Upcoming Classic? 1982 Mazda 626 Coupe

By the 1960s, the American consumer understood exactly what a no-frills economy car was, thanks to Volkswagen. The import scene became a real brawl: Toyota brought us the Crown, then the Corona, Volvo the PV444, then the 140 series,… more»

Pink 1959 Cadillac DeVille Two-Door Hardtop

Integrated into this single car is the intersection of at least three vectors of American culture: music, art, and automotive history. “Music” refers to Bruce Springsteen’s “Pink Cadillac”, a hit song in 1984. But of course, long before that,… more»

1996 Toyota HiAce Bambee Diesel Camper

As the years roll by, the US rule allowing a person to import a foreign car so long as it is more than 25 years old is bringing ever more interesting metal onto our shores. From Japan, we’re seeing… more»

Rare Brit: 1959 Peerless GT Coupe

From the early 1900s, the thriving British automotive ecosystem consisted of three primary types of ventures: companies that made one-offs often from disparate parts resulting in a handful of examples; specialist makers that mustered production in the hundreds or… more»

Golden Lion V8: 1959 Chrysler Windsor Coupe

Chrysler’s Windsor nameplate stretches back to 1939 when the model was launched to occupy a niche below the New Yorker. By the mid-1940s, the Windsor accounted for 63% of Chrysler’s sales. Virgil Exner’s “Forward Look” brought fins to its… more»

Two-Fer: 1937 Diamond T Model 80 Plus Parts Truck

In the 1930s, Diamond T was considered the “Cadillac of trucks”, while the company proclaimed “all truck, from the ground up! as a foil against competitors that simply appended a pickup bed to the back end of a passenger… more»

Farm Find: 1974 International Harvester Scout II 4×4

This 1974 International Harvester Scout II was found on a farm in Pennsylvania covered in about two inches of dust. The Scout’s job was hay-hauler, and that’s so appropriate since the first Scout introduced in 1961 was aimed directly… more»

Single-Family Owned For 121 Years: 1903 Mercedes-Simplex 60 HP ‘Roi des Belges’

While those of us who yearn for a “pre-war” car are eyeing Model As or even a Model T for around $20k at the most, a select few have a different car in mind. These folks are positioning their… more»

Go-Kart Fun: 1958 Berkeley SE328

I could recount the entire history of the Berkeley Coachworks Company (headquarters: Biggleswade, England) – first using its expertise molding caravans from what we now call fiberglass, to making tiny sports cars that a few crazy people tried to… more»

Barn Find V12! Lincoln H Series Four-Door Sedan

The early 1940s marked the waning days of the V12 engine, previously produced liberally by luxury car makers such as Packard, Franklin, Cadillac, Rolls-Royce, and Lincoln. By the end of WWII, only Lincoln was soldiering on with a V12… more»

Rusty Cat: 1956 Jaguar XK140 MC Drophead Coupe

How much rust is tolerable in a vintage car? I’m supposing most of you would say, depends on the car and where it is…. How about a 1956 Jaguar XK140 drophead coupe, and how about “all over”? Let’s consider… more»

Desert Survivor! 1969 Datsun 1600 Roadster

Logging the acceleration of the Japanese motorcar industry in the 1960s is a reminder of a competitor that seemingly came out of the blue. Of course, progress wasn’t a straight line: things started haltingly over at Datsun in the… more»

Supercharged 289 V8: 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk

The mid-’50s were a tumultuous time for Studebaker. It had employed deceptive terms to merge with Packard in 1954, an endeavor that shortly led to Packard’s complete demise without aiding Studebaker at all. While bad behavior from the C-suite… more»

Ready to Show! 1973 Triumph Stag

We’ve covered several Triumph Stags at Barn Finds, nearly always reminding readers what stinkers they were when new. Meanwhile, the dang cars have been sneaking up in price despite their unsavory reputation. What the heck. Time to figure out… more»

Garage Find: 1970 Jaguar XKE Series II Coupe

As popular as Jaguar’s first post-war sports car was, the XKE outdid it by a mile. It didn’t hurt that the XKE’s US introduction at the 1961 International Automobile Show in New York was conducted by Marilyn Hanold, Playboy’s… more»

Scat Pack Mopar: 1969 Dodge Coronet Super Bee

It was 1967 and Dodge had a problem. In masterful anticipation of the market’s needs, Plymouth was ready to offer a low-priced muscle car, called the Road Runner. Buyers needed the Road Runner. Muscle cars had grown in size,… more»