This Week on Hagerty Marketplace: These V-8 Classics Pack An Underhood Surprise

Welcome to This Week on Hagerty Marketplace, a recurring recap of the previous week’s most noteworthy cars and significant sales from the Hagerty Marketplace online auctions.

Josh Hart, owner of the Burnyzz Speed Shop, is known for high-quality restorations of classic cars and trucks (not to mention his prowess behind the wheel of a Top Fuel dragster). Burnyzz recently listed a trove of vehicles on Hagerty Marketplace, and last week three such examples that sold were noteworthy for one specific reason: They pack surprise and delight under the hood.

1983 Jeep CJ-7 Laredo

Sold for $47,615

V-8 engines were not terribly common in a Jeep CJ-7, and when you find one it’s likely the AMC 304 cu-in mill. Checking the VIN on this 1983 Jeep CJ-7 suggests it originally came with an AMC straight-six engine, but open the hood and everything changes. Turns out it has instead been swapped out for AMC’s larger 360 cubic-inch V-8.

While that is impressive work, it’s also a fairly straightforward swap. But keeping an AMC engine in this Jeep is likely to impress everyone, especially true when noting that fuel injection sits between the finned valve covers of that 360 V-8. While Hagerty values for 1983 CJ-7 Laredos (with an I-6) max out at $36,900, it’s clear that doing an AMC V-8 swap throws that data out the window. There’s simply nothing like making the best Jeep possible out of period-correct AMC parts.

1966 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Coupe

Sold for $96,514

This Mid-Year Corvette (C2) packs a similar surprise under the hood, but does so with even more stealth than the CJ. Unless you are a production code guru for GM engine parts, you wouldn’t know this 427-look-alike Corvette is actually a 454 that originally came from a truck. That’s because everything from the 427-specific hood to the decals on the chrome air cleaner suggest it is a period-correct 1966 Corvette.

The only telltale sign of Burnyzz’s handiwork is a shift knob with markings for five forward gears. Below that shifter rests a Tremec five-speed manual, but most eyes only see the aftermarket sound bar below the rear glass. While that addition makes it a great weekend cruiser, the secrets this car hides under its factory correct veneer is delightful.  No wonder its $96,514 sales price is closer to that of a #2 condition big-block than a small-block in the same condition.

1969 Plymouth Road Runner Hardtop

Sold for $62,595

Perhaps the title of this article is a bit cheeky considering this particular car is in the mix. The 383 cu-in Coyote Duster engine with the Air Grabber hood definitely catches the eye, but it is par for the course for a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner. There’s no “underhood surprise” like the other two vehicles presented, but if you’re like me, you still get a little thrill from seeing them after all these years. Vehicle co-branding opportunities are far from rare, but what other business put their intellectual property on an engine?

All the requisite Road Runner bits are accounted for on this example, though the seller states that iconic air cleaner has some paint chips. Aside from that issue, this Plymouth presents extremely well, with an excellent vinyl interior and impressive exterior finishes ranging from shiny chrome to deep black stripes. The $62,595 selling price is in-line with a #2 condition example according to Hagerty Valuation data, but it might be a bit of a bargain considering that price is for a four-speed manual example and not an automatic.