Well dear readers, as you’ve heard me say several times on this blog over the last year or so, I have acquired so many T-Jets that I’m now at the point where the only ones I still want that I don’t already have are getting very expensive. We’re into the rare ones now, or if not “rare,” exactly, certainly those that are harder to find and for which the competition is fierce. And just last week, in the midst of another brief but blinding snow storm, I managed to bag two more from a local collector who is slowly letting go of a few of his treasures. In fact, he presented me with a couple of cases full of cars I would have loved to have, but taking today’s prices for these rarer originals into account, I had to be selective, and I think you’ll agree the 2 I selected are good ones!
Two of the most desirable of all the originals are the ‘68/’69 Dodge Charger and the ‘68 Ford Torino GT. Up to this point, I had only managed to acquire one of each of these, so now I have 2, with the addition of these…
Dodge Charger in RED
One of the things I’m trying to do is acquire original Chargers in the colors that Johnny Lightning and Auto World did NOT make their reproductions in. JL never made a red one, and here is an original! Red is not one of more rare colors on this car, but it sure looks good, and this one is in mighty good condition as you can see! It runs on an original-era closed rivet chassis which needed a little oil-and not much else-to start running like it should. I added my last set of Jel Claws 2031’s to the back to clean up a pair of mis-matched tires, so its now as good as new!
Ford Torino in GREEN
Some will say green is the rarest of the 5 colors the Torino was made in; others will say the black one is the rarest. I don’t know which is true, but I know they ALL cost a fortune to obtain! I have a nearly pristine red one I paid through the nosey-wosey for 2 years ago, but this one cost more than that! While it does have a few scrapes on the hood, it is overall in very good condition, with unbroken A-pillars, unsplit screw posts and uncut wheel wells, and best of all, the gold stripes are in-tact and in good shape. Not much more you could ask for in such a rare piece, since, if it were in “mint condition,” it would have been well beyond my price range. When I first put power to this one, it smoked, which scared me thinking I had a burned-out motor, but it seems it was only “blowing cobwebs out,” because as I slowly reapplied and ramped up the power, it started running great! A little oil, and it’s now fast and smooth as butter!
The closed-rivet chassis on both cars seem to be in great shape, and with a little cleaning and love and some new tires both are awesome additions to my collection! The growth of this collection is slowing, though; and significantly. It’s going to be a few months before I can buy any more considering the prices these things are getting. My next “whale hunt?” A RED ‘68 Firebird! Anyone got one you’d like to sell? Contact me!
Red and Green! It must have been like Christmas for you!
And just about as expensive as X-mas! 😐