[bsa_pro_ad_space id=14]
It is getting much easier to find cars that I truly would love to have in my garage on the AutoHunter, the online collector car auction site driven by ClassicCars.com.
While browsing the site this week I found a huge number of cars to preview, with the problem being how to limit those picks to a manageable number. What I decided to do was to restrict my list to cars that offered something different from each other and that thus could be used in different ways.
Being personally interested the most in sporting cars, there are of course both classic and modern sports cars on the list, but there are also a few others that would be good for shows, tours, or just taking out on a weekend drive.
1948 Cadillac Series 62 convertible
To me, this fabulous car is one of the most elegant classic post-war American convertibles ever built. I particularly like the color combination of Horizon Blue over a red leather interior. This is a car you truly arrive in and it represents the era when a Cadillac was truly one of the finest cars in the world. I love the one-year-only instrument cluster and the fact that this car has a power top and power windows just adds to the luxury of this fine automobile.
1976 Triumph TR6
The TR6 was one of the last of the traditional British roadsters and the fact that Triumph was still building such a throwback car in 1976 is nothing short of incredible. Sure, the reason they were still building cars like this was due to a lack of funds, but these cars were the end of an era for sports cars and a good example of a TR6 is a fun car that offers surprising levels of performance.
This car is finished in my all-time favorite Triumph color of Java Green. This would not prove to be a popular color years later and many Java Green cars have been color changed today, usually to British Racing Green, which is a shame as it is a great color on these cars.
This three-owner car comes with extensive service records and from the many photos looks to be an excellent example of a TR6 The only change I would make to this car would be to add an overdrive gearbox to it to improve highway driving.
1978 Mercedes-Benz 240D
I know I know, a 240D? These may not be the fastest cars on the road but the build quality of these W123 series Mercedes sedans is the stuff of legend. They were built to be the finest cars in their class and the quality of the craftsmanship of these cars shows in every single detail, from the quality of paint, to the fit and finish of the body and interior. The sound and feel of the way the doors shut in these cars will make you a believer in the idea that Mercedes-Benz cars of this era were the finest built cars in the world.
This example looks to be 100 percent original, including the Becker radio. No one thought he had a better idea with this 240D, it has not been converted to run on kitchen oil and happily also has a manual gearbox, making for a much more usable car.
Sure, it has covered 173,000 miles but as owners will tell you, that simply means it is broken in, as scores of these cars have covered hundreds of thousands of miles with no major work necessary. If you want a car that you can literally own for the rest of your life and don’t need to get anywhere in a hurry, this 240D would be just the ticket.
1987 Porsche 928S4
I have owned scores of Porsche cars but have never owned a 928. But I have driven many and have always loved them. The issue with many 928s is that they were very expensive cars that have often suffered a long series of owners who bought them cheap and tried to run them on a shoestring. This car is anything but that. It is a completely original 928S4 that has covered only 33,825 miles from new.
Finished in one of my favorite period colors of Guards Red with a tan leather interior, this example of a 928 is the one that will show you just how great these cars were when new. Yes, it has an automatic, but having driven a number of 928s, both manual and automatic equipped cars, that should not hold you back from considering this car.
The 928 is and always has been a GT car and not a sports car, and the automatic transmission in this car shits it perfectly for its purpose of covering long distances on interstates at a rapid pace. Finding a 928 that is this original and not modified is a difficult thing to do these days and the one presented here would be one to buy.
1956 Chevrolet Nomad
I have big crew of car collector friends in Santa Cruz, California, who are also surfers and this Nomad would be the perfect classic car to load their boards ifor a day at the beach. This Nomad received a professional frame-off restoration in the 1990s and is tastefully custom painted in two tone Chrysler Viper Red over Chrysler Granite Pearl Metallic with a gray interior. The body and chassis were stripped to bare metal and the seller describes the work as show quality. The car is powered by a 350cid C3 Corvette engine with a number of performance upgrades and is backed by a 4-speed automatic transmission.
Additional upgrades that make the car all that much better as a usable driver include air conditioning, billet wheels, Camaro front suspension, power steering, and brakes.
So, if you love the look of the Nomad as much as I do and want to take something cool out for a day of surfing this may well be the perfect option.
To see what else is available for bidding, visit the AutoHunter website.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=15]