Partial Restoration: 1966 Chevrolet Impala

After a record-breaking sales year in 1965, it was no surprise that demand would be off a bit for the full-size 1966 Chevrolets. 20% fewer Impalas were produced in the second year of the fourth-generation Impala, but the numbers… more»

Body by Cantrell: 1950 Dodge B-108 Woodie

Wood-bodied station wagons gained in popularity in the 1930s and 1940s but became cost-prohibitive to build in the 1950s and were replaced by all steel-bodied coaches. J.T. Cantrell & Co. was one of the more prolific builders and was… more»

Ragged Ragtop: 1965 Chevrolet Impala SS

While Ford was making lots of sales noise in 1965 with its new Mustang pony car, Chevrolet was having a banner year, too. For the first time, they produced more than one million full-size automobiles with the Impala representing… more»

Ambuvertible: 1959 Buick Commercial Chassis LaSabre

Ambulances, hearses, and other specialized coaches are produced by custom vehicle builders. And those builders rely on mainstream manufacturers like General Motors for chassis and body components. Such was the case with this 1959 Buick ambulance that was built… more»

Drive While You Restore: 1965 Dodge Coronet

Chrysler made a blunder in 1962 by downsizing their Dodge and Plymouth full-size cars, thinking that General Motors had the same thing in mind. They didn’t. And sales would suffer until they could regroup and fashion some bigger cars… more»

Low Ride Or Not? 1964 Chevrolet Impala SS

Chevrolet introduced the Super Sport as a performance car in 1961 and sold just 453 copies. They revised their strategy in 1962 to make it more about style than muscle and sold more than 99,000 units. It was popular… more»

Not a Taxi! 1967 Checker Marathon Wagon

When most folks think of the Checker automobile brand, a yellow taxicab comes to mind. And they would become quite prolific in the 1960s and 1970s in big cities like Chicago and New York. But Checker also sold a… more»

Last Model Year: 1974 AMC Javelin

The 1974 model year was a tough one on the “pony car” market segment. Three competitors had their last hurrah in 1974 (the Plymouth Barracuda, Dodge Challenger, and AMC Javelin) and a fourth became a subcompact (the Ford Mustang)…. more»

1 of 554: 1970 Dodge Challenger RT

The Challenger was an all-new car in 1970, Dodge’s late entry into the “pony car” market. It shared an E-body platform developed by Chrysler to be shared with the Plymouth Barracuda. Convertibles would be rare in the Challenger line-up,… more»

Restore or Window Art? 1966 Piaggio APE

As World War II was ending, Piaggio began building scooters in Italy. They extended the product line in 1948 with the APE (pronounced ah-pay), which was a small utility vehicle that used a Vespa front end and engine. This… more»

Beer Cart! 1977 Piaggio APE P501

Since 1946, Italian manufacturer Piaggio has primarily been known for building scooters. But not long after that, they started producing small utility vehicles like the APE (pronounced ah-pay) to help rebuild the Italian economy after World War II. One… more»

Batmobile Pickup! 1959 Chevrolet El Camino

Over the years, Ford and Chevrolet have always tried to outdo one another, or at least keep up. One example is the “coupe utility” or “gentleman’s pickup.” Based on their 2-door station wagon, Ford rolled out the Ranchero pickup… more»

Desert Sun 40 Years! 1957 Ford Ranch Wagon

The Ranch Wagon was Ford’s cheapest station wagon. Offered between 1952 and 1974, it was usually a full-size wagon though it deviated for two years as a mid-size. As a 2-door wagon, it was a budget-minded companion to the… more»

Drop Top Field Find: 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

The 1955-57 Chevrolets are some of the most talked about in collector circles. They were popular when new (selling nearly five million copies) and are still in demand today. Fortunately, the rather large quantities built do make them more… more»

Kiddie Kar Replica: 1972 Ford Mustang Convertible

Back in the good old days, auto dealers were out to impress whole families, not just the member with the credit report. Pedal car replicas were available as promotional items at least in the 1950s, and Autolite, a one-time… more»

Two-Owner Survivor: 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme

As a mid-size car produced between 1966 and 1997, the Olds Cutlass Supreme would become not only the company’s most popular automobile but also the highest-selling model in its class. The fourth generation built from 1978 to 1988 was… more»