Posts from ‘Coupes’
First Spin: 2023 Nissan Z
2023 Nissan Z
It’s tough out there for traditional sporty/performance cars these days, especially for the true two-seater or 2+2 sports cars. The things just don’t sell like they used to American shoppers, and as a result, the automakers who are still sticking it out in this segment have had to get creative. Toyota partnered with BMW to revive the Supra for 2020, and renewed its partnership with Subaru to introduce a new-generation version of the Toyota 86 rear-wheel-drive sports car (now dubbed GR 86) for 2022 (Subaru’s variant continues as the BRZ). Mazda partnered with Fiat to share some of the load for the 2016 redesign of the MX-5 Miata; Fiat got its own version in the revived 124 Spider, which only lasted through the 2017-2020 model years before it was dropped.
1942 Oldsmobile 66 Special Club Coupe
Note: The following story was excerpted from the February 2019 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine
The 1942 Oldsmobile brochure proclaimed that the cars were “Better Looking . . . Better Lasting . . . Better Built Than Any Oldsmobile In Forty-Four Years.” Playing off the “B” in “better” and 44 years, all 1942 Olds wore a B-44 badge. This ’42 Series 66 Special, owned by Dave and June Simon of Gardena, California, confirms Olds’s boast of quality and durability. The club coupe has covered 76,000 miles and is mostly original. It has been repainted in its original Metallic Mist Blue, although the engine compartment and trunk retain the factory paint. The tan ripple-weave Bedford-cloth-and-broadcloth interior is original.
1979 Chrysler Cordoba 300
The American auto industry’s “Malaise Era” is generally defined as the 1973 through 1984 model years, and it was by and large a bummer for car enthusiasts. A confluence of several sobering factors—more-stringent emission standards, the introduction of low-lead gasoline, and rising auto-insurance rates—rather suddenly put the kibosh on horsepower, and as a result, on fun.
1972 Plymouth Fury
Question: What would large-coupe drivers of the Seventies and Eighties drive today? Answer: Not large coupes, because there aren’t any. I suppose there’s still the Bentley Continental and the BMW 8-Series, but that’s not really what we’re talking about here.
1939 Delage D8-120S Aerosport Coupe
Note: The following story was excerpted from the December 2018 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine
In the late Thirties, the French excelled at building streamlined fastback coupes. Makes such as Bugatti, Talbot-Lago, and Delahaye displayed fine examples of the coachbuilder’s art with glamorous art deco designs.
1963 Ford Thunderbird Italien
Note: The following story was excerpted from the December 2018 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine
Ford dabbled in semifastbacks in the early Sixties with its Galaxie Starliner hardtop coupes, and the more aerodynamic roofs gave good results on NASCAR tracks. Although the Thunderbird was famous for its formal notchback roof, Ford designers decided to experiment with a fastback treatment for a T-Bird—perhaps inspired by the NASCAR Fords—that turned into a show car.
1994 Buick Regal GS
Note: The following story was excerpted from the December 2020 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine.
Some of the hottest cars out of Detroit in 1987 were Buick Regals. The Grand National and limited-production GNX were seriously fast and commanded respect on the street and at the strip. It was also the end of an era, because a new front-wheel-drive Regal was being readied for 1988 and turbocharged muscle was not part of its equation. The sportiest new Regal was the Gran Sport coupe, and its 1992-96 iteration can make for some fun cheap wheels.
Photo Feature: 1960 Studebaker Hawk
1960 Studebaker Hawk
Note: The following story was excerpted from the October 2016 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine
Says owner Malcolm Stinson Jr. of the Studebaker Hawk featured here, it “is just as you would have seen it in a showroom in 1960.” Stinson, of Show Low, Arizona, should know. He was a service manager at a Studebaker dealership. It’s experience that has served him well while restoring many Studebakers, including the Hawk, which was in poor but mostly rust-free condition when he acquired it.
Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 (top) vs Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400
Let’s face it… the luxury-brand midsize sport-sedan and sporty-coupe segments aren’t exactly on fire these days. Even when it comes to performance-focused premium vehicles, the majority of American shoppers prefer crossover SUVs over traditional passenger cars. Infiniti knows this as well as any brand; all of its most-recent product launches—the redesigned-for-2019 QX50, the new-for-2022 QX55, and the redesigned-for-2022 QX60—are crossover SUVs. The Q50 sedan and its Q60 two-door coupe counterpart are the only traditional passenger cars in Infiniti’s model roster, and even within their respective classes (we categorize the Q50 as a premium midsize car and the Q60 as a premium sporty/performance car), they are pretty elderly players. The Q50 dates back to the 2014 model year and has not seen any major revisions other than updated powertrain offerings. The Q60 coupe debuted for 2017, on Q50-based architecture, and likewise has not seen significant updates since.
2021 BMW M4 Competition Coupe in Isle of Man Green (a $550 option)
2021 BMW M4 Competition Coupe
Class: Premium Sporty/Performance Car
Miles driven: 212
Fuel used: 10.5 gallons
