"I love the fact that this is exactly how it left the factory," says Jay Leno while discussing this beautiful 1979 Trans Am. "No modifications, nothing added on, so you really get the feeling of what it was like back in 1979. This was a fast car... and it's still a fast car!" We're big fans of the Jay Leno's Garage series on YouTube, and often go back to watch our favorite episodes. This particular one, featuring a mint-condition Pontiac from the Audrain Automobile Museum, is certainly worth revisiting.

The Chevrolet division of General Motors first used the name Impala for its 1956 General Motors Motorama concept car. The graceful African antelope was used as the car’s logo starting with this show car that incorporated Corvette-like design cues, especially in terms of the vehicle’s front grill. Notice the word grill is missing the ‘e’ at the end of the word. For some reason GM always left the ‘e’ off the end, ala BBQ grill, while other car companies use the more common and generally accepted spelling of grille replete with the ending ‘e’.

As time marches on, American pony and muscle cars are becoming more scarce and valuable. The expensive part is great, so long as you already have one (or many). If, however you're on the hunt for one, that's quite another matter. The price that you're likely to pay for anything that's restorable is likely to be quite dear. You might even be tempted to tap into your kids' college funds, justifying the purchase by thinking that you can share the old car hobby with them. Thankfully, there are still some less sought-after muscle machines out there that are just waiting for some smart folks to snatch 'em up. Consider if you will these three fine A-Body Mopar models from Plymouth and Dodge: the 1970-76 Plymouth Duster, the 1971-72 Dodge Demon, and the 1973-76 Dodge Dart Sport. 

Some automotive enthusiasts are very familiar with the history of the Ford Mustang and why it has sold so well for its entire existence, dating back to its premiere in April of 1964. But most people just view the Mustang as a sporty car with a clever name. There are perhaps a baker’s dozen reasons that the Mustang was such a resounding automotive triumph right out of the starting gate, and why it continues to be the frontrunner in the hearts and souls of millions of car gals and guys.

Our 1953 Chevy 3100 truck was not a typical restoration project for Classic Industries; it is a completely new vehicle built with original-style GM Truck restoration parts. Although we didn't have to deal with the notorious rust and body rot that makes trouble for most restoration projects, we did pound, bend, and stretch the new sheetmetal to fit into our plans for a custom parts hauler. Rather than hiring a professional shop to build the truck, it was built in-house by employees at Classic Industries, enthusiasts who used the skills they developed while wrenching on their own projects.

They're almost shrouded in mystery, which is a bit strange when you consider the stature of a donk. Questions like what does donk mean, and what is it named after? Who originated this restomod sort of highly customized machine? Where were they first created, gain popularity, and spread to for achieving an ever-growing sort of following? As impossible as it may be to believe, none of these queries yield definitive, matter of fact answers. With one exception... the vast majority of donk enthusiasts cite South Florida in the latter 1980's into the 1990's as the birthplace of the donk.

Truth is often stranger than fiction. The seemingly-impossible story we're looking at today sounds like something that could only happen in a movie, but it's real. In the early 1990s, a Danish Special Forces officer named Helge Meyer bought a 1979 Camaro from a member of the U.S. military stationed in Europe. With the help of U.S. Army and Air Force personnel, he fitted it with armor, low-visibility paint, night vision and thermal cameras, and even nitrous oxide for extra power. Then he drove it behind the lines of war-torn countries including Yugoslavia, Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo to deliver food and supplies to civilians. He continued these unarmed, high-risk missions for more than a decade, and lived to tell the story.

Imagine that you're a designer at Chevrolet, and you have the challenge of leading the elite GM design team to create the 2nd Gen Camaro, which will debut in the 1970 model year. What an honor and certainly also a stressful opportunity you'd have in front of you. Reimagining Chevrolet's nearly perfect and much beloved 1st Gen Camaro and taking it up a notch in terms of style, comfort, performance, and increased sales...no pressure there, eh? Join us as we take a look at the styling inspiration for the 1970 2nd Gen Camaro and how the design evolved through the end of its production run in 1981.

OER, one of Classic Industries’ premier product suppliers, took home two Global Media Awards at the 2022 SEMA Show. OER won the two SEMA Global Media Awards for two separate products, from two different publications, located in two different countries! The SEMA Global Media Awards Program recognizes that automotive restoration, personalization, and customization is taking place, and expanding, on a global level. Classic Industries has been aware of this for quite some time, as we've been supplying American muscle car and truck parts and accessories to distant parts of the globe for many years.