Tag Archives: Muscle Cars

The Lincoln Mark VII LSC Chronicles, Part 1: April and May – Continuing The Story.

Mark VII Front Angle 3

This is Part 1 of an occasional series.

On April 16, as most of you dear readers know, I purchased this big gray Lincoln Mark VII LSC to replace my Miata, which I’d sold to Nick. What most of you don’t know, is the rest of the story. Through this occasional series, I will work to chronicle the past six months of what I’ve done with this gigantic piece of American history, and how it has fit into the other parts of my life in that time. Continue reading The Lincoln Mark VII LSC Chronicles, Part 1: April and May – Continuing The Story.

1968 Shelby GT500KR at Lime Rock

1968 Shelby GT500KR Front

Bright yellow works on a good many cars. But eye-scorching, retina-searing yellow works even better on the Shelby GT500KR. This is one of the most over-the-top garish colors I’ve ever seen, and in the sunlight it pops like nothing I’ve seen in some time. Packing a 428 cubic inch big-block Ford V8 coupled to a four-speed heavy-duty manual transmission, the GT500KR was an expensive thrill ride for the fortunate and knowing few who could get their hands on one. I imagine whoever first ordered this car had zero shame and feared no one. Enjoy the photos of this gorgeous old-school rock star car. Continue reading 1968 Shelby GT500KR at Lime Rock

Modified 1971 Dodge Challenger spotted on 287 South in North Jersey

1971 Dodge Challenger Rear

On our way home from Lime Rock (where Nick saw yesterday’s featured Purple People Eater Hellcat), Shane and I were right behind him and saw this mean triple-black 1971 model, featuring massive tires and an exhaust note that could drown out a jungle cat. I may like the Hellcat, but I prefer the classic E-body to the newer designs.

Spotted by: Shane and Al

This Purple Challenger Hellcat is a Rolling Middle Finger Aimed at Everything Society Holds Dear

Purple Dodge Challenger Hellcat 2

There’s a reason Toyota doesn’t offer the Camry in “Bright F*cking Purple.” That’s because it takes a certain kind of person to pull it off, and most of them aren’t interested in a forgettable family sedan. They are, however, interested speed, style, and badassary in general.

As it turns out, the 707hp Dodge Challenger Hellcat is quite appealing to purple-car-driving people. The audacity of the color suits the personality of this apex muscle car so well. I’d even say it’s my favorite color on the Hellcat, bar none.

Red cars are for people who think their hot-shit. Black cars are for people who think their a badass. Purple cars are for people who just want to start shit with the world. I mean, it’s a “girly color,” right? Go ahead and tell the guy driving this that, and you’ll probably be staring at a set of taillights before you even know what happened.

This purple Hellcat reminds me of Johnny Cash’s song, “A Boy Named Sue,” because it seems to inherently provoke the world. Its a 200mph muscle car in a world where the highest posted speed limit is 85. It’s entirely unacceptable, if you go by the rules of society. Luckily, we still live in a world with a decent bit of social wiggle room. Cars like the Hellcat can still be driven on public roads, you can exploit its massive performance freely in between speed traps.

Oh, and on top of its insane color, this Hellcat also had a manual gearbox. No excuses needed. It always breaks my heart when I see one of these beasts with only two pedals.

This is pretty much how I’d spec-out my own Hellcat. It’s always awesome to see one of my exact dream cars in person, in the parking lot at the Lime Rock Historics. I hope you enjoy seeing this car as much as I did.

Continue reading This Purple Challenger Hellcat is a Rolling Middle Finger Aimed at Everything Society Holds Dear

1969 Chevrolet Camaro 427 COPO at the Lime Rock Concours

1969 COPO Camaro Front

According to the salesman at your local Chevrolet dealer, this car officially does not exist. Of course, if you asked the right questions and greased the right palms, anything was possible back in 1969. According to the options lists, a Camaro could not be sold with any engine larger than 400 cubic inches. But, thanks to the Central Office Production Order system, anything was possible back in the day. The result was this monster, the COPO Camaro, as it came to be known. Continue reading 1969 Chevrolet Camaro 427 COPO at the Lime Rock Concours

Shelby Cobra Kit Car spotted in Los Angeles, CA

Cobra Kit Car Front

The Shelby Cobra was a truly legendary car, which took the standard muscle car formula of “big engine in a small car” and took it to its logical extreme, thanks to a puny British roadster infused with the beating heart of a Ford big-block V8 (or small block for the weak). The story has continued today, with various companies offering kit cars. My brother Matt was out and about on Sunday morning and came across this Cobra kit car sitting on the side of the street. He’s become quite a reliable car spotter out in L.A.–and he’s clearly not afraid of the egg-fryingly hot temperatures out there (unlike me, who is happy to sit in air conditioning the entire day). Thanks for the pickup, Matt!

Spotted by: Matthew R. Davis

Cobra Kit Car Rear

-Albert S. Davis

1971 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 at the 2016 Amelia Island Festivals of Speed

1971 Oldsmobile 442 Front

Oldsmobile made some fantastic cars during the early Seventies, but the 4-4-2 was the crowning acheivement for them in the muscle car era. My favorite of the bunch are the later models, which packed the enormous 455 cubic inch big-block V8, a four-speed manual, and dual exhausts, not to mention wild racing stripes, a massive set of grilles, and catchy color-keyed alloy wheels, which Oldsmobile would continue to offer as a sporting option on other cars until 1988, when their RWD coupes were finally killed off for good. Continue reading 1971 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 at the 2016 Amelia Island Festivals of Speed

1966 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C at the 2016 Elegance at Hershey

1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Front Angle//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js

The Cobra is one of those automobiles that took two separate ideas and combined them, creating an entirely new idea. When Carroll Shelby married a small-block Ford V8 to the chassis of the AC Ace roadster, a star was born–with loud engine notes and lots of tire smoke. The 427 Cobra, which appeared some years later, was an instant legend and an instant collectible. Continue reading 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C at the 2016 Elegance at Hershey

A Pontiac GTO Judge Convertible for your July 4th!

Pontiac GTO Judge Convertible Greenwich Concours 1 Pontiac GTO Judge Convertible Greenwich Concours 2

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

To celebrate, we bring you a very rare Pontiac GTO Judge from the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance. It’s one of only 108 total examples, and take note of the license plate.

Enjoy, and have a great holiday!

-Nick Walker

Bobby Isaac’s #71 Dodge Charger Daytona at the 2016 Amelia Island Concours

1969 Charger Daytona Front

Much has been made of the fact that the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona was the first ever NASCAR racer to break the 200MPH top speed barrier. While it was the #88 Buddy Baker car that managed this feat, this red #71 was of other fame. Bobby Isaac, one of the finest drivers of his era, drove this very car to the Grand National championship trophy in 1970, the last year of the aero car’s dominance before NASCAR shut the party down. Continue reading Bobby Isaac’s #71 Dodge Charger Daytona at the 2016 Amelia Island Concours

Ford Taurus SHO vs Chevrolet SS, Head To Head

2015 Ford Taurus SHO Front

A couple of months ago, I had way too much time on my hands, a stomach full of Mexican omelet, and a full tank of fuel.  Central NJ, where I happen to live, has a lot of car dealerships within a 20 mile radius, but the selection can be a bit thin for some reason. Luckily, I had a fifty dollar gift card to redeem from Ford for the LA Auto Show, and a local dealer down the street had a new Taurus SHO in stock. Then, my buddy Chris, who was accompanying me around town (and was my taller stand-in for interior room, for once), suggested I find something to compare it to. Not wanting to haul myself to the local Dodge dealers, we then descended on one of the local Chevrolet dealers, where a lightly used SS was sitting out front. I drove them both–and the results turned into a bare-fisted, old fashioned American street fight. May the best flag-flying American machine win. Continue reading Ford Taurus SHO vs Chevrolet SS, Head To Head

Elks Lodge 2016 Car Show General Gallery

1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass

Last year, I brought a Miata to this show, and I somehow managed to win 3rd place in the Import class (well, there were 3 of us). This year, the Lincoln may not have won anything, but my favorite car at the show won Best in Show, and the rest of the field wasn’t half-bad either. I spent the entire afternoon taking photos, talking to participants, and generally having a ball at the fact that the show was just steps away from my residence. This is the third year the show’s been running and the Elks Lodge in Piscataway does a beautiful job of getting the word out and getting some beautiful classic cars to turn up and show off their best. Enjoy the photos.

Continue reading Elks Lodge 2016 Car Show General Gallery