Hemmings Muscle Machines July 2019

If the truth be told, we don’t exactly have the most amazing set of tools in our shop here at Hemmings HQ. Sure, there’s a toolbox, and it’s what we rely on heavily when working on the ’69 Chevelle project you’ve been reading about in these pages for a number of months. In fact, when the project kicked off, I was concerned about our ability to make progress with the relatively limited scope of items in that box. It didn’t deter me, mind you — I knew that I could bring in some of my own gear if necessary, and at one point I even contemplated hauling my entire roll cabinet over here when we were about to begin wrenching. That never happened, in part because it never really needed…

THE FINAL C7 CORVETTE TO BE AUCTIONED FOR CHARITY On the same day that GM announced an introduction date for the new C8 Corvette, the automaker also identified the last production C7 and its fate. On June 28, at its Northeast auction, Barrett-Jackson will sell the final seventh-generation Corvette produced, a black 2019 Z06 (like the 2018 Z06 pictured), with proceeds going to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Named for firefighter Stephen Siller, killed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on New York City, the organization supports injured and fallen military members, first responders, and their families. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation builds mortgage-free homes for severely injured service members, helps to pay mortgages for families of first responders killed in the line of duty, and even…

2019 CHEVROLET CORVETTE GRAND SPORT CONVERTIBLE: THESE ARE THE GOOD OLD DAYS On Wednesday, April 10, of this year, a 2019 Corvette Grand Sport convertible (silver, eight-speed automatic) was dropped off for us to evaluate in this issue of HMM. The next day, Chevrolet announced that it would be introducing the 2020 Corvette, with its new mid-engine layout, in July. Within 24 hours of its delivery, the silver bullet in my driveway became an anachronism. Some would argue that it was past its sell-by date well before then. Our 2019 GS ragtop starts at $70,400. It was equipped for $9,745 with the 3LT group (including seats that incorporate Napa leather, power lumbar, power bolsters, heating and cooling, and memory; head-up display; auto-dimming mirrors; leather and suede microfiber throughout the interior;…

Letter of the Month: Ghost ’Vette “Terry McGean’s “Ghost Muscle” editorial about elusive, random sightings of muscle cars struck a chord with me, a certified Corvette nut from childhood. You see, my father bought a Daytona Yellow 1970 Chevrolet Corvette 454 four-speed in 1984. This rare beast was in very good shape, and we used the full extent of its 500 lb-ft of torque to have a lot of fun with the car before selling it only four months later. I kept hoping that Dad could find a way to keep this rare car until I could afford to buy it, but being a poor college student, I was very disappointed that this was impossible. I’ve enclosed a photo of me behind the wheel from that time. I thought it…

WHILE CHEVY AND Pontiac, Dodge and Plymouth, Ford, and even stodgy ol’ AMC were slinging mud and fighting like the Batley Townswomen’s Guild’s reenactment of “The Battle of Pearl Harbour,” it’s easy to forget that when it came to power and performance, Buick and Oldsmobile had been there all along. Recall the original Buick Century of 1936-’37, its eight-cylinder engine in a mid-sized body able to top 100 mph—arguably, it was among the first muscle cars. Recall the OHV V-8 revolution of 1949, and Oldsmobile’s role. This was back in the days before high performance was small-“D” democratized—when extra power was one of the luxury features you paid for while buying a car higher up the food chain. Buicks and Oldsmobiles were not for the hoi polloi. While Ford and…

We’ve long felt that the 1970 Olds 4-4-2 W-30 is the ultimate Executive Express. We recognize that this is a very important all-original benchmark car, and we want to do a complete and extensive high-end clean, detail, documentation, and verification of this car and all of its parts. The special paint color (Ming Jade), the fact that after nearly 50 years it still retains its as-new appearance, and the amazing factory-original fit-and-finish are all part of the attraction for us. We plan to bring it to MCACN this coming November and have it Vintage Certified by the very best Oldsmobile experts in the USA. —Fred Mandrick (shown left) and Scott Tedro ’ve had plenty of GM A-bodies over the years, but I never had a ’70 I Stage 1 until…