Topic: Who did that to those poor cars? N°1 - Solved by Ehhxekt, jotage 21, Allemano &

[Ray B.]

Not a needle in a haystack at all.

Yes. Not her whole name, only half of it.
Add that and the action that you see the clue girl doing, and you're halfway home!

It's all about words. Two words. And you'll get right there, if you watch your spelling.

[pnegyesi]

one of the two words is haystack, right?

[Ray B.]

  Take off your sunglasses, man.
The nature of the two words can be read in bold in my last reply.

[pnegyesi]

hurdle jumping?

[Ray B.]

Grammatically, "jumping" is closer to one of the words, and has about the same meaning.
If the other, the name was "hurdle", what would be the connection with Lena Horne?

Yes. Not her whole name, only half of it.
Add that and the action that you see the clue girl doing, and you're halfway home!

A suggestion: if you believe that you have the right word combination, a quick search in Google image brings up the same images.
If not, try again.

[pnegyesi]

flying ....? ... equals to a name, right?

[Ray B.]

Not a name. Grammatically it equals to a verbal form, so an action

Not flying, not jumping, but you're on your way.

[pnegyesi]

I am feeling slighlty lost, but determined. Was this lady, Lenya Lotte?

[Ray B.]

You are indeed determined, but lost too, I don't see why.
Why Lotte Lenya. We don't care who this girl is, but is Lena Horne spelled Lenya Horne?
I see where you got misled, though. But it's the verbal form, once found, which can be spelled two ways.
One will confirm your guess, the other will bring up the right answer.

[Ehhxekt]

Grammatically, "jumping" is closer to one of the words, and has about the same meaning.

Leapin' Lena, a special vehicle built to imitate the ride on a wild horse. Originally a 1939 Ford, modified by students of the University of Houston in 1951.

[Ray B.]

Leapin' Lena, a special vehicle built to imitate the ride on a wild horse. Originally a 1939 Ford, modified by students of the University of Houston in 1951.

And our man Ehhxekt does it!
When one googles Leaping( or Leapin') Lena, he gets different pictures, including that of an Amish girl ( and not a German singer) named Lena, leaping over hayrolls, that I used as a clue. And others who prove that this kind of amusement is more common than one might think, particularly in New England.

I'll tally the points later.

[Ray B.]

#1 - Railway track inspection car, used by the Eureka Springs & North Arkansas Railway. Originally a 1951 Chevrolet Styleline Station Wagon. Ehhxekt, 2 pts
#2  Father Christmas on his way to Selfridge's riding on a 1934 Humber Snipe. Ehhxekt, 2 pts
#3 - 1951 Fiat 500 C modified by Carrozzeria Boneschi, advertising car for Binaca toothpaste. Allemano, 2pts
#4 -  Citroën 2CV with Antem body from 1957; it was advertising Champagne Delamotte on the right side, and „PORTO A.J. da SILVA” on the left. Ehhxekt, 2pts
#5 - The Bevo Boat Budweiser III, made by Anheuser-Busch Company, Pierce-Arrow based jotage 21, 2pts (thanks to Allemano).
#6 - Top Cat, made by Bill Carter based on a Jaguar XJ 12, promo car for Ordnance Survey and Bosch. jotage 21, 2pts
#7  - Leapin' Lena, a special vehicle built to imitate the ride on a wild horse. Originally a 1939 Ford, modified by students of the University of Houston in 1951. Ehhxekt, 2 pts
#8 - Moxiemobile, made by Moxie Beverage Company based on a 1928 LaSalle. jotage 21, 2pts. I have it as a 1930 LaSalle, but certainty is frail in these matters.
#9 - Made for movie car, base unknown, built for "La Rue Sans Loi", based on Albert Dubout's cartoons. pnegyesi 2 points

And the count goes:
Ehhxekt 10 points
jotage 21 6 points
Allemano, pnrgyesi 2 points

[Allemano]

Ehhxekt: 322 points at 241 posts – an impossibly  high standard

[Ray B.]

Sure. Since he's around us, I kept wondering how he did it!