The Ford Mustang is a famous sports car that many people love. The 1968 model is known for its strong performance and stylish design, making it a classic among car enthusiasts.
Cobra Jet refers to a special version of the Mustang that has a really powerful engine, making it faster and better for racing. It’s a favorite among car fans.
The Shelby Cobra is a classic sports car from the 1960s that is famous for being very fast and exciting to drive. It was made to compete with European sports cars and is considered a symbol of American muscle. People talk about it because of its unique design and powerful engines.
The Ford Thunderbird is a classic car that started in the 1950s and is famous for its stylish design. Many people admire it for its history and unique look.
The Chevrolet Bel Air is an iconic car from the 1950s that many people love for its classic look and history. It's a popular choice for collectors and car enthusiasts.
RM Sotheby's is a company that auctions off expensive and collectible cars. They are very well-known and have a lot of clients around the world looking to buy or sell special cars.
When a car is 'heavily modified', it means that many parts of it have been changed from how it originally was, usually to make it faster or look different.
VIN means Vehicle Identification Number. It's a special number that helps identify each car and tells you details about it, like what kind it is and when it was made.
Staggered shocks are a type of car suspension where the shocks in the back are different from those in the front. This can help the car handle better on the road.
A hood scoop is a feature on some cars where there's a raised section on the hood that lets air in. This helps the engine get cooler air, which can make it run better.
Car
Ford Boss 429
The Ford Boss 429 is a special version of the Mustang that has a very powerful engine. It's rare and many car enthusiasts want to own one.
Original paint is the paint that was put on the car when it was first made. If a car still has its original paint and it's in good shape, it can be worth more money.
Aftermarket wheels are wheels that you can buy separately from the car's original manufacturer. People often choose them to change the look of their car or to make it perform better.
Quarter mile time tells you how fast a car can go in a straight line for a short distance. It's a popular way to measure how powerful a car is, especially in racing.
Car
Ford Cobra Jet
The Ford Cobra Jet is a special version of the Mustang that is built for racing. It has more power and better features for going fast in a straight line.
Crankshaft failure happens when the part that helps the engine turn breaks down. This can cause serious problems for the engine and may require expensive repairs.
Numerical axle ratios are a way to describe how the gears in a car's differential work together. A higher number means the car can accelerate faster, but it might not go as fast overall.
Radio delete means that the car was made without a radio. Some people choose this option to save weight or because they want a more focused driving experience without distractions.
The 'swiss cheese approach' is a way to make car parts lighter by drilling holes in them, similar to how Swiss cheese has holes. This helps improve the car's performance by reducing weight.
A brass tag is a small metal label on a car that helps identify it and keep track of its details. It's not very common, especially on older cars, which makes it special.
DSO means Domestic Special Order, which is a label Ford uses for cars that were specially ordered with unique features. These cars can be more valuable because they are different from regular models.
The Lotus Esprit is a stylish sports car from Britain that was made for nearly 30 years. It was known for being fun to drive and looked great, often compared to more expensive cars like Ferraris. People like to talk about it because it combines good looks with impressive performance.
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All right. Hey, it's Greg with the collected car podcast. We've got two really good
Original owner stories here one about a really special Lotus. So be sure to stay tuned for that
But first it is a really cool one. I know I talked a lot about Mustangs, but this one is truly spectacular
This one talks about a 1968 and a half the introduction of the Cobra jet big block 428 car
But not only is this the original owner of that 428 car
But he was also one of the engineers in charge of building this car at Ford back in 1967 1968
So be sure to stay tuned for that
But first I wanted to review some of the results we had from
Sotheby's RM Sotheby's at the Hershey
Falsale now I was not there in person and it's kind of a neat temperature check as far as how the market is going right now
And it's fairly strong now. This is going to be a little bit different because you'll hear some
Numbers that sold under the low estimate, but you know when I go into the years it kind of makes sense
We do have a big generational shift going on right now a lot of folks are moving into the newer car
So if you as I've said many times if you've always dreamed of having a 1957
Thunderbird or Chevy Chevy Belle air typically you are liquidating those at this point just because it's a generational shift going on
So what was interesting at Hershey is that this generational shift did play out
But there is some some bright spots out here
I think some of the younger folks are going into the early stuff as well brass era pre-war stuff
So I broke it up into a couple big categories here
basically
1939 and earlier so obviously that's all the pre-war stuff all the brass era stuff and then I also did
1940 to 1959 so we've got the 40s and the 50s there
1968 to 1979 so we had the muscle cars in the malaise area era and then
1982 today so Hershey's mostly known for pre-war cars and that is definitely what we saw here
86 of the cars of 141 cars on offer were pre
1940 and then we only had 41 cars from 1940 to 1959 10 cars
1960 to 1979 and then 1980 to today only four cars so heavily skewed in the pre-war
Direction now as far as total sales
Under the low estimate so estimates as I've said before it's kind of a fine art
You know corrupt coming up with the estimates especially in an ever-evolving
Landscape we live in here
So typically there's a low estimate and there's a high estimate
I always try to have the hammer price to fall right in between
But it's difficult especially as the trends are changing so from a total perspective out of 141 cars
54% of them sold under the low estimate so over half of them sold under the low estimate
25.5% sold mid-estimate and then
21% actually sold above high estimate
So how does this look when you break it out based on the time frames identified earlier?
almost 56% were the cars pre
1939 so that was a heavy driver of the cars that sold under estimate, but even more so the cars 1940 to 1959
64% 63.4% sold under estimate
So when you look at 1959 and earlier
Heavy drivers as far as what sold under estimate when you look beyond that now the the snapshot is small
Only 10% of the 1969 to 1979 car sold under low estimate and a quarter of the 1980 to today
But as I said before that was just one car. There were only four cars that were after
1980 now when you look at over it's not all doom and gloom when you look at the early stuff
pre
1939
19% sold over the high estimate and when you talk about 1940 to 1959 the 17.1% sold over high estimate
So the great cars continue to do very well the ones in great condition
Do very well. It's just the cars that are mediocre or just okay or not that desirable
That seemed to be selling under low estimate. So 1980s to today. That was a hot one
50% over high estimate and there were some real rock stars in this sale
So it seems like you know what when you take a car to auction
You just need to be realistic and open to what the market is demanding at that time for that particular car
So just a little brief look at what happened in Hershey
Now let's get on to some original owner stories and first off
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G Stanley at RM Sotheby's comm. Okay, we are at the Geneva Concorde elegance and
Yeah, this is a really special car with a really special owner and a really special story
So I'd like to welcome Roger Parlett. Hey, Roger. How are you doing today? Fine fine beautiful day. So what's so crazy?
This is not only
your car that you bought and
New but this is a very not only a cool fastback Mustang
But it's a very rare Mustang and on top of that you're one of the engineers that designed this is that right?
Yes, yes or developed it would be more accurate. I suppose
All right. Well, tell us what are we looking at here? And why is it so special and what was your role with it?
Okay, well, let me start at the beginning and in 67 to promote the new cober jet engine
Ford had to build 50 cars
To get them to dealers
Before NHRA would let them race at the winter national
so they got the 50 cars out, but
Part of this story is the fact that those 50 cars had some mechanical problems
Okay, and engineering was pushing the racing group
To work on the problems that one of the worst problems was a rear wheel hop
As was evidenced in the movie boa
Yeah, so especially is that when he's doing the reverse and smoking the tires and then forward
You could see it hopping bouncing in the rear there. Yes, and these these cars where they increased power
Were were really prone for that problem. Well, and that car was a 390 car. So I can't even imagine a 428 like this
Yeah, okay. Yeah, so
Uh, engineering was pushing and so they agreed to hold one car back
and work on
in engineering
And that was this car
Now I was working in the building not in that group, but in one close fight
and uh
Uh, I decided if there was any chance this car was going to be sold
I'd I'd put a purchase order in for it
But what I didn't know was how heavily modified the car
would be
With all these problems. So technically the cars should not have been sold
Yeah, and we'll go over some of these things which are really crazy, especially when we opened the hood
But for my listeners, so this is a 1968 and a half 428 cober jets
That was the launch of the cober jet engine
And the first 50 were considered they were made for drag cars, right? They're all whites
Yeah, were they all automatics? No, no, they were actually all manuals
Okay, this car was converted to automatic
Because it would increase the heat load on the engine
Okay, and then these are also known by their vinn
Numeric sequentially I can't just say that but okay, they're all 135s
Is that yes? Okay. So the first 50 cars and they all start with 135. So we'll get to that in a minute
Okay, all right. So tell us a little bit about what they did and what you did to this car to try to solve that problem. Well, uh
They welded on
Mechanical bars between the axle and the fork
But it really destroyed the ride quality. Oh did they okay?
So engineering wasn't going to go along with that
Right, they tried a lot of different things, but nothing was fixing the wheel hop. Okay
but
To be fair
The Pontiac had gone to a staggered shock
at the rear
And so this car had that
Change made
Probably one of the first cars that received the staggered shocks
So one thing I've noticed and I called this out when I first saw you I said, oh no black stripe because a lot of the
428 I think it's after the first 50 had the black stripe
Yeah, the first 50 not have the correct and also this is this hood scoop is specific to this car or to the
To the 428 and a half. Yes. So
They make coupes. They make like 34 convertibles obviously fastback. So that it's not the same as a mock one hood
It's not the same as a boss 429. It's specific to the 68 and a half. Correct
Okay, so when you bought this car
How did that go through? I mean, was it fine buying it that it was it running? Was it?
All sorts of prototypes. It was it was an overall good condition because it had so few miles on it
It only had 3000 miles. Okay, or less. I don't know exactly sure and
It's just that oh and it had a 430 axle ratio in it
Wow and once again to duplicate or to create the worst-case condition for heat. Okay. Yeah, so
So
Basically with that axle and everything you couldn't drive it on the highway
No, because you're spinning like 4500 rpm probably at 60 miles an hour something crazy
And I was originally going to race the car
but
I became aware of the fact that that racing it successfully would be so time demanding
Because I was working a lot of hours at Ford. Yes, and had a family
So the car sat it sat for many years. That's the bottom line
Has manual steering and manual brakes with a big block engine in the front big block
So it's a pain to drive like on a street like this. Yes, right?
I should have been here filming you as you were trying to park
Yeah, yeah, well you'll learn some tricks. Yeah, but uh, anyway, I was a very
Lucky to be able to acquire the car
and then and as the years went by
The 135 cars got to be more heavily known about and so the value of the cars was going up
And and that and about 10 years ago. I decided I'm going to have to get busy and restore the car
Okay, so it has been restored repainted. No, not repainted. Okay, that's original paint original paints. Wow
I was wondering because I do see the slight fading which makes sense if it's an original paint car on the other side
The primers coming through
Right, right because as I've power stiff too much
Yeah, well one, you know, if you're a stute watcher, uh, you'll notice these are not the original wheels
These are aftermarket wheels, but you have the originals at home. Now. Were they just like dog dish hubcaps? Yes, okay
Yes, I didn't care for no nothing special. No, no the cheapest lightest wheel
Because for new all 50 cars would have
Aftermarket wheels right installed, right? Yeah, so I'll overlay some pictures of these cars at the nhra
There's some famous pictures of these cars, you know with their front tires off the ground a little bit
You know and these things were just dominating the track back. Yeah
So this one was never actually campaigned or raced
I only I raced it in pure stock. Oh, you did. Okay, and uh, I was unbeaten
But that that that I can relake this story at that at that time
Mustangs weren't known to be high performance cars, right? So
The people I was beating were complaining
And so the track approached me and said if if you come back
We're gonna have to tear the engine down
Because mustangs should not be running as fast. Oh, wow, but that's was the new 428 corporate jet, right?
Yeah, it's yeah
So it's so funny because I would get beat up by my listeners every once in a while because I would I'd lumped in
Mustangs as a muscle car
Which technically they're pony cars, but I think this is the first true Mustang muscle car because before this
You know the 67 390s wasn't really a muscle car even though it was a big engine
But this is what really made Mustang a muscle car. You're not in your head in agreement. So that validates my opinion
I appreciate that finally
Henry Ford and
Iacocca we're getting after engineering telling them, you know, we're getting tired of getting complaints about performance
So we'll get busy and make something make power out of the 428
So what was the quarter mile time in one of these back in the this in pure stock? It ran 13.49
seconds 105
So for our listeners today that might not sound fast, but back in those days anything under
Like 15 was considered fast. Yeah, I know you're right. Yeah
And now today there's some minivans that probably go 14
In the corner when this car was set up for a super stock. Yeah, it ran in the low 11
Oh, wow. Okay, and that's even that's fast today. So what do you mind?
Walk us through can we open the door look inside because I know there's a couple cool things in here
So a couple things so it still has the vent tag
Where you can see the 135 right there
You can see the r for the cobra jet
Now it's a very looks like very basic interior
Now all the 428s have the the tack
Yeah, same yet
They're on the right and like you said it was originally a stick car
Yeah, but they had transitioned it to automatic to try to save the or stop the wheel hop
No, no to add to the heat load of the engine. Oh, okay. All right. They were doing
Uh, oh, I didn't mention that the crankshafts were failing
Oh, okay with the high numerical axle ratios. Yeah, okay
And uh, so we had we did not have an oil cooler
Developed okay for the first year
Okay
Now just for folks to know that tack and that gauge cluster is very very do you mind if I sit down and get a
No, go ahead
So this tack and this gauge cluster is very rare
Uh on shelbies as well very expensive. You don't have that now. This is cool radio delete
That's from the factory that way radio delete. Yes. Yeah, because why do you need to listen to the radio when there are no options? Yeah
All right, do you mind popping the hood because I know there's something special underneath the hood there
There's no gg fog lights side scoop or a c-scoop. All right, so
Now the vign is an s how does what is because because this car was built so early
It in some such in numerical language. It it reflects the 390 so to a bunch of the k r shelbies and you know
The the basic 390 right, right?
There were other parts that weren't available yet now exhaust manifolds
Were still 390. Okay. Yep, and uh
what else
And the whole exhaust system was 390 so that that 13 second time was was good
Considering it had the obsolete exhaust
Now there's a couple three things that really stand out. Obviously we have the cobra jet engine
Which is just a behemoth
But we also have the swiss cheese underneath the hood now. Was that done for racing?
Obviously to lighten the hood
It was a engineering challenge to take as much weight out of the front end as they could
So they they did that swiss cheese approach
Which which really didn't remove a whole lot of weight, but
Uh, it's an eye catcher. Is this the only one that has the swiss cheese? Yes. It's the only swiss factory swiss cheese
428 cobra jet. Yep, and then we have the uh planum opening here, which feeds up into the fiberglass hood scoop
You can see the fiberglass there
Something else that really pops out at me is uh
This brass tag here. I know those are pretty rare on these cars. You know why it's on this one?
All engineering cars would be assigned a brass tag
To simply keep track
of the program costs
And uh, how many are in each category?
V stands for a Mustang
868
And it's the 18th car
In that fastback series. Oh, wow. Okay. So a lot of those
Tags have been misplaced over the years. So I was lucky that one
Stayed with a car
So if I see a brass tag Mustang because I've seen him before and they didn't know that the brass tag was four
Yeah, that's an engineering car. Yes, really. All right. Well, I need to go back to that antique store
Where they had one of these there's something else. It's interesting
This uh, this large yellow tag. I saw that. Yeah
DSO
stands for domestic special order. Okay, and
It's it's very rare and it was put on there
To make sure the assembly plant didn't stick these
This new engine in the wrong car. Oh, wow. Okay
But what what what's interesting is you won't find that tag
on other cars
Because most of the new cars they just scraped it off. Yeah
Well, the other thing I saw which is interesting is this butt tag down here
Again, it has to 135
I don't know if I'm getting it in my shot here. It's a 135 on it
And uh, it's probably the cleanest buck tag I've ever seen because usually buck tags they'll identify
You know, is it a power top options convertible gt? Whatever and that one has nothing on it
So that would make sense for a 135 car. Okay
Wow
So
Why did you keep it so long?
Yeah, I didn't know what to do with it. I know exactly what to do with it. Of course, of course
20 years ago. I just became
Familiar with the fact that it was gonna be valuable. Sure. So then 10 years ago. I thought, okay
I've either got to sell it
or fix it because
57 years
It didn't look like that. Right, right, right. So I got busy. I retired
And uh, I I greatly enjoyed working on the car
Well, this is such a pleasure because when I first saw this car coming down the street the wheels threw me off
I said in the in the red carpet protector you have on the the dash
I thought oh, someone's really trying hard to make that look like a cobra jet not knowing this is probably the most significant cobra jet
Uh, I'll probably ever see so thank you for sharing this. Okay. Yeah, I've enjoyed it. Thank you. That is awesome. Okay
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All right, i'm at the Geneva Concorde elegance. We have another original owner's story. So john janis. How you doing buddy?
Good. Good. Well, this is quite a sight. We have here behind you
Um, I am not a lotus lotus expert by any stretch, but why don't you tell us a little bit about the car?
All right. Well, uh to to me the esprit is
Started out as the poor man's Ferrari. I think I
loved lotuses from the old james bond movies, you know, but uh
Lotus has been in financial difficulty over the years and they
Buy from or steal from a lot of parts bins or whoever had ownership
So it's why I kind of call it the poor man's Ferrari and why it was cheaper than a Ferrari, but handling wise
And uh, you know, I've been featured in a few movies pretty woman, you know the bond movies. So, um
This is kind of a
Evergreen design. Uh, it's been around for a long time from the early 70s and then they stopped producing them worldwide in 03
Um, they made at the end of 03 beginning of 04 79 cars
if I
Memory serves me correctly six went to japan
And the rest were here in the states north united states in canada in 04 they made 39 cars
This is number 32 of 39
It's a special order yellow this one and the last one are the only two in the yellow
And this is the only one with the magnolia interior. Wow. Um, yeah, it's a truly striking car
And like you said the design is evergreen. It's timeless
And they got more slightly more aggressive as they aged right because they started with the fourth cylinder
This is the v8. They did they started with the very first cars the bond car that went underwater
Was a four cylinder engine non turbocharged. So
The car had the look and the handling but it didn't have the engine
So then they turbocharged it and then they culminated in 1995 with an s4 s
Which was based on the racing engines in europe
Uh, my brother-in-law actually has one of those
And then they went a few years later to the v8. So this is a twin turbo v8
Um, it's rated at 350 horsepower
Most of them dyno had about 400
The sad thing is the car is only as good as its weakest component
This has a Renault gearbox when they first developed the slowest engine. It was putting off 500 horsepower
But the transmission couldn't handle it and because it's limited production and they knew
The end was near
They backed off on the engine
Because of the trans but great handling car gets a lot of looks stunning car
So I noticed like and this later ones the front air dance quite a bit larger
Yeah, and uh, but it's the engines in the back. So why is the air dance so much larger?
Well because the uh, the actually the radiator's up front
And then it's circulated. There's twin tanks to keep the car balanced on either side. Okay
Basically, this is just the spare tire and fuses in that now. When did they add the fender flares?
Okay, so
On the final edition cars because they went to a larger rubber. Okay, personally
I don't think it's as clean looking is the ones without it. It looks like an add-on, but
I actually when I ordered the car I dealt directly with Lotus cars USA
I didn't want the big wing
But they told me at speeds over 150 you need it for downforce
So you're a you're a you're a no-wing on a kuntas kind of guy
Well, I just think it's cleaner and then everyone was telling me well, this is how the car was made
This is how it came. So I got used to it. It's part of its
I guess part of its charm. Well, so yeah, let's get back to that
So you're the original owner of this car you ordered it new you expect it new did you pick the paint color?
Yeah, so like I said the final edition cars for whatever reason were done in metal flakes
So the typical yellow was a metal flake. I said no, I want lotus logo yellow
So it's actually called saffron
And I found out after I took delivery that this car and the very last car are the only two cars that were done in this color
So lotus logo means this right here. You got the same yellow
Yeah, that you have
Yeah, correct. Pretty much. That's what I asked for. Yeah, so and then
actually the the delivering dealer suggested a magnolia because I don't like dark interiors on a small cockpit
And uh, it's funny because I would have questioned that but this thing looks absolutely stunning in person
Yeah, well, my brother-in-law has a yellow similar and his is black with yellow piping
So this is the only one in this color combination. Wow, you're right. It does smell new. Holy cow
Let's not keep that door open too long. We don't want to lose that smell. So I only made one modification
Okay, so as I said earlier, we'll get the lotus was always in financial trouble. So whoever owned them
They were always stealing out of their partspin. Yeah, and at the time gm had a share in lotus
So if this had the original wheel in it, it's actually a Pontiac airbag steering wheel
Really, so and it looks like a pillow and vinyl. It's horrible. Okay. So I called and spoke with brian
Angus who was an engineer at the factory in hethel england
And he sent me the 2003 lotus a spree
Wheel that's on the european car. That looks so much better. Yeah, so it's a momo wheel
And it's actually the airbags are a joke. Yeah, because if you look at the passenger side
They said oftentimes when it deploys the idea is it's going to deploy up and then be forced back
It pops the windshield. Oh my god, but because it's such a low volume car
They didn't have to go through all the testing that you typically would
Um, so basically the airbags were useless anyway. So this is a non airbag wheel, but everything else is original
Yeah, such an attractive rear end on this thing. You got the v8 emblem right there
Got so they all came exactly like this with the center exhaust. Uh, yeah, and then final edition 32. Yeah 32 39
Yeah, and I sent it to auto europe in uh outside of detroit, michigan because
There are no lotus train v8 mechanics in illinois
Yeah, so we talked about that a little bit earlier. Tell us the headache with this uh
This v8 engine you have in here. Well, so the lotus franchise here is uh glenn view luxury
And I called them and they only work on the newer
Toyota based engines. So I called lotus cars usa and I said
Who has the equipment and knowledge to work on this? So the owner comes with this trailer every two years
Takes it back
Does what he needs to do and brings it back. Wow. Okay
Yeah, beautiful wheels not a how many miles you have on this car about 5,000. Wow
In 20 what 21 years 5,000 miles. Yeah, so well, they make fun of me in the lotus cup because I drive another car
It's kind of a time capsule car. Yeah. Yeah, so um, I don't put in many miles on it anymore
Now, what's the flak there on the dash?
Okay, so uh from the factory the final edition cars it says this car is hand built
And by lotus in hethel england for and it has my name in the venn number. Are you serious? Yeah
Oh, look at that
Wow, is that the factory radio everything is factory. Wow
Nothing, uh, I actually even have the original wheels, which they don't make any more tires
Oh, okay in case at some point
I wouldn't drive on them
But if you wanted to put the oem wheels on
I have those too. Are the original wheels like this. Are these bbs's?
No, they're uh, they were the originals
I believe were dunlop and they don't make them anymore. So this is the right spec for the car
Okay, but I'm just saying if somebody wanted to show it with as it came from the factory
Well, I did hang on to the goofy looking airbag wheel, which
Yeah, you could put the whole that in the trunk. Yeah. Yeah
Well, I judge for our ease and they we would probably ask you to put the steering wheel back on so you don't get
Yeah, well
So the funny thing is most the spree owners when they see the car the first thing they say is
We love that steering wheel. I so well, I called the factory. I didn't want to buy an aftermarket wheel
So I called the factory and like I said, I worked with brian angus. He was great
He sent all the parts and then my dealer installed them. Oh, that's awesome
Well, john, thanks for sharing such a incredible time capsule car that you've been a great caretaker of since day one. Yes. Thank you
Thank you. Oh one last kind of interesting detail if you want, I'll pop the back
Oh, yeah, I forgot we gotta look at the most important part here. We got the engine
So it's a very compact engine
Um
And one of the unique things about about the final addition because they are all
hand built
Is if you come on this side
That's the plaque of one man builds the engine and then signs it
Oh, yeah, there we go. So
One man builds the engine. So if you have an engine problem, you know who to blame
Well, he's probably not with lotus anymore, but yeah, I guess I have a finger I can point
You know, there's a lot of storage space in there more than I thought there would it's not bad
So I mentioned my brother-in-law has a 95
S4 s the high performance four banger is a big golf guy. So he has one of those robotic caddies
Oh, sure. He puts it in here. He puts a beach towel on his passenger seat puts his clubs in there and every sunday
That's his golf car. I love that. That's awesome
Well, thanks so much John. Thank you
About this episode
Greg dives into two captivating original owner stories, starting with a unique 1968.5 Mustang 428 Cobra Jet, featuring insights from its original engineer. He shares the challenges faced during its development and the car's significance in Ford's muscle car history. The episode then shifts to a rare Lotus Esprit, owned by John, who discusses its design, performance, and the personal touches he added. Both stories highlight the passion and history behind these iconic vehicles, making for an engaging listen for car enthusiasts.
Ever wonder what it's like to buy a dream car new—and still have it decades later? In this episode, Greg Stanley sits down with two remarkable enthusiasts who did just that.
First up is Roger Parlett, original owner of a 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback 428 Cobra Jet. As one of the Ford engineers who helped bring the 428 CJ to life, Roger offers a firsthand look at how this legendary muscle car came to be—and what it was like to drive one home from the factory.
Then, Greg talks with John Janisch, who purchased his 2004 Lotus Esprit V8 Final Edition brand-new—the very end of Lotus' exotic, analog era. John shares what it's been like to live with and preserve one of the final examples of a truly driver-focused supercar.
It's a rare glimpse into automotive history told by the people who were there from day one—still turning the keys to their own legends.
This episode is sponsored by our friends at California Car Cover — my go-to source for custom-fit car covers and detailing gear. They've protected both my '66 GTO and Porsche Boxster S, and I trust them to keep your collector car safe, too.
A special thank you to our new sponsor, Discover Once, curators of one-of-a-kind automotive adventures you'll never experience twice. Learn more at discoveronce.com/muscle.
And as always, huge thanks to RM Sotheby's for their continual support and for making so many of these automotive dreams possible.
Listen to the "Octane FM: Shift, Rev, Repeat" album on Spotify!
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Join RM Sotheby's Car Specialist Greg Stanley as he brings over 25 years of experience and keen market analysis to the world of collector cars. Each week, Greg dives into market trends, interviews industry experts, and shares insights—with a little fun along the way. New episodes drop every Thursday and are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Learn more at www.TheCollectorCarPodcast.com or email Greg at [email protected]. Interested in consigning a car at an RM Sotheby's auction? Contact Greg directly at [email protected].
