1998 Honda Prelude

The fifth generation of Honda's sporty Prelude coupe launched for the 1997 model year. Wheelbase was up by two inches over the previous model, accompanied by a gain of a hundred-ish pounds of curb weight.

However, both the base model and the sportier SH package (for "Super Handling") came with the same 2.2L H22A4 motor driving the front wheels. Featuring a DOHC 16V head and Honda's VTEC variable valve timing, it made 195 SAE net horsepower at 7,000 wailing RPM. It could be paired with either a five-speed manual or, if your soul were dead, a four speed automatic.

The SH version added a funky setup called the Active Torque Transfer System that monitored the steering angle of the front wheels and shunted more torque to the outboard wheel in order to aid with turn-in and tame understeer. This was doubly necessary on the Prelude which carried its engine forward of the axle and thus sported a nose-heavy 63%/37% F-R weight distribution.

When Car and Driver tested a 1997 Prelude SH with the manual transmission, it returned a 7.2 second zero-to-sixty time and managed the quarter mile in 15.6 seconds at 91mph. It topped out at 139 when the motor just couldn't push the air out of the way anymore and circled the skidpad at 0.83g. Price as tested was $26,095 (which comes to $52,522 in today's money).

This 1998 Prelude in White Diamond was photographed in June of 2020 using a Nikon D700 and a 24-85mm f/2.8-4D zoom lens.

1968 Pontiac GTO Convertible

We've had a '68 Goat ragtop on these pages before, in Solar Red. That one apparently had its vacuum-operated headlight doors stuck in the open position which this one does not.

This one also has the optional hood-mounted tachometer. On the other hand, the other one was still wearing its slightly worn original paint job whereas this one's been repainted. It looks like they were aiming for the darker Aegean Blue rather than the lighter Aleutian Blue, but they didn't quite stick the landing.

So it's not concours-quality... who cares? The guy behind the wheel seems pretty happy, and who wouldn't be, tooling around in a droptop GTO?

When Hot Rod Magazine tested a '68 GTO hardtop with the 400 H.O., four-speed,  and a 3.90:1 rear end, they managed a 7.1 second zero-to-sixty time and a 14.3 quarter at 99mph. The zero-to-sixty and quarter mile times are illustrative of a spicy motor and steep rear end in the era of bias-ply rubber. You really needed to drive these things out of the hole with some care.

This one was photographed with a Canon EOS R and a 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS zoom lens in September of 2025.

1960 Ford Thunderbird Convertible

"Longer! Lower! Wider!" were the hype words in Detroit in the late Fifties and the all-new second generation of Ford Thunderbird that debuted for 1958 lived up to the hype. The new four-seater T-bird stretched a full two feet longer nose-to-tail than the outgoing '57 two-seater.

It was also four inches wider than the previous car, and only an inch taller, despite having a much roomier interior. This was made possible by being the first Thunderbird to utilize unibody construction, with the driveline tucked up into the chassis by means of a large tunnel running between the seats.

The wheelbase grew commensurately, by almost a foot. Where the two-seater 'Birds had a 102" wheelbase (identical to the Corvette's), the new one measured 113" between the axles. Suspension was coil springs and unequal length A-arms up front and a live axle mounted to coil-sprung trailing arms in the rear.

Also keeping pace with the current trends in Detroit, the new Thunderbird sported a snout with quad headlamps.

The car could be had as a hardtop coupe or a convertible, like the Raven Black 1960 example in the photo. The base engine was the 352 cubic inch Thunderbird Special FE big block V-8. With a four-barrel carburetor, dual exhausts, and a 10.2:1 compression ratio, this motor was rated at 300 SAE gross horsepower, and could be backed with a column-shifted three-speed manual (with an optional automatic overdrive 4th gear) or a three-speed Cruise-O-Matic.

Optionally for 1960 was Ford's 430 cubic inch MEL (Mercury Edsel Lincoln) big block, making 350 horsepower. It was only offered with the Cruise-O-Matic.

The rear suspension was simplified to a conventional leaf spring setup for the '60 model year as well.

Motor Life's test 1960 Thunderbird convertible, with the 352 and slushbox, ran to sixty in 9.1 seconds and returned between 10 and 14 miles per gallon.

This one was photographed using a Sony a700 and 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 zoom lens in May of 2025.

1970 Dodge Dart Swinger 340

The 1970 model year was the fourth one for the fourth generation of Dodge's compact Dart. For that year it got a light styling refresh, mostly to bring the front and rear styling closer to the then-current brand look.

The two basic trim levels were the budget Swinger, named to appeal to younger, hepper buyers, and the Custom which came with more standard equipment, like dual horns and deep-pile carpets. The Custom could also be ordered as a GT to get a floor shifter and bucket seats.

The budget performance option, though, was the Swinger 340.

While more pedestrian Darts could be had with 198- or 225-cube Slant Sixes or the redoubtable 318 cubic inch LA small block V-8, the Swinger 340, as the name implied, came only with Mopar's giant-killer 340 c.i.d. small block, ridiculously underrated at 275 SAE gross horsepower. Standard transmission was a three-speed manual with a floor shifter, or an optional four-speed manual or the rugged TorqueFlite automatic. Also stock on the Swinger 340 were an unsilenced high-flow air cleaner, a Rallye suspension with heavy-duty torsion bars and springs and a factory sway bar, as well as power front disc brakes.

 The SubLime paint, blacked-out hood, and hood pins were all extra cost options on this car. When Car and Driver tested a '69 Dart GTS with the 340, a four-speed, and the 3.91:1 rear end, it dashed to sixty in six seconds flat and polished off the quarter in 14.4 at 99 miles per hour.

This one was photographed with a Nikon D200 and an 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6 VR zoom lens in June of 2014.

2013 Ferrari F12berlinetta

The 2012 Geneva Motor Show saw the debut of the replacement for Ferrari's 599 grand tourer, the new F12berlinetta.

Under the hood was an evolution of the 6.0L F140 C V-12 from the 599. The new F140 FC motor received a displacement increase to 6.3L and power swelled commensurately, from 612 ponies to a whopping 730 SAE net horses. This made it, as its predecessor had been when it was launched, the most powerful street-going auto Ferrari had offered to that date.

The V-12 was backed with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and allowed the 3,895 pound coupe to lay down some mind-blowing performance numbers. Road & Track's test car launched to sixty in a 3.1-second eyeblink, and smashed the quarter in 11.1 seconds at 128mph through the traps.

All this godlike power could be yours for the low, low price of $323,338 (or $447k in today's money).

This one was photographed using a Fujifilm X-T2 and a Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR zoom lens

1982 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce

While the second generation of Alfa's Spider for North America got SPICA mechanical fuel injection, it got a rep for unreliability and, as emissions controls tightened, power levels plummeted to the point that it barely topped a hundred ponies even when you could get it running.

The third generation of the Spider debuted for the 1982 model, now with Bosch electronic fuel injection. This bumped the motor's output up to 111 SAE net horsepower and dropped zero-to-sixty times back into the mid-high eight second range again.

The model year of the one in the picture is fixed by the presence of the "Spider Veloce" badges on the front fenders and the absence of the black rubber chin and decklid spoilers, as well as the slimmer front bumper without the large center escutcheon that appeared for the 1983 model year.

This now was photographed in August of 2025 using a Sony a700 and a 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 zoom lens.

1965 Ford F100

The fourth generation of Ford's F-series pickup trucks were produced from the 1960 through the 1966 model years. The 1965 models, like the faded Light Turquoise F100 in the photo above, saw an entirely new frame slid under the existing body design, featuring a "Twin I-Beam" swing-axle front suspension in place of the previous solid axle. This basic chassis would remain in use through the '79 model year.

For '65, the F100 could be had with two flavors of inline six: a 150hp (SAE Gross) 240 cubic inch inline six, or a longer stroke 300cid version of the same motor rated at 170 horsepower. The V-8 badge on the hood indicates this one has the 208hp 352-cube "FE"-series big block V-8, which was the most powerful engine that had been offered in an F-series truck up to that time.

This one was photographed using a Canon EOS-1D Mark III and an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens in April of 2024.

1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner

The "hardtop" body style debuted in 1949, when Buick added a graceful, B-pillarless roof to their convertible body. It was welded in place and didn't fold, but it gave the car sleek lines and the style was rapidly copied by other makers, including Ford.

For the 1957 model year, Ford went the rest of the industry one better by introducing the Skyliner convertible. On the new Skyliner, the metal one-piece roof would retract into the trunk under its own power for that open air motoring experience. 

If foul weather threatened, just pull over, push a button, and the trunk lid would hinge upward and the roof would reverse its ballet. Once it was in place and the power-operated screws at each corner had snugged it down, a red light on the dash would go out, indicating that you were ready to motor on, snug and dry.

Base engine was the 292 cubic inch Thunderbird V-8, rated at 212 gross horsepower. Optionally, a buyer could order the Thunderbird Special 312 cubic inch V-8, which made 245 horsepower, or go for the top-of-the-line 300hp Thunderbird Supercharged 312 V-8. All three engines could be had with a three-speed manual, with or without a manually operated overdrive, or the Fordomatic three-speed slushbox.

Motor Life tested a 1957 Fairlane 500 sedan with the 245hp Thunderbird Special 312 V-8 and recorded a 10.1 second zero-to-sixty time.

The Flame Red and Inca Gold one in the photos is local to the neighborhood. The top two photos were snapped in September of 2022 using a Nikon D800 and a 24-120mm f/4 VR zoom lens, while the lower one was taken with a Canon EOS 7D and an EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS zoom lens in November of 2022.

2009 Mercedes-Benz SL550

The R230, which was the fifth generation of Mercedes-Benz's sporty luxo-roadsters, went on sale for the 2001 model year and got a mild facelift in 2006. To extend its service life it got a much more radical makeover in 2008 for the '09 model year.

For that year the American market was offered the V-8 powered SL550 and the SL600, which had a twin-turbo V-12. (There were also much snarlier AMG versions on the menu.)

This is not to say that the SL550 wasn't plenty snarly in its own right. It was powered by the 5.5L E55 version of the M273 V-8. This was an all-alloy DOHC 32V motor which made use of variable valve timing and a variable length intake manifold to belt out 382 SAE net horsepower, plenty for even the big 4,233 pound droptop.

When Car and Driver tested the R230 SL550 in 2010, it cracked off 4.8 second zero-to-sixty runs and blistered the quarter in 13.5 seconds at 105 mph, roaring up to 157 on the top end before the governor cut off the fun. Price as tested was $114,175 in 2010 dollars, or $169k in current dollars.

This one was photographed in August of 2025 using a Sony a700 and a 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 zoom lens.

2010 Pontiac G6

The G6 was introduced by Pontiac for the 2006 model year as its midsize car, replacing the outgoing Grand Am. The alphanumeric designation, I guess, was supposed to make it sound more modern and sporty.

Whereas the '05 Grand Am had been on the N-body chassis, shared with the Olds Alero and Chevy Malibu, the new car was on GM's global Epsilon platform, used on everything from the Fiat Croma to the Saab 9-3.

The G6 received a slight styling refresh midway through the 2009 model year, which this Summit White sedan has, creating a "2009½" model, however that was to be the final model year for all coupes and convertibles.

The basic sedan, a big seller to rental fleets, carried on through 2010, among the last Pontiacs made or sold, as the entire brand was a goner for 2011. This particular hooptie is almost certainly an ex-rental, with the normally-aspirated LE5 ECOTEC 2.4L under the hood, flailing out 164 SAE net horsepower.

This one was snapped with a Sony a700 and 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 zoom lens in May of 2025.

1999 Mitsubishi Galant ES

The eighth generation of Mitsubishi's Galant sedan reached the American market for the 1999 model year, a couple years behind the domestic market.

In some ways it was a bit of a downgrade from its predecessor. The snout was a little more formal and retro and while the previous model had been touted for having multilink suspension at each corner, a novelty for a front wheel drive passenger bus, this generation reverted to a strut-type front suspension.

While a snarly 195hp SOHC 3.0L V-6 was on the menu, the base engine for the ES trim level was a 2.4L SOHC four-banger rated at 145 SAE net ponies. That's what's under the hood of this slightly rumpled Monarch Green Pearl one, backed by the optional 4-speed automatic.

This photo was taken using a Pentax K20D and 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens in August of 2025.