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Pontiac Tojan: The Trans-Am-Based Supercar that Beat Ferrari to 200mph

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

1968 Mustang VIN Decoder - Data Plate and Build Sheet Insights

For the 1968 Ford Mustang model year, the Ford Motor Company continued to improve upon the already outstanding significance of America's first pony car — the Ford Mustang. Saddle up your Mustangs and let's go for a ride to decipher several data tags and VIN codes. There are a few stunning examples ahead, so stay tuned. We hope this 1968 Mustang VIN decoder will help you learn more about your classic Mustang, or research a car you're planning to buy.

DIY Chevy Nova Rear Bumper Restoration

"Get used to my tail lights, because they're the only thing you'll be able to see in this race." This bit of friendly trash talk has been used in the muscle car community for as long as we can remember, but there's more truth to it than the joke implies. Whether it's in traffic or on the drag strip, the rear of your vehicle is often the first and last thing people see. So, it makes sense to keep it looking good. Knowing this, the guys at All Chevy Performance recently restored the bumper and tail panel on their '77 Nova project car with parts from Classic Industries.

Video - Sweet Big Block V8 Chevy Powered Barn Finds in Oklahoma

Wandering around the internet when one is an automotive enthusiast, one can while away the hours, especially with barn find content. Patrick Glenn Nichols Musclecars Barn Finds is a YouTube channel and also found on Facebook. 

Video: Jay Leno Drives a 1969 Mustang Boss 429

Homologation is a strange word, but one that's associated with some of the rarest and most impressive road cars ever built. In simplest terms, homologation cars are vehicles that were built to comply with specific rules for racing — most notably the rule that a certain number of "race-spec" cars must be built and sold to the general public before that car can be used for racing. In the late '60s, Ford wanted to put its new 429ci V8 engine into racecars, but NASCAR required them to put it into at least 500 road-going cars first. Thus the decision was made to shoehorn it into a Ford Mustang, and the Boss 429 was born.

Video & Noise: V12 F50 Ferrari & Concorso Italiano 2024 - Perfecto!

Held on Saturday, August 17, 2024 towards the end of Monterey Car Week, Concorso Italiano celebrated all things Italian, especially pertaining to Italian automobiles and the Italian way of life. For 2024 as with in many other years of the Concorso, non-Italian marques were also invited to attend. There was a smattering of American, British, and German vehicles also on exhibit, as if to provide a contrast to the numerous artful Italian automobiles that comprised a commanding presence at this year's event. Indeed, the Concorso Italiano media team even invited Classic Industries to partake in covering this longstanding Italian-themed super car and vintage iconic Italian marques celebration.

Video: 90,000 Square Feet of Barn Find Heaven

Barn finds are an exciting prospect for any classic car enthusiast. Right now, there could be an all-original, nicely preserved classic car sitting under a layer of dust in a barn, shed, or garage. And if you're the first one to find it, you might be able to rescue and restore it without spending as much as you would during an auction or typical private-party sale. But what if you found a barn that didn't just contain one or two cars, and instead contained dozens? That's exactly what the team at Hagerty revealed in a recent video of a 90,000 square foot farm they referred to as "barn find heaven."

73rd Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance - a Classic Automotive Utopia

Pebble. This one word has abundant meaning for avid golfers. The same is true for those who have a passion for vintage automobiles. The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is the pre-eminent concours vintage car show on this great planet that we somehow manage to cohabitate. Classic Industries was at this prestigious event this year to cover all of the glorious action for the 73rd celebration on Sunday, August 18, 2024.

Video: 427 Camaro History - Yenko, Baldwin, Nickey, and More

Putting a big and powerful engine into a small car is a high-performance recipe that's been popular since the earliest days of the automobile. In the 1920s and '30s, racecar builders installed huge aircraft engines into their vehicles, and in the 1940s, hot rodders crammed flathead V8s into their stripped-down "T-buckets." By the late 1960s, the introduction of the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro launched a new era of performance cars. True to form, a handful of enthusiasts began searching for a way to equip them with the most potent engines available. This is how Yenko, Baldwin, Nickey, and others began equipping the first-gen Camaro with the 427ci big-block V8.

50 Years of Racing History: Rolex Monterey Motorsports at Laguna Seca

Classic Industries was at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to witness and celebrate 50 years of vintage auto racing history with the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2024. When Classic Industries' humble scribe (namely me) learned about this vintage racing extravaganza, he knew where he wanted to be from August 14 through August 17, 2024.