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Student Great Race Team Blog Day Two

Andy Reid
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Student Great Race Team Blog Day Two

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 one of their journey.

Cars and Caves

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. 

Today as we headed towards the starting line, we made a detour in Kentucky for some great cars and caves. First stop was the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green. The Museum sits next to the General Motors Corvette assembly plant and the museum was amazing. The legendary Corvette celebrated its 70th anniversary last year, and you can see every example from the first C1 to today’s C8 models. What’s cool is that they have a boulevard in the middle of the Museum where new Corvette buyers can come and take delivery of their cars.  There were a lot of smiles on the boulevard today.

We both made a ranked list of our favorite Corvettes on the ride to Bowling Green, and we were anxious to see if in-person comparison of these cars side-by-side would confirm or change our rankings. Hands down for Max is the C8. The newest Corvettes have it all—the looks, the technology and the power. For Cotton, an orange C7 got his vote as the best Corvette.

Coming from Maine, we were intrigued to see a very special 1954 car called the “Entombed Corvette.” The story goes that a grocery store owner got frustrated that his wife wouldn’t ride in his Corvette with him, so he built a secret room in his new store and hid the car. It sat there for many years until it was finally unearthed. Speaking of tombs, the Corvette Museum has a special exhibit showing the cars that fell into a big sink hole in 2014. We were so sad to see the footage of the 1,000,000th Corvette falling into a big hole, but glad to see that General Motors has since fully restored the car.

We were on top of the world after seeing the Corvette Museum, so we changed our pace and went to the bottom of the earth at nearby Mammoth Caves National Park. Well, not quite.  But we did hike down 300 feet and it was pretty cool in more ways than one. It was fun watching Tim and Bram, our chaperones, wiggle, duck, and crawl through some tight places.

We came back to Earth’s surface and listened to bluegrass music on the radio as we made our way to Owensboro, the starting point of the Great Race. We said goodbye to our good friends Pete and Talia from Kenney Towing in Wells, Maine. They unloaded our 1961 Cadillac Sedan Deville from the trailer and we both got a chance to take the car for a spin around the parking lot. 

Thanks for Day Two, boys! We wish you luck, and can’t wait for the rest of the journey. Part Three, coming soon.

Pick of the Day: 1999 GMC Sonoma

Tyson Hugie
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Pick of the Day: 1999 GMC Sonoma

If you’re ready to party like it’s 1999, you’ll need a Smash Mouth CD, some loose-fitting pants, a few Furby stuffed animals, and a proper “pre-Y2K” vehicle to cruise around in. Here you go:

The Pick of the Day is a low-mileage 1999 GMC Sonoma 2WD extended cab pickup listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Waterford, Michigan. (Click the link to view the listing)

“Like new, excellent condition,” the listing begins. For its age, this truck is fresh and clean. The odometer shows only 54,392 original miles, and the seller (who is the original owner) says the truck has never been driven in the winter.

For most people, a compact pickup truck will do all the “truck things” that he or she ever needs to do without the need for a gas-guzzling (and difficult to park) full-sized rig. With that notion in mind, the GMC Sonoma and its badge-engineered sibling, the Chevrolet S-10, got their start in the early 1980s. Actually, the Sonoma initially went by the name “S-15,” but quick received a different identity. Both trucks rode on what General Motors called its GMT325 platform, and much of the chassis engineering was shared with vehicles like the S-10 Blazer, the Jimmy, and the Oldsmobile Bravada.

For 1994, a new generation was born, and the Sonoma’s competitive focus was set squarely on the Ford Ranger. In 1998, a facelift brought a new front fascia, different wheel designs, and an overhauled interior. This body style would continue until the Sonoma and S-10 were formally phased out when the new GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado were launched in 2004. It’s hard to believe that was 20 years ago.

Under the hood of this truck (which some referred to as a “quarter-ton”), power comes from a Vortec 4300 V6 mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. This combination was rated at 175 horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque when new. That’s plenty of oomph to make it to your Creed concert on time!

The window sticker says that this truck was originally delivered to Art Moran GMC in Southfield, Michigan when new. It came well-equipped for its time, with $7,111 in options added. Among the included features were air conditioning, power windows, a sport suspension package, cruise control, bucket seats, a locking rear differential, a sliding rear window, fog lamps, a tachometer, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. All-in, the truck came to $22,858 retail.

The asking price for this low-miler is $15,000 or best offer, and that includes a Covercraft cover with a storage bag.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, click over to Pick of the Day.

New Muscle Car Museum Arises from Down Under

Diego Rosenberg
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New Muscle Car Museum Arises from Down Under

Though Australians appear to share more with the British than with Americans, their auto industry historically has been closer to ours due to their love for the V8. Their home-brewed cars may not have looked like ours, but the exhaust notes often sounded like ours. If this sounds like your bag, the Gold Coast Muscle Car Museum is your new joint to see Aussie performance history and more.

Charger Six Pack

The museum is “the most amazing private collection of Australian muscle cars” of the 1950-70s. Located in Bundall, Queensland, the museum gets its name from the nearby city of Gold Coast, which just so happens to be the sixth-largest in the country. On display are Chargers, Falcons of different stripes, SLR5000 Toranas (a type of Holden), and every Monaro model built from 1968-76 (yes, another Holden product).

And if you’re a Mad Max fan, there is a replica of the Interceptor, which was a highly modified Falcon from the 1970s. If you squint, you may see some 1972 Torino in it – clearly it’s a Ford product from the same era.

The same could be said of the Monaro, which also mimicked the design language of General Motors cars of the time, with the late 1960s ones often giving GM c.1968 vibes.

Besides the cars, there is a mag wheel display and a working tune-up machine from the 1970s.

Muscle bike enthusiasts are not left out as the museum has a Honda 750 Four and a Kwaka 900 (apparently, that’s a nickname for Kawasaki) on display.

Adding to the fun quotient are the free pinball machines and a fun Scalextric track. And if you get thirsty, a vintage soft drink machine (or “pop” to you Midwesterners).

To learn more about the Gold Coast Muscle Car Museum, visit www.musclecarmuseum.com.au.

Fisker Goes Bankrupt, Plans to Sell Off Assets

Motor Authority
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Fisker Goes Bankrupt, Plans to Sell Off Assets

Electric vehicle startup Fisker last Monday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with a court in Delaware, just a year after the start of deliveries of the company’s Ocean debut model.

A company spokesperson said Fisker delivered “thousands” of the crossovers to customers in Europe and North America but was set back by “various market and macroeconomic headwinds.”

In addition to facing a market cooling on EVs, Fisker also suffered challenges in ramping up production due to supply chain issues. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also started a preliminary probe into the Ocean in May after receiving complaints of doors sometimes failing to open.

Fisker was founded in 2016 and was one of the more promising EV startups only a short while ago. It became a public company in late 2020 via a reverse merger, and the following year its share price shot up to a high of $28.50 before beginning its decline into penny stock status. It was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in March.

Henrik Fisher with the first customer Fisker Ocean – May 2023

Fisker attempted to raise funds by partnering with a major automaker, and talks between Fisker and Nissan were rumored. However, without a deal in place, Fisker’s cash continued to deplete and the company in March decided to halt production of the Ocean at the crossover’s plant in Austria operated by contract manufacturer Magna Steyr.

This marks the second time that an EV startup founded and led by Henrik Fisker has succumbed to bankruptcy. A previous incarnation of Fisker went bust in 2013, and its remaining assets were sold to Chinese battery company Wanxiang. That company was revived and today operates as Karma.

The modern Fisker also plans to sell its remaining assets, which the company estimates at a value of between $500 million and $1 billion. Among the assets are designs for three additional vehicles including an urban crossover called the Pear, a lifestyle pickup truck called the Alaska, and a four-door convertible called the Ronin.

This article was originally published by Motor Authority, an editorial partner of ClassicCars.com

Pick of the Day: 1988 Pontiac Bonneville SSE

Diego Rosenberg
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Pick of the Day: 1988 Pontiac Bonneville SSE

Ever since 1971, the Pontiac Bonneville has been through the wringer, being demoted by the Grand Ville, then finding its way back to the top, only to ignominiously be transferred to the LeMans’ platform. Cooler heads prevailed a few years later as the Bonneville was revamped and redesigned, now full of verve that had been missing for years. Our Pick of the Day, a 1988 Pontiac Bonneville SSE, is one of the best of these revitalized Pontiacs. It is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in St. Francis, Wisconsin. (Click the link to view the listing)

1982 Pontiac Bonneville

We recently highlighted the story of the Bonneville in a recent Pick of the Day for a 1972 Grand Ville. The Bonneville returned to the top of the full-size Pontiac hierarchy as the Bonneville Brougham, which was downsized in 1977 in General Motors’ sweeping program for more efficient space utilization and better fuel economy. These cars were a success but, come 1982, Pontiac discontinued its full-size platform, replaced the G-body LeMans with the 6000, and moved the Bonneville to the G-body platform. Pontiac now lacked a full-size car until the Canadian Parisienne saved the day. This poseur of a Bonneville lasted through 1986, upon which irony would prevail as GM’s quest for downsizing and front-wheel drive would result in an all-new Bonneville worthy of its name.

1988 Bonneville SSE interior from brochure

The 1987 Bonneville was based on the H-body, which first appeared in 1986 (Buick LeSabre and Oldsmobile 88) and followed the practically identical 1985 C-body (Buick Electra, Oldsmobile 98, and Cadillac DeVille). While not quite exciting initially, Pontiac built excitement, as the ad campaign would say, and that would be coming for 1988 as the sporty SSE. The SSE featured monochromatic “Euro styling” with special aero ground effects, anti-lock brakes, electronic ride control, WS6 suspension, SFI 3800 V6 with 165 horsepower, headlamp washers, 10-way adjustable seats with lumbar support and adjustable headrests, steering wheel-mounted radio controls, and complete instrumentation including compass. While the Bonneville SSE came off a bit over-the-top in the best 1980s Pontiac tradition, it arguably was more appealing than other overdone Pontiacs of the era.

This incarnation of the Bonneville continued through 1991. A handsome, redesigned Bonneville launched in the summer of 1991, with the SSE being slightly demoted to mid-level status because the new SSEi made a splash with a standard supercharged 3.8-liter V6 with 205 horsepower. Another redesign for 2000 ditched the SSE, with the SSEi lasting through 2003. In 2004, a 4.6-liter V8 was added to the new top-of-the-line Bonneville GPX, with the Bonneville series continuing through 2005 when it was discontinued.

This 1988 Pontiac Bonneville SSE could be seen as part of the reemergence of the Pontiac brand after being saddled with so many disappointments during the Malaise Era. “Purchased on consignment from the original owner,” says the seller. “Runs, drives, and rides like new – zero mechanical issues.” Over $5,000 has been spent in the past year professionally refreshing the paint.

In case you haven’t interrupted your read by checking out the ad, you should note that this Bonneville has only 14,300 miles on the odometer. With so few seen on the street anymore, this may be the one to get for your Pontiac fix. For $14,000, it’s almost one dollar per mile.

Click here for this ClassicCars.com Pick of the Day.

AutoHunter Spotlight: 1935 Chevrolet Master Deluxe

Tyson Hugie
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AutoHunter Spotlight: 1935 Chevrolet Master Deluxe

Featured on AutoHunter, the online auction platform driven by ClassicCars.com, is this 1935 Chevrolet Master Deluxe.

Gone is the car’s original 206ci inline-six that produced just 80 horsepower when new. And now, in its place, lives a much more potent fuel-injected Vortec 6.0-liter LS V8 mated to a 6L80E six-speed automatic transmission. In the listing is a video of a start-up that brings the 6.0-liter V8 to life. There is a nice rumble coming from the side-exit exhaust pipes at idle – I can only imagine how beastly it must sound at wide-open throttle.

This custom ride is being offered for sale by a private seller in Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, and the auction ends next Wednesday.

One of the defining characteristics of this hot rod its distinctive matte finish, which the seller calls “Root Beer.” The exterior has been updated with suicide doors, inset turn signals in the headlights, custom taillights, and removed bumpers. The smooth wheels and white-letter tires complete the look, which conveys a sort of “rat rod” aesthetic with an understated theme.

As unique as the car looks, most of its selling points lie beneath the surface. Among them are features like power steering, a tilt steering column, bucket seats, a Mustang II independent front suspension, power front disc brakes, and a dual exhaust system. Some of the engineering work was completed by Goodfellas Speed Shop in Parksville, British Columbia. The listing says that build documentation will accompany the car.

By way of model history, Chevrolet originally marketed the Master Deluxe with the tagline “Its outer beauty reflects its inner quality.” Advertisements went on to say, “The smart, clean-cut beauty of the Master Deluxe Chevrolet for 1935 is a true reflection of its inner quality. For Chevrolet has given much care to the manufacture of hidden parts as to the fashioning of the bodies of this aristocrat of low-priced cars.”

An aristocrat is a member of the aristocracy, which, according to Oxford Languages means an individual of the highest class, of noble heritage, also considered privileged or superior. So, for Chevrolet to call this car the highest class of low-priced cars was sort of an oxymoron, but the public seemed to buy it – literally: between model years 1935 and 1936, Chevrolet sold 846,300 Master Deluxe models, many of which retailed around $560 to $675.

Luckily for us, there are a few of those 846,300 units still on the road for us to admire, but I’m fairly certain none of them are customized quite like this hot rod. Perhaps you’d like to make it yours?

The auction for this 1935 Chevrolet Master Deluxe ends Wednesday, June 26, 2024 at 12:30 p.m. (PDT)

Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and photo gallery

2024 Hot Wheels NFT Garage and Ultra Hots Prototype

ClassicCars.com
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2024 Hot Wheels NFT Garage and Ultra Hots Prototype

In this episode of ClassicCars TV’s Collectible Corner, Jared shows off the prototypes of two Hot Wheels models due to be released in 2024: a Porsche 935-78 and a Range Rover Classic. Both have a ZAMAC exterior and feature an unspun base.

Make sure to subscribe to the ClassicCars TV YouTube channel for all episodes of Collectible Corner, as well as see interesting finds and car reviews!

Student Docents From the Maine Classic Car Museum Great Race Day One

Andy Reid
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Student Docents From the Maine Classic Car Museum Great Race Day One

A pair of student docents from the Maine Classic Car Museum are participating in this year’s edition of The Great Race acting as navigators in a 1961 Cadillac. We will be following their progress on the ClassicCars.com Journal. Here is their first post from day one.

Day 1: The Adventure Begins

We are Max Flynn and Cotton Schlaver, two high school students from Maine getting ready for the adventure of our life participating in the great race 2024. Max is 18, a rising senior at Greeley High School, and Cotton is 16, a rising senior at Biddeford High School, and we are docents at the Maine Classic Car Museum in Arundel. 

Lane Motor Museum Curator, Derek Moore, explains how the Citroen 2CV works to the X-Cup student navigators from the Great Race visiting Nashville

The Great Race is a 2,300 mile rally with over 150 classic cars and race teams competing.  We are part of a special student group called the X-Cup Challenge.  

Over the next ten days, we will bring you daily reports of our rally preparation and experiences each leg from the starting line in Owensboro, Kentucky, to the finish line in our home state, Maine. 

Max Flynn stands next to his favorite car the Lane Motor Museum, a 1991 Lancia Delta Integrale

What better way to get ready for the Great Race than to see some great cars. We flew into Nashville today to start our epic journey. First stop, the Lane Motor Museum. The Curator of Collections, Derek Moore, welcomed us to this amazing collection of micro cars and cars from around the world. We saw so many cars we had never heard of before. 

Cotton’s favorite car at the Lane Motor Museum is this 1947 Tatra T-87 saloon

Our favorites? It was hard to choose, but for Max it was the 1991 Lancia Delta Integrale, because of its rally history. It is a rare car that you never see in the U.S. For Cotton, it was the 1947 Tatra T-87 saloon, because it opened a new realm of information about the importance of this Czechoslovakian company to automotive history. 

We are joined on this trip by the Maine Classic Car Museum General Manager, Tim Stentiford, and longtime museum volunteer, Bram Starr. We also want to give a big shout out to the RPM Foundation. Nick Ellis and his team provided us with a generous scholarship that allowed us to take part in the X-Cup Challenge, the journey of our lives. We’re making our way towards the starting line in Kentucky and will have lots more to report to you in the coming days. Meanwhile, put the Lane Motor Museum on your bucket list of must-see museums. We loved it.

Stay tuned for part two.

Diego’s AutoHunter Picks

Diego Rosenberg
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Diego’s AutoHunter Picks

I’m really digging these JDM vehicles that have been appearing on AutoHunter. Maybe I currently don’t need a right-hand drive truck, but anything different from the usual adds variety to the collector car world, and there’s always a tuchus for every seat, right?

The below AutoHunter Picks include a funky JDM van with 4WD as well as classics from Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Porsche. You have utility, style, muscle, and gran turismo from which to choose, all from different decades. Which one hits your bongos?

1992 Mazda Bongo 4WD
How could you not want to own a vehicle called a Bongo? Named after a type of antelope, these mini minivans also were sold as the Ford Econovan and Spectron, though not in the U.S. as Mazda brought the MPV to our shores instead. Of course, many truck configurations were used on this platform, but there’s something endearing about a tiny cab-over van when making a liquor run.

This 1992 Mazda Bongo is a 4WD version that just so happens to be powered by a 2.2-liter diesel inline-four backed by a five-speed manual with two-speed transfer case. Air conditioning is a welcome option, as are the two sliding doors. Three folks can sit in the rear seat, and there is plenty of luggage space behind. The perfect airport van for Uber?

1956 Pontiac Safari
Everyone knows the Nomad, so why does the Safari get left in the dust? Is it because Chevrolet styling was so strong and Pontiac’s was just alright? Whatever the case, the Safari exemplifies everything that was great about General Motors styling in the 1950s. Hot rodders and purists alike have been a fan of this two-door hardtop wagon for ages.

This gray and cream 1956 Pontiac Safari leans more to the hot rod side as it features a carbureted 350 small-block backed by a 700R4 four-speed automatic. The paint scheme is complemented by a modern leather and cloth interior that also features power windows, power seats, custom center console, and even a built-in ice chest in the spare tire compartment.

1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
Before I had my license, it was not uncommon for a kid to pick up a Cutlass Supreme (probably from the original owner), jack up the rear, soup it up with headers and Cragars, add some 4-4-2 features, and think he was hot doodie. When the light turned green, said teenage driver would smoke ‘em and take off. I found it exciting, but the surrounding adults probably thought the kid was on drugs and needed the cops to dispense some justice.

This 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme looks like it came from the 1980s, though I don’t recall anyone back then applying W-Machine stripes to the sides. The W25 hood is a great addition, and the 350 is now fuel-injected to give the small-block the suds it never had new. Other features include 4-4-2 rear bumper, console, air conditioning, AM/FM radio, racing mirrors (with driver’s side remote), and that awesome Custom Sport steering wheel.

1987 Porsche 928 S4
My dad had one of these years ago, so I have an affection for them even though some don’t consider them a “real” Porsche. The ’87 was the first year for the facelifted S4, which still looks good today. My dad swears this is the most comfortable car he has ever driven, though its height makes ingress and egress somewhat difficult for some.

Take a look at the wine-colored interior of this 1987 Porsche 928 S4  and you can imagine Dad was right – it looks as comfortable as he claims. Features include a sunroof, forged aluminum wheels, Alpine stereo, power windows and door locks, cruise control, air conditioning, among others. Aside of GPS, this 928 S4 could be your daily driver as it has everything you’d need for modern driving, including a throaty V8.

Pick of the Day: 1966 Chevrolet El Camino

Tyson Hugie
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Pick of the Day: 1966 Chevrolet El Camino

The El Camino was marketed as being “Smarter on the outside, nicer on the inside, more powerful up front, and still a downright pleasure to work with.” The car was touted for having the appearance, comfort, and performance of a passenger car along with the brawn to haul or tow on demand.

The Pick of the Day is a 1966 Chevrolet El Camino listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Oak Harbor, Ohio. (Click the link to view the listing)

This El Camino reportedly originated in Texas and is accordingly rust-free. Curb appeal is strong with this one, thanks to a vivid red coat of paint and a set of Rally wheels with white-letter tires. The seller says, “I was fixing it up to keep, but I find sitting this low hurts my back, so my loss is your gain.”

It’s hard to believe, but the El Camino goes back 65 years to 1959. It was launched as a “coupe utility” on the General Motors B-body platform that year, but underpinnings changed to the A-body in 1964 when the El Camino evolved into its second generation. The main draw for the El Camino was its six-foot cargo bed which was rated at 1,000 points of payload capacity. Under heavier loads, the four-wheel coil suspension worked with load-leveling shocks to keep things composed and under control.

Chevrolet called its motor/transmission combinations “power teams,” and the variety of power teams was mind boggling. In fact, there were 23 ways you could option things out (two six-cylinders and five V8s were on the list, in addition to few different transmission offerings).

In lieu of one of the factory power teams, today’s featured vehicle is motivated by a remanufactured 350cid small-block that still has the balance of a five-year warranty. Within the last two years, the car reportedly received a long list of mechanical updates. Included are a radiator with electric fans, the fuel sending unit, an Edelbrock carburetor, and replacement components for the alternator, fuel pump, water pump, wiring harness, and ignition switch. The suspension has air-ride in the rear and Monroe shocks up front, and the braking system has been upgraded to four-wheel power discs.

“All that’s lacking now is you behind the wheel,” Chevrolet advertised back in 1966. The same statement holds true today. Let’s find this El Camino a good home.

The asking price is $26,000 or best offer.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, take a look at Pick of the Day.

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