Diego’s Friday AutoHunter Picks

A little bit of everything

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For my Friday AutoHunter picks, I chose a mix that defy one category: one muscle car, one hot rod, and one relatively modern pony car. Which would you buy?

1967 Chevrolet Nova SS

1967 Chevrolet Nova SS

I never had any love for the Chevy II, but Chevrolet fans feel differently. Whether it’s as a platform to drop in some monster engine, or just reveling in Grumpy Jenkin’s L79 beating a Hemi, fans of the Bow Tie have love for their compact. Yet as I get older, I feel 1966-67 Nova hardtop reflects everything that was great about General Motors at the time, as this 1967 Nova SS demonstrates.

Painted in Mountain Green with a stylish black bucket seat interior (the latter a trait of the SS trim level), powered by the 275-horse version of the 327 and backed by a wide-ratio M20 4-speed with console, this Nova may not scorch the Earth, but it is a peppy way to enjoy a moment when Chevrolet was at the top of its game. Dig the new-for-1967 Rally wheels as well, which feature a unique center cap only used that year.

1932 Ford “Highboy”

If your tastes run more towards the Blue Oval than Bow Tie, then perhaps this classic Deuce would do the trick … or would it? A ZZ4 350ci V-8 seems like sacrilege in a Ford, but hear me out.

What you have here is a modern build consisting of a Downs Industries fiberglass body sitting on a Just A Hobby chassis. More palatable? The engine out of the crate puts out 355 horsepower but, with three two-barrel carburetors and ceramic-coated headers, you can bet there’s more to be found. The engine compartment looks fine on several levels, from the white firewall to the polished aluminum valve covers and spark plug wire separators. For those into more leisurely driving pursuits, a TH350 automatic handles the shifting chores. Brakes and steering are manual, just like they should.

Nice touches include painted headlight buckets, chromed windshield frame, shaved door handles, pre-1957 Pontiac taillights, steering column-mounted tachometer and MOON gauges mounted on an aluminum panel. Still offended?

1996 Ford Mustang GT

I remember when Ford considered replacing the Mustang with the Probe, which was a bonehead idea though not unusual for the time. I also remember when Ford introduced the redesigned Mustang in 1994 and it was so underwhelming—less horsepower from the 5.0 and no vertical segmented taillights despite some other retro touches. Nineteen ninety-six was the beginning of the big fix: new taillights harkened back to the Mustangs of yore and the Modular V-8 debuted.

Maybe Ford had yet to exploit the horsepower from the 4.6, but it was nice to have a long-overdue modern pony car within the ranks. If you were in high school at the time and pined for one, this Crystal White California car may be a fine way to relive your spent youth thanks to a low, low 29k miles. The Tremec 5-speed manual makes driving down the Pacific Coast Highway all the more fun, especially with the Mach 460 audio system upgrade complete with cassette and CD player.

The original female buyer went with the standard saddle cloth interior, but thankfully opted for air conditioning and 17-inch cast aluminum wheels. The four-wheel anti-lock braking system helps reign in the ponies in a safe manner. The Carfax report confirms the mileage, so what are you waiting for? According to the seller, this car drives like new, and there can’t be many 1996 Mustang GTs like that.

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