Journal Classic Cars

Modern living is great! You live in your smart home where the lights turn on when the alarm on your smart phone goes off, then you ask your Alexa Echo to tell you about the latest and greatest news/online spats while you take a shower. Next, you get dressed and put on your Ray-Ban Meta glasses and your smart watch before heading downstairs, where you pound some juice, skip breakfast (not so smart, according to your doctor), then leave and have your smart lock secure your property while your smart thermostat adjusts the air conditioning. You hop in your car (which, ironically, is not a Smart car) and drive off, using an autopilot-type system that allows you to check emails during your daily commute.

Does this sound like you? If so, the smart thing to do will be to buy the new Volvo EX60 crossover SUV when it debuts in 2026 because it will be equipped with the world’s first smart seat belt.

Volvo pioneered the three-point seat belt in 1959. Automotive safety has been part of Volvo’s branding for decades, but it’s been awhile since Volvo has flaunted this relevant differentiating benefit. With the EX60, Volvo will reclaim its rightful position as producing the world’s safest cars with the introduction of this multi-adaptive safety belt.

According to Volvo, modern safety belts use load limiters to control how much force the safety belt applies to your body during a crash. This new safety belt design expands the load-limiting profiles (from three to eleven) and, hence, increases the possible number of settings to offer optimal performance for each situation and individual. It adapts to specific bodies and positions in respect to real-time data from the vehicle’s exterior, interior, and crash sensors for customized protection for each belted passenger. Considering the unique characteristics of a crash (such as direction, speed, and passenger posture), the system in turn shares the data with the safety belt and selects the most appropriate setting for peak protection.

Think of it this way: When you’re at your peak weight in January, you will receive a higher belt load setting in an accident than in the spring after you’ve spent several months at the gym. Profiles such as your height, weight, body shape, and seating position are calculated and adapted to upon impact. As a result, head and rib injuries (among others) will be minimized. With over-the-air software updates, protection marginally improves with time.

“The world first multi-adaptive safety belt is another milestone for automotive safety and a great example of how we leverage real-time data with the ambition to help save millions of more lives,” said Åsa Haglund, head of the Volvo Cars Safety Centre. “This marks a major upgrade to the modern three-point safety belt, a Volvo invention introduced in 1959, estimated to have saved over a million lives.”

According to Car, the EX60 will run on the group’s modular SPA3 platform and sit in the middle of the brand’s range. For greater efficiency and faster charging, 800-volt technology will be used. Single- and dual-motor powertrain systems are estimated to offer from 329 to 670 horsepower.

For more than two decades, the Dodge Viper stunned people with its bold looks and unusual V10 power. That era of American performance started with the 1992 Dodge Viper RT/10 roadster, a curvaceous beast with a 400-horsepower 8.0-liter V10 under its massive hood, a six-speed manual gearbox, and side pipes. There was nothing to get in the way of going fast – no traction control, ABS, or even side windows. We got a chance to grab some up-close footage of this first-year Dodge Viper at the Barrett-Jackson 2025 Palm Beach Auction before it was sold to its new owner at no reserve.

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You should never buy a car based on what other people are going to think of you when they see it because it’s your car and you’re the one paying for it. But it helps to be aware of just how much attention – good or bad – a certain vehicle will get because you may prefer to be left alone while you’re out driving. A new Mercedes with a light-up three-pointed star in the grille and colorful interior ambient lighting? Lots of people will be looking at you. Our Pick of the Day, a 1992 Mercedes-Benz 500SL posted on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Englewood, Colorado? It’s still an SL with great lines, V8 power, and leather seats, but it should allow you to fly under the radar.

Designed by Bruno Sacco and first presented at the 1989 Geneva Motor Show, the R129 generation of the SL simultaneously has presence (thanks to its ingot-like lines) and the ability to be self-effacing (thanks it being out of the new car spotlight for decades). These days, it has an “old money” look to it. It’s hard to look at it and not think it was the go-to for hit record producers and successful L.A. attorneys in the 1990s.

What makes this high-class cruiser even more low-key is its gray and taupe two-tone paint, although its headlight wipers might turn some heads. As the photos show, this 500SL currently has a body-color hardtop in place, but that can be removed so the power-operated soft top can be used on those occasions when you do want to be seen. If you change your mind, just mash the gas and let the 322-horsepower 5.0-liter V8 and four-speed automatic turn you into a blur.

The interior has a color scheme that’s as tasteful and restrained as the exterior finish: gray leather and wood veneer accents on the door panels and center stack/console. Both seats have power controls as well as three-person memory settings; additional amenities include power everything, automatic climate control, and a Clarion AM/FM/CD stereo.

One thing this luxury drop-top doesn’t have? A lot of miles. The odometer indicates it’s only been driven 56,967 miles over the past 30+ years. If you buy this 1992 Mercedes-Benz 500SL for $13,899, you should be able to add to that number without being bothered – and in total comfort.

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

The day was Friday, August 19, 1955. Colleen Curtis, 20, received the keys to a brand-new black Chevrolet two-door. It was grand-opening day for Ben Redd Chevrolet at 335 North Main Street in Logan, Utah. Colleen was having an eventful era in her life; her wedding had taken place just a few months earlier and, the previous year, she had taken a job at Mountain Bell as a telephone operator. Her new car retailed at around $1,900. A photo of Colleen’s happy day was featured in The Herald Journal newspaper three days following her car purchase.

This August will mark the 70th anniversary of Colleen’s key handoff. She and I have a little bit of a connection: A few years ago, I told the story of my first car, a 1986 Chevrolet Celebrity. My mom and dad bought that car new on April 19, 1986, from Axtell Chevrolet in Logan, Utah, which was what became of Ben Redd Chevrolet. I recently decided to dig a little deeper into some history of dealerships in Logan, and I ended up on a journey of great discovery.

This falls in line with my prior “classic building” stories that some of you liked about my great-grandfather’s 1923 service station and my visit to Bob’s Sinclair in rural Kanosh, Utah.

Origins of 335 North Main Street

A January 24, 1947, story from The Herald Journal announced the opening of the Humphrey and Evans Motor Company. “The new building is modern and complete,” the story said, “Representing investment of about $50,000. Constructed of tile and cinder block, it has a spacious showroom with a floor finished in marble, a parts room, office upstairs finished in knotty pine, and a shop in the rear. The showroom is recognized as one of the most beautiful in the state.” For its first several years, the Humphrey-Evans Motor Company sold Hudson vehicles.

Ben Redd Chevrolet Takes Over

The 1950s were a time of postwar optimism – an era of prosperity, an economic boom and thriving car culture. Car ownership became a rite of passage and a status symbol for people like Colleen Curtis. Redd Chevrolet took over the Humphrey-Evans dealership location in mid-1955 and rode the wave, selling many iconic vehicles like Bel Airs, Task Force trucks and Corvettes.

Just about five years after Colleen bought her car, in January 1960, the dealership changed ownership to a Mr. Ellis Axtell. A month later, operations at 335 North Main were closed, and Axtell Chevrolet relocated to 1475 North Main (the former location of an equipment building). The move was logical for a lot of reasons: Most notably, the original location had become a hub of traffic and industry with limited parking. The new location – at the time, on the outskirts on the north end of town – offered lots of space. “Inspect the new enlarged facilities and view the large selection of new 1960 Chevrolet cars and trucks. Remember, parking is no problem at Axtell Chevrolet,” an advertisement from February 10, 1960, said.

Evolution and Decline

Now that Chevrolet had moved its operations, the original 335 North Main location became home to a number of different businesses in the decades that followed. I remember my uncle saying he worked a speed shop there in the 1970s. It went by a few names, including Custom Muffler & Speed. The facility fell into some disrepair and became surrounded on all sides by more modern infrastructure as development ensued. Main Street, too, became too busy to allow for easy entry or exit to the property, so its days were numbered.

Google Street View chronology shows that the once-glamorous 1947-era showroom was bulldozed sometime between November 2021 and September 2022. As of the most recent image taken in August 2024, it was an empty lot – a quiet reminder of the many exciting automotive stories over the years.

Tribute to Colleen

As for Ms. Curtis, since the photo of her in The Herald Journal was what prompted this story: Colleen lived her entire life in Logan, Utah, and eventually pursued a career in real estate.

When she passed away on December 28, 2000, she left behind three children, 14 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. What a great legacy! And, as it turns out, great taste in cars.  

As you may have learned back in February, Bugatti has a long history with the horological industry. Since 2019, the French company has been working with the watchmakers at Jacob & Co. Their newest collaborative effort, the Calandre (which translates to “radiator grille”) is a little different because it’s not only a table clock, but it also was made with the help of another company: Lalique.

You classic car fans out there are probably familiar with that last name. Frenchman Rene Lalique made a variety of glass automobile mascots/hood ornaments in the early 20th century, such as “Victoire” (“victory”) and “Tete d’Aigle” (“eagle head”). He was also known for his clock designs, many of which featured two figurines leaning toward each other over the dial in the middle. For the Calandre clock’s case, the company bearing Lalique’s name poured molten crystal into a mold, cooled it, then spent months sharpening the edges, enhancing the texture, and polishing it. The two figurines are Dancing Elephants, an homage to both the Bugatti Type 41 Royale, which had an elephant on its radiator cap, and the sculptor Rembrandt Bugatti, Ettore Bugatti’s brother. The trunks of those two Dancing Elephants draw the eye to the 30mm red gemstone at the top, which Jacob & Co. made nearly round with 288 facets and its patented Jacob Cut.

Bugatti’s signature horseshoe grille features the red “Bugatti Macaron” at the top and is filled with geometric mesh that serves as the dial for the rhodium-finished hands of the clock itself. The flying tourbillon directly below connects this timepiece to the V16-powered Bugatti Tourbillon hypercar while also doing what tourbillons were designed to do: maintain accuracy in clocks and watches in a fixed, vertical position. Jacob & Co.’s manually wound caliber JCAM58 movement has an eight-day power reserve, which can replenished by inserting a special key at the back of the clock.

Like any Bugatti, the Calandre will be exclusive and expensive: only 99 will be produced, each at a price of $240,000. It brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “Time is money.”

Featured on AutoHunter is this restored 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SL, which has a Bosch fuel-injected 2.8-liter I6 mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. Finished in silver and equipped with a black convertible top over a black vinyl interior, this W113 SL is now offered by the private seller in Illinois with service records, spare tools, a jack, and a clear title.

The silver body of this SL features chrome bumpers with black guards, chrome brightwork, a driver-side mirror, and a pair of rear exhaust finishers on the passenger side. A black soft top with a plastic rear window protects the passenger compartment from bad weather; it can be stored under a body-color tonneau cover.

A set of 14-inch wheels with Mercedes-branded covers and 185/75 Milestar Touring whitewall radial tires help this SL cruise down roads and boulevards.

The cabin offers black vinyl bucket seating for two. Surrounding features range from power steering, woodgrain trim, and air conditioning to a Becker Europa AM/FM stereo and Craig/Pioneer 8-track player.

Instrumentation consists of a 140-mph speedometer, 7,000-rpm tachometer, and displays for the oil pressure, temperature, and fuel level. The odometer shows 74,631 miles, but the title for this vehicle indicates it’s mileage-exempt.

Under the front-hinged hood is a 2.8-liter I6 equipped with Bosch mechanical fuel injection, which helped it achieve factory ratings of 170 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque (both net). The M130 engine’s output reaches the road through a four-speed automatic transmission and a 4.08:1 rear end. Power disc brakes keep this SL on the right path.

If you want to be headed toward getting this 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SL, bid on it right now. The auction ends on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at 11:30 a.m. (PDT).

Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery

Having recently completed a 2,000-mile road trip in my 1994 Ford F-250, I can confirm that it wins an award as the least fuel-efficient vehicle I have ever owned (out of 50-plus vehicles). It is powered by a massive 7.5-liter (460ci) big-block V8. Even the truck’s original window sticker omitted city and highway EPA ratings; it just said, “Not Applicable to this Unit.”

I’m not sure how Ford got away without publishing the figures, but my real-world experience shows that the truck achieves between 8 and 10 miles per gallon on average. Hey, at least it has dual tanks with a combined fuel capacity of 37 gallons. And when it comes to brute power and towing, a thirsty V8 is always up to the task.

The Pick of the Day is a 1989 Ford-F250 XLT Lariat pickup listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Huntington, New York.

Drivetrain details are not specifically called out in the listing, but based on the photos, we can narrow things down. The “EFI” badge on the front end tells us the truck is two-wheel drive and has a fuel-injected gasoline engine. More than likely, it has 5.8-liter or 7.5-liter V8. Mechanically, a great deal of work has been performed during the seller’s ownership, including replacement of the fuel tanks and pumps, fuel transfer valve, steering box, tires, spark plug wires, transmission pan gasket, timing chain cover gasket and water pump.

The Desert Tan Metallic and Colonial White exterior color combination look a lot like Jason’s F-Series that we featured on The Journal a couple of years ago. Exterior features include running boards, swing-away tow mirrors, pinstriping, a sliding rear window and a drop-in bedliner. The condition is extraordinary. The seller says the paint on the hood and roof has been resprayed, so that explains part of it. The tan cloth bench seat is in nice condition, and the cab is well-optioned with niceties like power windows, power door locks and (newly converted) air conditioning.

All in all, this “bricknose” eighth-generation F-Series is one of the nicest I’ve seen in the marketplace in recent months. For anyone looking for a classic, reliable work truck with a nostalgic feel, look no further. What it lacks in fuel economy, it more than makes up in heavy-hauling capability.

“The truck is 100% ready to go,” the listing concludes. “Drives great.”

The asking price is $14,000.

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

I often get a kick out of special-order cars. It’s enjoyable to see a vehicle that’s outside the realm of its standard configuration. However, sometimes the term “special-order” is misused—often for good reason.

It’s a concept missing from most mainstream brands today but, in the past, it was possible to order a vehicle that strayed from regular-production configurations. Want a color that matches the ’65 Pontiac your father had? Pay extra (and, likely, a non-refundable deposit) and you could get your wish.

Or are you in the market for a Cadillac but wish for more contrast in the interior? That’s what the original owner of this 1960 Eldorado Seville did—(s)he specified a Heather leather interior with White inserts.

This was an easy job for Cadillac because it offered both Heather and White as available choices. In fact, Cadillac asked that seven parts of the interior combination be specified.

In the 1960 Cadillac Optional Specifications Manual, there is a section in handling special-orders. Cadillac has available an extra-charge trim program which permits the ordering of standard upholstery materials in special combinations of cloth, leather and coated fabrics. The factory does not wish to solicit this business. It is offered as an extra Cadillac service to accommodate owners who have individual desires in the accoutrement of their car’s interior.

An average of six weeks is required to produce a special trim order. This time factor applies to any deviation from standard, even though it may be a single item such as the headlining, carpets, top boot or bolster.

No matter how seemingly minor, whenever a deviation from a standard trim combination is necessary, the entire order must be removed from regular production and processed individually. This is due to the intricate patterns from which multiple sets of components are cut making it impossible to change or substitute just one part or section, such as the bolster or top boot on a Convertible, without handling the complete order on a special basis … The cost will usually be the same whether a single item is changed or if several variations are made.

Remember, this is Cadillac, which likely gave more leeway for customers to special-order vehicles than lesser brands. And this was 1960, which was a different environment than a decade later when Oldsmobile offered four special-order colors.

The 1970 Oldsmobile brochure shows a quartet of “special-order colors available”: Nugget Gold, Aegean Aqua, Rally Red, and Sebring Yellow, with the latter two restricted to intermediates. However, if the factory offered these colors, could they truly be considered special-order or are they simply extra-cost? The issue of semantics and marketing rear their head, and the debate has no easy answer. My opinion? Not special-order.

Another special-order reference I sometimes see relates to a car that was ordered by a customer instead of a dealership. “My dad special-ordered this car at Kirkwood Dodge. He specified the 440 engine, TorqueFlite, and Limelight paint,” one could say, but nothing about this suggests anything veered off the order form. I’ve come to terms that people sometimes consider a retail order a special-order, but it’s not.

Ford products have an advantage in distinguishing special-order cars. On the data plate, there generally is a two-digit DSO (District Sales Office) that reflects a region in which the car was ordered. Generally, they’re larger cities, but they’re based on a population spread, so Newark, New Jersey had its own DSO identity within the network despite its proximity to New York City.

However, special-orders will consist of six digits instead of two. The first two are the usual DSO numbers, but the subsequent four are special-order numbers that correspond to either a Domestic Special Order (which includes such “regular” cars as the Boss 429, Shelbys, and Cougar GT-Es), Foreign Special Order, Paint & Tire Order, or Special Production Order. Six digits is your key in learning if your Ford Motor Company product is something different from the norm.

Can you think of other instances?

If you live near St. Louis or anticipate passing through in the near future, then we’d recommend giving yourself time to visit the Saint Louis Art Museum for the exhibit Roaring: Art, Fashion, and the Automobile in France, 1918-1939.

Curated by noted automotive expert Ken Gross, Roaring “explores the transformative role of the automobile in pre–World War II France and highlights innovations across art and industry by those who embraced it as a provocative expression of the modern age. This expansive exhibition features paintings, photographs, sculpture, furniture, films, fashion, textiles, and 12 historic automobiles.”

In case you didn’t know this, automotive designers are almost like fashion designers—they use their skills to make figure and form look better to admiring eyes. And as Paris had been the traditional hub for fashion at the time, the French took their automotive designs seriously. “As driving became more comfortable, motoring fashions evolved into stylish wardrobe staples. Magazines portrayed liberated women dressed in knit sportswear driving convertibles … With an open, interdisciplinary approach, Roaring illuminates the rich ecosystems that nourished this golden age of French automotive design.”

The exhibit is divided into six sections, with the 12 cars being among more than 160 works from notable institutions and private collections from Europe and North America. There even is an exhibition catalog (more like a book on the exhibit) with contributions from seven authors that tie it all together.

This exhibit will continue through July 27, 2025. If you cannot attend, the best Plan B is to listen to the audio tour where you can hear from experts about the transformative role of the automobile in France before the war. If are able to attend, then you may also be interested in the exhibit In Search of America: Photography and the Road Trip, which runs through October 19, 2025.

We usually (and rightfully) associate the 1960s-era Chevrolet Chevelles with high-performance two-door muscle cars, but the reality is, a good number – a majority, in fact – of the Chevelles sold during that decade were family-oriented sedans built for the masses. Station wagons, too, were popular during that time for their unmatched versatility.

But here’s the thing: Just because a car looks like a cargo-hauler doesn’t mean it can’t have a powerful drivetrain, a manual transmission, and a mean-sounding exhaust system. Best of both worlds? You’re looking at it.

Featured on AutoHunter is this 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu Wagon. The car is being sold by a dealer in Oregon City, Oregon, and the auction will end Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. PDT.

The car is ready for a cross-country road trip, complete with a luggage rack, newer tires and a replacement engine. According to its trim tag, the car was built in Fremont, California, in November 1966 and finished in Willow Green with a Medium Fawn and Light Fawn imitation leather interior. The interior, which has a two-row-bench layout, is now upholstered in black vinyl.

Chevrolet based the first-generation Chevelle on the General Motors A-body platform. It slotted in the hierarchy as a midsized vehicle and, in the Chevy lineup, it bridged the gap between the compact Chevy II and full-sized models. The Pontiac Tempest, Buick Special and Oldsmobile F-85 were all Chevelle-related models from a chassis engineering perspective.

One magazine ad for the ’66 Chevelle station wagon said, “What did you buy a Chevelle Malibu wagon for?” It then listed out in two columns some of the reasons why men versus women liked the car. On one side, it talked about the long-load floor, full coil suspension and V8 for handling and power. On the other side, it mentioned the soft seats, handling and “Magic Mirror” finish. In other words, the Chevelle station wagon offered something for everyone.

Power for this car, which the listing says was restored within the last five years, comes from a replacement 350ci small-block V8 that features a four-barrel carburetor, polished aluminum intake manifold, and a chrome air intake. A valved dual exhaust system with cutouts has been added so, despite its grocery-getter style, it has a muscle-car growl.

So load up your luggage and fill up the tank, because this is one “muscle wagon” that is ready to work – and play!

The auction for this 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle Wagon ends Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. (PDT).

Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery