Maybe this isn’t the best example to start with, seeing as pretty much all of us here love the AMC Eagle. Today’s crossover-obsessed car buyers should bow down to its slightly lifted stance and give thanks. What else is out there from the 1980s that deserves more love and affection?
I know you have a soft spot in your heart for a vehicle that the rest of the world would never give a second thought. Now is the time to share the glory of your oddball love affair. Shout it out below!
Hooniverse Asks: What unloved car from the 80's deserves our affection?
By Jeff Glucker
Apr 30, 2018
By Jeff Glucker
Jeff Glucker is the co-founder and Executive Editor of Hooniverse.com. He’s often seen getting passed as he hustles a 1991 Mitsubishi Montero up the 405 Freeway. IG: @HooniverseJeff
Kamil Kaluski
I liked the Fiero , I know you laugh but I liked it. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/fa327654974713b2b7d2f21e9f83a6fce0bedf1fb30b19cd62faeb4c0522e1db.jpg
I’ve owned 3 of ’em… and I really liked one of them. They really should get more love. They have their fans, and they love them, but non-fans view them with an undeserved level of disdain.
I think that they have been severely tainted by kit car lovers and all the Fauxrarris and fake Lambos. That brings much of the disdain.
It didn’t help that the Fiero was competing with other two-seat cars like the Toyota MR2 and the Honda CRX. I test-drove a Fiero and a CRX 1.5 on the same day in 1983. Night and day in every aspect. The later V6 helped the Fiero, but the 1988 re-engineering was much too late.
This really, in isolation, the Fiero has charm, but it’s main issue is that the AW11 MR2 exists, and was developed properly with the combined might of Toyota, some pointers from Lotus (never fully confirmed, but makes sense) and even getting Dan Gurney to help with fine tuning the chassis. The Fiero just looked phoned in and apathetically developed by comparison.
Well, all I can say is that I had a friend in Atlanta who had a job as a Pontiac salesman who went and found different job after realizing that his dealership had more than 20 Fieros waiting for new engines.
https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/24/us/gm-plans-recall-of-244000-fieros-citing-fire-hazard.html
“The company said engine connecting rods, which link the pistons to the crankshaft, could blast through the side of the engine, causing an oil leak that could lead to a fire.”
It has been documented that the Fiero engine got reject rods from the chevy engine. This car was sabotaged from the inside go to wiki for part of the story. At one point in early 85 4 engines a day were burning up. 3 quart oil capaciy did not help.
We didn’t have this in Europe, but I am not laughing. All I know about this car is from Aaron Severson:
https://ateupwithmotor.com/model-histories/pontiac-fiero/
Before the Grand National and the T-Type, there was the Buick Sport Coupe Turbo. In 1981 it featured 180HP and 270 ft-lb. of torque with a 0-60 of 8.6 seconds. For comparisons sake:
1981 Mustang Cobra turbo 4, 120 HP/ 145 Torque, 9.6 0-60
1981 Camaro Z-28 350 V-8, 175 HP/ 275 Torque, 8.9 0-60
1981 BMW 633 CSI I-6, 174 HP/ 188 Torque, 8.9 0-60
1981 Nissan 280 ZX Turbo 180 HP/ 202 Torque, 8.3 0-60
These were completely overshadowed by the later T-Types and Grand Nationals. A 1981 Buick Regal Turbo was my first car in 1988.
http://www.beforeblack.net/images/81regalsc.jpg
And if you want to waste MANY hours of your life bench racing obscure cars, you can go here: http://www.automobile-catalog.com/
it’s funny to me how backwards those power and torque numbers feel…80s engines were pretty rev-averse, I guess? (Well, these ones, anyway.)
Agree about the 1982 Regal Sport Coupe turbo. I could also add the 1983-84 Oldsmobile Cutlass Hurst/Olds and the 1985-87 442.
There were actually a few Monte Carlos that got the same Buick Turbo engine too. The carburated one, not the later fuel injected one.
Ford Raptor? Nah, Dodge did it first with a factory built pre-Runner back in 1987. The Rod Hall edition Ram came with 33″ BFGs, light bar, push bar and special Rancho shocks – that unfortunately the NHTSA decided were TOO off road and forced a recall that ended production after only a handful (less than 10) escaped into the wild
http://image.fourwheeler.com/f/125772236+w600+cr1/dodge-rod-hall-edition-w150.jpg
Dodge/Shelby came out with another Rod Hall edition in 1990, but I think all of those were 318 trucks
Cool quick little article: http://www.mopartruckparts.com/gallery/g101.html
About 5 years ago, this person in Maine had TWO for sale… https://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/threads/1990-dodge-rod-hall-3-of-32-made-rare.249576/
Second generation F-bodies, at least the ones built in the Malaise era rather than the Musclecar era, deserve scorn, but nonetheless have skyrocketed in price in recent years.
Third generation F-bodies range from equally deserving of scorn to quite a bit better than their predecessors, but they seem to lag in price. I think they will soon see a redemption.
The European Jetta, in light green metallic on brown velours. It’s underpowered, overpensionisted, and died the death of 1000 rust spots.
http://germancarsforsaleblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Picture-33.png
Conveniently parked next to rusty trash bins…
I believe the Irish spec models came with baler twine keeping the boot closed from the factory.. 😉
I was so right about this!
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2018/05/vw-sees-future-sedans/
My US spec 84 Jetta seemed about right, but even the German made cars for the US market differed significantly from Euro spec so they may have been shite. It also helped that my car was kept away from salt and thus rust.
The Pulsar checked many boxes for me during my Transformers loving younger days.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8103/8541461543_5bc6fbb669_b.jpg
(2nd attempt to post, 1st attempt flagged as spam…)
I’ve mentioned this here before ,but I owned one of these in the 90s. It was both fantastic and terrible at the same time. A joy to drive but constantly breaking It cost me a lot of money to keep on the road.
I used to know a guy who drove one of these back when they were new and he loved it. He would take off all of the items hatch, t tops etc and cruise around. It was very funny to him drive around and get in and out, his 6’5″ every bit of 300+ lbs frame bending in ways it should to get in. He reply used to be “I don’t fit in most cars, might as well be a fun car I am uncomfortable in.”
https://i.imgflip.com/29dn59.jpg
With that out of the system, imho, the cubist 80s are a fantastic decade. Lots of light, square, analog cars with decent-ish reliability.
That said, there are some very clean designs that were so bad mechanically and otherwise, I guess all of their fans fit into a van. The Talbot Solara is one of these:
https://c.pxhere.com/photos/ca/43/old_car_car_old_vehicle_vintage_transportation_retro_automobile-626763.jpg!d
My Rover was designed in the 80s, and every time I drive it I marvel at the low cowl line. When I’m in the Audi, the screen starts at around nipple height. In the Rover it’s more like navel.
https://www.rover800.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/NEC-5-e1369272055208.jpg
Arguably Honda took low cowl lines too far, with short front suspension travel.
Ironically the lowest cowls I’ve experienced recently from the driver’s seat have been pickups (Hilux, Triton) due to high floor height.
Decent-ish reliability? You didn’t experience the joys of what American cars were in the 80s. It was the last decade where they were still largely dominant. The Japanese were minor players at the start of the decade and major by the end.
Domestic cars were poorly screwed together low on power, coarse and began to shed trim and other parts around 60K or so.
You’re right, I only saw the light of day in 1982 and that was on the wrong side of the iron curtain. But American cars are the outlier here. Most European carmakers had figured out a way to make analog cars run well. The Japanese really excelled in that decade. Lots of cars of that era make reliable classics today.
Meanwhile, in the Russian sphere…
I have a sneaking fondness for the Buick Reatta. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/328b387129cc255db12d7ed3ad5bd6fed857be5432bfd51e640687c5502ac2a0.jpg
Those had a rad touch screen.
Sleek design
It thought the rear half of it was attractive, but there’s just too much car ahead of the front axles for my liking. Blame the FWD platform, which the biggest reason I wouldn’t want that car.
For all the hate heaped on C4 Corvettes, they were quite a revelation at introduction.
Yes! Especially the 1985 and later versions that ditched the Cross(Miss)Fire fuel injection. The Z51 handling package in 1984 was TOO good and had to be dialed back to gain some semblance of ride comfort. They were pulling close to 0.9g on the skid pad. Having owned and driven both a 1977 C3 and a 1994 C4, I can testify that the C4 was miles ahead of the ancient C3. The C4s only real competition the first few years came from Europe at 3 times the price. The 1989 300ZX turbo was the only thing that came close at a price anywhere near a Vette.
Plus low mileage (under 100k) are available for low bucks. A performance bargain for the last couple of years of the C4.
C4 Corvettes have been a performance bargain for 20+ years. I got my 1994 in 1998 for less than the price of a new Z-28, it had less than 10k miles.
I’ve had kind of a soft spot for the Starquest twins (Mitsubishi Starion and Chrysler Conquest) for some time. Not really for any good reason, as I’ve never driven one, but to me their styling is an embodiment of all that was 80s in a way that actually works and looks pretty good. Designed with a straight-edge and protractor, pop-up headlights, box flares…check, check, and check. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c5126fe0ca93dca3aed5f71f6f28c051584d3424a6536a870ce262d697cdd7ce.jpg
I liked them, too. Very Porsche 924, RX7-ish.
Second gen RX7 is also arguably underrated, and overshadowed by the other generations
1983 GSR-III RHD Okinawa 1985 https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/512f456c4d7f9bba275f9c5076dd94b58d6818f9c3c75c01bb1fc79b48c4e74c.jpg
Friend of mine in college had one, great car. That is the proper way to make a turbo engine. What kind of writer wouldn’t put some suspense before the climax?
Came here to post the same.
Count me as another who has always liked the Starion, particularly in the later wide-flare versions. Think of it as a sort of Japanese Camaro. It’s too bad that male pattern baldness no longer permits me to grow a proper mullet.
Geez, the eighties… let me see if I can remember any ’80s cars off the top of my head
(it should be noted, my 1981 SAAB 900 GLE was the only ’80s car I ever owned, and that was essentially a 1970s 99 EMS)
The Yugo?
Ford Probe?
Pontiac Bonneville SSE?
Jeep Scrambler?
the miniature fleetwood deluxe, the cadillac cimarron. typical GM econotrash. the Aztek of its day.
More than one person has suggested that the correct answer is “none” until such time as I free up some of the already occupied space in my back yard.
Yes, I know, but:
https://i2.wp.com/hooniverse.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/DSC_4114.jpg?resize=700%2C464
Oh dear.
Only Rover could take the infallible Acura Legend and turn it into a heap of British crap.
That’s so far beyond harsh that it’s just downright mean.
but it had real leather seats!!
My 1980 Ford Pinto wagon was slow. My 1980 Pinto was thirsty. My 1980 Pinto was the butt of every joke. My 1980 Pinto leaked oil. My 1980 Pinto had an unsolvable driveline vibration. My 1980 Pinto always chewed up front tires.
But my 1980 Ford Pinto wagon reliably carried me and my stuff for 6 years. My 1980 Pinto was rear wheel drive and was a manual (trans…+ windows, locks…EVERYTHING!) My (now) wife and I had a our first date in that car. I miss that car. I have great affection for that car…and just may lavish lots of money and attention on a survivor to clone my beloved, yet lost, friend…..
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9ea112b0e3d311ccc6f5e28f4e77e0861bb5ba97e143bd6b69ca7822ea62effc.jpg
I want a pinto wagon bad
If I were to pick a 1980 Pinto, this is the one I’d want. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/dcb4ecc20eecba06618c50fab471a6bdce1df1c66fb356b4a706ed540b39be50.jpg
I’m torn, I love the cruising wagon, but I also want just a standard brown wagon like my grandfather had
Find the right donor body, swap in a V8 from a wrecked Crown Vic with a T5 behind it, and do some suspension upgrades. That should take care of the slow, leaky, vibrating, tire-eating problems. You won’t mind that it’s still thirsty.
https://www.engineswapdepot.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1980-Pinto-Wagon-with-a-Windsor-302-V8-01.jpg
Actually, I was thinking of a more contemporary engine swap…perhaps a 2.0…or even 2.3L Eco-Boost….but yes, this is the general idea….and yes, it MUST be a 5 speed!
A 2.3EB would be awesome. I’m just not sure I have the skills to deal with the electronics of such a swap.
If I am rich enough when I do it, I will buy the Ford Racing wiring harness kit for about $2500.00….otherwise, will need to pull the harness out of wrecked Mustang and spend the next decade sorting it out…..
Despite my nostalgic affection for a 1980 Pinto wagon, it remains difficult to rationalize putting $10,000 + of drivetrain into a $3000 car. Perhaps that 2.3 Lima engine wasn’t so bad afterall…..
Take it to someone who tunes them to turn off all security and integration with other vehicle systems, ie so it just runs the engine
As a resident of the California, I am forced to also consider the emissions. Cars as early as 1976 models are still required to have all factory equipment OR meet the entirely elastic standards of an official “referee”. Engine swaps in CA get VERY complicated.
Note that stuff doesn’t affect engine operation so you could still have all factory emissions equipment. Whether that would satisfy the EPA would probably depend on how well it fit in the Pinto.
Otherwise start with an earlier car and swap the front sheet metal!
I like California and all, but I think my car-enthusiast soul would wither away and die if I lived there.
We just need to work on pre-1976 cars….since cars don’t really rust here, it’s a viable approach.
The Citroen BX. Not being sold in the USA while it’s stablemate sistercar, the Peugeot 405 was, didn’t help. And look, there was a version available with AWD.
An AWD hydropneumaticaly suspended small/midsize platform with all the engineering paid for, that would make a great basis for a modern crossover wouldn’t it?
Nah, that’s too obvious for new Citroen with the floppy chevrons and it’s tragic ‘DS’ offshoot, they’ll just throw some chrome at it and make their ‘upmarket’ SUVs FWD .
https://i1.wp.com/theautomobilist.fr/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/citroen_bx_4x4-593×445.jpg
This design is a special kind of unloved, even though Citroën had a lot of success with the BX. Here’s what Bertone tried to sell to the Swedes in 1977, as the Volvo Tundra:
https://ranwhenparkeddotnet.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/volvo-tundra-concept-17.jpeg
Didn’t work out, so in 1981, the Japanese were presented with the Mazda Aria:
http://cardesignnews.com/media/12313364/mazda-mx-81-aria-01.jpg
Then, in 1982, the French made this design one of their own. Imagine that today, trying to get a new car sold with a 5 year old exterior. Tops the NSX.
I don’t know. A five year old concept car making production, or it’s looks, making production, after that time sounds about right. It took three years to get the Dodge Viper into production after the show car appeared and everyone said that was a ridiculously quick development. It took four years for the Jaguar XJ220. It took two years for the Isuzu Piazza to be ‘rushed’ into production and that showcar was commissioned by Isuzu itself.
Perhaps, most pertinently, if the look is new or controversial, a bit of time is often necessary. Many people said that the Ford Probe III should have come out a little earlier than only a year before the car it presaged.
The 1981 Probe III previewing the Ford Sierra’s release at the same Paris motor show that the BX was released at in 1982.
http://www.carstyling.ru/Static/SIMG/420_0_I_MC_jpg_W/resources/concept/1982_Ford_Probe_III.jpg?5E4E456D6D827B07E8BE938482B1EF8B
http://www.carstyling.ru/resources/concept/1981_Ford_Probe_III_Design_Studie_01.jpg
And Bertone did have a go at selling the styling to someone else. The proportions are quite distinctly Citroen though. This look could have been Turkish, not French.
http://cars–reviews.com/images/reliant-se7/reliant-se7-4.jpg.
I do think the new look is complemented by not being on the old RWD proportions
Reliant/Anadol FW11
https://icdn-8.motor1.com/images/mgl/ww3L6/s3/1977-reliant-fw11.jpg
Volvo 480?
The grille-below-the-bumper-idea definitely survived.
http://www.parts-specs.nl/photos/0652046-Volvo-480-ES-GT-Turbo-1994.jpg
Yes, loads of late model BX GTIs with the 16v engine got mercilessly ripped apart as engine donors for Peugeot 205GTIs. Even though they weren’t exactly common, no-one seem to have much remorse about using them as donor cars, that’s how unloved they were.
Oh the irony and the ignorance. The BX with it’s 7″ longer wheelbase giving more control over oversteer on slippery surfaces. And they scarcely weigh any more and have better aero, and a better ride for comfort on longer journeys. My BX19 looks likely to go the other way with a 306 GTi six speed installed. Still one of the best cars for driving on the many unsealed, gravel roads we have here in NZ, and the A/C still works.
I always wondered what life was like with the Quad4 engine in the N-body coupes or the early GM10 applications of that engine.
For a while in the early noughts, my folks had a ’87 Pontiac Grand Am as one of the supernumerary cars. (Dad paid all of $600 for it IIRC.) It mostly was my sister’s daily driver for a summer or two when she was home from college, then my folks sold it to a neighbor family that needed a car for their teenagers. I never drove it much but I thought it was kinda fun with just the Iron Duke & THM125, and figured it’d have to be better with ~2x the HP.
I’ve read in car magazine articles at the time that early Quad 4s were coarse and noisy, particularly at high revs.
My Sister had a ’87 Olds Calais with a Quad4, super fun to drive despite the massive torque steer and noise. She didn’t have it long, the constant trips to the shop sent it packing.
I wouldn’t turn down a 1991 Olds 442 W-41 with the 190HP Quad 4 and a 5-speed.
http://www.2040-cars.com/_content/cars/images/82/657182/001.jpg
Everyone loves the AE86 and this is of course good and proper and natural because a lightweight rear wheel drive wedge is the only Correct way to make an 80s car. Spare a thought then for the not-quite-AE86s:
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2a174efe1308e59af11625db33b886f1e188b599a74c529c207b695e6026d64f.jpg
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0992055d3ab76518ff28c50080afaf6e3062bacf0fc6334ab17015d1fd12a4a7.jpg
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/15443c24a33b4c95a10ae4143d512051a12a1d1b5f01f3359e710a3665f2caf8.jpg
Specially that last one, the Cordia. More of a Fuego competitor.
And those Piazzas look waaay better than they drive.
I believe Turbo Opel Manta sums it up? Still would be tempted though, especially the later “Handling by Lotus” ones, even if all they did was probably give the dampers a mild tweak.
Well if you’re including those, you have to include these.
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/525ed70ce4b0f5b115badf07/5a25b1218165f5d59e230d6a/5a25b1218165f5d59e230d6b/1512419350104/Restoration-RS3100.jpg
The picture is what the owner of a 1.3 Capri owner imagined their car would be like with ‘a little work’.
They were never unloved, at least not this side of the pond. 😀
You guys are dropping back into the 70s, a decade which has enough under-appreciated favorites for an entire other post, and then some.
I think you misunderstood.. aside from the fact that facelift Manta Bs and Mullets defined 80s and even 90s Germany (the car continued right up to 88, watch some clips of the infamous Manta! Manta! for cultural context, Europe can be trashy too!).
“Turbo Opel Manta” is a reference to how the Piazza apparently drives due to its GM commonality, it’s derived from the RWD Isuzu Gemini, so perhaps Turbo Opel Kadett is a little more accurate, but it’s a similarly basic car with a live Axle, which unlike the also live axle AE86, they were not so succesful at overcoming the drawbacks of.
It’s not quite the precision touge weapon and has more in common with the character of the chariot of choice for the sort of German male that gets arrested every Oktoberfest or makes trouble at Bayern-Munich soccer matches than focused Tofu delivery Samurai (That said AE86s are traditionally loved by a particular brand of diffing at the crossroads redneck that acts the idiot at rally events they spectate here in Ireland).
It is kinda to AE86 what Fiero is to MR2, the more knuckle dragging cousin. Same idea, less careful execution.
I believe a few were used as engine/axle donors for Mantas in the UK where quite lot were imported cheap but no-one really appreciated the relative rarity of at the time, so it’s quite unusual one comes up for sale.
Still like a John Wick movie, it’s dumb but it’s still fun.
The Impulse is wedge-tastic! Plus Joe Isuzu outran a bullet in one, so there’s that…
IRS, RWD, Supercharged V6 or V8 power. Just think what you could do with those kinds of specs today!
You’d have a Mustang, but I digress…
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/1989_Ford_Thunderbird_Super_Coupe_%2814694904502%29.jpg
That generation is really more a 90s car, though technically I think it debuted as an ’89. I much prefer the Turbo Coupe that preceded it.
https://s13252.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/s-l720-340-620×411.jpg
For a Fox body luxury coupe, I’ll take a Lincoln Mk VII LSC. My dad had one for years. It was still going strong at nearly 300k miles. The legend is that Lincoln got the 5.0L engines with parts that measured exactly to print. Ford and Mercury got the ones with parts at the end of the tolerances. https://i0.wp.com/hooniverse.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Lincoln-mark-vii_8e0af-001.jpg?resize=720%2C299
I agree wholeheartedly. I nearly bought an ‘88(?) LSC before graduating from college. I wanted to swap in a manual from a Mustang, but my dad thought I was nuts.
I consider that heroic. Dad’s are soooo wrong sometimes (disclosure: I am a Dad).
He would usually tell me about how ridiculous my project ideas were, then enthusiastically clear space in the garage to help me realize them. I had years of great bonding with my dad while turning wrenches. Wish my boys were more into cars, but they won’t get their heads out of their phones.
I always tried to be “that Dad” too.
My son and I comp!eted this project together:
https://youtu.be/6ChYeV-bWjk
I am very glad we had the opportunity. He is going away to college this fall, and I am going to miss him!
That is awesome! Excellent work by the team on that one. The ’67/’68s were always my favorite of the Mustangs. Great color choice, and it sounds sweet.
My son chose the car, the colors, wheels etc. I would have done a 73-74 Charger…but those felt too big for his taste…very pleased with the result
He chose a “Classic Ford Racing” theme in many ways, but it’s a great look so I don’t blame him. Interestingly, my 15-year-old’s only old-car interest is a 1971/72 Plymouth GTX, but Mopars are expensive to find and restore!
I fell in love with the 1973-74 Chargers when watching the TV show “Burn Notice.” In that show, the car is a star.–A fun show, I recommend it!
Agreed, just snuck in under the wire with the ’89 MY. I had a Mustang SVO with the same-ish engine as the turbo coupes. I can not really think of them fondly as a result. That thing was a turd.
The car was designed for the supercharged V-6. Customers demanded a V-8, so Ford crammed a 5.0 in there and smushed the intake and exhaust losing a few ponies in the process. I had a 1992 S/C 5-speed and loved it. something with the gearing, nothing could touch it from about 50-120mph. 310ft-lbs of torque was fun!.
My ’96 was the gateway to me being a Challenger driver now. (Not in a “I hate Fords now” way, but in the “I like having a spacious coupe” way.)
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/419c60062753d176417f2b88d7be2dc66aff5588abb2738cdc4ee43b543bee64.jpg
I do love the menacing look and sound of the Challengers, but I abandoned coupes decades ago in favor of more doors. I keep eyeballing the Chargers, wondering if I could swap in the front clip of a Challenger. If so, I’d add Coronet badges.
Maybe others like the Volvo 740, too, and I just don’t hear about it, but I think (especially compared to the venerable 240) they are under-appreciated. So straight, it looks like it could be built from Legos.
https://s13252.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/00o0o_dH32YANDJxS_600x4501.jpg
I once had a part time-ish job delivering these and the sedans when new from the main Auckland dealer here in NZ down into the rural hinterland where the wealthy farmers are. They were invisible to police and hence effectively very quick. Still some of my fastest point to point times – not, of course, that I’d condone in any way, breaking posted speed limits.
Not that Volvo would condone such behaviour either…
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BcyJUxhIAAEC0Nf.jpg
But I’d still say that big RWD Volvos always had a following. Pristine 740’s and, especially, licked, well-optioned ’98 940s are being traded around the 20k€ mark these days. All the while the used up ones are still 1000€ cars. More unloved 80s Volvos are everything but hard to find:
http://images.handelsprijzen.nl/640/719/3774719-1.jpg
The black 740 Turbos were the ultimate, everything was blacked out so C&D actually subtitled a road test “Lord Vader your car is ready”
Odd one I know, and probably unknown outside the British Isles but.. The Dutton Phaeton – the blue collar Lotus 7.
It’s not the best 7 type ever, and only a mother could love its looks, but it was very cheap, offered a good chassis for the money, and sold in incredible numbers at the time. It was the peak of the UK kit car industry, which has not seen a model capture the public imagination in the same way since, and probably deserves more recognition alongside Caterhams and Westfields.These days Dutton makes amphibious cars based on Suzuki Vitaras.
http://www.classic-kitcars.com/images/imgtxt/700/1178572660-dutton-phaeton-brg.jpg
“These days Dutton makes amphibious cars based on Suzuki Vitaras.” Now THERE’s a growth market!
It is for them! Cottage industry pretty much sums it up, right down to the Geocities era throwback that’s their website http://www.timdutton.com/4wd.html
Seems the cars are based on Jimnys/Samura/SJ14 rather than Vitaras
The Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 deserves some love https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/6thGalantVR-4.jpg/300px-6thGalantVR-4.jpg as a WRC contender with the same AWD turbo drivetrain as the hot DSM cars.
Good call. It’s a shame that we didn’t get the handsome hatchback version in the US. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f2a335af364567ac71dc706538e4cd0d7b8496be32592274dc8a8c990fcab58a.jpg
If we include auto oddities from overseas market. There’s the Argentine Ford Falcon with its 1960s body still soldered in Argentina at that time.
My adult son & I are rebuilding another 88 4cyl 5sp AC coupe now. It sat for 5 years but looks real good when we dig under the dirt. We working on it daily and can’t wait to drive it.