This rare 2003 Avelate Corvette convertible pays homage to the 1953 Corvette. It is the first of only two built by the Avelate Automotive Co. in 2003 to pay tribute to 50 years of Corvette styling. Avelate masterfully crafted some subtle but distinctive ’53 cues into a new 2003 Anniversary […]
Author: B. Mitchell Carlson
B. Mitchell Carlson has been an SCM contributor since 1998. Our resident truck guy, B. Mitchell has been writing about the vintage-truck market for 30 years. The first vehicle he ever drove was his father’s 1968 Ford F-100 pickup.
1964 Volkswagen Type 2 Microbus Deluxe
VW won the hearts of collectors. The best first-generation Ford Econoline would be hard pressed to bring $10k, even with $5k in pennies in the back The Type 2, as its name suggests, was the second variant of the VW Beetle (Type 1), using the same running gear, and was […]
2003 Z06 Hard Top
When Chevrolet revisited its past to introduce a new Z06 two-door hard top in 2001, it also added $7,000 to the base car’s $40,475 sticker price. The new Z06 offered a new, more powerful engine, the 386-hp LS6. The LS6 had a new block, new intake and exhaust manifolds, new […]
1959 Volkswagen Beetle 1200 2-Door Sedan
The pool of original cars continues to shrink, thanks to fires, floods, rust, and kids with a hankering to build a sand rail {vsig}2009-2_2282{/vsig} The Volkswagen Beetle sedan inspired unusual loyalty and enthusiasm based on its practicality, reliability, adaptability, and affordability. Originally conceived by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche in the […]
1998 Indianapolis Pace Car Convertibles
The 1997 model year remains the single most radically changed Corvette in history. Even with the transition from the C1 to the C2 in 1963 and the C3 to the C4 in 1984, the same engines were carried over from previous years. But with the introduction of the C5, everything […]
1964 Ford Galaxie 500 Hard Top
My 9-year-old son was very agitated as I loaded the car. He said “Dad, you can replace any one of the others-this is unique” {vsig}2008-8_2205{/vsig} Built by tobacco heir Zachary Reynolds, the “Tobacco King” 1964 Ford Galaxie was as wild an example of a Rocket Drag Axle-equipped car as one […]
1963 Dual-Ghia L6.4 Coupe
If the Chrysler-powered Facel-Vega is a French Imperial, consider the L6.4 a Mopar Maserati {vsig}2008-7_2193{/vsig} The brainchild of Eugene Casaroll, the Italian-American hybrid known as the Dual-Ghia was largely based on the Ghia-designed Chrysler Firearrow, a concept car for which he acquired the production rights. Luxurious and extravagant, it had […]
2000/1962 Corvette C5/C1
Classic Reflection Coachworks’s 1962/C5 Conversion transforms a C5 Corvette into a spectacular modern version of a Corvette legend. Titled as a 1962 Chevrolet Special, the car uses a 2000 Corvette chassis with a carbon fiber body. The car combines advanced computer technology and a composite material of carbon fiber and […]
The Million-Dollar ZR1 Bargain
Chevrolet presented the very “First Retailable Unit Built” Corvette ZR1 for auction at Barrett-Jackson on Saturday, January 19, 2008, with all proceeds from the auction to benefit the United Way. The VIN was publicly declared to be number “001” in a unique series within the U.S. DOT standard 17-digit VIN […]
1965 Pontiac GTO Convertible
I suspect the judges who previously gave this car an AACA Senior badge would not have done so on sale day {vsig}2008-2_2128{/vsig} Pontiac first offered the GTO option on the Tempest in 1964, and despite UAW strikes, which kept production down, it was a big hit. The muscle car market […]