Journal Classic Cars

I detest hyperbole or bold proclamations without some form of factual backing when developing an argument. After decades of listening to sports talk radio on KNBR 680 I’ve had more than my fill of sports reporters and fans giving their hot takes with ludicrous concepts. Settle down Boone from Cloverdale because I can’t imagine any scenario where Kyle Shanahan is a better coach than Vince Lombardi.

That said, I am going against my own code for debates when I maintain that the Zagato Parana Z-One is the greatest South African and Italian mashup the automotive industry has ever seen. Yes I broke my own code, but can you name another car penned by an Italian design firm (Zagato) for a South African performance car company (Parana Performance Group)? Didn’t think so.

The Zagato Parana Z-One is the biproduct of that collaboration and to add more intrigue to its already unique backstory its rides on a C6 Chevrolet Corvette chassis and is powered by a Corvette LS7 engine. It was a true international collaboration for a sports car that made its debut at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show with aspiration for 999 copies with a starting price under $100,000. Productions goals were never achieved and just seven were made for the United States.

If you like unique collaborations look no further than the Pick of the Day; a Zagato Parana Z-One listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in Orange, California. This Parana Z-One is number five of seven built, and the only concept car produced.

“The side profile is of a fine sports coupe that had finely sculpted lines on the front fenders,” the listing states. “Those huge multi-spoke wheels sure did go along with its design appeal. The rear third quarter and rear fascia sure give out Aston Martin and TVR vibes with the bulky wheel arches and the rear tail-lamp layout. The design language, no doubt, is an inspiration for many iconic cars. Zagato did an impressive job of fusing all of it and giving it a unique character.” 

From any angle the Parana is striking and exotic, but also has the performance to back up its demeanor. It’s powered by a 7.3-liter V8 LS7 engine that the listing states produces 600 horsepower, and the engine is mated to a six-speed manual transmission with a ZF limited-slip rear differential. It has a well-designed interior with seating for two and features air conditioning, a back-up camera, and a navigation system.

The listing price is $185,000 for this international sports car mashup with a Corvette heart.

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

The bond between a car and its owner usually develops over years of driving and thousands of miles logged on highways, back roads, and around town. For car enthusiasts, it’s a relationship that stretches beyond man and machine, a bond forged over countless hours and long-lasting trips. But what happens when the classic car history has already been written by someone else? When the miles have been added to the odometer over twisting roads and interstates. What does a car enthusiast do when they want to understand where a car came from before they set out on their own unique journey?

To understand a car’s history, you must start with a vehicle identification number (VIN) lookup. A classic car VIN lookup is essential to understanding a car’s history from maintenance to purchase history to emissions records.  A classic car VIN check is the easiest and simplest way to understand whether the price you’re about to pay for a classic car makes sense.

A VIN check tells the story of a car’s history. Whether it’s a pre-owned vehicle with low miles or a vintage car that requires some TLC, an owner should always research a car before making a purchase. Imagine the headaches that could be saved by doing a VIN lookup and seeing a lack of maintenance records or a safety recall that’s outstanding. With used car prices still higher than pre-pandemic levels, it’s more important now than ever to fully understand the history of a used or classic car.

For buyers looking into a classic car purchase, consider looking at cars listed at A better bid car auction and SCA auto auction. Registering on these sites allows you to receive up to 50 EpicVIN reports for free. This can be invaluable considering the rarity and expense of a classic car.

The History of the VIN

Starting on January 1, 1969, any car manufactured in the United States or manufactured overseas and imported to the U.S. required a VIN. On most cars, the standard VIN is 17 characters in length and is used as your car’s DNA strand or marker to separate it from the thousands of other cars on the road. However, some classic cars or older cars, in general, will have a VIN that can be anywhere from 11 to 17 characters in length.

Located on the bottom of the windshield or near the door jamb on most cars, the VIN is easy to locate on a modern car. In addition to properly marking your vehicle, a VIN decoder can help an owner understand more about the car, including the automobile’s unique features or the vehicle’s specs when it was first manufactured in the United States or overseas.

What makes a VIN unique is all the information it contains. By using a VIN decoder, you can understand where a car was manufactured – VIN’s starting with 1, 4, or 5 were built in the United States, for example, while ‘J’ signifies a car built in Japan. You can even see whether there are recalls on the vehicle that would pose safety risks while driving. A VIN lookup is essential to the car-buying process.

While not all classic cars have a VIN history report, many still do, and it’s always important to start your background search with a VIN search whenever possible.

 In Steps EpicVIN

Approved under the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), EpicVIN can ease the stress of purchasing a used car thanks to an extensive database of information. EpicVIN currently allows prospective buyers to see critical information about a car’s history, including ownership history, current odometer readings, open safety recall checks, title history, sales history, and major title brand checks, among other information. It also allows users to see a classic car’s VIN history.

So how does a prospective buyer use a free tool to look up an old VIN and review a classic car’s history? At EpicVIN, users can type in the VIN and hit ‘search.’ If there is no VIN, a free tool on the site called ‘License Plate Lookup for Car Shoppers’ allows users to see key data by entering a license plate number and hitting ‘Check Plate.’ This feature is especially important when considering a vintage car, as older, rare vehicles don’t always have a VIN. In addition to a license plate lookup feature, EpicVIN offers a Chrome Extension that helps customers find the most important information on any website. This tool allows users to see when and where a car was sold, the price, and the full vehicle history.

What separates EpicVIN from its competition is the way the reports are delivered. Unlike most sites that provide a text-only report, EpicVIN offers its reports with key visuals that help  users better understand the information within the report. So, when doing a vintage VIN lookup on a classic car history report, you’ll get the key information displayed prominently to help you better understand the vehicle’s VIN history.

Users can be sure that EpicVIN’s information is accurate as the data reported is constantly updated and refreshed within the system to provide accurate information and peace of mind.

With a tool like EpicVIN, classic car buyers can feel safe knowing their purchase decisions are backed by accurate car history information. Find out purchase history, previous owners, accident history, and more to ease any second thoughts about starting a new journey in a classic car.

Act today and receive a 25% off your first order at EpicVIN with the promo code ClassicCars.

Doncha get tired of cringing? First, Dodge kills its Hemi cars, and now we have a hybrid Corvette. Isn’t anything sacred anymore? But your shrink would suggest embracing what you cannot control, so count to ten slowly with measured breaths and enjoy the Corvette’s 70^th anniversary as we discuss the 2024 eAWD Corvette E-Ray.

This Corvette has not been a secret, though it may seem like it has hit you on the side of the head. Imagine this: all-wheel drive, 6.2-liter LT2 and an electric motor. You still get the thunderous roar of the classic small-block V8 while achieving the quickest acceleration times ever for a Vette. What’s not to like?

“In 1953, the enthusiastic reaction to the Chevrolet Corvette concept kicked off seven decades of passion, performance and American ingenuity,” says Mark Reuss, the prez of General Motors. “E-Ray, as the first electrified, all-wheel-drive Corvette, takes it a step further and expands the promise of what Corvette can deliver.”

Horsepower is rated at 495, with 470 lb-ft of torque to the rear axle. Enhancements include a 160-horse electric motor with 125 lb-ft of torque through the front wheels thanks to a 1.9kWh battery pack that’s located between the seats. Combined, the E-Ray produces 655 horsepower. Zero-sixty times are 2.5 seconds. The 400-meter sprint takes 10.5 seconds.

“Corvettes must provide an exhilarating driving experience on backroads and tracks, and E-Ray nails it,” adds Tadge Juechter, the big kahuna of Corvette engineers. “The electrification technology enhances the feeling of control in all conditions, adding an unexpected degree of composure.”

Chevrolet claims the E-Ray’s eAWD system “is constantly learning the road surface, seamlessly adapting to meet traction conditions and driver needs.” When needed in low-traction situations, the system uses the electric motor to apply power to the front wheels, aiding in vehicle stability.

Keep in mind that the E-Ray Is not a plug-in hybrid. The battery is charged thanks to regenerative energy from coasting and braking, if not normal driving. It’s even possible to sample pure electric momentum — select Stealth Mode at start-up and you can enjoy acceleration up to 45 mph without a drop of gas being used; the V8 will take over at speeds over 45, if more torque is needed in a particular driving situation or if the battery pack is out of juice.

The electric motor also aids in the E-Ray’s Active Fuel Management system, which complements the engine’s operation when deactivated to a fuel-sipping four cylinders. In fact, the driver can tailor the amount of electric assist via six selectable modes: Tour, Sport, Track, Weather, My Mods and Z-Mode.

E-Ray styling leans towards the Z06’s, sharing the wide-body proportions. The lightweight alloy five-spoke wheels are an E-Ray exclusive. Other E-Ray design highlights include four aluminum wheel finishes, 14 colors, carbon flash badging and available carbon fiber options throughout the body, among other items.

“There’s never been a Corvette like E-Ray and its sophisticated design reflects that,” says Phil Zak, executive design director for Chevrolet’s global operations. “It starts with the body color trim which draws your full attention to the exotic proportions of the E-Ray. The interiors allow customers to reflect their individual personalities with their choice of color executions that provide a refined or dynamic sport look and feel.” 

So you see, hybridization is not the death knell of the Corvette. It’s simply using the technology that we have at hand to see how Chevrolet can make the Corvette a better car. Of course, all this comes at a cost: the coupe starts at $104,295 and the convertible will cost you at least $111,295. However, what’s great about this is we have choices so if you’re still feeling curmudgeonly, Chevrolet still has a traditional Corvette to scratch your itch.

The 2012 Lexus LFA maintains the balance of high performance with the civility of a luxury car. Its performance is derived from a 4.8-liter V10 that produces a factory-rated 552hp and 354 ft-lb of torque paired with a six-speed automated sequential manual gearbox (ASG) featuring steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters. The performance numbers are upper echelon for the time, with a 0-to-60 mph time of just 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 202 mph. Since this is a Lexus, the LFA’s amenities, function and style are, of course, lavish. The Lexus LFA is a truly unique supercar, with one available for sale with no reserve at the upcoming Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Collector Car Auction.

“The Lexus LFA was limited to just 500 examples for the world; only 156 were produced for the U.S. market,” the auction listing states. “In its configuration of Steel Gray with an orange interior, this is a one of one, according to the LFA Registry. That hue required an additional charge of $3,000.

“The interior orange was selected new from the selling dealer, Sewell Lexus of Dallas, TX. The additional cost to select orange front seats was $2,500, which did not include the additional $1,000 for the stitching. To accent the interior, the steering grip was also selected in orange for an additional $1,500.”

This Lexus LFA is a one-owner vehicle that has spent its entire life in the Lone Star State and includes a clean CARFAX report. Standard amenities include 10-way power adjustable seats, and a Mark Levinson Sound system with 12 speakers, a navigation system, XM Radio and Bluetooth integration.

The sale includes a Lexus Laser desktop model with a plaque signifying example number 437, Lexus luggage with a monogrammed VIN, hardbound LFA book with a protective sleeve, Lexus LFA watch in the original LFA box, two master keys and the Lexus tire inflation kit.

This 2012 Lexus LFA is available with no reserve at the 2023 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Collector Car Auction and is scheduled to cross the stage on Saturday, January 28, 2023.

The auction runs from January 21-29 at Westworld of Scottsdale.