Modern Classic: GMC Syclone

“The wonder of the Syclone is not so much a pickup that’ll do a Ferrari blur on the local scenery, although that’s no small trick. The real magic is the way it makes this capability seem like a perfectly wonderful idea.”

– Patrick Bedard, Car & Driver September 1991

It was like nothing else on the road. It was a freakin’ pickup truck capable of destroying most sports cars of the time in a straight line street race. An unfavorable, front-biased, weight distribution, rear drum brakes, live axle on leaf springs were its shortcomings. Those shortcomings were rather quickly overshadowed by a 4.3L V6, which itself is a small-block V8 with two cylinders chopped off, a Mitsubishi TD06 turbo, and an all-wheel-drive system. … Continue Reading

Modern Classic: Volkswagen Corrado

Pegged as the replacement the long-running Scirocco, Volkswagen introduced the Corrado in 1988. The design lost the sharp edges the Scirocco was known for, but under designer Herbert Schafer the Corrado took a smoother, more aerodynamic shape. The Corrado was a mix of Volkswagen parts; the front-end used components of the Golf while the back-end used parts from the Passat.

Volkswagen used the new Corrado as a place to show of some of their technical advancements. Known as the G60, the new engine was a supercharged 1.8L inline-4 producing 160HP. Volkswagen also introduced a rear spoiler that would rise around 45 MPH to improve down-force. In 1992, Volkswagen replaced the G60 with the much-heralded VR6 engine. The narrow-angle design of the VR6 allowed engineers to easily place the motor into the space originally occupied by the inline-4.  The 2.8L VR6 brought forth 178HP and 177 lb-ft of torque. … Continue Reading

Modern Classic: Volkswagen GTI Mk1

The Mk.1 Golf/Rabbit GTI started off as a project by a small group of Volkswagen engineers. Codenamed “Sport Golf”, the engineers raided VW/Audi parts bins to build up the car. Engineers took a Golf body, a 1.6L fuel-injected 4-cylinder engine from Audi 80/Fox GT, and other components to create their masterpiece. To help differentiate the GTI from pedestrian Golf models, the body got minor tweaks with a blacked out grill and stripes running down the side.

When it was shown at the 1975 Frankfurt Auto Show, the car was producing 110 HP and weighed around 1800 lbs. That combination gave the GTI a 0-60 time of 9.0 seconds and a top speed of 110 MPH. While that may not see like a great achievement, the GTI was nearly as fast as the muscle cars and exotics of the day. … Continue Reading

Modern Classic: Isuzu VehiCROSS

Certain vehicles garner a cult following. Whether it is because of their inovative design or interesting technology - the vehicle has to have something that draws people to it. One such vehicle with a cult following is the Isuzu VehiCROSS, a car whose purpose was to be a sports car and an off-roader at the same time.

The VehiCROSS began life as a concept introduced at the 1993 Tokyo Motor Show. The concept was designed by Satomi Murayama, chief designer/manager at Isuzu’s European office. The goal of the concept was to build a “lightweight but tough, fun but environmentally friendly” SUV. Their efforts paid off because the concept was a success, prompting Isuzu to put the VehiCROSS into production. … Continue Reading

Modern Classic: Alfa Romeo Spider

If there was ever automotive brand that was the pinnacle of design, performance, and lust – that brand would be Alfa Romeo. During its long history Alfa Romeo has produced some of the most beautiful vehicles, raced in different forms of motorsport, and caused lust in people’s hearts for an Alfa of their own. One of their best cars to illustrate these points is the Alfa Romeo Spider.

The Spider began life as a prototype at 1961 Turin Auto Show. The car was designed and engineered by Pininfarina. The Spider would be the last vehicle that Pininfarina founder, Battista “Pinin” Farina was associated with. It would take five years for the first Spiders to begin rolling off lines at Pininfarina due to success of other models in Alfa’s lineup and economic troubles Italy was facing at the time. … Continue Reading

Modern Classic: Merkur XR4Ti

In the United States, we look at foreign auto markets and lust a some of the offerings such as Ford Focus RS, Audi RS5, Holden Ute to name a few. We wonder why these vehicles have not made their way onto US soil. Companies have tried bringing vehicles from other markets with varying results. One of the biggest flops was Ford’s Merkur, a brand which brought the very successful Ford Sierra and Scorpio.

In the 1980s Ford was talking about selling vehicles from Europe. The vehicle they were looking at was the brand new Ford Sierra. However, then vice president, Bob Lutz, wanted to differentiate the Sierra from other Ford vehicles in the lineup. It was therefore decided that a new brand would be created for the new vehicles, Merkur.

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Modern Classic: Nissan 240SX

The early to mid-nineties were the golden age for Japanese sport cars. Seemly every year a new sports car from the Land of the Rising Sun would arrive onto the shores; Supra, Eclipse, Celica, 300ZX, and RX-7 to name a few. While those cars did not have the sound and torque of domestic V8s, people them loved as they were affordable, well built, and simply fun to drive. One of those vehicles was the Nissan 240SX.

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Modern Classic: Subaru BRAT

When the first Subarus came off the dock in the 1960’s, no one expected the brand to make a significant impact on the American car culture. During its years in the U.S. market, however, Subaru has sold some of the most odd and interesting sedans, wagons, coupes, and crossovers. In 1977 Subaru presented one of their most interesting vehicles, the Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter, also known as BRAT. … Continue Reading

Modern Classic: Mercedes Benz 280C (W114)

Pull out any book dealing with the history of Mercedes-Benz and most likely the vehicles featured are the Silver Arrows race cars, the 300SL Gullwing, 300SEL 6.9, and the 190E to name a few. But one family of Mercedes-Benz vehicles played an important role in the brand’s future and would create a dynasty of midsize Mercedes-Benz sedans, coupes, and wagons that would last until 1996. That family of vehicles were the W114 and W115 series and today will look at a 1975 Mercedes-Benz 280C.

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Modern Classic: Jeep Cherokee

When we think of the Jeep brand, the first thing that comes to mind is the iconic Wrangler. Think a little more and the image of the boxy Cherokee appears. When the first models rolled off the Toledo Assembly Plant in 1984 no one expected the little Cherokee to set a trend for small SUVs which are so popular now days. Today we will look at two Cherokees, an early ’86 model and one of the last “Classic” models from 2001.

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Modern Classic: 1993 Ford Mustang Cobra

In the automotive world Cobra has two meanings, the Shelby Cobra and the Ford Mustang Cobra. Carroll Shelby took a British sports car called the AC Cobra and stuck an American V8 into it in turn creating an icon. The other is the Ford Mustang Cobra which came to life on the Mustang II in 1976 as an appearance package that was available for all engine choices. Two years later, Ford offered a King Cobra package with the 302 V8 as its only engine option for the final year of Mustang II.

In 1991 Ford established the Special Vehicles Team. The group was charged with building high performance vehicles for enthusiasts. Their first products were shown at 1992 Chicago Auto Show, with the introduction the F-150 Lightning pickup and the Mustang Cobra. … Continue Reading

Modern Classic: Chevy Impala SS

First offered as a package on the Impala in 1961, some consider the Impala SS to be one of the first muscle cars. Its name alone conjures up images of muscle cars, drag strips, and the golden age of General Motors. In 1969 GM decided it was unnecessary to continue with a performance version of big sedan and the SS was retired just as the world was entering an energy crisis. … Continue Reading

Modern Classic: Peugeot 505

French car manufacturers have a history of making unique cars, and the 1980s may have been the pinnacle of their independent engineering and design. Before going more mainstream in the mid-1990s (at least from an engineering perspective), French car companies used the latest (and therefore not always the greatest) technology to make their vehicles stand apart. The resultant vehicles, which can be described as either as quirky or insane, have developed a love-it-or-hate-it following from the public.

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Modern Classic: Saab 900 SPG

Love them or hate them, Saab has been producing Scandinavian turbo sedans, coupes, and convertibles for their loyal niche market since 1978.  As the new year begins, car enthusiasts should take a look back 25 years into automotive history to the year 1985.  This marked the first year the Saab 900 SPG was imported into North America.

The 2- and 4-door Saab 900 hatchbacks were built from 1978 until 1993.  With 908,817 built during a decade and a half, the Saab 900 has become an iconic vehicle.  But there is one Saab 900 that stood out from the pack, despite its subtle differences.  With only 7,600 2-door hatchbacks and convertibles trickled into the USA from 1985- 1991 it is no surprise that the Saab 900 SPG blended in so well with the rest of the 900s.

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Weekend Driver: Porsche 944

Back in the summer of 2009, I set out to find a great second driver for less than $3000. The goal was to fix ‘er up and sell ‘er on for a profit. People warned me that I’d be throwing money out the window but I’m stubborn so I found out the hard way.

I was looking for something fun, sporty, and older since I had a small budget. I checked out lots of clunkers including some Alfa Romeo Spyders, BMW 635CSi’s, and Porsche naturally aspirated 944′s among lots of other cars. … Continue Reading