Featured on AutoHunter.com, the online auction platform driven by ClassicCars.com, is this 1968 Oldsmobile 4-4-2. It draws power from a 455ci V8, which is paired with a three-speed automatic transmission. Features include bucket seats, power steering, air conditioning, a center console, and power brakes. Finished in light green over a gold cloth and green vinyl interior, this second-generation 4-4-2 comes from the selling dealer in Illinois with a clear title.
The hardtop body is finished in light green and equipped with a fender-mounted antenna, a driver-side mirror, tinted windows, side impact trim, and wheel arch moldings.
A set of Super Stock II wheels wrapped in Daytona radial tires connects this 4-4-2 to the road.
The cabin is furnished with gold cloth and green vinyl front bucket and rear bench seats. It offers manual windows, a center console, an AM radio, air conditioning, and a rear speaker.
A 120-mph speedometer and a fuel gauge show important vehicle information. The analog odometer shows 62,233 miles, but the true mileage on this vehicle is unknown.
Under the hood, the original engine has been replaced with a 455ci V8, which is paired with a four-barrel carburetor and a three-speed automatic transmission.
Suspension underpinnings consist of an independent front setup and a solid rear drive axle. Power drum brakes help bring this 4-4-2 to a stop.
The auction for this 1968 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 ends on Monday, July 1, 2024 at 11:45 a.m. (PDT).
In 1971, American Motors Corporation used the tagline, “If you had to compete with GM, Ford, and Chrysler, what would you do?” Yes, it’s humorous, but it’s also the truth – the little guy in a competitive environment must be creative to survive. Our Pick of the Day, a 1971 AMC Ambassador two-door hardtop, reflects the different manner in which AMC produced its cars. It is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Lake Forest, California. (Click the link to view the listing)
The Ambassador can trace its heritage back to Nash, which introduced the model for the 1927 model year. It was a special version of the Advanced Six with a fancier interior, and in 1932 it became a proper model. In 1957, the final year for Nash, the Ambassador was still the top-of-the line.
By this time, Nash was part of American Motors Corporation, a company created by the merger with Hudson in 1954. The Ambassador continued into 1958 as a Rambler, though initially it was marketed as “Ambassador V8 by Rambler,” America’s only compact luxury car. Starting in 1962, the Rambler Ambassador (note the name) went from a 117-inch wheelbase to 108. For 1965, the Ambassador moved up to a 116-inch wheelbase, then 118 in 1967 (now branded as an AMC), more in line with its full-size competitors while maintaining its roots as a more practical choice.
But, in 1969, the Ambassador truly began competing toe-to-toe with the Big Three thanks to a grand 122-inch wheelbase. This was a big change from the past, but AMC now was focusing on other ways to beat the Big Three at its own game. In the case of the Ambassador, it came standard with air conditioning – even Cadillac didn’t offer that. In 1971, AMC gave every Ambassador an automatic transmission standard too, whether equipped with the 258ci inline-six or any V8 from the 304 to the 401. You could even get a center console with Shift Command transmission shifter with the Ambassador Brougham hardtop. The Brougham was new for 1971, topping out the series that included DPL and SST. Body styles also included a four-door sedan and station wagon.
This Raven Green 1971 AMC Ambassador Brougham two-door hardtop is powered by the mid-range 360 V8 with dual exhaust system and, of course, automatic transmission. Interior appears to be a cloth split bench seat. Other features include AM radio, clock, vinyl top, full wheel covers, and bumper guards.
The seller does not say much about this car in the listing so, if it piques your interest, it’s worth sending a barrage of questions. For $12,000 (OBO), it appears quite worthy of your queries.
Two student docents from the Maine Classic Car Museum are taking part in the 2024 Great Race as part of the X-Cup Challenge. Click here for part three of their journey.
Trophy Run
Max and Cotton here again with our daily blog as we get ready to compete in the 2024 Great Race long distance rally. We’re two high school students from Maine who work as docents at the Maine Classic Car Museum, and we’re reporting on our experience as rookies in this epic 2,300 mile race.
To help kick off the nine-day rally, the Great Race conducts a trial run in the host city the day before the official start. This Trophy Run gives all teams a chance to compete under true race conditions. The run had 5 measured legs, which may cover 10-15 miles and involve 20 different interval steps of turns, speed changes and other directions, where you are measured down to the tenth of a second. The goal for each leg is to score an “ace,” where you come in exactly 0.0 seconds. It’s no easy task but a great goal. Don’t forget, you also need to factor in local traffic conditions since this part is traveling on public roads. For example, getting behind a school bus that’s stopping in the middle of the road can slow you down, so we must recalculate our variable speed to catch up on the fly. We’re doing math all day long!
We received our course instructions and attended Rally Class first thing in the morning. With encouragement and support from all the other teams, we started the first of five legs with excitement and hopes of scoring an elusive “ace.” Alas, for “The Caddy’s” (our team’s nickname), that was not to be. In fact, disaster struck on the very first leg. We got lost heading out of Owensboro and someone missed an important stop sign on Walnut Street. We then compounded our problems by turning the wrong way as we tried to fix our mistake. This meant our time was a dismal 3 minute and 28 second error score for the first leg.
In addition to being our road scout, Max managed to take a picture of Tim driving and Cotton navigating in the front seat as we rolled up and down the hills of Ohio
We were at rock bottom, so things could only get better. And boy did they. We shook off our first interval jitters and concentrated on the road. A lunch break at Dairy Queen helped us regain our composure, and by the fourth leg we scored just 4 seconds off the mark.
Congratulations to Car #168, a vintage 1953 Pontiac Chieftain driven by the student team from Stones River AACA (Tennessee), who took first place in the X-Cup division of the Trophy Run. Matt Norman and Jeremy Byrd are the drivers while Annie Holland and Carson Byrd are the navigators. Their X-Cup team finished an impressive 15th overall among all race teams.
At our first pit stop in Indiana, Max and Cotton met up with fellow Mainers and Great Race mentors, Susan Nourse and Peter Brown and their 1930 Ford Model A boattail speedster
When you’re out on the road, you are not “on the clock” all the time, but it’s super important to pay attention to every note in the course book covering each interval step. When we stopped for gas, our chaperone drivers, instituted a special team rule: “old guys rule, young guys fuel.” Which is how we learned that pumping gas in a 1961 Cadillac is not as easy as you’d think, so we had a quick training class in the Marathon gas station parking lot.
Max and Cotton met the student race team from Alfred State University and compared results after the Trophy RunThanks to Bram’s wife Janet, we sported our “rat pack” uniforms on stage at the Great Race dinner
During the Great Race group dinner that night, there was a silent auction that raised over $40,000 for future student scholarships. We didn’t get a chance to bid, though, because our homework of revising performance charts and studying the next day’s course was more important.
Cotton works on our performance charts during dinner, as there’s not a minute to lose to prepare for this precision race
We line up tomorrow and say goodbye to Owensboro, Kentucky, as we’ll cross the starting line and head towards Indiana for the first official day of the race. We can’t wait.
The VW Beetle is an absolute icon of the automotive world. Ask anyone over the age of 40 and they are more likely than not to have a “Beetle story” usually involving some crazy hijinks of things not to do in a car. The original Beetle was not just a car, it transcended into being thought of as a cultural phenomenon. The Beetle is also a important collector car with even Jay Leno stating that every serious car collection needs to have a Beetle in it.
The last official year the original Beetle was sold in the U.S was 1980, and yet more than 40 years later it is still pretty common, especially on the west coast, to see an original Beetle driving down the road, still being used by choice as daily transportation.
After the Beetle VW evolved into a very different company building Golfs and Jettas; but while these were good cars, in doing so VW sort of lost their innocence and charm. The sense of whimsy that the Beetle had engendered over the years had disappeared.
It seems that the leadership of the company was aware of this because in the early 1990s Volkswagen did something unexpected. They introduced a concept car they called Concept 1. It was a new take on the old and much loved Beetle.
The copy they used in the intro video said it all:
“It’sfunny the things we remember. The things we hang on to. The first day of school. A first dance. A first kiss. Our first car. Some things are simply unforgettable. One little things can bring it all rushing back, a song on the radio, seeingan old friend at the beach, the friend you could always depend on. Everything was less complicated then, a jukebox played your favorite song, and a car was part of the family, right from the start.
What if quality never went out of style? What if originality still meant something original? What if simplicity, honesty, and reliability came back again?“
The Concept 1 was introduced to the world at the 1994 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and was the single biggest hit of the show. The car was designed by Freeman Thomas and J. Mays, and public reaction was so strong that Volkswagen decided to actually build the car. Production began in 1997 and the car was launched in 1998. Volkswagen sold as many new Beetles as they could built. I actually bought one myself, a 2002 Beetle Turbo S.
What is interesting is that in 2024 it is getting harder and harder to find a 1998 New Beetle in truly great condition. This is a car that I honestly feel will be a serious future collector car, and the Pick of the Day is about the best one I could find.
The Pick of the Day is a 1998 Volkswagen Beetle finished in its original white paint with its original grey cloth interior. It is a very interesting example as it is the very first new Beetle imported into the United States. The car has covered a total of only 116 miles from new and is a true museum piece.
The Christiansburg, Virginia, dealer offering this car states that David Levy of David Michael VW was asked by VW to assist with the final production design of the New Beetle. He was flown to Germany and worked with the team to assist in creating this iconic car. In the fall of 1997, David Michael Volkswagen of Freehold, New Jersey, was allocated the first car shipped to the U.S. It was never sold and kept as a display piece until the dealership closed.
This car is completely original, and if you want a new Beetle as a car for a collection or museum this is the one.
The asking price might seem high at $49,000, but I challenge you to find another.
Below you will find four front-end images of Oldsmobile “Rockets.” All are sourced from cars listed for sale on AutoHunter or ClassicCars.com. Notice the family resemblance? Now try to identify them!
Post your answer in the Comments section below. Be sure to list the year and model and, if needed, a hint is as close as clicking on the respective image.
Click on each image to reveal each car
Thanks for playing The ClassicCars.com Journal automotive puzzle! Every Tuesday, you can test your car knowledge and, when you’re done with this one, you can also try your hand at previous puzzles.
Featured on AutoHunter, the online auction platform driven by ClassicCars.com, is this 1956 Pontiac Safari. This classic hardtop wagon is powered by a 350ci V8 backed by a 700R4 automatic transmission. Features include power windows, power front disc brakes, power bucket seats, blue LED ambient inside lighting, and a unique built-in ice chest. Painted gray and white with a gray leather and cloth interior, this modified Poncho comes with an original shop manual and clear title in the seller’s name.
The flanks of this Safari have been repainted from the original blue to Shadow Gray and Mercedes Cream White. Exterior features include upgraded headlights from the original sealed beams, dual side mirrors, rear fender stone shield, tinted glass, and a pair of chrome exhaust tips.
A set of 17-inch chrome Ridler wheels are wrapped in 215/55 Toyo Extensa A/S radials.
The cabin consists of updated seats upholstered in gray leather and striped cloth. Features include a folding rear seat, power buckets with lumbar, custom center console with cup holders, power windows, and a rear spare tire well converted into a nifty ice chest.
The instrument panel features a 120-mph speedometer and gauges for the battery, coolant temperature, oil pressure, and fuel level. The odometer shows 57,999 miles, which the seller claims is correct.
Powering this Pontiac is a 350 small-block topped by an aluminum intake manifold and 650-cfm four-barrel carburetor. Underhood features include polished aluminum valve covers, chrome air cleaner housing, and chrome electric fan. The transmission is a 700R4 four-speed automatic.
The undercarriage features an independent front suspension and solid rear-drive axle. Braking is handled by power front discs and rear drums. A dual exhaust system exits underneath the rear bumper.
The auction for this 1956 Pontiac Safari ends Thursday, June 27, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. (PDT).
Two student docents from the Maine Classic Car Museum are taking part in the 2024 Great Race as part of the X-Cup Challenge. Click here for part two of their journey.
Getting Ready for Race Day
Max and Cotton here again with our daily blog as we get ready to compete in the 2024 Great Race long distance rally. We’re two high school students from Maine, and we’re reporting on our experience as rookies in this epic 2,300 mile race.
With Saturday’s starting line coming up fast, we had a day of preparation and inspections with our car, a 1961 Cadillac Sedan DeVille. Each car in the race must pass a technical inspection to meet safety standards. We started the day with a tire problem and had to bring the car to Elite Tire to check a suspected valve stem issue causing an air leak. Bram found the elusive flares, after checking five different stores in two states. We thought we had everything ready to pass inspection when we realized we had lost our first aid kit somewhere along the way. We solved this last problem with a quick trip to Walgreens.
We were ready for our first real test on the road—the 42-mile “measured mile” run, to help us make sure our stop watches and performance calculations were ready. However, we found we couldn’t even make it through the first interval step, as we unexpectedly hit road construction and detours immediately. We were lost within seconds—it was not a good sign. Finally we found our way and completed the measured mile test with the car performing well. It was hot and muggy, so we kept the windows down on the big Caddy hardtop to keep us as cool as possible.
After the day’s adventures, we met up with another race team from Maine. Peter Brown is the mechanic at the Seal Cove Auto Museum and Susan Nourse is the former Police Chief in Freeport, both are veteran racers. They have been mentoring us both back home and here at the staring line. Through them, we see have been able to see the true spirit of the Great Race. It’s all about friendship and teamwork. Peter and Susan return to the race with their open aired old roadster, a 1930 Ford Model A boat tail speedster.
Later, the RPM Foundation, who provided us with our Great Race scholarships, hosted a pizza party where we met other students competing in the X-Cup division. We had the honor of meeting Jeff Mahl, a long-time Great Racer and strong advocate for students in the automotive fields. The room was spellbound as Jeff shared that his great grandfather won the original Great Race in 1908. The American team triumphed over Germany and Italy in what is today still the longest motorsports event in history, a record unbroken after 116 years. George Schuster drove a 1907 Thomas Flyer from New York to Paris to win the event after covering 10,000 miles across 169 days.
Our stop in Owensboro, Kentucky, home to the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum, had a great kickoff for the race with a street festival. There was some awesome live tunes playing, we saw the sun set over the Ohio River, and it was lights out early as we had another busy day ahead.
For many vehicles, the options list is just the beginning of it being upgraded and personalized. When our latest Pick of the Day, this 2000 Chevrolet Corvette convertible (click this link to view the listing), was originally sold by Fisher Chevrolet in Boulder, Colorado, it already had more than $7,000 in options. Additions such as a head-up display, Continuously Variable Real Time Damping, and Active Handling brought the final price to $53,444. Over the last 24 years and approximately 36,000 miles, it’s gained a few aftermarket extras that help it breathe – and perform – better.
This C5 convertible left Chevy’s Bowling Green Assembly plant with Dark Bowling Green Metallic paint and a Light Oak manual soft top over a Light Oak leather interior. Not only is this a handsome combination, it’s also a relatively rare one. A document from the National Corvette Museum that comes with the car indicates only 255 Corvettes with this car’s exterior, top, and transmission configuration were made for the 2000 model year. According to the brochure for the ’00 Corvette, the convertible model was only available with three exterior options, all of which (front license plate frame, halogen fog lamps, and body-side moldings) are present on the window sticker that comes with the car. In addition, the standard 17-inch front and 18-inch rear forged aluminum wheels were swapped out for their polished aluminum counterparts. Those come wrapped in summer tires that were installed when the odometer hit the 29,000-mile mark.
Even though the cockpit only has seating for two, it clearly has plenty of room for optional equipment. The original buyer ticked the boxes for the following comfort, convenience, and performance features:
Head-up display
Twilight Sentinel
Dual-zone air conditioning
Power telescoping and manual tilting steering column
Adjustable leather sport bucket seats
Six-way power passenger seat
Memory Package
AM/FM stereo with CD player
Remote 12-disc CD changer
Color-keyed floor mats with carpeted inserts
Six-speed manual transmission
Continuously Variable Real Time Damping
Active Handling
When new, the LS1 5.7-liter V8 produced 345 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque. Thanks to a variety of exhaust enhancements, such as LG Motorsports long tube headers, Dynatech SuperMAXX primaries, and Corsa mufflers, the engine produces 353 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque, as shown on the included dyno printout. Other updates include the replacement of the front sway bar bushings and links at 33,356 miles and new catalytic converters and oxygen sensors in November 2022.
There are plenty more miles to put on this Corvette and a variety of other modifications out there that’ll make those miles even more enjoyable. The first step in that process is paying the $22,500 asking price and becoming the next owner.
ClassicCars TV explores the sunny disposition of this 1961 Renault 4CV Beach Wagon. One of 50 built by Ghia for export to the Caribbean, this particular Frenchie was imported to Jacksonville, Florida on September 27, 1961, and used by the U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas.
For the past 40 years, it has been owned by a family who resides in the Atlantic coast city of Vero Beach. At the Barrett-Jackson 2024 Palm Beach Auction, this unique minicar sold for $36,300.
Featured on AutoHunter.com, the online auction platform driven by ClassicCars.com, is this 1969 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray coupe. It was purchased by the seller in 1980 and received a new engine, a new rear end, and a new exhaust as part of a 2014 restoration. The upgraded 383ci V8 has only accrued approximately 4,000 miles since being installed and is connected to a three-speed automatic transmission. Features include T-tops, power steering, and four-wheel disc brakes. Finished in black over a Saddle vinyl interior, this C3 Corvette comes with a clear title in the seller’s name.
Originally finished in Riverside Gold, the body was repainted black in 1985. The exterior is equipped with chrome bumpers, pop-up headlights, custom mirror caps, color-keyed T-top panels, and a luggage rack.
The 15-inch chrome Corvette Rally wheels are wrapped in 245/60 BFGoodrich Radial T/A tires. According to the seller, the wheels, beauty rings, and tires were installed in 2014.
Inside, the bucket seats are covered in Saddle vinyl and surrounded by manual windows, power steering, and a vintage-look AM/FM radio. The seller reports the air conditioning is currently nonfunctional, but they aim to have it repaired before the car is sold.
Important information is shown on a 160-mph speedometer, a 7,000-rpm tachometer, and fuel, water temperature, oil pressure, and battery gauges. The odometer shows 86,212 miles, but the true mileage on this Stingray is unknown.
In 2014, a 383ci stroker V8 was installed under the front-hinged hood. Since then, it has covered about 4,000 miles. It comes paired with black aluminum valve covers, a four-barrel carburetor, and a polished aluminum intake manifold. The upgraded engine sends power to the rear wheels through a three-speed automatic transmission.
This Corvette rides on a four-wheel independent suspension. Manual disc brakes at each corner help bring it to a stop. In addition to the engine, a new 3.42:1 rear end and a new dual exhaust system were installed in 2014.
