On any given weekday or Saturday at the Classic Industries' Retail Showroom parking lot, one can appreciate several vintage American muscle cars and trucks, whose owners are either loading up parts in their hobby cars. Or they're waiting inside the showroom to pickup their selection of automotive components to replace worn or missing parts on their rides.

Whether you call it the Firebird, the rising phoenix, the hood bird, or use its tongue-in-cheek "screaming chicken" nickname, this iconic decal has become synonymous with the Pontiac Trans Am. But it hasn't always been that way. In fact, according to former Pontiac head of design Bill Porter, GM leadership hated the idea when it was first proposed. YouTube channel Original MotorCar interviewed Porter and his colleague John Schinella to hear the fascinating history behind the development of the Trans Am Hood Bird design.

Bill Ford, the Executive Chairman of the Ford Motor Company - yes that Bill Ford - paid a visit to Jay Leno's Garage one day to show off his fully restored 1964.5 (early 1965) Mustang convertible. Mind you, this isn't just any Mustang drop top. She was the 1964 Indianapolis 500 Official Pace Car - the very one that paced the race in 1964.

The devil's in the details. Looking at the photo of this 1969 Camaro, you might not think it's anything too unusual, just a cool resto-modded car with clean paint, a lowered stance, and a nice set of wheels. But as you take a closer look, you'll start to see details that show just how much money has been put into the build: Brembo carbon ceramic brakes, an 800hp LS9 supercharged V8, a custom rollcage, and much more. YouTube channel AutotopiaLA spoke to the builder, Timeless Kustoms, and learned that this car cost approximately $480,000 plus the price of the donor '69 Camaro.

Last week, we wrote an article about the Pontiac Tojan, a Trans-Am-based supercar GM developed in hopes of beating Ferrari to the title of the first automaker to produce a 200mph production car. While the one-of-a-kind Tojan prototype succeeded in that mission, the production version was watered-down dramatically to reduce costs, and it ended as a commercial flop. Around the same time, Ford was developing its own secret supercar intended to target Ferrari. This mid-engine project was called the Ford GN34, and the story of how close it came to reaching production is fascinating.

This 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu looks somewhat mild mannered, apart from those aggressive American Racing Torq-Thrust II wheels, a chin spoiler, and a lowered stance. Those of us at Classic Industriesknow better. We work with the Chevelle's owner - Luke Shaffer. He is one of our bright merchandisers/buyers, and Luke's quite the American muscle car enthusiast, builder, and owner. 

The early 1980s was a tough time for fans of American muscle cars. With increasing government regulations and high fuel costs, many manufacturers were focusing on small, efficient cars rather than high performance. However, enthusiasts still had an insatiable need for speed, and this led a small custom coachbuilder known as Knudsen Automotive to develop something truly radical. The 1984 Pontiac Tojan was an 800+ horsepower twin-turbo supercar based on the Pontiac Trans Am which hit a staggering top speed of 206 miles per hour. Not only was it faster than the legendary Ferrari F40, it broke the 200mph barrier several years earlier and for a fraction of the cost.

Photos courtesy of Mecum Auctions