1986 Ford Mustang GT Convertible

When the Mustang II launched in 1974 it could be had as a notchback coupe or a three-door hatchback with a sleek fastback roofline. What was missing from Ford's pony paddock for the first time since the debut of the first 1964½ 'Stangs was a convertible.

It wasn't until the fifth model year of the third generation "Fox body" Mustangs that the convertible made its return after a decade-long hiatus. For 1985, the Mustang got a newer, more aerodynamic nose, with a little mailbox slot in the fascia replacing the eggcrate grille but retaining the inset quad headlamps because the government was dragging their feet about approving modern composition headlamps.

In 1986, the droptop model was available in both LX and GT trim levels, like this Oxford White example. (Only distinguishable from the '85 by the third brake light integrated into the standard decklid-mounted luggage rack.) Under the hood, the new standard motor for the GT was the trusty 5.0L "Windsor" 302cid pushrod V-8, now featuring sequential fuel injection and rated at 200 SAE net horsepower, backed with a 5-speed Borg-Warner transmission.

Car and Driver tested an '86 LX 2-door coupe with the EFI 5.0 motor and the five-speed gearbox and and it returned a zero-to-sixty time of 6.2 seconds, only a tenth of a second slower than the 5.7L IROC-Z Camaro in the same test, although the gap opened to four tenths in the quarter, with the 'Stang's 14.9 second E.T., and the Camaro's better aero and bigger motor paid off the most on the top end, where it exceeded the LX's 132mph top speed by an even ten miles per hour.

The convertible in the pictures here would be a couple hundred pounds heavier than that LX coupe, so adjust expectations accordingly.

It was photographed in June of 2025 using a Canon EOS R and an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens. 

1995 Buick Roadmaster Estate Limited

For the 1991 model year, General Motors heavily redesigned the full-size body-on-frame rear wheel drive B-platform that underpinned the Chevrolet Caprice and (in a longer wheelbase form) the Cadillac Brougham. The previous version had been around since the 1977 model year and was getting long in the tooth, stylistically.

While Buick and Oldsmobile had shifted their full-size sedans over to FWD platforms in the mid-Eighties, they retained full-size RWD B-body wagons, the Electra Estate and the Custom Cruiser, respectively. Oldsmobile continued with the FWD luxury sedan and only offered the new car as a wagon, but Buick revived the Roadmaster nameplate, dormant since 1958, and offered it as a sedan as well as a wagon.

The 1991 Roadmaster Estate wagon came with a 305 cubic inch Chevy small block with throttle-body fuel injection, rated at 170 SAE net horsepower, while the sedan was powered by a 180hp TBI 350 V-8. These 1991 B-bodies saw the end of the division-specific V-8s, with everyone getting Chevrolet small blocks.

The faired-in side mirrors came along in 1995, as seen on this Bright White Roadmaster Estate Limited. Unlike the Roadmaster sedans, the 15" alloy wheels were standard on the Estate wagon.

By 1995 the sole powerplant in the Roadmaster was the 5.7L LT1 V-8 with Tuned Port Injection, derived from the motor in the C4 Corvette, and making 260 SAE net horsepower.

1996 would be the last year for the big RWD B-body GM cars, freeing up factory space for the increasingly popular SUVs.

This one was photographed in June of 2025 using a Sony a700 and a 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 ZA Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* zoom lens. 

1993 Chrysler New Yorker Fifth Avenue

The Chrysler New Yorker nameplate was moved to a front-wheel-drive stretched K-car platform for the 1983 model year, but the old rear-wheel-drive M-body car, a platform mate to the Dodge Diplomat and Plymouth Gran Fury, soldiered on through the rest of the decade as the New Yorker Fifth Avenue.

For the 1990 model year, the old RWD platform was finally put out to pasture, having lived long enough to become the last passenger car in the US with a live rear axle located by a pair of semi-elliptical leaf springs. 

The New Yorker Fifth Avenue nameplate was now used on a FWD New Yorker that had been given a 5" wheelbase stretch for more rear legroom. It can be distinguished not only by the "Fifth Avenue" script badges, but by the longer rear door with its opera window, like on this Bright White 1993 car. This sample has aftermarket wheels, the headlight doors have packed it in, and it's a little tatty around the edges, but it's still out there fetching groceries.

So in the early '90s the New Yorker nameplate was used on the cheaper New Yorker Salon, the regular New Yorker Landau, and the glitzier, stretched New Yorker Fifth Avenue.

Under the hood was Chrysler's all-new 3.3L pushrod V-6, featuring sequential multiport fuel injection and making 150 SAE net horsepower.

1993 was the final year for the C-body New Yorker. It was already sharing space on the lot at Chrysler dealerships with the new cab-forward LH-platform Chrysler Concorde and would be replaced with an LH-based New Yorker in the 1994 model year.

This one was photographed with a Sony a700 and 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Zeiss lens in June of 2025.

1949 Ford F-1

The Ford F-series pickups were launched in 1948, with that first generation being known as the "Bonus-Built" line. They replaced the previous pickups that had been basically carried over from the prewar line of Fords.

Much was made of the new cab, which was roomier, had better visibility, was easier to enter and exit, and generally a better place to spend a work day. So much had been spent developing the new driver's accommodations that it was referred to in ad copy as a "Million-Dollar Cab". Other innovations included telescoping shocks at all four corners (earlier trucks had used cruder lever shocks) and V-8 engines available at every level of truck from the heaviest-duty F-8 all the way down to the ½-ton F-1, like the Fox Red 1949 model in the photo.

Available powerplants for the '49 F-1 dated back to the prewar era, though, being either a 226 cubic inch (3.7L) flathead six making 95 SAE gross horsepower or the classic Ford flathead V-8, which displaced 239 cubes (3.9L) and was rated at 100 horses. Both three- and four-speed manual transmissions were on the menu.

This one was photographed with a Nikon CoolPix P7000 in April of 2015.

1981 Datsun 280ZX

While it sports the six-spoke 14" rims of a later Series II car, the B-pillar trim identifies this Light Brown Metallic Datsun 280ZX as Series I model from 1981.

This was the third model year of the S130 Z-car. Set apart from the earlier cars by its "X" suffix, the 280ZX was a plusher, more GT-oriented vehicle than the original Z.

Under the hood for 1981 was the Nissan L28E inline six, a 2.8L SOHC 12V motor with Bosch multiport fuel injection making 132 SAE net horsepower in North American trim and could be had with either a five-speed manual or a three-speed auto.

Road & Track tested an '81 280ZX with the GL (for "Grand Luxury") package and the three-speed auto. Hampered with the slushbox, the zero-to-sixty time was a Malaise Era typical 10.2 seconds and it took 18.1 seconds to clear a quarter mile, strolling through the traps at 80mph. It circled the skidpad at 0.76g and topped out at 111 miles per hour.

Price as tested, including the $1,704 GL package, $295 automatic transmission, $635 a/c unit, and $600 t-tops, came to $13,133, which comes to about $46,500 in 2025 dollars. 

North of the Ohio River, up here in road salt country, a Z-car in this condition is an uncommon sight. The drivetrain is the next thing to bulletproof, but they'll rust in front of your eyes.

This one was photographed in September of 2017 using a Ricoh GR Digital 2.

1977 Chevrolet Corvette

1977 was the last year of the vertical rear window between flying buttress sail panels for the Corvette. The next year would feature a new glass fastback. This was also the model year that the chrome script "Stingray" badges came off the fenders, replaced by crossed flags. In fact the combination of the tunneled rear window and the fender badges are how you can positively identify this Corvette Yellow C3 'Vette as a 1977 model.

The L82 badges on the hood bulge was one of 972 who sprang the extra $14 for the optional 210 horsepower version of the 350 small block, rather than the base 180hp version. The L82 featured different heads with bigger valves, a more radical cam, and four-bolt mains, among other changes. This gave it a thirty horsepower boost, although it made less torque than the base motor and the torque peak came a thousand RPM further up the tachometer.

When Road & Track tested a '77 Corvette with the L82 motor and the regular 4-speed manual (a close-ratio 4-speed was also available), they recorded a 6.8 second sprint to sixty, which was blisteringly quick for a stock production car in the dark days of the Malaise Era, no doubt assisted by the optional 3.70:1 rear end. The quarter mile took 15.5 seconds, doing 92.5 through the traps. Fully optioned, the test car stickered for $10,431 in 1977, which is the rough equivalent of $55,200 in today's money.

This one was snapped in June of 2025 using a Pentax K20D and an 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens.

1961 Buick LeSabre

For the 1961 model year, the full-size Buicks came in three different flavors. There was the top-of-the-line Electra, the middlin' Invicta, and the lower-spec LeSabre. The pecking order was signaled by the number of Ventiports on the fenders: The Electra got four, while Invicta and LeSabre owners could only flash three, which was the same number as on the new compact-size Special/Skylark models.

The LeSabre could be had as a hardtop coupe, hardtop sedan, two-door sedan, or as a four-door sedan like this Rio Red '61 parked on College Avenue of an autumn morning a couple years ago.

Behind the chrome grille with its floating Tri-Shield badge was Buick's trusty 364 cubic inch "Nailhead" V-8, so-called because of the appearance of its valves, which had long stems and small heads.

The standard '61 LeSabre motor had a 2-barrel carburetor and a 10.25:1 compression ratio, necessitating premium fuel, and was rated at 250 SAE gross horsepower. A no-cost optional engine had a 9:1 compression ratio, allowing the use of regular fuel but dropping output to 235hp.

Alternatively, a LeSabre buyer could spend an extra $22 bucks to kick it up a notch with the Power Pack version of the 364, which had a 4-barrel Carter carb, dual exhausts, 11.25:1 compression, and 300 horses.

All three motors were backed by the 2-speed Turbine Drive (neé DynaFlow) automatic transmission. Well, we call it an automatic, but it didn't work the way we think of when we talk about modern slushboxes. If you drove it normally in "D", it stayed in the one gear all the time. The "L" ratio could only be selected manually, and if selected, it did not upshift by itself. The driving experience had more akin to a current CVT, at least aurally, than a typical modern automatic, as engine RPM & thus motor noise was governed as much by throttle position as road speed.

I wish I'd thought to get a picture of the dashboard, because this was one of the last years for the Mirromagic dash in full-size Buicks. The instrument panel lay flat in a cove atop the dash and was reflected into a mirror above it, the angle of which could be adjusted for best visibility to any driver's sightline.

These photos were taken with a Nikon D800 and a 24-120mm f/4G VR zoom lens in November of 2023.

1978 Buick Electra Limited

For 1978 the General Motors full-size C-body cars were in their second year of downsizing. Buick's version of the platform was the Electra, and it was available in three different levels of trim: Electra 225, Electra Limited, and Electra Park Avenue.

We've seen a 1978 Electra Limited on these pages before, but it was a coupe with the dual exhausts that indicated it likely originally had the Olds-sourced 185 horsepower 403 cubic inch V-8. This sedan, which has been repainted and fitted with a new matching vinyl top, has the single exhaust of a 170hp Buick 350 V-8.

The 1978 Electras had not even a vestige of the classic Buick "sweepspear" styling line, but they still had the four Ventiports on each fender, distinguishing them from the lesser LeSabre, which had but three.

All Electras came with standard power windows in '78, and the Limited added niceties like a standard power driver's seat and remote-controlled outside mirror...at least on the driver's side. All this for a base price of $7,817, which comes to about $38,500 in current dollars.

This one was snapped in June of 2025 using a Canon EOS 40D and an EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS zoom lens.

1966 Chevrolet Malibu

Chevrolet's midsize Chevelle debuted in 1964 and received a fairly substantial mid-cycle refresh for 1966. The car came in four distinct tiers. The king-of-the-hill was the SS396, which stuffed a big block Chevy into either a Chevelle sport coupe or convertible body. Below the Super Sport came the Malibu, which was sporty as well, and could be had as a convertible, hardtop coupe, hardtop sedan, pillared sedan, or wagon. The Malibu, however, only had 120hp Hi-Thrift 194 cube or 140hp 230cid Turbo-Thrift inline-six and the 220hp 283 or 275hp 327 Turbo-Fire small-block V-8 options. The lowest two tiers were the Chevelle 300 Deluxe and the stripped-down Chevelle 300.

This Tuxedo Black '66 sport coupe has an SS badge on the grille and the crossed flag "396 Turbo-Jet" fender badges, and that's definitely a Chevy rat motor under the hood with valve covers big enough you could use them for a baby's bathtub, but the "Malibu" script on the rear quarter panels indicated that it had started life with something smaller in the engine bay.

Definitely a cool ride, though!

It was photographed with a Canon EOS 40D and an EF-S 17-55mm f/4-5.6 IS zoom lens in May of 2022.

1963 Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five

The 70/75 Series from Cadillac were their largest and most luxurious postwar cars, not only sold as large sedans but also in limousine form, as well as serving as the platform for livery cars, hearses, ambulances, et cetera.

The 1961 redesign marked the eighth generation of the Series Seventy-Five and carried on the Fleetwood name, denoting that its body was made by the coachbuilder Fleetwood Body Company, which had been purchased by Fisher Body in the 1920s and absorbed into the General Motors family. Fleetwood bodies were exclusive to Cadillac, and only the top-flight Cadillacs, at that.

This was still the era where Detroit made small cosmetic changes for every model year, so it's easy to place this Basildon Green Fleetwood Seventy-Five nine-passenger sedan as a 1963, halfway through the eighth generation's 1961-1965 run.

It is a massive car, stretching twenty feet and three inches from stem to stern, riding on a nearly 150" wheelbase, and weighing a pavement-crushing 5,400 pounds.

Power was provided by a 390 cubic inch version of Cadillac's proprietary V-8. While it retained the same bore and stroke of the previous year's engine, a 390 cube development of the 331 Series OHV engine that debuted in 1949, it featured extensive changed. The new motor had a smaller, lighter block, a revised mounting setup for accessories, and was dubbed the 390 Series. With a Rochester 4-barrel carburetor and 10.5:1 compression, the 390 was rated at 325 SAE gross horsepower.

Base price in 1963 was $9,724 in 1963, which adjusts to over $101k in current money.

This one was photographed in May of 2025 using a Canon EOS 40D and an EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS zoom lens.

1968 Pontiac Firebird Convertible

Ford's Mustang stole a march on the rest of Detroit. The quickest response to leaked news of the upcoming close-coupled little 2+2 coupe from Dearborn was from Plymouth, who put slapped a glass fastback and bucket seats onto their Valiant coupe and dubbed it the "Barracuda" and actually squeaked it into showrooms ahead of Ford's Falcon-based sales juggernaut.

Actual purpose-built competition for the original pony car wouldn't come until the 1967 model year, when GM launched the Chevrolet Camaro and its F-body sibling from Pontiac, the Firebird.

The F-bodies made use of extensive mechanicals from the Chevy Nova compact, to include the entire front subframe, mated to attractive coke-bottle contoured unibodies. Following the established pony car pattern, they were affordable coupes with small-but-useable rear seats and available in a variety of trims from mild and thrifty to hairy and snarly.

This was still the era when every GM division still had their own engines, and the '68 Firebird convertible in the photo would have been available with several different powerplants.

The base Firebird, "the nifty, thrifty" one in the brochure's ad copy, would have come with the 250 cubic inch SOHC inline six with a one-barrel carb, making 175 SAE gross horsepower. Then there was the Firebird Sprint, advertised as being the European-flavored variant, which had a 4-barrel 215hp version of the inline six and came with a floor shifter, hood tach, and heavy duty suspension.

The standard V-8 was Pontiac's small journal 350, available in 2-barrel form with 265 horses or the H.O. version, which had a 4-barrel carb and a 10.5:1 compression ratio and made 320 ponies. Top of the line was the 400 cube small journal V-8, in three levels of tune: The standard 400 rated at 330, the H.O. at 335, and the Ram Air 400, mysteriously also only making 335 horsepower, which must have surely placated insurance companies.

Car and Driver's test of a 1967 Firebird ragtop with the base 400 and a 4-speed returned a 5.8 second zero-to-sixty run and a 14.4 quarter mile at 100mph. 

The one in the photo was snapped with an Olympus OM-D E-M1X and a Panasonic Leica 12-60mm f/2.8-4 zoom lens in August of 2024.