It's not a Stutz, but another great American marque resurrected during the Malaise era: Packard. OK, so it's not really a Packard. Underneath it's just an '85 Buick Riviera that's obviously been stretched...a lot. That white Cadillac Eldorado you see in the background felt like a Civic Coupe next to this thing. Just look at it sitting there; you can actually see the curvature of the Earth relative to it! What's better, this wasn't just a crazed one-off creation: There's a second one that's identical! In fact, there were a bunch of these neo-Packards made, starting back in the late '70s. The guy responsible was a coachbuilder in Ohio named Budd Bayliff, who apparently liked the style of the contemporary Stutz cars but wanted to recreate that look with fewer modifications. Up close, it's blatantly obvioius that much of what made this a "Packard" was a conglomeration of chromed plastic emblems. Nonetheless, if a new Malaise era means we get death wagons like this, we're all for it.

[madle.org]

What if this had become the standard-issue military vehicle during the war? Would the entire SUV market as we know it today have ceased to exist? Or would all Hummers have been pyramid-shaped? Would we have parking lots that looked like pie charts? Okay, we need to go lay down for a while and think this over.

Images copyright: Mark Arnold / Jalopnik.com

Back when stock car racing meant racing cars that were actually close to stock, the Hudson Hornet had one huge advantage: unibody construction. That meant a significantly lower center of gravity than the sedans from Ford, GM, or Chrysler, and much better handling as a result. Yes, believe it or not, handling was a big factor in going around an oval track. So, like the character in the Pixar's Cars, the Fabulous Hudson Hornet was once a dominant racer. This #92 car was driven by Herb Thomas, who became the first ever two-time NASCAR champion, winning the title in 1951 and 1953. When men were men.

Images copyright: Mark Arnold / Jalopnik.com

It's got four doors, a tailgate, a hatchback, and a rear seat that folds down to transform the trunk into a truck bed. No, it's not some mythical Jalopnik customization. It's the Kaiser Deluxe Traveler, and it came this way straight from the factory in Willow Run, Michigan. This is a 1951 model, but the multi-purpose hindquarters were first put into production back in the late '40s. Why, oh why, can't we get something like this today?

Images copyright: Mark Arnold / Jalopnik.com

Yes, as the creators of the infamous Gremlin, the asymmetric Pacer, and the tape-stripe-tastic Spirit AMX, the American Motors Corporation will forever be remembered for making the worst American hatchbacks in history. But they're so ugly and quirky that they've actually moved full-circle and become lovable over the years. Well — at least the Gremlin and Pacer have. The world might need some more time to really appreciate the glory that is the louvered-rear, "rally-tuned" special that was the Spirit AMX. This 1980 model was the last car from AMC to wear the once-respected AMX badge. Underhood was a 4.2-liter inline six, which wasn't as bad as the hamster-powered four-banger in a Chevette, but not exactly a pavement-melter either. Be that as it may, have you ever seen a malaise-era compact look so badass? Didn't think so.

Images copyright: Mark Arnold / Jalopnik.com

Though looking practically identical, the black car is a 1952 Nash Statesman 2-door, and the maroon sedan is actually a 1950 Ambassador. Sure everybody usually associates Nash with the cute little Metropolitan, but these Ambassadors were actually quite spacious. One interesting fact, is the 1950 models were the first non-GM vehicles to use the General's Hydramatic transmission. But frankly, we don't particularly care what's under the skin. Just look at them. They're fantastic examples of a relatively minimalist streamline design, like bullets with wheels and bumpers. Maybe we're seeing things, but we think the black coupe feels like a bigger, Americanized version of the original Saab 92001 . Either way, we've got plenty more of the poor orphan cars that we'll be showing off over the week.

Images copyright: Mark Arnold / Jalopnik.com