If you wanted the ultimate touring sedan 30 years ago, you might have wanted to take a look at the 1991 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEL. The Lof course meant it was a longer version of the 560 SE, while560indicated a 5.6L V8 under that long hood. This was the final year for this model, and the engine put out 275 hp, giving the car a top speed of about 150 mph. To say that my understanding of German is a lit
There were over 70 different two-tone color combinations available to buyers of a1956 DeSoto Firedome. This one, seen a few weeks ago at the Frontiersmen VFW Car Show in Tonawanda, is Iridescent Gray Poly and Shell Pink, and you just know it will be a standout wherever it shows up! The ad copy writers were really singing the praises of Chrysler’s push-button automatic transmission in 1956, h
There seem to be a lot of pre-war Fords, Chevys, and Plymouths still around today, but how often do you come across a 1940 Chrysler Windsorin the wild? We found this one in a Tonawandaparking lot back in May, looking like it’s in an unrestored state. I know these things were big and roomy inside, but the brochure illustration (below)makes the Windsor’s interior look bigger than some sm
This 1997 Volkswagen Passat GLXrepresents the nameplate’s final year before a total makeover for MY 1998. The Passat name was first used in MY 1973, although the cars sold in North America wore aDasherbadge. It marked VW’s entry into the world of water-cooled engines and front-wheel-drive, along with the Scirocco and Golf/Rabbit. The ’97 Passat was available in sedan and station
We came across Lancaster’s Anjanette Grzybek and her 1963 Chevy II Novasedan back in June at a car show held at the Frontiersmen VFW Post in the City of Tonawanda. The Nova’s still mostly stock (for now) save for the floor-mounted shifter and an engine replacement — the old 194 I-6 was replaced by a newer 230-six with Carter carbs and an Offenhauser manifold. Okay, and the fuzzy
I’ll admit that when I first spotted this 1999 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight LSin Gowanda, from a block away I thought it was a Chevy Lumina. They’re definitely similar in shape IMO, and you don’t see many of either nameplate much these days. This was the final year for the Eighty-Eight, a nameplate whose origin goes back to the Futuramic 88 series of 1949. Although they were sold side
Went to a couple of cars show a few Saturdays ago, and this 1941 Chevrolet Special Deluxe Sport Sedan, attached to a vintage Scotty camper, just might have been the highlight of the day. The pair was spotted at the Sneaker's Pre-Father's Day Cruisin' Car Show at Sneakers restaurant in Blasdell. The camper is a Scotty Serro Sportsman, we’re guessing 1962 or so. Chevy told us the new Sport Sed
Virgil Exner’s Forward Lookwas still evident when this 1959 Plymouth Belvederehit the showrooms, but this year it had a bit of a different… slant. Get it? The tailfins were now slanted more forward than backward! Plymouth called the new ‘59s“…a high-stepping, nimble-footed masterpiece of luxury and comfort.”The Belvedere was now third in the pecking order, beh
It would be another year before designers in Flint figured out how to integrate the backup lamps into the taillight cluster, so the optional units on this 1954 Buick Centurygot plopped onto the trunk lid like the afterthought that they were. The Century was Buick’s hot rod in the 1950s, with the larger engine of the Roadmaster/Super mounted on the shorter (and lighter) chassis of the less ex
Here’s one of those cars which history seems to have forgotten, at least as far as collectibility goes, a base model 1985 Chevrolet Celebrity. (We’ll pause here while you try and remember the last time you saw one.) This one has just 66k on the odometer, and is owned by Corey Dickens of South Buffalo. If you’re paying attention, you’ll notice in some of the photos what appe