mod@tech

What I’m about to tell you probably won’t come as a surprise: I like watches. Many car enthusiasts have an affinity for timepieces because of their design, mechanical nature, and craftsmanship. This year marks Bulova’s 150th anniversary, which it celebrated by releasing a line of special watches that includes a 1967 GT500-inspired Shelby Racing Chronograph. I was lucky enough to get my hands on one to review.

Bulova knows how to package the Shelby Racing Chronograph in a way that would be instantly recognizable to Shelby enthusiasts: a white box with blue stripes and the Shelby logo. To really drive home (pun intended) the connection between the horological and automotive worlds, Bulova placed the watch alongside a surprisingly detailed 1:24-scale model of the GT500, complete with a painted underbody, finely wrought door handles, and a removable metal antenna.

I’ve been a watch guy since I was a kid, when I traded marbles for cheap plastic timepieces with kids at the bus stop. As I got older, my tastes grew more sophisticated. I wore a Fossil with a moon phase subdial all through middle and high school, then leveled up to a Seiko chronograph when I was in college. After I graduated and scored my first adult job, I bought a pre-owned automatic Omega Seamaster 300M, the same model worn by Pierce Brosnan in the 1997 James Bond movie “Tomorrow Never Dies” (surprise! I’m also a big 007 fan like my fellow gearhead and Journal contributor, Andy Reid). Several years after acquiring that “grail” watch, I was lucky enough to get a deal on a mid-1990s two-tone Seamaster 120M. Over the past several years, my assortment of watches has grown thanks to my wife, brother, and friends.

I would consider most of my watches—especially those that I bought myself—relatively understated in terms of size, colors, complications, and decorative flourishes. None of them are as bold as the Shelby Racing Chronograph, which has a 43mm “bullhead” case with the crown and chronograph pushers at the top, four subdials (including one that measures milliseconds), and a blue and white rubber strap. Despite its fundamental differences from my longstanding preferences, the longer the Bulova was on my wrist, the more I liked it. It actually made me reconsider my biases. Yes, it was large and colorful and unusual, but it was also a sport watch, which can pull off bulk and flash in a way that dress watches cannot. The Shelby Racing Chronograph was also different in terms of its Precisionist quartz movement, which Bulova says is eight times more accurate that a regular quartz setup. By the time I shipped the Shelby Racing Chronograph back to Bulova, my perspective on watches had changed. One thing has stayed the same, though: I miss it.

You can learn more about the Bulova Shelby Racing Chronograph in my full video review below. If you want to buy your very own piece from the 7,500-unit production run—or you simply need a holiday gift for a loved one—buy now for $1,350.

Click above to watch our full video review on YouTube!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, ClassicCars.com may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Earlier this year, the 2026 Nissan Armada Nismo showed the automaker was willing to take its full-size three-row SUV into new territory. Nissan’s upscale sibling brand Infiniti followed suit, showing off the Track Spec and Terrain Spec concept versions of its new QX80 at The Quail during Monterey Car Week. It’s not done showing how versatile the QX80 can be. If you attend the 2025 SEMA Show, you’ll see the Infiniti QX80 R-Spec concept, which has a Nissan GT-R Nismo engine capable of delivering 1,000 horsepower.

Tiago Castro, vice president of Infiniti Americas said, “QX80 R-Spec is extreme, aggressive and a showcase of what INFINITI can do when our engineering and design teams take off all the guardrails. With the QX80 R-Spec build, we challenged ourselves to explore an even more extreme direction for QX80 as we look to a future with high-performance variants that offer a broader breadth of adrenaline-pumping capabilities for our clients.”

The all-new 2025 Infiniti QX80 already has a twin-turbo V6, but it isn’t the 3.8-liter VR38DETT that helped make the R35 Nissan GT-R Nismo into such a rocket. To get up to 1,000 horsepower out of the QX80 R-Spec’s transplanted GT-R engine, Infiniti added ETS exhaust manifolds with Garrett G-series turbos, JE Pistons, a flex-fuel system with 2,600cc injectors, a custom intake with dual front-mounted intercoolers, and other upgrades.

Infiniti combined that colossal output with GT-R-inspired 24 x 12-inch bronze wheels wrapped in 315/35 Yokohama PARADA Spec-X tires, GT-R carbon ceramic brakes, and MCS three-way coilovers with external reservoirs.

Visually, the QX80 R-Spec was inspired by a different GT-R. Designers had the T-Spec Takumi Edition in mind when they designed the body kit, exhaust finishers, diffuser, fog lights, badges, and other parts. The body is covered in a color-shifting wrap – a nod to the Midnight Purple used on the R34 and R35 GT-R models.

If you can’t make it out to SEMA this year to see the Infiniti QX80 R-Spec concept, don’t worry—The ClassicCars.com Journal will be there to bring you coverage of the big show.

Camaros can be confusing to a novice—there’s Super Sport, Rally Sport, Z/28, and even Type LT for some years. How does one sort them all out considering several of the packages could be combined? And what’s the proper way to spell them out? I never have seen a hard rule on this, so let’s observe and see if a standard can be established for the most popular of these Camaro packages, the Super Sport and Rally Sport.

When the Chevrolet Camaro was introduced in the fall of 1966, there was only a base Camaro. If you wanted a performance version of this vehicle, you opted for the Super Sport, which initially was only available with a proprietary 295-horsepower 350 but soon became available with a L35 396/325 and L78 396/375. These cars featured SS badges on the grille, front fenders, and rear fuel filler cap, plus simulated twin louvers on the hood.

There also was a trim package called the Rally Sport that included hidden headlights and other quasi-custom features that gave the Camaro a slicker look. These cars featured RS badges on the front fenders, subtle rectangular emblems on grille and fuel filler cap, plus lower body side molding and accents, unique parking lights, taillights, and back-up lights, and other trim.

A buyer could specify the SS package, the RS package, or both together. However, what’s the proper way to articulate the combination of the two? In 1967-68 literature, Chevrolet articulated it as SS 350 Camaro with Rally Sport option. This is because Super Sport badging always superseded Rally Sport badging.

In 1969 literature, Chevrolet did not go into the combinations with the same detail, but magazine ads show the combined packages articulated in a similar manner. However, a brochure dedicated to “The Chevrolet Sports Department” shows a Hugger Orange Camaro as “SS/RS.” This makes sense considering SS badging always replaced RS badging.

So, today, why do we see people switching the abbreviations and calling it a “Camaro RS/SS”? Perhaps we should follow Chevrolet’s lead.

Ford built more than two million Mustangs from 1964 through 1970. That is a lot of cars to be sure, but there are Mustangs and then there are rare Mustangs. In 1970 Ford built a very special and extremely rare Mustang Mach 1 called the Twister Special. How rare? How about a total of 96 total cars. Our AutoHunter Spotlight is one of these cars, a 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special.

Due to the popularity of the Mustang, the Ford Special Promotions Division started to build a number of special-edition Mustangs. Of these special edition cars, there were a number of what they called territorial specials, Mustangs that were built for specific regions of the country. These included among them the California Special, the Colorado market High Country Special, and the North Carolina market Cardinal Edition. In 1969, Ford’s Kansas City district put together one of the last and rarest of these regional specials as a 1970 model and they called it the Twister Special.

The 1970 Mustang received many exterior changes from stock including headlights that were relocated inside the grill opening, a set of non functional air intakes integrated into the outboard part of the front fenders, a new grille with different driving lights for the Mach I, slightly redesigned taillights, twist-style locking pins on the hood, and a Shaker hood scoop with select engine options. All 96 Twister Specials were finished in Grabber Orange with black side stripes and a unique tornado decal on each quarter panel. For the interior the Twister Specials all received the Mach 1 deluxe black interior which included bucket seats, molded door panels, woodgrain trim, center console, and three-spoke Rim Blow steering wheel.

The engines options on the Twister Special were limited to either the 428ci Super Cobra Jet or the 351 Cleveland with a four-barrel carburetor. The engine options were an even split with 48 cars equipped with the 428 Super Cobra Jet and the other 48 with the 351. Additional standard performance features included power steering, power brakes, Competition Suspension, and Traction-Lok differential.

According to the auction listing, this Twister Special is powered by a 351ci V8 mated to a three-speed FMX Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission. The car is correctly finished in Grabber Orange over a correct Black Clarion Knit/Corinthian vinyl interior. It is offered by the selling dealer with a Deluxe Marti Report and clear title.

The exterior of this Twister Special looks to be very nice condition, with excellent looking paint, completely correct badging and Twister Special decals, all properly located. The car rides on correct 14-inch Magnum 500 wheels clad with 235/60 Cooper Cobra raised white letter radial tires.

The interior also looks absolutely perfect, with correct Black Clarion Knit/Corinthian vinyl upholstery, woodgrain trim, center console, and gauges that includes a 120-mph speedometer, oil pressure, temperature, fuel, and generator. Strangely, a tachometer was never part of the Twister Special package.

Under the hood lies the correct 351-4V. This engine features an 11.0:1 compression ratio, and was rated when new as having 300 horsepower. Everything under the hood not only looks correct but also appears to be in excellent condition.

With a total production of only 96 cars, the Twister Special is more rare than any Shelby or Boss 302, and is quite desirable among Mustang collectors. These cars do not come up for sale very often, and this 1970 Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special represents a rare opportunity to own a very rare Mustang.

If you are interested in owning this crazy rare Mustang you best act fast as the auction for this 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Twister Special ends this Halloween, Friday, October 31, 2025, at 11:45 a.m. (PDT).

Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery

There were 10 different colors offered on the Corvette for model year 1972 – the most popular of which was Ontario Orange. One color you aren’t likely to see very frequently is War Bonnet Yellow. The Pick of the Day is a 1972 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray coupe listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Fulshear, Texas.

“I am the second owner of this Texas car—highly original,” the listing says.

We see a lot of C3 Corvettes around here, what caught my eye the most about this one was that striking color. While initially thought to be custom job, it is in fact a factory shade that Chevrolet named “War Bonnet Yellow” (code 989). The color was only offered for model years 1971 and 1972, and it’s a unique metallic gold-yellow that seems to shift its appearance in different types of lighting. Adding to the exterior appeal of the C3, we find a set of American Racing polished aluminum wheels, color-matched removable T-tops, a luggage rack, and rocker moldings.

By 1972, “Corvette” had become a household word among many Americans, and Chevrolet prided itself in continually raising the bar to keep buyers coming back. One of the magazine advertisements for that year said, “Corvette. Everything you need is standard except the gas.” It then went on to list some of the equipment that was included at the base price ($5,533 for the coupe), such as a 350ci V8, four-wheel disc brakes, a Positraction rear end, full instrumentation, hideaway windshield wipers, and Astro Ventilation.

Under the hood of this vivid machine is a numbers-matching 350ci Turbo-Fire V8 connected to a TH400 three-speed automatic transmission. Aftermarket go-fast goodies include a Holley 625cfm Street Demon carburetor, HEI electronic ignition, an aluminum radiator, and Edelbrock headers. Finally, the chassis and braking system received some enhancements, courtesy of a custom suspension, Wilwood brake calipers, and slotted rotors. Based on the sounds of things, it’s a turn-key driver—ready for cruising and shows.

One interesting tidbit: 1972 was a significant year for the C3 Corvette because it was the last year to feature chrome bumpers. To some enthusiasts, that feature has made 1972 models desirable. Between that and the unique War Bonnet Yellow paint, this Vette has a lot to offer. As an added bonus, the seller is including components to add A/C, as well as the original wheels, tires, and hubcaps.

The asking price for all of the above is $29,900.

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

Ladies with an attitude
Fellas that were in the mood
Don’t just stand there, let’s get to it
Strike a pose, there’s nothing to it

There were plenty of people – and cars – striking poses over the weekend at a celebration of the 1980s and 1990s in California. Madonna’s “Vogue” from 1990 was a perfect soundtrack.

For almost 10 years running, RADwood has created a name for itself as the most vibrant, active car-show scene for vehicles from the 1980s and 1990s. RADwood’s website says the event is “the car show that blends period-correct attire with killer music of the most radical era.”

One of the organization’s signature events each fall is held in the Los Angeles area, and I have made it an annual tradition to be part of it. Here is a link to a story about the 2024 program.

This year, I elected to take my 1995 Acura Legend coupe. It is a RAD-period car I acquired about four years ago and subsequently spent two years restoring, so it was rewarding to finally show it in the SoCal car scene. Our convoy of rides from Arizona included an Acura Integra, two Acura Legends, a BMW 540i, a Buick Reatta, a Dodge Dakota, two Honda Insights, and a Mitsubishi Pajero. Quite the mix!

The show venue, for the third year in a row, was the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, which offered a nice combination of both indoor and outdoor display areas. There was entertainment galore – besides the obligatory automotive eye-candy, there were vendor booths, food trucks, live music, VIP hospitality areas, and even a fashion contest.  

Here were 10 of the vehicles that stood out to me, in order by model year.

1985 Ferrari Testarossa

The Testarossa was an iconic Italian “poster car” for many people in the 1980s and 1990s. Its wedge shape, functional side strakes, and 4.9-liter flat-12 engine made it unlike anything else on the road. Assembly for the “Type F110” took place in Maranello, and the car went through a refresh in 1991 with some changes to design, but it was later phased out after 1994.

1986 Chrysler LeBaron

Riding on the famous “K-Car” platform, the LeBaron had been facelifted for 1986. It had a more rounded design when compared to the original, but it was still very square by modern standards. Power for the car on display at RADwood came from 2.5-liter inline-four paired with a three-speed automatic. It even had a department store mannequin in the passenger seat! Some people at RADwood go all-out with their period-correct memorabilia.

1991 Eagle Talon TSI

In the 1990s, Chrysler was partnered with Mitsubishi, and together, they formed Diamond-Star Motors (DSM). The Talon TSI was a hot sports coupe for its time, sharing architecture with the Mitsubishi Eclipse and the Plymouth Laser. I loved how clean and unmodified the car looked. The window sticker showed that had a total price of $18,254 and was equipped with air conditioning, cruise control, power door locks, and 16-inch alloy wheels.

1991 Lotus Elan

The “M100” Elan was the first front-wheel drive Lotus, and it used an Isuzu 1.6-liter turbocharged and intercooled engine paired with a synchromesh five-speed manual transmission. Magazines loved the car’s sexy style and adept handling. The sticker with this car showed an original retail price of $39,900, and the original dealer was listed as “Woeste Lotus.”

1991 Nissan NX

The compact, front-wheel drive NX2000 used a robust inline-four engine called the SR20DE. Its bubble-shaped styling was characteristic of the era, and the car was known for being fun-to-drive. According to signage at RADwood, the NX was still owned by its original owner and it was repainted in 1998 in its original color of “Cherry Red Pearl.” Upgrades installed by the owner included a Stillen ECU, an HKS intake, a VIS Racing body kit, and custom 15-inch wheels.

1993 Chevrolet S-10 2WD

America loves its trucks, and the compact S-10 was a strong seller known for its durability. Showing fewer than 90,000 original miles, this clean black example was built with $4,952 in options when new including the Tahoe equipment group, a chrome step bumper, power steering, a locking rear differential, and air conditioning. Power came from a 4.3-liter V6 and a five-speed manual.

1993 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4×4

The “XJ” Cherokee was produced from 1984 to 2001 and was reputable for its off-road capability. Engineering wise, it was assembled on a unibody platform and powered by a 4.0-liter inline-six. The XJ was marketed as a “sportswagon,” but it paved the way for the growth of the SUV marketplace in the years and decades to come.

1994 Dodge Stealth

Here again we saw one of the fruits of the Chrysler-Mitsubishi partnership (as seen above with the Talon). This time, the car in question was a rebadged Mitsubishi 3000GT. The R/T twin-turbocharged variant had a long list of features like all-wheel drive, all-wheel steering and hidden (later, projector) headlights. These still look pretty great today, I think!

1995 Ford Probe

By 1995, this front-wheel drive Ford coupe was in its second generation. As a popular sport-compact, it had been developed as a partnership with Mazda, and it even included a Mazda-produced engine. The car’s rounded look was futuristic for its time, and the Probe was named Motor Trend Car of the Year for 1993. When sales declined, it was discontinued after 1997.

1996 Lexus GS300

The GS had a lot to offer as a mid-range offering in the Lexus lineup – it had rear-wheel drive and a smooth 220-horsepower 3.0-liter inline-six engine paired with a five-speed automatic transmission. The window sticker for this Cashmere Beige Metallic GS showed the car’s original delivery to Betts Lexus of Des Moines, Iowa. It even had 12-disc CD changer!

As always, I had an incredible time kicking the tires of some amazing vehicles out in California! I am glad to see the continued interest in “neo-classic” cars of the 1980s and 1990s.

Lancia’s Aurelia B24 S Spider America is the rare car in which engineering firsts and coachbuilt beauty meet. Born from the postwar Aurelia program, it pairs the world’s first series-production V6 with a rear-mounted transaxle and a fully independent suspension – technology that made a small-displacement car feel big on the road and formidable in competition. The Spider America’s Pinin Farina bodywork is all about proportions: a long hood, a wraparound windscreen, clean flanks, and a neatly pitched tail. Built in very limited numbers from 1954 through 1955, the Spider America distilled Lancia’s Mille Miglia and Targa Florio credibility into a road car that feels light, precise, and modern decades later!

This video is sponsored by our friends at Borro. For the trusted source in liquidity when you need it most, call Borro today at (720) 458-6788 or learn more at borro.com.

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