Tag Archives: Muscle Cars

’69 Chevrolet Camaro SS 396 Convertible at the Greenwich Concours

June 24, 2015 ndubs77 3 Comments

When I daydream about my ideal classic Muscle Car, this ’69 Chevy Camaro is pretty much what I imagine. Something that embodies the essence of the flavor that made the American Muscle Car famous, but also with the right package to be an enjoyable driver.

This 1969 model Chevrolet Camaro SS 396 Convertible has everything I’d want. It’s not the craziest Camaro, but it’s not the little one either. She’s got a 396 big block under the hood, with an enjoyable 350-375hp. Not too “fast” by today’s standards, but surely enough to smoke the tires and piss off some Prius owners. For me, this sort of car isn’t about speed at this point, though. It’s about cruisin’ around and enjoying life. That’s why I was thrilled to see it had a manual tranny, a proper 4 on the floor. I know many people like automatic Muscle Cars, but I’d never have one without a stick.

So with this Camaro I could enjoy the full muscle car experience. It has the unique style, a nice big-block V8 rumble, enough performance to get in trouble, some wind-in-your-hair excitement, and an enjoyable manual transmission. There are literally no drawbacks as far as I’m concerned.

That daydream is why this Camaro caught my eye at the Greenwich Concours, because one day I hope to have a classic Muscle car just like this. It may be a Camaro, or it may be something else, but this one had everything I’d want, and at the show the dream was real enough to touch.

One day, but till then enjoy the photos!

Continue reading ’69 Chevrolet Camaro SS 396 Convertible at the Greenwich Concours →

Cars We've Seen, USER SUBMITTED

2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1 SPIED in Ann Arbor, MI!

June 23, 2015 Albert S. Davis 6 Comments

On Saturday evening, I was having a beer way down in Cape May County, NJ when I got a text from my brother, Seth. Seth is, 90% of the time, the least likely guy to spot a car and send me a picture, so when he sends me anything, I sit up and pay attention. He sends me this picture of a white sports coupe with GM rims on it and a familiar, but sleek, profile. I figure out pretty quick that it’s a new Camaro in drag, and send it to Nick–who says that since the 2016 model was already revealed, the big tires may point out that this is a better one–so we believe that this is the new ZL-1. Nice spot, Seth! You may be a spy shot photographer in your future.

-Albert S. Davis

Car Shows, Obscure Autos, SHOWCASE

1973 Buick Century GS Stage 1 Sun Coupe at the 2015 Greenwich Concours

June 18, 2015 Albert S. Davis Leave a comment

When it comes to old Buicks, there’s great ones and there’s not-so-great ones. After 1972, the muscle car era was quickly coming to an end. New emissions regulations from the EPA, plus safety regulations from the NHTSA, were already working to put a stop to powerful engines and forced automakers to reconfigure their products to increase weight. Not long after that, insurance companies figured out that they had a hand in what consumers should buy, and skyrocketed the rates on midsize cars with massive engines–effectively ending the party. Continue reading 1973 Buick Century GS Stage 1 Sun Coupe at the 2015 Greenwich Concours →

Car Shows

Our Highlights From the 2015 Greenwich Concours Day 1

Gallery June 3, 2015 ndubs77 4 Comments

The Greenwich Concours was nothing short of epic this year. There were insane cars in attendance of all types, and it was thoroughly entertaining to cover. This year there were a few European exotics mixed in with the American cars on Day 1. I’m not sure why, but it made a nice spectacle.

Of note, Jim Glickenhaus brought out his one of a kind Ferrari 330 P3/4 (above), two Pagani Huayras showed up, and the Packard 8 that won Day 1 was just immaculate.

Enjoy the gallery of Day 1, and be sure to check back for our highlights from Day 2 later on this week!

Continue reading Our Highlights From the 2015 Greenwich Concours Day 1 →

Car Shows

Favorites from Vipers and Exotics for Victoria in Edison, NJ

May 21, 2015 Albert S. Davis Leave a comment

My weekend of car shows in Middlesex County, NJ did not stop with the Elks Lodge show. I had been invited to attend the Vipers and Exotics for Victoria show at the local Quaker Steak and Lube down in Edison, NJ by my friend Schen–who was helping to run the event. Schen’s a huge Viper and Mopar fan and I was more than happy to attend and take some pictures. This was a charity event for the daughter of the restaurant’s regional manager, who has a brain disease that needs immediate treatment. All of the entry fees at the show went towards treatment for Victoria.

The people who I met on Sunday were incredible–the show was run tightly and felt very organized. A great contingency of Mopar faithful showed up in late-model Chargers and Challengers, while the Viper club sent along a few people too. Two particularly loud representatives of muscle past and present showed up too–a Shelby Cobra continuation car turned up, shortly after a McLaren-Mercedes SLR roared into the parking lot and set of every car alarm on the way out. All in all, it was a very enjoyable Sunday morning. Enjoy the photos. Continue reading Favorites from Vipers and Exotics for Victoria in Edison, NJ →

Opinions

The 2016 Chevrolet Camaro Looks Proper

May 20, 2015 ndubs77 2 Comments

Chevy just released the new Camaro hot on the heels of the new Ford Mustang, and it’s fixin’ to whoop it up somethin’ fierce!

I like to think of the modern muscle car as a sort of “blue-collar grand tourer”, and the current/previous Camaro was a great example of what such a modern muscle car should be like. That is to say it has to have speed, style, and comfort, and while it may be a heavy car, it should handle it’s weight well in corners. The Camaro already did all of that splendidly, so GM really just needed to build upon an already good car.

Looking at the new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro and its finer details, it definitely seems like GM has taken the route of improving on a good thing rather than reinventing the wheel.

Continue reading The 2016 Chevrolet Camaro Looks Proper →

Car Shows, SHOWCASE

2015 Elks Lodge Car Show (Lodge 2414) General Gallery

Gallery May 19, 2015 Albert S. Davis 1 Comment

This past Saturday, I was in a conundrum. I knew that the local Elks Lodge up the street was putting on a car show, but I wasn’t sure if they’d let me put my Miata in the show. I decided to just drive it over and see what would happen. I was the first guy to show up in an imported car (there was already a Toyota Truck in the show) but they let me in for a few bucks and I gladly obliged, hiding the Miata, in all its scratched-up, four-cylinder glory, in between a few Corvettes. For my efforts, I was rewarded third in class for import cars–which came with a nice $25 gift certificate to the local Italian establishment, Mama Rosina’s.

In all, this was a very well-done show. While the variety of cars was a bit limited, the people made this a very friendly, neighborhood-type show, with people from all over the local area coming out to show off their best cars. We had everything from a 1956 Bel Air (that was all original and awaiting restoration) to a late-model Maserati GranTurismo, C7 Stingray, and a 2014 Super Snake that shook the ground on startup. Enjoy the photos from Riverside Park in Piscataway, New Jersey. Continue reading 2015 Elks Lodge Car Show (Lodge 2414) General Gallery →

Auto Idolatry

Ford Mustang: Old Pro-Tourer vs New GT 5.0

May 15, 2015 ndubs77 Leave a comment

/Drive’s Matt Farah compares a classic Pro-Tourer modded Mustang called “The Villain” against the brand new 2015 Ford Mustang GT with the 5.0L Coyote V8 in it and a proper stick shift

Would you spend $150,000 to have your own “Villain” retro Mustang? Would you spend $35,000-$40,000 to have a new Mustang GT? The cars are in two totally different markets, naturally, but it’s something to consider.

I’ve never been a huge Mustang guy, myself, but I must admit that black over red 2015 GT 5.0 in the video did make me drool a bit. As for the resto-mod ‘Stang, it’s definitely cool as all hell, but it’s not how I’d spend my own $150,000 because I’m a fiend for exotics. That said, I can totally see it being worthwhile for anyone who really loves muscle cars, and wants a quality resto-mod they can actually thrash.

Think about something like the Singer 911, though, how badass would it be if a company started building custom classic Mustangs like that. Classic Recreations, who makes “The Villain” seems to be trying that idea out a bit, so I wish them much success.

Enjoy!

-Nick

Car Shows, SHOWCASE

1969 Plymouth Hemi Roadrunner at the 2015 Boca Raton Concours

Gallery May 14, 2015 Albert S. Davis 1 Comment

When it comes to the Plymouth Road Runner, it’s hard for me to ignore even the ones that don’t look very loud–because the plain-Jane appearance of the ones that look quiet disguises the screamer that lies underneath the skin. The case of this triple-black ’69 model is a study in that field, as it packs the monster motor that muscle cars like me lust after–the 426 Hemi.

Plymouth had a hit on its hands with the Road Runner. It was rather inexpensive for its time (starting at around 3 grand, a low price for a muscle car) but offered the 426 as an option for those with the wallet and the guts to handle what Mopar guys have referred to as the “Elephant Motor”. This particular car was found as a race car and restored back to stock specifications. Not only that, but it won its class at Boca and looked pretty intimidating in the process. Enjoy the photos of this 4-speed equipped Hemi Road Runnner, one of only 234 two-door sedans equipped that way. Continue reading 1969 Plymouth Hemi Roadrunner at the 2015 Boca Raton Concours →

Car Shows

1963 Chevrolet Impala SS 409 Hardtop at the 2015 Boca Raton Concours

Gallery May 7, 2015 Albert S. Davis 2 Comments

The Beach Boys are a cornerstone of American pop culture. They recorded tracks about surfing, motorbikes, muscle cars, drag racing, beaches, meeting women on the beach, and were generally the representation of American pop culture for the early part of the 1960s. They sang about America in the same way the Beatles did so about England–and made a worldwide reach. However, one of their tracks, “409”, was the one that stuck into my head as a kid back in 2002. Continue reading 1963 Chevrolet Impala SS 409 Hardtop at the 2015 Boca Raton Concours →

Car Shows

Awesome Burnouts and Accelerations at the CF Charities Supercar Show!

Video May 4, 2015 ndubs77 Leave a comment

Here is some fun stuff from the CF Charities Supercar Show last year. Naturally, when you hold a car meet on an open airstrip, some shenanigans are going to take place… in fact, the more, the better!

It was a motley crew of cars at the show, everything from everyday tuner cars to a mighty Bugatti Veyron and a straight-piped Porsche Carrera GT.

If you love hearing some engines being thrashed, and you love some tire smoke, then you’ll be glad you gave this video a watch!

-Nick Walker

Car Shows

American Racing Cars at Laguna Seca

Gallery April 27, 2015 ndubs77 Leave a comment

There’s nothing quite like American Muscle, the brawny style, the thunderous roar of a V8 engine, and the stiff competition between automakers. It’s a hell of a lot of fun!

This gallery showcases the highlights of the American cars that caught my eye in the pits at Laguna Seca during the Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Enjoy!

-Nick Walker