mod@tech

In a previous life, I was living in South Central Los Angeles, waxed poetically by countless rappers, and just a quarter-mile from the epicenter of the 1992 LA riots where Reginald Denny was pulled from his truck. Nearby is Inglewood, home of The Forum (now the Kia Forum), and the relatively new SoFi Stadium and Intuit Dome. My local Costco was in Inglewood, and cutting through the neighborhood—a car-hunter’s pastime—brought a certain Pontiac Firebird to my attention.

Immediately what came to mind when I first set eyes on this F-body was that it had a Formula hood but Trans Am air extractors on the front fenders. A hood is much easier to install than new fenders, so chances were good that this was a Trans Am. What if this was a 1970 Ram Air IV Trans Am with a repaint, and the owner doesn’t have a clue? These things happen!

I was hot and bothered by this, so I decided to stop and take a look the next time I needed to make a Costco run. The nose featured the distinctive grille from a 1972, which meant the original engine would have been a 455 HO—not as cool as a RAIV but ‘72 Trans Ams are quite rare. Moving to the rear, I noticed post-1973 taillights, though admittedly I missed the wrap-around backlite, which was the most obvious sign of this vehicle’s age. Nonetheless, this Firebird clearly was a hodgepodge of parts.

I discreetly checked the VIN that confirmed this vehicle being a 1976 Formula Firebird.

Or, as I like to call it, a Firebird Trans-Gendered.

On the way home from the office the other day, the Brad Paisley and Keith Urban song “Start a Band” came on the radio. It’s a musical tutorial on how to figure out what to do with your life, spend time with your buddies, get girls, and possibly “buy your mama that Cadillac.” That particular line struck me and made me ask myself this question: What is the modern version of a “new Cadillac”?

A car from Cadillac used to be an aspirational vehicle. It was a rolling status symbol that showed the world you had made it—or a family member how much you loved them. Investor and “Shark Tank” star Robert Herjavec said the best thing he ever bought was a pearl white 1989 Cadillac for his father, who viewed a Cadillac as a sign of success. That way of thinking is present in movies such as “GoodFellas,” in which one of the mobsters buys his wife a pink Cadillac—at the worst time: right after pulling off the lucrative Lufthansa heist at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in 1978.

That’s not to say modern Cadillacs aren’t aspirational vehicles. I’m sure plenty of people want a CT5-V Blackwing or an Escalade, but those are far from the massive, cushy sedan or coupe or convertible that a Cadillac dream car used to be. And keep in mind that the company killed off the CT6, its largest, most luxurious sedan, several years ago.

There’s definitely a generational component to this, although I’d argue it’s not universal. For many people of a certain age group, a new Caddy might still be a goal to reach, but my “Baby Boomer” parents are not among them. When my mom was able to drive, her dream car was a Jaguar. My dad would rather have a new Toyota truck to help him with his never-ending home improvement projects, but I know he wouldn’t complain if a new Lexus LS 500 showed up at his house with a massive bow on it.

What is the modern “new Cadillac” to you? Is it an Escalade or something from a different brand? Tell us in the Comments section below.

For a long time, any General Motors performance car after 1970 was looked down upon due to its lowered compression. Pontiac especially suffered from this because, if you look at the 1971-72 GTO Endura nose, it simply lacks the grace of the ‘70’s—that’s two scarlet letters.

But people started coming around to what great vehicles the high-performance 1971-72 Pontiacs were. It started with Dan Jensen’s T-37 powered by a 455 HO in the 1980s. Then others with similar cars were compelled to race—and beat—more substantial high-compression machinery. By the 2000s, GTO godfather Jim Wangers was singing the praises of the 455 HO, even claiming it was Pontiac’s best. Huh?

Talk with Pontiac folks today and they may have a slight difference of opinion, but all will agree that the 1971-72 455 HO is a fantastic street engine. To those who are not familiar, the 455 HO was an upgrade from 1970’s engine due to the round-port heads from the Ram Air IV, which made it a better, faster engine despite the ’70 having high compression. It comes off as counter-intuitive, but it’s true, plus the 455 HO was a stepping stone that lead to the Super Duty 455 for 1973-74.

Join Muscle Car Campy as he shows us the charms of Rob Timken’s unrestored 1972 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. Equipped with the standard 455 HO and a four-speed, this racing-inspired pony car was arguably the fastest American car that year, plus the model would reach even greater heights later in the decade thanks to a certain movie. If you dig this video, be sure to look for your favorite car in other Muscle Car Campy videos.

We’ve made it to the weekend! It’s time for another installment of Car Connections, a game in which I take three words from the Random Word Generator and somehow link them to automobiles.

Today’s words, spine, birthday, and ghostwriter, were more difficult than I thought they would be, especially the last one. This is going to be a little clunky, but I’ll get the job done.

Spine: The 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Coupe I tested several years ago had such a harsh suspension that I thought my spine was going to shatter. Next!

Birthday: Two years ago, Bugatti released the Chiron Super Sport 57 One of One, which was—as its name states—a one-off. If its color looks familiar, that’s because it was inspired by the paint on the Type 57SC Atlantic that the One of One owner saw on display in the Mullin Automotive Museum. What’s the connection to birthday? The lucky lady received the bespoke Chiron Super Sport as a 70th birthday present from her husband.

Ghostwriter: This was a tough one. Follow me on this winding path. After novelist V.C. Andrews died in 1986, a ghostwriter began writing books under her name. Hmmm . . . Andrews. Andrew McCarthy was in “Weekend at Bernie’s.” Bernie . . . as in Bernie Taupin. He writes lyrics for Sir Elton John, a legend who’s owned various Bentleys, including a 1956 S1 Continental Sport Saloon and a 1975 Corniche Convertible.

Whew! I’m tired from all that stretching!

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 restored 1966 Ford Bronco pickup, which is powered by a 170ci inline-six mated to a three-speed manual transmission and dual-range transfer case. Finished in blue and white over a new tan leather interior, this American classic is now offered by the selling dealer in Oregon with a clear title.

In its brochure for the 1966 Bronco, Ford identified this body style as the Sports Utility, which came with “a short steel roof, metal side doors and roll-up windows to provide complete weather protection.” If you ask me, it looks a lot like a pickup. Whatever you call this version of the Bronco, it doesn’t change the fact that it has been refinished in a combination of blue for the body and white for the grille and top during the restoration process.

Exterior features include chrome bumpers, uncut fenders, fold-down windshield, removable roof panel, bed-mounted spare wheel/tire, bed liner, and single exhaust outlet.

This Bronco gallops over roads and trails on a set of 15-inch chrome wheels equipped with manual locking front hubs and 235/75 Primewell PA100 raised-white-letter radials.

The cabin was recently furnished with new tan leather upholstery featuring diamond-quilted inserts, matching door panels, and tan carpet. Other features include a center console with cup holders, column-mounted transmission shifter, AM/FM/cassette radio, and center tunnel-mounted transfer case shifter.

Instrumentation consists of a 100-mph speedometer and gauges for the alternator, fuel level, temperature, and oil pressure. The odometer shows 66,458 miles, but this Bronco is mileage-exempt, according to its title.

Under the hood is a 170ci inline-six that was factory-rated at 105 gross horsepower and 158 lb-ft of torque. It’s connected to a single-barrel carburetor, three-speed manual gearbox, and dual-range transfer case.

A set of 4.11:1 gears transmit the engine’s power to the rear wheels. Manual drum brakes reign this horse in.

If you want to saddle up this 1966 Ford Bronco pickup, do it now before the auction ends on Friday, December 12, 2025, at 12:30 p.m. (MST).

Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery

The automotive design community lost a legend earlier this year on April 25, 2025. Bill Porter had a 39-year career with the GM Design Center, and one of his creations was the second-generation Pontiac Firebird. The Pick of the Day is one such car, a 1980 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Ridgeville, Ohio.

“It has one older repaint, and the paint shows really nice,” the listing says. “It has the aftermarket T-tops from Cars and Concepts.”

The Firebird was produced from 1967 to 2002 alongside its F-body sibling, the Chevrolet Camaro. The units produced from 1970 through 1981 fell into the second generation, which was borne as one of Porter’s many creations. His career history with GM was storied: he started out with the organization as an intern on the design team in 1957 and was hired full-time about a year later. Over his near-four-decade career, Porter created many significant designs, among them, the 1961 Corvette Mako Shark concept car, 1968 Pontiac GTO, and others. One of his more recent designs was for the 1995 Buick Riviera, a car that to many has aged well, even 30 years later.

This Trans Am’s white exterior is accented with blue decals, and features include quad headlights, color-keyed urethane bumpers, vented fenders, sport side mirrors, rear spoiler, and a set of 15-inch “Snowflake” aluminum wheels wrapped in new BFGoodrich Radial T/A tires.

The listing provides some of this car’s additional specifics: it was manufactured at Norwood, Ohio, with features including power steering and power brakes (discs up front and drums in the rear). Inside, the car was equipped with vinyl bucket seats, a floor-mounted shifter, an engine-turned aluminum dash bezel, and full gauges. The listing adds, “It has the Formula steering wheel with the tilt option.”

While some second-gen Trans Ams came with turbocharged power for 1980, this car has the naturally aspirated version of the 4.9-liter (301ci V8), which was rated at 155 horsepower. A three-speed automatic transmission sends power to the rear wheels. The odometer reads about 8,900 miles, which the seller asserts comes out to 108,900 actual miles.

A walk-around video has been provided showing the exterior of the car and calling attention to some of its small cosmetic issues. It’s a handsome car throughout, and Bill Palmer’s creative spirit is alive and well with this clean Trans Am!

The asking price is $34,800.

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

Picture your favorite sandwich. You don’t have to think hard to envision it because it’s such a familiar combination to you—the bread you choose, the toppings you prefer, the condiments that make it just right. Now imagine trying to eat that while wearing boxing gloves. In a way, that’s how my week with the 2025 Volvo EX30 Ultra went. Its combination of small dimensions and big power was nothing new, but the way I had to interact with it was alien to me.

People in other parts of the world have been familiar with Volvo’s smallest all-electric SUV for a while, but 2025 marks its first model year in the United States. Prices start at $46,195 for the entry-level Plus variant. My top-trim EX30 Ultra test vehicle came standard with features such as a heat pump, tinted glass panoramic roof, power tailgate, and 12.3-inch touchscreen, as well as a variety of safety and driver assistance technologies. The $500 Climate Package’s heated steering wheel and front seats took the as-tested price up to $48,395. Most importantly, the Ultra model has the all-wheel-drive Twin Motor Performance setup, which consists of dual electric motors that generate 422 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. How fast do those make the EX30 Ultra? Fast enough to reach 60 mph in 3.4 seconds—in other words, the EX30 is the Swedish automaker’s quickest-accelerating vehicle ever.

It was easy to feel that kind of oomph out on the road, especially in the EX30’s Performance All-Wheel Drive mode. With a deep press of the right pedal, I shot forward inside of a retina-searing Moss Yellow laser beam. Power aside, the EX30 didn’t feel like a performance vehicle. Yes, its suspension was firm but, in turns, it didn’t feel athletic or inspire me to pitch the little EV through curves at law-breaking speeds. Blasting up the HOV lane seemed more natural.

If driven sedately, the EX30 is capable of returning 116 MPGe in the city, 100 on the highway, and 109 combined. With its 69.0-kWh battery pack fully charged, it can cover up to 253 miles. Volvo says the EX30’s 153-kW DC fast-charging capability can take the battery from 10 to 80 percent in 26.5 minutes. I plugged into an Electrify America station at 19 percent and boosted it to 90 with 50.32 kWh in 37 minutes.

So far, none of that sounds out of the ordinary, does it? I agree! I’ve seen plenty of brightly colored cars, tested hot hatches, and driven several powerful electric vehicles. Consider all those the ingredients in the sandwich from my earlier analogy—in those ways, the EX30 was familiar to me but, as soon as I sat in and tried to use even basic functions, it was as if I tied on a pair of boxing gloves and tried to pick up the sandwich and take a bite. As you can imagine, it was a frustrating experience. Almost everything—including the speedometer display and the power mirror controls—was on the infotainment system touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard. It took me a few minutes just to learn how to lower the front windows because Volvo installed only two switches, which were controlled by a button that toggled between the first and second rows. Streamlining is great when it makes things easier, rather than less intuitive and natural. Volvo simplified things to the point of complexity. That’s a shame because it partly spoiled the things that were likeable about the EX30.

To learn more about the 2025 Volvo EX30 Ultra, check out my video review below.

Click above and watch our full video review on YouTube!

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Fans of the high-performance persuasion converged on the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, on November 22-23, 2025, for another grand slam Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN). I could use another sports metaphor like “hat trick,” but this event has been killing it for over a decade and there’s nothing in the dictionary (Webster’s, Urban, or otherwise) to describe how MCACN scores and scores again. The Washington Generals they ain’t!

As you may know, there were a host of displays focused on a particular theme. Subsequent articles will hone in on those presentations but, for now, here’s a mix of many other cars that are no less significant.

Several Oldsmobile unveilings included a 1970 Cutlass S W31 and two 4-4-2 W30 convertibles.

Apex Auto Restoration unveiled this 1971 440-6 ‘Cuda and 1970 Hemi GTX.

Ever see a 1963 Buick LeSabre with a 465 Wildcat and a four-speed?

Do you prefer your radical from the factory or from the garage?

Blue Oval Car Barn brought these two 1967 Shelby GT500s, while Magnum Auto Restoration unveiled this 1970 Hemi Dodge Challenger R/T.

This 1971 Pontiac LeMans wagon is one of 16 built with a 455, plus it was factory-equipped with a hood tachometer! Sticker was $5,900.

This 1969 Chevelle SS 396 was built in this unusual triple white combo.

Cousins: Light Pewter 1971 Mustang Boss 351 features a Vermillion interior. The 1969 Intermeccanica Italia is powered by a Boss 302.

1964 version of the same car.

The Pinnacle Shelby & Mustang display featured the creme de la creme of Fords.

Only 12 1965 Chrysler 300-L convertibles were built with a four-speed. To the left is a 1961 300-G.

Fraternal Trans-Am twins: 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A and Plymouth AAR’Cuda.

Sixty 1967 Mercury Cyclones were built with the 427, of which nine were the W-code 410-horse version with a four-barrel.

Two Road Runners with interesting paint combos: a 1968 in special-order “Petty Blue” and a 1969 with two-tone Silver and Black Velvet.

This 1971 Plymouth Hemi’Cuda was originally exported to Kuwait. It’s known as having the longest option list among the 108-plus built.

Black was not a regular-production color for the 1971 Corvette. This special-ordered survivor is powered by an LT-1.