Below are four black-hued vehicles that are currently listed on AutoHunter. Black cars generally look sharp, right? So, can you look deeper and identify them? No, you can’t just say “Chevy” and get away with it – you have to give the full Monty with year/make/model and possibly some other detail.
Post your answers in the comments section provided below. And, if you find yourself confronted by a hurdle, just run your cursor over an image and click on it to find out what you can’t figure out. Is that cheating? That’ll be just between us.
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 ten of their journey.
As we get closer to the finish line, today we left Augusta to traverse Maine, with a stop at the Seal Cove Auto Museum near Acadia National Park, and a stop at the Owls Head Transportation Museum.
Max and Cotton pore over the course instructions, with only a few minutes to prepare before they must head to the starting position.
With Tim driving, and Max navigating in the front seat, Cotton provided support in the back seat. There was no way for us to know ahead of time that the race master had planned this as the longest day of the race—with 8 different legs (usually there have been 5). This meant we needed to be extra sharp since we’d be on the clock for so long. We had to recalculate our deceleration times as the brake booster on this Cadillac requires more pressure (and time!) to stop.
As we started the first transit, we played rock, paper, scissors with our teammates in the Fiat Jolly (safely at stop signs) and created our own pun-war competition. Who knew there were so many puns that are time related? We decided we needed to watch out with our puns because Bram was getting ready to clock us for being distracting.
Throughout the Great Race, this vintage yellow pickup truck has flown the flag of the various host states. Today, the blue State of Maine flag is flying high.
After leaving in second position yesterday, we started at position 82, and we ran into some unexpected problems. At our first gas stop, for some reason our only credit card didn’t work, so we missed refueling and had to keep a close eye on the gas gauge.
Cotton has been keeping a daily journal through the Great Race, including sketches.
We then compounded our problems by missing a critical right turn onto Route 176 and suddenly found ourselves going miles off course. As Cotton realized we weren’t seeing the speed changes that the course instruction showed, Cotton “pulled the cord,” a technique we came up with that would allow the driver or the navigator to stop what the team was doing and regroup. By the time we got ourselves back on track, we realized that we were exactly at the spot where we had turned around before.
Turns out, Cotton is the only team member who doesn’t own a Cadillac, so Max has been trying to convince him to find an affordable Cimmaron and found this vintage ad in the gift shop at the Owls Head Transportation Museum.
We eventually got to the amazing Seal Cove Auto Museum with only time for a pit stop and to grab some pizza. We’ll have to see their impressive brass-era collection another time. After that, we also didn’t realize that the course would circumnavigate the island and we had to make an emergency stop while on the clock to refuel. The only problem was that there was a line of cars waiting to use the pumps. Nervously looked at the stopwatch, we were able to make up some time, but not nearly enough.
Cotton’s parents, Roxi and Julian greeted the team with big smiles and a poster at the Owls Head Transportation MuseumMax’s family was out in full force to provide a wonderful homecoming.
The good news is that we made a great recovery and finished the day with a 4-second leg, a 5-second leg, and a 7-second leg as our best finishes in this grueling day.
Featured on AutoHunter.com, the online auction platform driven by ClassicCars.com, is this 1987 Buick GNX. It is number 209 of 547 produced in collaboration with ASC McLaren and has accrued only 9,280 miles since new. Power comes from a turbocharged 3.8-liter V6 and is sent to the road through a 200R4 four-speed automatic transmission and a limited-slip differential. Features include front and rear spoilers, 16-inch wheels, power windows and locks, power steering, cruise control, air conditioning, GNX-specific gauges, and power front disc brakes. Finished in Black over a black and gray cloth interior, this GNX comes with awards, a window sticker, an owner’s manual, documentation, a Molly Designs jacket, an extra set of wheels and tires, a car cover, a clean CARFAX report, and a clear title in the seller’s name.
The monochromatic exterior is finished in Black and accented with matching front and rear spoilers and bumpers as well as black trim and mirror caps.
Like the body, the 16-inch cross-laced aluminum wheels are black but feature polished lips. Those are wrapped in the reportedly original 255/50 Goodyear Eagle VR50 tires.
Inside, this GNX offers black and gray cloth front bucket and bench rear seats, a leather wrapped steering wheel, and embroidered floor mats. Comfort and convenience features include power windows and locks, power steering, cruise control, a power driver seat, air conditioning, and a Delco AM/FM/cassette stereo with a graphic equalizer. A badge on the passenger side of the dashboard identifies this GNX as number 209 in the production run.
Vehicle information is displayed on a set of GNX-specific Stewart Warner instruments that consists of a 160-mph speedometer, an 8,000-rpm tachometer, and gauges for the coolant temperature, fuel level, boost pressure, and oil pressure. The odometer shows 9,280 miles, which is in line with the 9,232 miles recorded on the CARFAX report in June 2023.
Under the hood, the 3.8-liter V6 is equipped with a Garrett turbocharger, which has a ceramic impeller and a GNX-branded heat shield, and an intercooler. Official output when new was 276 horsepower and 360 lb-ft of torque. A 200R4 four-speed automatic transmission sends engine power to a limited-slip rear differential.
Power front disc and rear drum brakes scrub off the speeds the GNX is capable of hitting. GNXs received a modified rear suspension that included a Panhard rod and a longitudinal torque bar.
The auction for this 1987 Buick GNX ends on Monday, July 8, 2024 at 11:45 a.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 nine of their journey.
We capitalized on our return to New England today in a big way. Leaving Providence, we skirted Boston, passed through Concord, New Hampshire, and ended up in Augusta, Maine – – four state capitals in one day.
The pressure was on, as the race master really changed up the start order on us. We suddenly found ourselves starting in position number two, as they wanted the home state delegates to cross the finish line first in Freeport, Maine.
On our first leg, we encountered a slow moving truck who turned out right in front of us, and forced us to stop for over 30 seconds. We skillfully made up this time by calculating an increased acceleration using a rally formula called the “rule of fives,” a formula table to make up lost time or bleed off extra time. By doing this, we finished the first leg just one second off the mark.
We met out race mentors Susan and Peter at the finish line and presented them with a ‘speeding ticket’ we created as they passed us the day before
On our second leg, we turned down a wrong road, but quickly whipped around and marked how much time we had lost. However when we found the main road again, we noticed our course position had dropped and now we were behind the 4th car instead of in our original second position. To get back into our correct starting position order we used a strategy known as “hacking.”
Cotton and Max beam after scoring two “aces,” the equivalent to a hole in one in golf
This strategy entails passing cars to reclaim your correct start order place in the race, which helps manage staying on-time overall. Our mentors, Peter and Susan, taught us this strategy, and we watched them deploying it as they shot by us and two other cars to reclaim their number one start position. We followed suit, passing a blue Alfa Romeo and white Jaguar in order to retain our spot as #2, and hopefully come back on time.
Our scorecard for Stage 7, where you can see our two “aces”.
The strategy worked for us on this leg–we aced it! This was an incredible accomplishment, and we are grateful to our wonderful mentors. Incredibly we did it again on the very next leg, and we had back-to-back aces. We can’t think of a better way to return to our home state. Our rounds for the day ended up being our best yet, with a one second round and two other under 30 seconds.
We were interviewed by NewsCenter Maine
The town of Freeport welcomed us on Main Street. The sun was shining bright,it was a perfect day, and we really enjoyed their hospitality. We’re getting closer to the finish line, and need to turn in early yet again as we have a busy day ahead, touring Maine.
The Jaguar XJS was created as a replacement for the XKE. At the time the design was much more modern than the XKE, and it much more of a touring car. While people bemoaned this change at the time, the proof was in sales as a total of 115,413 XJS cars were sold compared to the E-type which sold 72,528. In addition, the E-Type was produced from 1961-1974 and the XJS was produced for more than 20 years, being built from 1975 to 1996.
Over the years the car changed and was improved. In the car’s final development phase, it received a much needed and well executed facelift that cost millions of dollars. This is because it was not just a cosmetic change but a full engineering and styling redesign of the car. Of all the XJS cars built these are usually considered the best, and they were much more advanced than the original car. They also tend to be more comfortable and, most importantly, more reliable.
Our AutoHunter spotlight is one of these facelift cars, a rare 1995 XJS coupe built near the very end of XJS production.
The seller describes this XJS as a 1995 Jaguar XJS coupe that has been driven 90,639 total miles and is powered by an AJ16 4.0-liter I6 mated to a ZF four-speed automatic transmission. It has been California and Arizona-owned since new. Finished in Brooklands Green over a Cream leather interior, this XJS is now offered with certification paperwork, service records, a clean CARFAX report, and a clear title in the seller’s name.
Now I have nosed around these final facelift coupes for a few years, and this is one of the nicest and most well documented ones I have seen for sale in years.
The exterior is finished in stunning Brooklands Green paint (code HFB) that was carefully touched up and wet-sanded in May 2024. This truly looks like a car with terrific original paint and one that has been driven as well as cared for over the years. The car rides on its original 16” aluminum slotted wheels which are wrapped in 225/60 Continental TrueContact tires that were replaced in July 2020.
The interior is typical jaguar luxury with Cream Autolux leather upholstery (code NDR), power-adjustable front seats, power windows, power steering, a tilt adjustable leather-wrapped steering wheel, cruise control, automatic climate control, an AM/FM radio, modern Bluetooth connectivity, and real wood veneer trim. The leather, carpets, and wood is all in exceptional condition, something rare to see on these cars today. This is a show worthy example in every way.
Under the hood is possibly the very best twin cam 4-liter inline six cylinder Jaguar ever built, the AJ16. In fact this engine was so good that Aston-Martin chose to use in the DB7, though with some modifications made by Aston. These engines are absolutely bulletproof and should last around 250,000 miles before needing any serious work. This engine also has 237 horsepower and 282 lb-ft of torque, which puts makes its performance greater than the original XJ-S 5.3 liter V12 and combines that with less weight and more efficiency.
The service history of this XJS includes an emissions inspection completed in 2022. In 2019 it had an air pump replacement, an AC recharge, and transmission service. In 2016 it received new cooling hoses, a new water pump, new thermostat, new fan clutch and new cam cover gaskets. The car includes all the receipts for this work as well as more receipts from earlier services.
These final XJS coupes are not only a great GT car, but are also pretty rare with Jaguar only building about 130 of these 4.0 liter coupes in 1995. Sure, the convertible is nice looking, but I personally think that the 1991 facelifted XJS coupe is one of the most elegant looking cars of the 1990s and looks as fresh today as it did when new.
Finding one of these cars that is this well cared for and in this condition is quite difficult. If I were in the market I would seriously consider this car since it’s very best GT cars of the era.
The auction for this 1995 Jaguar XJS Coupe ends Wednesday, July 3, 2024 at 12:15 p.m. (PDT)
In the previous installment of this series, I told you about the various things I wish I had known when I was shopping for a 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt. Get caught up by reading Part 1 here.
If you’re like me, daydreaming about something you want is simple and linear. You envision your fantasy car and you jump forward to the blissful experience of opening it up on the highway and zooming toward the horizon at sunset with your significant other. There’s no room in the dreamworld for setbacks or education, but real life is full of both. I sure learned a lot of humbling lessons when I bought a 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt. In my last installment, I told you all of the things I should’ve done differently leading up to getting it. Now I’ll share my biggest takeaways from the purchase process.
Dealers Aren’t the Only Option
Soon after determining the V8-powered Ford and Mercury vehicles I could turn into a reality, I came across a promising lead on a 2008 Mustang Bullitt. It was in Phoenix and had been in Arizona its entire life, so I didn’t have to worry about its underside being eaten up by New England winters. It was also Dark Highland Green, which to me was the only color to get it in because Steve McQueen didn’t drive a black Mustang in “Bullitt.” The CARFAX report was clean. And to top it all off, it only had 25,000 miles on it. In an attempt to stay rational and level-headed, I brought my pal Brad, a skilled mechanic who had spent decades working in a body shop, along with me to put an extra pair of eyes on – and under – the car.
The Bullitt we looked at passed our tests, although it wasn’t perfect (I’ll cover that part later). In fact, it did so well that I ended up signing the paperwork for it and driving it home a few days later. Now that I have some distance from it, I realize I should’ve looked at alternative options. I was so taken by the Bullitt I test-drove that I jumped on it thinking I would be a fool to pass it up. I left myself no options and gave myself no basis for comparison or negotiation.
Dealers are a convenient choice because if you need them to be, they can be one-stop shops – from purchasing and financing to servicing and trading in. But they aren’t the only game in town. There are plenty of private sellers on model-specific forums and on sites such as ClassicCars.com. Many of them have meticulously cared for the vehicles they’re selling and will be happy to provide all the documentation for the work they’ve had done on them.
They also have a different mentality from dealership sales representatives. Of course, private sellers and salespeople want to maximize the amount of money they get, but they don’t face the same pressures that factor into the sales process. A sales rep has to keep their job, make a commission, and answer to a sales manager. Someone trying to get rid of their C4 Corvette before they move is the sole decision-maker (unless they need to hit a certain number mandated by their spouse).
It’s Not Personal. It’s Business.
Growing up, I only remember my dad buying a car from a dealership once. He purchased a lot of vehicles, but they were typically from private sellers or auctions. Although I was excited about getting the Bullitt, I was not looking forward to going through a salesperson to make that happen. Part of my dread came from the idea that I had to say what they wanted to hear so that they would like me.
I learned as I dealt with the rep that I had it all wrong.
Sure, I wasn’t a jerk to the guy because he was just doing his job, but I also didn’t try to make him my best friend. We were engaged in a business transaction. He didn’t have to love me, he just had to accept the price and terms I proposed. That meant I didn’t require his permission for anything, as if he was my boss. All I had to do was present what I wanted and see if we could reach an agreement. The original upholstery for the driver-side door panel insert had been replaced with a poorly fitting plastic insert; the plastic replacement for the passenger side was still in its package in the trunk. I told the salesman I wanted a chunk of money knocked off the price since the door panels would need to be redone. To my surprise, he played ball.
Sometimes Banks or Credit Unions Aren’t the Best Choice
Given that I was buying a 14-year-old car, I was not surprised when the dealership’s finance manager informed me that six or seven banks and credit unions had declined to provide me the funds for it despite the fact that I had great credit. She finally found a credit union in Colorado that was willing to take the plunge.
That’s when I remembered LightStream, a lender that some of my friends had used for their collector car purchases. They considered factors such as my credit and payment histories in determining whether they should loan me the money for the Bullitt. Not only did they not require the car’s title as collateral, but they also gave me a rate that was close to two percent lower than the quote I got from the Colorado credit union. Getting the money for the purchase price of the Bullitt only took a day or two. Handing the check over to the finance manager was a satisfying and amusing experience. When I told her the name of my lender, she said deadpan, “I’ve never heard of them.”
Put Down as Much Money as Possible
If it wasn’t clear before, I’ll repeat it: I should’ve thought this purchase out more before I made it. Perhaps then I would’ve banked up enough money to make a substantial down payment. Yes, that takes more time and discipline up front, but it can lessen the amount of stress you face in the future. I was already buying an old sports car; by financing nearly all of it, I was locking myself into paying interest on that lump sum for years to come.
I had more lessons ahead of me once I drove the Bullitt home. I’ll tell you what those were in my next installment.
There was a time in my life when it seemed as if only people my parents’ age would reminisce about the American performance cars of their youth. It wasn’t until recently that I realized I do the same thing, just with different generations of the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. When I was in high school, the New Edge Mustang was blazing down streets one stoplight at a time. My senior year not only marked a milestone in my life, but also the end of the fourth-generation Camaro. GM commemorated the occasion with the 2002 Chevrolet Camaro SS 35th Anniversary edition, which happens to be our latest Pick of the Day.
For the final-year Collector Edition of the C4 Corvette, Chevrolet went the subtle route and covered it in Sebring Silver Metallic. When it was time to bring the fourth-gen Camaro to an end, Chevy clearly wanted to make sure everyone knew the 35th Anniversary coupes and convertibles were special models. They chose a flashier color, Bright Rally Red, and made it even more eye-catching by adding unique badges and a distinctive stripes and graphics package, which bookends the convertible’s power-operated black soft top and coordinates with the machined faces of the 17-inch wheels.
The cabin is more reserved but still makes it obvious this isn’t your ordinary Camaro. The two-tone seats are covered in Ebony and Pewter leather; the front buckets get commemorative embroidery on the headrests. Standard equipment includes remote keyless entry; power windows, locks, and mirrors; a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls; cruise control; a six-way power driver’s seat; air conditioning; and a 500-watt Monsoon AM/FM/CD audio system.
It may have bowed out of the 35-year battle with the Mustang for pony car supremacy, but at least the Camaro went out on top in terms of outright power. The SS model packed an LS1 5.7-liter V8 that generated 325 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 350 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. A four-speed automatic transmission was standard; a six-speed manual gearbox was available at no extra charge. Other hardware consisted of a power steering cooler, the Performance Ride and Handling package with DeCarbon monotube shocks, and a Zexel Torsen limited-slip differential.
The selling dealer in Clifton Park, New York was wise to keep the mileage on this 35th Anniversary convertible down to just 5,635 and to refrain from modifying it. Even better, they held on to the original window sticker (which shows a total vehicle price of $37,075), both keys and key fobs, and the owner’s manuals as well as other documents.
Whether you want to drive a piece of Chevy history or relive your early-2000s glory days, this Camaro is a well-preserved, low-mileage way to make that happen. As we all know, you can put a price on nostalgia. In this case, that price is $32,999.
In this ClassicCars TV episode, we explore a fully updated and completely customized 1972 Winnebago Brave 21B motorhome that looks like it came straight from a 2D illustration. Power is provided by a rebuilt Dodge 318ci V8 paired with a three-speed automatic transmission equipped with a Gear Vendors overdrive.
Other updates include two solar panels with a 3,000-watt inverter, a new Cummins Onan 7,000-watt generator, new air conditioning, a gas stove, a gas heater, a refrigerator and freezer, two pull-out beds, an overhead cab bunk bed, a new sound system, and two flat screen TVs. At the Barrett-Jackson 2024 Scottsdale Auction, the top bidder took this Winnebago home for $14,300.
Hurst introduced the Hurst/Olds in 1968 and helped Oldsmobile get over General Motors’ cubic-inch limit, offering 455ci when the 4-4-2 was limited to 400ci. By 1972, the marketplace was a different environment, but the Hurst/Olds saved the day for a different reason.
For the 1972 Indianapolis 500, no one wanted to step up and produce the pace car after the previous year’s debacle with the 1971 Dodge Challenger.Hurst Performance introduced option code W45, which turned the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme hardtop and convertible into Hurst/Olds models , all of them Cameo White with the 455, gold decals, W25 fiberglass hood, black bucket seat interior, Hurst Dual-Gate shifter, half vinyl top, and Super Stock III wheels, among other items. A sunroof was optional, and buyers had the choice of opting in or out of having pace car decals.
The W45’s 455 was coded L75 and rated at 250 net horsepower. A W46 package included the 300-horse L77, the same engine that was included with the W30 package for 4-4-2s. Compression and horsepower may have been down, but it still wasn’t out – just ask someone who has driven one of these cars. In the below video, Muscle Car Campy and the Hurst/Olds owner, Tom Hill, are your guys!
All told, only 499 hardtop and 130 convertible Hurst/Oldses were built, which include 220 hardtops with sunroofs. It’s also worth noting that 23 hardtops and 8 convertibles were ordered as W46s. Additionally, four station wagons were built for track and festival needs.
If you enjoy this video, be sure to check out other Muscle Car Campy’s vids.
In 1992, BMW advertising claimed “The new M3 isn’t just built for car fanatics. It’s built by them.” When the E36 chassis 3 Series launched, it carried forward BMW’s commitment to building the “Ultimate Driving Machine.” That tagline, which took root as far back as the 1970s, became the guiding principle behind the engineering of every vehicle in the brand’s lineup. But in particular, the M-badged cars got even more “special sauce” than other trims.
Now is your chance to see if the driving experience is as “ultimate” as BMW promised. This M3 is being offered by a dealer in Gladstone, Oregon, and the auction will end on Tuesday.
There’s a lot to love about the car. For being 25 years old, it has only accrued 51,491 miles on the odometer – and its entire CARFAX history shows California ownership, which means the car has spent life in climates that are “friendly” to vehicle exteriors, interiors, and underbodies. The report also shows 20 service records – a testament to the care it received throughout life.
Beyond its paper trail, the most compelling selling factor for this car is its brilliant paint job, identified by code number 335. BMW called this shade “Estoril Blue,” and the color was named after a motorsport racing circuit on the Portuguese coastline. The Estoril Circuit was inaugurated in 1972 and was later home to the Formula One Portuguese Grand Prix from 1984 to 1996. The color thus pays homage to BMW’s race-bred performance mindset.
Motivation for this ragtop comes from an “S52” 3.2-liter inline-six that was rated at 240 horsepower and 225 lb-ft of torque when new. A five-speed automatic transmission sends the power to the rear wheels. Maintenance history is thorough, and the documentation shows that the car received some heavy-duty work in 2022 comprised of replacing the drive belt tensioner, cooling fan clutch, power steering fluid, idler pulley, fuel filter, air filter, spark plugs, coolant, and more. In 2023, it received a new valve cover gasket.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better summer ride for top-down cruising than a low-mileage, rare color, recently-maintained E36 M3. As BMW said in some of its marketing materials: “Very few of your dreams will come true. Relish those that do.” Is this your next Ultimate Driving Machine? Make it happen.
