1989 Jaguar XJ-S Convertible

The XJ-S grand touring coupe, which launched in '75 to replace the XK-E, didn't get a convertible version until '83, and even then it was only sort of a quasi-convertible. The XJ-SC had a targa bar and longitudinal rails above the side windows, so that even with the windows down and soft top rolled all the way back, it wasn't much more of a convertible than a Citroen 2CV.

If you wanted a full convertible, the aftermarket firm Hess & Eisenhardt, better known for armored limousine conversions, fabricated a couple thousand for Jaguar in the mid-'80s. They were spendy because the conversion process was so involved, basically disassembling the car to weld in support structures and replacing the single large fuel tank with a pair of smaller ones with the well for the retracted top between them.

It wasn't until the '88 model year that a full convertible became available straight from the factory, with an engineering assist from German coachbuilding firm Karmann. Like the "basket-roof" XJ-SC and the Hess & Eisenhardt conversions, the folding factory convertible top cost the car its rear seats.

The quad round headlamps on this Solent Blue Metallic car tell us it's a 1988-1990 model, before the XJ-S got a facelift and lost its hyphen. Under the hood...or bonnet, as the Brits call it...would be the 326 cubic inch...or 5.3 Litre, as the Brits call it...SOHC fuel-injected H.E. V-12 that had powered the coupes since 1981, backed with a three-speed automatic transmission. By '89 it was making 262 SAE net horsepower, which had to deal with 4,184 pounds of big cat.

When Car and Driver put an '88 droptop XJ-S through its paces, it laid down an 8.1 second zero-to-sixty run and a 16.2 quarter at 90mph on the way to a top speed of 141. Price as tested was $56,300, or a bit over $151k in today's dough.

This one was photographed in May of 2023 using an Olympus E-5 and a Panasonic Leica D Vario-Elmar 14-150mm F3.5-5.6 Asph zoom lens. 

1965 Chrysler 300L

The "letter series" Chrysler 300 began as a high performance coupe spinoff of the New Yorker in the mid 1950s. From the 1962 model year on, the 300 badge was used as a line of sporty coupes and sedans from Chrysler with the letter series continuing as a limited production performance version. Sometimes called "The Banker's Hot Rod", the letter series Chrysler 300s were expensive, exclusive, and had explosive performance by the standards of the day.

The 1965 model year saw all the Chryslers get a serious restyling, and the 300 was no exception. Period ad copy described the 300 as "The sports-bred Chrysler. A brawling, hustling brute of a car with a heritage ten years deep."

The Formal Black '65 300L in the photos represents the last of the letter series cars, since plans for a '66 300M never materialized.

The 300L came with bucket seats split by a center console and a heap of luxury options as standard equipment.

For 1965 the only engine option was the 413 cubic inch "Golden Lion" Chrysler V8 with a single 4bbl, 10.1:1 compression, and dual exhaust, rated at 360 SAE gross bhp. The standard transmission was a 3-speed Torqueflite automatic, and the Hurst-shifted 4-speed manual, like the one in this car, was a no-cost option. The cars came with a 3.23:1 final drive ratio standard.

Only 2,845 examples of the Chrysler 300L were produced for '65, and only 108 had the four-speed transmission, making the car in the picture a rarity among rarities.

Motor Trend tested a 300L with the automatic and recorded an 8.8 second zero-to-sixty run and a 17.3 quarter mile at 82 miles per hour. Top speed was noted at 106 and the 4-wheel power drum brakes took 176 feet to haul the 4,660 pound test car to a stop from sixty. Price as tested was $5,931, or just short of sixty grand in today's money.

This one was snapped with an Olympus E-5 and a Zuiko Digital 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 II zoom lens in October of 2022.

1986 Toyota Land Cruiser

The FJ60 generation of the Toyota Land Cruiser introduced for the '80s had a more civilized interior than its FJ50-series predecessors. Niceties such as a tilt steering wheel and intermittent wipers were standard and you could even get air conditioning.

It still had the rugged ladder frame with enclosed box-section frame rails and 4-wheel drive with a standard four-speed manual transmission and two-speed transfer case.

Power was provided by the carbureted 4.2L 2F overhead valve inline six. Output was a mere 125 SAE net horsepower at 3600 rpm, mostly because the compression ratio was only 7.8:1, the better to be able to run on whatever garbage gasoline was available when you were safariing way out past where Jesus left His sandals.

MotorWeek got an '89 model to sixty in 14.2 seconds and managed the quarter in just under twenty, but nobody buys these things to drag race.

This Blue one was photographed with a Canon EOS 7D and EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS zoom lens in April of 2023.

1972 Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 4.5

The W108/W109 full-size Mercedes sedans were wrapping up a successful run in 1972. Introduced for 1965 and receiving a mid-cycle refresh in '67, they were as responsible as any other model for establishing the brand's status as the sedan for the well-heeled and discerning buyer.

Initially the long wheelbase W109 300SEL sedans came with the M189 SOHC 3.0L inline six, but later a buyer could opt for one of two V-8s. First came the limited production 300SEL 6.3, with the M110 SOHC 6.3L V-8 from the company's limos shoehorned into the engine bay, and then in 1969 the regular production 300SEL 3.5 sported the M116 SOHC 3.5L V-8.

For the 1972 model year, the specter of emissions regulations and regular unleaded fuel was hanging over the U.S. market, complete with the requisite reduction in compression ratios.

In response, Mercedes compensated for the compression ratio being reduced from 9.5:1 to 8.0:1 by increasing the engine's stroke 19.2mm, bringing the displacement up to 4.5L. The resulting W109 300SEL 4.5 was a one-year only offering in the US for 1972.

This example was photographed in August of 2020 using a Canon EOS 5D Mark II and an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens.

1969 Ford Mustang GT Convertible

The second restyling of the first generation Ford Mustang, the 1969 model saw the wheelbase remain the same but the overall length increase by nearly four inches. The sides now bulged outward and the styling displayed more muscular looking haunches. The front end was more aggro-looking, with quad headlamps, the inboard pair set in the grille.

Front and rear spoilers were now options, as was a shaker hood scoop on the more potent optional V-8s.

This GT convertible in Candy Apple Red would have come with a two-barrel 351 Windsor V-8 with a single exhaust as the standard engine, rated at 250 gross horsepower. The next option up was a 351 Windsor with a four-barrel carb, dual exhausts, and a 10.7:1 compression ratio requiring premium gas. Judging by the hood badge and exhaust setup, this 290-horse motor is what was under the hood of this one.

There were three big blocks on offer, as well. The 390 FE motor with 320 horsepower was the smallest, and then there were two 428's in the catalog: The 428 FE, which made 335 horsepower, and then the 428 Cobra Jet Ram-Air motor which...supposedly also only made 335 horsepower.

1969 saw the introduction of the Mach I Mustang as well, which outsold the GT by a twelve-to-one ratio, leading to the latter being dropped in the middle of the model year after only 5,396 were sold.

The one in the picture was photographed with a Canon EOS 7D and EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS zoom lens in September of 2023.

1969 Buick Electra 225 Limited

The third generation Buick Electras got a pretty serious refresh for the 1969 model year, receiving crisper body lines along the flanks and a more prominent "Sweepspear" styling line.

The Electra 225 was available in the regular, Custom, and Limited trim levels, in increasing levels of opulence.

The 430 cubic inch V-8 that had debuted in the '67 model continued as the sole powerplant option for the Electra. For 1969 it sported a premium-fuel-only 10.25:1 compression ratio, 4-barrel carburetor, single or optional dual exhausts, and an output of 360 SAE gross horsepower. The only transmission available was the TH-400 three-speed automatic.

This Twilight Blue hardtop coupe would have come with a bench front seat with fold-down armrest in either vinyl or cloth, power steering, and finned brake drums at each corner.

This one was photographed in September of 2023, using a Nikon D300S and 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom lens.

1987 Cadillac Brougham D'Elegance

When Cadillac moved the Fleetwood name to a front-wheel drive platform in 1985, they continued producing the old rear-wheel drive body-on-frame car as the Fleetwood Brougham. After a couple of confusing model years at Caddy dealerships where unrelated Fleetwoods and Fleetwood Broughams were sold side-by-side, they ended the confusion by dropping the Fleetwood part of the name from the older car.

The 1987 Brougham in the picture, finished in Chestnut with a Buckskin vinyl roof, has the ultra-luxe D'Elegance package, with such niceties as rear seat reading lamps.

Standard equipment under the hood would be a Oldsmobile-sourced 5.0L V-8 with a four-barrel Quadrajet carburetor. This 307 cubic inch engine sent 140 SAE net horsepower to the rear wheels via a 4-speed automatic transmission.

Like the other big RWD full-size cars from GM, these things soldiered in the catalog long after they were intended to be axed because sales stayed strong and the tooling was long amortized, so they were pure profit centers as long as they remained popular. A friend's mom in high school bought one after getting rear ended while riding with a friend. After that experience she no longer wanted to drive her Fiat Spider 2000 and went shopping for the biggest slab of sheet metal she could find.

This one was photographed with a Canon EOS 40D and an EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens in April of 2023.