B. Mitchell Carlson
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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 format. The car presented on…
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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 was evolving, and in 1965,…
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When Salvaged C5s Go Slumming
Call me an auction junkie, but on one of the few Saturdays that I wasn’t covering a collector car sale, I went to Princeton, Minnesota, for a truck and heavy equipment auction. Along with trucks, tractors, front-end loaders, construction equipment, and other hardcore guy stuff, Wayne Pike Auction Company also sells consigned cars and light…
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1965 Shelby GT350 “Supercharged”
Unveiled by Carroll Shelby on January 27, 1965, the GT350 fastback had a fiberglass hood and functional scoop, and a clean-looking grille with a tri-color horse on the driver’s side. All 1965 Shelbys were Wimbledon White with a blue GT350 side stripe below the door. Dealer option Le Mans stripes were available, running down the…
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1975-76 Chevrolet Cosworth-Vega
It’s not hard to find a well-maintained, low-mileage car, as they were something of an “instant collectible” in their day, with a small but ardent following When Chevrolet’s new compact, the Vega, came to the market for 1971, it was intended to compete with imports landing on both U.S. coasts. Shortly before the car’s introduction,…
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M3A1 Stuart Light Tank
British troops called the gasoline-powered American tanks ‘Ronsons.’ Like the cigarette lighter slogan of the day, they ‘lit the first time when struck’ The catalog description for the M3 Stuart light tank was sparse but pithy. Manufacturer: American Car & Foundry Co., U.S.A. Crew: Four. Engine: Continental W-670-9A; 7-cyl. engine. Length: 450cm. Width: 246cm. Height:…
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1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner Retractable
Even if the Commies had beaten us in space exploration, we had both the hideaway hard top and the Edsel The Ford Fairlane Skyliner can claim to be America’s first production convertible to feature a retractable hard top. Introduced as Ford’s top-of-the-range model in 1955, the Fairlane was rival to Chevrolet’s successful Bel Air and…
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1990 BMW Z1
The Z1’s clean lines are less contrived than the Bubba-built Z3’s cow-catcher face-and we won’t even mention the Z4 {vsig}2005-4_1834{/vsig} BMW’s sensational Z1 sports car was essentially a concept car that went into production. The Z1 was special indeed, a front-mid-engined sports car with rear-wheel drive and excellent handling. Its straight-six, 2.5-liter, 170-hp engine gave…
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1970 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Convertible
Not only will your collegiate daughter love it for its looks, but it certainly isn’t powerful enough for her to get into too much trouble {vsig}2004-11_1466{/vsig} Volkswagen’s popular Beetle spawned a number of other automobiles, creations like the Thing, Microbus, and most interesting of all, the Karmann Ghia. One of the most sought-after air-cooled convertibles…
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1965-66 Chevrolet Corvair Corsa
The most controversial car of the 20th century Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat: Ralph Nader didn’t kill the Corvair. Blame can be more squarely placed on the Camaro, the pony car that rendered Chevrolet’s weird, rear-engine small car irrelevant to its product planners. Indeed, when the Camaro was introduced…