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.
1-of-14 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Flaunts Rare Drivetrain Combo, Burnt Orange Suit
2 Sep 2022, 21:34 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced in 1968, the Plymouth Road Runner arrived in showrooms as a lower-priced alternative to the GTX. But even though it wasn't as fancy as the latter equipment-wise, the Road Runner was available with Mopar's most potent engines at...
1953 Chevrolet 210 Was Left To Rot in a Barn, Gets Rescued After 41 Years
2 Sep 2022, 15:21 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Many classic cars end up in barns following accidents or simply because their owners are no longer able to drive them. Some, on the other hand, are retired to be restored but life gets in the way and they remain in storage for decades. This 1953 Ch...
Mysterious 1962 Chevy Impala SS 409 Found in a Parking Lot, Is It a True Lightweight Car?
2 Sep 2022, 12:30 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Like many full-size nameplates that debuted in the 1950s, the Chevrolet Impala went racing in the early 1960s. Introduced in 1963, the Z11 lightweight drag racer is arguably the meanest and rarest Impala ever built, but Chevy also put together race...
Color-Shifting 1975 Chevrolet Caprice Is a Proper Donk on 26-Inch Wheels
2 Sep 2022, 09:48 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Color-shifting paint is a very cool thing to have on your car. But because it's expensive to apply and maintain, you rarely see such a thing on a production model. But that didn't stop enthusiasts from turning their rigs into four-wheeled...
Super-Rare 1981 Ford Durango Pickup Discovered in a Garage, Still Runs and Drives
1 Sep 2022, 15:15 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / When talking about a Durango we usually think about the SUV that Dodge introduced in 1997. But believe it or not, Ford also sold a vehicle with a "Durango" badge. It happened from 1979 to 1982 and the vehicle in question was a coupe utili...
1959 Pontiac Catalina Comes Out of the Barn After 22 Years, Gets First Wash
1 Sep 2022, 12:40 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced as a trim level on the Chieftain in 1950, the Pontiac Catalina became a stand-alone model in 1959. It debuted as the company's take on the Chevrolet Biscayne, which had been introduced in 1958, and soldiered on until 1981. Even t...
1941 Chevrolet Master Looks Ready To Haul Moonshine, Nasty Surprise Under the Hood
31 Aug 2022, 17:44 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced in 1933 as a replacement for the Eagle, the Master was Chevrolet's main offering for a whopping seven years. But even though it remained in production for a very long time, it didn't become too popular with hot-rodders, as its ...
Abandoned Property With Everything Left Behind Has Vans and Trucks Hiding in the Bushes
31 Aug 2022, 15:59 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Derelict cars are usually associated with barns and junkyards, but many of them have also been left to rot away on abandoned properties. And this one has been left behind for so long that they've been reclaimed by nature. Documented by YouT...
This Unique 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Might Have Saved Your Life
31 Aug 2022, 13:34 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / When it comes to the Plymouth Road Runner, most Mopar enthusiasts rave about the HEMI version. And for good reason, because at only 2,003 units built from 1968 to 1971, the HEMI Road Runner is a rare bird. But here's a non-HEMI car that might ...
Ford Econoline Twins Go Drag Racing, They're Quicker Than You Think
31 Aug 2022, 11:22 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Drag racing was all about two-door hot rods back in the day, but now we see all sorts of vehicles hitting the drag strip, pickup trucks included. But I bet you haven't seen a pair of first-generation Ford Econolines running the quarter-mile at...
1991 Dodge Li'l Red Express Dakota Is Almost As Cool as the Real Deal, Needs Help
30 Aug 2022, 19:58 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Remember the Dodge Li'l Red Express of the late 1970s? Yup, I'm talking about the limited-edition version of the D-Series truck that was faster and more powerful than a Chevrolet Corvette! Introduced in 1978, it exploited a loophole in...
Abandoned, Mysterious Farmhouse Has a Massive Classic Car Graveyard
30 Aug 2022, 15:44 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Exploring abandoned houses and properties is quite fascinating if you're into old things that get left behind. But it all becomes even better when the said property is still home to a few classic cars. Sometimes they're still in decent...
Can't Afford a 1955–1957 Chevrolet Nomad? These Wagons Are Cheaper and Just As Hot
30 Aug 2022, 13:59 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced as a two-door wagon version of the Bel Air in 1955, the Chevrolet Nomad wasn't exactly popular. While Chevrolet sold almost five million Tri-Fives, including 2.2 million Bel Airs, from 1955 to 1957, only 22,897 of them were Nomads. ...
1965 Chevrolet Corvair Gets Saved After 27 Years in a Barn, Still Runs and Drives
30 Aug 2022, 09:46 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / When it comes to Chevrolet barn finds, we all get excited about Corvettes, Camaros, and Bel Airs. But how about a Corvair? Have you seen one come out of the barn recently? If you haven't, this blue beauty was recently rescued after spending al...
1968 Plymouth Road Runner Looks Unassuming, Hides Rare Factory Option
29 Aug 2022, 15:25 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced in 1968 as a more affordable alternative to the GTX, the Plymouth Road Runner became an instant hit with muscle car enthusiasts. Plymouth sold more than 44,000 units in 1968, but sales climbed even higher to around 81,100 examples in 196...
Classic Mopar Stash Found in the Desert, Includes Rare 1970 Road Runner, Super Bee
29 Aug 2022, 11:26 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Come 2022 and restored muscle cars are selling like hot cakes at public auctions. And the rare ones have become quite expensive too, fetching six-figure sums. But not all of them have been lucky enough to get restored. Many classic muscle cars are ...
1969 Plymouth Road Runner A12 Was Drag Raced for Years, Now It's a 1-of-1 Gem
28 Aug 2022, 20:33 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced in 1968, the Plymouth Road Runner became an instant hit, moving almost 45,000 units in its first year in the market. 1969 was even better, and it went into the history books as the nameplate's best year, with 79,000 units ordered. ...
This Platform Camper Turns the 2023 Ford Maverick Into an Affordable Overlander
28 Aug 2022, 15:30 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / If you're planning on buying a 2023 Ford Maverick, you probably heard the good news: the order books are set to open on September 15, while production will finally commence on November 14. But there's even better news to share if you want...
The Story of the Oldsmobile Aerotech, the 275-MPH Supercar You Never Knew Existed
28 Aug 2022, 13:20 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Retired in 2004, the Oldsmobile brand left behind 107 years of history and a long list of automobiles that incorporated groundbreaking technologies and designs. The Aerotech of the 1980s is perhaps one of its most radical creations. Developed in...
1964 Chevrolet Impala SS Spent 44 Years in a Barn, V8 Refuses To Die
27 Aug 2022, 19:34 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Cars that spent four to five decades in storage usually come out all rusty and with no hope to be saved. But sometimes they take all those years of sitting quite well and emerge in one piece and still worthy of a second chance. This 1964 Chevrolet ...