Classic Cars

The Auburn Automobile Company was founded in 1900 and went bankrupt only 37 years later. But during its short life Auburn managed to develop and build some cars that are now considered valuable classics. The short-lived Speedster, introduced during Auburn’s last years on the market, is one of them and you can buy one during RM Auction’s Auburn Fall sale between September 3 and 6, 2020.

Trying to pin down the most beautiful road car ever made is an impossible task. There are those that would give an arm and a leg to at least lay eyes on a 250 GTO and others that have altars in their homes dedicated to the Jaguar E-Type or the Lamborghini Miura.

However, among the cars tossed around in this discussion none is probably more exclusive than Alfa Romeo’s Tipo 33 Stradale. While Ferrari built over 30 250 GTOs in the mid-’60s, fewer than 10 Tipo 33s are believed to exist so to come to the realization that one of them is blue, not red, is akin to realizing that the Sun revolves around the Earth and not the other way around.

Because the Porsche 911 is a very popular car, the market is now packed with tuners that modify the German sports car. Among them, there are a few shops that do older 911s. Gunther Werks is one of them, and its reinterpretation of the 993-generation 911 is impressive, to say the least. And it’s not just a beefed-up 911, but a full-fledged race car that’s road legal.

The Chevrolet Corvair is mostly known as a rear-engined compact car that GM built from 1959 to 1969. It was a somewhat innovative car for the era and even though it had handling issues that sparked more than 100 lawsuits, it’s now a prized collectible. But Chevrolet also used the Corvair name for a line of vans and trucks it produced from 1961 to 1965. The Rampside truck just stopped by Jay Leno’s Garage and the TV celebrity explains why it’s an important piece of American history.

We are living in an era when cars are simple objects that we use to get from point A to point B or means of transportation we use to carry goods or make a living. We usually get rid of a car after a few years and buy a new one. But some enthusiasts take good care of their cars, especially if they’re of the vintage variety, collectibles, or worth more than the average vehicle.

Of course, you’d expect the owner of a Ferrari 250 GTO to keep detailed records of his car, but a certain Canadian fellow amassed no fewer than 1,200 pages of service records while owning and taking care of a 1983 Mercedes-Benz W123 wagon.

A lot of automakers partake in the act of rebadging, including General Motors. The General has been rebadging cars about as far back as its own existence, and while there are some pros and cons to the practice, the act of rebadging cars also opens automakers up to a little ribbing from its rivals.

Take this 1986 commercial by Lincoln, for example. Have a look at it and you’ll understand why rebadging cars, while cutting down on production costs for the automaker-in-question, is something that you could be made fun of.

Once upon a time, it was frowned upon within the Porsche community to even own an ’Outlaw’ Porsche. Purists hated these modified examples that had strayed far from the beaten path but that all changed with people such as Magnus Walker breathing new life into the movement and showing the world just how awesome an Outlaw Porsche could be.

The movement, however, dates back decades and this is probably where it all started: Dean Jeffries’ 356A Carrera, which he thoroughly modified taking design cues from the Mercedes 300 SL. Happily, it doesn’t have butterfly doors!

Most people would tell you not to buy a car with visible rust that’s been sitting in a field since the Y2K but that’s not what Vice Grip Garage is all about. No, Vice Grip’s mission is to save as many cars as possible and the fact that this Caddy’s been sunk in a valley bottom all the way to the chassis isn’t a good enough reason to not rescue it.

The Suzuki Samurai reached our shores in 1985 but lived a very short life before the sales hit rock bottom. However, that was enough for enthusiasts and purists to realize that this little off-roader will be remembered for ages to come by. The Samurai was cheap and affordable, and its compact size made it stand out from the horde of other big, bulky, off-road SUVs and trucks.

Over the years, people have realized that the Samurai can go places that even the more accomplished off-roaders can’t. Currently sold as the Jimny worldwide, Suzuki has sold almost three million copies to date since its inception in 1970. Although the Samurai was quite famous in the States, there are a few things that not many people know about. So, here’s a list of 10 surprising facts about the Suzuki Samurai.

The Corvette is America’s sports car, a legend of the automotive industry that’s been around for almost 70 years. With such a rich heritage behind it, as well as given the move from the classic front-engined layout to the rear-mid-engined layout with the arrival of the eighth-generation model, it’s only right that we take a step back and look at the 1953 Corvette C1, the great-great-great grandad of the current ’Vette, the original fiberglass two-seater from GM made to rival Europe’s finest and we do it courtesy of Regular Car Reviews.

Muscle cars from the golden era, which usually include the late 1960s and early 1970s, are highly desirable nowadays. They’re not as expensive as the Ferraris of the 1960s, which fetch millions of dollars, but many of them will require six-figure sums. Luckily, there still are a few affordable muscle cars you can. And even though most of them are a bit more modern, you can still buy a handful of golden-era cars without breaking the bank. Here are our top 10 cheapest muscle cars on the market.

Lowriders have been a part of American car culture since the 1950s. Interest and attention in the subculture have increased in subsequent decades to the point that lowriders aren’t just found in the U.S.; they’re found all over the world.

The essence of a good lowrider hasn’t changed over time, but the interpretation of one has become far more sophisticated in recent memory. There are many different avenues that now come in building the perfect lowrider. But if there’s one thing that hasn’t changed, it’s the choice of cars among those who want to get in on the fun. These 10 cars have long been favorites in the lowrider community. Years can pass, but you can be sure that these rides will remain near and dear to the heart of people who make this subculture as fun and as vibrant as it already is.

First used on cars as antifreeze by Chrysler Motor Parts, Mopar became a brand of its own in 1937. But more importantly, Mopar became a term for any vehicle built by the old Chrysler Corporation and rose to popularity in the 1960s, right before the muscle car wars emerged. Dodge Challenger, Plymouth Barracudas, Chrysler 300s? They were all Mopars back in the day, when what we now know as FCA was fighting for high-performance supremacy with Ford and General Motors. Chrysler built loads of iconic vehicles over the years, so here’s our top 10 list of the most memorable Mopars.

Launched in 1974 as a replacement for the dated Beetle, the Volkswagen Golf became a big hit and quickly transformed into a legendary nameplate that has soldiered on over eight generations.

Although the first-gen Golf was developed as a humble daily driver, Volkswagen also launched a beefed-up GTI model. In addition, the boxy hatchback was converted to race spec as early as 1975. The first Golf race car ever built just showed up for auction at RM Sotheby’s, which will attempt to sell it during an event in Essen, Germany, on June 24.

Cars have been divided into affordable and expensive ever since the early days of the automobile. As Ford began to streamline production for the Model T, which made it affordable to the average Joe, automakers like Rolls-Royce were producing luxurious and expensive cars.

Companies like Bugatti, Duesenberg, and Cadillac soon joined this endeavor to produce the best car in the world, which would also be the most expensive car in the world. As years went by, many of them also became very valuable. Rare cars become collectibles, and collectible status comes with a high price tag. Which are the rarest and most expensive cars on the market right now? Find out in the article below.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread around the world, we keep seeing reports about the terrible financial crisis that’s just around the corner. Of course, automakers are heavily affected by the pandemic and many companies need government support to survive.

We’ve seen this before. The financial downfall of the 1930s saw many U.S. carmakers go bust, while World War 2 and the oil crisis of the 1970s made even more victims. It happened again in the 1980s and in 2008. The latest recession saw GM and Chrysler go bankrupt and brands like Mercury, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Plymouth disappear altogether. But while current predictions are somewhat bleak, we need to stay positive and remember the times when entire companies were saved by one cleverly designed car. Here’s a list of 10 vehicles that saved some of the biggest carmakers out there from going under.

Drifting has its roots in Japan. Ask every petrolhead out there about drifting and he’ll tell you it’s something he attempted at least once in his life. Done right, drifting transcends the motorsport discipline status. Done right, drifting is art. Oh, and drifting has nothing to do with that neon underglow BS from The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift.

Contrary to what some might think, speed is not what primarily drives a drift. Sure, you need some amount of power to get the wheels spinning, but to drift properly, it also takes a lot of skill, rear-wheel-drive, and a light platform (a two-ton S-Class will drift, of course, but it’s way harder to handle).

A 50:50 (or close) weight distribution ratio between the axles helps the cause, too. And we get it. The right car doesn’t come cheap. But since physics applies equally to all earthly things, you don’t have to break the bank to find a good drift car. Some used vehicles will definitely do, so let’s explore the alternatives, shall we?

When you think about classic cars, you probably think about Ferraris and Lamborghinis. But, there were a lot of other cars produced at that time that were absolute crackers. Some were performance-oriented, like your Corvettes, and then there were the luxury sedans, like your Lincolns. You’ll be surprised to see that some famous monikers sell for pretty low prices.

Depending on your choice, you can either choose to get cars that require a restomod, or rebuilding, or you can prefer to go for well-maintained cars that, obviously, retail at a higher price. But, that said, there is definitely no dearth of classic cars in the market, and here’s a list of 10 cars that are dirt cheap in 2020.

Jay Leno’s classic car collection is one of the biggest and most impressive out there. And it includes an amazing amount of rare vehicles. However, Leno is missing the weird and somewhat anonymous Fiat 600 Multipla Mirafiori, an MPV-style hauler built in just five units in 1958. Only two survived and they’re owned by the same enthusiast and he paid Leno a visit to showcase them.

Although James Bond movies typically go together like winter and January, the upcoming No Time To Die installment has made a lot of gearheads happy. You could attribute that to the power of social media and car brands wanting as much exposure as possible, but it’s surely nice that so much car content has been generated by the latest 007 movie.

Daniel Craig’s last ride as James Bond will see some Land Rover Defenders bouncing off rough terrain, crashing, and then bouncing some more. It also motivated Top Gear to go out and drive some of the best Bond cars to feature on the big screen.