1978 Cadillac Coupe De Ville

1978 marked the second model year of the newly-downsized Cadillac Coupe DeVille. While being nineteen inches shorter than the previous generation, it was still a large car, riding on a 121.5" wheelbase and weighing 4,270 pounds, all gassed up and ready to go.

Under the hood was Cadillac's 7.0 litre pushrod 425 V-8. Available as the in the same carbureted L33 configuration as the previous year, with a Rochester Quadrajet carb, 8.2:1 compression, and 180 SAE net horsepower, or the new port fuel injected L35, which bumped output to 195 ponies. The only transmission available was a 3-speed THM 400.

This Basil Green Firemist '78 Coupe DeVille sports a Light Beige vinyl landau roof and aftermarket bling in the form of a gold grille and a faux Rolls radiator shell.

When Car and Driver tested a '78 model with the L33 carbureted engine, they managed a zero-to-sixty time of 10.6 seconds and an 18.2 quarter mile at 79 mph. With the California-spec 2.73:1 rear end, the test car topped out at 108 miles per hour, and it took 207 feet to stop from 70.

Fully optioned, the test car's price ballooned from the $10,444 base to what was then an eye-popping $13,375 (it would have been another $744 if you wanted the fuel injection.) That price tag comes to over sixty-five grand in today's money.

This one was photographed with a Nikon D700 and a 35-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens in July of 2020.

2015 Porsche 911 Turbo S

The seventh iteration of Porsche's wild-eyed turbo supercar, the blown version of the 991 debuted in 2013. The 991 was only the third entirely new chassis for the classic roly-poly 911 and it was the most civilized yet by far. With all-wheel drive and four wheel steering and a much evolved suspension, the Turbo S had come a long way from the snap-oversteering ditch seeking missile that was the original Seventies turbocharged 911.

Stuffed in the ass end of the car was a twin-turbo 3.8L flat six belting out 560 horsepower, sent to all four 20-inch wheels via a 7-speed PDK dual clutch transmission.

Car and Driver hustled their 2015 Porsche 911 Turbo S test car to sixty in a mere 2.5 seconds and rocketed through the quarter in 10.3 seconds at 130 miles per hour; these would have been credible literbike numbers when I was a teen. Almost as impressively, it circled the skidpad at 1.07g. You'd want to keep a lid on your Frappuccino lest you poured your Starbucks horizontally onto the passenger window while cornering hard.

All this eyeball-flattening fun came at an as-tested price of $195,175, or about $261,600 in 2025 dollars.

The one in the photo, which is in Agate Gray Metallic, I believe, was snapped in October of 2023 with a Nikon D800 and 24-120mm f/4 VR zoom lens.

1970 Cadillac Coupe De Ville

We've seen a convertible 1970 Cadillac Coupe De Ville on these pages before, but here's a hardtop coupe. Eye-catching as the color on this example is, it's not a factory shade, despite the rest of the bodywork being extremely factory.

The factory motor would have been the Cadillac 472 cubic inch V-8, rated at 375 SAE gross horsepower.

This one was photographed with a Nikon D800 and a 24-120mm f/4 VR zoom lens in May of 2022.

1982 Jeep Scrambler CJ-8

Long before the Gladiator, Jeep offered a pickup version of their keystone off-roader in the form of the Scrambler.

Essentially a CJ-7 with the wheelbase given a ten inch stretch to 103.5" and a removable fiberglass half-cab fitted, the CJ-8 debuted in 1981 as an '82 model.

Billed as "America's import pickup fighter" by the manufacturer, the 1982 Scrambler could be had in regular, SR Sport, and SL Sport versions. 

The base motor was the 151 cubic inch OHV "Iron Duke" inline four cylinder, sourced from GM, and rated at 84 SAE net horsepower. Buyers could opt for the AMC 258 cube inline six, which bumped power output to 98 horsepower. The standard transmission was a 4-speed manual, with a 5-speed manual or a 3-speed automatic with locking torque converter optional.

The Sun Yellow one in the photos is obviously well-loved and cared for.

The top photo was taken with a Nikon D2X and 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 VR zoom lens in August of 2021, while the lower photo was snapped in October of the same year, using a Nikon D800 and 24-120mm f/4 VR zoom lens.

1969 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

The second year of Chevy's third generation sports car, the '69 Corvette Stingray could be had with either a big block or small block Chevrolet V-8. We've already seen a big block Le Mans Blue coupe on these pages, identifiable by the bulging domed hood.

The lack of said hood bulge indicates that this Can-Am White hardtop coupe, rolling up College Avenue with its t-tops removed, has either the base 300 horsepower Turbo-Fire 350 small block V-8 or the optional L48 Turbo-Fire 350 that was rated at 350 SAE gross horsepower. The 350 cubic inch small block was new for the 1969 model year, replacing the 327 cube small block from the previous year.

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

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.

Pretty cool seeing a half-century old pickup truck still out putting in a day's work.

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.

1972 Chevrolet Chevelle SS Convertible

1972 was the final model year for the second generation of the Chevrolet Chevelle. As was still Detroit practice at the time, it could be told apart from the previous year's model by subtle differences, in this case the grille and front turn signal/side marker light assemblies are the tells.

You could get your '72 in regular Chevelle, Malibu, Heavy Chevy, and SS trim levels. The latter two were performance-oriented, with the Heavy Chevy being a more spartan car that was only available as a hardtop coupe, while the SS had more plush, Malibu-type accoutrements like the remote control driver's side mirror and could be had as a coupe or convertible.

Is this Mohave Gold one actually an SS, or has someone just badged a regular Malibu ragtop up as one? Only the VIN knows for sure, but it's a cool looking ride either way.

The 1972 model year was right at the precipice of the Malaise Era abyss. GM had already dropped compression ratios to allow all motors to operate on regular gas, and horsepower outputs were now given in SAE net, rather than gross, terms. The base engine in the SS was the two-barrel L65 Turbo-Fire 350 V-8 rated at 165 SAE net horsepower. The optional small block was the L48 Turbo-Fire 350 V-8 with a four-barrel carb and 175 horsepower.

Two Turbo-Jet big block V-8s were on the menu as well: The LS3 400, making 240 ponies, or the brawny LS5 454, which still put out 290 horses. The 454 was exclusive to the SS model, while the other motors could be had in lesser Chevelles.

All the V-8 motors could be had with a 3- or 4-speed manual or the 3-speed Turbo-Hydramatic auto, except the 454 which could only be had with the 4-speed or automatic.

The one in the picture was snapped with a Canon EOS-1D Mark III and EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens in August of 2022.

1951 Ford Custom Deluxe Victoria

Top of the line in Ford coupes for 1951 was the Victoria hardtop, with its distinctive stainless trim panels on the graceful C-pillars.

This was the third model year for the all-new "shoebox" postwar Ford body design, with its modern, integrated fenders.

Riding on a 114" wheelbase and weighing 3,370 pounds, the full-size Ford coupes were about 16½ feet long. On the Victoria, the base (and only) engine was Ford's 249 cubic inch flathead V-8 with a two-barrel carb, rated at 100 SAE gross horsepower. Buyers could opt for a three-speed manual (with an optional automatic fourth, overdrive gear available) or the three-speed Ford-O-Matic gearbox.

Visible on the Alpine Blue coupe in the photo are the stainless steel gravel guards on the front fenders behind the wheel wells, which were dealer-installed options.

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

1969 Pontiac Catalina Convertible

The third generation of the Catalina, along with the other full-size Pontiacs, had launched in 1965. For 1968 they received a mid-cycle refresh, going from stacked quad headlamps to a sleeker side-by-side headlight arrangement, but retaining the coke-bottle flanks of the previous years.

The Catalina was the bottom rung of the full-size Pontiac ladder. The rung above it was split between the sportier Ventura and the posher Executive (née the Star Chief Executive), and the Bonneville and Bonneville Brougham sat at the summit. 

The standard engine was a 290hp Pontiac 400 V-8 with a two-barrel carb and a 10.5:1 compression ratio. A 265hp 400 with an 8.6:1 compression ratio that could turn regular fuel was a no-cost option. There was an optional 428 large-journal V-8 making 360 horsepower, but the pair of tailpipes on this Antique Gold example would indicate that it has sportiest Catalina motor on offer: The 428 V-8 with an unsilenced air cleaner, low back pressure duals, and a 10.75:1 compression ratio that belted out 390 SAE gross horsepower.

The quickest way to tell the ‘68 full-size Ponchos from the very similar 1968 models is that the chrome front bumper on the 1969 cars had a vertical body-colored “Endura” insert in the center of the chrome beak dividing the grille.

This one was snapped with a Nikon Coolpix P7000 in August of 2015.

1952 Bentley Mark VI

Launched in 1946, the Bentley Mark VI standard steel sports saloon represented a number of firsts for the company, as their first postwar luxury car, their first car with all-steel coachwork, and the first Bentley assembled entirely, from the bottom of the tires to the top of the roof, at the Rolls-Royce plant in Crewe.

 

Riding on a 120" wheelbase and weighing a bit over two tons, the Mark VI was initially powered by a 4.3L "F-head" engine, in which the intake valve was in the cylinder head, but the exhaust exited a sidevalve in the block.

In 1951 this motor was bored out to give a displacement of 4.5L. With a 6.4:1 compression ratio, a brace of SU carburetors, and dual exhausts, it put out... well, the manufacturer famously never reported horsepower as anything but "adequate".

A contemporary road test in The Autocar of a 4.5L car comparable to the 1952 model seen in the photos returned a zero-to-sixty acceleration of 15.2 seconds and a top speed of 100 miles per hour.

   

This one was photographed with a Panasonic GM1 and an M. Zuiko Digital 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens in July of 2019.

2003 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible 50th Anniversary Edition

In 2003 the fifth generation of the Chevrolet Corvette was getting long in the tooth, being on its eighth model year. But it was a special year because it was the fiftieth birthday of Chevy's fiberglass two-seat sports car.

Every 2003 'Vette got special 50th Anniversary badging but buyers could opt for a special 50th Anniversary commemorative package and over 11,600 of them did.

Those fans got the lustrous metallic Anniversary Red paint job and the Shale interior which even covered the dash, the first C5 with anything other than a black dash.

Mechanically, the 50th Anniversary models were like any regular '03 Corvette, with a 5.7L pushrod LS1 V-8 pumping out 350 SAE net horsepower through either a Borg-Warner T56 six-speed manual or a GM 4L60E four-speed slushbox.

Motor Week recorded a 4.9 second zero-to-sixty dash and a 13.4 second quarter at 106mph from their test convertible, which had a base sticker price of $55,745, the equivalent of about $96,242 in today's money.

The one in the photo was snapped in September of 2023 using a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens.

1998 Chevrolet Camaro SS

The fourth generation of Chevrolet's Camaro debuted for the 1994 model year on a heavily-evolved version of the third gen F-body platform. The driveline tunnel was big enough to accommodate a proper Borg-Warner T56 six-speed manual, so the 5.7L V-8 was no longer limited to an automatic transmission. The repackaging involved relocating the catalytic converter, which now lurked under a large lump in the front passenger footwell.

Unlike the previous generations where a certain amount of fiddling with the option sheet could get you an extra fun version of the Sport Coupe or RS, the new Camaros came as the base model with only the V6 available (there was an RS appearance package, still), or the 5.7L-only Z28, with the 302 small block having exited the lineup.

For 1998 the Camaro got a mid-cycle refresh. The new snout was less pointy, had a more prominent grille, and swapped the deeply inset quad rectangular headlamps with more flush ovoid composite assemblies.

The base Camaro coupe or convertible had the GM corporate 3800 V-6, rated at 200 SAE net horsepower. The RS badge was gone. The '98 Z28 replaced the previous year's 285hp 5.7L LT1 V-8, a direct lineal descendant of the small blocks that had powered the first Camaros thirty years earlier, with the new all-aluminum 5.7L LS1, which was a whole new OHV V-8 that was rated at 305hp.

For the gnarliest Camaro in '98, Z28 buyers could opt for the SS performance/appearance package. It came with 17" wheels and tires, suspension upgrades, and an LS1 whose output was bumped to 320 horsepower by, among other things, a functional cold-air induction hood, like on the Navy Blue Metallic car in the photo.

When Car and Driver included a six-speed '98 SS in a group 0-150-0 test, it managed that feat in 43.7 seconds, actually edging out a contemporary 911 Carrera. It ran zero-to-sixty in 4.9 seconds and put away the quarter in 13.5 seconds at 107mph. Not bad for a car that was under thirty grand; C/D's as-tested price was $27,141, or just short of $53k in today's money.

The one in the photo was caught with a Nikon D800 and 24-120mm f/4 VR zoom lens in October of 2022.

1978 Ford Granada

The original idea for the Ford Granada was a "luxury compact" that would be available in every trim level from spartan to fairly plush. Size and styling wise, they were aiming at the Mercedes-Benz 280SE, but were intended to replace the Maverick as the compact in the Ford lineup.

The '73 Oil Crisis and the general economic slump that followed caused the Maverick to stay in the catalog for a couple years longer as an economy option while the Granada debuted as a 1975 model that was advertised a sort of pocket-sized, more fuel efficient alternative to an LTD or Elite.

The price was held down by the fact that they used the same Falcon-derived chassis that underpinned the first generation Mustang as well as the Maverick. Riding on a 109.9" wheelbase and with a leaf-sprung live rear axle, the original '75 Granada could be had with a range of engines from the standard 200 cid inline six, the bigger 250 six, or the 302 or 351 Windsor V-8s.

For '78 the Granada's snout got a revised grille and the round sealed beam headlights were replaced with rectangular ones atop amber turn signals, as can be seen on the Light Blue sedan with optional Midnight Blue vinyl roof in the picture, giving a familial resemblance to the then-current LTD.

By this time, the engine choices had dwindled to the base 250 cubic inch OHV inline six with a 1-barrel carburetor and DuraSpark ignition making 97 SAE net horsepower, or the two-barrel 302 Windsor V-8 rated at 133 horses. Either could be had with a 4-spd manual or SelectShift three-speed slushbox.

Road & Track tested a 1975 Granada sedan with the 302 and automatic and noted a zero-to-sixty time of 12.0 seconds and an 18.7 second quarter mile at 73 mph. The car topped out at 101 miles per hour, circled a skidpad at 0.668g and stopped from sixty in 172 feet.

The one in the photo was snapped with a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens in June of 2023.

2002 BMW M3

The first BMW M3 debuted in the latter Eighties as a homologation special for touring car racing based on the E30 3-series coupes, powered by a gnarly DOHC 2.3L 4-banger.

The second generation, based on the E36, upped to an inline six and added a sedan version, the latter to supposedly cover a gap in the generations of M5 sedans.

The E46 third generation, like the Alpine White example in the photo, returned to being offered only as a coupe. Debuting as an '01 model, it was the first version where the US market and Euro cars used the same engine (although the NA imports were still down a couple ponies, 333 vs. 338, to their overseas counterparts.)

Car and Driver tested a 2001 sample and managed a 4.5 second sprint to sixty and a 13.1 second quarter at 107 miles per hour through the traps. On the skidpad it displayed 0.87g roadholding and stopped from seventy in a mere 160 feet. Just ten years earlier those were the sort of acceleration numbers returned by Vipers and 911 Turbos.

This one was photographed in May of 2021 using a Nikon D5000 and 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR II zoom lens.

2008 Volkswagen Rabbit

When Volkswagen introduced the facelift Golf Mk V to the U.S. market as a 2006 model, they inexplicably revived the Rabbit name that had originally been dumped with the introduction of the second generation back in the mid-1980s

It was available as a 3-door or 5-door hatchback and was powered by the company's 2.5L 20V inline-five, originally making 150bhp but bumped to 170 SAE net horses for the 2008 model year. A five-speed manual was standard with a six-speed Tiptronic optional.

This Tornado Red 5-door is fairly basic, with the 15" stamped steel wheels and plastic covers.

When Car and Driver tested a 2008 3-door with the manual transmission, it came in first place in an eight-car comparison test of cheap rides. It notched a 7.6 second zero-to-sixty time and a sixteen flat quarter at 88mph, circling the skidpad at 0.81g. The as-tested price was $16,435, which is about $24k in today's dough.

It was photographed with a Canon EOS M and EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens in May of 2019.

2018 Maserati GranTurismo Convertible MC

The end of the road for the first generation M145 Maserati GranTurismo came after the 2019 model year. The 2+2 GT coupes were based on a shortened version of the M139 platform that underpinned the company's Quattroporte sedans.

The GranTurismo was offered in regular and convertible form here (the latter was called the GranCabrio elsewhere) and in regular Sport or MC trim. The MC, like the Blu Sofisticato one in the photo, was festooned with scoops and vents and spoilers and carbon fiber accents for the full aggro vibe.

Under the hood was Maserati's Ferrari-derived F136Y 4.7L DOHC 32V V-8, backed with a ZF six-speed automatic. The 454-horse motor was enough to push the GranTurismo convertible MC to sixty in a hair under five seconds and to a claimed top speed of 181 miles per hour, only a few MPH slower than Joe Walsh's.

The one in the picture was snapped with a Canon EOS M and EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens in May of 2019.

1998 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible Indy 500 Pace Car

For the 82nd running of the Indianapolis 500, the 1998 Chevrolet Corvette convertible was chosen as the official pace car, the fourth 'Vette to receive the honor.

The 1,158 Official Pace Car replicas were mechanically pretty much identical to the actual cars that paced the race, save for the light bar and the slightly freer-flowing intake on the track cars.

Painted a special Radar Blue color with yellow/white/purple decals, they had an eye-popping yellow and black leather interior and yellow five-spoke alloy wheels.

Under the hood was the 345 horsepower 5.7L pushrod LS1 V-8. (While the metric displacement was the same, the LS small blocks that had debuted in 1997 actually displaced 346 cubic inches and were a clean sheet of paper design not related to the small blocks that had been powering previous 'Vettes going back to the mid 1950s.)

When Car and Driver tested the new C5 1997 Corvette in hardtop coupe form, they got a zero-to-sixty time of 4.9 seconds and smoked the quarter in 13.4 seconds at 108 miles per hour. These would have been numbers associated with Italian exotica only a few years prior.

Base price of a '98 droptop 'Vette was $44,425, and the Pace Car package (which included a generous helping of luxury options as well as the eye-catching cosmetics) added $5,039 with an automatic or $5,802 for the six-speed manual. An interesting side note is that these were the first Corvette pace cars which had the livery applied at the factory rather than the dealer.

The one in the photo was snapped with a Canon EOS M and EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS in May of 2019.

1990 Plymouth Sundance

Launched in 1987, the Dodge Shadow & Plymouth Sundance twins were compacts built on what Chrysler called the P-car platform. Basically a shortened K-car that shared suspension components and wheelbase length with the Daytona/Laser sport coupes.

The P-cars were originally intended to replace the Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon hattchbacks, which were derived from a Simca/Talbot design and which had been the entry-level Mopars since the late Seventies, but an increasingly competitive knife fight in the segment caused the Omni & Horizon to soldier on for a few more years while the Shadow/Sundance were initially slotted in above them.

The flush composite headlamps on this Sundance tell us it's an '89 or later model, and the lack of fog lamps tell us it's not an RS while the presence of body-side moldings tell us it's not the entry-level Sundance America, the loss-leader model that showed up in '91 upon the discontinuation of the Horizon.

The standard powerplant for the Sundance Highline would have been Chrysler's trusty 93 horsepower EFI 2.2L, and the buyer could opt for the EFI 2.5L, which had a longer stroke, dual counterrotating balance shafts, and 100 SAE net horsepower. Either motor could be had with a 3-speed auto or 5-speed manual gearbox.

The bright yellow color is from an aftermarket overspray, and the plastic wheel covers on the stamped 14" rims are also from the local Autozone, so the car's exact year is difficult to determine.

It was photographed in August of 2022 using a Nikon D300S and an 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G zoom lens.

2000 Acura 3.2 TL

For 1996, Acura joined Infiniti and Lexus by relabeling their model lines from having names to a more Euro-sounding alphanumeric soup, and the Accord-derived Acura Vigor became the TL.

1999 saw the second generation of the TL make its debut. Gone was the 2.5 TL, which had been powered by an inline-five, leaving only the V-6 powered 3.2 TL on the U.S. market.

The chassis was entirely new, replacing the earlier longitudinal FWD setup with a more conventional transverse one. In that engine bay was a J32A1 3.2L SOHC 24V V-6 with a 9.8:1 compression ratio and VTEC variable valve timing that delivered 225 SAE net horsepower, a 25 pony bump over the C32A in the previous version. The only transmission available was a 5-speed automatic.

Car and Driver tested a '99 3.2 TL and got a zero-to-sixty time of 7.4 seconds, and generally gave the car high marks in everything but its styling, which was dinged for being too close to its plebeian Accord sister. It placed first in a nine-car field of $30k-ish entry level luxo sedans that included such notables as the Volvo S70GLT and Lexus ES300.

The Satin Silver Metallic one in the picture was snapped in February of 2025 using a Nikon D300S and an 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR II zoom lens.

1973 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible

1973 was the third model year for the Eldorado's ninth generation. It was also the first model year that the Eldo was formally separated out of the Fleetwood series to become its own model.

It gained the clunky new mandatory five mile per hour front bumper and lost the faux intake vents from the rear fenders that the '71-'72 models had sported. The hood was flatter and the grille was now a huge egg crate-styled expanse between the quad headlamps.

The 8.2L V-8 carried over from the previous model year, still rated at 235 SAE net horsepower, as the real Malaise Era haircut wouldn't start until the '74s debuted.

Variable ratio power steering was, of course, standard and you could get optional steel-belted radials from the factory.

This Cotillion White '73 ragtop rides on a 126.3" wheelbase, casts a shadow 222" long, and has a curb weight of 5130 road-hugging pounds.

It was photographed with a Nikon D300S and 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR II zoom lens in June of 2022.

1979 Ford Ranchero 500

Although the El Camino is the better known of the two, it was actually introduced in the 1959 model year as a response to the Ford Ranchero, which had been on the market since 1957. The Rancher started out as basically a full-size "sedan delivery"-style two-door Ford wagon with an open truck bed where the wagon's enclosed cargo bay would normally be.

From 1960 to 1965 the Ranchero name was moved to an open-bed version of the Ford Falcon, before returning to the midsize Fairlane for 1966. It stayed married to the midsize Ford as that moved from Fairlane to Torino in '68 and finally to the LTD II for the seventh generation of the Ranchero in 1977.

Thanks to its LTD II genetics, it had a formal snout with an upright grille and stacked rectangular quad headlamps.

The two-tone Light Medium Blue over Midnight Blue Metallic paint marks this as a Ranchero 500, which was the base version for 1979. You could also get the Ranchero Squire, with faux wood paneling like a station wagon, and the Ranchero GT with flashy decal stripes. The original buyer also sprung for the dual sport mirrors in their aero housings, rather than the standard single side mirror.

Under the hood would be a two-barrel 302 or 351M V-8, producing 133 and 151 SAE net horsepower, respectively. The only transmission available was Ford's FMX 3-speed automatic.

While its arch rival, the El Camino, would continue on into the 1980s, the end of the road for the Ranchero came at the end of the '79 model year.

This one was photographed in April of 2015 using a Nikon Coolpix P7000. It had 30,000 one-owner miles and was for sale for $4,500. The original base price in 1979 was $5,866, or the equivalent of $25,345 in constant dollars.

1976 Chevrolet El Camino Classic

For the 1976 model year, the higher-end El Camino Classic got the stacked quad rectangular headlights like the Chevelle and Monte Carlo. The Classic also had a crosshatched mesh grille rather than the plain plastic rectangular grille of the base model, which also retained the plain dual round headlights from the previous year.

The one in the picture has the Conquista trim package, which came with two-tone paint...in this case Firethorn over Mahogany...divided by bright chrome molding on the sides. This one also has the optional 15" Rally wheels.

The 250cid OHV 105 horsepower inline six was the base motor. Optional engines were the 140hp 2-barrel 305, the trusty 350 in either two- or four-barrel form, and the top-of-the-line 400 small block, now only rated at 175 horses.

This one was photographed with a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens in October of 2022.

1993 Cadillac Allanté

Cadillac's Allanté debuted for the 1987 model year as a two-seat convertible intended to do battle with cars like the Mercedes-Benz SL class and the Jaguar XJ-SC cabrio. With the fall from glory Detroit had suffered during the Malaise Era, an ultra-luxe droptop coupe from Caddy in the mid-'80s was a bold move.

The body was crisply styled by Pininfarina and built by them in a special facility just outside Turin before being loaded, 56 Allanté chassis at a time, on Boeing 747 cargo planes and flown to Detroit to have the powertrain installed and final assembly performed.

The car struggled with legitimacy at first. It was competing with traditional rear wheel drive open-top grand tourers, but doing so on a new V-body chassis that, while it was unique to the Allanté, was still a stretched GM FWD E-body at heart.

Further, the powerplant at launch in '87 was the HT-4100 Caddy V-8. This was a compact OHV mill that had been introduced five years previous as a lightweight replacement for the old Cadillac big iron under the hoods of new downsized FWD cars. The version in the Allanté had an upgraded block, a hotter cam, and multiport fuel injection, but it was still a small pushrod V-8 making 170hp, as opposed to the 5.3L DOHC V-12 in the Jag and the 5.6L SOHC V-8 in the R107 SL Benz. The base price, at just short of fifty-five grand, undercut the other two, but that's not very prestigious.

Improvements were made over the years and the 1993 Allanté debuted with Cadillac's all-new flagship powerplant, the Northstar V-8. The 4.6L L37 Northstar was a fully modern DOHC 32V aluminum V-8 with variable valve timing and multiport EFI, putting out 290 SAE net horsepower, which was a respectable total for 1993.

Car and Driver published a three-way test of the new Northstar-powered Allanté against the Jaguar XJS convertible and the Mercedes-Benz 300SL and the Caddy handily showed its taillights to the spendier competition. Sixty miles per hour arrived in 6.3 seconds and the quarter mile flashed past in 14.8 seconds at 95 miles per hour. Top speed was 144 mph and it even managed 0.77g on the skidpad.

At the time, these were acceleration numbers more normally associated with Camaro Z-28s and Mustang GTs rather than plushbottom Country Club Taxis.

Alas, the model year of this Black example is easy to place, because while '93 was the first year for the Northstar, it was the last year for the Allanté. Sales had never been stellar, and the transatlantic flight didn't exactly help with the profit margins on the now-$65k car (about $141k in today's money.) Even for a halo car, a manufacturer can only take so much of a haircut for so long.

1993 was the best year for Allanté sales, accounting for 4,670 cars out of the 21,430 total sold, and 329 of those were Black, like this one. It was photographed in June of 2015 using a Nikon Coolpix P7000.