Journal Classic Cars

Chevrolet last week revealed a 2023 Chevrolet Camaro SS convertible built to celebrate this year’s 107th running of the Indianapolis 500.

The car is the latest in the long line of Indy 500 Festival Event Cars, and 50 examples have been built. All 50 were presented together at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the race, which is currently the highlight of the IndyCar season, takes place.

Based on the Camaro SS, the car is powered by a 6.2-liter V-8 rated at 455 hp. It features the new Sharkskin Metallic color that was added to the Camaro’s options list for 2023, and unique to it are Indy 500 graphics designed by Chevy specifically for the car.

The reveal of the Festival Event Car is a tradition that dates back to the 1960s and is used as part of the celebration ahead of the Indy 500. The cars are driven on public roads by various officials in the lead up to the race and eventually sold once the race is over.

A Chevy spokesman confirmed to Automotive News (subscription required) that the latest Festival Event Cars will be sold after the race, which is scheduled for May 28. The cars come with a unique option code.

Chevy has confirmed the Camaro will bow out after the 2024 model year and that production will end next January. It means this is likely the last Camaro Festival Event car and possibly the last special-edition Camaro, at least in its current format.

Chevy has hinted that the Camaro story isn’t over, though rumors dating back to 2021 point to Chevy turning the Camaro into an electric performance sedan. Other speculation says it will arrive as an electric SUV, and that the Corvette could also get an electric SUV variant as part of an expanded lineup.

This article was originally published by Motor Authority, an editorial partner of ClassicCars.com

Chevrolet last week revealed a 2023 Chevrolet Camaro SS convertible built to celebrate this year’s 107th running of the Indianapolis 500.

The car is the latest in the long line of Indy 500 Festival Event Cars, and 50 examples have been built. All 50 were presented together at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the race, which is currently the highlight of the IndyCar season, takes place.

Based on the Camaro SS, the car is powered by a 6.2-liter V-8 rated at 455 hp. It features the new Sharkskin Metallic color that was added to the Camaro’s options list for 2023, and unique to it are Indy 500 graphics designed by Chevy specifically for the car.

The reveal of the Festival Event Car is a tradition that dates back to the 1960s and is used as part of the celebration ahead of the Indy 500. The cars are driven on public roads by various officials in the lead up to the race and eventually sold once the race is over.

A Chevy spokesman confirmed to Automotive News (subscription required) that the latest Festival Event Cars will be sold after the race, which is scheduled for May 28. The cars come with a unique option code.

Chevy has confirmed the Camaro will bow out after the 2024 model year and that production will end next January. It means this is likely the last Camaro Festival Event car and possibly the last special-edition Camaro, at least in its current format.

Chevy has hinted that the Camaro story isn’t over, though rumors dating back to 2021 point to Chevy turning the Camaro into an electric performance sedan. Other speculation says it will arrive as an electric SUV, and that the Corvette could also get an electric SUV variant as part of an expanded lineup.

This article was originally published by Motor Authority, an editorial partner of ClassicCars.com

If you’re a gamer and/or a fan of retro, you may appreciate Atari’s collaboration with Porsche Cars Australia. Taycan Arcade is an interactive, web-based game inspired by everyone’s favorite original video game: Pong!

The backstory: The year is 2023, and after 50 years of Pong, Porsche unleashes an all-new electric machine with an electrified soul. It combines dynamic performance engineering with the heart of a Porsche …

Whether you prefer keyboard or mobile device (read: cell phone), the strategy is to move your Taycan up and down to deflect the ball (really, a “high-tech drone”) from crossing your threshold while trying to get it to cross your opponent’s.

Of course, the Porsche Taycan “combines electric performance, with the soul of a Porsche – completely redefining the electric sports car segment.”

To play Taycan Arcade, visit www.taycanarcade.com.au.

If you’re a gamer and/or a fan of retro, you may appreciate Atari’s collaboration with Porsche Cars Australia. Taycan Arcade is an interactive, web-based game inspired by everyone’s favorite original video game: Pong!

The backstory: The year is 2023, and after 50 years of Pong, Porsche unleashes an all-new electric machine with an electrified soul. It combines dynamic performance engineering with the heart of a Porsche …

Whether you prefer keyboard or mobile device (read: cell phone), the strategy is to move your Taycan up and down to deflect the ball (really, a “high-tech drone”) from crossing your threshold while trying to get it to cross your opponent’s.

Of course, the Porsche Taycan “combines electric performance, with the soul of a Porsche – completely redefining the electric sports car segment.”

To play Taycan Arcade, visit www.taycanarcade.com.au.

If you’re a gamer and/or a fan of retro, you may appreciate Atari’s collaboration with Porsche Cars Australia. Taycan Arcade is an interactive, web-based game inspired by everyone’s favorite original video game: Pong!

The backstory: The year is 2023, and after 50 years of Pong, Porsche unleashes an all-new electric machine with an electrified soul. It combines dynamic performance engineering with the heart of a Porsche …

Whether you prefer keyboard or mobile device (read: cell phone), the strategy is to move your Taycan up and down to deflect the ball (really, a “high-tech drone”) from crossing your threshold while trying to get it to cross your opponent’s.

Of course, the Porsche Taycan “combines electric performance, with the soul of a Porsche – completely redefining the electric sports car segment.”

To play Taycan Arcade, visit www.taycanarcade.com.au.

No arachnophobia here: This is the kind of Spider that won’t give you the creepy-crawlies.

The Pick of the Day is a low-mileage 1980 Alfa Romeo 2000 Spider Veloce listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Camden, Maine. (Click the link to view the listing)

“A stylish and well-preserved example of Alfa Romeo’s award-winning Spider,” the listing begins.

The Spider first came to life in 1966 as a two-seat, front-engine, rear-drive roadster with design language penned by Pininfarina. This Spider comes from what became known as the “Series 2” of the Spider model history. It debuted in 1970 with revisions to the grille, door handles, windshield, and tail end.

Showcasing the streamlined body is a color scheme of white over burgundy, but in true Italian form, you have to call the hues by their real names: “Bianco Porcellana” and “Rosso Rubino.” Although the vehicle is currently located in the northeast, the seller states that it was originally owned in New Mexico and is rust-free.

The odometer on this car shows just 71,800 miles and power comes from a 2.0-liter twin-cam inline-four mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The drivetrain received a long list of recent mechanical work according to the seller. Among the items addressed are:

• Cylinder head overhaul (new racing valve springs, new performance camshafts, new valves)
• New engine mount bushings
• Renewed distributor, spark plugs, and spark plug harness
• New water pump and radiator
• New belts and fluids
• New fuel tank, fuel pump, and fuel filters
• New brake master cylinder, new brake pads, and renewed rotors

Documentation is included for all of the above work.

“This Spider drives and rides like a dream. It is a beautiful vehicle to be shown around town, but it really comes alive on the back roads. The induction noise of the engine is inebriating, the exhaust cracks and pops under deceleration, and the chassis works in tandem with the glorious Alfa Romeo twin-cam to fulfill every input and desires of the driver,” the listing concludes. “It is a driver’s car if there is one.”

The seller is asking $9,995 or best offer for this Spider, which seems like a fair price given its southern ownership history, low mileage, and recent maintenance. Best of all, it’s the kind of spider you have in your dreams instead of your nightmares.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

No arachnophobia here: This is the kind of Spider that won’t give you the creepy-crawlies.

The Pick of the Day is a low-mileage 1980 Alfa Romeo 2000 Spider Veloce listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Camden, Maine. (Click the link to view the listing)

“A stylish and well-preserved example of Alfa Romeo’s award-winning Spider,” the listing begins.

The Spider first came to life in 1966 as a two-seat, front-engine, rear-drive roadster with design language penned by Pininfarina. This Spider comes from what became known as the “Series 2” of the Spider model history. It debuted in 1970 with revisions to the grille, door handles, windshield, and tail end.

Showcasing the streamlined body is a color scheme of white over burgundy, but in true Italian form, you have to call the hues by their real names: “Bianco Porcellana” and “Rosso Rubino.” Although the vehicle is currently located in the northeast, the seller states that it was originally owned in New Mexico and is rust-free.

The odometer on this car shows just 71,800 miles and power comes from a 2.0-liter twin-cam inline-four mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The drivetrain received a long list of recent mechanical work according to the seller. Among the items addressed are:

• Cylinder head overhaul (new racing valve springs, new performance camshafts, new valves)
• New engine mount bushings
• Renewed distributor, spark plugs, and spark plug harness
• New water pump and radiator
• New belts and fluids
• New fuel tank, fuel pump, and fuel filters
• New brake master cylinder, new brake pads, and renewed rotors

Documentation is included for all of the above work.

“This Spider drives and rides like a dream. It is a beautiful vehicle to be shown around town, but it really comes alive on the back roads. The induction noise of the engine is inebriating, the exhaust cracks and pops under deceleration, and the chassis works in tandem with the glorious Alfa Romeo twin-cam to fulfill every input and desires of the driver,” the listing concludes. “It is a driver’s car if there is one.”

The seller is asking $9,995 or best offer for this Spider, which seems like a fair price given its southern ownership history, low mileage, and recent maintenance. Best of all, it’s the kind of spider you have in your dreams instead of your nightmares.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

No arachnophobia here: This is the kind of Spider that won’t give you the creepy-crawlies.

The Pick of the Day is a low-mileage 1980 Alfa Romeo 2000 Spider Veloce listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Camden, Maine. (Click the link to view the listing)

“A stylish and well-preserved example of Alfa Romeo’s award-winning Spider,” the listing begins.

The Spider first came to life in 1966 as a two-seat, front-engine, rear-drive roadster with design language penned by Pininfarina. This Spider comes from what became known as the “Series 2” of the Spider model history. It debuted in 1970 with revisions to the grille, door handles, windshield, and tail end.

Showcasing the streamlined body is a color scheme of white over burgundy, but in true Italian form, you have to call the hues by their real names: “Bianco Porcellana” and “Rosso Rubino.” Although the vehicle is currently located in the northeast, the seller states that it was originally owned in New Mexico and is rust-free.

The odometer on this car shows just 71,800 miles and power comes from a 2.0-liter twin-cam inline-four mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The drivetrain received a long list of recent mechanical work according to the seller. Among the items addressed are:

• Cylinder head overhaul (new racing valve springs, new performance camshafts, new valves)
• New engine mount bushings
• Renewed distributor, spark plugs, and spark plug harness
• New water pump and radiator
• New belts and fluids
• New fuel tank, fuel pump, and fuel filters
• New brake master cylinder, new brake pads, and renewed rotors

Documentation is included for all of the above work.

“This Spider drives and rides like a dream. It is a beautiful vehicle to be shown around town, but it really comes alive on the back roads. The induction noise of the engine is inebriating, the exhaust cracks and pops under deceleration, and the chassis works in tandem with the glorious Alfa Romeo twin-cam to fulfill every input and desires of the driver,” the listing concludes. “It is a driver’s car if there is one.”

The seller is asking $9,995 or best offer for this Spider, which seems like a fair price given its southern ownership history, low mileage, and recent maintenance. Best of all, it’s the kind of spider you have in your dreams instead of your nightmares.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

These two 1972 muscle ragtops are painted in the same Flame Orange hue and feature the top engines in their respective lineups. How do they compare?

Nineteen seventy-two was a difficult model year for American performance but, considering General Motors lowered compression one year before the 1972 federal mandate, the public already knew what to expect. The biggest impact on GM performance was the method in which horsepower was measured: the 4-4-2 W30 went from 350 horsepower gross to 300 net, while the GS Stage 1 went from 345 gross to 270 net. Nonetheless, they both were able to pull solid 14-second ETs — not like 1970, but among the fastest cars for the model year.

They are almost equally rare too. Oldsmobile produced 113 4-4-2 convertibles with the W30 package, while Buick produced 81 Stage 1 GS convertibles. Narrowing the Buick down, only 15 were built with the four-speed transmission. If the W30 was a four-speed, it would be one of 33.

Check out the AutoHunter Cinema video from Barrett-Jackson’s 2023 auction in Scottsdale and then tell us which car you prefer if you were in the market for a powerful convertible in 1972.

These two 1972 muscle ragtops are painted in the same Flame Orange hue and feature the top engines in their respective lineups. How do they compare?

Nineteen seventy-two was a difficult model year for American performance but, considering General Motors lowered compression one year before the 1972 federal mandate, the public already knew what to expect. The biggest impact on GM performance was the method in which horsepower was measured: the 4-4-2 W30 went from 350 horsepower gross to 300 net, while the GS Stage 1 went from 345 gross to 270 net. Nonetheless, they both were able to pull solid 14-second ETs — not like 1970, but among the fastest cars for the model year.

They are almost equally rare too. Oldsmobile produced 113 4-4-2 convertibles with the W30 package, while Buick produced 81 Stage 1 GS convertibles. Narrowing the Buick down, only 15 were built with the four-speed transmission. If the W30 was a four-speed, it would be one of 33.

Check out the AutoHunter Cinema video from Barrett-Jackson’s 2023 auction in Scottsdale and then tell us which car you prefer if you were in the market for a powerful convertible in 1972.