This is quite possibly the weirdest thing we have ever seen. At first glance it looks like an ambulance, at second glance it looks like something a deranged serial killer would drive. Is it weird we love it?

The car will need a complete restoration as the decades of Maine weather have not exactly been kind to its outward appearance. Apparently the 455ci mill is in good health and the owner claims that the floors and subframe are in good condition. The interior looks like an episode of CSI could be filmed inside. It’s hurtin’ and we think we can actually smell it through the screen of our computer.

You know you want it. Bid now and bid often!

I was fully expecting not to see any donks at SEMA this year–it seemed to be one of those controversial trends that so quickly became its own punchline that no self-respecting builders were producing them anymore. And frankly,  I was a little sad about that. I like high-risers: they’re the epitome of over-the-top, they make me laugh, and they can always be counted on to get people riled up. So I was happy to see this mildly donked Olds in the front hall this morning. Do you think we’ll find any more?

Continue reading "We Thought High-Risers Were Over" »

I’ve been on CarDomain for nearly two years now, and in that time I’ve seen some of the most amazing custom cars you can imagine. Camaros, Cobras, Vipers, Chevelles, Cadillacs, all of those you’d expect me to mention, right? Those kinds of cars are the kind you’re expected to fawn over at a show. Me, I love ‘em all, but deep inside is the feeling that the winter beaters we reserve for most of our abuse deserves more respect than any show car trailer queen.

With that said, some of us feel that some beaters are more fun to, well, beat on. They last through it all without a complaint, some need a fix here and there, and some just can’t handle our bad driving and completely drop an engine (for the record, that’s happened to me once). What I’ve done is compiled a list of five beaters that I’d love to have, for the simple purpose of running ‘em until they die:

1. 1992-1998 Geo Metro- 3 cylinder

When I first noticed these cars, I absolutely abhorred their weak engines and their odd styling. Over the last month they’ve grown on me, and now I realize the charm that these little runts have. It’s like it takes hold of your imagination. You hate it, but then again the utter joy of beating the piss out of it is equal to that of, say, a Porsche 911 Turbo at Laguna Seca? I can’t for the life of me think of a way to make it look cool, I do know that window tint would be in order for the simple fact that no matter how much fun it is to ride it like Fergie, it’s still embarrassing to be seen in one. After all, not everyone will see it my way, which, in my opinion, is just another reason that I enjoy them.

Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "I Want These Four Beaters" »

This was a well-organized, professional job involving at least five people. Only one car has been recovered (though it was stripped). Keep a lookout. Rewards of up to $10,000 have been posted. More details over at Hemmings

Wouldn’t it be cool if this ‘85 Toronado could say this someday? Once the Cash For Clunkers nightmare is over, I’d like to print bumper stickers bearing the phrase and distribute them to every cool old heap still on the road. Sure, it’s true that right now the program is mostly just turning a bunch of Ford Explorers into metal cubes–but with trade-ins piling into the tens of thousands, you’ve got to know that plenty of rare old junk is surely being lost as well. And yes, Oldsmobile’s fugly front-wheel-drive weirdmobile might today be considered just an automotive freak of nature, hardly deserving of historical note and certainly not worth plucking off the scrap heap. But I’m betting that someday we’re going to be sorry that we crushed them all. I sure hope this one finds a good home.

I was trying to find “Corvair wheels” for my 24 Hours of LeMons entry when I came across Larry Boardman’s website Classic Wheels, LLC. Along with promoting his business as a certified classic car appraiser and listing his credentials, he also showcases his current crop of collectible iron. One car in particular, the Torvair, has to be the mother of all mongrels.

This particular car piqued my interest as it was basically a Corvair coupe with an Oldsmobile Toronado drivetrain tucked under the stylish body in a mid-engined format. There were many Corvair V-8 conversions, but marrying the two most innovative GM creations of the sixties was a stroke of genius. So, after looking at this wonderful beast on his site, I contacted Larry to find out what the Torvair is all about.

And what do you know, it’s up for sale! Read more at Automotive Traveler.

Continue reading "A Toronado-powered Corvair: Introducting the Torvair" »

When it comes to popularity, muscle cars are still as hot as Las Vegas pavement in August. Despite the economy, Detroit muscle from the sixties and early seventies are the dominate vehicles at shows, tours and auctions.

The credit for the birth of the muscle car segment generally goes to the 1964 Pontiac Tempest GTO. The same year, however, the Oldsmobile division of General Motors released its F-85 Cutlass hardtops, coupes and convertibles with the 4-4-2 performance package. Like the GTO, the 4-4-2 rode on the 115 inch wheelbase platform and offered a 330ci V8 engine delivering 310hp—just 15hp less than the GTO’s standard 389ci.

Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "4-4-2 Adds Up To Fine-Handling Muscle" »

A couple years ago we knew a guy who put a 427 in one of these cars and it was just ungodly fast. We like the idea of the big-inch Olds even better though as it’s the proper brand-in-a-brand situation.

This car would be bad ass to roll into the local ice cream or burger joint with on the weekends. Especially if there were some extracurricular activities planned later in the evening. Leaving the car in primer gives it the street tough look and feel. This thing has all the qualities of a great street bruiser and that 455ci Olds mill should be making cruise ship torque. For a finished, running, caged car, four grand seems like the right price.

If you buy it we get to drive it at least once. See it here.

Continue reading "455-Powered 1979 Cutlass on Craigslist" »

We’ve been following Mike’s build for a while now. His awesome project even made our list of top ten ride pages of 2008. Well, looks like the car is nearing completion–check out the new red paint! Oh, and Mike settled on the name “Camino Supreme,” and he even started a new ride page–it’s now listed as an Olds and not a Chevy. Check out all the pics!

Welcome to the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, a regular feature which aims to expand the notion of what a muscle car is, and to expand conventional thinking while we’re at it. A few weeks ago, I ran a feature on the Pontiac Grand Prix GXP, and asked whether or not a FWD, V8-powered car could ever be considered a muscle car. The overwhelming majority of you said NO, so this time, I thought I’d reach back to the 1968-through-1970 time period. This was the true peak of the classic muscle car era, rife with fire-breathing HEMIs, Ford Cobra Jets, and at least four different GM big blocks. Let me introduce you to a true full-size coupe–but one with over 400 hp driving the front wheels. I give you the Oldsmobile Toronado W-34.

Continue reading "CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot: The 1968-70 Oldsmobile Toronado W-34" »

Welcome to the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, a regular feature which aims to expand the notion of what a muscle car is, and to discover some fun cars in the process. 1970 turned out to be a watershed year for raw, visceral horsepower, before government smog regulations started to take effect. It was also the high water mark for the sheer number of high-performance muscle cars offered by the automakers. However, all was not rosy during this peak, as the insurance companies had caught on and were now charging sky-high premiums to owners of these asphalt-melting leviathans of the street. Accordingly, manufacturers offered a new concept to the driving public: Muscle Car Light. One of these just happens to be the subject of this feature: The Oldsmobile Rallye 350.

Continue reading "CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car parking Lot: The 1970 Oldsmobile Rallye 350" »

This contraption was parked in a visitor’s spot near the Microsoft Research building earlier this week, and my buddy Dan snapped these pics with his phone. Looks like it used to be a 1966 or 1967 Olds 98 Luxury Sedan.

Continue reading "Oldsmobile Art Car Spotted at Microsoft" »

I’m really loving Bruce’s ‘65 Olds. It’s a three owner car, tastefully done, with lots of documentation and original parts (the pic below was actually taken by the second owner). Bruce’s Charger SRT8 is pretty evil, too.

Then you should definitely check out Terrence’s ride page. He’s got some wicked photodocumentation of his ‘77 Cutlass hi-riser build, showing the ride’s transformation from super-clean stock to candy-coated skyscraper. And unlike a lot of cars in the genre, the Cutlass isn’t all show, no go: Terrence swapped in a 454 big block in place of the Buick 231 that the Olds came with. That should put some power to the DUBs! See for yourself.

Welcome to the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, a regular feature which aims to expand the notion of what a muscle car is, and to have some fun in the process. This week, the featured car is a pioneer of sorts. It is the first production turbocharged V-8 built in America: the 1962 Oldsmobile F-85 Jetfire. Continue reading…

Continue reading "CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot: 1962-63 Oldsmobile F-85 Jetfire" »