Ciprian Florea
7,287 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.
1970 Dodge Charger Parked for 15 Years Has a Rare Surprise Under the Hood
26 May 2023, 15:05 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced in 1966 as a somewhat luxurious fastback, the Dodge Charger morphed into a full-blown muscle car in 1968. The second second-generation model remained in production for three years, and it's now the most desirable iteration of the Ch...
1957 Chevrolet Corvette With Mysterious V8 Claims "Fuelie" Heritage, Needs a Lifeline
25 May 2023, 20:31 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced in 1953 as GM's venture into the emerging sports car market, the Chevrolet Corvette almost got canned after only a couple of years due to an anemic inline-six mated to a two-speed automatic and build quality issues. Thankfully, Zora...
Rare 1971 Pontiac Trans Am Saved After 40 Years in Storage Flaunts 455 HO Muscle
25 May 2023, 18:17 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Most classic cars end up in long-term storage due to mechanical issues that their owners never got around to fixing. And they emerge back into the light decades later with severe rust issues. However, some end up sitting in barns or garages as part...
This Stunning Collection of Le Mans Racers, Ferraris Included, Is Worth $40 Million
25 May 2023, 15:32 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / The 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world's oldest active endurance racing event, turns 100 in 2023. The event will be marked with various festivities, including a special auction with no fewer than 21 cars raced at Circuit de la Sarthe throughout th...
Holy-Grail 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle LS6 Found in the Utah Desert, Bad News Under the Hood
24 May 2023, 19:01 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / When it comes to Chevrolet classic cars from the muscle car era, we often get excited about rare, high-performance versions of the Corvette and Camaro. But Chevy's golden-era heritage extends well beyond these nameplates. The Chevelle, for ins...
This Eight-Door 1969 Plymouth Suburban Is a Rusty Behemoth Looking for a Second Chance
24 May 2023, 16:09 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Whenever I hear the word "suburban," I instantly think about the Chevrolet hauler. And I bet you do, too, for one simple reason. The Chevy Suburban came to be in 1934 and is still in production almost 90 years later (as of 2023). In short...
The 2023 Kode61 Birdcage Is a Stunning Tribute to the Iconic Maserati Tipo 61
24 May 2023, 13:03 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / It's been a while since we last heard of Ken Okuyama, the Japanese designer who penned the first-generation Honda NSX and a list of Ferraris, including the Enzo. Well, the former Pininfarina designer, who occasionally launched limited-edition ...
1968 Mercury Cougar Fastback That Shouldn't Exist Is Very Real and Awesome
23 May 2023, 19:34 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced in April 1964, the Ford Mustang kickstarted the pony car segment. Granted, the Plymouth Barracuda debuted two weeks earlier, but the Mustang's massive popularity prompted General Motors to create the Chevrolet Camaro and the Pontiac...
1971 Plymouth HEMI 'Cuda With Unique Paint Job Sells for Big Money
23 May 2023, 15:49 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / In early May 2023, I introduced you to a really cool 1971 Plymouth Barracuda. Not only fitted with the desirable and rare 426 HEMI V8, but it's also an unrestored and low-mileage gem. On top of that, it showcases a unique livery applied in the...
All-Original 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A Gets First Wash in 39 Years, Takes First Drive Too
23 May 2023, 13:39 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / When it comes to barn finds, nothing's more satisfying than seeing a classic that's been sitting for decades come back to life with proper cleaning. But it gets even better when the vehicle in question is a rare muscle car. Say a 1970 Dod...
Super Rare 1957 Chevrolet 150 Utility Sedan "Fuelie" Is a Black Widow in Disguise
22 May 2023, 20:41 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced in 1955, the Chevrolet Tri-Five became an instant hit, moving more than 1.7 million units in its first year on the market. The trend continued with over 1.6 million examples in 1956 and another 1.5 million in 1957. What made the Tri-F...
One-Owner 1976 AMC Gremlin X Is an Unassuming Sleeper, Drag Races Cadillac CTS-V
22 May 2023, 16:22 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Built from 1970 to 1978, the AMC Gremlin is regarded as one of America's worst cars. Yup, you'd be hard-pressed to find a "top 10 worst vehicles ever built" that doesn't include the Gremlin and its larger sibling, the Pacer...
The 50 Best Dodge Models of All Time (No. 10 – 1)
21 May 2023, 18:06 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Founded in 1900 as the Dodge Brothers Company, Dodge became a Chrysler division in 1928. Initially designated as a mid-priced brand above Plymouth, Dodge became a big player in the muscle car market in the 1960s. The company is also famous for i...
1970 Plymouth 'Cuda RTS Hidden for 46 Years Sells for $2.2 Million
21 May 2023, 16:44 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Built from 1970 to 1974, the third-generation Plymouth Barracuda spawned some of the rarest golden-era muscle cars. The list includes the 1970 and 1971 HEMI convertible, sold in only 14 and 7 units, respectively. Not only rare, but they're als...
Seemingly Hopeless 1962 Rambler American Comes Back to Life After First Wash in 33 Years
20 May 2023, 20:02 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / What's the first thing you think about you hear the words "barn find?" I usually picture a vehicle covered in a layer of dust thick enough to cover the worn-out paint and the surface rust. Because that's how most cars emerge out...
The Infamous 1970 Dodge Challenger HEMI "Black Ghost" Sells for Almost $1 Million
20 May 2023, 16:28 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / The 1970 Dodge Challenger "Black Ghost," one of the most anticipated classic cars auctioned off in 2023, just went under the hammer for $975,000. That's $1.07 million, including buyer premium, a record for 1970 Dodge Challengers of t...
Rare 1966 Pontiac 2+2 Sees Daylight After 35 Years in a Barn
19 May 2023, 20:46 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Pontiac may no longer be around, but GM's now-defunct brand had some of the coolest vehicles in showrooms back in the day. Especially in the 1960s, when the lineup included the GTO muscle car, the Firebird pony, the luxed-up Grand Prix, and th...
Award-Winning 1969 Chevrolet COPO Camaro Sells for Less Than Expected
19 May 2023, 14:57 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / The classic car market has gone pretty wild in recent years. Rigs that were available for less than $100,000 are now six-figure vehicles, while many golden-era muscle cars are now fetching about 25% more than they did just a few years ago. Oh, and ...
1956 Messerschmitt KR200 Time Capsule Shows Only 683 Miles on the Clock
18 May 2023, 20:46 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Born in the years following World War II as an alternative to motorcycles, microcars remained popular until the 1960s thanks to their low fuel consumption and affordable price and maintenance. The BMW Isetta is perhaps the most iconic, but Germany ...
1953 Hudson Hornet Looks Fabulous in Red, Boasts Iconic Twin H-Power Setup
18 May 2023, 19:35 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Established in 1909, the Hudson Motor Car Company brought many innovations to the automobile market. It introduced dual brakes, the use of dashboard oil pressure, and generator warning lights, as well as the first balanced crankshaft. While it surv...