Amelia Earhart didn’t own her Cord 812 long before she famously disappeared over the South Pacific in July 1937, during an attempt to fly around the world. Yet, just as her disappearance led to decades’ worth of investigations in an attempt to piece together the story of her final flight, so did the dismantling of her Cord lead to decades’ worth of sleuthing in an attempt to piece the car back together. Now restored, the Cord has taken numerous honors on the concours circuit, including Best in Show at this weekend’s Chattanooga Motorcar Festival.

“It’s been a journey, to say the least,” Travis LaVine of LaVine Restorations, the shop that restored the Earhart Cord, said.

The first step on that journey was documenting the car. Earhart was famously photographed standing by her Cord and her Lockheed Electra 10E in September 1936, and Earhart’s estate included plenty of information about the car. Given that E.L. Cord was heavily involved in the aviation world (and the Cord’s hidden headlamps were aviation units), it made sense that Earhart would be drawn to the Cord 810/812. According to LeVine, the Cord was one of the last 200 built in 1936, so it had a mix of components from 1936 and 1937 model years and is technically considered a 1937 Cord 812. It also had a number of rare accessories, including a suicide knob on the steering wheel and a compass, another natural for Earhart.

Amelia Earhart with her Cord 812 and her Lockheed Electra, September 1936.Photo via Purdue University Libraries

Following her disappearance, her husband, George Putnam, had her declared dead in 1939 and proceeded to sell off assets from her estate—including the Cord—to help pay for the extensive searches he conducted. Despite the connection to Earhart, the car was unceremoniously parted out. The body, a desirable phaeton convertible painted in Palm Beach Tan and fitted with maroon leather interior, went to California. The engine went to another car. It kept other Cords on the road, LaVine noted, especially at a time when the cars were quickly falling out of favor and mechanics were less than eager to work on the front-wheel-drive pioneers, but it seemed Amelia Earhart’s Cord was gone forever.

Then, in the 1980s, a Texan named Ray Foster started to re-assemble the pieces with the assistance of records from Earhart’s estate. “He spent decades doing that,” LaVine said. “There was nothing he was not able to find.” In the latter part of the 2010s, once he had everything assembled, he turned to LaVine Restorations “to find the right steward to take it the last mile.” That right steward ended up being Jack Boyd Smith, Jr., who was already sending his cars to LaVine Restorations, and who bought the car, which LaVine said was somewhat assembled but still partly in boxes.

Smith and the LaVine team then spent 10,000 hours just in research, documentation, and tracking down those rare accessories, then another two years on the full restoration of the car. “We spent a lot of time at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum just to get the leather and the car’s color right,” LaVine said.

With the restoration complete, Smith debuted the car at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2021, where it took second place in the American Classics Class. Shortly after, Smith and the LaVine crew took it to the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival where it not only took home the event’s best of show award but also scored 1002 out of 1000 points in judging, according to LaVine. “Apparently you get up to three extra points for accessories,” he said. Smith followed that showing with a trip earlier this year to Lake Como, Italy, where the Cord placed second in its class at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, then brought it back to the States for the showing at the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival, where the Cord won the Prewar American Classic class on its way to winning Best of Show.

Class winners from the 2022 Chattanooga Motorcar Festival

American Muscle, first in class: Brian Dunham, 1972 Ford Mustang Mach 1

Chattanooga Motorcar Festival show winners

Ferrari Grand Touring, first in class: John Gerhard, 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB

People’s Choice: Don Phillips, Marty Robbins #42 Dodge Daytona

Ferrari Competition, first in class: Stephen Bruno, 1952 Ferrari 212 Pinin Farina cabriolet

Ferrari Competition, outstanding in class: Kevin Cogan, 1959 Ferrari 410 Superamerica

Mercedes, outstanding in class: Ralph Berthiez, 1975 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL

Ferrari Grand Touring, outstanding in class: Chuck Akre, 1967 Ferrari 330 GTS

Mercedes, first in class: Thomas Zarella, 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE

Ferrari Super, outstanding in class: Kevin Cogan, 2003 Ferrari Enzo

Ferrari Super, first in class: Bruce Ellison, 2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale

Postwar American Sports, outstanding in class: Brad Bean, 1960 Chevrolet Corvette

Redwood, first in class: Allan Lyndon, 1984 Mercedes-Benz 500 SEL

Prewar American Special Interest, outstanding in class: Chris Levan, 1937 Ford sedan delivery

Postwar European Sports Late, first in class: Daniel Carroll, 1979 Ferrari 308 GT4

Postwar American Special Interest, outstanding in class: James Wagon, 1957 Cadillac Model 62 Convertible

Porsche, outstanding in class: John Truban, 1989 Porsche 911 Speedster

Prewar European Classic, first in class: Stephan Plaster, 1933 Isotta Fraschini

Postwar British Sports, first in class: James Harris, 1956 AC Bristol Ace

Postwar American Sports, first in class: Kayo Erwin, 1963 Chevrolet Corvette

Postwar British Sports Cars, outstanding in class: William Kennedy, 1974 TVR 2500M

Postwar European Sports Early, outstanding in class: Keith Bass, 1953 Aston Martin DB2

Postwar European Special Interest, first in class: John Shalhoub, 1947 Bentley Mark VI

Prewar American Special Interest, first in class: Mark Becker, 1936 Chrysler Airflow

Timeless Elegance: Stephen Bruno, 1952 Ferrari 212 Pinin Farina Cabriolet

Porsche, first in class: Charles Moore, 1956 Porsche 356A Cabriolet

Prewar American Classics, outstanding in class: Greg Ornazian, 1929 Cord L29

Vintage and Custom Motorcycles, outstanding in class: Mike Schwartz, 1983 Suzuki Katana

Redwood, outstanding in class: Dale Whitney, 1983 Audi Quattro

Prewar European Classics, outstanding in class: John Dega, 1938 Lancia Astura Tipo 241

Postwar European Sports Early, first in class: Somer Hooker, 1964 Alfa Romeo Sprint Speciale

Postwar American Special Interest, first in class: Kayo Erwin, 1960 Chevrolet Impala

Vintage and Custom Motorcycles, first in class: Mark Sepulveda, 1950 Rickman Matchless G9 Superclub

Viper, first in class: Robert Hutcherson, 2009 Dodge Viper ACR

For more information about this year’s Chattanooga Motorcar Festival, visit ChattanoogaMotorCar.com.

The hardworking staff of Hemmings Auctions is proud to share with you some of the most notable vehicles they have helped to find enthusiastic new homes over the past week. Sixty-seven new vehicle listings launched between Sunday, October 9, and Saturday, October 15, and 42 of them sold, including 14 post-auction Make Offer listings. This equates to a sell-through rate of 63 percent. You can keep abreast of the latest consignments by subscribing to the daily Hemmings Auctions email newsletter.

1972 Ferrari 365 GTC4

Reserve: $240,000

Selling Price: $250,000

Recent Market Range: $232,110-$279,450

Twenty years ago, the GTC4 was the affordable early-Seventies V-12 fastback Ferrari. It’s now appreciated substantially, and a quarter-million dollars is the mid-range “average” price for a properly restored, 100-percent drivable example like this lifelong California car, which bested its reserve. Its “show-quality,” ceramic-coated repaint was complemented by a two-tone interior with exact replacement tartan seat inserts and all functioning components. The 320hp V-12 and five-speed manual promised no leaks, and the refreshed chassis appeared spotless thanks to dry-ice detailing. Trued Borrani wire wheels mounted recent, correct Michelin XWX radials. This 365 set a benchmark for value.

1963 Chevrolet Corvair Monza Spyder

Reserve: $12,000

Selling Price: $26,250

Recent Market Range: $9,110-$15,350

Automotive turbocharging was in its infancy in the 1960s for regular production cars, and Chevrolet’s unorthodox Corvair was a pioneer. This 1963 Monza two-door was optioned with the 150hp turbocharged, air-cooled flat-six that brought the Spyder designation. Its seller promised to have completed a refurbishment to custom specifications, having rebuilt the engine with numerous performance enhancements. The chassis was similarly upgraded with a front anti-roll bar and 16-inch alloy wheels wrapped in sticky tires. All body rust was removed before the car was repainted, and the interior received an aftermarket steering wheel and old-look modern stereo. This Corvair more than doubled its reserve.

1933 Ford De Luxe

Reserve: $32,000

Selling Price: $30,450

Recent Market Range: $30,140-$42,450

Even the most practical and popular body type Ford offered for 1933 was beautifully styled in the popular Streamline Moderne vein. This upmarket, De Luxe-trimmed Tudor Sedan owed its attractive presentation to a “first class” body-off restoration that included the use of a rebuilt, 1940-vintage 85hp 221-cu.in. V-8 mated to a three-speed manual. The accommodating coachwork was repainted in 2010 and no flaws were reported; the grille, bumpers, and other chrome looked nice. A LeBaron Bonney interior kit was fitted and called “excellent.” This Ford’s undercarriage was virtually spotless. Its Make Offer sale figure at the bottom of this model’s market range represented a genuine bargain.

1986 Porsche 944 Turbo

Reserve: $42,000

Selling Price: $44,100

Recent Market Range: $39,310-$51,450

A Guards Red Porsche 944 is a bona fide Eighties icon, even more so when it’s turbocharged. This example that sold for a very reasonable sum as a post-auction Make Offer listing ticked all the right boxes as a two-owner car with fewer than 30,000 original miles. A few paint chips were divulged on the exterior, while the black leather-upholstered interior featured an aftermarket stereo; the factory radio, upgraded with Bluetooth capability, went with the car. The 2.5-liter four-cylinder and five-speed manual transmission looked spotless and promised trouble-free operation, while the undercarriage was similarly tidy and tires retained plenty of tread. This first-year 944 Turbo was a score.

2000 Chevrolet Corvette

Reserve: $15,000

Selling Price: $16,800

Recent Market Range: $13,000-$22,000

The debut of the automatic-only, supercar-adjacent mid-engine C8 Corvette put recent earlier generations in a new light, including the C5; those turn-of-the-century ’Vettes, like this convertible, were everyday-usable with approachable performance and great economy. This one had a rebuilt V-8 with performance modifications, plus a fresh clutch for its Hurst-shifted six-speed. The factory paint had a few blemishes, but the soft top was called “excellent” and the black leather interior looked good; a gas-gauge problem was noted, as was a fault with the tire-pressure monitoring system. A video showed the Chevy in motion, and documentation included dyno results. It represented a great buy.

1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner

Reserve: $19,000

Selling Price: $23,258

Recent Market Range: N/A

While the two-seat Thunderbird is Ford’s reigning Fifties classic, the contemporary Skyliner had even more of a wow factor with its retractable hard roof. This first-year example left the factory Inca Gold, but was repainted in Colonial White over Willow Green. While the finish was said to have some flaws, the top was shown in a video to operate properly and the two-tone interior looked attractive. It’s not known if the 292-cu.in. V-8 was original to this car; it was rebuilt three years ago and, like the Ford-O-Matic, was said to run and drive smoothly. Some chassis work was done although cracked bushings and steering play were still present. The Skyliner offered a lot of bang for the buck.

Pontiac was in one of its “we secretly kinda want to be European” moods when it was working on the new third-generation ’82 Firebird Trans Am. The division often cast its gaze across the Atlantic for inspiration, whether in name (GTO, Grand Prix, 2+2) or in style. John DeLorean wanted radial tires for the 6.5-Litre GTO but couldn’t get it okayed by the bean counters; the late-’60s OHC-6 engine had a decidedly continental vibe; the ’73 Grand Am was pushed hard as a European-type sports sedan despite an available 455 under the hood (though billed as a Euro-esque 7.4 Litre) and a two-ton curb weight. This tendency could be seen even after the ’70s, when a badge-engineered Chevette was called the T1000 because alphanumeric naming conventions were in vogue, and the Australian-built new-millennium GTO was pitched as a BMW 3-series competitor.

Shaker hoods, plastic wheel spats, and hood-width bird decals were not part of the plan for the new-for-’82 Trans Am. Indeed, the model itself almost didn’t make it for 1982, so keen was Pontiac to distance itself from its Burt Reynolds-tinged past. Instead, the new 1982 Trans Am presented a smooth, cool, technical vibe with ads touting its aero-friendly, ultra-efficient .31 coefficient of drag. This compared to its all-American, rock-and-roll Z28 sibling, with its five-spoke wheels, bright colors, rocker stripes, and tire-smokin’ yee-haw American-muscle car-reborn presence. Despite their shared underpinnings, the Z28 was Journey; the Trans Am was the Eurythmics.

Hindsight and history suggest that maybe Pontiac took things a step too far; the man in the street in 1982 couldn’t tell a Trans Am from a base Firebird. Lesser ’Birds could get the same wheel trims and hatch-lid spoiler as the top-of-the-line car did, so how could anyone tell? Car nerds knew to look for the offset-scoop hood, a style remnant of the turbocharged second-gen Trans Am despite that engine going away. T/A also got behind-the-front-wheel heat extractors and super-subtle aero enhancements ahead of each wheel, both low-key nods to formerly bold trademarks.

Of course, being subtle was the antithesis of traditional Trans Am buyers, so it should have been no surprise when sales plummeted, despite (or because of?) the slick new style. The division sought to rectify this issue with some haste: barely a year past launch, Pontiac debuted its Daytona Pace Car edition Trans Am, which added several crucial pieces (including ground effects that encircled the body) to keep it from looking like base model machines.

The style became more distinctive as the power improved. GM’s top F-body engine in ’82 was a twin throttle-body-injected five-liter small-block pumping out 165 horses; the five-liter Mustang of the era had fewer horses, but was lighter, and so was a marginally better performer. Chevy engineers built a “development project” Camaro and raced it at the grueling 24 Hours of Nelson Ledges road race. Thus proven, the resulting 190-hp 305, called “HO” (for “high output,” which seems silly now but makes sense for the era in which it was built) became the F-body’s top powerplant in late 1983 and ’84. Alphanumeric code nerds will know it as L69, but the HO designation was in Pontiac’s naming convention for its top engines since the ’60s.

The mods boil down to good old-fashioned hot rodding: improved breathing, higher compression, better exhaust, and a hotter cam. Chevy installed the camshaft from the just-launched C4 Corvette; this increased both valve lift and duration, as well as moving the power peak and torque peak higher in the rev band. The engineers ditched the throttle-body fuel injection in favor of a four-barrel Rochester carb with electronic feedback control—maybe not a bad move when Chevy’s Cross-Fire Injection was cruelly called “Cease-Fire Injection” by its detractors. The new air cleaner assembly was said to be good for 12 horsepower by itself. Exhaust was also significantly revised: The new system started with 2-1/4-inch header pipes, flowed through a Corvette catalytic converter, and used a 2-3/4-inch single pipe to blow through the muffler and short twin pipes that grew from it. Engineers also installed a knock sensor that could enable a boost in power to a nice round 200 horses if the engine was run on premium unleaded; the sensor would inform the electronic ignition, which then adjusted engine timing automatically. Abandoning the higher-tech electronic fuel injection wasn’t necessarily in keeping with Europhile aspirations, but there’s little argument that it worked.

Customer response to the newly invigorated V-8 was as positive as you might imagine: a few hundred were built late in the 1983 model year, but a total of 25,088 L69 Trans Ams were built for 1984: 7,051 of them were five-speed manuals featuring the new lighter flywheel Borg Warner T5 gearbox. A total of 55,374 T/As were built for 1984, so just less than half of all ’84 Trans Ams were equipped with the 5.0 HO. All L69 Trans Ams were required to get beefier suspension, including 32-mm front and 21-mm rear anti-sway bars that helped early third-gen Trans Ams corner at a .83g—higher than a contemporary Z28s, and tuned to stay tidy, rather than hang the tail out. Good-handling American cars weren’t uncommon at that point, but Trans Ams had clung to hot-handling ideals longer than most domestic cars had, even the sporty ones. The WY6 chassis package, as our photo example has, possessed everything the vaunted WS6 package did, including four-wheel-disc brakes, save for a limited-slip differential.

Parallel to the Trans Am line’s performance flowering, Detroit’s convertible resurgence was getting under way. Europe, of course, had never stopped making convertibles, and merrily continued their importation throughout Detroit’s pop-top drought. American manufacturers got back into the ragtop business in the early ’80s, with Chrysler’s K-cars, Ford’s Mustang, Buick’s Riviera, and Cadillac’s Eldorado. The new-for-1982 F-body, meanwhile, was only available as a coupe—with and without removable T-tops.

But what Detroit cannot (or will not) provide gives the automotive aftermarket a foothold. Enter Richard Straman, who initially chopped the tops off Ferraris and made them look as if they rolled out of Maranello that way. Alas, Ferrari conversions were few and far between, so Straman sought out other machines to decapitate. As he told the Los Angeles Times in 1998, “When Detroit got out of the [convertible] business, I knew it was time for me to get in.” Now that’s the all-American entrepreneurial spirit at its best. For a while, the company was converting up to 50 third-gen F-bodies a month (two a day!); the conversion commanded five grand in 1984 dollars—roughly 50 percent more than the ten-grand Monroney advertised for a basic Trans Am or Z28 coupe.

“People think it’s just a matter of cutting off the top and putting on a canvas one,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “But it’s not that simple. Half the work is in re-engineering the structure” to make a machine that doesn’t fold up on itself at the first speed hump. Stir in the notion that the unit-body third-gen F-chassis was notoriously flexy, and you may fear what happens after decapitation. The first step was to remove the hatch and T-top glass, as well as the interior, and slice at the B-pillars and across the header panel. A bulkhead was welded in behind the rear seat to both provide a top well and to separate the trunk; its proximity to the rear suspension points helped stiffen the chassis across its width. Various chassis-stiffening efforts were employed to bolster the floor pans, including body-length bracing that tied the front and rear subframes together, thus approximating a perimeter-frame chassis. The folding soft-top came next. A hinged steel trunk lid was constructed, paint-matched, and installed, and the interior was put back in with new bits and pieces (including a snap-fit tonneau cover) fabricated as required by the addition of the roof mechanism. The rear seat, such as it was, remained in place.

The Straman-converted Trans Am shown on our pages is now owned by Mike Guarise of Scottsdale, Arizona, though he also lives in Illinois part-time. Built in January of 1984, the Dark Gold Wing Metallic body (with gold decals and body accents) was sold new out of Bob Longpre Pontiac of Westminster, California, and was subsequently sent to the R. Straman Company in Costa Mesa for its convertible conversion. It was a well-equipped machine: air conditioning; cruise control; the Luxury Trim Group (including leather-trimmed Lear-Siegler front bucket seats, color-keyed seatbelts and “luxury doors”); power windows; remote decklid release; tilt wheel; a Delco AM/FM stereo with graphic equalizer and clock (now replaced by a more contemporary Alpine head unit) as well as the UQ7 subwoofer/ speaker system, leather-wrapped Formula steering wheel, and more. It had an MSRP of more than $16,000 already, before it was released into the clutches of R. Straman, whose conversion added the aforementioned- five-g’s on top of that. Europeans then, as now, prefer to shift themselves, and so the five-speed stick that appears here is perfectly in keeping with those divisional ideals.

As we suggested when we ran our recent story on Mike’s pair of early- ’70s Buick GS 455 Stage 1 four-speed ragtops (HMM #211), the notion of a convertible muscle car feels slightly contradictory. Muscle cars got on with the job at hand, all tense and filled with fury; heavier, flexier convertibles feel more likely to stop and take in the scenery. There’s more going on there than sheer straight-line speed. Yet in the ebb and flow of Mike’s car collection over the decades, it appears that he’s growing attracted to these topless terrors—shift-it-yourself stormers that let the sun shine in.

We don’t even have to gaze upon this unrestored, 28,000-mile, Straman-converted T/A and wonder what might have been. Turns out, we know: GM finally relented in 1987 and offered ragtop Firebirds through official channels until the end of the F-body line’s life in 2002. The only surprise is that it took the division as long as it did to catch on. How can something seemingly so European—a fine-handling five-speed pop-top GT car with 200 horses on tap—be so American too?

SPECIFICATIONS

PRICE

Base price: $10,689

Options on car profiled: B20 luxury trim group, $1,304; air conditioning, $730; L69 HO V8, $530; WY6 Special Performance package, $313; UU6 deluxe AM/FM cassette stereo with equalizer and clock, $590; power windows, $215; six-way power driver’s seat, $215; UQ7 speaker system with subwoofer, $150; tilt wheel, $110; tinted glass, $110; California emissions, $99; DG7 power mirrors, $91; NP5 sport steering wheel, $75; remote deck lid opening, $40; additional acoustic insulation, $40; floor mats, $35; UA1 heavy-duty battery, $11. Pricing does not include Straman convertible conversion.

ENGINE

Type: GM “corporate” (Chevrolet-type) OHV V-8, cast-iron block and cylinder heads

Displacement: 305 cu.in.

Bore x stroke: 3.74 x 3.48 in

Compression ratio: 9.5:1

Horsepower @ rpm: 190 @ 4,800

Torque @ rpm: 240 lb-ft @ 3,200

Valvetrain: Hydraulic valve lifters

Main bearings: 5

Fuel system: Single Rochester 4-bbl carburetor, mechanical pump

Lubrication system: Pressure, gear-type pump

Electrical system: 12-volt with GM CCC (Computer Command Control)

Exhaust system: Single 2 3 ⁄4 -in exhaust with dual-exiting muffler

TRANSMISSION

Type: Borg-Warner T-5 five-speed manual, full synchromesh

Ratios: 1st/2.95:1 … 2nd/1.94:1 .… 3rd/1.34:1 .… 4th/1.00:1 … 5th/0.74 … Reverse/2.76:1

DIFFERENTIAL

Type: Corporate 7.5-inch 10-bolt housing

Ratio: 3.73:1

STEERING

Type: Recirculating ball, power assist

Turns, lock-to-lock: 2.5

Turning circle: 36.7 ft

BRAKES

Type: Hydraulic, four-wheel disc, power-assist Front/Rear: 10.5-inch disc

SUSPENSION

Front: Independent, MacPherson struts, coil springs; anti-sway bar

Rear: Rigid axle; two trailing arms; coil springs; torque arm; telescoping shock absorbers, Panhard rod, anti-sway bar

WHEELS & TIRES

Wheels: Cast aluminum, drop center; Front/Rear: 15 x 7 inch

Tires: Goodyear Eagle GT radial; Front/Rear: 215/65R15

PRODUCTION

Pontiac produced 55,374 Trans Ams for the 1984 model year. A total of 25,088 L69 T/As were built for 1984, with 7,051 of them five-speed manuals. Total number of Straman-converted third-gen Firebirds is unknown but believed to be in the low hundreds across multiple model years.

PERFORMANCE*

Acceleration: 0-60 mph: 6.7 seconds…0-100 mph: 17.8 seconds

1/4 mile ET: 15 seconds @ 93 mph

Top speed: 134 mph

*Source: Car and Driver, June 1983 (190-hp Camaro Z28 5-speed)

SPECIFICATIONS

PRICE

Base price: $10,689

Options on car profiled: B20 luxury trim group, $1,304; air conditioning, $730; L69 HO V8, $530; WY6 Special Performance package, $313; UU6 deluxe AM/FM cassette stereo with equalizer and clock, $590; power windows, $215; six-way power driver’s seat, $215; UQ7 speaker system with subwoofer, $150; tilt wheel, $110; tinted glass, $110; California emissions, $99; DG7 power mirrors, $91; NP5 sport steering wheel, $75; remote deck lid opening, $40; additional acoustic insulation, $40; floor mats, $35; UA1 heavy-duty battery, $11. Pricing does not include Straman convertible conversion.

ENGINE

Type: GM “corporate” (Chevrolet-type) OHV V-8, cast-iron block and cylinder heads

Displacement: 305 cu.in.

Bore x stroke: 3.74 x 3.48 in

Compression ratio: 9.5:1

Horsepower @ rpm: 190 @ 4,800

Torque @ rpm: 240 lb-ft @ 3,200

Valvetrain: Hydraulic valve lifters

Main bearings: 5

Fuel system: Single Rochester 4-bbl carburetor, mechanical pump

Lubrication system: Pressure, gear-type pump

Electrical system: 12-volt with GM CCC (Computer Command Control)

Exhaust system: Single 2 3 ⁄4 -in exhaust with dual-exiting muffler

TRANSMISSION

Type: Borg-Warner T-5 five-speed manual, full synchromesh

Ratios: 1st/2.95:1 … 2nd/1.94:1 .… 3rd/1.34:1 .… 4th/1.00:1 … 5th/0.74 … Reverse/2.76:1

DIFFERENTIAL

Type: Corporate 7.5-inch 10-bolt housing

Ratio: 3.73:1

STEERING

Type: Recirculating ball, power assist

Turns, lock-to-lock: 2.5

Turning circle: 36.7 ft

BRAKES

Type: Hydraulic, four-wheel disc, power-assist Front/Rear: 10.5-inch disc

SUSPENSION

Front: Independent, MacPherson struts, coil springs; anti-sway bar

Rear: Rigid axle; two trailing arms; coil springs; torque arm; telescoping shock absorbers, Panhard rod, anti-sway bar

WHEELS & TIRES

Wheels: Cast aluminum, drop center; Front/Rear: 15 x 7 inch

Tires: Goodyear Eagle GT radial; Front/Rear: 215/65R15

PRODUCTION

Pontiac produced 55,374 Trans Ams for the 1984 model year. A total of 25,088 L69 T/As were built for 1984, with 7,051 of them five-speed manuals. Total number of Straman-converted third-gen Firebirds is unknown but believed to be in the low hundreds across multiple model years.

PERFORMANCE*

Acceleration: 0-60 mph: 6.7 seconds…0-100 mph: 17.8 seconds

1/4 mile ET: 15 seconds @ 93 mph

Top speed: 134 mph

*Source: Car and Driver, June 1983 (190-hp Camaro Z28 5-speed)

As of this writing, NASA’s Artemis I mission is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, any second now. By the time you read this, it will have laid some of the groundwork for returning to the moon (and, eventually, Mars and beyond) for the first time in half a century.

In 1969, the first time that man set foot on the moon, Volkswagen managed to once again smash it out of the park with one of its Beetle ads. Even during the campaign’s legendary run throughout the ’60s and into the ’70s, the famously self-deprecating ads generally showed a picture of a Beetle. Or parts of a Beetle. Or a line drawing that resembled a Beetle… something that reminded you of the distinctive lines of car itself.

Not this time. There was no Beetle to be seen. Instead, there was a black-and-white photo of (presumably a model of) the Apollo space capsule that landed on the moon in July of 1969— possibly the only vehicle on earth (or off?) that was better-known than the Beetle in that moment. Presumably, the capsule was a safe choice to show, in part because it wasn’t actually competition—you couldn’t pop down to your local NASA retailer and get a screaming deal on last year’s Apollo space capsule on MSO before the new, facelifted ones were trucked in from the factory.

At the same time, Volkswagen’s hat tip to America’s latest technological accomplishment was meant to do more than elicit a smile or recognition from a magazine reader’s face. It’s celebrating the event in America, to an American audience, without getting all flag-waving about it; because VW is a German company, anything more overtly patriotic would feel awkward and forced. It’s also more than a little ironic, coming from a car company whose policy of slow evolution and rarely changing specification was the selling point of its success.

It’s the tagline—“It’s ugly, but it gets you there”—that pulls everything together. It’s a message that VW had been pounding into consumer’s heads for the better part of a decade, and it’s one that an American vehicle maker finally took to heart. Ugly but reliable. VW ads wore these insults as a badge of honor. The 1930s styling was a feature, not (if you’ll pardon the pun) a bug. It’s game recognizing game. And suddenly, instead of celebrating America’s accomplishments, it’s a car ad again.

Today we are returning to space, but the Beetle isn’t being built anywhere on Earth. Germany stopped building them in the ’70s, air-cooled versions were put to rest in the first decade of the new millennium, and even its water-cooled, front-drive replacement has now been put to rest. What car company, if any, will have the temerity to link their product with our latest space-exploration efforts? Will that ad (whether on TV, in magazines, or clogging up your Facebook feed) become another instant classic? We’ve already waited half a century to find out, but time will tell.

I’ve always wondered why it is that Instagram influencers go crazy over the Sixties slab-side Continentals and not the fuselage 300s. While the former have that mid-century flair and those rear-opening rear doors (and benefit from that one that appeared briefly in The Matrix), the latter have an equally big, menacing, and laid-back vibe but do it with muscle-era styling and muscle-era powertrains. Maybe it’s the fact that the 300 hasn’t yet had any iconic film roles? Maybe the 300 doesn’t look as good bagged and sitting on 20-plus-inch wheels? Whatever the case, there’s a lot to appreciate with this 1970 Chrysler 300C listed for sale on Hemmings.com. An entirely original and low-mileage car, it was not only a special-order car with a good deal of options, it’s also been well preserved by its two documented owners. Maybe it’s time to snag one of these before some Hollywood type decides to cast one in the next blockbuster.

From the seller’s description:

35450 Actual Miles in excellent Original Condition. You are looking at the nicest Chrysler 300 Convertibles we have ever seen. These big Chrysler 300s are never seen on the road or on the market. Very few survived, far fewer exist in this condition. Only 1077 were produced on this final year of the 300 Convertible. Any Chrysler collector has a rare opportunity to own one with a great history, in excellent original condition and completely ready to ride.

This beautiful 1970 Chrysler 300 convertible was designed like a Hot Wheels car from front to back. Of course that is just our opinion but take a look at its sleek styling, long front grille with hide-a-way headlights, and the straight across rear bumper with taillights from end to end. Its like nothing seen before and based on its rarity, you may not see again.

Please allow us to say a bit more about this gorgeous Chrysler 300 convertible starting with its paint. The Factory color code, Jade Green (F8) has been refinished to a beautiful shine. Dings, dents or rust is non-existent) Chrome and trim are beautiful. The white convertible top and white boot is original and in excellent condition visually and mechanically. The power top goes up and down easily with barely a sound. The rear window is glass, not plastic. No stretching or pulling is required to lock the top into place. The interior is also 100 percent original and in excellent condition everywhere! Leather seats are immaculate. There are no dash cracks at all. This 300 is fully loaded with some really nice options. Options include factory air conditioning that blows cold, AM radio (R13), tilt & telescopic steering wheel (S61), rim blow horn, cruise control, power windows, drivers side power seat, bucket seats with optional headrests and center arm rest, fender mounted turn signals (L31), vent windows and more. The famous Chrysler COLD light on the dash works properly and shuts off when the engine has warmed up.

This 2 owner car has been meticulously kept by both. The original owner had the car built himself. It was not a car sitting on the lot. The original owner documents this in a letter to the second owner. The second and last owner of this Chrysler was a Chrysler Engineer who later became the owner of a Chrysler Dealership in Germany. He made sure that every single part on this car was original from the start and remained that way under his ownership. Even the washer fluid bottle was replaced with a $400 original NOS tank rather than an aftermarket replacement. Yes, $400 for what looks like a plastic milk container.

The 440ci 350hp 4bbl was standard on the 300 and provided more than enough power to go and come as fast as you please. Starting is easy, idling is smooth and quiet and getting on it stands up to most any car on the road from its day. The cool looking hide-a way headlights work perfectly. The undercarriage is rust free and super clean. There is a very thin layer of surface discoloration in some areas as you would expect from a 53 year old car that has been driven. It has never been artificially undercoated.

Documentation includes the original owners manual, warranty booklet, original literature and best of all, the original broadcast sheet. This car has spent its entire life in the South Eastern portion of the Good Ole USA under both owners. Both have kept in touch before and after each sale.

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