Category: classic

The three-tone paint styling that we see on this 1955 Packard Caribbean Convertible is something that was quite unique to the senior Packard line-up.

The Caribbean, around since 1953 and elevated to senior Packard status in 1954 was a flagship model. It was only available as a convertible until its final year in 1956 when a coupe was added.

1955 saw a restyle but because of cost limitations they still used the same body shells that had been in use since 1951. There was a new wraparound windshield and clever use of new trim and slight modifications such as headlights and taillights, it was hard to spot what they had done. Major credit has to go to the Packard designer Richard Teague for an amazing transformation.

Sitting at the top-of-the-line the Caribbean had a whole host of standard features that were optional extras of other cars in the Packard line-up.

The heater was standard. We take that for granted now but it was an $80 option in other Packards. Other features that came standard included: Radio with antenna, 4-way power front seat, power windows, power steering, power brakes, fender skirts and full wheel covers and a full leather interior.

Packard were now finally using V8 engine starting at 320 cubic inches. The Caribbean enjoyed the benefits of the larger 352 cubic inch displacement engine with the most powerful option using dual 4-barrel carburetors. This produced 275 horsepower and came with an Ultramatic Drive automatic transmission as standard, although a 3-speed manual was available as a special order.

Also new for 1955 was Packard’s Torsion Ride self-leveling suspension, something that made Chrysler sit up and take notice as it proved to be exceptionally smooth and something to rival their ownTorsion-Aire.

The Caribbean is 218.5″ long with a wheelbase of 127″ and is 78″ wide.

Packard produced just 500 of these Caribbean Convertibles for the 1955 model year at a base price of $5,932.  This was an expensive car in its day. A Series 62 Cadillac Convertible the same year would have cost around $1,500 less! But make no mistake these were classy cars with Packard producing some lovely cars in the mid fifties. It was such a shame that they were to last just three more years.

In terms of performance, Ford has truly made waves with the latest iterations of the Mustang, especially the hardcore GT350 and GT500 Shelby variants. But there’s still something about the original Shelby Mustangs that clearly captivates gearheads, as proven by the recent auction of Ken Miles’ famous prototype racecar that fetched $3.85 million in July 2020. Ford Mustang and Shelby Mustang owners must be loving all these headlines, hoping that their cars are now creeping up further in value, which translates to the expectation that even more awesome examples will probably hit the market soon. And now, Mecum Auctions has followed up on the “Flying Mustang” with the listing of a 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback that’s received an extensive restoration to transform it into a licensed tribute of the famous “Eleanor” movie car from the Nicolas Cage remake of Gone in 60 Seconds.

Eleanor might very well be the second-most famous movie Mustang of all time, following Steve McQueen’s green car in Bullitt, which had previously held the world record for most valuable auction before Ken Miles’ car shot into the stratosphere. While this Eleanor recreation likely won’t get anywhere near the level of those two Mustangs, it looks certain to command some serious dough thanks to a frame-off build that cost an estimated $200,000.

Of course, fans of the Nicolas Cage film will remember the famous “Go Baby Go” button that activates a NOS system to help him blast away from a helicopter in the Los Angeles River’s concrete channel. This car does feature a nitrous system, to go along with a 427ci V8 and a five-speed stick shift. The interior and body kit were both built by Mustangs To Fear, while coilovers come courtesy of Rod and Custom, with a Heidts four-link setup at the rear. Wilwood braking all around will help slow Eleanor down, even if bidding is likely to be fast and furious.

The original Camaro ZL1 was a model that debuted in 1969 and sold through just a few selected dealerships. It was basically a backdoor model, and not a lot of people even knew about it. It had all-aluminum 427 V8 with over 550 hp, race suspension, and heavy-duty components. It as a real drag racing monster, though, and only 69 were made. These things are still sturdy and dependable by today’s standards, and owning one is a true gift.

America has produced some truly spectacular cars and if you were to draw up a list of some of the greatest cars in its history I can guarantee you that both the Chevrolet Corvette and the Ford Mustang would feature in it heavily. For over half a century these two premier American sports cars have been leading the way in terms of performance, engineering, and innovation.

The world was first introduced to the Chevy Corvette in 1953 at the General Motors Motorama Auto Show in New York City. It was named after a small class of warships that were used during the second world war. Equipped with a 3.9-liter six-cylinder engine the first C1 Corvette rolled off the assembly line, 299 more examples would follow after that.

Over 10 years after its Chevrolet counterpart, the original Ford Mustang went into production. It was a collaborative effort between Ford and Shelby American which produced one of the greatest American Muscle cars of all time.

To be a true American Icon you must have the spirit of an American, you have to be industry-defining and most importantly you have to be a truly special car.

The Corvette was originally a publicity stunt launched by former GM Chief Designer Harley J. Earl. The idea was that America needed a sports car to compete with European carmakers, Ferrari, and Lamborghini. His ingenious idea succeeded and the Chevrolet Corvette was released in 1953. It was the first American sports car and it was ready to take one the world.

The only problem was that the car didn’t sell, well, at first. Despite its sporty look, the car didn’t have a powerful enough engine and this made it unappealing to customers. After a couple of years trying to find its identity, the Corvette was finally equipped with an engine worthy of a sportscar.

In 1969 the Corvette became recognized as the official car for astronauts after members of the Apollo 12 were pictured with their custom 390-hp 427 Corvette Stingray coupes. This unofficial endorsement boosted the car’s popularity and cemented it as America’s premier sports car.

Unlike its Chevy compatriot, the Ford Mustang was anything but a slow burner. When it was released in 1964 the car was an instant hit! It sold almost half a million units in its first year, creating its own vehicle class in the process. The pony car can attribute most of its early success to the Steve Mcqueen movie Bullit which was released in 1968.

Those who drove between the ’60s and ’80s can testify the thrill the El Camino offered on the streets. It was an intersection of a muscle car and pickup that came with 454-cubic-inch LS6 V8 as standard, and a rear-wheel-drive with an impressive 365 horsepower. Unfortunately, due to its body styled like a coupe-fashioned pickup, the El Camino SS454 was a handful to drive.And it does seem a bit ridiculous to offer a 365 horsepower pickup, only to move the power to the rear, which, when you’re not hauling anything isn’t useful.

The Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 was a second-generation muscle car that rocked. Back then the American muscle was dubbed ‘Super Hugger’. It came with a 6 cylinder overhead valve, 350-cubic inch V8, 155-horsepower, and a rear-wheel drive. But the car was not what a muscle car should be. If muscle cars were built to attract attention, this car certainly did– in all the wrong ways. It had very heavy and ugly chrome bumpers. The lower portion of the body below the crease was tucked in, and its strong horizontal crease enhanced its muscular stance but gave the car an awful build. Just the sheer look of it alone ranks among the worst muscle cars ever built.

When asked which is the best classic Mustang design, most people would say 67-68 or 69-70. This time we have a beautiful trio of Mach 1 Mustangs for those who love the 1969-70 Fastbacks. The trio was spotted at a local car show in Helsinki, Finland and the American muscle car enthusiasts over there seems to appreciate them. Check out Jamboolio’s video to see these beautiful classic Mach 1 Mustangs and make sure you watch till the end to see the one from the picture above racing a Corvette.

You definitely don’t see one of these every day. Out of Aurora, Illinois, comes this incredible 1968 Ambassador SST two-door hardtop. A while it may look like something your grandpa used to drive, it does have a few “secrets.” Under the hood is a Typhoon 343 high compression engine married to an automatic. Add to that an Edelbrock carburetor and intake, a performance lift cam, MSD ignition and a performance exhaust. The paint looks showroom qualit

The rarest AMC muscle car is the 1971 Matador with “The Machine Go Package” option. Only 60 of the two-door hardtops were known to be produced. And those 60 people got dual exhaust heavy-duty suspension but had to choose between, “a 360-V8 at 290 horses or the preferred 401-inch V8 with 330-horsepower,” according to the Hannibal Courier-Post. Hopefully, they chose wisely as Fastest Laps has the 330hp version clocking 0-60 times of 6.2 seconds.

Take a run-of-the-mill Rambler and throw in a 390-cu.in. OHV V-8 with a Hurst-shifted Borg-Warner T-10 manual transmission. Add a 3.54 Twin-Grip rear end, large hood scoop and outrageous patriotic color scheme, and you’ve got the coveted 1969 AMC Hurst SC/Rambler. How coveted? They only made 1,512 of the things because nobody wanted to drive around in a clown car. This particular vehicle was one of the first 10 off the assembly line.