The perfect blend of luxury and crushing brutality

THE PERFECT BLEND OF LUXURY AND CRUSHING BRUTALITY

I was gazing out the front window of my shop when this improbable vision presented itself:

Yowza! This is a 1971 Buick Gran Sport Stage 1 GSX 455 in Apollo White with a Red stripe. The name is a mouthful but suffice it to say that each major option added another title to this ride. 

Basically this is a Buick Skylark body (the sibling to the Chevelle, LeMans/GTO, and Cutlass/442). If you really wanted brute power you upgraded to the Gran Sport which came standard in '71 with a 455V8. If somehow that wasn't enough and you were trying for the Most Powerful Muscle Car on the Road you had to throw an astonishing $1,100 on top of the Gran Sport option for the GSX Stage 1 Performance and Handling package. Very few were built and fewer remain but get this: the '71 GSX outperformed the HemiCuda! Blasphemy they say!

That's right. The whopping 360 horsepower and 510 lbs of torque this setup produced helped the GSX outperform both the 454 from Chevy and the mighty 426 Hemi. The 455 block weighed approximately 150 lbs less than the Hemi which made a huge difference. In fact the GSX held the record for highest torque rating of any American performance car for 33 years until the V10 Viper came along. 

Keep in mind that this is a Buick; second only to Cadillac in the GM hierarchy. Unlike the miserly list of delete options the Mopar Hemis sometimes required you could get your Buick fully outfitted in creature comforts. You'll never see a GSX with a factory delete rear seat or heater, and the body parts are all regular steel.

I barked out to this guy "is that a '71 Stage 1?" and he yelled back "yup, with the 455!". Then he proceeded to light up the tires for me as much as he could in heavy traffic.
I love the idea of a Buick walking into the final round at the muscle car table only to drop a royal flush and walk away the victor. The value is plenty strong with auction prices for these getting close to $200,000 for numbers matching examples. However it is still a Buick so fit and finish were excellent and the non-performance parts are widely available. This is the perfect example of a car that can be eviscerated with rust but still worth your while to restore as long as the drivetrain, vin number, and build plate are intact. 

The Most Famous Car Chase Car of all Time

THE GENTLEST BRUTE

These pics are hot off the press! I stumbled out of my house this morning to grab some coffee beans and look what was waiting for me just a block away:

YEEEEEE-HAAAAAAAAAWW!!!!

Yes indeed this is a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T in Yellow. This car in this color is this is the most punk rock thing I've seen in a long time. Picture this: It's 1968 and you want a muscle car. Not only that, but you want a car so brutally powerful and dialed in that it can compete in Nascar or on the drag strip the moment you leave the dealership. And then you find yourself taken with that gentle sunny yellow color more commonly seen on Darts and station wagons! Since I have a special place in my heart for odd colors and/or tough guy rides that go against type I LOVE this ride.

At first glance you might think this is the exact car that the General Lee started out as. It's very close; that one was a 1969 with a central vertical bar dividing the grill. This one has its power headlights in the open position but when they're closed it's just one menacing expanse of black.

*Big shout-out to the turn signal repair. The original lenses have been replaced with completely generic hardware store lights that probably cost $5 for the pair. Keep in mind that there are 4 '68 R/Ts on eBay right now and they're all in the $80,000-$95,000 range (this is excluding a $300,000 custom show car).

The R/T stands for Road/Track and was the high performance model of the Charger. A set of Bumble Bee Stripes wrapped around the trunk in either Red, White, or Black on the R/T. It seems the original owner preferred to skip the stripes (they could be deleted at no cost). 

The base engine for the R/T was the 7.2 liter 440 Magnum V8 rated at 375 horsepower! Officially the top speed was 136 mph but many owners reported speeds of 150mph in stock form. The only engine more powerful for this car when new was the 426 Hemi, itself a $605 option. Not many Hemis were built and fewer survive today.

Since it was behind the velvet ropes I didn't want to get too close so I can't tell what transmission this has. The steering wheel is aftermarket but so out of style at this point that I dig it. The small paint loss on the hood and rust creeping around the window trim makes me believe this might be original paint.

That symbol above the word Charger is known as the Fratzog. As far as I know there's no known origin of the name other than the fact that it was the '60s and they had to name it something.

Let's go ahead and get this over with: This is the exact year/make/model as the famous bad guy car in the movie Bullitt. Due to copyright laws they've uploaded it in 2 parts so here's the second half where they climb up into the hills above San Francisco. The cars reached speeds of over 110mph during filming! Supposedly the Charger was so much faster than the Mustang in real life that they had to keep letting off the gas to make it seem close.

In my opinion the car chase from the Seven Ups has the greatest finale and Bullitt is tied with the French Connection. Regardless the legendary stunt driver and actor Bill Hickman is driving in all three (though he's not shown in the French Connection).

That deep set rear window aped the GM versions seen on the Le Mans/GTO and Cutlass/442 the previous year. Those quad round taillights were replaced with a single wide unit on each side for 1969 (the year of the General Lee). Speaking of the General Lee, here's a compilation of every jump they ever did with their '69 Charger across 7 seasons and 2 movies! Terrible in many ways as somewhere between 256 and 321 cars didn't survive filming.

Well there we have it; one of the most famous and famously abused cars of all time. I, like many people my age, have loved this car since I was a kid. They were actually built in large numbers with something like 17,000 R/Ts out of 96,000 total Chargers built. These days they are very sought after in any condition and so there are really no cheap examples out there. A couple of times at car shows I've seen non-R/T Chargers that left the factory with the slant-6 cylinder engine under the hood! Those are unbelievably rare as most that did exist have had their engines replaced with big V8s.

PS - a more gently driven example was used in the movie Christine by Dennis.

Enjoy the lazy 4th weekend everybody!

F for Fantastic, 85 for the temperature

F FOR FANTASTIC, 85 FOR THE TEMPERATURE

I was lucky enough to find myself out at Jacob Riis Park in the Rockaways recently for some beach time when I spotted a glint of hot fire in the distance:

Yes! Roosting next to those poseur cars trying to share some limelight is a 1966 Oldsmobile F85 Holiday Coupe in Target Red. This car is 51 years old but looks like it just came from the dealership.

The F85 was the base trim level of the Cutlass line in '66. Above this ride were the Cutlass and Cutlass Supreme in the hierarchy (the 442 was still an option package and wouldn't be its own model until 1968).

This was considered an intermediate car as the full size rides of this year were truly colossal.
I love this generation which is very similar to the '67 442 I had. The sharp fender edges continuing on the bumpers looks mean.

In 1967 the headlights were spaced slightly apart with the turn signal nestled between each set in a barbell design. From this angle you can see the chrome hood trim is more of a blade than a hood ornament.
This was the most beautiful setting for such a ride. If I find myself needing to sell a car in the future I'm bringing it here to snap pics.

The hardtops such as this ride were known as the Holiday Coupe. If it had a pillar between the front and rear side glass it would be the Sport. The overall look is mid-'60s clean with the only side trim being down along the rocker panels and lower quarter.

This little emblem tells us the engine is the awesomely named Jetfire Rocket 330 V8. When I was a kid my favorite Transformer was Jetfire! The base engine choice was the Action Line 250 straight 6 cylinder. When equipped with an automatic transmission it was the Jetaway 2 speed. Gotta love those marketing names of the '60s rides!

While the dash and general layout are the same as the 442 there's a bench seat filling up the cabin. A column shift Jetaway auto trans is visible as is a radio. No air conditioning means these black seats will tear the skin off your legs on a Summer day if you're wearing shorts.

f-85!

There is the slightest separation on the vinyl roof otherwise this car is absolutely perfect! The matte finish on the rear bumper makes me believe it's a recent replacement.

Each letter of OLDSMOBILE gets its own square! The reverse lights are subtle, small rectangles flanking the license plate. 1967 would bring a much different taillight pattern with 2 squares on the body and 2 square set into the bumper itself.

The rear window is set deep into those sail panels for the first time this year. Other GM coupes such as the Tempest/Le Mans/GTO sported this look as well. 

Well there we have it; a smashing ride on a smashing day. Whoever drove this to the beach is the winner of the Kicking the Most Ass in Summer award. The only thing that would make it better is if it were a convertible. I loved my 442 with its bucket seats but really; if you're going to shuttle the crew somewhere in cruising fashion those big bench seats rule.

Malaise Era Bow Tie in Revlon Pink

MALAISE ERA BOW TIE IN REVLON PINK

I was walking up towards Carrol Gardens from the mighty Gowanus when I spotted this little punk:

This is a 1974 Chevrolet Nova in some sort of aftermarket pink. Few cars are more difficult to pinpoint than the '73 to '74 Nova. From what I can gather the only differences are very slight alterations to the bumpers (though the most telling aspect is hidden from view; one year has shock absorbers connecting the bumper to the frame) and the painted extension between the front bumper and grill is plastic one year and metal the next. I've read that the Chevy Bow Tie grill emblem was introduced in '74 but it seems that not all were so equipped so who knows?

These are the ridiculously oversized bumpers that were tacked onto cars to satisfy the new federal crash mandate for '74. This body style is clean and compact if it weren't for these guardrails hanging off the edges.

This ride is wearing a set of Oldsmobile rims from the '70s/'80s.

These were available as hatchbacks as well as traditional trunk backs like this one. The option cost an additional $150 and were popular enough that I've seen a few. The hatch looked pretty much exactly like this if you can imagine the entire rear front the bottom of the trunk to above the window opening. The rear seat folded forward which made for a huge increase in storage for the hatch. There was even a factory tent option that would convert your open hatchback to a mini camper. I've only seen pictures of them as they are seriously rare.

Too bad that original material is feeling the full force of the CLUB Basic. This split bench was the bare bones standard.

Well there we have it; a somewhat neutered remnant of the muscle car era that was wading through waist deep federal emissions and safety regulations on its way out of the factory. I've gone full circle on Novas. I used to think they were cheesy and not very desirable but these days I find them great. They are nicely sized rides when compared to the smaller cars of today and parts are 100% available. If you want a classic you can work on yourself that won't break the bank a Nova is a good bet. Find one from the mid-'70s and they're genuinely cheap wheels. Who cares if they left the factory with smog equipment and a straight 6 cylinder? The engine bay was designed to accept the ubiquitous 350 which will move this car around with alacrity.

The sister of a girl I once knew

THE SISTER OF A GIRL I ONCE KNEW

The following rides was inching along in heavy traffic past my shop recently. I knew it from the smallest glimpse in the distance:

This is a 1967 Oldsmobile 442 in aftermarket-but-looking-good red. The name stems from 4 barrel, 4 speed, dual exhaust (though by this year you could order an automatic). I know this ride front to back and top to bottom because I had a convertible version that was slightly more dusty:

Here is my Spanish Red baby in Dumbo circa 1997. More than bragging that I once had 1 of only 1,130 convertible 442s with a Hurst 4 speed built that year this pic shows a 442-only detail you can't see on the feature car. There are 2 rows of louvers cut into the hood up by the windshield that are unique to this model. Another detail is the 442 badge in the grill bar. If this were a non-442 there would be a grill emblem that says OLDSMOBILE. 

This hardtop is in absolutely perfect shape and with the exception of the wheels looks correct.

Power would come from a 330 or 400 V8 mated to either an automatic, or 3 or 4 speed manual transmission. Both manuals came with Hurst shifters from the factory and a console. Bucket seats were standard.

This was the same intermediate GM platform as the Chevy Chevelle, Pontiac Tempest/GTO, and Buick Special. This is the final year for the 1st generation 442 which was still an option package. In the beginning you could make any trim level of the Cutlass line a 442, even the lowly F-85. By the time this beauty was built you had to start with the top-tier Cutlass Supreme. Starting in 1968 the 442 would be a stand alone model (even though it shared 100% of its body with the Cutlass).

You can see another detail of the 442 in this pic; the taillights consist of all 4 square lenses on the sides, with reverse lights in the bumper. In the regular Cutlass and F-85 the lower squares were the reverse lights. Having 4 big red squares light up when braking makes this look like a spaceship.

This is a 1 year only car as the front and rear were totally different in both '66 and '68 (to be fair the entire car was different in '68).
I delivered a pizza to an auto detailing shop in Providence when I was in school and saw the front end of a 442 peeking out from the depths of their garage. The guy told me it hadn't been started in 9 years and hadn't been on the road in 13. When I asked if he'd sell it he said he'd need to ask at least $1,000 for it (this was 1995). I told him that if I could start it I'd give him his thousand.
After 10 minutes of tinkering and a new battery she fired right up! It had a J-code 455 in it and open headers so it was LOUD. I replaced the exhaust and the original optional front disc brakes and drove it away. I loved that car and it was as rare as can be. After bringing it to Brooklyn and then San Francisco the manual trans finally died heroically by being stuck in reverse. I sold it to a shady tow truck owner and have regretted it since. Maybe someday I'll find another but they have increased in value many many times over at this point.
So long 442!

Brawny Bay Ridge Bumblebee

BRAWNY BAY RIDGE BUMBLEBEE

I strolled around the block from my house recently and this striking brute was waiting for me:

This is a 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle SS in Cream Yellow. This thing dead lifts more than you and has a tribal tattoo around it's bicep.
There are 2 simple ways to discern a '72 from the almost-identical '71. Those turn signals consist of a single lens on each side whereas they were split into 2 stacked rectangles previously. In addition there are 2 horizontal bars in this grill where the '71 had one. In the interest of overall toughness the owner has blacked out the chrome bars on this grill* (which is nothing compared to having a black hood and trunk I suppose).
*For the record there was a blacked out version of this grill as a part of the Heavy Chevy package. That was more of a base model Chevelle with the big engine than a true SS.

The Super Sport package had been available in some form on various Chevys since it was an option for the 1961 Impala (my favorite Impala for what it's worth). It has varied from a simple dress up package that adds stripes and badges to a legitimate performance upgrade. This year is thankfully the latter with front and rear sway bars joining that fire breathing V8 under the hood.

This ride is just beautiful in that delicate Cream Yellow. Chrome trim is very understated with thin moldings around the wheel wells, front and rear glass, and the drip rail above the doors only.

This was the final year for the Cowl Induction hood that brought fresh air directly into the thirsty 4 barrel carburetor. When it's hooked up properly it remains closed until you stomp your foot on the gas when a vacuum actuator pulls it open. When there is no vacuum in the system or it's not hooked up it stays open like this. As bad ass as this sweet detail is it added no horsepower to the car but who cares? COWL INDUCTION bro yes!
*Those functional hood pins are a part of the Cowl Induction hood package by the way.

This car is outfitted with the mightiest of the mighty for Chevrolet; the 7.4 liter Turbo-Jet 454 V8. The way horsepower had been rated had changed to net as opposed to gross in 1971 so the 454 was rated at "only" 270 HP (those are air quotes for effect you grammar nazis). The net HP was supposed to approximate the power at the wheels and the gross would be what the engine produced on its own. The gross HP for this engine was probably more like 365 but there is no disputing the torque rating which was a whopping 390lbs.

This ride is outfitted with the optional Strato-Bucket seats and a console mounted slap shifter for the automatic transmission. There's also a color coordinated Yellow Little Tree hanging off the dash which is Jasmin (I looked it up). Points for consistency.

This is the last year for the second generation Chevelle which debuted in 1968. While the body dimensions are the same the '68-'69 version looked very different in the front with a forward leaning grill containing quad headlights. For 1970 only there were quad lights with body color surrounds before switching to single headlights such as this ride.

I love the continuity across lines within Chevrolet for 1972. The Camaro had similar taillights as did the Corvette. Each taillight is actually different but they look identical to the layman. A single Michigan plate? Normally I would launch into a diatribe about how you'll never get a ticket in Brooklyn with one out of state plate on any car but this one is too nice so I think it's legit.

This is the mid size GM muscle car body which was shared by the Buick Skylark/Gran Sport, Oldsmobile Cutlass/442, and Pontiac LeMans/GTO. These cars sold spectacularly well overall, with the Chevelle being the 2nd best selling American car of 1972. Many consider 1970 to be the ultimate moment in the Muscle Car craze due to a combination of unbridled horsepower and lack of regulation. This generation Chevelle was square in the middle of the craze.

If I were smarter, more patient, or better prepared I would've saved this for my 454th post but too bad. My desires usually move away from such common cars as illustrated by my 1st gen Mustang takedown but I'm giving this one a pass. Why is that? The car above represents the final moments of the muscle car era with few exceptions (the Super Duty Trans Am from 1974 is, in my opinion, the very last remnant of the original MC era). The 454 wasn't even listed in most of the Chevelle brochures of the day. 1973 would introduce a new, larger era for Chevelle the likes of which can be seen in the movie Drive*. While those cars are cool enough it's a major departure from these more athletic rides.
*Heads-up music will play the moment that clip starts!
 

Red hot Matador from Wisconsin!

AMC AMX

I was walking along blah blah blah LOOK AT THIS THING!

 This is a 1968 American Motors Corporation AMX in Matador Red. This is the first year for this sporty offering from the independent automaker AMC, and it lasted only 3 years. AMX stands for American Motors eXperimental, and it was wholly unique in the domestic auto market while it was offered.

First of all this is a 2 seat car from the factory; the first all steel 2 seat performance car from the U.S. since the '50s Thunderbird. As big as it looks in this pic it was actually shorter than the Corvette!

Under the hood of this ride sits the original 4 barrel 390 V8 - the biggest engine available. The stripes suggest that this car has the high performance "Go Package". This car could leave the dealership and go 125 mph immediately as well as win most races it entered. This engine was rated at 315 horsepower but produced a mighty 425lbs of torque!

The image of AMC was greatly helped by the AMX as younger folks filled their dealerships for the first time. In 1969 a 4 seat, slightly longer version of this car debuted along side named the Javelin. Javelin production continued through 1974 in greater numbers due to being better suited for daily use than the AMX. Since these are so rare (*under 20,000 made of every combination in 3 years) I couldn't believe it when I encountered it a block from my house. Hopefully I'll see it again cruising around the hood!

*To put those sales figures into perspective the Edsel was also produced for 3 years. Even though the Edsel is haled as the biggest flop of all time they managed to make 116,000 of them.

Woulda shoulda Barracuda

WOULDA SHOULDA BARRACUDA 

My heart skipped a beat when I saw this ride. A 'cuda sitting on the sidewalk next to the BQE? Not any of your Williamsburg BQE either; this is the Gowanus Expressway section where they still have porn shops and XXX video rental places. WHAT IS IT DOING HERE???

I asked the dudes hanging in the open shop if it was a '70 but they said it was a 1973.
From the top: this is a 1973 Plymouth Barracuda with a slight misting of what could be Blue Sky on the corner closest to us. This looks like a truly legendary muscle car. Looks like one.
If you ever see one of these with 4 headlights it's a 1971.
*Special shout-out to the inspection sticker sitting int he windshield.

By 1973 the mightiest engines of yore had been plucked from availability leaving only the 318 and 340 V8s as the engine choices. To be fair the 340 is a great power plant with some racing cred. However as recently as 1971 the 383, 440, and 426 Hemi V8s were options.

The body shell itself is a holdover from 1970 when Plymouth finally divorced the Barracuda from the Valiant line. It certainly looks fun and athletic with its tall haunches big wheel wells. Funny enough in the early days of this generation you could order the reliable but unexciting 225 Slant 6 cylinder. To go even further in a miserly direction you could order a diminutive 198 Slant 6 in 1971 only. If you really hated yourself and wanted to be sad you could've ordered the A93 Barracuda Coupe which had an especially cheap interior and fixed rear quarter windows! To have a hardtop body style and deny the ability to roll down the rear windows is just cruel and odd. Very few were ordered and you can bet almost none exist today.

Those round taillights are '72-'74 only and I think they're the best looking example.

Beginning in '73 there were large federally mandated bumpers added front and rear. They actually looked alright on the Barracuda as they weren't quite as huge as they could've been. I'm assuming that our hero here is stripped for bodywork and that the components are inside.

Not that you can tell but the grill has an aggressive split example with a pronounced vented pointy center. On each side were individual rectangular cutouts outlined in red. The hood is original with its dual mock scoops. They look great when the "scoops" are painted black.
The 1970-1974 Barracuda is so popular that even later models like this are worth real money. I was once taken on a hairy test drive of a 'cuda that had either the 360 or 383 in it. The seller wanted to show it off so a friend of mine and myself climbed in and the guy slammed the gas to the floor! It was by FAR the most absurd test drive I've ever witnessed; donuts, drifting through corners, burnouts, and more donuts! The tires were screaming the entire time and I was flabbergasted and exhilarated. The 1992 asking price was super low, like $1,200 or something yet neither of us bought it. Then again we knew a local teenager with a yellow and white convertible 'cuda he was thinking of selling for $2,000! Woulda shoulda Barracuda.