The collector car hobby should be fun, but people drag it down at times. It’s about the cars, remember? So, for this week’s AutoHunter Picks, I am going to have fun curating fun cars for your enjoyment, though they all have different facets of fun.
Take the Caribbean from Packard, a company that did its darndest to spruce up its stick-in-the-mud image (and, to these eyes, succeeded). There’s also a Mercedes that was the fastest saloon in the world at the time. And it may be difficult to figure out, but that “thing” looks like a Model T as if it was done by Picasso. Finally, what could be more fun than a car named after a children’s cartoon character?
1953 Packard Caribbean
We recently had one of these in an earlier AutoHunter auction, though this one suits me better. While Packards from this era have somewhat dumpy styling, the semi-custom Caribbean (car-ih-bee-an) looks fantastic with its fully radiused rear wheel arches and clean flanks.
The hue, along with the matching leather upholstery, reek of early-1950s class. If you were a “somebody” back in the day, this would have been one of the top choices to flaunt it.
1970 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3
Another one that appeared on AutoHunter not too long ago, but I like this one more due to its two-tone paint (not crazy about the colors, but nonetheless it’s spectacular) and appearing to be better “put-together.” These are legendary sedans that cost a lot of money ($13,000+ back in the day) and were capable of sustained Autobahn speeds few could match at the time (“Merely the greatest sedan in the world” per Road & Track).
This one features a power sunroof too, which is always a plus in my book (even though Phoenicians may argue that point). The cracked Dark Tobacco interior beckons, as does the gas pedal since acceleration will be comparable to some muscle cars.
1970 Plymouth Road Runner
This is similar to the 1969 Super Bee I wrote about last week. I wouldn’t be surprised if this car was ordered for dealer stock because all I see are the basic essentials. However, this one has a four-speed and, since it’s a 1970, that means it’s equipped with the Hurst Pistol Grip shifter.
Along the way, someone dolled it up with “FJ5” Limelight paint as well as decklid, “dust trail”, and hood stripes, all of which are fine with me. If you want a muscle car that’s easy to keep in tune and presents well, this is it.
1927 Ford Model T Custom Coupe
Remember when hot-rodding was using what you could find? Alright, it’s no different today, but back in the “dry lakes” era, Model Ts were commonplace and usually deconstructed and reconstructed into anything-goes something-or-others.
This is the modern incarnation of such thinking! Imagine a Ford 306 Windsor powering this thing! It was also built to compete in both the 24 Hours of Lemons and Lucky Dog Racing Series, so you can have your fun in front of a crowd of spectators.
