2006 Lambroghini Murcielago LP 640 Roadster

As some of you know I live and work in a town populated by wealthy people. Amongst these wealthy are a group of trust fund babies. It is not uncommon to see them rolling in high dollar exotics and doing obnoxious burnouts at intersections where lots of people are around. This particular car has been a participant in this activity outside of my place of work a few times. But I spotted it last summer parked at a public beach. The Lambroghini Murcielago was released in 2001 as the successor to the legendary Lambroghini Diablo of the 1990's. Murcielago was the name of a fighting bull that survived 25 sword strokes in a bullfight in 1879 in Spain and Lambroghini is known for naming their cars after legendary fighting bulls so it is fitting they chose this name for such an incredible car. The car is powered by 6.5L V12 engine producing 641 horsepower mated to a 6-speed transmission which can take the car to a top speed of 210mph. All that power mounted to an all-wheel drive system takes the Murcielago from 0-60 mph in only 3.31 seconds. This example is one of only 899 roadsters produced. These cars featured a cloth top with a warning label advising owners not to exceed 100mph with the roof attached. The Murcielago was produced until 2010 when it was left in the dust by the even wilder Lambroghini Aventador. Most of us common folk will never be able to afford such a dream car and can only gaze from a far as they go flying by at 200+ mph

1978 Ford F-150 Ranger XLT

Today we have a pristine example of the 6th generation Ford F series pickup truck line. This model is a 1978 F-150 Ranger XLT. The F-series is one of the most successful vehicle lines in the history of the world and was at one time the best selling civilian vehicle world wide having been in production since 1948 and continuing to this day. The 6th gen F series was available with a wide variety of gasoline powered 6 and 8 cylinder engines ranging from the 240ci Inline 6 cylinder to the 400ci big block V8. A 4-cylinder diesel engine was available in Argentinian market models. (America would not get a diesel F-series until the 1980s) This example has the Ranger dress-up package that includes chrome door handles, and rectangular headlights. The original owner must have opted not to take the chrome grille insert that was offered on the Ranger package. The truck also has aftermarket nerf bars located under the doors. This is a rare clean example of one of these trucks as most are still at work. We have a 75' F-150 in our family that has been a workhorse it's entire life and with over 300,000 on the clock and shows no signs of quitting anytime soon. I see these trucks on jobsites and with company names decal-ed on the side all the time. Ford has been and always will be the best manufacture of pickup trucks in the world.

1965 Volvo Amazon 130

The Volvo Amazon was produced from 1956-1970. The cars took their styling cues from American cars of the 50's hence the pronounced grille, chrome trim around all windows and the "dog dish" style hubcaps. In 1959 Volvo became the first automaker to have seat belts as standard equipment on all their models. The Amazon was also the first car to feature 3-point seat belts (the modern shoulder strap style we have in all cars today) as standard equipment. This particular specimen is a 4-door model, two door models were the highest sellers though this one is not as rare as the station wagon which sold in significantly lower numbers.  This car is powered by an inline-4 cylinder engine producing 75 horse power known as the B18. The B18 is known for it's reliability the world's highest mileage car is a 1966 Volvo P1800 and has over 2,500,000 miles on the original B18 motor. The Amazon is a bit on the rare side in the US though they were sold here when they were new. Despite being sold as a family car the Amazon did compete in rally and hill climb competition. This pristine example has managed to survive the Arizona sun and looks ready to go on any adventure set out before it.

1990 Porsche 928

The Porsche 928 is a bit of an anomaly when compared to the rest of the Porsche lineup throughout history. For one it has an engine under the hood. Now if you don't know anything about Porsche you probably think I am off my rocker so I will explain. Porsche has a history of using some unconventional power train layouts. Most Porsche's have had rear mounted engines meaning the engine and the transmission are in the trunk. It works on the same concept as front wheel drive just in the rear. It offers the increased traction from having the heaviest part of the car sitting on top of the drive wheels without the performance drawbacks of powering only the front wheels. It does however cause the car to have dramatic bouts of oversteer. The 928 has a standard front engine rear-wheel drive layout. The fuel-injected water-cooled V8 engine was also a first for Porsche which had stuck to air-cooled 4 and 6 cylinder flat "boxer" type engines. The original models featured old-school mechanical fuel injection which was replaced with electronic fuel injection in 1980. The 928 could be had with either a 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual transmission. In other words it was the first Porsche that was actually designed like a normal car. The 928 was also the chosen ride of now ousted Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson in the infamous Patagonia special. I will leave you with his emotional connection to these cars: http://9gag.com/gag/aBQjqrD

Matt

1949 Ford Sedan

The 1949 Ford is one of the most iconic and important cars in the history of the American automobile industry. During World War 2 civilian automobile production was halted in the US and all car manufacturing plants converted to making tanks and other military vehicles. The 49' Ford was the first new car design to debut after the war's conclusion. It was one of the first cars to feature a coil spring suspension and a modern driveshaft (which marked the death of torque-tube drive systems in Ford cars.) The sales of the 49' Ford and it's cousin the Mercury 8, broke records and saved Ford from financial disaster. Without this car we would not have Ford with us today. I found this pristine example parked in front of a downtown church. This example is a 4-door model but the car was available in various 2 door configurations as well including sedan, coupe, hardtop, convertible, and station wagon. Buyers had the choice of a inline-6 cylinder engine producing 95 horsepower or the infamous flathead v8 that produced 100 horsepower. Both engines came mated to a 3-speed manual transmission with a column shifter. Revolutionary as the car was at it's time it still serves as a sign of how far we have come as well. The heavy all steel construction car was stopped by drum brakes at all four corners, no seatbelts, worm and ball gear steering system and leaf springs on the rear. The 49 Ford is one of the iconic American cars and it's place in history is secure.