You almost never see them in real life. Well, maybe you once caught one at a car meet, typically driven by someone who says he stumbled into ownership, or maybe inherited the ride. But other than that, the automotive unicorn remains more a mythical beast than an easily obtainable one.
You know the kind of cars I’m talking about, those that aren’t necessarily exclusive due to value – cars like the breadvan Ferrari or Countach – but ones that are exclusive just because there simply were never that many of them built. And the reason for that is because they just weren’t all that mainstream. Whether it’s the Bond Bug, the Mosler Consulier, or a Lincoln Mark VII powered by a BMW diesel, these kind of cars just aren’t something you see everyday.
That doesn’t mean you might not pine after one of them. After all, absence does make the heart grow fonder. Do you have a favorite of these, perhaps even a bucket list item that’s to one day have one? If you do, which is it? What is the automotive unicorn that you would most like to own?
Image: The Car Connection
Hooniverse Asks: What Automotive Unicorn Would Your Most Like to Own?
By Robert Emslie
Jun 1, 2015
Jeff Glucker
5-speed Volvo V70 T5. And what’s worse, I turned down first right of refusal on one because I was in a street-parking only situation and already had two cars.
i have one of those! it’s great! you should get one!
I have had 2 T5s and a T5R. The first T5 cost me 300, was ex police and had covered an eye watering 632000 miles on the original engine and gearbox. I love T5`s and they can now be insured as classics so cheap to insure too.
On a related note, I regret getting rid of two unicorns that I have owned. A 1981 Buick Regal Turbo, my first car, I had no idea it was a unicorn, and a 1992 Ford Thunderbird S/C 5-speed. I knew what that one was and sold it to a friend who knew what it was.
In the ’80s I used to drive a 1979 crew cab 4×4 Chevy very much like the pictured truck, right down to the 454 under the hood. The only real difference was that it was an automatic, not a stick. It was company owned and we used it for towing lab trailers and the like. It was a highly capable truck (though not all that well built) but it drank gas like there was no tomorrow.
I had a 1979 K-5 Blazer, a 1981 or so K-10, both with the 350, and drove a 1973 C-10 also with a 350 for a while. I know these trucks pretty well. I remember the Blazer got about 10 miles to the gallon PERIOD. It didn’t matter if it was on the highway, in town, or towing a boat in the mountains. The 31 gallon tank came in handy.
I’m with you. My first car was an 89 K5. I want it back quite badly. A few months ago I went looking for my old truck on the interwebs and nearly had a heart attack – an 89 with identical (and relatively uncommon) modifications to the one I had was sold in my state less than 6 months ago at a salvage auction… Thankfully, it wasn’t mine. I was pretty close to vomiting all over my computer. I was 18 when I sold it and not yet wise enough to keep VIN numbers of previous cars so the mods done to it are about the only (easy) way for me to track it down. I’m sure I could beg the DMV for the VIN (maybe?), but at 28 and married with a kid, I haven’t got the funds to chase after it seriously yet.
If you happen to have an old insurance card tucked away, those have the vin.
Low hanging fruit, but still. Ferrari station wagon. hnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggg
Rare, sure, but I think this one still falls in the other category of “necessarily exclusive due to value.”
Iso Grifo
http://mycarquest.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSC01075.jpg
I’ve got an even stronger urge for the Fidia
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Isofidiafront.jpg
[Photo: Blunt]
I’ll take an Iso Lele. Mmmm, those wheels…
http://mycarquest.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/lele.jpg
Just came in to thank you for posting a Consulier GTP as the lead photo.
I’d love a Panoz AIV for several reasons.
The Consulier reminds me of a severely toned-down version of Speedycop’s G.L.C.O.A.T.
http://ronman.org/pics/speedycop/image007_std.jpg
What’s going on with GLCOAT, anyway? Haven’t heard of progress in years.
I can’t seem to find any concrete info beyond 2011. That’s when Speedycop said it would be relegated to parade lap status.
http://forums.24hoursoflemons.com/viewtopic.php?id=8719
Wow, this is one of the most difficult Hooniverse Ask’s I’ve encountered. Is there something like an individual maximum post limit? =8^)
First thing that comes to my mind: A SAAB 9-7X. One of the weirdest cars ever build with GM slow-and-careless scrap badged with a quality-safety-quickness brand. A total mismatch, but I’d have use for it. The puzzling eyes of everyone else on the road would be priceless.
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/1200459.jpg
For when the kids are at home: A Volvo Sport aka P1900. Volvo’s boss had seen a Corvette, wanted a Swedish answer. Fiberglass body, made in 1956-57. Only 67 cars were made, it’s Volvos unicorn.
http://www.alanauto.com/pics/1900OPENINGPIC.JPG
YES. A Saab 9-7X Aero ranks VERY high on my list of realistic Unicorns. I just don’t think I could talk the wife into another Trailblazer after living with one for 11+ years. It hasn’t been bad, she would just want a “new” car. With the acquisition of a Nissan Leaf for 2 years, the Traiblazer has been regulated 3rd vehicle/my vehicle status. We won’t be looking for a new car until 2017 and a 2009 would be older than I would want to get as a main family vehicle by then.
Did you just outrational a unicorn?
http://www.woman.es/var/siteFiles/storage/images/unicorn/1297201-1-esl-ES/unicorn_large.gif
I get your point though. Like with many of the more mundane unicorns mentioned here by now, one has to be pretty dedicated to buy one. The Saab never made it to Europe, which makes them even more special here. Import duty in Norway is based on weight, CO2 output and horsepower, among other things, so getting a relatively new American SUV to this country would impoverish me in a blink.
I see 9-7x’s on a semi-regular basis here in town, including a few Aeros.
Basically there is a very short window in time where a vehicle is in my price range, but not so used up as to be impractical for a daily driver/family car. At least at this point in my life. For a car to fall into fun car range now requires a VERY low 3-4 figure price tag AND the ability to convince my wife we need it (or be cheap enough I don’t care if she likes it or not and I can buy her off with an equal amount of cash in her hand)
Pie in the sky response:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/VectorW8.jpg
The family man response:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Pontiac_G6_GT_sedan.jpg
A 2007 Pontiac G6 3.9L V6 GT Sedan with the 6-speed manual.
I think GM built it on accident because they dropped it very shortly into the model run.
“On accident” is great – how many were made?
I can’t find it, but the 3.9L was available in 2006 and the first part of 2007 production before it changed to the 3.6L high feature and then mandated an automatic.
IIRC the dealers had to select manual, not the other way around, so there were less “accidental” orders too.
Since it’s GM, there’s not many specific production numbers. i know it is very, very low.
Give the assembly line monkeys the parts and they will manage to throw one together, wither they were supposed to or not.
I thought the 3.9L/6m was only available in the coupe and convertible. That’s incredible — there can’t be more than a few dozen out there!
Like you, I have only seen the combo in the coupe. But I have it on good authority that a few slipped through the cracks. And knowing GM at that time, that wouldn’t surprise me.
It’s a unicorn in every sense of the word. We might even have to call it a Sasquatch.
Speaking of Pontiacs and built by mistake (and not that I have ANY desire to own one, but…) I have wonder what total production of the 2009 G3 was. http://o.aolcdn.com/commerce/images/90POGEJ1_Large.JPG
A Quick Google says just over 7,000.
At one point, according to WSJ that one year production model had a 617 day supply on dealer lots.
Ouch.
These are all over the roads here in the UK, they are known as a Chevrolet Aveo, this Pontiac version was much prettier than what we have.
Yes, we had the Aveo version at Chevy dealers for years. The Pontiac version was simply a different facade, in a last-gasp effort to increase sales as they slid into bankruptcy, er, “Federal assistance.”
I want a classic ORV the size of a Suburban, but I’m a Ford man at heart.
Solution? F350 Centurion conversion.
Really only a unicorn in that most are in poo condition, though.
While I wouldn’t particularly want to own one, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a 1990-1991 Buick LeSabre coupe. Production was only in the hundreds by this time and it was dropped when the H-body cars were re-done for 1992.
Porsche 942. Not the 4-door 928, but proper space in the rear.
http://posrednik.ru/porsche/porsches.com/ferryclr.jpg
It sure takes a lot of men in suits!
This is guaranteed a Porsche 928. The 942 was a 5 door version that was never built.
I wanted to point out that I want the LWB 3-door 928 Ferdinand got as a present for his 75th birthday, not the 5-door variant (H50, says wiki). They’re both hacked 928 to me, anyway.
Wiki also says that AMG(!) built “a few” LWB 3-door 928, too, so there is a chance that they exist, although nobody has seen one – just like a unicorn.
I got my designations from wikipedia – if wiki is wrong you might consider correcting it: people like me tend to use it as a source for internet discussions, so it’s worth fixing it.
1959 Flxible (Buick) hearse is high on my list of unicorns.
http://www.northlandpcs.com/images/museum/Flxible_Premier_Combination_43.jpg
Pontiac Solstice coupe – I’ve only seen one even here in car-conscious Miami.
I saw one out driving a couple months… in the snow.
It hurt and I was proud of the driver at the same time.
Saw one at the track… as a spectator.
My uncle actually owns one.
Peugeot 504 Cabriolet V6, only 977 cabriolets have a V6 engine, all the others are 4 cylinders.
504 Cabriolet 4 cyl. 4-speed: 5848 ex.
504 Cabriolet 4 cyl. 5-speed: 1071 ex.
504 Cabriolet 4 cyl. auto: 292 ex.
504 Cabriolet V6: 977 ex.
=======================
Total 504 Cabriolet production = 8188 ex.
What classy, demure, elegance. If this car was a woman, she’d be saying, “I get so tired of people spontaneously offering me these modeling contracts. I have no desire to use my looks to pander for attention. I have better things to do with my time.”
2004-2006 Mazda 6 wagon with the 5-speed. There’s one for sale in Atlanta that I’m going to check out next weekend.
I saw the same one. It looked decently clean.
I forgot, but that’s actually two currently for sale in Atlanta. Did you see the one with 86k or the one with 190k? They’re both silver with a grey interior (I’d prefer tan, but they’re hard enough to find as is). I’m going to check out the one with 86k.
Also, I actually test drove a black one in Atlanta a month or so ago. I was about to go back up the next week to get it inspected (I didn’t have time to get it inspected after the test drive) and it had sold a day or two before. It looked great, and it had a tan and black interior and it was a 2006. I really wanted that one, and it really surprised me that someone bought it so soon after it was listed (it sold just a few weeks after it was listed).
I want to say it was an 04 with 86k on it.
Yeah, that was it. How’d you end up seeing it?
Cargurus.com I looked for a Mazda6 Wagon V6 manual for a co-worker.
Has he looked at it? Is he going to steal it from me? haha
No, he’s not going to by it. He was lamenting the lack of sticks in family sized SUVs. So I sent him that car. He said his wife would kill him if he made her drive a wagon.
Wow, maybe it’s time for him to ditch her. 😛
Disco Volante for me, although a tipo 33 Stradale will do in a pinch.
http://images.thecarconnection.com/med/1952-alfa-romeo-c52-disco-volante_100382125_m.jpg
Wow, a cartoon E-type? I’d have called this a faux rendering without knowing better.
You’ve got it backwards. The E-type is the middle-aged, less fit Disco Volante.
The original three-headlight Tatra 603. It is like a subtle, tasteful middle finger to the regulations.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Tater_car_czech_made_from_50s_%282875052003%29.jpg/800px-Tater_car_czech_made_from_50s_%282875052003%29.jpg
[photo:Jamison Young]
Ever seen one? I haven’t.
Actually, yes.
Sally, in the hands of a redneck who couldn’t find someone to work on the MB mill and was considering a 350/350 swap.
Yup.
I don’t know whether to laugh or vomit.
The owner got divorced not long after, so it’s possible she sold it to someone who would appreciate it properly before she had a chance to do awful things. Was a gorgeous deep green with tobacco interior, if memory serves.
Some early (86-89) W124s were imported with stick-shifts. I think I’ve seen 2 5speed 300TE wagons for sale.
Also that Manual Suzuki Kizashi sounds pretty cool too hahah
My handle is Tanshanomi, and I approve this message.
The six-cylinder R129 SLs were also available with a 5-speed in the U.S. for the first four or five years. I’d love to get my hands on one of those.
Superbird. A thousand times Superbird.
http://www.vipimports.com/Car-Mazda-3/1200/002.jpg
An unmolested FD RX-7 R1/2.
They don’t exist.
http://sniffpetrol.com/2014/09/17/last-remaining-unmodified-rx-7-dies/#.VWyQhCi-Qts
I think there’s a distinction, particularly on this car, between unmoledted and unmodified.
Just to keep these going past ~50k miles, you’re going to have to replace the precat, and a downpipe is a huge weight savings, as well as extreme reduction in underhood heat. Once you’ve done a downpipe, however, you need to start being careful with fuel, and an ECU should probably be in the works.
Downpipe and ECU is still modified, but largely unmolested.
Damn, now I want to get out to the garage, track down and fix my oil leak and oil pressure quandry (unrelated), and get mine back out on the road…
i think i’d definitely want one of these 90s-era Japanese sports cars, but the sort of toned-back model. an NA RX-7 (never sold in the US :[ oh well) or Supra (pretty sure NA Supras were sold here) would be pretty tits. maybe an RWD Skyline sedan. not a huge troublemaker, not a tech wizard. just a good, well-balanced car that looks good and revs high.
not a non-VR4 3000GT, though. no thanks.
The elusive 1985-only 4Runner with both Fuel Injection and solid axles. There’s a guy nearby that’s looking to get rid of a later EFI 4Runner, but I can’t take the project on.
Tuesday’s Answer: All the 2-year Hondas, as a complete set. GB500, NT650, CB-1, CB1000
My two-wheeled unicorn used to be the Bultaco Streaker, but frankly I don’t think I’d get one now if I had the chance. I think I’m more in love with Bultakenstein.
I would do unspeakable things for a Lancia Superjolly camper. Yeah, i know, i’m a weirdo…
http://pds.exblog.jp/pds/1/201209/21/14/a0231314_0113337.jpg
I live in Italy but I don’t remember to have seen one like this…
But I saw a couple of time this one, the incredible FIAT 242 ruggeri
It’s a unicorn in the sense that it’s not clear whether the vehicle ever existed beyond stories and drawings, but I’d love to find a 1901 Phelps:
http://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7144/6431573013_9ff090e6f9_z.jpg
The House on the Rock in Wisconsin has a narwhal-tusk-on-a-horse-grade “replica,” but that’s about it:
http://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4133/4964230085_0fc6eb2961.jpg
That is absolutely wonderful.
A Suzuki Kizashi with a 6-speed manual. http://emojipedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/1f609-twitter.png
That’s crazy talk.
There’s just something cool about a Frontenac wagon:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d2/47/2d/d2472db5b1fb79033919140307788a7f.jpg
Reminds me of another Canada-only rebadge unicorn, the Beaumont, based on the Chevelle but marketed through Pontiac-Buick dealers. Also the grille isn’t nearly as splendid as the Frontenac’s.
The Beaumont you want is the Beaumont SD, since that’s the Chevelle SS equivalent.
A small town near me is named Beaumont, and recently when driving through, I saw a Beaumont in Beaumont.
TL;DR, I was laughing really hard a joke that I’m pretty sure nobody else got.
Was it near a pretty mountain?
There is only one answer: an unmodified, street legal Lancia Stratos
I agree.
The only possible answer.
I’m still waiting to see a Saab 95 wagon…with a Hayabusa conversion.
This is the closest I’ve seen to that ideal: a 1971 95 with a supercharged V4.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x9M08FtGU9A/UPUDujw8AiI/AAAAAAAAGGU/zSobQUp4f_E/s1600/SAAB_95_V4_SC_1.jpg
More pics and info at http://www.dailyturismo.com/2013/01/5k-saab-gone-insaanesupercharged-1971.html
That is a easy one, I want a 1969 ZL-1 Corvette.
Yes, really. I think they’re attractive and would love to have one. Perhaps less than 450 TR8 coupes exist (360 +/- in sold in North America) so I am confident I won’t have to ever have to put my money where my mouth is.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Joes8Coupe.jpg/640px-Joes8Coupe.jpg
Tuesday yet ? The 1995 BMW GS/PD classic, 250 made, last of the airheads, and they chromed what they could instead of the fade out in one year powdercoating. They were all sold before they were at the
dealerships !
1966-1968 Jeepster Deluxe, with the powered top, factory turbo 400 automatic with console, Mag wheel covers … 4400 total production. Wait I got one already ( neener neener, mine pictured )
look turkeys
If it weren’t for this ad photo I wouldn’t have believed those hubcaps were original. They look like they were lifted from a Mustang of the same period.
Yep – 1968 Shelbys and GT’s, 1968-69 XL 500’s, and the 1967-68 Jeepster Deluxe. Here is another advert from 1967
That’s awesome that you have one!
Thank you – drove it today! Here is another cool advert…top down
To me it sure looks like they aren’t toples….aah, I see now.
Lexus IS300 Sportcross wagon. Saw one for sale here once, shoulda/coulda/woulda. Or a Jensen Interceptor III. Did own a sort-of unicorn, 1978 Malibu coupe with V8, 4-speed, bucket-seats, gauge-package, sport suspension, rallye wheels etc.
I’d rock Japan’s only production V12 if I were to live on any country that drives on the left
http://www.sub5zero.com/sites/default/files/uploads/2011/05/toyota-century-1.jpg
Pft, just import the motor and stick it in a corolla or something. Isn’t that what the cool kids do these days?
1968 Mustang with the W code 427. They were featured in the sales literature, but apparently none were ever produced.
Ok – got another good one. the elusive BJ-43 ,extended wheelbase, diesel, ( a left hand drive )
I would like a 1983 Plymouth Sapporo. Wait, not just any Sapporo, a Technica model. It looks exactly like this. It has a digital dash, it talks, and the stereo was pretty good, too. Reason I want one is pretty simple. I owned one in ’88, loved the heck out of it. Reason I may never get what I want, the only one left looks to be an automatic. I need to have a stick. Granted, the one I owned had a little rust problem… on the frame. But if I had the money, I’d be working real hard to get one.
If I were going to do it, I’d have to go for its Challenger twin, Because window louvers and rainbow stripes!
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8424/7760825214_5c50dc5ce5_b.jpg
The last revision of the Jaguar XJS was the first to offer North American buyers both a six-cylinder and a manual transmission. I think one with that combination would be a fun-ish weekend toy, particularly in convertible form.
Of course, on days when I think an early ’90s Jag is just too doggone reliable, my mind wanders over to the Audi V8 Quattro. It too was offered with a 5-speed stick over here (in really, really limited numbers).
Audi S8 D2 six speed manual.
Because Ronin.
http://img01.militaryblog.jp/usr/batonakibaten/%E3%81%82%E3%81%86%E3%81%A7%E3%81%84.jpg
Renault Espace 2 V6 Elysee manual.
Because 140 mph MPV
http://www.pifauto.com/images/74547_1823jw4bzNy4DzXG.jpg
http://www.picsauto.com/images/renault-espace-2.8-01.jpg
Jensen Interceptor III or Facel Vega. I owned a unicorn of sorts. 1978 Malibu sport coupe, V8 4-speed, loaded. No, not fast, but you could do a crate motor nowadays.
I’m pretty sure I currently own the only two cars ever that have had a window sticker statement to the effect of “built especially for [ptschett]”.
Even my non-special-order cars have been outside the norm for their moderate-to-low-volume make/model. For example, my 2010 Challenger R/T’s only options were the 20″ wheels, hood-to-fender stripes, and manual transmission; the 1996 Thunderbird had just the options that came with the 4.6L V8. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a doppelganger for either car that wasn’t different by at least either paint color or an option package.
Since it’s Tuesday in some jurisdictions, it’s entirely possible my ’99 KLR650 was the least unique vehicle I’ve owned.
(Sidebar: I know where a 1-of-158 ’70 Pontiac GTO convertible (originally 455/4-speed, unfortunately a 400/4-speed now) and a 1-of-731 ’74 SD-455 Trans Am automatic (hasn’t run since Columbia was the only operational Space Shuttle) are… but they’re my dad’s, and I’d rather they stayed that way.)
My cars of choice if I had the finances firstly to find one and secondly to keep them on the road would be a Renault 25 Monaco in metallic brown and secondly a Tatra 613-4. a Luxury eastern block car with its engine in the boot. If you look at the tow they look very similar, I love that style.
The Amphicar!
My irrational love of 1st gen Luminas demands a 5-speed 1992 Chevy Lumina Z34.
http://cimg.carsforsale.com/700105/69322CE4-6CAF-4B5D-A357-36D7CEE3697E_1.jpg
Dream: Iso Rivolta
More realistic dream: V70R, manual transmission, under 100K miles for under $10K, in the southeastern US.
somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 made for a municipal gas company…the valiant sedan delivery
I’d put a Lancer front clip on it but that’s me
http://www.countrycruiser.com/2007/midtown/040.jpg
That’s awesome. I had no idea such a thing existed.
Two more I thought of while mowing my yard yesterday: Pontiac Can-Am and Olds 4-4-2 Quad4 W41.
Post 1984 Jaguar XJS with the 4 liter 6 cylinder and a 5 speed manual. I don’t care if they are heavy and slow, its a 2 door jag with some truly magnificent buttresses.