vintage
Vintage vehicles including antique cars, classic cars, muscle cars, and collector cars.
Fast (to me) Cars That I have Owned or Driven
Between the ages of 16 and 32, I actually owned a lot of cars. Nine all total. I had a bad tendency to trade cars in for new ones every few years rather than simply paying off the car loan and owning the car outright. Two of the cars I owned were relatively fast. Not anywhere near Bugatti Chiron fast, but fast enough to put a smile on your face and occasionally make you nearly crap your pants when it was raining the Northern California roads were slick.
Steve B HowardPublished 2 years ago in WheelLiving My Muscle Car Dreams (sort of)
I have a stupid dream that most likely will never be achieved. And probably shouldn’t be achieved since it would be a pretty bad example of hoarding and owning cars that aren’t what the planet needs right now. But, I’d be lying if I said I’m ready to stop at least dreaming about this one.
Steve B HowardPublished 2 years ago in Wheel- Top Story - August 2022
My Restomod Dream Cars
So, I’ve written two articles about 1970 Muscle Cars I’d love to own, plus a few others and one article about fast cars, some of them pretty expensive, that I have owned or at least driven.
Steve B HowardPublished 2 years ago in Wheel My Silly Muscle Car Dreams Part II
In 1964 Pontiac built the GTO. This is considered by many to be the very first Muscle Car. Ford also came out with the Mustang in 1964, though I don’t think it began being sold until late 1964 or 1965. They are often referred to as 1964 1/2 Mustangs. From 1964 on almost all of the major car companies in America were competing to build popular Muscle Cars. In 1970 almost all the American car companies produced at least one Muscle Car with a big block V8.
Steve B HowardPublished 2 years ago in WheelFix It Again Tony
It was the middle of 1972 when my new wife and I decided we should buy a new car before my enlistment in the Air Force was up. A year earlier, we had driven her 1965 Plymouth Fury to Laredo, Texas, where I was stationed. It made the trip with no issues, but I wasn’t sure it was up for the trip back to Massachusetts. Just like every other car that has spent most of its life in New England, body rot from road salt was taking a toll. The engine was leaking oil, and the transmission slammed instead of sliding into gear. We needed a new ride to bring us home.
Mark GagnonPublished 2 years ago in WheelVintage Vibes
When it comes to cars, there are certain metrics for certain makes and models that determine whether they are considered Vintage or not. But what does the term vintage mean to you? Is it that essence of nostalgia that the car evokes, or maybe it just means something that’s old and outdated? I’d propose that it’s a bit of a generational perspective, old souls notwithstanding. To me, it’s that feeling of quality. I often find myself saying “you know, the good old days when things were made to last, not like now when they’re made to deteriorate so you’ll have to upgrade sooner than later”
My First Car
There are some memorable milestones in life that, when reflected on, present themselves in vivid, emotional detail. For me, one of those milestones was my first car. I remember the moment I took possession of her, the smell of the interior, the bright fall day, sitting in the driver's seat holding the wheel, and imagining all the places I would go.
Joe NesterPublished 2 years ago in WheelThe Lancia Fulvia Coupe
When my wife and I were looking at the collection of vintage and not so vintage classic cars at a local village show we had a slight disagreement about which one to vote for as the best in show. There were a couple of Aston Martin Vanquish's (brash), a few cars from the MG range (small "c" conservative), some Austin 7's (honest), a couple of short wheel base Land Rovers (basic and reliable), a red Ford Mustang (very brash) and taking centre stage; an open top two seater Bentley (sporty and impractical for every day use).
Alan RussellPublished 2 years ago in WheelThe love of F trucks I caught from my Dad
In 2021 the Ford F-series range of trucks celebrated some important milestones, it was recognized as the best-selling vehicle in the United States for the last 40 years, and the best-selling pick-up truck for 45 consecutive years. That’s no mean feat, in fact, few vehicle makers come close, except for the Volkswagen Beetle and the Toyota Corolla.
Retro Cargasm — Isn’t That A 1970 Chevelle SS? — Kinda
Meet the 70/SS. That’s what the folks at Trans-Am Worldwide are calling it anyway. This incredible car company, (absolutely no affiliate marketing going on here by the way- they just build awesomeness) based out of Tallahassee, Fl has been granted the exclusive worldwide rights to use the General Motors brand names, logos, and trademarks to be the only global manufacturer of everything — Trans-Am; Right down to the symbolic decals and emblems of the now-defunct Pontiac car division.
Kurt DillonPublished 2 years ago in WheelMoonlighting as Mr. Good-Wrench
A month ago, I took a chance on a potentially pricey investment. To be specific, a 1996 Mercedes SL-500 (R129). It’s worth about $9500 ($89,500 MSRP), so I figured whatever it cost to get it going would be worth the profit. Non-surprisingly, the vehicle was sold to me bone dry out of gasoline, and with a bad battery. Surprise, surprise. After getting a jump start (As these vehicles are instructed for one not to do), and $10 (2 gallons) of gas I put it on the wide-open road. The first thing a noted was a deep rumbling that appeared to come from the rear suspension that went silent after achieving 40mph. So not the biggest deal in the world, but significant. The carpets were showroom clean and pristine leather seats have no scratches, tears, or scuffs. Notably the rearview mirror is missing. There seems to be a struggle achieving 55mph, but I insist we must reach 70mph to keep up with traffic. Like a Christmas Tree all the service lights are shining. I try to restart the vehicle, but the speed odometer keeps tilting backwards. An impossibility with a bad battery. Thus, AAA tow service is summoned by yours truly to bring it back to the house. It sits for a month; I purchase another battery and take it through town. The performance doesn’t feel confident at all, rather if I push it too hard it’ll stall. I attempt again a couple of weeks later and it stalls at 40mph and continues to do so. Running out of patience to keep this extremity of my business running, I call a mobile mechanic. Dirty-South standard, no one answers the phone except for one dubious fellow driving a 2013 Hyandai with muffler and engine modifications who tinkers around the hood and squeezes the radiator pump causing the engine to accelerate. “Ah-“ he says. “You’re MAP Sensor is bad, and you’re not gonna like the sound of this boss.” “How much is it?” I demand. “$225, at O’Riely’s”. I pull the part up on my phone, it’s $125. Several rude text messages later he loses my business forever and I retrieve the part and install it myself. The car runs even worse. So, I swap it back out with the old part it came with and the engine evens out. I run the service code again on the vehicle P0101 which equals the MAF sensor. So much for that. The part is old and rusted and takes me 6 hours to remove. Knowing I should pay $79 for a new one, I grew tired of casting dollar bills in this direction. I happen to find in my friends’ house MAF SENSOR CLEANER. I spray the contents on the sensor and pop it back in. I take the car down the road, and it shows no signs of stalling, and is 30% more confident. Notedly there was a high-pitched whine coming from under the hood that has since ceased. I further note that the RPM Odometer is twitching. The MAF Sensor is the woe amongst other small things that’ll occur with a 26-year-old vehicle. I’ll take a $1,500 hit and remove this Asset from the inventory. I was at a salvage yard earlier hunting for a refurbished battery when I came across a 1996 Mercedes-Benz SL 320, listed for $2995. The car was visibly totaled and had “bad wiring harness” in addition added to its description. So $8500 is fair and square, at least this one drives and has never been in an accident. To all that are interested.
What's That?
One of my younger work colleagues, who fancies himself a “car guy” and I, were talking about the various cars we have owned. The conversation was going along smoothly until I mentioned that I once owned a Buick Reatta.
Mark GagnonPublished 2 years ago in Wheel