Ciprian Florea
7,158 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 1966 AMC Rambler Marlin Is a Fabulous Survivor With Original Paint
24 Feb 2024, 19:20 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Established in 1954 by the merger of Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson, American Motors Corporation (AMC) became America's fourth largest automaker. The company survived for only 34 years until it was purchased by Chrysler in 1988. But even though it...
Pink 1955 Studebaker President Abandoned for 30 Years Runs, Drives, and Needs a New Home
23 Feb 2024, 21:36 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / While it's not the most iconic Studebaker ever produced, the President was an important nameplate for the company. The President debuted in 1926 to replace the Big Six, the firm's premium model. It was one of the finest American automobil...
1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Sounds Vicious up the Goodwood Hill
23 Feb 2024, 18:53 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Established in 1966, the Trans-Am Series attracted ten automakers in its inaugural season and became a highly popular competition. While European carmakers usually contested the "Under 2 liter" class, the "Over 2 liter" category...
1968 Dodge Charger Is Dressed To Impress, Flexes Rare Color
23 Feb 2024, 15:46 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / When talking about golden-era Mopars, we usually think about HEMI-powered Dodges and Plymouths in High-Impact colors. And that's not surprising because these cars are both eye-catching and powerful. And based on the current market trends, they...
1968 Dodge Charger Parked for 44 Years Is All Original and Numbers-Matching
22 Feb 2024, 20:26 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / With 96,100 units sold, the 1968 Dodge Charger is anything but rare. However, unrestored examples that are still in one piece more than 50 years since they left the factory are tough to find. The Dark Green Poly example you see here is a fully-fled...
Perfectly Restored 1971 Plymouth 'Cuda Shines in B5 Blue/White Combo
22 Feb 2024, 16:34 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / When it comes to early third-generation Plymouth Barracudas, it's the early HEMI 'Cuda rigs that take the spotlight. And the reasons are pretty simple: the 426 HEMI is Chrysler's most iconic engine and these cars are rare and highly ...
First-Year 1966 Dodge Charger Looks Stunning in Bright Red
22 Feb 2024, 14:19 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced in 1968, the second-generation Dodge Charger appears to be the most popular iteration of the nameplate nowadays. And that's not surprising. This version looks far more aggressive than its predecessor and quickly morphed into one of ...
1970 Plymouth GTX Raced for 51 Years Still Rocks Original Limelight Paint, Mystery V8
21 Feb 2024, 15:32 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Having original paint on a 50-year-old car is definitely a deal-breaker if you're into pristine paint jobs. However, it's a plus on the classic car collectors' market, especially if the said vehicle is rare. But have you ever seen a ...
One-Owner 1981 Chevrolet Impala Hides a Controversial Surprise Under the Hood
20 Feb 2024, 16:25 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced in 1958, the highly popular Chevrolet Impala remained in continuous production until 1985. The sixth-generation version, which debuted in 1977, marked the end of the line until Chevy revived the nameplate in 1994. But that's not ...
All-Original and Unrestored 1972 Plymouth Barracuda Is an Incredible Garage Find
20 Feb 2024, 15:05 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced for the 1970 model year, the third-generation Plymouth Barracuda was a massive departure from its predecessors. Built on the brand-new E-body platform, it gained a more aggressive design, and Chrysler's high-compression big-block V8...
1957 Dodge Texan Survivor Is a Super-Rare Find, Takes First Drive in Years
20 Feb 2024, 13:20 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / With the economy in full swing after World War II, both manufacturers and car buyers embraced the "bigger is better" philosophy in the 1950s. Full-size vehicles were selling like hotcakes, and automakers were looking for ways to get even ...
This 1973 Plymouth Road Runner Is One of the Last High-Impact Mopars Ever Built
19 Feb 2024, 20:31 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / The jury is still out on when the golden muscle car era came to an end, but to most Mopar enthusiasts, it happened in 1971. That was the final year for Chrysler's high-compression big-block V8 engines, which included the iconic 440-cubic-inch ...
1969 Dodge Charger R/T Garage Find Flaunts Triple-Green Suit, Stripe-Delete Option
19 Feb 2024, 14:34 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced in 1966, the Dodge Charger moved 37,344 units in its first year in showrooms. The following year, however, sales slumped to just 15,788 examples. This prompted Dodge to redesign the Charger, giving it a sportier look and a more mundane i...
This Onboard Footage of a Porsche 908/3 Racing up a Mountain Pass Will Make Your Day
19 Feb 2024, 10:53 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / What's the first car you think of when seeing a Porsche badge? If it's the 911, that's perfectly normal. Well, I usually think about race cars because Porsche built quite a few unforgettable track beasts. I'm obviously talkin...
1974 Dodge Charger Parked for 40 Years Emerges With Rare Factory Sunroof
18 Feb 2024, 19:27 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced in 1966, the original Dodge Charger remained in production through 1978. Dodge produced four different generations, all with unique characteristics in terms of design and performance. The first-generation version arrived as a high-per...
Rare 1967 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Hidden for 46 Years Emerges With Rebuilt 302 V8
17 Feb 2024, 14:04 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Introduced for the 1967 model year, the Chevrolet Camaro was more than two years late to the emerging pony car market. But that didn't stop it from becoming a popular rig. With nearly 221,000 units delivered, the 1967 Camaro was outsold by the...
1968 Plymouth Road Runner Hides Numbers-Matching Gear Under Flawless Avocado Green Body
16 Feb 2024, 17:52 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / In 1967, Plymouth offered no fewer than three midsize cars with high-performance engines. The lineup included the bread-and-butter Belvedere, the slightly fancier Satellite, and the premium GTX. But this didn't stop the brand from adding a fou...
Golden-Plated 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Pays Tribute to GM's 50 Millionth Car
16 Feb 2024, 16:08 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / Gold-plated trim may be the type of bling you'd expect to see on a rapper's car, but automakers actually did it long before hip-hop music became a thing in the 1970s. And I'm not only talking about luxurious cars built for kings in t...
1931 Ford Truck Abandoned for 75 Years Looks Hopeless, Engine Agrees To Run
16 Feb 2024, 13:22 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / How long is too long for a classic vehicle to sit without a sip of gasoline? Well, the average "Will it run?" video suggests most engines spring back to life with little work after 20 or even 30 years. However, this 1931 Ford Model AA rev...
Forget About the Ford Model B, This 1934 Hudson Terraplane Is Drop-Dead Gorgeous
15 Feb 2024, 19:48 UTC · By: Ciprian Florea / When it comes to affordable vehicles from the 1930s, the Ford Model B is regarded as one of the most beautiful. It's a classic I'd definitely park it in my garage, especially in two-door coupe or roadster form. However, I'd choose th...