Rare Rides: A Custom Aston Martin V8 Shooting Brake From 1998
Ever wondered what a bespoke shooting brake might look like if its donor vehicle were a long-wheelbase convertible? Wonder no more, for today’s Rare Ride is just such a vehicle, and is also an Aston Martin.
Rare Rides: The 1987 Nissan Be-1 - a Little Retro Ride
Today’s Rare Ride is a Nissan Be-1 from 1987. As the first of four Pike cars, it set the stage for the upcoming Pike cars and commanded immediate attention from consumers. Come along as we check out this hatchback cheerful economy car.
Rare Rides: The 2015 Jaguar C-X75, as Seen in Spectre
Today’s Rare Ride is a fairly elaborate concept. A project that came a long way but was not to be, in a case of much ventured and little gained.
It’s the Jaguar C-X75, from 2015.
Rare Rides: A Base Model Nissan Sentra Wagon From 1982
What’s Datsun, Nissan, and Sunny all over? It’s this pristine Nissan Sentra wagon, hailing from 1982.
Rare Rides: A 1990 Ford Taurus SHO in Stunning Silver
Tell me — do you enjoy luxury, power, and a high level of standard equipment, all wrapped in a family-friendly sedan package? If so, it sounds like today’s Rare Ride might be for you.
It’s a well-preserved Ford Taurus SHO from 1990.
Rare Rides: Take Note of a 1960 Opel Rekord
Long before Opel became a donor for the badge-engineered Cadillac Catera and Buick Regal, the then GM-owned company shifted its own cars on North American soil. Today’s Rare Ride is a very early example of such a North American offering: It’s a two-door Rekord sedan from 1960.
Rare Rides: Control Yourself With the 1985 Isuzu Impulse
Today’s Rare Ride has brown paint, a tweedy tan interior, and super rad 1980s Italian design. Think you can control your Impulses?
Okay, no more puns.
Rare Rides: A Tiny and Stylish Saab 99 From 1973
Saab was always a fan of the number nine, and it proved its dedication to the special digit by using two nines for their pre-900 era compact executive car.
Let’s take a look at a little blue Saab 99.
Rare Rides: Grab a Pair of Suzuki Jimnys From 1972
The occasionally sane group of people known as Car Twitter elevated the new Suzuki Jimny to superstar status recently, as soon as it debuted in its home market of Japan. Immediately, it received the Forbidden Fruit Award, followed by the Why Can’t We Have blue ribbon. It’s not coming here, though, and that’s really all there is to it.
But don’t lose hope, because today we take a look at a couple examples of the old Suzuki Jimny — which you can buy in America right now.
Rare Rides: This Merkur XR4Ti From 1989 Is Pristine
Imagine you’re an American auto executive in the 1980s, looking on in desperation as all the youthful and wealthy customers head almost solely to BMW showrooms for their sports-oriented sedans and coupes.
Now imagine you work at Ford, and you’ve decided to do something about it. By the way, you’re Bob Lutz right now.
It’s Merkur time.
Rare Rides: The Ford Versailles Ghia From 1993 - a Quantum Experiment
The recent news of the potential alliance brewing between Ford and Volkswagen seems like a novel idea. But what if I told you it was already tried long ago?
Come along, we’re taking a trip to Versailles.
Rare Rides: The 1985 Trans Am Kammback Concept, for Double Barrel Shooting Brake Needs
Today’s Rare Ride is what happens when you take the generally British idea of a shooting brake and combine it with some designers in Michigan who had big ideas.
It’s the 1985 Trans Am Kammback Concept. It’s real, and it is spectacular.
Rare Rides: An Absolutely Beautiful Peugeot 504 From 1975
Rare Rides has featured a couple of Peugeot vehicles before, like this 106 from Canada or this 405 from The America. But both of those were sporty cars from the Nineties. Today we have a look at a Peugeot from the Seventies which is most definitely not sporty.
It’s a stunning 504 with a diesel engine, from 1975.
Rare Rides: A Serious All-terrain Truck From Volvo - the 1979 C202 Laplander
Today’s Rare Ride fits squarely in the I Didn’t Know About This file. It’s a military-grade Volvo from the 1950s, which the company transformed into a civilian vehicle nearly three decades later.
Presenting the C202 Laplander.
Rare Rides: A 1994 E500 - the Porsche Sedan by Mercedes-Benz
What do you get when you combine the sporty personality of Porsche with all the comfort and luxury of a Mercedes-Benz sedan?
The answer is this E500.
Rare Rides: A Very Rare Kaiser Darrin Roadster From 1954
A two-seat roadster produced by a short-lived Michigan company, the Kaiser Darrin was a case of grand aspiration meeting with minimal success.
Rare Rides: Get Some SCX in a 1992 Oldsmobile Achieva
Not just any regular old Achieva, the SCX was a cut above its siblings. In adding actual performance to the SCX trim, the Oldsmobile brand had one last hurrah with a performance coupe.
And someone’s taken care not to drive this one much at all.
Rare Rides: The Forgotten Force of the 1993 Bugatti EB110
Long before Bugatti released the record breaking Veyron, it produced a slightly less famous supercar. It’s the angular two-door which was simultaneously the beginning and end of an era in Bugatti’s history.
It’s the EB110, from 1993.
Rare Rides: A Nissan Pao Is Old School and Also From 1990
The Rare Rides series has explored once before what happens when a Japanese manufacturer designs a modern car with retro appeal, when we covered the little-known Toyota Origin. Today we take a look at something else in the new-but-retro category. It’s a Nissan Pao, from 1990.
Rare Rides: Justy a Little Subaru, From 1990
Just two Subaru models have graced these Rare Rides pages in times past. The first was a very beige Desert Fox edition of the midsize GL wagon, and the second was a clean example of the very first car Subaru ever offered in the United States: the tiny 360.
Today we combine the characteristics of both of these prior Rare Rides and take a look at an Eighties hatchback, one which represented the smallest North American offering of the time. It’ll Justy take a moment (ugh).
Rare Rides: Soar Like an Eagle With the 1988 Renault Medallion
The Rare Rides series has featured a few Renaults from the Eighties and Nineties previously, and even one sporty coupe which shared a showroom with today’s Rare Rides subject. It’s the family-friendly Renault Medallion, in comfortable grey wagon guise. Let’s take a look.
Rare Rides Review: A Brand New 2003 Acura CL Type-S
Today’s vehicle represents a couple of firsts for the Rare Rides series. It’s the first time a Rare Rides has featured an old car that’s still new, and it’s also the first time your author actually drove the Rare Ride in question.
An Aegean Blue luxury coupe awaits.
Rare Rides: A Very Rare De Tomaso Longchamp From 1979
The De Tomaso name keeps surfacing in the Rare Rides series, almost as often as BMW. The honorary first mention came via the Chrysler TC by Maserati, followed by the Qvale Mangusta that initially bore the De Tomaso name. Most recently, we featured the Maserati Ghibli, which was the very last new Maserati presented by the man himself, De Tomaso.
Today we step back in time, back to an era before any of those aforementioned Rare Rides were ever considered. Let’s have a look at the very luxurious De Tomaso Longchamp.
Rare Rides: Formal Luxury Via the 1992 Toyota Crown
Comfort, spaciousness, luxury, formality. All of these things mattered to the early-1990s Japanese domestic sedan buyer. Today we take a look at a sedan that possesses all of these qualities in spades. It’s the Toyota Crown Royal Saloon, from 1992.
Rare Rides: A Buick Dealers' Delight - the 1984 Bitter SC
Buick’s on again, off again relationship with the Opel brand is currently very much on, as two Opels badged as Regals tempt buyers, and one Opel badged as Cascada tempts rental companies. But these recent exercises in marketing are somewhat tame in comparison to the experiment General Motors conducted in the 1980s with a little company called Bitter.
Rare Rides: The 1990 Aston Martin Virage - End of Aston Independence
The Rare Rides series featured a vintage Aston Martin once before, when we took a look at the luxurious Lagonda sedan from 1984. Today we move forward in history a few years to see a luxurious, large coupe that’s more along the lines of what you’d expect from the Aston Martin brand.
It’s a Virage, from 1990.
Rare Rides: A Bertone by Any Other Name, the 1989 Volvo 780
What do you get when you cross practical Swedish design sensibility with some Italian flair? You get a very expensive and boxy two-door sedan with a Bertone badge on it.
Presenting the 1989 Volvo 780.
Rare Rides: A 1993 Fiat Tempra, the Practical Sedan for America
The looks of an old Volkswagen Jetta, the reliability of an old Italian car, and the inconvenience of right-hand drive. All of your dreams can come true in today’s Rare Ride — a Fiat Tempra. It made its way from 1990s Italy to England, then stormed up the banks of Rhode Island.
Rare Rides: A 1983 Audi Ur-Quattro - the Start of It All
The Rare Ride seen here represented an important turning point in the history of all things automotive. A single vehicle which changed rallying and simultaneously made four-wheel drive a more realistic prospect for passenger cars.
Presenting the Audi Quattro.
Rare Rides: A Large, Luxurious Citron CX From 1987 (Part II)
In Part I of the Citroën CX saga, we learned how the big sedan replaced the outgoing and legendary DS. Now, let’s find out just how difficult life was for the last genuine large Citroën.
Rare Rides: A Large, Luxurious Citron CX From 1987 (Part I)
Huge amounts of interior space, a silky smooth ride, and quirky features inside and out. These are the qualities one expects from a large Citroën, and all are present and accounted for in today’s Rare Ride — the CX 25 Prestige, from 1987.
Rare Rides: 2007 Mosler MT900S - a Purp Drank Consulier Sibling
On the last edition of Rare Rides we took a look at the Consulier GTP — a purpose-built race car that could also be driven on the road. After a name change and a couple of interim V8 updates on the original GTP, the company now known as Mosler Automotive released a new car, and then promptly modified it.
Presenting the MT900S.
Buy/Drive/Burn: Forgotten Japanese Compacts From 1988
They’ve got two doors, sporty intentions, and names people forgot long ago. Today we cover three oddball offerings from the latter part of the 1980s.
Will you take home the Nissan, the Mitsubishi, or the Subaru?
Rare Rides: A Totally Rad Consulier GTP From 1992
Do you ever feel there just aren’t enough purpose-built racing cars that can also be driven on the road? Well, Consulier yourself with today’s Rare Ride.
Ugh.
Rare Rides: A 1991 Maserati Shamal - Sporty, and Very Square
In the 1990s, nobody in North America spent much (any?) time thinking about Maserati products. So you’d be forgiven if today’s Rare Ride slipped from your fond early-90s memories long ago.
It’s the Shamal, and it’s a bit homely.
Concentrated Rides: An Imperial Collection
Certain extraordinary circumstances can move a vehicle from the standard Rare Rides classification and into Concentrated Rides. Take today, for instance, where a concerned collector has gathered together 24 Chrysler Imperials in a California desert.
The why here is unclear.
Rare Rides: The 1970 Monteverdi High Speed 375/4 - Mountains of Swiss Luxury
In the mountainous country of Switzerland, there once existed a company called Monteverdi. And for a few decades, it built luxurious and sporty coupes and sedans for a very wealthy clientele. Today’s Rare Ride is the first sedan offering from that company. It’s a High Speed 375/4, from 1970.
Rare Rides: A 1971 Jeepster Commando of the Hurst Variety
Long before the Wrangler and Cherokee became Jeep’s household names, and even before the Jeep brand existed as we know it today, the company known as Kaiser Jeep produced the Jeepster Commando. And for a few special examples, Hurst made some of its own modifications.
Let’s have a look at a special proto-Cherokee:
Rare Rides: The 1975 Jensen Interceptor Convertible – A Very British Chrysler
The Jensen Interceptor brought together American power and British design and craftsmanship in a rare heavyweight sports-luxury liftback.
The company even made a few of them into convertibles, like today’s Rare Ride.
Rare Rides: A Rear-engined Volkswagen 412 Wagon From 1973
Air-cooled engine at the back, two upright, circular headlamps at the front, and classic gold metallic paint.
It’s not a vintage Porsche 911, but it is a cousin — a Volkswagen 412 from 1973.
Rare Rides: 2008 Edsel Citation - A Tribute Via Victoria
What do you get when you cross an enthusiast of a dead car brand, a bank account, and a late-model Panther?
This. Presenting the 2008 Edsel Citation:
Rare Rides: This 1975 Chevrolet Is Both Vega and Cosworth
An enterprising GM executive, a British tuning company, and a compact hatchback came together in 1975 to make a very special, limited-production Chevrolet.
It’s the Cosworth Vega, naturally.
Rare Rides: The 1978 Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country Gives You Wood
An aluminum garage door rattles open on its track. As the goldenrod-colored panels lift up and away, a luxurious family wagon comes into view. Once the kids, parents, and Golden Retriever are lightly secured inside, the luxury wagon glides out of the lightly sloped driveway and away from the bi-level with the paneled den.
It’s 1978, and it’s Town & Country time.
Rare Rides: The Autozam AZ-1 From 1992 Is Either Suzuki or Mazda
Tiny, mid-engined, and featuring those all-important gullwing doors, the Autozam AZ-1 has it all. And now you, too, can enjoy the things Japan was tired of in the 1990s.
Rare Rides: A 1967 Chrysler 300 - Large and In Charge
A recent edition of Buy/Drive/Burn included a Chrysler 300M from the turn of the century — a car which represented the third time Chrysler created a line of vehicles wearing “300” badges. The other day, the Internet presented the 300M’s closest ancestor, and my curiosity piqued.
And since we’re into coupes on Rare Rides lately, come along as we check out a big, bold coupe from Chrysler.
Rare Rides: A Pristine BMW 2000C From 1967
Last time on Rare Rides, we surveyed a little Fiat 124 Sport Coupe. A family car underneath, it aimed to be affordable fun for the middle-market. Today, we have a look at some not-so-affordable fun for the well-heeled. Come along for the New Class coupe experience.
Rare Rides: The 1974 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe - a Stylish Little Italian
You can go into a Fiat showroom today and buy a brand new Fiat 124, undoubtedly delighting a dealer who’s desperate to move some reworked Miatas. It wasn’t always this way, though. The 124 name was originally applied to a lineup of Fiat-developed vehicles, like today’s Sport Coupe from 1974.
Rare Rides: A 1991 Peugeot 405 Mi16, the Last-ever New Peugeot in America
The Rare Rides series will always have space for unique French cars. It’s featured several Renault vehicles and a couple of Citroëns to date, but only one Peugeot, to my recollection. That one, a 106 GTI, was an import to Canada by an enthusiastic second-hand buyer. Today we feature a second Peugeot: one actually sold by a dealer, brand new, in America.
It’s the hottest 405 sold in the U.S. — the excellently named Mi16.
Rare Rides: The Innotech Mysterro - a Mid-engine Czech Corvette?
In what’s bound to be one of the most obscure editions of Rare Rides yet, today’s ride is very limited-production in nature. So limited, in fact, that only one was produced. And it’s so limited in its exposure that the Internet can’t seem to decide the year it was actually built.
It’s hard to know where to start with this thing.
Rare Rides: A 1977 Chevrolet Monza - the Malaise Mirage
Today’s Rare Ride is a special, sporty edition of a rather mundane Malaise subcompact. It hails from a time when the American customer matched the color of their vinyl seats to their wide lapel. So let’s delude ourselves for a few minutes with the Monza Mirage.
Rare Rides: The 1991 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, a Wagon-only Olds
Among the fairly common group of vehicles produced on General Motors’ B-body chassis in the 1990s, one stands out. It’s extra-long, fairly luxurious, a last-of moment, and unloved among the sort of people who collect older vehicles.
No, it’s not the Impala SS, which everyone overprices when it’s that Purp Drank color. It’s the Custom Cruiser, by Oldsmobile.
Rare Rides: The First-ever Crossover - a 1987 AMC Eagle Wagon
The Rare Rides series has dabbled in AMC previously, cataloging some of the fun ideas generated by the good people of Kenosha, Wisconsin. We’ve featured the luxury targa Concord Sundancer, the unrealized Van, a baroque Matador Barcelona, and the Renault-by-AMC Alliance GTA. But none of those represents the AMC brand quite as well as today’s Rare Ride. It’s a pre-CUV crossover. A luxurious Subaru Outback, before there was such a thing.
It’s of course an Eagle 4×4 wagon, looking Limited in black over tan.
Rare Rides: NSU's New Way to Wankel - the Spider From 1965 (Part IV)
Part III of this Rare Rides series explored how NSU readied itself to re-enter the car market and end its longstanding production tie-up with Fiat. Shortly after the painful divorce from the Italians, NSU’s first rotary-powered car was ready.
Rare Rides: NSU's New Way to Wankel - the Spider From 1965 (Part III)
Part II of the NSU story gave some color to the company’s first bout of financial trouble, and how it passed on a Ferdinand Porsche design that would go on to become the Volkswagen Beetle a few years later.
As we left off last time, NSU and Fiat were locked in a longstanding disagreement about who could brand which cars in which way.
Rare Rides: NSU's New Way to Wankel, the Spider From 1965 (Part II)
In Part I of this four-part NSU Rare Rides series, we covered the beginning of the NSU brand and its initial product offerings — which included knitting machines. The company moved into bikes and motorcycles, as well as a three-wheeler considered a midpoint between motorcycle and car.
The engineers were certainly busy, but all was not well over at the bank.
Rare Rides: NSU's New Way to Wankel - the Spider From 1965 (Part I)
Back in the 1960s, a little German car company decided to spend a lot of money to create a new-to-them type of engine. The car company in question was NSU, and the engine that cost them so much money was a Wankel.
In a first-ever for the Rare Rides series, this will be a four-part entry. Come along as we explore the NSU brand and the Spider; a tiny roadster which ended up almost entirely responsible for the demise of its parent company.
Rare Rides: A 1987 Honda Civic Wagovan 4WD, the Everybody Wagon
This isn’t the first time we’ve presented a utility-minded multipurpose hatchback in the Rare Rides series. Rather, it’s very nearly the culmination of the major players in the segment. In addition to today’s ride, we’ve had the Colt Vista, and Nissan’s Prairie (now owned by an enthusiast collector), as well as a pristine and pricey Tercel 4WD Wagon.
After today, we’re missing just two: an Eagle Summit/Mitsubishi Expo, and the last-of-breed Nissan Axxess. Onward, to Wagovan.
Rare Rides: A 1990 Renault Alpine GTA, Par Excellence
Rare Rides: A Tale of Fisker Karma (Part III)
While Part I of the Fisker Karma story introduced the car and its tech, and Part II reviewed the interesting combination of features and design mandates which accompanied the advanced tech, Part III is the one you’ve really been waiting for.
It’s all flames, floods, and failures.
Rare Rides: A Tale of Fisker Karma (Part II)
In Part I of our Fisker Karma Rare Rides trilogy, we learned of the technology and promise lying just beneath the swooping curves of the sedan’s seriously stylish body. Today we talk economy of fuel, space, and materials.
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