1966 Pontiac GTO – Barrett-Jackson 2023

Being an Oldsmobile fanatic, I subscribe to the theory that the 1949 Rocket 88 with it’s 135hp, 303 cubic inch OHV V8 is the original muscle car. To many others the original muscle car is the Pontiac GTO, and I can’t say that I have a good reason to disagree. The formula is simple: Take a mid-sized car and stick the larger engine from the full-size car in it. Add a couple extra go fast parts and a stick shift and you’re literally off to the races.

The Pontiac GTO began life in the early 60’s as a trim model of the Pontiac LeMans/Tempest. Using a creative loophole that circumvented the rule GM had about maximum displacement in midsized cars, Pontiac utilized the 389 V8 and offered it as the GTO option. I think that the Hurst 4-speed manual and tri-power carburetor setup on the 389 is the epitome of factory muscle car, and this 1966 model is the last year you could get this pairing. It was good for a gross rating of 360hp, and that could get you to the end of the 1/4 mile in 14 seconds flat.

Speaking of options, the ’66 GTO was also the first production car with a plastic grill, and this particular model came optioned with a 3.55:1 limited slip differential as well as the “Ride and Handling” package.

The GTO peaked in 1970 with the 455HO model and performance would be downhill until the GTO was relegated to a trim package on what was a badge-engineered Chevy Nova. The X-body platform Ventura took on the GTO name in 1974. An unceremonious end to the spark that ignited the muscle craze, this model would option the car with a 3-speed manual and 200hp V8.

Pontiac would then shelve the name, reviving it decades later for the Holden Monaro imports that lasted a couple years. Say what you will about the exterior styling, even the lesser 350hp 2004 GTO would lay waste to any prior car to bear the namesake. However it only remained in production in the US market until MY2006. Pontiac itself was retired not too long after in 2010.

This particular Goat was retired from the auction block at $66,000.

1969 Chevrolet Camaro ‘Strode’ by Ringbrothers Debuts at SEMA 2022

As a seasoned attendee of the SEMA Show for the past 10 years, I have seen dozens of different custom car builders put their own spin on the first-generation Chevrolet Camaro. The 67-69 F-body has been chopped up, remixed, and reinterpreted as a resto-mod, g-machine, pro touring car, and everything else. It would seem that there is nothing left to do with the F-body platform, or is there?

This 1969 Chevrolet Camaro “Strode” from Ringbrothers debuted at the Keystone booth at the 2022 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, along with three other Ringbrothers builds at the show. Like all Ringbrothers builds, the car has a one-word name, which is “Strode” for this car.

The name is a reference to the 1978 slasher movie “Halloween” which stars Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode. A butcher knife emblem with the word “Strode” on it appears throughout the car and is one of many custom touches throughout this build.

The car is much more than a simple restomod, where your local garage drops a crate engine into an old body. This car is a complete reimagination of what a Camaro could be. A staggering 6,500 man hours went into building this one-off car that retains only two parts from the original car – two pieces of side glass.

Though it looks like a Camaro, the car’s body is made of 100% carbon fiber. The Ringbrothers have done full carbon fiber cars before, such as their 2015 build of a 1965 Ford Mustang “Espionage.” The Strode Camaro is the latest high-end build from the brothers to use the extremely strong and light weight material.

Furthermore, the car’s proportions have been stretched and pulled – the body is five inches wider in the rear and three inches wider up front. The rocker panels were lowered, the center of the roof has been recessed, and the hood is longer and reshaped. The front and rear bumpers, diffusers, valences, and spoiler are also made from carbon fiber. The car is painted with BASF Glasurit Ghost White paint, except for the hood, roof, and A-pillars which are black. It’s an insane build from tip to tail, and that’s just the body of the car!

Under the hood is a Wegner Motorsports LS3 V8 engine with a Whipple supercharger that produces a healthy 1,010 horsepower. The engine is painted orange and really pops in the all-white engine bay, where all of the wires and hoses have been concealed. a Holley Dominator EFI system delivers fuel to the thirsty beast of a motor.

Power is routed through a Bowler Tremec T-56 six speed manual gearbox and into a 9-inch rear end from John’s Industries. A carbon fiber driveshaft from QA1 is another modern touch on this muscle car.

A custom Ringbrothers exhaust with Flowmaster Super 44 mufflers ensures the proper sound when the accelerator pedal is mashed.
The car’s handling has been vastly improved with a hydroformed subframe from Detroit Speed Engineering. A Fast Track front suspension and independent rear suspension from Roadster Shop bring modern handling and driveability to the Camaro, while QA1 Mod series coilovers absorb the bumps.

The car rides on Ringbrothers’ signature five-spoke G-CODE wheels, which they developed with HRE Wheels. They measure 19×11 in the front and 20×12.5 in the rear and are wrapped in a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S high-performance tires.

Bringing everything to a stop is a Baer Brakes 6-piston disc brake system, with an E-Stopp emergency brake.
The car has a full custom interior and dashboard by Steve Pearson at Upholstery Unlimited in Clinton, IA. The custom dashboard, center console, bucket seats, and door panels are all done in saddle tan with custom stitching. The rear seat has been deleted, reducing the car’s overall weight.

Driver comforts include Dakota Digital gauges, a Vintage Air Gen IV HVAC system, and a Kenwood stereo with JL Audio sound system.

The car is full of custom touches including many billet machined and 3D printed parts. A careful eye will observe the knife-shaped recess in the front fenders, the trick custom taillights, the trunk-mounted fuel door, custom center-exit exhaust, and many other changes from the original Camaro.

While I thought I had seen it all when it comes to early Camaros, the Ringbrothers from Wisconsin have shown that there is still plenty of imagination left in the world with their customized 1969 Chevrolet Camaro.

1984 Chevrolet Corvette – Barrett-Jackson 2023

The transition from the C3 Corvette of 1968-1982 to the C4 Corvette of 1984-1996 was a bit of a production palpitation for Chevrolet’s flagship sportscar. Model year 1983 essentially didn’t exist and when the 1984 model finally came out it had a modern exterior and interior, new chassis and a novel 4+3 computer-controlled manual transmission with automatic overdrive.

…and also the pathetic Crossfire 350 engine carried over from the C3 Corvette. This 5.7L housed a camshaft that would soon make the 5.0L a serious performer in the third generation F-bodies. It was also topped off with a combined 750 CFM from the TBI units. By 1980’s standards this should have been a recipe for decent power. Instead RPO L83 with it’s convoluted dual-TBI cross-ram was the impetus of the bad reputation that the fourth generation Corvette received.

So how did we end up with just 205hp at 4,300 RPM? Many blame the flow potential of the intake itself, with obstructed peanut ports limiting the airflow to less than 500 CFM before it hit the heads. I would also speculate that the factory 624 heads with their low-velocity ports and primitive chamber design play a large factor in the motors gutless reputation.

That being said I have slowly come to appreciate the idiosyncrasies of the Crossfire 5.7L, even if only for it’s unique intake design and boxy cover. For performance purposes we can be thankful it was only available in the C4 for 1984. From 1985 to 1996 the TPI, LT1, LT4 and LT5 variants would emerge: Engines that would restore the Corvette’s reputation as the ultimate American sportscar. This was the generation of the naturally aspirated, all aluminum, 32-valve 405hp V8. The King of the Hill.

A hill that started as a mound back in 1984 with a paltry 205hp.

This particular 1984 C4 Corvette with it’s 700r4 automatic overdrive and 16,000 original miles finished it’s auction run at Barrett Jackson Scottsdale topping out at $13,200.

1969 Mustang Mach 1 ‘Patriarc’ by Ringbrothers Debuts at SEMA 2022

One of my favorite custom car shops is the Wisconsin-based duo of Mike and Jim Ring, and their shop Ringbrothers.

The brothers made their debut at the 2005 SEMA Show, and in 2006 captured the Mothers’ Polish award for their customized 1967 Mustang nicknamed “Reactor.” In 2014 they won a Chevrolet Best of Show award for their 1966 Chevelle “Recoil.”

The shop builds one to two cars per year, which are highly customized with one-off parts. What sets them apart from other builders is their attention to detail, and their impressive ability to manufacture custom parts using everything from carbon fiber to 3D printing to CNC machining.

Since 2005, their custom car shop has expanded as a parts supplier of high quality hood hinges, door handles, hinges, and other hardware.After sitting out the 2020 and 2021 SEMA shows, the Ringbrothers returned to SEMA 2022 in a big way, with four full custom builds on display throughout the show.

One project that caught my eye was the 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 “Patriarc” which was on display at the Centerforce booth. The car starts with the 580-horsepower 5.2L V8 “Aluminator” crate engine from Ford Performance, coupled to a Bowler Tremec T-56 Magnum six-speed manual gearbox and a Strange Engineering 9-inch rear end.

The car rides on a set of Ringbrothers signature G-Code wheels that were developed with HRE for the G-Code Camaro in 2016. The wheels are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires. Handling is vastly improved thanks to an independent front and rear suspension using Roadster Shop Fast Track components with Penske Racing RS Edition coilovers. A Baer disc brake system with six-pison calipers and massive 14-inch rotors provides serious braking force.

Build time on the Patriarc Mustang is over 5,000 man hours. The body was widened two inches in every direction, and the rear quarter panels have been lowered. This required fabricating a new floor pan and transmission tunnel from sheet metal. While they were in there, they added a roll cage, too.The list of carbon fiber parts includes the air scoops, hood, and rear diffuser.

It is impressive that after building more than a dozen different one-off Mustangs, the Ringbrothers continue to push the boundaries of the resto-mod world with their creations. The Patriarc Mustang Mach 1 is a remarkable car from every angle.

1993 Porsche 968 – Barrett-Jackson 2023

In the US market the Porsche 968 has much less notoriety than it’s other front-engine/rear-drive, water-cooled brethren. It is essentially a final hurrah to the 924/944 platform, but with an updated exterior sharing a lot of design cues from the 928.

The 968’s naturally-aspirated 3.0L inline four was good for an impressive 237hp thanks to a variable cam timing system and some tuning, a 30hp increase over the 944 S2. Keep in mind you were still paying for a Porsche and this car would set you back nearly $40k in the economy of the early 90s, about 3x the cost of a Ford Mustang Cobra.

This particular example seen at BJA Scottsdale came with the desirable 6-speed manual, good for a 0-60 of 6.5 seconds. It was also equipped with power driver’s seat, power windows and air conditioning as well as Moton Clubsport adjustable suspension.

What does all of this add up to in 2023 money? This entry level Amazon Green N/A 4-cylinder that could straight-line with the best of it’s era’s pony cars crossed the auction block at $25,850.

 

Full Walkthrough – WeSERV Veteran’s Car Show (Video)

We attended the 1st annual (as far as I can tell) WeSERV Veteran’s car show in Glendale AZ this weekend, and I have to say, the turnout was better than expected for a show I had never heard of before! Lots of classics, some lowriders, and a little bit of modern stuff throughout. Enjoy the video of the full walkthrough of every car in attendence, and here’s hoping for another great event next year.