Top Shelf: 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz

As if simply being a Cadillac wasn’t enough, the 1957 version of the Eldorado Biarritz was an extravagant exercise in styling. Harley Earl bestowed the ’57 Eldorado models (the Seville was the hard top version) with sharp fins that… more»

The Rudi Klein Junkyard Collection: Part One – The Parts

Greater Los Angeles is chock full of automotive wonderment, with restoration services, collections, swap meets, and vintage car dealers tucked into unassuming cubbyholes all over town. One of these unassuming places was Rudi Klein’s “Porche Foreign Auto Dismantling” junkyard… more»

Hardtop and Overdrive: 1967 Sunbeam Alpine Series V

Here’s a Sunbeam Alpine Series V project car, ready for a new garage. Fall is coming – it’s a perfect time to start work on this roadster, aiming for Cars ‘N Coffee by spring. These “series” Alpines were conceived… more»

One Family Owned for 80 Years! 1934 Packard Eight Five Passenger Sedan

After enjoying many years as a luxury carmaker catering to the wealthiest echelon of American society, Packard fell on hard times during the Great Depression. Other makers were suffering too, but Packard’s singular focus on one market niche hurt… more»

Born in Turin, Made in France: 1964 Simca 1000

It pays to have friends in high places. Henri Pigozzi, who grew up in Turin but founded Société Industrielle de Mécanique et de Carrosserie Automobile (Simca) in France, had known Giovanni Agnelli, head of Fiat, and his family for… more»

Cherished: 1947 Chrysler Windsor Club Coupe

Chrysler’s Windsor nameplate was introduced in 1939 on a full-size platform with a blend of luxury interior appointments and an economical engine. The car retained its middle-of-the-road niche after the war, with the New Yorker and the Imperial occupying… more»

Low Miles, Two Owners: 1984 Volkswagen Scirocco

Volkswagen set about replacing the Karmann Ghia in the early 1970s, beginning with a design by Giorgetto Giugiaro. The new car was named Scirocco, after a desert wind (joining the handful of cars from Maserati also named after windy… more»

Owned Over 40 Years! 1949 Nash 600 Super Special

What’s it like to drive a bath tub? While Nash gave the design of its brand new post-war sedans a fancy name – Airflyte – the vernacular is “bath tub styling”, and it arrived in 1949 as Nash’s first… more»

Rare Coupe Utility: 1982 Ford Fairmont Durango

What’s a coupe utility? The single differentiator between this vehicle and a pickup is the integration of the front panel of the bed into the rear of the cockpit; pickup beds sit separate from the cabin. The first coupe… more»

Budget Brit: 1975 MG Midget Mark IV

This Mk IV Midget was made the same year that the UK government nationalized British Leyland, turning it into a ward of the state. Five years later, after spending the equivalent of $22 billion in taxpayer funds to support… more»

British Trials Car: 1954 Dellow MKll

At last! – an opportunity to write about car trials, the gritty endeavor that evolved from reliability runs of the late 1880s. Reliability runs were designed to prove that a car could cover a convenient distance and become indispensable,… more»

Long-Term Owner: 1940 Mercury Eight Coupe

I wish we could celebrate certain vintage car owners – those who coddled an individual car for decades, caring for its every need, polishing it, driving it, enjoying it. That kind of attention is immediately apparent. We see it… more»

Love it, or Loathe it? 1978 Ford Mustang II

What car models can you think of that made you wonder what a formerly-revered manufacturer was up to? The MG TD – dimensionally bloated and pregnant with bumpers designed to protect its delicate body from inept drivers – was… more»

Update: Single Cylinder Time Machine: 1912 Harley-Davidson Model 8

UPDATE: This 1912 Harley-Davidson Model 8 motorcycle, so adroitly profiled by Jeff Bennett in April 2024, has cropped up for sale here on craigslist, with a $75,000 price tag. Thanks to Nevadahalftrack for spotting the ad for us! The… more»

No Reserve! 1974 Mercedes-Benz 280C

Mercedes-Benz introduced the W114/115 as a replacement for its “Fintail” series in 1968 and subsequently manufactured a veritable tide of these handsome sedans. Almost 2 million were sold over nine years of production. With sheet metal designed by Paul… more»

Rare Convertible: 1985 Capri ASC/McLaren

When is a Fox body not a Mustang? When it’s a Mercury Capri, specifically the second generation Capri sold starting in 1979. With manufacturing repatriated to the US (the first Capris were captive imports made by Ford Europe and… more»

Barn Finds