Most Popular Classic
With AI (artificial intelligence) being the top buzz word for 2023, you can’t turn around without running into someone telling us how AI will be the next big trendy thing in our world. How does it effect the collector car market?
When you ask Chat GPT what is the best classic car to own, it consistently comes up with one car type that stands above the rest. It always picks the Jaguar E-Type British sports car as its top choice. The reason? Chat GPT seems to think it is one of the most beautiful cars ever made. It also consideres how often they have been featured in movies and TV shows. It further tauts its sleek design and impressive performance as giving the Jaguar an edge over all other collector cars.
Here are the rest of the Top Ten most important collector cars as Chat GPT sees it.
Chevrolet Corvette: The Corvette is an American classic that has been around since the 1950s. It’s known for its powerful engine and sleek design. The second generation (1963-1967) is considered the most iconic.
Lamborghini Miura: This Italian sports car is often considered one of the most beautiful cars ever made. It was designed to challenge Ferrari and features a sleek mid-engine design.
Porsche 911: The 911 is a German sports car that has been in production since the 1960s. It’s known for its iconic design and impressive performance. The first generation (1963-1974) is considered the best.
Rolls-Royce Dawn Drophead: This British luxury car was first introduced in 1949 and is known for its classic design and luxurious features.
Ford Mustang Shelby GT350: This American muscle car is known for its powerful engine and iconic design. The Shelby GT350 is a high-performance version of the Mustang that was introduced in the 1960s.
Mercedes-Benz 300SL: This German sports car is known for its iconic gull-wing doors and impressive performance. It was first introduced in the 1950s and is considered one of the most beautiful cars ever made.
Aston Martin DB5: This British luxury car is best known for its appearance in the James Bond films. It features a classic design and luxurious features.
Ferrari 250 GTO: This Italian sports car is often considered one of the most valuable cars ever made. It was designed for racing and features a sleek design.
Jaguar XKSS: This British sports car was originally designed for racing but was later modified for street use. It features a classic design and impressive performance.
You will note that the most valuable of the above list is the Ferrari 250 GTO. One recently sold at the RM Sotheby Auction for $51.7 million. Evidently “most popular” doesn’t always mean “most valuable.” Or is this a harbinger of things to come?
New Listings
New Listings Page
Click this link to see all of today’s new listings.
Linked above are the New Listings to the Cars-On-Line.com website. The page is updated in real time.
Classic Car News This Week
Top Custom Builds of 2023
Among the myriad of year-end reviews for the past 2023 car show season is one done by eClassicAutos.com. Bob Boberg of eClassicAutos is one of the close observers of the custom car shows around the country. He has picked the Top 8 Custom builds for 2023 in his “year in review” article on the custom car shows around the U.S. for the past year. Click here to review his top picks for 2023. Andy Leach and his Cal Automotive Creations campaigned his most recent build, a 1960 Buick Invicta “X60” (shown here). Built for owner George Eliacostas of Chicago, Illinois, it won the Al Slonaker Award at the Grand National Roadster Show; then went on to win the SEMA Battle of the Builders award, World of Wheels Legends Cup, and Goodguys Custom Rod of the Year. Congratulations to Andy and his team and George Eliacostas, the car’s owner.
Mecum in Kissimmee
We are at the big Mecum Auction in Kissimmee this week. Yes, the Kissimmee Auction, January 2-14, 2024, is legitimately the biggest collector car auction in the world. There are already over 4,500 cars gathered here to sell during the next week. To show you how important this auction is, we counted 15 Plymouth Superbirds in the auction inventory. There are 25 Corvette Split Window Coupes here, one of every color that year. The 2019 Ridler Award winner, the “Cad Mad,” will be offered for sale next Friday. The first and last production L88 Corvette for 1967 will be sold here (see the only Ralley Red example shown above.) They even have an original 1966 Ford GT40 as one of their featured cars in the sale. We will be watching this week to see what collector cars will be selling for here in Kissimmee. It is a bellwether for what muscle cars will be sold for in the upcoming spring collector car market. Watch for our report from Kissimmee in next week’s edition of the newsletter.
Car Show Calendar
Our readers will want to check the COL Car Show Calendar on our ClassiCarNews.com blog site today. You can find the top car shows in the country listed on the calendar grid. Click on the grid to read more about the show and get website info for each event. You can also read all about the shows we have covered over the years (like the Grand National Roadster Show story shown here). This month the top shows are the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Arizona, the Mecum Auction in Kissimmee and the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California. Use the COL Car Show Calendar to plan your car show road trips during the upcoming 2024 calendar year.
This Weeks Featured Stories
1958 Fuelie Corvette
A Panama Yellow 1958 Corvette Fuelie Roadster was listed this week. This is a rare one. Not only is it a hard-to-find fuelie, but the Panama Yellow color was extremely popular in ’58. This one is being offered for sale this week at Mershons in Springfield, Ohio. They are one of the nation’s premier classic Corvette dealers. With over 9,000 Corvettes produced that year, only 455 came in that color. Only 190 had white coves. The National Corvette Owner’s Association figures about 1,000 Corvettes came with fuel injection that year. All 1958 Corvettes were unique because of their washboard hoods. Click here to watch a walk-around video. In addition to the recently rebuilt Rochester fuel injection, this one comes with a Wonderbar radio, correct 290 hp heads, stainless wheel covers with whitewall radials an fantastic cosmetics.
Rolls-Royce 20/25 Sedanca
The very essence of elegance, this right-hand-drive 1936 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Sedanca DeVille is a vision of automotive art work. The coachwork was by Park Ward and it is finished in grey over a light grey interior. Beverly Hills Car Club has this one in their inventory this week. What a find. They think it was used as a military staff car during World War II. It comes equipped with a four-speed manual transmission, single exhaust outlet, Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament, body-color hardtop, four-spoke steering wheel, Lucas single headlamp, four-spoke steering wheel, badge bar, bonnet louvers, chrome bumpers, interior wood trim, trafficators, wire wheels with Firestone whitewall tires and Rolls-Royce branded center caps. Amenities include manual-crank windows, fender-mounted side mirrors, glove compartment and dash-mounted rearview mirror.
Cadillac Station Wagon
A super rare 1971 Cadillac Fleetwood “El Deora” Station Wagon was listed for sale this week. Cody’s Classics out of Stanley, Wisconsin has it in their inventory. They say there were only three of these wagons custom built for Cadillac. (The other two were ordered by Elvis and Evel Knievel.) The wagon was customized with styling parts by Custom Craft, a division of the American Sunroof Company. The base car was a Special 60 wagon that utilized the roof, tailgate, and interior of Buick and Oldsmobile wagons. It was customized with a half landau roof, roof rack, C-pillar lights, fender skirts and oversize chrome grille. Click here to view a walk-around video. This historic Cadillac will need a little TLC, but what a find. It is being offered at a very affordable price.
Video Ads
1969 Chevelle SS 396
A real 1969 Chevelle SS 396 classic muscle car was listed for sale this week. These real Super Sports are getting harder to find since the values shot up in the past few years. This one is being sold through Southern Motors in Michigan. Dave, the owner, did a very informative walk-around video of this car. He shows you the car in detail and then lets you hear it run. Click the video window above for a detailed inspection.
Have you seen our CarsOnLine.tv Classic Car Video marketplace? To feature your car on CarsOnLine.tv, just add a video to your Cars-On-Line.com ad. Video ads have become the most important development for internet sellers. Just upload your video to YouTube and we’ll embed your video in your Cars On Line.com ad at no extra charge.
Here are a few more ads with interesting videos:
Collector Cars with Low Miles
1956 Chrysler Windsor
A Canadian collector from Quebec just listed this 1956 Chrysler Windsor for sale. He made a big point of it being a Canadian Windsor. He says it is a collector car that is totally restored. What is really salient about this particular Chrysler is that he says it only has 16,000 miles on it. Mechanically, he says everything was redone to new. He uses words such as “mint condition” and “showroom condition” to describe it. He says there is about $70k invested in the redo. It comes with a 303 ci V8 engine and a 4-barrel. You may note that it was the first Mopar to have a tail fin. Check out the photos at the link.
Here are more recent Low Miles additions:
1987 Porsche 911 Carrera, Beverly Hills Car Club, CA, only 9,103 miles
You’ll find these and hundreds more in our Low Miles Section online now.
Project Vehicles for Restoration
1950 Rolls-Royce
Beverly Hills Car Club rescued this 1950 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith from long term storage recently. They say it is a “perfect candidate for some light cosmetics to bring back its true elegance.” The handsome two-tone color scheme of burgundy over cream is a feature of the coachwork done by Park Ward. It is equipped with a Stromberg single carburetor, rear fender skirts, chrome bumpers, interior wood trim, three-spoke steering wheel, Lucas-branded headlights, chrome radiator grille, trafficators, and Firestone whitewall tires with body-color hub caps. You can acquire it now for a very affordable price. It is possible to take this one to another level.
The following are just some of the cars available in the Project Car Section this week:
1969 Plymouth Satellite Convt, Classic Car Liquidators, TX
1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Wagon from Clark, NJ
1989 Chevrolet Suburban, Streetside Nashville
1966 Morgan Plus 4 Roadster, Beverly Hills Car Club, CA
1956 MGA Roadster, Beverly Hills Car Club, CA
1960 Chevrolet Impala 4-Dr, Beverly Hills Car Club, CA
1934 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Saloon, Beverly Hills Car Club, CA
1956 Facel Vega Coupe, Beverly Hills Car Club, CA
1967 Chevy Impala, Classic Car Deals
1964 Pontiac GTO, Classic Car Deals
Find hundreds of project cars for sale in the Project Car Section.
Price Reduced
1940 Chevy Deluxe
A 1940 Chevy Deluxe street rod was restored at a cost of $288,000. “Nothing cheap on this car,” says the Missouri owner. He says it has a new rear end, air conditioning, power steering and power disc brakes plus rack n pinion steering. He was originally asking $130,000 when he first listed the car. But just this week he lowered the price to $60,000. Now that’s quite a haircut.
Here are more vehicles with price cuts this week:
| Vehicle For Sale | Original Price | Reduced To |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Convt | $89,500 | $79,500 |
| 1966 GMC Sierra Pickup | $69,000 | $58,000 |
| 1967 Pontiac GTO | $65,000 | $57,000 |
| 1969 Camaro Big Block | $62,500 | $59,000 |
| 1929 Ford Model A Roadster | $55,000 | $42,500 |
| 2009 Shelby GT500 Convertible | $43,500 | $40,500 |
| 1969 Chevelle SS | $69,995 | $61,500 |
| 1971 Chevrolet El Camino | $28,500 | $26,995 |
Street Rods
See more great deals in the Street Rod Section, or watch the the New Listings page.
Find more in the Off Road Section on Cars On Line.com. There’s even more on the New Listings page!
Corvettes
Find more in the SUV Section online. You can see all the fresh ads on the New Listings page.
Fresh ads appear first on the New Listings page.
Fresh ads appear first on the New Listings page.
Classic Luxury
You can see all the fresh ads as they are listed each day on the New Listings page.
You can see all the fresh ads as they are listed each day on the New Listings page.
Vintage Motorcars
You can see all the fresh ads as they are listed each day on the New Listings page.
Chevy Muscle
Find more in the Camaro Section of our website.
Find more in the Ford Muscle Car Section, or watch the fresh listings as they appear on the New Listings page.
Check the Mercury Muscle Car Section. Or you can see all the fresh ads as they are listed daily on the New Listings page.
Check the Pontiac Performace Section for more. See all the fresh ads listed on the New Listings page.
Check out the Buick Muscle Car Section. More listed daily on the New Listings page.
Late Model Sports Cars
You’ll find many more modern sports cars listed by year in the Late Model Sports Car Section.
Scroll through the Trucks & 4x4s Section for more. The newest ads come in on the New Listings page.
Classic Customs
You’ll see more for sale in the Customs Section and on the New Listings page.
Volkswagen
Imported Sports Cars
You’ll see more for sale in the Pro Street Section, or on the Cars On Line New Listings page.
See more for sale in the Truck Section or watch for fresh listings on the New Listings page.
Late Model Luxury Cars
See more great deals in the Luxury Section or on the New Listings page.
See more great deals in the Mustang Section and on the New Listings page.
Muscle Car Clones
Shelby GT350 Convertible
They say this 1965 Mustang GT350 Shelby Tribute Convertible was “built to impress and show anywhere.” It is a recent ground up restoration on a Mustang convertible with a rebuilt 289 ci V8 and an automatic transmission. The PPG Rangoon Red base clear paint is stunning kwith a fully restored and correct red oxide undercarriage. See dozens of high resolution photos at the link.
The following are more recently listed Muscle Car Clones:
1969 Camaro, Streetside Charlotte, COPO 427 Tribute
1967 Mustang GT500, Streetside Tampa, Shelby tribute
1968 Oldsmobile 442, Streetside Phoenix, Hurst Olds tribute
1967 Camaro, Streetside Phoenix, SS tribute
1965 Pontiac Lemans Convt, Streetside Charlotte, GTO tribute
1970 Chevelle, Streetside Charlotte, SS 454 tribute
Make sure you watch our New Listings page for daily updates. There’s even more in the Muscle Car Section.
Deals of the Day
1955 Ford Thunderbird
Is this a harbinger of what to expect in 2024? Some of the best prices on nice collector cars that we’ve seen in years are available today. This 1955 Ford Thunderbird is a good example. You know what we always say, “If you find a first generation T-Bird for under $30,000 … you should buy it.” (Provided it is in nice No. 3 condition or better.) Beverly Hills Car Club has this one for sale this week. They say it is mechanically sound and the price looks attractive. Be sure to have it inspected before you buy. But hurry. This one won’t last long. It will be our DEAL of the DAY on Saturday. The asking price is $26,500
1959 Edsel Villager Wagon
Here is a rare 1959 Edsel Villager Station Wagon being offered for sale at Country Classic Cars out of Staunton, Illinois. It is a “driver quality” wagon and they say it is a nice cruiser. They say it runs and drives, but they do not give a condition class. You should have it inspected before you buy. The interior is listed as having been redone. It has a V8 engine and they indicated that the chrome and stainless is in tact. Check the photos for more info. You can click this link to watch a walk-around video and hear it run. It will be our DEAL of the DAY on Sunday. Their asking price is $16,950.
1955 Buick Special
A partial restoration has been done on this 1955 Buick Special Tourback Sedan. The work was done in 2018, including paint and interior. The color is an ’09 Dodge Viper Blue metallic with chrome and brightwork blacked out. It has only been driven 1,500 some miles since the work was done. It is being offered for sale at Cody’s Classics in Stanley, Wisconsin. Click here to view their video walk-around tour. They say the upholstery, carpet, headliner and door panels are all new. The original engine bay now has Pertronix electronic ignition, and the windshield wipers have been upgraded to electric. It will be our DEAL of the DAY on Monday because the asking price is only $17,900.
1951 Plymouth Cranbrook
Here is a very interesting find. Yes, it could be considered a barn find survivor. It is a 1951 Plymouth Cranbrook finished in blue with a grey interior. It has a 217 straight 6 cylinder engine and a 3-peed manual transmission. It is being offered for sale by Country Classic Cars in Staunton, Illinois. They tell us it is in very good condition for its age. A “survivor” in their estimation, which they say “runs well.” Click here to view a walk-around video and hear it run. It will be our DEAL of the DAY on Tuesday. Their asking price is $9,900.
1947 Cadillac Fleetwood
Wow! Here is another one from Country Classic Cars in Staunton, Illinois (they have a ton of bargain priced cars this week.) Although the exterior looks a little rough, take a close look at this 1947 Cadillac Fleetwood 4-Door Sedan. This Cadillac is powered by a flathead V8 engine mated to an automatic transmission. The interior may surprise you. And the ride is what you might expect of a Cadillac. Click here to view a walk-around video and hear it run. You should have it inspected before you buy, but hurry. This one will be our DEAL of the DAY on Tuesday. The asking price is $19,500.
1993 BMW 850Ci
This is one car I truly thought would never be found in our DEAL of the DAY feature. The BMW 850 Ci exotic sports car were considered to be in the super car category. These V12 sports cars are very rare and desirable. Yet, here one is in the DEAL of the DAY today. Beverly Hills Car Club is offering a 1993 BMW 850Ci luxury sports car at a bargain price. They say it is well equipped and in “charming” condition. You should have it inspected before you buy. But hurry! It will be our DEAL of the DAY next week. Their asking price is $19,950.
2004 Maserati Spyder
This may be the “sleeper” deal this week. It is rare to find a 2004 Maserati Spyder like this one much less with only 34k miles on it. Black on black, it is being offered for sale this week at Beverly Hills Car Club in Los Angeles. It has a paddle shifted automatic transmission and a V8 engine, quad exhaust outlets and a power operated soft top. The options include air conditioning, cruise control, power seats, power mirrors, power windows center console and Navigation. They say it also has a clean Carfax report. But the best part is the price. It will be our DEAL of the DAY later next week. The asking price is only $18,750.
Often there are more cars that deserve to be in the DEAL of the DAY than we can schedule for our front page feature. Here is a list of cars that just missed the cut for the DEAL of the DAY this week. Remember, you saw them here first:
| 1965 Ford F100 Pickup | $23,500 | Los Angeles, CA |
| 2008 Jaguar XK | $13,900 | Clearwater, FL |
| 1984 Mercedes 380SL | $10,750 | Los Angeles, CA |
| 1964 Ford Thunderbird | $14,900 | Stanley, WI |
| 1964 Chrysler Newport | $11,900 | Stanley, WI |
| 1971 Lincoln Continental | $15,900 | Stanley, WI |
Cars for under $10,000:
| 1983 Ford Ranger Custom | $6,900 | Staunton, IL |
| 1990 Buick Reatta Convertible | $4,500 | Cocoa, FL |
Cars On Line features vehicles here based on their listed price. We are not endorsing these vehicles. We have not inspected or appraised any of the above vehicles. We are only pointing out that these vehicles are priced at a discount to the market. When you buy from a private party the purchase is always “as is” and “where is.” There is no warranty implied or given on any of these cars by Cars On Line. It is your responsibility as the buyer to protect yourself from misrepresentation of any car advertised. We strongly recommend having a vehicle inspected as one precaution before you buy. Click here to purchase a detailed vehicle inspection.
Sold Thru Cars On Line
Here are some of the comments from happy sellers who were nice enough to tell us about their experience advertising on the Cars On Line website.
A Wisconsin collector let us know that his 1957 Corvette Fuelie Convertible was SOLD thru Cars-On-Line.com. Once again a great car SOLD to one of our collector car buyers. As we always say, “You can advertise anywhere … But you can sell on Cars-On-Line.”
A rare 1969 Mercury Cougar 428CJ was listed on our website recently. Last week the advertiser from Canada told us to mark it SOLD.
NEW Free Parts Ads Section
… NOW FEATURING PHOTO ADS FOR PARTS
Check out our NEW Parts For Sale Section with Photo Ads. We think you’ll really like using our FREE Parts Listings. It is now much easier to place your ads. Have some old but valuable parts you want to sell? Cars On Line Parts Ads are FREE. And we just added photo capability. It is the best of both worlds.
You can run Parts For Sale ads for FREE! Check it out. Just click go to the Parts Section. Once there, look for the FREE Plan, and click “Get Started Now.” We also have ad plans for vendors at a very modest cost.
Thank You
Thanks for reading Cars On Line ads. We really appreciate the community of car enthusiasts who read our website daily to keep up on what’s for sale. This newsletter is designed to make your efforts a little easier and give you a shot at the great deals when they first hit our pages.
Click Here to Place an Ad on Cars On Line
Click Here to See the Cars On Line Homepage
For more info, call 1-800-880-5105.
DISCLAIMER: Readers should be aware that the editiorial comments made in this newsletter are strictly the opinion of the author, Larry Kolb. Mr. Kolb offers his editorial opinion of the marketability of these cars based on information provided by the sellers. Neither Mr. Kolb nor Cars On Line.com has seen or inspected these cars. These comments are not to be mistaken for advertising, nor should they be considered an endorsement of any product. They are strictly editorial in nature. Neither Mr. Kolb nor Cars On Line will profit from the sale of any of the cars mentioned here. No warranty of these vehicles is implied or given. It is strongly recommended that anyone interested in the purchase of these vehicles should have them inspected before the sale.
Cars On Line – PO Box 537 – Menomonee Falls, WI 53052-0537