1969 MG MGB GT

Launched as a 1964 model to replace the previous MGA, which had enjoyed a nearly decade long run of sales success, the new MGB was a tidy little two seat roadster like its predecessor. While it retained a live rear axle, it dispensed with body-on-frame construction for a modern unit body and had a standard folding top and roll-up windows.

For 1967 the roadster was joined by the MGB GT, a fastback coupe whose sleek roofline was designed by Pininfarina.

With only 97 ponies on tap, performance was leisurely by modern standards, with zero-to-sixty times in the low teens and a top speed only barely over a hundred, but the MGB in either coupe or convertible form is the epitome of the old adage that it's way more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow.

This Bermuda Blue coupe is a 1969 model, going from the presence of FMVSS-compliant side marker lights and their location on the front fenders.

It was photographed with an Olympus OM-D E-M1X and an M. Zuiko Digital 12-200mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom lens in October of 2024.

1996 Dodge Viper RT/10

For the 1996 model year, Dodge completely revamped its audacious V-10 powered Viper roadster. Despite having an entirely new frame and suspension underneath, the outsides looked broadly similar. 

The biggest external giveaway was the removal of the side pipes, which were replaced with a more conventional rear-exiting exhaust. Apparently the old exhaust setup ran afoul of both new European noise regulations as well as US OBD II requirements. The hood also featured a NACA duct style scoop fead center and exhaust vents on either side.

The car generally retained the rawness of the original, with a lack of fripperies like roll-up windows or external door handles.

Under the hood, the 488 cubic inch V-10 now produced 415 horsepower, which was enough to launch Car and Driver's test car to sixty in 4.1 seconds and blister the quarter mile in 12.6 seconds at 113 miles per hour. Top speed was measured at 173 miles per hour and it circled a skidpad at 0.97g.

As-tested price in 1996 was $66,045, which is about $135,500 in current money.

The Viper Red one in the photo was snapped in August of 2015 using a Nikon Coolpix P7000.

1969 Dodge Charger R/T

The second generation of Dodge's Charger muscle car arrived with the 1968 model year, sporting aggressive "Coke bottle" styling and dispensing with the large glass fastback in favor of a rear window inset between dramatic flying buttresses. Also new for '68 was the R/T performance trim level which came standard with the 440 cubic inch Magnum RB-block V-8.

Changes for 1969 were minimal. Most noticeably, a central chrome divider was added to the grille and the quad circular taillights were replaced by wide rectangular ones.

A '69 Charger R/T, like this Dark Bronze Metallic example, would have come standard with the base 440 cubic inch big block, which had a 4-barrel carburetor sucking air through an unsilenced air cleaner, squeezing it in 10.1:1 compression cylinders, and putting out 375 SAE gross horsepower. It could be had with a 4-on-the-floor manual or a three-speed Torqueflite 727 automatic. 

This one was photographed with a Nikon Coolpix S6500 in December of 2014.

2007 Honda Pilot EX

For 2003, Honda jumped into the largish SUV market with the eight-passenger, three-row Pilot, manufactured primarily at its plant in Alabama.

Sharing its platform with the Odyssey minivan and Acura MDX luxury SUV, the Pilot was Honda's biggest SUV and aimed primarily at the North American market. It could be had in FWD or 4WD configurations and in LX or upmarket EX and EX-L trims.

For the 2007 model year, like the Dark Cherry Pearl one in the photo, the first generation Pilot received a styling and mechanical refresh. Under the hood was a 3.5L SOHC i-VTEC V-6 making 244 SAE net horsepower.

This one was snapped with a Sony a77 and 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 zoom lens in November of 2025.

1965 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Luxury Sedan

The 1965 catalog proclaimed that Oldsmobile was "The Rocket Action Car!" and it marked the eighth generation of the full-size Oldsmobiles, which had debuted originally as a 1941 model.

The Ninety-Eight was the larger and more luxurious version of the full-size Olds, riding on a 126" wheelbase, which was stretched a full three inches over that of the more demure 88.

For '65, the Ninety-Eight was available as the hardtop Holiday Sports Sedan, the pillared Luxury Sedan and Town Sedan, the hardtop Holiday Sports Coupe, or a convertible. 

The badge on the C-pillar marks this Provincial White example as a Luxury Sedan, which would have come standard with power windows, an illuminated vanity mirror for the rear seat, and other plush touches.

Under the hood, the standard powerplant was the 425 cubic inch Oldsmobile Super Rocket V-8 rated at 360 gross horsepower, with a 10.25:1 compression ratio necessitating premium fuel. Optionally, the buyer could get the 370hp 425 cube Starfire V-8. Either way the motor was backed with the three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic Drive automatic transmission. Contemporary tests tended to turn in 0-60 times in the mid nine second range.

This one was photographed in June of 2022 using a Nikon D7100 and an 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR II zoom lens.

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 Monza 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.