Ford has a history of producing not only popular and economical road cars but also rugged and capable everyday utility vehicles. Their trucks and light-commercial range have been options since the company’s early days, and the small business owner or manager could choose from a myriad of body styles to […]

Introduced in the spring of 1964 as an early 1965 model, Ford’s Mustang created the pony car category. Its popularity was so overwhelming that after only 2½ years of production, a new body was introduced in 1967, giving Ford greater flexibility in equipment, particularly powertrains. This greater flexibility helped Ford […]

In 1966 Chevrolet offered a full range of 396 cubic inch ‘Porcupine Head’ engines in the mid-size Chevelle line. With up to 375 bhp, the SS 396 put real power into the line that has come to epitomize Chevy’s muscle car heritage. Dubbed ‘Porcupine Head’ because of its different stem […]

The “official” Muscle Car era began in 1961, when Chevrolet introduced the 409. It lasted ten years until the early ’70s when the market was gutted by insurance premiums and the cars began to be strangled by emissions limits. Of course, the Muscle Car didn’t emerge fully formed like a […]

The car pictured sold at Dana Mecum’s Arlington Premier Auction in Arlington, Illinois on November 7, 1998 at no reserve, bringing $23,625, including buyer’s commission. Estimated at $30k–$35k, a value that even at this level is probably less than half what’s invested in it, this is typical of the re-sale […]

Desirable to collectors, this Indianapolis 500 Pace Car replica Camaro is, like the original, an RS/SS convertible. As is usually the custom with Indy 500 pace cars, 100 examples were built for use by press and dignitaries during 500 Month at the Speedway. A further 3,674 Camaros equipped with the […]

Erret Leban Cord began building his empire in the mid 1920s when he became president and primary stockholder of Auburn. In 1929 Cord introduced a car bearing his name, the front-wheel-drive Cord L-29. There were unfortunately many technological problems with the L-29 that kept it from becoming the great car […]

Chevrolet enlisted the help of Lotus Engineering to create a new engine for the Corvette. Together they developed a design with an aluminum block, dual overhead camshafts, and 4 valves per cylinder. In 1990, it emerged as the 375-horsepower LT5 engine. But there was more than an engine. The Corvette […]

When Thunderbird designer Frank Hershey set out to design a sports car with “banker appeal,” he unknowingly created a legendary automobile that was so popular in its first year, it outsold the Chevrolet Corvette four to one. When Hershey left Ford for General Motors in 1960, the Thunderbird had sold […]

In 1956, Ford was building the two-seat Thunderbird, and outselling Corvette four to one. After two disastrous sales years, the Corvette had to change or die. And change it did. First, it received a new body to replace the classic roadster style body of the previous three years. Still in […]