The … Thing!
The Bible says the poor are blessed in spirit - but they sure get short-changed when it comes to transportation. The Jeep-like VW Type 181 “Thing" - sold here for only...
Party Time! Excellent! 1975–1980 AMC Pacer
Wayne’s World immortalized the AMC Pacer, a car which defined the 1970s even more than a Bee Gees 8-track, the “Farrah” hairstyle, or the leisure suit. In fact, wearing a leisure...
The Stinker: 1978–1985 Cadillac Seville Diesel
As the second energy crisis in a decade kidney-punched an inflation-addled nation, several automakers began to eye the diesel engine as a way to attract customers interested in high-mileage vehicles. The...
1978–1990 Dodge Omni (Oh Lawsee!)
It became a depressing tendency in the late 1970s to bestow optimistic-sounding names on increasingly scrunched-down and browbeaten economy cars that were at best proletarian-geared “transportation modules” as enjoyable as day-old...
1983–1988 Hurst Olds/442
Oldsmobile had a long and distinguished history - and suffered a slow, painful death.
The process of mortification began in the early 1980s, when General Motors gutted the formerly independent engineering departments...
In the Rearview Mirror: 1977-81 Z28 Camaro
The smart athlete retires gracefully, at his peak - before he starts to slip and give off that “has-been” stink. To their credit, that’s what Chevrolet managers did when they discontinued...
In the Rearview Mirror: 1987 Renault Alliance GTA
The death rattle of American Motors Corp. came in the early 1980s, with the “alliance” between the tubercular American automaker and French automaker Renault. Renault, a big player in Europe, hoped...
Rambler American Cross Country Wagons, 1954–1969
It's not well-known, but AMC's Rambler line actually surpassed Plymouth as the number-three brand of car in America (in terms of total sales) by the early 1960s, under the inspired leadership...
Mustang SVO, 1984-1986
Trying to keep the performance flame flickering in the late '70s wasn't easy. Big-cube, high-powered V-8s had been all but outlawed. Only a handful of smallblocks were still gimping along, their...
Must-Have Classic Car “Accessories”
A few weeks back, before the weather turned to schiesse, took my old Pontiac - a 1976 Trans-Am - to a local old car show. The old disco machine is...