#1970s
Rare Rides: The Very Rare 1977 AMC Hornet AMX, Levi's Edition
Today’s Rare Ride is one of just 100 Hornet hatchbacks turned into the AMX for 1977 to feature a Levi’s interior.
I hope you’re prepared for lots of trim.
Rare Rides: The 1975 Jensen GT, Stylish Performance in Shooting Brake Format
Rare Rides has featured exactly one Jensen vehicle previously, in a fairly fancy and exclusive Interceptor convertible made in left-hand drive for the US market.
Today’s GT was made the very same year as the Interceptor, just before Jensen went bust.
Rare Rides: A Collection of Four Classic Renaults, of Fuego and 17 Gordini Varieties
Today is one of the few occasions where Rare Rides presents a curated collection of cars for your review.
A serious Francophile in Minnesota has amassed a collection of trois Renault Fuegos et un 17 Gordini. Has a more exciting sentence ever been published? I think not.
Junkyard Find: 1974 Honda Civic Hatchback
The first-generation Honda Civic sold very well in the United States, but it’s just about impossible to find early examples in junkyards these days; I’ve managed to photograph a few ’78s for this series and that’s it. Why? The cars in rust-prone areas dissolved quickly and those in low-corrosion regions got driven to death well before the beginning of our current century. Here’s the oldest discarded 1973-1979 Civic I’ve managed to find since at least the late 2000s.
Rare Rides: The 1975 Moretti 126 Minimaxi, More Than a Fiat
Today’s Rare Ride marks the second entry from small Italian car manufacturer Moretti. The first Moretti featured here was a 750 two-door sedan from the early Fifties, which was an original design to the brand.
In contrast, today’s 126 Minimaxi was made long after Moretti stopped creating its own cars.
Rare Rides: The 1972 Gilbern Invader, Obscure and Welsh
Today’s Rare Ride hails from a tiny carmaker in business for less than two decades. The Gilbern name stands out in history as one of the few companies that built cars in Wales.
Let’s check the company’s most successful model, the Invader.
Rare Rides: The 1970 International Harvester 1200 D, a Pristine Pickup
Today’s Rare Ride marks the first time the series has featured a vehicle from the defunct International Harvester brand. Though the luxury-lined Monteverdi Safari was International-adjacent, today’s truck represents the agricultural, working heritage of IH.
Rare Rides: Basic Brown Buick, a 1973 Century Coupe
Though its nameplate dated back to the Thirties, the Century was an all-new model for Buick in 1973. The Century promised exciting value and (optional) power and luxury in the mid-size segment.
Let’s check out this very basic three on the tree coupe.
Junkyard Find: 1971 Toyota Land Cruiser
Every time I share photos of an old Toyota Land Cruiser I spotted in a junkyard, the anguished wails from readers commence. Nobody ever asks me where to find those doomed trucks so they can buy parts before The Crusher eats them, and only a few of the anguished wails come from Land Cruiser aficionados troubled by the demise of another old FJ. No, what upsets so many is the offense against reality on display, the demise of a truck worth 25 grand— no, 50 grand!— in any county, parish, or prefecture on the planet. Well, all I can say is that real-world values of vehicles often differ from what we think they should be, and today’s Junkyard Find proves this (again).
Rare Rides: The Beautiful 1969 AC Frua Cabriolet
Today’s Rare Ride was in production for nine years, but never reached triple-digit figures in its sales.
Let’s check out this hand-crafted British beauty.
Rare Rides: The Very Rare 1972 Intermeccanica Indra Spider
The Intermeccanica marque is a new one to Rare Rides, and even in scouring the obscure vehicles of the internet one does not come across the name often.
Intermeccanica has dabbled in a number of different automotive enterprises since its inception, and the Indra seen here is one of its more successful projects.
Rare Rides: The Incredibly Rare 1981 Monteverdi Safari, an International Delight
We’re back again with more Monteverdi today, and I’m determined the Rare Rides series will cover all of Monteverdi’s vehicular offerings. European design, American power, and Swiss attention to detail combined with very high prices to make all the company’s models Rare Rides.
We’ve covered two earlier Monteverdi offerings previously, in the 1970 High Speed 375/4 sedan, and the 1971 High Speed 375/L grand touring coupe. Today we head into luxury SUV territory with the Safari.
Rare Rides: The 1967 Hino Contessa 1300S, Rear-engine Blip on the Radar
Hino is a well-known producer of commercial vehicles today and has been in the commercial truck market since World War II. But for a short while in the Sixties, they built their own rear-engine passenger car.
Say hello to Contessa.
Rare Rides: It's a 1977 Reliant Scimitar GTE, You Know
Today’s Rare Ride is a sporty shooting brake from the days when there were still many British manufacturers building cars like it across England.
Let’s travel back to the Seventies when everything was brown, excepting this particular Reliant.
Rare Rides: The 1976 Maserati Kyalami, Obscure Italian Luxury
Today’s Rare Ride is a very luxurious Maserati which flew in under the radar and was offered by the Italian firm for a short while. A four-seat coupe, it was named after a race track in Africa.
Let’s find out more about Kyalami.
Recent Comments