Layton Vehicle Restoration

Part of our Most Sought After Muscle Cars Series How can you go wrong with a name like Road Runner? The Plymouth Road Runner was first introduced in 1968. It was a very popular car with more than 80,000 units sold in 1969. And for good reason! It’s hard to believe the jaw-droppingly low price tag of $3000 for the base car, and the cartoon tie-in was part of Plymouth’s ingenious effort to seduce young people. Previous marketing had never considered the youth market, and the opportunity that Plymouth seized with this car proved to be groundbreaking and game-changing for the car industry, and so many other industries too. In case you aren’t familiar with it, the Road Runner car completes the cartoon theme with the Warner Brothers’ character's signature "beep-beep" horn. It wasn’t just the gimmick and the lower sticker price that made the Road Runner such a notable car. While the basic, no-frills design stayed mainly the sam ... read more

So you own a classic car? Terrific! What kind? We’d love to hear about it. Are you wondering what you can do to maintain your vehicle? We’re classic car enthusiasts with a particular passion for muscle cars. Whenever we meet an owner of any kind of classic car who’s looking for maintenance advice, we always give them the same four tips: 1. Take Your Classic Car in for Regular Maintenance An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but it’s still important to go for a regular checkup for your own health, right? Well, the same is true for a classic car. Your old friend needs even more love and care than a regular car, and even if you’re very knowledgeable about your vehicle, the eyes of a professional will absolutely help to increase the longevity of your car. If you’re capable of performing maintenance on your own car, that’s definitely an asset, but you should still have it checked by a qualified mechanic. You never know what ... read more

                    Are car shows that focus on classic rather than modern vehicles more successful? Are there advantages to having a cutoff year?   There are so many large car shows and conventions that focus on modern cars. In many cases, these cars attract a different crowd than the classic car shows. Some car show organizers have found that by focusing on the classics and setting a cutoff year, they’re able to hone in on a more targeted audience.  This has been the case for many shows, and The Ol’ Maris River Run Car Show is a good example. This particular show started off in 1986 with just 150 cars. Originally the show was open to cars from any year. In 2000, they set a cutoff year of 1972. There are some very noticeable differences that started to occur between ’72 and ’73 cars. It was 1973 when the gas laws changed and the cars started to have detuned motors. The idea of a ... read more

                We love muscle cars from the 60’s and 70’s, but what about new muscle cars? Interestingly, the popularity of new muscle cars is on the rise thanks to the latest Ford Mustangs. In 2016, the Ford Mustang outsold both the Porsche 911 and the Audi TT in Germany, for example. The Ford Mustang is particularly popular in Australia where sales have exceeded those of the family SUV over the summer. Why is the Mustang suddenly making such a comeback? Well, it seems that the need for speed is back, and the latest Ford Mustang is performing well. Car sales aren’t up for all sports cars—it’s particularly the Mustang. The statistics for other models are down by 12% in the ... read more

Do you love muscle cars? Because we sure do! So what’s the definition of a muscle car, anyway? A muscle car is defined by the combination of a lightweight body and a powerful engine. While you may associate muscle cars with the 60s and 70s, muscle cars were actually born into the American car industry in 1949. The public at that time was demanding speed, and so Oldsmobile came up with the very first muscle car: the Rocket 88.  That first muscle car in 1949 shared some similarities with previous cars (in this case, it had the same body as the Oldsmobile 76, which was originally designed for a six-cylinder engine) but the Rocket 88 had some key differences. This lightweight car had a high-compression overhead valve V8, and its combination of a fast engine and light body established the precedent for the muscle cars to come. In the NASCAR circuit in 1950, the Rocket 88 absolutely dominated races, and from there, the thrill for speed became unstoppable. After the Rocket 88 c ... read more