About Jeff Lavery

After waking up and realizing my paid-for Civic Si left me empty and bored, I’ve been on a bender of daily-driving BMWs that constantly test my love affair with vintage machinery. I’ve tried Miatas and Mustangs but keep coming back to the church of blue-and-white, despite their best efforts to test my devotion. Although I’m still searching for that next great barn find, I’m content to own two projects that were headed straight past storage and into the scrap pile if it weren't for some divine intervention and an understanding wife, two things no gearhead should be without.

Fresh From Storage: 1987 BMW 635CSi

This E24-chassis BMW 6-Series lives in that unique space of looking good enough to be a driver right now while also likely exhibiting some of the classic signs of benign neglect. It hasn’t been righteously abused, but it also… more»

Last of the Legends: 1998 Bentley Brooklands R

It’s that time again: time for our favorite seller who apparently has accumulated quite a stash of Bentleys and Rolls Royces, all stored in a space-compromised location in Oregon. This time, it’s a late production 1998 Bentley Brooklands R… more»

The Original Minivan: 1987 Dodge Caravan SE

The original Chrysler minivan was a shot heard ’round the world when it was introduced. If you were accustomed to riding in a wagon in terms of moving large groups of people around from one place to the next,… more»

Donated 35th Anniversary: 1988 Chevrolet Corvette

Every now and again, a car shows up in the donation lanes that just shouldn’t be there. There’s no rhyme or reason to this; it could be the way an estate gets settled by the heirs, or a retired… more»

Not Many Left: 1995 Mercury Tracer Wagon

Much like the death of the small pickup, the small wagon is a dinosaur on the automotive landscape – the extinct kind. The combination of a highly efficient and maneuverable compact car with loads of space just made too… more»

5-Speed and Straight: 1992 Volvo 240

This 1992 Volvo 240 is as basic as it gets, but in this case, that’s a good thing: it has the preferred manual gearbox, which while not exactly rare, you’re not guaranteed to find when you peek inside. The… more»

FJ55 Project: 1971 Toyota Land Cruiser

Is there a time when a vehicle that was once incredibly sought-after ceases to be? It seems every year there’s turnover where projects that would have previously been lavished with untold amounts of hours and cash seem destined to… more»

Clean Runner: 1987 Dodge Dakota Pickup

The death of the small, cheap, affordable pickup truck: much has been written and opined about this topic, and for good reason. We’ve seen the small truck market absolutely decimated over the last 20 years, and while some lighter-duty… more»

Ex-Camel Trophy: 1992 Land Rover Defender 110

The Land Rover Camel Trophy series is one of the more epic company-sponsored adventures you can think of, certainly nothing like your last corporate picnic. Testing man and machine in some of the harshest environments possible, Land Rover was… more»

Nicest One Left? 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue

To this day, I can still remember thinking the Oldsmobile Intrigue would have been a phenomenal first car as a 16-year old. It’s also a car that I associate with the best days of Oldsmobile, a time when it… more»

Just Needs Paint: 1985 Ford Mustang SVO

After years of purchasing projects that needed both cosmetic and mechanical restoration, I’ve learned that you should definitely try to find endeavours that only involve one or the other. This 1985 Ford Mustang SVO is a bone dry and… more»

Parked for 10 Years: 1974 BMW 3.0CS

Can you imagine driving home your dream project car only to park it and never turn a wrench on it for a decade or more? That seems to be the case with this 1974 BMW 3.0CS, one of the… more»

Fender Flares and Lambo Wing: 1984 De Tomaso Pantera GT5

From the glory days of Car and Driver magazine, when the writers could actually write and the editorial board had more influence than the actual board, came this wonderful line about the De Tomaso Pantera GT5: This is a… more»

Preserved PCH Driver: 1967 Porsche 912

There’s a price that many enthusiasts are willing to pay for originality that transcends logic. In the case of the Porsche 912, this is a model that was at one time the cheapest air-cooled model you could buy, with… more»

Performance Bargain: 1997 Ford Mustang Cobra Convertible

The SN95 Ford Mustang is still quite the unsung hero in the company’s lineup of limited-production muscle cars. To this day, values remain  – in my opinion – somewhat soft, representing excellent value if you’re looking for a special… more»

Kellogg’s Family Owned: 1968 Mercedes-Benz 600

For a car you typically don’t see very often, one of the world’s most luxurious and exclusive Mercedes-Benzes has been popping out of the woodwork with some regularity lately. The W100-series Mercedes, the company’s flagship car reserved for heads… more»

Barn Finds