American Cars That I Like

by Mike -

Regular readers of My Car Quest may think that I do not care for American cars - but I do like some American cars.

This truck below is similar to the pick up that I drove in high school, a 1940 GMC. When I blew up the engine I had to help my dad (it was his truck) find a replacement and we put in a Chevy 350 V8 power train - that truck was very fast after that. This truck is a 1946 but it is essentially identical to the 1940 because not much happened in the way of development at American car companies during this period - WWII.

I had a car like this in college, a 1956 Chrysler. At the time it did not seem like a cool car but now it is the cat's meow. Mine was red and white.

If you look closely to the left of the steering wheel you will see a push button transmission.

My engine was not this clean.

I met Mr. Swanson near my house and could not resist talking to him. He is the original owner of this 1956 Chevy. I like the 1956 Chevy because it is in the middle between the ground breaking 1955 and the favorite big fin 1957. The 1956 seems special to me.

Mr Swanson told me that this is the original color scheme.

I have loved the Shelby GT350 Mustang since I was a kid and I have written about this car here. So, I do not need to say any more.

I also like the 1960s Camaro and have posted pictures of the new Camaro here and written about a special Camaro Trans Am race car here.

There are others that I like but those will be discussed at another time.

Click on the images for a larger view.

1968 Penske Sunoco Camaro Race Car

by Mike - 

A few days ago I was visiting Don Lee's garage to see his classic AC Cobra 289 . He opened his garage door and there was this beautiful blue Camaro Trans Am race car that looked familiar. It turns out that I had taken pictures of this car a few years earlier in the paddock at the Monterey Historic Races at Laguna Seca and had posted these pictures on My Car Quest the very day that I was visiting Don, so imagine how surprised I was to learn that he owns this piece of racing history. I could not resist taking more pictures.

Don Lee, below, races this car in historic races.

Here are some of the highlights for this successful race car:

* First car built for the 1968 Penske team, Ron Fournire, fabricator

* 2nd place at the 24 Hours of Daytona driven by Mark Donohue, Craig Fischer and Bob Johnson

* 2nd place (4th overall) at the 12 Hours of Sebring driven by Joe Welch, Bob Johnson and Craig Fischer

* Podium finishes by Sam Posey for the rest of the season

* Sucessful race history in Europe, 1969-1971

*Began vintage racing in 1999

The AC Cobra 289 story is here and the Monterey Historic Races story is here.

Click on the images for a larger view.