High End Custom
Our readers may remember this 1932 Ford Roadster from when it competed at the 2007 Detroit Autorama for the Ridler Award, the highest honor in the street rodding hobby. It was selected to the Great 8 finalists. If you were to inspect it today you would find that it has aged well, and has been updated beyond the original build.
A California car family had this 1932 Ford Roadster called “Fusion” purpose built to compete for the Ridler Award in Detroit. It was designed and built at Hot Rods by Greg, an Illinois based custom car builder. It has historical significance because it was the first street rod to be built using uni-body construction. Of course, just as any top quality show car, “Fusion” was custom fabricated throughout, totally unique from the one-off custom copper color paint to the rich 2-tone leather interior.
It is now being offered for sale through the Ford Family Auto Collection in Englewood, Florida. They specialize in high-end collector cars of historical significance. They just listed “Fusion” for sale this week. They tell us the hand-formed custom was done by noted builder Greg Blackford of Lake Bluff, Illinois. They estimate there were 12,000 hours in the build. The cost to the California couple who showed the car in Detroit was $1.2 million. And that was back in 2007.
In addition to the Great 8 award, this car also trophied at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California in 2009 and was a People’s Choice Award winner at SEMA SoCal 2009.
After Detroit in 2007, Greg went to work perfecting “Fusion.” He fabricated a one-off rear end that is considered one of the top custom differentials ever made. There are no fasteners showing on the rear suspension. A one-off taillight bar supports the custom taillights and surrounds the license plate. They say the fit and finish is “flawless.” The Ford Family Auto Collection notes that the body and paint has weathered a little over time, though. The body mouldings were hand fabricated out of stainless steel. It has “suicide doors” with shaved handles. The rear of the roadster has a sloping profile never before seen on a Deuce. That’s why the roadster seems to have a European sports car look and stance. Of course, the one-off Boyd Coddington wheels are now priceless.
You seldom see these Detroit Autorama level custom creations up for sale. This one would be a bargain. They are only asking a fraction of the original build cost to add it to your collection.
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
Car Shows This Weekend
Wisconsin is the center of the collector car world this weekend. The Iola Car Show will happen July 11-13, 2024 in tiny Iola, Wisconsin. And the Weathertech Challenge Brian Redmond Historic Races will happen in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, just north of Milwaukee. (It is likely that more people will come to Wisconsin this weekend for car shows than will attend the Republican convention, also in Milwaukee this coming week.) Meanwhile, in Ohio, the Buick Club of America National Meet is convening in Columbus. And the 2024 Chrysler Nationals is happening in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
You will find out more when you check the Cars-On-Line Car Show Calendar. The Iola Car Show was voted the fourth best car show in the country in last year’s USA Today poll. We’ll see you there!
Market Down Badly
Hagerty, the famous classic car insurance company out of Michigan, says the collector car market is down over 50 percent since 2023, although it remains above the lows of the COVID era. They published a chart of how collector car values have faired since the recession years (2008). The chart would seem to show that collector car values reached an all time high at the end of 2022 and into 2023. But since then the trend in collector car values has steadily declined. They say values have dropped each month for the past 16 months. (Click here to read Hagerty’s report and see the chart.) The hobby is blaming it on the Baby Boom generation all selling their collections at once. That might be the case, but you have to realize that younger generations look at collecting differently. Street rods and muscle cars may be replaced by exotic sports cars and off-road vehicles. Bloomberg’s financial news service is telling its readers that Ferraris and BMWs are poised for an upword surge in values. Some of us “old timers” are still hoping prices come down enough that we can grab a few fun rides before we kick the bucket. Some of those “good deals” are showing up in our New Listings (below) this week.
Inspection Report
When a Wisconsin collector wanted to know how much his 1950 Studebaker Champion Convertible was worth, he filled out our online form to have a pre-purchase inspection done on the vehicle. His purpose was to get it ready to sell, and he wanted to know what the value would be. Because it had some filler in the body and the finish had some chips and scratches, this car appraised out at a Class Three rating (the category where most vehicles fall into.) The filler was found in the usual places on these Studebakers. Overall the body was in good shape with no rust, and the driver quality repaint was a good match for the original Tulip Cream factory color. In its current condition it is a driver quality car, but a very rare one. It would be worth a full restoration. You can read the report to find out what we placed the value at by clicking the link above.
It is a great idea to have your car appraised before you put it up for sale. We can help. Read some of our sample pre-purchase inspections at the Inspections Page today.
This Weeks Featured Stories
E-Code Baby Bird
Literally thousands of first generation Ford Thunderbirds have been restored to save them for posterity over the years. But not all T-Birds are equal. Here is a 1957 Ford Thunderbird E-Code Convertible, a rare Bird indeed. With not just a 312 ci V8, but an upscale E-Code with dual 4-barrel carburetors and an indentifying larger air cleaner that produced more horsepower than the other Baby Birds. This one in Raven black with black and white interior, is being offered for sale at Ellinson Motorcars out of Rogers, Minnesota. The Thunderbirds distinquished themselves by offering power steering and power brakes. The dual exhaust exits through the rear bumper ports. This one also has the turbine style hubcaps and wide whitewall tires. It comes with a correct Colonial White hardtop. It is one of only 1,499 E-Code Thunderbirds produced in 1957, the only year for the E-Codes.
Welcome A New Dealer
Our readers will be real interested in viewing over 90 cars that were just listed in our New Listings this week from the Ford Family Auto Collection, headquartered in Englewood, Florida. Although they are named after their founder Richard Ford (no relation to the Henry Ford family) they have put together an amazing collection of cars which will be sold here on the Cars-On-Line website. Ironically, the bulk of their inventory is made up of Corvettes, both old and new. Not just any Corvettes, but important finds such as this 2019 Corvette ZR1 3ZR with the ZTK Package. This beautiful supercharged Sebring Orange ZR1 has the special design package with removable CarbonFiber roof and only 1,500 miles from new. Suffice to say, you’ll be the only one around with a Corvette like this one. It is just a sample of what the Ford Family Auto Collection has to offer in Englewood. Click here to view their inventory.
Best Looking ’56
You can tell when a classic custom is of high quality when the finished car actually looks better than the stock original. That is the case here with this beautiful 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Restomod just posted by Streetside Classics in Ft Worth, Texas. From the 427 EFI V8 sitting in the engine compartment to the ultra-leather interior, this full custom looks as good as it sounds. Streetside tells us the paint is “amazing” and all that ’56 Chevy chrome just glitters. They say this build only has about 1,800 miles on it. There are plenty of luxury upgrades like cold-blowing air conditioning, power windows, and a touchscreen AM/FM/XM stereo with Bluetooth. Under the hood is a Dart Little M 427 small block V8 for a lighter weight ratio. It sports aluminum heads to feed the dual exhaust. The tubular A-arm front provides a strong setup for the the monster motor with serpentine belt system, an MSD ignition, the battery mounted in the trunk for better weight distribution, and Be Cool aluminum radiator w/dual electric fans. The big power V8 feeds a stout 4L80E four-speed automatic transmission. This is the one you want.
Auctions
Only two weeks remain now until the GAA Classic Summer Auction begins in Greensboro, North Carolina, July 25-27, 2024. Do you have your bidder number yet? Dedicated to their following of classic car, muscle car and unique specialty vehicle buyers, the GAA Classic is well respected in the collector car community. Collectors from all around the country will be watching the event online or in person. You will be impressed with their lineup for the July auction. Here are a few of the top cars which we will be watching two weeks from today.
1958 Impala Convertible
Any time you see a 1958 Chevrolet Impala Convertible for sale it will stir up a lot of interest. But his is a very special and historically significant one which will be offered to the highest bidder at the GAA Classic Summer Auction. This is one of only 80 solid lifter 348 ci V8 cars produced. They rate it at 315 horsepower. According to the ad copy, it has its original paint and Wonderbar radio. It has a 3-speed transmission and even has a posi-traction rear end. This is the kind of special classic 1950’s car you would expect to see here at the GAA Classic Summer Auction. It will cross the auction floor on Saturday, July 27.
1970 Torino Pace Car
You will find a wonderful selection of classic muscle cars for sale at this year’s GAA Classic Summer Auction in Greensboro, North Carolina in two weeks. None may be more historically significant than this 1970 Ford Torino GT Cobra Jet Convertible which was the NASCAR Pace Car for the N. Wilkesboro Speedway for the April 18th race that year. It comes with some incredible memorabilia and photos, plus the Marti Report. This car has been restored, according to the auction info. It is still in its Pace Car livery as seen back in the day. Look through the photos. This one is a collector’s dream. The run day for the sale is Saturday, July 27.
1972 Bronco Baja
You’ll see more Broncos, Blazers and off-road Jeeps for sale at this year’s GAA Classic Summer Auction. Don’t miss the opportunity to bid on this rare Bill Stoppe Baja Edition 1972 Ford Bronco. It is in the Baja Registry. They say no expense was spared in restoring this frame off, nut and bolt restoration, and that it was built to national show standards. Ford produced a limited number of these Broncos to honor Bill Stoppe, the Baja racing legend. It is often referred to as the “Shelby” of Broncos. It is estimated that only 500 were built. It has the 302 ci V8 engine and automatic transmission with special features requested by Stoppe himself. Check out all the photos. This historic SUV will cross the auction floor on Saturday, July 27.
Click here to see more of the inventory at the GAA Classic Summer Auction to be held in Greensboro, North Carolina in three weeks. You can click the Register tab to learn how to get a bidder number and bid online.
Video Ads
1974 Plymouth Road Runner
Dave did a cool video on the 1974 Plymouth Road Runner which they just added to their inventory at Southern Motors in Michigan. Amazingly, he says it has only 20k miles from new. The survivor Mopar still has the original tires on Rally wheels and front disk brakes. You see it here in FE5 Rally red paint and they say it is still bone stock original. What a find! Click the video window above to watch this detailed inspection video. Hurry on this one. Won’t last the weekend.
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
1979 Lincoln Mark V
The 1979 Lincoln Continental Mark V may arguably be the best luxury car that was ever produced. Elegant and visually stunning, the design meets the standard even today. The look is timeless. This burgundy example is being offered for sale this week at Collectible Motor Car of Atlanta in Marietta, Georgia. They tell us it still have only 30k actual miles from new. That is amazing! What’s more, the price is right. Hurry on this one.
Here are more recent Low Miles additions:
1996 Corvette Collectors Edition, Streetside Charlotte, 4,531 actual miles
2002 Corvette Convertible, Ford Family Auto Collection, 10k miles
You’ll find these and hundreds more in our Low Miles Section online now.
Project Vehicles for Restoration
1970 Chevelle Malibu
A 1970 Chevelle Malibu project car was listed for sale this week. While this car is an obvious restoration project, it comes with its original Bill of Sale and GM Canada documentation. The original Fathom Blue car was owned by only one family since new. The interior is not complete, but it does come with dog dish hubcaps. It has a 3-speed Turbo Hydramatic automatic transmision. It was a six cylinder car originally. Doubtless, anyone who restores it will want it to be a restomod. The Canadian private party seller says it runs and drives.
The following are just some of the cars available in the Project Car Section this week:
1931 Ford Pickup, Classic Auto Showplace, Troy, MI
1960 Renault 4CV, Carroll Street Auto, Manchester, ME
Find hundreds of project cars for sale in the Project Car Section.
Price Reduced
1968 Mustang
A private party seller out of North Carolina listed his 1968 Mustang for sale a while back. Although this is obviously a driver quality car, he says everything works on it as is. It has an upgraded suspension with sway bar and shock tower connector, and he says it has a “Great sound system.” Costmetically and mechanically it has what you are looking for. There is even a nice rumble to the exhaust note. Originally he was asking $27,500 for this Pony car. But just today he dropped the price to $21,000, putting it in a DEAL of the DAY type price range. Hurry!
Here are more vehicles with price cuts this week:
| Vehicle For Sale | Original Price | Reduced To |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 Plymouth Belvedere | $70,000 | $65,000 |
| 1961 Chevrolet Impala | $62,000 | $57,000 |
| 1968 Plymouth Barracuda | $45,000 | $39,900 |
| 2021 Corvette 2LT | $82,500 | $79,500 |
| 2002 Camaro Z28 SS | $53,000 | $49,500 |
| 1955 Chevrolet 2-Door Hardtop | $69,000 | $65,000 |
| 1955 Pontiac Chieftain | $26,000 | $24,000 |
| 1956 Ford F100 Pickup | $20,000 | $16,000 |
See more great deals in the Street Rod Section, or watch the the New Listings page.
Rock n Roll 50’s
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.
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
Chevelle
Find more on the New Listings page 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 Pontiac Performace Section for more. See all the fresh ads listed on the New Listings page.
Check the Oldsmobile Muscle Car Section . See more listed each day 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.
Imported Sports Cars
See more for sale in the Truck Section or watch for fresh listings on the New Listings page.
See more great deals in the Luxury Section or on the New Listings page.
Classic Mustangs
See more great deals in the Mustang Section and on the New Listings page.
Muscle Car Clones
1969 COPO Camaro
A California collector just listed his 1969 COPO Camaro, one of the most authentic to original COPO’s every built, he says. They started with an original Hugger Orange Camaro 4-speed car. A period correct 427 was sourced and rebuilt to COPO spec. The motor, heads, manifold, carburetor and smog system is brand new. So is the suspension. All new wiring and front disc brakes are important extras. It comes with highway gears and a set of 4.11’s. Have it inspected to find out more. This is the one!
The following are more recently listed Muscle Car Clones:
1968 Camaro Convt, Streetside Ft Worth, RS/SS 396 tribute
1967 Camaro, Streetside Charlotte, SS 396 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
1973 Custom Corvette
Corvettes command so much attention in the collector car hobby, and they hold their price. So, when we saw this 1973 Custom Corvette Convertible listed for sale at Classic Auto Showplace in Michigan, we knew we have to show it to you here. They say it has a robust 350 cubic inch V8 engine, equipped with an Edelbrock High Rise manifold and Edelbrock carburetor. Look at the all the photos on their ad page (at the link.) It will be our DEAL of the DAY on Saturday because the asking price is only $19,975. There are a lot of Corvette owners who would say that is a pretty heavy discount.
1950 Plymouth Special
Streetside Charlotte is offering a pretty deep discount on this 1950 Plymouth Special Deluxe which they say drives out well. Although it has a 218 ci Straight Six Cylinder engine, it comes with a “Suppport Your Local Moonshiners & Bootleggers” logo painted on the front door, cats-eye headlight covers, side mirrors and fender skirts. It has red painted wheels and wide whitewall tires. It will be our Deal of the Day on Sunday. The asking price is $16,995.
1963 Corvair Convertible
Did you notice you don’t see as many Corvairs for sale on the collector car market as you used to? The only one in our listings today is a pretty nicely priced 1963 Chevrolet Corvair Monza Convertible in Canary Yellow with a tan convas top. The private party seller out of New Jersey will be posting more photos this weekend he says. He states in his ad copy that this car is in excellent condition. Call him for more information. But hurry! It will be our DEAL of the DAY on Monday. The asking price is $16,000.
1990 Buick Reatta
Remember back in the late 1980’s when Buick unveiled its new two seater sports car they called the Reatta? I remember seeing one of the early prototypes at the EPCOT Center at Disney World back then. Buick thought it would save them from the “Grandpa car” syndrome. Yet, somehow, they never caught on. That’s the kind of car that makes a great collector car. Here is a 1990 Buick Reatta sports car, one of only 21,751 examples built during its four-year run for Buick. This is the type of “future collectible” that makes its space age styling work better in the collector car hobby than it did when it was new. It will be our DEAL of the DAY on Tuesday. I think you will agree that this is a lotta’ car for the money. They are asking $14,000.
1991 Toyota MR2
The year 1991 was when Toyota completely redesigned their MR2 sports car, and made it much more upscale and marketable. Now it had the looks to match its performance. Now looking like a “baby Ferrari,” the agile little DOHC 16-valve in line four cylinder was a slik shifting sports car to be reckoned with. This Signal Yellow 1991 Toyota MR2 has been listed for sale by Carroll Street Auto in Manchester, New Hampshire. This is the kind of fun-to-drive sports two-seater that Gen-X collectors love to drive. It will be our DEAL of the DAY on Tuesday. The asking price is $12,500. Did you see that coming?
1981 Mercedes 380SL
You may have noticed that the supply of 450SL, 560SL, 380SL and 350SL Mercedes-Benz sports luxury class cars is enormous. That has kept prices down here in the U.S. where they were heavily marketed to a suburban Yuppy class of Americans. So many of them were poorly maintained. Those are also weighing down the values on these classic sports cars. So here is a 1981 Mercedes-Benz 380SL that comes with both the convertible top and an auxiliary hardtop. It is seen here as listed for sale at the Classic Auto Mall in Morgantown, Pennsylvania. The photos show a stunning shade of Dark Red which contrasts beautifully with the tan leather interior. This car was freshened in 2023, giving it an appeal that many of its SL cousins don’t have. It will be our DEAL of the DAY next week. Their asking price is $19,000.
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:
| 1978 Corvette Silver Anniv | $19,900 | Mankato, MN |
Cars for under $10,000:
| 1978 Chrysler Cordoba | $9,900 | Mankato, MN |
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.
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