As Federal emissions controls continued to choke power out of V8 engines, Pontiac dropped its biggest displacement motors in 1980. So, the standard fare in the next-to-last year of the second-generation Trans Ams was a 301 cubic inch V8…. more»
Jul 26, 2024 • For Sale • 35 Comments
Modern Micro Car: 2001 Corbin Sparrow
Have you been thinking about getting an electric car (most Barn Finds readers probably haven’t)? If so, why get a Tesla or some other highly touted vehicle when you could get a Corbin Sparrow? If you like isolation when… more»
Jul 26, 2024 • For Sale • 19 Comments
Cheap Wheels Oddity? 1960ish Cheetah Kit Car
The 1960s brought the era of the kit car and most of them were based on a Volkswagen Beetle chassis and engine. But the Cheetah was different, it was a fiberglass-bodied kit that relied on Chevy Corvette infrastructure to… more»
Jul 26, 2024 • For Sale • 36 Comments
Nicest One Left? 1964 Oldsmobile 98
The Olds 98 was the GM division’s most luxurious automobile during the back half of the 20th Century. Riding on a longer wheelbase, it was senior to the Olds 88 and was on par with the Buick Electra and… more»
Jul 26, 2024 • For Sale • 23 Comments
Almost Perfect? 1971 Pontiac LeMans Sport
If you wanted a mid-size Pontiac convertible in 1971, you had two choices: the GTO or the LeMans Sport, the latter being the next best thing to a performance machine without the muscle stigma of the former car. This… more»
Jul 25, 2024 • For Sale • 12 Comments
Off the Ground: 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad
The 1955 to 1957 Chevrolets are referred to today as the “Tri-Fives” and they brought tremendous sales success to the GM division. But out of more than 4.5 million 150s, 210s, and Bel Airs assembled, a scant 22,000 Nomads… more»
Jul 25, 2024 • For Sale • 5 Comments
Updated Powertrain: 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air
The Tri-Five Chevrolets of 1955 to 1957 were some of the most successful ever built by the company. 4.5 million units were sold across the 150, 210, and Bel Air product lines. The Sport Sedan was a 4-door hardtop… more»
Jul 25, 2024 • For Sale • 12 Comments
Same Owner 20 Years: 1971 Plymouth Road Runner Project
Despite an all-new design in 1971, Plymouth Road Runner sales continued a decline that had started the year before. Reduced demand in 1970 could be attributed to it being a three-year-old design with light sheet metal changes, but the… more»
Jul 24, 2024 • For Sale • 21 Comments
Ever Seen One? 1947 Hudson Big Boy Pickup
Nash Motor Car Co. was one of the predecessors of American Motors. They merged with Nash-Kelvinator in 1954 to form AMC. But 15 years before that, they built a pickup truck named the Big Boy which would be called… more»
Jul 24, 2024 • For Sale • 26 Comments
Movie Prop: Original Paint 1967 Chevrolet Impala
After a record sales year in 1965 when Chevrolet sold more than one million Impalas, the car continued in demand in 1967. 575,000 copies of the full-size Chevy still rolled off the assembly line using the same platform as… more»
Jul 24, 2024 • For Sale • 23 Comments
One-Owner 1963 Chevrolet Corvair Monza
Chevrolet’s first entry into the compact car market was unconventional by Detroit standards of the day. The Corvair had an air-cooled engine (rather than water-cooled), and it was mounted in the back (not the front). So, it was something… more»
Jul 24, 2024 • For Sale • 20 Comments
Modified 426 Wedge V8! 1964 Dodge Polara 500
Dodge and Plymouth offered the Max Wedge V8 in their B-bodied intermediates from 1962 to 1964. The official name of the potent engine was Maximum Performance Wedge, also known as the Street Wedge. In lighter Mopars like the Belvedere… more»
Jul 23, 2024 • For Sale • 11 Comments
Oval Window Barn Find: 1956 Volkswagen Beetle
The VW Type 1 (or Beetle or Bug) is one of the most produced automobiles of all time. Between 1938 and 2003, worldwide production reached 21.5 million units. It takes a real Beetle expert to tell most Bugs from… more»
Jul 23, 2024 • For Sale • 8 Comments
Is the Circus in Town? 1949 Crosley Clown Car
Crosley Motors was the upstart automaker that began before World War II, took a pause, and struggled into the early 1950s. They’re mostly remembered for creating several variants of microcars that included a small pickup and an open-air roadster,… more»
Jul 23, 2024 • For Sale • 8 Comments
West Coast Woodie! 1954 Mercury Monterey
The Monterey, named after Monterey Bay, California, was the mainstay of the Mercury lineup from 1950 into the 1970s. The only station wagon that Mercury would offer in 1954 was based on the Monterey and it was marketed as… more»
Jul 23, 2024 • For Sale • 16 Comments
Drop-Top Project: 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu
In 1970, Chevrolet built 635,000 automobiles in the Chevelle family, which included the El Camino and the new Monte Carlo. But just 7,000 were Malibu convertibles with a V8 engine. That’s how the seller’s Chevelle started life, but its… more»
