Curbside Classic -

In-Motion Classic: 1967 Pontiac Grand Prix Convertible – A Rare Bird In Flight

– Posted on October 27, 2026

(Updated 10/27/2026) If you’re like me, “Grand Prix” and “convertible” are things you usually don’t think of at the same time. When I spotted this one earlier this month, I had no idea just what a rare car it was. In this storied nameplate’s forty-seven model years spanning 1962 and 2008 and the various guises and roles it played within Pontiac’s lineup, 1967 was the only year the Grand Prix was offered as a convertible. Just 5,856 soft-tops were sold that year, alongside 37,125 hardtop coupes, accounting for just under 14% of total GP production.

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The Cars Of Frank Sinatra: A Tour Through Ol’ Blue Eyes’ Garage

J P Cavanaugh

– Posted on October 27, 2026

Aside from my well-known love of old cars, I am also a huge fan of Frank Sinatra. From his early days as The Voice to his twilight in the 1990s, Ol’ Blue Eyes was a singular force in the world of music. I have always been interested in the cars of all of my favorite musicians. Unfortunately, this information is usually very hard to come by, if available at all. Fortunately, Sinatra’s life is well enough documented that we can at least find a few of them.

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1988 Chevrolet K1500 Silverado: An All-New “Aero” Truck After 15 Years Of Squarebodies

Aaron65

– Posted on October 27, 2026

When I was a kid, the local Chevy dealer was within biking distance, and I remember distinctly when their new 1988 trucks were introduced. After almost 15 years of production, the Chevy Squarebody was practically an institution, but the rounded GMT400 was a revelation because it was brand spanking new from the tires on up, and I studied the brochure for trim variations from the basic Cheyenne all the way up to the Cadillac of pickups, the Silverado. This 1988 K1500 Silverado short bed takes me back to those days, and it’s for sale on Hagerty Marketplace in Archdale, North Carolina.

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Curbside Finds: 1982 Matra Murena, 1985 Saab 90, 2000 Audi A6, — Three Amigos At Rest?

Roger Carr

– Posted on October 27, 2026

My Alfa Romeo Spider was due for its annual MOT, the UK’s periodic safety and roadworthiness inspection for cars three to forty years old. Having recently moved on from my usual Alfa specialist, I took it to a local independent garage, and this place certainly lived up to both descriptions. In fact, it felt like a throwback to the village garages of decades past, the kind of place where you never quite know what might be resting around the yard. A quick wander while the Spider was being tested proved just that, turning up an unlikely trio: a 1982 Matra Murena, a 1985 Saab 90, and a 2000 Audi A6. Read the rest of this entry »

Car Show Classic: 1968 Maserati Mexico – No Siesta For The Wicked

Tatra87

– Posted on October 27, 2026

Big luxury coupés are a bit of a guilty pleasure, aren’t they? Let’s go ahead and indulge, then. Have a slice of this Maserati, there’s plenty for everyone. Nice and heavy with a V8 in the front, four leather seats and a slab of varnished wood to put a few gauges in, all wrapped up in understated elegance. A feast for the senses.

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1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais With Quad 4 And Rare 5-Speed: “A Heady Blend of High Revs and Haut Velour”

Aaron Severson

– Posted on October 27, 2026

In 1988, Oldsmobile tried to breathe some life into the dowdy N-body Calais by offering it with the new DOHC Quad 4 engine. Car and Driver compared the combination to wearing “Reeboks with your three-piece suit,” and buyers didn’t exactly come running. This very original Calais SL has the Quad 4 engine, the rare 5-speed stick shift, and the FE3 sport suspension. Is it an underrated sleeper, or are the high-revving engines and velour interior like chalk and cheese?

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Carshow Classic: 1981 Triumph Acclaim CD – A Triumph, To Any Acclaim?

Roger Carr

– Posted on October 26, 2026

(Updated 10/26/2026) 1981 was a tough year in Britain. There were riots in many cities that summer, against government policies, or more accurately the perceived lack of effect—or even negative effect—of government policies in the face of economic woes. The Thatcher government appeared to be losing the fight to lead Britain’s recovery from the 1970s, and pro-active objection and even civil unrest seemed valid options.

In parallel, by 1977 to 1978, the truth about the state of British Leyland and its options for the future in its contemporary state started to hit home. By 1979, BL, and those who chose to understand it, had come to a series of conclusions about its future and its preparedness and the economic and political realities of the 1980s. The company was not big and strong enough, financially, in engineering capability, in production volume or product wise, to survive and prosper alone in its current form.

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Curbside Classic: 1997 Mercury Mountaineer – Climbing the SUV Social Ladder

Brendan Saur

– Posted on October 26, 2026

(Updated 10/26/2026) If the ’80s was the decade of the minivan, and the ’00s the decade of the crossover, then the ’90s was certainly the decade of the SUV. After several years without a four-door competitor to the hot-selling XJ Jeep Cherokee, Ford was finally ready to go toe-to-toe with Jeep with its 1990 Explorer. The Explorer was an instant hit, but Jeep would counterattack with the larger and more luxurious Grand Cherokee in 1993. Ford would fire back with an updated Explorer for ’95. Offering more room and a less utilitarian interior than its predecessor, the 1995 Explorer was appealing to more buyers than ever (as evidenced by its massive sales increase to nearly 400,000 vehicles that year). At that time, the Explorer’s success was seemingly unstoppable. The only way to go from there was up.

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Smallish Chevys in Scale Models: Corvairs, Chevy IIs, and Novas

Peter Wilding

– Posted on October 26, 2026

Today’s visit to the workbench brings us a collection of smallish Chevrolets in miniature. They may not have been the smallest cars Chevrolet ever built, but these compact classics offered plenty of variety—and, as these scale models show, plenty of possibilities for builders, whether their tastes run to factory stock, custom touches, or something ready to hit the drag strip.

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1969 Ford XL Convertible: A Big, Handsome, No-Nonsense Ford For (Most Of) Us To Love

Aaron65

– Posted on October 26, 2026

In our contentious world, there’s at least one thing that many of us can agree on: there’s something that looks just right about a 1969 Ford. Bonus points if it’s a convertible, and bonus-bonus points if it’s an XL with bucket seats like this one, which is for sale at Unique Classic Cars in Mankato, Minnesota, with an asking price of $18,900.

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1984 Nissan 200 SX – Rekindling The Magic

Eric703

– Posted on October 26, 2026

Sometimes the parking areas outside of car shows are as interesting as the shows themselves. I experienced such a phenomenon as I left a show earlier this year, and spotted what could well be the nicest 200 SX notchback left in existence. Aside from being an unlikely survivor, this coupe represents an interesting chapter from Nissan’s winding path through North America’s car market. Simultaneously, Nissan tried to reinvigorate its sporty-car offerings, and also curate a more upscale image for its brand. With the 200 SX, Nissan rekindled some of the magic that had been missing from its lineup.

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Curbside Classic: 1980 Ford Thunderbird – The Fabulous FUBAR Edition

Jason Shafer

– Posted on October 25, 2026

(Updated 10/25/2026) Once, while working on my ’63 Galaxie, I used a cheater bar to remove a bolt. It slipped, causing me to hit my forearm on the bumper and necessitating a late-night trip to the emergency room. Using a cheater bar seemed like a good idea at the time.

Another time, when I desired a root beer float but had no vanilla ice cream, I substituted chocolate. It tasted wretched, although it seemed like a good idea at the time.

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CC Driver’s Ed Video: Harold Smith And The Smith System Of No-Accident Driving – Saving Us From Ourselves

Aaron65

– Posted on October 25, 2026

(Updated 10/25/2026) During the summer of 1992, I was 15 years old. One would think that my fondest memories would involve first or second loves and long days hanging out with my neighborhood pals, but I was a slightly awkward teenager; and as a result, my mind’s eye now focuses on happy memories of driver’s education class. I may have been the only one who truly enjoyed it. The teacher showed endless, ancient 16mm films that had been endlessly spliced. The warm, gentle ticking of the projector lulled many of my classmates into a peaceful slumber, but my focus was glued on the endless variety of antique cars that populated each new gem. Unfortunately, my instructor never introduced us to the simple logic of the Smith System, which I discovered on my own much later.

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Remember These? — A Junkyard Tour Through the 1990s

Rich Baron

– Posted on October 25, 2026

In recent days, CC Cohort contributor canadiancatgreen has uploaded a batch of junkyard finds to our Flickr group. It’s been a while since our last visit to this yard, so let’s take another look, this time focusing mostly on cars from the 1990s. Fortunately, canadiancatgreen’s photos often include model years provided by the yard’s staff, which helps pin down the dates of vehicles that sometimes had remarkably long production runs. Those dates aren’t necessarily always right, but they’re a useful starting point.

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When Chargers, Road Runners and Challengers Roamed The Streets: Vintage Photos 1960s-1970s

Rich Baron

– Posted on October 25, 2026

Text by Patrick Bell

The Chrysler Corporation built some popular cars that became classics during this time period, and that is what we are featuring today. Most of them were the muscle car variety, and all of them were as seen back in that era. They were affordable when new, which added to their popularity. In today’s world they remain very popular, but the affordability has long since faded away. Let’s take a look.

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