1968 Pontiac Firebird Sprint Convertible

1968 was the second year for the Firebird, which was Pontiac's entry in the pony car wars. It could be told apart from the preceding year largely by the presence of the now-federally-mandated side marker lights and the absence of vent windows.

There was the base Firebird, which came standard with the Pontiac Overhead Cam Six, which was a 250 cube SOHC motor based on Chevy's pushrod six. It had a one-barrel carb and was rated at 175 gross horsepower. Next up the hierarchy was the Firebird 350 which, as you may guess, featured a 265hp 350 two-barrel V-8 as the standard motor.

The top performance Firebirds were the H.O., which featured a high-performance four-barrel version of the 350 making 320 ponies, and the Firebird 400, which came in three different levels of potency including an optional Ram Air version.

The Solar Red one in the photo is a Firebird Sprint, which was intended to be a euro-flavored sport tourer. It featured a four-barrel performance version of the 250 Overhead Cam Six that had a 10.5:1 compression ratio, requiring premium fuel and putting out 215 horsepower. While the base Firebird had a three-on-the-tree, the Spring came with a floor-shifted three-speed manual as standard equipment.

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

2006 Ferrari F430 Spider

Successor to Ferrari's 360, the F430 featured refined bodywork and a spicy all-aluminum 4.3L 32V normally aspirated V-8 that sang out 483 horsepower and could be backed with either a conventional six-speed manual or a paddle-shifted F1 automated manual gearbox.

When Motor Trend tested a Ferrari F430 with the F1 transmission, the 3533-pound atomic doorstop shrieked to sixty in four seconds flat and obliterated the quarter in 12.1 seconds, flashing through the traps at 119mph. It circled the skidpad at 0.94g and stopped from sixty in 104 feet. The test car stickered at $220,174, which comes to about $380k in current dough

Snapped with a Canon EOS 7D and an EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS zoom lens in November of 2022.

2019 Lamborghini Urus

With the launch of the Urus in 2018, Lamborghini joined BMW, Porsche, Maserati, and Bentley in offering an upmarket luxo-sport SUV. (2018 also saw the debut of the Cullinan from Rolls-Royce.)

The Urus shared the big SUV platform used by the other Volkswagen Group offerings like the aforementioned Porsche Cayenne as well as Audi's Q7 and Volkswagen's own Touareg. Under the hood was a twin-turbo 4.0L V-8 that produced 641 eye-popping horsepower. All that juice was delivered to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. Lambo concocted the most enormous carbon-ceramic brakes yet... the front discs measured 17.3" and were squeezed by ten-piston calipers ...and they only had to put the whoah on 4,800ish pounds of giant SUV thanks to extensive use of composites.

Car and Driver measured the stopping distance of a 2019 Urus from 70 at only 149 feet, which must feel like you just drove into the gravel trap. Acceleration was similarly prodigious, leaping to sixty in 3.2 seconds and hurtling through the quarter in 11.4 seconds at 121mph.

The 2018 Urus in Blu Eleos was snapped in Manchester, New Hampshire in June of 2021 using a Canon EOS 7D and an 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens.

1974 Dodge Royal Sportsman

The vans released by Dodge in 1971 came in Tradesman(cargo) and Sportsman (passenger) flavors. The passenger version could be had as the standard Sportsman, the more upscale Custom Sportsman, and the plush Royal Sportsman, which came with all the amenities one would expect from a luxury passenger car.

Standard powerplant on this Turquoise and White 1974 Dodge Royal Sportsman passenger van would have been either a 225 cubic inch Slant Six or a 318 V-8.

It was photographed with an iPhone 13 Pro Max in January of 2023.

1963 Pontiac Grand Prix

While the other full-size Pontiacs at the time... the Catalina, Star Chief, and Bonneville ...came in a variety of four-door, two-door, wagon, and convertible configurations, the Grand Prix nameplate was launched for 1962 as a sporty grand touring hardtop coupe.

Bucket seats and a front console were standard equipment, and for 1963 the base motor in the Pontiac Grand Prix was the 389 cubic inch Trophy V-8 with a four-barrel carburetor and 10.25:1 compression making 303 gross horsepower. Optional engines included a Tri-Power 389 making 313 horsepower, the 421 H.O. Trophy V-8 with a four-barrel, rated at 353 horses, or the Tri-Power 421 H.O. Trophy, which thumped out 370 ponies. Both of the H.O. mills boasted 10.75:1 compression ratios.

If you look at the wheels on the Marimba Red example in the photos, those are optional eight-bolt finned aluminum wheels. In fact, the finned part in the center is actually the brake drum, which also serves as the wheel hub; the wheel is just the rim.

Motor Trend tested a fully-loaded '63 Grand Prix, with the Tri-Power 421 H.O. mill, optional four-speed manual, and 3.42:1 Saf-T-Track limited slip rear end and a bunch of other options. The brutish 421HO was enough to launch the 4120-pound sled to sixty in 6.6 seconds and down the quarter mile in 15.1 seconds at 94mph. The finned drums hauled the two-ton Poncho to a halt from sixty in 147 feet.

All the options pushed the $3,489 base price up to $4,675, which comes to about $51,500 in today's money.

The one in the pictures was snapped with a Canon EOS R and an RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS zoom lens in September of 2026.

1976 Chevrolet Caprice Classic

We've had a '76 Caprice Classic, the last of the big Chevy land yachts before downsizing, on these pages before. That one was on chrome dubs and had aftermarket headlights, where this Silver Metallic one even has the correct hubcaps.

It was photographed using a Nikon Zfc and a Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens in October of 2026.

2003 Pontiac Montana

Pontiac's minivan began life in 1990 as the Dustbuster-shaped TransSport, and acquired more conventional looks in its second iteration for 1997, although it retained the same name. The "Montana" badge began life as a TransSport trim package but became the name for the model for 1999.

This Light Taupe Metallic one is from after the 2001 facelift. It would be powered by the LA1 3.4L pushrod V-6 with sequential fuel injection, rated at 185 horsepower and backed by a four-speed auto. All-Wheel Drive was an available option.

This one was photographed in October of 2026 using a Nikon Df and a 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6G zoom lens.

2007 Saturn Aura XE

Saturn's first attempt at a midsize sedan was the L-series, which debuted for 2000. Unlike the unique-to-Saturn compact S-series, the L-series shared the GM2900 platform with the Opel Vectra and Saab 9-3 & 9-5. Sales were less than stellar and the model was discontinued after the 2005 model year.

They took another swing at the segment with the Aura for 2007. Based on the same Epsilon platform that underpinned a host of other vehicles from the Chevy Malibu and Pontiac G6,  to the Fiat Croma, Opel Vectra, and Saab 9-3, the Aura was a fairly conventional FWD midsize sedan. The interior got good reviews for its appearance and layout but was dinged for everything being a bit plasticky.

The base XE came with the pushrod LZ4 3.5L V-6, rated at 224 SAE net horsepower, while the higher-end XR featured the DOHC LY7 3.6L 24V V-6 that put out 252 ponies. The XE got a four-speed automatic, while the XR had a six-speed slushbox with paddle shifters. Car and Driver clocked the XR at 6.2 seconds in the sprint to sixty, which is plenty quick for a family bus.

Base price on the XE was a very reasonable $20,595, which is about $33,500 in inflation-adjusted dollars. It was produced through the 2009 model year before vanishing along with the rest of the Saturn marque.

The Black Onyx Aura XE in the photo was snapped in October of 2026 using a Nikon Df and 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6G zoom lens.

1994 Ford Thunderbird LX

The tenth generation of Ford's Thunderbird personal luxury coupe debuted as a 1989 model on the all-new MN12 platform, replacing the Fox platform that had underpinned the T-bird since 1980, through two whole previous generations of the car. Unlike the Fox platform, the MN12 had an independent rear suspension, making the new Thunderbird and Cougar the only rear-wheel-drive American cars on the market at the time to have an IRS other than the Corvette. (They'd soon be joined by the Viper.)

The 1994 model saw the Thunderbird get a mid-cycle styling refresh, just in time for the model's 40th anniversary the following year. The exterior became sleeker and the interior was completely revamped, featuring a modern wraparound cockpit for the driver. You could get it in LX or Super Coupe flavors, and the LX had a 3.8L OHV Essex V-6 with sequential electronic fuel injection making 140 SAE net horsepower as the base motor. An extra-cost option was the 4.6L SOHC Modular V-8 that was rated at 205 ponies. Both motors were backed by a four-speed automatic transmission.

The V-6 cars would knock out the dash to sixty in the low ten second range and the V-8 would shave a couple seconds off that time.

The Opal Frost Clearcoat Metallic LX coupe was photographed using a Nikon D3 and 85mm f/1.8D lens in September of 2023.

1982 Saab 900

Evolved from the Saab 99, the new Saab 900 appeared for 1979 and featured a stretched nose, roomier engine bay, and improved crash protection.

They enjoyed regional popularity in the US. New England loved them, they were popular among the slide rule jockeys of Los Alamos, and for some reason the Atlanta sales region made north Georgia a Saab sales stronghold. (My dad drove a secondhand 99 Turbo for a while.)

This Saab 900 3-door hatchback would have been powered by a 2.0L SOHC inline four sending 110 horsepower to the front wheels through either a five speed manual or three-speed automatic transmission. Performance was Malaise Era leisurely, with zero-to-sixty times in the low thirteen second range and quarters in the low nineteens.

This one has the optional wraparound spoiler, and someone's added a third brake light.

This Admiral Blue example was photographed in January of 2022 using a Nikon D3 and a 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G VR zoom lens.

2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

Alfa Romeo's Giulia was the first Alfa sedan sold in the USA since the marque had bailed on the market in the mid-'90s. Available in rear- or all-wheel-drive configurations, the Giulia was a compact executive sedan intended to take on 3-series Bimmers and C-class Benzes.

The flagship of the Giulia lineup was the Quadrifoglio, which drove all four wheels with a twin-turbo all-aluminum V-6. The direct-injected motor had a lot of Ferrari DNA and put out 505 net horsepower at 6500 RPM and could be had with one of two ZF transmissions, a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic. 

As one would expect from a 500hp motor in a 3,800-pound car, performance was spicy. In a comparison test against the BMW M3, the Cadillac ATS-V, and the Mercedes-AMG C63 S, Car and Driver clocked a 3.6 second zero-to-sixty. The quarter mile was annihilated in 11.9 seconds at 121 mph through the traps. It circled the skidpad at an even 1.00g and stopped from seventy in only 143 feet. While the brawny Benz pulled ahead over 100mph, the Quadrifoglio was the hands-down performance winner of the comparo.

The 2017 test car stickered at $79,195, which is about $109k in today's coinage. The one in the photos was snapped with a Nikon 1 V2 and a 1 Nikkor 18.5mm f/1.8 lens in September of 2021.