Car Lust

Pontiac GTO Judge

Has there ever been a badder, more intimidating, more colorful name for a car than "Judge?" With apologies to Boss Mustangs and Plymouth Road Runners, I think "GTO Judge" is the unquestioned champion in this category.

Pontiac's dead-serious GTO had kick-started the muscle car revolution in 1964. Big, fast cars were around before the GTO--the Chrysler 300 letter-series cars were among the most famous--but the combination of the 389-cubic-inch Pontiac V-8 with the attractive intermediate-size Tempest body proved irresistible. The Ford Mustang sparked the pony car class later that year, and suddenly performance cars were hot. Nearly every carmaker had a muscle car in its lineup--even AMC got into the game with the S/CRambler--but in a sea of Cyclones, Chevelles, and Chargers, the GTO stood out as the first, the most famous, and one of the best-selling.

Alfa Romeo BAT 5, BAT 7, and BAT 9

I don't normally combine two cars into one Car Lust, much less three, but the Bertone-designed Alfa Romeo BAT 5, BAT 7, and BAT 9 concept cars are almost impossible to separate. The result of a challenge from Alfa Romeo to the Bertone design studio to develop highly aerodynamic cars without sacrificing Alfa's Italian panache and design heritage, the Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica (BAT) cars offered three different interpretations of the Alfa Romeo of tomorrow.

I'll tackle the aesthetic triumphs of the BAT series below, but first let's make it clear that the aerodynamic experimentation was a big success. The BAT 5 is the shortest and stubbiest of the three, ringing in with a coefficient of drag of .23--slightly better than notoriously slick fuel-sippers like the 1999-2006 Honda Insight (.25) and 2004-2009 Toyota Prius (.26). The BAT 7 is longer and even more extreme, and it sports a sensational .19 cd--as far as I can tell, slicker than any production car made and in line with the most advanced prototypes. The BAT 9 was designed to bring the BAT styling cues into a more conventional shape; while I haven't been able to find its drag numbers, I'm sure they are impressive for the era.

People love angry cars ...

Some people do, at least. My question is this--where in this article is the mention of overblown action movie quotes?

For those who aren't aware, we've been honoring the most over-the-top, ridiculously angry cars we can find (1, 2, 3, 4). I'm a little disappointed because the article uses as its example the current BMW 5-series--which I was planning to feature as our next angry car. Oh, well, the cat's out of the bag.

--Chris H.

1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon

Submitted by Brian Miller

For my graduation from high school, I received a car. Wait, let me back up. Before I graduated from high school, my mother drove a 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon to her job every day for 10 years. Don't ask where she got it, suffice to say it was not new. The Olds was parked in the back yard during an ill-fated interlude with a Chevrolet Cavalier--an interlude that ended up a complete failure. The Olds had 90,000 miles on it when parked after having served us well--the helm awaited the hands of the new teenage driver, me.

After I turned 16, and the automatic transmission was repaired after disintegrating from two years sitting unused in the backyard, I took over the keys to the Olds. It didn't take long for a leaking oil pan and my own obliviousness to the engine's need for oil to catch up to the Olds. After a long drive out to the remote reaches of the Eielson Air Force Base neighborhoods, the old Olds spun a bearing and we limped home 25 miles. Knock-knock!

Angry Cars--2006-2007 Subaru Impreza

Car: 2006-2007 Subaru Impreza, WRX, and WRX STi

Condition: Angry, slightly cross-eyed

Possible Motivation: You can see in the Impreza's eyes its deep-seated resentment at wearing its fourth different face in five years. And after all that change it gets saddled with an Edsel-like horse collar grille? I'd be angry too.

Defining Overblown High-Testosterone Action Movie Quote:
Subaru Impreza: You're a disease - and I'm the cure.
(from Cobra again)

--Chris H.

Suzuki Alto Works

It has been some time since we last featured a Kei car, so why not go with a definitive example of the breed? Boxy, tall, and tiny, the Alto Works boasts surprising interior space despite its minuscule footprint. Yet, like the most interesting Kei cars, the Alto Works makes its biggest splash with its glitzy high-performance hardware and tempest-in-a-teapot aggressiveness.

Like all Kei cars--not to be confused with the ubiquitous Chrysler K-cars of the 1980s--the Alto Works was limited to its tiny exterior dimensions, a 660cc engine, and a maximum of 64 horsepower. On the surface, perhaps, this doesn't sound like a formula for a particularly interesting performance car--until you work light weight into the formula.

$25,000 Challenge Results

We had some fantastic responses to the $25,000 Challenge last week; I shouldn't be surprised by the number and quality of responses we get to these classifieds challenges, yet I still am. Given the current value of most of the cars we discuss on this blog, it's not a huge surprise that $25,000 paid for quite a bit. Is it wrong that I'd rather spend the average cost of a new family car on an old Citroen? If so, I don't want to be right.

These cars are certainly much nicer than the ones we found in the $5,000 Challenge (challenge, results). Unfortunately, because I gave this a little longer than a week to run, most of the Craigs List links are dead. So, I'll do my best to sum up, breaking things up this time into various categories and awards. I'll work in my finds where it makes sense, but your choices destroyed mine this time around.

Angry Cars--2005-2008 Audi A4

Car: 2005-2008 Audi A4

Condition: Angry

Possible Motivation: Perhaps the car is angry that its once-elegant nose was replaced by a massive, gaping black schnozz? Insecurity about one's looks can often breed great anger.

Defining Overblown High-Testosterone Action Movie Quote:
Audi A4: You have the right to remain unconscious. Anything you say ain't gonna be much.
(from Lethal Weapon 3)

Photo Courtesy Of: Flickr user Autodetailer

--Chris H.

Angry Cars--2006-2008 Dodge Charger

Car: 2006-2008 Dodge Charger

Condition: Angry

Description/Possible Motivation: The Charger's gaping maw and enraged eyes seem to be straining to obliterate critics who described a four-door Charger as heresy.

Defining Overblown High-Testosterone Action Movie Quote:
Supermarket Killer: Get back! I got a bomb here! I'll blow this whole place up!
Dodge Charger: Go ahead. I don't shop here.
(from the 1986 movie classic Cobra)

--Chris H.

Ford Tempo

Full disclosure here--I don't like the Ford Tempo, or its Mercury Topaz twin. Based on some of the other awful cars I like, including its Fairmont predecessor, I really should like the Tempo. I keep moaning on about how depressing it is that Detroit can't make a simple, inexpensive, reliable small car, but yet I don't give the Tempo--a car that filled that niche from 1984 to 1994--any of the respect it deserves. Mea culpa, Tempo lovers. Mea maxima culpa.

The Ford Tempo was a first-car staple in my generation--Tempos were ubiquitous in high-school parking lots back in my day, and two of my friends had Tempos as their first cars. Cookie the Dog's Owner already wrote two excellent posts on the phenomenon of first cars (Challenge, Results), and one of the most agreed-upon points was the fact that kids will love their first car regardless of what it is. I was one of the commenters agreeing fervently with that point, and yet the Tempo makes me question that assertion.

Can there be a more conflicted feeling than having a Tempo as your first car? On the one hand, you're excited that you own your first car; you want to race around in it, customize it, show it off to your friends, and take advantage of your new mobility. On the other hand, well, it's a Tempo. Small, ugly, and relentlessly slow, the Tempo married an agricultural driving experience with a lack of pretension and luxury that bordered on the Amish.

1970-1974 Dodge Challenger

The new Dodge Challenger is an undeniably nice piece of equipment. With a stiff rear-wheel-drive platform and two powerful Hemi engines shared with the Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300, and the late, lamented Dodge Magnum, the Challenger brings burly and belligerent American muscle to the performance car table. It is faster and more comfortable than the legendary original--and can actually change directions from time to time.

And yet ... and yet, it still doesn't hold a candle to the original.

Born in 1970 as Dodge's incredibly late entry to the pony car market dominated by the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro, and populated by the Plymouth Barracuda, AMC Marlin, Pontiac Firebird, and Mercury Cougar, the Challenger made up for its lateness with raw power and what passed at the time for luxury.

$25,000 Challenge

In the most current issue of Car & Driver, the C/D loonies picked seven used cars that provide near-supercar performance for less than $25,000. I love C/D's used-car features--their beater series years ago was classic--and this story is equally as compelling. Read it online here.

The article got me thinking--it's been some time since we did our $5,000 Challenge (challenge, results), and I'm wondering what our resourceful bunch of readers and contributors could find at C/D's much loftier price limit. No need to go for speed as they did; what's the most interesting used car you can find for less than $25,000 that you might actually drive?

By the way, a co-worker of mine and infrequent commenter on the blog just answered this question for himself; he just bought a beautiful used Audi S4 Cabriolet, exactly like the one that prompted this ode 11 months ago. My soul is consumed with envy.

--Chris H.

Alfa Romeo GTV-6

The 1980s were a truly fantastic time for European sports coupes. From my personal favorite, the Saab 900 SPG, to the technologically advanced Audi Coupe Quattro, the incredibly stylish BMW 635CSi, the more plebeian but still exciting 16-valve Mk. II Volkswagen Scirocco, Europe was pumping out fun, accessible, and generally useful sports coupes by the bushel load in the 1980s. The Audi had all-wheel-drive; some were turbocharged, several had four-valve-per-cylinder heads. Even the class nerd, the Renault Fuego Turbo, was distinctive and attractive its way.

Well, if the Fuego was the nerd, the Alfa Romeo GTV-6 was the popular kid. The Alfa brought to the table a more sculpted profile than the Saab, a more soul-stirring exhaust note than the Audi, more passion than the reserved BMW, a more exotic feel than the Volkswagen, and dramatically less suck than the Renault.

Ford Ka

In the last few weeks we've featured quite a few big domestic cars; so what better subject than a featherweight European hatchback with a domestic nameplate? I've always found European Fords somewhat jarring; it's this incredibly familiar nameplate on generally unfamiliar cars. GM at least differentiates their unique European-market offering with Opel and Vauxhall nameplates, and Chrysler tends to just import the same cars it sells in America. Meanwhile, European Fords, with their air of Continental sophistication and mystery, seem like the intoxicating and sultry cousins of the girl next door.

Anyway, modern, mass-produced cars don't get much more featherweight than the Ford Ka--either in terms of mass or its name. Its minimalist, two-letter, one-syllable name actually sounds a bit like an Australian pronunciation of "car" (Nicole Kidman to Tom Cruise in Days of Thunder: Let me out of the Ka, Cole, let me out of the Ka!").

1995-1999 Oldsmobile Aurora

This week has taken on a bit of a General Motors theme; Anthony Cagle started off by honoring the Chevy Nomad, I waxed ecstatic about the GMC Syclone and Typhoon, I perhaps unfairly castigated an old Oldsmobile-centric video, and even the Stutz Blackhawk Cookie the Dog's Owner featured yesterday was based on a Pontiac Grand Prix. Since Mochi Mochi's post for tomorrow also has a GM angle, I figure we should just go with it.

When GM shut down Oldsmobile in 2004, I thought it was a crying shame. Not only was GM ending Olds' proud run of 107 consecutive years of car production, but after a fallow late 1980s and early 1990s, Olds finally seemed to be getting its act together.

The division that had put out the 442, the Toronado, the F-85, the 88, the Cutlass, and the Rocket V-8 had by the early 1990s become a junk drawer for assorted character-less brand-engineered versions of General Motors cars. With Buick and Cadillac oriented towards the luxury car buyer, Pontiac oriented towards the performance market, Chevrolet as the value leader, and Saturn as the import fighter, Oldsmobile was left without a market, a purpose, or a unique car of its own. The once-proud name had become irrelevant.

Automobubbling

A reader sent in this 1932 Oldsmobile commercial, and I thought it was worth sharing. I won't be doing a full deconstruction, but I have a few thoughts after the jump.

GMC Syclone/GMC Typhoon

Dropping a hot engine into an everyday vehicle is a time-honored method of creating a hero car. The original Pontiac GTO is one such example, as is virtually every other 1960s muscle car. We've seen this practice continue today; for example, turbocharged rally-inspired engines have transformed humble Mitsubishi and Subaru compact cars into performance legends.

But of all the possible foundations for a world-beating performance car, where would the compact Chevy S-10 pickup rank? Certainly the cringing little S-10, the replacement for the unloved Luv, was a useful little truck, but it doesn't strike me as a vehicle with a great deal of untapped performance potential. I mean, really--what's a more unlikely base for a world-class performer? An Isuzu I-Mark? Perhaps a Chrysler Town & Country minivan? An Amphicar?

Kia Spectra5

When I first drove the Kia Spectra, I hated it. Hated it. At the time I was getting new test cars every week to evaluate, and most of the cars were expensive, flashy, powerful, luxurious, and alluring. The Spectra had none of these qualities. After the intoxication of sophisticated iron, the gawky four-door Spectra was a huge let-down--like drinking brackish water after developing a taste for fine Chardonnay. Even my wife's aunt, not exactly an automotive snob, said about the Spectra, "But it's a piece of crap!"

At the time I agreed. My tester was a gawky and awkward four-door sedan, not the subtly attractive five-door hatch/wagon, and the interior was nice but spartan. I had just turned in a Mini Cooper S Convertible that seduced me with its eagerness to run; the Spectra, on the other hand, kept me at arm's length with a truly heinous clutch with an absurdly high release point.

Once I dislike a car, I rarely change my mind; if novelty doesn't make a car interesting, familiarity rarely does. Strangely enough, the Spectra was the exception to that rule. After a few days, I had cleared my palatte from the Mini, adjusted to the odd clutch, and accepted the Spectra for what it was.

Phil Hill--Loss of a Great

Sad news today, as reported by Jalopnik--Phil Hill has died today at the age of 81. Hill was the first American to win the Formula 1 World Championship, taking the title in 1961 at the wheel of the gorgeous shark-nose Ferrari 156. Hill also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times and was as stellar a sports car driver as an open-wheel racer.

Hill was as known for his classy personality as his driving skill, and he brought his unique insight to the pages of Road & Track as a journalist for several decades. A legend and a gentleman, Hill will be dearly missed.

--Chris H.

1986 Saab 900 SPG

This is the big one, the big Kahuna, the lustiest of my Car Lusts. One year and nearly 300 posts into this blog, we've finally reached my favorite car. I've made a point of only writing about cars that genuinely inspire my passion, and in the process I've repeatedly bared my various automotive psychoses. Well, this car cuts right to the quick of everything I am. It is an inseparable part of my very soul.

Yes, it's a Saab 900--best-known for its center console-mounted ignition key switch, and slightly lesser-known for its quirky unreliability. To unbiased observers, the Saab 900 has a weak chin and a truly curious hunchback profile that looks oddly lumpen and mollusk-like. Like a stranger Renault Fuego, if that's possible. Sure, Saabs of this era were known for their durability and winter traction, but what makes them even remotely lust-worthy?

Happy Birthday to Us

A year ago, on Aug. 28, 2007, Amazon Car Lust sprung into being with the promise that "you'll get a reluctant glimpse into that dark place in my psyche that just can't get enough of Peugeots." As anybody who has been around for a full year of breathless odes to better-forgotten vehicles can attest, that promise has been kept in spades.

Thanks to all of you who read this blog, thanks to all of you who comment, and thanks to those of you who care enough to contribute. It's remarkable to me that we have evolved from essays about cars I like into a blog powered by a half-dozen contributors, each honoring the concept of Car Lust better than I could do myself. Thanks to all of you, and here's hoping the next year is just as much fun.

Still Better Than The Hindenberg

We have seen the future of hydrogen-powered vehicles, and the future is ... well, not now. This Reuters story reports on a 13-day cross-country drive completed by hydrogen-powered cars from nine different automakers. At first glance, this is a pretty encouraging story--hey, maybe hydrogen-powered cars are right around the corner! After all, if nine cars can drive from coast to coast on hydrogen, not only is that a great test of the in-car technology, but it's a testament to improvements in the much larger and thornier issue of fuel availability and distribution.

Well, no. The smoking gun is in the second paragraph--hydrogen filling stations are so scarce that the cars rode across much of the country on flatbed trucks, including one stretch from Missouri to New Mexico. If the object is to achieve zero emissions and infinite fuel efficiency on the back of a truck, well, a 1976 Chevy Impala would work just fine. Actually, unobtainum-powered cars of my own invention would get the same results too.

If the message is that cars can successfully run on hydrogen but the technology is impractical until we have an established hydrogen distribution infrastructure, well, thanks for the memo. In related news, the sun rose in the east this morning and is slated to set in the west this evening. The single biggest practical barrier to any alternative fuel, including hydrogen, is widespread availability of that fuel, so this empty PR exercise really didn't accomplish much other than reinforce that barrier and provide some easy punchlines. Anyway, Gizmodo already nailed the snark angle, so I'll leave it at that.

--Chris H.

2008 BMW M3

Given the ho-hum response to the AMG CLK63 Black Series post and to other fancy sports sedans on this blog, I'm guessing not many of our Car Lust regulars will be singing the praises of the 2008 M3. Given my obsession with sedans that perform like sports cars, though, I just can't ignore this car. Besides, I've been waiting for the V-8 M3 for years, for reasons I'll detail below. Don't worry, folks, we'll be back in the bad cars soon enough.

In the high-pressure world of international sports car racing, highlighted by the 24 Hours of Le Mans and similarly prestigious long-distance races, Porsche and BMW have a highly entertaining red-hot rivalry. The two proud German manufacturers have been engaged in a back-and-forth hammer-and-tongs battle for supremacy for some time, resulting in an arms race that would not have been out of place in the Cold War.

Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia

Chris Hafner: The Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia doesn't have much to offer the enthusiast. Even the normal Vanagon was a slow, lumbering, ponderous, wheezing vehicle; only comparison to the original VW bus--a legend of slow motoring--would make the Vanagon look fast or agile. The Westfalia camper package, with added weight and higher center of gravity thanks to its tiny kitchen applicances and a pop-up sleeper tent roof, was even less athletic. The best thing that could be said about a Vanagon Westfalia on a twisty mountain road was that it was slightly racier than an RV.

What the Vanagon Westfalia offered was a dream. Like a turtle that moved slowly but carried its shelter on its back, the Westfalia's self-contained habitat offered the driver some real options. Heading down to the supermarket to grab some groceries? Fine, but if you feel like continuing your trip to, say, the Rocky Mountains, you've got a built-in camping spot. Why drop the kids off at school when you could just keep rolling up to the Yukon Territory to do a little fishing and hiking with the family?

1970 Chevrolet Camaro

Is it really possible that not a single Camaro has appeared in Car Lust up to this point? That's hard to believe since I've lusted after virtually every Camaro made since the model's debut in 1967. Yes, I briefly had a mullet in the early 1990s. I wore it proudly, thank you.

The 1970 Camaro, though, in my mind is not a mullet car. At least it doesn't have to be a mullet car; to me, the 1970 Camaro is desirable because of its graceful, understated, almost European lines that stood in stark contrast to the aggressively blocky and testosterone-filled styling and graphics that characterized its Detroit stablemates at the time.

Chevy LUV

If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time--in which case, my most profound apologies--you'd think the Chevy LUV would be a natural for Car Lust. Consider the following:

• Notwithstanding its Isuzu origins, it's a 1970s Chevrolet, and I'm on the record as loving Chevrolets from that decade (Examples 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and more no doubt to follow)
• I like my trucks unpretentious; trucks don't come any less pretentious than the LUV
• I liked Nathan's Ford Courier, which was essentially the Ford flavor of the same minitruck formula
• Most telling, I have a fatal weakness for helpless little bedraggled cars; and the LUV is nothing if not helpless and bedraggled.

The LUV is the exception to all of those rules. I should like the LUV, and I'm powerless to tell you why I don't. My only guess--and admittedly I'm being incredibly inconsistent here--is that the LUV wasn't good. For one thing, compact pickups of the time only barely qualified as transportation. The early 1970s compact pickups lasted forever but were hampered by their incredibly tiny size and complete lack of grunt. Most of them made do with much, much less than 100 horsepower--the LUV only got up to 80 horsepower late in its production run--and four-wheel-drive was not as typical then as it is for today's compact pickups.

Lotus 340R

One of the many ongoing themes here at Car Lust is cars that strip away all unnecessary features--as well as some necessary ones--in the continuing pursuit for the holy grail of weight minimization. As we've discussed here ad nauseum, weight is the enemy of driving excellence. It stunts acceleration, softens handling, decreases fuel economy, and increases the emission of pollutants.

The vicious weight cycle is hard to break. If the car is too heavy, it needs a bigger, more powerful engine; this addition of weight and inertia forces bigger brakes and a more robust suspension, which in turn increases weight while further impacting fuel economy and emissions.

On the other hand, pursuing the virtuous cycle of weight reduction can result in hugely compelling mighty mites like the Caterham Super Seven, Smart Roadster, Ariel Atom, and Vauxhall VX220--small giant-killers with exotic all-around performance without leviathan size, horsepower ratings, or prices. The Lotus 340R is very much of the same spirit.

Renault Fuego Turbo

Somewhere in the few remaining rational recesses of my brain, I know that owning a Renault Fuego is an awful idea. Terrible reliability, expensive parts, and nonexistent dealer support aren't exactly a great combination in a used car. Standard Fuegos were bog slow, and even the hot-rod Fuego Turbo wasn't exactly fast. Its mollusk-like contours and dated detailing are also very likely to inspire much derision and abuse from your friends. Driving a Fuego is unlikely to win you friends or to influence people.

Happily, I have a long track record of suppressing those flashes of rational thinking. Because, you see, I love the Fuego. Like the Isuzu Impulse, the Fuego upon its 1980 debut was an early adopter of the smoothly rounded hatchback contours that would come to characterize so many of the great sports coupes of the decade. The Renault 15 and 17 that preceded the Fuego were typical 1970s wedges, but the Fuego was slick enough to cheat the wind with a .34 cd--a good figure today, stellar in 1980.

Datsun 240Z

When the Datson 240Z was introduced in 1970, it hit the automotive world like a thunderclap--an impact dramatic, stunning, and with a report that reverberated for years. In the 1960s, with the notable exception of the Datsun 510, Japanese cars were popularly disregarded as disposable, cut-rate economy cars with the visceral excitement of a tube of toothpaste. They had difficulty cruising at American interstate speeds and were considered cars for people who couldn't afford a nice, big, beefy American car.

The 240Z changed all of that and ushered in a decade in which the Japanese were to emerge as force with which to be reckoned. With its long, sinuous lines, silky 2.4-liter inline six, fully independent suspension, front disc brakes, and lightweight two-seat hatchback body, the 240Z was a serious sports car that looked and performed like a 7/8-scale Jaguar E-Type at a fraction of the price and with superior reliability. Or, alternatively, the 240Z was as pretty and advanced as the Toyota 2000GT but actually available to the public at large.

Best Road Snacks

A few of the recent comment threads have mentioned great road snacks--Mountain Dew and corn nuts among the favored snacks--but after today's mention of bologna sandwiches and ice-cold Coke in Cookie the Dog's Owner's Plymouth Belvedere post, I think it's time to discuss great road snacks. There are many reasons to love a long road trip--great roads, picturesque scenery, meeting great people, the chance to relax and listen to the music of your choice at high volume--but snacking ranks right up at the top for me.

I am an avid amateur in the fine art of road snacking but can't quite claim the professional stature of my cousins, aunts and uncles, who pile en masse into their Chevy Suburban with coolers full of food and begin eating when the trip odometer ticks off its first tenth of a mile.

These are my favorites, but I'm interested to hear what others prefer. Beware, just reading this will likely add five pounds and raise your cholesterol. I know that after writing it, I'm now wondering how I have managed to avoid morbid obesity and heart attack after eating all of this junk.

Point/Counterpoint: Harley-Davidson

Two of our Car Lust contributors, Rob the SVX Guy and David Drucker, have a difference of opinion on the lustworthiness of Harley-Davidsons, and so we're convening this point/counterpoint to debate the relative merits of their cases.

Rob is a Harley cynic, while David is a Harley true-believer. I doubt either will change each other's opinions, but I do expect a very interesting and thought-provoking debate.

Gentlemen, to your corners, and remember--nothing below the belt. Rob, you're up.

Rob: Harley what? Oh, sorry, I can't really hear that well. More on that later. My name is Rob, and I live in a city called Milwaukee. This city is home to one of the most iconic American companies of all time, a company that represents America, freedom, patriotism, and adventure. So why does it deserve any disgust whatsoever?

It seems upon purchasing a Harley-Davidson, you receive a packet that informs you on the next steps to becoming a true Harley-Davidson fan. The first thing you must do is make your bike as loud as humanly possible. This isn't to increase the performance of your bike, or save gas, it's simply to be obnoxious. Once you have gutted any remnants of sound dampening from your exhaust system, you can then cruise down the road blaring your Harley ownership at 110 decibels to everyone within eight blocks.

Peugeot 405 Mi16

For both good and ill, the Peugeot 405 was a landmark car for Peugeot. On the good side of the ledger, the 405 was extremely well-received in Europe, winning the European Car of the Year award in 1988, and establishing a sterling pedigree in international rallying. On the negative side, the 405 was the last car Peugeot sold in the United States before slinking out of this market with its tail between its legs.

With the 405 Mi16, at least Peugeot left on a strong note. The standard 405 was a nice enough sedan--a good driver and pleasantly styled in what would become the clean, slick early 1990s idiom, with just a touch of Peugeot character to keep the car from complete anonymity. The Mi16, though, gave American drivers a taste of the Peugeot performance that Europeans had enjoyed with the 205 Turbo but that never quite infused the still-lustworthy 505.

2005 Seat Leon Cupra R

Most in North America have never heard of Seat, outside of the normal connotation of a shelf for one's derriere, but Europeans know Seat as a long-established Spanish automaker, a relatively recent subsidiary of Volkswagen-Audi. The combination of Iberian soul with German engineering has resulted in a delectable line of cars crescendoeing in the truly desirable Seat Leon Cupra R--basically a Volkswagen GTI remixed to a slight but distinct Spanish backbeat.

The Leon is based on the VW Golf, with some of the technical flair of the GTI and its pumped-up, all-wheel-drive siblings--the Audi S3 and the Volkswagen R32. But unlike the slick, sophisticated Germans, the Seat isn't afraid to polarize. The styling is aggressive and attractive in an unconventional way; it's one of those designs that isn't elegant but continues to draw the eye, if for no other reason than to help the viewer decide if it's attractive or offensive.

1993 Porsche Boxster Concept

When the Porsche Boxster debuted in 1996, I felt like the only person in the world who wasn't exhilarated. It's not that I didn't think the Boxster was a terrific car. On the contrary, at its debut the Boxster was beautiful in design and execution, a redefinition of the open-topped sports car that combined the fun of a Mazda Miata or an MGB but with a much sharper performance edge. All of those things were and are true, and by any measure the Boxster is a fantastic car.

No, I was disappointed because my heart had already been claimed by the Boxster show car that debuted in 1993 at the Detroit Auto Show. Compared to that svelte knockout, the production Boxster felt like a milquetoast disappointment. At a glance the two cars look fairly similar, but the show car was just enough more sultry, just enough more edgy and daring than the elegant but straightforward production Boxster that the show car fired adrenaline while the Boxster merely provoked admiration. Slick, smooth, tightly wrapped, and with the air of the exotic, the concept Boxster recalled the Porsche 550 RS Spyder without obvious retro pandering.

James May has Car Lust

Says Top Gear's James May:

"The older I get, and the longer Top Gear goes on, the more I enjoy driving rubbish. The XK Jaguar is a wonderful thing, but an Audi for £65 makes me skip around like an imbecile. ...  I can't deny it for a moment longer. I actually like crap cars, and I think I'm going to ask if I can be fired."

Just when I think I can't love James May and Top Gear with any greater intensity, they go and do something like this. This is exactly what Car Lust is all about--the idea that it's not greatness in isolation that makes cars compelling. As I said last September:

"We now live in a world of near-universal automotive excellence. Exotics abound. More common sports coupes and sedans perform like supercars of past years. Family sedans boast 250 horsepower--all while modern technology marries decent fuel mileage and emissions with this scorching performance.

Even subcompacts are depressingly competent. I've driven the Chevy Aveo and Kia Spectra, both of which look on paper as if they are terrible cars. Neither are.

This is all tremendously exciting, I suppose, but I miss the terrible cars.

Cars are like people--beautiful, perfect people are interesting from time to time, but if that's your entire world, they get very dull. That's one failure of some car magazines, I think--they overdo the exotics to the point where they become mundane and commonplace. There is beauty and wonder in all levels of the automotive world."

This is part of the genius of Top Gear; they understand that Ferraris, Porsches, and Aston Martins aren't the sum total of interesting cars in the world. They understand the appeal of beaters. They understand that older rubbish cars can be incredibly interesting. They understand that beating the tar out of a defiantly indestructible Toyota pickup makes for great TV.

I'll close by paraphrasing the last sentence of my old September post--I may be sick and deluded, but at least I'm not not alone.

--Chris H.

Cars are like people--beautiful, perfect people are interesting from time to time, but if that's your entire world, they get very dull. That's one failure of some car magazines, I think--they overdo the exotics to the point where they become mundane and commonplace. There is beauty and wonder in all levels of the automotive world."

This is part of the genius of Top Gear; they understand that Ferraris, Porsches, and Aston Martins aren't the sum total of interesting cars in the world. They understand the appeal of beaters. They understand that older rubbish cars can be incredibly interesting. They understand that beating the tar out of a defiantly indestructible Toyota pickup makes for great TV.

I'll close by paraphrasing the last sentence of my old September post--I may be sick and deluded, but at least I'm not not alone.

--Chris H.

1974 Dodge Monaco

The title of this post is a bit of a misnomer, since nobody actually remembers or lusts after the 1974 Dodge Monaco for its own merits. No, the '74 Monaco is most famous for its role as the Bluesmobile in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers, in which the humble Mopar full-size sedan became one of the most famous movie cars of all time and easily the most influential car in molding my questionable automotive tastes.

My love for huge American sedans, my passion for beaters, my odd predilection for 1970s Mopars, my belief that "Hold On, I'm Coming" by Sam & Dave is the best driving song of all time--these are all thanks to my early exposure to the Bluesmobile.

Lamborghini LM002

The Lamborghini LM002 is just about the only vehicle on Earth with the ability to make the military Humvee look wimpy. Yes, the Humvee can be ordered with armor, a swiveling minigun or grenade launcher, a natty camo paint job, and all kinds of other high-tech weaponry, but all of those baubles pale in comparison to what the LM002 packs under the hood--the wildly exotic V-12 lifted directly from the Lamborghini Countach. The LM002 has your weapons of mass destruction right here--450 horsepower worth.

The LM002 was Lamborghini's third attempt at a military off-road vehicle, following the unsuccessful Cheetah and LM001 prototypes. Only a few hundred LM002s were made, of which several were sold to the Saudi Arabian and Libyan militaries; Uday Hussein was one famous owner of a military LM002.

Rover P6 2000

As many of you may have guessed by the silence over the past few days, I've been traveling and away from the blog. Happily, reader Al Johnson was moved to request a car for Car Lust--and his request was so good that it stands on its own as a worthy post.

Al Johnson:

"You're correct that the Brits managed to make an unreliable car out of a bulletproof one, though a lot of reviewers at the time thought the Sterling's handling and ride were superior to the Legend. But can I nominate another car for Car Lust? I owned a first-generation Rover 2000 for several troubled years. Absolutely brilliant engineering, near-perfect ergonomics, phenomenal handling; it was the ultimate stealth car in a world where no one knew what a sports sedan was.

Sterling 827 SLi

This Car Lust was actually a request from David Colborne, who sent me an e-mail asking for some Sterling coverage with the irresistible lead-in: "I mean, these things were a worse idea than the Chrysler Maserati TC, if such a thing were possible." It's a good line, but no--it's not possible. The TC holds the crown for all-time bad automotive decision-making.

Actually, as ideas go, I thought the Sterling was a pretty inspired one. In the late 1980s Japanese cars were known primarily for their engineering and their reliability, not their flair or luxury. English cars excelled at sumptuous interior appointments and quirky charm. What better idea than to clothe reliable, well-engineered Honda mechanicals, in the form of the first-generation Acura Legend, with sophisticated English bodywork and an old-world wood and leather interior?

Subaru Forester XT

I've never particularly liked the Subaru Forester. I can't really pinpoint why--after all, I'm an AMC Eagle acolyte, and the Forester is really nothing more than a latter-day Eagle. Like the Eagle, the Forester is a tall, gawky nerd of a car, with a tall forehead, a geeky chrome grin, and a complete lack of muscle. But also like the Eagle, the Forester is extraordinarily useful, with all-wheel-drive traction and the usefulness of a wagon. Both would make fantastic camping rides.

My general coolness towards the Forester might actually stem from Subaru's insistence on calling the Forester an SUV. It's clearly not an SUV, it's a station wagon. It's a car chassis and engine, with a wagon back. It might be taller and have all-wheel-drive, but it's a wagon. I also get annoyed when Subaru refers to its Legacy Outback as an SUV, but to the virtually identical Legacy as a car. I realize it's all marketing semantics, but I don't have much patience for automakers insulting our intelligence.

Whatever the reason, I've always respected the Forester but never really embraced it. Until, that is, the Forester XT debuted, at which point the addition of a turbocharger and some of Subaru's rally mojo created one of the most incredible sleepers the world has ever seen.

Lincoln Mk. VII LSC

Call me a Lincoln-hater, but it's been some time since a new Lincoln last stirred my mind into anything even approaching interest. And no, the Lincoln Blackwood doesn't count. In fact, the last Lincoln that really piqued my lust was the mid-1980s Lincoln Mk. VII LSC.

The Mk. VII, like its over-ostentatious, elephantine predecessors (the appeal of which is described here), was a domestic personal luxury coupe, ostensibly competition for the fat and sassy Cadillac Eldorado, Chrysler LeBaron, and Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Unlike its predecessors and competition, however, the Mk. VII was modern, trim, and had some serious aspirations--nothing less than to be a legitimate rival for the BMW 6-series.

Chevrolet Corvette CERV III

I suppose it's inevitable that every car-crazed youngster will at some point fall in love with a Corvette show car. One generation fell in love with the Mako Shark, others became besotted with the XP882. I had the 1990 CERV III.

There's nothing obvious about the CERVIII that explains why it inspired me so. It is fundamentally just another futuristic show car replete with every conceivable electronic trick and gizmo--and like most completely unrealistic show cars, it had very little impact on its production counterparts. For me, though, it meant much more.

While I grew up with an innate love of Corvettes, that love was matched by a basic frustration. As powerful, sleek, and capable as Corvettes were, to me they symbolized a crippling lack of creativity. After the rapid innovation that characterized the Corvette's evolution from its debut as a cruiser in 1953 to a world-class sports car in the 1960s, America's sports car got stuck in a rut. Not in terms of capability, mind you--since the C4 Corvette debuted in 1984, Corvettes have consistently been fantastic all-around performers for the price. No, what bothers me is that Corvettes have been so formulaic.

Lancia Beta

My wife and I were walking along the sidewalk a few months ago when I came to a sudden, stunned halt, mouth open, gaping at a car parked on the other side of the street. After a moment spent ascertaining whether I had just suffered some sort of attack, my wife followed my gaze, slumped visibly, and muttered, "oh, just another crappy old European car."

My wife could say that virtually at random throughout the day and be right on a regular basis, but in this case she was especially spot-on--the source of my befuddlement was a pristine light-blue Lancia Beta coupe.

I've already discussed the Beta's close sporty cousin, the Monte Carlo/Scorpion; the rakish mid-engined relative borrowed most of its mechanicals from the Beta, and so much of what I wrote then still applies. The Beta was a typical small Italian car of the time--fiery, fun, tossable, lovable, and, of course, more needy than your typical Honda.

Ford Aspire

All you really need to know about the Ford Aspire is that the Enterprise Rent-a-Car branch at which my wife worked years ago--an establishment not exactly filled with sleek and exotic machinery--held the Aspire in such ignominious regard that the staff broke the name into two sylables and added an extra "s" to the name. Yes, because the car drove like, well, butt. Even so, the car's nickname was nowhere near as obscene as the car itself.

I've spent a lot of time talking up small, cheap, light hatchbacks, but one must draw the line somewhere. You know it's bad when the Aspire was nowhere near as sleek or exotic as its fierce mid-1990s competitor, the Geo Metro. Try to wrap your mind around that for a moment.

Jalopnik's Commercial Rundown

I don't have time for a full post today, but I did want to point to the fantastic commercial rundown Jalopnik is currently running (1960s, 1970s, 1980s). We've been known to feature the odd commercial from time to time, and they've got some great ones--among them two Car Lust favorites, Grace Jones' Citroen and Ricardo Montalban's Cordoba.

There are three glaring omissions from the Jalopnik list--the "Ride, Pontiac Ride" commercial, the Apollo/Chrysler New Yorker ad, and of course the classic Corvette moonscape tour de force. That Corvette ad may still be my favorite of all time. After all, it's defiant in its performance.

Unfortunately, Jalopnik also showed off a few classic commercials that I've been waiting to post on some future slow day. Selfishly, it's a little bummed; when I do run them I'll always be haunted by the fact that it will look as if I'm copying Jalopnik. There are worse perceptions, I suppose.

--Chris H.

Jaguar XJ Mk. 1

We've featured quite a few British cars in this space, but of the cars we've covered so far, none match the compelling engineering and old-world English elegance of the original Jaguar XJ sedans. With their delicate styling touches and intimate, baroque interiors fairly dripping with wood and leather, the XJ6 and XJ12 are evocative of the great English motoring tradition of a more genteel time.

The charmingly outdated Jaguar sedans the XJ6 and XJ12 replaced had a firm rooting in English tradition, of course, but the new-for-1968 XJ sedans were really remarkable for their stylish and refined athleticism. The 1968 XJ6 sported a 4.2-liter inline six borrowed from the legendary E-type Jaguar that provided sports car thrust with smoothness that rivaled the buttery leather seats.

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.

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).

Car Disgust--1990-1994 Toyota Camry

Before I really get into today's post, I want to revisit the definition of Car Disgust and explain anew why these cars are worthy of my disgust. It's not because they're all awful cars, although many are. It's because, generally speaking, they're awful and boring. If given the choice between a solid car that's unbelievably boring, and a car whose very incompetence makes it interesting, I'll take the latter every time. It doesn't make any sense, but that's my particular cross to bear.

Take the Toyota Camry, for instance. Any way you slice it, every version of the Toyota Camry is an incredibly smart buy. It's about the right size for most families, it drives pretty well, it's not too slow, it's not too fast, and the design doesn't have enough character to be ugly or even controversial. Marry that with Toyota's legendary monotonous reliability, and the Camry really makes sense for anybody looking for solid transportation. It has virtually no weaknesses.

Most Boring Car Ever

By request, and based on the comments threads from a few recent posts, here's what could be the biggest challenge of them all--what is the most boring car ever made?

This is tricky; much trickier than identifying the worst car ever made. "Worst" "ugliest" and "slowest" are all strong flavors; perhaps even stronger than "best," "most beautiful," and "fastest." Boring implies a complete lack of flavor, but it's hard to identify. By definition, you're having to find something remarkably unremarkeable.

Car Lust--Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1

When Chevrolet first showed off its "King of the Hill" Corvette, the giant-killing Corvette ZR-1, in the late 1980s I went completely slack-jawed. The C4 Corvette was the prettiest Corvette since the early 1970s, a world-class handler, and an excellent sports cars. It was already an object of my lust; but the ZR-1 took things to the next level.

General Motors had acquired Lotus in 1986, amid fears that GM would dilute the Lotus flavor. On the contrary, GM used Lotus' expertise to fortify the Corvette. With the ZR-1, Chevy tossed out the trusty but antediluvian pushrod, two-valve-per-cylinder L98 V-8 with something just a tiny bit less primitive. The replacement LT5 engine shared the basic dimensions of the three-decade-old Chevy small-block V-8, but featured modern technology in the form of four valves per cylinder and a four overhead cams. At the time, four-valve-per-cylinder DOHC engines were typically small four-cylinders that needed the technology to help offset their diminutive displacement. Only the most exotic six- and eight-cylinder engines could boast those upgrades. Combining the fierce top-end power of 32 valves and four overhead cams with the low-end grunt of a 5.7-liter V-8 yielded a legendary result--massive output, excellent tractability, and bulletproof refinement.

I'm Back

Hi all,

Thanks for keeping the ship afloat while I was gone last week. It looks as if there were some good conversations, and nobody hated the IMSA GTP feature too badly.

I'm completely buried today after that week away, so hopefully I can get some posts up starting tomorrow. Thanks for your patience everybody.

--Chris H.

Racecar Lust--Jaguar XJR-9/XJR-17

The Jaguar IMSA GTP program is an example of the dangers of aiming at a moving target; just when you think you have the target in your crosshairs, it's already moved on.

Encouraged by the performance of the independent Jaguar-engined Group 44 IMSA GTP cars, Jaguar brought its successful factory effort across the pond for a big-money, high-visibility assault on IMSA GTP in 1988. When building the program, Jaguar chose as its target the long-in-the-tooth gold standard of the series, the Porsche 956/962.

Car Bust--Suzuki Verona

Submitted by Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame

Back in January 2005, to celebrate an upcoming promotion at work (about five months early, as it turns out), I wanted to replace my 1990 Toyota Corolla with a nicer vehicle. Unfortunately, at heart I am a skinflint. I love Hondas and like Toyotas, but the $18k starting price for an Accord made me choke, and a Camry was out of the question. I knew I could get a Civic or Corolla for about $14k, but that would still be a base model with few options. I checked out a Ford Focus but was unimpressed with its small size, road noise, and bumpy ride.

The salesman asked, "Have you thought about a Suzuki?" I sneered at first, but he seemed insistent, so I shrugged and agreed to do a test drive in a 2005 Suzuki Forenza. It was very nice, and cost just over $14k. It seemed fairly peppy, but not enough to satisfy me. I tested a standard-transmission Forenza and it had more of the driving feel I wanted, but the fuel efficiency on an automatic was 21/28, and the efficiency on a standard was ... 21/28. I couldn't understand it then, and I don't understand it now.

Racecar Lust--Toyota Eagle Mk. III

Over the last two days, we've explored two endearing misfits of the IMSA GTP series--the Mazda RX-792P and the Chevrolet Corvette GTP--but I think it's time to return to a dominant force.

Part of the appeal of sports car racing is in the sheer diversity of equipment allowed; unlike "spec" or near-spec racing, engineering is as much a part of the game as driving skill. However, this very strength means that it's difficult to prevent a single car or team from finding the magic combination and walking over the opposition. That's been true in every iteration, and the exotic specification of IMSA GTP made it more susceptible than most series.

Great Commercials--Plymouth Sundance

Kids, this is how they used to make commercials--with lots of strident spoken proclamations over a montage of patriotic feel-good images. Of course, those images had nothing to do with the car. Kids walking away hugging, a dog wearing goggles, food being served at a drive-in by a roller-skated attendant; all irrelevant to the car, but meant to evoke the Sundance's made-in-America status.

By the way, "The Pride Is Back" being sung over an image of a rippling American flag? Were we really that dependent on the Plymouth Sundance for our national self-esteem? (By the way, the Esteem was a Suzuki).

The best moment of this commercial, though, comes just five seconds in. Simply fantastic. We were a nation of dorks in 1987.

--Chris H.

Racecar Lust--Chevrolet Corvette GTP

Again, we're continuing the almost incredibly obtuse series remembering the forgotten IMSA GTP heroes.

On Monday, we discussed the Nissan GTP-ZX--a car that started its life fast but fragile, and was eventually honed by Nissan into one of the all-time sports racers. Like that Nissan, the Chevrolet Corvette GTP debuted with enormous speed but never held together long enough to win. The two cars even used similar Lola chassis upon their debut.

The difference is that while Nissan stuck with it and honed its blunt object into a weapon, Chevy just gave up and threw the Corvette GTP on the trash heap. That's a shame. As Nissan proved, the dominant Porsches were ripe for the plucking in 1988, and the Corvette's speed right out of the box indicated enormous potential yesterday's Mazda never reached.

Beyond all this, the Corvette looked and sounded cool, and its sheer unpredictability--would it win or explode?--gave it a sinister gravitas that most otherwise unsuccessful race cars never earn.

The image is from VetteWeb.com.

--Chris H.

Racecar Lust--Mazda RX-792P

Continuing the incredibly obscure IMSA GTP theme ...

Yesterday we reviewed the development of the Nissan GTP-ZX prototype from dud into stud, in which Nissan tweaked its racer into a surprisingly dominant force after several lean seasons. Well, today's story is not quite as inspiring.

Mazda won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991 with its one-off Mazda 787B. After that stunning triumph, the automaker came into IMSA GTP with very high hopes--hopes that were subsequently dashed. The Mazda RX-792P came into IMSA GTP late, it wasn't very quick, it blew up easily, and Mazda pulled the plug after the car's first season. By any standard, the car was a miserable failure.

1970 Monaco Grand Prix

Submitted by Mochi Mochi

I know exactly where I was on Sunday May 10, 1970. I was a small child, and I was sitting in front of my parents' black-and-white TV--glued to it--watching the Grand Prix of Monaco. I loved cars. I especially loved Formula 1 cars. Watching the gods of racing hurtling around the streets of Monaco was a transforming experience--utterly captivating. The look and the sound of the cars was intoxicating.

I followed every minute of the race. Spirits sank when Jackie Stewart retired from the race due to engine problems, but when Sir John Arthur "Jack" Brabham took the lead I was elated. The final laps were a remarkable chase. The Austrian Jochen Rindt pressed Australian Jack Brabham but was unable to pass. The last lap seemed a sure thing for Brabham. Then--the final turn. At the Gazomètre I watched Brabham misjudge, lock the brakes, and plow the BT33 nose-first into the hay bales. He reversed and finished in second behind Rindt's Lotus 49. That last lap, that fateful hairpin, the slide into the hay bales--all welded into my memory. Those dancing visions of speed at the edge seem as vivid today as they did almost four decades ago.

Racecar Lust--Nissan GTP-ZX

Prototype sports car racing, in which drivers pilot two-seat fendered sports cars either very similar or very different from production cars, has a tendency to operate in a boom-bust cycle. This is invariably the process:

Step 1 - Independent racers band together to form a new series with new technical regulations aimed at keeping costs low.
Step 2 - Over the first few seasons, the independents slowly build competitive fields and entertaining racing.
Step 3 - Big auto manufacturers identify the growing series as an opportunity for exposure. They then jump in with wildly sophisticated and exotic equipment, bringing increased fan excitement.
Step 4 - After roughly five years of exciting, white-hot competition, the cars become so expensive that the independents can't compete and are forced to leave.
Step 5 - The costs rise so high, and the competition is now so thin that the factories begin to drop out.
Step 6 - The series slowly dies.
Step 7 - Return to Step 1.

One of the most interesting boom-and-bust cycles came in the 1980s and early 1990s in the form of IMSA GTP--the top-level American sports car series of the time. IMSA GTP sports cars took the form of wildly exotic closed-roof cars, powered by a variety of engines--V-8s, V-12s, twin-turbocharged V-6s--with so much power and aerodynamic downforce that the most advanced GTP cars were quicker than Indy cars on many tracks.

The 100-MPG Tragedy

In an era in which gas prices continue to spiral continually upwards, and the true social and ecological costs of burning fossil fuels are becoming increasingly obvious, I think it's appropriate to remember the Turbo Encabulator--a piece of transmission technology that could have easily helped America's cars achieve 100 mpg or more. Unfortunately, once the big oil corporations heard about the potential of the Turbo Encabulator, the technology was quicky discredited and quashed.

Chrysler briefly toyed with this technology, building it into the A-604 Automatic Transaxle slated for use in the early 1990s Dodge Dynasty. The A-604 never went into production, but Chrysler's training video below helps shed some light both on the revolutionary theory behind the Turbo Encabulator and some of the challenges involved with repairing the unit.

The video below seems to download slowly for me; if you're also having issues you may want to start and then immediately pause it until it's entirely downloaded.

This Week

If you find yourself noting that the quality of what you're reading this week is higher than normal, well, there's a reason for that. Namely, I'm on vacation.

So, to keep that IV of Car Lust continuing to drip, we'll be running some reader posts, a couple of videos, and a bizarrely obscure theme--a daily feature honoring five interesting IMSA GTP race cars. Strange, I know. Anything bearing my name after this post will be brought to you by the miracle of automation--RoboChris, if you will. Since I wrote all of it last week, it's like an eerie voice from the past.

We will return to normal (i.e. worse) service next week. Have a good week, everybody.

--Chris H.

Car Lust--Toyota RAV4

Submitted by Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame

From its humble beginnings as a Sport-Cute, the Toyota RAV4 has grown into the small-SUV niche originally occupied by the Toyota Highlander, which has itself grown into a near-mid-sized SUV. The current generation RAV4 features decent styling, plenty of room and versatility, power to spare, and does it all with great gas mileage.

It might be more expensive, but you have to get the V-6. Why? Because even with a V-6 engine, the RAV4 gets great gas mileage. The 3.5-liter engine puts out 269 horsepower, 246 pound-feet of torque, and can haul 3,500 pounds with towing modifications. That compares favorably with the Honda Pilot. And with the V-6, its acceleration numbers can embarrass more than just one or two sports sedans--all while getting 22/29 mpg. That’s probably good enough to make this a vehicle worthy of Car Lust.

Car Lust--Nissan Pulsar NX

Yes, it's time to celebrate the weird and wonderful Nissan Pulsar--available in the United States in two different generations, both of which were strange enough to be completely endearing. Strange--and somehow reminiscent of Lego creations.

The first-gen American Pulsar was a pretty conventional and slow coupe, remarkable mostly for its weird, blocky styling. That's the version in the first photo here (courtesy of Flickr user aperture_lag). It had Nissan's economy car hardware, so its speed didn't live up to whatever strange promises its unorthodox styling promised, but at least it looked interesting. I have an aunt who owned a Dodge Daytona Turbo Z and, later, one of these Pulsars; needless to say, she has great automotive tastes.

Car Lust--Lamborghini Countach

Today there's a twin-pack, the first-ever Car Lust and Car Disgust for what is fundamentally the same car. Obviously this betrays some conflicted feelings on my part, but more than that, it shows how small changes can ruin the basic essence and appeal of a very compelling car.

Back in the dark ages of this blog, I raved about the Lamborghini Miura--one of the earliest of the true exotics, and still one of the most compelling supercars ever made. Its Marcello Gandini-penned organic lines had "a fierce beauty that broadcast [the Miura's] status as a feral predator of the road."

From the Miura's animal-like ferocity, Gandini and Lamborghini moved on to pure, malevolent, evil. The Lamborghini Countach first debuted in 1971 as a show car, leaving stunned reaction in its wake, and then went into production essentially unchanged in 1974, with a 4-liter V-12 armed with no fewer than six Weber carbs.

Car Disgust--Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary

Yes, I'm going to deride that holiest of holies, the Lamborghini Countach. This is the "Car Disgust" bookend to my earlier Countach Car Lust. It's important to note that this dishonor is focused squarely on the 25th Anniversary Edition Countach. Placing it next to cars like the Yugo GVX and Suzuki X-90 in Car Disgust might be considered tantamount to heresy, but I think it's appropriate.

In the Countach Car Lust, I pointed out just how breathtaking the original Countach was, with its spectacularly wedgy body, its bellowing V-12, and sheer presence that electrified the world. This was all still true during the 5000S Quattrovalve's reign in the mid-1980s, but by the end of the decade the Countach's basic flaws were becoming more and more obvious. Just before its replacement with the curvaceous Diablo, the Countach was as outdated as a hugely exotic car can be--cramped, hot, awful visibility, and with a poor driving experience in most situations. It was still fast, but cars as useful and ordinary as the Porsche 911 Turbo and Chevrolet Corvette were nipping at its heels.

Used-Car Listing of the Day

I like this ad for a 1972 Gran Torino wagon, especially the first sentence and the last line:

"Everything has started to rust. Most of the rust fortunately is the bolts that hold everything that needs replacing.

The rear shocks are totally gone. Just the center support rod for each one is all that's left.

I can't remove the right rear brake drum to repair and put on new shoes.

The radiator support frame is rusting out from under it.

Battery holder box is gone, (rust).

The AM radio works, but needs a new speaker.

The driver's side wiper is in serious need of replacement.

The heater fan motor doesn't work either.

All the rubber gaskets around the doors are shrinking. Not coming loose, just kind of shrinking. I know it sounds strange. It's like they are loosing their shape, but they aren't.

This is a great car for someone with kids."

Uh huh.

--Chris H.

Car Lust--International Scout

When I wrote the Jeep Wagoneer Car Lust, I made a special point of describing my taste in trucks--I like my trucks "unashamed of their truckishness ... with no pretensions of being a car." I like trucks that don't compromise their natural abilities to swath the driver in car-like luxury. As accomplished as today's SUVs are, I just can't warm up to them in the same way I can appreciate a rugged, tough-as-nails machine that promises equal part utilitarianism and adventure.

Trucks don't get much more utilitarian than the International Scout, made by well-known tractor and combine manufacturer International Harvester. As one might guess, a truck from a tractor company is a far cry from today's velour-and-leather-lined SUVs, with their delicate detailing, car-based suspensions, and drivetrains completely unsuited for off-road travel.

Car Lust--Alfa Romeo 147 GTA

When I think of slick hatchbacks beefed up with strong doses of Vitamin H, my thoughts turn to Europe. There are any number of great sports hatchbacks through the last 30 years of European automaking history; but few make my heart palpitate like the Alfa Romeo 147 GTA.

I'm not entirely sure what it is, but there's something about the 147 GTA that makes it special. It goes beyond the sound of the engine, the car's performance, or even its styling. The only thing I can think is that the 147 GTA has a little bit of that Italian supercar DNA--a few sprinklings of the fairy dust that make Ferraris and Lamborghinis transcendent, beyond any consideration for mere transportation.

Car Lust--Toyota Prius

In most car enthusiast circles, admitting affection for a Toyota Prius is like putting a "Kick Me" sign on your own back. While I like the Prius, I can understand the antipathy.

I've read an amusing description of the Prius that describes it as powered by a small gasoline engine, an electric motor, and its owners' smug sense of superiority. Fair or not, for many people who love cars, the Prius has become a symbol both of people who hate cars and of haughty environmental elitism. The Prius, as the most famous and visible hybrid, also takes a lot of the heat for the fact that hybrids often are overly expensive, complex, use lots of environmentally unfriendly batteries, and tend not to live up to their EPA mileage estimates. Given the fact that a decade-old Geo Metro can match the Prius' mileage without a massive environmentally unfriendly battery pack, there is a perception that hybrids (and, by association, the Prius) are more a symbol of environmentalism than a useful way to save gas.

When Car Lust goes too far

After reading this eyebrow-raising story, I felt the need to share it and discuss what can happen when Car Lust goes just way, way too far.

There is a lot of wild stuff in that story, including a passage about a helicopter that I wish I had never read. Since this is a family blog I'll just include the least steamy quote from the story:

"There are moments way out in the middle of nowhere when I see a little car parked and I swear it needs loving. There have been certain cars that attracted me and I would wait until night time, creep up to them and just hug and kiss them."

Car Lust--Ford Mustang Boss 302

I've been doing a little bit of introspection lately, and in the course of that introspection I've realized I've done a really poor job of representing muscle cars. Okay, I started off with a few bona fide muscle cars, but after that most of the muscle car-related Car Lusts have been poseur muscle cars, or cars like the Chevy Cavalier Z24 or Shelby Charger. Don't get me wrong--I love those cars--but frankly my inattention to true, glorious muscle cars is scandalous and unrepresentative.

I've also realized that the only love I've thrown the Ford Mustang's way, in the form of dubbing the Mustang II a poseur muscle car, was pretty backhanded. Happily, Anthony Cagle responded with a post extolling the virtues of his Mustang II. Well, no more of this shabby treatment.

Car Disgust--Ford EXP

The idea behind the Ford EXP was a good one, especially for the fuel-crunched but performance-starved automotive world of the early 1980s. The basic concept was similar to that used by the later Pontiac Fiero and Toyota MR2: You start with the foundation of an existing small car, strip out the rear seats to save weight, add on some performance upgrades, tighten up the handling, and give the package a longer, lower, and tantalizingly sleek body. Given the fact that the EXP would beat both the Fiero and MR2 to the market, and that Ford was gathering itself for a strong performance and styling push for the rest of the decade, the idea sounded like a slam dunk.

When the EXP debuted in 1982, it was clear that the slam dunk clanged hard off the back rim.

Car Lust--Noble M12 GTO-3R

It may not have much name recognition on this side of the pond, but the Noble M12 GTO-3R is one of the all-time great performance cars the world has ever seen. Like the Ariel Atom, the Noble is available in the United States under kit-car regulations if assembled here. But don't let the kit car designation fool you; this is no VW Bug that looks like a mashed Lamborghini, or a Pontiac Fiero made to look like a lumpy Ferrari.

No, the Noble is a thoroughbred. The light, intricately designed mid-engined chassis and aggressively voluptuous body were designed specifically for the Noble, without intrinsic family car-based compromises. The Ford Duratec V-6 started off as a family car plant with Ford Contour--not typically a great foundation for exotic performance. But, with the addition of two big turbochargers, and an output of 352 horsepower and 350 lb. ft. of torque, with less than 2,400 pounds to haul around, it holds its own.

Challenge Update: Helping Alice

Alice, I haven't forgotten about you--unfortunately, I had more than 20 prospective cars open in different web browser windows last night when my browser crashed. So, after sobbing for a few minutes, I had to start over again.

This post will be my broad suggestions for Alice, some specific listings, and my response to the various interesting things you guys have found.

Random Dodge Magnum XE Love

While I was looking up the commercials for the Shelby Charger Car Lust, I stumbled across this for-sale walkaround of a 1978 Dodge Magnum XE--a previous featured car here.

These walkaround videos always hypnotize me with their silent, languid movement, and in this case I was especially entranced. This is a gorgeous, gorgeous Magnum XE. Not many people seem to care for these, so I doubt anybody (including potential sellers) really cares, but this is a beautiful car.

--Chris H.

Car Lust--Shelby Charger GLH-S

I was all prepared to write a suitably mournful and shamed intro to this Car Lust. After all, I'm writing to honor the Shelby Charger GLH-S and, by association, its less acclaimed Dodge Omni 024, Plymouth Horizon TC3, Dodge Rampage, and Dodge Charger brethren. These are all based on the late 1970s Chrysler subcompact Omni/Horizon series, which were average bare-bones economy cars for the time--which is to say, awful by any objective standard. The early L-body Chryslers, especially, were simply Omni/Horizons with swoopy bodywork--matching unexciting mechanicals with looks that, according to mainstream motorheads, were not particularly pleasing.

But you know what? I'm not ashamed of this guilty pleasure. Anybody who has read this blog for more than a week or so knows that I like bad cars, and the Charger isn't even in the top 10 of most embarrassing car lusts I've revealed in this space. I've already shown off the closely related Omni GLH-S and (inappropriately-named) Dodge Rampage (RAMPAGE!), so none of this should come as a particular surprise.

Challenge: Helping Alice

It seems like everybody else enjoyed the $5,000 challenge (original challenge and results) as much as I did, so here's another used car listings challenge. The difference is that this one isn't just an intellectual challenge--we actually might help somebody out.

Car Lust reader Alice (not her real name) is 15 years old, has a $4,000 budget, and would really like a hatchback or a station wagon. She says she is a "hatchback fiend" and horror of horrors, says she has aesthetic tastes similar to mine. My most sincere condolences, Alice--I hope with counseling and medication, modern medicine has a solution for you. Alice has a set of needs but doesn't know exactly what to buy.

Car Lust--BMW 635CSi

The other day, my wife and I were driving past a gorgeous pristine BMW 635CSi, which prompted a predictable lusty reply from me. My wife, though, was less impressed.

"CSi," she commented thoughtfully. "CSI? Like the CBS show? That's just weird."

I'd never associated that BMW model number suffix with the CBS criminal procedural drama before, and to be honest it's an association that annoys me. Yes, CSI is a hit TV show, but the BMW 635CSi was first and, to my eye, more timeless. I know which I'd prefer to spend more time with. BMW doesn't use the CSi suffix on its new 6-series--now I'm left to wonder if that's just coincidence.

Anyway, on to the post.

Car Lust--Mazda Protege5

For the last two decades, two diminutive titans have towered over the rest of the compact car field, dominating sales, reputation, and mind share. Every friend of mine who has looked for a small car in the last decade has started their search by looking for a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla, and for good reason--they tend to be durable, high-quality cars.

Overshadowed somewhat by this excellence has been Mazda's small cars, which have ranged from okay (the GLC) to amazing (the 323 GTX) to beautifully refined (the Protege). The Protege has long been one of my favorites; for quality transportation over the last decade, in my mind it has been more of a mentor in its class than a protege, leading the way in refinement, quality, and its driving dynamics.

In Cordoba, I have what I need

After mentioning the Chrysler Cordoba in the Ford Thunderbird Car Lust today, I would be remiss if I did not post the one most famous thing about the Cordoba--the Ricardo Montalban commerical.

This is, of course, a classic commercial. Below the commercial, a quick run-down of what I love about it:

Car Lust--1983-1988 Ford Thunderbird

The Ford Thunderbird of the early-to-mid 1980s wasn't a superlative car in any way. It wasn’t a barn-burning performer, an exceptional handler, or a great car. It was a mediocre-performing, slightly sloppy, two-door coupe like the contemporary Chevy Monte Carlo, Buick Regal, or Chrysler Cordoba.

What made this Thunderbird special was the way it looked. The original Thunderbirds had been sports coupes--at first, light two-seat runabouts, then slightly larger cruisers. In 1983, though, the Thunderbird had spent more than a decade as a massive, blocky, tacky personal luxury coupes, adorned with insulting chrome filigree and possessing all the understated, timeless class of Rudy Ray Moore as Dolemite. Far from the elegant convertible cruiser of the 1950s, the Thunderbird had become a bloated caricature of a car, lazy and sleazy.

Car Lust--Mazda AZ-1 Autozam

A few weeks ago, I featured the Toyota Sera and promised to give some forthcoming attention to the Japanese Kei car segment. Well, here's our first true Kei car. From that post, a description of Kei cars:

"Not to be confused with the Chrysler K-car economy car platform that underpinned virtually every Mopar offering in the 1980s and 1990s, Kei-cars are Japan's microcar class. Limited to 660-cc engines (.66 liters, smaller than some motorcycles) and regulated to an official (though often flouted) maximum of 64 horsepower, Kei cars are impossibly small, extraordinarily efficient, and, in the effort to make them quick and cool, eye-poppingly complex and exotic in specification. Just over 15 years ago, all-wheel drive, supercharging, twin-turbocharging, and more technical goodies began appearing on Kei cars, making them credible performers despite their diminutive engines."

Car Lust--McLaren F1

I've mentioned before that I don't feature too many supercars in this space; not because I don't like them, but because they already receive enough attention as objects of automotive lust. As usual, though, I'm not particularly consistent on this point, and I'm making an exception for the McLaren F1.

The McLaren F1 gets special supercar dispensation because it was innovative, purposeful and, as a result, truly exciting. Most supercars are very fast, but their speed is secondary to the primary goal--to separate multi-millionaires from their money by making them feel 17 years old again. This was especially true when the F1 debuted in the mid-1990s. Doubt me? Take a look at the supercars of the time--the Dodge Viper, the Lamborghini Diablo, even the Bugatti EB110 were all luridly styled, all, in their own way, a rolling testosterone injection.

Car Lust--1971-1976 Chevrolet Impala

Like the dinosaur, the massive rear-wheel-drive American full-size sedan once had a long run as the master of all it swurveyed--only to fade slowly into obscurity and disappear entirely, succumbing to competitors more suited to a changing environment.

But, also like the dinosaurs, the big sedans enjoyed a long, glorious run. For decades, the large rear-wheel-drive sedans were at the top of the heap; for many years, the Chevrolet Impala was the runaway sales leader, the most popular of the behemoths.

And why not? Impalas, like their slower-selling bretheren, were large, attractive, soft-riding sedans that offered palatial accommodations and cavernous cargo room at a reasonable price that many families could afford. In those hazy, nearly forgotten days before minivans and SUVs burst onto the scene, Impala wagons carried large quantities of people and cargo, serving as the trusty backdrop for countless family vacations. As a bonus, the Impala's massive hood and trunk lid could double as a helicopter landing pad in case of emergency.

Car Lust--Porsche 928

It is inconceivable to me that the Porsche 928 doesn't have a more glorious reputation than it does. What was one of the all-time great cars of the 1980s (with some spillover from the 1970s and into the 1990s) is remarkably often regarded as a bloated, fat, ugly failure of a car, somehow barely worthy of the Porsche name.

Bah! The 928 was a fantastic car that helped define the sports GT category, marrying supercar performance with comfort and everyday practicality. The 928 had such an embarrassment of ability that it captured the imagination. Considering the standard of its time, it had incredible top speed and high-speed cruising ability; married to its relaxed nature and natural comfort, that made the 928 the perfect choice for bombing along the Autostrada at triple-digit speeds while listening to Chopin, or for compressing a trans-Montana drive from five hours into three. Think of it as an executive Lear Jet for the road.

Car Lust Pop Culture Awards

I've had a couple of requests in recent comment threads for a new post for best driving music, best car movies, etc. So, let's just have a car-related awards post, get people's thoughts, and then I'll compile the results next Friday.

The categories:

Best Driving Music

Best Car Chase (movie or TV)

Best Car-Oriented/Racing Movie

Best Car-Oriented TV Show

Best Car Prominently Featured in a TV Series

Best Car Prominently Featured in a Movie

If you're interested, make your picks, and if I've missed some obvious categories, let me know--I'll add them!

--Chris H.

Car Lust--Buick GNX

Sorry, all, for the slow posting this week--I'll make it up to you with a two-pack today, with one Car Lust this morning and one this afternoon.

---

I'm a fan of turbochargers. It's easy to be seduced by the thrust of horsepower they provide, of course, but I'm even fond of aspects of turbocharging that other people don't care for.

Turbo lag, for instance--it's not great at a race track when you're trying to time your power application coming out of a corner, but for me that split-second delay before the wall of power hits is a delicious bit of suspense. The car feels as if it's gathering itself for a sprint; and the short delay only makes the strong pull that follows even more entertaining. The characteristic whistle of a turbocharger spinning up also annoys some, but for me it's the auditory signal that something special is going on under the hood. That whistle activates a Pavlovian response in me; but fortunately rather than a craving for dog food, it triggers a craving for horsepower.

Soliciting a new banner image

We here at Car Lust HQ are getting a little weary of the BMW kidney-grille banner image at the top of the page. Our sister blog Omnivoracious uses bookshelf images in that spot and keeps things interesting by using pictures of readers' bookshelves--it keeps things fresh and gives the readers a pretty interesting chance to participate.

So--anybody want to submit a car grille for the Car Lust banner image? If we get a lot of response, we'll cycle them through. It doesn't have to be your car, or even an interesting car--I start chuckling when I think about running a Citation grille as our banner image--but I'd prefer it to be your photography so we don't have any copyright issues to worry about.

If you're interested, make sure it's a head-on shot of the front of the car, and make sure it's a big file. Our graphical folks will likely crop and zoom, so the higher the resolution, the better. Just e-mail any submissions to the "E-mail Car Lust" link at the top-right.

I have some I could use, and will if necessary, but that's boring. I'm sure you guys can come up with something much more interesting than I can.

--Chris H.

Group B Eulogy and Videos

There's a great conversation going on in the comments thread of the Lancia Delta post regarding rallying and great rally videos; truly brilliant stuff.

I'm a big rally fan and obviously a Group B fanatic; heck, I've already featured the Audi Sport Quattro, Ford RS200, Renault 5, Lancia 037 Monte Carlo, and Lancia Delta. I'm stunned that I haven't done the Porsche 959 or Peugeot 205, and no doubt the Citroen BX and MG Metro will get their time in the sun soon enough.

Group B was the completely intoxicating mix of ultra-high-technology, incredible speed, low traction, and poor crowd control. Imagine putting a Formula 1 car on a narrow, undulating, gravel road, and lining the sides with people leaning over for a better look. That was Group B.

Brian's Pikes Peak Video

This deserves its own thread, because it is completely fantastic. For those unfamiliar with this event, note the proximity of the spectators, and the long, long drops off the outside of those corners.

That Peugeot is one of my favorite hillclimb cars--a gorgeous, brilliant car, and my preferred mount when I'm living my rally driver dreams by playing Rallisport 2 on my Xbox.

Car Lust--Lancia Delta

Glance at the Lancia Delta for a second, and it looks like a first-generation Hyundai Excel--a boxy little econocar of no particular interest. If left to their own devices, your eyes will naturally slide off the Delta in search of something flashier, more colorful, or more obviously interesting.

However, if you fight that instinct and keep your focus on the Delta, you might begin to see a few more details to engage your interest. Perhaps your eye will dwell on the distinctive grille and its proud Lancia emblem, or the stouter-than-expected tire and wheel package, or the muscular fenders, or the subtly aggressive detailing and rear spoiler. After you've had some time to fully digest the Delta, it doesn't look as much like a flimsy 1980s econobox as it does a fierce wolf in extroverted sheep's clothing. Or something like that.

Our Cars--1951 Cadillac Sedan

Submitted by David Drucker

I want to tell you about the 1951 Cadillac sedan I bought in 1970. Not because it was such a wonderful car--although it most definitely was--but because of a defining experience I had behind its enormous, non-power-assisted steering wheel. First, though, let me introduce the car.

I was 21, living in Brooklyn, and needed something to replace the '65 Dodge Custom 880 that I had, in a fit of pique, sold. For a while I looked at first-generation Corvair convertibles which, thanks to Ralph Nader, were as cheap as cheese. I was about to answer an ad for a red four-speed when a nearby listing caught my eye. It read, “1951 Cadillac 62 sedan. Black. Good shape. $150.” I was intrigued, and not just by the price. You see, in 1970, a car from the early Fifties looked positively ancient. It made a fashion statement that your average late-Eighties sedan wouldn’t begin to duplicate today. Today, such cars seamlessly blend into the overall mix. But in 1970, a '51 Cadillac turned heads, big time.

Car Disgust--Suzuki X-90

Special for today, a Car Disgust twin pack!

When I posted the Yugo GVX Car Disgust a few months ago, a co-worker told me that all the commentary was unnecessary--that simply running the photo would convey all of the horror and derision necessary.

So, it's in that spirit that I present the Suzuki X-90. Gaze at the photos--nothing else needs to be said.

--Chris H.

Car Disgust--Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4

It has been a while since I've done a Car Disgust post, so if you're confused, read this.

I'm on record as being a huge fan of exotic hardware, and all-wheel drive and turbochargers are among my favorite pieces of automotive gingerbread. Combine that with my fondness for Mitsubishis, especially the sporty ones, and the Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4--pumped up with its AWD, twin turbos, and four-wheel steering--should be a no-brainer for me.

But, no. I just can't stand the 3000GT. While it was extremely quick, it was also extremely ugly and--a cardinal sin for a sports car--so heavy that it offered a relatively ponderous driving experience.

Car Lust--Merkur XR4Ti

If nothing else, this blog serves as a months-long expose on how horribly out of step my automotive tastes are. There are a lot of popular cars that don't particularly appeal to me, and there are awful cars that have worked their way under my skin. That doesn't make me special or elite--just strange.

I can't think of a better example of that disparity than my affection for the Merkur XR4Ti. A combination of a weird, unpronounceable name, poor marketing, curiously bulbous looks, and a strange biplane rear wing made the Merkur the automotive equivalent of the Frankenstein monster--a bizarre, deformed creature to be approached with great caution and, preferably, torches and pitchforks. In this case, the townsfolk slayed the monster; Merkur only lasted in the U.S. market for four years.

Car Lust--1971-1974 Dodge Charger

  I'm featuring the 1971-1974 Dodge Charger today, but, after a lot of thought, I'm not dubbing it a poseur muscle car. This edition of the Charger, with its macho looks and fading power, would seem like a perfect companion for overstuffed luminaries such as the Ford Gran Torino and the Chevy Monte Carlo SS. But at the risk of offending those who are concerned with trivial concepts such as "consistency," "fairness," and "rational thinking" I'm going to hold up the Charger and laud it on its own merits. Heck, everybody already knows I'm inconsistent, unfair, and irrational.

So, let's break down the Charger's qualifications for poseur muscle car status.

Car Lust--Mercedes-Benz C111

Sorry for the lack of Car Lusts yesterday and today, folks--I was out yesterday spending time with my daughter, and have spent this morning digging out here at work. Not a good excuse, I realize, so let's dispose with family and work and concentrate solely on what's really important--old cars.

Last week's Audi Avus (a car that, I'm surprised to say, was roundly panned here) was all show and no go--a car notable for its styling, but with vaporware under its curvaceous skin. Today's Car Lust wasn't so much a show car as a series of concept cars. The distinction between show car and concept car is a fine but important one.

$5,000 Challenge Results

I'm incredibly gratified by the response to the $5,000 Challenge--not only did people find a ton of interesting cars, but I found I'm not the only classifieds junkie out there. Anyway, enough text--let's get to the cars!

My picks: My original goal was to have everybody submit one car, but that's really hard to do. Instead, like everybody else, I found a couple. There were quite a few perfectly fair daily drivers available, but what's the fun in that?

My favorite was a faded blue 1976 Chevy Caprice Classic on Craigslist for $2,500 --unfortunately, the listing has disappeared, and I didn't think to grab the photo first. But it looked straight, perfect, and clean--if a little too pricey for what it is. I love '76 Impalas/Caprices; the only reason I haven't Car Lusted them is because I feel I need to do them proper justice.

Car Lust--Ariel Atom

If there is a lunatic fringe among cars, the Atom is at the lunatic fringe of that fringe. It is one of the very few cars that can make the Caterham Super Seven look like a safe, sedate, practical family car. The Atom is street-legal in most states as a kit car and can be driven (rather quickly) on public roads, but while most sports cars make weak pretenses at being suitable for everyday transportation, the Atom eschews with that pretense and goes right for the jugular.

We talk a lot here about the beauty and wonder of light weight, and how a lack of mass can help a performance car excel in every possible dynamic way--acceleration, braking, cornering, and fuel economy. Well, the Atom takes that concept to its ultimate extreme, with sublime results.

Buying Used Cars

It sounds like Mochi Mochi has a used-car conundrum--and because it's an interesting question, I think it deserves its own post.

"Friends: I need your help. I went on a car date this evening. The whole online dating analogy that Chris mentioned is so apt. So I've been looking around. I found a nice 1992 Integra GSR - stock - not chopped up or modded. No signs of rust. No indication of accidents. The asking price was $3900. Body is clean. Everything works ok.

Car Respect--Geo Metro

I'm not actually going to write a Car Lust for a Geo Metro, simply because it doesn't generate lust for me. I have a lot of respect for the Metro, but as we can see in other walks of life, respect does not always equal lust. My respect for the Metro is a purely intellectual response; the only real emotion the Metro prompts in me is a slight tinge of ennui.

(Note that this isn't really true of the Metro's predecessor, the Chevy Sprint--its turbocharged variant will be appearing in this space someday as a bona fide Car Lust.)

Yet the Metro, in its own way, was as superlative as any Porsche, as extreme a performer in its sphere as any Ferrari. Its forte? Providing maximum fuel economy and usefulness for the minimum price. Within that context, the Metro was the ne plus ultra.

There has been a lot of conversation lately about alternative-fuel cars, hybrids, electric cars, hydrogen-fueled cars, Smart cars, and the like--all very cool developments, all interesting additions to the automotive world. Then fellow Amazon blogger Rich Sloan blogged about his friend's Smart fortwo--and subsequently got roasted in the comments for saying that his friend's fuel costs were $0 after 142 miles.

All of this really puts into context just how amazing the Geo Metro was--or, possibly, that we just haven't made much progress on fuel economy in the last decade. I like both the Smart and the Prius--there's something gadgety about them that appeals to me--but if your goal is just to have a useful gas-sipping car, it would be hard to do better than a Geo Metro.

$5,000 Challenge

Hi, my name is Chris Hafner, and I'm a used car listings addict. I've been a compulsive used-car listing reader for the last 15 years; and I'm ashamed to say that I read them even when I'm not shopping for a car. In this way I'm similar to the people who are addicted to online dating sites--the used car listings offer a breathtaking diversity of cars, each with their own look, their own story, their own intoxicating sense of possibility.

One of the things I do for fun on a weekly basis is run through the listings and find which car I'd buy that week for a given price range. Yeah, I'm not particularly well-adjusted.

Anybody else want to join me in this compulsion? I'll set a price cap of $5,000 this time--anybody who wants to participate, just find the car you'd buy from your local classifieds and either put it in the comments thread of this post or use the "E-mail Car Lust" link at the top-right of the blog. I'll compile them in a post on Friday comparing our finds.

And if nobody else is interested, well, I'll just continue my lonely life as a used-car listings addict.

--Chris H.

Car Lust--Audi Avus

With a few exceptions, I've never been a big fan of show cars. Many show cars are meaningless styling bucks, with impractical styling and imaginary engineering; they never see the light of day. I can see why people like show cars, but for the most part the whole exercise seems a bit empty.

Nothing about the 1991 Audi Avus concept remotely approached production, and given that its high-horsepower "engine" was a mocked-up dummy, its wild performance claims were based purely on imagination. Yet show cars are meant to inspire, and based on inspiration and impact, the Audi Avus might be one of the most important show cars ever.

Car Lust--Opel Manta Rallye

OldCarGuy, your wish is my command--though you may not like my intro.

It's difficult to describe the attraction a car like the Opel Manta Rallye holds for me. In comparison to the lowliest late-model Ford Escort, the Manta is a gigantic, steaming pile of automotive dung. To a modern driver, the Manta would be considered noisy, unrefined, and cramped--but at least it's slow and ugly. To the casual observer, the Manta Rallye looks like nothing more than a slightly less offensive Datsun B-210 with a weird flat black hood that ostensibly was obtained from a junkyard.

At least that's how I think most modern observers would react--I'm biased because I'm hopelessly besotted with the Manta and think it's wonderful.

Driving Slow Cars Fast

There's a great discussion going on in this comments thread regarding the old saying, "It's more fun to go fast in a slow car than slow in a fast car." David Drucker wrote a great article on this subject at The Truth About Cars, and I can attest to its truth.

I've never driven a true exotic, but I've driven some very fast cars, of which the fastest were probably a recent Pontiac GTO and an Audi S4. Both of those cars provide perception-bending acceleration and road-holding--capabilities so far beyond mine that they gave me the same heady, breathless rush provided by the most modern and extreme roller coasters. Make no mistake, driving fast cars fast is a good time.

But the thing is, the most fun I've ever had behind the wheel came with a 1981 Honda Prelude. The Prelude in question was, at the time, about 15 years old, had roughly 150,000 miles on it, and was in a slowly crumbling state of repair. It's engine, never powerful, buzzed so much that various loose interior plastic pieces vibrated in sympathy. The manual transmission linkage was so loose that it was almost impossible to tell what, if any, gear it was in.

None of that mattered. That Prelude and I had about 45 minutes of glory together, three-quarters of an hour of the best, most involved, most thrilling driving I've ever experienced. That abused, scabrous Prelude was the Ginger Rogers to my Fred Astaire.

Car Lust--AMG Mercedes-Benz CLK63 Black Series

In the old days, broadly speaking, there were two kinds of performance car engines. Domestic muscle cars used massive, primitive, pushrod V-8 engines whose sheer overwhelming size gave them bottomless wells of bottom-end power. Imports, on the other hand, used much smaller four- and six-cylinder engines which made up for their size shortfall with technological know-how. Dual overhead cams, aluminum construction, four valves per cylinder, variable valve timing--these were the technological tricks that helped even the playing field.

Muscle car lovers typically ridiculed the hard-working small engines, and import fans turned up their noses at the big eights, referring to them as tractor engines, or worse. Yet those with an appreciation for both often wondered what would happen if modern engine technology could ever be married with a monster V-8. What sort of creature would then issue forth?

Car Lust--AMC Gremlin X

It's hard to be a fan of the AMC Gremlin. Not only was it an awful car, but it was so famous for being awful that even when you think you've found another beleaguered Gremlin addict, they invariably turn the knife by smirking, winking, and saying, "Sure, I think the Gremlin is awesome!"

You know a car is terrible when the only people to profess to like it are really only claiming it to enhance their own ironic slumming hipness. I can't really judge them; I've hidden behind the faux-irony defense many times when my buddies start to sneer at my ridiculously poor taste in cars.

I really do like the Gremlin, though--and to examine why is to delve into my bad-car pathology.

Quite possibly the best car review of all time ...

... here.

--Chris H.

Car Lust--Toyota Sera

At some point in the future, I'll break into a new segment of Car Lusts--the Japanese Kei-cars. Not to be confused with the Chrysler K-car economy car platform that underpinned virtually every Mopar offering in the 1980s and 1990s, Kei-cars are Japan's microcar class. Limited to 660-cc engines (.66 liters, smaller than some motorcycles) and regulated to an official (though often flouted) maximum of 64 horsepower, Kei cars are impossibly small, extraordinarily efficient, and, in the effort to make them quick and cool, eye-poppingly complex and exotic in specification. Just over 15 years ago, all-wheel drive, supercharging, twin-turbocharging, and more technical goodies began appearing on Kei cars, making them credible performers despite their diminutive engines.

The United States allows non-U.S.-certified automobiles to be imported once they are 25 years past production date. This has allowed a few enterprising souls to import older cars like the Chrysler Valiant Charger, but it will be some time before the exotic Kei cars will be eligible for import. The situation is somewhat different in Canada, however; our northern neighbors require only a 15-year wait, meaning some of the interesting Japanese-market cars from the early 1990s are now fair game. There are quite a few dealerships in Vancouver, B.C., that do a strong business in such formerly forbidden fruit.

Code of Conduct

This was in the comments thread of the SUV Throwdown post, but I think it deserves its own post.

Cookie the Dog's Owner: "Here, I want to talk about interesting wheels with a group of friends. I think that isn't too much to ask."

I couldn't agree more with that. I think we've enjoyed that for the most part, and any straying from that standard is a failure on my part. My apologies for not being around to set the tone last week.

I'm a seasoned Usenet warrior, and from that unmoderated perspective the SUV conversation was a pretty minor skirmish. But nowadays I tend to participate on blogs that have clear guidelines, and it's nice to have a higher signal-to-noise ratio. Perhaps it's time to explicitly lay out some comment guidelines that formalize what we already have--a fun place to hang out where mutual respect (for people, not cars) rules.

That's not just because it's what I want, and what the majority of the commenters here seem to want. There's a bigger picture here. This site is run by a major multi-national corporation, and my time is being donated by that same major multi-national corporation. If this site becomes something that said multi-national corporation no longer wants to be associated with, this site could be deemed as longer worth keeping around. I'm not saying it would--frankly, I've enjoyed stunningly complete editorial freedom here--but I don't want to tempt fate.

These are based loosely on the best comment guidelines I've seen. Any comments that don't conform, judged by my own highly subjective criteria, run the risk of being edited in this way:

COMMENT: "Cletus, you are a <don't insult other commenters>."

Comment Guidelines

1. It's okay to disagree.

GOOD: "John, you're totally wrong--Toyotas aren't boring cars. You've obviously never driven my Echo--it's pure excitement in automotive form."

2. It's not okay to insult other commenters or to make things personal. Treat others with respect.

BAD: "John, you're an idiot, and I hate you. You don't know the first thing about cars, you have bad breath, and you're a Communist."

3. It's okay to insult cars.

GOOD: "My God, that Echo is godawful."

4. It's okay to insult Chris, as long as it's at least somewhat witty and not profane.

GOOD: "Chris, your automotive tastes betray your 46 IQ."

5. Try to keep the language at or below the PG-13 level.

6. No politics or religion.

I've found politics and religion to be incredibly corrosive to respectful online conversation. There are plenty of places to talk about those subjects--places that would offer a far more enriching conversation on the topic. We're not trying to solve the world's problems here.

One exception--feel free to adopt Car Lust as your personal religion or preferred political system.

7. When in doubt, use common sense and the Golden Rule.

Would you feel comfortable with your mother, father, boss, child, or prospective significant other reading your comment? Are you comfortable that if you made this comment in person that you wouldn't be punched in the face? If not, you might want to take another look at it.

As I said in the comments thread of the other post, I realize I'm trying to nurture something a little out of the ordinary here--an Internet community based on mutual respect--and so those of us used to the more caustic communication used elsewhere may need to retune a little bit. It's inevitable we'll have a few bumps in the road, but we'll get through it.

Honestly, before the big SUV thread, I can think of only one or two comments in the history of this blog that would warrant any action on my part.

I've already been accused of being a Nazi once in the last few weeks, so ...

--Chris H.

Car Lust--Volkswagen Touareg TDI V-10

Fuel, meet fire. Putting an SUV in this space as the first Car Lust after our big SUV controversy probably isn't the wisest thing I could do, but hey--I'm a contrarian, and nobody ever accused me of being wise.

The Volkswagen Touareg TDI V-10 is about as different from my preferred SUVs as possible. I like rugged, blunt objects; the Touareg TDI is unbelievably complex. I prefer utilitarianism, but the Touareg TDI is posh. Perhaps most importantly, I like my trucks cheap, and the Touareg, when it was available, was eye-wateringly expensive.

Still, I fell completely in love with the Touareg TDI when I had one as a test car. As I explained in the other thread, I'm not usually a fan of high-lux SUVs, but the high-line Touareg was executed so well that I fell under its seductive spell.

SUV Throwdown

My goodness. I step away for a few days, and all hell breaks loose. It's a sign of how emotional car enthusiasts get about SUVs that even this friendly community can begin bludgeoning each other in, of all things, the comments thread of a post about the poor, cringing 1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass.

Now, several days later, that thread is overflowing with novellas railing against SUVs, some quasi-personal invective, and strategically placed body waste. The conversation was actually pretty good, minus the parts that were verging on insulting. It never quite got to the "YOUR AN IDIOT!!!1!!!" stage, but still, let's keep it polite, folks.

So, anyway, before I offer up my two cents, here's The Simpsons' take with, naturally, German subtitles:

Quick Administrative Note

I'll be traveling and in conferences for the rest of this week, so Car Lust might be a tad spotty for the next few days. I'll do what I can, but given my laptop's 30-minute battery life and the fact that I'm traveling about as far as one can within the continental U.S. (Seattle to Tampa), I'm guessing it'll be next week before Car Lust resumes its normal daily schedule.

Car Lust--1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass

I love slick sports coupes and sedans, and high-horsepower, high-testosterone muscle cars get my blood churning, so my fixation with seemingly mediocre 1970s American cars must seem a little strange. Sports coupes, sports sedans, and muscle cars all tend to combine style, power, and athleticism; in the popular eye, 1970s American cars bring only gauche style and flabby, anemic performance to the table.

Certainly, it was a dark time in the automotive world, with tightening emissions restrictions, an awful fuel shortage, plunging power levels, and an odd predilection towards baroque styling elements. But when people give me a hard time about my 1970s car infatuation, I point to cars like the 1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass as examples of why I find them so compelling.

It's easy to focus on the tacky cars of the 1970s, (I'm not immune) but what gets lost is the fact that there were a lot of strong, cleanly styled typical American cars during this period that looked good, ran reliably, and made a lot of people happy.

Car Lust--Volkswagen Scirocco Mk. I

I've discussed the 1970s "Super Coupes" phenomenon in this space before in my Ford Capri Car Lust post, but to quickly recap, the "Super Coupes" were the first, vestigial evolution of inexpensive sport coupes from their humble economy car origins. Cars like the Ford Probe, Mazda MX-6, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Acura Integra, and Acura RSX are the spiritual successors to the original Super Coupes of the early 1970s.

The very first Super Coupes were a pretty motley bunch. The class was initially made up of lightly made-over Ford Pintos and Chevrolet Vegas, in addition to the very first Toyota Celicas and relative thoroughbreds such as the Capri, the Opel Manta, and Mazda RX-3. There are times, though, when a car enters a class and instantly raises the bar, making its competitors look thoroughly antiquated and raising customer expectations for the whole class.

Car Lust--Lotus Carlton

We're now nearly three weeks into the inadequately named Our Cars Week, and I still have a few more reader submissions to go. I'm completely out of my own cars, though, so my posts will revert back to traditional Car Lust mode. I have to say, I've been loving all of the submissions--lots of really interesting cars, lovingly described, with some fantastic anecdotes. Great stuff.

Anyway, I'm sure not everybody has enjoyed this romp through the typical and mundane, so for those people today's Car Lust is a rare performance jewel--the Lotus Carlton.

The Carlton was a sports sedan in the AMG Hammer vein in that it allowed four adults and a trunk full of luggage to cruise in sumptuous comfort at 170 mph on the autobahn--a rarity when the Carlton debuted in 1990. Unlike the Hammer, which evolved from a blue-blooded Mercedes-Benz, the Carlton started as a lowly General Motors family sedan--namely, the Vauxhall Carlton.

Our Cars--1998 Mazda 626 LX

Submitted by Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame

The reason I've been thinking more about cars and car issues lately is because my commuter car was totaled (hit by a motorcycle while the car was parked). I spent a great deal of time researching to determine value while searching for a suitable replacement.

I ended up getting a steal--a 1998 Mazda 626 LX 4-cylinder with 83,000 miles for $1,000. According to Edmunds, it is worth $4,000 retail or $3,100 in private party sale in Hawaii (where I am). I could get $2,300 for it as a trade-in. The typical Mazda transmission problems from that era should not be a worry, as the transmission was replaced last year.

I was looking for a car that I could drive for a month, then sell without a loss while shipping my '01 Prizm for the upcoming move to Texas. Not only did I do that in spades, I ended up getting a car I don't want to give up, so maybe we'll sell the Prizm instead.

Without further ado, I give you An Ode to My Mazda 626:

Our Cars--1983 Pontiac Trans-Am

Submitted by Tass Sontag

I love the Trans-Am's looks, and now with a stroked 383 cubic-inch V-8 and other goodies, my Garmin GPS system clocked it doing 161 MPH before I got afraid to do more. It's a real testament to the body design.

Most of the interior pieces came from junkyard Camaros. Yes, it's badly in need of a paint job. It's all go, no show!

--Tass Sontag

Our Cars--1969 Volkswagen Bug

Submitted by Eugene Doremus

I’ve had a lot of cars. Most simply provided transportation, but there was one that I loved. It was a powder blue 1969 Volkswagen Bug.

I bought it in Pennsylvania and used it to get to work. It was all mine; my wife had a Pontiac, and the kids weren’t yet old enough to drive. When I was transferred to Houston, the Bug got me there and pulled a small camping trailer full of my gear. On the way down, I found I could get up fairly close behind large trucks, and they’d just suck me along.

Things changed in Houston--the kids were now old enough to drive, and they seemed to think the Bug was simply up for grabs. They would ask to use the Pontiac, but they would just take the Bug without asking.

Our Cars--1994 Acura Integra GS-R

I was such a jerk as a teenager. I didn't really rebel in the normal teenage ways--though my parents might disagree--but I was a total know-it-all when it came to their cars. I'd do things like mock their Buick and then go through the classifieds to find Audis and Saabs that they should own instead. I'd recommend they liquidate all of their investments to buy a Porsche 928S4. And, worst of all, I'd mercilessly ridicule every car they bought.

All of this is a great point of shame for me now that I'm at least somewhat more mature, and was totally unjust anyway considering my Dad knows more about cars than I do. Mom and Dad, mea culpa.

Happily, I gave them some sweet revenge when I fell completely in love with a car that I had previously spurned.

My parents, selfless as usual, were preparing for the financial rigors of my sister and I reaching college by selling their Acura Legend. We had owned a few solid but unexciting sedans previous to the Legend (a 1976 Chevy Nova and a 1987 Buick LeSabre), and in that context the Legend was a thoroughbred. Smooth V-6, creamy leather, rock solid at triple-digit velocities (not that I'd know, of course)--the Legend was the first car we owned that car magazines had deigned to test. Selling the Legend was a bitter pill to swallow.

Our Cars--1980 Ford Courier

Submitted by Nathan of Brainfertilizer Fame

Much of the appeal of Car Lust is the emotional connection made between cars and people. It is the memories that tie us to some fairly unappealing vehicles, and it is the anecdotes about those memories that draw me back to Car Lust every day.

One Car Lust wasn’t a conscious Lust until I started thinking about all the cars I’ve ever had extensive experience with … and then the Lust for a Ford Courier blazed up brightly.

Our family obtained a 1980 Ford Courier around 1982, I think. In any case, it wasn’t new because I don’t remember my parents ever purchasing a new vehicle. It was in excellent condition, however, with a camper shell over the bed. In 1984 I talked my parents into using it to haul our pop-up trailer and two of my friends on a 5-hour trip to the Medicine Rocks Campground outside of Ekalaka, Montana.

Our Cars--1983 Chevrolet Malibu Wagon

I've been a bit quiet for the last few days because I wanted to spend the time I needed to get this one right. This car, and the car I'll be featuring tomorrow, are the two cars I've cared most about, and so I want to commemorate them correctly.

In early 2002 I had an empty parking spot, a need for semi-reliable transportation, and $1,500 of cash to spend. In my world, this is a rare and delicious situation ripe with promise.

I narrowed my search immediately to the rare, the strange, and the interesting. I test-drove a Saab 900 Turbo with a broken driver's seat--you had to hold yourself up with the steering wheel. I drove a Merkur XR4ti that still had a lot of punch despite spewing plumes of white smoke in its wake. I drove a first-generation Volkswagen GTI that had a steering wheel that smelled strongly of Cool Ranch Doritos. I looked at, but did not drive, a late-1970s BMW 320 that appeared to have a family of birds living in the engine compartment.

Our Cars--1966 Imperial Crown Coupe

Submitted by David Drucker

In 1987 I indulged my ever-present lust for gigantic Detroit iron with a triple white 1966 Imperial Crown Coupe. I saw it out of the corner of my eye as I drove past a nondescript used car lot in Queens; 48 hours later it was in my garage.

Truth be told, that Crown Coupe was my second ‘66 Imperial. The first was a funereal black LeBaron that I chased down a Brooklyn street in 1976 and bought on the spot. In those days a ten-year-old Imperial was still considered a fairly big car, but it swam in a sea of big cars. New DeVilles and Town Cars still weighed in at close to 5000 pounds, with plain-vanilla Impalas and LTDs not far behind. The term “full-sized car” hadn't yet become a joke. So when I ran my LeBaron's power seat back on its tracks, adjusted the tilt-and-telescope wheel, and reveled in all of that space, it was within the context of simply enjoying what seemed to be my birthright as an American. Indeed, when I sold the LeBaron a year later, the sensible new Volvo wagon that replaced it felt like a toy.

Our Cars--1990 Pontiac Firefly

Submitted by Damian Penny

Never heard of the Firefly? It was the Pontiac version of the Suzuki-built, three-cylinder-engined Chevrolet Sprint, sold only in Canada.

Strictly speaking, it was my parents' car. But by the time we sold the Firefly in 1998, there was no doubt who'd racked up the most miles on it. I learned to drive on my parents' other car--a 1984 Plymouth Reliant wagon with fake wood panelling on the sides--before moving over to the Firefly when I'd figured out how to drive a five-speed. I'm not sure whether it was a step up, down or sideways.

Car Lust--1997 Dodge Neon

Submitted by Rob the SVX Guy

After my '68 Charger was vandalized one night, my Grandma thought I should drive a less obnoxious automobile. She bought me this Dodge Neon back in 1998. It was only one year old but it had 24,000 miles on it, and we picked it up for $7,000. What was interesting about this Neon is that it was a base model, an extreme base model. It had power steering and power brakes, and that's about it. It didn't even have rear window defrost, which, frankly, kinda sucked here in Wisconsin.

I kept it stock for a long time, taking it on road trips out to the badlands, getting up to speeds of 130 mph in South Dakota, and it got pretty incredible fuel economy. On one trip I even averaged 43 mpg, going a steady 65mph.

Our Cars--1977 Porsche 924

Submitted by Brian Miller

When I acquired this Porsche 924, I was actually hunting for a Datsun 240Z--from which the Porsche takes some obvious styling cues. After having it towed home and fiddling with various melted wires, the 924 finally fired up with an ominous blue cloud billowing from the engine, which turned out to be a fixable oil leak. Not an auspicious beginning, but after three years, monumental effort, and an unspeakable outlay of cash for new, old, and “new old stock” parts, the little Porsche is a reliable fair-weather daily driver.

The 924 is truly unique--a sports car made from parts of non-sports cars; the first front-engine/rear-drive Porsche; and the first affordable Porsche. The first point is most stunning-–the engine block is the same one you’ll find in an AMC Gremlin or a Volkswagen LT truck, the suspension is VW Rabbit, and the transaxle is made by Audi. The seats are from a 911, and the body is galvanized steel.

Our Cars--2003 Honda Accord EX V-6

Let's say I went back in time to 1973 and tracked down the proud original owner of my old 1973 Plymouth Valiant. Let's say I offered that Valiant driver a chance to look at a car from 2003 and then, with eager anticipation in the air, I whipped a sheet off of the Honda Accord pictured here. How do you think that Valiant driver would react?

I think the 1970s driver would be momentarily thrown by the aerodynamic styling, but would subsequently be really disappointed by the lack of progress in the intervening three decades.

"This car is from 2003?" Valiant Bob would ask incredulously. "But it's hardly any different! It still runs on gasoline? It still scrapes rain off the windshield with rubber blades? You still have to steer it with a wheel? It doesn't drive itself? It doesn't fly? What does your car do that mine doesn't?"

1970 Pontiac Grand Prix 455

Submitted by Michael H. Epstein

Like many of my friends, I lust over the first car I ever owned. In 1970, when I turned 16, I didn't get my dream car because my parents thought it to be unsafe. I lusted for a 1970 GTO Judge convertible, but instead I received a 1970 Grand Prix (albeit a 455-cubic-inch 4-barrel).

Even with the 455, I thought it was an old man's car. But now, as I tentatively approach middle age, with my son constantly reminding me what an old man I am, I longed for another flawless optioned-out 1970 Grand Prix.

Volvo 240DL

The Volvo 240DL pictured here was a loyal partner for nearly a decade--a period of time in which the Volvo covered more than 200,000 miles, took part in two cross-continental moves, transported us and our friends to countless enjoyable endeavors, and generally became an omnipresent part of our lives. It was my wife's first car, and endured as our primary vehicle even as more modern replacements came and went.

With more than 350,000 miles on it when we sold it, our 240 lived up to the line's reputation for ground-breaking durability. The build quality was high, the construction was tank-like, and it took every beating we handed out.

So, given all that, I'm a little ashamed that I never really warmed up to the Volvo and wasn't all that sorry when we eventually sold it. I can't avoid the feeling that I've failed some fundamental personality test. So, if I could just vent a bit ...

1991 Honda Civic Si

Submitted by Mochi Mochi

Why I love my car, Day 1:

I'm writing from the driver's seat of my red 1991 Honda Civic Si. The windows are down. The sun roof is open. The air is full of cypress and eucalyptus. The sky over Los Angeles is bright blue. The sun is warm. I am at home in my car.

For days now I've been trying to describe my relationship with my car. This is not just a car to me. But it is not an anthropomorphized "she" or an imaginary girlfriend. I love my car, and today I realized that it is the kind of love one feels for home--that place that grounds you no matter where you go.

To some, home is their current mailing address. To others, it is a family residence--memories of times past, a porch, or a tree swing. For me, cars have been special places full of memories. I have owned a number of cars, but a few have carved out a very special place in my heart--the '66 Ford Falcon station-wagon I spent so much time in when I was a kid; my '72 VW Squareback; now my '91 Civic Si.

1978 Ford Mustang II

Submitted by Anthony J. Cagle

I acquired this car back in 1990 while on my way from Seattle to northern California for some archaeological fieldwork. My month-and-a-half old 1984 Bronco II's engine seized up in central Oregon and, not being able to afford an on-the-spot engine rebuild, I swapped the dealer for something off their lot.

Up until that point I'd not paid much attention to Mustang II's--like many others, I thought of them as "glorified Pintos" and "that thing that Farrah-Fawcett drove"--but this one was in mint condition with only 43k miles on it. It really was owned by the proverbial little old lady who drove it to church on Sundays. And it had a V8! So the deal went down and I drove off with a 1978 Mustang II.

1986 Toyota Celica GT

I can't say I actually feel Car Lust towards this scabby 1986 Toyota Celica GT--it's probably more like Car Love. Or, at the very least, Car Affection. It's the sort of feeling reserved not for your first love, or your first crush--those are more intense emotions--but the gentle fondness that you feel for your first girlfriend or boyfriend.

You see, this Celica was my first car. Not the first car I drove regularly, but the first car to be owned and driven exclusively by me. Because of that, and the fact that it was such a trustworthy companion, it holds a special place in my heart and first nurtured in me the love of nondescript older cars. The Celica was also my first hands-on experience with the beauty and majesty of a hatchback.

Mazda 5

Submitted by "Cookie the Dog's Owner"

During the last football season, Peyton Manning appeared in a series of "Priceless Pep Talk" commercials for a major credit card company. In one of them, he attempts to console a viewer who is "bummed" about driving a minivan. "Is it at least like a sport-turbocharged minivan or something?" he asks plaintively, before recommending "flames" or a "cool decal" as a cure for the minivan blues.

If Peyton had been pitching Mazdas instead of credit cards, he might have recommended a Mazda 5 instead. The Mazda 5 looks more or less like every other minivan, but when you park it next to the likes of an Honda Odyssey or Dodge Grand Caravan, you notice that it's a lot smaller. Mazda calls it a "small crossover," though it lacks all-wheel drive.

It's a Mazda, so of course the build quality is excellent, and it's as reliable as modern engineering can make it. It has a decent sound system and power windows and all the other little electromechanical conveniences you expect in a modern vehicle.

1973 Plymouth Valiant

It all started simply enough. A couple of years ago, a co-worker of mine casually mentioned that he had a 1973 Plymouth Valiant just sitting in his backyard that he would be willing to let me have for free. To my ears, that pitch was as seductive and destructive as the Sirens were to Jason's Argonauts.

Of course, at the time my wife and I had an infant to care for, we weren't particularly well-off, and we already owned two cars. On the list of things our family needed, a '73 Valiant ranked somewhere between flesh-eating bacteria and and an infestation of locusts.

Also, this example wasn't exactly perfect. My co-worker had mentioned that the Valiant tended to stall if the driver was overly gentle with the throttle; that exhaust poured into the passenger compartment, likely due to a cracked manifold; and that thanks to a breakdown in the weather sealing, there was likely to be moisture in the car. It had been sitting in his lawn for some time, and was a a faded, dingy, somewhat mossy shade of brown.

Saturn SL2

I've already put on record what I think of the Saturn SL2, but since it fits the Our Cars theme, I'm going to include two photos of our Saturn which sum up our entire experience with that car. And, to give me some text to flow around the photos, I'll reprint the most pertinent section:

In our first weekend of ownership, the Saturn sprang a coolant leak that left the car smelling vaguely of antifreeze for the rest of our time together. After the leak and a near-overheat situation, there emerged a curious squawk from the engine that sounded like a leaky hose or a bad seal. The shop, of course, couldn't find a problem.

Renault Caravelle S

Submitted by Dave Danielson

Like our esteemed Car Lust host, I have always had affections for vehicles outside the U.S. mainstream. One that I personally owned was a 1963 Renault Caravelle S. The Caravelle was introduced in the late 1950s as the Flouride, but sold in English speaking countries as the Caravelle until 1967. It was rear-engined, and was basically a two-seater convertible body on the running gear of its sedan mates - the Dauphine, R8 and R10 (with steadily increasing power and new bodies).

My Caravelle S was white with blue leather seats and both hard and soft tops. The 'S' was very important in that it signified 51 HP rather than a mere 48 HP, and a four-speed rather than three-speed transmission. It also had four-wheel disc brakes with funky French 3-lug wheels.

Subaru XT

After skipping yesterday, I was going to try to reward Car Lust's few but long-suffering readers for this week's weirdness (AMC Eagle? Honda Ridgeline?) by presenting a lovingly crafted piece on the Lotus Esprit S1. However, after a few minutes of writer's block, I realized I didn't have the superlatives in me today to laud its inspired design. So, instead, here's the Subaru XT. It's as wedgy as a Lotus Esprit S1, only without the superlatives.

Actually, if you cross your eyes a little, the XT's spec sheet made it look a lot like something like its famous grandchild, the Subaru WRX. It started off with a light, compact, extremely aerodynamic body, all-wheel-drive, and a turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The Subaru XT6 replaced the turbo four with a horizontally opposed (or flat) six--a configuration that, as Subaru breathlessly reminded us in XT6 ads, is the same as that used in the Porsche 911.

Honda Ridgeline

It's been a while since I've run a Car Disgust, so before I kick this off I think it's appropriate to revisit what Car Disgust all about. I explain it all here, but the key point for today is the cars I feature in Car Lust are not necessarily better vehicles than those I feature in Car Disgust. A quick glance at yesterday's Car Lust (the AMC Eagle) and today's Car Disgust (the Honda Ridgeline) should thoroughly dispel that idea.

Car Lust/Car Disgust is all based on emotion and whether I'd rather sing praises or throw produce. And often, I like to sing praises about bad cars and throw produce at good cars. Got it? Good. Let's get on with today's feature.

---

Far be it from me to criticize anything Honda does. Seemingly everything Honda touches becomes a huge sales success, revolutionizes its market segment, and offers a superior driving experience. However, the Ridgeline, Honda's first entry into the pickup segment, confuses me greatly. I had one as a test vehicle when it debuted and came away from the experience mystified at how pointless it is. It offers not-quite car comfort, with not-quite pickup utility, and winds up being less useful than either.

At the very least, this feature should dispel any remaining thoughts that I'm on Honda's payroll.

Our Cars Week Starts Monday

Here's a quick update on Our Cars week--I've already received seven pretty fantastic reader Car Lusts, which is pretty exciting considering it doesn't start until Monday. Thanks to those who have submitted features on their cars. I'm not sure what I'm more excited about--the good car content or the fact that I won't look any more like a fool than usual due to a lack of response.

--Chris H.

Home-Built Climate Control

In Mochi Mochi's comment on the AMC Eagle Car Lust post, he* told a pretty entertaining story about his home-built attempts to heat his VW Squareback that I thought deserved its own post.

"The thing I love most about this article is the reference to duct tape and vacuum cleaner hoses to augment the "climate control" of cars. Drivers of air cooled german cars are well aware of the challenges of staying warm - kind of the polar opposite of the situation here. In my years of driving through Boston winters in my 72 VW Type III Squareback I invested a lot of time trying to engineer new and augment the existing heating system. For a while I had a series of what looked like little battery operated hair driers stationed around the interior of the car. They drew power from the cigarette lighter socket. These were incredibly noisy and did almost nothing. Eventually they all either caught fire or arced out and exploded. I carried an ice scraper to scrape the inside of the windows as my breath would condense and freeze on the windscreen. I tried using a mask to warm my face. The mask had a hose built into it to funnel my breath directly to the outside of the car - again to avoid having the windows completely fog and freeze. I looked a little like a cosmonaut from the late 1960's.

"I looked into clear plastic films with heater wires embedded in them that could be stuck to the windows. At one point I considered installing a kerosene heater in the back of the car. But that just seemed a little too dangerous. Now living in the friendly and sunny climes of SoCal the air coolers seem like a happy option. I know that all I have to contend with is cooling during the summer months. And duck tape and vacuum cleaner hoses sound not so bad."

AMC Eagle

In last week's Jeep Wagoneer Car Lust, several commenters mentioned the AMC Eagle as another completely honest, totally rugged, wonderfully faithful vehicle. People, if you're looking for some appreciation for the Eagle, you've come to the right place.

Today, the AMC Eagle looks like an ungainly, unlovely, rolling anachronism, with indifferent build quality and a paucity of style and elegance. But what you have to remember is that, back when it was introduced in the early 1980s, the Eagle was an ungainly, unlovely, rolling anachronism with indifferent build quality and a paucity of style and elegance.

Smart Roadster

It's been far too long since I wrote about a real sports car. By that I don't mean a big, overt, heavy supercar like the Ferrari Testarossa I wrote up on Thursday; cars like that offer heart-palpitating horsepower and face-distorting cornering power. That's fantastic, but it's not at all what traditional sports cars are all about.

Traditional sports cars are agile dance partners for twisty back roads; open-air mood changers for mellow cruising under autumn colors. The key to a pleasing sports car is a sweet driving experience--often provided by a light, tossable chassis, an eager engine, and, of course, an open top.

In the past, this niche has been ably filled by MGs, Fiats, Triumphs, Alfa Romeos, and Lotuses (Loti?), but the pickings are much slimmer nowadays. Most of today's offerings are heavier, more comfortable, and more powerful. Most aren't quite light or direct enough, more like a pocketknife than a scalpel.

Peugeot 505

Most French cars of the 1980s and before were weirdly styled, horribly unreliable, slow, and possessed a combination of pillowy ride and freak-show interior ergonomics. This combination proved to be either immediately endearing or nausea-inducing to Americans.

The Citroen CX, for example, was such a car--my lust for that vehicle marks me as one of those unfortunates genetically predisposed to French cars. I'm hoping medical science finds some pharmacological help for me before I do something I regret.*

If it is at all possible for a French car to be in the American mainstream--and I'm not at all convinced that this possibility exists--then the Peugeot 505 was it. It replaced the typically strange 504, but set itself apart from the diverse oddness of other French cars.

Share Your Car Lust

Car Lust has felt like it's all about me lately, so I'm going to shake it up for a week. The week after next, starting March 17, I'm going to be running an "Our Cars" feature--I'll wax anecdotal about the cars I've owned, and I'll feature reader-owned cars as well. Following the week, we'll switch back to normal service.

It's like Car Lust ... but now it's personal!

If you've been reading for any amount of time, you'll know there's no sort of bar on how good or bad the car has to be, just as long as it is either interesting or you make it sound interesting. It doesn't have to be a car you currently own, either. Just write a little something up about your car, nothing fancy. You can write a book if you'd like, or keep it to a few sentences if that's all you have to say. Send along some photos if you have them--if not, try to find some representative photos that aren't otherwise copyrighted.

Send it all along to carlustinfo@amazon.com, and I'll compile and post them all during Our Cars week. I look forward to seeing what you guys come up with.

If nobody sends anything along, I'll look like a fool, but that's not anything particularly new. I'll go ahead and write mine up anyway. And look--I've already got a head start!

--Chris H.

Ferrari Testarossa

I don't give Ferrari much love in in Car Lust, mostly because naming Ferraris as objects of automotive desire is like naming nuclear weapons as pretty powerful pieces of weaponry. It's too obvious to warrant much conversation.

I feel the Ferrari Testarossa deserves its time in the sun, though. The Testarossa doesn't seem to get a lot of attention these days--surprising considering it was once the flagship of the Ferrari line and, judging by bedroom posters and study-hall drawings, was hugely popular among the pubescent set.

Perhaps its pervasive 1980s aura has dusted the Testarossa with cheesiness by association; it's possible that all-too-frequent Fiero-arri kit cars have devalued its unique styling touches; maybe its look is not deemed traditional enough by the Ferrari faithful. Well, whatever it is, I'm putting a stop to it. The madness ends now!

Isuzu Impulse

There was a time when the Isuzu Impulse was the height of fashion. When Giorgetto Giugiaro unveiled his Ace of Clubs show car in 1979, its futuristic styling drew rave reviews. When it debuted virtually unchanged as a road car in the early 1980s (named Piazza elsewhere in the world), it was a revelation.

In an angular automotive world, the Impulse had dramatic, swoopy styling, with the gentle curves, long, low hood, and smooth hatchback that would come to define sports coupes in the 1980s. On streets populated with Impalas, Fairmonts, and Gran Furys, the Impulse looked like a rocket ship.

Jeep Wagoneer

Just to warn you, this post will be a good bit more maudlin and personal than usual. If you're not in the mood for that, I'd advise you to check back tomorrow for the normal dose of automotive irrelevancy usual in this space. If you want to stick with this, just bear with me--I'll get to the Wagoneer eventually.

My maternal grandfather died in 2006. It was one of those situations where everybody agreed that it was for the best, because his quality of life had deteriorated somewhat in the final year or so, but yet we all knew it wasn't for the best for us, because we had lost a great man who we all loved.

Shelby Cobra Daytona

Not many cars take on Ferrari on the track and win--much less dominate. The Shelby Cobra Daytona was one such a car.

Based loosely on Carroll Shelby's Cobra--itself a mutated and steroid-injected AC Bristol--the Daytona was a far more aerodynamic closed-coupe version designed in the 1960s to tackle and topple Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. More a pure racer than the Cobra, the Cobra Daytona was one of the first big-engined American performance cars to win in international sport prototype racing.

Amazingly, the sensuous, menacing styling was penned by a race car driver and sometimes-journalist, Peter Brock, who had no real experience in industrial design and certainly no formal aerodynamic training.

Twin-Engine Honda CRX

Somehow, in the comments thread of the Chevy Z-24 post--I'm not entirely sure how--the conversation turned to Car & Driver's 1985 dual-engined Honda CRX project car. An obscure topic, but an interesting one, especially since I still have that issue (May 1985, if you're curious).

I remembered the project being pretty fascinating, but on re-reading the C/D story, I felt that it deserved a post of its own.

First, to set the stage, let me give the original CRX a quick description. Despite Honda's sober reputation in the larger community, it is no secret to the enthusiast community that Honda likes to bring a little performance sparkle to its foundation of practicality and reliability.

The original CRX was a perfect example. Well before the CRX eventually morphed into the soft, poseur Del Sol, the CRX was, depending on your viewpoint, either the ultimate economy car or a pocket Lotus.

Regular readers Mochi Mochi and Cookie the Dog's Owner know what I'm talking about, but for the others, I'll try to explain this seeming contradiction.

Lancia Monte Carlo/Scorpion

The 1970s were a heyday of half-baked mid-engined cars, as automakers began toying with the idea of a midships-engined car to project a sporty, agile image. From the woeful Bricklin to the Fiat X1/9 to the Porsche 914, and including even the many mid-engined Corvette concepts featured on car magazine covers seemingly ever month in the '70s, mid-engined cars were hot.

The Lancia Monte Carlo (known as the Scorpion in the U.S.) was one of my favorite mid-engine sports cars of that era. Not incredibly powerful, with only 122 horsepower out of its 2-liter four-cylinder engine, the Lancia nevertheless had its charms. The engine was a rowdy screamer, making up for its lack of ultimate power with an eager charge towards redline, and the car itself was light and tossable.

Dodge Magnum SRT-8

Since I poked so much fun at Chrysler recently with the Inappropriately Named Chrysler Products series, I figure I'm overdue to feature an Appropriately Named Chrysler Product--the Dodge Magnum SRT-8.

Because full throttle easily transforms the Magnum into an explosive projective--one that in certain hands could be used in an anti-social fashion--I think the name is well-deserved.

Such was not the case with the previous Dodge Magnum covered in this space.

Despite Chrysler's recent upheaval, the automaker has been widely hailed for its leadership in returning traditional front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, V-8-powered large cars to the market. The focus of that attention has been the flashy gangster-ready Chrysler 300, the beefy Dodge Charger, or the upcoming muscle-car-revival Dodge Challenger.

Chevrolet Cavalier Z24

I fully expect to get hammered for this choice, but I sincerely can't help it--I loved these when I was a kid, recommended them to friends when I was older, and still think owning one of these would be a lot of fun. One friend who bought one on my recommendation loved it and still remembers it fondly.

It's a Cavalier. Yes, a Cavalier--the lowliest Chevy around for most of the last 20+ years. I'm not talking about just any Cavalier, though--I'm talking about the Z24 hot-rod edition. Feel free to pause for a moment to let the significance of that statement wash over you.

AMG Hammer

I still remember the moment clearly--I was an 11-year-old flipping through the new copy of Road & Track in a branch of the Austin Public Library. That issue featured a top-speed shootout between several hot-rodded exotics. I believe there was a tweaked Ferrari Testarossa, a turbocharged Ferrari GTO, a gorgeous Ruf Porsche, a few hot-rodded Corvettes, and other various exotics. It was a pretty interesting story, filled with beautiful cars running at top speed, with R&T's typical story-telling goodness.

And then it happened--I noticed that one of the competitors appeared to be an ordinary mid-sized Mercedes-Benz 300E sedan. Of course, it was actually an AMG Hammer.

The sole criteria for inclusion in the test was flat-out, throttle-to-the-floor speed. The other competitors were hot, cramped, noisy, impractical, unreliable, and expensive highly modified exotics. And even within this context, a thoroughly comfortable and civilized Mercedes-Benz four-door sedan was a formidable competitor.

Volvo 850 Turbo Wagon

For wagon enthusiasts like me, this decade has been a golden age in which a cornucopia of stylish, incredibly powerful wagons dot the streets--a Bacchanalian feast of wagon goodness, if you will, for every appetite. A Dodge Magnum Hemi satisfies the V-8 set, the Subaru WRX and Forester XT wagons fulfill the dreams of off-road rally wannabes, the Audi S4 wagon is available for fans of fast European cars, and there are many, many other interesting wagons to choose from.

Things were not always so.

Following the 1980s, a time in which the sports wagon concept began to germinate and blossom, the early 1990s were a fallow time. Wagons as a whole were passe--replaced in the American consciousness by the ubiquitous minivan and, soon, the family-oriented SUV.

In this dark time for sports wagons, however, enthusiasts looking for excitement had an unlikely hero-- Volvo. Yes, Volvo, the dour Swedish manufacturer of underpowered and boxy but eminently practical and safe sedans and wagons.

1956-1957 Chevrolet Corvette

When the first in the line of legendary Corvette sports cars appeared in 1953, there was little to suggest future glory. Cleanly if delicately styled, with only an equally delicate six-cylinder engine to motivate it, the 1953 Corvette was more a cruiser than a bruiser; a car in which to relax, not race.

But, thanks to a restyling and the magic of the small-block Chevrolet V-8, the Corvette hit its stride with its second generation in 1956 and 1957. In fact, I think the 1956-1957 Corvettes were the prettiest ones made during the Corvette's first decade of life. They were more artistic and aggressive than their bathtub-sided ancestor, and more pure of line than the similar but chunkier 1958-1962 models, which were laden down with quad headlights, chrome bars, and other filigree.

INCP--Dodge Dynasty/Chrysler Imperial

Inappropriately Named Chrysler Products week lurches to a close ...

On the roster of Inappropriately Named Chrysler Products, the Dodge Dynasty/Chrysler Imperial is perhaps the most decorated member. Managing at once to be both offensive to the eyes and boring--a remarkable combination, since most ugly cars find a way to be endearing--the Dynasty/Imperial is a worst-of-all-worlds nightmare, an automotive Frankenstein that isn't even scary enough to be interesting.

Using Chrysler K-car econobox mechanicals originating in the early 1980s, wrapping them in overwrought 1970s personal luxury cliches inside and out (witness the vinyl roof, useless upright hidden headlights, and tufted faux-leather pillowed seats), and trying to pass off the results as a 1990s luxury sedan, the Dynasty/Imperial is remarkable mostly for the cynicism with which it was made.

INCP--Dodge Rampage

Inappropriately Named Chrysler Products week continues ...

RAMPAGE!

It's the kind of word designed to be written in all-caps, possibly in red, with a bold typeface, certainly underlined, and ideally with more than one exclamation point. Spoken, it deserves to be either screamed or growled--again, ideally, it would be both, with the same kind of manic intensity normally reserved for the bellowing in monster truck commercials.

In short, rampage is an intense word, summoning up images of violence, uncontrollable power run amok, and hopeless desperation among its victims. Envision Godzilla rampaging through Tokyo, or the Incredible Hulk turning green and beginning his angst-ridden rampage through the U.S. military.

INCP--Plymouth Champ

Inappropriately Named Chrysler Products week continues ...

As cars go, the Plymouth Champ is anything but a champion. A small, morbidly sluggish economy car is very rarely a "champ" of anything except, perhaps, fuel economy. The Plymouth Champ can't even claim to be the champion of awfulness among small cars in the late 1970s-- the Chevrolet Chevette and Ford Pinto were the easy leaders in that category. And, to be honest, the rebadged Mitsubishi Colt was a pretty sweet-natured econobox for the time.

If all of this is the case, why am I making this a Car Lust and not a Car Disgust? Well, I have a great deal of sympathy for small, poorly performing hatchbacks, and as I've said, the Champ was really quite nice. Plus, there's no way I could spurn a car so similar to my much-beloved Colt Vista.

I actually kinda like the Champ, and in a way, its inappropriate name in its diminuitive form is cute enough to make me want to have it around. Its combination of bravado in a tiny, hapless package reminds me of a dachsund that enjoys barking at passing pit bulls.

This image comes from Ryu's album from a 2007 vintage Japanese car show. Isn't it funny that these are now vintage cars?

--Chris H.

Ferrari 412

Not as flashy as Magnum P.I.'s Ferrari 308, not as fast as Miami Vice's Ferrari Testarossa, and certainly not as extroverted as either, the Ferrari 412 was the marque's subtle, understated, and obscure grand tourer in the 1980s. At least, understated and obscure by the standards of the brand.

In the go-go 1980s, Ferraris were symbols of greed, excess, and audacious ostentation; but what I like best about the 412 is that despite its excellence, it operated below the radar. The 412 wasn't a status symbol of the nouveau riche; it was more like an executive express, like a furtive Learjet for the roads. at incredibly rapid, comfortable transit, it operated below the radar. 

Angular lines and a sharp, purposeful prow give the 412 an intelligent, crisply creased elegance reminiscent of the Aston Martin Lagonda; the 340-horsepower quad-cam V-12 gave it urgency. Not as tossable as the 308, nor as exotic as the Testarossa, the 412 excelled at incredibly rapid, comfortable, civilized transit in the European fashion.

Just as the 412 was overshadowed by its more showy siblings, it was replaced by the lovely and sensuous 456--a faster, more modern car that quickly supplanted the 412 as Ferrari's best tourer.

--Chris H.

Ford Capri

Long before the Mercury Capri became a lumpy Miata competitor, or an ersatz Mercury version of the Ford Mustang, the original Capri was one of the first members of a revolutionary new class of cars in the early 1970s--the Super Coupes.

The term Super Coupes was actually a Car & Driver invention that didn't really catch on, but as a class descriptor, it's pretty solid. With the early 1970s neutering of muscle cars, a lighter, more efficient, and more agile class of sports coupes beckoned, and most of the manufacturers responded with light, sporty, inexpensive runabouts.

This is not to imply that Super Coupes were supercars. Far from it--it's admittedly unfair to judge them by today's standards, but none of the Super Coupes would have a prayer of staying in sight of a clapped-out Kia Spectra5. Consider the fact that a 1972 Car & Driver test of the available Super Coupes included such legendary sporting machines as the Ford Pinto, the Chevy Vega, and the original Toyota Celica, and it's tempting to chuckle and disregard the class.

INCP--Dodge Avenger

Inappropriately Named Chrysler Products week continues ...

When you hear the word "avenger," what image comes to mind? Perhaps a steely-eyed, flint-jawed vigilante whose outrage at misplaced justice is as blunt and forceful as his calloused fists? Somebody perhaps like the dark, moody Batman or Charles Bronson in the Death Wish movies? That's my image--somebody fierce, powerful, and with such a powerful sense of moral rectitude that they are sometimes willing to do terrible things to make things right for others.

So, with all that in mind, I'd like to point out the hilariously mis-named Dodge Avenger. The Avenger has the kick-butt name and some quasi-Dodge Stealth styling in its favor, but underneath the skin it's all cringing mid-1990s four- and six-cylinder Dodge milquetoast mediocrity. Fundamentally, it's a Chrysler Sebring with a macho complex and a fake tan. If you consider, as I do, the Sebring the Britney Spears of cars (pretty but vapid) the Avenger is the Kevin Federline.

In any event, the milquetoast reality of the Avenger does not match the take-no-prisoners retribution promised by the name. If the Avenger was to swoop in to restore automotive justice, it would be greeted with cackling laughter and, moments later, would be leaving the scene of the crime in tears with its underwear pulled over its head.

--Chris H.

INCP--Dodge Sprinter

This week I'm going to run a daily series highlighting Inappropriately Named Chrysler Products (INCP)--a rather narrow category, perhaps, but one that offers up a surprising number of candidates.

Take today's example, for instance. I have nothing against the Dodge Sprinter commercial delivery van--in fact, I would have nominated it as a Car Lust at some point on its own merits.

For one thing, its looks are earnestly geeky in a way you don't often see nowadays. The Sprinter is the equivalent of the goofy junior high kid who grew six inches over the summer and now can't muster up any degree of coordination.

The most intriguing thing about the Sprinter, though, is the world of possibility it opens up. I'm tempted to buy a Sprinter just to wade into the mind-bending array of opportunities it represents.

Audi 5000CS Turbo Quattro

In the early 1980s, a car buyer who wanted the space and practical packaging to transport a family in comfort had little choice but to buy a family sedan or a luxury sedan--complete with wheezing, gutless engines and, probably, spongy, wallowing suspensions.

If that buyer wanted effortless performance and a gratifying driving experience, a sports car was the only option, saddling the customer with cramped, impractical quarters, the fit-and-finish of a typical Happy Meal toy, and woeful reliability. If supreme traction in cold and wet conditions was essential, the options were limited to either a bizarre and slow Subaru, or a truck--which in those days meant dealing with a rough ride and spartan accommodations.

And regardless of vehicle class, there was a good chance that buyer would be dealing with loads of chrome, cheesy styling touches, and blocky designs that didn't cheat the wind so much as batter it into submission.

2004-2006 Pontiac GTO

When Pontiac announced its plans to release a brand new GTO to the motoring public after a nearly 30-year hiatus, excitement ran high. Pontiac had used the long-neglected GTO nameplate to kick off the whole muscle car craze back in the early 1960s, and the revival of the GTO represented not only a potentially exciting new car, but a chance to cleanse the palatte from the sour taste left by the last GTO, the tape-and-sticker Ventura-based 1974 GTO.

When the new GTO debuted, however, it was to sighs of disappointment. The anticlimax had nothing to do with the performance. With a 350-horsepower LS1 small-block V-8, replaced the following year with the 400-horsepower LS2, acceleration was certainly potent. Car & Driver clocked the 2005 GTO at less than 5 seconds from 0-60 and the 13-second range in the quarter-mile.

But, to some, the GTO lacked the visual chutzpah of its predecessors--and in an age of overtly demonstrative cars, that seemed a fatal flaw. The GTO's feeble sales compared to the brisk movement of the new, retro-styled Mustang just drove home the point. After only three years of production, the GTO was quietly canceled.

Other Thoughts From the Minivan Thread

Here are more thoughts from the comments thread on the minivan post, some of it directly from the comments, some of it brand new.

On Punk Rock

In the post, I said:

"Popular culture is so anti-minivan today that driving one is so counter-culture, so in the face of popular biases, so keeping-it-real, that it's almost punk rock. In a utilitarian way, anyway."

This line garnered a lot of attention. I didn't mean that minivans are typically driven by punk rockers (though they might be helpful for lugging the gear), or that people who are into punk rock should drive minivans to impress people because minivans are so very cool.

The point is that when punk rock burst on the scene, it was a stripped-down, raw, anti-establishment response to the overwrought glam rock of the time. Toss the pretention; add in a healthy disregard, possibly even disdain, for popular opinion; and get back to basics--that's punk rock. That's driving a minivan in the modern age of minivan derision.

Anyway, it's hyperbole used to make a point, people. Though if anybody wants to airbush a mural featuring Joey Ramone on the side of their minivan, I promise to post the picture.

Is Car Lust's Opinion For Sale?

Thanks to all involved for the great conversation in the comments thread of my Car Lust post on the Honda Odyssey--a post that wound up being more about the minivan's place in society than about the Odyssey itself. Thanks also to Instapundit and Fark for directing so much traffic our way; though even with that avalanche of traffic, it's hard to imagine a post about minivans could drive 89 comments.

I wanted to pull some interesting topics out of the comments and into their own post; but I wanted to handle this one separately because it's an important question that strikes to the very heart of whatever small shreds of credibility this blog might have.

Is Car Lust's Opinion For Sale?

Guy Montag wrote:

"So, how much are you paid to write this? It's well written, but it rings of corporate product placement. Phrases like "It comes with a smooth and torquey 244-horsepower VTEC V-6, is as silky smooth to drive..." stick out. Outside of advertisements, people don't tend to write like that. I don't particularly mind advertising, but I appreciate it when it's honest about what it is. Or maybe I'm making a mistake, and you're a well-meaning blogger who loves vehicles and just happens to use a bit more advertising argot than most.

Honesty is the most valuable coin on the internet and product placement and people who shill for companies without being up front about it tend to degrade one's faith in humanity. So when you hear certain phases crop up that sound like PR or Corporate Drone speak, you tend to question the honesty of what you're reading.

And I have to admit, "Car Lust by Amazon" tends to make one wonder. It's not too often that a company attaches their name to someone's personal blog, even if they do work there."

It's a totally fair question, and one I want to respond to. This blog doesn't have a lot going for it--certainly not newsworthiness or expertise--but one thing it does have is lots and lots of baseless and wildly formed opinion. Impugn that, and you impugn the only arguably worthwhile part of this blog!

1998 Volkswagen Passat GLS

When I first saw the freshly redesigned Volkswagen Passat in 1998, I instantly knew I was in love. How could one resist a car so attractive?

The broad sweep of the Passat's line was sensuous and smooth; its roof pillars slim and delicate; its front and rear fascias clean, unadorned, and iconic. The shape would have worked easily as well for a high-powered sports sedan and, with a spoiler and slick tires, would not have looked out of place on a race track. In a market full of boxy, anonymous, or overly ornamented sedans, the Passat was an instant classic, the kind of subtly aggressive yet elegant family car Jaguar would pen if its design team was not inextricably trapped by traditional design cues.

If possible, the interior was even more exciting. Instead of the mouse-fur velour and cheap plastics used by most of its family-sedan competition, the Passat's interior was lush and inviting, with flashy glints of metal trim, real-looking wood, sumptuous leather, heated seats, and the blue-and-red backlit instrumentation. Add in a punchy, torquey turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder (one of my favorite four-cylinders of all time) and the exotic semi-automatic transmission, and the Passat was a revelation--an inexpensive family sedan that looked, rode, and drove just like a much more expensive sports sedan.

Triumph TR8

For most of its history, Triumph produced open-roofed sports cars in the traditional English vein, with low-revving tractor-like engines, primitive handling, and boldly attractive styling that invariably featured an open grille with two round headlights. Triumphs, especially a previous Car Lust, the TR-6, were fun, if a bit stodgy.

Then came the TR7 and, subsequently, the TR8. Triumph could never be accused of being stodgy again. All sorts of other, more negative, appelations might apply, but stodgy was no longer one of them.

Lincoln Continental Mk. V

Given how starkly businesslike the last Car Lust was, I think it's time to celebrate one of the most fantastically flamboyant cars with which we have the pleasure of sharing our roads--a rolling purple fur coat; automotive go-go boots with a live goldfish in the heel; a motorized cane with a carved grip in the shape of an eagle.

I'm speaking, of course, about the Lincoln Continental Mk. V, that rolling tribute to excess and adornment over substance; an in-the-metal triumph of sizzle over steak.

Snide wordplay aside, it should be obvious to anybody who reads this blog that I'm not being entirely sarcastic. I *love* this car.

1989 Infiniti Q45

Broadly speaking, the 1980s were a fantastic time for the established luxury-car manufacturers. After the petroleum crisis of the 1970s, expensive, high-performance cars were back in vogue. Mercedes-Benz SLs were all the rage at tennis clubs, and yuppies began to fall in love with BMWs. Audi began its first (though ill-fated) ascent towards premier brand status, and Jaguars continued to nail down the old money.

By the end of the 1980s, however, the Japanese automakers were ready to set their sights on the luxury car market, having already stormed the economy-car and family-car markets. Over the previous decades, the Japanese had already achieved the unthinkable by wresting market share away from Ford, Chevrolet, and Chrysler; now the proud bastion of premium sports luxury cars beckoned.

Acura debuted in 1986 with a somewhat tepid ranging shot; a six-cylinder Legend too small and plebian to really compete with the biggest and best Mercedes and BMW offerings. But the real salvo arrived in 1989 with the explosive arrival of two high-caliber slugs--the Lexus LS400 from Toyota and the Infiniti Q45 from Nissan.

Honda Odyssey

Perhaps this isn't as much about lust as it is grudging admiration and respect. After all, it's hard to really lust after a minivan--if for no other reason that to do so opens you up to merciless ridicule. Not, of course, that being ridiculed for my automotive tastes is anything new.

Before you begin pelting me with rotten produce, please let me explain. The minivan gets a bad rap in this country--it is almost universally reviled as a symbol of dweebish parenthood and mindless suburbia, a scarlet letter attached to soccer moms' chests. Of course, soccer moms now have embraced large SUVs, which are similar to minivans yet inferior in every way that is relevant to family transport. Of course, now the affection of soccer moms has begun to afflict SUVs with the same stigma that large station wagons and minivans have borne for the last few decades.

Ride, Pontiac, Ride

While finding the finding the classic commercial for yesterday's Pontiac Fiero Car Lust, I stumbled across this 1987 Pontiac commercial. I love this ad--not only does it trigger my primal atavistic desire to buy a Pontiac, but future historians could use this clip to sum up the major themes of the late 1980s.

- Metal rock

- Pink and purple backlighting

- Big hair

- Wacky high-fives (0:06)

- Entirely white outfits (0:10)

- Slow, purposeful turns of the head by guys with stubble and bushy hair (0:14)

- Wearing sport jackets with T-shirts (possibly undershirts in this case) (0:17)

- Jumping into a convertible over the door (seriously, why?) (0:23)

- Cars on weirdly-lit moonscapes (0:38)

- Purposeful shifting with driving gloves (three times)

I love how this ad shows off Pontiac's slickest iron--including the uniquely 1980s monochromatic Grand-Am and the convertible Sunbird. One of the greatest moments is the slow pan over the Sunbird logo. SUNBIRD!

It's just too bad the Parisienne was discontinued the previous year; it would have been a great addition to this ad.

--Chris H.

Pontiac Fiero

When GM announced in the early 1980s that it would be introducing a two-seat, mid-engined sports car under the Pontiac nameplate, the automotive world rejoiced. Trim two-seat, mid-engined cars have superior weight distribution for the best possible handling; a mid-engined layout is the configuration used in most serious race cars and supercars.

The consensus was that GM was going to build a younger brother for the Corvette; in fact, possibly a Corvette updated for the 1980s - light, trim, agile, and efficient. The name--Fiero--also implied a car with some of the performance pedigree of Pontiac's Firebird.

Danger signs first began to appear when GM insisted on calling the upcoming Fiero a "commuter car"--a laughable designation for a two-seat, mid-engined sports car. Red flags also popped up when GM revealed the Fiero would be based on an economy car front-wheel-drive chassis and would be initially available only with GM's antiquated, wheezing Iron Duke four-cylinder engine - a heavy hunk of low-horsepower boredom.

The Fiero debuted in 1984 to initial gasps of delight at the sexy, daring styling and comfortable interior, only for that delight to lapse into sobs of disappointment. The Fiero offered all the space, comfort, and practicality of a dedicated high-performance sports car--with the fun-to-drive quotient of a clunky Citation.

Welcome to CarLustBlog.com

I am proud, and slightly teary, to announce that Car Lust is the latest Amazon.com blog to hit the big time--in other words, to get our own little sandbox away from the cozy confines of Amazon Daily.

That new sandbox is www.carlustblog.com--now the definitive repository of all of your favorite over-long odes to awful cars. You can still read our posts at Amazon Daily just as you do now, or you can read or RSS from carlustblog.com directly. Both work--but either way, if you want to comment, your comment will surface on the new blog, not in Amazon Daily.

Mazda RX-7

Until the first Mazda RX-7 was introduced in 1979, the rotary engine (also known as the Wankel, in homage to a leading light in its design, Felix Wankel) was something of a novelty act.

Amazingly small and smooth for the amount of power it created, the rotary had obvious potential as a punchy performance engine in a small car, to the point that major automakers such as GM and AMC were betting big on the technology. However, concerns about oil consumption, high temperatures, long-term durability, and relatively poor fuel economy put those projects on permanent hiatus.

Following the demise of NSU's rotary program, Mazda became the foremost proponent of the technology. Even Mazda, however, struggled to find the right showcase for the rotary. The rotary made small cars such as the RX-3 and RX-4 admirable performers in their respective classes, but outside of the powertrain the cars themselves were unremarkable.

That all changed in 1979, when, in the RX-7, the rotary finally met its match.

Subaru SVX

Okay, I know I'm going to take a little abuse this time around. Not many people even seem to remember the Subaru SVX, and outside the WRX, Subarus don't get a lot of respect from the performance-car crowd

The only problem, though, is that I really like the Subaru SVX. The SVX was Subaru's first sports car, unless you count the extravagantly wedgy and slow XT (another guilty pleasure of mine and undoubted future Car Lust).

Part of what I like about the SVX is the styling--the marriage of classic sports car contours (if you cross your eyes a bit), with some incredibly quirky front- and rear-end treatments and bizarrely appealing split front windows. It's weirdly aggressive, oddly elegant, and indisputably interesting.

I'm also evidently the only person on the planet who feels that way.

Citroen CX

                         
Today's Car Lust could not be more different than yesterday's; while the Dodge Charger is a blunt object of a muscle car, the Citroen CX is a smooth, slick, sophisticated tourer with a particularly Gallic spin on the curiously bulbous hunchbacked shape that is such a Car Lust favorite.

When it debuted in the mid-1970s, the CX, like the SM and DS before it, was a ground-breaking vehicle. Hugely technologically advanced, with fantastic aerodynamics for the time and with a funky and futuristic interior (check out the single-spoke steering wheel!), it thoroughly modernized the typical French quirkiness into an extremely compelling tourer.

The tiny engine compartment only allowed four-cylinder engines, so the CX wasn't exactly a sprinter. However, its advanced aerodynamics and long-legged nature made it an excellent top-speed cruiser for devouring the Continent. The traditional Citroen floaty ride came courtesy of a self-leveling hydro-pneumatic suspension which made for an excellent ride/handling compromise.