Ever wish you could go back in time and buy all your favorite classic cars when they were brand new? Yeah, we do too. But for a few lucky individuals, it's still possible to obtain perfectly-preserved "survivor" examples that have stood the test of time. Comedian Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias recently met with Jay Leno to show off his all-original 1989 Camaro IROC-Z, which has only 400 miles on the odometer. Iglesias says he's going to enjoy driving it, and is not planning to keep the mileage extremely low or hide it away under a car cover — "I'm not the guy who's just going to let it sit. I drive my cars!"

The 1969 Dodge Hemi Daytona exists for one reason, and one reason only: to win races. Dodge’s Charger Daytona program was never about styling exercises or showroom traffic - it was about domination on the high banks, and this NASCAR-built example stands as a direct artifact of that superspeedway mission. Today, any street-going Daytona is coveted, but this car occupies rarified air altogether - a singular, one-of-one survivor that directly recalls Chrysler’s all-out assault on NASCAR’s aerodynamic frontier.

If you’re a Mopar person, you already know the vibe: there are muscle cars… and then there are aero cars - the factory-built, street-legal loopholes that Detroit unleashed when NASCAR glory mattered more than subtlety. At the top of that food chain sits the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, the pointy-nosed, high-winged homologation special that looks like it escaped from a wind tunnel and somehow got license plates.

This wasn’t a decal package or a trim-level flex. The Daytona was Dodge’s full-send answer to high-speed oval warfare - built to stop the Charger from acting like a parachute at 180+ and start acting like a missile with turn signals.

Among Chevy diehards, the 1963 Impala Z11 is more than just a special-order oddball - it’s one of the most lethal, purpose-built drag-strip predators General Motors ever unleashed. Born during the heat of the early-’60s Super Stock wars, the Z11 was Chevy’s hush-hush, factory-sanctioned answer to Ford’s 427 Galaxies and Mopar’s Max Wedge brutes. Only 57 were ever built, and today they stand as unicorns - mythical, snarling artifacts from the golden era of Detroit performance one-upmanship.

Below is a deep dive into why the Z11 still makes automotive enthusiasts talk in hushed, reverent tones.

Some cars are engineered. A rare few are conjured. In 1967, when Ford widened the Mustang just enough to swallow its muscular 390/320-horsepower big-block, the move cracked open a door. Carroll Shelby, eternal hot-rod alchemist, kicked the slightly ajar door off its hinges. The GT500 arrived as the natural evolution of performance, its Police Interceptor 428 already massaged to 355 horsepower. The public devoured it, outselling the GT350 by nearly double. But beneath Shelby’s trademark Texas grin, another idea was forming - larger, louder, and impossibly ambitious.

And as in so many moments of automotive destiny, it took only a spark to ignite a legend.

An American pony car/muscle car builder can choose between the school of hard knocks and the school of fast corners. An old car builder/owner will be progressing or regressing through both schools simultaneously and at all times (as the case may be). Which would an auto enthusiast choose? The answer is simple, unless reaction times, straight lines, and Christmas tree lights are the preference to a seemingly endless stream of winding roads and tight apexes. 1967 Mustang notchback owner Kyle Barnes affectionately has named his Mustang '67 Patina. Watching the Petrolicious video will make it most obvious why this moniker makes so much sense for Mr. Barnes' pony car.

Few Mopars ignite as much passion - or start as many garage arguments - as the 1970–1974 Dodge Challenger. Born at the height of the muscle-car wars, the E-body Challenger blended Mopar attitude with a long-hood/short-deck Coke bottle profile and a factory engine lineup ranging from steady-Eddie 318s to the fire-breathing 426 Hemi V8. Today, these cars remain first-rate collectibles and prime candidates for either concours-level restorations or full blast restomods.

Both paths can lead to tire-shredding or show-stopping glory, but they take you down very different roads. Here’s a deep dive into the pros and cons of each, from cost and drivability to street cred and resale value.

For many decades, the Chevy Nova SS has been seen as an affordable, blue-collar muscle car. It was less expensive than its sibling the Chevelle SS, and certainly more attainable for the everyman than GM's flagship Corvette. However, recent auction results indicate the value of a clean Nova SS is rising fast. At Mecum's 2025 Dallas Fort Worth auction, this numbers-matching 1970 Nova SS L78 with extremely low miles sold for a whopping $275,000, making it reportedly the most expensive original-style restored Nova of all time.

Keeping car culture alive by sharing the hobby with those you care about, or even dare we say love - makes sense to us. There's nothing like a twisty country road, filled with flora, fauna, the occasional wooden covered or sturdy steel bridge, and a small town vibe to enhance the drives, the memories, and in this case, the father/son bond.

Gearheads often remember the fast cars more than the movies or television shows where they appeared. In many scenes, cool cars outshine the actors, the television scripts, or the movie screen plays. The car chase scenes are often more compelling than anything else. Back in the days of Blockbuster Video, who doesn't remember renting the Bullitt video, sliding the tape into your VCR, and having the video cued up at the famous chase scene between the Charger and the Mustang fastback? Roaring engine sounds often eclipse a tv or movie score, if you want to get right down to it. And the sound effects of sirens blaring, cars crashing, sliding out, the General Lee jumping a stream, or burning rubber can even give a car guy or car gal goosebumps and an adrenalin rush right in front of a home or surround sound movie screen.