When it arrived in the late ’60s, the Datsun 1600 boasted strong levels of standard equipment, a grunty four-pot engine, front disc brakes and independent rear suspension, positioning it closer to a BMW on paper than any of its Japanese contemporaries.
When Chrysler in the US belatedly got around to building a proper Pony Car, it came in two sizes, with different length wheelbases and some of the most powerful production engines ever made. Collectively, they were the Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Barracuda, a feisty duo which offered too little and arrived too late to take full advantage of the relatively short-lived Muscle Car era.
According to the folklore surrounding automotive auctions, you’re best not to wave at a friend or scratch your nose during proceedings, or you might just buy a car. Today, it’s a different world where everyone plays by a new set of rules and it’s hard to do anything by accident.
As a country renowned for large families, Italy was hardly the place to be selling miniature cars. Yet, the most successful Italian model of the 1950s was the tiny Fiat 500.
Chrysler joined the locally-manufactured Australian family car market in 1962 with its radical R Series Valiant, but less than two years later had reverted to a design that was equally remarkable for its conservatism.
Even if you’re not a typical blue-blood Ford fan, early 1990s Falcon make for a great first-time classic, provided you watch out for a few common pitfalls.
The Citroen DS is one of the most uniquely-styled vehicles to have ever graced our roads, and while prices have spiked in recent years, they now seem to have stabilised.
Automotive designs sometimes benefit from ‘happy accidents’, and Triumph’s Stag is among them.
Early LandCruisers are fair dinkum commercial vehicles, with little in the way of creature comforts. However, for those brave and hardy souls prepared to endure such privations, a well-preserved FJ40 has a style and presence that is utterly unique.
Subaru began selling its versatile 4WD Brumby utility on the Australian market in 1977, but it took until 1982 for a more powerful and comfortable second-generation version to arrive.
Retro Rides inaugural list of ‘Ones To Watch’ uses 2024 auction and market results to identify classic cars with prospects for renewed growth in 2025 and beyond.
If you’ve ever looked at a classic car advertised on the other side of the country but baulked at the idea of how to get it to you, then Retro Rides’ market analyst Cliff Chambers has some helpful advice.
There’s something for everyone among Hagerty’s Top 10 picks, from the classic British Austin-Healey 3000 roadster, to the luxurious Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II, the rally-bred Subaru Impreza P1, and Italian thoroughbred Ferrari F355.