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The Nissan Z was introduced for the 2023 model year, but I’ve barely seen any on the street. We evaluated one two years ago, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the last one I have seen. Meanwhile, the Toyota Supra seems to be much more popular. Is that true?

Yes and no.

The redesigned Z replaced the 370Z starting in the spring of 2022, though deliveries didn’t begin until the fall due to supply chain issues, keeping U.S. sales to a low 263. Equipped with a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6, the Z put out 400 horsepower, with a bump to 420 for the NIMSO variant that was unveiled in the summer of 2023. By the end of calendar year 2023, U.S. sales amounted to 1,771.

Compare that to the Toyota Supra, a sports car with BMW Z4 bones: In 2021, 6,830 were sold in the U.S., with another 4,952 sold the following year. However, it may be more fair to compare sales with the Z’s first complete calendar year, so the Supra’s 2,652 makes the Z’s 1,771 pale in comparison—this despite the fact that the Supra’s standard engine is a turbo inline-four, with the turbo inline-six costing 10 grand more than the Z.

However, the trend has flipped for calendar year 2024, with the Z outselling the Supra 3,164 to 2,615. Still, I can’t remember the last time I saw a Z. Of course, there are regional issues at play, so that may be one explanation, while another is the Supra has been in production since 2019 and sold well in those early years.

The 2025 Nissan Z has quite a reasonable base price, so the poor sales initially come off as a head-scratcher. The Z Sport starts at $42,970. Opt for the Z Performance, which adds the features below, and the price gets bumped up $10,000:

• 8-speaker Bose audio system
• 9-inch touchscreen with navigation
• NissanConnect Services with Wi-Fi hotspot
• Mechanical limited-slip differential
• 19-inch RAYS super-lightweight forged aluminum wheels with Bridgestone Potenza S007 high-performance tires
• Nissan performance brakes
• Heated side mirrors
• Aluminum sport pedals
• Heated power leather seats

Go the NISMO route and it’ll cost you $65,750. Aside from the 20-horse bump and mandatory nine-speed automatic, it includes the following:

• NISMO-tuned suspension and brakes
• Revised aerodynamic bodywork
• Wider wheels with a more aggressive tire compound
• Red anodized engine start and drive mode buttons
• Manually adjustable Recaro seats
• Leather- and Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel with a red marker at the 12 o’clock position

There’s a lot of unusual forces currently at play in the market, especially with a new administration in the White House. Will the Nissan Z continue its rise for the duration of 2025? In about 11 months, we will know.

Though not among the most significant cars from the 1960s, the 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix changed the way Detroit approached personal luxury. Downsized to a stretched mid-size platform, the Grand Prix set the template for all other mainstream personal luxury cars for the 1970s. The first competitor on the scene is our AutoHunter Spotlight vehicle, a 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS 454 currently listed for sale by a dealer. The sale of this Chevy will include the original bill of sale, Protect-O-Plate, an owner’s manual, and a clear title, plus Vintage Vehicle Services documentation.

Chevrolet built 145,975 Monte Carlos in 1970, but only 3,823 had the “Z20” SS 454 package. Identification was quite subtle with this option, as a “SS 454” badge resided on the rocker panel trim just behind the front wheels on both sides. This Forest Green example (originally Gobi Beige) also features a black “halo” vinyl top and bumper guards front and rear.

This Monte features a set of 15-inch Rally wheels with staggered-width BFGoodrich Radial T/As with raised white letters—225/60 up front, 245/60 out back.

The cabin features a black vinyl interior with a front split bench, though the original bench was gold cloth and vinyl. Notable features include power windows, Deluxe seat belts with shoulder harnesses, a rear window defogger, a remote driver-side mirror, power steering, and a push-button AM radio.

The instrument panel includes a 120-mph speedometer, clock, and fuel gauge, plus aftermarket gauges that show the oil pressure, temperature, and voltage. The odometer indicates 27,944 miles, though the title reads mileage-exempt.

The engine is a 360-horsepower LS5 454, which was the only engine available with the SS 454 package, though the V8 currently residing underneath the hood is not the original. A Turbo Hydra-matic 400 was required with the package. Of course, a dual exhaust system routes emissions to the rear. Power brakes with front discs bring this Bow Tie to a stop.

Best of all, this 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS 454 was originally sold new in Canada, so it comes with Vintage Vehicle Services documentation that proves it is a real Z20 SS 454 car and shows the list of options that originally came on it. That alone should be good enough to motivate you to bid—but hurry up as this auction ends on Friday, March 14, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. (PDT).

Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery

The EV revolution hasn’t just affected new vehicles. Many companies, such as EV West and Legacy EV, make kits to give vintage vehicles all-electric power. Halcyon, a new “British luxury automotive brand dedicated to providing remastering services for classic Rolls-Royce and Bentley models” (and also a sibling company of electric powertrain firm Evice Technologies), recently announced its first run of EVs will be based on the 1978 Rolls-Royce Corniche.

Given the model year, the ’78 Corniche comes from the Corniche I generation of ultra-luxury convertibles that ran from 1971 through 1987. According to Halcyon, its handcrafted build process takes 12 months, 1,000 hours of which are spent on just the bodywork. The end result is what Halcyon thinks the Corniche would’ve looked like 60 years ago if today’s technology had existed then. Each Corniche is stripped down to bare metal, then repainted and polished until it has a mirror finish. Halcyon uses a “less is more approach” and refrains from making radical changes to the exterior, although it does fit each of its builds with handmade chrome bumpers, bespoke headlights, and minor revisions to the front end to accentuate the Corniche’s lines.

The cabin’s colors, stitching, and features can be tailored to each buyer’s specifications. Halcyon’s description makes it sound as if it’s a thoroughly modern space—in more ways than one. In addition to heated and ventilated power-adjustable front seats, cruise control, and a bespoke audio system with wireless Apple CarPlay, there’s “an exhibition feature that spans the width of the dashboard, offering a dedicated space for bespoke art pieces.” Hmmm . . . that sounds a lot like “The Gallery” inside the Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII.

As part of its build process, Halcyon removes the Corniche’s massive 6.75-liter V8 and three-speed automatic and installs an 800-volt electrical system (developed in-house) and a rear-axle drive unit that produces between 400 and 500 horsepower, depending on configuration. Two battery packs are available, both of which can be replenished with AC charging and DC fast-charging. The base unit features one battery at each end of the car. Combined, the two produce a total of 77 kWh and more than 200 miles of range. The optional setup consists of three batteries that deliver 94 kWh and over 250 miles of range on a single charge.

To maintain the famous Rolls-Royce on-road composure and ride quality, Halcyon equips its creations with upgraded brakes and an active suspension that allows for three drive modes. “Drive” is a blend of smooth ride quality and timely throttle response. “Touring” relaxes the suspension and throttle. “Spirited” sharpens the throttle response and tightens up the dampers.

Just like any Rolls-Royce, Halcyon’s updated EV Corniches will carry hefty price tags. It will only build 60 commissions, each with a starting price of £395,000 ($510,469), plus the cost of the donor Corniche and local taxes. Production begins in Q4 of this year; deliveries start making their way to customers in Q4 2026.

Since I was 16 years old, I have owned more than 33 Porsche 911 and 912 series cars – everything from a 1968 912 Targa at the low end to a 1973 Carrera RS at the high end. As a result, I have quite a few opinions about the 911 model, some of them less popular than others. One of the more unpopular is that I honestly feel the pinnacle of 911 development was with the 997 models. I say this because the subsequent 991 and 992 era models became too big, too heavy and, for the first time, changed the classic 911 silhouette to become almost comical to my eye. Sure, the later cars – especially in the GT2 and GT3 forms – are among the most desirable and expensive 911 cars around. Despite that, the 997, to me, still represents perfection as far as the 911 goes. The fact you can buy a nice 997-era 911 for what I consider a great price only adds to the model’s allure.

The Pick of the Day is one of these stunning cars, a 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera located in Mesa, Arizona.

The seller offering this 911 has a great listing on ClassicCars.com that indicates this 997 coupe is painted in its original Seal Gray Metallic over a black standard leather interior, and was delivered new at Kempthorn Motors of Canton, Ohio, in February 2005. The car went on to be serviced and enjoyed in Georgia briefly before moving to California for most its life and then coming to Arizona. This car’s 3.6-liter flat-six engine was replaced by Porsche Rocklin in 2012 at approximately 53,000 miles and delivers power to the rear wheels by way of a 6-speed manual transmission. This car also has some nice options, including heated front seats, sport wheel, sport chrono package, Bose stereo, xenon headlights and a newly updated PCCM stereo.

The engine replacement by a Porsche dealer should in no way effect the value of this car, but I am sure there are people out there who think it does. I’m guessing this was due to an IMS bearing failure or some such. As it was replaced at a dealer, this likely means a brand-new factory engine that was dealer-shaped, possibly under warranty. To me, this only makes it a better buy.

The car is riding on a beautiful set of Porsche 19″ Turbo Style wheels, all in perfect good condition with zero curb rash of any kind and wrapped in newer Continental performance tires. The seller is also very transparent, as they reveal CARFAX shows minor damage to the front of the car in 2016, but it was back on the road and in for service only 10 days later. Our shop inspection revealed the rear bumper has been repainted, but there are no other compromised components. 

The interior of this Porsche looks to be in fantastic condition with little, if any, wear visible in the photos. This car is optioned exactly as I would want it, and the addition of the Porsche Classic PCCM head unit gives it the ability to sync with your phone like any modern car – making it as functional as the newest 992, but with better styling and a much lower price point.

Mechanically, this car also sounds to be in great condition. It has the factory 325bhp Boxer 6, which gives it a 0-60 time of 4.7 seconds with a top speed of 182 mph. The seller states the car has a very strong manual transmission that shifts perfectly and transfers power to the rear wheels smoothly. In addition, the air conditioning blows ice-cold and the heat works as it should.

This 2005 911 includes the OEM key/keyfob and a full set of floor mats. The car has just been serviced by Porsche Rocklin, which included inspection, oil change, cabin/air filters, spark plugs and drive belts.

If you want to buy a nice example of what I still feel is the pinnacle of 911 styling and performance, this 2005 997-era 911 coupe at an asking price of only $36,997 looks to be the one to pick.

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

Every Bugatti is special in its own way, but some are in their own category. The Type 57SC Atlantic is an iconic rarity. The quad-turbo V12-powered EB110 is the only product of the brand’s 1990s revival by Italian industrialist Romano Artioli. In the 2000s, the 987-horsepower Veyron took the Molsheim hypercar-maker into a new stratosphere of price at a top speed of 253 mph. Then there’s the Baby II.

The original Bugatti Baby, styled after the Type 35, was what its name implies it would be. According to the company, “In 1926 Ettore and his son Jean decided to build a half-scale Type 35 for Ettore’s youngest son, Roland, on the occasion of his fourth birthday.” That was supposed to be a one-off, but it was so popular with Bugatti clients that the company ended up producing approximately 500 Baby models between 1927 and 1936. Back in 2019, to celebrate its 110^th anniversary, Bugatti announced a 500-unit production run of the Baby II, a three-quarters-size all-electric replica of the Type 35 that could be driven by children and adults. The 1-kW “child mode” capped the top speed at 20 km/h (12 mph); the 4-kW “adult mode” raised that to 45 km/h (28 mph). There was even a “Speed Key” upgrade that unlocked 10 kW and took the governor off.

Now comes news of an even more exclusive Baby II. Hedley Studios (formerly known as The Little Car Company) collaborated with Jascha Straub, Bugatti’s Manager of Sur Mesure and Individualisation, to create a 1-of-1 Baby II inspired by Bugatti’s history and its founder, Ettore Bugatti.

The body is finished in a combination of Nocturne black and Giallo Midas yellow, a pairing which Ettore himself favored, which is why it was applied to the Type 57 Roadster Grand Raid Usine.

Straub decorated the two-tone finish with hand-drawn sketches that honor Ettore and Jean Bugatti, Bugatti’s home city of Molsheim, Ettore’s love of horses, and the Type 35’s racing victories, all of which are protected by clear coat.

The open cockpit is furnished with black leather from Bridge of Weir as well as a vintage-style four-spoke steering wheel and an engine-turned dashboard fascia (driving goggles not included).

No word on who commissioned this or the price tag for it, but it’s highly likely seeing Bugatti’s bill for it would make the average person cry . . . like a baby.

The 1970s: it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. And when looking at performance cars of the late-1970s, it tends to be the latter—but nothing a set of decals couldn’t fix!

Nonetheless, there were some neat cars produced during this era. Can you identify the below cars that are currently being sold on AutoHunter or ClassicCars.com? Year, make, and model, please! Post your answers in the Comments section below.

Click on a photo to reveal each car

Tuesday is puzzle day at The ClassicCars.com Journal. Click here to play more automotive games.

Over the years I have either owned or driven just about every single postwar model produced by Mercedes-Benz. Whether a luxury car or a sports/GT model, many of these vehicles were impressive, well-built and well-designed for their specific task.

That being said, in my mind there is one Mercedes that stands out from the rest, especially when considering models built from 1990 to the present: the SL55 AMG.

A number of years ago I purchased an SL55 AMG and used it as my “Monterey Car Week car” for two years in a row. The vehicle’s performance was pretty amazing, with a 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds and a 0-100 mph time of 9.9 seconds – just one-tenth of a second slower than the Ferrari 575M Maranello. If you think of it as Mercedes’ version of the 575, you aren’t too far off. Remember, Mercedes-Benz literally invented the luxury sports/GT convertible category when it introduced the R230 (SL-Class) generation of cars in 2001, and the quality is exceptional.

When compared to the later SL63, the SL55, to me, is simply more fun to drive. Its “imperfect” traction and stability control allow you to break the rear end loose, providing an overall feel of more sportiness and less refinement.

Featured on AutoHunter, your trusted source for classic rides, is a 2003 SL55 AMG with only 42,000 original miles.

Offered by a dealer located in Orlando, Florida, the posting states this 2003 SL55 is a single-owner example that still wears its original Brilliant Silver paint with a gray leather interior. The car is accompanied by a clean CARFAX report

The exterior of this SL55 looks to be in exceptional condition, with no flaws seen in the photos (except for some slight damage to the grille on the driver’s side, which the seller is open to replacing or repairing at the end of the auction). The car rides on factory-correct 18-inch AMG monoblock wheels clad with staggered-width Continental Extreme Contact radial tires.

The interior looks as good as the outside of the car, only showing a little wear on the seats on the driver’s-side left bolster. This SL55 is also equipped with quite a few options, including Distronic adaptive cruise control, a Parktronic parking assistance system and a COMAND infotainment system.

Under the hood is the awesome Mercedes M113K 5.5-liter twin-spark 24-valve supercharged V8 engine featuring 493 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. Everything looks to be exceptionally clean and correct in the provided photos.

Truly great cars to drive, they go as fast as they look and set the standard for what a high-performance GT roadster should be, simply leaving the competition of their day in the dust. The SL55 is the perfect car to take down the street for an errand, exercise during a track day, show off at a Mercedes Club meeting or drive cross-country to attend an event. They do it all better than any other car in the category did at the time and would be a great addition to any enthusiast’s garage.

The auction for this 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG ends on Monday, March 17, at 11:15 a.m. (PDT).

Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery

They say you meet the nicest people on a Honda. Though they were talking about folks riding a motorcycle, I bet it also holds true for our Pick of the Day, a 1972 Honda 600 Coupe. It is currently listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Morgantown, Pennsylvania.

I remember when I saw my first Honda—it was during the second gas crisis. I caught sight of this little car with funny parking lights in Stone Harbor, NJ. (I’m guessing it wasn’t truly my first, but it became my first upon this youthful awakening.) In subsequent years, I’d occasionally see a 600 or the earlier 600 Sedan, but they were quite uncommon on the East Coast. These Hondas always came off to my eyes as being half-baked cars until the Civic appeared on the scene.

The front-wheel-drive 600 Coupe was produced from 1970-74, though in the U.S. it was available through 1972. Those sold in North America were powered by an air-cooled, 36-horsepower 598cc SOHC straight-twin, though in other markets it was available as the Z360 and powered by a 354cc SOHC. Interestingly, for 1972, the engines were converted to water-cooling. Rack and pinion steering, four-speed synchromesh, power-assisted front discs, radial tires, front bucket seats, tachometer, and left-side racing mirror were standard equipment.

We know how Honda advertised its motorcycles, but when it came to cars, Honda advertised the 600 Coupe with the tagline, “It makes a lot of sense.” The ad campaign focused on the kinds of things one could do with the money saved instead of buying a Chevy (and, starting at around $1,700, a lot could be saved). Plus, the 600 Coupe was able to achieve 40 miles per gallon, which added up to a few more bucks towards an Acapulco trip. Top speed was 75 mph. If you wanted to buy one, all you had to do was visit an authorized Honda motorcycle dealer.

The Honda Civic was introduced for 1973, which is what killed the 600 (both Coupe and Sedan). The Civic was longer, wider, taller, and featured a longer wheelbase, all better suited for American audiences. With a 1.2-liter inline-four, the Civic was more of a fully realized vehicle, though one that didn’t qualify as a “Kei car” like the smaller-engined Hondas that preceded it. When the first gas crisis appeared, Honda was ready, and its quality outshone what was coming from Ford’s Pinto and Chevrolet’s Vega.

This Nassau Blue 1972 Honda 600 Coupe is “what Honda called “economy with flair.” “Ten-inch silver painted steel wheels have a central ‘H’ badge hub on them and are wrapped with 145SR10 rubber from the early 1990s,” says the seller. Inside, “high-back buckets are in very nice condition and sport textured knitted tuck and roll inserts, and smooth vinyl bolsters and headrests.” Adds the seller, “The car started right up and ran smoothly. On the test track it moved and handled nicely.” The standard four-speed manual handles the shifting chores.

Though restored, this little Honda is beginning to show rust, and pitting on the chrome. “Will need some TLC, especially on the exterior,” concludes the seller, so be sure to check out the gallery in the ad. For $8,500, this is a novel collectible for a nice person who can enjoy it while improving it along the way.  

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

In an earlier era, there were performance models that were all about image, yet sometimes one could spec out a similar car without all the candy. This pair of 1970 Mustangs perfectly demonstrates this. In one corner, we have a Grabber Orange 1970 Ford Mustang Mach I. Aside of being powered by a 351-4V, note that this example is one of 96 Twister Specials built for a Kansas City promotion . . . and then, in the other corner, we have another Grabber Orange Mustang, but this one is your basic SportsRoof, but with a twist. It too is powered by a 351-4V, but note the lack of Mach I grille and rocker panels (among other items). A bit less flashy, but certainly no less capable—maybe even more so!

Join us as we discuss the differences between the two Mustangs. Both cars sold at the Barrett-Jackson 2024 Scottsdale Fall Auction for $313,500 and $41,800, respectively. Of the two, how would you roll?

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