells are stuffed with 20-inch Billet Specialties five-spokes wearing 275/45R20 Fuzion ZRi performance radials. In front, 17-inch rims and 245/45R17 Fuzions fill the wheel openings.

The engine compartment was no place for an unimpressive powerplant. "I'm a Chevy guy," Grover says, "but ‘Packard and Chevy' didn't sound good. ‘Packard and Hemi' sounds better!" The 5.7L powering the Packard came out of an '04 Dodge Ram pickup that had been totaled at only 10,000 miles. It's been boosted with a ProCharger centrifugal supercharger. "My wife, Melanie, had a Hemi in her Dodge Magnum RT, so I knew they ran well," he told us. I figured we'd put a little windmill on this one to make it run even better." The Hemi is hidden by a custom cover with a 3-inch pipe at the rear, which serves as a plenum, feeding air from the hood vents to the ProCharger setup. Exhaust exits through the stock manifold and a pair of Flowmaster mufflers. A column-shifted Chrysler 545RFE five-speed automatic backs up the 345-horse Hemi.

While prepping the body for paint, the Body and Soul Shop discovered no dings or dents, and only a couple of tiny rust patches. The original green paint, almost 60 years old, was stripped and coats of black base and clear were sprayed in its place. Once it was sanded and polished, it was as reflective as chrome.

Paul Atkins Interiors, about three hours south of Gallatin in Alabama, transformed the inside of the Packard. A custom console separates the modified Pontiac buckets, upholstered in black leather. A bucket-style rear bench was custom built to match the front seats. Paul Atkins created unique door panel inserts. Hydrographic printing was used to create the pattern on the turquoise-colored parts. The stock dash was retained and Dolphin gauges were used to fill the instrument panel. A Billet Specialties GTX01 wheel was mounted on a shifter tilt column from Flaming River. Vintage Air A/C keeps the Packard cockpit cool.

Since the Packard was finished in 2009, Grover has driven it approximately 11,000 miles. He says that as soon as he retires he can spend more time with this car, and the rest of the cars in his barn. His plan is simple: "No wild women. No alcohol. Just hot rods. That's the way to keep peace in the family!"

Here’s a fantastic little 1953 Nash resto-rod that’s packing potent small block power, Pininfarina bathtub bodywork in “Wheat” and tomato red accents and rolling on early nineties Chevy S10 mechanicals. If you think ’32 Fords and ’69 Camaros are ho-hum, here’s something different from Car Buffs in Concord, CA.

The car is super straight with new floors, trunk, firewall, front inner fenders, chrome and is dripping with cool jewelry from the hood ornament to the script on the fenders.

Power is supplied by a 406 CID small block running through a 350 Turbo transmission. The donor S10 chassis brought along its comparatively modern front and rear suspension with 3:23 gears and rides on wide white radials and stock caps and trim rings

Inside is done in very tasteful repeat of wheat and red leather with Accord bucket seats,Classic Instruments, vintage four spoke steering wheel, power windows and air conditioning by Old Air.