{"id":97,"date":"2026-09-24T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/avavamotors\/2026\/09\/24\/1965-serpent-roadster-427-the-loudest-thing-we-sold-this-year\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T09:00:00","slug":"1965-serpent-roadster-427-the-loudest-thing-we-sold-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/avavamotors\/1965-serpent-roadster-427-the-loudest-thing-we-sold-this-year\/","title":{"rendered":"1965 Serpent Roadster 427: the loudest thing we sold this year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seven litres, side pipes and zero driver aids. On paper the 1965 Serpent Roadster 427 is a relic. On the Angeles Crest at seven in the morning, it is the most alive thing on the road.<\/p>

This car came to us from a collector in Pasadena with 38,000 original miles, matching numbers and a binder of receipts going back to 1971. Before we listed it, we wanted to know whether it still works as a car you drive, not just one you own.<\/p>

Starting it up<\/h2>

Cold, it needs a minute. Warm, the side-oiler 427 settles into a lumpy idle that makes pedestrians turn around. The clutch is heavy but progressive, and the four-speed toploader clicks into each gear like a rifle bolt.<\/p>

It doesn\u2019t ask for your attention. It takes it, and gives it back at the end of every corner.<\/p>M. Reyes, road test notes<\/cite><\/blockquote>

On the mountain<\/h2>

There is no traction control and the tyres are period-correct, so the first few corners are an exercise in respect. Once the oil is warm, the steering comes alive and the chassis tells you everything the road is doing.<\/p>

Engine<\/td>7.0 L V8<\/td><\/tr>
Power<\/td>425 hp<\/td><\/tr>
Torque<\/td>480 lb-ft<\/td><\/tr>
0\u201360 mph<\/td>4.2 s<\/td><\/tr>
Weight<\/td>1,068 kg<\/td><\/tr>
Mileage<\/td>38k mi<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
As tested<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Serpent
Mile 31, Angeles Crest Highway. The 427 pulls cleanly from 2,000 rpm in third.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Does it still make sense?<\/h2>

As a commuter, no. As a weekend car that turns every drive into an event, absolutely. It passed our 150-point inspection with two minor advisories, both already fixed.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Seven litres, side pipes and zero driver aids. We drove it up the Angeles Crest to find out if it still makes sense.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":51,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_avava_byline":"M. Reyes","_avava_car":49,"_avava_notes":"Matching numbers: engine, gearbox and chassis plates all agree with the 1965 build sheet.\nPeriod-correct bias-ply tyres on the original wheels. We fitted modern tubes for the test.\nInspection advisories: front wheel bearing play, rear brake line clip. Both fixed.","footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[34,35],"class_list":["post-97","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","tag-classic","tag-review"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/avavamotors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/avavamotors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/avavamotors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/avavamotors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/avavamotors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/avavamotors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/avavamotors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/avavamotors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/avavamotors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/template-preview.com\/wordpress\/avavamotors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}