The car spots you guys liked most ...
OK, everybody’s doing a Top Ten Something of 2023 so I thought I’d do the most viewed spots I found last year. I was surprised at some of them. So here we go from least viewed, which is actually a lot, to most viewed.
Number 10, Dodge Magnum: I found this spot while on vacation in Florida at this cool repair shop on Pine Island just north of Fort Meyers. Where, in 2005 for under $38 grand you could get a people hauler that was capable of 0-60 in less than six seconds, when ordered as the RT version with its 345ci Hemi V8 producing 340 horsepower. The car sold well and was well-received by the automotive press and in 2005 was one of Car and Driver’s Ten Best.
On Nov. 1, 2007, Chrysler announced that, as part of its restructuring plans, the Dodge Magnum would be one of four models discontinued after the 2008 model year. In Chrysler’s words: “The Magnum, along with the PT Cruiser convertible, the Crossfire, and the Pacifica were not earning their keep”. Production ended on March 28, 2008. So sad.
Number 9, 74 AMC Hornet: I liked this one since my dad worked for American Motors and I’m a huge geek. I found it recently at a World of Wheels event in Milwaukee. This ’74’s body and interior are pristine and look like almost any other that might have come off the line, but underneath, well that’s a different story. AMC peeps, you’re going to like this. Instead of going to the dark side and plopping an LS engine in it. The owners, John and Kathy Bots from Summit, Wis., got ahold of a 401 and juiced it up to 1,200 hp! Gotta love that! It’s simply great to see cars like this that keep the AMC name alive.
Number 8, 1954 DeSoto Fireflite: Introduced by Walter P. Chrysler in the summer of 1928 DeSoto was designed to compete in the rapidly expanding mid-priced segment and positioned between the budget-friendly Plymouth and the luxury Chrysler. This 54 came equipped with an early version of the Hemi, 291 cu in, V8 engine and with a 4-barrel, produced 200 hp. It also came with a PowerFlite automatic transmission. It listed at $3,544, $35,440 in 2023 dollars. AM radio was a $110 option, $1,236 in 2023 dollars. A lot of cash and now you can get a nice stereo for that.
The brand sold well for a while but a recession in 58 clobbered Detroit and DeSoto saw sales fall 60 percent, while Chrysler posted a loss of more than $40 million. There was more competition, surprisingly from Edsel which sold 60,000 cars in its first year. Chrysler merged DeSoto with the new Chrysler-Plymouth division and closed DeSoto’s factory. DeSoto celebrated its 30th anniversary by selling just 45,700 cars. Chrysler killed the DeSoto brand on November 19, 1960.
Number 7, 1970 Olds 442 Convertible: Many 4-4-2 enthusiasts see 1970 as the pinnacle of performance from Oldsmobile. A booming time for muscle cars as everybody was in the game. I love this era. General Motors dropped the cap on engine size and Oldsmobile responded by making the Olds 455 V8 the standard 4-4-2 engine. Output was 365 hp while a 370 hp variant was available with the W30 option. Motor Trend tested a 4-4-2 W-30 with the four-speed manual transmission and 3.91:1 rear gears, clocking a quarter mile time of 14.2 seconds at 102 mph. This rare convertible’s value is rising rapidly on the collector market with Coucours condition example selling for almost 200 grand.
Number 6, Chevy SSR: In the early 2000’s it seems that just about every manufacturer was into the retro movement. There was the Mini Cooper, new VW Bug, and PT Cruiser. One of Chevy’s entry was the SSR which stood for Super Sport Roadster. Introduced in 2003 on New Year’s Eve, Chevy had big plans. It was built for speed and used GM’s 5.3 L 300 hp Vortec V8 making it go from 0-60 in 7.7 seconds with a 15.9 second quarter mile run at 86.4 mph. In 2005 they upped the hp to 390 by using the LS2 V8, the same engine found in the C6 Corvette. It was mated to a six-speed manual taking the 0-60 time down to 5.29 seconds.
Despite heavy promotion, it was the 2003 Indy 500 Pace Car, it never sold well. On November 21, 2005, GM announced that it would close the Craft Center, where the vehicle was built, in mid-2006, and that was the end for the SSR. The final SSR, a unique black-on-silver model, was built on March 17, 2006. Total production was just 24,112. I kind of like it because of its quirky design and how it stands out. I mean look, I saw this one in a grocery store parking lot next to the mundane SUVs and pickup trucks.
Number 5, Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT: I’m a Jeep guy and love going fast so was all over this spot. A 6.4-liter V-8 pumps out 475 horsepower while a rowdy exhaust note tells you that it’s an SRT. So what Jeep did was take a standard Grand Cherokee, plop in a bigger engine, give it more aggressive bodywork, a sport-tuned suspension, and upgraded brakes. Car and Driver ripped one to 60 mph in only 4.4 seconds, just 0.2 seconds slower than a Dodge Challenger T/A 392. While its smaller relative was quicker in other acceleration tests, the Jeep matched the coupe’s hearty exhaust note and responsive throttle around town. I got to drive one of these at Road America and it was a total blast.
Number 4, Pontiac Fiero: Debuting in 1984, The Fiero was conceived as a small, two-seat sports car with an all-new suspension and a V6 engine. Keep in mind that at GM the Corvette was sacred and reluctant to invest into a second two-seater so the Fiero was pitched as a fuel-efficient four-cylinder commuter car that just happened to have two seats, rather than a muscle car. Think oil crisis. This car was fast-tracked by engineers and they brought back a running prototype in less than six months. It was a hit initially but sales slid after that. It was a parts bin special that GM never seemed to get dialed in.
Number 3, 69 Pontiac Firebird Convertible: So which is better, the Camaro or the Firebird? You’d get great arguments for both of them. The owner of this 1969 Firebird convertible would certainly argue for his ride. This one is Cherry and I’ve seen it here before at the golf course that I work at during the summer months. The first generation Firebird had the same Coke bottle styling shared as, the Camaro but the Firebird’s bumpers were integrated into the design of the front end, a Pontiac trend. The Firebird’s rear slit taillights were inspired by the 1966–1967 Pontiac GTO.
Number 2, Chevy Vega: Introduced in 1970, it was a car that was doomed almost from the very beginning. Code named the XP-887, the Chevy Vega was meant to stop shoppers from buying the many cars being imported from Japan that got great gas mileage but when GM’s corporate engineering staff finally delivered its first prototype to Chevrolet, it lasted just eight miles at GM’s Milford proving ground before the front end fell off. The car rusted as soon as it came off the assembly line.
This supercharged 78 427 is special because it has never seen snow or rain. This is owned by a co-worker’s dad at the golf course I work at during the summer and actually let me drive it. What a beast!
Number 1, 62 Oldsmobile Starfire: And another Oldsmobile rounds out my Top 10.
The Starfire was introduced by Oldsmobile in 1961 as a performance-oriented grand tourer convertible, separated into its own model line. It shared its body and wheelbase with the Super 88 and the lower-priced Dynamic 88. It came loaded with standard equipment like leather bucket seats, center console with a tach, and floor shifter for the Hydra-matic transmission. It was the first U.S. full-sized production car to feature an automatic transmission with a console-mounted floor shifter, brushed aluminum side panels, fender skirts on the rear wheels, power steering, brakes, and windows. Base price was $4,647, $47,116.1 in 2023 dollars and was the most expensive Oldsmobile, even more than the larger Ninety-Eight models.
Powering it was the standard 394 cubic inch V-8 Rocket V8 engine, get it, Rocket, playing off space race. This was Old’s most powerful in 1961 and equipped with a 4-barrel Rochester carburetor put out 330 hp.
That’s it. Thank you so much. I’ve got lots more in the hopper so come back next week and check it out. Have a great weekend and Happy New Year.
Savage On Wheels 
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