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Nothing says 1980 like a car lot with almost nothing someone in the cult of the automotive obsessed can drool over. Times were dark in the automotive world in 1980—the malaise era was in full swing and there weren't many cars to get excited about. More »
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The spokeswoman featured in this commercial had men buying cars for her entire life. From the really cool Nash Metropolitan her Dad purchased for her to the significantly less cool Malaise era GM clamshell station wagon provided by her husband, the car making decisions had been made for her by someone else. More »
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When people think about the malaise era, great cars are not always the first things that come to mind. Although it wasn't the best automotive decade, some great cars were still produced. What is your favorite car from the 1980s? More »
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For many, the score was Mustang II, muscle car fans zero. But time wounds all heels, and for today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe we're seeing if it's really that bad, and if this one's price is even worse. More »
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The movie Tron must have had a profound effect on GM's marketers, who apparently decided that the semi-computerized Quadrajet on the Firebird's 305 engine was really a time machine! More »
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The very nervous DOHC Lotus "Torqueless Wonder" 900 series engine powered all manner of crazy Lotus machinery over the years, and now here's one that will be melted into Chinese dishwasher parts any day now. More »
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It's 1980, you want a gas-sipping Chevy, but you're not feeling quite futuristic enough for the newfangled front-wheel-drive Citation. How about the crypto-Vega-based Monza, in its final year of production? More »
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Earlier this year, we saw this '79 Datsun King Cab pickup in a Northern California self-service wrecking yard. Here's another one, in a different yard but with the same sad story: truly small pickups are just too small. More »
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Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the City That Rust Sorta Ignored: Denver, Colorado. Yes, this car is a daily driver. More »
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Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. What are the odds that two '79 Corvettes would live a mere two blocks apart? More »
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Swivel bucket seats were one of GM's greatest options, but they weren't just for show! Bajabusta has unearthed this review of the emissions-strangled 1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass for us. More »
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Reviled as it may be nowadays, the '74 Mustang II sold very well; about 386,000 of the Pinto-derived Mustang rolled off the showroom floors that year, nearly triple the number of '73s that Ford managed to move. More »
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Welcome to Down On The Mile High Street, where we admire vehicles found parked on the streets of the City That Rust Sorta Ignored: Denver, Colorado. Ford downsized the Thunderbird for the '77-79 models, but they didn't downsize the glitz! More »
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The 1978 VW Rabbit sedan weighed only 1,955 pounds, or about a half-ton less than the 2010 Golf. Somehow, weighing so little, it managed to haul five normal-sized humans around... but this car's hauling days are over! More »
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The fact that no specific mileage figures are mentioned in this ad for a pre-big-bumper Celica shows that it's probably a pre-Arab Oil Embargo release. This makes this "economy car" pitch for the sporty-for-its-time first-gen Celica a bit puzzling. More »
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Volaré sedans were not-uncommon sights on the road as recently as a decade ago, but have any of us ever seen a Volaré coupe? More »
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Say you're a banjo-pickin' young stud a-hankerin' for a nice new Cadillac Cimarron, but just can't come up with that fat inflationary Cadillac price tag? No problem! The General has an Olds-badged J Body just for you! More »
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I was at the junkyard with Casadelshawn not long ago, doing research for the next Junkyard Build Quality Challenge, and there it was: Pure concentrated essence of late 1970s! More »
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It appears that GM's marketers recruited the actors from this ad from Synanon, if we go by the vacuous, zombified smiles and apparent belief that the '80 Regal was a sporty car. More »
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Even the Germans got into the act when celebrating the American Bicentennial, with this Spirit Of '76 dash-plaque-equipped 1976 Beetle convertible. Bonus points if you can name three more Bicentennial Edition cars! More »
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Taking a more literal interpretation of the slogan "these colors don't run," the 1974 Spirit of America Chevrolet Vega made up in patriotism what it lacked in build quality. More »
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Coming not quite two years after Richard Nixon's resignation and just barely a year after the Fall Of Saigon, the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence was somewhat muted by Malaise. Meanwhile, Cadillac was building its last convertible Eldorados. More »
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Though I've moved to Colorado, I've still got some California junkyard photos to share. How about two Triumph TR7s at the same yard? I feel like going on strike against British Leyland now! More »
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Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the City That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. I'd planned to post this during my Alameda visit last weekend, but... Server Hamsters refused. More »
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You don't see many E12s on the road these days, but I saw two of them at a Northern California self-service junkyard a few weeks ago. Here's a fairly clean-looking '76 530i that's Crusher-bound. More »
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Remember when you used to have to pull a lever to send power to all four wheels in your Subaru? The hardships our forefathers endured! More »
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If you ever needed proof that the Mercury marque suffered from puzzling, left-handed FoMoCo branding strategies over the years, the first-gen Capri will serve nicely. Sold by Mercury dealers in North America, but not as a Mercury... what the hell? More »
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A few months back, I spotted this '82 Renault Le Car in the "fixer-upper" section of an East Bay wrecking yard. "How much?" I asked. "800 bucks!" was the reply. Nobody bought the little Renault, and now it's Crusher bait. More »
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Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. I think I've seen a total of two Stradas during the last 20 years, both in Alameda. More »
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When INGSOC takes over Britain, how will the Outer Party officials be brought to their jobs at the Ministry Of Truth? In chauffeur-driven Austin Allegros, of course! More »
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Would any self-respecting serial killer ply his trade in a "Super Banana Yellow" Dodge Tradesman? In this case, definitely. More »
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We were just kidding about the "defeats the Japanese" part; let's just say that the X-Body wasn't the Toyota-killer that GM needed in the early 80s. More »
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Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Here's one of the nicest street-driven 280Zs I've seen in a while. More »
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Through the magic of technology, the 1986 Chrysler New Yorker could to talk to its driver. Similarly, the Speak & Spell children's learning toy could school you with a mechanized voice. This is what happens when you put them together. More »
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Though we rarely see 124 Spiders on the street nowadays, they are still out there. Here's one that hung on long enough to see five different decades. More »
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Never mind that surf music in 1977 served as a mocking reminder of how much cynicism, diminishing expectations, and napalm had flowed since the early 1960s, because the new Olds Cutlass Supreme 442 changed everything! More »
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Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. I've found quite a few interesting cars while making runs to Pagano's Hardware. More »
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Swiveling bucket seats in a '75 Cutlass— well, you can't argue with the soundness of that concept, no sir. But when you add reversible vinyl/cloth seat inserts? More »
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Back in 1973, a brand-new XJ6 listed at about $9,500. For that price you got 150 horsepower, four-wheel disc brakes, Lucas Electrics, and plenty of sophistication. For less than half that price, you could have a 154-horse LTD Brougham! More »
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Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Alameda has quite a few Rabbit pickups seeing daily-driver service, so let's check one out today. More »
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