1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Sedan

We've had a 1956 Chevy sedan on these pages before, but it was a Chevrolet 210 pillared sedan. Pillarless hardtop styling was becoming all the rage in Detroit in the Fifties, though.

For 1955 you could get a hardtop Sport Coupe, at least in Bel Air form, but all the four door variants had B-pillars. That changed in 1956 when a pillarless Sport Sedan became available for both the mid-market 210 and the top-of-the-range Bel Air.

The Onyx Black 1956 Bel Air Sport Sedan in the photo was snapped in May of 2017 using a Leica D-LUX 3.

1959 Cadillac Sedan de Ville (Six Window)

The styling on the 1959 Cadillacs is eye-catching, iconic, and instantly recognizable with its enormous rakish tail fins, each tipped by dual bullet-shaped taillight lamps.

New for '59, the deVille line was no longer a trim level on the Series 62 but was moved to its own series, the Series 6300. It was available as a Coupe as well as Four Window and Six Window Sedans, with the Ebony example in the photo being an example of the latter.

These were large cars, riding on a 130" wheelbase with an overall length of 225". Under the hood was the new 390 cubic inch version of Cadillac's 331 Series overhead valve V-8, with a single four-barrel carburetor and a 10.5:1 compression ratio, rated at 325 gross horsepower. The Hydra-Matic was the only transmission offered.

Base price in 1959 was $5,498, which works out to $60,800-ish in current dollars.

This one was photographed in November of 2016 using a Nikon Coolpix P7000.

1970 Dodge Super Bee

The Super Bee was Dodge's budget priced muscle car in the late Sixties and early Seventies. Essentially a stripped-down version of the Coronet R/T, it was a slightly more upscale answer to Plymouth's Road Runner. The name was derived from the fact that, like the Coronet R/T and Charger, it was based on Mopar's midsize B-body platform.

While the Coronet R/T came with the four-barrel 440 Magnum as the standard engine, the cheaper Super Bee's base powerplant was the 383 Magnum. The hood badges on the Plum Crazy 1970 model in the photos indicate it has the 383, which had a 9.5:1 compression ratio and was rated at 335 gross horsepower. Transmission choices were the four-speed A833 manual or a Torqueflite 727 three-speed auto.

Car and Driver tested a 1969 Super Bee with a 383 Magnum, Torqueflite slushbox, and 3.55:1 limited slip rear end and recorded a 5.6 second zero-to-sixty blast, while a trip down the quarter mile took 14.04 seconds at 99.55 miles per hour. Price as tested was $3,858 on the fairly well-optioned test car (in addition to the limited slip rear and automatic, it had power front discs, power steering, styled steel wheels, and more), which is almost $34k in current dollars.

The one in the picture was photographed with a Hasselblad Lunar and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens outside of Trinidad, Colorado in October of 2016.

1970 Ford Thunderbird

1967 saw the launch of the fifth generation of Ford's Thunderbird. Having started out as a sporty two-seat convertible, it got plusher with the addition of a back seat in the second generation. With the launch of the Mustang pretty much taking over the sporty niche at Ford, the T-bird swelled up yet again, becoming almost Lincolnesque in its level of luxury appointments.

Unlike the previous unibody 4th gen cars, the new 'Birds were of body-on-frame construction. The convertible model was axed from the lineup, but you could now get a four-door version with some small rear-opening "suicide doors" to allow better access to the rear seat.

The 5th generation cars got a styling makeover that included a prominent beak-like protrusion in the center of the grille. Ad copy played up the luxe aspect, with sales brochures offering a glimpse inside "the rare and private Thunderbird world".

The only engine available was the 429 cubic inch Thunder Jet V-8 with a four-barrel carburetor and 10.5:1 compression ratio, conservatively rated at 360 gross horsepower. It was backed with a three-speed SelectShift Cruise-O-Matic.

This Wimbledon White coupe with added aftermarket stripes was photographed in rural southwest Washington state in June of 2015 using a Nikon Coolpix P7000.

1964 Chevrolet Corvair Monza Club Coupe

1964 was the last model year for the first generation Corvair. While its external styling was largely unchanged, there were significant differences beneath the sheet metal.

The Corvair Monza was the highest trim level, above the Corvair 700 and the bargain basement Corvair 500.

The Turbo-Air flat six that came standard in the Corvair Monza had the stroke increased to bring the air-cooled motor's displacement to 164 cubic inches from the previous year's 145. With an 8.25:1 compression ratio, the base motor put out 95 horsepower, nearly 20% bump from the previous year, while the optional motor had a hotter cam re-jetted carbs, and made 110 ponies. You could get three- or four-speed manual transaxles or a Powerglide auto.

A transverse leaf spring was added to the swingarm rear suspension, and a front anti-roll bar was now standard rather than optional.

Sales had continued to crater, and the introduction of the more conventional Chevy II/Nova in 1962 ate away at Corvair's market, and the launch of Ford's Mustang didn't help.

This Silver Blue Iridescent example was snapped with a Nikon Coolpix P7000 in Alliance, Ohio back in July of 2015. 

1972 Ford F-250 Custom

1972 was the last model year for this fifth generation of Ford's F-series trucks. They'd been released as 1967 models and got a mild styling refresh for '70, but the new sixth generation trucks were already waiting in the wings.

This one has a blacked-out '71 grille and aftermarket striping over its Grabber Blue paint.

The lone drinking straw exhaust outlet makes me suspect it has the base motor, a 4.9L (300 cid) inline six rated which had been rated at 165 SAE gross horsepower, but was now advertised as 119 net ponies.

It was photographed in February of 2026 using a Nikon 1 V1 and a 10-100mm f/4.5-5.6 VR zoom lens.

1988 Honda Civic DX

The fourth generation of Honda's Civic appeared on the US market as a 1988 model. It was available as a sedan, a five door wagon, or a three door hatchback like the Gothic Gray one in the photo.

While the sedans could be had in plusher EX and LX trim levels, the hatchbacks were only available in base trim or the slightly nicer DX, which is what this example is.

While the base car got a 70 horsepower version of Honda's 1.5L SOHC 16V fuel-injected inline four backed by a 4-speed manual, the DX could be had with either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed auto connected to the hotter D15B2 version of the same four-banger which was rated at 92 SAE net horses.

This wasn't a ton of power but, despite being larger than the previous third generation, the 4th Gen DX hatchback only weighed 1,933 pounds. Contemporary testing gave a zero-to-sixty time of 9.6 seconds and a quarter just a couple ticks over the seventeen second mark.

They're an uncommon enough sight these days that when I spotted this tatty example in a grocery store parking lot, I crossed the street to photograph it.

Original price for a Civic DX hatch was $7,985 in 1988 dollars, or $21,730 when adjusted for inflation.

This one was photographed using a Nikon 1 V3 and a 1 Nikkor 10-100mm f/4.5-5.6 zoom lens in February of 2026.

2009 Pontiac G8 GT

Pontiac imported the Holden Commodore sedan as a replacement for both the mid-size Grand Prix and the full-size Bonneville. Its V-8 powered GT version also filled the performance hole left by the long-departed Firebird and the more recent Holden Monaro-derived GTO reboot.

While the snarly styling was writing checks the basic V-6 powered G8 sedan couldn't cash, the 6.0L version of the LS V-8, dubbed the L76, put out 355 horses in the 2009 GT and gave reasonably spicy performance numbers. New catalytic converters had given the motor a haircut from its 2008 model year peak (361hp) but zero-to-sixty was still a 5.4-second proposition.

Alas, this 2009 Sport Red Metallic G8 sedan marked the end of the road for the G8 and for the Pontiac brand at General Motors. The financial crisis shuttered the Excitement Division once and for all.

This one was snapped with a Nikon 1 V3 and a 1 Nikkor 10-100mm f/4.5-5.6 VR zoom lens in February of 2026.

1986 Ford Thunderbird

The ninth generation of Ford's Thunderbird personal luxury coupe debuted for 1983 with eye-catching rounded lines that were a radical departure from the creased, angular "formal look" of the late '70s and presaged Ford's design direction for the remainder of the Eighties.

It shared its Fox platform underpinnings with not only the Mercury Cougar and Lincoln Mark VII personal luxury coupes, but also the sporty Mustang and Mercury Capri coupes.

Other than modest changes to the grille and taillamp treatments for 1985, the first four model years looked pretty much the same. This Oxford White coupe is identifiable as a 1986 model by having both the newer grille and lights as well as the presence of the CHMSL (Center High-Mounted Stop Lamp, aka the "third brake light") in the rear window.

It was available as the base coupe, the more luxurious élan, and the Turbo Coupe, with the former two having the 3.8L Essex V-6 as the base motor with an optional 5.0L V-8, while the performance-oriented Turbo Coupe had a non-intercooled 2.3L OHC turbo four rated at 155 SAE net horsepower.

While the 1986 Thunderbird V-8 had sequential EFI intake setup like the Mustang's, the more restrictive single exhaust and milder camshaft held the output down to a sedate 150 ponies.

The easiest way to distinguish between a base coupe and an élan is to look for cornering lamps, which this one does not have, but they did spring for the 14" styled steel road wheels.

The top photo was taken with a Nikon Df and 24-85mm f/2.8-4 zoom lens while the bottom two used a Nikon D300S and 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR II zoom lens, all in February of 2026.

1970 Plymouth 'Cuda

Plymouth's sporty Barracuda coupe got its start as a hasty response to Ford's Mustang, by slapping a slick glass fastback roofline on a two-door Valiant. In fact, it actually beat the original Pony Car to showroom floors, although that didn't stop the more stylish 'Stang from outselling it by better than five-to-one.

For 1967 the Barracuda got its own sheet metal, with graceful coke bottle lines.

It wasn't until the 1970 model year that it really came into its own, though. That marked the introduction of the E-body platform, shared with the new Challenger from Dodge.

The Plymouth E-body came in three flavors: The base Barracuda, the plusher Barracuda Gran Coupe, and the performance-oriented 'Cuda.

The base motor in the 'Cuda was the same 383 cubic inch big block as found in the Road Runner. With a 4-barrel carb, 9.5:1 compression, a hot cam, and dual exhausts, it turned premium gasoline into 335 SAE gross horsepower. You could take some weight off the nose by going with the 340 4-barrel small block, or opt for the 440 4-barrel, 440 Six-Pack, or 426 Hemi options, if you really liked buying tires frequently.

This 1970 'Cuda in the wild high impact color C7, "In Violet" (Dodge called the same color "Plum Crazy") was photographed in New Hampshire back in June of 2021 using a Canon EOS 5DS and an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens.

1992 Chevrolet Camaro RS

The whole concept behind the Pony Cars from Detroit was that they could be optioned across a wide spread of price and performance.

By the third generation of Chevrolet's Camaro, they no longer shared much in the way of mechanicals with any sedans, rear-wheel drive cars being seen as atavistic throwbacks by then, and the number of trim levels had dwindled, but they still could be had in flavors from mild to wild.

While the sportier Z28 got all the ink, the base RS version was the bread and butter of the lineup.

For '91 the Camaro got a light styling refresh, despite its successor already waiting in the wings. The RS got new ground effects and standard 15" alloy rims from the now-extinct IROC-Z.

Base motor was the port fuel injected corporate 3.1L pushrod V-6 making 140 SAE net horsepower, and it could be backed with a standard 5-speed manual or an optional 4-speed slushbox.

This Arctic White example is pretty well optioned. It has t-tops and the red cloth buckets with height-adjustable headrests were an extra cost option. Moreover, those five-spoke 16" alloy wheels were only available with the optional LO3 throttle-body injected 5.0L V-8, rated at 170 horsepower.

This one was photographed in September of 2021 using a Nikon D7000 and a 16-80mm f/2.8-4E zoom lens.