For 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.

Class 34I - Chevrolet Camaro excluding High Performance, 1982 - 98.

1986 Chevrolet Camaro Z28.

As was the case with the Mustangs seen previously, I don't understand why a Camaro Z28 isn't considered a Class 36 High Performance vehicle. But here it is in Class 34I.

Class 34I - Chevrolet Camaro excluding High Performance, 1982 - 98.

1984 Chevrolet Camaro Z28.

This car was nominated for a National Award in 2015.

Power comes from Chevrolet's 5.0L H.O. V8 that makes 190 hp.

Class 35A - Limited production, prototype, experimental vehicles.

1940 Buick Series 70 Roadmaster fire truck.

For 1940, the Buick line consisted of six individual series ranging from the entry level Series 40 Special to the luxury extended wheelbase Series 90 Limited. Precisely NONE of the series in the Buick line contained a pickup body.

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.

The four pickups built were all were stock Buick Roadmaster under the skin, and featured the 320 CID inline 8-cylinder engine that makes 141 hp.

Three of the trucks were painted black and used as utility vehicles around the plant. This one was painted red to be used by the plant's Fire Chief. It survives with its original engine still in place.

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.

Class 36A - Factory High Performance, Buick & Pontiac, 1957 - 69.

1962 Pontiac Catalina Super Duty.

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.

The Super Duty 421 was was topped with two 4-bbl carburetors and was rated at 405 hp. Actual output was calculated by Motor Trend Magazine to be closer to 465 hp.

All Super Duty cars were equipped with a 4-speed manual transmission, as the automatic Pontiac was using at the time couldn't handle the power.

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.

Class 36A - Factory High Performance, Buick & Pontiac, 1957 - 69.

1960 Pontiac Ventura.

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.

Several versions of Pontiac's 389 CID V8 were available from the base 2-bbl version that makes 215 hp to the Tri-Power version that makes 348 hp.

Class 36A - Factory High Performance, Buick & Pontiac, 1957 - 69.

1965 Buick Skylark GS.

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.

Power for the GS was provided by Buick's 401 CID "Nailhead" V8 that makes 325 hp.

This car was displayed with a copy of its original window sticker.

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.

Class 36A - Factory High Performance, Buick & Pontiac, 1957 - 69.

1967 Pontiac GTO.

I noticed when I first started labeling my pictures that, even though I got a great shot of the engine compartment, I failed to take a picture of the entire car, the reason for which escapes me at the moment.

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.

Next in line was Class 36B - Factory High Performance, Chevrolet & Oldsmobile, 1957 - 69. It became readily apparent that this was going to be a large class.

Class 36B - Factory High Performance, Chevrolet & Oldsmobile, 1957 - 69.

1964 Chevrolet Impala SS.

This car is powered by Chevrolet's legendary 409 CID V8.

For 1964, the 409 was available in three stages of tune. The single 4-bbl carburetor version with hydraulic lifters makes makes 340 hp. Another 4-bbl version that features solid lifters makes 400 hp. In two 4-bbl carburetor trim, which is seen in the photo above, this engine makes 425 hp.

The 400 hp and 425 hp versions of the 409 were only available with a manual transmission.

The chrome box under the glove compartment seen in the photo above is a tissue dispenser, a dealer-installed optional accessory.

Of the roughly 816k Impalas produced with a V8 engine in 1964, only 8,864 were equipped with a 409 making this car quite rare.

Class 36B - Factory High Performance, Chevrolet & Oldsmobile, 1957 - 69.

A pair of 1967 Camaros RS/SS hardtops.

Both of these cars feature "SS" emblems on the front fenders, but have "SS 350" emblems in the front grill. This indicates an early production SS car. When the SS396 became available midway through the 1967 model year, the "SS 350" grill emblems were replaced with "SS" emblems.

Power comes from Chevrolet's 350 CID V8 that makes 295 hp.

A total of 29,270 Camaro SS 350s were produced in 1967.

Class 36B - Factory High Performance, Chevrolet & Oldsmobile, 1957 - 69.

1966 Chevrolet Nova SS L79.

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.

The dealer add-ons is also quite interesting. The total of the dealer installed items, $40.62, includes parts AND labor !

This car features a seldom seen color combination. According to the window sticker, the exterior paint code is "LL" which indicates Tropic Turquoise, lower and upper.

The matching interior trim is code "781" which indicates Medium Turquoise vinyl bucket seats.

I chatted with the car owner, who was happy to explain everything about the car. One of my questions related to how difficult it was to find interior trim pieces in this color.

As expected, he told me that some of the less common items were next to impossible to find. Eventually, he found everything he needed for the restoration, which means the parts are out there somewhere.