1968 Fiat 500F

It's hard to pin a year on this Fiat 500. We know from the bumper and the fact that it has front-hinged doors rather than the older rear-hinged suicide doors that it's a 1966 to 1972 model and a 500F rather than the more posh 500L "Lusso".

The tiny 12" wheels and short 72.4" wheelbase must make for an interesting ride on Indianapolis's bomb-cratered streets. The overall length of this car is only 116.9", which is less than the wheelbase on a late Sixties GM full-size sedan. The car only weighs 1,100 pounds, or less than half what even the lightest Ford Mustang weighed. The trunk on that luggage rack is so groovy!

This little Rosso Medio coupe would have been propelled by a rear-mounted OHV 500cc air-cooled two-cylinder putting eighteen horsepower through a 4-speed manual gearbox, giving a top speed of about sixty. British car mag MOTOR tested a '68 model and noted a 0-50 time of 33.6 seconds and an elapsed time of 26.9 seconds in the quarter.

This one was photographed in June of 2024 using an Olympus E-M1X and a Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 ASPH zoom lens.

1970 Chevrolet Caprice

Starting in 1966 the Caprice displaced the Impala atop the full-size Chevy hierarchy. The 1970 model year was the last of this first generation Caprice.

We've seen a '70 Impala on these pages before, so it's interesting to compare that Cranberry Red Impala Custom Coupe with this Fathom Blue Caprice Coupe.

The lack of engine displacement badging on the front makes guessing the displacement tough, but the smallest motor you could get in them that year was the 250 horsepower Turbo-Fire 350 V-8.

This one was photographed in December of 2019 using a Canon EOS 5DS and 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens.

2019 Volkswagen Arteon SE

The Arteon showed up on the U.S. market for the 2019 model year as another run on the "four-door coupe" market (what used to be called "hardtop coupes" here), supplanting the Volkswagen CC that had departed after the 2017 model year.

The Arteon was a little bigger than a contemporary Honda Accord, with a wheelbase a couple inches longer than the Passat. Despite its fastback sedan-like profile, it was a five door hatchback with the rear decklid and window lifting to reveal a voluminous cargo trunk.

It was available in front-wheel-drive or 4MOTION configurations, both of which were propelled by the turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16V TSI 2.0L Volkswagen inline four putting out 268 SAE net horsepower. In the U.S. market the only transmission available was an 8-speed automatic with Tiptronic shifting for the adventurous.

Car and Driver tested a 2019 Arteon SE with 4MOTION and noted a best zero-to-sixty time of six seconds flat and a quarter mile time of 14.5 seconds at 97 miles per hour. The governor shut off the fun at 127mph.

This Pure White 2019 Arteon SE was photographed in January of 2019 using a Canon EOS 5DS and an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens.

1964 Chevrolet Bel Air

The Bel Air nameplate, which had signified the top trim level of Chevrolets through most of the 1950s, got pushed down a notch at the end of that decade.

With the arrival of the Impala as a distinct model, the Bel Air was now the middle tier car between it and the plain brown wrapper Biscayne. The 1964 model year was the final one for this generation of Bel Air and, other than the badges, a chrome trim strip down the flanks, and a window sticker $100 higher, there wasn't much externally to distinguish them from the cheaper model.

Available as a pillared sedan or coupe or the Townsman station wagon, all of them riding on an X-frame chassis with a 119" wheelbase, the Bel Air was the anchor of Chevy's value-priced full size rides.

The base motor in a '64 Bel Air was the Turbo-Thrift 230 cubic inch OHV inline six, making 140 horsepower. The V-8 lineup started with the Turbo-Fire 283 small block, which had a two-barrel carb and put out 195 horses.

The "V-with-flags" badge on the fender signifies that this Ermine White sedan has the next size bigger Turbo-Fire, the 327 cubic inch version. This came in two varieties, both of which had a 10.5:1 compression ratio and required premium fuel. The lesser 327 had a two-barrel carb and made 250 horsepower, while the hotter one had different heads with bigger valves, a four-barrel carb, dual exhausts, and was rated at 300 SAE gross horsepower.

If the V-with-flags badge had been accompanied by the number 409, then it would have had the legendary Turbo-Fire mill with that displacement and 340 gross horsepower.

This one was photographed with a Canon EOS 5DS and EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens in June of 2021.

1939 Buick Special Model 41

All-new styling with a graceful waterfall grille distinguished the 1939 Buicks, of which the Special was the smallest and lowest-priced model.

The Special was available in a range of configurations, both two- and four-door and with fixed or folding tops, and rode on a 120" wheelbase with "Bui-Coil" spring rear suspension. It was powered by Buick's Dynaflash straight-eight engine, an overhead valve design in an era when most manufacturers were still using flathead mills.

While the bigger, more expensive Buicks that year used a 320 cubic inch version, the Dynaflash Eight in the Special displaced 248 cubes and its Turbulator pistons squeezed the air-fuel mixture with a 6.0:1 compression ratio to make 107 SAE gross horsepower.

Among the more interesting options available was a sliding sunroof, called the "Sunshine Turret Top" in the ad copy of the day.

The Permanent Red Special Model 41 five passenger sedan in the photos would have been the sort of car a white-collar worker or professional would have driven if they weren't of sufficient means to roll around in a LaSalle or Cadillac. The base starting price in 1939  was $996, or about $22,760 in constant dollars.

The one in the photos was snapped in June of 2021 using a Canon EOS 5DS and an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens.

1970 Ford F100 Custom

Ford's F-series trucks got a mid-cycle refresh for the 1970 model year. The bottom end of the lineup was the Custom, like this Raven Black example. Above that was the Sport Custom, the Ranger, and the Ranger XLT.

The F-100 could be had with a 6½ or 8 foot bed and in two- or four-wheel-drive configurations. The standard powerplant was the 240 cubic inch OHV inline six, making 150 horsepower, and the bigger 300 cube six, rated at 165 horsepower was also available.

The V-8 choices for 1970 consisted of the 302 V-8, with 205 horses, the 360 cube FE big block, rated at 215 SAE gross horsepower, and the 390 FE motor pumping out 255 ponies. All were capable of running on regular gasoline. The base gearbox was a 3-speed manual, with a four-on-the-floor and the 3-speed Ford Cruise-O-Matic as extra cost options.

The '70 F100 Custom in the picture was photographed with a Fujifilm X-T2 and XF 16-80mm f/4 R WR OIS zoom lens in June of 2021.

1965 Plymouth Belvedere II

The Belvedere nameplate first arrived in 1951 as a name for the hardtop coupe version of the Plymouth Cranbrook, a response to Chevy's Bel Air and Ford's Victoria, both of which had launched the previous year. For '54 it replaced the Cranbrook as the name for all full-size Plymouths.

For the next decade or so, it was used as a trim level designation for full-size Plymouths, initially for the top-of-the-line model, above the Plaza, but then as the second tier behind the Fury.

The Fury and Belvedere nameplates parted ways for good in 1965, with the Fury growing back to a proper full-size car on a 119" wheelbase and the Belvedere badge continuing on the 116" wheelbase as the midsize offering from Plymouth.

The Belvedere could be had as the el-strippo Belvedere I and the top-shelf Satellite, with the mid-tier Belvedere II between them.

The Belvedere II came in several body styles: wagon, pillared sedan, convertible, or as a hardtop coupe like the Dark Blue Metallic one in the photos.

The base engine would have been the classic 225 cubic inch Mopar Slant Six inline making 145 horsepower, or the 180 horse 273 LA V-8. Optional was the 2-barrel 318 V-8 rated at 230 SAE gross horsepower.

The Commando V8 badging on the front fenders tells us that this car has one of the sportier optional engines. There was the 2-barrel Commando 361 V-8, with an output of 265 horses, as well as the 4-barrel High Performance Commando 383, which put out 330 horses. Last came two versions of the 426 "Wedge" big block V-8: The High Performance Commando, which had a 4-barrel carb, a 10.3:1 compression ratio, unsilenced air cleaner, and 365 ponies, or the Super Commando 426 which is only referenced in the sales brochure with a note of "Not recommended for general highway driving. Full specifications available from your Plymouth dealer on request."

These photos were snapped with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II and an EF 28-70mm f/2.8L zoom lens in October of 2020.

1966 Ford Mustang Convertible

We've seen a 1966 Ford Mustang convertible on these pages before, but it was a GT model. This Dynasty Green droptop 'Stang, on the other hand, is just a regular Mustang.

The fender badges say it has the 289 cubic inch Ford small block V-8 under the hood. It could either be the two-barrel Challenger V-8 with a 9.3:1 compression ratio, rated at 200 SAE gross horsepower, or the Challenger Special V-8, with a four-barrel carb, 10.0:1 compression, and an output of 225 horses. With the bucket seats and styled steel wheels, this is a pretty nicely optioned summertime cruiser.

It was photographed in September of 2021 using a Canon EOS 5DS and an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens.

1978 Buick Electra Limited

The second year of the downsized Electra, 1978 saw the car available in three tiers of luxury: the basic Electra 225, the top-of-the-line Electra Park Avenue, and in the middle was the Electra Limited, like this Medium Blue coupe.

The base motor in the limited was the Buick 350 V-8 with a four-barrel carb making 170 SAE net horsepower, or an optional 185 horse Oldsmobile 403 V-8.

These photos were taken with a Canon EOS 5DS and an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens in September of 2021.

1970 Chevrolet Impala Custom Coupe

1970 was the last model year for the fourth generation Impala. Now in the middle of the full-size Chevrolet pecking order, beneath the Caprice and above the Bel Air, the Impala rode on a 119" wheelbase and could be had as a pillared sedan, a hardtop Sport Sedan, a convertible, and one of two different hardtop coupes: the Sport Coupe and the Custom Coupe.

The Custom Coupe, like the Cranberry Red example in the photos, was the plusher of the two. Unlike the Sport Coupe, which came with the 250 cubic inch inline six as the base motor, the base mill in the Custom Coupe was the 250 horsepower Turbo-Fire 350 V-8.

 

Selecting RPO L48 got the buyer a four-barrel L48 Turbo-Fire 350 making 300 ponies, and a 400 cube version of the Turbo-Fire small block rated at 265 SAE gross horsepower was available as RPO LF6.

Two Turbo-Jet big block V-8s were on the menu, too: The 345 horsepower LS4 454, and the gnarly LS5 454 rated at 390 horses.

Road Test magazine put a 1970 Impala Custom Coupe with the L48 350, F40 heavy duty suspension, and a 3.31:1 rear end through its paces. They were impressed with the front power discs, still a novelty on a Detroit family bus, that stopped the 4200 pound car in 138 feet from sixty. They reported a quarter mile time of 16.15 seconds with a trap speed of 81 miles per hour. Price as tested was $4,715, including about $1,300 in options, so about $38,600 in today's currency.

The top photo was snapped with a Hasselblad Lunar  and a Sony Zeiss Vario-Tessar T* E 16-70mm F4 zoom lens in September of 2021, while the lower picture was taken the same month with a Fujifilm X-T2 and an XF 16-80mm f/4 R WR OIS zoom lens.

1971 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

The Monte Carlo was launched for 1970 as a personal luxury coupe to compete against Ford's Thunderbird. Riding on a 116" wheelbase shared with the midsize A-body Chevelle sedan's, it slotted in between the Chevelle Sport Coupe and the two-door Caprice, price-wise.

Featuring classic "long hood and short deck" lines, its longer wheelbase and more rearward engine placement brought it to the attention of NASCAR teams and it became the preferred Chevy in that motorsport starting in 1971.

For '71 the base Monte Carlo came with a 245 horsepower (165 net) two-barrel Turbo-Fire 350 V-8, and an optional four-barrel Turbo-Fire 350 made 270 horses (175 net). There was also a Turbo-Jet 400 rated at 300 (260 net), and 1971 was the last year for the Monte Carlo SS with the 365 horsepower (285 net) LS-5 Turbo-Jet 454 V-8.

In a comparison test of 1970 models, Motor Trend's sample Monte Carlo SS ran a 7.0 second zero-to-sixty dash and laid down a 14.9 quarter at 92 mph, showing its heels to the Ford Thunderbird and Pontiac Grand Prix competition.

The Tuxedo Black example in the picture is one of 112,599 Montes sold in 1971, with production having been interrupted for two months due to an auto workers' strike. Only 1,919 of those were SS models.

This one was photographed in September of 2022 with a Canon EOS 7D and EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS zoom lens.