Journal Classic Cars

A few years ago, while judging at the Radnor Hunt Concours with former GM head of design Ed Welburn, we took a walk around a 1966 Toronado on the show field, looking closely at all the styling elements of the car. After doing a full circle of the car, Ed said one word: “Magnificent.” He was right. The original Oldsmobile Toronado is an incredible car, with some of the best postwar American styling ever.

AutoHunter now has one of these landmark cars up for auction: a first-year 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado Deluxe being represented by its owner in Phoenix, Arizona. The auction ends on Monday, July 28, at 12:15 p.m. (PDT).

The Toronado project started as a design painting by Oldsmobile stylist David North in 1962. He called it his “Flame Red Car.” It was his idea of a compact sports/personal car, but it was never intended for production. Sometimes, though, miracles can happen, even at companies the size of GM. A few weeks after the design was finished, the Oldsmobile division was informed it would be permitted to build a personal car in the Riviera/Thunderbird class for the 1966 model year, using North’s design rendering.

Unlike every other American personal luxury car of the time, the Toronado is front-wheel drive, one of the first in the U.S. since the 1930s. An interesting fact is that special 8.85 x 15 TFD (Toronado Front Drive) tires were developed for the car by Firestone. They featured a stiffer-than-normal sidewall and also had a tread pattern and a thin white pinstripe unique to only that tire. The car was a hit and went on through many generations, with the first-generation cars now considered classics (hence its inclusion at the concours Ed and I attended).

According to the description, this 1966 Toronado Deluxe is powered by a rebuilt, numbers-matching Rocket 425ci V8 mated to a three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic automatic transmission. The car has covered 76,476 original miles from new, and features air conditioning, power windows, power antenna and front disc brakes. It is finished in Ebony Black and is offered by the seller with manuals, service receipts and a clear title.

The exterior looks to be in spectacular show condition, with only a few stone chips. With a little bit of work, this car would be ready for a regional concours, where it would probably do quite well. Driving a car like this Toronado on an event like the Copperstate 1000 would be amazing – and something you rarely see at a vintage car rally.

The interior, which is finished in its correct green cloth and vinyl upholstery, features a front bench seat with a fold-down armrest. The cabin looks to be in great shape, with only minor wear on the driver’s seat. I personally love the dash layout with the horizontal barrel-style speedometer and additional instruments for temperature, amperage, clock and fuel level.

Under the hood is the numbers-matching Oldsmobile 425ci Rocket V8 with 385 horsepower at 4,800 rpm, and a staggering 475 lb-ft of torque at 3,200 rpm. It sends power to the front wheels via a three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic automatic transmission. The engine received a complete rebuild in 2001, and the four-barrel carburetor was rebuilt in June 2025. Everything under the hood not only looks correct, but also is in excellent condition.

Truly great examples of these first-year Olds Toronados do not come up for sale often and are quite rare to see these days. This specific example looks to be a great car that would provide its new owner with years of enjoyment. If you are interested, though, I would act fast – the auction for this 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado Deluxe ends on Monday, July 28, at 12:15 p.m. (PDT).

Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery

Vehicles with a lot of space for people and gear typically end up having a lot of miles too. Roomy SUVs, such as the Chevrolet Suburban, are great for out-of-state family road trips; they can also be used for commercial purposes. Somehow, our Pick of the Day, a 1978 Chevrolet Suburban, has escaped a life of high mileage. You can find it on ClassicCars.com listed by a dealer in Lenexa, Kansas.

This “Superwagon,” as Chevy called it in the brochure, has been kept in a climate-controlled garage its whole life, accruing only 25,674 original miles over the past 47 years, according to the selling dealer. To put that in perspective, several years ago, I put 2,600 miles on a Ram 1500 Rebel EcoDiesel going from Austin, Texas to Phoenix, Arizona and back in about a week.

However, this Suburban’s historically light travel schedule hasn’t excluded it from updates. At one point, the body was repainted in its original color of Mariner Blue, which goes nicely with the chrome bumpers and bright trim. Thanks to a Belltech lowering kit, there’s a four-inch drop in the front and a six-inch drop at the rear, giving this rig a nice stance on its 20 x 9-inch front/22 x 10.5-inch rear US Mags wheels and low-profile tires.

Despite the low mileage on the rest of the truck, the 305ci V8 was rebuilt and equipped with an Edelbrock intake manifold, polished aluminum valve covers, ceramic-coated headers, and a custom exhaust system with MagnaFlow mufflers. As a C10 model, this Suburban sends its power to the rear wheels through a three-speed automatic.

Whoever refreshed this Suburban also made sure to include the interior. The story is that the blue and white patterned vinyl upholstery is original, but a lot of the things around it have been updated. Recently, the headliner was replaced and a Vintage Air climate control system was installed, adding comfort to the convenience of the power steering and power front disc brakes. The original radio was swapped out for a Custom Autosound AM/FM stereo, which is connected to Rockford Fosgate kick panel speakers—perfect for road trip playlists or audio books for long drives to and from jobsites.

Clearly, this 1978 Chevrolet Suburban Custom Deluxe has plenty of miles left in it. If you want to rack up more by hauling your family to your next vacation destination or building your business, you can take it off the market for $29,900.

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

We brought you news several weeks ago about BMW holding steady with offering a stick shift for several models in the immediate future. The good news keeps on coming as the company from Bavaria has gone on record stating that it will continue to use inline-sixes and V8s for its BMW M vehicles.

As reported by Autocar, “The six-cylinder in-line engine is our legacy, and the V8 has got a long history in racing, so we intend to keep going,” says M CEO Frank van Meel while at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. But heritage and racing can be a challenge in the face of regulators in Europe, which is why M’s esteemed engineers have designed engines that are prepared for Euro 7 standards. “The challenge was not so much to make an engine that is EU7 compliant [but to] keep performance,” adds van Meel. This suggests BMW’s engines should be good through 2031 in current regulatory form.

Truth be told, Euro 7 regulations does not apply more stringent emissions levels, but the tests are broader, to include a compliance range of 10 years or 124,000 miles—twice as long as it is now. In addition, brake and tire emissions (!) will be checked for the first time. From BMW’s perspective, the biggest hurdle is cooling: “The combustion process has to be improved in regard to heat build-up and also the cooling, and those are the challenges,” says van Meel. “Of course you can [reduce] performance to avoid this temperature increase, but you don’t want to—that’s where we started. The new balance of performance is that we drive lambda one, but we don’t want to lose performance.”

Car and Driver points out an interesting contrast with Mercedes-Benz, which embraced new regulations and challenged its engineers to offer solutions around them. A result of that was the for 2023 AMG C 63, which went from a twin-turbo V8 to a turbo inline-four with PHEV. While the updated powerplant offered loads more horsepower and improved dynamics in a package that reflected new tech, the experience simply wasn’t the same to some enthusiasts.

Today’s AutoHunter Spotlight is this 13-mile 2023 Dodge Challenger “Black Ghost”, one of 300 built. Inspired by a legendary Detroit street racer, this “Last Call” Challenger was based on the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody Jailbreak, which means it’s powered by an 807-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter V8 paired with an eight-speed automatic. Other features include a simulated Gator Grain vinyl top, launch control, 20-inch wheels on Pirelli P-ZEROs, and more. Painted Pitch Black with a white Bumblebee stripe over a black interior, this modern muscle car comes from the selling dealer with the original window sticker, an owner’s manual, a clean CARFAX report, and a clear title.

The Pitch Black paint is complemented by white Bumblebee striping. The original Black Ghost was built with a Gator Grain vinyl top, so this one features a simulated version of the same. Other features include a dual-scoop hood with slide pins, classic D-O-D-G-E lettering on the front fascia, a front air dam, a rear spoiler, a quick-fill fuel door, HID headlamps, and more. A set of 20-inch Warp Speed satin carbon wheels are wrapped in 305/35 Pirelli P-ZERO radial tires.

The cabin is furnished with Black Alcantara/Laguna leather upholstery. Other interior features include power-adjustable front buckets, carbon fiber trim, a center console with a leather-wrapped shifter, dual-zone climate control, power windows, power steering with a power tilt and telescoping column, a Harman Kardon stereo with a subwoofer, an 8.4-inch infotainment display, and more.

Instrumentation includes a 220-mph speedometer, 7,000-rpm tachometer, and gauges for the temperature and fuel. The odometer shows a scant 13 miles, which is in line with the mileage figure on the CARFAX report.

The heart of this Challenger is a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8 with the famed SRT Power Chiller. Output is a resounding 807 horsepower, which is harnessed by an eight-speed automatic.

The undercarriage features the Widebody Competition suspension, Brembo four-wheel power disc brakes, an Anti-Spin rear differential, and dual exhaust outlets.

There were several “Last Call” Mopars built before Dodge put the Challenger (and the previous-generation Charger) to rest. Few were as inspired (or as connected to Detroit) as the Black Ghost version of the 2023 Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody Jailbreak. If you kicked yourself for missing out on one of the 300 built two years ago, then AutoHunter provides you with a second chance at a brand-new one! The auction ends on Monday, July 28, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. (PDT), so get all your ducks in a row and bid now before it ends up as an apparition on your screen.

Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery

Several years ago, during a trip to a gas station, I learned that not all people know the small arrow on modern fuel gauges points to the side of the vehicle that the fuel door is on. It felt good to point it out and give the driver a tip that will always help him in the future. I recently received a similar awakening – from myself.

As humans, we’re creatures of habit. We follow the same routines because they’re familiar and functional. Once we get into a certain groove physically, it can be hard to get out of it mentally. You’ve gone down the same path to the same destination so many times that your perspective has narrowed. You hardly even need to look where you’re going, but that also means you’re not moving your head and seeing the potential different routes near you.

Driving away from your house is a great example of this. If you’ve had your vehicle for more than a few days, you probably have your own sequence before you hit the road. Here’s mine: Get in my Hyundai Sonata, put my foot on the brake, press the start button, place my wallet next to the 12-volt outlet and flip its cover to the left to hold my wallet in place, connect the USB-A charging cord to my iPhone to get Apple CarPlay started, put on my seat belt, press the Auto Hold button, then press the R button to shift into reverse.

I usually keep my car’s panoramic sunroof shade closed in the morning because I want as many layers between me and the Arizona sun as possible. But it was gray and cloudy a few mornings ago, a nice change of pace from the blazing heat we’ve had lately, so I decided I’d pull the shade back. Ever since I bought my car in October 2023, I couldn’t understand why every time I pulled back on the switch to open the shade, it not only opened that but the sunroof as well. I would then close the sunroof and get the ceiling full of tinted glass I wanted initially. That gloomy day, I learned what had been causing my frustration: operator error.

Instead of using separate controls for the shade and the sunroof panel, Hyundai combines the controls for both of them. I always pulled back on the switch too hard (two clicks), triggering both to open. A lighter touch (one click) is required to retract the shade only—something I’ve finally developed after nearly two years. It was a humbling lesson, but it taught me something I can enjoy for years to come.

What about you? Is there a feature in your vehicle it took you too long to discover? If so, share it with us in the Comments section below.

Known for its coastal scenery, luxurious homes and world-class golf courses, Pebble Beach, along the central California coast, is a postcard picture waiting to happen. Lexus loved the area so much it decided to market its high-end SC convertible in limited numbers under the Pebble Beach nameplate.

The Pick of the Day is a 2004 Lexus SC430 Pebble Beach Edition convertible listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Medford, Oregon.

“We are the second owners,” the listing says, “the first being the owner of the Lexus dealership in Eugene, Oregon, who put the first 8,000 miles on the car prior to us purchasing it in the fall of 2004. All original documents are available, including the window sticker showing an MSRP of $65,394.”

The Lexus SC, known as the Toyota Soarer in some other markets around the world, hit the United States market in 1992. Throughout its lifespan, the car was sold as a luxury Grand Tourer. Following a successful first generation (dubbed the “Z30”), a new version was shown at the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show, which would be known as the Z40.

The defining characteristic of the second-gen SC was its power-retractable aluminum hardtop, something the earlier cars never received. The 2001-10 SC was marketed in the lineup as the “Jewel of Lexus,” and the Pebble Beach version made it even more exclusive. Finished in Light Blue Mica (Azure Pearl) with an Ecru interior, this car is one of only 400 units produced in Pebble Beach trim for the 2004 model year.

According to an excerpt of the window sticker, the Pebble Beach package included:

• Lip spoiler
• 18-inch Azure Pearl alloy wheels
• Bird’s Eye maple wood trim
• Azure Pearl exterior color
• Blue illuminated scuff plates
• Pebble Beach badging on front fenders, center console, and floor mats

Power comes from a 3UZ-FE 4.3-liter V8 mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. Lexus rated the car at 300 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque. The car shows just 75,384 miles and, according to the listing, maintenance has been kept up: “The timing belt and water pump were replaced at 75,343 miles, the battery is less than a year old, front brakes were serviced at 71,580 miles, and rear brakes have at least 5,000 miles left,” the seller says.

This car is begging for a drive down the California coast—make sure to check out “17-Mile Drive” in Pebble Beach just so you can experience the car’s namesake area.

The asking price is $26,000 or best offer.

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

For 1973-77, General Motors redesigned its A-body series and promoted them as Colonnades, marketing’s attempt to describe pillared construction with frameless doors and windows after two-plus decades of touting the pillarless hardtop. Below we have four Colonnades that are currently listed for sale on AutoHunter or ClassicCars.com. Can you tell us the year, make, and model of each?

Post your answers in the Comments section below. Hints are available by simply clicking on an image.

Click on a photo to reveal each car

Every Tuesday, you’ll find a new puzzle at The Classic Cars.com Journal. Play previous games for even more enjoyment!

Jay Leno has had several Porsches in his garage over the years. Many of them were his, but a lot of them were brought in by companies such as Singer and Lab Eleven. For a variety of reasons, none were quite like this bb-Auto 1986 Porsche 911.

In the 1970s and ’80s, German tuner BB was known for its customized cars. One of the company’s most famous builds was the “Rainbow Car,” a 1976 Porsche 911 that combined the Targa body style with Turbo power and Polaroid’s color scheme as part of a display at the 1976 Photokina trade show in Cologne, Germany. These days, Galpin Motors has the rights to bb-Auto in North America. To honor BB’s colorful creation, the company has developed a prototype of a 1986 Porsche 911 with a similar color scheme (with painted stripes!), but a very different engine.

As Galpin Motors president Beau Boeckmann explains, under the rear engine cover is a fuel-injected Ed Pink 4.0-liter flat-six. Between the 4.0 and the upgraded G50 five-speed manual gearbox is a lightweight electric motor that instantly adds 150 horsepower, raising the grand total to 550. An Elephant Racing 997 GT3-style adjustable suspension and custom Fuchs-style wheels made by Titan 7 for bb-Auto help all that reach the road or track. When the Brembo discs aren’t needed, a regenerative braking system puts juice back into the lithium-ion battery pack.

The cockpit is colorful in its own way: both Recaro buckets, the rear seats, and the door panel inserts are covered in a vibrant blue upholstery.

Like the Targa, the roof panel is removable, but now it’s transparent glass. Air conditioning keeps things cool while a TV in the dash keeps the shotgun passenger entertained.

What does Leno think of bb-Auto’s retro-inspired 911 build? Are all of the changes too much? Watch the video below to find out.

Right now on AutoHunter, you can find this restored, two-wheel-drive 1987 Chevrolet R10. It is equipped with features such as air conditioning and cruise control. Under the hood is a fuel-injected 5.0-liter V8 connected to a 700R4 four-speed automatic transmission. Finished in red and gray two-tone paint over an updated gray cloth interior, this Chevy R/V-series (formerly C/K) pickup is now offered by the Florida selling dealer with the original owner’s manual, CARFAX report, and clear title.

As part of its 2024 body-on restoration, this “Square Body” was refinished in a combination of red and gray paint. Exterior features include chrome bumpers, front bumper guards, fog lights, tonneau cover, hitch receiver, and single exhaust system with dual pipes.

The tires have also been updated to new 235/75 Mesa (front) and Corsa (rear) radials, which surround a set of 15-inch Rally wheels.

The refreshed interior features a gray cloth bench seat plus the convenience of power windows and locks, cruise control, tilt steering column, power steering, air conditioning, and new AM/FM/Bluetooth retro-look stereo with new speakers.

Instrumentation consists of an 85-mph speedometer and gauges for the fuel level, voltage, oil pressure, and temperature. The odometer shows 60,164 miles, though a mileage inconsistency was logged in the CARFAX report in January 2023, the same month a mileage figure of 57,689 was recorded. The title for this truck indicates it’s mileage-exempt.

A fuel-injected 5.0-liter V8 that was factory-rated at 170 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque gets this Chevy down the road. The L03 small-block draws fuel from two gas tanks and delivers its output to the rear wheels through a 700R4 four-speed automatic transmission. Power front disc and rear drum brakes help this R10 stop so that it can keep on truckin’.

If you want this updated 1987 Chevrolet R10 pickup for cruising, hauling, or a little of both, bid on it now. The auction for it ends on Friday, July 25 at 11:00 a.m. (PDT).

Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery

In 1999, GMC introduced Denali, its new top trim level, on the Yukon. It wasn’t long before GMC started offering Denali versions of its other vehicles. Now you can get every model in the GMC lineup (except the Hummer EVs) in Denali trim. But starting in 2022, Denali got one-upped by Denali Ultimate, which is currently available on the Sierra 1500, Sierra HD, Yukon, and Yukon XL. The newest GMC to get that super-luxury treatment is the 2026 Acadia.

Someone on GMC’s design team must be a Star Wars fan because two of the flagship Acadia’s most distinguishing exterior characteristics are the Vader Chrome grille and GMC logo, which are flanked by LED daytime running lamps with an animated lighting sequence (perhaps one resembling a lightsaber battle?).

The 20-inch wheels get a similar makeover, going from the regular Denali’s Pearl Nickel finish to After Midnight Metallic (does GMC have an Eric Clapton fan on its design team too?). If those clues aren’t enough, GMC also identifies the top Acadia model with exclusive badging.

Inside, GMC sets the Acadia Denali Ultimate apart in two major ways. As you might expect, it comes equipped with more standard features than lesser models. Those make up a long list that includes an eight-inch head-up display, Bose 16-Speaker Performance Series sound system, panoramic sunroof, HD Surround Vision, Super Cruise hands-free driver assistance tech, and performance suspension. A Rear Camera Mirror is also on the list, but it’s now standard on all 2026 Acadias.

The Denali Ultimate’s materials are the second half of the interior upgrades. The Woodland Mahogany massaging front seats are heated and ventilated, and accented with plaited contrast stitching. All three rows get Denali Ultimate badges on their seatbacks along with embossed topographical maps, which extend to the door trim and map pockets. Laser-etched accents give the Paldao wood trim its own texture.

Look for the 2026 Acadia in GMC dealerships in Q3 of this year. Denali Ultimate models should arrive later; expect final pricing and additional info at around that time.