The first fully automatic car available in the US was the 1940 Oldsmobile. From aprox 1950 many cars were available with your choice of an automatic transmission or standard transmission.
It depends on the country. In Australia, for example, classic cars are quite common. Rallies showcasing classic cars are often held on weekends, and it is easy to find them in classified advertisements.
nadaguides.com/Classic-Cars
http://www.nadaguides.com/Classic-Cars
One can contact several insurance companies and ask for their insurance prices for classic cars. One can compare the different prices to find the cheapest insurance for classic cars.
Most classic cars are not available for purchase from typical local dealers. However, you can find them by finding a dealer that specializes in classic cars
One can find many classic cars on the Auto Trader websites, including, but not limited to, Mustangs, Hot Rods and classic Cadillacs, as well parts for classic and retro cars.
Advanced Auto Parts does not offer car parts for classic cars. They focus more on modern cars. The best place to find parts for classic cars is from a retailer that specializes in classic car parts.
The most comprehensive place to find information on parts for classic Ford cars would be the J.C. Whitney parts catalogue. They have parts for most classic cars and are a very reputable dealer.
You can find information at www.squidoo.com on restoring classic vehicles. You can also find information at www.classiccars.com.
A great place to find repair shops is in the listings in your local yellow pages. They will make it clear in their ads that they specialize in classic cars.
There's a web address called cars-on-line. This company specialises in selling of classic cars. This is one of the top notch sellers of classic cars online.
You can buy classic cars on autotraderclassic.com or classic cars.com you might also want to try checking in your local classified ads. I hope you find what you are looking for.