Classic Car Platforms

By now you have heard about the newest generation of the Corvette. At the time of this writing, Hemmings latest survey found the Corvette the most collectible car in the US. No wonder with 8 generations produced since the early '50s, there is a Corvette model that will ignite youthful nostalgia for any generation of collectors. Without any actual C8 production models in the wild, I decided to stop trolling C8's online and visit a local Chevrolet dealership and see a pre-production version in person. The first impression, the C8 looks way better in person than it does on screen. The fit and finish of the interior is an incremental improvement over the already well-appointed C7. While it retains the design elements of modern Corvette, there is no mistake where the engine is, behind the driver and forward of the rear wheels. It gives the car a much more aggressive profile and provides the driver with a much better view of the road ahead.  I've been gawking at cars sin...

There are some pretty special classics out there. The 1967 Sunbeam Tiger, 1968 Mustang 428 Cobra Jet, Pontiac GTO, and the 1957 Corvette Fuelie just to name a few. The cool thing is that what made those cars so exceptional was upgrades to boring cars like the Sunbeam Alpine, 1968 Ford Mustang, 1964 Pontiac LeMans or 1957 Corvette. Because these cars are so much more valuable than there plain Jane sisters, they tend to bring a lot at auction. Some who long for a Shelby V8 in a small British road car will simply take a very affordable Sunbeam Alpine and recreate it a Tiger. Just drop in the large Ford 289 cu in (4.7 L) V8, upgrade the suspension, tranny, rear end and bang, you have a pretty special car. Go to any auto auction and you will see a plethora of these "recreations" and they are popular. Unscrupulous car builders have been known to pass off these upgraded step-sisters as originals. So much so that registries have emerged to authenticate originals. 1963 Jaguar...