If you polled yourself 10 years ago to predict what cars would gain traction in the mid-2020s, I bet you and the rest of us would be wrong. All you have to do is look around and see how popular old trucks (restomods or otherwise) and Japanese cars are. It could be said a two-seater of any origin had a good chance at collectability (shruggy), but what happens when it’s built to be a hybrid? (No, not that kind!)
The first of this week’s AutoHunter Picks is that kind of car: a Mazda RX-7 with its rotary removed and a big ol’ American V8 installed in its place. Is this a car that the JDM crowd will appreciate? Will American muscle fans appreciate it more or less than the former? Is there another segment of the collector community that would pounce on this above all? That’s something I cannot answer, but maybe it’s worth asking the person who will places the high bid—you?
1993 Mazda RX-7 Custom Coupe
Back in the day, this was my favorite Japanese sports car, though the Supra has risen to the top of many collectors thanks to a certain movie that has shaken up the collector car world (“The Fast and the Furious” hit theaters during a generational shift).
But which RX-7 is powered by a supercharged 6.0-liter LS V8 with 700 horsepower? This one! It’s mated to a six-speed Magnum-F T56 to handle that torque. I suspect anyone who has mixed feelings about this Frankenstein should drive it—and I bet they’ll be convinced.
1966 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible
It’s difficult to argue against a big whale of an American convertible, and Cadillac arguably had the best one in ’66 with this Eldorado. Why? The Eldorado was a Fleetwood, so it was priced about $1000 above your typical De Ville, which was a substantial difference at the time.
This car was originally painted in Ember Firemist, a bronze metallic that was exclusive to the Eldorado. This ragtop looks great in red, but I’d be tempted to return it to original.
1966 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396
Another bronze car, this one Aztec Bronze, a very attractive color from the same year. Can you tell which hue can “make” the mid-’60s machine for me? This one had a matching interior from the factory, so I will shed a tear for the replacement, but a big-block four-speed Chevelle is nothing to kick out of bed.
The seller says he doesn’t know if it’s numbers-matching (and, hence, the original horsepower rating is unknown), so it could be an interesting expedition to figure this out and score an L78, which was the first truly battle-worthy Chevelle during the era.
1967 Dodge Dart GT Convertible
Sometimes it’s a bummer to see cars with sporty names lack something sporty underneath the hood. In the case of this 1967 Dart GT ragtop, it was originally equipped with a 273 two-barrel, but that’s been rectified by Dodge’s giant-killer of a small-block that measures 340ci.
Slap some Rallyes on it and you have a car that’s been properly rectified in ways that were not possible in 1967, and one that looks and drives the way it should.
