Diego’s Autohunter Picks

Once in a while, an AutoHunter rep messages me with things like, “Some interesting cars I have coming up for your radar!” And it was very true for this week as we have several cars below that should have mass appeal. But why do they appeal to me? It could be a certain color combination of an already-stellar model, or a car I wanted as a kid, or a special model created to introduce a new feature, or simply something that invokes nostalgia even though many don’t “get it.”

For you into foreign makes, I apologize that those are not among this week’s AutoHunter Picks, but you still can visit AutoHunter to find your import dream car.

1969 Plymouth GTX Hardtop
I recently wrote about these cars and how to distinguish a ’68 from a ’69. Whoever ordered this one certainly tried to make it pretty, what with the “R6” Scorch Red with White vinyl top.

But what truly makes this car distinctive is the White & Red interior — White interiors generally received black components, but it was possible to choose the components from Blue, Tan, and Green interiors since those also were choices for the GTX. So pretty!

1993 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra
When Detroit began to rediscover horsepower and emerge out of the Malaise, this Mustang was the hot car that kids like me wanted (aside of the Cobra R, of course). Two-hundred forty horsepower was a good 15 horses more than the typical 5.0, too.

Ironically, the redesigned 1994 Mustang GT didn’t improve on that — in fact, it fell to a pathetic 215. If you’re a fan of Foxes, this is peak Mustang, one of 5,100 built.

1966 Ford Galaxie 7-Litre Hardtop
Ford introduced this sub-model of the Galaxie 500/XL to showcase the new 428 engine, which was rated at 345 horsepower and 462 lb-ft of torque. 7-Litre hardtops and convertibles came standard with bucket seats and console, styled steel wheel covers, padded dash pad, and more.

Ford really had some nice interiors in this era (note the 1967 Mustang), and the 7-Litre is no exception. If you’re not a purist, perhaps you’d appreciate the upgraded suspension.

1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham
Some of you may cringe, but this was the kind of stuff I would see as a kid every September when the new model year would debut. These are the cars that my parents shopped, my friends’ parents owned, and my friends drove when they were used and worthless.

See that interior? I sat in that and listened to Led Zeppelin II straight through (thankfully, not an 8-track) for the first time. Laugh all you want, but this car showed that GM still had it.