Is a manual transmission a bonus when you’re shopping for American muscle?
That might seem like a dumb question — but I think the answer is changing.
There’s a certain glory that comes with winding up a big block and dumping a clutch. You can’t get that same feeling with an automatic no matter how high your converter stall speed is or how many gears you have. Automatic cars may be faster and therefore “better” today, but to a lot Read More
We’re shipping ACC issue #49 to press this week, just before Thanksgiving, but there’s still time to chime in on ACC’s Question of the Month. This question comes to us from Steve S, and it’s a good one:
How do you feel about the ever-increasing proliferation of burnout contests at car shows? I don’t think it’s just me, an admitted old fogey, that’s becoming more and more annoyed with such a wasteful, polluting, eye-burning, inane, destructive spectacle.
We all Read More
Blue Oval Classics have always been popular, and certain models have always brought a lot of money at auction — special cars like the 1969-70 Boss 429, 2005-06 Ford GT and 1965 Shelby GT350 have always been hot. But what about other Ford cars and trucks that are on the upswing right now — or will be?
Here’s what I’d be looking at when jumping into the Ford market in 2020.
1. 1961-66 Ford F-Series TruckRead More
SEMA’s a great place to go see what’s new in the car world, but you can’t just walk into the place off the Vegas strip. The event, while huge, is not open to the public — and that’s why I always tote a nice camera with me.
I spent three days on-site at the Las Vegas Convention Center last week, and I’ll have a complete review of my favorite new products and influential builds in the next issue of American Read More
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a blog about spotting old car trends using the weather. The SEMA show is another great way to see which older cars or trucks younger members of the car world are starting to consider cool in the old car market. That show starts today.
The Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association show in Las Vegas is where the car world comes to show off its skill in fabrication, finish, and innovation — both in Read More
Traditionally speaking, the market has been good to Mopar. Some of the biggest muscle car pricing boosts in the 2000s went to Dodges and Plymouths, and they’re still among the most valued muscle machines — especially anything with a Hemi.
That leaves buyers in a tough spot. If you want to score a Mopar, in most cases you’ve got to pay up to own one — Chargers, Road Runners, ’Cudas, Super Bees, Challengers and the like tend to be expensive. Read More
Values and trends. That’s what ACC is about.
How can we see trends before they really start to take hold? Well, it can be complicated, and it isn’t always an exact science. But there’s one trick to spotting trends I’ve been thinking about lately: Weather.
Weather? Really? OK, that may seem a little strange, but stick with me here for a second and I’ll explain what I mean.
When the weather is nice, you’ll often see classics out and Read More
I’ve been watching the leaves change color in my neighborhood over the past few days, and it’s been prompting me to get out and drive my old cars as much as I can before the weather turns south. Here at ACC, we’ve already started work on our annual Scottsdale insider’s guide for the upcoming January auctions. These things together are my annual reminder that winter is coming. Soon.
For a lot of us, that means it’s time to put cars Read More
The web has been a popular place to buy classic cars since the ’90s. But should you?
That can be a hard call to make — especially if you’re new to old cars, or if this is your first online buy. The pessimist in me likes to point out that a lot can be hidden in photos, and if you’re buying a classic sight unseen, you’ve got to make a valuation decision off of what the seller wants you to Read More
Back in the day, SS cars were the hot ticket among the Chevrolet faithful. They were special, limited-run cars with more street cred than the rest — even if their only true differences were in the amount of bright trim outside, some interior upgrades inside, and usually — but not always — a hotter engine. Still, that SS badge mattered on the street, and it still matters when a car sells at auction today. Would you rather have a Camaro Read More