Ciprian Florea
7,286 ARTICLES
Personal motto:
"If you can make black marks on a straight from the time you turn out of a corner until the braking point of the next turn, then you have enough horsepower." - Mark Donohue
You'll never catch him drooling over the latest supercar but he could spend hours talking about why he loves 1940s windshield visors, Mopars, and Studebakers. Naturally, most of his stories are about barn finds and rare classics.
He can give you several reasons why speed and power are more about motorsport than silly street wandering, and Can-Am machinery tops his ridiculously fast all-time favorite car list. He claims he could die happy after a Rattlesnake Raceway ride in a Chaparral and a cup of coffee with Jim Hall on the other side of the table.
Before landing on these pages, Ciprian's work has been published on outlets like TopSpeed, AmericanMuscle, and ThisWeekInMotors.
Unassuming 1960 Ford Starliner Is a Rare Sleeper With a Hi-Po V8
18 Aug 2023, 20:47 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / The 1950s was a rather busy decade for the automotive industry. Cars were evolving at a never-before-seen pace, and US automakers were introducing some of their most iconic nameplates at the time. Ford, for instance, debuted the Fairlane, Galaxie, ...
This 1963 Dodge Custom 880 Is an Unexpected Junkyard Gem With a Rare Feature
18 Aug 2023, 14:20 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / When it comes to 1960s Dodge classics, everyone is talking about the Charger, Coronet, Super Bee, and Dart. The Polara and Monaco are also getting a lot of attention. On the flip side, almost a handful of nameplates are getting ignored. The Dodg...
1970 BMW 2800 CS Hidden in a Garage for 38 Years Is a Stunning E9 Survivor
18 Aug 2023, 12:08 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / What's your favorite classic BMW? Are you a typical E30 and E28 kind of guy, or are you more into the company's gorgeous, pre-WW2 vehicles like the 327 and 328? Or maybe you're a fan of BMW's 1960s and 1970s creations before the...
1968 Pontiac Bonneville Comes Out of the Barn After 48 Years, V8 Roars Back to Life
17 Aug 2023, 20:36 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / The Bonneville name can be traced back to 1954 when Pontiac used it on a pair of Motorama concept cars. It found its way on a limited-production convertible in 1957 before it became a separate model in 1958. An instant hit at a time when full-size ...
1956 Pontiac Safari Sitting in a Field Is a Rare Alternative to the Chevrolet Nomad
17 Aug 2023, 18:01 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Built from 1955 to 1957, the Chevrolet Tri-Five is arguably one of the prettiest automotive designs of the 1950s. And not surprisingly, the range-topping Bel Air versions are hugely popular and quite expensive nowadays, despite not being all that r...
Pink 1968 AMC AMX Took Three Years To Restore, It's a Unique Playboy Gem
17 Aug 2023, 14:40 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Like most US vehicle markets at the time, the muscle car segment was dominated by Ford, GM, and Chrysler products. The Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, and Plymouth Barracuda disputed the pony car segment. The midsize muscle car market was even more...
1955 Oldsmobile Super 88 Parked 40 Years Ago Is a Drag-Racing Hero Awaiting Restoration
16 Aug 2023, 15:37 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced in 1949 and built until 1999, the 88 is one of Oldsmobile's longest-running and most iconic nameplates. It was the company's most profitable line from 1950 until 1974, and it's famous for its premium appointments and comfo...
This Triple Black 1968 Pontiac Parisienne Is Rarer Than Hen's Teeth
16 Aug 2023, 13:54 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Established in 1926 and discontinued in 2010, Pontiac is arguably one of America's most iconic carmakers. It's often associated with performance-oriented vehicles, but Pontiac also built massive full-size cars for decades. Famous nameplat...
1970 Plymouth Belvedere Is a Limelight Green Sleeper With a Nasty Surprise Under the Hood
16 Aug 2023, 11:49 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Built from 1954 to 1970, the Belvedere is one of Plymouth's most iconic nameplates. However, the midsize version that Chrysler began offering in 1962 doesn't get as much love as other muscle cars from the golden era. That's because t...
1969 Ford Cobra Flaunts Rare Performance Package and One-of-One Status
15 Aug 2023, 14:07 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / First used in the 1960s, the Cobra name is synonymous with high performance when it comes to Ford vehicles. Introduced on the Shelby Cobra in 1962, it was then used on the Cobra Jet engine from 1968 to 1970. It also found its way on a series of Mus...
This Junkyard Set Up in the Woods Is Loaded With Rare Classic Cars
15 Aug 2023, 11:52 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Most derelict cars end up in scrapyards. That's where they get dismantled, sold for parts, and eventually crushed. However, some owners opt to keep the vehicles they no longer use in backyards. The junkyard you see here is a bit different beca...
All-Original 1970 Plymouth 'Cuda Flexes Rare, Numbers-Matching Engine
14 Aug 2023, 19:45 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced for the 1970 model year, the third-generation Plymouth Barracuda brought the nameplate into muscle car territory. Moved on the new E-body platform, shared with the Dodge Challenger, the 'Cuda also gained full-time access to the comp...
1959 Ford Galaxie Barn Survivor Gets First Wash in 44 Years, V8 Springs Back to Life
14 Aug 2023, 14:43 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / What's the most beautiful American car of the 1950s? Well, that's a very tough question, but I'm pretty sure the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air would win an online poll, while the 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham and the 1959 Lincoln Continen...
1992 Ford Escort RS Cosworth Hidden for Decades Is the World's Greatest Rally Time Capsule
14 Aug 2023, 11:03 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Whenever I hear the words time capsule, I usually think about classic cars that emerge out of long-term storage still in decent condition. As in, they're weathered and far from perfect but still highly original. Well, here's a different t...
2023 US Police Fleet: Cop Cars You'll Meet in the Streets (and Some Rarities)
13 Aug 2023, 10:02 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Police cars have been around ever since automobiles started becoming mainstream. The first police vehicle dates back to 1899 when the Akron Police Department in Ohio acquired an electric wagon. It could reach 16 mph (26 kph) and travel 30 miles (48...
Derelict 1973 Ford Ranchero Squire Hides a Nasty Surprise Under the Hood
12 Aug 2023, 17:23 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / The Chevrolet El Camino may be the most iconic utility coupe, but it's not the vehicle that started the car-based pickup craze. That title goes to the Ford Ranchero. The El Camino arrived in 1959 as a two-door Brookwood station wagon with t...
Barn-Found 1933 Dodge Coupe Looks Incredible After First Wash in 58 Years
11 Aug 2023, 13:38 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Whenever I hear about a classic car that spent 50+ years in storage, I usually picture a rust bucket that's not worth saving. But that's not always the case. This 1933 Dodge coupe proves long-term storage doesn't become an issue when...
Junked 1967 Dodge Polara Convertible Looks Like a One-of-One Gem, but There's a Catch
10 Aug 2023, 15:50 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / For a nameplate that's been produced for 13 years, the Dodge Polara doesn't get as much love as it deserves. But that's not exactly surprising. It was built at a time when Dodge also sold iconic rigs like the Coronet, Charger, Challe...
Epic Barn Find: Rare 1959 Porsche 356A Sees Daylight After 38 Years
10 Aug 2023, 13:32 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Are you tired of seeing old and mundane American cars coming out of barns? Well, I can't blame you. Most barns and garages are packed with common US classics. But some still hide rare gems, whether we're talking about American muscle cars...
1968 Ford Torino GT Pampered for 55 Years Is Amazingly Original
10 Aug 2023, 11:11 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / What's the most iconic Ford from the late 1960s? I'd say the Ford Mustang sits above anything else, while the Le Mans-winning GT40 is a close second. But as much as I love the first-gen Mustang, I'm an even bigger fan of the company&...