Luxury Cars

Running Project: 1974 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds

The Hurst/Olds was a luxury/performance version of the Oldsmobile Cutlass, inspired by the 1960s muscle car, the 442. It was offered during nine model years spread between 1968 and 1984. The 1974 edition was selected to pace the field… more»

Garaged 42 Years: 1973 Pontiac Luxury LeMans

Pontiac’s mid-size cars were redesigned in 1973 with new Colonnade styling (no more true hardtops). Along with the rest of GM’s intermediates, that design would remain through 1977 – and sell quite well. The Luxury LeMans edition was added… more»

Just Out of the Barn: 1966 Buick Riviera

The Rivera joined the Buick lineup in 1963 as a “personal luxury car” and remained a fixture there for the balance of the century (except for 1994). The car was treated to its first rework in 1966 and –… more»

5-Speed Super Coupe: 1989 Ford Thunderbird SC

The Ford Thunderbird had been available for over three decades when the tenth-generation cars were introduced in 1988 for the 1989 model year. An interesting fun fact is that there were only three generations of Thunderbirds that had manual… more»

Power Back Window: 1966 Mercury Park Lane Breezeway

In 1966, Mercury made no bones about their intention of wanting to be viewed as an “affordable” Lincoln Continental. Mercury’s advertising and sales brochure stated, “The ’66 Mercury – moving ahead with new style, vigor, and luxury- in the… more»

Original 429: 1969 Mercury Marauder X-100

When an owner cherishes a classic so much that they wear away its paint from washing and polishing, you know it isn’t a passing infatuation. Such is the case with this 1969 Mercury Marauder X-100. It presents well as… more»

Mostly Original Survivor? 1959 DeSoto Fireflite

DeSoto was a storied division of Chrysler Corporation from 1928 to 1961. It was part of a four-division family that also comprised the Dodge and Plymouth. But by the late 1950s. things were getting crowded and Chrysler discovered there… more»

Solid Survivor: 1965 Ford Galaxie 500 LTD Hardtop Coupe

Model year 1965 was a milestone year for The Big Three, especially the Ford Motor Company. It was the first time Ford had joined rival Chevrolet in the “Two-Million-Units-Sold Club” (thanks to the Mustang), and like their two other… more»

Package Deal Pairing: 1963 Studebaker Avanti

The Studebaker Avanti is one of the most talked about automotive failures of the 1960s. Not because it was a bad car, but because Studebaker’s financial woes practically doomed it from the start. They were only in production for… more»

Rebuilt 440 V8! 1969 Chrysler 300 Drop-Top

The Chrysler 300 Letter Series debuted in 1955 as Detroit’s first true muscle car. That was nearly a decade before the Pontiac GTO was bestowed with that credit. In 1962, Chrysler took advantage of the “300” name by creating… more»

Old School Luxury: 1987 Chrysler Fifth Avenue

The Chrysler Fifth Avenue was a more luxurious version of the Dodge Diplomat and Plymouth Gran Fury in the 1980s. It rode on the aging M-body platform that relied on rear-wheel drive for part of its engineering. Across nine… more»

Rare 4-Door Safari! 1957 Pontiac Star Chief

Everyone remembers the Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad, the “sport wagon” in production from 1955 to 1957. And some will recall that Pontiac offered a similar product called the Star Chief Custom Safari. But who remembers that Pontiac also sold… more»

Loaded With Options: 1977 Chrysler Cordoba

Even in its most basic form, the Chrysler Cordoba was an upscale and adequately equipped personal luxury car.  However, when a buyer ticks all the option boxes, travel becomes much more enjoyable, and that’s exactly what happened here.  Well,… more»

1 of 170 Made: 1988 Zimmer QuickSilver

“Neo-classical” seems to be a term that can be used to describe any number of kit-cars and re-bodied conversions from the 1980s. There was a fascination, it seems, with harkening back to designs that had long been out of… more»

No Reserve Project: 1960 Dodge Dart Pioneer

Dodge introduced the Dart in 1960 as a smaller and more affordable offering within the company’s product range while also filling a void created by DeSoto’s demise. It offered three trim levels, with our feature car rolling off the… more»

Lost Storage: 64k-Mile 1963 Chrysler Imperial

The Imperial was Chrysler’s top-of-the-line automobile for many decades. In 1955 (to better compete with Cadillac and Lincoln), they broke the Imperial out as a separate make. So, Chrysler badging disappeared even though they were built and sold alongside… more»

Barn Finds