In popular culture, old-car ownership has become a rich man’s game. But plenty of people love old cars. What about those of us who are bucks-down, who crave a taste of something vintage but don’t want to mortgage the house? With Dollar-a-Pound, a concept we liberated from the late, great LeRoi “Tex” Smith and have twisted to our own ends, we find clean, running vintage cars from the pages of the Hemmings classifieds that fit within the confines of the brief. Expect a lot of four-door sedans, post-’72 iron, and imperfect cars. We make no assertions about their condition, beyond the notion that they’re advertised as running, driving cars. Cars like this are everywhere that salt didn’t eat them alive. They may not start (or end up) pretty. They may not become your forever car. But they could be an awful lot of fun for a while–and they may help remove the stench of unobtanium from our hobby.
It’s all a question of perspective. On the one hand, a four-door sedan with a non-original interior and driveline, budding rust around the wheel openings, may not get the hardcore collector’s pants on fire. But consider: it’s a running, driving ’60s model–a ’65 Ford, all-new and legendarily strong and quiet. Full-frame solidity and suspension that is still used by NASCAR teams. It’s a Galaxie 500, not a low-line Custom, so it’s got some sparkle. It’s got a modern driveline–a fuel-injected 302/AOD liberated from an SN95 Mustang. The interior has a color other than black, and cloth means you won’t stick to the seats. And more modern minds will be able to sort out mechanical issues, since the Ford Windsor lasted into the 21st century. Pictures say $4,995, but the ad itself has seen the price dropped to $3,995 firm, near enough to a dollar-a-pound for our liking
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