FIVE CLASSIC SUMMER OF 2025 RIDES

By
Jerry Admin
-
0
19

Summer 2025 is more than a concept at this point, so the first question is simple.

What kind of vehicle would make you a cool hepcat this summer instead of a boring guy with a really bad sunburn?

Here are five examples of classic summer vehicles that could make you the interesting guy you always hoped you’d be.

Jerry Sutherland

The first one I picked is a 1954 Cadillac Eldorado convertible. I didn’t choose this car because of any connection to early Elvis Presley and his legendary attachment to Caddys. In fact, Elvis wasn’t even in the top ten reasons why I thought a ’54 Caddy ‘vert would be a great summer classic driver.

I picked the Eldo because these cars represented everything that made Detroit great in the 1950s. It was large, in charge and completely impractical—but it also told the world you were an upper-level guy with enough free spirit to drive a car without a permanent roof. A ’54 Eldorado convertible will still do that, so you can shed your boring inner self behind the wheel of a legend.

The 1964 Lincoln convertible is an updated version of the same phenomena. There’s a reason prominent sports figures and musicians are scooping up and customizing these cars—they ooze cool.

This four-door convertible doesn’t have a competitor because who else built giant drop tops with two extra doors? You could have the greatest summer ever wheeling this classic through the best months of 2025.

The 70s provided a lesser-known, entry-level summer machine in the form of a 1970 Pontiac Catalina convertible. They didn’t sell many of these cars, but the people who did buy these big Ponchos were not run-of-the-mill suburbanites.

The buyers of these giant convertibles broke the mold in several places because they were Pontiacs—the less-popular cousin of the Chevrolet. Plus, the convertible had started a death spiral in the early 70s thanks to more safety regulations from big government and more demand for practical cars over fun cars. A ’70 Pontiac convertible will take you straight to Cool Town this summer—a place your Hyundai SUV will never visit.

The next cool Summer 2025 ride is a truck. Specifically, a 1979 Plymouth Trailduster. These trucks never broke sales records because the Ford Bronco and Chevy Blazer had the market cornered.

The Dodge Ramcharger had the lead in sales over its Plymouth sibling, so the Trailduster was a distant fourth in sales. They’re hard to find in 2025, but if you can find a good example, you’ll hit the beach in one of the coolest—and rarest trucks ever built. Make sure the top is down because if you leave it up that would be like wearing a snowmobile suit to Malibu Beach in July.

The last classic Summer of 2025 ride is the 1978 Subaru Brat. This little truck is pure 70s because very few things about it would pass today’s hardline safety cops.

You could haul passengers in the back if they were willing to sit on flimsy seats in the boiling sun. Back in1978 that didn’t matter because it was all about fun—not regulations. That doesn’t mean you can’t push the Summer of 2025 envelope in this little Japanese beach machine. You’ll be the coolest guy on the road—unless you sit in the back.

Anyone of these classics will make you cooler this summer—if they don’t, your geekdom is incurable.        

Jerry Sutherland

By: Jerry Sutherland

Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post,  Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.

SPONSORS

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR