One Lap of the Web: Packards -- Ask the man who knows way too much about one

Car Hunter

-- For some light Wednesday reading, here's more information than you ever wanted to know about Packard. It includes thehorrible neoclassics that plagued the 1970s, and the 1995 revival of the Packard name that attempted to stick a shortened rendition of the famous Packard grille in front of a 440-hp V12, all wrapped in a shape that looked like a melted Twix, as shown above. Our august associate editor Graham Kozak owns a Packard, so he could have filled us in on the details. Given the later decades of Packard, he'd probably rather forget.

-- Some time ago, Discovery Channel's "Fast N' Loud," uh, discovered the first two Pontiac Firebirds ever built. The crew at Gas Monkey Garage liberated the two from an owner (to whom they once sold a Corvette) and brought them back to their garage in Dallas -- then realized, well, guess we gotta bring these up to a museum restoration. They did so in just 60 days. But then again, they once repaired a wrecked Ferrari F40.

-- Every Sunday, literally dozens of rapscallions will risk it all -- life, limb, sprains, social standing -- to barrel at great speeds down San Francisco's legendary hills atop children's plastic tricycles. This year, the Bring Your Own Big Wheel race barreled down the wickedly crooked turns of Vermont Street in a quest not for glory, but mere survival. Suicidal participant Joseph Phillips strapped a camera to his helmet and recorded the mayhem firsthand,especially the accidents. We would love to sign up for next year and will be rocking the vaunted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles livery.

-- In 2011, Brumos Porsche (of Hurley Haywood fame) built just five special edition 911 Carrera GTSs with the famous red-and-blue stripes, honoring Haywood's numerous Daytona 24 Hour victories. Frazer Spowart hastracked them all down for this brief documentary.