Buying tools is an addiction to some. The seemingly endless utility of these objects designed to enhance our lives and abilities can be intoxicating. Hence why even when we don’t need them, new (and new to us) tools find their way into passenger seats, truck beds, and backpacks as the artfully organized cache in my workspace grows and grows. I could probably just name my toolbox Audrey II, though my garage is only occasionally full of horrors, and the ‘box feeds on tool steel and carbide rather than human flesh.

My toolbox is not overflowing, but that only speaks to my self-restraint and judicious control over how often the solution to a problem is using the credit card versus my brain. We all want to own one of every tool. They are just fascinating. But even with one of everything, we would likely still want more. Some jobs simply require duplicates. Or at least I have convinced myself that occasionally having two of the exact same tool is the solution to my problems. Whether the logic makes sense or not, here are seven tools that I must have two of inside my shop:

Vice grips/clamps

Despite years of trying and a few consultations with my doctor, I have yet to grow a third hand. Something about evolution taking millions of generations just really puts a damper on me getting the extra holding power I could use most days.

Luckily, not only does a solution exist, but it’s affordable and easy to store. Years ago I resigned that anything that is locking or clamping should be purchased in pairs. This realization followed a discussion with a fabricator friend who hammered into me that it is impossible to have too many clamps. He was right.

Screwdrivers

To be clear, I’m dialing in the discussion of duplicates to exact duplicates. Two of the same tool. My drawer full of screwdrivers is surprisingly full when you consider there are relatively few popular styles and a minimal number of usable lengths.

Maybe it’s my use, but I always fear damaging a screwdriver tip just as much as damaging the hardware. A damaged screwdriver stalls a project as once the head is stripped the options for removal get destructive quickly. A spare screwdriver is a security blanket I shouldn’t need, but won’t wrench without.

10mm

You thought I wouldn’t include a 10mm joke? Impossible. A lot of my projects these days were built in countries that believe in base 10 measurement systems. If you have a more American bent to your tooling needs this might be the 1/2″. Regardless, not having a 10mm socket or wrench could easily stop a few of my projects in their tracks, thus duplicates make sense.

Extensions

The easiest to justify on this list might be the extensions for a socket set. Stack them on each other to reach the depths of the engine bay that was previously reserved for engine-out services. It’s also convenient to have multiple to so I’m not constantly disassembling my tooling mid-job.

Wire brushes and cleaning supplies

Cleaning parts is one of the tasks that I do not seek out and only after some time have I figure out that any tiny roadblock in the process will flip the switch in my brain that says “not worth it. Just reinstall the part as is. It’ll be fine.”

But I want to do higher quality work than that, so having a surplus of cleaning supplies and materials has helped eliminate the feeling that cleaning things has a barrier that must be met. I keep these brushes and supplies around to not only remove the perceived barrier but ensure that it does not return unexpectedly.

Flashlights

Having worked on cars in situations ranging from ideal to downright dangerous, I’ll say one thing I have never heard is, “Wow, it’s too bright. I can see everything I need and it’s frustrating.” No, more light is often a cure for frustrations while working on cars. Small LED flashlights have gotten downright cheap, so a few in various sizes, shapes, brightness, and magnetism are just downright handy. It’s a struggle to work on something you can’t see, so light up your project.

Drill bits

They break and dull, and when you need one there is pretty much nothing else that will do the job. Drill bits are wildly affordable for the function they serve and having a duplicate set, or even just a few of the most commonly used sizes in your shop, allows a certain peace of mind that your projects will move forward even if an unfortunate happenstance breaks a bit. Good setups and usage will make drill bits last a very long time, but it’s not if things go sideways, it’s when. Preparation for that takes a lot of frustration out of your projects.

This is just the list for my shop and, of course, every shop is unique. I typically only have one major project apart or being worked on at a time and the tools go back into the box after each working session. In a larger shop or for someone with many projects running it might make sense to duplicate common tools just so things don’t get lost in the shuffle. What tools do you have to have duplicates of in your toolbox?

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The three critical systems of a car, in order of importance, are: Steering, brakes, and the drivetrain. If you question this ordering think no further than how many times you have heard someone tell stories of driving a vehicle with no brakes. I’ve never heard a story of someone intentionally driving a vehicle that had no steering.

Now that we agree that steering is critical, we therefore also all agree that maintaining your steering components is important. For those of the DIY proclivity it is a relatively simple system to understand and work on. To get you started, here are five tips for tackling the system of tie-rods, drag links, and idler arms, steering boxes, and pitman arms.

Check your threads

There aren’t many areas on a car where left- and right-hand threads are mixed together in an assembly. Steering is one of them. With modern impact tools capable of twisting the threads right off a nut or bolt, going the proper direction is important because you might not get a second chance. Trace the threads with your finger or a pick to confirm if “righty tighty, lefty loosey” still applies.

Careful with your castles

While it sounds like advice pulled from a Dungeons and Dragons rulebook, it’s also true for cars. Castle nuts get their name from the crenellations cut into the top which allow the use of cotter keys to keep the nuts from turning. They work well too, but unfortunately, they are often relatively delicate. Failing to get a socket fully seated can easily strip a castle nut, and a misplaced hammer blow can deform it enough that it will be difficult to remove. If you need to use a hammer for persuasion on one of these, remove it completely, flip it over, and thread it back on. This gives you a flat surface to hit with a hammer that will also not damage the threads.

Get the special puller

There are a couple of tight-fitting joints on the steering components. This means getting things apart can be frustrating—but it doesn’t have to be. Buying a proper ball joint press or pitman arm puller can be a steep investment considering this work is not done weekly or even monthly for most at-home DIY’ers.

Luckily most chain auto parts stores are happy to rent the special tools to people like you and me. This often requires putting down the full price and getting a refund upon returning the tools, but compared to the frustration of using the wrong tools the hold on some of my cash is very much worth it. Be sure to find proper instructions on use online as the rental tools rarely include them.

Match the new tie rods to the old ones

Nearly everything in your steering system has some form of adjustment, and the most critical and obvious are the tie rods. While it is possible to just assemble them and ignore the horrible toe in or out just long enough to get to the alignment shop, your alignment guy is going to like you a lot more if you take the minute to thread the new tie rods together to roughly the same length as the one being removed. This puts the adjustment in the ballpark and also makes the drive to the alignment shop much more pleasant.

Assemble with anti-seize

The hardworking components of your steering system are sitting on the underside of your car under constant assault from every size and type of road debris. Water, road salt, dirt, rocks, and radical temperature changes can supercharge the hold of corrosion on threaded parts. A dab of anti-seize goes a long way in keeping this at bay. It will also help the parts last longer as there is the option of doing a second alignment later. Ask anyone who has argued with stubborn, crusty tie rods and you’ll learn that anti-seize can be the small difference between a routine job and testing your patience while mangling tie rod sleeves.

Don’t forget the cotter pins

Torquing hardware to spec determines both clamping pressure and helps keep things from loosening up. Because many of the parts in a steering system see a rotational movement that could potentially loosen the threaded fasteners, many steering components have the additional positive retention of a cotter key going through the bolt and castle nuts to keep them from turning. Aligning the castle nut to the hole through the bolt can be annoying, but it’s an important step to keep your steering from unintentionally coming apart. No one wants that.

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Twenty-five years ago, America was introduced to James Gandolfini’s signature New Jersey sanitation man/(alleged) mobster Tony Soprano as he recounted a high-speed “collection” in his nephew’s “$60,000” Lexus to his new shrink, Dr. Jennifer Melfi. Throughout the six-season run of The Sopranos, the vehicles became nearly as big a thread in the show’s tapestry as its locations, its characters, and its human drama, with so many important moments taking place in or around motor vehicles. Over 86 episodes, the on-screen automobiles were as perfectly selected as any cast in television history.

Now, a quarter-century after the show’s debut, the cars of The Sopranos make one of the most enduring and influential shows ever produced feel like a nostalgic period piece to those of us with fond vehicular memories of the late 1990s and early/mid-2000s. So, throw on your bathrobe, grab a handful of Gabagool, and come along as we explore the automotive world of the small-screen turn-of-the-century Jersey mob!

What Tony Drove

1999 Chevrolet Suburban (GMT410)

The vehicle most readily associated with Tony Soprano is the 1999 Suburban that served as the character’s daily driver in Seasons 1–4 and ferried Gandolfini over the New Jersey Turnpike in the show’s famed opening sequence.

Mercedes-Benz SL-Class (R129 & R230)

In Season 3, Tony briefly flirts with the idea of buying a Mercedes SL to cover his extramarital pursuit of Gloria Trillo (Annabella Sciorra), a lovely but ultimately volatile car saleswoman he first met in Dr. Melfi’s waiting room. Gloria works at the real-world dealership Globe Motor Car Company, and the scenes shot there are among the series’ most car-centric.

2003 Cadillac Escalade ESV (GMT830)

The maroon eighth-gen ‘Burb will always be known as “Tony’s car,” but that truck’s luxury-oriented sibling actually closed out the show with two seasons as the family patriarch’s ride of choice. He first upgrades to a short-lived black ESV early in Season 5 before taking delivery of the pearl white 2003 that would be with him through the finale. The Escalade was driven by the late, great Super Bowl Champion Tony Siragusa throughout his four-episode cameo, and it went on to sell for $119,777 at auction in 2015.

It Was a Cadillac World

Tony’s Escalade is far from the only Caddy featured in The Sopranos. In fact, the wreath and crest could be called the official marque of the certain subculture the show is concerned with. Cadillac’s fingerprints are all over the show; they appear in flashbacks and dream sequences and are driven by almost every major character in the main arc. The brand is so ever-present that a character owning one seems like more of a rite of passage than mere possession of a luxury good.

The whole thing makes one wonder what guys like Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri would drive today if such a person could still exist in 2024. Showing up at “The Bing” in a Lyriq would likely earn someone the “Fat Vito” pool-cue treatment; a present-day “made guy” could probably make do with a Blackwing-powered CT6 Platinum or Coach Door tenth-gen Continental. (It’s hard to imagine, but could a changing auto industry also push one of the crew to accept something like a Genesis G90?) As interesting as that is to ponder, maybe it’s a topic for a future Hagerty Community According to You discussion. Let’s get into our rapid-fire section of the show’s many Cadillacs:

Classics include the 1953 Series 62 from Tony’s lucid food-poisoned and test dreams; 1966 and 1968 DeVille convertibles driven by Tony’s dad, Johnny Boy, in recollections from Tony’s childhood; and the 1958 Series 62 convertible that Tony’s dad and Uncle Junior posed in front of long before our protagonist’s time. After getting out of jail in Season 5, Robert Loggia’s character, Feech LaManna, is seen driving a droptop 1975 Fleetwood Eldorado with Tony’s cousin, Tony (Steve Buscemi), who would keep the car in the show on a regular basis through the season after Feech is incarcerated.

The DeVille and rebranded DTS make up the bulk of the modern Cadillacs in the series, with multiple members of Tony’s crew regularly seen in the biggest Caddy sedan of the show’s era. Most notably, these include the 1996 and 2000 of Salvatore Bompensiero fame, Paulie’s ‘97, and examples from 2000 driven by Vito and Furio. After Paulie’s DeVille inexplicably goes missing in the top-rated episode “Pine Barrens,” he picks up a ’97 Eldorado ETC followed by a first-gen CTS, all in his favored shades of gold and beige, while Tony’s consigliere, Silvio, shows a preference for the Seville/STS.

The Moltisanti Kid

The undisputed car guy of the series—in a new money/rock star sense of the word, where vehicles are an extension of his wardrobe and the ultimate expression of wealth and taste but not necessarily something desired by the driving enthusiast—is Tony’s nephew, Christopher Moltisanti, played to perfection by Michael Imperioli. He starts the series with the previously alluded-to Lexus LS400, before acquiring a 1999 Mercedes-Benz CLK430 Lorinser and a 2000 Range Rover 4.6 HSE in rapid succession.

In Season 5, Chris drives a Hummer H2, the quintessential status vehicle of the early 2000s. Between having his Range Rover stolen and showing up in the H2, Chris is briefly seen in a tenth-generation Pontiac Bonneville GXP; that’s the one with the Northstar V-8, not the tried-and-true supercharged 3.8-liter V-6. At different points in the series, “Chrissie” also takes sports cars off of people either as partial payment for debt or to help them out when they are experiencing the cash flow issues commonly associated with getting incarcerated. The former situation scored him a BMW Z3, which was presumably sold or chopped, as it isn’t seen again, and the latter got him the keys to Johnny Sack’s prize Maserati, which is the only Italian vehicle prominently featured in the series, interestingly.

Chris finishes out the series by joining the Cadillac club with a 2007 Escalade EXT, and adjacent to Moltisanti, we also had the resurrected Ford Thunderbird that he bought his fiancée, Adriana La Cerva (Drea de Matteo), before eventually abandoning it in long-term parking at Newark Liberty International Airport.

Other Star Cars

For the majority of the series, our female lead and Tony’s long-suffering wife, Carmela Soprano, can be seen in an S210 Mercedes-Benz E320 wagon. Just in time for the final season, Tony buys her a Porsche Cayenne—like the pepper. Uncle Junior drives a ’64 Lincoln Continental in flashbacks. When it comes to his kids, Meadow and Anthony Jr., Tony proves to be a bit of a Nissan fan. In season two, he takes an R50 Pathfinder off of Liquid Metal, of Terminator 2 fame. After taking delivery, Tony tries to gift it to Mead, only for the whole thing to blow up in his face—you try to do something nice for people! A couple of seasons later, when A.J. is of driving age and going through the process of becoming one of the series’ most maddening characters, Tony brings home a 2002+ first-generation Xterra to use as a carrot to get A.J. to try harder in school. As the show progresses, A.J.’s ride suddenly morphs into a second-gen—the producers probably thought we wouldn’t notice!

As early as the show’s second episode, we see cars as plot devices. When A.J.’s science teacher, Mr. Miller, has his Saturn SL1 stolen and, unbeknownst to him, torn to pieces at a chop shop, Tony’s guys boost him a new one to earn his underachieving kid some brownie points. When the car is mysteriously “returned” to the school parking lot, Miller’s keys don’t work, and the paint seems a little wet; it’s the weirdest thing! In season three, an early storyline features a character so tied to his ride that he’s literally known as “Mustang Sally.” His Green ’91 Fox-body makes a big impression, but it is unfortunate that it has to associate with Sally, who is a deeply and immediately unlikable sort. 

It’s a testament to the versatility of the automobile that cars also make for memorable set pieces. A few notable examples of this include the Silver Cloud from Allegra Sack’s wedding, the Willys Jeep in the boosted load of WWII collectibles, the Grand Wagoneer that the newly sympathetic Vito rear-ends to remind us that he isn’t a great guy before his brutal—but mostly offscreen—demise, and the 5/8ths-scale Legends Fords buzzing around in the track scene.

We’ll close with America’s Sports Car, of which three generations appear on screen. After a black facelifted C4 convertible briefly appears on a college visit, its C5 twin is seen out front in a frequently used exterior shot of the show’s premier exotic dancing establishment—a subtle but hilarious jab that hits home with anyone who’s ever been to a Corvette club meeting and can picture the exact member of their club who personifies “that guy.”

If you thought The Sopranos did the Corvette dirty with that C5 joke, the show more than makes up for it by attaching a C6 to the best success/redemption story of its entire run: Angie Bompensiero. After Angie’s husband “disappears,” she’s initially portrayed as a helpless grieving widow who even comes to Tony for help paying her bills. In time, though, she picks herself up and goes into business for herself. Angie’s body shop is a significant player in the show when overly difficult New York higher-up Phil Leotardo’s Continental-kitted Lincoln Town Car needs repair. The business is portrayed as barely scraping by until Carmela shows Angie the Cayenne that Tony bought her, and she responds that she thought about a Boxster, but the Le Mans Blue LS2-powered ‘Vette just felt more “her,” with a light air of self-satisfaction that makes Carm think twice about her own situation. 

The world of The Sopranos revolves around the automobile, and nearly every episode features a car that matches its driver or scene perfectly. The best part is that, outside of a few classics, all four-wheeled former status symbols featured in the show two decades ago can be had on the cheap these days, and almost anyone can roll like Tony, Chris, Paulie, and Sil for a song.

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The post The Cars of <em>The Sopranos</em> appeared first on Hagerty Media.

April 17 marked sixty years since the Ford Mustang’s public debut at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. The original pony car immediately became a pop-culture and automotive phenom, and it remains one of the most impactful cars in history. We’re celebrating with stories of the events surrounding the Mustang’s launch, the history of the early cars, and tales from owners. Click here to follow along with our multi-week 60 Years of Mustang coverage. -Ed.

The word “iconic” is misused to describe mundane or obscure cars all too often. In the case of the Ford Mustang, there’s no question that the term is warranted. Over the car’s 60-year history, it has been a whopping sales success, a cultural trend setter, and a motorsports champion. If we boil the essence of the Mustang down to just one image, a single icon if you will, it has to be the galloping Mustang emblem that’s graced every generation of Ford’s famous pony car since its inception. It’s hard to imagine it any other way, but the emblem, styled by Ford’s Waino Kangas, could have been much different. Here are several iterations that were tried before the winning formula was discovered.

1962 Mustang I Concept

The public’s first look at a running Mustang emblem came in October 1962 when the Mustang I concept was first shown. The Chevrolet Corvair had a lot of influence on this concept, which was powered by a mid-mounted 1.6-liter Ford Taunus V-4 engine, the same engine that saw widespread use in Ford’s European models and a few Saabs. Ford hoped the production Mustang would capture some of the youth market that had been quick to scoop up the sporty, affordable trims of the rear-engine Corvair. However, as Ford would soon prove, the engine location was nowhere near as important as the sporty appearance and affordable price tag. Early emblem designs, while still galloping Mustangs, weren’t a side profile of a horse, rather one running slightly toward the viewer.

Ford Cougar

It seems like a foregone conclusion that Ford’s two-door, sporty compact would be named Mustang. This internal photo from Ford shows that the earliest iteration of the model that eventually became Mustang with a different genus of pony car emblem entirely. Ford tasked its designers to envision a sporty four-seater, and more than a dozen versions were created. The design that would become the Mustang was initially dubbed “Cougar” by Gale Halderman, the designer responsible. That magnificent feline wouldn’t go to waste, however, as the lanky cat would show up on the production Mercury Cougar in 1967. Halderman did influence the Mustang’s emblem though. Note that the above Cougar is enclosed by a ring around it—this would be adopted by Mustang and become known as the “corral.”

Stalemate

Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but you don’t have to be from the future to know that there were better options for a sporty car emblem than this square badge. Is it a chess piece or a Pepperidge Farm cookie representing the same? Perhaps it was left over from the Willys Knight. Hard pass.

Mustang II Concept

Showing considerable evolution toward the final product, the Mustang II concept was first revealed to the public on October 5, 1963, at Watkins Glen. While the steeply raked windshield was not intended for production, the general shape of the roof was there and its flanks were getting very close. Up front, the headlights were radical, although the grille was almost dead on. This was the first time the public had seen a running Mustang enclosed in its corral.  

Uncanny Valley

To prove just how iconic and specific the galloping Mustang iconography is tied to the Mustang, look at how unsettling it is when one simple detail is altered. We’ve got a feeling there’s a universe where Ford picked this version and detective Lieutenant Bullitt drove a Firebird, the Miracle on Ice never happened, and Seinfeld was canceled after the pilot.

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Two weeks ago, we explored some bright spots in the collector car market following our recent update to the Hagerty Price Guide. We’re back this week to look at some of the cars that didn’t fare as well. Valuation changes continue to be subject to nuanced inputs rather than the more consistently broad market movement we observed two years ago. This selection of cars that saw notable downward movement is no different, but their value losses may portend wider market changes in the future. From the blue chip to the affordable, we’ll have our eyes out to see whether these trends take hold as we head into the driving season.

As always, if you have questions about how we arrived at these changes, you can read more about the methodology behind the Hagerty Price Guide here.

1970 Plymouth Superbird: -24%

They were cars that could have only existed in their particular eras, and would be deemed too crazy to build again (although Dodge has been known to build some pretty wild things). The MOPAR wing cars—the Dodge Daytona and Plymouth Superbird—sought to take the NASCAR rulebook to its limits, but would need to be sold to the public as well in order to compete. As with many other homologation specials, the changes made to these cars were purely intended for on-track dominance without regard to street use.

While Dodge would build just 505 Charger-based Daytonas in 1969 (500 being the minimum number for homologation), Plymouth would be far more successful, producing 1,935 Road Runner-based Superbirds the following year. The long and the aerodynamic nose offered poor spatial awareness for street driving, arguably making them a headache to live with day-to-day. Winding the clock forward, that didn’t matter a lick—the Daytona and Superbird are among the most recognizable cars of the Muscle Car era and sought-after centerpieces for serious collectors.

While these cars are usually offered in fits and spurts on the public market over the course of a given year, we witnessed over 20 offered in January alone. That’s a lot, in fact that is too many at one time. Yes, it is possible to have too much of a good thing, and when you are talking about the price point where the Superbird resides, it’s possible to have more cars than buyers. That usually equates to poor sales, and that’s exactly what happened. Both Hemi and 440-6 barrel cars sold for prices massively under market. That doesn’t mean that the floor has officially fallen out on these cars—further market observation, particularly of more typical individual sales spread out over time, needs to happen to confirm that—however, this is a good indication that the top tier of the muscle car market has begun to wane.

1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88: -19%

Let’s talk Blue Chip collector cars for a moment. These are the best of the best, the most exclusive collector cars in the hobby. Just having a pedigree in your brand isn’t enough—there has to be a sense of pomp and circumstance and genuflection when these cars come up in conversation. While the Chevrolet Corvette is not the first car that comes to mind when talking Blue Chip collectors, the L88-equipped 1967 ‘Vette is one of those cars.

Here’s a quick refresher on the L88 Corvettes for the two or three of you reading this who are unfamiliar with them. Chevrolet offered their biggest and baddest engine to exist in a Corvette to date in 1967. In the form of RPO code L88, a 427 cubic inch big block making a conservatively rated 430 horsepower (true figures are believed to be in excess of 500). The purpose of this engine was to put weapons-grade power in the hands of racers who could afford the nearly $950 option at that time. Out of the three years the L88 was an option, 1967 is the first, the rarest, and arguably the best-looking Corvette to have the option.

Since these cars are out of reach of the average collector—only 20 examples were produced, and costs are well into seven-figures—why do we care about their results? Even the top of the market has implications that trickle down to the more affordable segments of the hobby over time. After years of little activity and sitting high in the market, three examples hit the market at the same time, posting very weak numbers. This caused us to recommend an average of a 19-percent drop across the condition values of ’67 L88s. Softening at the top of the market for 1960s American performance cars indicates that we need to keep a close eye on other, less exclusive Corvettes and muscle cars from this era. Nothing happens in a vacuum, and sometimes it just takes a while to translate to the rest.

1979-1992 Mercedes-Benz W126: -16%

Introduced in the final months of 1979, the second-generation S-class Mercedes is the ultimate expression of the reputation for fit, finish, and reliability that we associate with Mercedes-Benzes from this era. Fitted with everything from a Diesel in the American market to a reasonably powerful V-8 for the time, there are plenty of options and price points to choose from as well.

This platform has long been revered and coveted by enthusiasts, but their values stayed reasonably low until 2020, when wider acceptance and popularity caused them to really take off. This was helped by an abundance of excellent, low-ish mile cars hitting the market and commanding prices that defied logic for a car that was previously merely a solid used car.

What goes up usually comes back down, and while the W126 market is incredibly nuanced—each engine option requires a close look—the general trend is that prices are settling back down. This is especially true with the six-cylinder models. While the V-8 cars are still doing well, the direction is clear: These cars are finding a different footing. The market growth of collector Mercedes from the ’80s hasn’t fully matured, so it only makes sense that some cars will be searching for a new equilibrium as the overall market changes.

1983-1990 Alfa Romeo Spider: -14%

Not as widely coveted as other Italian models but nonetheless important, the Alfa Romeo Spider is Italy’s contribution to the small, sports roadster segment. Produced from 1966 through to 1993, the little Alfa drop top outlasted just about all of its competition, most of which was from the U.K. With the introduction of the third-generation Spider, Alfa Romeo would update the platform for the first time in over a decade with refreshed styling and a change from mechanical to electronic fuel injection.

These cars have remained an affordable entry into Italian motoring, with even the best examples remaining under the $30,000 mark. The problem, though, is ensuring that you find a good specimen. This isn’t necessarily an Alfa problem—it’s a cheap car problem. Vehicles that have remained cheap for a long time are often neglected, as the cost to restore usually exceeds the cost of just buying a good car. Because of factors like this, we’ve witnessed a divergence between excellent examples, which saw minimal movement and fair and driver-grade cars experiencing more of a dip. This is usually a case of buyers getting pickier. This, too, isn’t necessarily an Alfa-specific problem—it’s something that we’ve observed across the market, even if it appears more pronounced in this example.

1995-2001 Acura and Honda Integra Type-R: -13%

In the late ’90s, the Integra Type-R (ITR) set the bar for what a hot, front-wheel drive, sport compact should be, and boy did Honda set it high. It’s the purest form of a front-wheel drive Honda offering Excellent handling, precise controls, and an engine that effortlessly revs to the moon. To this day, enthusiasts who have experienced one are adamant that the ITR is the best FWD car built.

These cars started to catch on about eight years ago within the enthusiast community as solid collector cars. As Japanese cars, led by the Toyota Supra, Nissan Skyline GT-R, and Acura NSX have gained wider acceptance as desirable collectors, prices skyrocketed for the ITR as well, though not quite as high as the others. Perfect, no-mile examples have commanded prices nearing and topping six-figures, with one even hitting $150K. Japanese-market Honda ITRs influenced the market slightly, increasing inventory as they started to trickle in when they turned 25 years old. However, they have become only marginally cheaper than the US-market Acuras.

A quieting market extends to more than the ITR—other segment standouts like the Mk IV Supra and FD-series RX-7 have shown some tells of the market adjusting downwards as well. None, however, have receded as much as the ITR: Its data was less ambiguous that there has been indeed a softening. With one of the original leaders of the surge in Japanese popularity showing weakness, it’s prudent to fix our eyes on the bigger picture. If you have been previously priced out of your dream Japanese car, they may be coming back within reach. Just don’t expect to see prices from 10 years ago.

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The post These 5 Cars Lost the Most Value in the Beginning of 2024 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

April 17 marks sixty years since the Ford Mustang’s public debut at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. The original pony car immediately became a pop-culture and automotive phenom, and it remains one of the most impactful cars in history. We’re celebrating with stories of the events surrounding the Mustang’s launch, the history of the early cars, and tales from owners. Click here to follow along with our multi-week 60 Years of Mustang coverage. -Ed.

This week, which marks 60 years since the debut of the original, we’re looking back at our digital archives and realizing … we really, really like the first-gen Mustang. We’ve written dozens of stories centered on Mustangs built between 1964 and 1973, from member stories to a buyer’s guide to that one time we found the O.G. Bullitt Mustang.

We’ve rounded up a handful of these memorable stories that you might want to share with a friend. If they’re somebody who likes trivia, we’ve extracted a fun fact from each story. If they’re a committed reader who likes to take the long way home, we’ve included links to the full articles.

Whether you’re a history buff, a niche collector, or a casual fan, a story in this list is bound to delight you.

The First-Gen Mustang Is the Most Popular Classic Car Exported from America

Between 2011 and 2021, more than 20,000 examples of the first-gen Mustang were shipped abroad from the United States to collectors in other countries, making the original pony car the most popular export among American classics. Around the world, people love them for the same reasons: parts are easy to find and affordable, and everyone knows what you’re driving. No matter where you live, a Mustang sings “America.”

Discover which overseas country loves the Mustang most here.

The First American to Buy a Mustang Was an Elementary School Teacher

On April 15, 1964, an elementary school teacher in Park Ridge, Illinois, decided she needed a car. Her name was Gail Wise, and the Wises had always owned Ford convertibles, so she headed to the Ford dealer and asked what drop-tops they had in stock. She paid $3447.50 and left with a blue, 260-powered Mustang … two days before Lee Iacocca would unveil the car at the New York World’s Fair. Gail’s husband Tom restored her Mustang himself during retirement in 2006 and 2007. “When I’m driving it,” says Gail, “I feel like I’m 22 years old again.”

Read Gail’s full story here.

Ford Traded the Millionth Mustang for VIN #001

Anyone looks good in a Mustang, no matter what they do for a living. Captain Stanley Tucker of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, wrangled his way into buying a display model: a Wimbledon White convertible with the 260 V-8 and a three-speed automatic. Turns out, writes the Detroit Free Press, it was a preproduction model that Ford wanted shipped back to Dearborn. Preproduction models are often crushed, but this one was lucky: One Canadian dealership didn’t get the news, and Tucker drove home with the car.

Read here about Ford’s change of heart, and the Mustang it offered to get #001 back to Dearborn.

These Lesser-Known Mustangs Are Surprisingly Uncommon

Given the popularity of the original Mustang, it’s no surprise that the model paced the Indianapolis 500 in 1964. As would become tradition, Ford supplied a small number of cars to the Speedway and then built a run of replicas to sell. Confusingly, the 1964 1/2 Indy Pace Car Replicas were not sold to the public but used in dealer incentive contests.

To read about six other lesser-known Mustangs of all ages, click here.

23 First-Gen Mustangs Traveled through Time

Okay, so this 1965 Mustang didn’t really see the future. One of 23 used by Ford in its Wonder Rotunda at the 1965–65 World’s Fair, this Mustang went round and round on the Disney Magic Skyway, taking an animatronic trip from the Stone Age to a vision of the future: Space City.

Discover what happened to this particular convertible here.

This Boss 429 Was Sent to War in the Pacific

Even if you didn’t know the history of this Boss 429, it would grab your eye: Fat drag racing slicks, a parachute out back, a giant blower sticking out of the hood, and four exhaust pipes jutting from each side. If you know the history, the car gets infinitely cooler.

In 1970, Ford worked with Goodyear, Motor Wheels, Hurst, and other speed-parts suppliers to create six “Lawman” vehicles: performance-oriented Mustangs that would travel to various military bases in Vietnam, the Philippines, South Korea, and Japan “to bring the latest in automotive performance activities ad equipment to American Servicemen by conducting safety seminars, driving clinics, performance exhibitions and static displays,” according to a period brochure. The 1970 Military Performance Tour, as it was called, wasn’t just an exercise in entertainment: Ford wanted the tour to “create a genuine understanding” of what it took to be a good driver.

Five of the cars were Cobra Jets. The sixth was a Boss 429 … and you can discover its full story here.

The World’s Most Prolific Mustang Shop Is Run by 30-Year-Old Twins

Based in Chicago, Mustang Brothers is the world’s largest Mustang restoration business, measured by builds completed annually. Founded by Christopher Ingrassia, the shop was originally called Mustang Restorations; now that Christopher is handing the business to his twin sons, Preston and Cody, the shop is called Mustang Brothers. They do everything from ground-up restomods to oil changes on daily drivers.

Stroll along with us as we talk with both generations of the Ingrassias and tour of their sprawling, professional-grade shop.

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There are a lot of ways to get things done when working on project cars, but few methods are as handy as leveraging heat to do work for you. Whether disassembling crusty things or creating new pieces by joining metal with the heat of an electric arc, the judicious use of heat can unlock new avenues and techniques of solving common problems faced by DIY enthusiasts everywhere.

First off, let’s make something clear: We aren’t really talking about heat itself in most of these, we are talking about the powers of temperature differential. It’s that one part heated or cooled to a temperature different than the other parts creates advantages for the task at hand. For instance, it’s not the mere fact that the bolt is hot that helps you, it’s that the material of that bolt expands when heated. But we are getting ahead of ourselves: Here are five ways heat can help unlock your superpowers in the garage.

To Diagnose

There are a lot of moving parts in an automobile. Friction is the universal enemy of almost all of them. When friction starts winning the battle, it often shows in the form of heat buildup. This is also true for electrical connections and relays too. When something doesn’t feel right even though it all passes visual inspection, it is easy to start poking around and seeing what is warm. A prime example is diagnosing wheel bearings on trailers.

Small infrared heat guns are a really handy tool now that the prices are nearing novelty purchase territory. Even just feeling things by hand can be telling sometimes, but using non-touch methods allows much more capability, as you would burn the heck out of your hand if you wanted to confirm if a particular cylinder was running right by checking header temp. There’s a tool for every job.

To Break Corrosion

Cars are built from a mulitude of different materials. In modern manufacturing, the usage of appropriate fasteners and hardware is figured out during the design process to ensure that they will not react adversely with others in the assembly. We often aren’t working on vehicles straight off the line though, and the facts of life tell us that everything corrodes, it’s just that some things resist it better.

For rusted hardware, heat helps break the bonds between that surface corrosion and the base metal, allowing things to move freely again. To prove the point made earlier about temperature differential, those who have the ability to freeze hardware rapidly know that can be just as powerful as an oxy-acetylene torch. The key to making it work is that the subject metals expand or contract with big swings in temperature. It works for breaking the bonds of corrosion but we can also leverage that fact…

To Aid in Assembly

The other day I needed to press eight bronze valve guides into two aluminum cylinder heads. The setup instructions for the parts called for .0015″ to .0025″ press fit, and with everything prepared and reamed to size, the guides were put in the freezer overnight and the heads were put in the toaster over at 200 degrees for 20 minutes. I used a special punch to align the guide and took light taps with a hammer to set them home. When the metals normalized to the 60-degree garage temps, everything was pressed and secured solidly.

The exact physics of it are a bit murky to me yet, but luckily you or I don’t need to understand that to know exactly what to expect from heating things. Thermal expansion coefficients can be looked up in resource materials like Machinery’s Handbook, or the internet—whichever is more handy.

To Add or Remove Hardness

The materials we work with are fascinating when you get down to it. Even as at-home mechanics, we have the power to alter the properties and behaviors of steel or aluminum. This can be great for making tools, fabricating, or even reusing parts. Annealing a sheet of aluminum makes it much easier to form, and also works for copper gaskets or washers to help make them a little more malleable and thus seal small imperfections better. The process involves heating to high temperatures then cooling either rapidly or slowly and controlled in a heat sink material like sand.

To Weld

Add enough heat to a part or material and it will likely liquify. Doing so in a very controlled method with the addition of a filler material gives the ability to create a strong bond between what was formerly two different parts. Welding is a garage superpower that comes with great responsibility—mainly that we be realistic about how good we are at it. A great weld is extremely solid and strong, but a mediocre or bad weld is downright dangerous in the wrong spot or place. Know the limits of your skills, machine, and materials in order to utilize welding in the most effective way possible.

Heat is a superpower in the garage that we can use for all these things, and quite a few more. There are a multitude of methods to add or subtract heat which range from totally normal to unconventional, but they’re all effective. Regardless of what method you use, know that heat can be your best friend if you know how to use it.

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Anyone who’s ever read a comment section online knows that there’s no shortage of “expert” opinion out there extolling the virtues and vices of our favorite rides. Much of it is based on second- and third-hand experience, or even outright hearsay. That doesn’t stop the momentum from building, though, and before long a car gains a reputation that may or may not accurately represent the actual ownership experience. After having 40+ cars pass through my often-undeserving hands, I’ve developed a few opinions of my own, often running contrary to conventional wisdom.

1963 Buick Riviera

I’ll concede I’m probably not the target market for a first-gen Riv. Floating down a perfectly paved freeway for hours on end isn’t what I’d choose to do behind the wheel, even if I knew of a such a road anywhere near me. But that’s what the Riviera excelled at, sort of. Its undulating ride was more disconcerting than cruise-worthy. It had the turning radius of a city bus, and its puny brakes may have set a postwar record for largest inverse relationship between horsepower and stopping ability. And don’t get me started on the numb power steering. While the Riviera was certainly attractive, as a driver, it fell miles short of Bill Mitchell’s aspiration to build an American Ferrari. I sorely wish that Mr. Mitchell had been able to pry some brake, steering and suspension mojo from the excellent C2 Corvette. Sleek styling wasn’t enough to forgive its ills, so I’m forced to say the Riviera is overrated.

1965 Jaguar E-type

The Series I E-type is undoubtedly a good-looking car, regardless of whether or not you believe the story of Enzo Ferrari calling it the most beautiful car he’d ever seen.  What is rarely talked about is how well the car drives, even by modern standards. It’s the opposite of the Riviera in that its chassis dynamics were commensurate with its good looks.

The Jag’s rack and pinion steering is delightful, communicative, and precise. Power assist isn’t even needed. The post-1964 all-synchro four-speed is a joy to shift, and its 4.2-liter dual-overhead cam straight six, while not rev-happy, makes good torque and more than adequate power. That said, I suspect its advertised 265 hp may have been a touch ambitious. No matter, at just under 2,900 lbs., it was good for 0-60 in about seven seconds. D-Type-inspired four-wheel disc brakes were good for the time, and while the car was set up more for GT-style driving than track-ready handling, if you could deal with the body roll, you could have fun exploiting the car’s power and near 50/50 weight distribution.

The car isn’t without its peccadilloes, particularly with regard to its electrical system. But ultimately, when you look at values of its more exotic competition relative to their performance and livability, The E-Type begins to shine. For that reason, I find this cat a bit underrated.

1971 Datsun 240Z

I’ve owned four first-generation Z cars, though I’ve never kept one for a long time. There’s a reason for that: of any car I’ve owned, the corner-cutting to achieve a bargain base price is most evident in a Z. There’s almost no sound deadening to be found anywhere in the car, from the floors to the lightly padded, vinyl headliner, and as a result the freeway drone is maddening. In addition to the gratuitous noise (I will admit that the actual exhaust note is pleasing), in any significant crosswind, the early Z’s freeway wander is downright scary. The BRE front spoiler helps, if only a little. Inside, the plastic quality is backyard kiddie-pool spec.

I suppose it’s not really the car’s fault—it’s so pretty, and it handles and performs so much above its class that you expect the details to be as nice as a Porsche 911. They’re not, so I’ve always considered the Z to be a bit overrated.

1979 Porsche 924

If ever there was a car for which I had low expectations, this was it. I’m a multiple 911 owner, and before this car, I’d never owned any flavor of transaxle Porsche—certainly not the one deemed to be the worst of them, the original Audi-powered 924. I bought the car for $2,000 to do a “2,000 miles in a $2,000 Porsche” story for the magazine that I edit, Porsche Panorama. It was a middling road trip story at best, mostly because the car gave me zero material to work with. Nothing broke, though if it had, I think I could have solved most of it on the roadside because of the car’s inherent simplicity. Was it a little buzzy and underpowered? Yes, but the car’s beautiful balance, solid build, and sturdy honesty made up for that. As did its attention to aerodynamics, which gifted the 924 a lack of wind noise and near 30-mpg thrift on 87 octane fuel. Subjectively, I also found it quite pretty. The 924 surprised me in the best ways, and since then, I’ve considered it the essence of an underrated car.

1975 BMW 2002

My 2002 was the exact opposite of the 924. The little Bimmer was a car for which I had huge expectations, most of which went unfulfilled, particularly in light of David E. Davis Jr.’s assessment that the BMW 2002 was the best way to get somewhere sitting down. It’s not that there weren’t any positives. The 2002’s driving position and outward visibility were top notch, but I found the car to be buzzy and underpowered in a far more egregious way than I found the 924. The lack of fuel injection combined with crude emission controls made for annoying flat-spots in the power curve. The car’s ventilation is largely theoretical—no face level dash vents at all, just ancient vent and quarter windows, and a sunroof if you’re lucky. The fake wood applique on the dash reminded me of a VW Scirocco. The steering that I expected to be super-quick was somewhat heavy and a little dead on center. Truth be told, by the time my 2002 was built, it was a fairly ancient design, and the injected 2002 tii was the spec that you really wanted. That said, I found the 2002 to be a generally overrated car.

1968 MGC GT

I actually had the experience of owning an MGC and a Datsun 240Z at the same time. Odd, because the C is the car that the Z wiped off the face of the earth. The MGC is the rare, six-cylinder version of the MGB that was deemed in-period to be an utterly inferior car to the Japanese upstart. I didn’t find that to be the case. In spite of their wildly differing reputations for quality, the MG felt more expensive in every way—the seats were covered in good-smelling leather, the chrome-ringed Smiths gauges looked nicer, and the whole car just felt more solid. As a freeway cruiser, there was no contest—the MG was somehow nearly impervious to crosswinds, something I discovered when I got caught in 65 mph gale-force winds on I-5 in between Seattle and Portland. With the overdrive engaged in fourth gear, it was also much more relaxed at speed than the Z. With its independent rear suspension, the Z was a better handler, but with the proper tire pressures (this is critical for the slightly nose-heavy MG), the C was no slouch either. On the whole, I found the MGC GT to be vastly underrated.

What about you—did your time in one of these cars dissuade you from the mythology that surrounds it, or confirm its greatness? Which car have you owned that provided the biggest contrast to how it’s perceived?

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There’s more than one way to skin a car, but there are only so many ways to drape sheetmetal over a frame and make it look good. Popular styles rise to the top, and we covered quite a lot of them when we gave 20 examples of similar-looking cars. We’ve revisited this idea and expanded it to focus on specific design elements, rather than just the entire car, including some suggestions from reader comments. If you recall grilles or taillights or dashboards from two vehicles that seem to copy each other, let us know in the comments below.

1959 Pontiac and 1960 Edsel grilles

We’re gonna start with two pairs that were suggested in our list of doppelgänger cars from almost two years ago. The short-lived Edsel brand had a rough go in its early years, thanks to a polarizing grille that is still instantly recognizable. Frequently described as resembling either a horse collar or a toilet seat, the signature vertical center portion was tossed aside for the 1960 models, which wore split grilles that looked an awful lot like those on Pontiac’s 1959 models. The result was a stylish, understated design that looks particularly good as a wagon, in our opinion.

Unfortunately, 1960 marked the final year for the Edsel brand, so we didn’t get to see Ford apply Edsel styling to the Falcon, as was planned. We got the Comet instead, so things worked out just fine. But can you imagine if the brand had survived a few more years, and we got to see Edsel’s take on the Mustang?

1960 Pontiac and 1961 Dodge Lancer grilles

When Dodge launched the Lancer line in 1961, to give the brand a version of the Valiant, the automaker made some major leaps in design. The greenhouse was unlike anything else on the market—the influence of Exner was clear. The front, however, did have a strong resemblance to the full-size Pontiacs of the previous model year. The horizontal grille slats and a protruding shield shape look good on both vehicles, and both also have prominent horizontal body lines that start at the leading edge of the fender and terminate mid-door. Aside from those similarities, however, there’s really no mistaking the cars for one another.

1968 Mopar C-body and 1970 AMC Ambassador C-pillars

We love how much a car’s entire look can be transformed by changing just the roof. Some cars look good as convertibles and fantastic as coupes, and vice versa, but some cars were offered with sportier or more formal rooflines that really were their best looks. Dodge, Chrysler, and Plymouth C-bodies were available with a sleek hardtop in 1968 that made the otherwise conservative cars look much more like overgrown muscle cars. In 1970, AMC added a very similar roof to its Ambassador, with a similar effect.

1968 Olds Toronado wheel flares and dozens of early 2000s cars

This one was suggested by our own Stefan Lombard, who pointed out the Tornado’s wheel flares were oddly similar to those found on a 2004–08 Nissan Maxima and also later Altimas. Other cars from the era have similar shaped flares with a flat, vertical face that follows the wheel opening.

1970 Pontiac Trans Am and 1972 Porsche Carrera ducktail spoiler

Form follows function, and this shape works as intended to break up the flow of air over the rear of a fastback roofline. This one’s also from Stefan Lombard, who saw the similarities in the two cars and it led us to gather two fantastic examples for a retro comparison.

C4 Corvette and Mk IV Supra interior

There were plenty of Supra fans who pointed out that the C7 Corvette’s dash resembled the driver-focused cockpit of the MK IV Supra. Go just a bit further back, and you can see that the Corvette team was looking at the later C4 for inspiration, as the dash was redesigned for the 1990 model year. If you want a more recent example of Corvette raiding its own design bin, note the strake on the front of the C8 that divides the lower grille opening, and then look at the split front bumper on the C2.

2003–2010 Dodge Viper and 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice interior

Whether you believe there were three or five generations of Viper, you can probably agree that Pontiac cribbed some elements from the famous snake’s interior when it made the Solstice. The powertrains couldn’t be more different, but the basic shape for the center stack and the vent placements is pretty spot-on for both of these sporty cars

Nearly every Aston Martin ever, and the 2013+ Ford Fusion grille

This one was talked about all over the automotive sphere when the 2013 Fusion debuted. The shapes are different—Aston Martin’s a grille opening features concave curves on its top edges—but the comparison is definitely warranted.

1993 Pontiac Firebird and 2021 Porsche 911 GT3 heat extractors

As soon as the 2021 Porsche 911 GT3 debuted, we had a funny feeling we’d seen a similar hood treatment. The twin heat extractors gave us serious fourth-gen Firebird vibes, and when we pointed it out, Hagerty’s Porsche faithful came out of the woodwork to call us crazy. Two years later, and the extractors still look similar to us.

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Who doesn’t love a vintage pickup? With their simple layouts and sturdy construction, there are plenty of examples of old iron that would make great projects. We’re not trying to rationalize adding another vehicle to your collection, but if you’re already eyeing that empty bit of space in your garage and picturing how you’d fill it, perhaps a classic pickup truck isn’t the worst option. True, that spot might have to be a bit bigger than the space needed for a sporty roadster, but you typically can’t fit a pair of motorcycles or half a cord of wood into the trunk of a Triumph. OK, maybe we are trying to rationalize adding another vehicle to your collection.

We had our valuation specialists look through the latest numbers and we picked out a wide variety of pickups from an array of manufacturers that can all be had in #3 (Good) condition for less than $20,000. A vehicle in #3 condition could be a candidate for sprucing up or enjoying as-as, and putting the bed to use as intended. This list of sub-$20,000 pickups is far from exhaustive—there are plenty more out there that should fit just about every classic pickup lover’s fancy. Do any of these parts haulers and workhorses have a place in your collection?

1930 Model A open cab pickup

#3 (Good) Value: $19,900

The Model A Ford was available in a staggering number of body styles, from roadster and cabriolet to coupe, sedan, and pickups both with and without a metal roof. This is one case where the adage, “if the top goes down, the price goes up” doesn’t apply as the roadster pickup has recently dropped in price to come in under our $20,000 threshold. All of the same hot-rodding principles apply to these pickups, and while their banger engines can be hopped up, they also look and perform quite nicely with a flathead V-8 swapped in and the hood sides removed to show it off.

1959 Studebaker Deluxe 1/2-ton 259 V-8

#3 (Good) Value: $19,700

Studebaker ushered in a new generation of pickups in 1960, with sheet metal based on their car lineup, so the 1959 pickups were nearing the end of an era. These curvy trucks eschewed the quad-headlamp look that the Big Three had all adopted by 1959, so they might have looked a bit dated when new, although we think the style has aged just as nicely as many of its contemporaries. The half-ton we picked comes with a 259-cubic-inch V-8. If this were in our collection we’d enjoy taking it to shows, and it’d no doubt be the only one of its kind in attendance.

1967 Chevrolet C10 short-bed fleetside 327 V-8

#3 (Good) Value: $19,900

Another that came in just under our $20K cap, the first year of a new pickup generation brought the ’67 Chevy pickups gorgeous styling. This was the only year of this era without side marker lights, making for a clean, uncluttered design. This generation has aged well and has been a mainstay among pickup fans for ages. The long trailing arms used on the rear suspension of the 2WD pickups gave them great handling for the era and their enduring popularity have helped aftermarket suppliers make all sorts of restoration and restomod parts available. Equipped with a 327 cubic-inch small-block V-8, this could be a great parts hauler to match your Bow Tie muscle car.

1973 International Wagonmaster 1110 392 V-8

#3 (Good) Value: $18,400

International Harvester built several interesting vehicles despite being outmanned and outspent by the Big Three, and as a result they’ve also cultivated a sizable cadre of dedicated enthusiasts. They were sort of like the AMC of pickups and SUVs, except that AMC also made pickups and SUVs. We think you get the point. The Wagonmaster was an ingenious product that proved to be way ahead of its time. The concept: take a four-door SUV and remove the rear roof section to build a crew-cab pickup. It’s the recipe that would eventually give us the Chevrolet Avalanche decades later. The Wagonmaster also existed long before crew-cab pickups became the largest share of the pickup market, so if you’re looking for the combination of four-passenger practicality and short-bed utility in a pickup from the ‘70s, your options are limited. The one we picked is powered by a big International V-8 engine, that comes in a displacement familiar to Mopar fans: 392 cubic inches. International’s family of V-8 engines are known for being heavy as heck, but they also come with a reputation for being bulletproof.

1979 Jeep J-10 Custom Townside short bed 4×4 360 V-8

#3 (Good) Value: $19,800

Before the Gladiator was based on a Wrangler and the Comanche was based on the XJ Cherokee, Jeep’s pickups were built on a full-size platform shared with the venerable Wagoneer. These pickups were powered by AMC’s inline-six or the optional 360 V-8 like the one we’ve chosen here, and the 4×4 versions came equipped with Jeep’s Quadra-Trac 4×4 system with low range. These pickups might be a bit more difficult to find parts for compared to their Big Three contemporaries, although there are plenty of reproduction graphics available to give it a Honcho or Golden Eagle upgrade, which kind of makes up for it. The Golden Eagle models are a bit more desirable and fell just outside of our $20,000 cap.

1985 Toyota SR5 4×4 Xtra Cab 22R-E

#3 (Good) Value: $18,000

The styling of the 1984-1988 Toyota pickups has aged quite well in our opinion, and the values of SR5 4x4s across the range is rather similar, so take your pick of 2bbl carbureted 22R engine or the fuel-injected 22R-E model for a bit more power. We gave our nod to the 1985 model for a couple of reasons. It was Marty McFly’s pickup of choice and looks great with a mild lift and some added lights, even if you don’t want to go full Back to the Future regalia. It also was the final year of a solid front axle in 4×4 models, making it easier to upgrade for some weekend off-roading. These tough and simple trucks were at the forefront of building Toyota’s reputation for reliability.

1985 F-350 Crew Cab 4×4 460 V-8

#3 (Good) Value: $16,000

You’d have to clear a massive parking spot for this behemoth, one of the largest pickups in our lineup. In exchange you’ll get a roomy cabin with seating for up to six, an eight-foot bed, and a gargantuan big-block V-8. Ford had yet to make the switch to fuel injection, so you’ll have ample opportunity to tune up the 460 with your choice of parts or convert it to EFI, which Ford did itself in 1988. It’s true, the big-block is no powerhouse by today’s standards—today’s F-150 comes with a base 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6 that can outpower this 460, but it’s tough to knock the simplicity of this pushrod brute.

1987 GMC V1500 4×4 350 V-8

#3 (Good) Value: $15,500

Square-body GM 1/2-ton pickups have seen renewed interest in recent years, and 1987 is the youngest, most developed model year you can buy in. By then, GM offered throttle body injection, and while crude, the system was also reliable. Top-shelf square-bodies can far exceed our $20k cap, but there are still plenty of good ones available in a variety of configurations for not too much coin.

1989 Chevrolet K1500 Sportside 4×4 350 V-8

#3 (Good) Value: $16,900

The GMT 400 generation of pickups sparked new life into the custom truck scene. Their clean, uncluttered lines look great lowered or lifted. Like its earlier brethren we mentioned, these used a simple TBI injection setup. Their cylinder heads, cam, and intake are among the least impressive ever installed on a small-block Chevy, so a set of remanufactured Vortec heads and a new intake that reuses the factory TBI is an OEM option for a major upgrade.

1990 Dodge W150 short bed 4×4 360 V-8

#3 (Good) Value: $16,900

Just like Ford and GM, Dodge got a lot of mileage out of its 1970s-era cab design, with Dodge using the same basic structure from 1972 until the radical semi-truck-inspired Ram debuted in 1994. By the late ‘80s, Dodge had adapted TBI to its LA-based small-blocks, just as GM had done with its V-8s. Despite not having any design language in common with modern Rams, these trucks have a charm all their own. The 360 V-8 would wake up with a tune-up and we’d be tempted to backdate it with Macho Power Wagon graphics from the late ’70s.

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People like to poop on Mustangs for all sorts of reasons, but one popular refrain is that they’re a dime a dozen. Sure, fine, they’re not rare cars, and by August 2018 Ford had built 10 million of the things. But there’s something to be said for democratizing performance, and anyone who has ever mashed the throttle of a V-8 Mustang has done so gladly and with a smile on their face.

Over the years there have been plenty of rare variants, and those tend to bring big bucks and occasionally make headlines when they come up for sale. No Mustang has brought bigger bucks than the 1968 Highland Green 390 fastback from the movie Bullitt, which sold for $3.74 million in January 2020. But it’s the run-of-the-mill Mustangs that make for easy access and touch the lives of the most people. And while Mustang ownership is technically easiest with a slushbox-shifting base-model with as few cylinders as possible, enthusiasts are after a bit of V-8 kick and they’re willing to fork over a few extra dollars to get it.

Still keeping both V-8 and value in mind, here are the cheapest eight-cylinder Mustangs by generation (we price the first through fifth gens) and #2 condition (Excellent), value in the Hagerty Price Guide.

First gen (1965–73): 1970 Mustang Coupe, $18,100

With a few minor updates (notably a return to single headlights), the 1970 Mustang was largely a carryover from ’69, and Ford built nearly 191,000 of them for the model year. Nine different engines were offered, including a pair of sixes, 428- and 429-cubic-inch big-blocks, and the new 351 Cleveland V-8, a $48 option. The base V-8 coupe, however, with its two-barrel 302 making 220 horsepower, slots in as the most affordable V-8 of the bunch today. Cars equipped with an automatic offer a slight discount, but then where’s the fun in that?

Second gen (1974–78): 1975 Mustang II Coupe, $14,100

Many enthusiasts view the Mustang II as a dim, dim light in the Dark Ages of American performance cars. One of the more generous views is that it was “the right car at the right time.” It was a car, alright, but in those post-performance years, this pioneering pony car served a different master: economy.

As such, the II was smaller than its predecessor in every way. Little changed inside or outside the car during its production run but, mercifully, a 5.0-liter V-8 joined the 2.8-liter V-6 and 2.3-liter four on the spec sheet for 1975. With 8.0:1 compression and 122 horsepower, it was nothing to write home about even in the mid-1970s, and we’re pretty certain no one ever did. For a very long time, these were $5500 cars, but since late 2020, values have skyrocketed, relatively speaking. Still, the V-8 Mustang II coupe slots in as the most affordable of the era.

Third gen (1979–93): 1987 Mustang 5.0 LX Coupe, $16,600

What a trooper the Fox-body Mustang was. Few cars soldier on for so long yet still sell like gangbusters. In fact, by the time production ended after that 15-year run, about 2.7 million of them had hit the road—that’s a Fox-body Mustang for every citizen of Botswana.

As for the ’87 model, there were big changes. For starters, the Mercury Capri went away, as did the turbocharged SVO Mustang, as did the V-6 option, which left only LX and GT Mustangs with four (yuck!) or eight (yay!) cylinders. Front and rear fascias were updated, aero-look headlights showed the way, and lower bodyside moldings framed the Mustang in a more Euro fashion. An LX will always lack the cachet of a GT, so it’s no surprise they are the cheaper option among enthusiasts today. But—spoiler alert!—you still get a five-speed manual and that great 5.0 with its 225 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque, so we’d hardly call this a loss.

Fourth gen (1994–2004): 1996 Mustang GT, $11,800

The venerable 5.0 V-8 soldiered on in the first couple years of production of the Mustang’s SN95 generation, but it was replaced with Ford’s new overhead cam 4.6-liter Modular unit for 1996. Despite being smaller, the more refined engine made the same power while delivering better fuel economy and reduced emissions. The change made plenty of people grumpy, which may account for the ’96 slotting in as not only the cheapest Mustang of the generation, but the cheapest V-8 Mustang overall.

For how long is anyone’s guess; values have been flat for a decade but that could mean an opportunity for collectors in the near future. In a model year that offered the potent Cobra and the crazy Mystic paint job, this regular old GT may seem pretty plain, but it’ll still put a smile on your face.

Fifth Gen (2005–14): 2005 Mustang GT, $22,700

The Mustang got a ground-up redo for 2005, with a new chassis, throwback styling, and an all-aluminum 4.6-liter V-8 featuring variable camshaft timing and making a quite respectable 300 hp and 320 lb-ft—enough to propel the car to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds. To the surprise of many, Ford kept the Mustang’s solid rear axle but vastly upgraded the ancient four-link way it had been tended to, with improved shocks, softer springs, and control arms that benefited from the addition of a Panhard rod. In short, the new Mustang was fast and it handled itself well. If those things are important to you, it’s probably well worth your time to seek one out, especially because values have been on the rise for the last 24 months.

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We don’t need a holiday to be grateful, but since it is that time of year, I thought I’d share a sample from the scroll of things I’m thankful for. Perhaps my list might inspire you to create your own, a reflection that I humbly suggest is always worthwhile. Okay, here goes.

You, the audience

Thank you for reading, watching, and engaging with all of Hagerty Media’s material—we exist to serve you. About a year ago, I started using an old saying to describe myself: a “painter who’s gotta paint.” I have no idea where my passion for cars came from but consider it a gift. I lean into that passion, scratch an acute curiosity itch, and then share what I’ve learned, an often fraught but joyous process. Sharing with like-minded passionate people is invigorating. Thank you for helping us reach more car folks.

New sporty cars

There’s plenty of handwringing that the cars made for people who love driving are being sidelined in favor of autonomous pods. I don’t buy it. For one, we just dropped this video about several current cars that are made for enthusiasts. We’ll also highlight another cluster in an upcoming issue of the Hagerty Drivers Club magazine, which you can get here. Furthermore, millions of existing interesting machines, from across the decades, are still owned and lovingly cared for by the faithful, aka our people. Which leads me to …

Older fun cars

Next month, we’ll debut our seventh annual Bull Market List, a roundup of cars poised to rise in value. We started the list to encourage people to take the plunge: buy a vintage car, enjoy it for a while, and then perhaps resell it for about what you paid or maybe a little more. The automotive landscape is changing and one of the positive changes is that old-car depreciation eventually levels off. More and more cars retain their value, which makes owning them cheaper and more accessible. Fantastic!

New-technology cars

I’ve driven plenty of EVs, like the Tesla Model S, that are far from sterile. Jason Cammisa waxed positively about the thrill of the Lucid Air. EVs are different, sure, but is that bad? Change is the one constant in life. The canvas will evolve, but there are enough passionate people making and driving cars who want more than a boring pod. We will continue to be served by carmakers offering sharp design and engaging driving dynamics.

Motorsports

When I started racing karts decades ago, I recognized that racing, uniquely, provided a huge range of emotions, from absolute elation to crushing disappointment. I also recognized that my hobby was just a hobby that invoked those emotions yet didn’t really affect the rest of my life. That’s a bit of a stretch because my bank account was certainly punished as were my ribs after one wreck, but I haven’t found another activity that’s provided the same richness. I’ve also shared racing with my kids, and we bond not just on the track but also in the garage preparing our machines. That is a lucky thing. If I could go back in time and walk a different career path, I would consider professional motorsports. No one in that industry is there just to have a job—they are there because they love it, and it is wonderful to be around those people.

Mechanics and craftspeople

While my DIY Ferrari restoration is currently more pain than fun, it’s allowed me to learn from the pros. I’m continually impressed with not just the skills and knowledge but also the passion of those professionals who keep our vehicles on the road. To many, the trades were a calling that they’ve dedicated their lives to. As I’ve written before, the ranks are dwindling, and we need more programs like the McPherson College automotive restoration degree. Send your favorite tech a thank you note this holiday season.

The incinerator smokestack

In July 1993, as a freshly minted mechanical engineer, I was working a job where I had to regularly climb the smokestack of a Baltimore garbage incinerator. That hot summer, the aroma was so pungent I didn’t just smell it, I tasted it. Also, I’m terrified of heights, so my palms oozed sweat, making me even more terrified that I would slip off the ladder and fall to a miserable death. Those Baltimore climbs were the kick in the rear I needed to quit and find a new path. Next, I figured out how to defer student loan payments for a year, which meant I could afford to work for five bucks an hour as a Car and Driver gopher. Getting that lowly job is a long story for another time, but would I be here, gratefully writing to you, without that incinerator gig?

Hagerty

We’re here to build a business that funds our purpose, which is to save driving and car culture for future generations. With that mission, we’ve built a talented team to serve you and it’s an absolute joy to work with these folks. Thanks for being with us.

In the interest of honoring your time, I’ll stop there. If you find yourself with some free time over the holidays, I hope you’ll enjoy our huge volume of articles and videos, all of which we provide for free to help spread the passion. This newsletter will take a pause next week. May you and your families have a warm and joyous holiday.

Never stop driving!

Larry

P.S.: Your feedback is very welcome. Comment below!

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The post Never Stop Driving #75: 8 Things I’m Grateful For appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Pull a thread on a sweater, and you may reduce it to a ball of yarn. When trying to unravel automotive history, you also sometimes end up with a yarn or two. Here’s an example: Perhaps because it was the only show car in the history of General Motors’ Motorama that actually became a car you could buy in showrooms, the Corvette earned such positive reception from the public that GM executives decided to green-light the concept. That legend is likely not true, at least the part about why the Corvette was approved for production.

Here’s the real story. Chevrolet brand manager Thomas Keating wanted a product to compete with the British sports cars, which had become popular in America following WWII thanks to GIs returning from the UK and Europe. The two-seat, rear-drive, open-top Vette certainly got a strong reception. A true part of Corvette lore concerns an attendee at New York’s Waldorf Astoria, where GM first showed the car, who was so impressed by the car’s potential and disappointed in its driveline (a six-cylinder engine and two-speed automatic transmission) that he wrote a letter to Chevrolet’s head engineer, Ed Cole, who hired the young engineer. His name was Zora Arkus Duntov, and he went on to become the Corvette’s chief engineer for decades.

Since that first Corvette show car (EX-52), concepts have played an important role in the history of the brand, shaping both production models and brand enthusiasm. To Corvette enthusiasts, Bill Mitchell’s 1959 Stingray and the Mako Shark II are almost as familiar as the Split Window or the C3. In my exploration of the mid-engine, all-wheel drive Corvette concepts that preceded the new, hybrid/AWD E-Ray, I came across a number of Corvette concepts that are worthy of attention. Some are better known than others, and not all of them are precisely Corvettes, but all of them had some kind of role in shaping the brand.

The Duntov Mule

First, let’s get back to Zora. After he was hired on at GM, he wrote a four-page memo encouraging his superiors to make cars that would appeal to the hot-rodders of his day. It was Duntov who convinced Cole to take the small-block, overhead-valve V-8 in development for Chevy sedans and put it into the Corvette, turning the two-seater into a true performance car. The result was EX-87, currently owned by Ken Lingenfelter and better known as the Duntov Mule.

Not only is EX-87 literally the first Corvette with a V-8 engine, but it also has a provenance and pedigree that is a bit hard to believe. The engineer tasked with installing that engine in a production ’54 chassis was three-time Indy 500 winner Mauri Rose. The famed operator of Daytona’s “Best Damn Garage in Town,” Smokey Yunick, was responsible for tuning the V-8 prototype. Duntov set speed records in it. The cut-down windshield, tonneau cover over the passenger seat, and tail fin (for high-speed stability) were also Duntov’s ideas, as was increasing the displacement of the engine from 265 to 307 cubic inches.

1961 Mako Shark I

If you’re wondering why the Corvette was nicknamed Stingray, that’s because Bill Mitchell, who followed Harley Earl as GM’s head of styling, liked to go deep-sea fishing. He followed up 1959’s Stingray racer and show car with XP-755, the original Mako Shark.

Not as well known today as the Mako Shark II, which presaged the production version of the third-gen, or C3, Corvette (1968–82), the first Mako Shark was based on the second-gen car (C2). It had a streamlined front end that came to a point, six taillights, and an impressive paint job that faded, roof to rocker panels, from blue to white. The color scheme reproduced the coloration of the actual mako shark, an example of which was displayed by Mitchell in his office.

The way the story goes, when the styling team repeatedly failed to paint-match the shark’s colors to Mitchell’s satisfaction, they snuck into his office one night and repainted the fish to match the car.

1962 Corvair Monza GT

Yes, the Monza GT was branded as a Corvair concept and used an engine (an air-cooled, horizontally opposed turbocharged six-cylinder) from the production car—mounted in the middle, not the back, of the chassis. However, XP-777 and its open-roof sibling Monza SS, designed by Larry Shinoda and Tony Lapine, may have been the first expression of the styling themes expressed in Mako Shark II and the third-generation Corvette. The chassis for the Monza GT was also the basis for the 1963 Corvette GS-II, also penned by Shinoda, and part of the Corvette Grand Sport racing program. While the GS-II never raced, it became the basis for Jim Hall’s Chaparral 2C racer.

1967 Astro I

For 1967 Larry Shinoda took the design themes of the Monza GT and Monza SS to a radical extreme with the extremely low Astro I, also based on a Corvair. At just 35.5 inches tall, it is even lower than the Ford GT40. GM’s official history of the car says that it was “designed to investigate the visual potential of automobile aerodynamic characteristics” and that it “dramatically demonstrated the harmony that could be achieved between aesthetics and aerodynamics.”

With a roofline that low, ingress via conventional door was problematic, so roof and side glass were integrated into a clamshell that tilted rearward. To save driver and passenger from plopping down into such low seats, the chairs automatically raised when the canopy was opened and lowered as it retracted. Chevrolet said that the Astro I was powered by an experimental, overhead-cam version of the Corvair six-cylinder, but it’s not clear whether that engine was actually ever fitted to the Astro I.

1969 Manta Ray

I’d like to show you a photo of what the 1965 Mako Shark II, XP-830, looks like today but that influential Corvette concept, also designed by Larry Shinoda, no longer exists—at least under that name.

For the 1969 Detroit Auto Show, Mitchell’s team modified the Mako Shark II into the Manta Ray concept, expanding the Corvette’s aquatic menagerie. The Manta Ray had a longtail rear end, a styling feature that would show up in the Aerovette family of concepts (we’ll get to those in a bit), a “sugar scoop” rear glass treatment, a flip-up roof panel, tiny side mirrors, pop-up turn signal lights, a deep front spoiler, and side exhaust pipes—the last perhaps intended as a nod to the original 1959 Stingray. The Manta Ray was powered by the aluminum-block ZL-1 engine developed by Chevrolet with Bruce McLaren for use in the Can-Am racing series.

In a bit of concept-car trivia, the Manta Ray Corvette was not the first Manta Ray car. In 1951, a couple of West Coast customizers, Glen Hire and Vernon Antoine, built a highly modified Studebaker called the Manta Ray that bears more than a little resemblance to Harley Earl’s famous LeSabre concept.

1973 Aerovette

One of the better-known Corvette concepts that never reached production is the Aerovette. Its origins lie in the XP-880 mid-engined Astro II concept, first revealed at the 1968 New York Auto Show. Less extreme than the Astro I, the Aerovette had actual doors, a front storage hold, and a clamshell-style rear end that lifted to allow access to the transversely mounted V-8 engine.

Duntov’s team then developed two prototypes for what was tagged XP-882. Chevy general manager John DeLorean initially canceled the program, deeming it too costly, but when Ford announced the DeTomaso Pantera would be sold at its Lincoln-Mercury dealers, the program was revived and one of the XP-882s displayed at the 1970 New York show.

At the same time, General Motors was developing its own version of the rotary Wankel engine for the Vega small car. In 1972, DeLorean approved additional development of the XP-882 chassis, leading to the XP-895, powered by a pair of the two-rotor Wankels ganged together to make a 420-hp, four-rotor powerplant. A sibling, two-rotor car dubbed XP-897 was also developed. Both of those concepts were shown in 1973, before the oil crisis sparked by the Yom Kippur War and increasingly stringent emissions regulations put the kibosh on rotaries, which are relatively thirsty and dirty.

The exterior styling of the rotary-powered Corvette concepts was much rounder and organic than the production Corvette of the era. The two cars wore distinctive fender flares and NACA ducts on their hoods.

Three years later, in 1976, the four-rotor engine in XP-895 was swapped out for a 400 cubic-inch V-8. The car was renamed Aerovette and, according to reports, it was approved for production for the 1980 model year, albeit with a 350-cubic-inch small-block Chevy V-8.

By 1976, John DeLorean had moved on to his own self-named venture. It may be just a coincidence that, like the Delorean DMC-12, the Aerovette was given gullwing doors. Unfortunately for Corvette fans hoping for the new design, all advocates for producing the Aerovette (Duntov, Mitchell, Ed Cole) had retired by then, and new Corvette chief Dave McLellan, after deciding that the conventional front-engine layout was more economical and would have better performance than the Aerovette, killed that program.

Reynolds Aluminum Corvette

The reason why the Aerovette had poorer performance was that, unlike the production Corvette with a composite body, the Aerovette’s skin was steel, making it 100 pounds heavier than a 1973 Corvette coupe. DeLorean, who then was still at GM, turned to Reynolds Metals.

Reynolds, the same folks who make aluminum foil used in kitchens, had been a GM supplier for over a decade, providing the alloy used in Corvair engines, Corvette intake manifolds, bell housings, and other parts, along with the specialty alloy used in the ZL1 block, L88 head, and all-aluminum Vega motors. Reynolds made an exact copy of XP-895 out of 2036-T4 aluminum, a special alloy that could be spot-welded. Even then, some epoxy adhesive was used to make the hand-fabricated body. The result shaved 450 pounds off the weight, making the body almost 40 percent lighter. While it weighed significantly less, it was also significantly more expensive to produce than either a steel or composite body.

2009 Stingray concept

The most recent Corvette concept was the 2009 Stingray, intended to preview the seventh-generation Corvette, which was introduced in 2013. Interestingly, it may be the least well-known of the Corvette concepts here. Given the design brief of making a retro-modern Corvette, the Stingray, which also had a starring role as an Autobot in one of the Transformer movies, mashed up the split rear window of the ’63 C2 with contemporary scissor doors and a clamshell hood. Although the Stingray was part of the C7’s development, it also anticipated the newest C8 Corvette, the E-Ray, in that it was a mild-hybrid.

If you had to pick one, which one of these concepts would you tell Chevy to put into production? Drop a comment below.

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Below is a chronological list of the component cars of the Hagerty Hundred index. Check out this article for an explanation of how the Hagerty Hundred came to be and how we use it to track the collector car market.

1954 Chevrolet Bel Air Base Convertible 6-cyl. 235cid/115hp 1bbl

1955 Chevrolet 210 Base Sport Coupe 8-cyl. 265cid/162hp 2bbl

1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Base Sedan 8-cyl. 265cid/162hp 2bbl

1955 Ford Thunderbird Base Convertible 8-cyl. 292cid/198hp 4bbl

1956 Chevrolet 210 Base Sedan 8-cyl. 265cid/162hp 2bbl

1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Base Sedan 8-cyl. 265cid/162hp 2bbl

1956 Ford Thunderbird Base Convertible 8-cyl. 292cid/200hp 4bbl

1957 Chevrolet 210 Base Sedan 8-cyl. 283cid/185hp 2bbl

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad Station Wagon 8-cyl. 265cid/162hp 2bbl

1957 Ford Thunderbird Base Convertible 8-cyl. 292cid/212hp 2bbl

1958 Chevrolet Corvette Base Convertible 8-cyl. 283cid/230hp 4bbl

1959 Chevrolet Corvette Base Convertible 8-cyl. 283cid/230hp 4bbl

1960 Chevrolet Corvette Base Convertible 8-cyl. 283cid/230hp 4bbl

1960 Chevrolet Impala Base Sport Coupe 8-cyl. 283cid/170hp 2bbl

1961 Chevrolet Corvette Base Convertible 8-cyl. 283cid/230hp 4bbl

1962 Chevrolet Corvette Base Convertible 8-cyl. 327cid/250hp 4bbl

1962 Chevrolet Impala Base Sport Coupe 8-cyl. 283cid/170hp 2bbl

1963 Chevrolet Corvette Base Split-Window Coupe 8-cyl. 327cid/300hp 4bbl L75

1963 Chevrolet Impala Base Sport Coupe 8-cyl. 283cid/195hp 2bbl

1963 Ford Thunderbird Base Convertible 8-cyl. 390cid/300hp 4bbl

1964 Chevrolet Corvette Base Convertible 8-cyl. 327cid/250hp 4bbl L30

1964 Chevrolet Impala SS Hardtop Coupe 8-cyl. 283cid/195hp 2bbl L32

1964 Ford Thunderbird Base Landau Coupe 8-cyl. 390cid/300hp 4bbl

1965 Chevrolet Corvair Monza Convertible 6-cyl. 164cid/110hp 2x1bbl

1965 Chevrolet Corvette Base Convertible 8-cyl. 327cid/250hp 4bbl L30

1965 Ford Mustang Base Convertible 8-cyl. 260cid/164hp 2bbl

1965 Ford Thunderbird Base Landau Coupe 8-cyl. 390cid/300hp 4bbl

1965 Pontiac LeMans GTO Sports Coupe 8-cyl. 389cid/335hp 4bbl

1966 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe 8-cyl. 283cid/195hp 2bbl L32

1966 Chevrolet Corvette Base Convertible 8-cyl. 327cid/300hp 4bbl

1966 Chevrolet Impala Base Sport Coupe 8-cyl. 283cid/195hp 2bbl L32

1966 Ford Mustang Base Fastback 8-cyl. 289cid/200hp 2bbl

1966 Ford Thunderbird Base Landau Coupe 8-cyl. 390cid/315hp 4bbl

1966 Pontiac GTO Base Hardtop Coupe 8-cyl. 389cid/335hp 4bbl

1967 Chevrolet Camaro Base Convertible 8-cyl. 327cid/210hp 2bbl LF7

1967 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe 8-cyl. 327cid/275hp 4bbl L30

1967 Chevrolet Corvette Base Coupe 8-cyl. 327cid/300hp 4bbl

1967 Ford Mustang Base Fastback 8-cyl. 289cid/200hp 2bbl

1967 Pontiac Firebird 400 Coupe 8-cyl. 400cid/325hp 4bbl Ram Air

1967 Pontiac GTO Base Hardtop Coupe 8-cyl. 400cid/360hp 4bbl Ram Air

1967 Volkswagen Beetle Base Convertible 4-cyl. 1493cc/53hp 1bbl

1968 Chevrolet Camaro Base Sport Coupe 8-cyl. 327cid/275hp 4bbl L30

1968 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe 8-cyl. 327cid/275hp 4bbl L30

1968 Chevrolet Corvette Base Convertible 8-cyl. 327cid/350hp 4bbl L79

1968 Dodge Charger Base Hardtop Coupe 8-cyl. 383cid/330hp 4bbl Hi-Perf

1968 Ford Mustang Base Fastback 8-cyl. 289cid/195hp 2bbl

1968 Pontiac Firebird 400 Convertible 8-cyl. 400cid/335hp 4bbl Ram Air

1968 Pontiac GTO Base Hardtop Coupe 8-cyl. 400cid/350hp 4bbl

1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS Sport Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/300hp 4bbl L48

1969 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/255hp 4bbl LM1

1969 Chevrolet Corvette Base Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/300hp 4bbl L48

1969 Chevrolet Nova Base Sedan 8-cyl. 307cid/200hp 2bbl L14

1969 Dodge Charger R/T Hardtop Coupe 8-cyl. 440cid/375hp 4bbl Hi-Perf

1969 Ford Mustang Base SportsRoof 8-cyl. 302cid/220hp 2bbl

1969 Plymouth Road Runner Base Hardtop Coupe 8-cyl. 383cid/335hp 4bbl Hi-Perf

1969 Pontiac Firebird 400 Coupe 8-cyl. 400cid/330hp 4bbl

1969 Pontiac GTO Base Coupe 8-cyl. 400cid/350hp 4bbl

1969 Volkswagen Beetle Base Sedan 4-cyl. 1493cc/53hp 1bbl

1970 Chevrolet Camaro Base Sport Coupe 8-cyl. 307cid/200hp 2bbl

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/300hp 4bbl L48

1970 Chevrolet Corvette Base Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/350hp 4bbl L46

1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Base Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/300hp 4bbl

1970 Chevrolet Nova Base Coupe 8-cyl. 307cid/200hp 2bbl

1970 Dodge Challenger Base Convertible 8-cyl. 318cid/230hp 2bbl

1970 Ford Mustang Base SportsRoof 8-cyl. 302cid/220hp 2bbl

1970 Pontiac GTO Base Hardtop Coupe 8-cyl. 400cid/350hp 4bbl

1970 Volkswagen Beetle Base Sedan 4-cyl. 1584cc/50hp 1bbl

1971 Chevrolet Camaro Base Sport Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/245hp 2bbl L65

1971 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/245hp 2bbl L65

1971 Chevrolet Corvette Base Convertible 8-cyl. 350cid/270hp 4bbl

1971 Chevrolet Nova Base Coupe 8-cyl. 307cid/200hp 2bbl

1971 Ford Mustang Base Convertible 8-cyl. 302cid/210hp 2bbl

1972 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/175hp 4bbl L48

1972 Chevrolet Corvette Base Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/200hp 4bbl L48

1972 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Base Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/165hp 2bbl

1972 Chevrolet Nova Base Coupe 8-cyl. 307cid/130hp 2bbl

1972 Ford Mustang Base SportsRoof 8-cyl. 302cid/141hp 2bbl

1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Base Hardtop Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/180hp 4bbl

1973 Chevrolet Camaro Base Sport Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/175hp 4bbl L48

1973 Chevrolet Corvette Base Convertible 8-cyl. 350cid/190hp 4bbl

1973 Ford Mustang Base SportsRoof 8-cyl. 302cid/136hp 2bbl

1974 Chevrolet Corvette Base Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/195hp 4bbl L48

1974 Triumph TR6 Base Convertible 6-cyl. 2498cc/106hp 2x1bbl

1974 Volkswagen Beetle Base Convertible 4-cyl. 1585cc/46hp 1bbl

1975 Chevrolet Corvette Base Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/165hp 4bbl L48

1976 Cadillac Eldorado Base Convertible 8-cyl. 500cid/190hp 4bbl

1976 Chevrolet Corvette Base Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/180hp 4bbl L48

1977 Chevrolet Corvette Base Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/180hp 4bbl L48

1978 Chevrolet Corvette Base Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/185hp 4bbl L48

1979 Chevrolet Camaro Berlinetta Sport Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/170hp 4bbl LM1

1979 Chevrolet Corvette Base Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/195hp 4bbl

1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Coupe 8-cyl. 400cid/220hp 4bbl

1980 Chevrolet Corvette Base Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/190hp 4bbl L48

1981 Chevrolet Corvette Base Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/190hp 4bbl

1982 Chevrolet Corvette Base Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/200hp CPI

1984 Chevrolet Corvette Base Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/205hp CPI

1985 Chevrolet Corvette Base Coupe 8-cyl. 5.7L 350cid/230hp TPI

1986 Chevrolet Corvette Base Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/230hp FI

1987 Chevrolet Corvette Base Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/240hp FI

1988 Chevrolet Corvette Base Coupe 8-cyl. 350cid/245hp FI

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