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What were some of the experiences in your youth that shaped your automotive interest as an adult? For me, my childhood revolved around anything with wheels—starting with Hot Wheels, evolving to slot cars, radio-controlled cars, and diecast scale models of all sizes. As a Cub Scout, one of my favorite events each year was the Pinewood Derby, a tradition in which each participant started with a basic block of wood and crafted it into a race car. My dad was (and is) a handyman extraordinaire, so his involvement was always a critical element in the process.

I remember one year where the derby took a different route entirely: instead of the goal being to reach the finish line first, there was an obstacle at the end of the track that the cars would crash into. Each vehicle would have a raw egg strapped into a “driver seat.” The goal was to build the safest Pinewood Derby car—one that would not crack or break the egg at the barricade. It was a messy ordeal, but it made for lots of memorable laughs.

Custom Creation

My friend Derek from Utah is no stranger to being a do-it-yourselfer around the house. His YouTube channel, dubbed “DIY Derek,” has over 15,000 subscribers at the time of this writing. Derek is an innovator, handyman, and problem-solver. His channel introduces viewers to the ins and outs of home-improvement, how-to basics, and much more.

For one of his latest episodes, Derek chose to document the process of creating a custom Pinewood Derby car for a neighborhood competition. His creation was modeled after my Acura Legend. I was honored, to say the least. “I went with the most tested car I know,” Derek said. His three daughters each built a car of their own, too.

The project was a true “scratch-built” undertaking. In fact, Derek didn’t even start with a pre-cut wooden block. He made his own by gluing three scrap pieces of wood together. From there, he did some freehand sketching to come up with the general shape. The block was cut using a scroll saw to create the basic profile, then an orbital sander and sanding block were used to soften the curves. The axle grooves needed to be carved out manually. The car was sprayed in proper Desert Mist Metallic, and the details were added with a Sharpie. Finally, Derek added some stickers to the trunk lid and the windshield for maximum authenticity.

Race Day

When the action kicked off at the slot track, Derek had to make some strategic and last-minute engineering changes, one of which included the removal of an “underbody” component that was making contact with the track and slowing the car down.

Derek allowed a girl from the neighborhood to race the Legend since she didn’t have a car of her own. The competition was fierce and, out of about 50 competitors, the Legend finished in the Top 10. The car’s best run down the track came in at a speedy 3.44 seconds. Representing!

“There was only one thing left to do,” Derek said. The last step was mailing me the Pinewood Derby car for display in my collection. And display it proudly, I shall!

Fostering Future Car Fans

In an era when autonomous transportation is becoming the norm and fewer young people are energized about getting driver licenses, I loved seeing the neighborhood spirit that Derek created for a fun car-related event. And now it’s making me want to craft a Pinewood Derby car of my own!

Celebrated for its design by Ian Callum (who later drew up several other popular British models like the Jaguar XK and the F-Type), the Aston Martin DB7 blended supercharged power with sexy styling. Featured on AutoHunter is a low-mileage luxury, Grand-Touring 1997 Aston Martin DB7 Coupe. It is being sold by a dealer in Los Angeles, with the auction ending Monday, December 1, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. (MST).

Showing just 75,600 original miles, the car’s sexy silhouette seems to have defied age—even at 28 years old, it looks relatively modern. Callum’s design sought to capture the essence of classic Astons while adding modern features. Exterior features included vented front fenders, color-keyed mirrors, dual exhaust outlets, and 18-inch turbine-style wheels.

The DB7 was assembled in Bloxham, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, from 1994 through 2003. It was classified internally under the “XX” model name and leveraged some of the platform architecture from the Jaguar XJS (since at the time, both Aston Martin and Jaguar were owned by Ford). In addition to its coupe body style, the DB7 was offered as a “Volante” convertible after 1996. The marketplace reacted warmly to the car, and it became a volume seller for the brand. The DB7 went on to be credited—at least in part—for helping Aston Martin survive during a particularly competitive period.

The Experian AutoCheck report says that this car has an accident-free history. It was first registered in Crystal Lake, Illinois, and later spent time in Ohio, Kentucky, and Florida before being relocated to California in 2020, where it remains today. A California emissions inspection was performed in September 2024. The report corroborates the car’s low mileage reading, as the last recorded entry was 70,235 when that emissions check was done.

No luxury car would be complete without a few creature comforts. The four-passenger cabin of the DB7 has wood veneer, dual-zone automatic climate control, and power convenience options throughout. An aftermarket AM/FM cassette stereo has been added, but the rest of the cabin appears original. 

Up front is a Jaguar-derived 3.2-liter supercharged DOHC inline-six mated to a 4L80-E four-speed automatic transmission. Aston Martin rated the engine at 335 horsepower and 361 lb-ft of torque when new. One unique thing about the DB7 was that each engine was hand-assembled, receiving a placard noting the vehicle number and inspector’s name. This car is identified with the sequence 1*604, which aligns with its VIN. Final assembly was performed by someone named Steve Gray.

Steve should be pleased to know that his efforts did not go unnoticed, and that a DB7 with his name on it is still cruising the streets almost three decades later.

The auction for this 1997 Aston Martin DB7 Coupe ends Monday, December 1, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. (MST).

Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery

If you’re reading this, you’ve managed to drink enough coffee to counteract all the turkey and high-carb sides of Thanksgiving! Congratulations—and welcome back to The ClassicCars.com Journal. You’re just in time for another installment of Car Connections. I make the Random Word Generator spit out a few words, then I find ways to link each of them to automobiles.

Today’s words are: meat, stuff, and glow. Here we go.

Meat: What kills me about some restomods is that they have over-sized wheels with rubber bands for tires. One of the things that makes classic American cars, such as the Ford Mustang and Pontiac Trans Am, look so great is their proportions—including those of their wheels and tires. A nice meaty sidewall helps keep things in balance.

Stuff: Now that I’m a dad, I love minivans, especially the 2025 Toyota Sienna Platinum I tested back in April. Not only was it well equipped, comfortable, and fuel-efficient, but it also had room for so much stuff! It easily fit my wife in the shotgun seat and my son Hayden in his bulky car seat in the second row. There was plenty of space for storage totes in the back, even if I didn’t fold the third-row seats down.

Glow: Le Mans racing challenges the endurance of everyone and everything involved. Not only do the drivers have to stay awake for long stretches, but they also have to be 100 percent sharp and alert every second they’re behind the wheel. The cars’ engines have to hold up to the stresses of all-out driving and high-g turns. So do the brakes—they work so hard and absorb so much heat that they literally glow in the dead of night.

How would you associate these words with cars? Tell us in the Comments section below. And be sure to share your ideas for random words to use in a future installment of Car Connections.

Right now on AutoHunter, you can find this 1968 Pontiac Firebird coupe, which is powered by a 250ci OHC inline-six paired with a two-speed automatic transmission. Finished in British Racing Green over a black vinyl interior, this first-generation Firebird is now offered by the selling dealer in Oregon with a clear title.

Originally Nightshade Green, the body was repainted the current British Racing Green and accented with gray side and rear stripes. Exterior features include a black front air dam, bright trim, driver-side mirror, tinted windows, body-color rear spoiler, chrome rear bumper, and dual exhaust outlets.

Instead of using talons, this bird grips the road with the 205/70 BFGoodrich Radial T/A tires wrapped around its 14-inch Rally II wheels.

The cockpit is furnished with black vinyl upholstery on the front buckets and rear bench seat; woodgrain trim accents the center stack/console. Comfort and convenience features include power steering, push-button AM radio, and console-mounted automatic shifter.

Instrumentation consists of a 160-mph speedometer and a fuel gauge. The odometer shows 6,161 miles, but this classic is mileage-exempt, according to its title.

Between the front wheel wells is a 250ci OHC inline-six fitted with a four-barrel carburetor and connected to a two-speed automatic. A set of manual drum brakes slow that go.

If you want to make this 1968 Pontiac Firebird coupe yours, don’t slow down—step on the gas and bid before the auction’s conclusion at 12:15 p.m. (MST) on Friday, December 5, 2025.

Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery

Quick! Without looking, which was the first muscle car model that featured air induction standard? Need a hint? It is a 1969 model. Need another hint? It’s not what you’d normally expect. Need a third hint? Boy, I should begin to worry about you because all you need to do is look at the title to know it’s the Buick Gran Sport. Our Pick of the Day is this 1969 Buick GS 350 listed for sale on Classic Cars.com by a dealership in Pompano Beach, Florida.

The Gran Sport was redesigned for 1968 after three model years. General Motors gave the A-body two wheelbases, with the two-door featuring a 112-inch span from front to rear wheels. All two-doors featured enhanced “Coke-bottle” styling with a more organic look, eschewing the three-box design that had characterized the previous generation.

The Gran Sport models continued to be available within three series. The most muscular was the GS 400, which was powered by an engine that was introduced the previous year. The 400ci V8 was rated at 340 horsepower, which wasn’t high on the totem pole of 6.6-liter cars, but its power delivery belied its rating, especially with peak torque (440 lb-ft) at a low 3200 rpm. New for 1968 was the GS 350, powered by a 350ci small-block rated at 280 horsepower and 375 lb-ft of torque. This was an outgrowth of the 340 that was used in the 1967 GS 340, Buick’s “junior supercar.” There was also an interesting California GS available, formerly a regional special based on the Special Deluxe. This gave buyers a stylish and fast vehicle at a friendly price.

Both the 350 and 400 were carried over into 1969, though Buick restyled the Gran Sport’s hood to implement a standard air induction system. A pair of chrome grates allowed air to be sucked into “muffs on the front of the air cleaner to deliver cool clean air [to the four-barrel carburetor] and provide more efficient and powerful engine operation in higher speed ranges.” The 350 came standard with a column-mounted three-speed manual, with a floor-shift version of the same transmission the next step up. Upgrades from there included the TH350 automatic or four-speed manual. When the model year was over, 58 GS 350s featured the standard transmission, 175 had the upgrade on the floor, 632 featured the four-speed, and the rest were built with an automatic.

This 65,000-mile 1969 Buick GS 350 doesn’t get the glory that the GS 400 receives, but let’s evaluate this example and identify its strengths, as it’s a fine way to experience horsepower, comfort, and fun that few vehicles can deliver. Out of 6,305 built, 490 were painted in Cameo Cream. Another 667 were built with the Pearl White bucket seat interior. See that white vinyl top? 830 were built with that too. It’s not common to find air conditioning paired with a four-speed like this one has—only 132 were equipped like that. Other features include “radio-delete,” power steering, power drum brakes, and remote driver-side mirror. Currently, this car features Buick’s famous mag wheels. “New seats, new carpet, and new headliner,” says the seller.

This Buick comes with a folder of receipts, service records, and Protect-O-Plate, the latter of which shows this vehicle was sold new to a female resident of Bakersfield, California on May 9, 1969. Did Julia Selinger know she bought the first car to feature standard air induction? No way to find out but, for $33,979, you will.

Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com