Gauging the value of classic concept cars and design studies is difficult. Some of these cars were timeless classics that inspired significant production models; others were forgotten the minute the auto show spotlights moved on to the next bit of news.
This 1954 Oldsmobile F-88 was designed during the Harley Earl era and explored how other GM-branded cars might be built around themes established by the 1953 Corvette. Like Chevy's then-new sports car, the Olds concept employed a fiberglass body, but was powered by a V-8. Pontiac built a similar dream machine, called the Bonneville Special, that had a glass canopy roof. The F-88 hit the three million-plus jackpot at the Barrett-Jackson auction in January 2005 and will star at a new automotive museum to be built in Colorado. After 51 years, it'll be back under the spotlights again.
Coverage May 1965
Comet, Skylark, 442--sad to say, all names of the musclecar past. And check out that vintage fifth-wheel timing rig. While the latter has since been replaced by radar and GPS technology, the two institutions highlighted at the bottom of this cover have only grown more legendary: the NHRA Winternationals and NASCAR's Daytona 500.