Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2023 i Hemmings Muscle Machines

IT TAKES A BELLY FULL OF STAINLESS-STEEL GUTS to do something like 17-year-old Robert Entwistle did 45-odd years ago, when he decided to forgo furthering his education in order to pursue his interest in cars. “Just like that, I just dropped out [of tech school]. I followed my heart. My parents were horrified. The thought that I would toss away a full scholarship to electronics school to be a ‘grease monkey’ at a local shop was too much to bear. Yes, I signed it all away. I just wanted to work on cars.” While his parents may not have been pleased with him for choosing his own path at that time in his life as a young, bright teenager, Robert is immeasurably happy with the final outcome. “I didn’t want…

HEMMINGS AUCTIONS IS OUR LIVE, ONLINE AUCTION site staffed by customer service professionals ready to help bidders and sellers with any questions. A wide variety of classic and specialty vehicles from all eras are up for bid. Auctions run for two weeks, and qualified bidders place their bids electronically. Once a vehicle is accepted into the auction, the seller pays only a $99.95 listing fee. The winning bidder is responsible for a 5-percent fee on all completed auctions. The following are examples of auctions that transpired during the month leading up to press time. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, email Director of Auction Operations Terry Shea: terryshea@hemmings.com. 1957 CHEVROLET CORVETTE RESERVE: $130,000SELLING PRICE: $136,605RECENT MARKET RANGE: $122,150-$152,450 The rare Rochester fuel-injection option made the first-gen Corvette V-8 into…

2023 CHRYSLER 300C: SUDDENLY IT’S 2012 485 HORSEPOWER, $55,000, LIMITED PRODUCTION Remember the halcyon days of 2012, the burly broad-shouldered Chrysler 300 SRT8, and its monstrous 470-horsepower, 6.4-liter pushrod V-8 throwing you back in that comfy leather seat at the tip of the throttle? Miss it? Us too. Good news: for 2023, that kind of power will once again be available in a Mopar sedan that’s not a Charger. After half a decade of Fiat-Chrysler and Stellantis leaving the Charger’s twin, the Chrysler 300, to wither and die on the vine, it’s going out with a bang. Behold: the return of the vaunted 300C nameplate, which took a brief hiatus earlier this decade. It will be powered by the latest version of the 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 that was in the…

EVER LOCK EYES ON SOMEONE and, though you’ve never met, you’re sure that you know them from somewhere? Celebrities have stories like this all the time — particularly when they’re mistaken for another celebrity. But it happens to us plebes in the weeds as well. Unsurprisingly, it happens with cars, too. And sometimes it all works out for the best. Sadly, little is currently known about this ’69 Camaro SS/RS convertible’s former life or owner(s); the only information that’s come to light is that it was built in the Norwood, Ohio, plant in December of ’68, was delivered in or near Memphis, Tennessee, and was owned by a schoolteacher. “Paperwork was lacking,” its restorer, Shaun Price, of Shaun Price Restorations in Gilbert, Arizona, tells us. This may well have been…

AMERICA HAS ALWAYS BEEN TOO RICH FOR A CAR LIKE THE Chevrolet El Camino, Ford Ranchero, or Dodge Rampage. The car/truck hybrid is very popular in Australia, where it was invented in the 1930s, and is popularly known as the “ute” — short for “coupe utility.” Originally, they were simply coupe bodies with a slab-sided pickup box where the trunk would be on a regular coupe. That was a common home-built modification even before, but the factory-built examples proved highly successful. Down Under, where things are a lot more rural and the economy has never been quite as robust as in the U.S., they made a perfect solution for one-car families. Here, if the family needed a pickup, it was likely to be a full-blown half-ton model, supplementing the family…

AUCTION ACTION FALL COMES WITH MIXED emotions. Winter is near. Conversely, there’s the cooler, crisp air that makes for pleasant drives in our vintage rides; in the northern reaches, the foliage begins its annual display of vibrant colors. The aroma of hot spices fills the air. And if you’re in south-central Pennsylvania, so too does the scent of aged motor oil, spent high-octane fuel, and the smell of just-made festival-style delicacies like fresh funnel cake. It’s the atmosphere that’s greeted vintage car devotees within the Carlisle Fairgrounds each autumn since 1974, when the Fall Swap Meet was founded. Like its spring equivalent, the fall meet has expanded to include an auction, hosted at the Carlisle Expo Center, located across the street from the swap meet’s main gate. The 2022 dates…

AFTER A COUPLE STABS AT THE GAS PEDAL and a twist of the key, the Hemi came to life and trumpeted its presence. Even though the ambient temperature was already in the 80s, the impatient pachyderm required deft manipulation of the throttle as the moving bits all greeted one another and waited on the engine’s temperature to build a bit. It wasn’t long, though, before the clamor settled into a raucous, raspy, racket and the engine announced it was ready. With the newly invigorated mechanical mastodon filling the engine bay of his ’69 Plymouth GTX, Al Galdi had hauled it to Bowling Green, Kentucky from New Jersey to send it down the legendary Beech Bend track, hoping his efforts would be rewarded with a solid time slip… and maybe a…

*Prices shown are presumed accurate at the time of printing. Please confirm with seller prior to purchase. 1968 PONTIAC GTO “ROYAL BOBCAT” 800-227-4373 X79550 • HEMMINGS.COM/STORE • $114.99 The latest collectible to join the Hemmings merchandise store is a die-cast scale model of the March 2020 (HMM #199) cover car, the Musclepalooza XXIX Best-in-Show-winning 1968 Pontiac GTO in Royal Bobcat livery. This New England-based hardtop was rescued and carefully restored, its story making it worthy of being rendered in 1:18. The unusual Meridian Turquoise metallic paint of the Auto World model (item AMM1277) is accented with a white rear deck, white striping, and delicate emblems that include Royal Bobcat plaques on the doors. Flock carpet and detailed panels give the interior a realistic appearance that’s matched by the 400-cu.in. V-8…

HERSHEY HIGHLIGHTS AT RM SOTHEBY’S The Hershey Lodge once again hosted RM Sotheby’s annual auction during Hershey week and when the smoke cleared, more than $10 million in total sales were realized for the auction house. The sell-through was an impressive 88.5 percent, with a small amount of American muscle cars sprinkled throughout the docket. Undoubetly the highlight of the auction was a 1987 Buick GNX, one of just 547 made. The turbocharged Buick showed only 2,045 miles on the odometer and included its original window sticker, owner’s manual, and dealership sheet. This car was number 149 and it had all of the options and luxuries offered, including cruise control, six-way power seat, and AM/ FM cassette with “Concert Sound” speakers; it also had the factory spare tire and original…