For us here at CarBuzz, almost anything with a powerful V8, dual exhaust and a sharp design is a great car to have. For others, mostly the 55 and up crowd, the only cool cars, mainly hot rods, were from the 1940s and 50s and were typically made from 30s and 40s vintage cars. Whichever side you come down on, the following old school cars are true works of art and are good examples of the coolest custom, modified, and restored classics in existence.

Take a look at the rebuilt 1959 Coupe De Ville, which has been decked out with glamorous chrome features. This blast from the past took almost six years to rebuild and features a custom-built chassis made by Terry "TJ" Wood of Camden County Customs and also consists of a custom-made 7.4-litre 454 big block Chevy engine. This 'Wild Cad' model has caught the eye of several celebrities and is currently owned by Australian couple Catriona and Mario Colalillo.

Bruno Konecsni is the proud owner of a vintage 1960 Corvair Corsa convertible and a lime-green fully restored 1970 Formula 400 Firebird. He has owned the Firebird over 40 years and claims it is faster than most new Mustangs. If you wanted to take a joy ride with Mr. Konecsni, you would not be able to do so from the backseat. This very innovative owner simply removed it and installed a Corvette V8 engine in its place. Wanting a mid-engine sports car but lacking the funds of your typical celebrity needed to get his hands on a Lamborgini or Maserati; he did the next best thing and decided to build his own.

This '67 Buick Wildcat is a thing of beauty. Check out the excellent condition of the chrome bumpers, window trim and brightwork. Rebuilt several years ago, its owner points out that it still pulls strong today and is bolted to a 3-speed automatic transmission. The 1967 Buick Wildcat came equipped with a Standard 360hp V8. The new domed chamber engine design was able to increase the efficiency and add more power, which was well received by those seeking a vastly improved driving performance during that era.

This jaw dropping 1953 Buick Skylark is finished in a beautiful Mandarin Red Poly over the Skylark-specific red and white leather interior. The car is a prime example of what is possible when dreams could be turned into sheet-metal, regardless of what it would cost. Considered radical at the time, only 1,690 cars were sold. Despite low sales, Buick went ahead and built a second edition Skylark in 1954. Just 836 were ever sold.