Car Nation

THE CAR AND ITS OWNER 1969 Ford Maverick owned by John Frohnhoefer

WHAT MAKES IT INTERESTING As Japanese car brands began to make inroads in the U.S. during the late ‘60s, American manufacturers were feeling the pressure. Ford responded in 1969 with the Maverick, an economical, sporty coupe that became the first car for many a Long Island baby boomer. These “compacts” were fairly spartan,...

THE CAR AND ITS OWNER 1974 Dodge Charger owned by Andrew N. Vourlos

WHAT MAKES IT INTERESTING The “fuselage” styling and superior engineering of these Chargers, built from 1971 to 1974, made them a hit on the racing circuit, with legendary driver Richard Petty racking up 25 NASCAR wins alone. Vourlos’ model has led a much quieter existence. “The Charger lived its entire life on Long Island...

THE CAR AND ITS OWNER 1965 Chevrolet Impala four-door sedan owned by Jeff Schilling

WHAT MAKES IT INTERESTING The redesigned 1965 Impala was such a hit with consumers that it set an all-time sales record of more than a million cars. Yet many of these Chevys were basically utilitarian sedans, serving their owners well and then going to the crusher. As a result, it’s fairly unusual today to...

THE CAR AND ITS OWNER 1932 Chrysler CI series roadster owned by Louis and Brenda Sasso

WHAT MAKES IT INTERESTING While Chrysler built less than 19,000 examples of CI series cars in their single model year of 1932, the stylish and sleek coupes, sedans and convertibles were at the forefront of a movement by automotive stylists to assert themselves in an industry dominated by engineers. Also...

THE CAR AND ITS OWNER 1969 Volvo 1800S coupe owned by Charlie Licata

WHAT MAKES IT INTERESTING You don’t usually hear the words “Volvo” and “sports car” in the same sentence, except for the classic 1800 series coupes and sport wagons built from 1961 to 1973. Today, they are highly collectible, thanks in part to a starring role as the featured sports car in the 1960s television series, “The...

THE CAR AND ITS OWNER 1970 Chevrolet Nova coupe owned by Charlie Staudter

WHAT MAKES IT INTERESTING Chevrolet sold the hugely popular Nova from 1962 to 1979 primarily as an economical compact family car and yet it managed to find its way into the hearts of muscle car enthusiasts and racers across the country. Today, meticulously modified Novas can be found at Long Island car shows almost every...

THE TRUCK AND ITS OWNER 1962 Chevrolet C-10 pickup truck owned by Paul Dooling

WHAT MAKES IT INTERESTING Chevrolet’s first-generation C-10 pickups, built from 1960 to 1966, combined car-like styling with utilitarian toughness. Back then, they bolstered the company’s reputation as America’s largest pickup producer. Today, they command rising interest – and prices – on the classic car auction...

THE CAR AND ITS OWNER 1978 Chevrolet Corvette Indianapolis 500 pace car replica owned by Joseph Greco

WHAT MAKES IT INTERESTING Starting in 1978, the Corvette’s 25th anniversary, Chevrolet would go on to provide Corvette pace cars for the fabled Indianapolis 500-mile race in 11 different years through 2012. The company also created a limited number of replicas for sale in showrooms. However,...

THE CAR AND ITS OWNER 1969 Dodge Dart GTS convertible drag racer owned by Jim Mango

WHAT MAKES IT INTERESTING Chrysler first offered the Dart GTS in late 1967 as a limited-edition junior muscle car to compete with the Chevrolet Nova SS. In stock form, it would go on to win its share of stoplight drag races. Mango’s convertible kicks things up a few notches. “It has always been a drag race...

THE CAR AND ITS OWNERS 1967 Pontiac GTO hardtop owned by Christopher and Gary Werner

WHAT MAKES IT INTERESTING The iconic Pontiac GTO, offered from 1964 to 1974 and again from 2004 to 2006, is considered by many to be the father of modern muscle cars. By 1967, it had already solidified its place at the top of the heap, with standard models sporting a 335-horsepower, 400-cubic-inch V-8 engine...