Posts from ‘Classic Cars’
1969 AMC Javelin
“What about the Javelin?”
Available between 1968 and 1974, the AMC Javelin would be, based on total production, the rarest of the cars we refer to as pony cars. That said, it’s possible the Javelin is among the most beloved—at least among readers of Collectible Automobile magazine.
Review Flashback! 2005 Toyota MR2
2005 Toyota MR2
In many ways, the Toyota MR2 is a lot like the Honda Del Sol. Both cars seem like they should have been hits with young enthusiasts, but neither one ever truly found an audience. But unlike the Del Sol, which lasted for just a single generation of production, the MR2 was redesigned twice before it was withdrawn from the U.S. market.
What Was The Ford Vulcan V6?
Ford Vulcan V6
A hit with fans and critics alike, the 1998 Wes Anderson film Rushmore is a rare treat for movie fans with an appetite for mild surrealism combined with sparse but brilliant dialogue–not to mention the incredible directing. But there’s something else brilliant about Rushmore that often goes overlooked: the music.
1980 Lada Niva
Most Americans have a fairly myopic view of the off-road-vehicle world. Ask any of us what the most popular 4×4 on the planet is and you’ll get the answer “Jeep” nine times out of ten. Not that Jeep is a bad answer–the Wrangler remains one of the most capable rock pounders you can purchase–but despite the Jeep brand’s power, there are markets where it isn’t all that well established.
Review Flashback! 2006 Ford GT
2006 Ford GT
If you were looking for a solid investment back in 2006, you should have bought Ford. Not Ford stock, mind you, which is worth about the same $8.50 today as it was 13 years ago, but the Ford GT.
What Was The Volkswagen SP2?
Volkswagen SP2
If you were a Volkswagen fan in America in the early Seventies, and you were looking for something sporty to drive, you were kind of out of luck. There was the coachbuilt-body Karmann Ghia—a car which was arguably gorgeous, but not really all that sporty. Mechanically identical to the contemporaneous Beetle, the Karmann Ghia was more of a casual touring car—it was a little too slow, and its handling a little too pedestrian, to be engaging. However, Brazilian VW fans of the day had it a little better.
2002 Chrysler Prowler
What comes of a car like the Prowler? Despite a long list of credentials–including its striking open-wheel design, the fact that it survived the death of of its original brand, and a spate of cool special-edition colors–the Prowler doesn’t seem to engender the kind of present-day enthusiast interest one might think it should.
Dodge Dakota Sidewinder
This is an installment in a series of posts looking back on show cars that we feel deserved a little more attention than they got. If you have a suggestion for a Forgotten Concept topic, please shoot us a line or leave a comment below.
The Datsuns of 1983
1983 Datsun Maxima GL Wagon
When my daughter Harper was little, I tried to convince her that her name was misspelled on her birth certificate, and that her legal name was Farper. My kid never believed me, as her innate instinct to doubt me–and my wife’s unwillingness to play along– pretty much killed the joke.
2011 Lincoln Town Car
Dealing with legacy product is probably one of the most challenging parts of an automaker product planner’s job. What does a brand do with aging, unhip product that still sells relatively well, but compromises a marque’s image with the younger buyers that marketers so desperately want to attract?
