From the peak of 52,872 Rivieras produced in 1969, sales fell to 33,810 by 1971, and would continue to drop until the all-new front wheel drive Riviera debuted in 1979.

1972 Lincoln Continental.

Class 27J: Production vehicles, 1972 - 73.

I've always loved the giant Lincoln Continentals ! My dad had a 1974 coupe and a 1975 coupe, the latter being the car in which I learned to drive.

Power comes from Ford's 460 CID V8 that makes 224 hp. While that may seem like a low number, 1972 was the year when horsepower ratings were shifted from gross to net. Regardless, the 358 ft-lbs of torque at a low 2,800 rpm provided enough oomph to move the car.

After several years of declining Continental sales, 1972 was a good rebound year with 48,591 cars produced, an increase of almost 14,000 over 1971.

1972 Ford LTD.

Class 27J: Production vehicles, 1972 - 73.

This car has Ford's 400 CID V8 that makes 172 hp. The 429 CID V8 was optional and made 208 hp. Once again, this was 1972 when "net" horsepower ratings were given instead of the traditional "gross," meaning everyone's numbers were down. In the plus column, the 400 produced 298 ft-lbs of torque at a very low 2,200 rpm, meaning maximum pulling power was available just off of idle.

1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme (L) and 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon Colonnade (R), both in Class 27L: Production vehicles, 1976 - 77.

The red Cutlass is a Salon Colonnade with the optional "Hurst Hatch" T-Tops, a $550 option.

1977 Ford Granada.

Class 27L: Production vehicles, 1976 - 77.

I figured I would see this car at the Auto Fair considering I passed it on the 485 Bypass when I was driving to Charlotte yesterday. I used to see these cars everywhere when I was young. But seeing one on the interstate now is a rarity.

1978 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz.

Class 27M: Production vehicles 1978 - 79.

This is the car I first spotted when I arrived this morning. The 1977 - 78 Eldorado Biarritz is one of my all-time favorites.

1978 Pontiac Firebird.

Class 27M: Production vehicles, 1978 - 79.

When I approached this car initially from the front, the instantly recognizable paint and wheels made me think of The Rockford Files TV show from the 1970s. The license plate confirmed my suspicions.

The "350-4" decal on the air cleaner indicates a Chevrolet 350 CID V8 with a 4-bbl carburetor that makes 170 hp. The Firebird was available with Buick (3.8L V6), Chevrolet (5.7L & 5.0L V8s), Pontiac (6.6L V8), and Oldsmobile (6.6L V8), engines in 1978.

Several Cadillacs were displayed in Class 27P: Production vehicles, 1984 - 85. The black 4-door is a Seville, and the two red cars are Eldorado Biarritz convertibles.

1991 Lincoln Mark VII LSC.

Class 27S: Production vehicles, 1990 - 97.

The sixth generation of Lincoln's Mark Series was introduced for the 1984 model year and was very significant in a number of ways. Visually, the sharp angular lines of the Mark V and VI were replaced by a modern aerodynamic shape. Under the skin, emphasis was placed on giving the car better handling characteristics than in the past. The LSC package added further suspension upgrades, better seats, and different interior and exterior trim. In 1986, the LSC received the 200 hp 5.0L "HO" V8 from the Mustang GT, (which increased to 225 hp in 1988), making the car a decent performer. MotorWeek ran the quarter-mile in 15.6 seconds with their test car !

The Mark VII was nearing the end of its lifespan by the time 1991 rolled around. This car is actually somewhat rare, being one of 8,880 produced that year. Only 5,732 Mark VIIs were produced in the car's final year of 1992, and would be replaced by the Mark VIII in 1993.

1991 Chrysler TC by Maserati.

Class 27S: Production vehicles, 1990 - 97.

Chrysler boss Lee Iacocca came to the company in 1978 in an attempt to keep it from going belly-up, which was a real possibility at that time. In addition to the very successful K-Cars and Minivans, Iacocca also envisioned an "image car" that would take the company upscale and boost showroom traffic. In 1984, Chrysler partnered with Maserati to develop a luxury sports coupe.

The planned "TC", or Turbocharged Convertible, was based on the LeBaron chassis. The car's beautiful handcrafted body was mated to Chrysler's 2.2L turbocharged inline 4-cylinder engine that made 160 hp. A 5-speed manual transmission was available and connected to a 200 hp version that featured a DOHC Maserati cylinder head fabricated by Cosworth. Hand-stitched Italian leather filled the cabin which featured all available creature comforts from the day. Final assembly took place in Milan, after which completed cars were sent back to the US to be sold in select Chrysler dealers.

In other words, the Chrysler TC by Maserati looked good on paper. So why did this car end up being considered a $600 million failure ?

The original plan called for the TC to be introduced in 1987 ahead of the newly redesigned LeBaron. The thinking was that the TC would lure customers into the showroom. Buyers who liked the car's looks, but couldn't afford its $33,000 price tag could then be shown a new LeBaron convertible that was cheaper, but still looked a lot like the flagship.

The problem was that the TC was introduced in 1989, a full two years after the LeBaron. Now, the psychology was reversed. The TC ended up being viewed as a mildly modified LeBaron that cost more than twice the price. Buyers stayed away in droves. A total of 7,300 cars were produced over the car's three year run. The 1991 model seen in the photos above is from the last year of production, and is one of 1,636 made that year.

1991 BMW 850i V12.

Even though this car qualifies for Class 27S, (production vehicles, 1990 - 97), it was being displayed as an HPOF car.

This was the introductory year for the original 8-Series coupe. A 296 hp 5.0L V12 engine sits under the hood, and could be mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. Unfortunately, the car's power and stunning good looks weren't enough to keep it from being regarded as a letdown when introduced. Not that the car was bad, because it wasn't by any means. It just didn't live up to the standard implied by its near $90,000 price tag. Even so, BMW sold 9,517 cars world-wide in 1991.

1997 Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas.

This car qualifies for Class 27S, (production vehicles, 1990 - 97), but was displayed as a DPC car.

This XJ is from the final iteration of Jaguar's X300 platform. Power comes from a 4.0L inline 6-cylinder that makes 237 hp. This is the same engine that is in my 1996 XJS.

1991 Buick Reatta convertible, Class 27S, (production vehicles, 1990 - 97).

In addition to having a large turnout from the East Coast Reattas club inside the speedway, I spotted two more Buick Reatta convertibles in the AACA show. The car seen in the photo above is an extremely rare 1991 model, and is one of only 305 made that year.

Another Reatta convertible sat further up that same row. I've seen more Buick Reattas at this one event than I've ever seen before.

1993 Cadillac Allante, Class 27S, (production vehicles, 1990 - 97).

This was the final year for the Cadillac Allante, and the only year it was offered with the 4.6L Northstar V8. A total of 4,670 were produced that year.

Corvettes get their own class, (Class 30), which is subdivided according to model year.

1969 Chevrolet Corvette roadster, Class 30C, (Chevrolet Corvette, 1968 - 77).

Five different versions of Chevrolet's 427 CID "Big Block" V8 were available in 1969. This car is equipped with RPO L68, a 400 hp version. A total of 2,072 were produced, which puts it in the middle of the rarity list, in between RPO L89, (390 produced), and RPO L71, (2,722 produced).

Another 1969 Chevrolet Corvette.

Class 30C: Chevrolet Corvette, 1968 - 77.

While it may look similar to the previous car, this 1969 Corvette is equipped with RPO L89, an aluminum cylinder head option for the RPO L71 tri-carb 427 CID V8.

Looking at the five different versions of Chevrolet's 427 CID "Big Block" V8 that were available in 1969, this extremely rare L89 version is number two on the rarity list, (behind the race-car-with-a-license-plate L88), and is one of 390 produced that year.

1993 Chevrolet Corvette convertible.

Class 30E: Chevrolet Corrvette, 1984 - 97.

1957 Ford Thunderbird.

Class 31: Ford Thunderbird, 1955 - 57.

Like the Corvette and Tri-Five Chevrolets, the two-seat Ford Thunderbird from 1955 - 57 gets its own class.