phscollectorcarworld

Goodbye...And thanks for the Comments

2026-10-30T19:03:56.584-07:00

By: Patrick Smith

When I started this blog way back in 2007 it was truly random in subject matter and occurence. It was something to do when I was bored. I noticed my paltry entries actually had steady visits which surprised me. At the time I was writing for US car magazines and a few Canadian ones. I wound up placing older columns I'd done online in the blog and that started gaining traction in short order. Then I decided to monetize it. Bingo....I was getting cash for older articles and also getting writing gigs. I decided this was kinda fun.

I started adding new columns specially for the blog and gave it a proper title. Boom, thing happened fast. Before long a few more years went by and I had one millions hits. I went for 2 million and added more stuff. I picked up another US writing column in Oregon. More time passed. A few more cool projects happened, a few Lost Star Car episodes became viral. I even did a series of columns with Jeffrey Wright on paint codes of Classic Jaguar XKEs and identifying proper colours, mix codes and explaining why sometimes the old formulas don't work or match when you spray them out. I would like to finish that series out, I'm so close. I think those will be the last articles here online. Check it out in a few weeks, say late November. Once that's done. I will close shop and walk into the sunset with Elvis Presley's Tiger Man in the background. Just kidding....it will actually be Over the Hills and Far Away.

End of Summer Update: phscollectorcarworld goes ad free

2025-10-09T07:15:00.000-07:00

By: Patrick Smith

Special announcement, late this summer phscollectorcarworld assessed the ongoing developments online and events occurring with google and related affiliates and I made the decision to cancel the adsense commercial end of the blog. I achieved what I set out to do with this blog and now it's going to be run ad free to avoid future constraints on text and subject matter.

What can you expect in the future? More diversified content relating to car culture and topics of interest to me. I will be bringing back some items that had to be left behind due to excessive helicopter parenting on part of the host with advertising. Fun Feature Fridays will return. So will the vintage car and bike campaigns of the old days when poor taste was the norm.

Car auction coverge will resume as well. There will be some Market Moments too. We won't be bringing back reader's mailbag due to the strange malware attacks that occur when attachments are added by letter. I averted 2 vicious malware attempts with alleged pictures of reader's engine blocks. Sorry but the bad actors in the cyberworld ruined that feature for everyone. You can still send emails to phscollectorcworld@gmail.com but be aware the super heavy duty spam filter and virus defence software means it will be a few hours to a day before I even see it. That's all for now. Watch for a cool post this weekend.

On The Block: 1970 Roadrunner Six Pack coupe Update Sold Price

2025-05-19T06:12:00.000-07:00

By: Patrick Smith

Does it get more hairy than this? 1970 Roadrunner 440+6 coupe

This time we're perusing the Tulsa 2025 lots and found an interesting car. A 1970 Roadrunner Six Pack. This one is pure muscle car circa 1970. Check it out, all he ordered was 440 six pack driveline with HD 727 automatic on the tree, fresh air grabber hood, 15 inch rallye wheels with polyglas GT tires, dual chrome mirrors, black roof with black paint, base gold stripes, AM musicmaster radio, full gauges and tinted windshield. That's it! The body is a coupe which was less popular by 1970. He didn't get any extras except for vinyl top, hood pins which made it a triple black car.

Brake are manual, steering is manual, bench seat inside, no real extras anywhere. It's like a moonshiner's car or a "weedmonkey' as they called it back in the day. Unlike GM, Formal Black was not a special order color at Mopar. Nevertheless it wasn't as common as Mopar's 5 plus shades of green. A common joke during the muscle car revival 1980s when we were hunting down these beasts was ' the hotter the car, the duller the color." This one fits the bill, black is like a Q Ship color. This thing was built to kill.

No gingerbread on this one, no gristle, all meat.

The cool things; it's said to have the numbers matching engine which really helps value since only 222 of these cars were made with automatics. There is no mention on the numbers match of transmission. It may be or may not be. We look for the trifecta of matches for the basic three, engine, trans and rear axle which can usually be confirmed by axle date code and gearing codes plus inspection of carrier.

Most of the hot rides back in the day were basic inside.

It is set up classic muscle car style, the hot motor and bare essentials in a cool color and nothing else. In the early to late 1980s this was ne plus ultra. Over time fans, especially Mopar fans got into finding wildly loaded cars like salesmen demos or exhibition rides which was and still is fun and cool. However this was how most of the hot rides were set up back in the day. You might toss on some huge meats and mags, run a modified carb with headers and add a cheap 8 track player but all of that cost money, You had to win some races first!

So what's gonna happen money wise with this one? Lately the six pack Roadrunners have been going for low 100 grand range between 100,000 to 120,000 with light options and matching numbers and recent resto work, Older restos showing wear or perhaps a car missing one of the matching essentials will go between mid to high 80s, maybe even 90 if it has great options.

This was where all the money went for this car.

Coupes go for less cash as a rule. I think we'll see a result between 110 to 125,0000 for this one because it's an ideal example of how it was. So much uncertainty out there with roiling stock market and possible recession looming, who knows what this will to the classic car market? Some see a push INTO sales placing their money into tangible objects of value instead of the stock market which was been whipping boy as of late. We will watch and comment! Check it out Lot V208!

Update with Sale Price: On the appointed day this car Lot V208 rolled across with spirited bidding until the gave cracked at $121,000 with buyers' premium. We're right in the range of expected sales with my estimate between $110,000 to $125,000. This is a fair sum for buyer and seller. Well played.

Article 2025 Patrick Smith. images from mecum LLC.

Ghost Cars: 1975-76 Nova SS

2025-05-07T10:07:00.000-07:00

By: Patrick Smith

A sporty two tone 1976 Nova SS appears in the back of 1976 Nova brochure.

Yes, Nova had a Super Sport model in 1976. It isn’t very well known but the hot rod version did continue after 1974 when an all new shell came out with new roof and windscreen to go along with new front and rear styling and a slightly larger trunk profile. The SS model used black out grille, blacked out sport mirrors, front fender SS emblems and a smaller grille emblem with lower body stripes offered in red, argent or white depending on body paint color. These cars got rally wheels with center caps and trim rings to go along with the cool 4 spoke sport steering wheel.

The sport coupe body was used for Nova SS.

The engine choice was left up to the buyer since you could get a six or V8 with the straight six being the base powerplant. Next up was a 4.3 V8 or your choice of two or four barrel 350 V8s. The big gun was coded LM1 which had a horsepower rating of 155. You could even get a Muncie M20 four speed with this but not in California. Also standard issue for SS Novas was the F40 suspension. If you wanted more, you had to check off F41 for the real goodies. Being it was a short wheelbase unibody car, some found the F41 a bit harsh.

Despite the fresh look and generally positive reviews from car mags, the Nova SS didn’t catch on fire. Sales were modest at 9,067 cars.Compared to the 1974 SS Nova which sold 21, 419 cars, the new SS appeared to be in serious trouble with numbers down to less than half. It’s a surprise to learn there was even a 1976 SS Nova to be had.

In 1977 the Nova Rally took over for SS as it was essentially a cop car lite
with basics from 9C1 option.

For ‘76 the SS model was given short shrift in the publicity department. It garnered one line in the Passenger Cars Buyer’s Guide with the words, “SS Equipment” under Options Available for Nova. To make up for it in the brochures, the last page revealed a sporty red and white sport coupe SS with rally mags, deluxe bumpers, white vinyl roof and tape stripe. The big push was for the Nova Concours model with major ink devoted to Chevy’s luxury compact car. Once again the engines were available from straight six to 305 V8 all the way up to 350 four barrel. It may look like dual exhaust but it was two pipes coming after the cat converter and single pipe before it.

Rare 1975 dealer salesbook image of the 1975 nova SS,

You could still get a V8 four barrel with 4 speed and even manual brakes if you were a glutton for punishment. This could be made into a good street machine since it was tough and reliable. All you had to do was ape the 9C1 cop car package on the order form and you had a good runner with hd amp battery, alternator, cooling system and suspension. As tough as the cop car wheels were, you were better off going aftermarket alloys to keep weight down and push more air between the rotors. Novas were heavy on the front end so the brakes got hot.

What could one of these cars do in the quarter mile? It was about 16.80 seconds in the quarter mile. Seventeen seconds if California equipped, due to their atrocious emissions. It featured the worst distributor curve in a 350 V8 and extra equipment to fight pollution. You can shave that ET down but it will be hard work. Production total for 1976 SS Nova was 7,416 cars. All of them were two door sport coupes.

Today they’re scarce and especially hard to find unmodified beyond rescue. They were popular among the street machine fans of the late 70s and 1980s when they were just used cars and not appreciated as much as the early big block versions. Now did they run an SSS in 1977? No, but they did offer a Nova Rally with V8 and the basics of the popular 9C1 cop car package. It was popular as they built 162,561 V8 Novas that year and 161, 435 were two door coupes. That’s as close as we can get to Nova Rally totals. We’ll return soon with a Hot Options story.

Article 2025 patrick smith (c) images from phs media archives.

On The Block: 1970 Buick GSX UPDATE SALE PRICE

2025-05-01T19:32:00.000-07:00

By: Patrick Smith

Stunning 1970 GSX with Stage 1 and 4 speed.

Our second go round at Mecum Indy 2025 has us looking at this 1970 Buick GSX hardtop in Saturn Yellow. This was Buick's domestic halo car the foreign halo job being the bold Opel GT "mini corvette." Both were Light Your Fire machines from the brief and il fated campaign from 1969-70 when cooperation from the Doors' leader Jim Morrison was less than forthcoming.

The GSX continued into early 1972 although few cars have appeared since then, Most were unaware they existed. The 1970 GSX was a mid year addition to the Flint warriors and was a special super car all by itself. The GSX came standard with the GS455 V8 with teh Stage 1 spec optional. The majority of them were automatics as well but guess what they made a few four speeds! Alas they were Muncie M20 transmissions as Flint executives would rather DIE than be caught behind the wheel of a banker's hot rod that made threshing, grinding noises in low gear. So no M22s were in a GSX ever.

It is capable of subduing a hemi Roadrunner so it was no slouch.

That didn't matter because the engine was hot and the package was sweet. These cars handled well and went fast with luxury and smooth ride comfort. It was about as good as a GM intermediate got. The Olds 442 was nice but not top shelf, the Chevelle SS was fastest but you had to order a lot of extras, the Pontiac GTO was mid way but the styling was a bit extreme on the front end.

Styling is on par with the spectacular Chevelle SS 454.

This car, Lot F200 came from the Schroeder Collection and is being offered on Friday May 16th at No Reserve which is rare for a desirable spec car like a four speed GSX. According to the description this car it's a frame off resto with marvelous options including body color sport mirrors, chrome sport wheels, four speed, power steering, power disc brakes, front and rear spoilers, am fm radio, tilt steering, sport steering wheel, pedal dress up, hood tach, bucket seats, Saturn Yellow paint, clock and tinted windshield.

This is what you're paying for brutal torque.

It was restored with the intention of driving as witnessed by the slick and precise Hurst aftermarket stick shift. A four speed GSX with Stage 1 455 is a serious beast. It doesn't suffer fools gladly and will lop your head off if you get stupid behind the wheel. I've been in one of these GS 455 monsters and when the tires break loose they stay loose!

What are we to make of this offering? It's a great looking ride and at the right price will be a sensational cruiser or driver muscle car. I say that because no mention is made anywhere of the engine being numbers matching and there is no reserve. I suspect it is a period correct block probably even has some correct Stage 1 hardware. I do see aftermarket heads and headers so this likely is cranking out more than the factory intended in 1970.

Interior is not basic but not overloaded either.

Original numbers matching 4 gear GSX cars are super rare, you won't find many around. Some guys like Mike Guarise and Alan Aerts probably own one but Joe Average certainly won't. When the comps are pulled, we're seeing numbers in the range of high 100,000 if numbers matching. This one doesn't quite fit in with the concours crowd so it'd be lower than that. As stated no mention of numbers matching so I figure we're looking at range of $140,000 to $150,000.We will report our findings and comment on auction day.

Update Sale Price: On the appointed day this car rolled up and with decent bidding action the gavel slapped down on a nice figure of $154,000. This puts it nicely within expected selling range I had between 140 to 150 range. Remember there's a buyers fee of 10 percent so gavel price was lower. I feel this price was spot on for this car. If numbers you can take the extra steps to bring it to concours standard or if a date code correct resto just drive and enjoy. Well bought and sold.

Article 2025 pat smith. images mecum auctions llc 2025

On The Block:1971 six pack Charger RT Update With HI BID

2025-04-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

1971 RT six pack charger in hemi orange is hard to beat.

By: Patrick Smith

We open the On The Block season with a lot from the upcoming Mecum Indy venue. It's a 1971 440 six pack Charger RT with a nice load of options and sensational colors. Finished in Hemi Orange with black vinyl top and stripes, this was the second hottest engine in the Mopar stable that year. The 426 dual quad hemi wasn't quite as race ready off the showroom floor but tune it appropriately and it was the all out champion. A six pack bore more cubes but the wedge cylinder heads, smoother torque range gave it a nice, butter smooth street performance that could kill once you put it into hard throttle. The six pack was cheaper too.

Six Pack was a street warrior only defeated by a race tuned hemi.

This example, Lot S183 has been in ownership under the same name since 1986. It appeared in several car mags during the 1980s muscle car revival. It's a well documented car to Mopar fanatics and not much of its history is unknown. Let's look at the options. Starting with the 440 six pack it has the four speed Pistol Grip with Trak Pack option, Hemi Orange, black vinyl top, concealed headlamps, power steering, power disc brakes, Sure Grip differential, black buckets, tuff steering wheel, pedal dress up, full instrumentation, am fm radio, console, rallye wheels, rear defroster, wheel well trim, body color sport mirrors. It's a nice package.

Hidden headlamps, big block tricarb, 4 speed an Dana 60.

The engine is numbers matching according to seller and has the fender tag as well. 1971 was the only year to have the hemi and six pack as optional engines with the new speedway inspired body shell. This was the one to get if you wanted the Petty era racer. Not many are around either with just 80 four speed six pack Chargers made.

The Trak Pak gave you hot gearing and bomb proof rear end.

I think we'll see healthy but not over exuberant bidding for this one. If everything checks out we're eying a sale between $135,000 to $145,000. I base that on recent activity for these cars. It's not a SuperBee which would trade lower than these figures, often in the sub 100k range esp if not numbers matching. On the other hand, while this is an RT and numbers matching, it isn't a loaded car b ut it does have the Trak Pak which is a hell of an option. I can see 150k for it under the right circumstances ie 2 bidders who really want it. We shall see what unfolds and comment.

UPDATE WITH HI BID: On the appointed day this unit rolled up and was bid to $120,000 before seller opted to close the bids as it was not near his reserve. While 120 is a good price and in my opinion all the money in the room for this particular car, the strong enthusiasm buyers have for Mopars may have influenced sellers' expectation too much.

I've since had followers email me and ask ' hey, is the market cooling? what's going on?' the short answer is...one calm sale venue does not a market make. For what it's worth that is a pretty decent price for this car. It wound up only fifteen thousand below my low end of the scale which was 135k assuming bidder's fee of 10 percent and that would have been in the 122 range after bidder's premium. Is there room for negotiation? If the seller really wants to shift it, yes. If not he'd better prep it for another auction or go private sale.

Article 2025 pat smith. images from mecum auctions llc.

Changes for 2025 On The Block Segments

2025-04-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

By: Patrick Smith

A look at various levels of the market place will give a better
picture of what's really happening, We will deal with that in a
upcoming Market Moment column.

For the 2025 season there will be minor changes to this blog's On The Block segments. I used to check out some of the Stateside events and even trek down to Indianapolis for the Kissimmee Spring Indy auctions. Not this year. Simply put, the new leader for USA is causing too many disruptions for safe international travel for me to even consider leaving. I still do consultations online but no travel for now. All consulting is paid in advance as well. It's too bad as some really solid clients wanted me to check out some vehicles for them. Frankly from what I'm seeing on the customs border side of things I couldn't be bothered. When you get your stuff together USA then I'll think about it.

That business taken care of, we will be previewing some of Indy Spring offerings in short order. In particular, a look at the high end european pre 1968 sports cars 1920-1939 between war era classics will also be examined for comparison analysis of the various markets for a better, truly round look at the market. I've long held that you cannot size up the classic car auction realm looking at one type of car. It's unrealistic. That'd be like calling what the stock market is doing based only on hedge funds or penny stocks.

I will be getting into this in a couple of weeks once the season gets under way as part of this year's Market Moment series. In between there will be On The Block specials with commentary and predictions. See you soon!

Market Moment Spring 2025: The Muscle Car Auction Scene

2025-03-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

By: Patrick Smith

Buying that dream muscle car like a Pontiac GTO just got more expensive if you need to import it. Uncertainty about trade tariffs add a new wrinkle to the unpleasant ointment of major price hikes
of the past 3 years. pic credit: phs media archives.

With various national currencies trading at notable disparities the past 3 years and a new tariff war escalating between the United States and Canada and BRIC nations, we can honestly say the classic car market is going through some rough waters. Just what can we expect to see in terms of future sales private and auction house oriented for the Spring and Summer of 2025? Market Moment examines the situation and lies out the possible scenarios.

As it stands, muscle car sales have been fairly strong. A look at one of the belwethers of the market-- 1964-1972 General Motors A bodies gives us a decent idea. Supply side for GM A bodies for dealer re sales haven't been healthy the past 3 years. There is always a demand for product but getting nice stock to re sell at reasonable prices is hard. To illustrate, we check out the major classic car dealers in USA and what they're listed at ( IF they even list a price. many just state call and ask or negotiate)

A renewed push to seek out local project cars or long term storage victims
is most likely to follow if the importation issue isn't dealt with fairly. This sweet
L75 convertible in factory Flame Orange was saved by Ken Varley years ago.
pic credit: Pat Smith 2014

Right now, we're observing a dire scene at most independent classic car dealers with 1964-1972 GM a bodies. Supply is virtually non existent and when they do appear the price is well in nose bleed territory. Now you do see a fair selection at some dealers and they would be consignment dealers ( think Volo or Streetside for instance)

Independent operations are batting zero across Chevelle Malibu- SS, Olds F-85 to 442, Pontiac Lemans- GTO and Buick Skylark- GS. They either don't have the money to buy stock at a price they can re sell or just can't get them period. This brings up a side angle worth discussing. Consignment sales and dealer mark ups. Part of the reason the price rose aside from covid madness and inflation in general is it costs money to market and properly represent a car to the buyer. No one can be expected to do this gratis, but it appears the mark up is notable in some instances.

We checked out over 35 dealers in USA and Canada and most of them had either no GM intermediate stock or one at the best. Even Legendary Motor Cars in Milton and RK Motors in Charlotte were fresh out as of March 25, 2025. Now for pricing, they are up from the last time we did a Market Moment report. The average price for a Chevelle SS coupe is clocking in at $71,800 USD while convertibles are in the $82,500 USD range. This covers the range from 1964 to 1972 era. Alas, the Oldsmobiles and Buick models are just too scarce this time out to make an accurate average. The Pontiacs are even a bit of a problem as the total is peppered with LeMans and Tempest clones through out. We are left with a somewhat incomplete picture for price averages in the dealer realm.

If we compare the dealer inventory price average to price guides such as JD Power Classic Cars and Hagerty Insurance Price Guides we see identical ranges of $36,100 for low end, $59,700 for average street car quality to $88,600 for high end show cars. Concours quality is even higher and generally not included in price guides.

Now, is this supportable over the long haul? Clearly not at this rate. Sure we needed an adjustment to the price during the 2012-2018 era but what we saw during late covid era and the start of serious inflation outstripped any normal catch up price adjustment. In effect we are in a market bubble and that balloon may pop soon.

If North America enters a recession and it is almost certain it will, we can expect a tepid summer auction season. Monterey's sales season in August already showed a notable calm last year. In perverse fashion, it may actually heat up a bit as collections get parsed and combed out due to unexpected downturns in economy. A good deal is a good deal even if someone else has to suffer a staggering loss. Just make sure the loss isn't your own!

Our best case scenario would be if lawmakers and industry professionals get together over the next few months and devise a fair, workable plan to allow classic cars to cross borders without excessive, punitive tariffs which would add little to the bottom line of revenue compared to the flow of foreign new product and commodities used for production of same. Hopefully this is what will happen. I won't hold my breath however watching what's been going on so far in America.

Article 2025 patrick smith. images from phs media archives.

Tariff Wars: Or--How to Flatten International Classic Car Sales

2025-03-24T14:34:00.000-07:00

By: Patrick Smith

Well there always has to be a monkey wrench lying around. If it isn't COVID, it's inflation and now we have tariff wars between Canada and USA causing a massive spike in cross border fees to collectors and enthusiasts bringing in their beloved dream rides home. Case in point is Winnipeg, Canada enthusiast, Pat Fletcher. Fletcher recently purchased his dream car from teenage youth, a 1968 Dodge Charger RT. He owned one when he was a young buck. Probably sold it when responsibilities came along.

The Issue-Tariffs:

It was bad enough he had to pay ninety eight large in US funds to buy it but when the car arrived at Pembina crossing, he discovered the Canadian government in retaliation to Trump's tariffs had enacted counter tariffs of 25 percent including cars 25 years and older. The upshot of that missive meant an extra $46,000 dollars was owed to Canada Customs. They did offer him a chance to pay by credit card but hey, who the hell carries a 50 grand marker on their credit card? Arlene Dickinson or Dennis Leary maybe but not this poor dude. So he slept in the car overnight and drove it to a storage facility in North Dakota while he tries to sort the mess out. Update: CBC news reported that a border crossing brokerage firm got in contact with the Customs personel and was able to straighten out the snafu in time for Pat Fletcher to bring his beloved 1968 Charger RT home sans duties. The situation might change for the worse come April 2nd but since the tariffs hadn't come into effect, the duty charged was ineffective. In fact the car could have been brought in as a classic which is exempt from duties for now. As said this might change on April 2nd. It appears Customs jumped the gun on this.

don't look now but that classic 1970-1981 trans am you were ogling just got more
expensive if its coming from another country. pic credit: Pat Smith 2025

I do not know if this is going to be the new norm for now but if it is, you can be sure classic car dealers are going to be pulling in their horns as well as auction houses. A big chunk of business revolve around arbitrage sales where the currency of one nation is significantly lower than another, allowing a nice profit once it lands ashore and is re sold. Tariffs are going to bite deep enough to erase that margin. Now a dealer will have to sell within his territory and that could changes things a bit. I reckon auction firms dealing in high end merchandise are going to feel this first!

Auction houses currently do the arbitrage sale route using a Temporary Importation Bond. It is a one year exemption from tariff on overseas imports with the understanding that the car will be exported within 365 days. Before the tariff war ensued the bond fee was 5 percent. If the tariff goes through that will rise to 50 percent. The recent action at the border between Winnipeg and North Dakota showed a tariff of 25 percent going into Canada. Painful but nowhere near as bad as 50 percent. Arbitrage sales with cars from overseas into USA will likely tank at this rate.

Ramifications for Collectors:

The takeaways for us are manifold; if you bought a classic within the last 8 years in other words pre covid, pre inflation and still own it, you're sitting pretty. Particularly true if it happens to be one of the darlings of current desire. A pre 1968 Ferrari or Euro sports car, muscle cars from 1964-1974, CCCA classics from the 1930s and nifty fifties cars.

If tariff situation isn't straightened out soon classic car sales across borders
are going to be hurt all the way from 2000 to 1911 like this gorgeous Locomobile.
pic credit: Patrick Smith

Buy Local...very local!: If you are seeking one of those buying abroad just got more expensive. If you can, try sourcing one within your border and keeping it local. It will mean digging into your local network and even going online with other car communities to seek a good car. I've used my network to locate and score good finds without leaving my city. It can be done but it takes work and time. Canada and USA have wide coverage so we should be able to get what we want within our own area.

Even a 1970 KS6 Chevelle can be found within your own borders if you want to
avoid the tariff grab. You'll need to do legwork and spend some time networking.
pic credit pat smith 2013

Delayed Ownership Changes and Re Registrations: Another situation that is going to crop up from this is that of cross border gray market cars. This will happen in a couple of unusual way, part of it tied in with covid era immigrants from USA to Canada or Canada to USA. The covid era ramped up the idea of working from home via computer which in turn made moving to more affordable states, provinces and nations possible. Along with the migration came furniture, tools and yes, classic cars. Some of them never changed status on paper. Some still run licence plates from their old locations. What happens when the person opts to sell this car and the new owner goes to licence and register it? An interesting conversation to be a fly on the wall!

reproduction parts: Yes there will be some collateral damage but not as wide spread as you'd think. To bandy about the term "Chinese made" is a bit too vague. A lot of repro pieces are actually made in Taiwan which isn't the same as China. When it comes to European classics you have another kettle of fish entirely. Many of the sources are from BRIC nations which Trump loathes and is already firing ammo at. Realistically I think you will find there will be increases but expect to see them mid summer. Any mark up you're seeing now as of late March is likely inflation and supply chain related.

In short this mess needs to be sorted out with mature, experienced professionals at the helm. We do not need "Baby Huey" at the microphone or on instagram ranting idiotic remarks. Let the experienced professionals who actually do this for a living advise what would be a sensible alternative. If left as is you will have a train wreck on hand that will make 1990's classic car market implosion look like a dinner dance.

Article 2025 Patrick Smith. images from phs media archives.

Hot Options: 1966-67 Chevelle Stripes

2025-02-24T05:57:00.000-08:00

By: Patrick Smith

We started off covering the 1968-69 Chevelle SS stripes and now I’m going over

the 1966-67 offerings. The mid 1960s was the start of the whole decals and stripes

era for muscle cars. One didn’t see much of this before 1965 when Mustangs

getting the Shelby conversions started having dual racing stripes added to the GT

350 model. The Shelby stripes era deserves its own article (in due time), for now

we concentrate on the Chevelle.

Many Chevelles have been restored in the past 40 years, not all of them regained
their factory stripes. Some didn't even keep the pin stripes.

For 1966 the Chevelle received its first facelift with a lengthened body and

flying buttress rear window supports. For extra ornamentation, the owner could

order a pin stripe and that was about it in terms of color differentiation. It wasn’t

until 1967 that Chevelles got some options in the decal/stripes area. The standard

Chevelle SS 396 model received option RPO Z29. This was the standard stripe

consisting of lower belt line stripe approximately the thickness of a dual pin stripe

but in one solid color. Cars have been observed with dark red, bright blue, black

and white Z29 stripes. The stripes were color keyed to exterior and interior colors.

For 1967 Chevelle SS sported a subtle lower panel stripe option RPO Z29.

Sales of the Z29 stripe were high with approximately 78 percent of total SS Chevelles sold receiving them. I realize that compared to total of SS cars sold that year and deducting the number of optionally equipped D96 cars still doesn’t add up to the total of SS cars produced. This discrepancy is well note but to date has not been explained. One prevailing theory is that many buyers did not wish to have the Z29 stripe and requested deletion. It isn’t listed as a credit delete item however, it is listed as part of the SS package in sales literature. It is one of the mysteries of the SS stripe era.

The RPO D96 stripe option was less common and more visible.

The optional RPO D96 stripes were vinyl and only offered in white or black. The stripes went over the wheel wells and were a bit thicker than the Z29 standard stripes. There was a thinner stripe that rode on top and went over the wheel wells, rejoining the bottom stripe after the break. The optional stripe was not a big seller that year, netting 4,770 coupes and convertibles. The D96 stripe however returned for the 1968 model year. Since the car body was new, the stripe design was also different in that the upper stripe did not go over the wheel well.

Page from factory assembly manual showing placement of stripes.

Many decades later these cars are beloved and have been restored several times over. We don’t see the usage of optional stripes being adhered to the way restorers did in the late 1980s and early 1990s when completely stock factory original rides were valued at a premium. A large change in price, changes in ownership, trends in trends such as patina mobiles, pro touring, resto mods and plain old owner preference has the optional stripes package taking twists and turns. You can get stripes in colors other than black or white in the D96 option and as for Z29 stripes, any variety of color is available if you wish. Many owners prefer a plain unadorned side panel. We will return soon with a look at another Hot Options column. We’ll cover the 1970-72 SS stripe era next, until then stay warm!

Hot Options: 1970-72 Chevelle SS stripes

2025-02-12T06:35:00.000-08:00

By: Patrick Smith

By late 1969 the Chevelle SS model had risen from being a GTO competitor to a genuine monster with L78 and COPO versions running amuck. For awhile you could even order a stripper two door coupe called a 300 Deluxe with an SS 396 up front and terrorize the streets for cheap. No one was sure what the heck was under the hood those days. Any 396 could easily be modified so it was a hot car to get. For 1970 Chevrolet gave the shell a heavy massage and really jazzed it up.

The Chevelle was given a front and rear facelift, hot new big block and the
most famous set of Chevy stripes in history.

A new front and rear end with blunt styling and big chrome bumpers gave the car a macho look. The hood was given an obvious single large power dome and the stripes this time went on the hood and trunk lid. They were the largest ones yet. Finished in white or black, these stood out a mile away, especially on top.

The stripes were marked as option RPO D88 hood stripes and cost $68.50 in 1970. Availability was for the Super Sport package only, but it wasn’t part of the RPO Z15 package itself. Sales of the D88 stereo stripes were decent with 39,539 cars getting a set. By contrast, GM made 62,332 SS Chevelles that year, so almost two thirds of the SS cars got stripes. Yes, that means a bunch were made without them as well. They weren’t “delete” options as there was no credit or cash given for removing them from your order. They were extra cost options with one exception.

If you ordered your SS Chevelle with the ZL2 cowl inducted hood, you got the stripes at no cost. Now if you wanted the cowl induction but no stripes you had to request those to be removed. That was the only way you’d have a true stripe delete car. It wasn’t a credit delete so you didn’t get money back either.

As for availability the D88 stripes were offered on El Camino, Malibu trim in convertible or coupe. You could even get them on a straight six flat hood coupe just had to pay the option fee. There were 2 stripe styles offered in 1970; the rounded corner striped and the square corner inner and outer stripes. The latter is by far the most uncommon.

The SS stripes came in white or black.This 1972 shows a nice contrast.

The early build 1970 cars seem to be the ones most likely to have square cornered stripes. There is an engineering change shown in the assembly manual for April showing a revision with rounded stripes. However this actual change over varied from plant to plant. For instance, a lot of Arlington assembled SS cars used square cornered stripes right into the 1972 model year. To my eyes it looks wrong but both were used and both are correct. Remember they were just product in 1970, the goal was get them out the door by Friday. By the way the D88 stripes were painted on, not decals. The variation in stripe style had to do with the paint template used at the factory. Only black or white paint was used.

For 1971 the SS package returned but sales fell sharply to just 13,382 cars for stripes. As for color availability, you could get cars with white or black decals. Usually it was a mild color contrast situation where black or dark painted vehicles got white stripes and vice versa. Special orders could be made for black with black stripes but it was rare. GM hadn’t come up with the special incompatible trim override RPO yet. That happened later on in the 1970s in time for special edition cars like some Esprits. Usually an incompatible interior or exterior color combo order was kicked back to the dealer as unbuildable.

This LS6 in Autumn Gold shows how stunning the combination can be
when neutral earth tones were used.

For 1972, the last year of the legendary A body design we saw the stereo stripes return for one more run. This time it went out with a slight uptick in sales up to 14,722 cars. Since GM made 54,335 SS Chevelles that season, this wasn’t exactly a resounding success. In fact it begs the question what happened? Were the stripes a dud? A look at the environment at the time reveals muscle car sales were falling and since the SS was a performance option it stood to reason that the stripes petered off for much the same reason.

As for stripes and general decal additions, the scene was actually growing in intensity. There was a Heavy Chevy stripe package and Pontiac offered two stripe options on their LeMans and GTOs. The 442 remained in action with base and W30 stripes. Mustang, Trans Ams, Camaro Z28s all offered them and the latter two grew in intensity and visual impact.The trend was towards bigger decals and flash, not less.

SS stripes were optional with the exception of the cowl induction hood option in which
the stripes were part of the package. Many SS cars came without stripes or cowl induction. You
had to order them to get them.

So what happened? The Chevelle SS was sidelined from promotions in favor of a classier young urban professional appearance along with a fancier trim level in 1973 called Laguna S3 which used stripes in a more complimentary, accented manner instead of a performance nature. They also added a Malibu Classic in between for 1974. The SS still existed in 1973 but was on life support. You got a plain Colonnade coupe but there were stripes. Lower body perimeter stripes around the rocker panels and over the wheel wells in an eerie redux to 1967. We’ll return soon with another Hot Options.

Hot Options: Mopar Rear Wings Part Two

2025-02-10T11:47:00.000-08:00

By: Patrick Smith

From modest beginnings did Mopar's wings saga begin, The 1966 hemicharger needed
high speed stability and this discreet wedge did the trick to add downforce on the trunk. It was
a NASCAR piece for homologation

The world of muscle car styling cues is a strange and twisted one. Some options were from the race realm and were performance enhancers for the track which then dribbled down to appearance status on street cars. Some were strictly ornamental to start with such as day glow paint. The Chrysler Corporation circa 1960s was one of the most progressive in terms of performance. They started with sonic pulse ram induction at the start of the decade to adding the 426 hemi in mid 1965 on their Coronet and Charger in 1966. Then there was the six pack induction system for 1969. The power and speed went with high visibility add ons and Mopars got away with it because they had the oats to back up the bragging.

One of the speed styling cues was the rear trunk spoiler or deck wing. It came from the NASCAR high speed banked race tracks where aerodynamics started being taken seriously to gain an edge. Cars that ran squirrely at high speed and darted around were steadied with the aid of rear wings. It took awhile to figure out how to shape them for maximum advantage. Visually the appeal was strong. Spoilers made the cars look fast and when they got it dialed in they went faster. For Mopar the spoiler stry started in 1966. It was very low key. The first one to use a rear spoiler was in fact the 1966 hemi charger.

It was so discreet you’d easily miss it. How it came about was during high speed runs when drivers complained about the Charger being too light out back, getting squirrely in drafting situations and lifting when going into corners. Basically above 150 mph it was sketchy. There wasn’t enough downforce on the super slippery backlite that passed for a rear window.

The solution was a 3 piece sheet metal spoiler that bolted on the leading edge of the trunk lid. This created a safer handling car so NASCAR allowed it if it was factory installed on the assembly line. Dodge limited it to 426 hemi cars. The early ones only had the spoiler cover the trunk lid and no end caps were used. That’s because NASCAR demanded the spoiler be no higher than 1 ½ inches and cover only the trunk lid itself. Once rivals saw that the spoiler enhanced the car’s speed they wanted one as well. NASCAR decided they’d better put some restrictions on this. Dodge only made 468 hemi chargers in 1966 and 117 in 1967. The real ones are rare.

This was the start of the spoiler craze. The next spoiler to appear wasn’t until 1969 and on a limited edition homologation NASCAR special, the Dodge Daytona. All of that was due to aerodynamics shaping how cars had to be made smoother at speed. Starting with the Charger 500, they experimented with filled in buttresses and a flush rear window to improve air flow. The grille was made flush by using a Coronet unit mounted in line with the end of sheet metal, and the windshield pillars were made flush using chrome filler caps. It helped push the top end speed by 7 mph but that wasn’t enough to make it win. When Talladega speedway opens in a few months, cars could hit 200 mph on the banks if the engines can bust through the wind. Dodge released their effort and marketed it as Charger 500 to qualify it for racing. More work began on improving the Charger. This time it got serious.

Next out the gate was a 1969 Charger 500 with flush backllite, flush grille and chromed
a pillar caps to improve top speed aerodynamics.

A whole new front end was devised, windshield pillar caps added, fender vents for the tires added, and out back a massive rear spoiler higher than the roof and as wide as the entire car. This was the Dodge Daytona named after the speedway it was to race. Superspeedways were the latest trick in NASCAR racing. One mile plus long tracks with high banks to jump the top speed and juice ticket sales forced the manufacturers into aerodynamic shaping.

With superspeedways forcing cars to run faster than ever before to stay on the banked grooves, Dodge
went all out to aid speed. A massive wing, cone front end, a arm caps, flush rear window and fender scoops the Daytona managed to get there.

While the Daytona Charger did even better, the Torino Cobras and Cyclone Spoilers still bagged most of the 1969 races. The fall out was serious because Plymouth lost their big name racer, Richard Petty to Ford in 1969 as they offered him the Torino Cobra while Plymouth said no to any aerodynamic tricks. He couldn’t go to Dodge as they had their drivers already. Plymouth acted fast when Petty signed to Ford. All of a sudden the Roadrunner was greenlighted for aero development against Bob Curry’s wishes. The Dodge Division manager wanted Charger to be the sole runner of winged warriors. Plymouth looked hard at Daytona’s design and spotted areas to improve plus some alterations needed to suit the Roadrunner body. The changes include the stratospheric wing, a nose cone, fender vents, a pillar caps, filled in backlite window. The Superbird car won enough races that competitor teams complained. The NASCAR organisation negated the wing’s effectiveness by forcing Mopars to run carburetor restrictors.

Plymouth did their own version for 1970 called the Superbird, correcting the mistakes on the
Daytona to make a bonafide 200 mph warrior. NASCAR banned it shortly after in original form.

As a result, the biggest, boldest wing Mopar ever made was trimmed to window dressing status by NASCAR though it was too late. The car’s superiority was proven beyond doubt. The massive overhang of front end and wild height out back made the Superbird an unpleasant parking experience and many cars did not sell. Dealers were forced to add conventional front ends, remove the wings, even re paint the car to sell them. Some owners loved testing the wing and did so at their own peril. Many a Superbird had a list of speeding tickets. Late 1969 to early 1970 was the apogee of rear spoiler evolution.

The real world impact of winged Mopars in 1970 were on the all new Challenger and Cuda. The Roadrunner and Superbee offered wings as optional equipment. In 1971 another car got a wing, the Charger. We covered those cars in our first segment back in 2024. Well return soon with another Hot Options.

Artice 2025 by patrick smith, images from phs media archives.

Hot Options: 1967-1968 Camaro Stripes

2025-02-08T06:17:00.000-08:00

By: Patrick Smith

This time we’re diving into another rabbit hole for options. We’re looking at the stripe styles and availability for the 1967-1968 Camaros. When the Camaro debuted for 1967 it was pinned to be the Mustang slayer for GM. Up to that point it was left to their intermediates and the Nova super sport to handle the pony car. Camaro addressed the challenge directly and with aplomb. In a very short time it became a worthy adversary.

The stripe option was exclusive to the SS models at first, expanding to non SS cars by April, 1967.

Part of the Mustang allure aside from the basic package being just right for the youth market, were the scads of optional equipment.You could make it as plain or as fancy as your budget allowed. The Camaro did the same thing to a large degree in the first year. Trim levels, engine options, comfort and convenience groups were offered though power accessories were limited compared to the standard series of cars like the Impala. In fact power windows were downright scarce compared to air conditioning on a Camaro. It was a cheaper option than air conditioning, but less than 5,000 cars got power windows.

With that in mind, let’s look at the stripe options for Camaros that year. The RPO D91 front end accent band (stripe) cost $14.75 and was offered in March of 1967. It was popular with sales of 24,370 cars. That’s decent for a mid year introduction of an option. This option was only offered on the Super Sport Camaros at first but by April, it was widened to include non SS cars and RS cars. Even a six banger could get them. Only the Z 28s were left out. The later non SS or RS stripe differed from the plain version in that the RS and SS stripes had cut outs for the badge on the fender sides while plain stripes were solid. These stripes only came in two colors that year; white or black. We have seen a few Camaros with solid stripes and big block callouts as well.

Even six cylinder cars could get a plain stripe by mid year.

For 1968, the Camaro returned in little changed form on the outside but the drivetrains were augmented a bit for competition. As for stripes Chevrolet had three of them now. There was the SS stripe coded as RPO D90 Striping, Sport and retailing for $25.30. This sold well with 30,541 cars getting a set. Next up was RPO D91 front accent band which sold for $14.75 and made it on 40,487 cars. An additional fender stripe was available and sold for $13.70 as RPO D96. Only 19,657 cars got those so they would be the rarest. Once again just black or white were the colors offered.

At this point I would like to address a deviation in the color availability for front accent stripes in 1967. The Indy Pace Car did get special front end accent stripes in Marina Blue to match the interior scheme of this limited edition vehicle. This was the only factory deviation I am aware of for 1967. Like the SS, RS and plain stripes they weren’t decals, but were painted on. That’s right, all these stripes on original paint cars were painted.

For 1968 Chevrolet added D96 stripes as well which wasn't as common. The red
SS sport coupe shows the additional side striping of RPO D96 option.

I will now address the mid year debut of the Z28 SCCA race contender. This was Camaro’s attempt to set the sports car realm on notice that they could take them on just as easily as they did the drag strip and stock car world with their big block V8s. A special 302 V8 small block was developed and placed inside a sport coupe body and given a stripe job of its own derived from the sports car world. The Z28 got a pair of wide hood stripes on the hood and the trunk. The roof was left alone. Chevrolet only made 602 of these and were collector cars early on compared to the others. Those stripes were painted on, not decals either so to do justice the restoring one of these cars you’d need to paint them as well.

The Z28 model had its own dual hood/trunk lid racing stripe pattern. Like
the SS stripes, the originals were painted on, not decals.

There are reproduction stripe decal kits you can buy when restoring your Camaro. The proper way to do this is use decal templates to get your paint stripes and associated pin stripe widths correct. The stripes were painted at the factory before bumpers and associated trim were installed. That means the stripe will actually go under the front bumper, not stopping where bumper starts. The way to get the pinstripe width correct is to use a Striper F-6 pinstripe template for spacing. It is commercially available from any good resto vendor. It’s also suggested you paint the header panel stripe unconnected to the fender to avoid filling the join seams with paint. We’ll return soon with another Hot Options!

Article 2025 patrick smith, images from phs media archives.

Hot Options: 1968-1969 Chevelle SS Stripes

2025-01-06T07:57:00.000-08:00

By: Patrick Smith

The 1968 SS stripe was subdued and didn't emphasize the coke bottle quarter panels.

The 1968 redesign of the Chevelle Malibu brought forth an emphasis of the beloved “Coke Bottle” rear quarter styling which was more prominent on the 1966-67 era GTO than on the Chevelle. Chevrolet added that feature along with aggressive grille and rear deck styling for the most macho Chevelle yet. Engine power was equal to the task with L34, L35 and L78 optional mills available in the SS line.

New for 1968 was a styling option using decals for the body panels. The front end started with a thin taper stripe in white or black depending on body color and went around the front header panel down the side edge of the grille and continued to follow the lower rocker panel body lines all the way to the end of rear quarter panel.This stripe hovered just above the rocker panel bright molding before the black out paint treatment started. It gave the Chevelle a sporty appearance. Option RPO D96-11 was listed as wide paint stripe. It was only offered in black or white. Sales of this stripe option is reported to be 18,934 cars according to Chevellestuff.net web portal.

The 1969 stripe went to mid center and was more visible.

That certainly isn’t a super high total when matched to how many 1968 SS Chevelles were sold. There were 60,499 coupes and 2,286 convertible SS cars sold. By car sales volume that was only 30 percent. For 1969 the stripe option changed a bit along with a revised front and rear design. The car itself looked more macho and the decal trend was growing stronger with competitors. Vivid paint options were also making things brighter, more flashy so a step up in stripe was natural. In 1969 the Chevelle gained a prominent body length side stripe along the mid section cruising just above the side marker lenses and the front fender SS 396 emblems. The rocker panel stayed body color and lost the chrome trim as well on the SS model.

You could order the stripes on a post car like this 1969 300 Deluxe SS coupe.

It was a cleaner, more sporty look and buyers responded with 37,280 sales which was a whopping 40 percent. Since Chevelle SS sales also went up the increase was a big difference.They sold 86,307 cars that season. Most of the D96 stripe SS cars were hardtops but a few convertibles got these as well. Not many however as less than 7,200 SS convertibles were made that year. The true number isn’t known and this figure was arrived at by extrapolating the known V8 convertible sales from total convertible Chevelle production by Alan F in 2000. How accurate that is is anyone’s guess.

As for appearances we see the 1968 version the least often. The stripes aren’t hard to replicate it just seems that owners aren’t that interested in that year stripe. For 1969 we see more cars with this option in original sales and in restorations. It’s a more popular stripe to add to cars. I must say it dresses up the car very well and draws attention to the engine call outs on fenders and the bulging rear quarter panels which the 1968 stripe did not. There are reproduction 1968 SS stripe kits available from a few US sources and you can get them in black, white or red. The 1969 SS stripe kit is also available and is offered in black, white red or blue. I have to say the only colors I saw on original unrestored cars were white or back. I suspect the red and blue variations were added later on as an alternative.

The 1968 stripe was less common but reproduction kits offer the choice
between original colors or custom hues as well.

The 1970 style stereo stripes weren’t available in 1969 so this too is a variation made popular by street macchine enthusiasts and since then has been offered as a kit for sale. We will cover the 1970-72 versions in a follow up segment, Until then keep on motoring!

Article 2025 by Patrick Smith. images from phs media archives.

A dose of WOKE Slipped into Jaguar Ad Department's Tea...Film at 11

2024-11-20T10:30:00.000-08:00

By: Patrick Smith

What fresh hell is this? Just the latest jaguar ad.

I don't usually comment on modern cars on the blog because on the whole, the new car scene isn't very good or interesting. The latest buzz on the internet confirms my suspicions that the modern car world is lost, confused and basically tripping balls. Ever since Jaguar has been purchased by yet another conglomerate, the news has been nothing but negative for true car enthusiasts.

Witness the latest disaster from Jaguar, their "Copy Nothing" ad campaign. A thirty second trip into Heironymus Bosch territory. Several weird outre figures parade down hideous colored tunnels with bad outfits and swinging hammers. The chick with ghastly blonde eraserhead hairdo and orange beehive skirt reminds me of that 1976 sensation "Jobriath" and his non hit wonder, "I'm a Man."

I know you're asking where are the cars? There are none, If you like
Jobriath influenced models with a Miley Cyrus hammer fetish however you're in luck.

Is that the kind of image Jaguar wants us to evoke in our minds?Let's say for arguments sake that it is and that the ad tag line copy nothing and related imagery was a vivid, desperate attempt to shake up preconceived ideas about Jaguar, a 100 year plus firm of motoring passion if not consistent excellence. Fine but where is the car? There is nothing automotive shown, discussed or even mentioned.

It's no secret Jaguar is changing direction. They've stated the new line will be electric only. I'm not sold on that but hey, other manufacturers tried it with wildly divergent results. Mercedes Benz is backtracking on EV like a scalded cat and Ford has scaled down efforts there. Stellantis and Rivian are down for the count and even Honda is looking hard at doing EV differently. Using the macro lens, Trump is now president elect once again and the Paris Accord is dead in the water. His "drill baby drill" mantra suggests oil will be flowing freely once more and goodbye to all EV regulations.

The biggest problem is advertising is your pr link to the auto audience. Your buyer base has a perceived image and mindset that corresponds to the products you sell. If you want to change the image to re align with your new offerings you need to do it carefully. Pontiac went from old man's car in 1953 to the hot rod division by 1957. They did it in stages. The silver streak and torpedo era didn't vanish overnight. Current buyers weren't shamed into abandoning their cars for new ones. A new audience was catered to while the old one was slowly phased out.

This doesn't bode well for Jaguar.

Jaguar's marketing approach with this ad is crude, blunt, insulting to a storied marque's history and finally irrelevant to buyers. We learned nothing from this ad except that the past 100 years means nothing to the present owners.

Remember when GM decided to re do Oldsmobile? They changed the logo, script, got rid of all the old nameplates and made fun of the car's past with those dismissive "not your father's oldsmobile" ads. Remember that? Who here collects Aleros and Intrigues? Yeah, I'll wait for an answer. NO ONE. It's all 442s, Toronados, Starfires.

Changing logos, names and erasing the past didn't work for Olds. If our memories, cherished cars and past loyalty means nothing then our bank accounts rate the same. Tata motors won't benefit from this sacrilege.

article patrick smith 2024 images from jaguar tata motors llc

Hot Options: Mopar Wings Part 1: 1970-1974

2024-11-07T07:33:00.000-08:00

By: Patrick Smith

I did this in two parts as the era really broke into two distinctive phases which affected how wings looked, functioned and were made available on high performance Mopars. Ironically I am starting this series with the tail end of the wing era; 1970-1974. Wings prior to 1970 were quite different in every way and the origins of the option came from the race world.

Spoiler option J81 was called Gull Wing in 1971 and Go Wing in 1970. They were 2
different designs and year specific. Shown above is the Gull Wing on a 1971 Challenger
pic credit: Robert Wolf 1990.

Wing options in 1970 from Mopar came primarily from the marketing department instead of the race car or engineering department. They were dress up appearance options with little consideration for actual performance improvement. The function of a rear wing, those mounted on or at the leading edge of the trunk lid, was to create more downforce on the car to increase high speed stability. Car designs from that era weren’t done in wind tunnels. Handling was iffy at speed.

The solution was adding a wing which happened on the Dodge Charger first in 1966. By 1969, advances in understanding aerodynamics and the debut of true high speed banked superspeedways demanded more extreme wing designs to overcome lift problems and assist engine power. Unfortunately this meant extreme designs and forced the creation of dedicated nascar models which didn’t blend in well on the street. Nascar fans loved them but the general car oriented public thought they were overdone and too wild. A happy compromise was needed and Mopar came through with smaller wing designs that looked swoopy but didn’t over power the entire body design.

The 1971 model year was the second time Charger got a spoiler option on a non race homologated model. The J81 option was available on any Super Bee, RT ordered withe one.
pic credit: Mike Mueller 2002.

The all new Dodge pony car, ‘Challenger was an example. Checking off option gave you a nice trunk spoiler in black on two pedestal mounts. It was only high and didn’t monopolize the rear end. A Trans Am variant was the AAR (All American Racers) rear spoiler which was low cut with a reverse kamm to blend in with the trunk leading edge. Coded as option J82, it was very slick but limited to the AAR cuda and Dodge version Challenger T/A.

A pair of matching air dam spoilers were available optionally but few cars got them. For 1970 the front spoilers were exclusive to Barracuda/Challenger models and only one set of part numbers existed; 3443-352-3 and 3443-354-5 for left and right sides. In 1971 the chin spoilers were made optional on Roadrunner/GTX and Coronet/Charger cars as they were redesigned. The Coronet number is 3443-180 while Roadrunner/GTX version was 3442-954-5. The rear spoilers were too small and mounted too low to add effective downforce but the styling was hot and made the cars look fast.

There was a second spoiler exclusive to the trans am race series homologated cars as option J82.
The 1970 AAR cuda and TA Challenger had these spoilers.
pic credit: Mike Mueller 2002

Another wing option was available for Mopar B Bodies such as the Coronet RT, Roadrunner/GTX. This wing was narrower and had notable down curved ends with two pedestal mounts. Listed as option J81 the 1970 version was called Go Wing and differed from the 1971 version which was called Aerodynamic Gull Wing. The Gull Wing had a distinct rib in the center of spoiler and was softer sculpted than the angular Go Wing. Option availability of 1970 Go Wings was for 1970 340 Challenger RT and RT optioned Challengers while the Plymouth cuda models from 340 upwards had this choice available as well.

The picture in 1971 didn’t improve much. Challengers received Gull Wings which was a rise to 5.8 percent. Bottom line, these spoilers were rare back in the day and when the big muscle car revival happened during the 1980s a bunch of cars had these added by enthusiastic owners. Chances are high when you see a Mopar with a wing it was added later on. For what it's worth, these options were available over the parts counter also.

In 1971 the Dodge Demon and Duster 340 models were granted use of the aerodynamic gull wing option. Sales of Demons and Swinger 340s were low due to the fall of the muscle car in terms of popularity so once again not many cars came from the factory with it. Furthermore, the factory installation of wings ceased after 1971. For A bodies the rear spoiler was a one year wonder. The popularity of the wing wasn’t to be denied by owners and a bunch of cars gained wings after Day One. Once dealer stock was depleted, reproductions were made to satisfy demand.

Mopar A bodies got a spoiler option in 1971 for the Dodge Demon Plymouth Duster 340.
pic credit: david newhardt 2005

We haven’t mentioned the Dodge Charger yet which is ironic as it was the first Mopar to sport a wing in 1966 as a race option on the hemi. I’ll address that now with the story. When the 1968 restyle occurred, the design was slick looking but a disaster for actual high speed handling. A nunber of make do fixes were employed which we’ll cover in Part 2. The consensus among designers and engineers was the 1968 shell looked sensational but was a dud for the superbanked speedways.

A fresh start was needed. In the meantime the Charger hung in there and eventually rose to the top with wild factory installed kits creating legends such as the Daytona and Superbird. For 1971 Mopar was still committed to racing until mid year when it became clear losses in sales were hurting the company.

The tooling had already been approved for the swoopy new shell so Charger was aerodynamic for 1971 and had the hemi. The Gull Wing spoiler was used as an option for Super Bee, Charger RT models. The 1970 Charger RT didn’t have a spoiler option at all. If you wanted one you had to get a Superbird or Daytona.

In 1972, the Charger returned but RT models were dropped along with the hemi and six pack engines. The top dog was called SE and the sporty model was named Charger Rallye. No factory spoiler was offered, You had to buy it over the counter.The situation was unchanged until mid way through the Cordoba era.

Reproduction wings are available but many want to use an original part for their high end concours cars. Some of them are hard to find even now. The AAR cuda wing has been out of stock since 1978. A lot of owners are using reproduction Mustang spoilers from 1969-1971 era with the correct cuda/challenger pedestals to complete their look. Apparently there’s a price break on the Mustang pieces and they are virtually indistinguishable from Mopar pieces. Make of this what you will. We’ll return soon with Part 2 of Mopar Wings 1966-1970!

Article 2024 by Patrick Smith. images from phs media archive. photographer

credits given on each image.

Hot Options: Olds SuperStock II Wheels 1968-1972

2024-10-08T06:58:00.000-07:00

By: Patrick Smith

The SSII wheel option first appeared in mid 1968 and some Ram Rod 350 Cutlasses
wore them. This is Dave Heilala's beautiful coupe shown here which he ordered new in 1968.
pic credit: (C) Geoff Stunkard

We left off last time with the debut of Oldsmobile’s Super Stock 1 wheel option in fall of 1965. This wheel ran until 1970 when it was superceded by a new wheel design called SuperStock II. The SuperStock II was a more modern wheel in that it allowed the use of power disc brake rotors which most (as in 90 percent) of SuperStock I didn’t allow. Power disc brakes were gaining popularity, although in some models it should’ve been mandatory equipment!

The SS II wheel debuted on mid 1968 models coded as RPO N71 and but not labeled in salesmen literature. They were the earliest first gen SSII wheels and were finished in argent silver with bolt on chrome center caps and rocket logo. There was no stainless steel window trim either. The wheel was a “14 x6” unit and part number was 400422. It wasn’t until the 1969 model year that the SS II appeared as an option in the books though undoubtedly it was available in mid 1968 as the RamRod 350 Cutlasses had them. There were production flaws on the early SSII wheels and a few cars ordered from Feb to about March wound up at the dealer with SSIs instead.

By 1969 SSII wheel option was recoded as rpo N66 while SSI wheels
were still available only a scarce few were made as disc brake compatible.
pic credit: Paul Zazarine

It could well be that the limited run of disc brake capable SS1 wheels that were made during April to July of 1969 may have been done to fill in for anticipated future orders which didn’t materialize.

For 1969 it was RPO N66 and described as SuperStock II, listed for $73.71 which was a better deal than SS1 which wasn’t offered with power discs and cost $90.68 as well! Another difference was the addition of stainless steel window trim. The paint was still argent gray and center caps still bolted on. It was even the same part number.

Was it a big improvement? It allowed disc brake usage but was still limited to 14 inch tires. The rim width was seven inches which was OK for stock but drag racers needed more width and bigger diameters. Serious drivers upgraded to aftermarket mags and if they wanted to save cash, bought their car with stock steel wheels. SSII was a nice looking design and remained an anchor of the Oldsmobile mid size car option list for a decade. As the late sixties was a time of major tire tech changes, this particular wheel design underwent a few iterations and generated five part numbers; six if you include a thirteen inch design!

SSII resumed as option in 1970 and became the main optional wheel for
performance Oldsmobiles. pic credit: Frank Incremona

For 1970, the addition of 70 series aspect ratio tires with ever increasing width forced the addition of a “14 x7” SSII rim requiring a part number change to 409937. While an SSII was available as a “15 x7” in 1969 it was exclusive to the 1969 Hurst/Olds model. It wasn’t until 1970 that it became a regular production option. For 1971 the SSII generated yet another part number, 406069. This time the change was due to the addition of a new variety which provided lower body coordinated paint on the wheel instead of argent silver. This first appeared on the limited edition 1970 Indy Pace Car W30 convertible which was white. Pace cars frequently showed off options which would become standard RPOs the following year and that’s what happened with some SuperStock wheels.

In 1971 an option called RPO N67 allowed you to order lower body color coordinated SSII wheels. In 1973 there was the introduction of a new variation on SS wheels; the SuperStock III wheel featured paint matching body color. Instead of it being argent no matter the body paint ordered or say, lower body color coordinated which was the SSII version, SSIII offered you the ability to pair your body paint color choice with the mag wheel. At first, the SSIII wheel was no different tech wise from the SSII in fact the early SSII. They used bolt on center caps, had 14 x7 diameters, used the same bolt circle pattern and backspacing. All that differed was wheel color.

By 1972 the SSII wheel was offered as lower body color option rpo N67 which was added mid 1971. This beautiful W30 442 shoes the N67 option to fine standard. pic credit: Steve Reyes.

Later on however the SSIII wheel changed in specs and we will cover that in our next segment of Olds SuperStock wheels. So in 1972 you could get either SSII in lower body color rpo N67 or standard argent SSII wheels as rpo N66. 1973 was the year things really started to change. Those changes were long time in coming as some muscle cars switched to massive G60 x 15 wheels to handle the torque and severe stress of being tossed into corners with curb weight near two tons. Examples included the 1969 BOSS 429 and 1970 hemicuda. Goodyear has been making wide tread tires since 1967 under the wide boots label and later on Polyglas GT. Firestone shot back with Wide Oval 70 and 60 series in 1970.

Manufacturers did use Wide Oval Firestones as optional tires but at GM it was the 70 series only and with 14 inch rims except for certain exclusive models. It was still a 70 series aspect ratio world back then and radial tires were still foreign exotica. We’ll cover those changes in our next segment.

Arrticle 2024 patrick smith. images from phs media archives.

pic credits on each image and respective copyrights.

PHS Resto Files: 1960-1961 Mopar Tire Broadcast Sheet Codes

2024-10-02T05:34:00.000-07:00

With: Patrick Smith

The golden age of muscle car magazines has come and passed. Virtually all of the players have disappeared since COVID. The stalwart of the Mopar field, Mopar Action bit the wax tadpole last winter, leaving Geoff Stunkard, Cliff Gromer and a few worthy writers out in the cold. For a brief period there were three mopar mags duking it out on the stands, Mopar Action, Mopar Muscle and for the serious addict, Mopar Collectors Guide which was a combination sales classified and collection of articles on cars, options, resto tips.

I never see MCG on the stands and the others died. So what we have here is a clip from the tech and resto archives of Mopar Muscle particularly a series on broadcast codes for Mopar tires used in 1960-1961 era. This was serious mopar resto nerd stuff. You won't find this just anywhere. It was printed in 2001 which is already 23 years ago. If you had gotten careless with your lady friend one night after reading this you would have a 23 year old son or daughter now. Sort of puts things in perspective?

This was part of Mopar Muscle's The Final Word series by Karl Rippart II. Part of me
wants to say this was an alias for Richard Ehrenberg but since he wrote for rival rag Mopar Action, it
aint likely!

Anyway we present this so anyone restoring one of these Mopars can get as close as he can to original specs. Obviously a reproduction tire vendor is going to have to be your choice. There's a few of them out there. I'll let you decide which one. Good luck!

Article text patrick smith 2024 image from Mopar Muscle magazine author Karl Rippart II.

On The Block: 1966 Chevelle SS hardtop RPOL35

2024-09-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

With: Patrick Smith

You just don't see unmolested mid sixties muscle that often now.
pic credit: mecum auctions llc

We're covering a real meat and potatoes muscle car this time out as it's been awhile since we focused on a belwether vehicle which indicates what way the hobby is going. So let us look over this 1966 Chevelle SS hardtop finished in factory presentation for the most part save for a switch from original HD three speed M.T, to a four speed floor shift.

It's set off in Marina Blue (code F) livery with blue vinyl bench seat interior (code 732) medium bright blue imitation leather a color that was fairly rare that year with only 2, 592 cars getting those. The driveline is a 325 hp L35 396 V8 which 28,430 Chevelles got. It was the basic engine and usually came as a three speed floor stick like this one did. As for options it is fairly basic but a couple of odd ones made it. This one has the AM/FM radio which only 5,689 cars got. It's sporting the teak wood steering wheel and knee knocker tach which I suspect were added on afterwards.

Note this one has the offside SS 396 deck panel emblem, some people
are just gaga for this style, I like it a lot too. It's a Dec build car so it got the
offside emblem. pic credit mecum auctions llc

There is documentation for car but the catalog only shows a sandwich board for car show display use and it is too small to actually read the original paperwork. You'd have to do your due diligence to make sure it is as represented. Seeing as its a base V8 car with three speed stick, drum brakes, manual steering I suspect this car was dolled up a bit during restoration. Fair game as long as they're forthcoming with it.

The basic 325 hp 396 got the job done with a Holley four barrel.
pic credit: mecum auctions llc

So what we're seeing is fairly uncommon nowadays; a basic muscle car unmolested by various trends ( patina, pro touring, resto mod, LS swapped etc) and in largely original condition with some original history left behind. It's like what we'd find in a local classified ad during the 1980s. Of course back then they were going for ten grand if really cherry and if you had a couple of competing bids. Today this kind of car is more in the mid forties. I think what we'll actually see for bidding numbers is going to be high forties at best. It's a basic car with few of the modern concessions being added to improve drivability.

Your basic cabin circa 1966.

This is actually what we were looking for in the early 1980s. Street bombers that could slay on the track and be easily maintained for street driving. Old age, the desire for creature comforts and a move away from weekend drag racing has altered the landscape. It could affect the value of the car. We'll watch and report back our take on the sale result and talk about what it may mean in the future.

Article 2024 Patrick Smith images mecum auctions llc

PHS Picture of the Week: Austin A40 Somerset convertible

2024-09-26T07:39:00.000-07:00

By: Patrick Smith

We return to sunny Bermuda to show off another cool and rare car that doesn't get much attention from North Americans. Austin made the A40 for a few years and while most were ordinary sedans resembling a basic box on wheels, they also made a two door convertible Somerset Cabriolet.

The car bodies were built elsewhere by the company and from late 1952 to 1954. Production was low. Only 7,243 cabriolets were made and the majority of those wound up as exports away from England, making them a rarity in the homeland and bona fide collectible. This one is likely a 1954 model and appears to wear light blue paint as was common that year to celebrate the Empire Games.

This particular car was employed as a taxi in Bermuda in the Warwick community as taxi number 1262. The tyke behind the wheel is Betty Bean, a two year old being photographed no doubt by either the proud Mother or Father.

A very young Betty Smith (nee Bean) sits proudly behind the wheel of Austin's
show off car...the Somerset Cabriolet. We wonder if it still exist on the island given
the strict regulations surrounding motor vehicles? pic credit Betty Smith

Due to Bermuda's changing taxi cab legislation post war we wonder how long this one stayed in business? You may recall in our first segment featuring Bermuda cabs that the lovely Plymouth station wagon used by Pioneer Taxi Service had to be decommisionned shortly after purchase! We hope they were saved! This photo comes to us via Betty Smith from Bermuda.

Article text 2924 patrick smith. image copyright Betty Smith

phs media archives

Project Car: Ghostly Upgrades?

2024-09-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

By: Patrick Smith

I've been wheeling Ghost, the new 1966 Olds Cutlass convertible all spring and summer now and it seems to be a real solid machine. However, I also look it over for possible improvements to make and found a couple of areas. It's all about maximum enjoyment of your ride. No matter how well a car was made there usually are compromises made for mass production. In addition it's possible some options weren't added that you miss. Both are legitimate improvements to make if you plan to keep the car long term, particularly if they're reversible without major work.

It was a beautiful summer evening at Renforth when Ghost dropped by.
photo credit: Abdul Rehman 2024 vividmedia.ae

I've identified two areas where this would apply to Ghost. Number one, the power steering box is a bit slow. It takes 3 3/4 turns to go lock to lock. That's a bit much, like sawing lumber in tight areas or in city traffic. Granted the car is long and the assist is nice but you don't really want that much turning on windy roads or switchbacks. Not that this is a canyon carver. It'd be nice to have a faster turn. The slow box is holding back the car as it has a good suspension system with front and back sway bars, HD shocks and springs. Once changed it's not visible unless you are a mechanic and easily reversible to stock.

The transmission is the stock two speed Jetaway with variable converter. While it's reliable and works well you're stuck with just 2 speeds and in a torquey V8 with a fair bit of rear axle gearing, it makes the car go on the cam fairly low on the speedometer. You go into second at low speed and from there on it's just continuous whine without any appreciable extra thrust. It can go fast ( I've had it up to 110 easy) but a third gear would give the car more spread in the torque range and better passing power. The solution is a third gear. a TH400 conversion would fit nicely here. So there you go, two change we can make. We'll address the power steering box upgrade first.

Oh, one more thing; bigger radiator. Someone installed a basic 2 core rad with closed circuit high pressure rad cap. It works fine if car isn't sitting for long idle periods but it aint enough for hard running or traffic jams unless you run the heater full bore. That's too marginal for me. Ordering a severe service 4 core unit.

The car drives great, just needs some fine adjusting with steering box and
maybe a better transmission! pic credit: Abdul Rehman vividmedia.ae

Meanwhile, enjoy these cool photos of Ghost that photographer Abdul Reye took at Renforth Wharf near the lighthouse. It was a brilliant summer evening and everyone was enjoying the sunset. Abdul arrived near sunset and managed to crank off a beautiful series of evening glamor pics of my car. Thanks Abdul Rehman. You can see his work at Vividmedia. AE. ( that's in Dubai as in United Arab Emirates) The dude was on vacation here and saw my car and just had to have pics of it.

PHS Resto Series: Ford 429/460 Intake Manifold Part Numbers

2024-09-12T05:08:00.000-07:00

With: Patrick Smith

These mammoth V8s were created in the late 1960s to deal with increasing power option loads, emission control requirements and projected passenger car and medium truck size increases. With the exception of the BOSS 429 semi hemi engine, none of these were aimed at the performance market. The factory selection of intakes are rather conservative in nature. They were cast iron, dual plane design with normal cfm rated carburetors.

There were some rare dual quad pieces made for the Cobra Jet 429 and for the Shelby, a single four barrel was done. Both quite rare and pricey when found. They were aluminium however which is nice. You usually go aftermarket if you want a high perf intake but your choices from the 1970s was limited as these were most often used in high speed motorboat races. So you're looking at dual quad tunnel ram pieces. A basic part that was decent and a compromise unit covering torque and economy was the Edelbrock Streetmaster. Since then it has been replaced with the Edelbrock Performer series.

The following above are 1970s era parts counter intakes factory style. They list approximate years, port sizes, valve sizes, chamber volumes and what engines they were used on. Nothing newer than 1979 will appear on the list.

On The Block: 1970 LS6 Chevelle convertible

2024-09-11T18:23:00.000-07:00

With: Patrick Smith

Does it get any nicer than a Cranberry Red SS LS6 ragtop?

Some neat stuff is running through the auctions this fall. The upcoming Mecum Fall Special has a cool 1970 Chevelle SS 454 LS6 convertible up for grabs. While not a 4 speed car, it is geared to go like one with a staggering 4.10 ratio 12 bolt supplied by the factory! The car has been in the family since new and is unrestored. It's finished in factory colours of Cranberry Red with black top and stripes and a white interior. Check it out!

Listed as Lot S117, the story goes that the family of John Dworak ordered their new chariot from Buffalo NY dealer, Paul Wilson Chevrolet Inc. and got their ride on April 28th 1970. Just in time for Spring! He traded in a 1968 Chevy Malibu for this car which shaved $2,420 off the bill. He still had to pay $2775. 75 on delivery cause this car was loaded. Lot Change: S117

The car has lots of options, is numbers matching with documentation.

In addition to the SS package the car has; power windows, power steering, power disc brakes, bucket seats, console. TH400 automatic transmission, AM radio with tape player, cowl induction hood, SS mags, power top, courtesy lamp group, 4.10 axle, positraction, floor mats, windshield fluid monitor, visor vanity mirror, F41 special suspension, hood and deck stripes, heavy duty battery, dash instrumentation, electric clock, door edge guards and front bumper guards.

Coming or going you'll remember and love this car.

The car has its build sheet, bill of sale, warranty card and is said to be an unrestored vehicle. Mind you that doesn't mind she is completely stock. A pair of valve covers are on it. This car is so well optioned it would be heavier than average so a 4.10 ratio will make it a decent street light to street light warrior. I doubt this thing ever went on long trips.

This is the kind of car that sets off a nice collection. That 4.10 axle makes it an unpleasant road trip car. It's more a drag race or local car show runner. Something to take down to the beach or head to the board walk in New Jersey. A real drag racer would have started with a base hardtop SS.

Interior is nice as well.

So what's a ride like this going to take to buy? It's interesting in a couple of ways; it's loaded and fairly close to original which are two major pluses. Usually the factory hot rods are modified to beat the ban or have lost their drivelines. Ironically the car is offset by the ultra low 4.10 rear axle ratio. That kept long distance driving at a minimum, preserving the car even further. It however makes for an unpleasant highway car.

She isn't completely stock either, later model electric carb wiring is visible along with chrome plated radiator top cover, later model power steering cap is visible. Very minor changes really. All the expensive stuff is still present. The paint interior combo is the same as it was when new and the car looks nice. A couple of odd things I noticed. The car came through with straight ahead lower heater vent instead of curved side split unit like the console cars are supposed to get. Was someone just lazy on assembly day? Not a big issue, repros of correct vent are available.

What made the car a legend. 450 hp raw and exclusive to Chevelle.

What you're getting is a nice car that with some time could be turned into a solid concours piece. Drag racing this would be criminal now. It's too heavy and too rare. A weekend romp mobile is it's other likely fate, which is probably what it did most of its life. Values on LS6 ragtops are stiff. Recent sales show LS6 four speed ragtops at the insane top of $660,000 lot S193 to $140,000 high bid for a nice black example lot F175.

This car is an automatic car so we're more into low 100k territory on average but this one has documentation, original driveline, scads of options and the right colors. Figure on a sale between $129,000 to $140,000 to bag this one. We'll report back in a bit with result and our take on it. Meanwhile, some updates on the listing itself happened and we'll talk about those. In an expanded catalog listing we learn the engine and transmission are said to be number matching which is a huge plus. Will definitely raise the estimate towards higher end. They added pics which is now up to 86 images including the earlier mentioned pics of build sheet and sales order. This kind of documentation is scarce.

Updates : Lot change to S117, 86 pictures total. numbers matching driveline now stated, VIN136670B175145.

Article text patrick smith. images from mecum auctions llc

Fancy Seeing You Here.... Plymouth Woodie Wagon in Bermuda

2024-09-10T05:24:00.000-07:00

With: Patrick Smith

We do this occasional series where we spot classics in faraway places and muse on how it got there and whatever became of it. This time it's a classic woodie wagon from USA. A 1940 Plymouth P10 Deluxe wagon. Back then woodie wagons were luxury vehicle and a far distance from their work hauler origins as a train station hack. They were the most expensive cars in the product lines equipped with premium varnished wood and leather ( sometimes leatherette) interiors.

History; Bermuda's first taxi fleet included a 1940 Plymouth Deluxe wagon.

Production was fairly low as a result but the cars were always well equipped. Usually safety glass, cigar lighters dual sun visors, upscale steering wheel with full or partial horn ring, extensive exterior chrome trim were part of the packages. Country clubs, florists, upscale bakeries, hobby farms and beach resorts usually had these as part of their fleets. After World War 2 ended woodie production resumed briefly as before but major inflationary costs and shortages of quality timber and labor unrest put an end to this scale of production.

A switch to Di Noc film transfer faked the wood effect admirably while doing away with costly wood carpentry, seasonal swelling, rot and which had to be done to protect the wood. All steel construction actually lightened the cars as well. The last of the real woodies were seen in 1949. It was just vestigial trim.

This 1940 example was the real deal. How did it end up in Bermuda of all places? Well the armed forces had a role in it. This Plymouth and a Chevrolet were shipped to Kindley Air Force base in 1945. From there an enterprising duo, William and Elsie McGregor bought the wagon to use as a taxi cab and was part of their fleet as B-144. They started Pioneer Taxi Service in January 1946 out of their garage in North Shore, Pembroke. Both cars were taxis and for a brief period ran across the island as part of a limited cadre of motorised vehicles in Bermuda.

The 1940 Deluxe wagon was rare when new, just 3, 126 were made.

Bermuda has a strange history with vehicles. There was the Motor Car Act of 1908 restricting private ownership of cars. The Act was dropped around 1945 allowing people unfettered ownership hence the rise of Pioneer Taxi Service. Then in March 1946, new legislation was enacted restricting use of motor cars again and imposing size limits! The Plymouth soon left action due to this and where it went, who knows?

Article 2024 patrick smith, image from phs media archives.

On The Block: 1972 Pontiac LeMans GT Update with Price!

2024-09-09T05:31:00.000-07:00

With: Patrick Smith

A sweet looking ride with the right colors and front end.

This time we're covering a neat, somewhat uncommon muscle car. A 1972 Pontiac LeMans GT hardtop. That's right, instead of the usual GTO or Chevelle SS we're doing a one trim level down story. That's because the A body market has been so hot for so long now that interest in the lower trim level cars ramped up among buyers, making them a valid cover story. Dealers have been cloning 442s and GTOs for awhile but now they've taken on doing Heavy Chevies, GT-37s, Cutlass S and LeMans GTs.

So let's look over Lot F134, titled as a 1972 LeMans GT hardtop. This one came with the 350 two barrel, automatic trans, T-41 front end, rally II wheels, side stripes, body color mirrors, power steering, radio and that's about it. Real basic. Condition wise it looks pretty solid. Said to be a one owner car with paperwork and recipient of a concours restoration, this little number looks fine in Lucerne Blue with blue interior and silver D98 stripes.

D98 stripes over Lucy Blue with Rally Wheels.

It is light on options which was common for the LeMans model. The actual LeMans GT package was sales code WW4 and basically got you a set of G70 X14 tires and wheels, body color mirrors, V8 350 with 3 speed HD manual transmission with dual exhaust, sport stripes. Anything else was extra cost. Cheap, decent cars. Now Pontiac didn't make a hell of a lot of these. Only 7,825 GT with 350s were made that year and how many survived? Anyone's guess.

The interior was basic, radio, power steering and automatic column shift,

This one got the automatic upgrade with power steering, radio, custom seat belts. I suspect the last one was added during resto as base seat belts were more common. Custom belts that year were the black textured "exploding buckle" jobs which were dropped quickly by 1974. They are available now as repops but perhaps not when this

350 two barrel with drum brakes and power steering,

car was restored. Over all it's a cool ride and should do well in auction. I think we're looking at mid thirties ( 32,000-35,500) when all is done. I'm doing this without even looking at the results page. Will now return to results page and see how far off I was.

Update with Sold Price: Heee whack! it sold for a staggering fifty five thousand bucks buyers premium included. This is waay higher than I expected. It's a 350 two barrel GT! Nice, well restored and all that but man it isn't even a GTO. That's a LeMans with the base V8 engine. Congratulations to the seller who with steely nerve, turned down the last bid of 52,000 at Harrisburg 2024 and waited for what he felt was the appropriate return. He was rewarded at Dallas with a sale at $55,000.

Now is this the new market for LeMans Sport hardtops? No, one sale does not a trend make. It happened to be a very nice car with desirable goodies and colors. It does bear mentioning that just a few months earlier JD Power rated a good condition 455 1972 GTO hardtop similar options at this selling price range. Is the A body market rising yet again? All I can say is we'll have to investigate further and issue a Market Moment report in the fall after assessing August results.

Article 2024 patrick smith images mecum auctions llc.