40 Years Out Back: Pair of Vintage Project Cars

For reasons unknown, this 1965 Ford Mustang and 1972 Datsun 240Z were parked in Mom’s backyard in the early 1980s – and left there to the elements. They haven’t run since, and both will need substantial work to perform… more»

350 Crate V8: 1973 Chevrolet Nova SS Project

Chevrolet found huge success with their Chevy II/Nova from 1962 to 1979. The car’s most successful sales period was from 1968 to 1974 and that’s the period from which the Super Sport is most often cloned. From all indications,… more»

One-Owner with Patina! 1964 Chevrolet C-20

Chevrolet redesigned its trucks in 1960 under the C/K naming convention (C = rear-wheel drive, K = four-wheel-drive). The C-10 was the ½-ton pick-up while the C-20 was the ¾-ton model. The trucks competed head-to-head with the Ford F-Series… more»

400 V8 Survivor: 1973 Dodge Charger SE

Dodge’s popular Charger would enjoy a 58% sales increase in 1973, making it the best year yet for the mid-size luxury/muscle car. We’re not sure that any one reason accounted for that success other than the fuselage styling adopted… more»

Time Capsule? 1975 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am

Though the peak of the U.S. muscle car era had come and gone by then, the 1975 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am had its best sales year up to that point. And it was still two years before Smokey and… more»

Cheap Wheels V8! 1974 AMC Hornet

A hallmark of American Motors from its formation in 1954 to the end of the line in 1988 was building and selling economical automobiles. During the 1960s, the Rambler American was the company’s compact offering, and it was finally… more»

Triple Black Project: 1969 Dodge Charger SE

One of the most popular cars that turn up here on Barn Finds is the second-generation Dodge Charger (1968-70). A lot of them were built, at least two had prominent movie/TV roles (hence they became famous), and they did… more»

K-Code Drop-Top: 1964 Mercury Comet Caliente

In 1964, the Caliente was the top-of-the-line Mercury Comet (except for the Cyclone performance model). As a convertible, only about 9,000 copies were built that year, so the number that may survive today likely doesn’t number more than a… more»

Pint-Size Woodie: 1979 Ford Pinto Country Squire

In 1970-71, three of the U.S. automakers introduced subcompact cars. That included the Chevy Vega, AMC Gremlin, and Ford Pinto. The latter would last the longest (1971-80) and sell the most cars (more than three million units). Interest in… more»

What’s It Worth? 1972 Pontiac GTO

My, how quickly things can change in the automotive world. The GTO began life as a mid-size muscle car in 1964, reached 96,000 units in sales in 1966, yet couldn’t break the 6,000 number in 1972. Market saturation had… more»

No Reserve 1973 Plymouth Gold Duster V8

The Duster was perhaps Plymouth’s big success story of the 1970s. They took a Valiant compact and grafted on a new fastback body from the cowl back. The result was sales of nearly 1.3 million copies from 1970 to… more»

Low-Mile 1978 AMC Matador Barcelona II

American Motors redesigned its Matador product line in 1974 and in the process moved it from an intermediate to a full-size car. They went one step further by giving the 2-door hardtop completely different styling from the sedans and… more»

Nomad Alternative: Rare 1956 Pontiac Safari

Based on a 1954 concept car with Corvette styling, General Motors introduced the “Sport Wagon” in 1955. It was a 2-door station wagon that had a separate body from the regular wagons from the cowl back. Chevrolet called theirs… more»

Split Window Project: 1963 Chevrolet Corvette

Chevrolet finally redesigned its Corvette sports car in 1963, retiring the first-generation models after a 10-year run. An enclosed coupe was offered in addition to the convertible. It used a split-window layout for the back glass which would become… more»

Power Pack V8: 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air

Chevrolet redesigned its automobiles for 1955 and introduced a small-block V8 that would help usher in performance for stock street cars. The stylish Bel Air Sport Coupe would be quite popular, and you could get one with the “Power… more»

Limelight Trophy Winner! 1970 Plymouth Road Runner

The Plymouth Road Runner was one of the most successful of the 1960s mid-size muscle cars. Perhaps only the Pontiac GTO eclipsed it in terms of demand. First-generation (1968-70) production exceeded 172,000 copies, not bad for a car that… more»