Cherished: 1947 Chrysler Windsor Club Coupe
Chrysler’s Windsor nameplate was introduced in 1939 on a full-size platform with a blend of luxury interior appointments and an economical engine. The car retained its middle-of-the-road niche after the war, with the New Yorker and the Imperial occupying… more»
Low Miles, Two Owners: 1984 Volkswagen Scirocco
Volkswagen set about replacing the Karmann Ghia in the early 1970s, beginning with a design by Giorgetto Giugiaro. The new car was named Scirocco, after a desert wind (joining the handful of cars from Maserati also named after windy… more»
Owned Over 40 Years! 1949 Nash 600 Super Special
What’s it like to drive a bath tub? While Nash gave the design of its brand new post-war sedans a fancy name – Airflyte – the vernacular is “bath tub styling”, and it arrived in 1949 as Nash’s first… more»
Rare Coupe Utility: 1982 Ford Fairmont Durango
What’s a coupe utility? The single differentiator between this vehicle and a pickup is the integration of the front panel of the bed into the rear of the cockpit; pickup beds sit separate from the cabin. The first coupe… more»
Budget Brit: 1975 MG Midget Mark IV
This Mk IV Midget was made the same year that the UK government nationalized British Leyland, turning it into a ward of the state. Five years later, after spending the equivalent of $22 billion in taxpayer funds to support… more»
British Trials Car: 1954 Dellow MKll
At last! – an opportunity to write about car trials, the gritty endeavor that evolved from reliability runs of the late 1880s. Reliability runs were designed to prove that a car could cover a convenient distance and become indispensable,… more»
Long-Term Owner: 1940 Mercury Eight Coupe
I wish we could celebrate certain vintage car owners – those who coddled an individual car for decades, caring for its every need, polishing it, driving it, enjoying it. That kind of attention is immediately apparent. We see it… more»
Love it, or Loathe it? 1978 Ford Mustang II
What car models can you think of that made you wonder what a formerly-revered manufacturer was up to? The MG TD – dimensionally bloated and pregnant with bumpers designed to protect its delicate body from inept drivers – was… more»
Update: Single Cylinder Time Machine: 1912 Harley-Davidson Model 8
UPDATE: This 1912 Harley-Davidson Model 8 motorcycle, so adroitly profiled by Jeff Bennett in April 2024, has cropped up for sale here on craigslist, with a $75,000 price tag. Thanks to Nevadahalftrack for spotting the ad for us! The… more»
No Reserve! 1974 Mercedes-Benz 280C
Mercedes-Benz introduced the W114/115 as a replacement for its “Fintail” series in 1968 and subsequently manufactured a veritable tide of these handsome sedans. Almost 2 million were sold over nine years of production. With sheet metal designed by Paul… more»
Rare Convertible: 1985 Capri ASC/McLaren
When is a Fox body not a Mustang? When it’s a Mercury Capri, specifically the second generation Capri sold starting in 1979. With manufacturing repatriated to the US (the first Capris were captive imports made by Ford Europe and… more»
From Good to Great? S38-Powered 1975 BMW 530i
The 5-series BMW is legendary. Introduced in 1972 as the E12 and continuing today in its eighth generation, a few million examples have been sold. Early cars still carve roads and tracks; racking up a few hundred thousand miles… more»
Family Hauler: 1950 Plymouth Suburban
While the first steel “station wagon” was built by Chevrolet in 1935, most wagons were still expensive, wood-bodied maintenance nightmares. In the late 1940s – with the post-war economy entering prosperity – Crosley, Willys, and Plymouth introduced all-steel wagons… more»
What’s It Worth? 1967 Lotus Elan SE Project Car
The Lotus Elan arrived in 1962 as the embodiment of Colin Chapman’s plan to improve his company’s road-car regime. With a fiberglass body mounted on a backbone chassis, the new Elan was configured as a two-seat convertible. Fixed-head coupes… more»
No Reserve: 1980 Nissan 280ZX
“No reserve” can be a thrill – or, in the case of this 1980 Nissan 280ZX, a conundrum. Is there enough value in this ZX to make it worth the price? Nissan launched the 280ZX (aka, S130) in response… more»
Restoration Underway: 1966 Sunbeam Tiger
The Sunbeam Tiger was developed when Rootes – maker of the Sunbeam Alpine – began pursuing a more powerful engine for the little car. After a few false starts, Carroll Shelby built a prototype at the behest of Ian… more»
