Instagram Jump Start: 1965 Pontiac Tempest storms to the top

20 February 2017

Although stock vs. modified is an argument as old as Ford vs. Chevy, you don’t have to pick sides to love the 1965 Pontiac Tempest that we featured on Instagram last week. The custom ride certainly crossed party lines while cruising to victory as the most popular post on HagertyClassicCars.

It seems there was something for everyone, as a 1932 Auburn 8-100A Speedster and 1974 BMW 3.0 CSL “Batmobile” also received plenty of attention, as did a 1951 Ford Victoria and 1967 Chevrolet Camaro. Here are the five most-popular posts on HagertyClassicCars from last week:

1965 Pontiac Tempest (1,674 likes) – Among the custom mods to this gorgeous 1965 Pontiac Tempest: an aluminum radiator with internal fans, rack and pinion steering, power brakes and Rallye wheels with red-line tires. In addition, the Tempest’s two-speed automatic transmission was replaced with a four-speed automatic, and its V-8 engine was stroked, increasing displacement from 326 to 376 cubic inches.
1932 Auburn 8-100A Speedster (1,445 likes) – Designed by Alan H. Leamy, the Speedster stands just over five-feet at its tallest point. The sleek sports car – powered by a 98-hp, 260-cid Lycoming inline-8 engine – is often referred to as a boattail speedster … for obvious reasons.
1974 BMW 3.0 CSL (1,414 likes) – The “CSL” in the 1974 BWM 3.0 CSL stands for Coupe Sport Leicht – or Coupe Sport Light. By removing the trim and using Perspex (acrylic glass) for the side windows, thinner steel for the main body-shell and aluminum alloy for the doors, bonnet and boot lid, BMW saved 300 pounds – “Leicht” indeed.
1951 Ford Victoria (1,349 likes) – The 1951 Ford Victoria – Ford’s first pillarless hardtop – featured two-tone paint and a wrap-around rear window. This one is powered by a 100-hp, 239-cid flathead V-8 engine.
1967 Chevrolet Camaro (1,308 likes) – Plenty of options were available on the first-year 1967 Chevrolet Camaro. The RS package included blacked-out grill with hidden headlights, revised parking and tail lights, upgraded interior trim and RS badging. MSRP for a ’67 Camaro RS (with 327-cid V-8) was $2,677. Adjusting for inflation, that’s about $19,645 in today’s economy.

You Liked It, We Love It – Every week there’s a photo on HagertyClassicCars that we think deserved a lot more likes than it received. This shot of Ray Harroun’s 1911 Indianapolis 500-winning Marmon Wasp – equipped with what is believed to be the first rearview mirror – is one of those.

Best of the Rest – Perhaps you’ve seen Peter Kumar and his classic car dealership, Gullwing Motor Cars, featured with Wayne Carini on the Velocity Channel’s “Chasing Classic Cars.” But even if you don’t know a Gullwing from an Eagle Talon, you’d be hard-pressed to scroll past this photo by @gullwingmotorcars. The stunning image of a black 1967 Ferrari 330GTC parked under what we’re guessing is the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge in Astoria, N.Y., is a work of art. It’s our favorite auto-related post of the week.