• Celebrating 4/06 With Ford’s One-Year Hi-Po FE Big Block You Should Know

    Byjustpastevehicles

    Henry Ford II declared war on everybody in 1962. His “Total Performance” mandate brought Ford factory racing support to drag strips, ovals, and road circuits around the world; in nearly every arena, Ford’s weapon of choice was the V8. The 406 was the latest evolution of their thin-wall FE big block, arriving mid-year for regular customers and racing teams alike. This transitional performance motor was in production for just one year, until it was superseded by the mighty 427 in mid-1963.

    Click above to open the article in a full-window viewer, or hit the “share” arrow to download the PDF.
    This 1962 feature from Hot Rod by Ray Brock spells out the differences in great detail. What made the 406 more than just a punched-out 390 was its strength. The cylinder wall castings were thicker, and the bottom end was similarly beefed up. Cross-bolted main-bearing caps were added later in the production cycle—a first for Ford V8s. New heads had larger exhaust valves and tighter combustion chambers, giving the motor an 11.5:1 compression ratio out of the box. Factory ratings were 385 horsepower with a single four-barrel carburetor and 405 with three two-barrels.

  • Question of the Week: What Car Would You Choose for a Jolly-Style Conversion?—WINNER’S UPDATE — Explained

    Byjustpastevehicles

    WINNER’S ANNOUNCEMENT:

    We’re back to announce the winner for our Question of the Week, where our winner will rest on their laurels and accept a $25 credit for a hat or T-shirt from the BaT Gear Store.

    This week, we asked: What car would you choose for a Jolly-style conversion?

    Thanks to everyone who chimed in! Since the Italian translation for Jolly is “Joker,” it was serendipitous that thiss question landed a day before April Fools’ Day, but your answers were anything but a joke. BaT member @IsAlwaystheAnswer left the most-liked comment this week for the Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Landaulet. But seeing as he’s a three-time QotW champ, we went with another one of our favorite nominations, which came from @shakingthrough for the Citröen 2CV: 

    “How about a Jolly Citroen 2CV – France’s version of the People’s Car. It was designed to carry a basket of eggs through a freshly ploughed field without breaking any. Instead put a cooler and picnic basket in the back, and you could certainly traverse a rocky beach in style.”

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    shakingthrough commented on Question of the Week: What Car Would You Choose for a Jolly-Style Conversion?—WINNER’S UPDATE

  • Yesterday’s comments of note: A Practical Look

    Byjustpastevehicles

    A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:

    “Thank you all for the love and nice comments for this beautiful NSX-T. Hard to see it go but excited to see it start its next chapter with @Matchbox1095. I hope you’ll enjoy owning and experiencing this car as much as I have! Congrats!”

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    cdav0 commented on 1998 Acura NSX-T 6-Speed

    “Brown cars are underrated.”

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    OwenPoodiack commented on Anthracite Brown Metallic 2025 Porsche 911 Turbo 50 Years

    “The CKD cars assembled in Belgium were for tax purposes. The cars were shipped “body in white” with the drivetrain out of the car and no interior trim installed. Final assembly and paint were done in Belgium and avoided import taxes somewhere around 30%.
    While no production records from Belgium have survived, the TR Registry has obtained shipping manifests that lists vin numbers and engine serial numbers along with the dates they went. As the cars were shipped to Belgium in small…”

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    YankeeTR5 commented on 1968 Triumph TR5 PI 5-Speed

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    Event Coverage: Kobus on Ice You Should Know

    Byjustpastevehicles

    Can we call @kobus a correspondent-at-large? He certainly manages to get around, and has covered (and participated in) events from Southern California to South Africa. Last month, he joined up with the Northeast Cyclekarts club for their annual New England ice race, and was kind enough to share his account of the proceedings. Words below are courtesy of kobus, with photos by kobus and Jonathan Lust.
    February 21st, 2026—Little Squam Lake, Ashland, New Hampshire
    It’s been a long and cold winter in the Northeast, and what better way to lean into it than by racing on ice?

  • A Look at yesterday’s comments of note

    Byjustpastevehicles

    A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:

    “This was about as cool as it got in the HS parking lot in late-80s Connecticut. Love it.”

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    maxtodon commented on 1981 Volkswagen Scirocco 5-Speed

    “I have this near identical car. Patina’d sahara, warmed over M10, goldish wheels, mint interior, same rust spots, and even the same roof rack. Out of my small fleet, this one gives me more smiles per gallon than the rest.
    Having an engine done by Korman is a real nice bonus. Ray has a great shop and is a top tier engine and restoration shop. Hopefully the next new owner can show it off at At The Vintage event in Maggie Valley this weekend.”

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    N2MYE30 commented on 1973 BMW 2002 5-Speed

    “A great example of the fabulous Chrysler styling of the era. Combined with the best engines, transmissions and suspensions, these were the cars to have back then. GLTWA”

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    Spartanman commented on No Reserve: 44-Years-Family-Owned 1958 Chrysler Windsor Hardtop Coupe

  • Yesterday’s comments of note You Should Know

    Byjustpastevehicles

    A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:

    “@ctalisman
    Thank you bud. You have no idea what this car means to me. Money aside I always wanted one when I was a kid and a friend of mine had one once and would always wear blue socks because of the car. Just wonderful memories with this platform in my head.”

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    ZeusBearThor commented on 7k-Mile 2002 BMW M Coupe S54

    “That’s me with the seller. I believe we were snowboarding at Mt Hood that day. What a beast of a vehicle! It hauled many people to Mt. for a number of years. Great memories!”

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    BarrettSmith commented on No Reserve: 29-Years-Family-Owned 1974 International Harvester Travelall 100 Deluxe 4×4

    “I owned a J-car with V6, they were better and more reliable than they get credit for. Chevrolet did a great job styling the Z24, love the cowl-induction hood. Those tint headlight covers are pure 80s nostalgia, I sold hundreds of them back in the day.”

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    mr_smee commented on 44k-Mile 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 Coupe 4-Speed

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    What to Know About affordable 21st-Century Performance, Revisited

    Byjustpastevehicles

    In the podcast crew’s absence this week, we bring you a remastered version of episode 118. We talk about a Saab record holder, the “full mileage discount,” how much raw performance can be had for under $40k; scary prospects from AMG and Aston Martin, the ideal four-Porsche driveway for value seekers, and what’s in store for the first-year Bentayga.

  • What to Know About baT Success Story: Marshmallow in the Desert

    Byjustpastevehicles

    BaT member Pdigwig took his family on a camping trip on the way home from picking up the EuroVan Winnebago Camper that he won from ovdays in an August 2025 BaT auction, and he wrote in to tell us about it:
    After winning the auction on August 4, I contacted the owner, Richard, and asked if he could store the EuroVan Camper until I could fly from Detroit to Tucson to pick it up. He kindly agreed and moved the van to a storage area, where he kept it until October, when I finally had time off. It had been sitting for two months when my wife, our oldest daughter, and I flew into Phoenix to begin our journey home in Marshmallow, the EuroVan Winnebago Camper. We landed, rented a car, and drove down to the storage area near Tucson.

  • Here’s yesterday’s comments of note

    Byjustpastevehicles

    A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:

    “This was my dream car when I was in 1st grade. I had (and still have) a Matchbox car of this car in the same color! This brings back so many great memories. Cars are a beautiful reminder of the past. @seller – thank you for bringing this to auction. Best of luck.”

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    LegacyGraphicDesign commented on 1968 Jaguar XKE Series 1.5 4.2 Roadster 5-Speed

    “When I think about my 16 years with Penry, I often think about the adventures we went on. Here’s a little story for you….It was 2016 and I had been hired to do a show in Missoula, MT. The thought of not being able to mountain bike, camp, or play my guitar for a whole summer led me to pack him up and hit the road. I drove straight through to a friend’s house in St Paul. The next day I headed northwest to North Dakota so I could camp for a couple of days at Theodore Roosevelt National Park…”

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    PenrysMom commented on No Reserve: 2007 BMW 328xi Sports Wagon 6-Speed

    “Ok, I am digging deep into the Archives on this one. The year is 1992 and this is my high school yearbook. My buddy’s dad had a 1987 black 911 turbo and my friends brother had a 1987 928 S4, the third one is me in my dad’s Porsche at 17 years old dreaming off the future. That picture is 34 years old and 51 year old me has it in my garage still:) This car has brought me happiness for decades and hopefully the next care taker of it will experience the same joy it has brought me and my family.”

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    Desertautosport commented on Single-Family-Owned, 13k-Mile 1986 Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe

  • A Look at baT Auction Success Story: Surprise! A Z4 M Roadster

    Byjustpastevehicles

    BaT member NIACC is back with another Success Story, this time on a 2006 BMW Z4 M Roadster that he won from an October 2025 BaT auction:
    This Z4 M saved my marriage. That might be a huge exaggeration given that we’ve made it 57 years, but after sharing one car while in Florida last winter, neither one of us was looking forward to repeating that experience.