If you’ve been reading my columns long enough, you’ll know I’m a big fan of the full-size, “Nimitz Class” cars GM built from 1971 to ’76, from Caprices to Delta 88 Royales to Fleetwood Talismans. They were the last GM hardtops, and the last GM full-sizers that were available in every basic body style: coupe, sedan, convertible, and station wagon.

Buicks were still pretty big in 1976—in fact, this was last call for truly unapologetic room and length. In 1977 all the big Buicks—indeed, all big GM cars—would be downsized to tidier dimensions, except for the Olds Toronado and Cadillac Eldorado, who had to wait until the 1979 model year.

There were three versions of Electra for 1976: The Electra 225, the Electra Limited, and the super plush Electra Park Avenue, the last of which had a center console—though the transmission lever was still mounted on the steering column. The Park Avenue was available as a sedan only.

I have seen two very nice Park Avenues too, and will be writing at least one of them up sometime, but that’s for another day!

Technically, the Limited was also an Electra 225, though it was not badged as such. The lowest priced Electra was the 225 coupe, at $6367. GM built 18,442. Limited coupes started at $6689 and were more popular, to the tune of 28,395 units sold.

Most popular Electra of all was the Limited four-door hardtop, with 51,067 cars built at a starting price of $6852. For comparison, the priciest ’76 LeSabre was the Custom four-door hardtop, at $5166. LeSabres looked more like their flossier Electra brethren this year as well, adding the quad rectangular lights the Electras first gained in 1975.

As one would expect, there were plenty of standard features on the Electras, including the 455-cubic-inch V-8, Turbo Hydra-matic automatic transmission, power front disc/rear drum brakes, High Energy ignition, power windows, and Custom seat and shoulder belts. The Limited added a two-way power seat, a 60/40 divided front seat upholstered in cloth, a quartz crystal digital clock, and of course the much more luxurious seats and door panels. The 225 interior was nice too, but it was a bit plain in comparison.

And there were still many optional extras, as you’d expect of Detroit in the ’70s. Such as the Landau roof seen on our featured example. You could also get steel-belted whitewall tires (steel-belted blackwalls were standard), automatic level control, a four-note horn (these were loud and well worth the extra charge), carpet savers, a litter container, power antenna, automatic climate control, power door locks, power trunk release, and more.

The seats, of course, were really plush. While they perhaps were not as scientifically fashioned as Volvo’s famous orthopedically designed chairs (I can speak to those seats too, as a former Volvo owner) they were definitely cushy. It was the kind of car that was pretty much like driving around in your living room.

And if you were on a business trip to Omaha and the Holidome was full up for the night, the Limited’s seats made for rather nice first-class sleeping quarters—in a pinch!

I saw our featured car at the annual car show held indoors each January in downtown Rock Island, Illinois. I had seen the car before a couple of times, but hadn’t gotten any really good pictures. It was interesting, of course, due to its color. I recall seeing it the previous summer and thinking if it wasn’t the original color, the paint was done very well.

Well as it turns out, the car came out of the factory wearing this color. I did recognize the color, but believe it was limited to the smaller Buicks like the Skyhawk (Buick’s version of the Chevrolet Monza 2+2) and Skylark coupe, sedan, and hatchback. But I was fairly certain it was not available on the LeSabre/Electra/Estate Wagon.

Shortly before I began this column, I saw the car advertised on my local Marketplace: “All original 76 Electra Limited. 2 door, 455/400. 37K original miles. Factory optioned “Firecracker Orange” paint only offered in 76.” So the car apparently was special-ordered in this color. Of course, back then, you could do such things. Today, not so much!

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The Malaise Era ushered in modern technologies, luxuries, and efficiencies into the American automotive landscape, and the sixth-generation Buick Riviera might perhaps be the best example of the period. It had all the style of a traditional personal luxury coupe, but with a fully independent suspension, space-saving front-wheel drive, and a bevy of technological upgrades set the tone for future luxury cars. The sales brochure for the all-new 1979 model even went so far as to suggest that

“Like an iceberg, most of its content lies beneath the surface.”

That statement has passed the test of time, as the GM E-platform underneath the 1979-1985 Riviera managed to position a new direction under a traditionally styled body. It even traces its radical roots back to the stunning 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado, most notably with its longitudinal-mounted engine powering the front wheels. The Riviera offered something for everyone seeking a premium automobile, and this particular 1985 model with less than 24,000 miles on the odometer is a perfect time capsule of a car that embodied its era.

This Red Firemist colored Riviera, currently listed on Hagerty Marketplace, looks showroom fresh and was clearly loved by its three previous owners. One of them was likely a member of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA): Back in 2019, that owner entered this Riviera in Class 27p (Production Vehicles; 1984-1985) and won first prize. There’s even an AACA emblem on the grille as proof of provenance.

The interior looks close to perfect, with nary a sign of wear on the driver’s seat leather. Notable features include an upgraded three-spoke sports steering wheel, standard Concert Sound audio system, and Buick’s lever-free “touch” HVAC control panel.

Power is delivered by the standard 5.0-liter Oldsmobile V-8, and not the optional 5.7-liter Oldsmobile Diesel or turbocharged 3.8-liter Buick V-6. This motor is likely the best of the bunch for the luxurious Riviera, with smooth V-8 performance and a durable design. Perhaps our own Andrew Newton summed up this performance best in a review of the Riviera’s platform-mate, the Cadillac Eldorado, as he suggested these vehicles have a “complete lack of sporting pretensions, take-it-easy attitude, mild cost of ownership, and opulence per dollar [that] is seriously charming.”

This low-mile Riviera may be original, but newer whitewall tires suggest it can and should be enjoyed for shows and pleasure cruises. This isn’t a shrink-wrapped museum piece, and the touched up paint work on the front end proves the point. Flaws are minor and wholly forgivable, including an inoperative engine bay light and sun visors that do not “stay in the upright position without stays.”

A full complement of paperwork comes with this Riviera, including repair manuals, sales literature, owner’s manuals, and awards from the Buick Club of America. This car is a fantastic example of the sixth generation Riviera. And with a high bid of $4,750 at the time of writing, it’s clearly an underappreciated classic car. That 1979 sales brochure was right—the Riviera clearly offers much more than its vintage sheetmetal may suggest.

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The reference probably dates me, but back in earlier decades, Buicks were known as doctor’s cars: Nice enough that one wouldn’t feel uncomfortable at a nice dinner, wedding, or country club but not so ostentatious that passersby might think you gauche or possibly connected to criminals. Yep, a Buick was just the ticket.

Of course, this was back when Buick made actual cars, not various and sundry crossovers and SUVs. I long for a 2024 Park Avenue! But never mind … Today, let’s go back to when Buick made cars—lush, large, imposing, comfortable cars, like this 1977 Electra.

At the time of this writing, it was owned by my friend Robert Reed, but it was going up on the online auction block at the time. You may recall my earlier columns on his 1985 Fleetwood Brougham Coupe and 1978 LeSabre Custom Coupe. Reed still has the LeSabre, but the Fleetwood has gone on to a happy new home.

Anyway, the ’77 Electra is one of those special cars that never had a rough day in its life and was always loved—as is apparent from the pictures. I see these models less and less frequently, though I remember seeing quite a few of them well into the late ’90s and early 2000s. They were robust cars.

As Reed relates: “This particular example has been a one family–owned car up until 2023. The original owners were BCA (Buick Club of America) members and this car went to quite a few shows. I believe the paint to be original as well as the top. The light blue metallic paint has a nice gloss and the car is extremely straight.

“Vinyl top contrasts the paint nicely and the interior is in near flawless condition. Right rear filler panel was missing so I am including a new replacement which can be seen in the trunk picture. This Electra Limited has the very peppy and smooth-running 5.7-liter 350 Buick V-8 engine. No vibrations from this motor even when in gear with the air-conditioning on max. It was/is kept in a climate-controlled garage under a car cover and has never been a daily driver since new.”

These were such nice, smooth cars. But ’77 was a big year for both Buick and GM, as all the big cars, including this Electra, were shrunken. The only land yachts that escaped the carnage were the Cadillac Eldorado and Oldsmobile Toronado, which lasted to 1978 in their previous parade-float glamour.

As the ’77 deluxe brochure relates: “The 1977 Electra. An Electra with a new brace of talents that make it a car of today, the future, instead of a tribute to the past. Its new silhouette is lean, aerodynamic.” And it was, for 1977. Some today may scoff at the prose Buick published, but these were revolutionary cars at the time, a country mile away from the previous Nimitz-class Electras from 1976 and earlier.

Buick made sure the prospect was aware of the new size too. “You’ll also discover a new fun-to-drive aspect to Electra. Thanks to the fact that it possesses the same supple coil-spring ride, the same smoothness in motion, that have become Electra’s special trademark…a beautiful reflection of a sophisticated day and age.”

Four Electra models were available. The $6673 Electra 225 coupe, $6866 Electra 225 sedan, $7033 Electra Limited coupe, and finally, the $7226 Electra Limited sedan. There was also a Park Avenue package, but it was included in the totals for the Electra Limited sedan, as far as I could tell. It was not available on Limited two-doors.

The Limited sedan, like our featured example, was far and away the most popular ’77 Electra, with 82,361 built. In comparison, the 225 sedan sold only 25,633 copies. But back then, if you were splurging for a new Buick, why not get the top model? And the Limited seats were definitely more impressive than the 225’s.

In 1977, the Electra Limited had plenty of competition, even within GM. If you decided you didn’t want a Buick, you could go across the street to your friendly Oldsmobile dealer and pick up a new Ninety-Eight Regency for $7133. It had an arguably plusher interior, despite its slightly lower MSRP, with cushy floating-pillow thrones.

Or if you wanted full-size luxury but didn’t want quite so much Broughamage (or quite so high a car note), the $5992 Pontiac Bonneville Brougham sedan and $5357 Chevrolet Caprice Classic sedan were fine cars in their own rights. Although they were on the ever-so-slightly smaller B-body chassis instead of the C-body, shared between the top Buick, Olds, and Cadillac models.

Oh, and also, if you fancied a Caddy instead of a Buick, the ’77 Sedan de Ville had a base price of $10,020. Quite a bump up from the Electra Limited, price-wise!

While LeSabres came standard with a six-cylinder engine, the Electras all came with a V-8. Standard power plant was the 5.7-liter, 350 V8, but you could order a 6.6-liter 403 if you wanted a little extra passing power. Of course, all Electras came with Turbo Hydra-matic automatic transmission, power steering, power front disc/rear drum brakes, wide, bright rocker-trim moldings, a handsome quartz clock, Custom steering wheel, and cut-pile carpeting.

They were handsome cars, and survived through the ’79 model year with only minor comfort and appearance changes. A major facelift occurred in 1980 and carried on until 1985, when an all-new, totally different C-body Electra replaced it, with front-wheel drive and a transverse-mounted 3.8-liter V-6 engine. In many ways, it would be an even greater departure to Buick fans than the ’77 was.

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We love talking about concept cars of every era, but the 1990s have a special place in our heart. It was a good decade for automotive diversity, especially for enthusiasts: SUVs were emerging as a hot new segment, true, but none of them purported to be a coupe or track star. Sport sedans thrived. So did hot hatches. The Miata debuted in 1989, kicking off the roadster craze. Chrysler was, for most of that decade, just Chrysler—not some confusing multinational conglomerate with a name that no one remembers.

Even the automotive ideas that didn’t make production had pizzazz—in a few cases, as you’ll see below, perhaps a little too much pizzazz. We’ve covered ’90s concepts before, but after a spin through the treasure trove that is Alden Jewell’s catalog of car brochures on Flickr, we decided it was time to focus on the concept cars from the U. S. of A., rather than the European contingent that dominated that last list.

Step back in time with us to an era when Buick was thinking of wild sedans, Pontiac was still cool, Mercury … existed, and Dodge was high off the Viper.

1999 Buick Cielo

If you thought Buick’s newest concept car was unorthodox, prepare yourself: The Cielo is much, much more out-of-the-box. (Despite that throwback grille texture, which is very Y-Job.) A four-door convertible, with retractable headlights and voice-operated doors? You’d never know this thing was based on a highly modified Regal GS. The top, complete with its rear glass, stowed beneath a panel at the back thanks to a cable system hidden in the two arches that frame the “roof.” Power came from a supercharged 3.8-liter V-6 making 240 horsepower.

Judging by the much tamer concept of the same name that Buick showed off the following year—and marketed as a possible limited edition—the automaker thought the convertible four-door idea had legs. In Buick’s words, the Cielo “proves just how broad and flexible and contemporary the idea of a premium family car really is.” Little did Buick know that, 15 years later, the only premium family car the people would want was an SUV …

1997 Mercury MC4

Motortrend got rather excited about the MC4 when it debuted in 1997: “The MC4 is for Mercury what the Viper Roadster was for Dodge nine years ago.” Yes, it was far more interesting to look at than the blob-like Mystique or the softly contoured Mountaineer … but no one knew that, 13 years later, Mercury would stop producing vehicles, its sales cannibalized by parent company Ford.

In 1997, however, Mercury’s star shone far brighter. The MC4 wore the edgy, minimalist look characteristic of Ford’s New Edge design language, initiated by the GT90 concept in 1990 and most familiar to folks on the 1999 Mustang. A trapezoidal grille and emphasized wheel arches are common to both that Mustang and the MC4, which actually started life as a V-8–powered ’96 Thunderbird. Unlike the T-Bird, the Mercury concept boasts four doors and a rear cargo area accessed by a pair of gullwing doors. It had style, space, and, of course, a healthy dose of tech that hadn’t quite been readied for production: video cameras instead of side- or rearview mirrors, nickel-chrome plate bedazzling the interior, and heated and cooled cupholders.

1997 Pontiac Rageous Concept

In 1997, Pontiac had four-door cars, and it had V-8–powered cars, but it didn’t have any V-8–powered, four-door cars. The Rageous, with its 350-cubic-inch small-block and vestigial set of rear doors, aimed to fix that. It could carry four people, but the trunk was accessed via a top-hinged hatch, making this more of a hatchback than a sedan. The Rageous had a six-speed manual transmission and a heavily vented, pointy schnoz that put that of the contemporary Firehawk to shame.

1994 Dodge Venom

If the Dodge Venom reminds you of a Neon, you’re on the right track: This 1994 concept was built on a version of the Neon’s platform. Unlike that compact, however, the Venom was rear-wheel drive. Compared to the sportiest Neon, the SRT-4, the Venom boasted an iron-block six-cylinder engine with 24, rather than 16, valves, and more power: 245 rather than 215 horses. The Venom looked like the perfect little brother to the Viper, which it honored with that side-scoop and squinty headlights atop a four-section grille. The concept even made the cover of Car and Driver‘s March 1994 issue, accompanied by the question: “Dodge’s pony car of the future?”

We wish such an affordable, spunky two-door had made production: Dodge wouldn’t have a direct competitor to the Mustang and the Camaro until the Challenger, which hit the streets 14 years later.

1995 Chevrolet El Camino SS Concept

It may remind GM fans of a Holden, but the El Camino SS Concept ute is a GM B-body at its core. GM’s Advanced Vehicle Development Center in North America built this ute out of a Caprice station wagon in just 16 weeks, grafting onto that people-hauler the nose of an Impala SS. Many of the steel body panels were made by hand. Power came from a 300-hp version of the LT1 V-8 found in the Corvette and the Impala SS (in different tunes) and was channeled to the rear wheels via a 4L60E Hydramatic transmission. Unfortunately, the platform that gave it birth spelled its doom: GM killed the age-old B-body at the end of 1996. RIP.

1994 Plymouth Expresso Concept

Would you believe us if we said this was a Plymouth? Maybe not, because the Expresso is more interesting than anything Plymouth made in the ’90s … until the Prowler arrived for the 1997 model year, at least. (That retro-mobile debuted in concept form the year before the urban runabout Expresso debuted.) The Expresso was built on the shortened frame of a Neon, to be sold under both the Dodge and Plymouth brands, and used the compact’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder to power its front wheels.

The four-door bubble would never reach production, but its name stuck around in the Plymouth lineup as a trim package on the Neon, the Voyager, and the Breeze. Be prepared to explain yourself if you mention this concept in front of a coffee snob: This weirdo’s name really is EX-presso, not Espresso. The proper pronunciation would be too … well, proper.

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Barrett-Jackson has been coming to Palm Beach (technically, West Palm Beach) at the South Florida Fairgrounds since the mid-2000s, making this the auction house’s most enduring auction that’s not in Arizona. B-J’s sale here consistently brings over 600 vehicles and dozens of vendors to the venue for a smaller version of the collector car fanfare we’re used to seeing in and around Scottsdale. This year, total sales were a solid $45M and average price was rather high at more than $74,000, but there were plenty of budget-friendly four-figure classics as well.

Indeed, Palm Beach usually offers a wide range of vehicles at a wide range of prices, and this year was no different, although offerings at the top end were less diverse. Five of the top 10 sales were a Ford GT of some sort, and eight of the top 10 were built after the year 2000. Only a 1966 Corvette restomod and the replica Dodge Daytona from Joe Dirt brought some American muscle into the top 10.

We examined some of the more interesting cars and significant sales in detail below.

Lot 692: 1972 DeTomaso Pantera

Sold for $176,000

Chassis no. THPNMB02424. Red over black vinyl. Visually maintained, largely original, #2 condition.

Equipment: 351/330hp, 5-speed, Campagnolo wheels, Becker Europa radio, power windows, air conditioning.

Condition: Represented with 1592 actual miles and its preservation is impressive. It shows careful ownership and only light age inside and out, although the paint does not look original.

Bottom line: An early Pantera that hasn’t been cut up or modified is already impressive, doubly so when it is as well preserved as this. The car has been to auction a few times, and bidders have always appropriately recognized its originality by paying a premium price for it. Its auction history also does a good job of tracing the market for these Italo-American sports cars over time. At Mecum Indy in 2014, it sold for $86,400. At Indy again six years later and in a hot 2020 market, it sold for $148,500. At Kissimmee 2022 and in an even hotter market, it brought $181,500, while in 2024 among softer but still high prices it took a small step back in price.

Lot 677: 1987 Buick Regal GNX

Sold for $156,200

Chassis no. 1G4GJ1174HP451735. Black over black and gray cloth. Unrestored original, #2 condition.

Equipment: 231/276hp, automatic, Goodyear Eagle tires.

Condition: Number 438 of 547 built. Showing 1309 miles and the tires are represented as original. Very well kept and preserved.

Bottom line: The GNX was one of the fastest and most desirable American cars of the 1980s. They’ve never really fallen out of favor, but it wasn’t until the last few years that they became six-figure modern collector cars. Way back in 2000, this one sold at RM’s Phoenix auction for just $30,800. Its odometer showed 534 miles and it was in essentially the same condition as it is today. It really is worth five times as much as it was 24 years ago.

Lot 745: 2005 Ford GT Twin-Turbo by Hefner Performance

Sold for $374,000

Chassis no. 1FAFP90SX5Y400061. Midnight Blue with white stripes over black.

Equipment: Twin-turbocharged, Ford Performance exhaust, shorty headers, Penske shocks, transmission oil cooler, removed rear bumper, 6-speed, painted calipers, McIntosh stereo, BBS wheels.

Condition: Paint shows some swirling and scratching but no major issues. Oddly, neither the mileage nor the horsepower numbers are represented.

Bottom line: This is an early production GT modified by an outfit in Florida, and although there are no dyno sheets, it is surely very fast. To drive, it’s probably a blast. As a collector car, though, the mods and the signs of use are knocks against it, and there are cleaner 2005-06 GTs to choose from that hit the auction block every month. Or even the same day, as the 597-mile car Barrett-Jackson sold 20 lots earlier than this brought $451,000.

Lot 440: 1990 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet by Gemballa

Sold for $110,000

Chassis no. WP0CB2965LS472097. Black over black leather. Original, #3+

Equipment: 3.6, 5-speed, whale tail, Gemballa wheels, Michelin Pilot Sport tires, white gauges, Pioneer stereo, carbon fiber dash.

Condition: Showing 75,514 miles. Some minor paint blemishes on the nose and mirrors. A few small cracks in the headlight covers. Clean wheels. Clean, straight top. Good interior with stretched upholstery on the driver’s side. Pretty understated for a Gemballa.

Bottom line: Uwe Gemballa founded a tuning company in 1981 and became a big name in modern coachbuilding, at least until he was murdered in South Africa in 2010. Gemballa-modified cars (mostly Porsches) are distinctive at best and ugly at worst, but they’ve never been boring, even if this is one of the more understated body kits they ever did. Body-kitted and tuned exotics like Gemballas, Koenigs, early AMGs, etc. were a bit passé for a while but collectors of a certain age are coming around to them. The bidders recognized this one for what it is, and that it isn’t just a 911 with a kit slapped on at the local body shop. Despite its use, the car sold for a big price. A regular 964-generation Carrera 4 cabriolet would never sell for this much, even in perfect condition.

Lot 356: 1979 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II

Sold for $27,500

Chassis no. SRK38123. Chestnut over biscuit leather. Visually maintained, largely underneath.

Equipment: Automatic, wheel covers, narrow whitewalls, power windows, air conditioning, original AM/FM.

Condition: Supposedly bought “nearly new” for talk show host Jack Paar as a gift from his wife. Represented with $30,000 worth of work over the past six months. Old repaint with a few blemishes but nothing serious. Lightly aged bumpers. Excellent interior. Tidy underneath. The recent mechanical work is very reassuring on any old Rolls-Royce, and the celebrity connection, while not super-relevant, is a nice bonus.

Bottom line: Jack Paar was a TV pioneer, but the number of people who really remember his tenure at The Tonight Show (1957-62) can’t be big. He also wasn’t known as a big car person (at least not the way later host Jay Leno is), and he owned this Rolls well past the peak of his career. The celebrity appeal here, then, is limited. The price, however, is on the high side for a Silver Shadow—one of the avenues to getting a true Spirit of Ecstasy on your hood. Credit the $30,000 worth of recent service, which isn’t usually lavished on affordable Rolls-Royces like this one.

Lot 675.1: 1999 Shelby Series 1

Sold for $165,000

Chassis no. 5CXSA1817XL000039. Silver with blue stripes over black and gray. Original, #2- condition.

Equipment: 244/320hp Oldsmobile V8, 6-speed, Nitto tires.

Condition: Some chips on the nose and dirt behind the headlight covers. Paint crack behind the left headlight. Very light wear on the driver’s seat. Showing 1360 miles and showing very light signs of age.

Bottom line: Despite its looks, the Series I wasn’t quite the Cobra successor it could have been, and people have been holding that against it ever since it came out. Original specifications called for a carbon-fiber body, Corvette transaxle, and 500 horsepower, but the reality was more modest. It got heavier, and the Olds V8 offered up less power, and the price climbed higher than anticipated. Objectively, it’s a great-looking car that’s plenty fast, but it’s always been undervalued relative to its rarity (249 built) and the famous name attached to it. Only in the past 10 years or so have prices really started to climb. In Palm Beach two years ago, this one sold for $126,500, which was on the modest side. The 2024 price is a better match for its mileage and condition.

Lot 788: 1961 Renault 4CV Jolly Beach Wagon

Sold for $36,300

Chassis no. 3607757. Cream yellow with yellow and white cloth top over wicker seats. Older restoration, #3+ condition.

Equipment: 747/21hp four-cylinder, 3-speed, hub caps.

Condition: Represented as one of 50 exported to the U.S. and Caribbean, and bought new by the U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas. With the same family for the past 40 years and restored 10 years ago. Good paint. Light pitting on the chrome, including on the edges of the exterior grab bars. The wicker is all original and in solid shape aside from a few cracks. The dash and steering wheel are mostly clean, but the ignition around the keyhole is pitted. The top is a little dirty and aged. A perfect beach car with all the charm of a Fiat Jolly but for a lower cost.

Bottom line: Most of coachbuilder Ghia’s beach car, aka “Jolly”, bodies were on Fiats. The Italian cars are better known and more highly prized. Well-restored ones have sold for well over $100,000. But this Renault has all the charm and similar performance, or lack thereof, for a much lower cost. Are there cheaper ways to hit the beach in style? Certainly, but this is still so much charm and fun per dollar.

Lot 767.1: 2020 Porsche Boxster 718 Spyder

Sold for $126,500

Chassis no. WP0CC2A8XLS240606. Chalk with red top over red and gray. Original, #2 condition.

Equipment: 4.0/414hp, 6-speed, black wheels, red calipers, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires.

Condition: Showing 8086 miles and no real age or wear.

Bottom line: Six figures for a Boxster just sounds wrong, but the 718 Spyder is not your hairdresser’s Boxster. Essentially an open version of the Cayman GT4, it has aero bits on the body, suspension bits and brakes from a 911 GT3, and a much more powerful engine than the base car. It can hit nearly 190 mph. A 2020 718 Spyder started at a little over $97K, so with options this has always been a six-figure car, and the fact that a high-performance Porsche didn’t depreciate after four years and 8000 miles isn’t really surprising.

Lot 370.1: 1970 AMC Rebel Machine

Sold for $69,300

Chassis no. A0M190Y171202. White, blue and red over black vinyl. Older restoration, #3+ condition.

Equipment: 390/340hp, 4-speed with Hurst T-handle shifter, limited-slip and Detroit Locker, Magnum 500-style wheels, BFG Radial T/A tires, high-back bucket seats, console.

Condition: Decent paint with some scratches and touch-ups on the nose and a spot of surface rust under one of the headlights. Decent chrome, but the rest of the brightwork is original and tired. Clean wheels and tires. Upholstery looks newer while the dash and switchgear looks original, and overall the interior looks good. Inconsistent presentation, but a rare piece of AMC muscle that always makes a statement, and a patriotic one at that.

Bottom line: The Rebel was a short-lived model, only lasting from 1967 to 1970, and for its final year Hurst developed a high-performance version called the Rebel Machine. Based on a Rebel SST, it had the most powerful engine available in an AMC product and was dressed up with red, white, and blue reflective stripes. For 2326 buyers, it was an economical way to get in on the peak of the muscle car craze. They’re still economical, at least relative to their style, performance, and rarity. This result is realistic for the condition of this example.

Lot 791.1: 1996 Nissan Skyline GT-R LM Limited

Sold for $105,600

Chassis no. BCNR33023215. Championship Blue over gray cloth. Original, #2- condition.

Equipment: RHD. 2568/276hp, 5-speed with aftermarket shift knob, alloy wheels, Brembo brakes, aftermarket radio, aftermarket exhaust.

Condition: One of 188 LM Limited GT-Rs. Showing 118,190 km (73,440 miles) but recently serviced and looks quite good with a recent detailing. The paint and wheels are blemish-free. It’s clean underneath and the interior looks great as well.

Bottom line: Built briefly in the spring of 1996, the LM Limited was built to celebrate Nissan’s efforts at Le Mans with the R33-generation GT-R, even though those efforts were unsuccessful after four tries at La Sarthe. All 188 cars got Championship Blue paint, special decals, a carbon spoiler blade, different cooling ducts, and a bonnet lip. This is one of the more valuable variants of the R33 (1995-98). The price here seems a bit modest given the mileage and condition, but this auction was also very light on JDM favorites and the right bidders may just not have been in the room.

Lot 731: 1966 Aston Martin DB6 Mk I Vantage Coupe

Sold for $238,700

Chassis no. DB62805R. Fiesta Red over gray leather. Older restoration, #3+ condition.

Equipment: RHD. 3995/325hp, 5-speed, wire wheels, Vredestein tires, wood rim steering wheel, radio.

Condition: Restored in the late 1990s in the UK by RS Williams. Good older paint and chrome. Tidy, visibly but lightly run engine. Lightly aged and wrinkled leather. Older paint. Grimy underbody. Lightly aged restoration on a well-equipped Aston.

Bottom line: This DB6 isn’t perfect and the RHD is a knock to its desirability, but it’s a genuine Vantage wearing a high-quality (if older) restoration by a well-known specialist. It sold for $240,00 on Bring a Trailer just a few months ago in February, with unanswered questions and a lien on the car putting off bidders there. A $240K sale price is very low, low enough that taking it straight to Barrett-Jackson for a flip probably seemed like easy money. But it wasn’t, and given the fee structure of Bring a Trailer vs. B-J, the seller actually lost quite a bit of money here.

Lot 742: 2022 Ford GT Alan Mann Heritage Edition

Sold for $1,292,500

Chassis no. 2FAGP9EW4NH200027. Alan Mann Red, gold and white over black. Original, #2 condition.

Equipment: 213/660hp V6, paddle-shift 7-speed.

Condition: 16 miles, looks new, and pretty much is.

Bottom line: Ford spun off 10 different special editions of the 2016-22 GT, many of them playing on the theme of “Heritage.” The Alan Mann version is a tribute to Alan Mann Racing, the English team that raced GT40s in the ’60s as well as other Ford products like the Falcon, Lotus Cortina, and Escort. Alan Mann also gave the Mustang its first race victory in 1964. Just 30 examples of this special edition GT were produced for 2022. There were seven different Heritage Edition GTs, and whereas base cars typically sell for just under $1M these days, somewhere around $1.2M is more the norm for the Heritage cars.

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We blame the weather. While the staff of this website calls many places in the United States (and overseas) home, the lion’s share of our editors are located somewhere in the Midwest. And right now, dear reader, the Midwest weather is volatile as hell.

Naturally, we turned to internal discussions about cars to cope with a week where temperatures fluctuated by as much as 50 degrees and weather patterns swung from rain to sun to snow and back again.

This time around, we got to talking about the ’60s, one of our hobby’s indisputable golden eras. That led to discussions about front-end design, and how radically different it was from automaker to automaker. In short order, many of us began campaigning for certain cars with front ends that stuck in our hearts and minds, for one reason or another.

Compiled here is a list of eight such cars. Beneath each nominee is a brief summary of why it warrants appreciation, made by each car’s loudest proponent in the (chat)room.

Rules? Delightfully few. The car had to be built at some point in the ’60s, and beyond that, it was up to each of us to make the case. Naturally, such a loose mission brief will have let many great cars slip through the cracks. Got one that should have made this list? Let fly in the comments below!

1968 Chevrolet El Camino

If your first thought was that the face of the ’68 ElCo is virtually the same as that of the Chevelle, allow our own Cameron Neveu to offer the most compelling—if a bit unorthodox—case for picking the former:

“Why the El Camino over the identical appearing 1968 Chevelle? Well, the ElCo front end looks even sweeter knowing you’ve got a bed out back.”

An open and shut case, in our eyes. The 1968 model’s four round headlights make it extra distinct, and while the performance fan in us enjoys the SS badge between those four eyes, there’s something about the long, horizontal Chevy emblem that we can’t resist.

1968 Citroën DS

The DS pops up in all sorts of design lists, and for good reason. Those swooping body lines were quite brave for the era, and who could forget the high-tech hydraulic suspension that gave the car a magic carpet-like ride, helping to accentuate the design details that seemed to float over the blacktop? But the nose is worth celebrating on its own. As U.K. correspondent Nik Berg reminded us, if you sound out the DS title with a thick enough French accent, you’ll hear “Deésse,” which just happens to be French for “goddess.”

The big, wide headlights at either corner, contrasted with the waterfall of the hood in the middle, the exceedingly convex chrome bumper, and the lack of a grille make this front end as striking as they come.

1965 Buick Riviera

If the front end of a car were to be described as “very Teddy Roosevelt-esque,” could you picture it? In a single sentence, Eddy Eckart swayed the jury in his favor: “Simple, and formal in a means business kind of way, all without being too assertive.”

Gaze upon the forward cant of those headlamps; marvel at the buttresses flanking the massive hood. “The Riviera looks like a concept car that actually made it to production,” added Brandan Gillogly. There’s a reason this car is a popular choice for custom builders and restomod specialists, and it has everything to do with how the Riv’ manages to speak softly, while … well, you know the rest.

1966 Alfa Romeo Giulia Duetto Spider

If the Riviera is an American sledgehammer, Stefan Lombard nominated a delicate Italian pickaxe to contrast it. While it’s hard to find a bad angle of the Giulia Duetto Spider, the car’s clean, simple face manages to avoid the “mouth-agape fish” look that so many small cars of the time suffered from.

He also noted that while many cars look great from a front 3/4 angle, it can be harder to make the head-on view sing. In the Duetto’s case, Lombard had this to say: “The sloping nose and covered headlights lead into that delicate V grille, which flows back beneath the car. I love it.” Hard to argue with that!

1969 Chevrolet Corvette

The chrome front bumper the third-gen Corvette stuck around through 1972, but since the design debuted in 1968, it counts. Resident Corvette fanatic Grace Houghton opted to shout out the 1969 model, and we didn’t need any additional convincing. Two beautifully high fenders dip down to a broad chrome bar that spans the width of the car’s face. Below the bumper, two rectangular inlets, each housing a round turn signal bulb. The look, as Houghton so eloquently put it, “manages to look muscular and delicate at the same time … So Mako Shark, and so good.”

Bonus points if we’re looking at a ’69 L88, with its massive hood bulge shrouding a 427 big-block.

1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1

Though it’s easy to blur the lines, it bears repeating that “muscle cars” and “pony cars” were not always the same things. When it debuted in April of 1964, the Mustang was a relatively docile thing. The front end might be famous now, but that has more to do with what the Mustang has become in automotive culture than it does with how it looks on its own.

That look began to change almost immediately, as our resident Ford guru Sajeev Mehta reminded us. By 1969, the Mustang’s face had gone from cheerful companion to something far more sinister. As Mehta put it: “The 1969 Mustang took the hum-drum front end of the 1965 model and made it deeper, more aggressive, and far more angry. It became half muscle car and half pony car.”

1963 Studebaker Avanti

Though I’ll admit it’s not my favorite front end from the 1960s, there’s something distinctive and instantly recognizable about the Studebaker Avanti that warrants respect. Those perfectly round headlights seem like they should flank a broad grille, but instead, it’s just solid bodywork. That decision highlights the offset futuristic-script “Avanti” emblem that proudly proclaims the model’s identity. The fenders end in sharp corners, framing the simplicity of the grille-less countenance. You can’t help but appreciate designer Raymond Loewy’s flair for the dramatic.

“Counter-point, there should be a grille between this headlights and this nominee is actually bad.” – Stefan Lombard

Well, that’s just like, your opinion, man.

1968 Dodge Charger R/T

Fret not, Mopar fans, our site’s executive editor has you covered. Eric Weiner was swift and decisive with his nominee, the ’68 Charger. That broad, mail-slot rectangle of a grille is immediately recognizable. Hidden headlights add a menacing tone to the front end, and this is one of the few cars that makes a large front overhang look attractive.

This rectangular motif also carries over onto the new Dodge Charger. Anytime a front end’s design elements can look attractive in two distinctly different eras, you know you’ve got a winner in your hands.

***

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Like many beautiful things in life, concept cars are ephemeral. These are vehicles built to showcase a company’s creative and technological prowess, at the expense of permanence and production reality. Like shooting stars, they shine bright and captivate our attention for a fleeting moment, only to vanish into the night sky as quickly as they appeared.

But, as always, there are exceptions. Concept cars can prove so influential that they become genuine landmarks in the aesthetic evolution of the automobile. Precious few designs belong to this exclusive club; GM’s 1951 Le Sabre is undoubtedly among them.

The story of the Le Sabre begins with the car it was meant to replace, the seminal Buick Y-Job from 1938. That one-off roadster is widely considered the first concept car ever created and served as GM Design Vice President Harley Earl’s personal car for over a decade. By 1947, though, the Y-Job no longer looked as fresh as it once did, and Earl began thinking about a replacement.

Harley Earl proposed that Buick’s chief engineer, Charles Chayne, create a pair of two-seater convertibles built on identical chassis but wearing two different, futuristic bodies. The rationale was to show off GM’s leadership in automobile styling and engineering. Naturally, Earl and Chayne would get one car each for personal use.

Development work on the two cars began in 1947 under the XP-8 and XP-9 codenames. Both saw the light of day in 1951. However, while the XP-9 (rechristened XP-300 upon its unveiling) soon faded from public memory, the XP-8 became an all-time icon: Earl’s legendary Le Sabre.

The name was a nod to the military aircraft that inspired the car’s design, the North American F-86 Sabre. The first prototype of this jet fighter flew in 1947, and it’s easy to see why it caught Harley Earl’s imagination. With its smooth, sleek fuselage and its wings dramatically swept back to reduce drag as it flew close to the sound barrier, the F-86 Sabre was a direct byproduct of the massive strides made by aviation technology over the war years. The F-86 embodied speed and progress, and Harley Earl aimed to bring those values down from the sky to America’s roads.

Earl knew well that beauty in car design is, above all, a matter of proportions. From the time he joined GM in 1927, the man relentlessly strived to make the corporation’s cars as long and low as possible. With an overall length of over 17 feet and a height of just 58 inches, the Y-Job already epitomized this ideal, but the Le Sabre went a step further. It wasn’t any longer than the Y-Job but was just 50 inches tall: 2.5 fewer than a Jaguar XK 120 and about 15 fewer than an average car from the period.

The Le Sabre’s front end was dominated by a giant oval grille; it was meant to evoke the jet’s air intake but served a very different purpose. Back then, the limitations of lighting technology meant designers could hardly do anything about headlights. Saddled with elements whose shape and dimensions couldn’t be altered, automotive stylists spent decades either working around the headlights or concealing them in ever-more inventive ways to give the car an enigmatic “eyeless” look. Since jet fighters have no headlights, GM’s stylists hid them into the Le Sabre’s faux air intake, behind grilles that retracted at the flip of a switch.

Aviation influences informed every facet of the Le Sabre’s design. Its body was built from lightweight cast magnesium parts and hand-formed aluminum panels, all expertly crafted to seamlessly fit together like an aircraft’s skin. The convertible top, which could operate automatically thanks to a rain sensor, folded neatly out of sight under a flush cover. Rather than being treated as accessories, the bumpers, grille, and all trim pieces were made to blend into the car’s body and form a cohesive whole. The Le Sabre’s rear deck tapered into a single, large circular opening which, once the sizeable red taillight inside it illuminated, was meant to resemble a lit afterburner. Tall, prominent tailfins, each housing a bladder-type fuel tank inside, completed the package.

By then, tailfins weren’t a new idea. Inspired by the Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft’s twin-boom design, tailfins famously made their debut on the 1948 Cadillac. However, those still were relatively subdued affairs, unlike those of the Le Sabre. Unapologetically tall and prominent, the Le Sabre’s tailfins spearheaded the ever more flamboyant interpretations of this design feature hailing from Detroit’s design studios throughout the 1950s.

Inspired by the teardrop-shaped transparent canopies of jet fighters, the Le Sabre also featured a wraparound “panoramic” windscreen. Harley Earl had toyed with the idea for decades, but only at the dawn of the 1950s was the technology to make such sharply curved glazing finally perfected. Made by laying semi-molten glass over a steel form and having the ends draped down by gravity, panoramic windscreens first went into series production at GM in 1953, and within a couple of years, Ford and Chrysler had them, too.

With the establishment of Harley Earl’s “Art & Color” section in 1927, General Motors practically invented automobile design as practiced today. That leadership played a fundamental role in the corporation’s rise toward market dominance over the following years. And, by the time the Le Sabre was unveiled, GM’s huge market share meant its every move had ripple effects across the industry. That was especially true when it came to styling, and the public’s raucous reaction to the Le Sabre’s flamboyant design reaffirmed GM’s position as the car industry’s tastemaker and brought Detroit’s automobiles into the jet age.

Moreover, the success of the Le Sabre got the public to crave more dream cars like it. This led to Earl’s team providing GM’s Motorama exhibitions with a continuous stream of increasingly extravagant concept cars, starting in 1953. This further solidified GM’s position as a leader in automotive design and exerted a powerful influence not just on its Detroit rivals’ output, but also across the Atlantic.

In the Western European countries recovering from the ashes of WWII, everything that came from America held huge appeal. The music, pop culture, and flashy automobiles from the U.S. embodied the promise of a better future in the eyes of people who wanted nothing more. Consequently, it took little time for tailfins, panoramic windscreens, and other jet-inspired design flourishes to crop up in the Paris, London, or Turin motor shows.

Thanks to its role as Harley Earl’s preferred choice of wheels, the Le Sabre has never been at risk of being discarded and destroyed, even after it no longer looked like the future. Lovingly restored in the 2000s, today the Le Sabre is among the crown jewels of GM’s Heritage collection, and rightfully so. It represents post-war America’s hopes and dreams better than any historical treatise ever could, and may well be the single most influential design ever to come out of GM’s studios.

Not bad for what began as the design boss’s new company car.

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Matteo Licata received his degree in Transportation Design from Turin’s IED (Istituto Europeo di Design) in 2006. He worked as an automobile designer for about a decade, including a stint in the then-Fiat Group’s Turin design studio, during which his proposal for the interior of the 2010–20 Alfa Romeo Giulietta was selected for production. He next joined Changan’s European design studio in Turin and then EDAG in Barcelona, Spain. Licata currently teaches automobile design history to the Transportation Design bachelor students of IAAD (Istituto di Arte Applicata e Design) in Turin.

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General Motors was one of the most innovative vehicle manufacturers in the world for many decades, giving us the first genuinely successful automatic transmission, powerful and cheap V-8 engines for the masses, leading-edge touchscreen interfaces, head-up displays, and the first production overhead-cam engine with a timing belt. With all that, though, European manufacturers became better-known for their technologically advanced and futuristically styled machinery by the 1980s, and GM needed to catch up. What better way than by designing a gorgeous two-seater to be hand-built by the Buick Division’s most experienced workers? This was the Buick Reatta. I found this well-preserved example in a Northern California car graveyard.

The Buick Division had to work with the platforms it had on hand for the Reatta, and its front-wheel-drive chassis was based on one borrowed from the Buick Riviera/Cadillac Eldorado/Oldsmobile Toronado and then shortened a bit.

The 1988 and 1989 Reattas came with the radical Electronic Control Center touchscreen interface as standard equipment. This system was based on cathode-ray-tube hardware sourced from an ATM manufacturer and required 120VAC power behind the dash. It was decades ahead of its time.

Unfortunately, the traditional Buick-buying demographic at the time wasn’t very enthusiastic about electronic gadgets or two-seaters in general. Meanwhile, prospective buyers of BMWs, Audis, and Mercedes-Benzes who might have been lured into Reatta purchases were put off by the pushrod Buick V-6 under the Reatta’s hood; while a reliable and reasonably powerful engine, its ancestry stretched back to the 1961 Buick 215 V-8 and it was decidedly less sophisticated than the double-overhead-cam engines coming from Europe at the time.

The only transmission available in the Reatta was a four-speed automatic, which probably wasn’t as much of a sales limitation as the old-timey engine.

Still, it was a beautiful and luxurious car and deserved a better sales fate than what it got. This one looks to have been in good shape when it ended up in its Final Parking Space.

Let’s hope that local Reatta fans harvested all its good parts before it went to the crusher.

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Wayne Kady might be the most well-known unknown designer in the history of General Motors. Well known, because his designs are some of the most recognizable from the 1960s to the 1990s; unknown, because the unassuming Kady was often eclipsed by flashier designers more adept at self-promotion.

Kady’s tenure at GM began in 1961, when the General was at the zenith of its influence—so all-powerful that the government considered taking action to break up the automaker’s near 50 percent grip on the American market. GM Design was the undisputed leader of automotive styling, and Kady was in the thick of it, working for legends like Bill Mitchell. He soon landed at the studio where he made the most impact—Cadillac, where he penned the 1971 Eldorado and helped steer the brand through the vehicle downsizing of the late ’70s. By the time he retired in 1999 as chief designer, Buick 2 Studio, his portfolio contained some of the most recognizable cars to come out of Detroit.

Over the course of many interviews, Kady told us his story, which is also the story of how one person can make a huge impact on an industry and a culture.

California beginnings

I grew up in Reedley, California, a small farming town located in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. My dad immigrated here from Lebanon and saved up enough to buy a small farm. My first experience driving was on our tractor. Dad had a ’29 Chevrolet truck that was no longer used and was going to be scrapped, so Dad let my brothers and me take it apart. I learned about how an engine works and how to turn a wrench, as well as how to skin my knuckles. By the eighth grade, I could draw all the GM cars from memory. In my junior year of high school, I bought a 1940 Willys for $12 and started to build a sports custom. My inspiration was the Jaguar XK 120. I never finished it, but I learned how to weld and graft sheetmetal—and how to use a lot of Bondo. What inspired me to become a car designer was I learned that you could earn a living doing it. In January 1951, Life magazine published photos of the Le Sabre show car. It was an inspiring thing to see, that “Wow, all of a sudden, it’s the future!”

ArtCenter

In high school, my art instructor saw me drawing cars when I should have been drawing other things. He told me about ArtCenter College of Design [located in Los Angeles, California, before it moved to its present location in Pasadena] and suggested I apply. I did, and they rejected me. They said I was too immature. After two years at Reedley Junior College and a second attempt for admission, they let me in on probation.

Hired by General Motors

Clare MacKichan, the chief designer of the ’55 through ’57 Chevrolets, came to ArtCenter and interviewed me and several other students, shortly before I graduated with honors. He looked at my portfolio and offered me a job. I moved to Detroit on February 13, 1961. The farthest east I’d ever been was Phoenix, Arizona. That was the first time I’d ever flown. I had a window seat and I was looking out as we were circling Willow Run Airport. I couldn’t see anything moving, and everything was white. I sat there wondering what I was doing. I got off the plane and had to walk across the tarmac because Willow Run didn’t have jetways back then. I didn’t have an overcoat, just a suit coat. When they opened the door, it felt like nails going through you, it was so cold. My first night in Michigan was spent sleeping on the floor of Syd Mead’s apartment in Royal Oak. Syd was a fellow ArtCenter graduate and legendary designer who went on to create designs for the Blade Runner and Tron films.

It sounds like a cliché, but my first day at GM, I couldn’t believe that I was hired to work at this place. It was an environment where you couldn’t wait to get to work, because if that’s your passion, that’s the ideal place to be. The environment was such that you wanted to be as creative as you could be, the ideas had to flow out, and you had to be competitive with whomever else was working there, too. Working at GM back then was fantastic. It was a very creative environment to be in.

Bill Mitchell

I first met Bill Mitchell when I was newly hired and assigned to Design Development, the studio where all newly hired designers started. There they could be evaluated, then assigned to a studio where they could be most effective. I remember whenever Mitchell would visit the studio, he was always dressed in expensive, tailored suits and had someone with him taking notes. Later, after I was assigned to Cadillac, Mitchell would visit the studios to check on the progress of the clay models. If he wasn’t happy with the direction the design was headed and you tried to defend it, his face turned red, and you knew a chewing out would follow. Usually he would come back after a couple of hours knowing everyone was tense and uptight, and then he would tell a joke or make an off-color comment and then walk out, and that would lighten the air. Some designers had a hard time with him, but I thought he was very effective. He might have been a little crude in some areas, but he was successful as far as picking the designs for production.

Designing at Cadillac

In 1962, while assigned to Bernie Smith’s Preliminary Design studio, our project was to create an alternate design for the 1965 all-new Cadillac versus the direction the Cadillac studio was pursuing. Smith’s theme was chosen, and I was transferred to the production studio to help design the ’65 DeVille and Fleetwood. We were also working on a theme that eventually led to the design of the ’67 Eldorado. In August 1968, I was promoted to chief designer of a newly formed advanced Cadillac studio to design an all-new Eldorado for 1971.

1971 Eldorado

The ’67 Eldorado, [Oldsmobile] Toronado, and [Buick] Riviera were designs initially developed with unique sheetmetal for each brand. Cowl, windshield, and side-glass planes were the only major parts shared. Eldorado shared front-wheel drive with Toronado, while Riviera continued with rear-wheel drive to enjoy a price advantage as well as differentiation. When I was working on the Eldorado for 1971, we started out with a smaller, more tailored body. As the design progressed and volume cost estimates and other data evolved, we ended up having to share the B-body platform used by all five car divisions and even sharing the roof panels between Toronado and Eldorado.

The ’67 was a big act to follow, because the car was, as far as designers are concerned, probably the best-looking Cadillac for a long time. The 1967 through ’70 Eldorado had a two-piece hood. When they’re stamped in two pieces, they’re assembled to the center and then the ends have to be welded and metal finished. Metal finishing cost a dollar an inch back then, and the ’71 hood required 9 inches of welding and metal finishing, so it cost $9 per car. In those days, if you took 50 cents out of a car, that was big money. Wally Sitarsky was the die engineer at Cadillac; I had great respect for him.

After careful study, he found a way to make the hood of the 1971 Eldorado in one piece. [This technique saved Cadillac almost $250,000 in 1971, roughly $1.8 million in today’s dollars.] Another important cost savings for Cadillac was sharing the front-center bumper and guards with the DeVille and the Fleetwood series.

1976 Seville, Part 1

After completing the design on the ’71 Eldorado, we had a fiberglass model built of a four-door DeVille concept with horizontal taillights before starting work on a small Cadillac to compete against the Mercedes 280SEL. We had completed a set of renderings of three possible approaches: importing the Opel Diplomat [Opel was GM’s German division], importing an Opel with minor changes to the front and rear, or creating an all-new car. These were taken by the sales team and the general manager to dealer councils across the country, where they were evaluated and voted on as to whether we would even have a smaller Cadillac. Cadillac was having competition on the West Coast in particular with the Mercedes. As that project started to roll, I got transferred to Buick. Mitchell called me into his office, and he didn’t really say much. He just said, “Hey, kid. I’m transferring you to Buick. They got a problem in there. Get out and fix it.” He used to call me kid. I was pretty young then.

Buick

One of the reasons that I was sent to Buick was because Mitchell was pressured to change the boattail Riviera. The Buick general manager disliked it and thought it was too controversial. Mitchell wanted me to graft the design that came off the four-door Cadillac with horizontal taillights onto the back of the boattail Riviera. The doors had to be kept, while the roof panel was shared with the Toronado and Eldorado. We also had to incorporate the new 5-mph bumper standards. We didn’t have enough money to change a lot on that car except maybe the quarter-panels and the decklid and add high-level brake lamps. I managed to make it look more conventional, which satisfied Buick. It didn’t enhance the look and did not add sales. I always thought the boattail was better-looking. Mitchell’s the guy who pushed the design of the boattail Riviera, but Jerry Hirshberg was the chief designer. After [facelifting] the LeSabre, the Electra 225, and a major facelift to the ’76 Buick Regal series, I was transferred back to Cadillac as exterior chief designer.

1976 Seville, Part 2

Back at Cadillac, I reinherited the Seville that was marketed as a ’76 model; its design was already finished when I returned. The design was done by Stan Parker, my first boss at Cadillac. It was a big hit for the division, and it answered the competitive question to the Mercedes. It introduced Cadillac into that small-car segment, at a big price. I think it was priced higher than anything except for the limousine. [1976 Cadillac Seville MSRP was $12,749.] From my perspective, it was the proportions that made the design so successful. One of my colleagues once mentioned proportions as being to design as location is to real estate. I think anytime you start a design for a car or a house or a product, proportions are one of the first things that you want to address. When I’m talking about proportions, it’s the dash to axle, the location of the front wheel in relation to the windshield, the amount of overhang in front of that wheel, and then the location of the rear axle to the roof profile. Then the placement of the wheels to the width of the car. These are all the things that you see while you’re looking at a car, whether it’s moving or static. The Seville’s A-pillar looks swept back, but that’s more dramatic because the roof profile was so upright and formal.

Earlier in my Cadillac career, somebody had taken a survey of our owners’ garages, and a lot of them had garages that were attached to older houses. The houses might have been big, but the garages weren’t, because nobody anticipated cars growing to that length. We got to a certain length, and we were told, “Don’t go any further because we’re going to lose customers.”

Downsizing at Cadillac

The first major downsizing project was the ’77 DeVille and Fleetwood. I’d started a little of that [downsizing] at Buick before I left. I think the assignment was to get a thousand pounds out of the car, so we had to reduce the size. Part of the assignment was to make the car look more fuel-efficient. We had these large cars that looked irresponsible and were getting maybe 12 mpg, then we’ve got Asian cars that are getting 25 [mpg] or more. That’s what people were concerned about back then. Even if the car got good fuel economy, it was the image that was part of the reason for downsizing. There were people at Cadillac who were talking about the bulk of the car and the appearance that we were wasting the nation’s resources and that we were greedy.

1980 Cadillac “Bustleback” Seville

After we finished the design of the ’67 Eldorado, we were given time to sketch whatever we wanted, and we were putting together advance concepts. I always had an interest in something that was unique and a little different for the rear of the car. Harley Earl used to say, “The most important part of a car design is the front end.” But I thought maybe the rear end was just as important.

Tailfins had run their course, and it occurred to me that people spent a lot of time looking at the back of a car. I thought, “There’s an opportunity to make a car distinctive and different.” I had been sketching that idea since probably the early to mid-’60s. We were looking at this design for the ’79 Eldorado, and we’d shown the clay model to Ed Kennard, who was the general manager of Cadillac. He rejected it and Bill Mitchell asked if he’d consider it for Seville. Kennard said he would look at it, and I think he was placating Bill for having rejected it outright as an Eldorado. We added another door cutline and that’s how it became a Seville. I was invited to the dealer announcement in Long Beach. When they announced that car, they had it on the stage and when they pulled the curtains back, the car started to revolve on a turntable and was partially concealed with fog. Then the lights gradually came on, like the sun coming up. As the fog cleared, you could see the car. It got a standing ovation. I’ve been to a lot of these dealer announcements, and this was by far the most applause for a new car that I’d ever seen. But then they priced it, I think, almost $4000 more than the previous year. They added a lot of standard features, like a diesel engine. Those engines were extremely problematic and added to the car’s price. I remember going into a dealer showroom and people would walk up to that car, they’d look at the sticker price, and then they’d look at an Eldorado or DeVille and many of them would go for the less expensive option. Then they had the V-8-6-4 [GM’s first attempt at cylinder deactivation] and the technology wasn’t ready. The electronics weren’t worked out, and the dealers didn’t know how to fix it—the factory didn’t have a fix. It was a time when fuel economy was a huge problem, and the corporation was doing all it could to squeeze out as many miles per gallon as possible. I’d give credit to Cadillac engineering for advanced thinking and having the fortitude to produce it. It’s just too bad that the technology wasn’t proven. They were ahead of their time. Today cylinder deactivation is standard on a number of cars.

I remember being at a dealer council meeting and the dealers were very upset with the general manager and the chief engineer. I think I was included in the meeting because the Seville was controversial with that bustleback and I would share some of the criticism. Oh, they were very upset. One of them was Don Massey [known as “the Cadillac King,” at his peak, Massey was one of the largest Cadillac retailers in the country, accounting for approximately 6 percent of the brand’s sales], but he was fairly cool. The one who was the most vocal and angry was John DeLorean’s brother, Charles, who owned a Cadillac dealership outside of Cleveland. Another dealer belonged to the same country club as some of his customers, where he would regularly overhear one of them asking another member how they liked their new Cadillac. The other member responded, saying, “I hate it. It’s been at the dealership, and he can’t find a fix for the engine.” And DeLorean says to us, “I’m losing my customers, I’m going to lose my franchise, and it’s because of you SOBs.” They were literally calling the general manager and the chief engineer SOBs right to their faces. It was pretty nasty. Massey was the last to speak. He looked at Kennard, and he said, “Well, boss, looks like we got work to do.”

The Cadillac Allanté

The 1989 model year was my last year at Cadillac. One of my final projects was an alternate design to the Allanté. I was not happy when I found out that Bob Burger, Cadillac’s new general manager, was going to [Italian design house] Pininfarina to build a two-passenger car. I asked Burger, “How is it that we can do your bread-and-butter products, but then when it comes to a fun and historic project, you give it to somebody who hasn’t done anything for you?” He answered, “Well, this is business. We want that designer label.” I said, “What do you mean, ‘designer label?’” He said, “We want a designer label on the car, like the red tags on the back of Levi’s.” I asked him, “What do you think we are?” He replied, “Nobody knows who you are.” And he was right. Nobody knew who we were. Bill Mitchell received credit for everything, but the designers, they were unknown to the public. We put together an alternate version of the Allanté anyway. It wasn’t any better than what I think Pininfarina came up with, but we had to do something to keep the team together. The morale was shot when they found out about it. I think if Mitchell had still been there, he probably would have fought Burger on that one.

Back at Buick

I was transferred to Buick after the ’89 model year. I shared responsibility for Buick exterior design with Bill Porter [another design legend at GM, who was responsible for the 1968 Pontiac LeMans/GTO, the 1970 Pontiac Firebird, and the 1982 Chevrolet Camaro/Pontiac Firebird, among others]. Bill was leading the design for the LeSabre, the Park Avenue, and the Riviera. I was responsible for the Century, the Regal, the Skylark, and the Roadmaster, which was based on the same platform as the Chevy Impala; the estate wagon version of it was done by my assistant, Dennis Wright. He brought back woodgrain trim on the sides of the car, and some of the designers disagreed. Dennis told me at one time, he thought that the Roadmaster estate wagon outsold the Impala version. We were there to design cars to sell for profit. That’s what we were paid to do.

I retired on April 1, 1999, after a little over 38 years at General Motors. Coming from a farm, as a farm kid, I never would’ve dreamt that I would have been working at General Motors from day one. And to work on Cadillac, on GM’s top brand, and be the chief designer longer than anybody else in the history of Cadillac. I made a good living, met a lot of great people, and worked with some of the most talented people in the world for automobile design. You know, what’s there not to like?

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The Buick Roadmaster name goes back all the way to the 1936 model year, when the Series 80 Roadmaster first hit showrooms. Except for a break during World War II, when the Buick Division built aircraft engines and M18 Hellcat Tank Destroyers, Roadmasters were built from 1936 through 1958. Production resumed for the 1991 through 1996 model years, when Roadmaster sedans and wagons were sold. Perhaps the most majestic of all Roadmasters were the 1949–52 models, long and low with smooth-running straight-eight engines. Here’s one of those cars, which I recently found in a Denver-area self-service car graveyard.

The four VentiPort holes on each front fender mean this is a Roadmaster for sure, since the lowly Supers and Specials got three VentiPorts per side apiece in 1951. Some sources state that the Riviera name was used only for hardtops in ’51, but Buick applied the Riviera designation to all long-wheelbase Roadmasters that year, as well as to higher-end Specials and Supers. The Riviera name would eventually be applied to many Buicks, but it didn’t become a model name in its own right until 1963.

The firewall body tag is long gone, but the first digit of the serial number on the door pillar shows that this car was built at Fairfax Assembly in Kansas City, just 600 miles to the east of this car’s Final Parking Space.

Many American manufacturers installed straight-eight engines in their cars during the 1920s through 1950s, but most of those were flathead designs. Notable exceptions include the wild overhead-cam straight-eights that went into Duesenbergs and, of course, the overhead-valve Buick straight-eight.

This one displaces 320 cubic inches (5.2 liters) and was rated at 152 horsepower. That was respectable for the early 1950s, but the introduction of the groundbreaking Oldsmobile and Cadillac overhead-valve V-8s for the 1949 model year made the Buick Eight seem antiquated to car shoppers, who were then marveling at supersonic rocket planes and the inauguration of a nuclear arms race with the Soviets.

The Buick Division would get its own V-8 engine starting with the 1953 model year, with Chevrolet and Pontiac following with their division-specific pushrod V-8 designs a couple of years later. To be fair to the 1951 Buick, its engine made 17 more horsepower than the Olds 303 Rocket and just eight fewer than Cadillac’s 331. That said, the very first rock ‘n’ roll song ever recorded (by Ike Turner) had as its subject matter the 1951 Oldsmobile Rocket 88. How could any inline engine top that?

Despite GM’s spectacular coup with the world’s first truly successful automatic transmission, GM’s Buick Division resisted the Hydra-Matic and ended up with a very smooth but not-so-efficient automatic developed from the powertrain of the M18 Hellcat.

This was the Dynaflow, which sometimes gets called a two-speed but uses its complex torque converter rig to deliver a driving experience more like that of a CVT with two manually selected ranges. This Roadmaster would have been thirsty with its big eight and Dynaflow, but so what? Rolls-Royce didn’t even offer an automatic transmission until 1952, instead using four-on-the-tree manuals to rattle the fillings out of their passengers’ teeth, while Dynaflow-equipped Buicks rolled serene and shift-free.

You would think such a luxurious postwar machine wouldn’t have met this fate, but it spent too many years outdoors in the harsh Colorado High Plains climate to be an economically sensible restoration. Its parts will live on in other Roadmasters.

The adobe-like layers of body filler could be hiding unseen rust, but plenty of usable body and trim parts await junkyard shoppers.

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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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By most accounts, the term “Malaise Era” was coined by journalist Murilee Martin. Taken from Jimmy Carter’s famous speech, it reflects the pervasive funk that the U.S. found itself in post-Vietnam, though Martin and fellow car enthusiasts tend to further focus it as the term to define a decade’s worth of lackluster autos. The period was marked by rampant inflation and a frustratingly stagnant economy. Everything from American exceptionalism to oil, and even natural fibers, seemed to be on the way out, replaced with polyester leisure suits, disco, and well, seemingly not much else. Most importantly, horsepower took a lengthy holiday as fuel prices and insurance rates went up while speed limits went down.

We’re about to mark a truly happy milestone, however: By my count, 2024 marks the 40^th anniversary of the end of this much-maligned era. Four decades on from 1984, maybe, just maybe the cars that helped us get back to horsepower and driving enjoyment can find a more appreciative audience, and we can take a more charitable view of the re-emergence of the American performance car. On the other hand, maybe it’s still too soon.

The onset of the Malaise Era came with shocking speed. In 1972, big blocks were as easy to find as Triceratops in the late Cretaceous period. Just two model years later, they had nearly disappeared. The twin asteroid-like impacts of the 1973 oil embargo and the recession that it triggered quickly made the American performance scene look like a post-apocalyptic wasteland. By the 1974 model year, things looked bleak indeed. Horsepower was down dramatically and rising curb weights from things like mandated diving board five-mph impact bumpers helped further blunt performance. By 1978, things had gotten so bad that the fastest American car was actually a truck. The Dodge Lil’ Red Express pickup was one of the few vehicles you could buy that was capable of a sub-seven second 0–60 time.

The degradations that the era spawned have been well-documented—from the Mustang II to the 305-cubic inch “California” Corvette, and the Iron Duke Camaro. All of these were fodder for the “Rust in Peace” series I did for The New York Times in the early 2000s. Even the once-feared Pontiac Trans Am, one of the few large-displacement cars to survive the big block mass-extinction, was only able to extract a pitiful 200 hp from its massive 455 cubic inches in 1975, mimicking the output of a cheap, loud, “as seen on TV” juicer. If you had the distinct displeasure of living through it, the Malaise Era seemed to last as long as the most recent ice age. Bright spots were few and far between, and often, they weren’t American—the Porsche 930 and the Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 were fast but crazy expensive, and unless you lived in New York or L.A., you likely never saw one.

Help eventually arrived—fuel injection, three-way catalysts with oxygen sensors, multi-valve cylinder heads, turbochargers, and finally variable valve timing, all did their part to make horsepower a thing again. The Buick Regal Sport Coupe/T-Type brought turbocharging to American showrooms around the same time that the Saab 900 SPG Turbo started making its reputation as a seriously quick car. By 1984 the turbocharged, V-6-powered Regal Grand National was making 200 hp and an astounding 300 lb-ft of torque, figures that had rarely been seen since the early ’70s. (It’s important to remember, too, that 200 hp in 1984 SAE net was probably closer to 250 hp in pre-Malaise SAE gross measurement.)

By 1984, America’s premier pony cars were becoming de-zombified as well. The Z/28 Camaro of that year made 190 hp, and the 5.0-liter Mustang 175 hp. By the next model year, both had cracked the 200 hp mark. 1984 also introduced the fourth-generation Corvette, a dramatic upheaval from the early ’60s roots of the prior generation. The Malaise era was definitively over, although its last vestige, the reviled 55 mph national speed limit, hung on until it was modified in 1987 and then fully repealed in 1995.

Malaise Era cars have certainly found collectability over the last 10 to 15 years—Urethane-nose, late ’70s/early ’80s second-generation Camaro Z/28s, and Bandit Trans Ams, (so-called “mustache muscle”), certainly have their fans, but then oddly enough, so do the Charlie’s Angels-era Mustang II Cobras. These, however, are mainly novelty/irony/nostalgia buys. I suspect few people are likely to care about them after the generation that came of age during the Smokey and the Bandit and Fast Times at Ridgemont High days passes from the scene.

It’s the cars that brought an end to the era, the turbocharged Regals, IROC-Zs, and post-1983 Fox-body Mustangs, that we should be building bronze statues to, or at the very least, collecting with more gusto. They truly saved driving and ensured that horsepower didn’t become just another quaint unit of measurement (like pennyweights or Macedonian cubits), understood and remembered only by our grandparents and great-grandparents.

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Jim Pickard can thank his dad for providing the tools and motivation that helped him to turn a rusting hulk of a ’57 Buick Estate Wagon into the beautiful, show-winning machine seen here.

Turn the clock back almost half a century, when Jim’s dad was working outside the family’s Michigan home. Jim’s pride and joy, a hot-rod ’57 Chevy, was parked in the driveway. At one point in the project, the car got in Dad’s way, so he backed the vehicle into the street—just as a neighbor’s minivan arrived on the scene. The two vehicles met violently, crushing the quarter panel of the shoebox Chevy.

Dad said the damage was nothing to worry about; he had a pal in the body shop business. Turns out Dad’s pal wanted $1200 to repair the damage. Jim, who made $2.10 an hour bagging groceries, ran the numbers in his head: It would take years for him to pay for the repair.

Jim was left with two choices: rob a bank or learn bodywork. He chose the latter. After studying automotive repair books at the library and acquiring a rough idea of how to repair a damaged quarter panel, he torched off the offending sheetmetal and cut a corresponding hunk of good steel from a $100 donor car. After welding in the new piece and finishing it as best he could, he judged the result satisfactory.

The project would lead to a lifelong hobby as a backyard restoration expert. Yielding to a fondness for Buicks, Jim bought a ’57 Model 48 Sedan with only 15,000 miles on the clock. Seems it had belonged to an older gentleman who had purchased it new in Chicago, used it until he was 65 years old, and then parked it in his driveway. There the car sat for many years. It was fired up now and then and driven up and down the driveway, but it never saw the street again. Years later it was sold to the kid next door, who disassembled it before losing interest.

Jim hauled home the stripped Buick and the boxes of parts. He put the car back together, did some basic repairs, and used it for family cruising. Eventually, he decided it was worthy of restoration and, with his ever-improving skills, turned it into a show winner.

That brings us to the Estate Wagon. Like many of us who grew up at a time when large station wagons roamed the earth, Jim had long coveted a wagon. Of course, it had to be a Buick. Like many of us who lust for a special automobile, he searched eBay for the right one. One day, he saw a ’57 Buick Estate Wagon for sale in California. What could be better than a California car? He asked a friend to have a look. “It has some rust,” the friend said, “but it looks like a good car to restore.”  Jim bought it sight unseen and shipped it to Michigan.

The extent of automotive rust can’t be determined at a glance. Turns out this “California car” had spent most of its life in Toledo, Ohio, and in Ontario, Canada—both areas where road salt is used extensively to combat ice in winter months. Very little of the car’s sheetmetal was salvageable.

Fortunately, by this time, Jim had acquired a network of Buick hobbyist friends, many of whom had garages full of spare parts. Perhaps more importantly, he had discovered that donor cars are often the best solution when it comes to major sheetmetal repair. The Buick world is not like the Tri-Five Chevy universe where every part is available as a repop. There aren’t many new body parts for old Buicks out there. So, armed with his connections and donor panels, Jim set to work in his two-car garage.

With no room for a rotisserie, restoration was a matter of disassembly and repair, one part at a time. The rusted front floor pans were crumbling and had to be replaced. In the second row, the floor pans had rusted completely and fallen out. The trunk below the rear cargo floor was rotted out but too large to be taken out of the vehicle in one piece; Jim had to replace it in sections, cutting each one out of a donor wagon. Both rocker panels and their supports had to be replaced. Ultimately, every part in the car, save the hood and tailgate, was replaced or repaired.

Fortunately, Jim’s skills had progressed to the point where he could readily form metal using body-shop tools and was an expert with the MIG welder. The cycle continued for eight long years. Cut out the bad metal, find the good, weld it in place, and finish. Eventually, the body and floor pans were as perfect as the day they left the factory.

The Buick had left that factory in gray and white paint. That combination didn’t float Jim’s boat. Looking for inspiration, he found an ad in an old Life magazine for a ’57 Buick Century clad in Dawn Gray, which leans toward beige, and Seminole Red. Bingo, beautiful. Jim sprayed those colors on his now near-perfect metal. (Of course, he did it himself. Did you really have to ask?)

The Buick’s interior was reupholstered in gray and red as well. Happily, that was also the color of the original upholstery, as the two different exterior paint schemes had shared the same interior colors in the ’57 catalog.

The 250-horsepower 364-cubic-inch Nailhead V-8 was rebuilt to like-new standards, as was the Dynaflow transmission. The vast majority of mechanicals remain original, including the somewhat infamous Buick torque tube. The other systems were likewise restored to factory specs—with one important exception. Four-wheel disc brakes replaced the original binders. Why? To better tow the Pickard family’s reproduction ’61 Shasta Airflight “ham can” travel trailer. A long trip down Route 66 is in the Pickard family’s future.

Within minutes after attaching the rear bumper—the final step of the restoration—Jim fired up the wagon and took it to the Motor Muster show at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan. Two weeks later, he drove it all the way to Lisle, Illinois, for the Buick Nationals but didn’t enter it in judging.

Jim drives. He drove his restored Buick sedan from his Michigan home to the Buick Nationals in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he won senior gold, scoring 395 points out of a possible 400. The following year, he drove it to the nationals in Allentown, Pennsylvania. In 2018, he motored out west to Oklahoma City where he won another senior gold. That’s a lot of driving and a great record of success, especially when the competition includes trailer queens.

Speaking of prestigious automotive shows, I spotted Jim’s beautiful Buick wagon at Hagerty’s Detroit Concours d’Elegance, a limited-entry show that eagerly accepted Jim’s wagon. “Just having been chosen for the concours was quite an honor,” said Jim. “When the team of judges, which included Barn Find Hunter Tom Cotter, gave it a design and style award, it was like winning the lottery.”

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The story of the GM10 platform, also known the W-body, is a tragedy on par with that of Macbeth, a tale intertwined with the larger issue Scotland’s moral order. Is the car platform underneath the 1980s Buick Regal so significant? Many would disagree, but consider the staggering sum of of dollars in play; since the start of development work on the GM10 in 1982, a mind-numbing seven billion dollars was thrown at the project. At the same time, it lacked a dedicated team for leveraging the General’s deep reserves of staff and resources, and the dream of engineering a world-beating mid-sized platform was dashed by strategic missteps. Pontiac’s Chief engineer Robert Dorn was the platform’s project manager, and he struggled for clout in a post-1984 corporate landscape that shook GM up like a smoothie.

Part of CEO Roger Smith’s initiative was to organize GM into separate business divisions. Dorn worked under the new CPC (Chevrolet-Pontiac-Canada) division, but his job was to make a mid-size vehicle that would assert GM’s dominance for every brand (except Cadillac). It was a tall order to match market dominance forged from years of success with the A-bodies we know and love (Cutlass, Chevelle, etc.). Plus, global threats were now on the horizon: Toyota was gaining ground with the third-generation Camry, Accords were corruptingly good, and America was downright bullish on Ford’s Taurus. Even worse, Dorn was up against the rest of GM’s new front-wheel drive platforms. The W-body had internal enemies in the A-body, L-Body, and the N-body at one time or another in its long lifecycle.

While the sedans pictured above were introduced in 1990, the GM10 coupes had a two-year head start. This was strategic misstep number one: failing to identify the degree to which markets were disinterested in big coupes like this. To borrow a term from drag racing, this wasn’t a hole-shot launch, and model year 1988 ended with a depressing figure of 100 + days of inventory on dealer’s lots. Yikes.

According to Rude Awakening by Maryann Keller, this misfire led to “temporary plant closures to reduce the surplus dealer inventories.” The sedans, once they arrived, didn’t fare significantly better. They lacked key selling points such as Chrysler-worthy airbags, Honda-like engines, or Toyota levels of customer satisfaction. The competition was collectively reinventing how American families hit the highways, while GM was still struggling with relevancy after the 1984 reorganization.

Honda, Toyota, and Ford subsequently feasted on the carcass of GM’s former market dominance, whose share dropped precipitously in the 1980s. The GM10’s subsequent redesign (part of that multi-billion dollar investment) was a mixed bag: more conventional rear suspension (note the transverse leaf spring design in the Lumina photo above) but also more milquetoast styling. The predicament changed little, as Ford dominated the value/fleet side of this market with the Taurus, while Honda Accord/Toyota Camry were the standard-bearers for premium family sedans.

We’ve finally arrived at Buick, which was responsible for building the most prestigious car on the GM10 platform: the Regal. Its sights were set higher than the V-6 Taurus or a four-banger Honda. The Regal Coupe may have initially faltered in 1988, but the sedan came with larger engines (3.1 and 3.8-liters) and the top-spec Gran Sport looked like a modern take on what made the original A-body Skylark GS so special during the muscle car era. With big alloy wheels and a firm suspension, the W-body Regal had the hardware to be a modern grand tourer. However, let’s recall what the folks at Motorweek thought about it:

Oh dear. You know there’s trouble afoot when John Davis says “don’t blame them, the GM10 Regal design was finalized before the current Buick brass came to power,” within the first two minutes of the road test. It’s a generous way to suggest that other automakers were making superior cars in the same (or lesser) competitive set, but I question the review’s real-world effectiveness. How many PBS watchers snickered, turned off the TV, and looked elsewhere for their next mid-luxury family sedan?

Those who didn’t grab the remote for their Magnavox might have ultimately appreciated the Regal GS’ luxurious interior and futuristic dashboard, something we’d see eventually in modern luxury EVs. (With touchscreens, of course, instead of recessed black trim.) The CD player, much like its trucky GMT400 cousin, is mounted far away from the rest of the audio controls. The dual-mode HVAC was ahead of its time, as was the cupholder located in the center console. But the lack of airbags was a dealbreaker for many, even with the Regal GS’ respectable thrust and competent handling. The price was on point, compared to other luxury brands in the segment, but conquest sales would in the end prove difficult.

Buick’s overall sales dropped on the regular as the GM10 transitioned into the ubiquitous W-body, and it’s still a bit hard to believe that we can thank sales in China for keeping the brand afloat during General Motor’s bankruptcy. (China is still a big market for Buick today.) But that was twenty years after the GM10’s introduction in a sea of globalized competitors hungry for their market share. And it was forty years after “the good old days” of General Motor’s market dominance: that idyllic time when products from Japan and China would be laughed out of darn near every American household. Time can be a cruel mistress, and the launch of the GM10 is evidence of the auto giant’s failure to appreciate just how much times had changed. Though it was in many ways a solid-performing mid-sizer, one of time’s victims, in the end, was the ’91 Buick Regal Gran Sport.

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As a child of the 1980s, I was in a position to see firsthand the era of the station wagon giving ground, then giving way, to minivans. And later on, SUVs. But I always loved station wagons. I came home from the hospital in one, was driven to school in one, went on family vacations in one—well, several, actually. But the debut of the “Magic Wagon,” as Chrysler Corporation dubbed its new Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager minivans, was the beginning of the end.

Even my own family went through it. My parents had two Volvo 240 and two Volvo 740GL wagons, but as us kids kept getting bigger, peace in the back seat amongst the three of us became pretty much impossible. So, in late 1991, my folks ordered a brand new ’92 Grand Caravan ES in white with dark gray leather, all-wheel drive, and the middle-row bucket seats. Peace was restored. But I digress …

In 1980, you had myriad choices in station wagons: Volvo 240s (my aforementioned trip home from the hospital was in a ’77 245DL), Peugeot 505s, Toyota Cressidas, Volkswagen Dashers. And over on the domestic side, a wide variety of Pinto Squires, Concord Limiteds, LeBaron Town and Countrys, and other fare awaited your pocketbook. But the top-tier domestic woodgrained rolling stock wagons were, not coincidentally, the largest models.

The top-of-the-line U.S. wagons were the Ford LTD Country Squire, Mercury Colony Park, Chevrolet Caprice Estate, Pontiac Bonneville Safari, Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, and the Buick Electra Estate Wagon, our featured subject today. A case can also be made for the previously-mentioned LeBaron Town and Country; though plenty luxurious, it was on the midsize chassis, the truly large and unapologetically full-size T&C being discontinued after the 1977 model year.

But the Electra Estate wagon was as close as one could get to a Cadillac station wagon, excepting those with sufficient funds to have coachbuilders make a wagon out of a Fleetwood Brougham or Sedan de Ville.

All of the full-sized 1980 GM cars were given facelifts for a smoother appearance, partly to improve fuel economy but also for the looks. All the big GM wagons were naturally a part of it, though for them it really was only the front clip that was changed. The big Buick wagons came both as a LeSabre and as an Electra.

And that continued all the way through the 1989 model year, with the flossier Electra and slightly plainer LeSabre wagons pinning the top tier of Buick station wagons. I will always remember these wagons fondly, as a navy blue one had a major part in the classic 1987 film Adventures in Babysitting!

That movie could well be the primary reason I love these cars so much. And also why I was such a fan of the final seasons of CSI when Elisabeth Shue was part of the cast. Oops, wait. What were we talking about again?

Right, Buicks! The big GM wagons were all rather similar visually, from Caprice Estate to top-of-the-line Electra Estate Wagon. The biggest differences were the front clip, interior, and, depending on the year and make, the engine. But the Electras were always the plushest.

However, in 1990, Buick pulled a fast one. Technically, the Electra Estate Wagon and LeSabre Estate wagon were gone. But only in name. Instead of having the two very similar models, they were merged into a single “Estate Wagon,” with nary an Electra or LeSabre emblem to be found anywhere.

I initially thought only the badging was different compared to the 1989s, but the interior was now a hybrid: Electra Estate Wagon seats with LeSabre door panels.

The 1989 and earlier Electra Estate Wagons had these Regal (pun intended) half-woodgrain door panels. But at least you still got the primo seats in the 1990 model.

My friend Jeremy Shiffer related, “These 1990 B-body wagons (and base 307 equipped 1990 Cadillac Broughams) hold the distinction of being the last GM cars sold with a carburetor.” And then another friend Mike Massey confirmed that the ’90s only had “LeSabre door panels with Electra seats. I remember that well on those final ones.” At the time these were new, nobody we knew owned one, though there was one I’d see regularly, while riding my bike, about five blocks from home.

As the 1990 deluxe Buick brochure confided, the Estate Wagon had “Room for everything. Including luxury … the comfort, convenience, and luxury features are impressive, including rich woven velour upholstery, full carpeting throughout, automatic transmission with overdrive, tilt steering column, power steering, power brakes with discs in front, and, of course, the greatest luxury of all: room.”

All Estate Wagons came standard with the 140-horsepower 307-cubic-inch V-8. Base price was $17,940 (about $42,247 today), curb weight was 4281 pounds, and 7838 of them were built for the model year. As had been the case since 1980, these had a 115.9-inch wheelbase, 220.5-inch overall length, and 79.3-inch width.

Available options included leather upholstery, as seen in our featured car, power windows, power door locks, a roof rack, Twilight Sentinel, cruise control, and a six-way power driver’s seat. The unmistakable exterior vinyl woodgrain appliques remained an optional extra as well.

Our featured ’90 Estate Wagon was spied on eBay quite some time ago. It could have been 10 years ago or even longer. At the time I was stunned with how showroom-fresh it appeared, and I loved the light blue (Mist Blue Metallic, according to my 1990 Buick color chart) with saddle tan leather harmonizing with the Di-Noc woodgrain sides. It was simply superb.

Though plenty of these had the wire wheel covers shown here, the only thing that could have made this car better would be the optional turbine alloy wheels—just like the one featured on Adventures in Babysitting.

Fun fact: Those wheels were only available on the Buick wagons, except for swan-song 1990. In 1990, you could also order them on the Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, though they had different center caps with the Olds Rocket emblem instead. Ask my friend Matt Smith how hard it is to find those Olds-specific center caps these days!

In 1990, only three of the four original full-size GM wagons remained: Chevy Caprice, Olds Custom Cruiser, and the Buick Estate Wagon. The Pontiac Safari was discontinued after 1989 for some reason. Never again would so much chrome and woodgrain gingerbread be seen on full-size American station wagons.

It was the end of the road for the 1980-style body, but not the end of the grand, luxurious full-size Buick station wagon. Starting in 1991, the totally restyled and renamed Roadmaster Estate Wagon would continue to carry the torch (albeit on pretty much the same chassis as this car) through the 1996 model year. And while it was pretty flossy, it didn’t have quite as much wood-toned trim as the 1980–90 Estate Wagons—though you could still get the woodgrain exterior siding. And after ’96, my friends, if you wanted a new luxury Buick station wagon, you were sadly out of luck.

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Few people that we know have seen a 1968 Opel Kadett Deluxe Wagon in person. The phenomenon begs the question: Are these German wagons so rare in the U.S. that the same vehicles keep getting sold and resold, or is this example just so nice that each new owner can’t resist the urge to flip it? Perhaps it’s both.

Crossing the virtual auction block via Hagerty Marketplace, this restored and award-winning Kadett Deluxe Wagon has changed hands several times since 2018. It’s an unusual automobile, to be sure, and there’s plenty to like about it.

The Opel Kadett, distributed by Buick in the U.S. and sold around the world as Opel’s entry-level car, was designed to compete directly with Volkswagen. Slightly different from its European brethren, the Kadett was offered stateside in a variety of two-door body styles: Sedan, Sport Sedan, LS and Deluxe Sport Coupes (fastbacks), Rallye (fastback), and Deluxe Wagon (with a swing-up tailgate).

Nicknamed the “Mini-Brute” by Buick-Opel marketers—a tongue-in-cheek description if there ever were one—rear-wheel-drive Kadetts were simple, lightweight, and economical. The “brutiest” of the Mini-Brutes was the Deluxe Wagon. Engine choices for 1968 included an overhead-valve 1.1-liter inline-four, the default powerplant, which mustered 55 horsepower; the optional higher-output dual-carb 1.1-liter SR, with 60 hp; the 1.5-liter CIH, 80 hp; and the 1.9-liter Super Kadett, 102 hp. Mated to a four-speed manual powertrain and with a high axle ratio, a Deluxe Wagon with the 1.1-liter engine could score 30 mpg. It also took an agonizingly long 18.4 seconds to go 0-to-60 mph.

Advertising, naturally, accentuated the positives of the Kadett (and also embellished a bit). “Impervious to desert heat, invincible in trackless sands, amazingly dependable from oasis to oasis: The Mini-Brute Buick’s new Opel Kadett Deluxe Wagon. The economy import that provides so much low-cost transportation for the price you’ll wonder why you ever tried any other way.”

Opel also promised that “confidence is part of the standard equipment you get with every ’68 Opel Kadett.”

Painted bright red with a black interior, this ’68 Opel Kadett Deluxe Wagon (chassis/VIN 391383662) was immaculately restored and looks as if it just rolled out of a Buick-Opel dealership—with its MSRP of $2070 (about $18,308 today). The wagon’s 1.1-liter engine has dual Solex 35 PDSI carburetors, and the California seller says its “underhood components were sourced from German suppliers, including Bosch, SWF, and ATE during its refurbishment.”

The interior features a replacement headliner and carpets, as well as a factory three-spoke steering wheel with an Opel center cap. Instrumentation includes a 100-mph speedometer and tachometer with a 6000-rpm redline. The five-digit odometer reads 85,096 miles.

In addition, the car has a padded dashboard, AM radio and supplemental FM receiver, electric clock, front bucket seats, a rear bench seat that folds down, hinged back windows, original German Sekurit glass, and 56 cubic feet of cargo space (“Enough for an average-sized refrigerator,” Opel advertised)—plus a luggage rack up top.

The Kadett wagon previously spent time in a collection whose owner showed it in events with the Opel Motorsports Club and won numerous awards, including Best in Show, First in Class, and People’s Choice at the Opel Nationals.

With less than one week remaining until the auction ends on Thursday, October 26 at 3:50 p.m. EDT, bidding has reached $5750. Perhaps this is your turn to own it.

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Angelo is the dispatcher with whom I schedule media loaner cars for review. This week I asked him not to send me a Mazda Miata or Chevrolet Corvette or anything electric this week, because I had to take my wife and her friend to the airport for their seven-day trip to Georgia for the fall foliage season. Those two pack like they are wintering both in the Amazon and Antarctica—two carry-on suitcases and two suitcases the size usually reserved for deployment in a foreign country.

Angelo sent me a Buick. Fine, I thought: The Encore GX could handle the bags and three well-fed Americans, and an Envision or Enclave certainly could.

Wrong! I got a Buick Envista, the car that shares a basic platform with the little Chevrolet Trax and has a 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine—turbocharged, thankfully. The Envista exists because maybe a certain number of Buick customers, likely of a certain age, roll into the dealership looking for something that resembles a car.

“Certainly,” the salesperson says. “Will it be an Encore, Envision, or Enclave?”

“No,” the customer replies. “Those are SUVs. I want a Buick car, like I’ve been driving since Eisenhower was president.”

Until now, the salesperson would have been carless, or shepherding the customer to a used Century. Now, Buick has a car, or at least what passes for one in 2023. And it is startlingly good, much like the Encore with its general competence and clean, effective styling. Both the Encore and Envista are built in South Korea.

Buick labels the Envista a “crossover,” because at some dealerships “car” is a nonstarter. But I know a hatchback car when I see one, and I bet Eisenhower did, too. The EPA, by the way, lumps it in with “small station wagons.”

Outside, the Envista looks like a Buick, and that’s a compliment. It also looks larger than it is. And bless its heart, with the 60/40 split rear seat folded down on the “40” side, and the hard cargo cover removed, it swallowed all of us and the suitcases. There’s a healthy 20.7 cubic feet of space behind the rear seat, and 42 cubic feet with the seat folded down. Surprisingly, there was a power liftgate.

Specs: 2024 Buick Envista Avenir

Price: $22,400 (base); $30,635 (as-tested)
Powertrain: 1.2-liter turbocharged I-3 with a six-speed automatic transmission
Horsepower: 137 @ 5000 rpm
Torque: 162 lb-ft @ 2500–4000 rpm
Layout: Front-drive, four-door, five-passenger hatchback
Weight: 3115 pounds
EPA-rated fuel economy: 28/32/30 mpg city/hwy/combined
0–60 mph: 8.8 seconds
Competitors: Hyundai Kona, Lexus UX, Toyota Corolla Cross, Mazda CX-30

I tested the Avenir model, which is the upscale expression of the Envista. (And while we’re at it, I realize that Buick is, for whatever reason, invested in the letter “E” for all its models, but Envista and Envision? One sounds like the past tense of the other.)

The Avenir package, available on all Buicks, gets you a few nice features on the Envista, such as these 19-inch “Avenir Premium Pearl Nickel Aluminum” wheels, which just looked like, uh, “wheels,” albeit nice 10-spoke ones with the new Buick “tri-shield” logo in the center. Tires were Continental 245/45 R19 all-seasons. Seventeen-inch wheels are standard; 18-inchers are optional. The 19-inch tires and wheels fill the wheel wells nicely, making the Avenir look more expensive than it is.

The Envista starts at $22,400 plus $1095 in shipping, but don’t expect to find many Envisions for that price. I did locate one in a 500-mile search; even for $23,495, this is a pretty well-equipped car. It had a ton of safety equipment, including Stabilitrak, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, Automatic Emergency Braking, Front Pedestrian Braking, Forward Collision Alert, Following Distance Indicator and auto high beam headlights, and the basics you need: Air, power windows, a six-speaker sound system, tilt and telescoping steering and, thank goodness, illuminated vanity mirrors.

The Envista ST, or Sport Touring variant starts at $25,195 with shipping, and gets you a few more features, such as black-painted 18-inch wheels. The Avenir, which starts at $29,695, has a Watts-link rear suspension that is optional on the ST, but it’s hard to imagine a lot of Buick customers would be shopping for a specific suspension. Up front, it’s a MacPherson strut setup. The suspension works as intended much of the time, but it seems surprised by potholes and speed bumps.

How does it all work on the road? Pretty darn well. The four-wheel disc brakes are excellent. With the larger tires, handling is reasonably crisp and similar to other front-drivers like, say, the Hyundai Kona. The engine, a slightly updated, lightened version of the aluminum Mexico-sourced 1.2-liter three-cylinder, is adequate, but the hard-working six-speed automatic transmission could use another gear or two. First and second are fine, but a tall shift to third makes the engine flatten out. The 0-to-60 mph time of 8.8 seconds won’t win any drag races. For a mini-engine, fuel mileage is good but not great at 28 mpg city, 32 mpg highway, 30 mpg overall. The base Toyota Corolla Cross, by comparison, gets 32 mpg overall.

Though Buick touts the presence of “Buick QuietTuning” with active noise cancellation, quite a bit of tire noise makes it into the cockpit, especially on porous pavement.

Inside, the interior is exceptionally handsome, with an eight-inch driver information center and a big 11-inch diagonal color touchscreen, and logically-placed controls and instruments. It isn’t until you start tapping on all the hard plastic that you notice the Envista is built down to a price, but Buick designers did a good job of integrating it all. The Avenir’s thin perforated leather interior won’t be confused with a Mercedes, but it is leather, a plus for the price. The leather-wrapped, flat-bottom steering wheel feels just right. Seats were supportive; rear-seat room is adequate for a pair of six-footers.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard even on the base Preferred model. The stereo sounds decent enough, and three months of Sirius XM radio comes with it, plus you get three years of OnStar on all models—a major selling point in this market. A sunroof is optional at $795 but wasn’t on our test car.

The Envista, like the Encore before it, may not be a home run for Buick but it’s at least a solid stand-up triple. It’s the best shot Buick has had in years of attracting younger buyers to the brand, and keeping some traditional customers who might go elsewhere. That has to be a plus for GM in general, Buick in particular. The designers, inside and out, deserve a bonus. A crossover car well done.

2024 Buick Envista Avenir

Highs: Styling looks good in pictures, great in person. Willing little engine. Handsome, functional dashboard.

Lows: Six-speed transmission isn’t optimal. Interior has lots of hard plastic. Fuel mileage is so-so for the class.

Takeaway: Superior styling in an entirely livable package.

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The concept of states’ rights, whereby a state in the USA retains a level of political autonomy from the federal government, is certainly a hot topic these days. It’s protected under the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and, though everyone can agree that there are pros and cons to every move the government makes, which side this six-wheeled Buick belongs on is certainly up for debate.

You see, it takes a special set of circumstances to create a three-axle, two-door version of Buick’s 1971 flagship model, the Electra. It has a second rear axle that drops down like the landing gear of an airplane, and the second set of wheels ostensibly helps the Buick track straight and true in foul winter weather. (More on that later—we aren’t pulling that theory out of thin air).

All of this period-correct engineering is currently for sale on Facebook Marketplace (we discovered it via The Drive) for the thought-provoking price of $100,000. The car appears to have been restored to a high standard after years of neglect, at least from the handful of photos and the unintentionally cryptic description provided. And that’s where the story goes cattywampus across the Internet: Plenty of news outlets coyly suggest this could be a prototype made with the blessings of the Buick factory. The suggestion is made with a wink and a smile, so let’s unpack what’s going on here.

The “Deuce and a Quarter” donor car was originally penned under the strict tutelage of Bill Mitchell. Though he was known for better people skills than his predecessor, Mitchell still fought hard to earn a legacy laden with success. We may never know whether he would have green-lit this packaging nightmare six-wheel prototype, had the sketches come across his desk, but his aesthetic design philosophy would likely have guaranteed its demise. (And perhaps the GM designer with the stones to create such an oddity would be looking for a new job … )

Even if GM’s design department would have signed off on this Electra, there’s the matter of making such additions while passing federal safety guidelines. The early 1970s was an era in which the government mandated only the most basic of safety features, so a three-axle prototype could pass muster. (Not anymore, hence why modern experiments usually bolt stuff up to a pre-approved body. More on that later.)

This Electra raises the question: Even if GM’s Design studio would kill it with fire, would the feds be interested in encouraging the industry to pursue the three-axle concept?

The good folks at V8Buick.com take all the guesswork out of the equation. They reiterate what is listed in the Facebook Marketplace ad: The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PENNDOT) issued a state grant in 1971 (1972?) for a whopping $60,000 dollars, with the goal of creating a rear-wheel-drive vehicle that was less likely to oversteer in wintry conditions. If this prototype Buick was the fruit of such an effort, it suggests that extra wheels make a vehicle safer and, more to the point, less likely to wreak havoc on paved roads than studded tires.

Let’s assume it did prove such a point, and marinate on that situation: $60,000 in taxpayer funds to heavily modify a car with the intention of reducing the need for studded winter rubber. That’s a little over $440,000 in today’s dollars, a princely sum to protect roads—and at the expense of automotive R&D budgets. Think of the handling penalty of having all that weight back there!

So here we are in 2023, looking at a seemingly well-restored Buick Electra with two extra wheels. (Someone had the foresight to get six Buick rally wheels to add some period-correct style.) PENNDOT, surprisingly, is still handing out grants to (seemingly) worthy causes. Hopefully, the state’s selection criteria have advanced as much as automotive technology has improved in the last 52 years. We’re crossing our fingers that the PENNDOT archives date back to the creation of the prototype Buick: With any luck, the next owner can contact the state’s archives in Harrisburg, learn this vehicle’s full story, and share it so all may know.

Compared to the automotive experiments on the road these days, the Electra’s fender skirt alone is admirable, a tribute to a moment in time when aesthetic elegance truly mattered. It reminds us of a moment we may never see again: A craftsman painstakingly modifying a car bought with money earned from a state grant. Today’s experimental self-driving vehicles are backed by corporations with deep pockets, and the prototypes wear their expensive, bolt-on sensors as marks of honor. We taxpayers may have reservations about both in our society, but these two cars are certainly a study in contrasts.

The auto industry has accomplished a heckuva lot for safety with software these days, but it’s delightful to see what we did decades ago, when heavy-handed hardware changes were the best options we had. Let’s hope more is unearthed about this particular Buick Electra in the coming months.

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Remember American luxury? It used to be a thing, before people decided they no longer wanted elegant conveyances and decided to start buying SUVs and crossovers en masse.

And what a time it was. So many stately sedans: Lincoln Town Cars, Cadillac Sedan de Villes, Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency Elites. And the 1991–96 Buick Park Avenue.

As showroom literature proclaimed, “Park Avenue and Park Avenue Ultra enjoy a balance of automotive virtues that is shared by few, if any, of their competitors.

“Park Avenue’s standard 205-horsepower, 3800 V-6 performs with a singular blend of efficiency, smoothness, and strength, while Ultra’s Supercharged V-6—revised for even greater power for 1996—helps make it a performance benchmark in its class.”

Oh, yes, I neglected to mention the Ultra yet. It was unique in that it offered the combination of a full-size American luxury sedan with a supercharged version of GM’s venerable—and bulletproof—3.8-liter V-6. Said supercharger bumped horsepower to 240, along with 280 lb-ft of torque, in 1996.

Budding Park Avenue collectors (are there any out there?) take note: This is the only year you could get the 3800 Series II Supercharged V-6 in the elegant 1991–96 body.

Another interesting tidbit that my friend Jeremy Shiffer shared around the time I spotted this car: “It has the seldom-seen base 15-inch Ultra wheels. Neat fact: If you ordered an Ultra with the Luxury or Prestige package, and then you ordered the Gran Touring package to get the more common 16-inch wheels, you got a rebate of $294!” I personally love the color-keyed stock alloys, however!

Although the Ninety-Eight Touring Sedan also offered the supercharged 3800, but only briefly in 1992–93. I actually saw one of these, in silver with burgundy leather, running around town in 2011–13, though it has since disappeared.

But my friend and frequent column photo contributor Jayson Coombes saw this supercharged ’93 last year at the Olds Nationals. Let us all take a moment and bask in its glorious lines.

And yes, you could also get the supercharged 3800 on the Eighty Eight LSS and Bonneville SSEi, but I consider those slightly below the Ninety-Eight and Park Avenue, at least as far as the traditional GM hierarchy is concerned—though those were excellent cars as well! I remember a white SSEi in bright white with saddle tan leather sitting in the showroom of Key Buick-Dodge-Pontiac when my parents went down to pick up their brand new ’92 Grand Caravan ES—with all-wheel drive!

I see I’m digressing again; now where was I? These Park Avenues were very well regarded when they debuted and were pretty slinky looking for a Buick. They were also extremely popular in my Midwestern city. One of the higher ups at Illinois Casualty ordered a silver one with dove gray cloth interior; later on, her husband got a navy blue one with wire wheel covers.

And they were frequently seen pretty much everywhere until maybe the mid 2000s, when age and wear and tear and their third, fourth and fifth owners started coming into play.

I still see them now and then, though more frequently in banged-up, worn condition than showroom new. And almost always, they’re the regular Park Avenue, not the flossier Ultra.

In fact, even when they were new, I didn’t see Ultras very often. Maybe because they couldn’t be had with the Broughamier velour or cloth trim and optional wire caps? Such items were still popular with a large portion of Buick buyers, though even then, things were changing. At any rate, Park Avenues were very well equipped, as you’d expect. Standard features included ABS, automatic transmission, aluminum wheels, keyless entry, dual zone climate control, cruise control, tilt wheel, and an AM/FM stereo with cassette player—a CD player was optional.

These front-wheel-drive sedans were tough, comfortable, and durable. And at 205.9 inches long and with a 119.8-inch wheelbase, they had plenty of room, even if they weren’t quite as large and traditional as the B-body Roadmaster sedans and Estate Wagons they shared showrooms with. Our featured example is finished in Light Driftwood, which was VERY popular with Buick customers. Even now, probably 60 percent of surviving Centurys, Park Avenues, and LeSabres here in the Quad Cities are sporting this color.

And while the final 1997–2005 Park Avenues were also fine cars—my friend John Gianulus had a white one with beige leather—they weren’t quite as pretty in my opinion.

Which brings us to the present. A mere week ago our company had a family night at the local baseball stadium. I had about an hour to kill before heading over there and happened to pass our featured example sitting at Lindle Auto Sales, a long-lived and very old-school car lot in downtown Davenport, Iowa.

As I passed it, I realized that in was in remarkably nice condition, and that it was an Ultra to boot! I immediately pulled over, parked, and ran back to it.

It really was in wonderful shape. And it was so attractively cheap! Ooh! If I didn’t already have my Town Car as a summer/Sunday cruiser, odds are I would have written a check for it on the spot!

But just seeing one so nice made my day. If GM ever brings back a new Park Avenue sedan, I may be persuaded to ditch my MKZ. I truly miss cars like this.

***

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I truly miss the majestic land yachts of yore. Cars still had style in spades in 1966. Even within Buick, every single car—from the dreamboat Riviera (newly redesigned!) to the plainest, refrigerator-white Special four-door sedan—had attractive lines. One of the prettiest was the Wildcat two-door hardtop, but I haven’t run across one in a while. Soon, I hope!

But even more majestic was Buick’s traditional top-of-the-line model, the Electra 225. Electra. What a fantastic name! And these mid-’60s prairie schooners were smooth, quiet, large, and in charge!

As the full-size Buicks had been totally redone for 1965, only minor cosmetic changes were made for ’66, but the midsize Skylark, Special Deluxe, and Special were redesigned with even smoother, swoopier styling, along with the previously mentioned Riv.

The 1966 Electras came in two trim levels, the Electra 225 and the Electra 225 Custom. Although the Custom trim was essentially an option package, it was listed as a separate model. Both lines included a four-door sedan, four-door hardtop, and two-door hardtop (all with standard fender skirts!), but the Custom alone listed a convertible.

Series 48400, Model 48467, the Electra 225 Custom convertible sold for $4378 ($41,306 today), had a curb weight of 4298 pounds, and 7175 were sold. The most popular Electra 225 was the Custom four-door hardtop; at $4332 ($40,872), 34,149 were sold for the model year.

Buick’s theme for 1966 was “The year you discover the tuned car.” As the big, fat, gorgeous 1966 prestige brochure conferred: “What is the tuned car? I don’t know, but I sure like the way it feels. Let the Buick engineers tell you.

“We insist on tuning not only the engine, but every element of the car. The ride and handling. The styling. The performance. Only when they’re all tuned together are they a Buick … we could go on and on about the tuned car, but we leave you with this introductory thought. Buick tuning is a many faceted thing. Some may seem insignificant. Until you start to live with your Buick and begin comparing it with the four wheels you had before. Then you’ll agree with our theory that nothing is too small to be tuned to the rest of the car—not even a nut and a bolt.”

Whether or not you got all excited about tuning, there was no denying the Electra convertible was a beauty. It was especially fetching in Flame Red with white interior, as our featured car sports. The white interior was called dove by Buick; other available interior colors were red, black, and blue on the convertible. Strato bucket seats were also available as an option, in either dove or black.

Standard engine on Electra 225s was the 401-cubic-inch V-8 with 325 horsepower at 4400 rpm, and 445 lb-ft of torque at 2800 rpm. Optional was the “Wildcat 465,” so named due to its 465 lb-ft of torque. A 425-cu-in unit, it produced 340 hp at 4400 rpm. The “SuperTurbine” automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, electric clock, door-operated courtesy lights, and deluxe wheel covers were all standard equipment.

The Custom added notchback front seats, more luxurious upholstery in a different sew style from regular Electra 225s, fancier door panels (with carpeting on the lower section) and other finery. Wheelbase was 126 inches; overall length was 223.5 inches.

It was getting near the end for big Buick convertibles. The end of the Electra convertible came in 1970; in 1971 it was no longer on the new Buick roster. The slightly less luxurious Centurion convertible would last through 1973, the LeSabre convertible through 1975. And that was it—until the Riviera convertible appeared in 1982!

I recently was at an antique mall in Davenport, Iowa, and found a huge, deluxe 1966 Buick brochure for a mere $3. I immediately bought it and spent some of the evening leafing through it. I commiserated with my friend Jayson at how beautiful cars were in 1966 and that today at least 60 percent of new cars are completely non-compelling and dull. But boy, in 1966 Buick sure had it all going on!

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As you may have in Part 1 of this road-trip story, my wife, Romanian street dog, Fiat camper, and I trekked three-fifths the way across the country from our home in North Carolina to the town of Wishek, North Dakota. Why? Not in order of significance: family, junkyard, and a few 125th-anniversary-of-German-settlement festivities, namely a pair of parades. With the glorious junkyard already visited and the family activities rambling along in parallel, parade preparations were looming. Of course, there would be unmissable festivities sprinkled throughout. I vowed to do the best I possibly could to help ready three vehicles for an hour-and-a-half idle-crawl through hot, candy littered streets. Of course, not at the expense of missing the Dakota Rangers polka band or big winnings at chicken poop bingo!

So, what would need to be prepared, exactly?

In my family we are blessed with cars and cousins willing to drive them. I am one such cousin. We gathered in an old Studebaker dealership’s accessory building. First and most importantly came a 1909 Buick Model 10, followed by an almost finished 1958 Impala convertible restoration, and finally an incorrigible 1956 Eldorado drop top.

Before I tell you about driving the Buick, allow me to dive into a bit of family history on this prewar item: Back in the mid-1940s, my grandfather bought a small country bank. Included in the sale was likely the first car to reside in town: a dull grey, 35-year-old Buick. Through today’s lens, I guess it would be like buying a house with an ’87 Century in the garage.

At that time, however, the car had already managed to escape transformation into an artillery shell in both World Wars. The family seemed to agree that it deserved to live on, so when my grandfather sold the bank to my uncle, the Model 10 came with it. Over the years it received an engine overhaul, slick white lacquer, six-volt electric start, and a good bit of carpentry to keep it fresh and usable. If the Buick could make it to the parade, I would get to drive it—what an honor! Getting this relic ready would be priority #1, followed by bingo at the gym and the vintage tractor pull behind the John Deere dealership directly thereafter. Big day in store!

The Chevy and Cadillac should need less, I wagered. They’re nearly a half-century newer, right?

I started my first “work day” off on the wrong foot by staying out too late the night before. The famed Johnny Holm Band was playing at the iron yard and the whole crew was out. How could I miss such quality family time? Immune to early morning tiredness after a late night—probably due to years of practice on hunting and fishing expeditions—my uncle called me at 7:30 a.m. to ask what time we should meet at the shop. That’s North Dakota speak for “you’re already late.”

I made a Bosnian style coffee—water straight in the grounds—and left the camper on foot for the shop. I guess time had gotten away from me, what with all of the junkyarding and Bon Jovi singing. The reality of needing to prepare three cars for a parade, in as many hours, seemed suddenly daunting.

First order of business was obviously the Buick. My uncle and I tag-teamed it by filling the diff, oiling the exposed valvetrain, and sampling a bit of fuel out of the petcock next to the bent iron tube they called a carburetor. It was rancid and sticky but still probably better than the combustibles available 114 years ago. With those maintenance items done and the brass gleaming, we flipped the magneto switch and hit the starter. Rather than a satisfying light-off, it was clear that the most beloved of the four cycles—bang—was not happening. In its stead was a constant stream of pickled gasoline running out of the carb and onto the cement. For the moment, we left it there to think about what it had done.

We moved on to the Impala. The beneficiary of a slow yet thorough restoration, the Chevrolet had in a previous life served as long-range rifle target out on the prairie. Now, with gleaming Tropic Turquoise paint, it at least looked parade-ready. Well, almost: It was missing its continental kit and fender skirts which I was frantically trying to attach in a near headstand position. My millennial mind really has no firsthand experience in how such antique J.C. Whitney accessories are supposed to be installed, but after a two-towels-jammed-between-the-undersized tire maneuver, rattling wheel house, and twenty minutes of wrenching upside-down with a pounding (sleep-deprived) headache, I was confident enough that the kit and skirts would remain attached at five miles per hour for no longer than two hours. Any longer than four and I’d have to call a doctor.

Upon first fire, the Cadillac gave every reason possible to give up on it and focus on the Chevrolet. There was simply not time for its complex problems of pinging, premature shifting, and low oil pressure. So we moved on and decided to address it for parade #2. Sorry, Caddy!

While we let the 348 big-block come up to temperature in the shop, coolant started to belch out from underneath. Something was amiss in an area that I couldn’t even see. The day’s event calendar revealed that perhaps I should just bail and go see the Looney Lutheran Ladies performing outside of the auditorium instead. No, no, we must push on.

I took off the body bracing under the radiator to reveal a loose lower radiator hose, easily tightened. Without so much as a full warmup cycle to validate, the ’58 was on the way to the parade staging area. Nothing terrible happened on the way over, so I walked back to the Buick to focus my efforts there. My uncle, having beat me there, discovered that the magneto switch has three positions. Two of them apparently did nothing. The third, however, kick starts this 1909 industrial-grade mosquito fogger. I was then given the Cliff’s Notes on How to Drive a Pre-War Right-Hand-Drive Buick for Dummies: Left pedal is for reverse. Middle pedal pushes in to go forward. Right pedal to stop. Inner stalk on the throttle quadrant handles ignition timing. Outer stalk: throttle opening. Don’t touch the levers on the right. Got it? I was then turned loose on a 114-year-old Buick.

Together we rattled and shook cautiously, yet very proudly, down the streets. With every four way intersection—none of which have stop signs, only the old German “rechts-vorfarht” right of way rule—I frantically looked for traffic while trying to remember which pedal I would need to jab in an emergency. At the staging area, I received a quick lesson on how to pull over mid-route and fill the brass radiator. Noted. My wife, uncle, and aunt took over candy chucking duties as I was already overstimulated by the controls, responsibility, and what the local newspaper spread would look like if a wrong-pedaled it over a cat, through the cavalry, or maybe even into the chopping Hemi-powered street rod in front of me.

With the parade now underway, the smoke from the Buick was immense. I thought briefly about all of the children running into the dense hydrocarbon fog to retrieve our tossed Tootsie Rolls. The kids will be fine, I decided. After all, we were fine, weren’t we?

I glanced back at my cousin in the momentarily stalled ’58 Impala, which was receiving emergency idle screw adjustment by a parade watcher with a pocket knife. That made me question my assessment, if only for a moment. From my vantage point in the Buick, we were doing pretty great.

The Buick and the Chevy made it through the entire parade route both days with minimal protest. And, not to worry, I did make it to bingo—both chicken poop and regular style—saw three more concerts, bought a belt buckle at an auction, practiced my regional German, went to the tractor pull, a car show, a vintage tractor show, a photo exhibit, bought a raffle ticket for a gun and a dragster, and stuffed myself with food truck offerings. All solidified great memories with my family. After cleaning up the town, packing up the camper, and driving three days back to North Carolina, it was finally all over. Just 25 more years to get ready for the next one!

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Flint’s Buick City once made quality automobiles that delighted thousands of customers, but the massive Michigan site hasn’t delivered much of anything since the plant closed in 1999 and the 413-acre property was vacated by General Motors in 2010. That inactivity is about to change.

On June 5, 2023, state and GM officials broke ground on the Flint Commerce Center industrial park, a $300 million redevelopment project that will bring new life to the Buick City site, much like the $66 million warehouse development that is currently under construction at the former AMC headquarters property in Detroit. Upon completion, the Flint Commerce Center will include 10 buildings, with a total footprint of 3.5 million square feet, and could provide up to 3000 new jobs.

Ashley Capital, the real estate firm that is redeveloping the site, has purchased 20 acres and expects to acquire 330 more this summer from Flint’s Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response Trust. Also known as RACER, the trust was formed to clean up and sell off old GM properties after the automaker filed for bankruptcy in 2011. Construction of the first Flint Commerce Center building is expected to be completed in 2024.

For more than a century—dating back to the Flint Wagon Works in the early 1900s—the Buick City site was a source of automotive pride in Flint, a city located about 60 miles north of the Motor City. Buick, founded in Detroit by David Dunbar Buick in 1903, was originally financed by Buick’s friend and fellow automobile enthusiast Benjamin Briscoe, who sold his controlling interest to James H. Whiting the same year. Whiting moved operations to Flint, keeping David Buick as manager. The Associated Press called the first Buick automobile built at the site “little more than a buggy frame bolted to a 21-horsepower engine and a steering wheel, with a love seat stuck on top.”

When Whiting ran out of money in 1904, he invited William C. Durant to become a controlling investor. The move would change automotive history. In 1908, Durant merged Buick and several other automakers to form General Motors. Buick soon became the biggest-selling automobile brand in the U.S., known for innovations like the overhead valve (OHV) engine, which Buick called a “valve-in-head” engine.

In addition to Durant, noteworthy names from the Buick family tree include Charles W. Nash, founder of what would became AMC; Walter P. Chrysler, founder of Chrysler Corporation; and Harlow H. Curtice, GM president from 1953–58. In addition, Louis Chevrolet, cofounder of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company, gained fame as a Buick race team driver.

Buick continued its rise in the 1920s, with production reaching more than 260,000 units in 1926. The Flint facility continued to grow to keep up with consumer demand. Buick’s strong reputation and financial position helped the automaker survive the Great Depression and the stoppage of civilian auto production during World War II. The first all-new Buick was the redesigned Roadmaster, which received the all-new Dynaflow automatic transmission in 1948.

By 1950, Buick was producing 550,000 vehicles annually. Five years later, production rose to 745,000 units. Sales continued to rise through the 1960s and hit a record 821,165 for the 1973 model year, just before the oil embargo took its toll on the luxury car market. A bright spot during the period was Buick’s first front-wheel-drive automobile, the 1979 Riviera S Type, which featured a turbocharged V-6 engine and earned Motor Trend‘s Car of the Year award.

After major factory renovations were completed in the 1980s, the Flint complex was dubbed “Buick City.” As GM’s answer to Toyota and its eponymous Japanese city, Buick City placed a heavy emphasis on quality, and the automaker’s star rose again.

In 1989, independent market research firm J.D. Power and Associates named Buick City No. 1 in North America and No. 2 in the world in quality rankings. The same year, the Buick LeSabre was ranked as No. 1 in North America and No. 2 in the world among 154 domestic and imported models. Buick immediately began advertising itself as “the new symbol for quality in America.”

The 1990s brought the upscale Buick Park Avenue and Park Avenue Ultra and also marked the return of the popular Roadmaster name. For the 1991 model year, Buick led all automakers in market share improvement and sales volume improvement in the U.S. market. The Park Avenue, Roadmaster, and Le Sabre all won major awards in ’91 and ’92.

Buick couldn’t maintain its lofty market position, however. By 1997 the automaker’s share of the car and truck market was down from a high of nearly 40 percent to 30.7 percent. In 1997, GM announced that it planned to close Buick City. The following summer, two worker strikes erupted at GM parts plants in Flint, virtually closing the automaker’s North American operations.

Buick City, which according to the Automotive News employed nearly 30,000 workers at its peak in the 1950s, produced its last vehicle on June 29, 1999.

Today, Buicks are built at several locations in the U.S., including Detroit, as well as in China (Envision) and South Korea (Encore GX). Buick reported sales of 38,138 vehicles in the first quarter of 2023, compared to 19,146 in the first quarter of 2022—a 100 percent year-over-year increase but still a far cry from its heyday in Flint.

Regardless, the redevelopment of the Buick City property shines the spotlight on what once was and what may yet be.

“This can be a lighthouse of hope for the northern portions of our city down the poverty corridor of Genesee County,” says Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley. “This is a great day for our families.”

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Jeremy writes:

Good afternoon Sajeev, I have appreciated your opinion in several of your articles, and I wanted to pick your brain on a topic: wrapping a classic.

Last year I picked up a one-owner ’69 GTO that was in fantastic barn-find condition, but in the ’80s it had been repainted a god-awful shade of UPS brown. The car was extremely original and I had decided to keep it as original as possible down to the white line tires. But when a UPS-brown GTO is parked next to a blue one, yellow one, and gold one, it just never gets picked. So this GTO wasn’t being enjoyed, which is a shame, as it drives great and even has cold factory A/C!

Looking at options, and the fact that I already have two cars in different body shops, I wanted to see how much fun I could have for the least amount of money, so I wondered what I could do with a wrap. First, let me be clear on one thing: I didn’t fix anything on the body. That’s because I didn’t know if this was going to work out, as I might be destined to have $500 worth of vinyl crumpled up in my shop. If that was my fate, my escape plan was to peel it off and never tell anyone of my mistake.

So I bought 50 feet of vinyl off Amazon and got to work. I removed the hood and trunk and did those first—it went very well. Then I moved to the fenders, doors, the god-awful quarter panels (that wrap around the back), and lastly, the roof.

For just over $600, some evenings in the shop, and several four-letter words later, I had a car that looked 100 times better, was only one shade, and the rust was much less visible; I was extremely pleased. I added the Judge decals and spoiler, then a Flowmaster exhaust, and I had one hell of a car. I chose to black out the grills and swap the white-line tires and hubcaps for some Rallye IIs from my ’70 LeMans.

I was amazed: I have cars that have been in body shops for years and the cost is out of this world. If I tried to justify paint and body expense I would want to go original on this one-owner car and go back to the correct Espresso Brown. But that would have taken two years and cost $12,000. Instead, this has proven to be one of the most fun cars I’ve ever had. I can drive it and park it anywhere, my daughter took her first driving lesson in it, I can set my beer on it and not freak out … the freedom and enjoyment of driving a car like this is amazing.

I doubt I devalued this car at all, as it’s being driven, doing burn outs, and getting stared at everywhere she goes. All in all I consider this project a success! I should say this is my first attempt at wrapping a car, so keep in mind it’s all about taking your time until you get the hang of it.

Then I got to thinking: How many cars have been cast aside, parked in a yard, or parted out just because you couldn’t justify spending the money on paint and body?

While you probably won’t win “best paint” at a car show, this is an extremely economical option. It just takes time, patience, and a heat gun. There are countless YouTube videos to help. You may find an extra set of hands helpful for those difficult spots (damn quarter panels)!

So anyway, I’m very curious what your take is on this. Did I destroy a time-capsule car (with documentation back to day one), or did I save a car that otherwise would have rusted away?

Sajeev answers:

Jeremy, you absolutely did the right thing. A time capsule was not destroyed; instead, its appeal has broadened. While I doubt any muscle car will rust away unloved these days (as it isn’t 1987 anymore), you proved there’s a beauty that comes from the freedom of expression via vinyl wrapping. Frankly, I wish more folks would follow your lead.

And when you take the plunge, doing a bright color is a great choice for most any vehicle. The sheer volume of boring gray, silver, white, black, and red colors we see on the roads today suggest that standing out is a great move. And it’s an easily reversible move, if you decide a concours-quality restoration is merited in the future. Now imagine how many less-desirable classics could be saved with this technology, like the ’49 Packard sedan I previously discussed:

So many vehicles from the 1940s have lost their luster, but I hope someone hit the “Buy It Now” button and spent a couple grand on vinyl material, and fuel/ignition/brake parts to get this Packard looking and running like a champ. This beautiful piece of history may otherwise wind up in a scrap yard, even though Packards are crafted to a standard that can be appreciated even to this day.

Classic/antique/specialty cars of all shapes and sizes deserve a bigger audience, as our country’s enthusiasm for automobiles is anything but blended and homogenized. To wit, imagine the day when many Gen Xers and Millennials say, “Remember when you could get a clean, big-body Buick sedan for $1400 on Facebook Marketplace?”

I will miss these days, and not because this particular car garnered me a free trip to Prince Edward Island. The Buick Lucerne was never a credible threat to the Lexus ES when new, but it lived to embody the notion of an authoritatively-styled American sedan ruling the roads with grace and style, cutting a beautiful profile against a background cluttered with CUVs and monster trucks. It, much like Jeremy’s brown GTO, can become much more than what’s before our eyes.

The Pontiac GTO has a much larger and loyal following than any front-wheel-drive Buick, but remember there was a time when society deemed muscle cars as disposable as a Ford Focus or Chevy Equinox. So instead, let’s be mindful of unique stories unfolding right under our nose. And remember that new audiences are found thanks to a shiny coat of paint roll of vinyl.

I challenge people to see how Jeremy’s GTO can inspire their future automotive endeavors. What vehicle(s) are worth this effort? I reckon the answer is almost all of them. 

Have a question you’d like answered on Piston Slap? Send your queries to pistonslap@hagerty.com—give us as much detail as possible so we can help! Keep in mind this is a weekly column, so if you need an expedited answer, please tell me in your email.

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Back in the 1970s, the Big Three’s primary product was: cars. Yes, cars. Coupes, sedans, station wagons, and convertibles. Sure, they made trucks and vans and sport utilities like Blazers, Broncos, Trail Dusters, and Scouts, but most vehicles were—I repeat—cars. And coupes were especially popular in the mid to late ’70s, with personal luxury coupe mania in full swing. Everyone wanted a Cordoba, Thunderbird, Elite, or Monte Carlo Landau. It was a better time.

Today everyone wants combovers. Whoops, I mean crossovers, which describes a truck-like passenger vehicle with poorer performance, a higher center of gravity, and around 20 percent higher MSRP than the compact or midsize sedan it was based on—when the sedan version was still in existence, anyway. If you’ve guessed I don’t care for them and their baked-potato styling and handling, you would be correct. But I’ve digressed enough as it is. Let’s talk about full-size late-’70s Buicks!

Nineteen seventy-eight was the second year of downsized GM fullsize cars, which included the B-body Impala/Caprice, Catalina/Bonneville, Delta 88, and LeSabre, as well as the flossier C-body Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight, Buick Electra/Park Avenue, and Cadillac de Ville/Fleetwood.

As you’d expect, one year after a complete and very expensive redesign, only minor trim differences separated the 1977s from the ’78s, visually. On Buick LeSabres, which at the time was the favorite of middle- and upper-middle class families all over America, that meant a new grille, taillights, and minor interior and paint/trim changes.

It was a big deal for Buick, as 1978 was the marque’s 75th anniversary. In the showroom brochure, vintage Buicks and Buick advertising were shown along with the new models.

As the deluxe showroom catalog confided, “You’ll notice that science and magic is nothing new to Buick. For 75 years, science has gone into making Buick a leader in engineering. And for just as long, the qualities of comfort and luxury that comprise Buick’s magic have been part of this tradition as well.”

The lowest price of entry for a new ’78 LeSabre was the base coupe, at $5451 ($25,362 today) before options. The base sedan was $5536 ($25,758). Production was 8265 and 23,354, respectively. Like all LeSabres and the related Estate Wagon, it rode a 115.9-inch wheelbase. Overall length was 218.2 inches for sedans and coupes (the Estate Wagon was 216.7 inches long). The 231-cubic-inch V-6 was standard equipment (except for the Estate Wagon, which got the 350 V-8 as base power), but if one was so inclined, you could order 301, 350, and 403 V-8s, with appropriate power increases, depending on your choice.

However, the fancier LeSabre Customs were far more popular amongst Buick buyers. The $6045 ($28,126) Custom sedan sold 86,638 copies, while the $5727 ($26,646) Custom coupe saw 53,675 examples produced for the model year. Extras on Customs included nicer upholstery and door panels and a “notchback” front bench seat.

While the personal luxury coupes like the Regal and Monte Carlo sold like dollar beer at a baseball game, when it came to full-size versions like the LeSabre, the four-door versions typically had the edge. LeSabre coupe production was still pretty good though. And the LeSabre coupe itself would last as a regular production model all the way to 1991. The redesigned ’92 LeSabre was sedan only for the first time since the nameplate debuted in 1959.

The most expensive two-door LeSabre in 1978 was the brand-new Sport Coupe—sporting a turbocharged 231-cu-in (3.8 liter) V-6 engine. Its base price was $6394 ($29,750).

It and the Regal Sport Coupe were both available with the turbo V-6 starting that year; few are seen these days, at least outside of Buick Club of America meets.

Today’s immaculate featured example is owned by Robert Reed, a friend of mine from California, who previously owned the triple white ’85 Fleetwood Brougham coupe featured here a couple of years ago. The Caddy has since been sold. Robert loved the car’s looks and remarkable condition, but as he told me, “That was a beautiful car, but to be honest with you, I didn’t enjoy driving it because it had the 4100 engine. It always acted like it was working its ass off to get it up to speed. I did enjoy fixing a cocktail and staring at it because it was pretty!”

Anyway, at some point in early 2022, I saw that he’d posted a few pictures of the Buick at a car show. I was immediately smitten and messaged him, demanding more pictures so I could write it up. He was happy to oblige.

“I bought it from the nephew of the original owner,” he wrote. “This was a special-order car to replace their ’74 LeSabre Coupe.

“Oddly loaded for a LeSabre: 403 V-8, power windows, locks, six-way power bench, 8-track, rear defogger, electric trunk release, quartz clock, speedalert speedometer, delay wipers, sport mirrors, passenger remote mirror control, bumper guards, premium Buick Road Wheels (available on the sport coupes, Custom Coupes with 403 V-8 option, and Estate Wagons).”

It’s a gorgeous conveyance, especially these days, when the rare lucky individual spies it amongst the gray, black, and white Equinoxes, Highlanders, and Cherokees. In 1978, the Great American Road did belong to Buick!

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Today marks five years to the day since backup cameras became mandatory, so we decided to republish this story, which originally ran on this site two years ago. Enjoy! —Ed. 

While we always enjoy gazing in rearview at automotive history, today we’re doing so in a more literal sense. Backup cameras, which are also referred to as reverse cameras and rearview cameras, have been a required safety feature in all new American-made cars since May 1, 2018. That means the technology is relatively new, right? Wrong. It’s been around for decades.

The 1956 Buick Centurion concept car, unveiled at the General Motors Motorama in January 1956, was the first vehicle to feature a reverse camera that allowed its driver to see behind the car without having to physically turn around and look backward. Designers were so confident in the rearview camera that there were no mirrors on the car. The Centurion also featured a bubble roof and cockpit, offering unobstructed views all around.

The shapely concept car’s backup system was bulkier and more conspicuous than modern versions—a large TV camera lens was mounted in the Centurion’s rear and a screen was located on its dash—but the setup was definitely cutting-edge technology. Except that it didn’t catch on for years, not even at Buick.

It wasn’t until 1991, when a backup camera was mounted on the rear spoiler of the Japanese-market-only Toyota Soarer coupe, that a production car came equipped with the rearview feature. It took another 11 years before a vehicle with backup tech was available in the U.S., and that car—the 2002 Infiniti Q45 sedan—also came from a Japanese automaker. The Q45’s optional backup system, called a Rear-View Monitor, featured a small camera located near the rear license plate, and the image on a dashboard screen included guidance lines to help the driver park.

Beyond providing parking assistance, backup cameras have also saved lives. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 200 people are killed annually in accidents that occur while the driver is backing up and cannot see behind the vehicle. Cameras have the ability to see the blind spots that traditional rearview mirrors cannot.

Even without the federal mandate, some manufacturers—Acura, Buick, Honda, and Infiniti—were already making them standard as early as 2015. Ford, Nissan, and Toyota soon followed, also prior to the 2018 deadline.

These days, some modern reverse systems also provide audible warnings and even automatic braking if the car that is reversing is in the path of other vehicles or objects—even if they’re moving, like pedestrians or bicycles. The combination of all three technological advances has proven to be most effective.

According to Carfax, a 2019 study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) concluded that while “rear cameras alone reduced collision rates by only 5 percent, combining a camera with rear parking sensors reduced the backup collision rate by 42 percent, and adding automatic rear braking to the camera and parking sensors lowered the collision rate by 78 percent.”

In hindsight, it seems the 1956 Centurion’s innovative backup system was looking forward all along.

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Lloyd Reuss, who started as an engineer with General Motors and rose through the ranks to become its president in 1990, died on Friday.

Reuss graduated from the University of Missouri in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering. He joined GM as an engineer in training and moved to the Chevrolet division as an engineer in December 1959. He then moved to Buick, where he became general manager, turning around the sagging division and scoring record sales in 1983. That success largely led to his appointment as GM president. After Reuss’ retirement at age 56, he became active in charities in Detroit.

Reuss was “a true ‘car guy’ and optimist, and he was always there to support dealers and stood tall as a champion of General Motors’ auto racing programs,” said Rick Hendrick, CEO of Hendrick Automotive and owner of Hendrick Motorsports, the four-car Chevrolet NASCAR team.

During his tenure as president, Reuss oversaw the GM Impact, a concept car that became the electric EV1, which was far ahead of its time. It debuted in 1990 at the Los Angeles auto show. Had GM continued its electric research at that level, it would likely have had a major advantage over its competitors now.

“Lloyd Reuss was a talented executive and leader of GM and was also a strong force for good in the community with his service, dedication and tireless efforts on behalf of others,” GM CEO Mary Barra said. “My thoughts and deepest sympathies, along with those of everyone at General Motors,” are with the Reuss family, she said.

The Automotive Hall of Fame gave Reuss a Distinguished Service Citation Award in 2006, saying that his work for the nonprofit Focus: HOPE were noteworthy. Focus: HOPE CEO William F. Jones said then that Reuss “set the standard for corporate leadership. As successful as he was in the auto industry, he has been equally successful in providing education and training opportunities to thousands of Detroiters.”

At Focus: HOPE, Lloyd helped create the Center for Advanced Technologies, that led to more than 300 underserved students earning associate and bachelor’s degrees in engineering, said The Detroit News.

Reuss’ son, Mark Reuss, is GM’s current president and head of the automaker’s international operations.

Lloyd Reuss was 86.

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Wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick? That was the slogan for years for the one-rung-below-Cadillac marque. And Buicks used to be everywhere … when Buick still made cars, that is, back in the last century. It seems everyone has to have an SUV these days.

Buick

Picture it. It’s 1987. You walk into your local Buick dealer and you’re spoiled for choice. There’s the subcompact Skyhawk (the Cadillac version, the Cimarron, gets way more internet hatred than it deserves, yet never a peep about the Buick and Olds versions. Strange) … and the compact four-door Skylark … and the two-door version, initially dubbed Somerset. The two-door would finally become a Skylark too, for the ’88 model year.

Big, comfy, and recently downsized front-wheel-drive LeSabres and Electras, along with the majestic, gigantic wood-paneled Estate Wagon (a key plot point in one of my favorite ’80s movies, Adventures in Babysitting), and today’s subject, the front-wheel-drive, midsize Century.

The Century, the new A-body starting in 1982, replaced the earlier 1978-vintage A-bodies: the rear-wheel-drive Century, Cutlass, LeMans, and Malibu Classic. These new FWD A-bodies themselves were an enlarged and improved X-body (you know, the Chevy Citation—another ’80s car that most love to hate). The initial offerings were the Chevy Celebrity, Pontiac 6000, Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, and the Buick Century.

I need to be careful; if I get too deep into A-body history, we’ll be here all day! But, as usual, the Buick was the fanciest version. And the Limited was the fanciest Century model. The coupe and sedan were available from the beginning, and the station wagon was added for the 1984 model year. A redesign for 1986 resulted in a new forward-leaning nose; for 1987, things more or less stood pat.

The 1987 Century came, as usual, as a coupe, sedan, or wagon, in Custom and Limited trim. I remember seeing a lot of these when I was a kid. I recall a first- or second-grade field trip to Eagle Supermarket, and my friend Brian Macomber’s mom had a burgundy ’84 or ’85 Limited sedan with decadent burgundy velour seats. A few years later they traded it for a GMC Safari minivan. I kept it to myself, but considered it a downgrade. Not Broughamy enough.

But back then the volume seller of the Century line was the four-door sedan. No combovers—oops, I mean crossovers. Most popular was the Custom four-door sedan, with 80,445 built. Second-most popular was the Limited sedan, to the tune of 71,340 sold.

The biggest draw for spiffing the Limited was the lush interior. As the brochure said, “The Limited’s 55/45 notchback seats are covered by luxurious velour, and its 45/45 seats are available with cloth or leather trim in the seating areas. New shale-gray dash and door trim appears on 1987 Century Coupes, and brushed pewter trim is used on Sedan models.”

Today’s subject is one of 4384 Century Limited coupes built for the year. MSRP was $11,397 ($30,282 today). The coupes are the scarcest Centurys; the $10,844 Custom coupe sold even fewer copies, 2878. This one appears to be exceptionally nice, in Dark Blue, code 31, with matching interior and top. At the time, early in 2022, it was for sale on Craigslist in Colonial Heights, Virginia, though (of course) the ad is long gone now.

As the then-seller related, “I have for sale a real time capsule. 1987 Buick Century Limited Coupe. Undercoated by the selling dealer in 1987. Zero rust. I have never seen another 1987 Buick Century Coupe! They are all four-door sedans or station wagons. 46,500 actual miles documented on the Clean CARFAX, as well as the clean Virginia title.

“No damage ever. Power Steering, Power Brakes, Tilt Steering Wheel, Power Door Locks, Power Windows, Cruise Control, AM/FM/Cassette Player with Automatic up and down Antenna. New Virginia State Police Safety Inspection Sticker. The car is extremely clean inside, outside and underneath. All of the options work as new. All of the outside and inside lights work as new. All of the gauges work as new.”

This one also has the optional 2.8-liter V-6 engine, a step up from the “Tech IV” four-cylinder that was standard equipment on Century models. All Centurys had a standard automatic transmission, however, regardless of engine choice.

I really liked this one. I don’t recall seeing many Century coupes back then, and in looking up the production records for this column, I now see why. Hopefully it found a caring new owner and is still in showroom condition somewhere!

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VW’s newest EV ditches switches

Intake: Do Americans still want sedans? Volkswagen hopes so, as it has finally taken the wraps off the new ID.7, the company’s flagship electric sedan. Designed for long distances, VW says, the available 86-kWh battery should have a range of 435 miles, while the smaller, 77-kWh battery’s range is 382 miles on the European cycle (EPA ratings will be moderately lower than those figures). Horsepower with either battery is 282. The ID.7 has the “new generation of the Volkswagen cockpit” with standard “augmented reality heads-up display”; this changes the “cockpit architecture because classic instruments become practically superfluous.” New seats have climate control and massaging functions, and the new air conditioning system boasts interactive smart air vents. The ID.7 makes “long journeys shorter thanks to the extremely generous interior space and a fast and intuitive next-generation infotainment system,” including a Harman Kardon stereo. Above the passengers, a new panoramic sunroof with smart electro-chromic dimming glass is standard for the U.S.—the glass layers can be switched to an opaque or transparent setting.

Exhaust: The ID.7’s overall length is 195.3 inches, and its wheelbase is 116.8 inches. We especially like the “intuitive” voice control: Say “Hello Volkswagen, my hands are cold,” and the steering wheel will heat itself while warm air is directed onto your hands. The ID.7, described by VW as a “fastback sedan,” comes to America in 2024, and will be built in the Emden plant in Germany. Pricing information to follow. —Steven Cole Smith

Buick’s all-new Envista wears brand’s new look

Intake: Well, well, well, look at Buick getting a little frisky. The marque just unveiled the Envista, a brand-new nameplate on an SUV with athletic proportions. It’s the first SUV to fully incorporate the new styling language previewed by the Wildcat EV concept, which debuted last year. A wide grille sits low on a forward-leaning front end, flanked by stylish intakes and sleek headlamps. The roofline drops dramatically at the rear, giving the crossover a profile that Buick hopes will attract some of the buyers transitioning away from sedans. Inside, the central infotainment system and digital instrument cluster are housed in a 19-inch assembly spanning a good chunk of the front dash. The Envista will get noise-canceling tech for the interior and, despite the coupe-like roofline, will still offer 20.7 cubic feet of space behind the rear seat and 42 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down.

Power comes from a 1.2-liter, turbocharged three-cylinder good for 136 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque delivered exclusively to the front wheels. Three trims will be offered: Preferred, $23,495; Sport Touring, $25,195; and Avenir, $29,695 (all prices exclude destination).

Exhaust: While other automakers roll out spendy EVs that hope to land a portion of monied buyers in the future, the smaller, gas-burning Envista shows that Buick is clearly prioritizing market share. The package looks handsome enough to make some ripples in the highly competitive world of small SUVs. — Nathan Petroelje

Mini marks one million Hard Tops

Intake: Ten years after the model’s introduction, the one millionth Mini Hard Top two-door has rolled off the production line at the British company’s Oxford factory. It’s actually a double celebration: The plant is heralding 110 years since it first began producing Morris motorcars, although it’s only built Minis since the brand’s 2001 re-issue. The millionth Mini is a British Racing Green Mini Electric and will go to a lucky owner in Canada.

Exhaust: It’s not long before Mini begins the switch to an all-electric range, so this is a significant milestone in the brand’s history. The next Mini Hard Tops will all be EVs, as will the Countryman and the Aceman, the latter of which will replace the Clubman. The next generation will also see Minis made outside the U.K. (in Germany) for the first time since the brand’s British Leyland days, when licenses were granted to build the little cars in Italy, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Thailand. —Nik Berg

Do loud pipes really save lives? New research says no

Intake: The widely held belief among bikers that noisy exhausts are a safety feature has been disproven by researchers in Romania and the Netherlands. A study by the Association for the Development of Motorcycling in Romania, along with the Department of Road Vehicles at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, and Netherlands-based specialists Enviro Consult, concluded that even the loudest pipes can’t be heard in modern cars. The scientists measured the sound heard inside a car with the windows up, the engine running, and the radio playing at a level low enough for easy conversation. Outside the car six different motorcycles revved their engines to the redline producing sound levels between 80 dBA and 110 dBA. The bikes were positioned at distances of 50 feet and 33 feet behind the car, then with the bikes’ front wheel next to the car’s rear wheel, and finally 13 feet in front of the car. Even at their very closest researchers said the bikes could only just be heard and concluded, “unfortunately, it is too late to be safe.” At anything beyond 33-foot distance, the driver of the car couldn’t hear the bikes at all. “We consider that noise is not a warning for the car driver,” added the researchers. “It can even be considered a danger because you will not have time to adapt to the new reaction of the driver.”

Exhaust: Riders take note: You need to be seen, as it seems like you won’t be heard, even if you have the most awesome-sounding Akrapovič exhaust on your bike. The soundproofing of modern cars has reached a level where drivers are completely cocooned from the outside world, which might be great for driver’s relaxation, but not so good for fellow road users. — Nik Berg

Are EVs too heavy for old parking garages?

Intake: Automotive News has a story out of England that cites a report from the British Parking Association that says heavier electric vehicles may be too heavy for older “car parks.” “Many multi-story garages across the United Kingdom were built in the 1960s and ’70s and could be too weak to bear the added weight that EVs have,” according to the report. Battery packs weighing thousands of pounds can make EVs significantly heavier than gasoline-powered vehicles, especially the small cars that have long been commonplace in the U.K. How this translates to the U.S. remains to be seen, but we have plenty of parking garages that are showing their age, though older ones were likely built to hold heavy 1960s American “lead sleds.”

Exhaust: The story points out that a Tesla Model S weighs nearly 5000 pounds, while a GMC Hummer EV pickup tops 9000. “For comparison, a 1970 Ford Escort weighed less than 2000 pounds.” Said structural engineer Chris Whapples: “I don’t want to be too alarmist, but there definitely is the potential for some of the early car parks in poor condition to collapse. Operators need to be aware of electric vehicle weights, and get their car parks assessed from a strength point of view, and decide if they need to limit weight.” — SCS

More VinFast electrics en route to the U.S.

Intake: Vietnam’s vehicle maker VinFast said on Monday it had shipped a second, 1879-vehicle batch of longer-range VF 8 sport utilities to North America, says Reuters. VinFast, backed by Vietnam’s largest conglomerate, Vingroup, which is controlled by Vietnam’s wealthiest citizen, dispatched a shipment of 999 of its VF 8 SUVs to California from Vietnam in November but needed until March to prepare them for delivery to customers after disclosing the car would have a lower battery range than the manufacturer had originally claimed.

Exhaust: After a 20-day sea journey, 1098 of the cars from the new batch will land in California, while the remainder will go to Canada. Deliveries will start in May for the U.S. market and in June for customers in Canada. Currently, VinFast is offering a revolving price of $399 for the VF 8 City Edition model for a 24-month lease. —SCS

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Nineteen-seventy was a good year for Buick. It built 459,931 cars for the calendar year and 666,501 for the model year. Buick had any number of gorgeous showroom attractants, such as the Gran Sport, over-the-top GSX, luxurious Electra 225, and Riviera, and both two- and three-seat woody Estate Wagon for aspiring Clark Griswolds. And even the bread-and-butter LeSabre was eye-catching. Especially the convertible.

While the least-expensive Buick was the intermediate Skylark, the LeSabre remained Buick’s lowest-cost, full-size automobile. But that didn’t mean it was dull or cheap. It was still a Buick, after all, not a taxi-spec Chevy Biscayne.

As the 1970 Buick brochure advised, “Did you know you’ll probably spend 600 hours or more behind the wheel of your car this year? Don’t you think you should enjoy every minute? You can. That’s the case for the 1970 Buick LeSabre.”

There were three tiers of LeSabres this year: basic LeSabre, LeSabre Custom, and Custom 455. The Custom was the flossier variant and added bright wheel opening moldings, lower body moldings, the expected Custom badging on the flanks, and plusher interior upholstery and door panels. The Custom 455 was largely the same as the “regular” custom, but the standard 260-horsepower Buick 350 V-8 was replaced with the big-block, 370-hp 455 V-8 instead.

The LeSabre Custom was the lowest-priced, full-size Buick drop top that year, with a base price of $3700 (about $28,688 today). It had a curb weight of 3947 pounds, and 2487 were produced. Like all ’70 LeSabres, it was similar to the redesigned 1969 model, but was facelifted front and rear, with more squared up nose and tail, as well as the expected seat and door panel style changes from model to model.

The Wildcat (in its final year) also offered a convertible, or if you had money to burn, you could go whole-hog and spring for the Electra 225 convertible, also in its final year of availability.

LeSabre Custom convertibles featured all-vinyl seating in a choice of blue, saddle, black, or red, as seen on our featured example. Overall length was 220.2 inches, wheelbase 124 inches, and width 80 inches. Just for a fun comparison, today’s new Buick Enclave is 204.8 inches long and has a 120.9-inch wheelbase.

The aforementioned standard 260-hp Buick V-8 also had 360 lb-ft of torque and breathed through a two-barrel carburetor. However, a four-barrel 350 with 285 horses was optionally available, as well as a high-compression (10.25 compared to 9.0) four-barrel 350 with 315 horsepower.

This was the final year for this body, as 1971 would usher in a complete restyling, with the cars even larger than before. The LeSabre would carry on, but the Wildcat would be gone, replaced in the line with the Centurion model to bridge the gap between LeSabre and Electra. The LeSabre itself would last all the way to 2005 before finally being retired, albeit only as a four-door sedan. The final LeSabre convertible appeared in 1975.

This car was spotted by me and my friend Jayson Coombes at the BCA Nationals held in Lisle, Illinois, last June. It was a great event, and the CLC Grand National meet was just a few miles away at the Westin in Lombard. It was a full day for gawking at classic Buicks and Cadillacs!

I’ve already written up the ’58 Roadmaster 75 Riviera sedan I saw at this show, and there will be other attendees featured as well. There were so many nice cars. But I especially loved this Fire Red (paint code 2189) LeSabre Custom convertible, particularly with its matching red interior and white top!

If you will permit me one final indulgence, I wrote this column on the 26th anniversary of my kidney transplant. I’d just like to say I’m grateful for every day, and I appreciate readers like you. Make every day count!

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Buick, long considered an affordable luxury brand, veered from of its traditional comfort zone in the 1960s in an attempt to snag a share of the muscle car market. Although Buick’s piece of the pie was small compared to the massive portion on Pontiac’s plate, the GS400 left a lasting impression, especially on those who dared to underestimate its performance on the street.

Of course, Buick engineers underestimated it a tad too. Purposely.

Launched midway through the 1965 model year, the Gran Sport (GS) was based on the Skylark Custom and was available with a 325-horsepower, 401-cubic-inch nailhead V-8. Except Buick didn’t market it as a 401. To conform to General Motors’ restrictions on engine size for its A-body chassis, Buick marketed the GS’ power plant as 400 cubic inches, bending the rules a bit to compete with its in-house competition.

Buick engineers were continuously looking for more power, and by 1968 they delivered the GS400 Stage 1. The high-performance Stage 1 package added a high-lift camshaft, a four-barrel Rochester Quadrajet carburetor, and a 3.42 positraction rear end to the already potent options list of the GS 400. Offering customers an impressive 345 hp (some say it was actually more than that), the Stage 1 upgrade also delivered a whopping 440 ft-lb of low-end torque crucial to upholding Buick’s “Fast with Class” reputation. It could be had with either a four-speed manual or three-speed Turbo Hydramatic automatic transmission.

For those who really want to blow their hair back, there’s a 1969 Buick GS400 Stage 1 convertible up for auction on Hagerty Marketplace. It is one of only 131 GS400 Stage 1 convertibles produced that year.

Finished in a striking Signal Red exterior with a white convertible top, the GS400’s bucket seats are trimmed in vinyl Pearl White upholstery. Among the car’s features are AM/FM radio, cigarette lighter, ashtrays in the front and rear, and low-profile window control knobs; the air-conditioning was converted to R134. It also has coil-spring front and rear suspension, functional hood scoops, power front disc brakes, power recirculating ball steering, power convertible top, and 14-inch wheels with BF Goodrich Radial tires.

The odometer reads 17,387 miles, but the seller notes that the true mileage is unknown.

This Buick GS 400 Stage 1 was purchased by its current owner in 2012, and while he reports that the paintwork was redone at some point during previous ownership, the car has received plenty of upgrades since he bought it. In 2022, the GS400 was given an upgraded oil pump, timing cover, timing gear, new belts, fuel pump, water pump, and transmission pan gasket. In 2020, a new frame was installed, along with new rear quarter panels, floor pans, trunk pans, brake lines, fuel lines, fuel pump, steering gear and lines, and transmission pan gasket. In 2018, the car received new suspension, shocks, progressive springs, Doug’s headers, and a 2.5-inch exhaust system sourced from the Buick GS Club.

Bidding is currently at $5000. The auction ends on Wednesday, April 19, at 4:30 p.m. ET.

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There’s nothing quite like an unassuming car that can leave high-power metal for dead at a stoplight. “Sleeper” cars are just plain old fun—unless you’re the one left staring at the taillights unexpectedly.

Last week, we asked you to shout out your favorite sleeper cars of all time. Nobody mentioned the 1994–96 Chevy Impala SS explicitly, but that would be our vote. Nonetheless, your responses covered an incredible range of vehicles across all decades and makes. This was a lot of fun to comb through. We grabbed an oodle of your responses for this story, but if the one you’re thinking of didn’t make the list, let us know in the comments.

We have a lot to cover, so let’s hop right in.

Late Model Pontiacs

Be it front- or rear-wheel drive, the final days of Pontiac gave us more than one “sleepy” way to enjoy LS V-8 power. Oh, and the sistership Chevrolet SS, which absolutely deserves to be on this list.

@George: 2008/2009 Pontiac G8 GT. I’ve owned my 2008 since new and to this day almost nobody knows what it is. Thank God for Google. The 2006 GTO was also severely underrated for sure.

@Glenn: I’ll second that. I’ve owned an ’09 G8 GT for several years. Only the most die hard gear heads actually know what it is and what it is capable of. Most people think it’s just another FWD 6 cylinder 4 door typical of what GM has put out for years. What the unwashed masses do not know is that this rebadged Holden Commodore SS has more in common with a Camaro SS than it does a G6/Malibu/Impala.

@jal11180: Chevrolet SS – perhaps the most underrated SS vehicle that Chevrolet had made, even more so than the Cobalt SS, HHR SS, this badge swapped Holden Commodore was truly a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

@Bill: 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix in silver with the GXP badges removed. Totally invisible!

@MJ: I’ll say the new GTO. LS motor in a Cavalier body? Yeah, that would catch you off guard.

Volvo Turbos/V-8 Swap

Whether it’s the stock turbocharged versions or the V-8 swapped monsters that occasionally surface, Volvos in all shapes and sizes make for great sleepers.

@Tim: Somebody help me with the exact model. I remember there was a Volvo wagon that was quite the performer for it’s time. I can’t recall if it was a late ’80s or ’90s model. I know there have been later higher-performing Volvos, but this one I’m thinking of was definitely a sleeper.

@Mike: Tim, I think you’re referring to a 740 Turbo…

@David: The Volvo wagons Paul Newman and Letterman had. The slowest vehicle I have ever driven was a Volvo wagon, those should have surprised anyone.

@Vijay: How about the unassuming, Volvo 850R wagon?

Turbo Chryslers

Quite frankly, I was surprised at all the recognition the turbo Chryslers garnered from our question. Surprised, but very thankful indeed:

@Johnathan: The Dodge Omni GLH Turbo, and even more so, the Shelby GLHS version. These cars looked like econoboxes (which they were at their core), but would outrun almost any contemporary vehicle … at least up to 100 mph.

@My Kismet: The ultimate sleeper would have to be the 1992 Dodge Spirit R/T in Silver. The 91 & 92 Spirit R/T were all sleepers but the red or white wheels on red or white cars made them stand out a little. But the only other physical difference was a tiny trunk spoiler. So these cars and especially the Silver 92 (only 30 made) looked mostly like every other grocery getting Spirit. But they were the quickest production car when it came out in 1990. I had one and even by today’s standards you wouldn’t be shamed by most cars on the road. Back then it was scary quick.

@Norm:  I’ll go along with Carroll Shelby’s favorite Q-Ship (in fact he said it was his favorite Shelby-produced vehicle of all time): the 1986 Shelby GLHS Omni Turbo. A blacked-out 4-door little bottle rocket that was in the top 5 quickest mass-produced cars in the world (not just the US) for that model year. I refer you to the April 1986 cover story of Hot Rod Magazine, “Shelby GLHS Whips GT350” at the race track.

@DUB6: We owned a 1988 Chrysler LeBaron GT Turbo Coupe once, and although it was a little fancier-looking than your ordinary K-car, it was an absolute bullet when your foot ticked that turbo into action. I surprised plenty of Mustangs with it.

@Cason: I feel the Spirit R/T deserves a spot on the list. Sure, it was a performance variant with delightfully 90s color-keyed wheels; but essentially no one knew about it and, well, it was Dodge Spirit and maybe slightly understated vs. a Galant VR-4 (which is always worth a look).

@Gary: How about the first generation Chrysler minivans with the turbocharger and 5 speed manual trans?

Turbocharged HHR and PT Cruisers

We always remember the HHR and PT Cruiser as fashion statements that fell out of favor almost as quickly as they rose to popularity, but they also had a sleepy side:

@hyperv6: The best that I have owned was my HHR SS. I added the GM tune that pushed boost to 23 PS1 and power to 300 hp and torque 315 lb-ft. I just loved the time a Mustang next to me took off and I was door handle to door handle with him. The next light he rolled down the window and said, “how are you doing that?”

@David: So true about the HHR SS. I’ve thought of mine (owned for 14 years) as a sleeper, because the ‘SS’ moniker back in the day was so sadly abused, it wasn’t taken seriously. I enjoy surprising the unsuspecting out in the twisties when they try to keep up. Nurburgring indeed…

@Zoey: I drive a 2005 Chrysler PT Cruser 2.4 Turbo GT. Surprise! It is a sleeper. I love this car and I am 73 years old.

@Gary: Like the turbo Chrysler Minivans, another good one is the PT Cruiser turbo 5-speed.

Sneaky V-8s from GM

General Motors made a lot of sleepers that aren’t easy to pigeonhole, so we just put them in a singular category of “sneak” for this article:

@DUB6: I had a ’56 Chevy pick-up that had been a ranch truck, so it had all of the requisite dings, scratches, rust spots, dull paint, cracked side glass, and dog dish hub caps. After dropping a 325 horse 396 and 4-speed in it with 4:11 rear gears, it fooled a lot of people at the red lights downtown.

@jal11180: 1969 Chevrolet Biscayne—do you want to have a Chevrolet Chevelle SS but also lack the money to get one outright? Why not save some money and get the exact configuration of that vehicle for the fraction of the price, as in the 454 LS6 version of the Chevrolet Chevelle SS, and put that into the Chevrolet Biscayne?

@JAS 73: Many years ago, a friend of mine had a 1969 Impala station wagon with a 427 as a tow car for his drag Corvette. The only clue was an emblem on the fender.

@Walt: I have a 1966 Chevy Impala 4 door sedan. It has dog dish hubcaps and looks like a family car. However, it has the factory 396 under the hood, 4 barrel carb, and headers. Puts out about 375 horse. I have high performance tires with the lettering turned inward. Love to have little bubble cars think I am driving grandma’s car on the interstate until I open it up and…well, you know!

@EP: A pea green 427 Chevrolet Biscayne with 327 emblems!

@Darrel: There was a guy in Crawfordsville, IN “back in the day” that had an all-black 63′ Biscayne 2-door sedan base model. vinyl seats, rubber floor mats, black walls with chrome center wheel covers. The only thing that gave it away, was if you had a chance to look inside it had a 4-speed and the tach in the dash like a SS. It had a dual-quad 409 under the hood.

@jal11180: 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS Station Wagon/Estate Car—what? The Chevelle not only had a station wagon/estate car variant, but that it also had an SS package? Yes, it might not be as powerful as the 1968 to 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS, but all of the options for that car could easily fit under the hood of this vehicle, but, even in this guise, there is a lot of potential for engine and transmission upgrades to honestly make the more well known variant of that vehicle look slow.

@NovaResource: Well, any “big engine” 1968+ Nova would be an SS and not a sleeper (in my opinion). But the 1966 and 1967 Chevy II 100-series 2-door sedan with the 350-hp L79 327 would absolutely be a sleeper.

@Barry: Pontiac T37… most don’t know what it is. Ask some old timers from the late 60’s, very unassuming car, I believe a 4-speed and a 455 was what it had. (Agreed. – SM)

@Ron: How about a 1963 Bonneville with 421 Super Duty? 421 cid with Tri-Power and 425 horse and a 4 speed, had a convertible. Perfect sleeper, looked like a grandma car. Ran great when I got those 3 deuces working together.

@Not Old Not Grumpy: On that note an original 62 Catalina Super Duty is the ultimate plain Jane sleeper…. Until the cutouts are unbolted!

@snailish: The 55 Pontiac Chieftain modified by Vic Hubbard (or his shop – story is murky?) with a 421 SD Pontiac engine in the early ’60s.

@Mark: A car that is a true sleeper is the late ’50’s Eldorados with the standard Dual Quad or Tri-Power set up. I owned a ’59 Eldo with the standard 390 V-8 and 3 Deuce carburation. When I floored it, the car would leap forward like it wanted to fly. No one would believe it was a stock engine.

@TG: The mid-80s 4-door Malibu came off the assembly line with V-6s or gutless V-8s. But in most cases making one with a little enhancement would make a pretty effective sleeper.

@Charles: The best sleeper I ever made was a ’72 Skylark 4 dr. with the 340 hp 400 cu.in. Pontiac engine from my wrecked ’70 Grand prix. In the early 80’s when I did that, the car was a consistent high 13 second runner. That easily outran just about anything from the factory and was such a plain wrapper that no one gave it a second look.

1987 Callaway Twin-Turbo Corvette

You could say that no Corvette is a sleeper, but how many of you think a C4 Corvette is truly special? Not enough of you, and parking one next to a 1980s Porsche 911 Turbo, Ferrari Testarossa, Lamborghini Countach, etc. back in the day would get you laughed out of the lot. Until others realize you have RPO B2K, and that means you can destroy your competition with ease:

@hyperv6: The First Callaway Corvettes were very understated. The only real external clue was a boost gauge in a AC vent. Or if you were lucky the Dynamag wheels if optioned. Back in 1988 the Vette was not all that fast but it was the best thing around. But the Callaway was good for 200 MPH and much faster 1/4 miles.

Big Block Mercedes-Benzes, AMGs

You need not own a 6.3-liter, a 6.9-liter, or a modern Mercedes-AMG product to see the appeal of a sleeper luxury car, as the car chase in the movie Ronin makes it pretty clear:

@Frank: Undeniably it would be a Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.3 or more recently a Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG, preferably a wagon. The former was a 150-mph sedan–in 1970! The latter (2005-2006) goes even faster and does 0-60 in 4.1 seconds. Mine has 125,000 miles behind it and has surprised quite a few muscle-car owners. To make it an even better sleeper, simply remove the E55 AMG logos. Even cops never give the wagon a second look.

@Kenny: I would say any real AMG Mercedes, especially if de-badged. They look like any ordinary Mercedes with AMG wheels, but pack a considerable punch. The 2 I’ve been fortunate own have been a 1999 E55 and a 2004 CL55. The CL has the supercharged V-8. Looks like a big, comfy coupe, but will move when you hit the gas.

Turbo 3.8-liter Buicks/Pontiacs and 4.3-liter GMCs

General Motors made something very special in the 1980s for Buick, and in the early 1990s for GMC. Turbochargers on V-6 engines are great, but these particular examples had so much more to offer, provided you knew what you were looking at:

@jef bockus: I have a white 87 Buick Turbo Limited with a bench seat and landing lights. Even in stock form it a blast to drive and dead quiet and smooth, love it.

@Scoupe: The 1989 Turbo Trans Am. Sure the Buick Grand National is the Vader of the streets, but Pontiac decided to revise the 3.8T’s heads and added the usual other supporting mods. The least suspecting and likely cheapest way to hit 160 mph in the ’80s, and no one says a word about them.

@Rich: I vote for the Buick T-Type as a classic sleeper. Most looked at it and figured it was just a standard V-6 Regal and not one of those Grand Nationals . At the time there was a wealth of information available to implement significant performance upgrades which I took full advantage of. My standard line after many stop light adventures when asked “what the heck do you have in that car” was this – “This is my fathers Buick” that tended to receive many interesting comments.

@Scoupe: Surprised, no mention of the Sy/Ty GMC twins in here. (Thanks for that! – SM) 

Modern Turbocharged GMs

These new Turbo GMs don’t get the love of the aforementioned 3.8- and 4.3-liter examples, but that just makes them even more of a sleeper:

@Jack: I have a 2017 Buick Regal Premium II that’s tuned along with a larger turbo and CNC milled head and that little 2.0-liter moves put! Surprises most everyone, and if I don’t want to be passed on the interstate I just drop the pedal down a little bit. Understated and a comfortable ride along with a little pep! That’s my Sleeper! Especially after owning various Mustang GT’s and Shelby GT500’s all my life!

@Dean: The neighbor’s kid has a Chevrolet Cruze with a 2.0T stuffed into it out of a Buick Verano. It looks bone stock and kind of beat up. He’s pushing about 350 hp. No will race him because no one in their right mind believes it could possibly be fast.

V-series Cadillacs

Modern-day Cadillacs are nothing like the bold, flashy, audacious examples from decades past. Whether or not that’s a good thing is debatable in the comments section, but there’s little doubt that your average motorist knows just how special the V-series examples are for the enthusiast looking to perform without making a statement:

@Bob: 2009 Cadillac CTS-V 4 door with no badges showing. Unbelievably fast for only 556 hp. GM had to rate it below Corvette’s blown models.

@Scoupe: The first generation (2004–2007) Cadillac CTS-V. Own one as we speak, and it still gets the gamut of ridiculous questions after stoplight shenanigans have ended. “No it does not have the Northstar.” “No it is not FWD.” “Yes, it really came factory with a stick.” Truly a stealthy high-12s Q-Ship out roaming the streets.

@Warren: The ultimate “sleeper” is my 2013 CTS-V Wagon, 556 hp and 551 lb-ft of torque. I tried to find a baby blue metallic [example] but found out that only 4 were made. I had to settle for black. Some fellow in a BMW was aggravating me as I was driving to Houston from Temple, Texas. He kept passing me and slowing down on the two lane rode. Finally I had enough of him and passed him and kept my foot on the gas, never saw him again. Must have embarrassed the guy to be outrun by a “family station wagon”.

Sneaky V-8s from Ford

Much like our list for General Motors sleepers, let’s consolidate a lot of sleepy, sneaky Fords in this list:

@Bob: I had a stock appearing 1937 Ford Business coupe (this was in 1954) with a 281 CID flathead V-8, 4 carbs, track cam, etc. It ran best on a heavy load of nitro and never lost a street race. It turned 104 mph at Orange, MA back in the day. It was a real money maker. One exhaust was short and hidden from scrutiny.

@Gayle: Best sleeper ever from the early ’60s: My mother had a ’54 Lincoln Capri 4-door sedan (317 c.i. Y-block) into which my father added a solid lifter cam, dual 4bbl Holleys (the old teapot type), Mallory ignition and dual exhausts (quiet though). Surprise!

@Postman: My 1973 Ford Maverick 2 door. It had a 302 and white walls. Surprised a lot of folks back in the day.

@David: I don’t know if it’s the best, but one of my favorites is the Mercury Marauder of the early/mid 1960s. It’s not just your basic Monterey or Montclair…

@TG: I bought an 1989 Mustang LX that started life as a 4-banger but was 5.0 swapped. Shortly after I bought it, one of the tail pipes fell off of the hastily installed dual exhaust, so I picked it up and threw it in the back. I rode around in this very 4-cylinder looking mustang with one tailpipe out the back for a couple of months before I finally got around to putting it back on. I surprised quite a few folks at the green light. I was also going to mention the Ford LTD/LX that Sajeev wrote about—the very hum-drum looking 5.0 capable Ford

@jal11180: Mercury Marauder (Last Generation)—say what you will about the Mercury Marauder of the 1960s, as it certainly is an underrated road beast, but, even in the current configuration, the early 2000s itineration of this vehicle is a pretty good muscle sedan in its own right, and, with a bit more work, those numbers can go up considerably.

Oldsmobile Quad 442

This one has a lot of validity. To be honest, the Cutlass Calais Quad 442 is a little bit of that 1960s muscle car magic applied in the early 1990s. What a shame so few people see this car for what it is:

@Scoupe: The 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais Quad 442 W41. Put your pitchfork down, I don’t care if it’s FWD. I’d be more ashamed of the 17-second quarter miles the G-body cars laid out at the same time. 2550 lbs of nasty little coupe paired with a close-ratio 3.94FDR 5MT, sport suspension that actually was worth a damn, and glorious RPMs, all 7500 of them. I had a warmed-up W41 around 10 years ago and the races it won were hilarious.

V-6 Fords: Taurus SHO & Thunderbird SC

While the 5.0 Mustang of the era was winning races around the country, Ford was doing the same for other models. But they weren’t getting the same amount of credit for it:

@Chris: Loved my 93 SHO. That stick had a very unique feel. And when pushed, that car pulled! Bright red exterior was fun too…

@Mike: Having owned a few I have to vote for 89-95 Taurus SHO. Especially my 90 in black. Invisible.

@Mike: I loved my ’95 SHO, or at least the engine! It freaked people out to see a stick shift in a Taurus and it was always fun to surprise folks by dropping it into 3rd gear on an approach ramp and nailing it.

@Gary: Of course the first Taurus SHO is the ultimate sleeper (had one in 88)

@John: 1991 Taurus SHO!

@Charles: I had 2 Taurus SHO’s. The 89 blended in with every other “jellybean” car on the road with few visual clues. The 92 was not as stealthy. Both were quick for the day.

@jal11180: 1989 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe – basically, this vehicle was a street version of the NASCAR version of the Ford Thunderbird of the time, and this Seventh Generation version of the vehicle is arguably the highest performance version of the entire history of this vehicle. Alternatively, getting similar upgrades to the same year Mercury Cougar could also be a cheaper, as well as more viable, and, obtainable, option.

@Cason: I must mention is the 1989 to 1990 Mercury Cougar XR-7. This offered 100% of Thunderbird Super Coupe performance and manual shifting in a more subtle package, including the more “formal” Mercury rear window. Say no more!

Underrated Infinitis

Considering the number of these Infiniti rear-wheel-drive sports sedans and coupes I see in my neighborhood being piloted by the Gen Z crowd, I wonder if they truly are sleepy sleepers. But still, this is power in the hands of the few, and it deserves to be highlighted here:

@Pickle: Another more modern sleeper are G35/G37 sedans. They are literally 350z/370z cars with 4 doors. They blend in with the all the Camcord style sedans, yet in the case of the G37, you get a 330-hp V-6 and rear wheel drive. Get the G37S and you get an LSD, 4 piston calipers with 14 inch rotors, a quicker steering ratio, and fantastic sport suspension. Unless you really know what you are looking at, it is hard to distinguish the S from the regular G37. I’ve dropped a number of back country road tailgaters who thought 5-10 over wasn’t fast enough, yet they couldn’t hang when the road got twisty. When I bought mine, the wife thought it was, and I quote, “a grandpa car.” Then she drove it…

@Tinge of Ginge: Y’all are missing the point. Anything with an SHO or SS badge is not a sleeper. Marauder gets close, but its Vader-esque nature almost shows its hand. If you want sleepers, have to go Japanese sedans from the late 90s/early 00s: 03-04 Infiniti M45

Triumph TR8

Did you know the Rover V-8 has a slew of performance parts available? And did you know you can drop them all into a vehicle much smaller than a Land Rover?

@Brian: In 1979 or 1980 I recall being a passenger in my best friend’s 1970 “worked” 350 Chevelle SS with a 4:10 rear end and both of us feeling pretty invincible should anyone decide to challenge us on the street that day. At a traffic light in Chicago, a Triumph TR7 pulled alongside of us and indicated that he was up for the challenge, at least we thought it was a TR7. Unfortunately, we were able to determine it was a TR8 by the callouts on the rear of the car as it drove past us in the short straightaway we had.

Pentastar V-6 Minivans

If you’ve ever rented one of these back in the day, you know they make fantastic sleepers. The Pentastar V-6 is no joke, this van will humiliate a lot of seemingly high-performance vehicles in a drag race, as @JimInTheSand says:

“Not the best sleeper by any means, but something you would not expect to be so snappy are most recent Dodge Grand Caravans. Stock with 283 hp, 6 speed automatic… not grandpa’s mini van.”

Austin Mini

Sleepers aren’t necessarily just the fastest accelerating things, are they? As @Arthur put it:

“My little Austin Mini was a sleeper in a different way. They did not sell them in the U.S. for many years while still available in Canada, and on a trip through New England I surprised a fellow in a Vette coming down a mountain. He was surprised when I passed him and disappeared down the mountain through the tight bends; he did not catch me until we got down onto the regular roads. That’s when he went roaring past with a look of disgust at this little car which he could not match on the twisty bits.”

“S” Code Mercury Cougar

@David said it well when he suggested this particular Cougar is actually a sleeper Shelby:

“Best Sleeper Car of all Time, hands down, is a 1967 Mercury XR-7 GT. The “S” Code got you an FE big block with a 4 speed in what looked, at a stop light, like a bone stock luxury car. 428 cubic inches or 390 cubic inches, your choice. It’s a Cobra, without the Shelby badges. And this true sleeper would also be painted Black, of course. Motor Trend thought so too: 1967 Car of the Year. They said it should be called King Cougar.”

BMW 2002

And just like the tiny Austin Mini, the Germans came out with something that was a force to be reckoned with:

@Mike: Go back to 1968, when a little boxy German sedan started showing up in the US, with a blue and white badge that said “BMW.” If you were driving any import sports car other than an XKE, a 911, or something exotic and Italian, you quickly learned not to engage in stop light grands prix with one of ’em. Nor could you keep up with ’em on a twisty back road. Especially when painted an innocuous white, beige or silver, at least for fellow import enthusiasts, the BMW 2002 was a real sleeper, and proved you could have sports car handling, room for four, and their luggage.

Sneaky V-8s from Chrysler, other Americans

It’s truly amazing how many sleepers were made by American automakers, even more so when considering how their owners souped them up to make them even faster:

@Kurt: The 1957 Rambler Rebel. Who would think a 4-door Rambler would be perhaps the fastest car you could buy in 1957?

@Roger: Yes Kurt!! l was looking for someone to mention the ’57 Rebel! The ultimate sleeper, perhaps! 0-60 in 7.5 seconds—factory stock! Naturally aspirated.

@JimB: In 1966 a fellow engineering college student built a heavily modified ’57 DeSoto Firesweep. He chose this model for its light weight in spite of its large size. He began by stripping more weight. He probably removed a few hundred extra pounds. Nothing was left untouched, except it looked stock from the outside, like he was driving his dad’s car. He installed a well-built 392 Hemi, 727 TorqueFlite with a moderate stall converter, quiet exhaust, and higher ratio differential. There were some minor suspension mods. He sometimes ran cheater slicks, the only giveaway. He ran it once at a local drag strip, just to get a time slip. I would really like to know what this mild mannered car did on the strip, but never did.

@Danders54: The best sleeper I can think of was my dad’s 1966 Coronet 4-doors with a factory 426 Street Hemi. His was the 4-speed. Lore says 4 of these sedans were originally ordered for the FBI but ended up with ‘civilians’ instead. Dad gave it a good tune and removed the Hemi emblems and would go ‘hunting’ for fast looking cars. He also installed a Road Runner ‘beep-beep’ horn to add insult to injury as drove away from who he raced. He also has several trophies from the local MN dragways drag strip. When he was not terrorizing the street or strip it was my mom’s grocery getter that she drove us kids around in.

@Al: Much like the ‘66 Hemi Dodges four-door cars, one of our NHRA club members had a black ‘67 two-door Coronet sedan. It was a competition option package that didn’t even have carpets or a heater as I remember. Total sleeper.

@Cy: I once had a 1966 Plymouth Belvedere 1 station wagon with a hemi automatic. White with dog dish hubcaps. I had fun with it.

@wolfgang: I would like to add the Modern (2012) Chrysler 300 SRT8 with the 6.4 Hemi under the hood. I have surprised quite a few Mustangs and Camaros that didn’t know what it was. Also the 6.1 liter Dodge Magnum wagons from 2006–2008.

@Steve: One of the best factory sleepers ever would likely be one of the few ’66 Belvedere 4-door sedans that got Hemis, especially if it only got the inscrutable “HP2″ fender emblem. My own best effort at the genre was a fairly ratty Duster that hid a 512 [cubic-inch] Indy-head big block and ran low 11s. What it needed was a set of basic steel wheels, and quieter mufflers to complete the deception.

@Doug: The sleeper-est car I’ve ever had (and I’m a classic car dealer) was the one I sold in order to start my business. It was a 1969 Plymouth Barracuda 340 Formula S notchback, finished in Spanish Gold and green interior. It was also a 4-speed AND a stripe delete car. Other than 3 round emblems on the car, you couldn’t tell what it was…..until you put your foot into it. That car would LITERALLY rip the knobs off the dashboard while trying to find grip. It destroyed stock 383 and 440/4 Mopars with regularity—yes, at the strip. An absolute torque monster, and with manual steering, manual drum brakes, No AC, and flat-as-pancake bucket seats, the single-most uncomfortable long-trip cruiser I’ve ever been in.

@jal11180: AMC Hornet – basically, this vehicle is the more high-performance version of the AMC Concord and, with a little bit of work, it could be a true street beast.

@Roger: consider a ’64 Studebaker Commander or Challenger (yes, Studebaker used the name in ’64) 2 door with a supercharged R3 engine and 4 speed with the right rear end ratio. About 400 hp at the rear wheels and 0-60 in well under 7 seconds. Factory stock and nothing except a couple of inobtrusive badge to give it away.

The post According to you: What’s the best “sleeper” car of all time? appeared first on Hagerty Media.

For many decades, the large, rear-wheel-drive, American station wagon was a staple of family road trips. There’s a good chance you have fond memories of spending hours in the back seat of one. By the mid 1990s, however, the minivan had completely taken over as the preferred family hauler.

Buick was unfazed by this threat and released the Roadmaster Estate in 1991, a full year after the GM “DustBuster” minivans hit the streets. Unfortunately, Buick couldn’t beat back the storm and Roadmaster was dead in the water by 1996. If you want one of these final big-body Buick wagons, take a look at this 1996 Roadmaster Estate offered at no reserve on Hagerty Marketplace.

The ’90s Roadmaster was the first Buick to wear that nameplate since 1953. The station wagon was based on GM’s full-size, body-on-frame B platform and was positioned as an upscale version of its Chevy Caprice cousin. Typical of ’90s Buicks, the 18-foot-long Roadmaster had plush seats and an equally plush ride. Its cavernous interior could comfortably seat eight passengers with the fold-down, rear-facing third row. Sure, it was available as a sedan, but there’s something especially cool about a big ol’ American wagon with woodgrain body trim.

Nineties Buicks may have a reputation for being stodgy and listless, but from 1994 onward all Roadmasters received a hot-rodder-friendly LT1 V-8. It was the same engine found in contemporary Corvettes and Camaros, albeit detuned by 40 horsepower compared to the ‘Vette. Still, the 260-hp V-8 was potent for the time, especially in this class.

Because of its beefy frame and muscular engine, a Roadmaster Estate gave pickup trucks a run for their money in the hauling department. When equipped with the towing package, the Estate could tow up to 7000 pounds.

This Bright White example with Light Colonial Oak woodgrain vinyl has an indicated 84,982 miles on the odometer. It is equipped with the desirable “Limited Wagon Package” that features power-adjustable mirrors and six-way power-adjustable driver and passenger seats.

The original owner looks to have kept this big Buick wagon in solid shape. It’s described as garage-kept since new and it will come with comprehensive maintenance records. The only notable flaws are a small tear in driver seat by side controller and a small dent on the left body side trim piece.

If you haven’t heard it already, the secret is out on Roadmaster Estates. They were the last of a breed, and people are nostalgic for the days before minivans and SUVs were the de facto family haulers. We even featured the big Buick on our 2019 Bull Market List. The auction ends on Wednesday, March 22nd at 4:30 p.m. ET. Snag it while you can.

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The 1960s Buick Electra 225 sedan sits in an uncomfortably unpopular place these days. It’s not prestigious or rare enough to command the pricing of vintage German luxury sedans, or be on par with its counterparts from Cadillac and Lincoln.

But mid-century Buicks had quality materials and luxurious proportioning with understated styling worthy of stealth-wealth enthusiasts. Just look at the space between the front axle and the front door (albeit accentuated in this sales brochure) and the subtle integration of Buick’s famous four portholes in the fender.

Clearly, Buick’s famous Deuce and a Quarter deserves more recognition.

Because it ain’t easy being a luxury sedan, and the Karma Revero feels the Electra’s pain. The former luxury flagship of the fledgling Fisker brand saw new life under Chinese ownership, including a superior in-car entertainment package (one with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay) and the option of moving from the GM-infused hybrid powertrain for one derived from the BMW i8. The parts shuffling is not unlike what Buick does on a daily basis with frames, powertrains, and technology available from the GM parts bin.

Such hardware isn’t enough to make Karma play on the same field as Tesla, but what if you took the strengths of both and made something absolutely astounding? That’s what celebrity car builder/presenter Ant Anstead made for actor James Marsden in season 1, episode 2 of Celebrity IOU: Joyride.

The mission was clear, as Marsden wanted to thank his brother-in-law Will for everything by giving him a Buick much like the one from his past. Once they found a suitable candidate, they hatched a plan to electrify the Electra.

Well, partially electrify.

The Karma donor car had both a BMW gasoline engine and electric motors, with a blending of the Buick’s X-frame and the Karma’s battery-infused chassis. The blending is most obvious in the Electra’s rocker panels, as they are lowered significantly to (presumably) accommodate the Karma’s floorpan with its massively tall center spine. The end result was given a name worthy of Buick’s mid-century comfort and Karma’s effortless hybrid powertrain: Peaceful.

And “Peaceful” is now on full display, as it will be auctioned later this month at Mecum Glendale. Finished in Aston Martin’s California Sage Green paint, the Electra features a “copper weave carbon fiber hood” and a carbon fiber trunk lid that’s painted to match the body. Most of the Buick’s exterior body panels and trim remain unmodified, including the chrome bumpers and grille. The custom wheels are made by HRE, and have a mid-century Chrysler Turbine vibe about them.

The interior is a mix of old and new, with period-correct door panels facing the interior of the Karma Revero, complete with its unique 2+2 seating layout. The rear seats face a 6 point roll bar finished in the exterior color, while burnt orange and black leather cover most of the repurposed Revero interior. A suede-like headliner also finished in burnt orange finishes off the package.

The builders even took the time to integrate the charging port into the Buick’s factory gas filler, which shows impressive attention to detail. No word on how the BMW range extender gets its fuel, but perhaps watching Season 1, Episode 2 of Celebrity IOU would shed light on that part of the build. No matter, the seller states there are receipts totaling $250,000 for the build, and that doesn’t surprise us one bit: the cost of these parts combined with the value of skilled fabricators doesn’t come cheap. Let’s hope the winner of the Mecum Auction for this “Peaceful” Buick Electra relishes this unique creation and hits the street frequently so everyone can enjoy the style and craftsmanship.

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The 1958 Buicks. Along with the ’58 Cadillacs and Oldsmobiles, they are arguably the most chromed-up cars ever made. For years, I thought the ’58 GM cars were all-new, because they were so massive and squared-up compared to the ’57s. But it was only Chevrolet and Pontiac that got the total redesign. Beneath their square-rigged flanks and fins, there was a much more lithe 1957 Buick or Olds beneath.

But I love ’em. To many at the time, they were gaudy, crazy, and completely over the top. Big, bloated, and a caricature of the American cars made just a few years earlier, as the period book The Insolent Chariots insisted. But I don’t care. I love ’50s cars, I love domestic luxury cars, and if someone would rather have a Renault Dauphine or Simca, more power to them.

There were the usual Buick models in 1958: Special, Century, Super, and Roadmaster. But all-new for the year was a model even above the vaunted Roadmaster 75: The Limited.

The Limited was distinguished from Roadmaster 75s by even more chrome escutcheons on the exterior, with 15 vertical chrome hash marks and a large “Limited” script and emblem on the rear doors being the most prominent differences.

Limited had been the top-of-the-line Buick in earlier years, but it had disappeared from the lineup in the early postwar years. Then it was back in ’58—but for only one year. Starting in 1959, both the Limited and Roadmaster nameplates disappeared. The Electra 225 became the new top-of-the-line Buick.

Limiteds came in three body styles, the $5112 (about $52,920 today) Riviera sedan, $5002 ($51,780) Riviera coupe, and $5125 ($53,050) convertible. By the way, Riviera was Buick’s designation for pillarless sedans and coupes at the time. It became Buick’s first personal luxury coupe later on.

The Limiteds were even rarer than the Roadmaster 75s, which didn’t exactly grow on trees during the recession year of 1958. Only 5571 sedans, 1026 coupes, and a mere 839 convertibles were built.

This Limited Riviera sedan is not seen often these days, even at Buick Club of America events. I was happy to see this one and compare them almost side by side with the only slightly less fancy Roadmaster 75 that was parked nearby.

I just love the front ends on these. The multiple tiny squares had a beveled surface and I’m sure were lots of fun to polish on Sunday afternoons (not). This unmistakable nose was shared amongst all 1958 Buicks, from cheapskate Special two-door sedan to the flossy Limited convertible.

But we were talking about the 1958 Roadmaster 75s, weren’t we? I was smitten by this one. It was seen at the BCA Nationals in Lisle, Illinois, in June 2022. I made the drive up with my friend from Texas, Jayson Coombes. The CLC Grand National was the same day in nearby Lombard, so we had two most excellent shows to attend. We both took way too many pictures!

Until the Limited appeared this year, the Roadmaster 75 was the top-trim Buick. In earlier years there was both a regular Roadmaster and fancier Roadmaster 75, but in 1958 all Roadmasters were 75s. Standard features included a power six-way front seat, power steering, power brakes, power windows, and deluxe wheel covers.

Interiors were expectedly plush, trimmed in either cloth or cloth/leather combinations, except for the $4680 ($48,447) Roadmaster 75 convertible, which received full leather seats.

In addition to the convertible, there were the expected Riviera two-door coupe and Riviera four-door sedan. Four-door hardtops like our featured car were the most popular by far, with 10,505 sold. They had a base price of $4667 ($48,312) and had a curb weight of 4668 pounds. The Riviera coupe went for $4557 ($47,173); 2368 were sold, along with 1181 droptops.

As a Buick, of course these were large and V-8 powered. Roadmaster 75s rode a 127.5-inch wheelbase and had an overall length of 219.1 inches. The 364-cubic-inch V-8 was deemed the “B-12000” engine by Buick marketers, so called because it developed a thrust of 12,000 pounds behind each piston as it is fired, as the showroom brochure helpfully explained. It was good for 300 horsepower.

I loved both the ’58 Buicks at this event, but I really loved the colors on the Roadmaster. I knew that soft, subtle pink was factory correct (those neon pink ’59 Cadillacs you see from time to time are most certainly NOT painted a factory color), but I had to look up the name: Reef Coral. It was so pretty!

I kind of miss bench seats. My current late-model Lincoln has a console, like 98 percent of the vehicles on the market now, but I like stretching out on a bench seat like this. I used to drive an Ivory Parchment 2000 Town Car Cartier as a daily, and it was so comfortable. Fortunately, I still have a garage-queen 2004 Town Car, but this Buick makes it look like a Chevy Chevette, size-wise.

Indeed, cars themselves seem to be on the wane. Which is a shame, because I like cars. Not SUVs, not crossovers, not trucks. As I write this, it is no longer possible to walk into a U.S. Buick dealership and order a new Buick sedan. Who’d have ever expected that to happen? Once upon a time, you could have gotten a really nice one, with more chrome than you could shake a stick at.

Wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick … sedan?

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Art is for everyone, but that does not mean it’s always universally appealing. Perhaps the work of Ed Lister comes the closest with his eye-catching paintings and murals, but he’s also responsible for a series of daring “impossible objects” during his tenure at London’s Chelsea School of Art.

As the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara put it, Lister’s “striking, hand-pulled prints play with our contemporary sensibilities.” Isn’t that statement also relevant to the final-generation Buick Skylark—the creative muse for one of Lister’s most popularized murals?

Lister’s tribute to the green, silver, and red pinstriped 1992 Buick Skylark GS littered the pages of every magazine of the day. He deconstructed the little Buick into its color palette and sought inspiration from its aggressive beak, which transitioned into upswept rear fender skirts.

The advertisement asks the reader to determine if Lister earned his commission. I submit that he totally nailed it. But that’s more of a compliment to the Skylark’s designers. As Surrealist genius Salvador Dalí once noted:

“A true artist is not one who is inspired, but one who inspires others.”

Both Buick and Ed Lister did a fantastic job trying to convince the mainstream that the new Skylark was the right compact car for their household. Truly this is an impossible object on par with Lister’s finest work from his time in academia.

But Lister’s abstract expressionism and the Buick Skylark’s radical design weren’t meant to be. They were selling tuna tartare in a meat and potatoes world. One can only hope that the Skylark’s product planners weren’t punished for their gamble, as Lister could pivot and produce brand-appropriate barnyard mural of the 1991 Buick Roadmaster (in photorealistic style).

The Roadmaster catered to a specific market, sharing little with the forward-minded demographic who’d buy a Buick Park Avenue, much less a Skylark. Perhaps the smaller a Buick got in the 1990s, the more it had to prove.

Motorweek knew the stakes were high, using phrases like “emotional shock,” “sharply divided,” and “very unique” to describe what the normally conservative brand had the nerve to put into production. The uprated 3.3-liter V-6 in the Skylark Grand Sport was still pretty slow thanks to a three-speed automatic, but the ride and handling was likely up to snuff for the radical-yet-thoughtful styling.

As if throwing a bone to the General’s public relations staff, Motorweek put a positive spin on GM’s new N-body with compliments to the sporty Grand Am and the “less controversial” Oldsmobile Achieva. Good for GM, but a rough start for the radical little Buick.

Which is a shame; the Buick coulda been the pick of the litter. Maybe not compared to the excellent, fifth-generation Honda Civic and its sweetheart VTEC engine, but the parts that Buick got right were light years ahead of milquetoast A-body Buick Centuries. (The Centuries were still in production and were a tidier fit for Buick’s core demographic.) Since that pool was shrinking with every passing year, the Skylark was a car for the audience Buick wanted, rather than the one it already had. Did the design go too far?

The sheer volume of radically styled, wholly unique parts (steering wheel, vents, etc.) inside the Skylark cannot be understated. You can’t tell from the angle of these photos, but the blackout center stack is worthy of the Tesla Model S—ditto the recessed instrument binnacle. Buick was trying hard with their N-body derivative, but the market was having none of that. More to the point, the 1992–98 Skylark’s sales were roughly half that of the previous (1985–91) generation. (It should be noted that there’s no readily-available sales data for the final year of production.)

That’s a sobering statistic to consider, and it’s a safe bet the Skylark’s styling “pointed” to the main problem. Two years into production, the sharp-nosed albatross to Buick’s luxuriously conservative perception resulted in removal of all badging from the front fascia. The shame Buick felt is tangible, and perhaps the Skylark’s prospects were brighter had the beak been present at the rear, like the boattail Riviera.

The tri-shield badge made its comeback when the 1996 Skylark ditched its radical schnoz for something forgettable, something truly misguided when paired with those boxy flanks. The flanks no longer had a starting point in the front bumper, and lost their reason for existence. This is tantamount to placing Ed Lister’s mural in a Thomasville furniture showroom, with the same disastrous results: 1996 saw a 21 percent drop in sales over 1995.

Mercifully sales scaled up to 57,724 units in 1997: a decent showing until you consider the Honda Civic sold 321,144 units in the same year. Two premium priced compact cars, but one was the clear winner. The Skylark never had a chance, as Buick had a century’s worth of baggage (as it were).

Perhaps the Buick brand finally realized it was foolishly trying to be all things to all people. That notion made sense when OPEC was forcing downsizing, but this later era was famous for low gas prices and the proliferation of the SUV.

As the Skylark’s passing marked their transition to a more focused purveyor of luxury sedans with higher asking prices, it’s still a shame that Buick couldn’t have gone all in with the Skylark. The N-body itself had potential: consider the later addition of an independent rear suspension, the 3.3-liter’s kinship to the wonderful 3.8-liter V6, and the list goes on as you dig into GM’s portfolio of front-wheel-drive platforms. The high-end hardware could have ensured the 1992 Buick Skylark was more of a rolling tribute to Dada, becoming an import fighter that rejected the values and norms of its corporate mothership.

But no, as the powers that be ensured the Dadaist Skylark was kneecapped from the start, reduced to nothing more than an automotive expression made for the stereotypical Dad. Buick coulda built a contenda in 1992, but that big beak bolted up to a dodo bird. At least Ed Lister got something out of it.

***

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Can a substitute ever be as satisfying as the real thing? It’s a question with which we all seem to struggle from a young age. It’s not always broccoli versus ice cream, either—often, the comparison is much closer, like Matchbox versus Hot Wheels. Each has its high points, and though you may prefer one, and all the hype tells you that it’s superior, the other just might impress if you give it a chance.

Take the 1987 Buick GNX and the 1989 Pontiac Trans Am 20th Anniversary Edition: they’re the protagonists in what might be the ultimate ’80s domestic-substitution challenge. Since the Black Buick’s prices remain stratospheric, could it be that the best alternative comes from cross-town Pontiac?

We can see the furrowed brows of the Buick faithful through the screen. Yes, you’ve got a point—despite nearly identical drivetrains, the differences between the Buick and the Poncho are black and white, much like the sole color choice offered on each car. Besides, wouldn’t a lesser-trim Regal scratch that GNX itch without the GNX price tag? Buick built thousands of the turbo Regal variants between 1978 and 1987, from the super-niche 1987 Turbo Regal Limited (1035 produced) to the more garden-variety Grand Nationals and T-Types, and they cover a broad price spread, too. But, if you want a range-topping, Ferrari-eating, force-fed piece of ’80s American history, and you like your cars ultra-rare, it’s either the GNX or the ’89 turbo T/A.

This turbo turf war has its roots in 1978, when Buick made quite the pivot. Hailing from the city that forged the formula for the V-8 muscle car, the Regal Sport Coupe’s fancy turbocharged 3.8-liter V-6 debut signaled a new path to power. Sure, its 165 hp and 245 lb-ft of torque did little to evoke the tire-evaporating 455 in Buick’s departed GS, but it was a step in the right direction. (It was also the only turbocharged domestic on the market that year, with Porsche, Saab, and Mercedes-Benz the only others with turbocharged models in the U.S.)

Oldsmobile and Chevy experimented with turbos in the ’60s, but they dropped the comparatively complex, boosted engines from their lineups relatively quickly. Pontiac would add a turbo to the 4.9-liter V-8 in the 1980 and ’81 Trans Am, but of GM’s brands, it was Buick that committed to the technology.

Sticking with forced induction led to increasingly powerful—if outwardly mundane—Buick Regals roaming the streets in the early ’80s. The Grand National nameplate emerged in 1982 as an aesthetic and interior celebratory package for Buick having won the Manufacturer’s Cup in the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National Series. Available on base-engine Regals or the Regal Sport Coupe with the turbo, the ’82 Grand National was the first step in building the bad-boy visual for Buick’s turbo coupes.

Though you could pick out a Regal T-Type (the turbocharged trim that replaced the Sport Coupe) in a variety of colors, 1984 marked first year of the black-only Grand National, its 200-hp and 300-lb-ft rating, and its TV ads with a Buick-ized version of George Thorogood’s “Bad to the Bone.” People took notice. Buick subsequently made incremental improvements in engine management, intercooling, and ignition to pressurize their variety of turbo Regal trims until the blown Buick crept into into Corvette power territory in 1987 with 245 hp and 355 lb-ft of torque.

By then, word was out. In addition to the turbo Regal’s reputation for speaking softly and cruising with a big stick, 1987 would be the final year for rear-wheel drive Regals. Turbo Buick fans came out in droves to snap up 27,590 units across all trims, or more than three times those sold in 1986.

Ahead of this sunset, Buick decided a commemoration was appropriate and got going on the ultimate second-gen Regal—the GNX. It reached out to Automobile Specialty Company (a division of American Sunroof Company, whose initials also spelled ASC) and McLaren Engines (not to be confused with McLaren the automaker) to aid in building a limited run of high-test, blacked-out turbo goodness. One look at a GNX and you know it’s different than the standard GN, though not obviously so—subtle badges, fender vents, and flares surrounding black mesh wheels are the tells.

ASC/McLaren’s effort on the engine was more a thorough massage than a complete working over: Boost increased to 15 psi and flowed through a larger turbo with ceramic turbine wheel, and the computer got a more aggressive tune. A new, large-diameter dual exhaust helped the turbo breathe better while revised intercooler piping offered greater thermal efficiency. The result was an almost certainly underrated 276 horsepower and 360 lb-ft of torque, managed through a 200-4R transmission with a new valve body and put to pavement by a reconfigured rear end featuring an F-body-style torque arm, Panhard bar, and strengthened differential cover.

All that power launched the GNX to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds and a then-brutal quarter-mile result of 13.5 seconds at 102 mph in Car & Driver’s testing. On the strip, this was good enough to place Buick’s bruiser at the pointy end of the fastest production cars available. It’s best to keep GNXs on the straight and narrow, though: “Clearly, the engine and the chassis are in separate leagues,” wrote Tony Assenza in the May 1987 issue of Car & Driver. “What we have here is a great powerhouse of a motor looking for a nice place to live.”

That criticism and underwhelming chassis didn’t matter a lick. Enthusiasts knew what these cars were about and loved every inch of them. Buick produced a mere 547 GNXs, and buyers scooped them up in a frenzy, often paying well over the $29,389 MSRP. Between the brawny motor and badass reputation cultivated by the Grand National that preceded it, the top-dog GNX has enjoyed a strong secondary market from the beginning and its legendary status has long been secure.

Younger readers might be surprised to learn GM didn’t always have a reputation as a monolithic corporation. For the first 50 years of operation, its many brand divisions operated semi-autonomously, each division utilizing and developing technology that was at times shockingly distinct from that of its corporate compatriots. In other words, Oldsmobile did its own thing, as did Cadillac, Buick, Chevy, GMC, and Pontiac. By the 1980s, GM chairman and CEO Roger Smith’s cost-cutting overhaul ushered in extensive tech trade and sharing between the GM siblings, but there was still significant internal competition.

So, while Pontiac was probably sick of its halo, 305-cubic inch, tuned-port injection Trans Ams losing drag races to Buick’s personal luxury coupes, it wasn’t above harnessing a bit of Buick’s turbo magic to remedy the situation. Pontiac decided to inject the turbo V-6 into the 20th Anniversary Trans Am, and started the project with its top-trim GTA model and all the WS6 handling upgrades.

Unique shocks and shorter front springs were swapped in to match the engine’s lighter-than-small-block weight, and larger brakes from the race-oriented 1LE package found their way behind the front wheels. A T-top roof configuration was an option, as were leather seating surfaces—though tan was the only interior color. Most turbo T/As came fully optioned with leather and the removable roof; finding a cloth interior or a hardtop is a challenge, much less finding one with both. Since the car paced the Indy 500 that year, pace-car door decals were included and installed by the dealer at the buyer’s discretion.

Despite a smaller footprint than the third-gen Firebird’s existing 305-cubic-inch V-8, the 3.8-liter six presented a fitment challenge. The Firebird’s strut towers made for a less accommodating bay than the larger Buick’s, so Pontiac swapped in compact cylinder heads from the 3800-series engine and selected shorter pistons to achieve its desired 8.0:1 compression ratio. Like Buick, Pontiac outsourced these tweaks, using Performance Automotive Systems to build the engines and complete final assembly.

The remainder of the engine components were a mix and match of existing Buick parts and Pontiac-specific selections, yielding 250 horsepower and 340 lb-ft of torque—figures that, like the GNX, are considered substantially underrated. Despite being down 26 horses on paper against the GNX, Car & Driver reported that the turbo T/A was a tenth quicker both to 60 mph and through the quarter mile. Pontiac had bragging rights on a technicality—these straight-line numbers are effectively a dead heat, and it was anyone’s bet at a Woodward Avenue stoplight.

Fulfilling C&D’s wishes, the T/A’s chassis was a better fit for the Buick V-6’s prodigious power. The F-body exhibited greater balance and grip, and was overall a more complete performance package, if a bit less comfortable on the boulevard.

Sources put production at around 1550 turbo Trans Ams—still a very limited run, but nearly three times the amount of GNXs that reached showrooms. While it briefly stood at the top of the heap of domestic performance, it never gained the cult following that the GNX had. Add in the 20th Anniversary Trans Am’s lack of visual differentiation from the lesser Trans Am GTA, and you’ve got the proper mix to make it less valuable to collectors—and simultaneously an opportunity for those who want a usable, affordable classic.

As with many Radwood-era rarities, pristine examples of both cars have increased significantly in value, though the Buick stands head and shoulders above the Pontiac. Ten GNXs have sold on Bring a Trailer for $200,000 or more, and that’s not just from the hot heyday of the pandemic market—the first one on BaT to cross that mark did so in 2019.

Granted, these are almost exclusively museum pieces with minimal mileage and delivery plastic covering the seats, but they slot neatly in between the Hagerty Price Guide‘s #1 condition value of $288,000 and condition #2 (Excellent) $179,000 value. Even driver-quality, #4 condition GNXs sit at the $80,000 mark. Values have softened ever so slightly for all but the top-tier—prices peaked in July last year and have remained stable at slightly lower levels since then.

About 70 percent of quotes for the GNX come from Gen X, which is nearly double that generation’s share from three years ago. Boomers have seen their share of quotes taper to about 20 percent. Millennials are becoming more interested in the GNX, but their share is still only about 5 percent. Insured demographic shares are similar: Gen X leads with 59 percent, 26 percent are owned by boomers, seven percent are owned by millennials, and eight percent by pre-boomers.

In contrast, you could take home four (!) #1-condition turbo T/As for the price of a single #1-condition GNX, or one pristine example for less than a driver-quality GNX. Across all conditions, the Pontiac’s prices continued to rise for one quarter longer than the Buick’s. Unlike the GNX, which throttled back its values slightly before leveling off at the end of the year, the turbo T/A has held steady as the market has begun to cool. This lag and hold does suggest the possibility for a substitution effect, or at least for greater market recognition.

The T/A finds itself sought after by the two dominant generations in the market: boomers and Gen X. It’s not particularly surprising for a rare, niche model to appeal most to those who were alive when it debuted. Together, the two generations almost evenly split nearly 90 percent of the quotes sought for the turbo T/A. Millennial interest is slight. Policies indicate that Gen X owns 52 percent of the turbo Trans Ams insured with Hagerty, with boomers coming in at 38 percent. Millennials have a two percent share, and pre-boomers make up an eight percent share. The average insured value of ’89 turbo T/As is a staggering 4.8 times less than that of the GNX.

What does this massive delta in values come down to? Mythology and sinister looks that are the last gasp of the muscle-car-era silhouette—the big, bad Buick has those in spades, and they certainly help its appeal. Three-figure production numbers don’t hurt the GNX’s desirability, either. As for the Trans Am, it might be handsome but it’s not nearly as mean, and aside from some badging, it looks identical to its V-8-powered GTA-trim sibling. The pace car decals that adorn many of the cars are an acquired taste as well.

Still, there’s something to be said for the GNX’s affordable cousin. On today’s SUV-filled roads, it’s hard not to be drawn to the ’80s white-on-gold wedge that is the turbo T/A. It might not intimidate the way the GNX does, but its looks are similarly representative of its era. Between the two, the turbo T/A is objectively the better all-rounder, even if the GNX gets the win for comfort and has a stronger following. While few are likely to pursue a top-flight 20th Anniversary Trans Am Turbo over a concours GNX as an investment, for those who drive their collector cars and take pride in owning a rare ride, the turbo T/A scratches that ’80s GM turbo-dominance itch well.

***

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Via Hagerty Insider

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2024 Buick Encore GX gains new face, new tech, new trim

Intake: Buick announced a host of updates for the 2024 Encore GX, its most popular (and smallest) North American offering, which shares a platform with the Chevy Trailblazer. Updated front-end styling evokes that of the Wildcat EV concept, with a new forward-leaning demeanor, new grille, and new wing-like LED headlamps, which come standard on all trims, and the first application of Buick’s new tri-shield logo. A new 19-inch virtual cockpit system graces the Encore GX’s interior, regardless of trim level. It’s two screens—an 11-inch center infotainment screen and an 8-inch digital instrument cluster—placed behind a single piece of glass. Power comes from either a 1.2-liter (standard) or a 1.3-liter (optional) turbocharged three-cylinder engine. The former makes 137 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque, the latter produces 155 hp and 172 lb-ft of torque. All-wheel-drive is available across all trims, but you’ll have to spring for the 1.3-liter engine to get it, which also nets a nine-speed automatic transmission.

You can have either engine in a front-wheel-drive configuration, although you’ll get a CVT transmission there. Buick says production of the Korean-made Encore GX will begin next month, with customer orders coming online in May of 2023. The Encore GX Preferred starts at $26,895, the Encore GX ST $28,095, and the new Encore GX Avenir $33,195. All prices exclude the destination fee.

Exhaust: The Chevy Trax-based Encore died in 2022, and the Encore GX is slightly larger than that now-dead model. The Encore GX is going to need to pull big numbers to rally Buick from a terrible 2022 sales year here in the states. This raft of updates is a good start. — Nathan Petroelje

VW sheds light on new Touareg … and Porsche Cayenne

Intake: Volkswagen has released teaser photos and a few technical details of the next Touareg SUV before its launch in the summer. Photographed under the Northern Lights of snowy Sweden, the Touareg is still under a camouflage wrap, but the model’s HD LED matrix headlamps are clear to see. Using 38,400 micro LEDs they will project “an interactive carpet of light” onto the road ahead, illuminating the entire lane. More illuminations come in the form of the rear VW logo which glows red at night. The Touareg has further innovations including a roof load sensor that informs the chassis electronics to make the car handle predictably when its center of gravity is raised with extra weight on top. The suspension, in standard steel or optional air-sprung, has been tweaked and the interior will now include a 15-inch center touchscreen that VW calls “Innovision Cockpit”.

Exhaust: VW stopped selling the Touareg in the U.S. in 2018 in favor of the Atlas, but its sister car, the Porsche Cayenne, will no doubt get the same (or similar) treatment in its own makeover which makes its global debut this spring. — Nik Berg

Mini to build electric convertible

Intake: Following what it says was “positive feedback” from the one-off electric Mini convertible that was shown around the U.S. last summer, the company has announced that it will build 999 of the cars for this model year. “Three years ago, we launched the Mini Electric, and today one in five Mini models sold in Europe is an all-electric Mini. This success has spurred us to implement the small series of the Mini electric convertible within only a few months. I’m delighted that we can offer 999 Mini customers an extraordinary and exclusive open-air go-kart feeling,” says Stefanie Wurst, Head of the brand. The electric Mini convertible will be powered by a 184-horsepower single electric motor, with a range of 124 miles.

Exhaust: That’s the good news. The bad news is you can’t have one unless you live in Europe—at least for now. No announcement has been made about the U.S., but it’s almost certain the Mini convertible will come here eventually. Price, in U.S. dollars, is about $63,000, a lot for a car with such a short range. We drove the prototype last year, and it was a blast—heavy, yes, but with a very low center of gravity that still offered, as Wurst said, a “go-kart feeling.”—Steven Cole Smith

Daytona 500: Bowman on the pole, Pastrana and Johnson make the field

Intake: Chevrolet driver Alex Bowman put his Ally Hendrick Motorsports Camaro on the pole position for Sunday’s NASCAR opener with a lap of 181.686 mph in qualifying Wednesday. Teammate Kyle Larson is on the outside front row. The returning seven-time champ Jimmie Johnson turned a lap fast enough to guarantee him a spot on the big show, as did stunt performer and NASCAR Cup rookie Travis Pastrana.

Exhaust: Thirty-six of the 42 cars trying to qualify for the race have charters that guarantee them a starting spot in the race. The six cars vying for a spot, including Johnson and Pastrana, do not have charters, and either had to set a fast time on Wednesday (two cars qualify on time), or race their way in from one of the Duel races held tonight. Among those hoping to race his way in: IndyCar’s Connor Daly. Only the front row was set in qualifying (yes, we know it’s complicated), with starting positions for the race set in the Duels; 40 cars will start, meaning two will go home. —SCS

Renault in talks with AutoNation to sell Alpine sports coupe here

Intake: Renault is having conversations with U.S. giant auto retailer AutoNation about possibly marketing its Alpine A110 sports coupe in the U.S., says Bloomberg. “It’s not easy because we are not present in the U.S. and we have to start from scratch,” CEO Luca de Meo said on the sidelines of Renault’s earnings presentation in France. Working with AutoNation, helmed by former Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley, “could take the form of a partnership that goes beyond placing cars in dealerships, he said.”

Exhaust: The Alpine brand was relaunched in 2017 with an eye toward bringing its products to the U.S. At present, it makes only the A110 but has additional products on the drawing board. De Meo made it clear in the story that if a partnership doesn’t work out with AutoNation, he plans to keep looking for a way into the U.S. market. —SCS

Ram recalling 340,000-plus heavy-duty diesels

Intake: Stellantis is recalling nearly 341,000 Ram heavy-duty diesel trucks after reports of six potentially-related fires, says Automotive News. The recall covers certain 2021–23 Ram 2500 and 3500 pickups as well as 3500, 4500, and 5500 cab chassis trucks that are equipped with 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel engines and prior-generation heater-grid relays, which were the focus of two previous recall campaigns.

Exhaust: Ram discovered the intake heater-grid relays on certain vehicles may overheat. “In rare instances, this condition may pose a fire risk,” according to a company news release. Vehicle owners are advised to park outside. The fix, apparently, is to replace an electrical connector. — SCS

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In our last installment of According to You, you shared with us your personal thoughts on some of the worst engines you’ve ever experienced. Some answers were expected, but others took many of us by surprise. Hopefully, today’s installment stokes a similar passion—albeit on the positive side of things. We asked for the best engines you’ve experienced, and the answers you gave us were fantastic.

Truly fantastic, to the point we often bundled multiple engine votes into their respective families. Let’s get to it.

Ford inline-six (300 and 200 cu in)

The amount of positive feedback for the 300-cubic-inch Ford inline six-cylinder was a welcome but expected byproduct of our question. These motors get the job done and are very, very hard to kill, endearing themselves to many of you. We also threw in a shoutout for the smaller 200-cu-in version:

Sam: “Ford 300 I6 Dependable and reliable. Very long lasting.”

Sajeev Mehta: “An excellent choice. I loved the 300 once they added port fuel injection and an overdrive automatic transmission to it, that made it perfect for so many uses.”

Wesley: “I’ll add a 3rd vote to that… Still running a 300 6cyl today. She’s untouched other than careful maintenance for the past 31 years.”

James: “Yep the Ford 300 six. Grandad bought a 68 F100 with it and I now have it and it just keeps on running.”

Cday: “My ’65 Mustang has the 200 I6 with 5 main bearings. Bulletproof bottom end and the engine will never die. Easy to work on with easy-to-find parts make it a home run.”

Volvo “Red Block” B21 slant-four

The Volvo Redblock is a legendary motor that lived a long, successful life. Hagerty Community Member Forty2 had a bittersweet moment to share with us, as we apparently asked our question at the right time. RIP to this Volvo 240:

“My ’91 240 was hauled off to the boneyard today (still running but with a smushed-in rear) due to a crash last week, but after a quarter-million miles that engine (and everything else containing oils) never leaked a drop, ran strong (as much as it could anyway), no smoke, fired within one crank of the starter, and will hopefully live on under another Volvo hood.”

Cummins B-series/Dodge 5.9-liter diesel

D. Dewald offered a diesel engine whose longevity has played a big part in its well-deserved reputation:

“The best engine experience for me has been the 5.9L Cummins 24VHO turbodiesel in my 2001 Dodge 2500. Day after day of efficient operation; pulling trailers as needed in the summer and pushing snow through Upper Peninsula winters. After 21 years it still has the original pump and injectors at 230k miles, still runs like new and will probably go to 500k as long as the rest of the truck doesn’t rust away.”

Nissan VQ V-6

Hagerty Community member Det gave us a late-model Japanese motor with an unforgettable naturally-aspirated sound and classic performance traits:

“Various versions of the Nissan VQ (3.0, 3.5, 3.7) in the U.S: I even enjoyed the 3.7L in the last gen NISMO Z even though it lacked high-revving smoothness.”

Small-block Chevy V-8 (especially the 327)

Don’t get me wrong, the small block Chevrolets that are smaller than 327 cubic inches have nothing to be ashamed of. But our readers offered wonderful feedback on the later, larger, more powerful, and subsequently more popular versions of this world-famous engine from Chevrolet.

Marvin: “327 chevy in a 1964 Corvette, 365 hp with a close ratio transmission and 3.70 gears. Redline was 6500 rpm and it would do 65 mph in 1st, 85 in 2nd, 105 in 3rd, and top out at 125-130. Strong engine and very quick!”

Rick: “1969 Z/28 302 bad to the bone back in high school.”

9K2164S: “Chevy 327 with solid lifters, big Holley and single plane intake rowing through a four speed at 7,000 RPM. I’ve owned most all the common Chevy small blocks from 283 through 400 and the 327 was, like the Three Little Bears, “just right”.”

Stephen: “I’m old school and I really enjoy the 302 in my 69 Z28.”

Ken_L: “All of the older small block Chevy engines I owned have been good to me. Current 48 year old one with 90,000 original miles runs great, but will need new valve seals sometime.”

Greg Ingold: “The GM 5.7 “Vortec” engine is really good. Have a close friend with over 300,000 on his 5.7 equipped truck and I’ve had two GMT400 trucks with it that I sold with 250,000 miles on the clock and I still see one of those trucks driving around town today. Only real flaws I’ve experienced is that the intake gaskets leak coolant eventually, but the upgraded ones the aftermarket sells permanently fix that and the funky distributor cap is corrosion prone, so buying the expensive OEM-grade caps upon replacement are an absolute must. They might be low on power by today’s truck standards, but unless you actively try to kill one, they just last.”

BMW inline-six

BMW made so many delightful inline-six motors that you simply have to recognize multiple versions in a single post. I love them all, as they are so expertly balanced that they often feel as smooth at redline as they do at idle.

Audiocage: “A couple of favorites: The inline-6 in an E36 M3. Smooth as silk, and rubber-band-like pull.”

James: “I test drove a euro spec/grey market M635CSi in 1997. It was the only time I’ve ever spontaneously thought “that’s a mechanical symphony I’m hearing”.”

Isaiah: “I had a E46 M3. The motor in it was awesome.”

Paul: “I LOVED my E46 M3 and that S54 motor that went along with it. Absolutely bulletproof and sung like an angel. I wish I had kept it longer!”

Byron: “BMW S38 3.6L (US market) DOHC 24 valve inline-6. De-tuned naturally aspirated F1 engine w/ individual throttle-bodies: 345hp (chipped) in my 92 M5, but it could reliably deliver up to 1,000hp on a turbo. Ran like a watch for 180k miles under my ownership. “Right now” throttle response. Sounded so nice, I would often turn off the stereo when alone on the interstate. Perfectly tolerant of endless Boston “stop & go” traffic jams.”

Julian: “M88/3 in my BMW M635. Stock they are a little more powerful than when fitted to the original M1. Mine has had some Dinan work to further enhance it.”

Chrysler Pentastar V-6

Base model engines don’t get nearly enough love in our society! The Pentastar V-6 makes 292 horsepower which, since this is SAE net calculations, is likely more oomph than the majority of vintage muscle cars. They move well, and they get the job done. As MPH302 put it:

“Just traded my 2012 Challenger at 205K and only because I wanted another one before they stop making them. Absolutely nothing done to the motor except spark plugs and religious preventive maintenance.”

Mazda K-series V-6

The Mazda K-series was a finesse player on par with the BMW inline-sixes mentioned above. But they met a demand for cheaper cars that normal people could afford right off the showroom floor. Be it the tiny 1.8-liter in an MX3 or a 2.5-liter in a Ford Probe GT, these engines provided countless hours of fun for countless people. Or, as Robert put it:

“1995 Mazda 626 DOHC 2.5-liter V-6 with 5-speed: this jewel of an engine had a dual powerband, only fairly strong at the bottom, but came on the cams at 4000 RPM and screamed to a 7000 RPM redline. Incredibly smooth, sounded great, totally reliable (and, in the 626, a sleeper that didn’t attract police attention). Not suited to the automatic transmission as low-end wasn’t strong enough, but with the excellent-shifting 5-speed it came alive. The car cruised at 100 MPH effortlessly but served just as well as a grocery-getter.”

Jaguar inline-six

The Jaguar XK twin-cam inline-six was a beauty to see, hear, and experience from behind the wheel. Denying this is to deny oneself the joy of automotive perfection, or as Leo put it:

“The smooth power, the wonderful sounds and the beauty early on of polished cam covers and porcelain coated exhaust manifolds still uplift me after more than 45 years of working with them.”

Small-block Chrysler V-8

Hagerty Community member Rick recommends the small block 318 and 340 V-8s from Chrysler, which have actually taken hold with a new generation of fans in Japan. The “Dajiban” (a Japanese colloquialism for “Dodge Van”) in Japan is usually powered by the 318 cid small block and it’s wonderful to see a non-HEMI Chrysler cut out a unique slice of the world’s shared love for American V-8s. Plenty of you expressed your love for these awesome eights in the replies to our question:

Audiocage: “And a Dodge 318 that Simply. Wouldn’t. Quit. It’s probably still running strong.”

Tom: “My choice, late 60’s early 70’s Mopar 340 small block. I put 95000 miles on my ’70 Challenger, 4 speed, which I reluctantly sold during the oil embargo. Every mile with that high revving small block was music to my ears. I missed it so much I got another in 1985 which I still have to this day.”

Spike: “My ’70 Duster 340 was an awesome, sweet ride! It could beat many GM & Ford 5.7L powered vehicles. Only problem was the hydraulic valves began to float at about 135mph.”

Raymond: “Dodge Van 318 V8. I don’t know if they are still made yet. I’ve had six of them in my work vans and religiously change the oil and they never failed me. Can’t even say they never got me to work or I had to miss a job. Just routine maintenance and ready to roll.”

GM LS-series V-8

Of course we had to include the iconic LS-series engine from General Motors. Luckily, the Hagerty Community had plenty to say about this workhorse:

BMD4800: “My favorite is my turbo LS3 based 416 stroker. Previously procharged, it is a lesson in absurdity. With a (relatively) mild cam, (relatively) decent idle quality and the ability to pass tailpipe test if needed, it’s pretty streetable. But it is infinitely more brutal than a solid roller cam 540 big block Chevy with a nitrous hit out of the hole. Diesel engine torque with so much under the curve it is borderline excessive. It pulls like a F4 off a carrier deck, just plain brutal torque. It is the quintessential American Car: too much power, too little handling ability. It is goofy without traction control, but I’m not a big race in traffic kind of guy.”

You sound like our kind of crazy, BMD4800.—Ed.

MJ: “Been around long enough to have driven cars with most of my favorite engines. But the best so far is in my 2006 Z06. That 7.0-liter motor is just a wall of power everywhere and in such a light chassis (especially by today’s sports car standards). It boggles my mind that all you need to own one of these is a valid driver’s license.”

Porsche Flat Six (Air and Water cooled)

Porsche’s flat-six, be it air- or water-cooled, is easy to fall in love with. You don’t have to be a kid on the sidewalk to understand it, and the Hagerty Community came out strong for flat-sixes of all kinds:

Franko: “Porsche/VW flat 6 (and 4!) cylinder engines are air-cooled delights. It’s surprising how they have lasted the test of time. Racing, daily drivers, off road, etc. they have done it all & excelled! Even aircraft & boat power!”

Clint: “Best engine with the best sound I’ve ever experienced was the 2-liter carbureted flat-six in my old 1966 Porsche 911 with sport exhaust and K&N-type un-silenced air cleaners. Foot to the floor from a stop, up to the 7200 RPM redline, it sounds like ripping canvas, with an overlay of hollow metallic “pop-pop” sounds from the six-barrel Webers. It was as tough as a little anvil, and with a heart of pure gold.”

Michael: “I was fortunate enough to drive a Porsche GT3 RS (991.2) on a race track. Four-liter flat 6 with over 500 horsepower and a 9 thousand RPM redline. As the RPM’s climb, the mechanical melody and rapid acceleration rise with it. Between 8 and 9 thousand RPM sounds like a muffled Porsche cup car. The entire powertrain worked flawlessly.”

Oldsmobile Aurora V-8

The 1990s came up with some amazing engines that were the perfect blend of old-school muscle and modern refinement. Here’s Hagerty Community member Rhodent’s take on the matter:

“I think my favorite engine in combination with the car was a ’95 Olds Aurora 4.4, all aluminum, DOHC, fuel injected. Wonderful, comfortable, stable cruiser. It would cruise from Austin to San Antonio at 90 and it was like sitting in my recliner.”

Detroit Diesel 6V71

Not all great engines come in cars, or as Joe put it:

“Detroit Diesel 6V71 2 stroke: used in many buses and other commercial vehicles back in the day. Very simple and reliable, the sound is unmistakable!”

GM 60-degree V-6

The 60-degree V-6 from General Motors had a great run, starting off as a premium motor for GM’s front-wheel drive vehicles in the 1980s (and the Pontiac Fiero!) and a mid-level upgrade for the early 3rd-gen F-bodies. Towards the end of its thirty year production run, the 60-degree mill was reborn as the “high value” V-6, with a 40 percent bump in size that gave its more advanced replacement (GM’s High Feature, 3.6-liter, V-6) a run for its money. For less money, which speaks volumes about its impressive design. Hagerty Community members far and wide came to respect this mill for what its worth:

Mike: “2.8 V-6 from my 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme International. Loved the look of the intake manifold. Really miss that car!”

Jack Burton: “The 2.8 Fieros are great, as are the 2.5 Iron Duke cars, despite what the internet would have you believe. Both tremendously reliable engines, wrapped in a vastly underrated, and fun, package.”

hyperv6: “Note too my 2.8 HO in my Fiero. While it is nothing radical, it has been fully reliable and moves the car along well but sounds like an exotic engine. Many question if it is a V8. Pontiac did well on the exhaust on that one.”

Buick 3800 V-6

Not to be outdone by its smaller sibling, the Buick 3800 V-6 really came into its element as a premium engine for all things less-than-Cadillac. Be it supercharged or naturally aspirated, it had several fans in the Hagerty Community:

ap41563: “My vote would be for the Buick 3800 Series II. It has needed nothing for 18 years other than oil changes and regular service items. It runs smooth and has nice power off the line. At 70 to 75 mph it returns over 30 mpg. It never skips or misses a beat and it’s not overly complicated. It follows the KISS principle and I think I will probably still be daily driving it 10 years from now.”

TG: “I would say #1 is the 231/3.8/3800 Buick V6. After having owned several examples, they are robust, capable of north of 200K miles, and deliver decent power for a V6.”

Ford/Yamaha “SHO” V-6

Since we are on the subject of 1980s-era V-6 engines from Detroit, perhaps the most famous mill is the monster made by Yamaha from the blueprint of Ford’s 60-degree Vulcan V-6. Comparing a mere 3.0-liter pushrod Vulcan to the one in the Taurus SHO is like measuring ground beef against sirloin steak, but Mike gave us even more reasons to love the Super High Output V-6:

“Had three Taurus SHO manuals, 90, 93 and 95. Loved the Yamaha engine–and the castings are beautiful. I was in the aluminum casting business then. MN State Patrol let me out of a 105 in a 55 in NW MN in my ’93. I was just at Arctic Cat engineering and I was let off in exchange for a bit of info about their new engine … then the following winter the same patrolman saw me in the local restaurant. “Are you being a good boy?” he asked lol.”

Big-block Chrysler V-8 (Wedge & Hemi)

Have we been spending too much time on “wimpy” V-6s for your taste? If so, can we make it up to you?

C.J: “Many years ago I installed a 426 Dodge wedge into street rod, a bulletproof engine along with the 727 torque flight, drove to all the street rod nationals from 1974 to 1982,never a problem, street raced it, lost very few races, it pissed off a lot of Chevrolet guys because my 426 was in a 1935 Chevrolet master two door sedan.”

Paul Kafer: “I am in my 70s and have had many cars and built most of them up for better performance. One of the ones I remember best, was a ’69 Roadrunner that originally came with a 383-ci engine and A833 4-speed and 3.23:1 rear gear. Of course, that wasn’t good enough. I pulled the engine and rebuilt it with 0.030″ over 12.5:1 forged pistons, polished crank, H beam rods, ported heads, adjustable rockers and HD push rods to accommodate the biggest solid lifter cam Iskenderian could fit into that engine. It was all balanced for high rpm use. I had a tunnel ram with a pair of Holley center squirters on top of it and Hooker SuperComp headers channeling the exhaust out through a set of 3.5 in pipes. I installed a set of 4.56:1 gears in the back and went hunting every Saturday night. That thing was really too radical for everyday use, but I drove it anyway. It wouldn’t hit on all cylinders until it was above 4000 rpm. The cam powerband was listed as 6500 to 8000 rpm, but it sounded so good getting there. It also fouled the plugs in short order driving on the street. I had to carry extra plugs with me in case I actually got an offer to race later. Totally impractical, but totally fun and wonderful to hear going WOT down the strip or an empty rural road. Yes, times were different then.”

Honda Motorcycles

Motorcycles make some fantastic noises and put down power like no car ever could. So what do you think of these Hondas, offered up by the Hagerty Community?

Tinge of Ginge: “The 919 4-cyl in my old CB919. Torque like a twin, but better top end. And with the right exhaust, sounded amazing. One of the only bikes I regret selling.”

Robert: “1999 Honda CBR1100XX, the engine would pull cleanly from 1500 to the 9500 redline in 6th gear. (About 35mph to 185 or so). Smooth, quiet and reliable. Able to get 50 mpg just poking along on a back road.”

Toyota 22RE four-cylinder

The Toyota R engine family has made life-long friends around the world, which is why Hagerty Community member Joseph said,:

“The Toyota 22REs I have had in both 4Runners and Hilux pickups have NEVER disappointed me!”

Chrysler Slant Six

How could we not include the Slant Six? That said, Hagerty Community member Rob mentioned its predecessor, as he knows you could “never kill” the 1946–1955 Dodge/Plymouth six-cylinder flathead. But the motor that replaced that one? Let’s say that it had big shoes to fill, and did that very well. Perhaps Luther said all that’s needed about the Slant Six:

“1972 Slant Six in a Dodge Demon: Indestructible, several times went way past the 120 mph mark, and still wish I had the little car.”

Suzuki Tl1000 twin

Let’s get back to motorcycles again, as this Suzuki clearly deserves our attention:

TalkingPie: “I haven’t personally experienced much in the way of impressive car engines, but I did enjoy a couple of stirring motorcycle powerplants. My Suzuki TL1000S was a characterful twin – the rumble of a twin at low RPM, but it also spun to over 9,000 RPM. I like stock exhausts and you didn’t need noisy mufflers for that bike to sound distinctive. 125 hp isn’t much in the bike world but it was still good enough for high 10 second quarter mile times in the hands of pros.”

Nissan QR 2.5-liter inline-four

I’d like to end this episode of According to You on a more thought-provoking note. A Nissan Versa Note, perhaps? Dad jokes aside, consider the workhorse Nissan Altima, a car that is truly the Rodney Dangerfield of the automotive industry. Well, at least one member of the Hagerty Community understands:

Brian: “This may not be common, but I had a 2011 Nissan Altima 2.5L 4 cylinder with over 275,000 miles on it when it got rear ended and totaled. It was still running strong. My first experience with CVT tranny, which also amazingly lasted for 201,000 miles. I did like the smoothness of the ride without the usual shift points. It also had a manual shift gate which actually made it a rather peppy car, considering.”

***

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The post According to you: The best engines you’ve ever experienced appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Despite its name, the Grand National Roadster show is about more than roofless, pre-war metal. This event brings out scores of coupes, convertibles, sedans, wagons, and trucks each year. And to complement the show’s America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award, organizers present the Al Slonaker Memorial Award to a high-end custom vehicle that makes its debut at the Roadster Show in Pomona, California.

This year’s winner is the 1960 Buick Invicta Custom presented by Angie and George Eliacostas of Chicago, Illinois. The lavish bubbletop is a one-year-only design with quad headlights paired up like the jet engines from a B-52 bomber. The build was handled by CAL Auto Creations in Bennington, Nebraska, where the crew spent countless hours expertly tailoring the car’s already impressive lines into a work of art.

We asked George Eliacostas what made him choose a ’60 Invicta. “It’s out of the box, you don’t see it done, and it truly makes a statement,” he told us, pointing out the one-year-only body lines that were factory-original on the Invicta. His Custom, however, features a number of other that make it look like a factory-built concept. The headlight bezels, for instance, are blended into the body; all of the exterior trim is made from copper, too, with far fewer seams than the factory Invicta’s thin stainless trim.

Fans of mid-century iron will be glad to hear that the Buick is powered by a 401-cubic-inch Nailhead, but this one’s special. It has custom valve covers and a custom intake that’s fed by way of a crank-driven centrifugal supercharger. We saw the engine bay at the Grand National Roadster show when the car was presented unfinished and in bare metal back in 2019; a before/after comparison shows the few changes made along the way.

At the rear of the car, the centers of the taillights now serve as the fuel filler and vent. Behind the license plate, where the factory fuel filler would have been, is the trunk release—keeping the trunk lid free of any blemishes. The rear bumper is a clean design that ditches the split factory bumpers in favor of a sleek, single unit.

Underneath the car is a chassis and suspension that’s every bit as worthy of display as the bodywork. “When this thing is on the rack, you can spend hours on the underside and never get tired of looking at it.” Eliacostas told us. After a peek at the reflection of the independent rear suspension’s rear differential, we had to get down on the floor and take a closer look. He wasn’t kidding: the underside is finished with the same exacting detail.

Perhaps our favorite part of the car is its restyled interior, featuring rear seats custom-built to match the front buckets. The seat back trim in all four seats is lit with warm LED lights. The effect is powerful, and it completely looks the part of a factory build. If some rogue Buick designers were looking to take on the Eldorado, this is the interior that they would have cooked up. Starline Hot Rod Interiors in Papillion, Nebraska, shaped the seat foam and upholstered the interior in custom-dyed leather and NOS fabric.

Eliacostas plans on taking the car to Florida where it will serve as a coastal cruiser. He seemed absolutely thrilled that the car was everything he had dreamed it would be. The team at CAL Creations also breathed a sigh of relief now that they didn’t have to keep the long-running build a secret. Of course, now we’re waiting to see what they come up with next.

The post 1960 Buick bubbletop earns high honors at Grand National Roadster Show appeared first on Hagerty Media.

There are normal cars, and there are the ones built by Steve Morris. With over 3000 hp on tap in a stock-bodied 1990s Buick Roadmaster wagon, there has to be some black magic underneath to make the whole thing work. More, even, when you consider how that Buick can click off quarter-mile passes in the six-second range and make it look easy.

Sure, part of it is the pro-mod chassis underneath that factory sheet metal. But the Roadmaster also has some hidden secrets—ones Morris has decided to share.

Morris is best known for engine building, but the more I watch his YouTube channel, the more I want to keep watching. Mostly to see how he approaches some of the problems that come with driving thousands of street miles in the cars that rip off insane dragstrip passes.

The answer that most surprised me? Two rear tires. Well, four, actually. And the Buick wears them all at the same time.

We won’t go so far as to endorse the explosive mounting method shown here. That said, the rest of the process piqued my interest. First, Morris shoved a small tire inside a larger one—he shoved a “liner” tire into a massive drag slick. Then he inflated the inner tire to 50 psi. The outer tire is kept far lower, at just 5 to 6 psi.

The concept is simple. The inner tire acts as a sort of bead lock for the outer one, preventing it from shifting on the wheel and deflating. I’d bet there’s also a bonus benefit in the event of catastrophic failure—if the tire blows and loses all pressure, the rim won’t hit the track. (The change in rolling diameter would definitely cause a lot of problems, but maybe that inner tire would help the driver maintain some control?)

That’s just the tires. The Roadmaster also drives from track to track on public roads. Rather than install an overdrive for this and introduce another failure point, Morris elected to fit an all-terrain tire. That choice had nothing to do with traction and everything to do with diameter. The truck tires he uses on the road are 37.5 inches tall, even taller than those outer drag slicks. That added rolling circumference lengthens the car’s effective final drive ratio, lowering engine rpm in every gear. It’s a simple and easy way to reduce driveline wear.

Tires are obviously critical to a car’s behavior, but it’s always fascinating to learn just how deep down the rubber rabbit hole you can go. Do we all need to think this hard about how our wheels and tires are set up? Probably not. Doesn’t mean it’s not fun to think about, though.

Or to keep in the back of your head as an answer for certain situations. On a personal note, I used this same technique on my 1965 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa. The Chevy’s rear tires are just a little taller than the fronts, making the effective gearing a little longer than it would be with a “square” setup on the same wheels, all four tires the same diameter.

There’s a compromise, of course; the change does affect acceleration, and the car is slightly less quick in a straight line. No matter—it just goes to show how complex problems can have very simple solutions.

The post The tire secrets of a 3000-horse Buick station wagon appeared first on Hagerty Media.

We recently asked about the worst engines you’ve experienced in your lifetime, and you certainly delivered. Perhaps too well, as the responses were overwhelming. How on earth could we cover all the bad engines made over the years? Our solution to this (wonderful) problem was thus: we thinned the herd down to responses that specifically included personal experiences that add a little more value than just the usual re-hashing of the same stories you’ve heard elsewhere.

Let’s get right to it!

The Iron Duke four-cylinder

Charles A Parent said that the worst engine he ever owned was a Pontiac Iron Duke that “constantly ate Throttle Position Sensors and cracked the cast iron exhaust manifold three times.”

While the inclusion of TPS sensors suggests it might be the later TECH IV design, combining that with a four-speed shifter “that was prone to locking, in or out of gear” caused him to Lemon Law the car.

VW Type 412 1.8-liter flat-four

Hagerty Community user lasersailor came in strong with this one:

“I’ve got you all beat. 1679cc flat 4 in my parents 1972 VW411 wagon with a wimpy 3-speed auto transmission. Two fires caused by improper fuel injection repair at the so-called dealer in Florida. The 2nd fire caused near total immolation. Plus it was slower than a Pinto or Vega.”

Toyota 3VZ-E V-6

Hagerty Community member John Nichols gave a very balanced perspective on one of the more desirable and durable engines from Toyota, because sometimes tearing into something can turn into quite a shock:

“I recently got involved with a 1992 Toyota V-6 rebuild. The truck had a blown head gasket, the oil was full of water. Obviously these vehicles have a huge cult following of being amazingly reliable which I’m sure is well deserved.

HOWEVER when things do start to go it will cost you and assembly must be performed like a surgical operation. Parts and pieces and shrouds, crossover exhaust converters not to mention miles of vacuum lines weird little filters and of course the timing belt alignment are all part of the problem, not to mention the famous under the manifold sensor wire.

Ordinarily working on engines can be kind of fun be it a small block or an English roadster, although you have to make little tweaks often and pay attention to detail the reward of a few hours attention is measurable performance improvement.”

Chrysler 2.2-liter four-cylinder

This one might spark some controversy, as Chrysler’s 2.2-liter engine was designed specifically for a new platform and a new automotive reality. That said, Hagerty Community member David likely had an older model, but his experiences are certainly worth a read:

“As I recall memories of the early 80’s K Car with that darn 2.2 liter I feel a tension headache coming on. That engine had more use as a boat anchor, and I remember my poor dad spent more time and dollars repairing shoddy engineering design.

Crazy but true, when I got my licence and started to drive – I took that K Car to town and the engine actually fell out of the car! The front motor mount failed in the middle of an intersection. I guess even the car itself was sick of that engine and tried to spit it out.”

I reckon that A. Raymond had it even worse, but at least the dealership asked him a rather hilarious question:

“I had a Chrysler 2.2 non turbo forced upon me as a young fellow. Driving home from work in rush hour traffic, the engine decided it was time to digest itself. (It had 25,000 miles on it at the time.) The dealership accused me of ‘racing’. I laughed long and hard at the suggestion and told them I wouldn’t be doing too much racing with 88 hp.

After begrudgingly replacing the motor under warranty, I drove it another 3 months before selling it to another unfortunate schmuck. It was the worst thing I have ever had the displeasure of having to drive. I look back now and still laugh at that ‘you must have been racing’ suggestion.”

Oldsmobile Quad 4 four-cylinder

Brian was pretty sick of the Iron Duke in his 1985 Cutlass Calais, noting it was reliable but also “noisy and weak.” So imagine his delight when the Quad 4 made a splash in 1987:

“I was so excited to get one of the first Quad 4s. More power and much quieter. My love affair ended at 67,000 miles when it had a complete meltdown out of warranty. My very last GM car.”

And then we heard from Tom:

“Yes, I had the Quad 4 in a Pontiac Grand Am. Delightful, until the head gasket failed. Dealership near my work (different state from purchase point) tried really hard not to cover the failure but, after showing how much coolant I was adding, did a cheap fix. Probably tore it down to only replace the head gasket because it failed again, just out of warranty.

At that point, I was back where I bought the car, and they repaired it again, but it still didn’t seal. Any time I got in traffic, it would overheat and blow out the coolant. Tried checking the cooling system (radiator, etc.) without finding any issues. Aluminum head must have been significantly warped by that point. Finally sold that car. Too bad as it was fine as long as it was moving.”

Honda CVCC four-cylinder

Dan T Man takes us over to Honda, a brand we don’t usually hear about in this context. But he noted that the “1751 CC engine in the original Honda Accord was known to develop a head gasket leak between the #3 and #4 cylinders every 30,000 miles.” He said that it ran fine otherwise, and learned that “when the engine lost about 50 rpm at idle it was time for another change” of the head gasket.

AJD went further:

“My first brand-new car was a 1977 Honda Civic CVCC. Within 60K miles it had eaten 3 water pumps and blown its head gasket. The head gasket had been recalled but would not be replaced until blown. It really blew up nicely and the engine never ran right again.”

Buick 3.8-liter (Malaise Era) V-6

Don’t take this as a slam on Buick’s tried-and-true, 90-degree, 3.8-liter V-6. Odds are the problems that Dwayne Wertman experienced came from the Malaise Era engineering mounted to its induction and exhaust systems.

“I bought a new 1981 Oldsmobile Cutlass V-6. The engine would ping and rattle just trying to keep up with traffic. Often times it would stall in the intersection. I returned to the dealership on many occasions. It was a really good dealership, [because] after eight months they bought back and all I lost was tax and license.”

eagerdever drives home the point of this being an issue from the 1970s and early 1980s:

“I experienced oiling problems accompanied by valve train noise and the engine light in a 3.8 V-6 in a ’79 Olds Cutlass wagon. I’d stop and let the engine cool down, and then be on my way. The crankshaft finally broke in half. Because it broke on the diagonal, the engine continued to run, though poorly. A co-worker had similar problems with that engine in a Grand Prix, replaced under warranty. Another co-worker lost the engine in his Buick Skyhawk (the Buick version of the Chevy Monza). All three were due to poor oiling.”

Mitsubishi 4G54 four-cylinder with Mazda sprinkles

While the Buick was a victim of engineering mandates of the era, apparently Mazda shot themselves in the foot with a half-baked design made with no third-party intervention!  Check out Arthur Hill’s fascinating tale of deceit:

“In 1988, as my family grew to 4, I needed to trade my Toyota 4X4 Pickup for one of the new ones with actual back seats to hold the two children. Unfortunately Toyota did not produce one until a few years later, but Mazda had a very nice looking B2600 4X4 that had back seats. This truck had the worst engine I ever had to deal with.  I quickly discovered that if you really put your foot into it under a load, the engine would stutter and almost stall. Many trips to the dealer failed to solve this issue.

Finally a mechanic took me aside and admitted that Mazda rushed the truck into production without having an engine big enough, so they used a Mitsubishi 2.6 engine instead, but to make it easier to work on for their service people, they adapted their own accessories including the carburetor. Under load the only way the engine could get enough fuel was to link both barrels together all the time.

Needless to say, Mazda dropped this truck and you never see any on the road. Terrible truck with a terrible engine, but the actual Mitsubishi 2.6 engine was probably fine in their own vehicles.”

Mitsubishi 4G54/Chrysler HEMI 2.6-liter four-cylinder

No, not that Hemi. Or that one. We’re talking about the hemi-headed Mitsubishi 2.6-liter used on the Chrysler K-car and its derivatives. Chris Harshman said that the “worst engine I ever had was a 4-cylinder Mitsubishi engine in my 1982 Dodge 400. I used to joke with my friends that I could accelerate from 0-to-35 in 12 seconds.”

Subaru boxer flat-four/flat-six

BobJ chimed in with one of the more offensive engines in modern history: the head gasket-munching Subaru boxer. But unlike other stories here, he made the same mistake twice.

“Had a 2005 and a 2010. Both blew head gaskets. Out of warranty but I complained and Subaru of America paid for half. Everyone complains about poor head gasket design & construction but I also wonder about open deck block design.”

GM 2.4-liter Ecotec four-cylinder

Hagerty Community member Rob keeps us in a more modern era, with a problem with the Ecotec 2.4-liter mill in his 2010 Chevrolet Equinox.

“Here’s a counterpoint for everyone who marvels at the reliability of modern cars. Launched just after GM’s bankruptcy, I should have known they probably cut corners on validation but couldn’t pass up a nice sized SUV that cracked 30 mpg.

It went through numerous high pressure fuel pumps. The timing chain tensioner went bad. The variable cam timing system went out and timing chain would slap like crazy when you started it. It had a bad heat treat on a pin in the cam shaft. Started burning over a quart of oil every 1000 miles and was rebuilt under warranty just before 50k Powertrain warranty expired. And I never got anywhere near 30 mpg on the highway.”

Ford 1.5-liter Ecoboost four-cylinder

Steve notes that his 2015-vintage, 1.5-liter, Ford EcoBoost engine is “absolute garbage compared to every other engine I’ve had the pleasure (or displeasure) of operating.” His example needed a new long block after 60,000 miles, and this helped him create a visionary notion about the EcoBoost’s promise of power and efficiency in a single engine:

“The reality is that you can’t have it all and ultimately lose out due to the extra complexity and stresses on the engine. I am not sure if the other EcoBoost variants are like this and I don’t care to find out personally.”

Holden Starfire four-cylinder

Mr. Nigel Utting takes us to the Land Down Under, reminding us that “GM Holden came up with an abominable 1.9 liter 4 cylinder named the Starfire.” The lack of power likely made Nigel’s comments far from the minority, with fuel economy numbers there were disappointing to boot:

“Based on a cut down six, this god-awful thing used to have a couple of seconds delay between hitting the accelerator and responding, a bit like downloading revs of the internet with a slow connection.”

Ford Cologne V-6

While Ford of Germany contributed greatly to the automotive landscape in Europe and the USA alike, Patrick Abbott reminds us that the Cologne V-6 wasn’t necessarily one of them. His example “regularly destroyed rocker arm assemblies and main bearings” while Richard Eaton was truly cursed with a lemon:

“I purchased a new, 1990 Ford Ranger with the 2.9-liter V6. Should have seen this coming when the transmission had to be replaced 4x for porous castings, and then both heads cracked under a recall. But then less than 50k miles after those heads they were again cracked sufficiently to turn the oil white in 1000 miles. Never again will I buy Fords.”

The Oldsmobile Diesel V-6

TerryTwoUtes picked up an example of an engine that history hasn’t looked too favorably upon: the Oldsmobile diesel.

“My parents had a ’78 Oldsmobile Delta 88 diesel, the dreaded 350 diesel engine derived from the gasser engine. After about 5–6 blown head gaskets and even one full short block replacement, it was finally traded off. Only good thing was GM trying to save face and all of those repairs were covered under extended warranty.”

Cadillac HT4100 V-8

Speaking of obvious punching bags, Hagerty Community member Coffeyclan reminds us all how low Cadillac went upon the introduction of this “High Technology” motor:

“The worst was Cadillac’s HT4100 engine. Acceleration was at a snail’s pace, the timing chain went bad twice, etc, etc, etc. I sold this car before the warranty ran out!”

Detroit Diesel “Fuel-Squeezer”

The one, the only, the legendary DUB6 threw us a curveball, thanks to his experience driving commercial trucks:

“In the mid-’70s, I drove longhaul truck for a fleet operator that leased their rigs. Most of the trucks had Cat engines and either 13 or 18 speed transmissions. As fuel prices rose during the embargo period, the leasing company offered up a Kenworth needle-nose with Detroit Diesel “Fuel-Squeezer” and 6 speed tranny to test out. Guess who was low enough on the pole to get picked to drive it for what was supposed to be 3 months?

That thing was so gutless – and the gear ratios so far apart – that even on the slightest grade, I was lucky to be able to manage 20 mph, loaded. Empty, it might get to 50 downhill, but then of course, there would be a corresponding upgrade. Fuel squeezing? Hardly. Most of the big Cats were averaging 4.5-5 mpg. This little longnose managed about 6.0 – mostly because the throttle had to be just about wide open all the time just to maintain forward momentum.

Maybe would have been fine for a flat-land operation, but in the mountainous WEST, it was pretty sad. My trips started taking up to twice as long as was projected, and several appointments would be missed every week. After about 8 weeks, the truck went back to Kenworth!”

Toyota 18R-C four-cylinder

Let’s be clear on one thing: This isn’t a slam on all Toyota 18R engines, only the California-spec motor aimed at reducing emissions. Pete notes that the 18R-C was never designed for durability:

“I am a car guy and former auto mechanic. By far the worst designed and engineered engine was a Toyota 18R-C. I have had experience with more than one, and they all burned valves every 15,000 miles even after Toyota did a factory upgrade to “fix” the problem (which it did not). I drove the car for 75,000 miles and did 5 valve jobs before I woke up and sold it for $500, it did have a good clock though.”

Chevrolet 2300 four-cylinder

Of course the 2300 motor would make the list, as there were three negative comments to this effect. It didn’t help that the early Vegas weren’t the most reliable dance partner, and NCB chimed in with a personalized tale of ownership:

“I owned a 1973 Vega GT. Yes, I’m dating myself. First, and worst car I ever owned. Engine overheated due to poor cooling system design which led to scored cylinder walls in the aluminum block. It drank oil! Bad valve stem seals and “rusting away to nothing in 5 years” were icing on the cake. MotorTrend Car of The Year in 1971!”

 

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In a recent episode of Stay Tuned, host Tony Angelo and his friends revived a 1973 Buick Electra that had been parked for ages. The episode shows some of the issues typical with bringing a long-parked car back to life and we spoke with Angelo to get more info on the process, along with plans for the car in the future.

First off, we wanted to know how this unique car came to his attention. “This guy Jose emailed me, and said he had his dad’s car that’s been sitting,” Angelo explained. He told Angelo that he’d been paying to store the car for ages at a local garage and that it didn’t make sense to keep it around if it was just going to languish. He made Angelo an offer he couldn’t refuse, and the rescue mission was on.

Relative to other wrenching sessions he’s been a part of, was this one easier or harder? “Part of it was easier,” Angelo said, noting the garage offered a stable surface and a roof over their heads. However, “there was very limited space,” noted Angelo, and “we couldn’t go in with a trailer, so I guess we had to get it running.” Unfortunately, the garage also told Angelo that they couldn’t work on the car on-site. That led to a bit of a conundrum and, well, some bending of the rules as some quick fixes had to be put in place on-site.

The car had been sitting for so long that the fuel in the tank could hardly still be called gasoline. “We pumped out what we could. It was pretty yellow and gross,” said Angelo. With new fuel in the tank, it quickly became apparent that the carburetor atop the big-block Buick, a Holley double-pumper, was going to need some refreshing. Unfortunately, while the carb was down for a quick clean and some new gaskets, an ignition system inspection led to the number 5 and number 7 plug wires getting swapped. Even with the carb functioning much better after a cleaning and quick rebuild, the new, as-yet-undiagnosed ignition issue was assumed to be carb-related.

With some fresh tires on the big Buick, Angelo headed out of the city by way of the George Washington Bridge. “When I drove it over the GW I could give it about 8-percent throttle,” Angelo admitted, as the big-block V-8 would misfire with two cylinders fighting the smooth operation of the rest of the engine. However, even with only six cylinders, the 455 had no problem cruising once it got out of the city and onto the highway. “It’s got like a 2.70 rear end. It would do 70mph like it was nothing.” Angelo reported.

Once the car was back in Angelo’s garage, the ignition mix-up was discovered and remedied, while a carb swap made sure there was plenty of fuel and air getting into the big V-8, finally allowing it to reach full power. Speaking of big, the massive four-door doesn’t look like something you’d see drifting on a road course, but it more than holds its own. Angelo noted the challenges in hustling such a big car around the track, especially the steering. “Those things are made to have a super light touch,” Angelo said, “it has like 45 turns from lock-to-lock.” That meant that it takes quick hands to keep the Buick drifting, but the payoff is worth it. “It’s so torquey and fun to drive,” he said, “all it wanted to do was burn tires.”

It turns out that even with just a mild performance cam, the Buick’s 455 is a ton of fun, no nitrous needed. Angelo may keep the Electra for a while despite its badly aging paint and some significant rust, although there’s a chance the 455 gets swapped into a lighter Buick that’s more suitable for a drag racer. In the meantime, it’s bench seats and big-block Buick burnouts for Tony Angelo and his new bruiser.

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The various and sundry Buick Estate Wagons that existed between the 1950s and ’90s have always held a special place in my heart. Why, you ask? Well, it’s because they combine two of my favorite things: They’re part of the Broughamtastic cars produced by Detroit way back when. And they’re station wagons.

I love station wagons. I grew up with station wagons. I came home from the hospital in a station wagon. So, when I see any station wagon, I’m struck by nostalgia. True, Mom replaced her last Volvo 740GL wagon with a brand-new Dodge Grand Caravan ES in 1992, but by then I was in junior high. The wagons resonate more in my memory than the minivans.

So you combine Broughamage and “longroofs,” and you have exceedingly compelling Klockau material. And if you’re of a certain age, you will clearly remember Buick Estate Wagons, Custom Cruisers, Country Squires, and Colony Parks. Many of which were adorned with either genuine or Di-Noc wood side panels. But today’s example is wood-grain free!

It’s hard to believe, but this 1964 example was the last year you could get any type of full-size Buick wagon until 1970. Really.

You see1, starting in 965, the big Buick wagon went away (albeit temporarily), and in addition to the ever-present midsize Skylark wagon, there was now a Buick Sport Wagon. Which, while undoubtedly Skylark/Special-based, had a slightly stretched wheelbase and shared the roof-mounted windows of its corporate sibling, the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser. Yes, you could cruise the vistas in a Buick too.

In this fashion, the Buick Sport Wagon became the “big” Buick wagon through 1969. If you wanted a premium GM fullsize wagon from 1965–69, you had to decide between a Caprice Estate and a Pontiac Bonneville or Executive Safari.

Because Olds lost its biggie wagon from 1965–69, as well. In fact, Olds didn’t offer a new fullsize wagon until 1971. But it was worth the wait.

Then in 1970, the fullsize Buick Wagon, in Estate Wagon trim (naturally), finally came back. And it remained in the lineup all the way through the Roadmaster Estate Wagon in 1996.

Which brings us to today’s featured station wagon, which your author went totally crazy for when he saw it. It was just gorgeous and loaded with options, including cornering lamps, roof rack, wire wheel covers, and all sorts of other goodies.

I never got a chance to speak with the owner, but I heard later from local friends that he added pretty much every factory option available when he restored it. Which made this car just dazzling! I’d never before seen a wagon of this vintage with cornering lamps; they were much more common on the flossier Electras and Rivieras.

And while it might be hard to tell in 2022, Buick was seventh in industry sales way back in 1964. Calendar-year production was, believe it or not 482,685 cars. That’s impressive considering average production of marques these days. But it was a different time, in so many ways.

Estate wagons were available in either two-seat or three-seat versions. The two-seat wagon started at $3554 ($34,166 today). It weighed in at 4352 pounds and 6517 were built.

But for those who needed to haul more even more people, the three-seat wagon was available for $3635 ($34,944).  A total of 4003 of those wagons were built for 1964 and were slightly heftier than the two-seat version at 4362 pounds.

Standard equipment was the Buick Wildcat 445 engine, so named due to its torque rating. Combined with the Super Turbine 400 transmission, which produced 325 horsepower at 440 rpm and 445 lb-ft of torque at 2800 rpm, it could haul you to the Grand Canyon or your kids to the local park for baseball practice.

But if you had a cabin cruiser to tow or maybe an Airstream trailer, you could get the optional Wildcat 465 V-8 engine with 425 cubic inches and a four-barrel carb, producing 340 horsepower.

But wait, there’s even more. The top engine option was the Super Wildcat with dual four barrel carbs, and it produced 360 horsepower! As the man said, you’d pass everything but a gas station. But don’t worry, gas was cheap in 1964.

This car was at the Joe Rizza Buick Cadillac car show held in the summer of 2017. It was the first car I really locked onto, wearing that sunny color combnation (Sunburst Yellow and Arctic White, per the 1964 Buick color chart), the bling of the wire wheel covers, and corenering lamps. Awooga!

It was a great show, and I was happy to meet my friend Jonny Valadez there, since he lived in the Chicago area. He brought his ’76 Mercedes 450SL out, and it was neat to see that car too, affectionately named Bobby after one of the characters of one of his favorite shows, Dallas.

We had a great time and took many pictures, but it was sort of bittersweet because it was the last time I saw Jon before he passed away in early 2018. I’m happy to share this Buick Estate Wagon because it brings back good memories of a friend who I’ll always remember.

The post 1964 Buick LeSabre Estate Wagon: Hello, Yellow! appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Ford’s modern GT says a track-only farewell

Intake: Earlier this fall, Ford unveiled what was believed to be the final special edition of the Ford GT to mark the end of the model’s production run. It appears they found one more unlit candle for their celebration cake, however, as the marque just unveiled an 800-horsepower track-only “long tail” variant of the third-generation sports car. Dubbed the Mk IV, this iteration of the GT is an “ultimate send-off” to the third-generation supercar and an homage to the car that won the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans. In reference to that year’s victory, just 67 will be constructed.

Canadian engineers Multimatic will build the beast out of their facility in Markham, Ontario. “Multimatic’s brief was to create the most extreme final version of the Ford GT, and the Mk IV is the outcome,” said Multimatic executive vice president Larry Holt. “A unique larger displacement engine, proper racing gearbox, stretched wheelbase and truly radical body has resulted in an unprecedented level of performance.”Prospective buyers will have to go through a new application process to be considered for a Mk IV. In addition to the paperwork, prospective buyers will need to have $1.7M in their pocket. If you are lucky enough to snag one of the 67 cars, you will know by the first quarter of 2023. Deliveries will take place in late Spring.

Exhaust: Who doesn’t love a special edition that goes beyond cosmetic flair? As the final chapter in GT special editions, the Mk IV homage feels appropriate given that much of Ford’s Le Mans cache is wrapped up the 1967 race. That year, Americans Dan Gurney and AJ Foyt drove to an overall victory in a GT40 Mark IV. Under reworked aero and sporting nine more inches from nose to tail, the racer hardly resembled the trio of GT40s that went 1-2-3 in 1966. The new GT Mark IV is highly-reminiscent of another reworked Le Mans staple. In 2018, Porsche released a similar track-only iteration of its 911 GT2 RS wearing long tail bodywork, building just 77 units. With only 67 of the new Mark IVs available, buyers who make the cut will likely feel like they’ve won Le Mans. — Cameron Neveu

London taxi goes luxe for $120,000

Intake: British self-titled “Automotive Fashion House” Kahn Design has turned its attentions away from Range Rovers, Bentleys, and Lamborghinis to the humble London taxi instead. The newest hybrid TX5 may be the most sophisticated black cab ever built, but, designed as it is for public transit, it’s not exactly luxurious to ride in. Afzal Kahn and his team has changed that, transforming the exterior and interior into something that could (almost) rival Rolls-Royce. The starlight headliner certainly takes inspiration from Rolls, while there’s a bit of Maybach in the new front grille, and some Bugatti in the seat design. Passengers also benefit from wireless phone charging, ambient lighting, chrome cupholders, wood veneer, and assorted USB charging points. The Kahn cab is available in left-hand drive for export, as well as Britain’s native right-hand layout with prices starting at £99,000 ($121,220).

Exhaust: Black cabs are the ideal urban vehicle, with an incredibly tight turning circle of just 25 feet and, since they’re now hybrid powered, the ability to run in emissions-free mode as well. London Taxis have long been the choice of celebrities wishing to travel without attracting attention, and can count Prince Phillip, Sir Laurence Olivier, Kate Moss, and even Arnold Schwarzenegger as past owners. This Kahn edition might not be quite as stealthy, however. — Nik Berg

Buick Electra EV Crossover greenlit for production

Intake: Earlier this year Buick teased the Electra-X concept crossover in China, and suggested that EV-motivated Buicks will fall under the “Electra” sub-brand going forward. According to GM Authority, that concept has been greenlit into production with a new name: Electra E4. Sources claim the E4 will look very much like the Electra-X concept, and that it will utilize GM’s BEV3 platform and Ultium EV hardware.

Exhaust: Odds are, GM Authority is right when they suggest little will change when the Electra-X turns into the production Electra E4. The formula for masking a production vehicle as an eye-catching concept car is nearly universal: lower the stance, increase the wheel size, shrink (or delete) the side mirrors, thin the roof pillars (concepts don’t need to pass rollover tests!), reduce the bumper’s footprint, and simplify the headlight design to merely hint at what will actually, legally make production. No matter; as far as CUVs go, the Electra E4 will most certainly be a looker in its market segment. — Sajeev Mehta

A solar-powered car for $6250? Well, sort of

Intake: A new product from a Dutch company called the Squad solar city car—one of those LSV, or low speed vehicles—may be ideal in dense urban areas and especially in sunny retirement communities. Set to go no more than 25 mph, the golf-cart-like LSVs can easily carry you a few blocks to the grocery store or to the community center. A story in Ars Technica details the Squad, a handsome little city car with 250-watt solar panels for a roof that, in a sunny climate such as Florida or Arizona, may mean you never have to charge the batteries. The company, Squad Mobility, plans to sell the Squad in the U.S. come 2024. Designed by a couple of former Lightyear employees, the Squad uses a pair of 2-kW motors, one powering each rear wheel. Squad claims that on a sunny day in the Netherlands, the solar power adds 13.6 miles to the range, and in a sunny clime like Las Vegas, could add up to 19.2 miles. Fully charged by a 110-volt outlet, the total range in 60 miles. “We are seeing a tremendous interest from the USA, specifically for markets such as sharing platforms, gated communities, campuses, (seaside) resorts, tourism, company terrains, hotels and resorts, amusement parks, and inner city services,” said Robert Hoevers, one of Squad’s co-founders. Their web site is squadmobility.com.

Exhaust: Could be a big hit in the right market like The Villages in Florida. – Steven Cole Smith

Tesla investors and analysts to Musk: Keep your eye on the ball

Intake: These are tense times at Tesla: The Gigafactory in Austin is running behind, the Cybertruck is ways behind schedule, there are problems in China, and competition is such that Tesla is offering a $3750 discount on a car. And what is Tesla founder Elon Musk doing? He’s busy tweaking his new acquisition of Twitter. Analysts and investors aren’t amused. A story in Automotive News titled “Elon Musk’s Twitter antics tarnish Tesla, analysts say,” comes down hard on Musk. “This is creating real damage for the Tesla brand,” analyst Mario Natarelli told Automotive News. “When I see people commenting that they are no longer considering a Tesla car or are embarrassed to drive it, I think that’s reaching the point of significant equity damage for the brand.” Just as forceful is a story in Bloomberg titled, “Tesla Investors Have a Message for Musk: Stop Wasting Time on Twitter.”

Exhaust: The ball’s in your court, Elon, but your people have spoken. — SCS

This might be the last unrestored Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet in existence—and it’s for sale

Intake: A 1962 Ferrari 250 GT Series II Pininfarina Cabriolet that languished in a New York garage for decades is for sale for $1.275 million. The seller, Gullwing Motors, says the car “may be the last unrestored example left on earth” and “proudly displays an abundance of patina.” Wearing chassis number 3051, it is the 152nd of 200 examples built and was first registered in Italy. It was exported to New York in 1971 where it has stayed ever since. The V-12 engine of this numbers-matching Ferrari is said to start and run, and the car is original in every aspect aside from the paint. It was originally delivered in Blu Scuro to contrast with the Rosso leather interior. A full spare set of Borrani wheels and re-chromed bumpers comes are included in the sale, along with a mostly-complete toolkit and the original documentation.

Exhaust: This looks like quite a big ask. Gullwing Motors describes the car as “ready for a straightforward and well-deserved restoration,” but that will still add several hundred grand to the asking price and a #2 Excellent condition car could be purchased for the same money, according to the Hagerty Valuation Tools. Still, there’s nobility in a restoration, so we hope this one’s next owner considers giving this drop-top a new lease on life. — NB

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On a weekday evening at 4905 Hollywood Boulevard, around eight or nine at night, the light might be on at Hollywood Motors, a trashcan propping the door open. Passing by, Ernie Nagamatsu would recognize the invitation and stop in for coffee. Max Balchowsky started his day around two in the afternoon, often working long into the night; by nine or so, he was ready for a break and a chat.

So there they sat, the freshly graduated student and the wily old hot-rodder. Sharing stories of racing past and present.

“Max really opened this world to me,” Nagamatsu says. “Now it’s about what I call designated responsibility. I want to take care of this car—a custodian carrying on its racing legacy.”

That car is the unlikeliest and most heroic of mutts: Old Yeller II. Ugly, scrappy, brutal, and smarter than you think, this mishmash of fiberglass and Buick V-8 has been racing almost continuously since 1959. It still campaigns around the world, Nagamatsu at the wheel, everywhere from Goodwood to Australia. This winter, Old Yeller II will be wrassling with the rest of the pack in Australia, at the Sydney Motorsports Park historic races.

Nagamatsu says the Aussies cheer for the car just as much as the Americans. It’s not hard to see why: In the late 1950s and early 1960s, at a time when pedigreed European marques ruled sports-car racing, a homebuilt special outran the world’s best while wearing whitewall tires and belching Detroit V-8 thunder. The Balchowskys never even owned a trailer, so Old Yeller II would just drive to a track, smoke everybody, then drive home again.

This was the second. There was an Old Yeller I, of course, the first, but also a III, a IV, a V, on up to IX, from 1955 to 1963, each car clearly related to the other, but each also different from the last. For a number of reasons—not least Nagamatsu’s efforts in vintage racing—Yeller II is the one everyone remembers. It is also the one where the world’s best drivers famously begged for a chance behind the wheel. In 1960 alone, its second year of competition, Old Yeller II was piloted by Carroll Shelby, Dan Gurney, Bob Bondurant, and sports-car racing specialist Billy Krause.

If you believe the lore, the way that torque-rich Buick nailhead got up and ran away from the Maseratis and Scarabs at Elkhart Lake gave Shelby inspiration for what would become the Cobra.

Even as he gained the respect of the giants of the golden age of hot-rodding, Balchowsky kept his cards close to his chest. By the time Yeller II came around, Max and his wife Ina had been swapping engines and tuning racing specials for a decade. Max’s name had never even been on the business. Ina handled invoices but was also a welder and a fabricator. At the races, she was chief mechanic.

They had met in the 1940s, after Max had moved out west, after his service in World War II. Max seems to have been one of those rare natural mechanical intelligences. He had been a belly-gunner on a B-24 Liberator, one of the most dangerous crew positions on that enormous, four-engined bomber. In the war, he had gained a reputation for being able to patch up mechanicals, to keep things going. Ina was a fellow spirit whose father was in the auto-repair business, and the pair began building and servicing cars soon after they met. Racing success came with the couple’s Bu-Ford special, a 1932 Ford Deuce coupe powered by a Buick V-8. The recipe would become a Balchowsky trademark.

“In those days, the race courses were on airports,” Nagamatsu says. “So it was basically a drag race between corners. The Buick [engine] had so much torque in any gear.”

Buick V-8s had the added advantage of being much cheaper than the more widely loved small-block Chevy—Balchowsky often bragged that he could get a Buick from a junkyard for less than half the cost of a Chevy. Along the same lines, much was made of Old Yeller II’s reputation as a junkyard dog. Balchowsky famously raced on recalled tires originally meant for a Chevrolet station wagon, and originally recalled for wearing out too fast. He knew the softer compound meant better grip.

Stories like this gave Old Yeller II a reputation as the ultimate underdog. The plug-ugly aluminum bodywork, the rear panel hammered out of recycled Coke and Pepsi signs, just underlined things. The sum effect was a sort of inverse of Carroll Shelby’s infamous showmanship. Max was more careful than he let on. He stockpiled junkyard parts but used a flow bench to tune and select intake manifolds. He tested tires with a durometer, and he built in extra cooling for longevity by gifting Yeller II the radiator from of a Studebaker. There was also some extra chassis bracing for driver safety, and even a forward-thinking crumple zone up front. Old Yeller II was a mutt, but a smart one.

The crowds roared their approval. Old Yeller II diced it up with Jaguar D-Types, Ferrari Testarossas, and Maserati Birdcages. It wasn’t just that the car was built of Detroit parts—it represented the entire American can-do spirit. Painted with leftover paint in a whitish yellow originally formulated for Ford pickups, it could hang with the world’s best and often beat them. It was a people’s hero.

Yeller II raced into the 1970s, but by that time, the Balchowskys had turned their focus elsewhere. Max was a stunt driver on three Elvis movies, and he kept “Herbie” the Volkswagen Beetle running properly in Disney’s comedy-road-racing hit The Love Bug. Balchowsky also handled the Dodge Challengers in Vanishing Point, and most famously, he set up the Ford Mustang and Challenger for the chase scene in Bullitt.

A friend introduced Nagamatsu to the Balchowskys when Max was in his fifties. At the time, Nagamatsu was living in an apartment just a few blocks from Hollywood Motors. The apartment had almost no furniture because the first thing Nagamatsu did after graduating from dental school was take out a loan on a $5500 Mercedes 300 SL coupe. To the chagrin of his parents, he owned a Gullwing and one chair. Max and Ernie hit it off.

As the years went by, Balchowsky began to pass on those stories, but also mementos of his racing years. After starting out in Formula Fords, Nagamatsu began vintage-racing a 289 Cobra that Max helped him find and purchase. From time to time, the Nagamatsus would have the Balchowskys over for dinner. After Ina passed away from cancer, Max was often a guest for Thanksgiving.

Max Balchowsky died in 1998, but not before knowing that his most famous creation had gone to the best home possible. Old Yeller II was wrecked in the mid-1970s, then rescued and restored by Oklahoma’s Dave Gibb, who took the car vintage racing. Gibb offered it for sale, and was close to making a deal several times; still, he held out for Nagamatsu, for final refusal.

“He knew it was a bit like dog ownership,” Nagamatsu laughs. “He said, ‘Your yard is the best for this dog, instead of an apartment.’”

So, instead of being shut up in a museum, Old Yeller II gets to run. The Nagamatsus have painstakingly brought the car back to its 1959 trim, and they delight in sharing it with crowds. Elaine Nagamatsu knew Max outside of the car world, and she’s the first to suggest heading back to the car, to chat with the fans. Ernie notes that Old Yeller II is a proper people’s car. Folks like to come up and touch it.

The shop at 4905 Hollywood Boulevard is long gone, but Ernie and Elaine have kept the Balchowskys’ legacy alive. Old Yeller II is still out there, still being cheered on, a piece of American racing heritage. Hollywood Motors is a part of the past now, but the light, that invite to stop in, glows on.

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GT-R successor will be a Nismo hybrid

Intake: It’s still a few years away, but the Nissan GT-R will be replaced by a hybrid sports car from Nismo, according to a report from the U.K.’s Autocar. Nismo CEO Takao Katagiri told the publication, “We are going to introduce a very exciting model under the Nismo brand.” Autocar predicts that the new model will be a hybrid, with Katagari adding that a “combination” of hybrid and battery-electric models will be on the agenda. Autocar says Katagari “hinted it will arrive this decade” and that, following a launch in Japan, the new sports car would come to Europe and the U.S.

Exhaust: It’s good news for Nismo fans the world over, but especially in Europe where the Z coupé is out of reach due to emissions regulations. A plug-in hybrid sports car would comply with Euro rules, and bring some much-missed JDM performance back to the continent. —Nik Berg

Manual transmission back in Challenger Hellcat in 2023

Intake: They must have a little extra time over at Car and Driver, and good for them if they do, because someone stumbled across an item buried deep in Dodge’s 2023 press information that said this: “Tremec six-speed manual transmission standard on the R/T, R/T Scat Pack and SRT Hellcat models.” The six-speed used to be available on the Challenger Hellcat, but disappeared — we told you about it back in March. They said then, “a Stellantis spokesperson noted that the move is only temporary; SRT is apparently working on a revised powertrain calibration to help the 6.2-liter, 717-horse V-8 jive with the six-speed Tremec box, but there at present is no firm date for when that revision will arrive.” Apparently, everything is all calibrated up now.

Exhaust: You have to give Dodge credit: They’re doing all they can to make the last year of the Challenger and Charger special. This may well be the last time you have a chance to get a manual on a high-performance Mopar before they go all electric on us. —Steven Cole Smith

Electrified E-Types, Defenders, 911s, and Stags to be built in the U.S.

Intake: British company Electrogenic has announced partnerships with two American specialists to add its amps to four classic cars. Using Electrogenic’s plug-in kits Vermont-based TATC will convert Land Rover Defenders, Jaguar E-Types, and Triumph Stags to run on electricity, and in Dallas, Texas Xerbera will install Electrogenic’s powertrains in the Defender, E-Type and Porsche 911. The Electrogenic conversions have been designed to be reversible, with no changes required to the cars’ hard points or drilling required.  Electrogenic co-founder Steve Drummond says, “We’ve been inundated with inquiries from North America since we first revealed the kits, which convert automotive icons to sophisticated EV power, so we’re delighted to have such fantastic partners serving customers across the pond.”

Exhaust: The electrification of classic cars is gathering momentum on both sides of the Atlantic. Electrogenic has joined Everrati in transferring its technology to the U.S.A. and adding to the ranks of American classic EVangelists. Those promoting the switch will say that it’s a way of future-proofing beautiful cars of the past, making them easier to operate and potentially more reliable, but those opposed will mourn the loss of character and driving fun, as the sounds and smells of internal combustion are banished. Where do you stand? —NB

Yes, we know it isn’t a car …

Intake: … but it’s being sold at a car auction — Mecum’s massive, 4000-cars-and-a-plane auction in January in Kissimmee, Florida— so we figure it’s fair game. Mecum is auctioning off one of Elvis Presley’s personal jets, a 1962 Lockheed 1329 JetStar, billed as the only jet Elvis owned that is available to the public. Mecum says in the spring of 1977, the jet was sold, later ending up with a Saudi Arabian company. The JetStar was then moved to Roswell International Air Center in Roswell, New Mexico, where it’s been stored in the desert “for decades,” and looks it. ‘The aircraft will require disassembly to be shipped, and coordinating assistance is available. While the [four] jet engines and many cockpit components have been removed and no engines or replacement parts will be included with the sale of Elvis’ jet, it serves as an incredible restoration opportunity and a chance to create a unique Elvis exhibit for all the world to enjoy.”

Exhaust: These Lockheeds, which catered to multiple celebrities during their long life, including shuttling President Lyndon Johnson, were fine airplanes, but this one is in a serious state of disrepair. That said, the red velvet (of course) interior is in pretty good shape, and, as Mecum says, there’s a “television, RCA VCR player and audio cassette player, and headphone ports with audio controls are located at every seat. A galley contains storage and a meal-prep area complete with a Kenmore microwave.” Elvis paid $840,000 for the plane in 1976; it has been on the market recently for about half that with no takers. It’ll be interesting to see who bids on it, and why. —SCS

Buick sending the Envista to the U.S.

Intake: Whether intentional or a slip of the lip, General Motors President Mark Reuss told a group of investors that the Envista, a small SUV currently being built in China, was U.S.-bound. “Beautiful vehicle, getting ready for the U.S. here, as well,” Reuss told investors in New York. “Just a beautiful addition to the Buick lineup.” According to Automotive News, the Envista is expected here in 2023, as a ’24 model. With Buick’s pledge to be all-electric by the end of the decade, this may be the last gas-powered new Buick. “Much like Chevy has done with the next-gen Trax, Buick is expected to follow with a new, more exciting formula for an indirect replacement for Encore, which is believed to be Envista,”  Paul Waatti, manager of industry analysis for AutoPacific, told the publication. The Chinese Envista is powered by a 1.5-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder.

Exhaust: The Envista has been on sale since August. GM said that the Envista was “tailored for the progressive young generation and modern families in China.” Goodness knows Buick can use more of those customers here. —SCS

Are NASCAR teams planning to hold their own races without NASCAR?

Intake: A story in the Sports Business Journal, confirmed by at least one team owner, says that the Race Team Alliance, which includes all 36 NASCAR Cup teams that have a charter (worth about $25-$30 million a team), have hired an outside consultant to look into holding “exhibition” races they’d run themselves, outside NASCAR, “a potentially stunning development that suggests that NASCAR’s biggest teams could organize their own events in the offseason.” Teams are “interested in this because they are struggling to turn a profit and are looking to find any possible new revenue streams, sources said. The events would likely occur in the offseason and apparently would not involve NASCAR.” The key would be finding venues and a TV package. While the story says the races would happen during the offseason, which we’re in now, it seems they could also be held mid-week during the regular season.

Exhaust: It’s hard to imagine NASCAR would be willing to go along with this, as it would dilute its product. It’s possible this is a negotiating tactic by the RTA, hoping to get a bigger share of the TV money from the new media rights deal for broadcast rights which starts in 2025. —SCS

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It seems like some sort of escapee from the “crazy engine swaps” corner of YouTube, yet this Mini Cooper—with a Buick V-8 mounted in its trunk driving the front wheels—was considered a serious racing contender in the ’60s, at the height of Mini mania.

But when things didn’t go to plan, the wild Mini’s days of tire-shredding came to an end and it was effectively abandoned in a lockup for three decades.

Now the son of one of the creators of the Cooper-Buick Mini has tracked it down and taken on custodianship of the outlandish machine. Hagerty caught up with the story of the most unruly of Minis …

Brian Redman: “It’s dreadful!”

Having tested the Cooper-Buick at Aintree, sports-car racing legend Brian Redman described the handling as “dreadful.” He may have had a point. Later, on its first road run, it veered left unexpectedly on a gear change, crossing the road, demolishing a bus shelter, and ending up in a garden.

At the wheel this time was the late Harry Ratcliffe, a big name in Mini circles, who was rarely photographed without a pipe in his hand. There’s no word on whether he was smoking at the time of the incident, but he probably required a stiff drink after the event. Some would surely argue that, before considering a drive in a Mini with a 3.5-liter Buick V-8 in the back, you’d need to be under the influence of something.

It was one of the craziest creations to emerge from the Mini’s craziest era. “Possibly the quickest Mini in the world” is how Autosport’s Allan Staniforth described the Cooper-Buick in 1964, pointing to the engine’s 153 hp at 4400 rpm and the fact that the first runs around Oulton Park (a 2.7-mile track in Cheshire, England) were “easily accomplished in top gear.” Changing gear was risky in the mega-Mini, although at least there were no bus shelters lining the track at Oulton.

Ratcliffe, who built the car with long-time friend and business associate Jeff Goodliff, once described driving the car at speed as “like trying to throw a sledgehammer shaft-first.” The precise quote has been lost in the sands of time—Ratcliffe and Goodliff passed away in 2016—but it’s a wonderful description of a Mini with a huge slice of Detroit iron in the trunk.

On the plus side, the Buick V-8, supplied by Redman for £100, was lighter and more entertaining than a pair of back-seat passengers, with weight distribution tackled by the six-gallon fuel tank, radiator, battery, and final drive unit at the front. Redman also supplied the Jaguar E-Type four-speed gearbox and differential that completed the driveline.

Visually, it differed little from other, 1071cc Cooper S cars, with wider arches to house the 13-inch wheels at the front, some venting and a slight bulge in the boot lid, along with twin exhausts, wonderfully described by Autosport as “twin megaphones.”

Why the Cooper-Buick Mini was built

It would be easy to dismiss the car as a folly, little more than a publicity stunt for BRT Developments and the sponsors Vitafoam Ltd. It was anything but. Ratcliffe and Goodliff saw it as a way to exploit a change in regulations, a shift that essentially released the shackles for Britain’s race teams. Saloon-car racing’s equivalent of Group B, if you like, with the same short-lived window of opportunity. By the time the Cooper-Buick was ready to race, the regulations had changed again.

But not before the car had secured a chapter in the history of mad Minis. Following its first outing at Oulton Park, the Cooper-Buick raced at Mallory Park on Boxing Day 1964 and later at Silverstone and Castle Combe. Ratcliffe described it as “the best and worst thing” that he ever did, pointing to the publicity it generated as one of the positives.

“It was front-wheel drive, which is why it oversteered so nicely because all the weight was in the back,” he said. “In a race you had a chance of being well up the field because nobody could get past, due to the car skating about all over the place.”

That, combined with the smoke—from the tires, not Ratcliffe’s pipe—would have made it a formidable obstacle for fellow racers. “By the time the season opens I think we shall have sorted out the roadholding,” said an optimistic Ratcliffe in 1964. “I hope it will prove some real opposition in saloon car events.”

It wasn’t to be. The Cooper-Buick was too much of an animal to be driven in anger, such was the car’s notoriety for lift-off oversteer. A standard Cooper S could lap a circuit in a faster time, albeit without the tire smoke and soundtrack. Theater and a fast lap time rarely go together, so following the participation in a few hillclimb events, the car was retired.

For three decades, the car lived under the railway arches in London. Its retirement history is sketchy, but Gerry Marshall reportedly owned the car for a decade before it ended up in Wales. It was from here that it was extracted by JD Classics, who listed it as a “period British competition car.”

Keeping it in the family

A little research shows that the car was first advertised for sale in 2014 and purchased by former racer Jonathan Buncombe, who was keen to preserve the legacy of one of the most famous modified Minis of the 1960s. Today, after a faithful restoration by Buncombe and Richard Walters of Nippycars, the Cooper-Buick is almost complete.

It’s also in the hands of a new owner, Simon Goodliff, the son of the car’s creator, who is understandably emotional about the purchase. He told us: “My aspiration was to collect the cars my father and Harry raced in period. I’ve got the Morris Minor [PDK 495] that Harry originally raced and there are others still out there.

“I never joined the dots that there could be an opportunity for me to own this car. Jonathan found creative ways for me to own it, having realized that he is of an age that means he won’t be doing anything with it. He felt strongly that it should return to the family and wants me to actively campaign it.”

Goodliff says he is indebted to Buncombe’s generosity, saying: “He’s a gentleman who wants to preserve its legacy. He outbid other potential buyers who were keen to return it to factory spec.”

The Cooper-Buick began life as Reverend Rupert Jones’ Fiesta Yellow 1071 Cooper S, before morphing into multiple Vita D cars. Prior to the V-8 conversion, the car raced at the 1964 Targa Florio, with Motor Sport reporting that “the Mini of Rupert Jones and Harry Ratcliffe had a front wheel fall off, so that the car skated along its suspension and damaged itself.” Skating wasn’t the preserve of the V8 Mini …

Photos from when it was for sale at JD Classics show a car in remarkably good condition. Goodliff says: “For reliability and other reasons, the car now features a 4.5-liter V-8, but the rest is original. Very little of the sheetmetal was rotten—the running gear and chassis components are all original.

“It’s got new front 13-inch front wheels because the original Minilites were missing. Right now, it’s producing 345 hp, but we won’t be using all of it!”

One thing it must do is go in a straight line, which could be easier said than done. “It has so much torque, not helped by the unequal length driveshafts. I reckon it needs a month of fettling before it’s ready for racing. The plan is to campaign it at Shelsley Walsh and Harewood, and I’d love to get it to next year’s [Goodwood] Festival of Speed to celebrate the lives of Harry and Jeff. I’ll have a giggle with it.”

Goodliff collected the car from Somerset, before trailering it home via Oulton Park for some authentic photos. Of all the cars his father raced, he describes the Cooper-Buick as “the most nuts,” labeling the soundtrack as “obnoxious.” The plan is to register it for the road, although bus shelters will be given a wide berth.

“My utopia is to own PDK 495, the Buick, and the British Vita Racing Minisprint,” he says. The Vita-Min is one of the most famous Minis of the era, boasting 177 bhp at the flywheel and 118 hp at the wheels. It dominated the 1969 BARC Castrol Hillclimb Championship, with Jeff Goodliff winning every round. Goodliff was a three-time winner, having won in 1968 in a different Mini, and again in 1970, this time in a Lotus Elan.

The Vita-Min lives in France but returned to the U.K. in 2013 for the Cooper S 50th anniversary celebrations at Shelsley Walsh. Convincing the French owner to part with the car might be difficult, but Simon Goodliff intends to create a copy of Rupert Jones’ Targa Florio car—after enjoying life with the V-8 monster.

One thing’s for sure, the car is in safe hands. We’re looking forward to seeing it at an event or two in 2023. Spectators should form an orderly queue, though perhaps not at a bus shelter …

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it.

Via Hagerty UK

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Comedian and actor Kevin Hart has proven once again that he has great taste in cars. Several of his previous Mopar restomods have garnered magazine features and drawn the eyes of the muscle car world. His latest build, revealed at the 2022 SEMA show, is finished to the same high quality as his previous builds but this one is a bit more restrained, fitting the source material, a 1987 Buick Grand National.

Hart once again tapped Salvaggio Designs for the total transformation of this build, as his relationship with company owner Dave Salvaggio goes back several years and involves several cars. Hart already had a limited-production 1987 GNX in his collection, so he wanted this sinister Buick to be even more subdued—all of the added performance under wraps and all of the rubber tucked in under factory-looking fenders. (No GNX-style flares allowed!)

The team at Salvaggio Design was, however, permitted to flex its muscle a bit on the front bumper; the subtle details of the Sean Smith rendering were turned into full-size 3D-printed versions that were then used by Brothers Composites to create the actual part in carbon fiber. Most of the carbon fiber is hidden under the black paint, but if you look carefully you’ll spot the hood blister, mirrors, and rear spoiler all show off the composite weave.

If you’ve seen any of Hart’s other builds, you’ll notice that they always bear a name and an associated theme. Going with the Grand National’s blacked-out exterior, Hart dubbed this project “Dark Knight” in honor of the famous caped crusader. Rather than any overt callouts to Batman lore, the car uses a grey and blue interior that evoke his costume, while several bronze accents are nods to the myriad gadgets on his utility belt. The interior redesign was conceived by Salvaggio Design and Sean Smith to match the subtle exterior mods. Gabe’s Custom Interiors upholstered the seats in dark blue and grey leather with contrasting bronze stitching and also built new door skins with carbon-fiber inlays.

Like his brutal Mopars, this Buick got a serious dose of modern horsepower. While a late-model Hemi is a great choice for a classic Plymouth, the logical choice to replace the Grand National’s pushrod 3.8-liter turbocharged V-6 was the LF4 3.6-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine from the Cadillac ATS-V.

Mario Abascal from Gearhead Fabrications was enlisted to swap the direct-injected V-6 and eight-speed automatic into the Buick G-body.  “It was the obvious choice for what Buick might have installed if the Grand National GNX were around today!” said Abascal.

Of course, just because it was the right choice didn’t mean it was the easy choice. Abascal found a donor ATS-V powertrain with all of its associated computers and wiring and went through the lengthy process of chasing wires to determine which parts were needed and which parts could be omitted. After shedding all the unnecessary wiring and extending the new harness to mount the powertrain control module out of sight, Abascal plumbed in a single 67mm Boost Labs BL67R ball-bearing turbo with a billet compressor wheel, ditching the Cadillac’s twin-turbo system for a more Grand-National-appropriate single turbo mounted prominently up front. Just look at the engine bay: it absolutely looks like that engine belongs there.

Of course, both Hart and Abascal were also concerned with performance, so you’ll be glad to hear that the LF4, which was originally rated for 464 hp at the crankshaft, was dyno-tuned to produce 650 hp at the rear wheels while feeding on 103-octane fuel.

Salvaggio Design built a custom chassis for the G-body to handle all of its newfound power. The front suspension uses a Detroit Speed X-Gen 595 subframe, while the rear uses a Detroit Speed four-link and Panhard bar that can handle the additional stress of the new powerplant. There is also plenty of rubber to get the power to the ground thanks to 325/30R19 Toyo Proxes R888R tires mounted to 19×11-inch HRE 501 wheels. Up front, 19×9-inch wheels use 265/30 rubber. While the front wheels and tires are a bit smaller, they get the big end of the brake package with Brembo GT six-piston calipers.

Even with the added challenge of a difficult engine swap, this Grand National can easily stand as one of the top Grand National restomods we’ve ever seen. The LF4 engine may be hard to come by, but we bet that Hart’s latest build has plenty of turbo V-6 fans greedily eying their local salvage yard.

This Dark Knight will surely be an inspiration for others.

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Kevin Hart’s Caddy-swapped Grand National goes Gotham

Intake: Kevin Hart has been known to keep a wild hot rod or two kicking around his collection. The movie star/ comedian is a huge car guy, and his newest project, dubbed “the Dark Knight” is a restrained retro-modern take on one of our favorite muscle cars: a 1987 Buick Regal Grand National. Magnaflow, HRE, and a few other companies collaborated with Hart to make the Dark Knight a reality. There’s a bespoke Magnaflow exhaust system, a new carbon fiber hood and splitter, and a custom front fascia to tweak the Grand National’s visual presence in all the right ways. Blessedly, some of the best ’80s traits of this car, like the T-Top, remain.Hart and the builders decided to replace the 3.8-liter single-turbo V-6 with a 3.6-liter V-6 from the Cadillac V-Series. (Although it’s hard to tell, it looks like they retained the single-turbo set-up instead of going with the Caddy engine’s twin-turbo arrangement.) The whole business rides slightly lower and on a new set of HRE wheels that mimic the basket-weave shoes worn on the original Grand National. The Dark Knight and a few of Hart’s other builds will be at the Magnaflow booth at SEMA through Friday.

Exhaust: We love Hart’s passion for American muscle—and his interest in exploring creative, modern adaptations of the segment’s most beloved cars. Whether it’s his ’69 Roadrunner custom, his 1000-hp Charger, or past machines like this ’77 Ford Bronco restomod, the superstar sets an example of genuine enthusiasm—and great taste. — Nathan Petroelje

Legendary Ferrari engineer Mauro Forghieri dies at 87

Legends last forever.
Remembering Mauro Forghieri. 1935 – 2022. 
 
It’s been an honour making history together. Ferrari and the world of motorsport will never forget you.
 #essereFerrari @FerrariRaces @Ferrari pic.twitter.com/5CcWju2dPI

— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) November 2, 2022

Intake: Mauro Forghieri, the Italian engineer best known for his work with Ferrari in the 1960s and ‘70s, died Wednesday. Forghieri was 27 when asked by Enzo Ferrari to take over the technical side of the team in 1961 after joining as an apprentice from the University of Bologna with a degree in mechanical engineering, said Reuters. “Legends last forever…It’s been an honor making history together. Ferrari and the world of motorsport will never forget you,” the Ferrari team tweeted. He moved to Lamborghini in 1987 to work on that company’s F1 program before opening his own company.

Exhaust: John Surtees (1964), Niki Lauda (1975, 1977) and Jody Scheckter (1979) all won championships under Forghieri and Ferrari. He made many contributions to the sport, including introducing the first designed rear wing to Formula 1 at the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix, as well as developing the first successful transverse-mounted gearbox. He was 87. — SCS

Bentley Bentayga Odyssean Edition claims eco creds

Intake: Bentley has wheeled out what it claims to be the most sustainable example of its behemoth Bentayga SUV. The Odyssean Edition, of which just 70 will be produced, is based on the Bentayga Hybrid and combines a 3-liter V-6 with an 18 kWh battery, and a 100 kW motor for a combined output of 426 hp and the ability to travel around 28 miles on electricity alone. That’s old news now, however, so what makes the Odyssean Edition different is an interior that’s a little kinder to the planet. Open pore Koa wood veneer on the center console uses 90 percent less lacquer than other high-gloss woods, and woolen tweed panels are used extensively. Bentley says its leather is sustainable and natural, which is a good job as there’s lashings of it. A palette of six different specifications are offered, or buyers can go full custom from Bentley’s bespoke options list.

Exhaust: A bit less lacquer and a few natural fibers isn’t going to save the planet—especially when applied to just 70 cars. Really this is just some stopgap virtue signalling until Bentley’s electric in 2025.—Nik Berg

2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona will feature completely maxed-out field

Intake: Officials for IMSA, the sanctioning body for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, have been working hard to find room in the race for all the teams that want to compete. The 2023 race, the opening event for IMSA’s season, may have to turn cars away. “It’s a nice problem to have, frankly,” IMSA President John Doonan said. One of the limiting issues is the number of pit stalls that can be carved out of the space available on pit road. The 2022 race had 61 entries, which very nearly maxed out the room. “We’ve seen a tremendous amount of momentum for the sport—for IMSA and all the fans of IMSA—and I think 2023 is not going to be any different,” Doonan said. “Even compared to a year ago at this time, we’ve had another lift in interest from competitors wanting to run the Rolex 24 and the WeatherTech Championship season as a whole. New cars aside, it’s a really special time for the sport.”

Exhaust: The new cars Doonan is referring to is the hybrid-powered GTP class, which is debuting at Daytona. The GTP class is made of prototypes—which are cars that are designed from the ground up, as opposed to GT cars that start out as production models—that are replacing the DPi prototypes that are now relegated to historic racing. Acura, BMW, Cadillac, and Porsche are expected to field two factory-backed cars each in GTP at Daytona, with the probability of an additional entry from one of those manufacturers, most likely Porsche. The race is set for January 28–29. – Steven Cole Smith

Friends reunited: Lotus and Fittipaldi are back on track

Intake: Five decades after Emerson Fittipaldi claimed the Formula 1 World Championship, the blisteringly-fast Brazilian was back at Lotus driving the future. Fittipaldi was reunited with a Type 72, just like the one he raced to five victories in 1972 before unveiling the Evija Fittipaldi electric hypercar, which has been named in honor of the title he won 50 years ago. “The Lotus 72 would be the most important car for my life,” recalls the champion. “The Evija Fittipaldi is going to be as iconic as the Lotus Type 72. It has beautiful handling, incredible power, the next level of performance for hypercars and different from all the other cars I’ve tested. It is a beautiful piece of art. Look at the outside, look at the technology—to have my name on the car is an honor for me.” The first eight Evijas built will be Fittipaldi Editions, each wearing the distinctive black and gold livery in tribute.

Exhaust: Nostalgia aside, there does appear to be a genuine link between Fittipaldi’s Type 72 and the Evija. Specifically, the aerodynamics that transformed F1 have continued to be developed by Lotus ever since, leading to the ingenious porous design of the Evija. “The things Colin Chapman was doing 50 years ago we’re still doing at Lotus today,” says Lotus boss Matt Windle. –Nik Berg

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Anyone who follows the world of old cars has surely heard or even engaged in the “preservation vs. restoration” debate. It’s one that will probably never be resolved, but whether you call them “barn finds,” “survivors,” or something fancy like “preservation class candidates,” unrestored cars can be surprisingly valuable. In some cases, especially on the higher end of the market, 100 percent originality is more highly pried than a professional restoration. Wear and tear are part of the car’s history, and while a car can be restored more than once, originality just can’t be replicated.

Since we’re always keeping an eye on the auction calendar, several delectably original cars crossing the block this fall caught our eye. One of the biggest ones is an all-original 1964 Shelby 289 Cobra, aka the “Cobra in the closet,” that we’ve discussed previously, but here are six more worth watching.

1965 Shelby GT350

If you care more about how a car drives than how much it shines, here’s one for you. Carroll Shelby worked his magic on only 562 of these ’65 Mustangs with more power, less weight, and handling upgrades for track duty. Few first-year GT350s remain in unrestored condition. This example features almost all original Wimbledon White paint with the rare stripe delete option. The carpet was replaced, and items were upgraded to make it more drivable, but otherwise it is as it left Shelby American 57 years ago.

The transmission was also replaced, but the original accompanies the car with the sale along with the original wheels. The interior features the original upholstery, seat belts, headliner, dash pod, AM radio, and steering wheel with the factory center and horn switch all there. Copies of the build paperwork and service records are included. With a little over 81,000 miles this is a historically significant high-performance car where getting it out on the road shouldn’t hurt its value.

 1990 Citroën 2CV6 Club

The 2CV was a cheap, usable car of the people. So it’s a surprise to see that this Citroën has reportedly not been driven since it was delivered and shows just 10 miles on its odometer. An interesting choice to save as a time capsule, no?

Luckily, the pictures may look a little worse than reality, as the listing claims the little French sedan is coated in original preservative wax and that it still has the plastic on the seats. The Club version of the 2CV is also the more luxurious trim level, gaining features such as a roll-up roof and thicker bumpers. And although Citroën hasn’t built the 2CV in over 30 years, this one is essentially still new! If you’re looking for something a little more broken in, however, there is also an unrestored twin-engine 1964 2CV ‘Sahara’ AZ 4×4 at the same sale.

1951 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon

If you’re charmed by cosmetic blemishes, wear and tear, and patina, check out this wagon. The Roadmaster was one of the most desirable wagons of its day, while its 4500-pound heft, heaps of brightwork and body construction of real wood make it an instantly recognizable piece of early postwar automotive Americana. Yet this example actually spent most its life in Europe and central Africa before coming the US in 2006. Sure, you can see some age on the exterior and the chrome on the radio is pitted, but that’s part of what makes an unrestored car so great. The vehicle has been serviced, but not restored. Plus, how often do you see rope grab handles in a car anymore?

1979 Checker Marathon Taxi

Manufactured in Kalamazoo, MI, Checker Marathons were almost exclusively used as taxis in major cities and didn’t retire from service in New York City until 1999, even though the last one was built in 1982. Checker Taxis were never flashy. They never tried to impress anyone. They were bare bones cars built to last, and most were driven until they literally couldn’t go anymore, so it explains why there are reportedly fewer than 2000 A12 models like this remaining today. This unrestored example was previously owned by the president of the Yellow Cab Company and only shows 55,000 miles.

1916 Chevrolet Four-Ninety Touring

A 106-year-old car is not something you come across every day, and one that’s still original after over a century is even more special. Called the 490 because of its $490 price, this car was Chevy’s challenger to the Model T, which was much pricier at a wallet-draining $495. This simple motorcar (it doesn’t even have a driver’s door!) came standard with a convertible top and windshield, and it is believed the originals still in place on this one. It is truly a preservation piece with the factory-applied paint, factory interior, and wooden floorboards. This example of “Pre-GM” part of Chevrolet’s history was really the first successful mass-produced model for the brand.

Mario Andretti Race Used IndyCar – Plus 39 Others

When it comes to history, certain race car are practically oozing the stuff from the bodywork. That’s why we’re watching this sale closely. Indy powerhouse Newman/Hass Racing (founded by Chicago businessman Carl Haas and movie star/salad dressing maker/and the voice of Doc Hudson in Cars Paul Newman) is auctioning off 40 Indy cars plus a few road cars, race used suits, helmets, and more on October 29. Included is the 1984 Lola-Cosworth Mario piloted to the 1984 CART championship, the 1993 Lola-Ford driven by Nigel Mansell to the 1993 championship, and the 2007 Dp01-Cosworth that Sebastien Bourdais used for his fourth Champ Car crown. Most of the cars still have their incredibly powerful engines in them and include the workshop manual, laptop, and cables needed to make them run. Other fan favorite IndyCars being auctioned include ones raced by Michael Andretti, Graham Rahal, the late Justin Wilson, and Paul Tracy.

If you don’t have a shelf bigger enough for a real IndyCar, how about a PPG championship trophy, Nigel Mansell’s race worn F1 helmet, or Mario Andretti’s race used gloves?

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Rivian recalls nearly every vehicle for loose fastener

Intake: Rivian is recalling about 13,000 of its R1T and R1S electric vehicles due to an improperly torqued fastener that may affect the vehicle’s ability to steer, according to a report from the Detroit Free Press. The fastener, which holds the front upper control arm and the steering knuckle together, will need to be re-torqued by a Rivian technician to remedy the issue. Rivian says that it is aware of seven reports that may be related to the fastener issue, but it noted that no injuries have been reported thus far. “If you experience excessive noise, vibration, or harshness from the front suspension, or a change in steering performance or feel, you should call immediately,” CEO RJ Scaringe said in a letter to owners. The fix is expected to take just a few minutes to remedy, and Rivian expects to have the repairs finished on all the affected vehicles in about 30 days, assuming customers are quick to get their EV in to a service center.

Exhaust: It goes without saying, but if you have an R1T or R1S, don’t dawdle in getting this fix done. Recalls happen, especially if you’re a company like Rivian experiencing the growing pains of scaling production from just a few vehicles per day to a much larger-scale operation. Recently, Rivian announced a partnership with Mercedes-Benz to build a factory in Europe that will produce electric vans for both marques; perhaps some of Big Benz’s manufacturing expertise will help inform future production facility tweaks at Rivian to avoid issues like this. — Nathan Petroelje

Gas prices in California continue to spike

Intake: “Pain at pump is unique to state,” read a headline last week in the Los Angeles Times. Story after story in the California media has attempted to explain why California gas prices are so high. And they still are: Sunday night, AAA listed the average price of regular gas in California at $6.34 a gallon, compared to the national average of $3.91. California is higher than Alaska ($5.55) and Hawaii ($5.22). Why? Because of the special cleaner-burning blend required in California. The capacity at refineries to supply the gas has also been cut, the Times says: “At least five plants have recently faced maintenance-related stoppages or slowdowns.” The story continues, pointing out that there are just 14 refineries now compared with almost 50 a few decades ago, so California becomes “precariously reliant” on the refineries still operating, given the state’s more stringent gasoline requirements compared with the rest of the U.S., said Severin Borenstein, the director of UC Berkeley’s Energy Institute at the Haas School of Business. “The reality is that as we phase out gasoline, we’re going to have fewer and fewer California refineries that make this blend,” Borenstein said. “And that’s going to make us more and more vulnerable to any one refinery, if they go out unexpectedly, to see a big price shock.”

Exhaust: As you know, California and other states plan to ban the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. It could be a long 13 years. The assumption seems to be that there will still be refineries producing ample amounts of gasoline right up to 2035, but that’s a gamble; it’s unlikely any industry faced with being put out of business is going to build any new refineries, so it all hinges on keeping the ones we have running. — Steven Cole Smith

This incredible collection of supercars and rally stars is for sale

Intake: Dreams can come true. Or at least they did for one British enthusiast who amassed a collection of 18 of the most amazing automobiles on the planet. From Bugatti, there are GT and Supersport versions of the EB110, together with a Chiron Supersport. The Ferrari stable features a 288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo, and LaFerrari—all in red—and a Superamerica, 550 Barchetta, and 599 SA Aperta in standout yellow. Jaguar is represented by the XJR-15 and XJ220, and there’s a Lamborghini Miura SV and a Countach LP5000S to complete the supercar superlatives. From the special stages come a Lancia 037 and Delta S4, and an Audi Quattro S1 E2, suggesting the owner was a big fan of rallying’s Group B golden age. Now the entire multi-million-dollar fleet is for sale at RM Sotheby’s London sale on November 5, where more dreams will be made real.

Exhaust: Owning any one of these machines is the stuff of fantasy, yet one man amassed them all. “This is certainly one of the most remarkable single-owner collections of supercars to be offered in Europe,” says Michael Squire, Senior Car Specialist and Director of Research at RM Sotheby’s. Could this be the sale of the century? — Nik Berg

Watch the AMG ONE leave a GT Black Series standing

Intake: Its arrival was significantly slower than expected, but the AMG One is even faster than anticipated. In this video released by Mercedes-AMG the hybrid hypercar is so rapid that it makes the AMG GT Black Series look like a laggard. For context, the Black Series is a one-time production car lap record holder at the Nürburgring which can accelerate from 0- 62 mph in 3.2 seconds and top out at 202 mph. The AMG One simply smashes those numbers with its 1049-hp hybrid powertrain sending it to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds and on to 219 mph. The difference looks even greater in a 1000-meter drag race where the One flies across the line at almost 200 mph while Black Series struggles to reach 170 mph. Watch in awe.

Exhaust: Benz buffs have been waiting since 2017 for the AMG One and its Formula1-derived powerplant, and at long last, their patience looks to have been rewarded. This is performance on a whole new level for Mercedes-AMG—and remember, this is just a straight-line sprint. Expect to see a new ‘Ring record soon. — NB

Polestar hampered by COVID lockdowns in China

Intake: The plant in Luqiao, China, that produces the Polestar 2 “was hamstrung or stopped entirely for almost eight weeks in the spring, and the company is still scrambling to get enough computer chips and other essential parts,” says a report by Bloomberg, via Automotive News. Polestar had delivered just 9215 of the hot-selling cars to customers in the quarter that ended September 30. “The company will need to more than double that figure this quarter to reach its 50,000-vehicle target for the year, as it’s delivered 30,400 so far,” Bloomberg said. The company said this should not affect the introduction of the new Polestar 3, the electric SUV that will be built in both China and South Carolina. The Polestar 3 is set to debut in Denmark on Wednesday.

Exhaust: The customers seem to be there for Polestar’s products; now it’s just a matter of getting them built and delivered. The Bloomberg story reminds us that last April, Hertz ordered 65,000 cars for its rental fleet. Polestar wants to sell 290,000 EVs sales by 2025. Ambitious. — SCS

Electra reincarnated as a Grand Sport EV

Intake: The information released with Buick’s Wildcat concept suggests that all future Buick EVs will sport the “Electra” name, and Carbuzz found a trademark filing that proves the point: the Electra GS has been trademarked in the United States by General Motors. Hard numbers and concrete photos of the Electra have yet to surface, but it’s a safe bet that the electrified Buick will benefit from GM’s Ultium platform, which currently underpins a handful of Chevrolet, GMC (Hummer) and Cadillac vehicles that are either in production or very close to it.

Exhaust: Electra Waggoner Biggs likely never expected her name to live for so long as a Buick sedan, but news of a GS-grade Electra EV shows that the name, the brand, and the performance potential have serious legs in the EV market. Is it possible that a battery-powered Grand Sport from Buick will put down the mind-altering quarter miles numbers of a Tesla Model S plaid, paying proper homage to the big-block Skylarks of our past? And will the Electra GS flaunt a sculptural design worthy of its namesake’s passion for fine art? Only time will tell! — Sajeev Mehta

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The Buick Y-Job is one of the concept cars General Motors is displaying at the inaugural Detroit Concours d’Elegance between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Sunday, September 18, 2022. Joining them will be a selection of 112 historically significant vehicles in 15 different classes.

You don’t quite sit in this car as much as you sit on it. That’s the way they built cars in 1938, even cars as revolutionary as the Buick Y-Job, regarded as the first true concept car—a “dream car” built solely to amaze, to entertain, to generate shock and awe decades before those terms were applied to war.

The Y-Job succeeded. It changed the American automobile industry. It caused companies and their designers to think not only about next year’s models but also about cars that might be sold 10 years down the road. It also cemented the reputation of General Motors designer Harley Earl, long before he would be recognized for groundbreaking models such as the Chevrolet Corvette or Buick LeSabre.

As a conductor gets credit for the orchestra’s performance, Earl did not single-handedly design the Y-Job. As head of GM’s design department, however, he certainly left his fingerprints on the project. Larger than life—Earl was 6 feet, 4 inches tall and weighed 235 pounds—he drove the Y-Job around Detroit on nice days, a rolling advertisement of how cocky and dominant the GM design team was then.

Earl died in 1969, but so influential is his legacy that he was “reincarnated” for a series of Buick print and TV ads in 2002. Maybe you remember them. “I’m Harley Earl,” the sharp-dressed ghost says, “and I’m here to build you a great car.” Actually, it was character actor John Diehl, fresh off an Emmy-caliber performance on the FX network drama The Shield. It’s unclear how influential the commercials were or weren’t, but the fact that Earl was still considered important enough to use in a marketing campaign decades after his prime is telling.

Harley J. Earl was born in Hollywood, California. He spent his early career custom-building cars for celebrities such as movie stars Tom Mix and Fatty Arbuckle (Google them, children). When he was hired by GM, he took Detroit by storm, bringing his flashy suits, two-toned shoes, and gregarious personality to one of the country’s most conservative companies. According to one biography, he would make a pronouncement at a company meeting, then say: “If you disagree, stand up, so we can all get a look at the SOB!” He worked for GM until December 1959. He retired to Palm Beach, Florida, and died 10 years later after suffering a stroke.

As part of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance near Jacksonville, Florida, in March of 2003—almost 20 years ago—GM brought some concept cars, new and old, for a handful of invitees to drive at a rented-out corner of a mostly abandoned military base. That GM would hand me the keys to one-of-a-kind concepts seemed as unlikely then as it does now. I recall being impressed with every one—it’s always a treat to drive a concept—but I’ll be damned if I can remember any of them.

I remember the Y-Job, though. It was like this:

Even 65 years after its debut, the Y-Job is king, sitting low on its haunches, top down, ebony paint gleaming in the Florida sun.

The Y-Job—the name has no particular meaning; it was simply the particular “job” Earl and crew were working on at the time—is a massive convertible with one bench seat and, behind it, an enormous trunk. The headlamps are retractable, a feature likely inspired by the Cord 812. There are no running boards. The convertible top is power-operated and stowed beneath a metal cover. The car smells of leather, vintage carpet, and for an imaginary second, my grandfather’s cigars.

Windows controls are electric. Door handles are push-buttons. Tiny 13-inch wheels seem lost inside the huge tires. Fenders flow into the doors, and bumpers are integrated into the body design—the Y-Job does not look as if it were assembled from a bunch of random, individually designed pieces like many cars of its day, but as if it were born in one huge, solid form.

“Huge” is a watchword. The wheelbase is 125.8 inches, and overall length 208.4. A standard 2003 Cadillac Escalade, by comparison, has a 116-inch wheelbase and is 198.9 inches long.

Under the Y-Job’s hood is a 320-cubic-inch, 141-horsepower Buick “straight eight” engine. The transmission is an automatic, sort of—use the column shifter to shift into a low gear from a standing start, then gently shift into a higher gear, and stay there.

Perched on the bench seat, I start the engine. Get rolling in one gear, then shift. The exhaust note is a pleasant burble, a sound familiar from so many old movies.

I can’t go fast, because these tires, while new, cost a fortune, and have to be specially made. Ease into a corner, and the engine dies for a moment, as if the carburetor forgets what it was doing, then remembers. That’s fine: This is a not a car that needs to be driven quickly, even if you could.

Those of us who think cars have souls and personalities and karma might believe that the Y-Job, cooped up on display stands in museums literally for decades, is enjoying the fresh air and the chance to stretch its long legs. It is undoubtedly one of the world’s most valuable cars—it would be very difficult to get a credible estimate on exactly how many millions it would be worth if GM decided to sell it—but today, it’s just a big convertible, cruising on a road in Florida, top down, occupant grinning.

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GM to Buick dealers: Sell EVs or we’ll buy you out

Intake: General Motors is planning to make Buick an EV-only brand by 2030 and needs its network of roughly 2000 dealerships to invest heavily in that future for it to become a reality. The Wall Street Journal reports that dealers who refuse to update their stores will be offered a buyout of their franchise. As Buick/GMC’s global vice president Duncan Aldred told the WSJ, “Not everyone necessarily wants to make that journey, depending on where they’re located or the level of expenditure that the transition will demand,” he said. “So if they want to exit the Buick franchise, then we will give them monetary assistance to do so.”

Exhaust:How many of us are just dying to visit a Buick dealer right now for a South Korean (Encore) or Chinese (Envision) CUV with the famous Tri-Shield badge affixed to its global-spec body? Yes, the full-size Enclave CUV is still made in Michigan, but Buick’s model portfolio is thinner than Tesla’s mix of sedans and crossovers. But most Buick dealers already sell GMCs, so they make the nut with high-margin trucks that could offset the cost of electrification. The only standalone Buick dealer I could find closed in 2019, so I reckon this transition will be far easier on GM’s wallet than closing all the standalone Cadillac dealers back in 2020. —Sajeev Mehta

Add Porsche to your portfolio this month

Intake: The Volkswagen Group is finally set to float Porsche on European stock exchanges. The Initial Public Offering will go ahead at the end of September or the beginning of October with up to 25 percent of preferred shares in Porsche AG up for grabs. Investors are anticipating a valuation of $60 to 85 billion, which could make this one of the largest share offerings in German history, according to Automotive News Europe. “This is a historic moment for Porsche,” says Porsche boss Oliver Blume. “We believe an IPO would open up a new chapter for us with increased independence as one of the world’s most successful sports car manufacturers.” Further information about how to invest will be available at Porsche’s Investor Relations website soon.

Exhaust: Not only will this share offering raise a huge amount of cash for Porsche, it will also secure the company’s control under the Piëch and Porsche families. VW has given the go-ahead for 25 percent plus one share of ordinary shares to be sold to Porsche SE. That will give the families a so-called blocking minority and therefore tighten their hold on the reins on the sports car maker. —Nik Berg

Bruce’s barn find is McLaren’s first sports car

Intake: The first sports-racing car run by the Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Team has been discovered in storage in South Africa and will go to auction at Bonham’s Goodwood Sale on September 17. The car has an incredible history, racing in no less than seven different iterations and earning the moniker “Transformer.” Beginning life in 1961 as a Cooper Climax T35P Formula 1 car, it was crashed by Walt Hangsen at the United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. In 1962 it was rebuilt for Roger Penske to take on the West Coast’s sports car scene, winning at Riverside, Laguna Seca, and Caguas. The following year it was modified again and took Penske to victory at the Guards Trophy at Brands Hatch in the U.K. McLaren then bought the chassis in 1964, took the wheel and scored two wins for the Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Team at Aintree and Silverstone. For its fifth incarnation the car was fitted with a 3.5-liter Cooper-Zerex Oldsmobile V-8 and won the Player’s 200 at Mosport Park, Canada. A sixth major modification saw the fitment of a 3.9-liter Olds V-8 which helped it to win at Brands Hatch in 1964. In its final form the car gained new bodywork, including an “anteater” nose, and was sold to Texan amateur racer Dave Morgan, who tackled Bahamas Speed Week among his other antics. In 1967 the car was sold to a South Africa–based Venezuelan driver and pretty much vanished, but has now been unearthed, boxed up and shipped to the U.K. for sale.

Exhaust: “Unfinished project” is a good way to to describe this car—not just in its current condition, but throughout its remarkable career. The big question for the buyer will be which version to restore. — NB

Austin Pedal Cars Ltd. launches a new series of kiddie cars

Intake: Burlen Ltd., which manufactures vintage and classic vehicle fuel systems, has acquired the Austin trademark, allowing the British company to manufacture new pedal cars, parts, and accessories under the Austin name. A total of 32,098 Austin J40 pedal cars were made from 1949–71, and they remain popular in collector car circles. Each year the Goodwood Revival hosts the popular Settrington Cup race, a just-for-kids competition involving original Austin J40s (above). For years, Burlen’s J40 Motor Company has been creating “bespoke parts to suit customer demand and to reverse engineer many products that have been previously unavailable to the J40 community,” and now—under the name Austin Pedal Cars Ltd.—it can build new pedal cars. An all-new J40 prototype continuation pedal car will be launched at the 2022 Goodwood Revival, September 16–18, and plans are in the works for a series of new models.

Exhaust: When it comes to pedal cars, this isn’t mere child’s play. J40s may have originally been built for kids, but adults have been collecting them for years, paying as much as $5000–$7000, depending on condition. For those of us who can’t afford an original, the opportunity to score a new model is big news. —Jeff Peek

Ram unveils even swankier, Limited Elite Edition half-ton

Intake: If pickup trucks are indeed today’s luxury vehicles (they are), then Ram wants in. The marque just unveiled the 1500 Limited Elite Edition, a new top-of the-top half-ton. Among each Limited Elite’s extra-large helping of real metal, wood, and leather are premium leather bucket seats, a suede headliner, a new instrument cluster theme, a new bright pedal kit, and a jeweled rotary shifter. Standard exterior amenities include the multifunction tailgate (a $995 option on the Limited, non-Elite truck), a bed step, cargo divider, and tie-down hooks. Ram’s 5.7-liter hemi V-8 with mild-hybrid assist will be the standard engine. The model will go on sale next month, with a MSRP of $67,100 including destination for a two-wheel-drive, crew-cab model. Expect 4×4 models to start around $3500 more.

Exhaust: A regular Limited will run you around $64,280 for a 4×2 crew cab with the 5-foot, 7-inch box. This new model starts a few thousand above that and will regularly leave dealer lots in the $70,000-plus range. Although it may not seem like the Limited Elite Edition gets much more in the way of luxury items over the regular Limited, those seats are sure to be a big attraction. We’ve seen GMC adopt a new top-tier model with the Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate, and Toyota’s new Tundra has the swanked-out Capstone trim, so it’s no surprise to see Ram march up the price ladder to join the fray. — Nathan Petroelje

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“I really screwed up. When you start a project like this,” says Mike McNamee, motioning to his 1985 Buick Somerset road racer, “you need to add up how much it’s going to cost you, and then multiply that by your age.”

We stood trackside at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, as the club racer confessed, jokingly, to his miscalculations when he purchased his prized Buick exactly 30 years ago. A digital analyst by trade, McNamee used tech and teachings to resuscitate the retro ride. Now, years after its sole win in the Trans-Am series, the 500-horsepower Buick is still clipping curbs and burning straights at vintage races throughout the West Coast.

Inspired by the relatively cheap price tag, McNamee bought the car as a basket case, a pile of metal and fiberglass with detached front and rear clips. Shocking, if you consider that just three years prior to its disheveled state, the car was cresting the high banks of Daytona in the 1989 Rolex 24. At that point, though, the endurance racer’s day on the grid were numbered.

Designed by Ron Nash, the tube-built chassis had already served its best years at the hands of Elliott Forbes-Robinson. The Canadian hot shoe delivered many strong runs with the wide-body Somerset, including a win at Sonoma Raceway in California, circa 1985. This victory marked the only time a Buick ever won in the long-running Trans-Am Series. Despite its success, by 1986, the winning chassis was relegated to backup car duty. It ran just once, at the Detroit Grand Prix, ultimately failing to finish after a broken header filled the cockpit with exhaust fumes.

After the ’86 season the car and two other Buicks were sold to Gordon Oftedahl, who took this particular chassis to Daytona with a V-8 under the hood rather than the Indy-proven Buick V-6 block.

Enter Mike McNamee. It was 1992 and the avid club racer was growing tired of his Porsche 914. “I’m a technical guy, so one day I used a program to analyze the suspension,” he says. “It was all jacked-up.” Instead, he started searching for a purpose-built racer; something with a tube frame. The retired Buick was the answer.

When McNamee stepped in to bring the car back to life, he went directly to the original designer for input in the reassembly process. Using Nash’s guidance and stacks of period photos, he embarked on a rather meticulous rebuild. Up until that point, he had considered himself a decent wrench. The Buick, however, would serve up a bevy of new challenges. For a car this obscure, McNamee had to fabricate everything by himself, which included learning how to bend tubing and weld aluminum. “It’s never been to another shop,” he says, proudly. Once the Buick was returned to its former glory—which included the 4.5-liter V6, Weismann five-speed, and the 1985 livery—McNamee had to figure out how to tune the beast.

One of the biggest hurdles was dialing in the sway bar setup. Initially, he had a big bar up front and a lighter one out back. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t get the car to turn, so the tech guy purchased Performance Trends suspension analyzing software. “You plug in your sprint rates, all this crap, and then click ‘optimize,’” he says. The program suggested lightening the front bar and removing the rear altogether. Lo and behold, that was exactly how Nash set up the suspension back in the day.

“It’s quite easy to drive,” he says of the car which bears a striking resemblance to the Buicks driven to NASCAR championships. “At 2500 pounds, it doesn’t feel like a stock car.” Back in the day, Trans-Am utilized a formula to determine a vehicle’s mandatory weight by factoring the engine’s displacement. Since the Buick utilized two fewer cylinders than its competing Ford or Chevy V-8s, the Buick was permitted to run light.

On track at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, he spent the weekend dicing with Mustangs, Capris, Camaros, and Corvettes. According to its proud owner, the car’s strengths are under braking and through some of the corners. “I get killed down the straights.”

Still, the finishing position isn’t important to McNamee. “When I surfed or rode dirt bikes, it wasn’t about the boards or the bikes, it was about hanging with your buddies,” says the SoCal native. “It’s the same thing at the Reunion.” Besides, the unique Buick garners plenty of fanfare in the paddock, with spectators walking past the 1985 Trans-Am championship-winning car—a pristine white third-gen Firebird—and up to the Somerset’s slotted grille. If anything, that makes the painstaking restoration worth it.

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Personal luxury cars emerged from Detroit in many stylish variations during their halcyon days of the 1970s, but you’d never miss a 1971–73 Buick Riviera among the other two-ton cruisers. Penned under Bill Mitchell’s tenure as vice president of design at GM, the big Riv’s distinctive prow, “sweepspear” fender lines, and boattail rear evoked classic Buick body cues while adding sharper accents that characterized Mitchell’s most successful designs. Surprisingly, one of the more memorable shapes to come out of Detroit in the early ’70s doesn’t cost an arm and a leg: At $18,375, this 1973 Riviera sale reminds us that elegant classics can still be affordable.

Originally intended for GM’s intermediate platform, the third-generation Riviera got upsized by the time it made it to production for 1971. That first year was the cleanest and most true-to-concept iteration, as Buick added regulation-compliant bumpers in ’72 and again in ’73, toning down the boattail for the final year. The car didn’t lose any of its unique appeal, however. Big-blocks were the sole option in Rivieras (how else would you power a large boat?), and in 1973 the base trim 455 V-8 cranked out a low-compression 250 hp while the rarer GS bumped that up an additional ten.

This particular Riv presents as a very nice #3-ish-condition driver, and its sale price lands just $175 north of the Hagerty Price Guide #3 value. Its 34-year-old current shade of Mercedes Signal Red appears in good condition save a crack on the trunk lid. Inside, the tan seats show few signs of wear and the carpet is immaculate for a 49-year-old car. Videos depict a motorboat-smooth, burbling idle and the seller claims the AC still blows cold. Overall, the car appears to need very little.

The big coupe has broad appeal—it's not just boomers flocking to third-gen Rivieras, although they account for the largest single share of quotes (39 percent). Younger generations make up a majority of the interest in these Buicks, with Gen Xers and millennials combining for 53 percent.

Say what you will about styling being subjective—this Riviera is certainly in the running for highest character-to-value ratio out there, and with due respect to the sleek first-gen cars, the boattail Riv is the one enthusiasts remember. I might be a bit biased, but big-body Buicks like the Riviera are a great way to get a head-turning big-block piece of Americana at a reasonable price.

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Automotive News has reported on new details about GM’s timetable for electrification. While we’ve known that GM had an ambitious goal to roll out 30 electric vehicles by 2025, the current EV timetable suggests that, with the exception of the Escalade, Cadillac will have an all-EV lineup by 2026. By that point, according to AN, Cadillac will have an electric Escalade to sell alongside the current, ICE-powered model, which is planned to last through 2029. By 2030, Cadillac’s portfolio should be all-EV—no body-on-frame exceptions.

When we drove the raucous Escalade-V back in June, Cadillac had announced that it would be the brand’s final internal-combustion-powered vehicle debut. (Supercharged V-8 with 682-hp—hell of a way to go.) Based on the anticipated timeline, we’re due to get more Cadillac EVs to follow the Lyriq, its first battery-powered crossover, in short order.

Buick is also reported to have an all-electric lineup by 2030. That likely means we’ll soon see its all-crossover lineup make the jump to GM’s Ultium EV platform and follow in the tracks of Chevrolet’s recently unveiled Blazer and soon-to-be-shown Equinox. There’s still no word on the possibility of Buick returning to personal luxury sedans as hinted by the Wildcat concept above. We just can’t believe we’ve made it this far without an Electra concept. Come on, Buick, it’s right there for the taking—Cadillac’s Celestiq won’t mind!

Chevrolet and GMC will naturally be later to reach an all-electric lineup, partially to cater to customers who prefer internal combustion and partially due to the limitations of contemporary battery density. Even though GMC has relaunched the Hummer to spearhead GM’s move into electric pickups, the heavy-duty pickup crowd will still demand big, V-8 gas engines and brawny turbodiesels for heavy hauling. EV pickups are already beginning to offer tow ratings that are on par with some of their half-ton competitors, but the added mass and aero drag of big trailers really put a dent in EV range, so quick fill-ups with petroleum is still the name of the game for three-quarter- and one-ton trucks for the near future.

As for GM’s current crop of internal-combustion-powered cars and trucks, Automotive News says that most of them will be receiving updates rather than complete redesigns before they’re replaced by electric models in one form or another. We recently saw the Chevrolet Colorado get a total redesign and its platform-mate GMC Canyon is due to be revealed shortly.

Including the aforementioned full-size pickups, those may be the biggest all-new model launches from GM before we see the wave of EVs that’s been promised. With seven of the 30 promised EVs rolled out so far, including GM’s autonomous Cruise Origin, there are only 41 months left for 23 more vehicle debuts before the end of 2025. This new timeline suggests we’ll likely get some Buick models shortly, and a Chevy sports sedan has been hinted at, but there are still lots of question marks. What we are certain about is that auto shows are going to be very interesting over the next few years.

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If you love the iconic automotive artwork of Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman, you’ll love a recently released video documentary featuring author Rob Keil’s interviews with the man they called Fitz.

Keil, who wrote a 200-page retrospective about the dynamic duo that was released last fall, had originally planned to use the 2010 interviews in a full-length documentary, but he and Fitzpatrick couldn’t agree on a format. So, years after Fitz died in 2015 (Van passed away in ’95), those conversations became the backbone of Art Fitzpatrick & Van Kaufman: Masters of the Art of Automobile Advertising.

“I knew how I wanted to do the video, but I also wanted to do it the way he wanted—he was my hero,” Keil said of Fitzpatrick in a September 2021 interview. “That didn’t work out, but it evolved into this book, which is the best way to present it anyway.”

Keil decided to edit the Fitzpatrick interviews to create a 12-minute companion video, which was released on Vimeo in May.

“The footage I shot of Fitz back in 2010 (when Fitzpatrick was almost 90) is really special … Hearing the story from him in his own words is a treat, even for those who own the book,” Keil says. “I felt there would be value in making this short documentary available to anyone interested. And for those who don’t know about the book, it’s a nice introduction.

“I was really lucky to get to know Fitz, and I’m glad I had the foresight to shoot lots of video of him. He was a fascinating character, and his personality shines through nicely in the video.”

With Keil using chapter headings to break up the interview, Fitzpatrick shares the story of his amazing ride from teenage designer to legendary illustrator. Growing up in suburbs of Detroit, he started going to art school, where he became aware that “there was such a thing as designing cars.”

His first job was cutting blueprints at Chrysler Engineering, working the night shift so he could continue attending art school during the day. He later worked at Briggs Manufacturing, which built car bodies for Ford and Chrysler. When Fitzpatrick’s father, also an artist, scored a job at Disney, Fitz went along to California.

“I was driving down Sunset Boulevard one day and I saw this custom-built Packard sitting in front o this shop,” he recalled. “The sign on the building said ‘Darrin of Paris,’ so I stopped, went in, and talked to Dutch Darrin. He hired me on the spot.

“So I spent a year doing cars for (Hollywood legends) Errol Flynn and Al Jolson and Clark Gable. For a 19-year-old from Royal Oak, Michigan, that was a very heady year … It was a lot of fun. I didn’t make much money, but I had a ball.”

Fitz went on to work at Hudson and Packard before the U.S. entered World War II and automakers turned their attention to military production. After joining the Navy, Fitzpatrick worked on warplane engineering and training literature while moonlighting in the advertising industry. By the time he left the military, he’d already secured the Mercury advertising account. It was through Mercury that Fitz was paired with Kaufman, and the rest is history. The two created ads together for Mercury, Buick, Cadillac, and finally Pontiac, where they set the standard. People not only wanted to buy a Pontiac, they wanted to live the lives that were depicted in the ads.

Fitzpatrick says other advertising agencies tried to duplicate the elegant illustrations that he and Kaufman were producing, but “they never understood the key to an emotional, sophisticated approach. It was why we went to European backgrounds. Most of them looked kind of elegant … but what we were really doing was offering something different from the Plaza Hotel in New York (or) the Fontainebleau in Miami, which is where Lincolns and Cadillacs went to get their pictures taken.”

Fitz and Van’s work was definitely different, and the two created an image through art that sold a lot of cars. Keil’s well-crafted video offers a taste of their majesty; don’t be surprised if you go looking for more.

The post Documentary offers a glimpse at the majesty of Fitz and Van’s iconic car ads appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Your take on rising values in the car market over the last two years may depend on perspective. What you had in your garage before COVID versus what you’ve wanted to add to your garage in the intervening years can be all the difference between a positive outlook and a slightly more skeptical one. If you bought a 996-gen Porsche 911 in early 2020, congratulations are in order. If you were excited at the prospect of the C8 Corvette debut lowering values of C7 Grand Sports, well, the pandemic had news for you.

Fortunately, despite all the activity on the market, there are still cars out there for all interests that haven’t been party to the dramatic rise we’ve seen in other models. Truth is, in any given update to the Hagerty Price Guide, the plurality of cars (and sometimes the outright majority) do not change in value.

This cadre of collectibles have all seen their median #2 Hagerty Price Guide values stay relatively flat from May, 2020 through April, 2022. Note we said median. Some top-flight examples of these cars have brought more money, but one or two big sales does not necessarily reset a car's price. Looking at the median value helps provide a clearer picture of the model valuation as a whole. Also, we noticed that #3 (driver) Condition values of the below examples generally tracked with the trends reported here. That’s because the larger pool of cars within center of the bell curve for quality tend to lag the more pristine cars when values change.

1975–1980 Volvo 242

0 percent change

Unlike its long-roof sibling, which graced our 2022 Bull Market list and has seen its #2-condition (Excellent) median value increase 7 percent over our subject period, Volvo’s two-door 240-series has yet to take off in value. Perhaps owing to Volvo's wagon-rich identity, these quirky coupes remain the darlings of Volvo nerds (a group to which this author belongs) and not many others.

You’re not likely to win any stoplight drags with the modest power coming from the factory 2.1-to-2.3-liter red-block four cylinders, but the engine does take to turbocharging well if you want more power. The 242 was also a fixture in SCCA club racing and even won the 1985 European Touring Car Championship, so they can be made to handle as well. If cruising is more your speed, the 242 is a perfect companion. They’re bulletproof, have the classic, clean lines we’ve come to expect from Volvo, and won’t break the bank: median value has stayed flat at $8200.

1962–1964 Buick Wildcat

-2 percent change

Let’s face it: There are always a lot of bow ties and blue ovals at classic car shows. The Impala SS and Galaxie 500/XL are awesome, but sometimes it’s nice to mix things up a bit. Buick’s 1962–64 Wildcat presents a prime alternative in the sporty, mid-luxury car market that was just beginning to hit its stride in the early 1960s.

Kicking off life in 1962 as a submodel of Buick’s Invicta, the Wildcat featured a 401-cubic inch Nailhead V-8 sporting 325 hp and 445 lb-ft of torque along with bucket seats and styling accents to set it apart as the sportier large Buick. 1963 saw the Wildcat become its own model, offered in two-door coupe, convertible, and four-door hardtop and sedan bodies. Tasteful aesthetic updates kept the car fresh each year, and in 1964 Buick added some more muscle under the hood in the form of an optional 425-cubic inch V-8 with either 340 or 360 hp. Buick’s Wildcat carried the sporty large platform mantle for Buick until the Centurion was introduced in 1971.

While value trajectories are consistently flat or slightly negative across body styles, early Wildcat convertibles and coupes claim more money than their four-door counterparts. Across this first generation of Wildcats, median #2 value clocks in at $19,000.

1969 Pontiac Trans Am

0 percent change

Yep, this one surprised us, too. Muscle cars have been on a tear, and the debut year for the Trans Am is a rare bird, with only 697 copies made in 1969. That, coupled with some very desirable features, has ensured that the ’69 Trans Am has been one of the most valuable F-bodies GM has ever produced. Yet those values haven’t shifted, even as other GM muscle leads the Big Three in value increases. Median #2 condition for these first-year T/As has held steady at $204,000.

Then-head of Pontiac John DeLorean had originally pushed for the Trans Am to be powered by the marque’s overhead cam six cylinder and have a slew of handling improvements over the base Firebird and its Camaro sibling. The six was shelved for Pontiac’s 400-cubic inch V-8, providing 335 hp in Ram Air III trim and 345 hp when buyers stepped up to the Ram Air IV. The chosen engine displacement rendered the Trans Am ineligible for the series for which it was named, but that was ultimately irrelevant. DeLorean wanted to create a halo Firebird model, and within a decade the Trans Am’s legendary status was secured.

1975–1980 MGB

1 percent change

MGBs frequently find themselves overshadowed by other British cars of their era, and of course there’s the undying assertion that the Miata is the perfected version of the little British convertible. To add insult, the dapper chrome grilles of the earlier cars were replaced in 1974 to meet U.S. impact regulations, taking away some of their classic charm. Nevertheless, the plentiful MGB remains a popular choice for car nuts who want to experience one of the brands that introduced affordable sports cars to the U.S.

The rubber bumper cars represent an excellent entry point to the model. The median #2-Condition price of a 1980 MGB is $15,100, an increase of only $200 from two years ago. Even though the B survived into what we might call the Radwood era, the vibe is more "1960s sports car on a budget." Their looks may no longer evoke the Swingin’ Sixties, and the later cars ride a bit higher than their forebears, but the essential slow-car joy remains. Eighty-five horsepower is not a lot (California cars made do with a mere 70), but the MGB typifies a momentum car that’s fun within legal speeds.

1999–2005 Ferrari 360

1 percent change

The Ferrari 360 stands firmly in the analog era while beginning to offer a hint of the technology that’s come to define modern sports cars. By replacing the 355, which itself dated back to the 348 introduced in 1989, Ferrari’s 360 took the company’s mid-engine sports car into the new century with a completely new design and aluminum chassis. The 3.6-liter V-8 screamed to a 8700 rpm redline, and you had a choice of the traditional Ferrari gated shifter for your six-speed manual or paddles tied to a single-clutch automated manual. In addition to increased performance, a more modern interior as well as normal and sport settings gave the 360 a step up in livability over prior generations. What’s more, engine-out services were greatly reduced by access panels and thoughtful packaging, saving money on operating costs. The 360 was truly a step forward.

The 360’s inherent goodness, coupled with the surge in popularity of sports- and supercars immediately preceding our current era, make it a bit surprising that this Ferrari hasn’t seen a more significant median price increase. Across the Modena (coupe) and Spider versions, the #2-condition median is $96,100.

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Three blocks long and two lanes wide
Daddy had a Buick and Momma loved to ride

—Robert Earl Keen

“Imagine the trips to get ice cream! Cruising among the vineyards when it’s harvest time! Or heading out, you know, just because!”

I blurted this stream of exclamations while telling my wife that my aunt had called to ask if I wanted her 1973 Buick Centurion. This was no sales effort on my part; my aunt offered me the car as a gift. The child-brain that comes out when I’m excited evidently decided that these activities were the best way to envision what would happen once the behemoth of a convertible dropped anchor in our barn.

Taking ownership of my aunt’s big Buick puts me in a large and growing category of collector car owners—those who have received or inherited cars from family members. Hagerty Insider expects this group to grow in the coming years as baby boomers, who own more collector cars than all other generations, look to pass along their rides to younger loved ones. (We’ve even published a primer on it.)

Although there’s probably no better gift than an old car, there’s often a lot more to getting one on the road than fresh gas, a tune-up, and some new tires. I’ll be working through those issues and sharing them here in the weeks and months ahead.

My friends probably wouldn’t select a full-size Buick as their first choice for me. I tend to gravitate toward vehicles with more sporting intent, and the cars in my small accumulation reflect that. My enthusiasm for adding this yacht to our fleet doesn’t owe to its rarity—Buick made 10,296 Centurion convertibles from 1971–1973, and 110,539 Centurions in total. The Hagerty Price Guide pegs a driver-condition 455 convertible like mine around $10,500—an immensely generous gift, but far from why a car guy like me would be excited to have it. Rather, the Buick fits a totally different need from my other cars. “The perfect summer cruiser,” Hagerty Media site director Jack Baruth succinctly put it when I shared the news with him. Indeed, I’d be hard pressed to think of a better wafting, relaxed, take-it-all-in country road experience.

Pushing nearly 2.5 tons and extending a tape-measure-stretching 18.5 feet long, this mid-’70s parade float is heavier than and about as long as the biggest Chevy Colorado you can buy. It’s powered by a 455-cubic inch V-8 (optional in 1973 when the standard engine was downgraded to a 350) breathing through a four barrel carburetor and single exhaust. This Buick’s no high-compression Stage III monster from a few years prior, but it doesn’t need to be.

My aunt bought the Centurion new at Stone Bowers Buick in Bedford, Ohio in 1973, and used it as a second car till the early ’90s. Incidentally, for part of that same period, she also had a Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet. While not officially the largest and smallest convertibles made, the Centurion/Cabriolet pairing certainly made for excellent fair-weather touring options. After she moved abroad, the Centurion sat in non-climate-controlled storage for the better part of 30 years, emerging this past April.

Pock-marked paint and surface rust in the engine compartment evidence decades of humidity, but my plans are for back roads and not concours lawns. The interior and top, though, are in excellent shape, so we’ll ride in comfort and hopefully stay dry if we get caught in a sudden summer shower. Other projects have kept me from a more detailed examination, but in the coming weeks I’ll dive in to more thoroughly understand what’s before me. Even though I’ve spent some time under older metal, my sweet spot covers more modern, OBD-II cars, so I welcome any pointers if you’ve worked on these.

Whether it was model cars at Christmas when I was a kid or a little gas money before heading off for each year of college, my aunt has always helped facilitate my love of cars. This gift didn’t come with any strings—she knows I’ll give the Buick the love it deserves, and she’s clear-eyed that surprise gifts also bring surprise obligations, so I’m not bound to keep it in the family forever.

Here’s the first project on the list: my aunt is still looking for the title. That was initially a significant concern, but through some follow-up with the BMV as well as talking internally with some colleagues who work on challenges like this, I think we have a plan of attack. Title issues can be a pretty common occurrence with collector cars given barn finds, estates, and, you know, relatives calling to make your day. Keep your eyes peeled for updates and stories, starting with a how-to on navigating state paperwork based on this Buick’s trials and tribulations.

The post A large Buick has found me, and I can’t wait to get it running appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Buick begins electric era with Wildcat concept, new logo

Intake: The latest automaker to announce all-electric plans is Buick. The company has stated that it will be all-electric by the end of the decade, with its first EV arriving in 2024 for the North American market. The brand’s pivot will be accompanied by a new logo, as well as a new styling language, the latter of which will be previewed by the Wildcat EV concept seen here. (It’s hardly the first time Buick’s used the name; it appeared on a slew of mid-century roadster concepts of sporting intent, then on a teardrop-shaped performance prototype in 1985 boasting a McLaren Racing–developed V-6). Today’s battery-powered 2+2 coupe features plenty of expressive lines, from the forward-facing grille and lighting elements to the swooping rear cabin line that cascades gradually down to the rear of the vehicle. There’s a host of neat tech, including side-view screens mounted just below the interior’s high beltline and a single, broad screen spanning the width of the instrument cluster all the way to the center stack. Those 18-spoke Jet Age-inspired wheels are a nice nod to wild Buicks of the late ‘50s and early ’60s. Buick says the concept is “built to be a platform for futuristic features such as artificial intelligence, biometrics, and aromatherapy,” possibly hinting at up-scale intentions for the brand’s future. Speaking of future, all Buick EVs will incorporate the Electra name, both as a nod to the brand’s 1959–72 nameplate, and as a convenient phonetic indicator that that these models run on electrons rather than on hydrocarbons.

Exhaust: Expect the Buick EVs—like their siblings at other brands—to be built on GM’s Ultium battery platform. We’ve seen that Cadillac’s Lyriq will offer more than 300 miles of range; expect something similar for the first production-spec Buick EV. That said, we’d be shocked if the first EV weren’t some sort of crossover. Buick killed its last sedan, the Regal, back in 2019 and currently only sells three crossovers—the Encore, the Envision, and the Enclave, in ascending order of size. The Wildcat concept is certainly a nice headline grabber, but betting an all-electric future on a 2+2 coupe is … not a big-game proposition in today’s SUV-obsessed market.

Jay Leno hosts prewar, V-12 Spanish automotive royalty

Intake: In this week’s edition of Jay Leno’s Garage, Leno is visited by what he refers to as “automotive royalty”—a 1933 Hispano Suiza V-12 from the legendary Nethercutt Collection. The J12 Type 68 is one of 120 built, one of nine bodied by Henri Binder, and the only Binder-bodied version on a 146-inch wheelbase—which is actually a short wheelbase, compared to the others (157.75 inches). Purchased by the late J.B. Nethercutt, and presented by his great grandson Cameron Richards, the 250-horsepower Hispano Suiza V-12 could effortlessly cruise at 70–80 mph and had a top speed of 120+ mph, which Richards says “was insane for the time.” Leno calls it “one of the most brilliant cars of all-time.”

Exhaust: Although Hispano-Suiza is far from a household name today, despite its modern-day resurrection, the company was a pioneer in aircraft and automobile technology during the first half of the 20th century. During the 1920 and ’30s Hispano Suiza built some of the fastest, most luxurious, most intricate, most well-engineered and most expensive automobiles you could buy, and the 12-cylinder J12 was the biggest, most powerful, and most expensive of them all. And not only is the J12 the ultimate Hispano-Suiza, it’s one of the ultimate prewar luxury cars period.

At long last, AMG’s F1-powered supercar arrives

Intake: It’s been delayed longer than a drizzly Monaco Grand Prix, but finally the Formula 1–powered Mercedes-AMG One has arrived. First revealed as a concept in 2017 to celebrate AMG’s 50th anniversary, the One is now road-ready in time for its 55th birthday instead. The carbon-fiber hypercar is the first road-going machine since the Ferrari F50 to run a genuine F1-based powertrain, utilizing the 1.6-liter turbo V-6 that has dominated (until this season) Grand Prix racing’s hybrid era. The combustion engine is accompanied by four electric motors: one fitted to the engine itself, one to the turbocharger, and one to each of the two wheels; the combined output of this complicated arrangement is 1063 hp as the engine fizzes to its 11,000 rpm peak.

The One’s carbon-fiber monocoque is clothed in carbon body panels with active aerodynamic elements to increase downforce or reduce drag as required. Suspension is by a five-link system with pushrod spring struts, and features active damping, which was banned in F1 many years ago. One driver will be faced with a myriad of modes, with variations that allow full-electric propulsion or maximum-attack race pace, which is neatly named “Strat 2.” On top of that there’s also a DRS button which retracts the rear wing for a higher top speed.

On the subject of speed the One will max out at 219 mph, along the way reaching 62 mph in 2.9 seconds, 124 mph in seven, and 186 mph in 15.6. Harvest enough power from the MGU-K system into the battery pack and the One can travel 11 miles on electric power alone, although who of the 275 customers would want to do that after waiting such a long time to get their hands on this near $3 million masterpiece?

Exhaust: Making this F1 powerplant manageable and legal on the streets was a big, hairy deal. In 2018, then-AMG boss Tobias Moers told Top Gear that getting a stable idle at an emissions-compliant 1200 rpm was one of the biggest challenges and the principle cause of a nine-month delay. (Or so AMG hoped.) In F1 tune, the hybrid V-6 idles at five grand, and throttle leakages simply don’t matter—no neighbors’ dogs raise a racket, either. The chief value of this car is to be the superlative statement of hybrid AMG performance (under the E Performance nameplate, separate from AMG-fettled versions of the all-electric “EQ” models): Though Mercedes-Benz CEO joked at last week’s Monaco Grand Prix that the board must have been drunk to approve an F1-powered road car, this production-spec model indicates that, between AMG and its High Performance Powertrain (HPP) Formula 1 compatriots, people fought stubbornly indeed for this car’s existence. 

Orange you glad Toyota made the GR86 Special Edition?

Intake: Toyota has unveiled an 860-unit run of its lovable GR86 sports car, replete with a killer orange paint job and excellent shoes. Each and every 2023 GR86 Special Edition will be slathered in exclusive Solar Shift orange paint. Other visual differentiators include a racy black GR C-pillar graphic, a special edition badge, and wicked 18-inch matte-black wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4 performance tires. A GR cat-back performance exhaust system comes standard, ensuring that the revised 2.4-liter boxer-four has a throaty growl everywhere you cruise. Because transmission choice is not specified in the announcement, we’d bet that you can have your Special Edition with either the six-speed manual or the six-speed automatic. The GR86 Special Edition is based on the GR86 Premium, which nets suede-trimmed seats and a better sound system, in addition to other upgrades. The limited-run Special Edition will surely cost more than the trim level upon which it’s based, so expect the price tag to handily eclipse GR86 Premium’s $31,125 asking price—we’d guess somewhere around the $35,000 mark.

Exhaust: We reviewed the GR86’s twin, the 2022 Subaru BRZ, last summer and found it to be a total sweetheart with meaningful improvements that made it superior to its predecessor. We’d expect the same to be said of the little ‘Yota. In the waning days of the internal combustion engine, who would have guessed that conservative Toyota would be leading the charge with driver-centric, joyous little rockets like the GR86 and the rally-tastic, 300-hp GR Corolla? Such championing of affordable performance is more than justification for a brightly hued special edition. Rock on, Toyota.

Jaguar F-Pace SVR 1988 is a Le Mans–inspired limited edition

Intake: In June 1988 the purple and white Jaguar XJR-9 driven by Jan Lammers, Johnny Dumfries, and Andy Wallace took the checkered flag at the Le Mans 24 hour race, having completed 394 laps of the French circuit. Now Jaguar is paying tribute to this famous victory with… an SUV. To be fair the new F-Pace SVR Edition 1988 is no slouch, with its 550-hp supercharged V-8 sending it to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 178 mph should you happen to have access to the Mulsanne Straight. Put together by Jaguar’s SVO division the 1988 wears Midnight Amethyst paintwork, Champagne gold 22-inch wheels and sunset gold exterior detailing. Only 394 examples–one for each lap in 1988–will be built, priced at $110,000.

Exhaust: This isn’t the first time Jaguar has celebrated its Le Mans win with a short-run road car. Straight after the victory in 1988 the company released just 65 XJ-S V-12s in British racing green with gold alloy wheels. Which would you pick to to fly the flag for the big cat’s win?

Mercedes’-Benz base GLC goes hybrid for 2023, adopts C-Class touchscreen

Intake: Two years after giving its volume-seller SUV a light refresh, Mercedes is dipping into its parts bin for a more intensive overhaul. A new engine and new center touchscreen, both borrowed from the C-Class, lead the changes for the base “300” model GLCs (in rear-drive or 4MATIC AWD configuration). The GLC 300 is the second Benz to get the M254 mild-hybrid turbocharged inline-four, which makes 3 more hp than in its 2022 C-Class debut (258 total, a substantial improvement over the 2020 base model’s 225 horses). The SUV displays a slightly wider stance and 2.4 inches of extra length, a stretch most noticeable in increased trunk capacity (2.5 additional cubic feet, for 21.9 total). Thanks in part to a relocation of the side mirrors from the A-pillar to the belt line, the GLC is now a slightly slipperier fish, with a cD lowered to .29 from .31 if you spec the most aerodynamically favorable wheels. Inside, the center console swaps its horizontally oriented 12.3-inch touchscreen for the taller, 11.9-inch unit found in the new C-Class. In the GLC, if you’ve specced the 360-degree camera array via the Parking package and are driving below 5 mph, this screen will stitch together front video feeds to let you see underneath the nose and front axle of the vehicle.

Exhaust: Mercedes-Benz may want to cull its “budget luxury” offerings in search of higher profit margins and increased prestige, but the addition of a third GLC production site (at south Germany’s Sindelfingen plant, which also assembles E-Classes and S-Classes) indicates that this cute little cash cow is going exactly nowhere. Brighter-eyed and bushier-tailed, with a more glamorous array of interior pixels, the 2023 GLC is well-poised to maintain its status as Mercedes’ best-selling vehicle, as it has been these past two years. As for that “transparent hood,” it’s fairly obvious owners are more likely to be watching out for parking blocks outside Starbucks than rocky off-road hazards.

The post Buick Wildcat returns as EV, AMG’s 11,000-rpm monster hybrid, Jaguar SUV remembers ’88 Le Mans appeared first on Hagerty Media.

At some point during the George H.W. Bush administration, I bought a 1972 Porsche 911S for the now absurd-sounding sum of $6500. In the ensuing 30 or so years, I’ve owned roughly 50 vehicles. As Dirty Harry says, “In all this excitement, I’ve kinda lost track myself.” So, even though I don’t consider myself a “flipper”—I simply have a wicked case of automotive ADHD and insufficient storage space—I have in fact completed quite a few flips. Enough to recognize a few basic truisms about the market and myself.

Let’s start by analyzing my disclaimer. Almost no one in our world wants to be labeled outright as a flipper—that is, someone who buys and sells collector cars solely for profit. And, truth be told, very few people are just in it for the money, not even the dealers and auction company pros who do it for a living. For most of us, “profit” is just something to pour into the next car, the one you really want to keep. At least, that’s the theory. If you’re not careful, that very motivation can have a deleterious effect on enjoyment of the hobby … but more on that later.

As much as no one wants to be a flipper, almost everyone wants to talk about their flips. At least, the good ones. It’s human nature to remember the wins and gloss over the losses. To hear most tell it, they align more with the crack paratrooper from Band of Brothers, who single-handedly charged a machine gun nest on D-Day, than the 4F black market profiteer.

The locker room talk around flipping often consists of rank over-simplification. IE: “I paid $6000 for that 944 on Facebook Marketplace and sold it for $12,000 on Bring a Trailer. Ain’t life grand?” A majority of us do little to no accounting for the 6.6 percent in taxes paid, registration fees, insurance costs, timing belt and water pump done in preparation for sale, (because that’s the kind of seller you are) or the ultimate in cost estimations: the value of your time.

Hand in hand with the underestimation of one’s costs goes the overestimation of one’s cleverness. Most successful flips come down to something else entirely—luck. Specifically, the fortune of buying the right thing at the right time.

Yet knowing a thing or two about what you’re buying can help. More pointedly, not knowing can really hurt. Take my brief, bruising ownership of a 1963 Buick Riviera. I always thought they were nice cars to look at. I could have kept looking, free of charge. Instead, I bought one and soon found out they’re nothing like what I’m used to driving, with pinky-light, utterly numb power-steering and tiny drum brakes that provided largely theoretical stopping power.

No biggie, I thought, I’ll just flip it. I had purchased the car out of an estate sale for what I thought was a well below market price, and it a two-owner car with original paint and zero rust.  A base 911T in that shape would sell for a significant profit.

As it turned out, Rivieras are not 911Ts. Buyers of first-gen Rivs favor GS-spec cars with fresh, shiny paint. In other words, the market had zero interest in a preservation-class base Riviera. I spent thousands of dollars toting it from auction to auction only to sell it at a loss. I made the fatal mistake of buying a car I knew nothing about.

If people have a tendency to overemphasize the upside on flips, they get downright libelous when it comes to making money on restorations. As restoration costs have spiraled in the last 20 years, even the pros have seen their margins shrink to “not worth it.” For an enthusiast hoping to put a little life back in a car and make a profit on the other end, it’s easy to get underwater fast.

About 14 years ago, I bought a sound, but slightly tatty 1967 Maserati Mistral. At the price I paid, it seemed like I was a bit of paint and seat leather away from a six-figure payoff. To maximize my chances, I did the work myself—from the paint and interior to sorting the notoriously finicky Lucas fuel injection. When finished, I toyed with keeping the car, but I already had a Series I E-type coupe that did everything the Maser did, without the potentially ruinous upkeep costs.

Alas, that whole lucky timing thing can work both ways. As it turned out, I decided to part with the car in 2008, during the worst economic downturn of my lifetime on both the micro (divorce) and macro (global economic crisis) levels. I figured the car’s presentation at a big-name Monterey catalog sale would save me. Flash forward me to excusing myself from the auction tent to get very ill behind a row of porta-Johns after the car hammered at an absurdly low, no-reserve price.

The bulk of the loss was, you guessed it, what I spent “improving” the car. Had I simply done nothing and held it longer, I’d have made out fine. The buyer of my car certainly did. Adding some kind of twisted karmic insult to injury, he turned out to be a flipper himself, shipping the car back to Europe and selling it about a year later for three times what I sold it for. Oh, and before that, it appeared in the James Bond film A Quantum of Solace, a movie whose title I tend to “Freudianly” mangle as, A Quantum of Anguish.

That last loss was probably the thing that brought about a change in my buying and selling habits. A near addiction to making money was truly taking the fun out of the hobby. It became like the bad Western movie cliché, “When you set out for revenge, first, dig two graves.”

Am I now immune to the obvious charms of buy low and sell high? Hell no, I’m as much a capitalist as anyone. It’s just that now, if I make a few bucks, it’s merely a happy byproduct of buying what I like, doing what I enjoy to the car, and occasionally taking advantage of good timing or a buoyant market at sale time. In other words, a successful flip is an exultant ending to a painless transaction.

Rob Sass is the Editor-in-Chief of Porsche Panorama, the official publication of the Porsche Club of America. The opinions stated are his, and not necessarily those of the Club.

The post Confessions of a recovering flipper appeared first on Hagerty Media.

With the last of the snow melting up north, it’s time to shut off the heat, open up the garage, and declare that driving season has finally arrived. Once spring has sprung, what better way to enjoy the open road than in a convertible?

We’ve updated our price guide twice since last winter began, and it should come as no surprise that just about everything fun on four wheels is more expensive that it was a year ago. Values of some traditional “budget” or “underappreciated” collector cars even stretched past what we would consider entry-level territory. Cheap classics are a good thing for the hobby, so this development was somewhat concerning—but fear not. We ran through the data and found a plethora of vehicles that, even in #2 (Excellent, or like-new) condition can still be bought for under $20,000. And because spring is here at least, here are seven convertibles.

1962–80 Triumph Spitfire

Median #2 value: $15,600

Cheap and cheerful motoring is what old British roadsters are all about. This being 2022, though, things aren’t quite so cheap, even if the cars remain plenty cheerful. Over the past few months, condition #2 values for chrome-bumper MGBs and early Sunbeam Alpines slipped past 20 grand, and these days even driver-quality Triumph TR3s and TR4s are in $20K territory. Fortunately, anybody on the hunt for a cheap English two-seater is still spoiled for choice, especially if they’re willing to think a little smaller.

Take the Triumph Spitfire, for instance. Carrying the name of a Battle of Britain–winning fighter plane and wearing shape penned by Giovanni Michelotti, this roadster is just plain cool. With over 300,000 built over 18 years, it’s also plentiful, and parts are easy to find. Thanks to a clamshell hood and simple engineering, it’s easy to work on if (erm, when) it breaks. It’s always more fun to drive a slow car fast, right? Well, you can drive a Spitfire like a bat out of hell in the right lane even as CR-Vs and Outbacks breeze past in the left. And even though median values for #2 examples are up 34 percent over the past two years, they’re still affordable. Scruffier, driver-quality Spitfires can still be had for well under five figures.

Although the Spitfire changed significantly over its nearly two-decade run, #2 values are broadly similar, holding steady in the mid-teens (add a few hundred bucks for a factory hardtop) because each version has its pluses and minuses. Earlier ones with swing-axle rear suspension have tricky handling at the limit, but they look better. Later models have better suspension and more creature comforts but aren’t quite as handsome.

Other open-air Brits under $20K include the Lotus-powered Jensen-Healey, Morris Minor 1000 convertible, TVR 280i, and Series II Sunbeam Alpine. The equivalent MG Midget/Austin-Healey Sprite also offers a similar experience to the Spit but commands a few grand less.

1997–04 Porsche Boxster

Median #2 value: $18,500

Alas, there are almost no cheap Porsches anymore. The 996-generation 911s (1999–05) have started to appreciate, 944s have crossed the $20K mark, and even four-cylinder 914s carry a #2 value of 40 grand or more. So it seems strange that clean examples of early base-model Boxsters, which started at over 40 grand when new, are still so cheap in 2022. Sure, the Boxster isn’t the best-looking thing to wear a Porsche crest—and it has been the butt of many a joke—but you could say the exact same thing about the 914, a car that’s now twice as expensive as its droptop relative.

Boxsters are well-balanced and fun to drive but still comfortable, and with one trunk in the front and another behind the engine, they’re more practical than they might appear. Their reputation was tarnished by the infamous IMS bearing failure issue, but after two decades any blown engines are unlikely and some cars have had their motors preemptively fixed.

Other sub-$20K German droptops that rubbed shoulders with the Boxster include base model (non-Kompressor) Mercedes-Benz SLKs, early BMW Z3s, and Audi TT Quattro Roadsters. All have their strengths, but the Boxster is the enthusiast's choice. Comparing it to the Benz and the Bimmer, Car and Driver concludes: "If there has been a contest going on among BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche to see which German automaker could build the best-performing small roadster ... Porsche should be passing out cigars right now."

1985–90 Alfa Romeo Spider Graduate

Median #2 value: $18,400

Even more so than the Spitfire, the original Alfa Spider is one of those cars that kept factories buzzing for decades. Running from the 1966–94 model years, it's also one of a precious few made-in-Italy two-seaters that an average enthusiast could dream of parking in their garage. That said, #2 values for even the cheaper, later Alfa Spiders have surpassed 20 grand over the past couple of years. In fact, there's only one version left under our $20K ceiling, and that's the Spider "Graduate."

Named as a nod to the 1967 film in which Dustin Hoffman's most memorable costar (other than Mrs. Robinson, maybe) is his red Duetto Spider, the Spider Graduate was introduced for 1985 as a cheaper entry-level Alfa. It came with steel wheels, manual windows, and vinyl seats, but it's powered by the same famously eager 2.0-liter twin-cam four as the better-equipped Quadrifoglio and Veloce models. Same style and same driving experience, but at a tempting discount.

1985–95 Suzuki Samurai

Median #2 value: $15,100

You don't need racing pedigree and a storied badge on the nose to enjoy a top-down drive. You don't need roads, really, if you have a capable rock-hopping 4x4 like the Suzuki Samurai (called the Jimny overseas). An affordable, reliable pint-sized 4x4 with similar dimensions to the original WWII Jeep makes a whole lot of sense, and yet nobody sells anything quite like the original Samurai in the U.S. anymore. That's one reason why we picked the Samurai as one of the car most likely to appreciate in value this year.

And appreciate it has. Median #2 values jumped 22 percent with the latest update of the Hagerty Price Guide, but that stat is still just $15,100 (add $1000 for a hardtop). As of this writing, the most expensive Samurai in our price guide is $17,100.

Samurais may have been popular with '90s sorority sisters and surfer dudes, and they may need a tailwind to get a speeding ticket, but they are tough little things. With a curb weight barely over a ton, a Samurai weighs less than almost any sports car on the market today, and with twin live axles on leaf springs and a hi-lo transfer case, it can hang with the big guys in the rough and tumble. Clean examples are getting hard to find, but they are out there.

1982–85 Buick Riviera Convertible

Median #2 value: $17,650

If the noise of the Triumph and the spine-stressing ride of the Suzuki don't sound appealing, then there are plenty of good ol' fashioned American luxo-cruisers to waft you down the boulevard. Unfortunately, many of the big Cadillacs and Lincolns that come to mind exceed our budget in #2 condition—but there are alternatives.

Take the Buick Riviera convertible, for example. The sixth-gen Riviera shared its E-body platform with the Cadillac Eldorado and Oldsmobile Toronado, and for 1982 Buick introduced a soft-top version. It was the first-ever Riviera convertible and, in fact, the first convertible from any GM brand since the '76 Eldorado.

Droptop Rivieras started life as standard coupes before they were shipped to ASC in Lansing, Michigan, for an extensive conversion process. The two-part process and shipping costs helps to explain why they were so expensive; At nearly $24,000, a droptop was $10K more than a base coupe. Riviera convertibles were only available in White or Red Firemist with either a Claret or a Maple interior.

The sixth-gen Riviera has the unenviable title of Buick's first front-wheel-drive car, but who cares where the power's going when you're on a cruise listening to tunes? Only about 4000 convertible Rivs were built, so if you can't find one that hasn't been trashed or turned into a slab, other domestic convertibles under $20K include the 1971–75 Pontiac Grand Ville, 1988–91 Buick Reatta, and 1987–93 Cadillac Allante.

2006–10 Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky

Median #2 value: $14,800 for Solstice; $18,500 for Solstice GXP; $14,900 for Sky; $18,000 for Sky Redline

The list of American sports cars that don't end in 'vette is, sadly, a short one. GM in particular has always been unease about building two-seaters, scared of buyers straying away from Chevrolet's precious two-seater. And even though Pontiac was supposed to be GM's performance division, its only real sports car was the 2006–10 Solstice.

GM's Miata-fighting four-cylinder drop top isn't perfect. Its 2.4-liter Ecotec four was never designed for track duty and instead came from boring GM front-drivers like the Pontiac G6 and Chevy HHR. Its five-speed gearbox hailed from the Chevy Colorado pickup. The interior is standard 2000s GM: cheap plastic everywhere. It is a fun driver for the price, however. Road & Track concludes "it's not perfect, but it's a pure, satisfying roadster for 20 grand."

On track, the Solstice won the SCCA Showroom Stock B and Touring 2 championships, and in 2007 the lineup got a higher-performing Solstice GXP model. For only a few grand more, it ditched the 177-hp Ecotec for a new 2.0-liter dual-scroll turbocharged engine with 260 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque and got a limited-slip differential. Meanwhile, GM jazzed up the ailing Saturn lineup with a reskinned version of the Solstice called the Sky. Neither lasted long, however, as both fell victim to GM's Great Recession bankruptcy.

As memories of both Pontiac and Saturn fade, the median #2 values for the Solstice are up 19 percent for the Solstice and 14 percent for the Sky. Those increases are real, but compared to some other formerly "cheap" sports cars, they are neglibile. And compared to some of the more beloved Japanese roadsters out there, the homegrown Solstice/Sky twins offer a tempting value. Or you could do the boring, predictable thing and buy a Miata.

1990–98 and 1999–2005 Mazda Miata

Median #2 value: $18,300 for 1990-98; $15,900 for 1999-2005

... and nobody would blame you if you did do the boring, predictable thing and buy a Miata. There's a reason why it's the king of cheap sports cars and why the "Miata is always the answer" meme exists.

The story of the Miata and why it's so darn good has been told a million times. The trend of clean examples becoming frustratingly pricy, however, is a somewhat recent phenomenon. A few months ago we bemoaned the end of the cheap Miata. Looking back at #2 values over the past five years: First gen (NA) Miatas are up 118 percent. Second-gen (NB) cars, 83. The fact that a 1994 Miata in #2 condition is worth the same as a 1994 Corvette still has us scratching our heads.

Let's take a deep breath here. A nice NA or NB isn't as cheap as a lot of us feel it should be, but nothing is lately. Doesn't matter whether we're talking about convertibles or houses. Four-figure Miatas still abound, and even if cars in excellent condition are still nowhere near as cheap as they used to be, anything less than 20 grand for an iconic do-anything roadster that's endlessly fun and customizable is still a great value in the grand scheme of things.

The post 7 clean convertibles that are (still) under $20K appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Paul writes:

I have a 1966 Buick Riviera. Is there a way you can keep the gas gauge from fluctuating back and forth when you have 1/2 a tank of gas, when you go around corners or stop and start.

Sajeev answers:

Yes, that’s usually a sign of the fuel-sending unit that needs attention. If the gauge reads accurately when full or empty, odds are everything else (i.e. the gauge, wiring, fuel tank, etc) are probably fine. What likely failed is the variable resistor inside the sending unit. It’s the part that adjusts the resistance relative to how much fuel is inside the tank. Think of this part like a vinyl record being rubbed down by a needle on record player’s stylus: At some point it wears off too much material and quality degrades.

Judging by this eBay auction, a new sending unit is pretty easy to acquire and fairly affordable. Installation will be pretty straightforward, but I would ask the vendor about the accuracy of their reproductions. (And by accuracy I don’t mean the cosmetic appearance, only the part’s ability to operate the fuel gauge needle in an accurate manner.)

Quality isn’t guaranteed in the automotive aftermarket, but if you get good vibes from their reply, you should absolutely replace your Riviera’s sending unit with one of these.

Have a question you’d like answered on Piston Slap? Send your queries to pistonslap@hagerty.com, and give us as much detail as possible so we can help! If you need an expedited resolution, make a post on the Hagerty Community!

The post Piston Slap: When a Riviera’s sending unit fails to resist appeared first on Hagerty Media.

A funny thing started to happen when the American auto industry moved from the go-go ’60s into the uncertain ’70s. Over the course of the decade, Detroit’s Big Three seemingly lost the will to build convertibles.

In reality, the downfall of the American drop-top was deliberate and strategic. During the five-year period following their 1965 U.S. sales peak, convertibles plummeted in popularity, felled by increasingly affordable air conditioning in fixed-roof models, the popularity of sunroofs, and the rising frustration of owners tired of dealing with noisy, leaky, fussy tops that often needed repair or replacement within a few years from new.

Unwilling to invest in a slice of the industry that had dwindled to a mere two or three percent of total business, Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors began to slowly excise open-air models from their lineups, starting with full-size machines and moving down gradually to their smaller siblings. This cull was accelerated by the fear of toothier regulations regarding rollover safety, a specter dangled by the federal government. Many in the industry feared such regulations would make it impossible to build a compliant convertible.

By 1976, the final American-built convertible of the era—the Cadillac Eldorado—had rolled out of the factory and into the garages of nearly 14,000 collectors. These enthusiasts were confident they had just purchased the last of a dying breed, and for a time they were right on the money. Automotive designers and product planners alike left ‘verts in the rearview, turning their backs decades of history.

Then, hope. Out of nowhere, it seemed, convertibles made a stunning comeback in the early 1980s after a nearly six-year absence from the nation’s highways. Standing at the forefront of this renaissance were three letters—ASC—representing the company responsible for reviving America’s love for windblown hair and scalp-searing sunburns.

From sunroofs to no roofs

The roofless rejuvenation spearheaded by the American Sunroof Company (ASC) didn’t arrive without a hint of irony. After all, ASC was both an accelerant of the convertible’s demise as well as the spark for its resurrection.

First, some context. Heinz Prechter, who founded ASC in 1965, had democratized sunroof access as both an in-house option (starting with the Mercury Cougar in 1967) as well as an aftermarket addition, but that accomplishment did not scrape the surface of his ambition. By 1975, ASC had expanded its coachbuilding operations, producing limousines, wagon conversions, and unusual “custom” interpretations of various Cadillac models. It also jumped in on the T-top craze, standing alongside Hurst and Fisher as a purveyor of open-air fun for models like the Ford Mustang II and the Chrysler Cordoba.

ASC had also experimented with building full-fledged convertibles of its own. “We were never worried about convertibles being legislated out,” explains Henry Huisman, who worked at American Sunroof in the 1970s and who is currently the keeper of the ASC/McLaren flame. “The demand just wasn’t there for convertibles like it used to be, and major automakers didn’t want to do large-scale production anymore. There was a niche for outside manufacturers to fill.”

And fill it, ASC did. After producing an unusual power-operated T-top design for the Oldsmobile Toronado XSR concept car in 1977 (that was ultimately not produced), ASC continued to make inroads at General Motors. It was with Buick that the company got its break into full-convertible conversion in 1981, first slicing the roofs off of a pair of Indy 500 pace cars based on the Regal platform, and then one year later snagging the contract to build the first official convertible from GM in more than six years: the 1982 Riviera.

Small-firm savvy, third-party revolution

“Building convertibles was cost-prohibitive, it slowed down the assembly line, and automakers at the time weren’t interested in that kind of hassle to sell only a handful of cars,” says Huisman. “It’s not so much that Detroit couldn’t build a convertible if it wanted to, but they had so many alternatives—sunroofs, moonroofs, targa tops, T-tops—that it was no longer on the menu in-house.”

Although coachbuilders like Griffith had recently produced targa-like interpretations of dealer-available cars like the AMC Eagle and the Toyota Celica Sunchaser, before the Riviera true drop-tops remained the exclusive province of staggeringly-expensive third-party conversions. Buick made for an interesting test case for getting mainstream American convertibles back on the road, and Heinz Prechter identified the Riviera as a well-styled vehicle suited for convertible duty. And, critically, GM could sell it at a price point justifying such a project’s extra expense.

ASC’s Riviera convertible prototype so impressed the automaker that it was incorporated into the lineup not as a specialty model, but rather as a full-fledged member of the Buick family. The arrangement was simple: Buick sent Rivieras to ASC’s shop in Lansing, Michigan, and the company shipped them back, sans-roof, so they could be sold at a startling $9000 premium over the cost of the base coupe. That’s a $26,220 mark-up in 2022 dollars.

Making the Riviera the most expensive model in the entire GM portfolio might have seemed an unusual strategy, but it was an instant success. In short order, Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Cadillac were all knocking on ASC’s door for convertible versions of vehicles like the Cavalier, the Sunfire, and the Eldorado. International suitors soon began turning up for small outfit’s expertise. Prechter took the design lead on Saab’s convertible version of the ultra-popular 900, which incorporated more than a little of his company’s Riviera-derived know-how (as well as a number of the same parts). The Saab project was followed by requests from both Nissan and Toyota to perform similar surgery on models like the 300ZX and Paseo.

The early-’80s convertible whirlwind was entirely dominated by third-party companies eager to exploit the apparent delta between renewed demand for convertibles and Detroit’s reluctance to devote any internal resources to their production. The same year the Riviera hit, Chrysler tagged in Creative Industries to build a convertible version of its wood-laden LeBaron K-car, followed a year later by Ford outsourcing the Fox-body Mustang to Cars & Concepts for the same treatment.

A legacy of excellence

Above all of these contenders, however, ASC looms large. Over the course of the next 20 years, Prechter’s company had a hand in the design and execution of convertible versions of the Chevrolet Camaro, Porsche 944, Buick Reatta, Infiniti M30, Dodge Dakota, Mitsubishi 3000GT, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Chevrolet SSR, Toyota Solara, and both the BMW Z3 and Z4. These are merely the highlights of the dozens of models whose owners were shown the light of day by way of ASC’s convertible prowess.

“ASC definitely moved quality up a notch,” says Huisman. “It produced higher-quality tops compared to the older, mass-produced designs, thanks in part to the lower production numbers. It also introduced the retractable hardtop.”

Interest in convertibles peaked in the 1990s, during the NA Miata’s heyday, when models like the Mustang (whose production had been returned to Dearborn) counted on ragtops as an important sales pillar. Today’s convertibles once again represent a diminished niche of the auto industry; the Mustang and Camaro are the only ones left from America’s brands. Still, they never went away entirely like they did after 1976, and for that we can point to ASC’s Riviera-led explosion of coachbuilt convertibles as a major reason why American motorists have been able to enjoy 40 straight years of fun in the sun.

The post How ASC brought convertibles back from the dead appeared first on Hagerty Media.

You don’t have to be an excellent driver to own the 1949 Buick Roadmaster Convertible from Rain Man. Excellent credit, on the other hand—now, that’s a must.

The beautiful Buick, which played a central role in the 1988 Academy Award-winning film starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise as brothers Raymond and Charlie Babbitt, will cross the block on January 27 at Bonhams’ Scottsdale auction. Presale estimate is $150,000 to $250,000.

“The car had a very strong visual presence in the film and was featured throughout. It became a character,” says director Barry Levinson. “Dustin, Tom, and the ’49 Buick. In essence, the car had ‘third billing.’”

Two Roadmaster Convertibles were used in the film. One, owned by Levinson, was in the driving scenes and was later repainted by Wayne Carini. The other one, chassis #15235854—the car that’s headed to Bonhams’ Scottsdale sale—was used for green-screen scenes and was purchased by Hoffman after production wrapped.

After 34 years, Hoffman has decided to let it go. “The Buick’s been in storage too long,” he says. “It should be driven, enjoyed, and cherished.”

The iconic Buick is powered by a 320-cubic-inch OHV inline eight-cylinder engine that produces 150 horses and is mated to a two-speed DynaFlow automatic transmission. It has front independent suspension, a live rear axle, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.

In Rain Man, the Roadmaster proves to be the conduit for a reunion between young, brash Charlie Babbitt (Cruise) and the older brother he didn’t know he had, an autistic savant named Raymond (Hoffman). After the death of their father, Sanford Babbitt, Charlie learns that he has been willed his father’s car and some prize-winning rose bushes, while the remaining $3 million of his father’s estate goes into a trust for “an unnamed beneficiary.” Learning that the trustee is the director of the Walbrook Institute, an angry Charlie drives to the facility and confronts the man, who refuses to give him any information.

After storming out of the building, Charlie finds Raymond sitting in his car. Ray insists he drives the car every Saturday.

“You know this car?” Charlie asks.

“I know this car.”

“How do you know this car?”

“I definitely know this car. It’s a 1949 Buick Roadmaster Straight Eight—Fireball Eight. Only 8095 production models. Dad lets me drive slow on the driveway. But not on Monday, definitely not on Monday.”

“Who’s your dad?”

“Sanford Babbitt.”

Charlie ultimately removes Raymond from the mental facility, and the two—along with Charlie’s girlfriend—set off on a cross-country trip from Ohio to California. During the trip, Charlie gains an appreciation for his brother and learns the reason he was ultimately institutionalized.

Rain Man premiered at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the festival’s highest prize, the Golden Bear. It was released in the U.S. by MGM/UA on December 16, 1988, to great acclaim and was nominated for eight Academy Awards. It won four of them: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Hoffman), and Best Original Screenplay. Made for $25 million, it grossed $354.8 million.

The film also made the 1949 Buick Roadmaster Convertible a movie star. Now it could be yours. As Charlie Babbitt said, “If you get this right, Ray, you can drive anywhere you want.”

***

Whether you’re attending Arizona Auction Week or just want to stay close to the action from afar, we’ve got you covered—from auction results to analysis and everything in between. Sign up for our Insider recap from Arizona Auction Week here.

The post Dustin Hoffman’s <em> Rain Man</em> Buick Roadmaster is ready for its next Cruise appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Remember Buick? For years, nay, decades, they made attractive, powerful, and large cars. Stylish, comfortable. If you showed a businessman from 1971 a picture of Buick’s 2021 fleet I don’t believe he would recognize them. Buick always meant plush, stately sedans, coupes, and station wagons. Roadmasters. Specials. Rivieras, Skylarks, Electras! My aunt’s last car was a 1986 Electra Park Avenue sedan, light metallic blue with a navy full-vinyl roof and extremely cushy navy velour seats. When she got it in the late 1990s, I drove it several times and enjoyed it thoroughly. Smooth, quiet, and comfortable. And that was the downsized, front-wheel-drive version with the 3.8-liter V-6. Yet it still conveyed Buick’s purpose in life.

Today, with the deaths of the last Buick sedans (at least in the Land of the Free), we have … combover city. Small, medium, and large combovers—excuse me, CUVs. Though the Enclave does, even now, convey a modicum of the style and room of the vaunted and long-gone wood-sided Estate Wagons of yore. The last real Buick sedan, the Regal, disappeared after 2020. I miss them.

I’ve always preferred sedans over SUVs, CUVs, and their ilk. Or station wagons—I had a 2006 Volvo V50, and it was a great little hauler. Try finding a 2021 station wagon today! There are a few, but you can probably count those available in the U.S. on one hand. I only recently traded in my Town Car Cartier on a Lincoln MKZ because I wanted a late model Lincoln sedan while there was a decent selection of them on my favorite dealer’s lot. But back in 1971, Buick was all-car, all the time. No trucks, no utility vehicles, and most of the line was extra large and in charge. And the bread and butter LeSabre line was very popular in suburban middle class driveways.

That year was a big one for Buick. All full-size models were completely redesigned and bigger than ever. The Buick roster started with the LeSabre, followed by the LeSabre Custom, Centurion (replacing the Wildcat), and luxury Electra. Topping the line was the personal luxury Riviera, now with a striking boattail treatment that would last through 1973.

But today we’re here to talk about LeSabres, though I do have some nice photo sets of 1971–73 Rivieras and Electras, so stay tuned. The base LeSabre came in three models: $3992 sedan, $4061 hardtop coupe, and $4119 hardtop sedan. For around $90 more, you could upgrade to a LeSabre Custom, which had a fancier interior amid other refinements. The Custom series also contained the lone LeSabre convertible, to the tune of $4342.

Though the LeSabre was the least expensive Buick, it was still a Buick and was a cut above a Chevy Biscayne or Pontiac Catalina, equipment-wise. Standard features included Full-Flo ventilation, heater/defroster, Magic-Mirror exterior finish, door-activated courtesy lights, glovebox light, armrests, inside hood release, variable ratio power steering, and power front disc/rear drum brakes. All LeSabres had an overall length of 220.7 inches and rode a 124-inch wheelbase.

A two-barrel 350-cubic-inch V-8 and three-speed manual transmission were standard, but odds are the majority of LeSabre buyers ordered the bulletproof Turbo Hydra-matic automatic transmission. Anyone ever seen a ’71 GM B body with a manual transmission? A four-barrel 350 and four-barrel 455 V-8 were optional. And naturally the expected roster of options was extensive: tilt wheel, air conditioning, cornering lamps, rear window defogger, AM/FM stereo, 8-track player, and six-way power seats.

Today’s featured car is a LeSabre four-door hardtop, finished in Rosewood with a Sandalwood interior and matching top. I spied it at the Buffalo Days annual car show held in the small river town of Buffalo, Iowa, in July 2021. It’s a nice show, far enough away that I usually see different cars than at shows in the city. This one was my favorite, but there was also a super nice navy blue 1974 Camaro, turquoise 1959 Studebaker Lark, showroom-new light brown 1983 Olds Delta 88, and other intriguing finds—some of which I may write up as well. I’m always drawn to these land yachts, but I was especially impressed with the condition of this one, and the great color combination.

The post 1971 Buick LeSabre: Upper middle class, ’71-style appeared first on Hagerty Media.

While plenty of the action at Arizona Auction Week includes European exotics with sewing-machine-like inline-sixes and intricate V-12s, there are hundreds of rowdy muscle cars up for grabs with snorting V-8 engines. Whether your taste favors Ford, GM, or Mopar muscle, there’s likely a big-block on the menu that should suit you. Of course, we’ll be there watching as many of them cross the stage, but here are five that piqued our interest as we skimmed the listings.

Whether you’re attending Arizona Auction Week or just want to stay close to the action from afar, we’ve got you covered—from auction results to analysis and everything in between. Sign up for our Insider recap from Arizona Auction Week here.

1970 Chevrolet Yenko Deuce

Bonhams

Hagerty Price Guide #2 (Excellent) condition value: $119,600

While Chevrolet had seen fit to give the 1970 Nova SS a 300hp 350 small-block and a pair of 396 big-blocks, the solid-lifter LT-1 350 was noticeably absent. The potent, 360-hp LT-1 was a successor to the high-revving 302 and was available in Camaro and Corvette, where it produced an additional 10 horsepower, but Chevrolet snubbed the compact Nova. To remedy this, Yenko Chevrolet used the same method of Central Office Production Order that famously got 427 big-blocks installed in Camaros to match the meanest small-block of 1970 with Chevrolet’s lightweight Nova to create a fantastic muscle car combination. Yenko only built 175 Novas for 1970, making the Yenko Deuce one of the rarest Chevy muscle cars of the era.

This example offered up by Bonhams is the recent recipient of a full restoration and comes equipped with a four-speed and Hurst shifter.

1970 Plymouth Superbird

Barrett-Jackson, Lot 1400

HPG #2 value: $415,800

The Mopar wing cars took NASCAR by storm and brought radical, wind tunnel–sculpted bodywork into showrooms. While they may have looked odd, the pointed noses and tall wings helped both the Dodge Charger Daytona and Plymouth Superbird slice through the air and remain stable at speeds exceeding 200 mph on NASCAR’s biggest tracks.

This well-preserved Superbird wears a refreshed coat of Tor Red (Plymouth’s take on Dodge’s Hemi Orange) but the interior and engine bay are all original, owing their fantastic condition to the car’s low-mileage condition—it has just over 6000 miles on the odometer. Its 426 Hemi V-8 is just as it was when this beast rolled off the assembly line.

1965 Buick Riviera Gran Sport

Bonhams

HPG #2 value: $81,400

If you prefer your muscle car to be a bit on the understated and luxurious side, may we suggest a Buick Riviera Gran Sport? The first-generation Riviera hit the showroom looking like a concept car with its hidden headlights and sleek, tailored lines. When fitted with the Super Wildcat 425 V-8 and its dual four-barrel carbs, the elegant Riviera was very much a muscle car, churning out 360 hp along with the Nailhead V-8’s notorious torque.

Under the hood, a massive air cleaner shrouds the carburetors and keeps up the charade that this is just a luxury cruiser. This well-preserved Gran Sport received a repaint, although it was never fully restored. The car’s second owner, who maintained the car for nearly 50 years, seems to have babied it, although we have to imagine the Gran Sport surprised a lot of unsuspecting drivers in its day.

1987 Buick Grand National

Barrett-Jackson, Lot 1347

HPG #2 value: $52,500

You could argue that Buick’s turbocharged V-6 bruiser didn’t follow the traditional recipe of a muscle car, but the result was the same. After a decade of underperforming V-8s, enthusiasts were excited to see that fuel injection and boost could offer the performance that automakers could no longer deliver using carburetors and large-displacement V-8s. After a bumpy start, the turbocharged, intercooled Grand National that emerged was a serious performance machine for its era and gave hot rodders a fantastic starting point to create dragstrip machines capable of holding their own against storied muscle-car nameplates that packed twice the displacement.

This Grand National is special as it was the last off the assembly line, spelling the end for not only the Grand National, but for GM’s beloved G-body architecture. Assembly line workers signed the car as they built it, and the turbocharger shroud, intake, and alternator all bear signatures and dates in marker. With just 33 miles on the odometer, it’s likely one of the best-preserved Grand Nationals in existence, which is saying something as a shocking number of these seem to have been scooped up by collectors with preservation in mind.

1969 Ford Mustang Drag Car

Barrett-Jackson, Lot 1299

HPG #2 value: N/A

If you’re a fan of today’s NHRA Pro Stock racing, in which high-revving big-blocks vie for quarter-mile glory, then you’ve no doubt heard of one of the pioneers in the field, Sam Auxier, Jr. He had a long career in NHRA Pro Stock in a series of Ford entries, often with a 427 SOHC V-8. Prior to that, however, Auxier campaigned this 1969 Mustang Sports Roof powered by a 427 tunnel-port in the AHRA’s Ultra Stock class. Contrary to its name, this class wasn’t closer to factory stock than the later Pro Stock class were; rather, it allowed for even more modifications. Auxier would launch this Mustang with the wheels up and grab gears en route to 10-second time slips. His successful events in this car include a win over the also-legendary Grumpy Jenkins at the 1968 CARS Magazine meet.

The car was restored to reflect how it looked when it raced in 1969, down to the Mercury script valve covers that were left over from Auxier’s days behind the wheel of a Comet. The red-white-and-blue livery follows the Mustang’s lines perfectly and the well-executed restoration is the next best thing to a true time capsule of one of Ford’s most famous drag racers.

The post 5 burly muscle cars to watch at Arizona Auction Week appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Chip shortage strikes again, this time hampering McLaren’s Artura launch

Intake: The global semiconductor shortage will delay the launch of McLaren’s Artura plug-in hybrid supercar, according to a report from Automotive News. This is the third time that the hybrid V-6 McLaren has been delayed—it was initially slated to arrive in Q3 of last year, but operating challenges caused by the pandemic pushed that date to June of 2021, then supplier problems pushed that to early fall of 2021. The new target date for deliveries is now some time in July. The Artura will spearhead a new platform for McLaren, dubbed the Carbon Lightweight Architecture, or CLA. Power comes from a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 engine that is supplemented by an axial flux electric motor and a 7.4-kilowatt-hour battery, with a combined output of 671 hp.

Exhaust: In a comment delivered to AN, McLaren spokesperson Roger Ormisher said, “We held on longer than everybody else in terms of stopping production, but unfortunately, our semiconductor supply dried up.” While it’s certainly unfortunate that the world will have to wait a bit longer to see what Woking’s latest supercar is capable of, chip issues remain a major hurdle. Earlier this year, Chevrolet dropped basic equipment such as heated seats from a wide swathe of products due to the chip shortage, and many other automakers have been forced to make similar decisions due to dwindling semiconductor supply.

Report: Hyundai halting hydrogen and internal-combustion engine development

Intake: Hyundai is putting all its eggs in the battery basket, according to South Korean media. A recent report in The Korea Economic Daily says the company is planning to close down its R&D center for combustion engines, while a story in The Chosun Iibo says that Hyundai is also to abandon work on hydrogen fuel cells. That would put the firm’s full focus on battery-electric vehicles. The Korea Economic Daily says that Hyundai has closed the engine development division at  its Namyang Research and Development center, citing an email from the new R&D head Park Chung-kook which says, “Now, it is inevitable to convert into electrification. Our own engine development is a great achievement, but we must change the system to create future innovation based on the great asset from the past.” Meanwhile, The Chosun Iibo sates that Hyundai’s hydrogen plans have a hit a wall as the company face challenges to lower production costs to a viable level.

Exhaust: Hyundai halting the development of future internal combustion engines is no surprise; many car makers such as Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, and the Stellantis Group have already announced similar plans. But ditching H2 just months after the Korean company revealed its Hydrogen Vision 2040 concept and hinted at a 2025 h2-fuelled Genesis is a bit more surprising. We’ve reached out to Hyundai for comment and will update when we hear back.

Rivian delays bigger-battery truck and SUV until 2023

Intake: In a letter sent to customers yesterday, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said that delivery of the “Max pack” battery versions of the R1T pickup and R1S SUV will be delayed until 2023. Range for these models is roughly 400 miles, versus the approximately 314-mile range of the standard “Large pack” battery. Of the 71,000 or so pre-orders for the all-electric truck and SUV, most are for the Large pack—80 percent, according to Automotive News. Both the Rivian truck and SUV are available in standard Explorer Package trim, as well as the premium Adventure Package trim. “In order to serve the largest number of preorder holders, we will be prioritizing building the Adventure Package with Large pack battery during the next year,” reads the letter from Rivian’s CEO.

Exhaust: Since Rivian went public last quarter, the company has cited a number of hiccups related to manufacture of battery modules, available labor, the global supply chain, and the pandemic. The logic here—to fulfill the most orders as efficiently as possible—seems sound, but it is a bit of a letdown for customers who wrote a fatter check. Alas, these are the realities of our current global predicament, not to mention the risk of doing business with any all-new car company. Rivian had built 652 vehicles as of December 15, and it delivered 386 of them.  Right now, the company’s online configurator for the R1T truck lists a starting price of $67,500, with the Max pack available at a $10,000 premium; the R1S SUV, starting at $70,000, lists only the standard Large pack battery.

Buick may revive the Electra nameplate as an EV

Intake: If there’s one name that deserves a return for our electrified future, it’s the Electra by Buick. If a new report from Car and Driver is any indication, we may soon get our wish. CandD noted that GM applied “for the ‘Buick Electra’ mark with the United States Trademark and Patent Office on December 20, 2021.” This move isn’t all that surprising, as the Electra name was affixed to a Buick concept SUV last year at the Bejing Auto Show. If the filing does indeed predicate a new Buick EV, expect said vehicle to ride on GM’s Ultium Platform.

Exhaust: But hold up on that, as the Electra name has nothing to do with electricity. On one fateful day, Harlow Curtice (President of Buick) met his brother-in-law’s wife, a woman named Electra Waggoner Biggs. Curtice was so taken by the middle-aged Texas sculptor and socialite that he named a 1959 Buick in her honor. In many ways she embodied the spirit of a premium vehicle for premium buyers, with a pedigreed education from Bryn Mawr, Columbia and the Sorbonne. Electra’s charms (as it were) lasted all the way until 1990, when the Park Avenue moved from an Electra trim level to a standalone model.

Alfa Romeo 4C to make a very limited comeback … as an Abarth

Intake: The recently-departed Alfa Romeo 4C is returning with Abarth badging, but just five examples will be built. Auto Italia magazine reports that the Abarth 1000 SP (Sport Prototipo) which was unveiled as a concept car in May 2021 will be put into very limited production using the 4c Spider platform. It’s a tribute to the car which won the Nürburgring 500 km endurance race in 1966, with curves that echo the 1960s racer. When the concept was first displayed Alfa Romeo said, “The Abarth 1000 SP echoes the lines and aesthetic characteristics of its forerunner. The sinuous body, with the soft surfaces of the fenders highlighting the position of the wheels, takes up the pattern of the spider with a central engine.”

Exhaust: Auto Italia reports that the cars will be priced at $228,000, or almost four times the cost of a 4c Spider. Presumably there are enough Alfisti or Abarthists out there willing to cough up to add this rare piece to their colleziones.

Let Jay Leno show you what it takes to run a steam car

Intake: Cars weren’t always the wildly complex mechanical devices we see and use today. In fact, early automobiles were remarkably simple, and nothin showcases that truth quite like a car that runs on steam. Of course Jay Leno has one, and on this week’s episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, our double-denim friend walks through the process of bringing the car from cold to ready-to-drive. Spoiler alert: Despite the simple components, waking one of these brutes up is neither easy nor quick.

Exhaust: The most interesting thing comes early in this how-to video: The White Steam Car Jay is firing up doesn’t have a boiler, but rather a steam generator. The more common Stanley steamers feature boilers that require building up a head of steam to run the car, while this White has something more akin to a tankless water heater. Very hot coils flash water to boiling point very quickly and allow the car to make steam nearly as fast as it is using it. This makes the whole thing a lot more usable.

The post Chip issues delay McLaren’s Artura, Hyundai ceases engine R&D, big-battery Rivians take a back seat appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The last Buick Grand National ever built heads to auction

Intake: As far as last-ofs go, this one’s a doozy for ’80s GM buffs. The last Buick Grand National ever built will head to auction next month at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale sale. It was the final car to roll off the General Motors Pontiac, Michigan, assembly plant as well, and it marked end of GM’s mid-size rear-drive G-body platform. The black beauty shows just 33 miles on the clock and still wears the factory-installed interior plastic. Documentation is extensive and thorough, with the original window sticker that says “The Last Grand National” on it as well as a host of photo and video materials collected by a GM film crew. The car will cross the block with no reserve.

Exhaust: This auction has the makings of a serious result. Hagerty Automotive Intelligence expert Greg Ingold weighs in: “The first and last of anything are extremely sought after by collectors,” he explains. “Not only is this the last one, but it has 33 miles. I expect this thing to set a record for a Grand National that will stand for quite a while.” Currently, a #1-condition (Concours-quality) Grand National is worth at $73,500. When the hammers falls on this one, it should land well north of that figure.

Acura’s sporty MDX Type S begins rolling off the assembly line

Intake: Production of Acura’s MDX Type S is underway at the brand’s East Liberty, Ohio, plant. This high-performance MDX is intended to appeal to those in search of a family hauler that can still deliver a sense of driving enjoyment from behind the wheel. To aid in the endeavor, Acura equipped the MDX Type S with a 355-horsepower turbocharged V-6, adaptive air suspension, Brembo front brakes, and stylish 21-inch wheels. It’s the second Type S-badged vehicle to arrive from this self-proclaimed “renewed era of Type S performance,” following the TLX Type S sedan that was unveiled in the middle of last year. The two will be joined by the widely-anticipated, limited-production NSX Type S early next year.

Exhaust: Yes, it’s a stretch to consider a seven-seat SUV a prime candidate for a sporting upgrade. Heft aside, the MDX is a solid vehicle as-is, and if the abundance of Mercedes-AMG, BMW M, and Ford ST-branded high-riders is any indication, there’s a market for such a vehicle. In all likelihood, the MDX Type S will sell better than the TLX. If we’re offering up candidates for the next Type S-ification, we humbly suggest the forthcoming Integra.

Toyota sends the Avalon off with special XSE Hybrid Nightshade edition

Intake: While Toyota’s Avalon sedan will soon be discontinued, the marque isn’t letting the full-sizer go down without a bit of flair. The 2022 Avalon XSE Hybrid Nightshade edition will send the competent if aging cruiser out with a splash of sporty appearance. A piano-black mesh grille, grade-specific lower diffuser, gloss black wheels, and blacked-out exterior bits such as the side mirror caps, headlight bezels, trunk lid spoiler and exterior badging will aim to spice up the car’s looks. Paint options consist of Midnight Black metallic, Wind Chill Pearl, or Celestial Silver Metallic. There’s a similarly blacked-out feel in the cabin, with black leather and suede adorning seating surfaces and headliner. The XSE Hybrid Nightshade pairs a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with a continuously-variable transmission and a 259-volt lithium-ion battery pack for an EPA estimated 43 MPG city/highway/combined. Starting price for this special-edition Avalon? $41,725.

Exhaust: On the one hand, the death knell for yet another full-side sedan comes as a blow to those of us who view the crossover-laden market of today with a bit of disdain. On the other hand, the Avalon has never really been all that thrilling; it embodies the most conservative aspects of Toyota’s notoriously conservative product planning tendencies. This special edition doesn’t really do much to change that, nor does it really fit the Avalon’s usual discount-Lexus-ES vibe. If a Toyota sedan is a must-have for you—fiscally responsible folks are now tipping their caps—there’s still the Camry.

NHTSA steps up probe into Hyundai and Kia engine fires

Intake: The National Highway Traffic Safety (NHSTA) is ramping up efforts to investigate a plethora of engine fire issues that have hampered Hyundai and Kia products for over six years. According to Automotive News, the NHTSA has opened an “engineering analysis” to study some 3 million vehicles and to investigate how effective the existing recalls from the Korean automakers have been in remedying the issue. The engineering analysis is the next step in a process that could eventually result in a formal recall being issued, but AN noted that it’s also possible that the analysis closes the probe without requiring further action. Hyundai told AN that it continues to fully comply with the NHTSA investigation into these non-collision engine fires.

Exhaust: Fires are not something to take lightly—even more so if they’re occurring in the context of unprompted engine failure outside of any collision. If you’re having a bit of deja vu reading this, there’s a good reason why: In late 2020, Hyundai and Kia agreed to a $210 million U.S. auto safety civil penalty for recalls of 1.6 million engines due to, yes, fire risks. If NHTSA deems that those recall efforts weren’t effective and timely enough for such a large swathe of vehicles, there will be a hefty fine to pay.

The post The last Grand National heads to auction, showtime for Acura’s MDX Type S, Nightshade edition closes out Toyota’s Avalon appeared first on Hagerty Media.

If you’re looking for a silver lining in today’s clouds, consider this: The 1979 Buick Riviera, a baroque design, conceived during the dark days of the first gas shortage, may now be the perfect classic car to ride out the end times in style.

That ’79–85 Riviera and its E-body sisters, the Toronado and Eldorado, were Bill Mitchell’s going-out-in-style hat trick. He didn’t want his last designs to be the equivalent of Earl’s chrome laden ‘fifty-eights, he wanted a winner. (Hold the hate mail; I would love to have a 1958 Buick Limited or Cadillac Fleetwood in my garage). Now some of us are reading the tea leaves of “personal mobility” and thinking … Gosh, maybe I should figure out a way to go out in style, as well.

Thankfully, much of the bloodthirsty societal zest for “autonomy” took a break this past year as the elites quickly abandoned mass transit for the safety of their SUVs and headed for their summer homes. After all, who wants to summon an on-demand transport pod after the previous occupant has hacked all over it? Car sales declined then bounced back as the cities locked down, used cars sold quickly and prices rose by a couple of thousand. Previously carless urban sophisticates suddenly had a need to hit the road. In my neck of the woods four grand used to get you a solid daily driver; now it’s a project car of dubious potential.

Even classics sold fast, too much stimulus cash to those who didn’t need it and too much time on their hands between Zoom calls. The joke’s on them, of course; by the time they get the new toy roadworthy owning a private car will be made unaffordable, taxed out of existence or made illegal. Some combination of the above, most likely.

“Oh please, extinguish your hair, its only a few cents a liter, it’s for the environment, the children, the whales, whatever”, I hear you say. Malarkey, they have been threatening us for years, this is the future they think you deserve.

It’s an electric future but only for the very rich; everyone else will take the bus or walk. Don’t worry, old cars will still exist, the elite will have their pick, purchased at fire sale prices and driven on $13 per gallon gasoline on private roads around gated communities on sunny days.

Things will happen fast but maybe we have a few years or maybe it will only take six months.

Do I throw caution to the wind, stop using the subway and daily drive one of my fun cars while I can still buy high test? Should it be my ’59 Cadillac with tri-power-carbed 390, the Continental Mark IV with the prodigiously thirsty 460. Or I could go hell for leather and commute to work in a Series II 454 powered Excalibur SS, windshield folded down, suitably attired in flying goggles and bomber jacket. The Excalibur is well suited for winter driving too, with excellent ground clearance and twin heater cores under the front seats.

But I couldn’t do it. Two of these cars are terrifying to drive in modern highway traffic and I just can’t subject any of them to street parking, road salt, and the depredations of my city’s nocturnal inhabitants. The Lincoln would be the best choice (but the thirstiest) with four-wheel disk brakes, battering ram bumpers and more steel than an entire parking lot of Kias… it is safe as it feels. Like my dearly departed Toronado XS it is a car I would never hesitate to drive into the city for a meeting, even in the most intimidating blizzard.

The most amazing part of the current pandemic is that, beside still having a job, I get to work in an office and have not been forced to work from home… in my case a pied-a-terre in the city. Instead of taking the interminable subway ride to my desk cube I would prefer to live out the last days of empire surrounded by the once familiar sight and sounds of eight cylinders, chrome, velour and plastic wood.

The question as to what the perfect city classic would be has long occupied my thoughts. The events of the last year have lit a fire under me to come up with an answer. It could not be a prefect low mileage original or full restoration. It had to be something I didn’t have to worry about, a patinaed survivor that would look good enough to bring joy during this dark winter. Something malaise but not too compromised by government edict, easy to park, practical to repair, not so flashy that it will call unwanted attention to itself.

The answer is, of course, Mitchell’s third generation E-bodies. The ’79–85 Riviera and its platform mates, Eldorado and Toronado. Built during a time when the General was still on top of his game. Sure, Mitchell didn’t have such big a canvas to work on, but still he worked magic.

Like Mitchell, my preference was for the Riviera, particularly the 350-Olds-powered 79-80 models. Relatively compact, (16.9 feet long) and fuel efficient (15-20 mpg) the Riviera could be parked easily on my street. The design and size are pleasing without the insolence of its ’71-78 forebears. The FWD configuration is a bonus for the snowy months north of the 49th parallel.

They were special, even when new. I heard from GM designer Richard North that management even tried to kill these best sellers in the cradle. The bean counters thought the corporation was spending too much on “speciality” cars.

It was a bad time, North recalled: “… the worst period of the OPEC gas shortage. GM was laying people off, our cars weren’t selling. Another generation of specialty cars looked like a bad idea.”

Mitchell wouldn’t be denied his legacy, he went rogue and set up a secret design studio behind a double set of locked doors. North was drafted to help create the new generation of personal luxury cars. Other designers wanted nothing to do with the unpopular concept that could cost them their jobs.

“Bill Mitchell wanted these cars to be his design high note to leave on and clearly the Riviera was the one that mattered to him”, said North.

The design for the downsized E bodies started late 1973 and early 1974 so it is no wonder they encompass so much of the Mitchell neo-classic late Sixties/early Seventies styling cues. Just like the introductory product video states the Riviera has the “classic long hood, short deck” look so desired by upwardly mobile Americans from coast to coast.

I previously enjoyed a bustle back Seville and despite the cursed “4.1”, found it to be the perfect size luxury car for a diminished world. Europeans might see these cars as big, but they feel compact to someone who has had a fleet of early seventies Lincolns, Cadillacs, and Imperials.

Pete Estes, president of GM (1974–1981) was the only person allowed through the secure double doors know as the “air lock” to see what was going on in the secret studio. Estes was initially non-committal but eventually came to champion the program, green-lighting its production.

Mitchell’s parting shot might have been born of downsizing and realpolitik but he did not compromise his vision. Of all the prototype images I have seen, the clay mockup of the Riviera is closest to the car that went into production.

As the lights slowly go out on the golden age of the postwar world, I intend to travel the crumbling infrastructure in splendid velour and faux wood as the full frame suspension soaks up the potholes. Like the happy couple in the 1980 brochure illustration, I will watch for the mushroom clouds on the horizon. As the Buick ad said, “At least once in your life you should own a car this incredible.”

I just wish future generations could enjoy it too.

The post Choosing a Buick for the end times, and a chat with the designer appeared first on Hagerty Media.

I recently asked folks in the Hagerty Community to submit their candidates for the most undervalued classics, and I received answers that were both insightful and surprisingly varied. The results go to show the diverse backgrounds of our Community fans, but they also make for good content elsewhere in the Hagerty mediaverse. (If you haven’t joined our Community, it’s not too late.) That said, commentator Inline8OD was keen to my grift, so I had better give credit where credit’s due:

PS: You do realize Hagerty runs these me-too articles, fans these flames to get free consensus of current value because they’re an insurance company, despite the everything-for-everyone window dressing of this site and magazine.

Oh man, it would be sweet if your boy Sanjeev got mad Hagerty street cred for his online antics! In reality, the Hagerty Valuation team makes objective decisions on hard numbers generated from transaction data, not my crowdsourced/anecdotal data. Since this article won’t cause the Hagerty Price Guide to so much as shiver, I can proceed unabated to show you which cars “we”—yours truly and the Hagerty Community—think are undervalued.

2006–10 Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky

The GM Kappa twins were suggested by both JimR and hyperv6 in the Hagerty Community on the basis of their well-tuned chassis, handsome styling, and increasing obscurity (both belong to discontinued GM brands). While the Solstice’s short-term history was far less pleasant than that of the contemporary Miata, the fortunes of the Kappas twins could be due for a shift: Witness this rare, museum-quality GXP that in October of 2021 for $86,500. By itself, however, the sale won’t reset the Kappa-twin market. For right now, you can enjoy the thrills provided by either the Solstice or the Sky for a reasonable price.

1992–97 Subaru SVX

The Giugiaro-styled Subaru SVX has the chops to make it on the list, thanks to spaceship styling and a decadent interior worthy of a GT coupe. Performance was respectable thanks to a 230-horse flat-six, even if the automatic transmission was neither awe-inspiring nor particularly durable. But gearbox choice is not the point: Community user Gen2rt compares the SVX to the DeLorean-in terms of styling (same designer, window-within-a-window concept) and praises the low center of gravity allowed by its boxer engine. Even better, I’ve observed the trend of manual transmission/WRX powertrain swaps in person, and such creativity truly gives the SVX a new lease on life. A SVX-WRX is, in my biased opinion, the coolest vehicle to ever wear the Subaru badge.

1989 Shelby Dakota/ 1989–91 Dakota Sport Convertible

Community user pdprince offered a real gem that was unique when new and remains quite rare today. The 1989 Shelby Dakota and the related Dakota convertible were unexpected “halo” vehicles that injected more personality into Dodge’s mid-size truck, and hopefully got some tire kickers to pull the trigger on a regular Dakota instead. Pdprince also raised a good point when suggesting that Shelby should have offered the convertible with his hotted-up powertrain and tuning package, too. If the Texan did, these coulda been the early 1990s reincarnation of the Dodge Lil’ Red Express, which are currently valued at $25,600 in #2 condition (i.e. Excellent condition). But Dodge and Shelby didn’t combine both notions, and that’s probably why the halo Dakotas made the cut for this list.

1996–02 Pontiac Trans Am WS6

Hagerty Community user Talso4146 still feels that WS6 Trans Ams (and the Camaro SS?) are undervalued, especially the 1998–2002 models with the LS1 motor lurking beneath the sleek hood. How can you argue with that combination? The fourth-generation F-bodies had sleek proportions that looked far more American Muscle than their stocky, global-platformed successors. Both the LT-1 and LS-1 mills offered serious fun with the T-56 manual trans, and the WS6 came with even more power out of the factory-shipped box. Everything about these cars suggest they should appreciate to the values of older F-bodies, but they have not … yet!

1972–79 Lamborghini Urraco

Not all Lamborghinis are created equal, but a Lambo is still a Lambo, right? Community user Keefe thinks the Urraco is the car to watch, as it’s an original “Lambo under Ferruccio, entry-level and affordable!” Originally designed to be a more affordable, more competitive vehicle to the likes of the Dino, the Urraco continues to trail the values of sisterships Espada and Jarama by tens of thousands of dollars. Which is a shame, because I think it looks better than both and deserves a larger share of the limelight.

1975–96 Jaguar XJS

Among the XJS’ 21-year production run, Community user karofsky suggests that 1995 might be the best year for quality and reliability, and that the XJS “compares quite favorably to the Mercedes 450 SL of the same era. I suspect prices for ‘excellent drivers’ could be in the mid $20K [range] in a few years.” Indeed, we’ve asked ourselves why these classic Jaguars aren’t worth more, and perhaps its because of the costs of ownership paired with the deity-like legacy of its predecessor. But no matter, the XJS’s tough circumstances make them a bargain for the amount of performance and prestige.

1970–82 Alfa Romeo Spider (Series II)

Much like the Jaguar, the Series II Alfa Romeo Spider is somewhat overshadowed by its predecessor. Community user gator749 thinks their rarity (from attrition by rusting) should cause these models to appreciate in value soon, particularly the handsome early versions with chrome bumpers. Gator749 went further and pointed out that “a very high quality ’71 just sold for $37,000,” which makes sense, as this clean ’73 sold for $38,000. Could this Alfa be poised to appreciate quicker than the others on the list?

1990–95 Corvette ZR-1

“All years of the C4 ZR-1 Corvette” are under-appreciated according to 66427vett, and he’s got a good point. While C4s in general are a depressed market, the ZR-1 was called King of the Hill for good reason: It beat Ferrari Testarossas and completely outclassed its C4 brethren. And yet the ZR-1 is worth no more–sometimes much less—than the one-year only 1996 Corvette Grand Sport, which boasted far less performance (but far more retro striping). And with that in mind, I agree with 66427vette’s remark that the fourth-gen ZR1s “have shown modest increases recently but are still a bargain that are likely to appreciate.”

2017–20 Fiat 124 Spider

While I previously noted the resale value superiority of the Fiat 124 Spider over its Miata blueprint, Community user LionShooter suggests the prices are even more appreciative, to the tune of increasing “by $15,000 in the past year.” Is it possible that a ritzy Italian interior and a turbocharged engine paired with Mazda engineering is about to explode into the realm of the big-dollar modern classics?

1992–2000 Lexus SC

The appropriately named Lexusman offered an example that just about everyone appreciates: The flagship Lexus SC300 and SC400 coupes. Our man behind the prestigious L brand makes special note of the “original five-speed SC300s, I estimate there are 500 or less original unmodified five-speed SC300s still in existence, out of an original total of 3800 1992–1997 models.” And while values have likely increased since we last questioned this model’s unexplained affordability, the sheer long-term value of this stylish Lexus relative to other luxury coupes (cough, that Jaguar up there) suggests the SC300 and SC400 have far more headroom in the classic car marketplace.

2005–08 Dodge Magnum

“I like the 2005–2008 Dodge Magnum, especially the ones with the Hemi V-8,” says Hagerty Community user George-85. It’s hard to argue with the concept of a modern American station wagon with a taut suspension and eight cylinders of rumbling fury under the hood! We’ve noted that prices for the SRT model have skyrocketed (kinda like those of Cadillac’s CTS-V wagon, but that’s another story) and even a low-mile R/T for $17,000 this year. Which likely means prices are rising, collectors are on the hunt, and you better get one for cheap while you can!

1991–2007 supercharged 3.8-liter Buick V-6s

I know that’s not a car, but Hagerty Community user Seisen is on to something when they note “GM 3.8 Supercharged V-6 cars are neat but un-loved—many models of Buick, Pontiac, Olds and Chevy to chose from.” While classic car folks are supposed to be pining for V-8 Cadillacs of the era, the tarnished reputation of the Northstar V-8 likely scared off too many owners back in the day for that to ever happen now. Enter Buick’s venerable 3.8-liter mill with a huffer added on top, available in sporty flavors from Chevrolet and Pontiac, super-cushy examples from Buick, and unbelievably stealthy sedans from Oldsmobile. Even this low-mile, naturally aspirated 3.8-liter-equipped Buick Park Avenue sold for impressive money, which suggests a supercharged Park Avenue Ultra in the same condition would sell for far, far more. In your author’s opinion, it’s only a matter of time before this happens, marking one of the few instances when a Buick blows the doors off a Cadillac of the same vintage.

1977–95 Porsche 928

Forget about the internationally famous movie car that sold for disgusting money, as Hagerty Community member Michaelmotorcyc has a valid point for other Porsche 928s on the market. He suggests that a “well-maintained, driver-quality” Porsche 928 checks off a lot of boxes for classic car ownership, and anyone who has driven one will agree. Of course, he notes the “928 GTS is already sought after” but there are only so many of those later, low-production examples available. At some point the cheaper ones, especially the 5.0-liter S4s, will appreciate in value like their big brothers. It’s only a matter of time, so enjoy the regular 928s while you still can.

What did “we” collectively miss? I’d love to read what you think, because as stated above, that’ll help me give Hagerty more free information to boost my credibility within the organization. Do it for Sanjeev me!

The post According to you: 13 undervalued vehicles you can enjoy on the cheap appeared first on Hagerty Media.

“This is the dinosaur tour.” A perfect one-liner to describe the age of race cars in attendance at the 40th Annual Buick GS Nationals. Unlike many hi-po drag meets, where late model cars reign supreme, the rides packing Beech Bend Dragway’s paddock are primarily pre-1985. David McIntosh, the man who supplied the quote, has plenty of these short and sweet sentences, keeping any conversation as pleasant and airy as whipped chocolate mousse. I could listen to McIntosh talk all day—automotive knowledge that comes from over 40 years of running your own engine shop and a heft of good-naturing ribbing, piped through a breezy Georgian drawl—but he’s got places to be. A staging box specifically, to ignite the porky slicks on his 1971 Buick GS drag car.

It had been 29 years since McIntosh’s gold GS (badged as a GSX) staged the Christmas tree at Beech Bend Dragway in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, McIntosh and his drag car were legends among the Buick faithful packing the festival grounds, and the racer spent much of his year prepping customer’s engines for the big meet at his machine shop. “Everything in my life was AB: after Bowling Green.” Back in ’92 the car hit 139 miles-per-hour at a 9.71-second elapsed time through the quarter mile. That year, he was crowned victor at the show, beating the all-Buick field known as the “Quick 16.”

In the years following, McIntosh was always heavily recruited to come back to the strip, but the stars never aligned again during 1990s. The racer and his wife had their son Donald 1993, and, in 1996, Donald campaigned the gold Buick for the final time. That is, until this year’s GS Nationals. The prospect of a return for the torqued-out muscle car to the momentous iteration of GS Nationals at Beech Bend this year provided the proper push for McIntosh to dust off the old Buick and trailer it up to Bowling Green from his hometown of Dawsonville, Georgia.

Of course, it wasn’t as simple as cleaning the car. No, it took three months for McIntosh and crew to prep the car that last drag raced 25 years ago. His buddy Eldon Glatfelter, who he met one year at the Nationals, made a 14-hour trip from Pennsylvania, and joined the project with friend Wayne Karraker, to help breathe life back into the old drag machine. McIntosh’s son Donald joined the fray too, equipping the car with a Motion Control Systems (MCS) shock package. An employee at MCS, and a racer in his own right, the young McIntosh actually built and designed the shocks for his father’s car.

McIntosh’s band of merry men spent three months thrashing, vetting each component of the car. They went through the 455-cubic-inch engine, yanked back-in-the-day from a 1970 Buick Electra, and sat it under a new set of Stage one heads. An Offenhauser intake sourced from McIntosh’s old hot rod Corvair sits between the heads and is an example of McIntosh’s contrarian attitude. “Everybody told me the intake didn’t work,” he says. “That’s the reason why it’s on there.” The car was buttoned up just in time for the 2021 event, and by the first day of passes down the strip, the car sat ready in the pits. “It was an emotional rollercoaster getting there,” says McIntosh, who, in addition to the flurry of reviving the car, also had to navigate a mid-summer scare of short fuel supply.

Sporting the same fire suit he wore in 1992, the 65-year-old-racer made several passes down the strip, but not without mechanical gremlins. The first day, an aftermarket master cylinder failed and at the end of the strip, brake pedal met floor. Crisis averted, the team was able to make the repair. During his time in the box, though, McIntosh noticed he couldn’t heat the tires like he used to, nor could he leave from the Christmas tree drag light like he remembered. A broken torque converter was finally identified as the culprit.

Despite the issues, McIntosh was able to lay down a 9.75-second elapsed time and qualify for the “Quick 16.” “It’s a pretty big rush. I build a lot of street hot rods that have more power, but the street’s different. They don’t leave like that,” he says. “Plus, I’m old.”

McIntosh’s first-round competitor played games with the wily veteran, at one pointing balking and backing out of the staging box. With the benefit of some time elapsed after the race itself, McIntosh now considers the trickery a kind of compliment—his rival racer no doubt intimidated by the gold Buick’s reputation. Not to mention that the gentleman that knocked him out in the first round also went on to win the whole event.

“If you’re going to lose, you always want that,” says McIntosh. “I don’t know why you want that, but at least you don’t look as bad.” Results aside, McIntosh and his gold GS did anything but.

It’s stories like McIntosh’s the highlight the importance of these hot rod gatherings, from Goodguys in Ohio to the Ford Nationals in Pennsylvania, to the Grand National Roadster show in California. They till the automotive anecdotes to the top and kick camaraderie into overdrive. Even before the event, McIntosh’s friends and family united to prep the Buick. Yes, the vehicles are amazing, and the racing is great, but the mass car shows like these dotting the continent are in many ways family reunions thinly veiled in burnt rubber and vaporized high-octane.

“I got to see people I hadn’t seen in years,” says McIntosh, who was still remembered as a local legend by fans that attended the event in 1992. “Overall, if I had to do it all over again, knowing what I know now, I’d [still] do it,” says McIntosh, who had one last one-liner cued up. “Of course, I’d throw a new torque converter in first.”

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The 1949 Buick Special and the 1969 Porsche 911 weren’t marketplace competitors. They weren’t really designed to appeal to the same people, and you don’t often find them in the same collections. In fact, they seem to come from entirely different planets, so much so that it’s hard to believe that the Buick was just a 20-year-old used car when the Porsche was new, as common on the roads then as a 2001 Buick Regal might be today.

No doubt you’re dying to know why we threw them in a story together. It started (as it often does) with a debate among coworkers. One side: Our boss, Larry Webster, he of the 911 owners club, took the position that it’s more fun to drive swiftly on a road trip, to pleasure in the delights of a well-cut apex and an expertly executed downshift while speeding along excellent, undulating roads at the helm of a precision-engineered machine.

The other side (your author, he of the somewhat-grayer Buick owners club) stated that a road journey is about more than driving, that it’s about experiencing what the route has to offer along the way, about reading the signs and smelling the air and listening to the sounds of the country. All of which is impossible if the landscape is whisking past you as you laser-focus on the next hairpin. The two sides were intractable. Larry insisted that the whole point of automotive evolution was to achieve speed with comfort and safety; that speed equals time, the most precious and irreplaceable commodity of them all, and thus speed is a pure good. Especially when wrapped in the right package, such as a vintage Porsche.

I, on the other hand, argued that all you can see at speed is blur and smashed bugs. “The world has gotten to be in too much of a hurry,” I told Larry during a Zoom call last fall. So we put our cars where our mouths were and convened in Southern California in February for a tour of the middle coastal counties, where the surf laps onto lonely beaches and where pinot and grenache and syrah grapes grow in neatly combed rows on the slopes of the green and brown hills.

GM’s famous styling chief, Harley Earl, is said to have told his design team in 1938 as they were tasked with developing a dream car of the future, “I just want a little semi-sports car, a kind of convertible.” They called it the Y Project, a play on the “X” designation that aircraft makers used for their experimental machines, but Earle kept referring to it as “that Y job,” and the name stuck. Long and wide, the Y-Job did indeed look futuristic compared with the contemporary cars of the era with their coffin noses, cycle fenders, and running boards. It melded the broad, triangular hood and fenders together into one sculpted form, ditched the vertical grilles then fashionable for a broad, low mouth slatted with chrome bars, shed the running boards, adorned the elongated fenders with art-deco streamer lines, and closed its hole through the air with an alluringly tapered fastback tail.

Those styling concepts went into production as the dramatically redesigned 1942 Buicks featuring “Airfoil” fenders, the “Weather Warden Venti Heater” cabin airflow system, and the “Fireball” valve-in-head straight-eight. Buick unveiled its new wares exactly 35 days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The machine tools and stamping dies for the ’42 Buicks went into storage to await the peace.

When it came, Buick’s shrewd manager, Harlow Curtice, figured that pent-up postwar demand for new cars was close to 9 million units and that Buick would need to churn out a half-million cars per year in the immediate postwar period to maintain its prewar market share. However, persistent shortages of raw materials, as well as labor unrest, prevented Buick from achieving that lofty number, so it leaned its production toward its more profitable Super and Roadmaster lines. The lowly Special, so important to Buick’s sales in the Depression, was barely mentioned in company literature.

By late 1948, when a Mrs. Odessa Hensley walked into Woods & Vandivier Motor Sales in Franklin, Indiana, to pick up her new black 1949 Buick Model 46S Special sedanet, the postwar rush had tapered off. Hensley’s ’49 Special, the car pictured here, was a remnant, one of roughly 4000 body shells Buick had remaining of the older ’48 Specials that didn’t fit with the ’49 Supers and Roadmasters, with their freshened horizontal lines and new fender portals. Buick slammed these few remaining Specials through the plant between September and December 1948, called them ’49s, then shut down Special production for the rest of the year to make way for a grand relaunch of its entry-level model in 1950.

Thus, notwithstanding the new grille and small trim changes worked in by Buick’s postwar styling chief, Ned Nickles, the 1949 Buick I’m driving is effectively one of the last 1942 Buicks the company ever produced and the last direct descendant of the Y-Job. It was outdated even as it sat new in the showroom as Buick’s cheapest and smallest car for 1949; it also bore the dubious reputation of being the choice of widows and preachers (indeed, Hensley was a widow, her husband having died in 1931). Still, it’s hard to gaze upon the lines of this fastback Buick today and think of it as being dowdy in any way.

In fact, when the Buick is sitting next to a 1969 Porsche 911, there seems to be almost a family resemblance in the way its roof curves in one clean line down to the tail, and the side glass echoes the shape. As it happened, we had three examples of Porsche’s beloved project 901 along on our trip, including two four-cylinder 912s owned by our photographer, James Lipman, and our Hagerty cohort Logan Calkins. The Buick leading those three Porsches up State Route 154 into the hills behind Santa Barbara looked like a mama turtle at the head of a junior turtle parade.

It’s hard to imagine that the comparatively Lilliputian 911, from its earliest fetal moments as mere line drawings and sketches, was known inside the company as “the big Porsche.” But company founder Ferdinand Porsche was acutely aware that chief among the complaints of customers abandoning their 356s for other vehicles was the car’s lack of interior space. “You can’t even get a set of golf clubs in the 356,” he’s said to have grumped, and the car was not easy to get in and out of because of the rearward position of the A-pillar and door hinges.

Page through Karl Ludvigsen’s seminal four-volume Porsche history, Excellence was Expected, and you’ll see old black-and-white studio photos of the design concepts that grew out of those complaints. They show how tantalizingly close Porsche came, as early as 1959, to the final perfection that would be the 911. But originally, the proposal mandated four full seats, which would have meant a 911 with a longer, flatter roof and what might be uncharitably called a full diaper. A parallel design project to create a cheaper, 356-based two-seater to sell alongside this “large” Porsche actually got right the rear-end shape, and forces within Porsche began to push for that design to be the one product Porsche would deploy to replace the 356.

However, according to Ludvigsen, it wasn’t design factors that determined Ferdinand’s final decision to drop the larger four-seat concept in favor of the shapelier 911 that we all know and love. It was the war (again) and the Allies’ rationalizing of Germany’s postwar car industry—in which Volkswagen would build the cheap cars, Mercedes-Benz the expensive cars, Ford and Opel the middle-class vehicles, and Porsche the sports cars (with BMW, NSU, etc., only factoring in as niche oddballs). Ferdinand was as yet unwilling to upset the scheme by encroaching on a market belonging to others, a factor that obviously plays no part in today’s world of Porsche sedans and SUVs. So he stuck with his sports car project and the 911 debuted in 1964 to immediate raves.

A few years ago, our man Larry Webster hauled his ’69 911E out of a rural Michigan barn, where it had been slumbering for 30 years. The E stands for Einspritzung, denoting the Bosch mechanical fuel-injection system that Porsche put on this deluxe version of the 911 from 1969 to 1973. Larry overhauled the 2.0-liter flat-six, replaced a suspension that was tired after 95,000 miles on Midwest roads, and added Recaro seats. The rest, including its original Ossi Blue paint job and 14-inch Fuchs wheels, he left as found.

Porsche thought its 911 improved on the 356 by being bigger. Today, getting in one feels like pulling on a perfectly tailored wetsuit. Prices of these early 911s have gone kablooey precisely because they are just so right; so immediate in their responses, so comfortable over a journey, so easy to see out of, so clearly built to last, and so lovely to look at. It is a masterwork of industrial art.

Though it’s roughly the same shape, the Buick is enormous, rather leisurely to answer its helm or throttle, comfortable over a long journey only if you are traveling not in the hot season and don’t have preexisting lower back problems, and difficult to see out of. There’s a reason why drives over a hundred miles used to take two days; why Grandpa needed a Lucky Strike and a lie-down after wrestling all day with bias-ply tires, a column shifter, and drum brakes, all while dressed in gabardine and braces. But the Buick, too, is a work of industrial art that never fails to draw waves and a thumbs-up as it glides by.

After a night at a ranch up in the hollows of the Santa Ynez hills, we were awakened by the incessant gobbling of wild turkeys. We spent the morning making breakfast, listening to the turkeys (who, we were soon to discover, were crapping on our cars), and watching the chilly winter sun slowly chase the shadows from the hills. Heading out on the road, our convoy passed first through Solvang, a re-created Danish village that is the region’s reigning tourist magnet, past an ostrich farm, and into the old Coast Highway service town of Buellton, home of Pea Soup Andersen’s, an immense Tudor-style eatery with half-timbered walls and steeply sloped roofs.

Anton Andersen departed Denmark for central California in 1924 with his French wife Juliette and their son Robert, intent on following his brother, who was already settled in Solvang. The Coast Highway had recently been paved through nearby Buellton, so the family opened a roadside luncheonette called Andersen’s Electrical Café, named for its kitchen full of newfangled electrical appliances (Buellton had just received electricity in 1917). One day, Juliette decided to serve split-pea soup made from her mother’s recipe as a special, and a dynasty was born. Today, every Californian who travels the 101 through these parts knows the famous Pea Soup Andersen’s signs featuring the cartoon figures of Hap-Pea and Pea-Wee splitting peas by hand.

How much has changed. The highway department expanded the coast road to four fast-flowing lanes in 1949, but the wrecks from cars trying to cross on or turn into the intersecting State Route 246 were so frequent and horrendous that the highway was dug out and 246 made into an overpass. The last time we stopped at Andersen’s, a few years ago, the place was deserted and its famous pea soup was a watery green gruel. No wonder the business and its 3.4 acres of property are for sale.

We also saw the former Windmill Inn, a kitschy motel with a replica Danish windmill for a lobby. It was renamed the Sideways Inn a few years ago to capitalize on its role in the 2004 cinematic wine romp, Sideways, which tracks a pair of aging knuckleheads as they booze their way through an ill-fated week of debauchery and self-discovery among the area’s vineyards. The rambling roads we took out of town pass some of the wineries depicted in a film that brought fame to the region while simultaneously crashing merlot sales for a decade.

After we left Buellton behind, the Porsche disappeared with a blat of exhaust. I came round turns only to find a dissipating dust cloud hanging like a brown seraph in the streaming sunlight. Oh well, the Buick is its own kind of pleasure, just at a more relaxed tempo. It wafts along easily on a wave of straight-eight torque, the three gears of its simple transmission offering the choice of “slow,” “less slow,” and “good enough.” I may not have even exceeded the speed limit, as the doughy BFGoodrich Silvertowns are quick to squeal at the slightest hint of g-forces.

But did it matter? I saw people on small tractors working the grapes, horses frolicking behind white fences, idyllic ranch houses set beneath lovely groves of old oaks, flycatchers darting in the bushes, and red-tailed hawks perched on fence posts. Larry was driving, I was touring.

At each major turn, I found the Porsche idling impatiently, waiting for the loping Buick to catch up, then snarling off. By the time I reached Jalama Beach, where the azure Pacific meets a 150-mile stretch of the California coastline left entirely to nature because of Vandenberg Air Force Base to the north and state parkland to the south, Larry had obviously been out of his car for a while. He joked to someone that if he had been forced to drive that fabulous section in my Buick, he would be fending off serious thoughts of self-harm.

“I didn’t grow up hearing angry 911s roaring around racetracks,” Larry reflected later. “For me, this car is about the clear steering feel, the growling engine, the cantankerous shifter. It’s not fast by modern standards, so you’re constantly working the thing to stay around the speed limit. It’s involving. I’m in the pilot’s chair to take myself out of my own head. This car does that.”

All true, but the sights mentioned above, plus Pea Soup Andersen’s and the Sideways Inn, were recorded to memory precisely because there was time to do so. Thus far, Larry had no impression of our journey as anything other than a spooling ribbon of black laid through a green smudge. The title of that film, Sideways, seemed a perfect appellation for our own trip; one must take time to look sideways or much of life gets missed.

It’s hilarious that the fastback Buick was shaped to some 1940s visual conception of speed. Unlike the similarly contoured Porsche, it was a lie disguised in florid marketing tags, like Vibra-Shielded Ride, Quadraflex Coil Springs, Flex-Fit Oil Rings, Road-Rite Balance (whatever that was), and Duomatic Spark Advance. Even in its day, the Buick wasn’t considered that fast. Buick was selling the glamour of streamlining without the substance.

The Porsche 911, in contrast, was born into the Jet Age, the world of speed. The Germans invented the interstate and the conquering Yanks copied the idea with gusto, constructing more than 40,000 miles of it by 1964. Suddenly everyone needed an overdrive. And who can argue that driving fast in a vintage 911 isn’t a joy? It’s like arguing against a moonrise over the desert, or a dollop of ice cream with raspberry pie. We switched cars—briefly—and Larry’s Porsche proved it can hustle a twisting road with a nimble self-confidence, its little flat-six issuing a raspy, steel-cut wail that crescendos beautifully in each gear. It is so light and fleet and visceral that it’s hard to stand against those who claim it to be the perfect automobile.

All cars should be built with such economy and purpose to their design. Unlike the Buick, with Nickles’s signature “bombsight” hood ornament that seems to capture a rocket going supersonic, there’s no BS about the Porsche. There is exactly as much 911 as there needs to be on a road, and its Teutonic directness is its own charm. The Teutons have always had places to go, and the Porsche exists to get them there as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Larry emerged from the Buick saying, “I feel like I’m 4 feet off the road. It has a calming presence, though, forcing me to relax.” He added that he felt like Bogart in The Big Sleep or Fred MacMurray in Double Indemnity. Old Buicks do that, take you right back to black-and-white and make you wonder how we got to polyester athleisure wear as a universal fashion choice.

We circled back through the northern periphery of the Santa Ynez. Except for the modern cars, the roads seemed pretty much the same as they were in the 1950s, as we passed places like the Full Moon Farm, the Seein’ Spots Farm, and the Fess Parker Winery, which played the Frass Canyon Winery in Sideways. A hulking waste-management truck was up ahead, and even that guy was in a hurry, the brakes making a banshee squeal as the driver set up for a corner like some public-service Fangio.

Everyone wants to go fast. Just look at the values of 911s against common prewar and 1940s cars today. Porsches seem to have no ceiling, while American cars are stuck in neutral or dropping, making them one of the cheaper ways to get into the old-car hobby. Nobody wants to go back to slow, and besides, a Buick never won Le Mans or was driven by Steve McQueen. But angle-park the Buick in old Los Olivos, where the shops specialize in pinots and cabernet francs and artistically blown glass, and where Mattei’s Tavern has been serving valley travelers since 1886, and you’re a veritable one-car Norman Rockwell painting. People coo over the Porsche; they take pictures of their kids in front of the Buick. Take that, Zuffenhausen!

If you’ve made it this far into this story, you’ve already realized that there is no winning this argument. It isn’t even an argument, really—it’s a meditation about the various ways to enjoy an old car out on the road. The reason we bothered is that so many people who say they like to travel are often lying. What they mean is that they like to be in other places, not travel to other places. Were it otherwise, they wouldn’t go to such extraordinary lengths to minimize the actual traveling part of travel, climbing aboard airliners with the shades drawn or merging onto endless gray straight-edges of superslab.

If there’s one thing Larry and I can agree on, it’s the most unoriginal thought you can have in a 1949 Buick or a 1969 Porsche: What America has traded for expediency is the chance to experience our country via the small roads that trace the landscape rather than the big ones that slash through it. And whether you go fast or slow, the best cars to travel in engage you with the machinery and make you work a bit for your miles. And that the best use of any such car lies well beyond the freeway exit.

1949 Buick Special Model 46S

Engine: 248-cid I-8
Power: 110 hp @ 3600 rpm
Torque: 206 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm
Weight: 3800 lb
Power-to-weight: 34.5 lb/hp
0–60 mph: 18.4 sec
Price when new: $1790
Hagerty #2-condition value: $20,300–$28,750

1969 Porsche 911E

Engine: 122- cid -6
Power: 140 hp @ 6500 rpm
Torque: 129 lb-ft @ 4500 rpm
Weight: 2250 lb
Power-to-weight: 16.1 lb/hp
0–60 mph: 7.0 sec
Price when new: $6995
Hagerty #2-condition value: $81,500–$104,500

The post Two Speed Cruise: ’49 Buick and ’69 Porsche in the battle of fast vs. slow appeared first on Hagerty Media.

My husband, Geral, and I were always car fanatics. Early on, he loved reading about fast cars and dreaming of what he might own one day. He was a longtime NASCAR fan and enjoyed racing his 1980 Chevy Malibu on the dirt oval at Georgia’s Senoia Raceway.

A love of cars was just in my blood. My dad grew up around cars, and we had a variety of Corvairs in the driveway at all times. And this love was reinforced every summer, when I’d spend the season with my grandparents in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and we’d go touring in their 1934 Ford Model A, their 1948 Willys Jeepster, or their 1957 T-bird. My grandfather cared for the collection of Friendly’s cofounder Curt Blake, and he used to take me to the big barn when he’d go there to work on Mr. Blake’s cars.

When my husband and I graduated high school, he owned an ’84 Camaro and I had a ’66 Corvair, but we began looking to purchase a gem that we could share. My husband longed for a Buick GNX, but we were still just teenagers, so they weren’t in our budget. The Grand National was, though, and in October 1987, he became the proud owner of one. We were married two years later, and he gave the GN to me as my daily driver. To say we had the best time cruising around in that car is truly an understatement.

The cruising came to an end in 1993, when my husband landed the GN in a ditch while trying to see how it did on icy roads. We moved the car into the basement, and our goal was to put it back together one day. Life has a way of moving on, however, and the project in the basement remained at a standstill. Soon we had children, and our shared interest turned to water-skiing. The longer the GN sat, the less it became a priority, especially as other cars entered the mix: We bought a Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson stepside, then a ’96 Chevy Impala SS, and lastly, a 2005 Joe Gibbs Chevy Tahoe, which was my favorite.

Sadly, my husband took his life in 2013. For those of you reading this who have lost a loved one, you know it takes time to get moving again. Eventually, my kids and I planned to move, and we wanted to take the Buick with us. It had a smashed-up quarter panel and was missing a front fender, the front and rear bumpers, and the decklid, but we got it running again. And boy, did it run!

The GN sat for 24 years, but words cannot describe the pride my kids and I felt when we finally got it put back together. We have enjoyed making some minor modifications to the engine, and it’s still so much fun to drive. Even more fun, however, is seeing the joy my son gets from driving it. One day, it will be his.

The post 24 years after landing in a ditch, this Buick Grand National is back to boosting appeared first on Hagerty Media.

In 1970, when General Motors rescinded its edict that limited mid-size cars to 400 cubic inches, it was like uncaging a predator that sat and watched from afar as cross-town rivals offered 7.0-liter behemoths. GM had done well with what it had, but now the corporation could exploit high-performance in more competitive terms.

Interestingly, Oldsmobile, Buick, and Pontiac all marketed 455s starting in 1970, and they were engineered from different philosophies and had different trajectories through the decade. How did they compare? Rick O. Rittenberg’s America Performance V-8 Specs: 1963–1974 (full disclosure: yours truly wrote the foreword) helps us note statistical differences:

Oldsmobile 455: It’s all in the cam

Oldsmobile (along with Cadillac) was the first, in 1949, to seize upon the idea of high-compression V-8s. This first series of Rocket V-8s lasted through 1964, topping out at 394 cubic inches; the second generation of the big Rocket continued in 1965 at 400 and 425 cubic inches, with the latter receiving a 0.275-inch boost in stroke in 1968 to become the Rocket 455. At the time, Oldsmobile only offered the 455 for full-size cars and Toronados, with the latter’s W34 package topping the range with 400 horsepower and 500 lb-ft. This engine included a scoop similar to those nifty under-the-bumper scoops on top-performance mid-size models.

Though General Motors had that pesky edict, Hurst helped bypass this rule by producing 515 examples of the 4-4-2-based Hurst/Olds, all with a 390-horse 455 with 10.50:1 compression. (It was later revealed that Olds flouted the rule and actually installed the 455 on the assembly line.) Of course, Oldsmobile released the hounds for 1970 and offered the standard 455 for the 4-4-2 plus a W30 package with 370 horses. Unlike previous W30s, which were cammed out of sight—as Oldsmobile expected owners to add headers and other mild mods to wake up the engine some more—Olds gave the automatic W30 a slightly milder cam that was more streetable. This was typical of Olds at the time, which had played around with cams for several years with the 400-powered 1968–69 4-4-2 automatic (with 25 fewer horses from than the stick) and the automatic-only 1969 4-4-2 W32, which was billed as a W-Machine “a mother could learn to love.”

Additionally, a new SX package for the Cutlass Supreme came standard with the 320-horse 455 two-barrel, then was replaced in February 1970 by the 365-horse 455 (10.25:1 compression) from the big cars; optional was the 365-horse W32 455 (10.50:1 compression) that was identical to the standard engine for the 4-4-2. Horsepower dropped in 1971 due to lowered compression and, aside from the W30’s swan song for 1972, an emasculated 455 lasted through 1976.

Buick 455: A tale of torque

Kids growing up in the 1960s–70s knew how fast Buicks could be thanks to riding along in Mom and Dad’s car as it easily powered away from stoplights. This was Buick’s modus operandi, as its engineers designed its engines for solid low-end torque. “Fast for the street,” Buick engine development engineer Denny Manner told us recently, at Buick GS Nationals. “That was our goal. Buicks were heavy, loaded with power everything. That’s how people bought ’em. Low-end torque was key because that’s how people perceive performance.” There was little interest in modifications. As such, the oversquare 455 (unique among the three brands here) in Stage 1 tune featured peak torque at a low rpm—2800 in 1970. Compare that with 3600 for the W30.

This 455’s genesis can be found in the 1967 model year when Buick replaced the “Nailhead” V-8 that had powered most Flint flyers since 1953. The new big-blocks measured 400 and 430 cubic inches, with the 360-hp 430 being reserved for full-size cars and the Riviera through 1969. Both engines produced peak torque at 3200 RPM (on the high side for Buick) but, when Buick added an extra 0.125-inch to the bore for 1970 to create the 455, 510 lb-ft of torque was available at 400 rpm less. This was true for all the 455s, from the 350-horse engine, standard on the GS 455, to the 370-horse engine available for big cars and the Riviera (though truth be told, the latter two were more or less identical in practice). Thanks to thin-wall casting, the 455 also weighed less than similar engines from General Motors.

The Stage 1 managed to live on through 1974, and the 455 maintained Buick’s trademark for low-end torque through 1976.

Pontiac 455: Using their heads

In contrast to Oldsmobile and Buick, Pontiac took a different path with the 455, both for 1970 and beyond. The GTO’s 455 was competitively rated at 360 horsepower, though it was not as powerful as its 400 Ram Air III and IV siblings, nor was it as fast as the W30 and Stage 1 from Oldsmobile and Buick, respectively. Why did Pontiac not go all-out like its corporate cousins?

Per Mike Noun in the January 2021 issue of Pontiac-Oakland Club International’s Smoke Signals, there was a corporate shake-up in February 1969 when John DeLorean was promoted to General Manager of Chevrolet. DeLorean was replaced by James McDonald, a gentleman known more for being a bean counter than an automotive enthusiast. McDonald demanded a review of upcoming 1970 model year equipment, and it seems he dropped the hammer on “pet projects started by his predecessor that he deemed unnecessary or counter-productive towards maximizing sales.” That meant the Ram Air V project was discontinued, leaving the upcoming 455 with little development and the carry-over Ram Air IV as the top engine.

Aside from the GTO, the 455 was only available for full-size models. A 360hp version came with 10.0:1 compression, while the 370-horse option, installed in the GTO and Grand Prix, used 10.25:1 compression. Why the all-new 1970 Firebird—introduced mid-year due to a strike—didn’t receive the 455 is another head-scratcher.

All that and more changed for 1971. While compression was lowered, the 455 was improved in ways that should have been done for 1970. In particular, Pontiac added the Ram Air IV’s round-port heads to create the 455 HO. Round-port heads first made their appearance mid-year in 1968 with the Ram Air II, and Pontiac marginally improved them in 1969 and again in ’71 with the 455 HO. Rated at 335 horsepower, it was actually faster than the previous year’s 455. The HO was available for all two-door A-bodies, plus the Firebird Formula and Trans Am. The “regular” 455 continued to be available, now at 325 horses, with both 455s continuing through 1972 with few changes.

Those round-port heads were key in the development of the 1973 Super Duty 455, which replaced the 455 HO. On paper it was rated at 310 horsepower, but what was actually emissions-certified put out 20 horses less (and for 1974 the SD 455 was properly rated at 290). For both years, the SD 455 was only available for the two performance Firebird models, though it was planned to be offered on A-bodies too. After 1974, round-port 455s were no more; the 455 soldiered on through 1976.

Although starting the decade off weak, Pontiac is to be commended for making the Dark Ages a little brighter through 1974.

The post Displacement unleashed: 1970 brought several flavors of GM 455 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Devin Booker has been spectacular in his first career postseason run with the Phoenix Suns—and not just on the basketball court. The 24-year-old superstar, whose team holds a 2-1 lead over the Milwaukee Bucks in the best-of-seven NBA Finals, is an avid car collector who’s been driving his rad rides to playoff games.

D-Book first gave us a glimpse of his affection for collector cars in June 2019 when he posted a black-and-white Instagram photo of himself with a $300,000 Ferrari 488 Turbo Spider. Booker can definitely afford it; he signed a five-year, $158 million contract with the Suns in 2018. Barring injury, he’s likely to get a lot more money to buy cars down the road. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has labeled him “the next Kobe Bryant.”

Booker, who’s obviously a Chevy guy, unveiled his 1959 Chevrolet Impala and 1970 Chevy K5 Blazer on Instagram last fall. He named the light brown Impala, which wears gold spoked wheels, “Pretty Penny.” And he calls the slammed, first-gen Blazer “Uncle Larry.”

Booker also owns a 1987 Buick Grand National, which he drove to Game 6 of the Suns’ first-round showdown with the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. He then went out and dropped 47 points on LeBron James & Co. as Phoenix won the series’ deciding game, 113-100.

Writer Jemele Hill tweeted a video of D-Book’s arrival at L.A.’s Staples Center and wrote, “Devin Booker rolled up to Staples like the Lakers owed him money. Shoulda known he was about to show out.”

Devin Booker rolled up to Staples like the Lakers owed him money … shoulda known he was about to show out

pic.twitter.com/Ffa8YpQGcE

— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) June 4, 2021

Three days later, on June 7, Booker drove a cream-colored, two-door Caprice with 24-inch gold wheels to Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against Denver, another Phoenix victory.

Book’s whip. Damn. #RallyTheValley pic.twitter.com/WKxJBxVU68

— Adam Waltz (@Adam_Waltz) June 8, 2021

Last week, Booker took Pretty Penny to Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Suns were victorious again.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Perla Macias (@perlamacias49)

Maybe Booker is on to something. We certainly think so, and we’re not alone. Booker and Foot Locker are capitalizing on the star’s car obsession by teaming up to give away a 1975 Caprice that looks an awful lot like the one that he showcased prior to the conference finals last month.

The only thing more fly than @DevinBook pulling up to the game in one of his old schools is you having your own! #FLHOMEGAME partnered with the Phoenix star to give away one of the craziest old schools you’ve ever seen. Tap in tonight for a chance to win. pic.twitter.com/DuxLL0E4KW

— Foot Locker (@footlocker) July 8, 2021

We can’t wait to see Booker’s next drive—on the court, and off.

The post D-Book’s rad rides: Phoenix Suns star isn’t afraid to drive the lane—or his sweet cars appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The American personal luxury coupe really took off in the ’60s. The Ford Thunderbird got things started. It first appeared as a two-seat convertible but very quickly adapted to the long, low, and luxurious coupe format by the 1958 model year—though the convertible remained popular and lasted through 1966. Also in ’66, Buick debuted its first redesign of its own PLC, the Riviera, which first came on the scene in 1963 and, after a false start as a revived LaSalle, was given to Buick and became Flint’s top-of-the-line two door.

Starting in 1966, however, the Riviera had a corporate cousin with the all-new front-wheel-drive Oldsmobile Toronado. But while the Toro had front-wheel drive, the Riviera stuck with its traditional rear-drive configuration.

It appeared longer and lower than the 1963–65, with a near fastback roofline, wider hips on the rear quarters and headlamps concealed above the grille. But it was in reality only slightly longer than the ’65, 209-inch compared to 211.3-inch on the new car; wheelbase was unchanged at 119 inches. While the ’65 Riviera had its lights hidden behind clamshell doors in the fender peaks, the 1966-and-newer models dropped down from above the grille.

As the 1966 Riviera-only brochure stated, “The first of the Rivieras … the 1963 … was greeted with instant acclaim. In 1965 … with the honeymoon long since over … the Riviera was earning still higher praise from some of the toughest of all critics, the automotive press.”

“Now, for an encore, Buick presents an even greater 1966 Riviera … a totally tuned car. Know how well your car runs after a tune-up? Buick tuning has the same effect on the whole car. Not just the engine … everything. Styling. Performance. Ride. Handling. All work in harmony. That’s what the tuned car is. Buick.”

Standard engine in all 1966 Rivieras was the “Wildcat 465” 425-cubic-inch V-8 with 340 horsepower at 4400 rpm and 465 lb-ft of torque. It breathed through a four-barrel carburetor, had a 10.25:1 compression ratio, and required premium fuel. Standard transmission was the three-speed Super Turbine automatic.

The GS model returned, of course, and extras included a chrome-plated air cleaner, cast aluminum rocker arm covers, heavy-duty suspension, Positraction, GS badging (naturally!), and your choice of redline or whitewall tires. An optional 360-hp 425 V-8 was available on both the Riviera and the Riviera GS and had dual four-barrel carbs.

Base price for ’66 Rivs was $4424 ($36,757 today). They weighed in at 4180 pounds and 45,348 were built for the model year. As befitting not only a Buick but the sole personal-lux Buick, standard equipment was ample. In addition to the aforementioned 425 V-8 and automatic transmission, the following all came standard: power steering, power brakes, tilt wheel, dual exhaust, electric clock, deluxe wheel covers, dual horns and padded instrument panel.

But as any self-respecting domestic manufacturer would do back in the ’60s, there were still plenty of options to ladle on, if one were so inclined. Extras included power windows, a six-way power seat, AM/FM radio, air conditioning, cruise control, Soft-Ray tinted glass, cornering lamps, and a power trunk release.

And for the first time a bench seat was seen in a Riviera, though of course you could still get bucket seats with a center console.

I spied this gorgeous example at the final cruise night of the year in Coralville, Iowa. Held by the Classy Chassy car club, it is usually held on the last Friday of the month between April and September. I usually make the hour trip on I-80 to attend and meet up with my aunt and uncle, who are locals. But on September 30, 2016, the day of the show, Dave and Lori had houseguests and couldn’t make it. But that didn’t keep me from going, of course!

I had already checked out all the cars, taken dozens of pictures and was leaving the Coral Ridge Mall, heading for a restaurant before I drove home, and lo and behold, this was in the turn lane.

Great Caesar’s ghost! Aqua? Riviera? White interior? Change in plans! So here you are: 1966 Buick Riviera. It was, as you can see, a beautiful car, very original. Sold new near me, at the long-gone Schwind-Boeker Buick in Davenport, Iowa.

In later years the dealership became Williams Buick-VW. I remember driving past in 1997 or ’98 and seeing a black VW New Beetle in the showroom. Not long after, it closed its doors. John Keady Pontiac Cadillac got the Buick franchise, and Lujack Auto Plaza got the VW line. But many, many years earlier, you could have walked in and ordered a Turquoise Mist, 425 V-8-powered personal luxury cruiser. And at least one person did!

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Loyal readers (particularly Buick buffs) have hopefully been following our coverage of the 2021 Buick GS Nationals and the 50th anniversary GSX Reunion. While our first story was all about embedding with the enthusiast citizenry on the drag strip, in the paddock, and around the car show, our second episode was a profile of one particularly clean GSX. The owner of that car, Larry Lyons, is one of several former GM engineers who worked for Buick at the time of the famous muscle car and made it to Bowling Green for the festivities this year. That several GM employees who directly contributed to brand’s performance push during the ’60s and ’70s made the trip to Kentucky for this momentous gathering speaks to their enduring pride and enthusiasm. And the Buick community is that much richer for their continued involvement.

A hopped-up, loaded version of the GS 455 for 1970, the GSX was a 350-hp, 510 lb-ft monster. The tough appearance—black body stripes with red trim, standard spoiler, hood-mounted tach—was anything but skin deep. In addition to the big V-8, the GSX boasted a litany of standard performance and handling kit: heavy-duty cooling, power front disc brakes, heavy-duty shocks and springs, front and rear antiroll bars, quicker-ratio steering, and a limited-slip differential. Just 678 were built, 187 in Apollo White and the large remainder in Saturn Yellow. Most buyers opted for the Stage 1 engine upgrade.

The primary target for the GSX, naturally, was the Hemi Cuda. But it wasn’t on the drag strip where Buick engineers were determined to prove the Stage 1’s mettle. “Fast for the street,” says Buick engine development engineer Denny Manner. “That was our goal.” Manner is curt and matter-of-fact, staring down at me through tinted glasses and crossed arms. “Buicks were heavy, loaded with power everything. That’s how people bought ’em. Low-end torque was key because that’s how people perceive performance.”

However it built up Buick’s reputation on the street, performance wasn’t the brand’s moneymaker when Manner started tinkering with GM big-blocks in the mid-1960s. High-option, expensive Rivieras and Electras were the cash cows. “I was a gearhead and racer,” explains Manner, “so my interest was elsewhere. I evolved into a performance engineer and advocated for that, which required selling the ideas to management.”

Although the GSX was approved for production, practically the only advertising fanfare it got was a pamphlet—the car wasn’t even included in the 1970 standard catalogue. We asked Ron Frakes, Buick aerodynamics engineer and the project manager in charge of putting the GSX into production, what the marketing department’s reaction was to the car. “The attitude from Sales was ‘who cares?’ They didn’t sell!” he says with a laugh.

Despite the quiet production numbers, the 1970 GSX Stage 1 was in every respect a sonic boom across the muscle car world. Lyons, an engineer who started at GM in 1965 as a co-op student through GMI (now Kettering University), who worked with Manner at Buick and later became chief engineer at Oldsmobile, remembers it well. “Friendly competition in those days is what made GM great,” he says, calm and soft-spoken. “Within the Sloan pecking order, the Stage 1 Buick was the fastest street car out there, and that made plenty of people nervous.”

Unfortunately, circumstances outside the Buick engineering team’s control doused the GSX’s performance flame before it could really catch. The order came down to start lowering compression beginning with the 1971 model year, sapping power to satisfy emissions concerns. It marked the beginning of the end of American muscle era, a process that swiftly reached a sad, dramatic conclusion with the 1973 oil embargo.

Manner’s work didn’t just benefit street car performance. As a means of testing some of experimental components, he would occasionally send them to Buick racers through dealerships. Kenne-Bell, a legendary race team affiliated with California’s Reynolds Buick, equipped its Stage 1 drag car with Buick’s fearsome Stage 2 package to prove its capabilities.

Joining us at GS Nationals 2021 was a very special guest—an experimental set of Stage 2 “tunnel port” 455 four-bolt main block engine components originally developed in 1968–69 by Manner and shipped to Bill Price Buick in Burlington, North Carolina. In 1970, when mandates to lower octane and decrease compression effectively killed Buick’s support of these racing efforts, Manner sent the complete engine to Burlington intended for Pro Stock racer Tony Branson, who ultimately ran a 9.17 @ 153 mph with it packed inside his 1969 GS drag car. According to Buick builder Duane Heckman’s detailed documentation, the parts included:

• a strengthened experimental 455 cubic-inch four-bolt main block
• a pair of experimental cylinder heads with Stage 2 exhaust ports and enlarged “tunnel port” intake ports
• a Stage 2 camshaft
• hollow stem Stage 1 exhaust valves
• experimental Stage 1 intake valves
• a full-length windage tray

Later, upon receipt, Branson created his own deep oil pan from a 455, fabricated an aluminum tunnel-port intake manifold, and topped it off with several other modifications along with dual Holley double-pumper carbs.

After racer Branson switched to Chrysler support 1971, the car was no longer in use, so he loaned it out to some family friends—never to see it again. Over the years the engine made it to a North Carolina race driver and mechanic by the name of Herb Moore, who held on to the complete engine until 1990, when he sold several components. The following year he sold the four-bolt main block, which wouldn’t resurface again until 2006. Eventually, Heckman and a few partners were able to reunite the heads, intake, headers, and block in a crowd-gathering display at GS Nationals 2021.

Manner says that racing was an important piece of the the testing and development process. Naturally, hopped-up performance, aggressive power profiles, and 7000-rpm running tended to cause problems. “Stage 1 engines like the one in the GSX were designed for the street and low-rpm performance,” Manner points out. “Racing always finds the weak point.”

Life doesn’t always have to be a race. Sometimes it’s better to slow down. Standing next to his yellow 1970 GSX, Gary Kantrud catches up with Manner along with Lyons and Frakes. Kantrud spent his career as a product engineer working on accessory drives and exhaust systems at GM, after starting out at the East Side Buick company store in Flint. When he got wind of the 1970 GSX, it did more than just pique his interest. He acquired his yellow 1970 GSX out of the company fleet—wearing a stainless-steel exhaust that employees were testing in the real world—and promptly used it as his daily driver for the next six years. Surrounded by all this history, Kantrud’s smile looks plastered onto his face. “My car reminds me of my youth,” he says, still beaming. “Two weeks after I got the car, I met my wife.”

Kantrud’s wife took to the GSX. At the time they got married she had a new Nova, but they sold it to buy a ’65 Buick Skylark. In the end the Skylark proved “a little too crusty and unreliable,” according to Kantrud, and before long his wife was driving the GSX every day. Together the couple drove that bright yellow Buick all over the U.S. and even to Canada, with trips to Florida, Maine, California, Quebec, and even Yellowstone in Montana. A poster documenting their long, joyous ownership of the GSX—now showing 79,000 miles—rests lovingly in the back seat. The board depicts many of their adventures, which Kantrud says were often conducted on a budget.

“I was a cheapskate, so we went camping a lot—always with the gear loaded into the trunk,” he remembers. He took care of the car as best he could, even demanding his sister take her shoes off when she got into the back seat—“she’s never forgotten that”—but Michigan winters took their rusty toll in time. He had the corrosion repaired, though, and the body was painted from the stripes down in 1989.

These are GM veterans, engineers from a golden age of performance, but in most ways they’re just like everyone else at GS Nationals this year. They’re car people, Buick fanatics—and getting together to talk about the good ol’ days in the company of amazing cars is as good as any sunny spring day can get.

“Fifty years ago, I never would have believed that this would all continue,” reflects Manner, surveying the festival of Buick history we’re all enjoying. “I never could have imagined it.”

The post 50 years since the GSX, Buick engineers flock to GS Nationals to stoke the flame appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Search the internet for “greatest engines of all time,” and you’ll turn up the usual suspects: Chevy small-block, VW flat-four, Porsche flat-six, street Hemi. Aside from three years on Ward’s 10 Best Engines list, the Buick V-6 never makes the leaderboard, but it should. Over a span of 46 years, GM built 25 million of these engines. The six-cylinder eventually earned two pole positions and one third-place finish at the Brickyard, and it powered three Indianapolis 500 pace cars.

Its story started with the aluminum V-8. Buick became the first American manufacturer to develop an aluminum block for a mass-produced V-8 with the Fireball, a 215-cubic-inch mill boasting 155 hp and 220 lb-ft. of torque equipped with a Rochester 2CG, and 185 hp and 230 lb-ft of torque with a four-barrel carb. It was a great little engine, especially for the fuel-conscious, but the era of bigger, faster, and burlier V-8s was dawning. An aluminum V-8 of that size wasn’t going to propel a Skylark to the kind of speeds that Chevrolet could realize even with its small-block V-8s. Neither was Buick’s V-8 a worthy challenger to Oldsmobile’s 330-cubic-inch high-compression Jetfire Rocket. Plus, the aluminum 215 was expensive to build. By 1965 Buick had sold off the design to Rover for use in vehicles better suited to its size and power output.

However, Buick’s 215 V-8 laid the groundwork for another engine built from a less advanced material: The 198-cubic-inch Fireball V-6. “They were looking at designs from Lancia,” says Bill Baylis, who specialized in building Buick racing engines at Baybury Farm Buicks in Corinth, Vermont. “But the Lancia had a narrow 60-degree angle between the V. Because [Buick] used the same design from the 215, the Fireball V-6 has a 90-degree V.”

V-8s do have an advantage over V-6s: balance. A four-stroke engine requires a total firing interval of 720 degrees, divided by the number of cylinders. A V-8 evenly divides that 720-degree cycle with a 90-degree firing interval per cylinder, meaning that the engine inherently balances itself each time a cylinder fires. The Fireball V-6, on the other hand, has an odd firing interval of 90 degrees and 150 degrees. “The motor mounts in an odd-fire V-6 really act to absorb a lot of the vibrations that the engine produces,” says Baylis.

Still, Buick’s V-6 had its own advantages. A fully dressed 216-cubic-inch Chevy inline-six tipped the scales around 650 pounds. The 198-cubic-inch Fireball V-6 from Buick was more than 200 pounds lighter. For the compact, economy-size vehicles that these engines would power circa 1962, the Fireball V-6 was the clear winner.

Even as it found an eager buyer for the aluminum V-8 in Rover, Buick was developing a more conventional replacement for its lightweight V-8. To maximize the development investment, the Fireball V-6 grew to 225 cubic inches, utilizing components and tooling from the 300-cubic-inch version of Buick’s own line of small-block V-8s.

Right at that moment, Kaiser was desperate to find new power for the CJ5, which had been soldiering on with the same Hurricane four it had used for the last decade and a half. The Hurricane was perfectly adequate for a vehicle as light as the CJ, but Kaiser Jeep had also introduced the more refined (read: heavier) Jeepster Commando in 1966 as a competitor to both the Bronco and the Scout, which were both offering V-8s by 1967.

Enter the Buick V-6, which Kaiser Jeep purchased outright from Buick for 1966, and rebadged as the Dauntless V-6. The 150 hp and 235 lb-ft of torque provided by the Dauntless bought the manufacturer some time until Jeep developed its own six-cylinder and V-8.

What transpired in 1974 sounds like the kind of apocryphal stories about how [insert guitar hero here] invented distortion by sticking knitting needles in his amp, but this comes straight from the horse’s mouth courtesy of Automotive News. Cliff Studaker, Buick’s assistant chief engineer, told the publication how the Apollo ended up with a V-6 thanks to a panicked call from his boss, chief engineer Phil Bowser. “Phil wanted to know where the V-6 equipment was and whether we had any engines we could evaluate,” says Studaker.

Studaker ended up locating an old Fireball V-6 at a Flint salvage yard. “Without hesitating, we rebuilt the engine with new parts and installed it in an Apollo, the smallest car Buick was building at the time,” Studaker says. “When my boss returned, he told Cole that the car we had assembled with the V-6 could be part of the solution to our fuel-economy concerns. Three days later, Cole called to say he wanted to drive the Apollo.”

“The usual procedure was to hop in the car and drive a few blocks around Detroit,” Studaker says, but Cole and Studaker “left the executive garage and headed south on I-75 passing every car on the road.” Cole was on a mission. “I had no idea where we were going until we arrived at the Jeep plant in Toledo,” says Studaker. “Managers there showed us V-6 tooling that had been mothballed for years.”

Buick bought back the entire manufacturing line back from AMC and began to ramp up production at record pace. “We worked through the 1974 Christmas holidays,” Studaker recalls. “GM’s manufacturing people hauled the engine line from Toledo to Flint and reinstalled it on exactly the same footings from which it had been removed seven years earlier.” Just 137 days after Buick agreed to buy back the engine line, it had the odd-fire V-6 installed in five cars: the Skyhawk, Apollo, Skylark, Century, and Regal, and then in the LeSabre in ’76. “Thanks to the V-6, we scored at the top of our classes in 1974 EPA fuel economy ratings,” adds Studaker.

“In 1977, Buick redesigned the engine internals to fire at an even 120 degrees and it smoothed the engine out considerably,” says Bill Baylis. Buick introduced a new split-pin crank that transformed the odd-fire order into an even-fire one, producing a butter-smooth idle. In the Bicentennial Indy 500, Buick delivered a Century pace car with a turbocharged 3.8-liter V-6 with 306 hp, pointing the way forward not only for V-6s, but for turbocharging in American cars.

For both 1960s Buick and Jeep collectors and enthusiasts, the Fireball and Dauntless engines are almost footnotes. All the attention goes to V-8-powered Buicks and inline-six-powered Jeeps; but those powerplants trace their ancestry directly to one of the most successful engines in American automotive history.

The post How Buick’s Fireball V-6 birthed one of the most successful engines in history  appeared first on Hagerty Media.

It’s been more than five decades since 1968, but it seems like a world away. Really. Although it doesn’t seem too far back for some of our readers (relatively speaking), but consider that in ’68 there were any number of fine, giant American luxury cars. Pickups and Jeeps were largely for tradesmen, adventurers, and off-roaders. Nary a crossover with CVT transmission and wobbly handling sullied a much less potholed Interstate system. And you really would rather have a Buick.

Buick had a fine lineup in the Year of Our Lord 1968. Plain-yet-competent Specials, stolid, solid LeSabres, flashy Wildcats, and the primo personal-lux Riviera. And then the vaunted Electra 225, affectionately dubbed “Deuce and a Quarter” by its fans.

The Electra had been totally redesigned in 1967, so ’68s had only minor revisions, most notably new side marker lights, thanks to new regulations. The expected revised grille, taillamps, and upholstery choices also were in evidence.

As had been the case for years, Electras rode the same corporate C-body as the Cadillac Calais/de Ville and Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight. Electras had an overall length of 224.9 inches and a 126-inch wheelbase, and pillared four-door sedans like today’s featured car weighed in at 4253 pounds. In the Electra 225 lineup, there was also a $4221 four-door hardtop and $4330 two-door hardtop. The pillared sedan retailed at an even $4200; 12,723 were made.

But there was an even fancier version, the Electra 225 Custom. It had the same four-door sedan, four-door hardtop, and two-door hardtop body styles, but also added the lone Electra convertible, which sold for $4541. Only 7976 were produced. Most popular Electra of the year was the 225 Custom four-door hardtop, with 50,846 sold. Buick itself had a fine year, with calendar year sales of 652,049; they came in fifth in U.S. new car sales.