For any gearhead who watches the automotive shows on weekends, one show that has kept some people glued to the set is coverage of the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auctions. For many of us, the big ticket cars that roll across the block leave us wishing we could win the Power Ball Lottery, because there are just too many cool cars and not enough garages to put them all in. Although many of us can’t afford some of the higher-priced collector cars, Barrett-Jackson has a full lot of other cars that are just as collectible – but at more affordable prices for the rest of us.

This year, Barrett-Jackson is once again tied in with Hot August Nights in Reno, Nevada, for three days of collector car auctions and more hot rods and musclecars than you can imagine. We’ll be there to cover the auction and share the experience with you, but for now we’d like to share a few rides that caught our eyes from the listings come this July 31-Aug 2, 2014.

Lot # 31 – 1969 Ford Thunderbird Landau Sedan

There are so many reasons that this car may not make it on your list of favorite musclecars, but then there are so many other reasons that this car is just plain cool. Although it’s a four-door car, it’s got the way-cool suicide rear doors, and that’s enough to make it awesome. That landau roof is probably not high up there either, but it does add a sort of elegance to the car that would otherwise be more fitting for your aunt or grandmother.

But once you get past the extra doors and the vinyl top, the T-Bird has always been the type of car to catch someone’s attention. Under that long, stretched hood, resides a potent 429 cubic inch Thunder Jet V8 with about 360 hp on tap. Built with 11:1 compression, it feeds a dual Magnaflow exhaust which makes this classic sound very unlike the four-door car that it is. Considering that it’s a full factory, numbers-matching big-block car with the original build sheet, and you can add some bragging rights behind it, too.

The 17-inch American Racing wheels and new Oxford Gray paint go well on this frame-on restoration. It’s been undercoated for protection, and the factory air conditioning will keep the black interior cool. You just can’t go wrong with a T-Bird, especially one that looks elegant, but can smoke the rear tires upon demand.

Lot # 412 – 1964 Chevrolet Nova Hardtop

We love the Nova, and the early Nova is one of those cars that just begs for big V8 power on its compact frame. This one has been completely custom-built, sporting a small block ZZ crate engine, a six-speed manual trans and a narrowed 8.75-inch rearend. If you look closely, you’ll see the custom side-exit exhaust that’s part of the hours of hand-crafted labor.

Under the hood sits a pair of Edelbrock carburetors for helping to motivate the crate engine, with lots of polished parts and detail in the engine compartment. The black and teal green two-tone paint fits the overall aesthetics of the car, making it unique and collectible.

The Nova rides on a set of 18-inch and 20-inch Billet Specialties wheels with low-profile tires, and it sits in the weeds for that perfect stance with the Air Ride suspension.. This is a car you can take to the show or just cruise in it, either way, it’s going to turn heads. Inside, you’ll find four bucket seats and a full length console with a custom frame and floor pans underneath, and four-wheel discs to slow it down.

Lot #749 – 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1

Switching things up and bringing about a fastback, this rare (as in one of one) pony has the factory R code, Ram Air Shaker Hood, and the powerful 428 Super Cobra Jet engine. No other cars off the line in 1969 were said to have the same options as this documented car.

Though the drivetrain is correct, we’re told it’s not the original – but has been improved upon with no expenses spared. It has been upgraded with a four-speed transmission and the car has been converted to Shelby yellow from the original color.

The white and black interior mixes things up a little, and the bright paint on the exterior just screams “look at me!” Pack this Mach 1 up with the Thunderbird above, and you’ve got his-n-her cars with the matching 428 CJ, but we’re not going to tell you who should drive which car.

Lot #376 – 1968 Chevrolet Camaro

If you like purple, you’ll like this Camaro as it even has some purple on the race-buckets inside with some roses sewn in. But, if that’s not your thing, you can quickly get over it when you put the hammer down and wake up the 350 small block with the 6-71 Blower Drive Service supercharger sitting on top.

There’s no mistaking that this beast is ready to do battle and the 10-point roll cage and five-point harnesses will keep you safe inside and give you that race car feel. Backing up the small block is a four-speed manual transmission, and a 12-bolt rearend with 3.73 gears spinning a Detroit Locker with Dutchman axles.

Stopping is done via four-wheel disc brakes to stop the rotating mass of rubber that’s tucked up inside the tubbed rear wheel wells. But as we said, you have to like purple because some of it is even showing up under the hood on the anodized hose fittings. But we think once you hear that Gilmer drive belt hitting the cogs, you might forget all about the color.

Lot #672 – 1972 Plymouth ‘Cuda

We also wanted to show a couple of Mopars and add them to the mix. While there may not be any Hemi ‘Cuda convertibles crossing the blocks, we did find a 340 six-pack powered ‘Cuda sporting a new TF727 transmission with a deep pan. This car is black on black, and no expense was spared, they tell us, on this year long build.

The car was completely stripped and blasted before it was rebuilt, and upgraded along the way. The 340 was given a bigger cam and valves, a set of roller rockers and a three-inch stainless Magnaflow exhaust system. The Edelbrock Six Pack was jetted and dyno tuned, and the ignition was upgraded to a modern electronic version. Full air conditioning was also added – perfect for those hot August nights in Reno.

Out back, the Sure-Grip runs a set of mild 3.23 gears and braking is done with two-piston calipers to bring it to a halt. The March serpentine belt and pulley system brings home the looks under the hood, and the Auto Meter American Muscle gauges tell the driver when the underhood needs some attention. To keep road noise and heat out of the interior, Dynamat was applied to the entire cabin.

Lot # 726 – 1969 Dodge Super Bee

We couldn’t let this Bee get away without sharing it with you, we’ve seen a few here and there and they always look great in green. This 1969 Super Bee is listed in the A12 Registry as one of 826 M Code hardtops with the 440 six pack.

The 390 hp big block was fully rebuilt and mated to the original four-speed and the correct Dana 60  with 4.10 Sure Grip gears. The factory lift-off fiberglass hood and Bee stripe are what sets this car apart on the outside, and the white deluxe vinyl interior with the original push-button AM radio and bucket seats with full console set off the interior appointments.

Rolling stock are the correct 15″ steel wheels and BFG Silvertown red line tires, and the car was meticulously restored by a well-known Mopar expert in California. This car also includes registry documents and restoration receipts, as well as the restored factory gauges and tachometer. This car is a cruise that can take your lunch money if it wanted to.

That’s our list of Quick Picks for the upcoming Barrett-Jackson Hot August Nights auction coming up towards the end of the month. You can check out the rest of the vehicles crossing the block and pick your favorite by visiting their web site, or if you can find a spot, head on out to Hot August Nights and get your fix on if you’re in the Reno area.