Name Your Favorite Classic Car

For auto enthusiasts, no one car (or truck) is everyone’s favorite. Your choice may be based on the car brand your parents owned, or it may be your first car, or it just may be that car that you've always fantasized about owning. Whatever your reason, there's plenty of diversity in the classic car market. Our love affair for classic cars has saved many of the vintage rides from the crusher, resulting in the diversity of restored classics we see today.

Recently, a one-of-a-kind Mustang, the Super Snake, and the infamous Eleanor, from the movie, "Gone in 60 Seconds," sold for $1.3 million and $1 million, respectively. Obviously, these very unique classics are out of the reach of most of us, but if money were no object, what car would you buy? Here are some of the responses I received when posing that question.

 

1970 Hemi Superbird
Brian's Favorite

The outrageous Plymouth Superbird is always a crowd pleaser, with its drop nose and tall rear wing. Find one with a Hemi, and you have a blue chip collectible. The above car (w/Hemi) was photographed at the 2013 Gooding and Co auction in Scottsdale, AZ. The selling price was $165,000. Ever wonder why these NASCAR lookalikes, sold to the public, have vinyl roofs?

 

1970 Dodge Daytona
Brian's Favorite

The cousin of the Superbird, the Daytona, was Chrysler’s other “Winged Warrior” on the NASCAR circuit. In fact, the one shown above was the actual car driven by Bobby Isaac in the 1970 season (on display at the NASCAR Hall of Fame Museum in Charlotte, NC). In this car, Isaac won 11 races, the NASCAR series championship, and then went on to set several speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

 

1970 Buick GSX Stage 1
Greg's Favorite

This Buick GSX, painted in the popular yellow with black accents, was spotted on display at the 2013 Charlotte Spring Auto Fair. Its next stop was Russia were the new buyer obviously had a passion for American muscle cars, just as we do here in the States

 

1970 AAR Cuda
Mark's Favorite

The All American Racing (AAR) Cuda is a special edition MOPAR used in SCAA road racing. It has a small block 340 engine, a unique blacked out hood, functional hood scoop, and strobe-light side striping. The above car sold at Mecum’s 2013 Auction in Kissimmee, FL for $55,000.

 

1970 Rebel Machine
Tim's Favorite

American Motors was also a player in the Muscle Car era, offering a car called the “Machine." These are rare, but one was spotted at the 2013 Daytona Turkey Run spring event, hanging out with other American Motors club members. A few years back one sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction for $16,200.

 

1970 – 1971 Firebird Formula SD455
William's Favorite

The 1973 Super Duty (SD) 455 Firebird is certainly a hot setup and a rare bird. Arguably the last of the muscle cars in an era when all car manufacturers switched priorities from performance to better gas mileage. Only 43 examples of this car were built making them highly collectable and commanding prices of $70K and higher.

 

1969 Big Block Corvette
Brian's Favorite

If you like Corvettes with big block motors, this 427 L88 convertible is as good as it gets. The original owner of this car drove it across the auction block at Mecum’s 2012 Kissimmee event, where it sold for $610,000. If you ever see someone starting one of these bad boys, notice that the hood is raised first. Know why?

 

1967 CSX Cobra 427
Brian's Favorite

One of the most copied body styles in the auto world, the Shelby Cobra continues to be a strong favorite of many car enthusiasts. The Cobra was quite a performer with the HiPo 289 engines, but when Carroll dropped the Ford 427 power plant in the little sports car, it became the car to beat on and off the track. The above photo is 1 of 29 original 1967 CSX Cobras built by Shelby American. This one sold in 2013 at RM Auctions, Scottsdale for $2,000,000

 

1970 Oldsmobile 442 W30
William's Favorite

The W30 model was the ultra-high performance variant of the legendary 442 Oldsmobile. The above convertible sold at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction earlier this year for $137,500.

 

1969 Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds
Thomas's Favorite

Teamed with the Hurst 4-speed and the big block 455 engine, this car wasn't “your father’s Oldsmobile.” The above car sold at Mecum’s Indy auction for $76,000.

 

1967 Shelby Cobra
Terry's Favorite

All Shelby Cobras are special, but this car has a very unique history. It was formerly owned by Carroll Shelby, and at his direction, it was built with an unpainted polished aluminum body. Initially, Carroll had planned to have all Cobras finished this way, but it was cost prohibitive to do so. The above Cobra recently sold at the Mecum Indy auction for $320,000.

 

1969 Dodge Charger R/T
Steve's Favorite

The 1969 Dodge Charger was born to be a TV and movie star. The General Lee may be the most recognized, but how about the wild Charger Van Diesel drove in “The Fast and Furious?" And here it is, the actual 1969 Charger R/T used in the movie. Interestingly,it was modified with parts from a 1968 and 1970 Charger. It sold in 2013 at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction for $97,500.

 

Pontiac GTO
Tim M's Favorite

When you talk muscle cars, the Pontiac GTO is always one of the cars that makes the list. The GTO formula, a big engine in a mid-sized body with sporty styling, is the definition of a muscle car. The 1967 convertible model (in red of course) is hard to beat in looks and in the quarter mile. A GTO such as this go for at least $45,000.

Name Your Favorite Car

 

Your favorite car might not cost $1 million, but tell us here what classic car you'd buy if money were no object. If we have a photo, we'll post your dream car.