Special Editions that aren't really special...

Every person who's selling an old car wants the buyer to think it's rare or special, obviously to drive the price up. However there's a lot of cars, some that the manufacturers even called "Special Editions" that are nothing, well-special, and don't warrant spending more money over a base-model. Here's some to look out for that would be cool drivers, but don't spend big money to buy, in no particular order. # 1. 1971-74 Dodge Charger SE. The "SE" package was purely cosmetic. In '71-72 it included hidden headlights, a vinyl top, upgraded upholstery and some chrome here and there. '73-74 models had exposed headlamps,upgraded upholstery, and ( in my opinion ) an ugly little "Opera" window that screwed up the Charger's classic roofline and a vinyl top. Power choices range from a 318 to a 440. If you can buy one cheap their alright, but there's nothing rare or special about them. # 2. 1973-75 Chevelle Laguna S3. These had body-colored endura front bumpers, swivel bucket seats, two-tone paint jobs and Rally wheels. Other than that their a garden-variety Malibu. Most have 350 power. Expect to pay substantially more for 454 models-but thats par for the course for any Chevelle or Monte Carlo-the Rat versions cost more. # 3. 1974-76 "Starsky&Hutch" Ford Gran Torino. Due to the popularity of the hit buddy-cop TV show, Ford dealers everywhere capitalized by selling droves of Torinos with the red and white paint job and aluminum slot mags. If they couldn't order them from Ford fast enough, they dressed them up in their own shops. Serramonte Ford-where I worked sold a few with GREEN interiors, because they repainted a white or green car with the red and white. Who buys a red car with green interior?  Several people did!  However-their a garden-variety Gran Torino. A lot of them had bench seats, and 2bbl 351M motivation. Not exactly a rocket. Expect to pay more for 460 models, but other than that, hey-its a '74-76 Torino-who cares?  # 4. 1977-79 Special Edition Trans-Am. "Smokey and The Bandit" sold a ton of these. Of the 68,000 T/A's sold in 1977 alone, over 15,000 were black and gold "SE's". Of the 93,000 sold in '78 and the 117,000 sold in '79-many thousands more are out there. In '78 and '79 they also had a Gold "SE" model. Except for the color scheme and the gold dash panel, their a garden-variety T/A. Power is either a 400 Pontiac or a 403 Olds V8. Their fine if you want a Disco-era T/A, but I wouldn't spend extra cash-like you would for a documented DKM "Macho T/A"-or a documented Herb Adams "Fire-Am".  # 5. 1978 "Silver Anniversary / Indy 500 Pace Car Corvette.  All of the 50,000 plus '78 Corvettes had "Silver Anniversary" badging. Over 10,000 had the two-tone Silver / Charcoal grey paint and silver leather interior. As for the Indy Pace Cars-GM said they to make at least one for every dealer. Since Chevrolet had over 7,700 dealers at that time-nearly 8,000 were built, although not every dealer got one. Other than the Pace Car black and silver paint job and graphics-their nothing special. Obviously L82 / 4-speed models will bring more than L48 / TH350 versions-but that's true of all disco-era 'Vettes. # 6. 1979 Hurst / Olds. These weren't even built by Hurst, they were done entirely at the Lansing factory. Their a garden-variety "G" body Cutlass with a Dual-Gate shifter and a white and gold or black and gold paint job and gold aluminum wheels. The "W30" ( Olds shamelessly desecrated the legendary moniker ) V8 is a 350 Olds that wheezed out 160 hp. 2,400 were built. Other than the trim-your better off just buying any old '78-79 Cutlass-if you want a '78-79 Cutlass!!  I don't.  Anyhow-don't get suckered by someone selling one of these "Special" cars. Their not special. Mastermind