The 1990s introduced a range of vehicles that, while iconic, often faced limitations in performance, aesthetics, or technology. Enthusiasts and tuners recognized the potential in these models, turning to aftermarket modifications to unlock their true capabilities. These enhancements not only addressed factory shortcomings but also transformed these cars into personalized masterpieces, breathing new life into them. The aftermarket revolution played a pivotal role in rescuing certain models from mediocrity, allowing them to shine in the automotive world.
Keeping your vehicle running smoothly for years offers significant financial savings and reduces your environmental impact by lowering manufacturing demand and waste. Regular care not only delays costly repairs but also preserves your car’s resale value. By following proven maintenance tips, you can enjoy a safer, more reliable ride while contributing to a greener planet. Learn more about the benefits of vehicle longevity from Consumer Reports and U.S. Department of Energy.
Back in 2021, Jeep announced that it would do something that it had never done in the 34-year history of the Wrangler: offer it with a V8. It wasn’t just a regular 5.7-liter Hemi, though—Jeep went up a notch and stuffed the massive 392 between the JL Wrangler’s hood latches. Just a few years later, Jeep broke the news that the limited-production (3,700 units worldwide) 2024 model would be the Final Edition of the off-road monster. It didn’t take long for Jeep to change its tune: the 2025 Wrangler Rubicon 392 would be the end of the line. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to review one while I still could.
EVOLUTIONARY CHANGE
Since it debuted, the Wrangler Rubicon 392 has become progressively better equipped and more capable. It started off with upgraded frame rails, unique suspension geometry, heavy-duty brakes, FOX shocks, and 33-inch tires on 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels. For 2024, all Wranglers received a new seven-slot grille design, updated interior with standard 12.3-inch Uconnect 5 infotainment touchscreen, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, standard side curtain airbags in the first and second rows, and more. Rubicon models came equipped with a Dana 44 full-float rear axle designed for greater strength and easier worst-case-scenario repairs. The same year, Jeep upgraded the Rubicon 392 for its send-off by adding a Warn 8,000-pound winch, rock sliders, tool kit, a half inch to the existing two-inch lift, and a triple-hoop grille guard.
The Rubicon 392’s price has increased with those improvements. With the $1,495 destination charge included, the 2021 launch edition had an MSRP of $74,995. According to the window sticker, my 2025 Final Edition test vehicle had a starting price of $99,995. Adding the Hydro Blue Pearl-Coat paint, Sky One-Touch power-retractable soft top, and the built-in Mopar air compressor took the final price up to a stratospheric $108,475.
WHERE THE MONEY WENT
What hasn’t changed is the thing that makes the Rubicon 392 the ultimate factory Wrangler: the 6.4-liter Hemi, which fires 470 horses and 470 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed automatic and Selec-Trac full-time four-wheel drive.
Given how high it stood on its 35-inch BFGoodrich KO2s and the malevolence coming out of the dual-mode exhaust’s four outlets, there was no mistaking the Rubicon 392 for a regular Wrangler. But the engine that made it special also highlighted the relative ordinariness of everything around it. Although my media loaner had Nappa leather seats and the fancy retractable roof, it didn’t feel like I was in a $100,000-plus vehicle.
And even though the big Hemi gave the Wrangler a huge boost in power, the changes seemed to stop there. Yes, the Rubicon 392 was as quick as some sports cars, with a 0-60 mph time of 4.5 seconds, but its engine didn’t magically transform it into a fundamentally different vehicle. The sum was not greater than its parts: the Rubicon 392 felt like a Wrangler with a giant engine in it. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. In hindsight, that simplicity was refreshing in an age in which so many companies try to make their SUVs haul people and cargo like a utility vehicle yet accelerate and handle like a performance sedan—there’s nothing wrong with a dedicated, specialist vehicle. Despite its extra grunt, the Rubicon 392 is still undeniably a body-on-frame rig focused on dominating whatever it encounters in the wild. The combination of that singular focus with nearly 500 horsepower makes the Rubicon a ridiculous, wild, indulgent, over-the-top cartoon of a vehicle rendered in metal and rubber. It felt like an absolute tank and made me feel as if I could roll over anything. If I didn’t feel like doing that, I could blow past it with a quick stab of the throttle and a big grin on my face, the 392 roaring furiously the whole way.
JUST GO WITH IT
To my pleasant surprise, my weekend with the Rubicon 392 coincided with my pal Brad and his friend Chris having rare openings in their busy schedules. After I picked them up, we blazed our way to the Four Peaks trail in Arizona’s Tonto National Forest. The plan was to test the Rubicon 392 much like my colleague Luke and I did when we had the 2025 Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter. I had no concerns about getting stuck because we aired the tires down with the Mopar air compressor and the front and rear lockers could get the rest done.
For better traction and throttle control, I muscled the transfer case lever into 4LO and started the ascent up the main trail. The higher we climbed, the more stunning the views were—and the further we kept going. The idea of going back down to find an obstacle that would ultimately fail to challenge the Rubicon 392’s grip and ground clearance became less and less appealing. All I wanted to do was go higher. Luckily, Brad and Chris felt the same way. At one point, we reached a pull-off area that gave us an unforgettable view of Roosevelt Lake. By the time we turned around to go back down, we were roughly 5,800 feet up.
A part of me felt uneasy about not having conducted a technical test of the Rubicon 392, but then I thought about our excursion and what the Wrangler is all about. It’s built to take you anywhere you want to go, no matter how remote, no matter how challenging the journey there may be. Swept away by the spirit of adventure, Brad, Chris, and I wanted to go where the trail ahead took us. The Rubicon 392 got us there, just as V8-powered CJs in decades past transported their passengers to distant peaks miles away from awe-inspiring horizons.
MORE TO COME
It seems even the second iteration of the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 Final Edition is a point on a timeline, not the end of it. Back in August, Jeep CEO Bob Broderdorf said, “We will extend the availability of the 392 Wrangler, and in fact, we will tap the power and performance of the Hemi across Jeep products as new projects are already underway.” While that means the 2025 Final Edition won’t be a singular piece of Jeep history, the trade-off is that future V8 Jeeps will give more people a chance to tap into a significant part of the brand’s past—something that has always been a part of its vehicles, especially the Wrangler.
Does status and prestige build a better car? That’s the question to keep in mind as we dive into Consumer Guide’s overview of 1970s Lincoln vehicles in the used car market.
While it may seem the initial 1970 Lincolns were unique, the truth is that the Continental shared a chassis with full-size Ford Motor Company vehicles, and the Mark III shared its platform with the four-door Thunderbird. And don’t forget the Versailles! Through the end of the decade, Lincolns would share platforms with Ford and Mercury vehicles even when they were being downsized. By association, we can assume Consumer Guide’s recommendations should mirror those it had for Ford and Mercury vehicles, but we also know nothing can be assumed.
Let’s take a look at Lincoln, then you can compare the ratings below with those for Ford and Mercury models. Please note the CG rating scale of 5 being Excellent and 1 being Poor.
Lincoln
“Virtually any car from … Lincoln will deliver a full 100,000 miles of useful life with a minimum of major repairs.”
- Continental: “Impressive size, ride, and comfort. Note less-than-glowing recall history [but] above-average repair record.” CG rating: 3
- Continental Mark III: “Handling ponderous, steering feels a contradiction in terms.” CG rating: 3
- Continental Mark IV: “Workmanship above-average, as is the overall repair record for this series.” CG rating: 3
- Continental Mark V: “Less back seat space [than the Mark IV] … Average overall repair record improves to above-average for ’79.” CG rating: 3
- Continental Mark VI: “Far less distinctive than Marks III through V, but better for it.” CG rating: N/A
- Versailles: “If you are looking for a car of this type, consider a first-generation Seville instead.” CG rating: N/A
This 1950 Ford was built into a street rod in the late 1990s. Its body was painted tangerine and mounted on a modified chassis, which was also fitted with Mustang II-style front end with adjustable coilovers, tubular control arms, and rack-and pinion steering. It rides on 15″ Centerline wheels with staggered tires and four-wheel disc brakes, and the rear end has adjustable dampers and traction bars. Power comes from a Titus Performance-built aluminum 434ci V8 with CHI heads, a CHI 3V aluminum high-rise intake, a Holley double-pumper 850cfm carburetor, and Hooker headers, while the Ford C6 automatic is linked to a 9″ rear end with a limited-slip differential. The custom interior features a roll bar, power-adjustable bucket seats, power windows and locks, a tilt column, Vintage Air climate control, a Sony stereo, and more as described below. Acquired by the selling dealer in 2024, this Shoebox street rod is now offered with spare parts, diagrams, and a clean Pennsylvania title.
Included blueprints dated in the 1990s diagram the car with dimensions.
The body was shaved, the rear fenders were flared to accommodate the wider rear tires, and the chassis was also modified. The tangerine paintwork is contrasted by chrome trim, and modern headlights were fitted.
A Mustang II-style front end with adjustable coilovers, tubular control arms, rack-and pinion steering, and disc brakes was added along with traction bars, adjustable dampers, and disc brakes out back. The 15″ Centerline wheels are mounted with 205/60 Yokohama tires up front and 315/60 Mickey Thompson rubber out back. A dual reservoir master cylinder and GM power steering pump were used.
The custom interior features a roll bar, power-adjustable bucket seats, harnesses, power windows and locks, a tilt column, Vintage Air climate control, a Sony stereo, Lokar pedals, and a Hurst shifter with line lock.
A LeCarra steering wheel and AutoMeter gauges set in a custom wood panel were used. Total chassis mileage is unknown.
The Titus Performance-built aluminum 434ci Cleveland-based V8 has CHI 3V 185cc heads, a CHI 3V aluminum high-rise intake, a Holley double-pumper 850cfm carburetor, and ceramic-coated Hooker headers. A March Performance pulley system and an aluminum radiator were also used along with MSD ignition and a trunk-mounted Holley fuel pump.
The Ford C6 automatic has a reverse valve body and a scatter shield, and it is linked through an aluminum driveshaft to a 9″ Ford rear end with Speedway axles and a limited-slip differential. The dual exhaust system has electric cutouts that bypass the mufflers to the side-exit system.
The car is titled as a 1950 Ford using VIN H0KC116979. Included documentation is displayed below.
This 1940 Chevrolet Master town sedan was built into a street rod around 2002. It is powered by a 350ci V8 topped by an Edelbrock intake manifold and four-barrel carburetor and linked to a Turbo 350 automatic transmission. The body was nosed and decked, the fenders were widened, and the top was chopped before it was painted Brandywine Candy, and it features tunneled taillights, hidden headlights, and a flush fuel filler flap. A ’70 Nova front end was installed along with staggered chrome Cragar wheels, and the cabin is customized as well, with two-tone upholstery, Dakota Digital gauges, air conditioning, power windows, a CD stereo, and a wood-rimmed billet steering wheel. This Chevrolet Master street rod is now offered by the seller on behalf of its owner with an owner’s manual and a clean Illinois title listing the car as a 1940 Chevrolet Custom.
The body was nosed and decked, the fenders were widened ~3″, and the top was chopped ~3″ before it was painted Brandywine Candy, and it features tunneled taillights, hidden headlights, and a flush fuel filler flap. Flaws are depicted in the gallery.
The front end was taken from a 1970 Chevrolet Nova, per the seller, and chrome 14″ and 15″ Cragar wheels are mounted with staggered BFGoodrich tires. Braking is provided by power-assisted drums.
The interior was redone with two-tone upholstery, Dakota Digital gauges, air conditioning, power windows, a CD stereo, and a wood-rimmed billet steering wheel.
The owner has added all of the 2,500 miles on the cluster, which represents the distance driven on the build.
The 350ci V8 is topped by an Edelbrock intake manifold and four-barrel carburetor. An electric fuel pump was also fitted.
A Turbo 350 automatic transmission was installed along with a dual exhaust system. The seller believes the rear end is a 3.08 Positraction unit, and an auxiliary cooler and rear air shocks are also fitted.
The car is titled as a 1940 Chevrolet Custom Classic using VIN 3197711.
Pity American Motors. The company had set its sights on competing toe-to-toe with the Big Three, but its participation in the sporty car segment left a lot to be desired. Your gut may suggest this is not true, so let’s examine the market and see.
In 1968, AMC introduced sporty cars such as the Javelin and AMX that competed nicely with the best pony cars on the market, but AMC had nothing that competed with the likes of the Pontiac GTO. You could claim the Rebel Machine did, but that was a one-and-done model for 1970, and the 1971 Matador with the Machine Go Package was half-baked, with nothing visually to indicate it was a performance model – not to mention it’s likely fewer than 100 were built.
There also was the Hurst-derived Rambler SC/Rambler, which was a nice competitor to the Plymouth Road Runner and Chevrolet Nova SS 396, but it too was a one-hit wonder.
For 1971, AMC introduced the Hornet SC/360, a nice competitor to the Plymouth Duster 340 and even the Duster Twister. Standard was a 240-horsepower 360 and a three-speed, but add the Go Package and you’d get a four-barrel paired with an air induction system, plus the choice of a four-speed in addition to the standard three-speed or automatic. Alas, sales were poor in a year that should have embraced this sort of machine, so AMC discontinued it in the middle of the model year after 784 were built.
Join Muscle Car Campy as he tells us more about this Limelight Green metallic 1971 Hornet SC/360. As you can tell by the scoop, it features the Go Package, plus a four-speed manual, a reclining split bench seat, and several vintage parts underneath the hood.
If you enjoy this video, you can view more from Muscle Car Campy.
You may be like me, in denial about the decline of the global automotive industry (thanks to the gradual elimination of manual transmissions and the rash of EV adoption), but it became clear the canary in the coal mine had already been on life support when Porsche announced that the 718 models (Boxter and Cayman) were going to be replaced by EV sports cars. Now, it seems Porsche will offer ICE engines in the next-gen versions of the 718 after all.
If you recall, Porsche announced in May that the next-gen 718 would not have an ICE replacement, giving you five months to figure out how to purchase Lithium without a prescription. The current crop of 718s are a bit long in the tooth, having originated in 2016, but we’re talking about Porsche here, a company that makes so many marginal improvements to a vehicle that no one thinks, “I can get an identical five-year-old car for less” because it’s simply not true.
Yet this is the same company that went on record saying that the next-gen 718 was going to be electric, which boggles the mind. To a point, that’s not a bad thing because the EV landscape still has plenty of room for promise, and Porsche is likely the beacon of hope in an automotive segment that struggles to be interesting to enthusiasts.
However, several months later, Car and Driver reports that good sense has returned to Porsche, as the company has confirmed that the next-gen 718 will include ICE versions. It is claimed that this is a “strategic realignment” attributed to slowing EV demand, adjustments in the Chinese market, and American tariffs.
The Ann Arbor-based periodical adds that the ICE versions “will be limited to the top-spec versions.” That does not bode well for those who are hoping to stretch a little for their dream car (aka “moi”), though it is in line with the upward march of Porsche’s sports car pricing.
Hopefully, the next-gen, ICE-powered 718s will be available with a manual transmission.
For six decades, the Ford Mustang has captured the spirit of American performance, freedom, and style. Now, in honor of its 60th anniversary, the Mustang Dream Giveaway is offering one lucky winner the chance of a lifetime: two iconic Mustangs, separated by sixty years, united by the legendary Blue Oval badge.
This isn’t just a prize package—it’s a celebration of heritage and horsepower. On one side, you’ll find an expertly restored 1966 K-code Mustang GT Fastback, a rare muscle-era masterpiece that defined what a pony car could be. On the other, a limited-production 2025 Mustang GT Convertible 60th Anniversary Edition, built to mark the milestone year with modern power and exclusive style. Together, they represent the ultimate garage pairing—vintage muscle and cutting-edge performance. Click here to enter now!
The Vintage Legend: 1966 Mustang GT 2+2 Fastback K-code
With just 5,469 produced, the K-code fastback is the stuff of Mustang legends. Under its Wimbledon White paint and GT badging lies a 271-horsepower solid-lifter 289ci V-8 paired with a four-speed manual transmission—built for purists who crave authenticity and classic performance.
Step inside, and the red Pony interior transports you back to the golden era of Detroit iron.
It’s a rare piece of muscle-car history waiting to go home with you.
The Modern Milestone: 2025 Mustang GT 60th Anniversary Convertible
Fast forward sixty years, and Ford celebrates Mustang’s diamond anniversary with one of the most exclusive pony cars ever made. Just 1,965 units exist worldwide, and you could drive away in #432 of the build. Finished in Wimbledon White with bold Carmine Red leather seats, it channels the past while roaring into the future with 480 horsepower from a 5.0L V-8.
Exclusive anniversary badging, 20-inch Dark Gravity Gray wheels, and a B&O Premium Sound System make this convertible a true collector’s dream. And with a 0–60-mph time of just 3.9 seconds, this Mustang proves that performance is timeless.
Two Mustangs. One Winner. A Dream Garage.
Owning one Mustang this special would be a dream. Owning both—the rarest of the rare classic and the most exclusive modern anniversary edition—makes this prize package unlike anything else on the planet.
Even better, every ticket you enter supports veterans’ and children’s charities. Past winners have been teachers, truck drivers, mechanics, and veterans. The next name pulled could be yours.
Click here to enter now!
Right now on AutoHunter, you can find this 1955 Chevrolet 3100 pickup, which is powered by a 350ci V8 mated to a 700R4 four-speed automatic transmission. Finished in Forest Green and white over a black vinyl interior, this Chevy “Task-Force” truck is now offered by the selling dealer in Oregon with a clear title.
The handsome exterior was repainted in a combination of Forest Green with white fender trim and white cab and tailgate accents. Features include chrome bumpers, wrap-around windshield, body-color windshield visor, dual mirrors, wrap-around rear window, wood bed planks, wrapped tailgate chains, and dual exhaust outlets.
This classic truck rides on a set of 15-inch Rally wheels wrapped in 235/70 BFGoodrich Radial T/A raised-white-letter radial tires.
Inside the cab, the black vinyl bench seat is equipped with lap belts. Amenities include power steering, air conditioning, and Bluetooth-compatible RetroSound AM/FM radio. The automatic shifter and emergency brake handles were swapped out for units from Lokar.
Instrumentation consists of a 100-mph speedometer and temperature, amperage, oil pressure, and fuel gauges. The odometer shows 1,009 miles, but this truck is mileage-exempt, according to its title.
The original engine was replaced with a four-barrel 350ci V8. The factory-installed transmission was also swapped out for a 700R4 four-speed automatic.
There are several other upgrades underneath this truck, including a Ford Mustang II independent front suspension, tubular control arms, and power front disc brakes. Power reaches the road through the 3.55:1 rear end.
If you want this upgraded 1955 Chevrolet 3100 to reach your driveway, you need to place the winning bid on it. Do that before the auction ends on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at 12:30 p.m. (PDT).
Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery