[h=2]Tucker 48 $1.5 million[/h] Source: Patrick Ernzen/RM Sotheby’s

While most ’40s cars were warmed-over versions of pre-war models, the 1948 Tucker looked like something out of the future, and with safety-minded features like a reinforced passenger cell, padded dash, and third headlight that turned with the wheels, it was. The brainchild of industrialist Preston Tucker, the company earned national attention after a successful public relations and fundraising tour, but it only managed to build 51 cars built before it ran out of money. Tucker’s collapse became a national scandal, and U.S. government indicted the company’s executives for fraud. Because of their rarity and historical significance, the Tuckers have become some of the most valuable American cars ever built. This car was sold by RM Sothebys in August 2014 for $1,567,500

 

1958 Cadillac Eldorado

Source: Darin Schnabel/RM Sotheby’s



Throughout Cadillac’s star-studded past, few models shine as brightly as the Eldorado. Launched in 1953, the range-topping Caddy was an ultra-exclusive flagship model that attracted buyers from President Eisenhower to Elvis Presley. By the end of the decade, the redesigned four-door model cost more than a Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and was considered one of the most elegant cars in the world. In 1967, the Eldorado was re-imagined as a radical two-door “personal luxury coupe,” kicking off one of the most popular segments of the late ’60s and ’70s, and becoming the second front-wheel drive car ever built by General Motors. Proving that there’s plenty of magic left in these old Caddys, this 1958 example was sold at this year’s Amelia Island auction by RM Sotheby’s for $148,500.
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Rise and fall and rise of Cadillac
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/gm-tech-buick-cadillac-chevrolet-gmc-hummer-pontiac-saturn-tech/831589-eldorado-rise-fall-rise-cadillac.html#post9399108

Cadillac at Daytona 24 hours
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/g...24-2017-a.html
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[h=2]Chevrolet Corvette[/h] Source: General Motors



By the early 1950s, America had developed a small but substantial appetite for sports cars. The problem was that no American automaker was offering them.

In 1953, Chevrolet introduced the Corvette, a V6-powered roadster that was as pretty as it was slow and unreliable. By 1955, Chevy had worked out the kinks, and gave the Corvette performance to go with its looks. Since then, the Corvette has become known as “America’s Sports Car,” and amassed one of the most loyal fan followings of any car in the world.

In 2014, a 1967 race-prepped L-88 Stingray Corvette sold for $3.85 million, making it the most expensive ‘Vette of all time.
That is NOT the one in the picture!

 

$2 million Shelby Cobra

Source: Ryan Merrill/RM Sotheby’s

The brainchild of chicken farmer-turned-race car driver Carroll Shelby, the Cobra was born when he brokered a deal between Ford and British carmaker AC to shoehorn massive American V8 engines into the lightweight roadsters.

The 427 Cobra, built from 1965 to 1967, is arguably the most iconic of Shelby’s cars. With flared fenders, massive leg pipes, and a performance-tuned Ford V8, it’s arguably the quintessential sports car of the 1960s. While it wasn’t a financial success in its day, the Cobra is fast even by today’s standards, and collectors are willing to pay a premium for them.

This 1967 “Semi-Competition” Cobra was sold by RM Sotheby’s for $2,117,500 at this year’s Amelia Island auction.

EVERY replica Cobra has the 427 fender flares, these days.
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Shelby Daytona Coupe changed racing forever: click
https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/f...ml#post9399094

 

[h=2]There is no doubt about Ford Mustangs[/h] Source: Ford



Sure, affordable sporty cars came before the Mustang, but nothing has ever matched its level of success and timeless appeal. Introduced at 1964 World’s Fair, the Mustang perfectly tapped into the emerging youth market, and kicked off the great pony car arms race of the 1960s.

By 1967, the Mustang had been joined by competitors like the Chevrolet Camaro, Pontiac Firebird, Plymouth Barracuda, and AMC Javelin. Despite a suddenly crowded market, Ford had already sold 1.7 million Mustangs in its first 36 months. Now in its fifth decade, the Mustang is still at the center of the red-hot American muscle car market.

 

[h=2]Plymouth Roadrunner Superbirds were used by cops at a famous Georgia speed trap. [/h] Source: Michael Furman/RM Sotheby’s

Along with the nearly identical Dodge Daytona, the Roadrunner Superbird was Plymouth’s aerodynamically-enhanced homologation special for the 1970 NASCAR season.

While its pointed beak and comically large rear wing made a difference on the track (top speed was upwards of 180 miles per hour), it’s polarizing looks, Loony Toons decals (Plymouth licensed the Road Runner character from Warner Bros.), and 18.4-foot length made it a sales dud, and unsold Superbirds sat on dealer lots until the mid-’70s. With fewer than 3,000 built, the rare and iconic ‘Bird represents the peak of muscle car madness. This car sold for $363,000 by RM Sotheby’s in 2013.

 

[h=2]AMC Eagle: World's first crossover SUV[/h] Source: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles



American Motors Corporation may be long gone, but its last great idea has grown to become one of the most successful segments in the auto market.

In 1980, the struggling automaker introduced the Eagle, a lifted sedan and station wagon with a four-wheel drive system borrowed from its Jeep brand, creating the world’s first crossover SUV. The car was a rare bright spot for AMC in the ’80s, selling in respectable numbers until it was absorbed by Chrysler in 1988.

While AMC is long gone, its engines lived on in Jeep products well into the ’90s, and after years of semi-obscurity, the Eagle is finally beginning to get its due in the pages of automotive history. As all-wheel drive crossovers continue to explode in popularity, they can all trace their roots directly back to this offering from America’s last major independent automaker.

But it's pretty darn hard to find one any more.

 

[h=2]248 MPH Saleen S7 street car? Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans races[/h] Source: Saleen



Saleen had long built its reputation on tuning and supercharging Mustangs, and while the S7 was built around Ford performance parts, it was no mere tuner project. Introduced in 2000, the car’s unique hand-built chassis and 7.0 liter Ford V8 mounted amidships made the S7 a true world-class supercar.

It could rocket from zero-to-60 in the low-three second range, and competed in the prestigious 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans races. In 2005, two turbochargers were added to the car, boosting the engine from 550 to 750 horsepower.

Production ended in 2009, but with a top speed of 248 miles per hour, the S7 is still one of the first American supercars that could to stand up to Europe’s best.

 

Ford GT

Source: Ford



Built between 2004 and 2006, the GT was a modern incarnation of Ford’s iconic GT40 racer of the late ’60s.

That car’s looks were so timeless that even though the GT40 and GT were built 40 years apart, they shared more than a passing resemblance. The 21st century GT was powered by a 5.4 liter supercharged V8 and rocketed from zero-to-60 in the mid-three second range.

Even though the GT was a high profile halo car for Ford, production ended after only 4,038 of the mid-engined supercars were built. An all-new GT was unveiled at 2015’s Detroit Auto Show, and Ford entered the car in the 2016 endurance race at Le Mans — exactly 50 years after the GT40’s historic 1-2-3 finish. It won.....

And in IMSA, it is still running and racing......

 

[h=2]Only $1 million, but 270 mph Hennessey Venom GT[/h] Source: Hennessey



In 2005, the Bugatti Veyron transformed the performance car landscape by becoming the fastest and most powerful car ever built. Refusing to be outdone, Texas-based Hennessey Performance Engineering unleashed the 270 mile per hour Venom GT, boldly snatching the title away from the French-German company.

Following the same basic blueprint set by Carroll Shelby with the Cobra, the Venom GT starts with a lightweight body and chassis from the British Lotus Exige, and crams an American 1,244 horsepower 7.2 liter turbocharged V8 (from General Motors) behind the seats. While the Veyron was limited to 450 cars, Hennessey plans to produce only 10 of the $1 million cars a year, making the Venom GT one of the rarest hypercars in the world.