1998 Volvo S70 T5

Unveiled in Europe for 1997 and in the US market the following model year, Volvo's S70 was the more aerodynamic-looking successor to the preceding 850, softening the sharp edges of its predecessor's styling.

It was available here in two levels of sportiness: S70 or S70 T5, with the latter sporting a turbocharged and intercooled 236hp 2.3L version of the transverse-mounted Volvo DOHC 20V inline five cylinder.

The Mystic Silver Metallic example in the photos was snapped in October of 2025 using a Canon EOS 7D and an EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM zoom lens.

1999 Mercedes-Benz C230 Kompressor

The W201 190E had been the baby Benz of the 1980s, but for the 1994 model year it was replaced by the W202 platform, now called the "C-class".

The Olivier Boulay-penned bodywork still harked to the 190E's classic shape but featured smoother, slightly more curvaceous aero-friendly lines.  

The Desert Silver Metallic one in the photo looks to be from after the 1997 model year facelift.

For the 1999 model year, Mercedes bolted a Roots-type mechanically driven supercharger and an intercooler to their 2.3L DOHC 16V four cylinder and a "Kompressor" badge to the decklid, giving the littlest Benz some added zing. Horsepower was up by 37 to 185, rivaling the 2.8L sixes in their 3-series competitors from BMW.

Car and Driver tested a 1999 C230 Kompressor and noted a zero-to-sixty time of 7.6 seconds and a quarter mile time of 15.7 seconds at 89mph. A governor shut off the fun at 133 miles per hour and it circled a skidpad at 0.81g. Price as tested was $32,685 in 1999 dollars, which is $63,722 when adjusted for inflation.

The one in the pic was snapped with a Canon EOS 7D and an EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM zoom lens in December of 2025.

1970 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible

This isn't the first 1970 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray on these pages. It's not even the first one in Mille Miglia Red. But that other one was a small block coupe while this beastie is a convertible powered by a big block 454 cubic inch Chevy rat motor, as the badge on the side of the hood bulge proudly proclaims.

There was only one big block option on the menu for the '70 model year, and that was the LS5 version of the 454. It was an oversquare, all-iron pushrod motor with a 4¼" bore and 4" stroke, 10.25:1 compression ratio, sucked premium fuel through a four-barrel Rochester carb to the tune of 9-12 miles per gallon, and was rated at 390 SAE gross horsepower. It could be backed with a four-speed manual or a three-speed auto and a variety of rear axle ratios were on the option list.

Road & Track tested a 1970 Stingray 454 coupe with the three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic slushbox and the 3.08:1 "economy" rear end. The tall final drive gave a top speed of 144mph, but acceleration was tame for a big block 'Vette, with a 0-60 time of 7.0 seconds and a 15.0 quarter at 93mph.

The top three photos were taken in September of 2021 using a Hasselblad Lunar and a Sony Zeiss Vario-Tessar T* 16-70mm f/4 zoom lens and the bottom pic was snapped in April of 2017 using a Leica D-LUX 3.

1966 Pontiac Tempest Custom

The Pontiac Tempest and LeMans, which had begun life as compacts in the same size class as the Chevy Corvair back in 1960, saw their wheelbase stretched from 112" to 115" for the 1964 model year, as General Motors created the new "midsize" A-body cars to go to war against Ford's Fairlane.

The quad headlights went from side-by-side to stacked for the '65 Tempest, and the bodywork got a full refresh to a slick new coke-bottle shape in '66.

Under the hood was Pontiac's 230 cubic inch overhead cam inline six with a single-barrel carburetor making 165 horsepower. Optionally, the buyer could opt for an OHC six with a higher 10.5:1 compression ratio, four-barrel carb, and low-restriction air cleaner, which was rated at 207 SAE gross horsepower.

There were also a pair of V-8 options on the menu: a two-barrel version of Pontiac's small-journal 326 that burned regular gas and put out 250hp, and a high-compression four-barrel 326 that made a claimed 285 horses on premium gas.

In addition to the basic Tempest, there was a plusher Custom trim level, like this Montero Red sedan.

Car and Driver tested a 1966 Tempest sedan with the four-barrel 326 and the two-speed automatic transmission (a re-labeled Buick Super Turbine) and recorded a zero-to-sixty time of 10.5 seconds.

The one in the pictures was snapped with an iPhone 7 Plus in August of 2021.

1988 Porsche 928 S4

Building on the original 928, the 928 S4 was the first major update of the design. By the mid 1980s, it was probably becoming apparent that the 911 wasn't, in fact, going anywhere, and so the big front-engine four-seater car with its water-cooled V8 really leaned into its high speed grand tourer role.

Like the final year models of the 928 S it replaced, the S4 packed a 32V 5.0L all-alloy motor, but it was now tweaked to put out 316 SAE net horsepower. This was eye-watering output for the era and more than enough to motivate 3,525 pounds of Porsche with alacrity.

In a test of a 1987 model with a five-speed manual, Road & Track recorded a 5.5 second zero-to-sixty time and a 13.9 second quarter at 101 through the traps. The price as tested was $62, 261, which comes to roughly $178k in current dollars.

The Grand Prix White example in the photos was snapped with an Olympus OM-D E-M1X and a Panasonic Leica 12-60mm f/2.8-4 zoom lens in September of 2024.

2020 Alpina B7

Alpina began as a maker of aftermarket performance parts for BMW cars but is now recognized as an actual auto manufacturer by the German government. Its cars are assembled alongside BMW's own cars, and avoid competing head-to-head with the maker's own M-cars by placing more of an emphasis on high-speed touring than wild-eyed redline performance.

At the top of the Alpina lineup is the B7, their riff on BMW's big 7-series luxury sedan. Whereas the peak of the G12 7-series was the M760Li, powered by a 599hp twin-turbo 6.6L V-12, Alpina's version comes with a 4.4L twin-turbo V-8 that sends 600 horsepower to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Car and Driver tested one of these 4,940-pound beasts and it roared to sixty miles per hour in 3.2 seconds and through the quarter in 11.4 seconds at 123mph. Unlike BMW, Alpina doesn't have any sort of gentleman's agreement with anybody regarding top speeds and claims the B7 has a terminal velocity of 205mph. The number I found eye-popping was the braking distance from seventy, which was only 151 feet, which is pretty amazing for two and a half tons of fun.

Price as tested was $153,195 for an Alpina Green car that looked just like the one in the photos, which were snapped in November of 2025 using a Pentax K7 and an 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens.

1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme SL

Oldsmobile moved the Cutlass Supreme nameplate to a front-wheel drive W-body car for the 1998 model year. Initially available only as a coupe, it spent that first year being sold alongside its G-body RWD predecessor, which was known as the Cutlass Supreme Classic.

For 1990, a sedan version was added, as well as a convertible. Due to the oddball "beer tap" door handles being located in the B-pillars, the convertible had a fixed hoop or roll bar. A 1992 restyle saw the coupe and convertible get squinty little miniature quad headlamps, which were also used on its W-body stablemate, the Pontiac Grand Prix.

This Bright White coupe is a 1994 model. For that year the Cutlass Supreme could be had in the base "S" trim level or the more upmarket SL. The SL package got sporty body cladding, fog lamps, dual power mirrors, and standard 16" alloy wheels.

The base motor was the GM corporate 3.1L pushrod V-6 with sequential port fuel injection, rated at 160 SAE net horsepower, with an optional 3.4L DOHC V-6 making 210 horses. Both motors were backed by a four-speed automatic transmission.

While they're no sports cars (a 3.1L Cutlass SL would turn in 0-60 times in the mid nine second range) I've always liked the styling of the W-body GM coupes, and this one's no exception.

I turned my car around on a cold December morning in 2025 to photograph this one using a Nikon D2H and 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom lens. 

1993 Honda Civic del Sol Si

"Del Sol" means "Of the Sun" in Spanish, and when Honda replaced the beloved little Civic CR-X two seater hatchback, it was with a two seater coupe that had a lift-off targa panel for a roof to let the sun shine in on those perfect summer driving days, as well as a power-retractable rear window for the full in-the-breeze driving experience.

It gave up a bit of pure sports car performance to the MX-5 roadster from Mazda, but the cockpit could be sealed up to make year-'round foul weather commuting a more pleasant experience.

The base version of the Civic-based two seater, the del Sol S, had front discs and rear drums, 13" steel wheels, and a 1.5L SOHC 16V four cylinder making 102 SAE net horsepower.

Spring for the del Sol Si, like this Samba Green Pearl Metallic 1993 model, and you got 14" alloy wheels, four-wheel discs, and a 1.6L 16V motor with variable valve timing that was rated at 125 ponies.

In a Car and Driver comparison test of '93 two-seater droptops, the del Sol Si finished behind the Mazda MX-5 Miata and ahead of the Mercury Capri XR2 and Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce. It did the sprint to sixty in 8.9 seconds and managed a 16.9 quarter at 82 mph. It circled the skidpad at 0.81g and stopped from 70 in 204 feet. Price as tested was $16,460, which comes to about $37k when adjusted for inflation.

The one in the photos was snapped in October of 2025 using a Nikon D2H and a 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom lens. 
 

1985 Merkur XR4Ti

For the 1985 model year, a new nameplate showed up on the lots of Lincoln-Mercury dealerships: Merkur. This wasn't entirely without precedent. As a global automaker, FoMoCo had previously used Mercury dealerships to move Americanized versions of their overseas models. From the '70 through '78 model years, the sporty Capri and Capri II coupes from Ford of Europe were sold, without any divisional branding at all, on Lincoln-Mercury lots.

The Merkur XR4Ti was a federalized variant of the German-built Sierra XR4i. The addition of the "T" to the moniker was due to the fact that the German car's V-6 was replaced with a turbocharged version of the 2.3L SOHC "Lima" inline four.

The result was a sub-3000 pound RWD sedan with 170hp that delivered fairly sprightly performance, at least for the era. Car and Driver clocked a zero-to-sixty time of seven seconds flat and a 15.5 second quarter mile at 90mhp on the way to a top end of a buck twenty nine.

The Diamond White example in the photo, a 1985 model, was photographed using a Nikon Coolpix P7000 in Hooksett, New Hampshire back in April of 2015.

1962 Ford Falcon

1962 was the third model year for Ford's compact Falcon line. Still riding on a 109.5" wheelbase, the '62 models received styling refreshes to the snout and taillights as well as a chrome fake hood scoop, all of which brought the appearance in line with the larger Fords of the era.

By its third model year, the Falcon lineup had expanded to twelve different distinct models: Tudor and Fordor sedans, a Sports Futura coupe, and a variety of wagons and vans, many of which could be had in Standard or Deluxe forms. The Baffin Blue example in the photos is the Standard Tudor Sedan. This model would have had a base price of $1,985 in period dollars, which adjusts to $21,350 today. Bear in mind that things like two-speed wipers, a windshield washer, seat belts, and safety padding on the dashboard were all extra cost options.

The base engine would have been the 85 horsepower 144 cubic inch Falcon Six, with the 170cid Special Six, rated at 101 ponies. Three- and four-speed manual transmissions could be had, as well as the two-speed Fordomatic.

The one in the photos was snapped with an Apple iPhone 6s in June of 2016. 

1940 Ford De Luxe

The 1940 model year brought the ultimate version of the Ford that had first debuted in '37. It could be had in Standard or De Luxe trim levels and debuted several new features for Ford. New with this model was a column-mounted gear selector, touted as "Finger-Tip Gearshift", as well as sealed beam headlights, and Controlled Ventilation, which featured side windows that could be rolled down all the way with a crank, combined with a pivoting vent window in front of them.

The base engine in the Standard models was a 136 cubic inch (2.2L) version of Ford's Flathead V-8. With a 6.6:1 compression ratio and a single-throated carb, it made sixty SAE gross horsepower and wasn't very popular. Optional was a larger 221cid (3.6L) Flathead V-8 with a two-barrel carb and 85 horsepower.

The larger engine came standard in the De Luxe, along with such luxuries as a spare tire, floor mounted high-beam control, ash trays, sun visors, a clock in the dash, and a locking glove compartment.

The car is a favorite of hot-rudders, and the Coupe in the picture is lightly and tastefully modified and repainted in a vibrant red that was nowhere to be found in the 1940 Ford catalog. The De Luxe could be had as a Businessman's Coupe, Coupe, Tudor or Fordor Sedan, or Convertible, and the convertible version even had a vacuum-operated power top.

This one was photographed using an Olympus OM-D E-M1X and an M. Zuiko Digital 12-200mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom lens in September of 2024.