Ciprian Florea
7,127 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.
This 1964 Studebaker Wagonaire Is a Rare Hauler With an Even Rarer Feature
18 Apr 2024, 15:29 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Although it emerged from WW2 in strong financial shape, Studebaker was losing money by the early 1950s due to the sales war between Ford and General Motors. The company merged with Packard in 1954, but it wasn't enough to get things back on tr...
1970 Dodge Challenger Has It All: All-Original, R/T Goodies, Rare Engine
18 Apr 2024, 13:28 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced for the 1970 model year, the Dodge Challenger was an instant hit and moved nearly 77,000 units in the US, outselling its E-body sibling, the Plymouth Barracuda, by more than 25,000 examples. It was the nameplate's best year, which m...
1970 Chevrolet Chevelle LS6 Looks Like a $500K Holy-Grail, but There's a Catch
18 Apr 2024, 11:53 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / The golden muscle car era spawned a long list of powerful machines, some with more than 400 horsepower on tap. Chrysler had several 400+ horsepower nameplates in showrooms thanks to the 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI V8, rated at 425 horsepower. T...
This 1977 Pontiac Can Am Is a Rare and Forgotten Malaise-Era GTO
17 Apr 2024, 14:58 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / What's the first car you think of when you hear the name Pontiac? It's the GTO, right? Well, that makes a lot of sense because it's the brand's most celebrated nameplate. Despite the fact that it was rather short-lived. Intro...
1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Boasts Original Paint and a Performance Option We All Love
17 Apr 2024, 13:12 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / 1969 was a big year for the Ford Mustang. With sales having dropped by a whopping 32% percent in 1968, Ford decided to introduce new performance-oriented options in 1969. In addition to the Boss 302 and 429 homologation specials, FoMoCo also unleas...
All-Original 1953 Hudson Hornet Is Still Fabulous After 32 Years in a Barn
17 Apr 2024, 11:43 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / In 2022, Dodge gave the Alfa Romeo Tonale a makeover and launched it as the Hornet. It was its first compact SUV since the Nitro. The crossover also revived the Hornet name after 45 years. American Motors previously used it on a compact car. Howeve...
1924 Ford Model T Wrapped in Hand-Woven Wicker Is Unlike Anything You've Seen Before
16 Apr 2024, 15:28 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Built for a whopping 19 years between 1908 and 1927, the Ford Model T is generally regarded as the first mass-produced and affordable automobile. The car that put America on wheels, the Model T sold more than 15 million units and remained the world...
Michigan Barn Opens Up To Reveal Big Mopar Stash With Rare Dodge, Plymouth Gems
16 Apr 2024, 12:04 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Individual Mopar barn finds are cool, but it all becomes even better when a big building opens up to reveal an entire stash. And when the said collection includes rare gems from the golden muscle car era, it's pretty much barn-find heaven. And...
1968 Dodge "Bullseye" Dart Is a One-of-None HEMI Gem With Modern Tricks up Its Sleeve
15 Apr 2024, 20:00 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / The Dodge Dart came to be in 1960 but needed a few years to settle in the position it became famous. Originally a full-size rig, the Dart was re-assigned midsize duty in 1962. Dodge redesigned it for the compact market a year later, replacing the s...
Unrestored 1958 Plymouth Plaza Flexes Rare Options Combo, Runs Like a Champ
15 Apr 2024, 15:16 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / When discussing Plymouths from the 1950s, we usually think about the Belvedere and the Fury. Nameplates like the Plaza, Savoy, and Suburban are rarely remembered outside the Plymouth fan club. Introduced in 1951 as a pillarless hardtop version o...
Massive Junkyard Hidden in the Woods Is Home to Over 1,000 Classic Cars
15 Apr 2024, 13:09 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Car junkyards are sad for two reasons. First, they tell stories of vehicles that have been discarded when newer cars became available. Second, only a tiny fraction get rescued and restored. But even so, some junkyards are nice places to hang around...
1971 Dodge Challenger Parked for 44 Years Hides Indy 500 Secret, Gets First Wash
14 Apr 2024, 16:50 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / About a month ago, I introduced you to a 1971 Dodge Challenger that was unearthed after sitting for a whopping 44 years in a barn. A rare convertible still sporting a numbers-matching engine, the Mopar emerged back into the light as a decent-condit...
Bill Goldberg Shows Off Super Rare 1970 Dodge Coronet R/T; It's a Triple-Black Beauty
13 Apr 2024, 12:14 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Bill Goldberg celebrated April Fools' Day 2024 in style by taking delivery of his 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170. And like the huge Mopar nut he is, he ordered a one-of-a-kind unit finished in Green Machine, an optional hue given to only ...
1970 Plymouth Road Runner Parked for 44 Years Has Original Paint, Bad News Under the Hood
12 Apr 2024, 09:37 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced in 1968 as a more affordable alternative to the GTX, the Plymouth Road Runner soldiered on through 1980. Plymouth produced three generations until 1976, when the Road Runner became a trim and graphics package for the Volare. Naturally, t...
Superb 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix SJ Flaunts Rare Drivetrain Combo
11 Apr 2024, 19:51 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / When discussing legendary Pontiacs from the 1960s, we usually think about the GTO, Bonneville, and Catalina. The Grand Prix, which the brand unveiled in 1962, is generally left out of the conversation. And that's a shame because this rig was a...
1951 Henry J Gasser Neglected for Decades Is a Cool Piece of Drag-Racing History
11 Apr 2024, 14:55 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / The American car industry has produced countless iconic automobiles since the first Ford Model T left the assembly line. But it also gave vehicles we barely remember and nameplates (or even automakers) we completely forgot about. The Henry J is one...
Unrestored Barn Find: 1957 Chevrolet Nomad Needs TLC After 30+ Years in Storage
10 Apr 2024, 15:31 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced in 1955, the Chevrolet Tri-Five was one of the most revolutionary vehicles of its era. Available with Chevy's first mass-produced V8 and in a massive variety of body styles and trims, the Tri-Five sold like hotcakes. The nameplat...
1968 Pontiac Firebird Previously Owned by Nancy Sinatra Flexes Super Rare Pink Mist Color
10 Apr 2024, 13:44 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Pink is a color many enthusiasts don't want on their muscle cars. They say it's too feminine and looks out of place on a vehicle that's supposed to burn rubber when the pedal hits the metal. But that didn't stop the Big Three fr...
1958 DeSoto Shopper Hidden for Years Is a Rare Wagon You Probably Never Knew Existed
10 Apr 2024, 11:52 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Walter P. Chrysler created the Chrysler Corporation from the remains of the Maxwell Motor Company in 1925. Three years later, Chrysler purchased Fargo Trucks and Dodge and established two brand-new automakers. These were Plymouth and DeSoto. Whi...
Rare 1969 1/2 Dodge Super Bee A12 Roars Back to Life After 35 Years
9 Apr 2024, 11:09 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced for the 1968 model year, the Dodge Super Bee joined the muscle car market as a more affordable alternative to the Charger. It was launched alongside the Plymouth Road Runner, a stripped-down version of the GTX. The Road Runner was not...