Just Cars Club

Hot-rodding is a popular American culture. The phenomenon was first covered by magazines. Glossy print names such as The Rodders Journal, Hot Rod Magazine, Street Rodder, Popular Hot Rodding, and Rod and Custom Magazine are just a few of the magazines that feature this staple activity in the American life.

In addition to print, hot-rodding likewise gained mileage in the visual wing of the media. Discovery Channel featured a lot of hot-rod documentaries such as Monster Garage, American Hot Rod, and Overhauling. And television shows such as My Classic Car and Horsepower TV also had dedicated episodes on topics about hot-rodding.

Tom Wolfe wrote about it in his book “The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby.” Even the Beach Boys sang about it in “My Little Deuce Coupe.”

Hot-rodding mostly began in the 1930’s in Southern California where people started modifying light cars with big engines and started racing them on the vast and empty lake beds northeast of Los Angeles. The original hot rods were old cars that were reduced to weigh less and improve aerodynamics.

After World War II, many small airports were abandoned in the country. In effect, these venues allowed hot rodders to race on marked courses. World War II also helped the hobby’s popularity especially in California where a lot of returning soldiers had been given technical training in the service to modify such cars.

At the heart of it all, the 1932 Ford Roadster was the car that every hot-rodder wanted. It was the car that changed the automobile industry forever. It was simple, lean and it had a coveted handsome body. It also had a very affordable engine, the V8, which rewarded the 1932 Ford Roadster with the reputation as the perfect car for a nation that was obssessed with speed.

But then just like like everything else, hot-rodding’s popularity started to wane. Car shows and drag racing divided the hot-rodding community. Then Detroit released muscle cars like the Plymouth Roadrunner and the Pontiac GTO. With these muscle cars, there was longer any need to put a Cadillac engine in a Ford Roadster. The Pontiac GTO could outperform any hot rod and it offered more passenger space. There was no longer any need to spend time to build and tune the car by oneself. The muscle cars had it all.

But today, the hot rod culture lives on. And in January 2007, hod rod culture even celebrated its 75th anniversary by releasing The 75 Most Influential “1932 Ford Hot Rods”. The list was commissioned by Ford where a panel of hot rod experts reviewed some four hundred seventy-four worthy cars and whittle it down to seventy-five cars.

So if you are interested to be part of the hot rod culture, I advise you to first try renting the car in one of Las Vegas car rentals. By renting it you would have a sample of experiencing the car, not just in some nostalgic showroom, but on the gravel itself. If you don’t like it, you won’t have any regrets because you can return it after renting. But if you like it (which I’m pretty much sure you will), then well and good.

What started out as a simple ingenious way of putting things together became a great well of classic cars. The Ford Motor Company started out as a small group of three people working together to form a few simple cars. Each person would work on a different component, thus making the process much quicker. And when this style of work grew onto large scales, it defined how car creation would be.

Ford is undeniably a legendary creator of classic cars. Here we will take a look at some of the great defining vintage cars that this company has made.

The Model T

Made in 1908, this car made all those horse-powered carriages become a simple tourist novelty. The Model T heralded the real start of popular automobile usage. Its success came with the fact that it was affordable. Ford’s assembly-line way of production paid off. It was so popular that it was in fact considered to be the world’s best selling car design before the Volkswagen Beetle dominated the race–which was almost 60 years after!

The Model A

Ford had it strange with the alphabet. After Model T, the next fashionable car that Ford has introduced was the Model A in 1927. It was a simple and elegant car, but with additions that would define what a car would be for years. Take for example the four-wheel mechanical brakes, as well as the hydraulic shock absorbers. It had a starting price of around $300-$400. And now, a not-so-restored Model A roadster sells for $20,000 at the least. How’s that for a classic car value.

The Model B

The Model B could not have made it to this list of classic cars because it looked so much like the Model A. But it carried a very important artifact–the V8 engine. Yes, Ford Motor Companies created this monster of an engine, and they put it in one of their signature cars. The V8 engine also defined how a car’s performance should be: powerful, speedy, but affordable.

The Fairlane

Jump to 15 years after the Model B and the V8, and we have the first set of big cars. The Fairlane would start the trend of hood-and-trunk cars, with a classy look to boot. The Fairlane was in fact, the car for the ’50s and ’60s that it has permeated into the milkshake culture of that era.

The Thunderbird

The T-bird is also one of the defining cars that Ford has made. It is literally a sports car available for normal people, and which could be driven safely on the road. The Thunderbird is really a beauty, demand on the classic car market for first to third generation ones reached great proportions.

The Mustang

The Mustang is another trendsetter. Large muscle cars abound in the 60s, but Ford is not a company that conforms. The Mustang was the first of the ‘pony’ cars, with the long hood and short deck make. This car was so sweet and **** that it was given a starring role as Mr. Bond’s car in Goldfinger.

Aside from these cars, Ford provided us with quality trucks, buses, and even tractors. Though they may not be collectible, Ford Motor Company’s versatility showed through these utility vehicles. Still, what defines Ford is its ability to set a trend in automobile making, be it an affordable car, a high-performance engine, or new designs. And this trendsetting ability is what makes Ford’s vehicles valuable classic cars.

Everyone out there loves a muscle car. From the roar of that huge engine to the flames on the hood, it is hard to resist looking when you hear one rumbling down the road. But, most people don’t really know the history behind the “muscle car”, like who created the first one and when were they introduced on the market?

Almost every historian and car buff credits Pontiac with the first “muscle car” on the market, which was a variation on the Tempest, the 1964 GTO. This first muscle car offered a huge V-8 engine that boasted 389 cubic inches and a floor-shift manual transmission instead of on the column. With a newer, sleek look and trim inside and out that was to die for, who could resist the car that was born that year. These cars sold like hotcakes, even though Pontiac was in direct violation of a General Motors policy on the size of the engines that are placed in their vehicles. It didn’t matter, the muscle car was born, and everyone rushed to get in on the action.

These muscle cars had great performance that was fit for the street or the races, and allowed them to completely dominate every race that they were placed in. It wasn’t long before other auto companies wanted a piece of the action, and more styles of muscle cars were born. While some of these other muscle cars bragged about bigger engines and more options, the youth market in America didn’t care. The muscle car was all the rage because they embodied rebellion, style, and “coolness”. But, with every era comes an end, and in the later 1960’s there was an uprising about the prices and weights of these muscle cars, which prompted the auto manufacturers to create a “budget muscle car”, which carried names like the “Road Runner”.

Though they were wildly popular, the muscle car didn’t quite sell as many as their manufacturers would have liked, but their rise in popularity has not been matched since. No other type of car in history has been able to create such an air of personality as the muscle car has. But, toward the mid 1970’s, these smaller, budget muscle cars once again got a boost. The competition in the auto industry was heating up once more, and the muscle cars produced during this time boasted some of the biggest engines ever thought of, like the 450 big block. Although this created yet another spike in sales and popularity, concerns about the safety of these cars gave way to more protests and problems. With some of the other industries, like the insurance agencies, protesting the larger muscle cars and refusing to insure them, the sales of these powerful icons plummeted. Then, another crushing blow to the muscle car, the oil problems that plagued the world in the late 70’s and early 80’s ended the muscle car altogether, and auto manufacturers removed them completely from the market.

But, even today, the muscle car is still sought after by car buffs, collectors, motor-heads, and rebels in general. They are sought out, fixed up, and rumbling down the road in every town across the United States, and even all over the world. No matter how old or young you are, the muscle car still holds unquestionable bragging rights as well as an instant pass to “coolness”.

Hot-rodding is a popular American culture. The phenomenon was first covered by magazines. Glossy print names such as The Rodders Journal, Hot Rod Magazine, Street Rodder, Popular Hot Rodding, and Rod and Custom Magazine are just a few of the magazines that feature this staple activity in the American life.

In addition to print, hot-rodding likewise gained mileage in the visual wing of the media. Discovery Channel featured a lot of hot-rod documentaries such as Monster Garage, American Hot Rod, and Overhauling. And television shows such as My Classic Car and Horsepower TV also had dedicated episodes on topics about hot-rodding.

Tom Wolfe wrote about it in his book “The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby.” Even the Beach Boys sang about it in “My Little Deuce Coupe.”

Hot-rodding mostly began in the 1930’s in Southern California where people started modifying light cars with big engines and started racing them on the vast and empty lake beds northeast of Los Angeles. The original hot rods were old cars that were reduced to weigh less and improve aerodynamics. After World War II, many small airports were abandoned in the country. In effect, these venues allowed hot rodders to race on marked courses. World War II also helped the hobby’s popularity especially in California where a lot of returning soldiers had been given technical training in the service to modify such cars.

At the heart of it all, the 1932 Ford Roadster was the car that every hot-rodder wanted. It was the car that changed the automobile industry forever. It was simple, lean and it had a coveted handsome body. It also had a very affordable engine, the V8, which rewarded the 1932 Ford Roadster with the reputation as the perfect car for a nation that was obsessed with speed.

But then just like like everything else, hot-rodding’s popularity started to wane. Car shows and drag racing divided the hot-rodding community. Then Detroit released muscle cars like the Plymouth Roadrunner and the Pontiac GTO. With these muscle cars, there was longer any need to put a Cadillac engine in a Ford Roadster. The Pontiac GTO could outperform any hot rod and it offered more passenger space. There was no longer any need to spend time to build and tune the car by oneself. The muscle cars had it all.

But today, the hot rod culture lives on. And in January 2007, hod rod culture even celebrated its 75th anniversary by releasing The 75 Most Influential “1932 Ford Hot Rods”. The list was commissioned by Ford where a panel of hot rod experts reviewed some four hundred seventy-four worthy cars and whittle it down to seventy-five cars.

So if you are interested to be part of the hot rod culture, I advise you to first try renting the car in one of Las Vegas car rentals. By renting it you would have a sample of experiencing the car, not just in some nostalgic showroom, but on the gravel itself. If you don’t like it, you won’t have any regrets because you can return it after renting. But if you like it (which I’m pretty much sure you will), then well and good.

Come visit the websites of these exotic car rentals in Las Vegas. These websites already offer car models, prices, rental polices, special offers and reservations. Live out and be a part of the American Way in an exotic rental such as the 1932 Ford Roadster. This is the American Way as you know it, discover it first hand here in Las Vegas.

When you saw the headline you probably wondered, what is this guy smoking. Just think about it for a moment, neither one of them is still around but both are a big part of our culture. Who hasn’t heard of the T-Rex(as he’s better known as) or a GTO? I think by the end of this article you’ll agree with me,at least a little bit, that there are at least some similarities.

First of all let’s take a look at how T-Rex evolved could have evolved. I would imagine the 1st dinosaurs were fairly small, egg layers and most likely plant eaters. Suppose (you really have to use your imagination) there was a nest of newly hatched reptiles and as usually happens the most agressive got the most food and grew to be the biggest. Now suppose the mother wasn’t able to bring any more food (for whatever reason) to the babies. They would probably start fighting over what ever scraps they could find and the largest one might take a bite out of one of the others. Finding he or she liked it he would eventually eat all the rest of them. By then be he would be big enough and bad enough to take on the world. Now suppose this same scenario happened close by but with one of the opposite ***. I think you can get the picture of how T-Rex evolved. Eventually some outside forces caused the T-Rex along with all the other dinosaurs to die out, exactly how is the center of much debate about the subject.

Now then we come to the muscle car evolution. Of course we know how the muscle car died out. It took the muscle car roughly 60-70 years to evolve in comparison to the millions for T-Rex, although the life span of our subjects compared to the overall span of existence could be similar. We know the muscle car existed for approximately 9 years or about 12% of the life span of the automobile up the end of the muscle car. It’s possible the T-Rex was around for the same percentage of time.

When the automobile became more than just an idea, it was inconceivable to anyone that eventually it would become the fire-breathing monster machine called the muscle car. Let’s examine how this happened. The first machines that qualified as an automobile car had less than 20 horsepower while the advertised horsepower of the most powerful production muscle car was 450 horsepower in the 1970 Chevy 454. Of course today you’ll find modern cars with even more but we’re talking about the classic car age.

I would say the horsepower race really started in 1955 likely due to the rivalry between Ford and Chevrolet, even thought Oldsmobile had an overhead V8 clear back in 1949. In 1954 Ford came out with an overhead valve engine followed by Chevrolet in 1955 and Mopar in 1956. Chevy’s was larger than Fords and Mopar’s bigger still and away went the horsepower race. Even though the horsepower was starting to climb at a dizzying rate,the engines were still being put in the standard configuration of the bigger the car the bigger the engine.

1959-1960 was when the compact car made an appearance (and set the stage for the muscle car along with the bigger engines) with the Big 3 all having them. The American public had a taste of horsepower and now they were asked to go back to little 6 cylinder engines. Needless to say it was a tough sell for the compacts, but their day was coming.

Things were pretty static for the next few years with the horsepower wars marching along. Chevrolet had the 348 CI engine in 1958 and then made it into the 409 in 1961. In 1962 it was the first production engine to hit 1 horsepower per 1 cubic inch. They got to a 396 CI in 1965 and the 427 in 1966. In 1970 they were up to 454 CI.

Ford engines were kind of lagging behind until 1961 when they came out with the 390 CI and then a 406 CI engine in 1962. In 1963 they were up to 427 CI and 428 CI in 1966. The biggest one, the 429 CI came in 1969.

Mopars were up to the 392 Hemi in 1958 and the 413 Wedge replaced the Hemi in 1959. In 1966 they came out with a 426 Hemi and in 1967 a all new 440 CI monster. 1971 was the last year for these engines.

Meanwhile Oldsmobile jumped into the horsepower race with a 330 CI engine in 1964 and a 400 CI in 1965. In 1970 they came out with their biggest at 455 CI. Buick pretty well stayed out of the race until 1963 when they came out with a 401 and 425 CI. In 1967 the 430 replaced the 425 CI.Their huge 455 CI debuted in 1970. Pontiac brought out the 389 CI in 1961 with a 400 and a 428 CI coming out in 1967. Their big 455 CI came out in 1970.

During all of this engine one-ups-manship the boys at Pontiac used a GM technicality to their advantage and stuffed a 389 CI into a Tempest. Although this was reported as the first muscle car the Olds had the 442 and a number of other models had bigger engines for 1964 and earlier years.

Looking back,because GM dropped their engine cubic inch restrictions in 1970 most of the cars increased the cubes to even bigger sizes. I imagine this is one reason the insurance companies put huge premiums on the muscle cars. 1970 was also the goverment passed the Clean Air Act. Those two things started the demise of the muscle car and then the oil crisis finished them off. By 1972 all the manufacturers except Pontiac hhad thrown in the towel and that was the real end of the muscle car era. The Pontiac TransAm came out as a muscle car in 1973 and 1974 but it was a fairly toothless T-Rex.

If you follow the auctions or keep up with the prices of muscle cars you’ll see that they are getting their revenge for being killed off in the prices they’re bringing nowadays.

Hopefully no one will take this article too seriously and challenge me on my suppositions and treatment of history. I think the engine and car facts are correct but if not don’t get too bent out of shape over it. It’s intended to be entertaining rather than a treatise of history.

Just like the T-Rex the muscle car had a brief but illustrious life in the overall scheme of history. They both packed a lot of dynamics into the short time they were on earth and will both forever be a part of history that is engrained in our hearts and minds.

The 1970 Plymouth Cuda is a beautiful re-design of its previous models. An increased width of 5 inches allowed more powertrain options. The uncluttered and clean appearance of the this truly respected and memorable Plymouth was designed by sheet metal and styling. The smooth features of the exterior side were fenders, quarter panels with flush mounted door handles. The grill had single headlamp, two rectangular inlets with urethane coated electrometric bumpers which were optional. The Cuda looked like a pony car with the long hood and deck lid. Interior features such as high back buckets, steering wheel, smooth edges, large gauges and door panels gave a new look to the car. The 1970 Cuda was available with options like rear spoiler, rear window louvers, Hurst pistol grip shifter, Ralleye wheels, hood scoops, fog lamps, hockey stick striped quarter panels with attractive colors of TorRed, Lemon Twist, In Violet, Vitamin C and Lime Light. The Cuda 70 cars were considered as the most valuable Mopar muscle cars which were available in coupe and convertible models. There was 21,017 Cudas produced during the 1970 model year.

The 1971 Plymouth Cuda saw some changes from the 70 model which included a cheese grater grill with 4 headlights, tail lights, fin like vents on fenders. The model included billboard decals which were optional on quarter panels covering door to rear side of the Plymouth car. The engine sizes during the year were 340, 383, 440 and hemi with optional electrometric bumpers. Interior of the car was upgraded with good seats and grip with options of split buckets. With minimal styling changes, the 1971 Cuda was most sought after by the people. Coupe and convertible models were available and totally 6602 Cuda cars were produced during the year.

The Plymouth Cuda muscle car was released in 1972 with drastic changes from its previous models. During the period of the car, just like Detroit muscle cars, the Plymouth also faced issues of insurance pressures, gas shortages and emission standards. The features of the old model such as shaker scoop, shaker and big blocks were changed by small low compression blocks. The exterior Cuda had minimal changes. The single headlights of the 1972 Cuda were just like the 1970 model. Instead of using horizontal blind style which existed in the models of previous years, larg dual round unit tail lights were used in the 1972 Plymouth Cuda model. There were some minor exterior changes which included optional striping and not hockey stripe or billboard. The interior of the Cuda looked much the same as its previous models. But the advertisements of the car boasted standard bucket seats offering the users better grip and comfort compared to its previous models. The 1972 Plymouth Cuda was available in two basic options viz., 318 2bbl or hi performance 340 cid motor. The Plymouth Barracuda was available with a 4 speed including a pistol grip shifter. The 1972 Cuda came in a Coupe model. The 318 cid model had engine options of 8.8 Comp., 150 HP with standard motor whereas 340 model had engine of 8.5 Comp., and 240 HP. During the year 7828 total Cuda cars were produced much to the muscle car crowds enjoyment.

It’s quite hard to deny how muscle cars seem to be a standard part in the classic American culture. Muscle cars are often seen to be the epitome of rebellion and freedom – hence, it was widely embraced by the people, regardless of whether it was a necessity or not.

The 1960s was an integral part in the history of muscle cars. It was when these powerful beauties were the biggest thing to hit America. Nobody needed such a powerful car but everybody wanted it. Marketing and promotion went a long way for muscle cars – they were expensive and more often than not, only the upper echelons of society could afford them. People of lesser financial standing chose to buy the muscle cars’ lesser-powered cousins just because the latter still looked like muscle cars.

Automobile makers were of course forced to make their respective muscle cars what it really should be: fast and powerful. It was a competition between big car companies – who could make their cars stronger and who could market them better. Drag races showing the speed and power of muscle cars were rampant in the 1960s. It was unlawful but nobody cared; rebellion was the only way to go.

These drag races proved to be useful, if not dangerous. It was in these demonstrations of speed were the automakers themselves came up with new parts that will make their muscle cars even better. Pushing the limits even more, the automakers were backed up by executives of automobile companies. Everyone who wanted to be someone came, watched and researched about the different muscle cars that showcased their speed during races. Mini-factories were even set up to make the already-better cars…even better.

This was the time when popular names in the muscle car world came to be: Nickey

A royal blue 1967 GTO with 325 hp, 3 deuces and 4 on the floor, one of the most famous muscle car during the high-performance automobile history. Guys love the looks and the speed while the girls loved the guys who own the GTO. Just say GTO, people knew it was from Pontiac. It was also known as “The Goat”, “The Legend” and “The Great One”. There was a even a song called Little GTO that summed up what the GTO was all about. Prior to 1964, high speed performance cars were full-size hardtops and sedans that had the weight of a Sherman tank but had the largest displacement engines available. They were a little slow off the line, but once you got that tank rolling, they were like a runaway freight train.

Factory Hot Rods became real. In October of 1963, the GTO was born. Pontiac offered the GTO option for only $295. They quietly added to the option list of the 1964 Pontiac Tempest/LeMans. The GTO option package included a 325-horsepower 389-cubic-inch V8 with dual exhausts, a Carter AFB four-barrel carburetor, a mild hydraulic camshaft, and the kind of whip lashing neck pain street-grabbing torque that left a smile on your face. Other standard features included a manual three-speed transmission with a Hurst shifter (in those days the Hurst shifter was not only very good but also very cool), a heavy-duty clutch (very much needed), heavy-duty suspension, US Royal red-line tires, a 3.23:1 rear axle ratio, twin hood scoops, and an assortment of GTO emblems. The GTO emblem itself was just as famous as the car itself.

Body Styles were important. Pontiac provided the GTO option on three LeMans bodies, the two-door coupe, hardtop, and convertible. More hardtops were produced and shown to be the most popular than the combined total of the coupes and convertibles. Engines with the single four-barrel carburetor outsold the Tri-Power models by a margin of three to one. I still remember the sound of my three deuces ******* air when the gas pedal was on the floor. Needless to say, you could also see the gas gauge move down toward empty. Fortunately, gas was only $0.20 a gallon. Can you imagine owning one today and driving it like a teenage of the 1960’s?

What Made The GTO So Coveted? Some things you never forget such as my 1967 GTO with 3 deuces. It was a good thing it had a windshield because I would have had bugs stuck to my teeth from grinning so much. The thrill of standing still, shifting into first gear, revving up that sweet engine and letting out the clutch and being plastered to the back of the seat was pure adrenaline pumping. That was my first experience of “pulling G’s”. Last time I felt that type of adrenaline rush was during chopper auto-rotations in Nam. That was 40 years ago and I still love my GTO. Maybe it is the legend. Maybe we have gotten the legend mixed up with reality. All I know is I can’t help but smile when I remember my little GTO.

It is hard to explain to my children why it was so special. I owned a 1955 Ford though it was pretty it just didn’t have the appeal of the GTO. The royal blue was my favorite. I have a friend whose color was plum. Can you remember vinyl seats? I can! They were cool looking and very hot functionally. I remember leaving my skin on the seat many times getting out that car. Getting in the summer meant either cooking your legs or trying to keep a towel in the car to sit on. Once you started up that 389, you were transported to another world. The purr of that engine, the feel of the Hurst shifter and watching the gas needle drop was worth all the pain of sitting on a hot seat. What hot seat?

How Do You Get A Piece of History Today? There are many GTO’s still available that are being offered by GTO lovers who have been taken care of by their lovers. You can find them on the web.

Pontiac also has brought back the name of the GTO. They are still pretty fast. In the long run against the 1964 GTO, they can outrun them for the distance but put the two together on a quarter mile strip and the early muscle car is still king. There is just something about the Goat. Once you drive one, old or new, you just have to own one.

It is easier to spot a classic car than to know how much it is worth. You may know that the Oldsmobile Cutlass hanging out in your garage is a real sweet vintage ride, but you might have a difficult time deciding how much to sell it. Or maybe you have spotted that Cutlass, but do not know whether the price is worth it.

Worry no more, as here is an easy guide on how to estimate classic car values.

1. Research on Market Values from Dealers

Classic car values are almost always fluctuating, as all car values are. By researching the market value of a classic car sold by professional dealers, you can have a clear marker as to how much a vehicle in a certain condition is worth.

However, remember that this is a dealer’s price, so expect that it is overpriced from 10%-20%. There are many other determinants of price that are oftentimes not covered by dealer-based values, such as your own preference and the demand for that car. Nonetheless, market values from dealers are still a good marker.

2. Check the Condition of the Car

The condition of the car is usually the biggest determinant of its value. Most classic car enthusiasts use a five-point rating system, as follows:

Excellent: A car in perfect and near-mint condition, usually drivable.

Very Good: A car with some very minor scratches or engine and mechanism faults, but is still almost perfect and drivable.

Good: A car with some very repairable damages, but still needs little effort to restore and is still drivable.

Fair: A car that needs a lot of restoration work, with signs of abuse such as dents, scratches, and rust. If a car is not drivable because of engine, brake, or other mechanical failures, but has a solid exterior look, it will fall in this category.

Parts car: A car that cannot be plausibly restored because of heavy damage. A parts car, as its name suggests, is usually bought only for its reusable parts.

A car in an excellent condition could be sold for twice or thrice its original price and collectors will still buy it. Cars in the good or fair condition are the usual ones that you will see in the market.

3. Customization is a Minus

A classic car with an A/C unit, a fuel-efficient engine, and soft seats may be convenient, but these modifications often bring down the value of a car. Customized paintjobs may look cool, but they still decrease the possible price. The reason for this is simple: original parts are harder to find, and maintaining them are more difficult too. Expect a car with almost all original parts (including the wheels) and paint color to have a really large price tag attached to it.

4. Rarity is a Plus

Classic Dodge Chargers may be valued highly, but Chargers with a Hemi engine is a gold mine. This is because Hemi engine-equipped Chargers were made in very limited numbers. If you have one in your old man’s garage, you may want to reconsider that engine change.

5. Original Options are a Plus

Turbo and superchargers might increase a muscle car’s values, given that they are original parts. Because the ‘61 Bullet T-bird is used as a pace car for Indianapolis 500, it has some original era modifications which increase its value.

Remember, when buying or selling classic cars, consider the condition, the originality, rarity, and the added options. Put this side by side with the market value from dealers, and adjust as needed.

Most classic car collectors (me included) have always maintained that a 4-door sedan wasn’t really a classic car. Usually the argument was about the styling and desirablility. A popular argument has alway been "just because it’s old

doesn’t make it a classic". This is likely still true but all older cars that have been restored may be viewed as a classic car to some degree. It’s true that a coupe or convertible is

going to be more desirable than a 4-door in most cases, but later I’ll give you some reasons why a 4-door might be the way to go.

In this article classic cars will basically be a catchall name for all the cars that I’m discussing here, so bear with me.

Here is a brief trip through history to try and explain how the 4-door kind of got shoved aside as a classic car. If someone is restoring or making a street rod from the twenties, thirties or

forties car a 4-door is sometimes more desirable than a roadster or a coupe. This is due to utility being very important as a lot of owners like to cruise with their family and friends.

In 1949 there was a big change as most cars now came with rear seats and could carry four or more people in comfort, so there wasn’t much reason to choose the utility of a sedan over a coupe or convertible. With the utility factor gone buyers started buying classic cars based on desirability. This really kicked into high gear when the hardtops became the hot ticket in the

early fifties.

When the muscle car era began in 1964 almost no one looking for a muscle car ordered a 4-door because muscle cars were built on the premise of low weight and high horsepower. Today most

buyers would prefer a car from 1964 to 1972 to be a muscle car or at least have the appearance of one which of course excludes the 4-doors.

As I’m writing this I’m beginning to be a little more tolerant of 4-doors than I was yesterday. This started this morning as I approached a 1966 Chevelle Malibu from the rear and saying to

myself "that’s a good looking classic car" and then as I passed I said "too bad it’s a 4-door". Shortly after the "different strokes for different folks syndrome" kicked in and I started

thinking, there must be some reasons why a 4-door would be a good car to own and by golly I thought of some. Even though a 4-door (even a 4-door hardtop) will never have style of a hardtop or

a convertible there are a number of reasons why they are a good deal. Here they are:

1. First of all, the price is going to be much less than a hardtop, sometimes as much as 50% less, mainly because they are less desirable.

2.Secondly many 4-doors are still original. A lot of them will be one or two owner cars and likely be low milage. Many will be passed down from parents and will be in very good condition. This is a plus as there will be less expense for restoration and you can put your own touches on it.

3. Third the utility is greater in a 4-door because of the back doors letting people get in and out easier plus there will be more leg room. Kids, wives and older people will appreciate this.

4. Fourth your insurance will likely cost less than the sportier cars as the insurance company will know that someone who buys a 4-door will likely be a safer driver because it’ll probably be a family car.

5. Fifth the operating cost most likely be less because most of the 4-door cars had smaller engines and most had automatic transmissions.

This in itself will keep the desire to hotrod down to a minimum which will save money in gas and parts.

6. Sixth and probably most important is the fact that the wife will be much more receptive to your buying a classic car if you can explain how the whole family can go cruising instead of just you and your buddy. I speak from experience.

There are likely more reasons for someone to buy a 4-door but I can’t think of them right now. If you have any let me know and I update this

article it the future.

Author: Don Levy My website at Classic Car Hunter has over a thousand classic cars and trucks, muscle cars, hotrods street rods and assorted cars for sale along with an area to list your car for sale.

There are also many articles like this about the classic car hobby.

My blog address is Classic Car Hunter Blog