The best from Bob’s cruise through AutoHunter’s auction docket

The launch of AutoHunter, the new online-auction element of ClassicCars.com, gives us yet another avenue for ogling fine automobiles and dreaming about bringing them home to our own garages. 

In case you haven’t yet checked it out, AutoHunter is an easy-to-navigate auction platform with an array of fine vehicles up for online bidding.  The format offers real-time live customer service for buyers and sellers as well as buyer’s protection plan and a seller’s guarantee.

These six cars nearing their AutoHunter bidding deadline caught my eye (click on the highlighted name to see the listing):

1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 – The ’69 model year is the resounding favorite among vintage Camaros, when the stylistic cues came together to sharpen the look of the original design. This Z/28  coupe, located in West Bend, Wisconsin, is powered by its original numbers-matching 302cid, 290-horsepower V8, Muncie 4-speed manual transmission and Positraction rear. 

Among the features of the sporty Z/28 are cowl-induction hood, Z/28 badging, a factory rear spoiler and beefier suspension.  It was refinished in its original shade of Garnett Red with white stripes and a black interior, and it looks decidedly wonderful in the photos with the listing.

These are exceptionally cool cars that drive and handle great, and look terrific while they’re doing it.  This one with its original Protect-o-Plate and owner’s manual, was recently serviced and stands ready for a fast drive.

1991 Nissan 240SX SE – A favorite among Japanese compact tuners because of its standard rear-wheel drive, the 240SX is most often seen these days in modified form, for better or worse.  This one, however, is a totally untouched original and driven only 33,000 miles by its original Phoenix owner, who bought it new 29 years ago. 

The pretty coupe boasts its factory Super White paint, has never had any bodywork or modifications, the seller says, and comes with comprehensive service records from new. 

The unmodified 4-cylinder engine was factory-rated at 155 horsepower, which led contemporary media testers to declare it underpowered for a sporty car, although today’s tuners are able to wrest a lot more power from the sturdy engine.  This coupe is equipped with an automatic transmission, which is not ideal but not a deal breaker.

While the tuners might be salivating at the prospect of turning this Nissan into a drift champ, it would be a shame to mess with such a rare, unmolested 240SX. 

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air fuelie hardtop – This Bel Air is a concours-quality trailer queen, comprehensively restored and the winner of two first-prizes awards at Antique Automobile Club of America meets.  “The grille features two AACA badges for a Senior National 1st prize winner in 1995 and a Grand National 1st prize winner in 2007,” the Flemington, New Jersey, seller notes.

Finished in gleaming black with a red interior, the Chevy is powered by a 283/283-horsepower fuel-injected V8, which is a replacement engine but correct for how the car left the factory, the seller says.  The engine is linked with a 3-speed column-shifted manual transmission.

The car was restored by the seller’s father, the ad notes, and has gone just 1,000 miles since completion, including 50 miles added by the seller over the past three years.  Currently trailered to shows, the Chevy appears ready to continue its winning ways, although the next owner might consider occasionally driving the beautiful hardtop, as intended, and letting the chips fall where they may.

1970 Plymouth Roadrunner Superbird – Originally designed for homologation to run on the superspeedways of NASCAR racing, the aerodynamic Superbird and its Dodge Daytona sibling are popular among Mopar collectors, who refer to them as the Winged Warriors.  While this Lemon Twist Yellow bird with the cartoon roadrunner graphic adorning its monster rear wing might seem outlandish, but they are hotly desired these days and command prices nearly as towering as their spoilers. 

The Superbird is described as a lifelong Texas car that recently received a high-level restoration and driven just 20 miles since. Power is provided by a 440cid V8 that has been stroked to 505cid, the seller says, and hooked up with a 4-speed manual transmission.

Fewer than 2,000 Superbirds were produced for 1970, when they were just as head-turning as they are today.

1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE – Here’s another thriller for Mopar fans, a Challenger coupe in the gregarious shade of Sublime Green and powered by the iconic 426cid Hemi V8.  The current owner has had the classic muscle car for 20 years, the listing says, and it has undergone a rotisserie restoration to sublime perfection, with just 5,000 miles added since. There’s a shaker hood up front and a Go Wing spoiler out back.

The Hemi was an added enhancement for the Challenger, which was originally fitted with a 383, while its restoration was under way.  The engine features an aluminum intake manifold and heads, rebuilt dual Edelbrock 600 CFM carburetors, and a TTI exhaust system. The seller provides a dyno sheet that shows more than 560 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. The transmission is a Torqueflite automatic with a Gear Vendors overdrive for improved highway driving.

2007 Ford Mustang ‘Foose Stallion’ – From the mind of the acclaimed Chip Foose comes this cosmetic- and performance-upgraded Mustang convertible painted in a fiery shade of Torch Red.  An exciting treatment for a stock GT, the limited-edition car was assembled by Unique Performance in Farmers Branch, Texas, with Foose gear that includes such appearance details as a modified front bumper and hood, inboard parking lights, upper and lower horizontal billet grilles, custom rear bumper, rear deck spoiler and Foose-design 20-inch Nitrous wheels, with Foose badges fitted to the upper grille and both fenders.

Performance tweaks start with a suspension upgraded with Ford Racing components that include high-performance shocks, springs that lower the car 1.25 inches and sway bars front and rear. The braking system features Baer drilled and slotted rotors on all four corners.  The 4.6-liter Ford V8 is rated at 335 horsepower, 35 more than a standard Mustang GT, achieved via such Ford Performance parts as high-flow 90mm cold air intake system and a performance-tuned engine control module.  The transmission is a 5-speed manual.

These are some of the things that Mustang owners might dream of doing for their own cars, but here it is, already done and by one of the best pros in the business.