Car Lust

1973-1977 Chevrolet Malibu

The mid-1970s Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu lived in a no-man's land for Malibus, coming as it did after the legendary muscle-car Chevelles and Malibus of the late 1960s, and just before the popular ground-breaking Malibus that debuted in 1978. In that context, it's difficult to argue that the mid-1970s Malibus were anything other than gutless, tawdry, disappointing (and, to me, stunningly desirable) dinosaurs so typical of the era. In fact, I made that very point a few months ago in excoriating the Malibu's fancypants sibling, the adorably atrocious Chevelle Laguna Type S-3 454.

It is true that the mid-1970s Malibus were vastly less powerful and purposeful in line than their predecessors, yet bulkier, more wasteful, and more bloated than their successors. Big on the outside, small on the inside, and slow and floaty regardless of trim choice, even a fresh-off-the-showroom-floor 1973 Malibu would be a hopeless anachronism today.

Helping Alice Update, More on Super Synchronicity

Some of you no doubt remember the Helping Alice challenge, in which we offered hatchback-buying advice to 15-year-old Alice (not her real name) in Georgia. Horrifyingly, her tastes appeared to align pretty closely with ours. Poor thing.

She wound up getting pretty close to a Taurus wagon, but unfortunately, as so often happens, the process has broken down and there is now no car on the horizon.

Alice:

"Like always, things don't work out financially like you'd expect, but I've set a goal to have myself a ride by senior year. That gives me 1-2 years.. with a few summer jobs, I should be able to afford a nice hatch. I really did learn a lot about what to look for and expect from asking you guys, so that gives me a much better perspective!"

It happens, Alice--hang in there, you'll get your car. It took me way, way too long to get my first car.

Speaking of hatchbacks, and finding the right car, the current owner of the twin-engine Honda CRX built by Car & Driver popped up and left a comment on the post updating us on the current status of the car. Pretty interesting stuff if you enjoyed reading about that car or a Honda Civic/CRX fan. No there'd be any of them around, of course.

--Chris H.

Porsche 944

Submitted by Brian Miller

It’s nearly impossible to describe the Porsche 944 without comparing it to the Porsche 924. The 944 is very similar in design to the 924, but very different; in some ways, the opposite of the 924 in purpose. The 924 is a precisely balanced technical achievement--a fuel-efficient sports car with theoretically perfect handling. The 944 is a response to a marketplace demand for a 924 with more power and better brakes and more options.

If the 924 is a nerd, the 944 is a jock. If the 924 is technobeat, the 944 is new wave. If the 924 is punk, the 944 is goth. Where the 924 is a scientist, with an engine optimized for longevity and fuel efficiency, the 944 is an athlete. Those fender flares are the result of all those years working out at the gym, and the rear spoiler is the automotive equivalent of having your baseball cap on backwards.

Vauxhall VX220 Turbo

The name Vauxhall doesn't stir up any great excitement in the United States. For one thing, the cars aren't sold here and thus Vauxhall is not a household name. For another, Vauxhall isn't exactly exotic; it's simply the British branch of GM and has a long history of selling dull cars.

The Vauxhall VX220 Turbo is many things--impractical, cramped, and thrilling--but it certainly could not be called dull. The VX220 is a lightweight giant-killer for both the road and the track, meant to embarrass much more expensive Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Porsches.

This Specific Jeep Cherokee

While searching for photos for the Jeep Cherokee post, I stumbled across this photo of a much older Jeep Cherokee, a contemporary of the old Wagoneers. Just look at it--it's completely gorgeous.

The most remarkable thing? According to the photographer (user Katie and Joe on Flickr), roughly five months ago it was for sale for only $5,000. That's a fantastic price for such a pretty truck. It looks as if it just rolled off the showroom floor.

Somebody, please tear me away from my monitor. I just can't stop looking at it.

--Chris H.

Jeep Cherokee

My wife has been proven herself to be doggedly resistant to the Car Lust virus. In fact, based on my experience over the last 10+ years, I'd say she's completely immune. Beautiful cars, ugly cars, expensive cars, cheap cars, tough cars, fun cars; none of them even scratch the thick armor of her complete and total indifference. It's not as if she hates cars; they just don't register with her. Despite my best efforts, she feels about cars like I feel about PVC pipe. In other words, not at all beyond a simple acknowledgment of existence.

There have been three exceptions. Her greatest car love was our Volvo 240, for sentimental reasons. On the other side of the coin, she hated our Saturn SL2 with just as much venom as I did. The third exception is the Jeep Cherokee.

1985-87 Toyota Corolla GT-S

With my initial disappointment from the latest news and pictures on the Toyota/Subaru front-engine RWD coupe, I feel that an “appreciation” blog post is due for the car that I [pretend to] know a lot about: the 1985-87 Toyota Corolla GT-S (a.k.a. AE86).

Sure, maybe I’ll change my mind when the production Toybaru/Subayota hits the streets. After all, the early hype on this new coupe did have some hints toward the “resurgence of the AE86.” But in the meantime, I won’t hold my breath.

To appreciate the Corolla GT-S’s original form, let’s take a trip back to 1985.  Years before drifting hit mainstream, before there were Japanese cartoons about driving a “hachiroku” to deliver tofu, heck - when the only place to find a 4-valve-per-cylinder engine was in a Ferrari or Lotus. So what if the Corolla was only a 4-banger with 112 horsepower? It was lightweight, aerodynamic (yay! popup headlights!), had 4-wheel disc brakes, and best all - rear wheel drive. 0-60 in 8.9 seconds wasn’t exactly mind-numbing, but you sure thought you were going fast with a 7500 RPM redline! After all, the 4A-GE engine wasn’t designed to be high horsepower motor, but rather, a high-efficiency power plant to utilize a sub-2400 lb vehicle. With killer throttle response and “practical performance” (about 30 MPG on average), it’s no wonder that a variation of the 4A-GE motor was the engine of choice for the Formula Atlantic Series for a number of years.

For you Toyota enthusiasts out there, I am fully aware that the AE86 chassis doesn’t just cover the GT-S trim line. But let’s save the Corolla SR5’s SOHC carbed weaksauceness of 87hp for Chris’ Car Disgust blogs. Until the next affordable, lightweight Toyota front-engine RWD coupe or hatchback car gets produced, let’s keep appreciating this piece of Japanese history and benchmark. Many enthusiasts say it’s too late to find one at a good price due to the JDM-appeal, anime exposure, or drifting hype, but if you can find one in good condition at a bargain – it may not be a bad idea to get your cheapo hands on a quasi-collector car.

Photo is from Flickr user Bokchoys.

Great Car Commercials--1973 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham

Today we're honoring a commercial that had the chutzpah to compare a 1973 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham with the NASA Apollo command module used to transport astronauts from the Earth to the moon. My thoughts under the ad.

Car Lust--2006 Audi S8

There's something about "V-10" that doesn't really roll off the lips. It just sounds wrong. V-8, V-12, V-6, straight six; all of these are common engine configurations with long histories of providing performance magic on the street.

But V-10? Outside of Formula 1, the V-10 doesn't have much history. In past years, there was the Dodge Viper, of course, and it was possible to find a Ford Super Duty pickup or van with a Triton V-10, but compared to other engine configurations, the pickings were a bit slim. After all, why put the money into tooling a V-10 when modern V-8s can pump out ridiculous amounts of power? And if you're hell-bent on cylinder count, why not move up to a V-12, with its innate smoothness, rich power band, and mellifluous tone?

Car Lust--Subaru Justy

In the Subaru XT Car Lust post, I mentioned that if you blur your eyes a little, the Subaru XT's spec sheet looks a little bit like that of the legendary high-performance WRX. Well, if you verge on complete myopia, as I do, the same could be said about the Subaru Justy.

Here, let's give it a try. The WRX and Justy are both scrappy little economy cars, fortified with the traction of all-wheel drive, a high-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine, a sporty look, and the legacy of international rally-car championships.

The Justy fits that description to a tee--once you deduct the turbocharger, the horsepower, one of the cylinders, the rally-car championships, and the sporty look (though it still looks pretty nice to my demented mind). This leaves all-wheel-drive and a 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine, but the Justy did have one piece of trick hardware the WRX can't boast--the first mass-marketed continuously-variable transmission (CVT).