Saturday AACA car show . . .
Read MoreFor many years, the Mustang II was the relative nobody talked about at family gatherings. But oddly enough, the Mustang II was considered a sales success when it was introduced in 1974 with more than 385k produced. Sales had dipped to just over 115k cars for 1977. As with everything from this era, performance was non-existent. The 302 CID V8 seen in this car produces a mere 129 hp.
In 1940, Buick found itself in need of a pickup. Since a pickup wasn't offered, Buick had to build one themselves. The Buick Engineering department built four Series 70 Roadmaster pickups specifically for use inside its Flint Michigan assembly plant. All were built from a Roadmaster coupe body with the conversion being done in-house.
Class 35C - Second Generation Collector Vehicles.
1990 Avanti sedan.
The AACA defines a Second Generation Collector Vehicle as a, "factory assembled, manufactured vehicles that replicate the look and style of a previous make or model." The emphasis here is on factory assembled, as the AACA does not do anything with kit cars.
This particular car is another example of a confusing classification. The original Studebaker Avanti was produced in 1963 and 1964. After Studebaker went under, two of its dealers, Nathan Altman and Leo Newman, purchased the Avanti name, the rights to the design, and all of the tooling and established the Avanti Motor Corporation to produce the car themselves. Production of the Avanti II began in 1965 and lasted through 1983 when the company changed hands and the name was changed back to Avanti. More ownership and factory location changes occurred before production was ended in 2006.
So, all of this means:
~ The original 1963/64 Studebaker Avanti is considered a Factory High Performance vehicle from Studebaker and falls under Class 36Q.
~ The original Avanti II is considered a Limited Production, Prototype, and Experimental Vehicle, and falls under Class 35A.
~ The Avanti beginning in 1986 is considered a Second Generation Collector Vehicle and falls under Class 35C.
Very confusing. All I know is that this 1990 Avanti sedan seen in the photo above is extremely rare, being one of 90 produced that year.The Super Duty program was born in 1960 as an array of high performance parts for Pontiac's 389 CID V8 that were available over-the-counter at your local Pontiac dealership's Parts department. The special heads, camshaft, intake, and exhaust components were designed to win races. That year, Super Duty Pontiacs won 7 of the 44 NASCAR events, along with numerous NHRA events. Things only improved for 1961 when Pontiac won 30 of 52 NASCAR races.
The NHRA took note of what was happening and made a change to the rulebook for 1962. In order to compete in the stock classes, any parts used had to have factory part numbers and be factory installed in cars for sale to the public. So for 1962, the Super Duty 421 CID V8 became available under the hood of the Pontiac Catalina and Grand Prix.
This car is extremely rare ! The exact number of Super Duty cars produced seems to be unknown, but generally accepted to be less than 200 cars. According to Motor Trend magazine, a total of 179 Super Duty Pontiacs were built in 1962. That number breaks down into 7 Catalinas fitted with the 389 CID Super Duty V8, 16 Grand Prixs with the 421, 155 Catalinas with the 421, and one car unaccounted for.
This particular car also features the "Lightweight" package which consisted of several aluminum components that shaved a few pounds off of the front end of the car.The Ventura was conceived in 1960 and positioned one rung up the ladder from the entry-level Catalina. It was essentially a Catalina with upgraded trim, but had its own series designation, making it a separate model. More than 56k were sold that year in two body styles, (Sport hardtop coupe and Vista hardtop sedan). Beginning in 1962, the Ventura became an an option package for the Catalina.
Buick's Gran Sport was created in 1965 as a result of the success of the 1964 Pontiac GTO. The name "Gran Sport" reflects Buick's position in the GM hierarchy, (immediately behind Cadillac), and its design objectives that were oriented more toward luxury. The "Sport" part of the name arrived when the 325 hp 401 CID "Nailhead" V8 that was installed into the intermediate-sized Skylark, replacing the 300 CID V8 from the previous year's Skylark. A total of 15,780 were sold that year in hardtop coupe, 2-door sedan, and convertible body styles.
Class 36A - Factory High Performance, Buick & Pontiac, 1957 - 69.
1967 Buick GS400 convertible.
Two significant changes occurred for 1967 compared to the previous 1965 model. The Skylark Gran Sport got a new name, ("Gran Sport" was shortened to "GS"). Two new engines became available. The one-year-only GS340 features a 340 CID V8 that made 260 hp. The GS400, (this car), received an all-new 400 CID V8 that made 340 hp, replacing the old 401 CID "Nailhead" V8.
The "Star Wars" bright red air cleaner assembly under the hood was a 1967-only feature. I find it interesting that a part on a car from 1967 has a nickname from 1977. Not sure what it was called before the movie was released.In 2017, the AACA introduced the Zenith Award, something that is presented to the best restoration of the previous year. The AACA holds eight "Nationals" events each year across the country, (this show is the Southeastern Spring Nationals). Two vehicles are selected from each of those events as finalists for the Zenith Award. A winner and runner-up are recognized at the next Grand National meet. This GTO was selected as a finalist for the 2020 award. Just being nominated for a Zenith Award is a very big deal, and indicates that this car is one of the finest in the country, on par with anything from Pebble Beach or Amelia Island Concours events.
Four engine options were available for the 1967 GTO, all of them being a variation of Pontiac's new for 1967 400 CID V8. The base 400 (RPO L78) made 335 hp with a single 4-bbl carburetor. A no-cost option was an economy 400 (RPO L65) that made 255 hp with a 2-bbl carburetor.
A 400 "HO" (RPO L74) that made 360 hp was available for $76.89. The king of the hill was the 400 "Ram Air" (RPO L67) that listed the same 360 hp power output as the HO, but was widely considered to be very underrated.
The copy of this car's window sticker shows that it left the factory with the YR code "Ram Air" engine which added $263.30 to the MSRP. A total of 751 Ram Air GTOs were produced for 1967.This car was displayed with a copy of its original window sticker. The two big ticket items seen on the window sticker are the L79 350 hp engine ($198.05) and the close-ratio 4-speed manual transmission ($184.35). Those two items by themselves added almost 15% to the price of the car. The combination of the L79 V8, 4-speed, and a 3.55 rear axle ratio means that someone ordered this car with "go fast" in mind.