1969 Dodger Charger R/T Daytona

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1969 Dodge Charger R/T Daytona Hemi for sale. From the seller’s description:

Made only with the purpose of dominating the super speedways in mind, Dodge introduced the Charger Daytona in 1969. Only 503 cars were built to be sold to the public, just enough to homologate for NASCAR. Of the 503 built for the street, only 70 came with the Legendary 426 HEMI engine. This Charger Daytona is one of them.
Complete with documentation all the way back to the first owner, this Charger Daytona is one of the best documented on the market. It has passed through only six owners before the current owner bought it in 2003. It was originally sold and held by the first owner until 1971, when the second owner purchased the car and stored it in a dry-climate barn until 1988. At that time it was discovered and bought by the third owner, who set out to restore the car to original condition. The car went through a thorough refreshing on the mechanicals and exterior, as well as replacing the few worn interior pieces. All body numbers were left intact and unaltered, as the car needed little to no metal work due to it being stored properly in a dry climate. After the restoration was completed, the owner set about taking it to show. The car took 1st place in the 1988 Winged Warriors/Daytona Superbird Auto Club meet in the restored stock Daytona Class, and it repeated the honor through 1990. Numerous other top finishes at regional shows in the Illinois area followed.
From 1990 through 2003, the Charger Daytona changed hands three more times before being purchased by the current owner. The car sits today just as it did after the restoration in 1988, still retaining its original drivetrain and majority of the original interior. The odometer shows just over 31,000 miles, which is believed to be original. The car is accompanied by the original Build Sheet, as well as documentation that includes all receipts from the restoration and registrations from previous owners. Additionally it has been inspected and authenticated by Mopar expert Dave Wise, who documented his findings in the report that comes with the car.
Overall, this is a very honest, solid sheet-metal car with one repaint and excellent documentation.

Source: blog.hemmings.com

1961 Cadillac 62 Custom Pickup

Source: hemmings.com

8 Most Beautiful Bizarre Cars That Are Designed To Make Heads Turn

The Chrysler Thunderbolt is popular for its new wave of design on beautiful bizarre cars. It has a roof with a retractable, electrically controlled hardtop. Furthermore, it doesn’t have door handles operated by the push of a button. Moreover, the headlights are carefully hidden in the bodywork. Lastly, its aerodynamic design continues to the fully enclosed wheel wells.

The Buick Centurion is another classic car on this list of beautiful bizarre cars. This one was available between 1971 and 1973, replacing the Wildcat. It is a sporty rendition of its predecessor, having red and white fiberglass body, airplane-like interior, and a full clear “bubble top” roof. Furthermore, it had the first Backup camera in place of a rear view mirror. However, it was not functional but just a concept.



The Bugatti T57 Aerolithe is a weird-looking car but is not one that comes cheap. Actually, fashion icon Ralph Lauren owns one and got it for a whopping $40 million. This limited edition car first came out in 1934 with only 710 units produced. Hence, it is a durable classic grand tourer because you can still see a few of this on road even though it came out 80 years ago.

The Stout Scarab is an American minivan that came out between 1930 and 1940. It is one of the world’s first production minivans and one of the beautiful bizarre cars then and now. It maximizes its interior space with ponton styling, which is popular back in its time. Moreover, it has a unitized body structure to create a low, flat floor for the interior.

The Lancia Stratos HF Zero is a sports car and also a rally car that made a name in the 1970s. It won the World Rally Championship in 1974, 1975 and 1976. The car is distinctive of the wedge shape of its body and its orange color.

The Norman E. Timbs is a car full of smooth curves. It is also popular as a muse in the world of classic and beautiful bizarre cars. Although some may consider it weird, many still find this car a thing of absolute beauty.

The Avions Voisin is a French luxury car that first came out in 1919. It is a four-seat fastback that shows off France’s love for aviation. Moreover, the car looks aerodynamically sound with modernist lines and innovations such as a sliding sunroof and radial engine.

The Chrysler Ghia is a rare and short-lived car model that first came out in 1956. The idea behind this is to create a car that looks exclusive yet will come at a modest price. The design was fairly conservative with single headlamps and slab-sided features. Furthermore, it has small conservative fins and no styling gimmicks.

Source: legendaryvideos.com 

“Bombshell Betty,” the 165 MPH 1952 Buick Super Riviera

“Bombshell Betty,” a heavily modified Land Speed Record-holding 1952 Buick Super Riviera. Photos courtesy Barrett-Jackson.

At a length of just over 17 feet and a shipping weight approaching 3,800 pounds, the 1952 Buick Super Riviera is hardly an ideal starting point for a Bonneville Land Speed Record car, particularly when powered by Buick’s 320-cu.in. inline-eight engine. Sculptor Jeff Brock sees things differently than most, and his heavily modified ’52 Buick, dubbed Bombshell Betty, is a six-time Land Speed Record-setter in the XO/GCC class. On Saturday, October 15, Bombshell Betty, now owned by photographer Peter Lik, will cross the block in a no-reserve sale at Barrett-Jackson’s Las Vegas auction.



Raised in Flint, Michigan, Brock gained more than a passing familiarity with big American iron. Later relocating to the Southwest, Brock reportedly found his 1952 Buick Special Super Riviera (then a trim level, and not a separate model) at an old sawmill near Phoenix, Arizona, in 2008. After buying the car, he trucked it to his shop near Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the project sat largely untouched until June of 2009.



With less than two months remaining before that year’s Speed Week, Brock, his wife, and a few volunteers worked tirelessly to ready the car for its first Bonneville record run. Building the straight-eight engine, a process that required considerable custom work, was assigned to Albuquerque shop Automotive Machine Service. Aftermarket pistons and a solid lifter camshaft were used, and a custom intake manifold, topped by a 750 cfm Jegs Quick-Fuel carburetor, was fabricated. The rocket-shaped intake seen on the car today (reminiscent of the jewelry offerings from Brock’s Rocket Heads Studio) was a later addition, as was the current two-carburetor setup.



Brock fabricated the front fascia, rockers and fender skirts, trying to strike a balance between the need for improved aerodynamics and the Buick’s original styling. The top was chopped eight inches, and the rear shelf was raised to meet the deck. The front windshield is a custom fabrication, but the car carries no rear glass or taillamps, again in the name of airflow. The headlight covers? Those are headlamp buckets from a 1930s Chevrolet, inverted to serve their new purpose.
Underneath, Brock fabricated a smooth belly pan, after narrowing a 1968 Chevy van front axle to fit between the fender skirts and allow for steering movement. Out back, the torque is sent to a limited
slip nine-inch Ford rear, liberated from a 1973 Ford Thunderbird and now running 2.73:1 gears.



Against a seemingly impossible deadline, Brock and his team made it to Bonneville in time for the 2009 Speed Week, where Bombshell Betty was entered in engine class XO (reserved for pre-1960 overhead-valve inline engines, as well as non-Ford flatheads) and body class GCC (for Gas-powered Competition Coupe). At the car’s first outing, Brock drive it to a new class record of 130.838 MPH, which he’d break later that same year at the Bonneville World Finals, upping his speed to 134.054 MPH.
In 2010, Bombshell Betty returned to the salt, upping the record to 141.821 MPH. More records followed in 2012, with the team hitting a remarkable 162.481 MPH at Speed Week and 165.380 at the later World Finals, a number that Brock would increase once again at Speed Week in 2013, when the
Buick set its latest record of 165.735 MPH.



The 2013 run would be Jeff’s last in the car. A few years later, Brock, who describes himself as a “starving artist,” sold the Buick to Lik, and in November of 2015 Brock was diagnosed with cancer, a battle he continues to fight.
Bombshell Betty has been advertised for sale in recent months, typically with an asking price of $195,000. The no-reserve auction means that Barrett-Jackson won’t publish a pre-auction estimate for the car, though it’s clear that the company is shooting for a price at or even above this number. For a unique bit of rolling sculpture, complete with a legitimate history of Bonneville records, that seems like an attainable goal, especially in Las Vegas.
For more information on the upcoming Las Vegas sale, which runs from October 13-15 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, visit Barrett-Jackson.com.

UPDATE (17.October 2016): Bombshell Betty sold for a fee-inclusive price of $36,300.

Source: blog.hemmings.com

1974 AMC Javelin AMX

1974 AMC Javelin AMX

Although the Javelin was introduced for the 1968 model year, it wasn’t until 1971 the AMC launched a campaign marketing the AMX as “the closest thing to a Trans Am that you can buy.”

 It certainly has that “bad ass” factor that all muscle cars possess.

Source: legendaryvideos.com

1955 Cadillac LaSalle Roadster

1955 Cadillac LaSalle Roadster

This roadster was designed by the brilliant car designer, Harley Earl.

 Debuting at the 1955 Motorama, the LaSalle roadster was one of two LaSalles that made appearances, with the other built as a hardtop.

 Fun fact:  The aluminum double overhead-cam, fuel-injected V6 that was installed in the car never ran.  

Source: legendaryvideos.com

1964 Sunbeam Tiger

1964 Sunbeam Tiger

This car was created with the intention of competing with the Jaguar E-Type.

It was produced from ’64-’67 and due to the inability to fit their own V8’s into the engine bay, the car was put down.

 You might recognize this car from the “Get Smart” series and movie, it was Maxwell Smart’s main ride.

Source: legendaryvideos.com

1956 Buick Centurion

1956 Buick Centurion

So here is yet another car with fighter jet aesthetics.

 Rather than a pointed and rounded nose, the Centurion’s back grille gave it more of a mounted machine gun look.

 It also has the rounded pointy rear, but the most unique aspect of this car might be the full glass bubble cabin.

Source: legendaryvideos.com

1970 Cord Warrior

1970 Cord Warrior

After Cord went out of business in the late ’30s, the company was resurrected by the Sports Automobile Manufacturing Company (SAMCO) in the late ’60s.

So, technically these cars are replicas and there were only 400 produced from 1968-1970.  Replica or not, the Cord Warrior had style for days.

Source: legendaryvideos.com

1958 Buick Caballero Station Wagon

The 1958 Buick Caballero is one of the rarest, and one of the most legit wagons ever produced.  It was only made for one year and was dubbed a “pillarless” hardtop.

 With a 264cu.-in., 300 horsepower engine living under the hood, the Caballero was not you’re Granny’s station wagon.

Source: legendaryvideos.com

1951 Buick XP 300

Although GM was busy building a crazy concept car that would later become a mainstay in the annals of car history.  So in order to compete, Buick launched its own jet-inspired vehicle, the XP-300.

The car also had a turbine-like rear, but the stacked oval headlights and wide fish mouth front end would translate into future faces of the Buick brand beginning in 1954.

Source: legendaryvideos.com

1959 DeSoto Firedome

Everybody knows the Cadillac Eldorados from the ’50's, but the DeSoto Firedome was an equally great-looking vehicle that often gets overlooked.

Owned by Chrysler, DeSoto produced the Firedome from 1952 to 1959.

 By the final model year, sales had started to plummet and in a last-ditch effort to attract customers, the Firedome was offered in 190 two-toned color options.

Source: legendaryvideos.com

What if… Edsel had its own version of the Thunderbird?

[Editor’s Note: Daniel Lindquist of KDC Garage not only has some interesting ideas about alternate automotive histories, he can also render those histories in Photoshop and form a narrative around them. One of his latest: an Edsel-flavored Thunderbird.]

The Ford Thunderbird began life in 1953 as a direct response to Chevrolet’s recently unveiled Corvette prototype. Calling in some major players in the design field, the Thunderbird rapidly developed from idea to prototype in about a year. Ford was very pleased to see record-breaking sales of the Thunderbird reach 23 times the number of Corvettes sold in 1955.

With a new Edsel Corsair model staged for production in 1958, Edsel saw the great success and popularity of the Thunderbird as a viable platform for a mid-level entry personal luxury car within the Ford corporate lineup below the top-of-the-line Continental. In 1956, borrowing the Thunderbird’s basic frame and removable hardtop roof, Edsel had its design team rush to create a prototype similar to the Thunderbird in length, though being slightly heftier in general proportions to fit the fresh styling of the new Corsair.

Edsel was so confident it had a winner, that an operable prototype of the car was driven to a meeting with Ford execs where it was touted that the new Raven model would provide a bit more headroom and elbow room than the Thunderbird, and offer even more luxury options at mid-level pricing. Edsel also went on to elaborate how Ford could then focus more attention to racing applications of the Thunderbird as to be more competitive against the Corvette.

However Ford execs, fearing diluting the market for such a popular vehicle as the Thunderbird, quickly axed the project, and this specially made prototype was presumably destined for scrap. Edsel continued with its full-sized Corsair as planned for the 1958 model year. Though, sadly, on November 19, 1959, Ford discontinued the Edsel marque and the last Edsel car soon rolled off the assembly line.

Source: blog.hemmings.com

Mrs. Chrysler’s Chrysler Takes Best in Show at Hemmings Concours

Howard Kroplick with his chauffeur-driven 1937 Chrysler Imperial C-15 Town Car. Photos by Terry McGean.

Judging at the annual Hemmings Concours d’Elegance is no easy task. With more than 150 exclusive cars on the show field spread across 17 classes, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer quality, rarity and overall condition of the show entrants. The difficulty comes when you need to split hairs and render a decision that awards one car a higher position over another, even if that “lesser” car would clean up at any other car show.

The flip side of that quandary is when a car makes an appearance, a grand entrance, if you will, and it soon becomes clear that its owner will leave with the Best in Show award. Such was the case this past Sunday at the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance, held in conjunction with the Saratoga Automobile Museum on the beautiful grounds of the Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Howard Kroplick’s 1937 Chrysler Imperial C-15 limousine with unique LeBaron bodywork wowed the record crowds from the moment it arrived on the show field just as the early morning dew was drying, until it made the last pass over the red carpet to accept the Best in Show award.

Recently featured in the September 2015 issue of Hemmings Classic Car, Howard’s Imperial is truly a one-of-a-kind automobile. The personal property of Walter P. Chrysler and his wife, Della, the town car limousine was built on an immense 144-inch wheelbase, the overall body measuring 228 inches end to end and weighing an estimated 6,300 pounds.

Considered an excellent example of streamline moderne (a style movement that you can also read about in another article in the September 2015 issue of Hemmings Classic Car that goes into great detail about the Imperial’s design), the massive car, which the Chrysler family used for decades at their Long Island estate, carries a breathtaking presence wherever it goes. Howard had the car restored beginning in 2012 by Auto Restorations of Lebanon, New Jersey, and has been collecting awards for it ever since, with Sunday’s win just more icing on the cake.

LeBaron built the car to Walter Chrysler’s desires to have something truly special for his wife. Based on a standard 140-inch-wheelbase 1937 Imperial, just about everything from the firewall on back was changed or fabricated from new, including cutting the chassis and adding several inches to the wheelbase. While most of the body was crafted in aluminum, the unique rear fenders are steel. Lengthening the body beyond the end of the frame spars required extensive use of wood to support it.

Inside, the luxury appointments for the passengers are the sort of stuff that today’s designers probably wish they could emulate in a private jet. An elaborate, handmade wooden vanity, fashioned in striking, light-catching “flamed” maple at the front of the enclosed passenger compartment houses a bar on one side and a compartment for perfume and other toiletries on the other.

From the judges to the showgoers alike at the Hemmings Concours d’Elegance, the massive Imperial grabbed eyes and interest like no other car. While there were plenty of worthy candidates of impressively restored classics and stupendously preserved original cars, the big Chrysler stood out to earn the Best in Show trophy for Howard.

Source: blog.hemmings.com

Wait A Minute Mr. Postman! 1929 Mail Truck

What a great old truck! This 1929 Ford Model A has been owned by the seller for the last 43 years. It’s showing 23,192 miles but who knows how many times it’s been around–and who really cares? It’s now in Shawnee, Kansas. The seller has listed it here on eBay, with bidding starting pretty low but there’s a reserve. Let’s look a little closer.

image courtesy of Model A Ford Club of America

As it turns out, there were a lot of these Model A mail trucks made; you can read about them at this link, and there’s a video of a nice one here. Around 1400 of these “A” based trucks were produced by Ford for the USPS, along with some “AA” based larger vehicles as well. There was also a book written in 1999 specifically about these mail trucks, so if you want to restore this one or at least check it for originality, it won’t be difficult.

Unfortunately, we don’t know if this particular Model A runs from the auction. I contacted the seller and they say it runs very well! The seller tells us that the body is all original oak; I hope if someone restores it, it’s done sympathetically and all the wood that can be saved is preserved.


As you can see, the body is still relatively solid, although obviously there would need to be some careful conservation work done. In my dreams, it starts up first try–if it does, I’d leave this one alone and preserve it as-is once I made sure it was safe to drive.


Here’s where Mr. Postman spent his time. I’ll bet that steering wheel could tell some stories! The driving arrangement doesn’t look that comfortable, with other interior views revealing that there is no backrest cushion and doesn’t look like there ever was one.


It sure looks like it would start right up, doesn’t it. Even the pipe bolted to the exhaust manifold looks new. I know I’d like this truck, and I don’t even like Model A’s that much! How about you?

Source: barnfinds.com

1966 Pontiac Grand Prix

Though this 1966 Pontiac Grand Prix for sale on Hemmings.com didn’t originally come with a four-speed, a) it’s what the owner wanted, b) it’s probably what a good chunk of potential buyers would like as well, c) there’s probably plenty of automatic-equipped GP’s left in the world, and d) GP’s did come with four-speeds from the factory and this one was built using factory parts. Looks like a fun, needs-nothing, Saturday night bruiser. From the seller’s description:

Factory 421 4 bbl automatic car converted to 4 speed. Frame on restored 53,000 mile car in very nice condition. Very correct restoration with a few tasteful upgrades that do not detract from the originality of the car. It has the original engine with a conversion to the Muncie 4 speed transmission with console and 3.42 posi rear. This is not a “make it work” conversion but was done with factory 1966 parts and appears as new. The correct long tail transmission and rear are from another 1966 Grand Prix, and the 3.42 posi has been correctly rebuilt to be trouble free. Transmission shifts well without gear whine or popping out of gear. The correct factory reverese light switch was installed and they work correctly. Options include tilt wheel, amfm radio with reverb, power antenna, remote mirror, 4 way flashers, and the iconic 8 lug wheels. Repainted in gold color a little bit brighter than the original Martinique Bronze, it has a brilliant look, more gold less brown. A new vinyl top was installed. Original seats were in very good condition, but the driver seat has wear and damaged piping. A new carpet was installed with a factory console. New dash wood inlays were installed. The suspension was rebuilt with gas shocks and a large Addco front sway bar. The car handles quite well on radial tires. New clutch and brakes as well as Pypes 2.5 inch x flow exhaust system with correct long branch manifolds were added as well. The correct filter adapter was used. Muffflers are quiet at idle due to the x pipe, but when she opens up, it sounds as it should, without glasspack roar and no “flowmaster” resonance. It has an upgraded camshaft for a little more performance. It is fully detailed under the hood and in the trunk, and the underside was repainted but not detailed to the highest level. Simply, I drive it so I didn’t spend the time to do that. The car was a nice original to start with very minor rust issues. It did have some minimal frame repair done, and to transmission crossmember was modified for the exhaust. The radio does not work, nor does the clock. There are some widened gaps on the front sheet metal to avoid hood damage when closing. The pot metal rocker trim has the usual pitting. The bumpers were rechromed and look real nice

Source: blog.hemmings.com

Heavy Hauler #2: 1953 Chevrolet COE Truck

If you liked last week’s “Vintage Bow-Tie Hauler“, maybe you’ll appreciate this one too. This 1953 Chevrolet COE is listed for sale here on St. Louis’ craigslist, but is apparently located an hour or so west, in Mexico, Missouri.

The asking price is $5,000 and my first thought was that the price is too high for an “old farm truck”, but upon closer inspection, I’m not so sure. It isn’t sitting in waist-high weeds, has air in the tires, it’s not in pieces, and looks like it could be in running condition, or at least close. So those of us here at Barn Finds have to ask our readers: What’s it worth?
image: http://barnfinds.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/00N0N_lq2NYa64hSZ_600x450.jpg
 

 

The seller’s eleven-word description doesn’t mention whether it runs or not, so that would probably be one of the first questions. Although for many buyers, it actually may not matter. Besides cutting the frame down and finding a car carrier and some ’56 Chevys to pull around, this truck has a number of other possibilities which will enable to continue earning its keep for the next sixty years.

With the addition of a late-model drivetrain, it would make an awesome single-car hauler, either in ‘ramp’ configuration, or with a regular hydraulically operated roll-back tilt bed installed. A race car or show car hauler. The door jambs appear to be black, or brown, which would be common for a heavy truck of this vintage, but someone long ago has painted it blue. There’s no nice way to say this, so I’m going to just come right out and say it: it has an attractive patina! Some buyers would consider updating the drive train and interior, and not doing too much to the outside.


Looking inside, I see an added-on turn signal lever, and even more interesting, what must be a factory-installed radio. How rare is that in a heavy truck of this vintage? The interior obviously needs some deep cleaning, for starters, and probably some seat cushion and cover work.


They’re only original once, as the saying goes, and it looks like this truck has probably never been apart. As the value on these COE trucks climb, the “correct”, frame-off restoration is not out of the question for it as one possible future. But again, what’s it worth, and what would you do with it?

Source: barnfinds.com