I never really thought about it before. But it makes sense that the externally mounted spare tire pivots out of the way to allow for easier access to the trunk. The other interesting aspect of this car is that there is a conventional spare tire mounted in the trunk in addition to the Continental kit.

1961 Ford Galaxie 500 Starliner.

Class 36D: Factory High Performance Vehicles, Ford and Mercury, 1957 - 1969.

The Ford Galaxie Starliner was only available for two years, 1960 and 1961, and represented the pillarless hardtop version of the Galaxie.

This was a response to Chevrolet's "Bubbletop" Impala hardtop that debuted in 1959. Ford countered in 1960 with the Starliner. The concept was the same - a pillarless hardtop coupe with a very thin C-pillar and a curved windshield and rear window.

When the Chevrolet Impala debuted for 1958 with an available 348 CID V8 that made 315 hp, the best Ford could offer was a 300 hp version of its 352 CID V8. But in 1960, Ford introduced a little known "Super" V8 version of its 352 CID V8 that made 360 hp, which was 25 more than Chevrolet's optional 335 hp 348 CID V8. For 1961, Chevrolet introduced the legendary 409 CID V8. But it's 360 hp was, again, bested by Ford's new 390 CID "Thunderbird Special" V8 that made 375 hp with a 4-bbl carburetor.

This car, however, features the optional tri-carb "6V Thunderbird Special" version of the 390 that made 401 hp. Initially, the 6V setup was a dealer installed option. But at some point during the model year, the three carbs began to be installed at the factory.

An automatic transmission was not available with the two hi-po versions of the 390. A Borg-Warner T85 three-speed manual transmission was the only unit available until midway through the model year when Ford began offering a Borg-Warner T10 four-speed manual transmission, which this car has. Because of its introduction late in the model year, the T10 is an extremely rare option, with an estimated 120 installed that year.

The Starliner was only available for 1960 and 1961, with this car being one of 29,669 produced for 1961.

1963 Ford Galaxie 500 R-Code.

Another Class 36D car: Factory High Performance Vehicles, Ford and Mercury, 1957 - 1969.

The Ford vs. Chevrolet horsepower war was in full-swing by this time. Chevrolet addressed the 1961 deficiency I mentioned above with a 409 hp version its 409 CID V8 for 1962. This version featured two 4-bbl carburetors, and became the "Four-speed, dual quad, positraction 409" that the Beach Boys' sang about in the song "409". Ford countered with a redesign of the 390 that bumped its displacement to 406 cubic inches. Horsepower increased to 385 with one 4-bbl carburetor, and 405 with the 6V tri-carb setup.

At the beginning of the 1963 model year, Chevrolet jumped ahead again when the 409 was further improved to produce 425 hp with two 4-bbl carburetors. Now lagging behind, Ford went back to the drawing board and created the 427 CID V8 for a mid-year introduction.

The 427 was a further modified version of the 352/390/406 "FE" family of engines. It's mid-year introduction resulted in the 1963 1/2 Galaxie that was available with either 410 hp (single 4-bbl carburetor), or 425 hp (two 4-bbl carburetors). This car is equipped with the dual 4-bbl "R-Code" 425 hp version.

The Borg-Warner T10 four speed manual transmission was mandatory with the R-Code. An automatic was not available.

The 427 gave new life to Ford's presence on race tracks, both quarter-mile and super speedway, across the country.

This car is one of 3,857 Galaxies produced with the R-Code 427 in 1963.

1961 Ford Galaxie Sunliner convertible.

Another Class 36D car: Factory High Performance Vehicles, Ford and Mercury, 1957 - 1969.

Ford began using the Sunliner name for its convertible in 1952. But in 1957, two convertibles became available. The soft-top Sunliner was joined by the more expensive Skyliner and its wonderful retractable hardtop roof. But even though the hardtop convertible was a great idea that was very well-engineered, its sales numbers trailed behind its soft-top counterpart by as much as 4 to 1. The Skyliner hardtop convertible disappeared after 1959. But the soft-top Sunliner continued to be available until the name was retired after 1964. The Sunliner was quite popular. The car seen in the photos above is one of 44,614 Sunliners produced in 1961.

1972 Buick GS Stage 1.

Class 36F: Factory High Performance Vehicles, Buick and Pontiac, 1970 - 1987.

By the time the calendar was turned to 1972, government regulations and insurance concerns had been steadily been putting a lid on the auto industry as a whole, but even more so with the muscle car segment. For 1972, horsepower ratings changed from "gross" to "net," which meant everyone's power level was down, at least on paper. Even so, muscle cars soldiered on with some pretty potent machines, one of which is seen in the photos above and below.

For 1972, Buick's Skylark-based GS was still available in the same configurations as before, albeit detuned compared to previous years. The base GS 350 was equipped with Buick's 350 CID V8 that made 190 hp, which doesn't sound like much. But the 285 ft-lbs of torque available at 2800 rpm still provided plenty of oomph. The GS 455 was rated at only 225 hp, but still made 360 ft-lbs of torque available at 2600 rpm. The mighty GS Stage 1 was down to 270 hp. But the 390 ft-lbs of torque available at 3000 rpm allowed for a sub-15 second quarter mile.

This highly-optioned car was displayed with a copy of its original window sticker. The Stage 1 package added almost 10 percent to the MSRP by itself. That, combined with this car's extensive list of options, (automatic, a/c, power everything, etc.), raised the total price by almost $2,000 to more than $5,100.

This is an extremely rare car. Of the 728 GS Stage 1 hardtops produced in 1972, 627 were equipped with the automatic transmission.

1970 Buick GS 455.

Another Class 36F car: Factory High Performance Vehicles, Buick and Pontiac, 1970 - 1987.

This 1970 GS 455 is very similar to the previous 1972 GS Stage 1, only with better "Gross" horsepower numbers. The base GS 350 was rated at 320 hp and 410 ft-lbs of torque (available at 3200 rpm). This car, a GS 455 was rated at 350 hp and 510 ft-lbs of torque (available at 2800 rpm). The State 1 package was advertised as only adding 10 more horsepower. But contemporary evaluations by various enthusiast publications all seemed to agree that this was very underrated.

For 1970, Buick GS production was 20,096 for all variations. This car, a GS 455 hardtop, is one of 5,589 made that year.

1972 Olds 442 W30 convertible.

Class 36G: Factory High Performance Vehicles, Chevrolet and Oldsmobile, 1970 - 1981.

The Oldsmobile 442 is very similar to the Buick GS seen earlier in that both cars were still available for 1972, but with reduced numbers across the board. There was, however, one big difference between the two.

For 1972, the Buick GS was available in both hardtop and convertible models, each with its own style number. But the 442 had reverted to an option package, RPO W29, that was available on any Cutlass model. This makes verifying the authenticity of a 1972 442 very difficult except for the car seen in the photos above and below.

The RPO W30 Performance Package was available only with the RPO L77 455 CID V8 that makes 300 hp. So any 1972 Cutlass that has an "X" in the 5th digit of its VIN is a W30 442.

This is an extremely rare car ! Only 113 W30 convertibles were produced in 1972.

1971 Plymouth Road Runner.

I'm not sure what's up with the class for this car. This car was being presented as a tribute to Richard Petty's 1971 NASCAR Grand National championship winning car. I say that because it's not the actual car, or a replica of the actual car. The real thing exists, and recently crossed the auction block at Mecum's 2020 event in Indianapolis where it was a no-sale at $450k. My guess is that someone built a tribute car from a 1971 Road Runner. And this one was beautifully done.

The problem is that the AACA doesn't get involved in the "modified vehicle" end of the hobby unless it falls into Class 24 for documented racing vehicles. A regular 1971 Road Runner would fall into Class 36H: Factory High Performance Vehicles, Chrysler, Dodge & Plymouth, 1970 - 80. A "survivor" car that hasn't been restored can fall under the Historic Preservation of Original Features designation. But this car doesn't fit in any of these categories, which is probably why the "Do Not Judge" notation was made on the display card.

Regardless, this was a beautiful tribute !

This car is a show winner, as evidenced by the trophies behind the front seats.

1997 Saleen Mustang S351.

Class 36O: Factory High Performance Vehicles, Ford & Mercury, 1990 - 97.

For 1997, the Saleen Mustang was available in several different configurations. The entry level S281 was a slightly modified version of the regular 4.6L Mustang GT available in coupe or convertible form. Total S281 production was 309 cars, which accounted for around 83% of total Saleen Mustang production that year. An S281 Saleen Cobra was also available in coupe or convertible form that was based on the Ford Mustang Cobra. These cars are quite scarce, with a total of 18 produced, (13 coupes and 5 convertibles).

Moving up to the S351 significantly increased the power level. Depending on which source you examine, a supercharged S351 makes 480 - 510 hp. A total of 40 were produced for 1997.

Of the 40 S351 Mustangs produced for 1997, 21 were coupes, and 19 were convertibles, of which this car is one.