Hemmings Motor News Blog Blog

Hemmings Motor News Blog

Hemmings Motor News has been around since 1954. We're proud of our heritage, but we're also more than the Hemmings full of classifieds that your father subscribed to. Aside from new editorial content every month in Hemmings, we have three monthly magazines: Hemmings Muscle Machines, Hemmings Classic Car and Hemmings Sports and Exotic Car.

While our editors traverse the country to find the best content for those magazines, we find other oddities related to the old-car hobby that we really had no place for - until now. With this blog, we're giving you a behind-the-scenes look at what we see and what we do during the course of putting out some of the finest automotive magazines you'll ever read.
Previous in Blog: ‘Bullitt’ Mustang Auction-Bound Next January at Kissimmee Sale   Next in Blog: An Affordable Classic: Chevrolet’s Second-Generation Corvair
Close

Comments Format:






Change Mode
Close

Subscribe to Discussion:

CR4 allows you to "subscribe" to a discussion
so that you can be notified of new comments to
the discussion via email.

Close

Rating Vote:







Add Vote
7 comments
Rate Comments: Nested

So What Makes Route 66 Special?

Posted August 28, 2019 9:00 AM by dstrohl
Pathfinder Tags: classic auto history route 66

As pointed out in this Vox video exploring what made Route 66 America’s favorite road, the highway has essentially been defunct for twice as long as it was an active part of American transportation routes. So why, then, do we keep featuring stories related to the Mother Road?

Is Dan planning a Route 66 trip of his own? Is he being paid off by the Route 66 lobby? Is it just because Route 66 stories play well to this audience? Well, no, no, and partly.

It does still capture the imaginations of plenty of people looking to discover “the real America” or the American dream, however one wants to define those.

To some, it represents quintessential 20th century Americana.

Reply

Interested in this topic? By joining CR4 you can "subscribe" to
this discussion and receive notification when new comments are added.

"Almost" Good Answers:

Check out these comments that don't yet have enough votes to be "official" good answers and, if you agree with them, vote them!
Brave Sir Robin
Guru
Hobbies - DIY Welding - Wannabeabettawelda

Join Date: May 2007
Location: Annapolis, Maryland
Posts: 7940
Good Answers: 458
#1

Re: So What Makes Route 66 Special?

08/28/2019 11:21 AM

The power of marketing.
Reply
70AARCuda
Guru
Engineering Fields - Instrumentation Engineering - New Member Hobbies - Automotive Performance - New Member Technical Fields - Education - New Member Fans of Old Computers - TRS-80 - New Member Hobbies - Musician - New Member

Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 1331
Good Answers: 30
#3
In reply to #1

Re: So What Makes Route 66 Special?

08/28/2019 2:49 PM

And these two marketing events: (1) Mel Torme's 1946 writing & singing of the song "Route 66" and (2) the 1960-1964 TV show "Route 66" starring a Corvette and two wanna-be actors, Martin Milner and George Maharis (wink,wink).

__________________
 ...and the Devil said: "...yes, but it's a DRY heat..!"
Reply
Brave Sir Robin
Guru
Hobbies - DIY Welding - Wannabeabettawelda

Join Date: May 2007
Location: Annapolis, Maryland
Posts: 7940
Good Answers: 458
#4
In reply to #3

Re: So What Makes Route 66 Special?

08/28/2019 4:12 PM

. . . and some pop culture.

Reply
iRay
Participant

Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Southeast USA
Posts: 4
#7
In reply to #3

Re: So What Makes Route 66 Special?

08/29/2019 12:49 PM

Wow, that brings back memories. I had just gotten out of the Army, bought myself a new 396 cid Corvette in Michigan and headed for California via Route 66.

Beautiful sights and remember the rookie patrolman in New Mexico who followed me at one (1) car length for miles. I think he was checking out the car.

Hope the road stays available for future 'boys'.
Reply
SolarEagle
Guru

Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: by the beach in Florida
Posts: 33392
Good Answers: 1817
#2

Re: So What Makes Route 66 Special?

08/28/2019 1:53 PM

Ha! The American Dream? More like the transitory nature of success...

Route 66 is more like the Oregon Trail , than any definition of America...If you want to go some place to see America, visit the National Parks, not some has been old tourist route...

__________________
 All living things seek to control their own destiny....this is the purpose of life
Reply Score 1 for Good Answer
No more "Almost" Good Answers.
Autobroker
Guru

Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Land of Fruits and Nuts
Posts: 4481
Good Answers: 54
#5

Re: So What Makes Route 66 Special?

08/28/2019 10:43 PM

Hey guys! Come on, this is Americana at it's best!

1. Aztec Motel in Monrovia on good ol Rte 66.

2. Wigwam Motel in Azusa on ... you guess it, good ol Rte 66!

3. And don't forget the luxurious Saga Motor Lodge in Pasadena ... don't make me say it!

__________________
 Enjoy and be happy! Life is too short!
Reply
Drew Edell
Participant

Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 1
#6

Re: So What Makes Route 66 Special?

08/29/2019 7:28 AM

I think the map attached to original blog says it all along with the replies Route 66 was an artery of transport to the south west for many mid-westerns to explore America in the golden age of the automobile. Marketed into Americana via a TV show and filled with kitsch.
Reply
Reply to Blog Entry
Have a Different Question?
7 comments

"Almost" Good Answers:

Check out these comments that don't yet have enough votes to be "official" good answers and, if you agree with them, vote them!
Copy to Clipboard

Users who posted comments:

70AARCuda (1); Autobroker (1); Brave Sir Robin (2); Drew Edell (1); iRay (1); SolarEagle (1)

Previous in Blog: ‘Bullitt’ Mustang Auction-Bound Next January at Kissimmee Sale   Next in Blog: An Affordable Classic: Chevrolet’s Second-Generation Corvair

Advertisement

Got Something to Say?
Ask a Question
Start a Discussion

Search this Section
Transportation:
Go

Search this Blog
Hemmings Motor News Blog:
Go

Recent Blog Entries

Blog Links

CR4 Sections
Aerospace
BioMech & BioMed
Chemical & Material Science
Civil Engineering
Communications & Electronics
Education and Engineering Careers
Electrical Engineering
General Discussion
Instrumentation
Manufacturing
Mechanical Engineering
New Technologies & Research
Software & Programming
Sustainable Engineering
Transportation

Site Directories
Forum Directory
Blog Directory
User Group Directory
RSS Feeds

CR4 Rules of Conduct
CR4 FAQ
Site Glossary

Who's Online (53 right now)
Show Members
Advertisement