I tell you what, every time I see that three-across seating layout of the Matra Bagheera, it makes me ache for a Bagheera to call my own. You figure all the possible automotive seating layouts had been established a century ago, and then here come the French with a totally new approach. Sure, it's a crazy approach, but that's why we love French cars so much! The Murena was the successor to the Bagheera, and the seller of this '80 Matra Murena is quick to point out that "Only 6 are known to exist here." Stressing about hard-to-find parts? No need! This Murena is in "very good condition considering the age of the car," so what could it need? Turnkey operation, for sure- hey, this thing can hardly be considered a project at all! Well, the transmission is hosed ("deliberate and not fast shifts at high revs usually eliminates or lessens problem with 2nd gear"), there's a big crack in a rear fender (plastic body, just like a Fiero!), and no doubt some other surprises. Thanks to UDMan for the tip!

You've got to love that Matra, but where's the power? If you're going to plunge yourself into the never-ending agony infinitely rewarding world of French car ownership, don't you want something fast? Sure you do, and that's why Teargas has found us this 1979 Alpine A310. The '79 A310 was powered by the exact same Peugeot-Renault-Volvo V6 drivetrain as the one used in the De Lorean DMC-12, and if that's not a great reason to buy a car... well, there's really not much more to say, is there? Just like the Murena, the transmission in this car has some issues with second gear. You'll get around to fixing that problem, just as soon as you synchronize the six Weber carburetors. Yes, six- got to have one carb per cylinder in a true performance car, right? The windshield is cracked, but you get a new one (list price: $2,800, which should give you some idea of the cost of every single part, no matter how insignificant, on this car), and there's the somewhat disturbing statement "it was setup for rally and raced before that-by the previous ownder" in the description. Best of all, a "sterling silver Alpine collectible keychain" comes with the deal.

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Heraldic crests! Knights in armor! Seeing this hood ornament, I find it impossible to believe that Buick didn't offer an Electra Brougham for '73. Surely there must be some mistake!


Just in time for the Arab oil embargo of '73, this 4,682-pound dreamboat purred down the highway courtesy of a 210-horse 455 engine. That seems like a pretty poor power-to-weight ratio, but keep in mind that Tricky Dick lowered the speed limit the very next year. Just in time, too, because this car probably gets 9 MPG at 75 MPH and 11 MPG at 55 MPH.


This car is in very nice original condition, but you don't have to go to a car show to see this kind of thing on the Island That Rust Forgot!

We've had 18 cars from the first year of the Malaise Era in this series, and some- maybe even most- of them are pretty cool. That means we need a poll! Vote for your favorite 1973 DOTS machine, then check out the '73 Electra gallery.

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Dear friends of d'Ignorance, Thank you so much for your support so far in our effort to highlight the Mundane and truly Awful of the Automotive world. We have decided to wait until 2009 to inflict our show upon the automotive world. Flint Michigan was not built in a day and neither is a first rate Concours. With my grueling and ever expanding Billetproof schedule I simply did not have the time to pull together a show truly awful enough to do the bottom rung of the automotive world justice in 2008. The Concours d'Ignorance will have a presence on the Monterey Peninsula this year, so keep an eye out for something awful. We will be conducting a brand awareness campaign here and there at many of the car shows during the week. The show in 2009 will be something that even the designer of the Pontiac Aztec could be proud of. Just you wait and see.

Early emission-control equipment was pretty crude, so compression ratios had to come down, down, down to meet the new federal standards. 1973 was the first year of the Malaise Era (I made up the term, so I get to decide that stuff), and the 350 in this car was rated at either 145 horsepower (two-barrel carburetor) or 175 horsepower (Quadrajet). That hurts, but worse was in store.


3,580 pounds. That's the factory shipping weight of the V8 Chevelle for '73. That means the Chevelle scaled in at 45 pounds more than the weight of the V8-equipped two-door '66 Impala (and about the same as the projected weight for the 2010 Camaro). But you did get the colonnade roof in the Chevelle!


The big round taillights are vaguely reminiscent of the ones found on early-60s full-sized Chevrolets and Corvettes, yet very much of the Watergate era.

I'm sure I could find many more mid-70s F-series trucks on the island, since they hold together pretty well and are still able to earn their keep these days.


This truck lives on one of the most DOTS-centric blocks in Alameda. Not only does the '66 Mercedes-Benz 250S we see in the background of this photo live nearby, so do the Double Cab '71 Chevy pickup and 1975 Chevy El Camino.


I'm pretty sure the current level of crazy gas prices won't keep this 3/4-ton beast of burden away from the job sites, but we'll see what happens if oil hits 200 bucks per barrel.

These days, the demand for the "four-door Supra" is so high that it's tough trying to find one cheap enough to serve as the basis for a project that's going to involve a lot of cutting and pasting. That doesn't mean it can't be done, of course- for example, check out this '83 Toyota Cressida, which has most of its parts and is priced at an amazing 350 bucks. The seller included "motor runs" in the "pros" section of the ad, but then we get the line "it's not getting any fuel to the injectors" in the "cons" section. Contradiction? Hey, it's a $350 Cressida! It's got some dents, it has no papers, and it's an automatic... but you'll fix all those things with a quick application of some 1JZGTE power. When you're done with that, you can install a manual transmission (and have fun getting the clutch pedal assembly for a LHD car), and when you're done with that you can work on the luxury features that "do not operate."


The Datsun 810/Nissan Maxima was quite a car, with specs quite similar to the Cressida but more of that funky Nissan flavor we loved so much back in the day. It's pretty much the "four-door 280Z," but that appeal means that most of the usable early-80s examples have been drifted or otherwise hooned into oblivion by now. We couldn't find one quite as cheap as that super-steal Cressida, but this '82 Nissan Maxima can be yours for only $1,200... or less ("any reasonable offer will be concidered"). Don't worry about the photos showing snow on the car, since we're sure it looks just as good now as it did when the photos were taken. The car has "Lots of new parts to include," which we assume means that they're sitting in boxes in the trunk (and possibly they're not so much new as new to this car), and "all in all this car wont stop running." You'll be all "no problemo, dude" about the rust, mostly because you'll be so busy installing this SR20DET/5-speed combo that you won't have time to think about anything other than your eternally bleeding knuckles and ever-shrinking bank account!

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The Nova Custom was the mid-level trim package; you could get get the '75 Custom sedan for $3,415, and for another 75 bucks you'd have one with that lo-po 350 I mentioned earlier.


Of course, since 1975 and older cars are smog-exempt in California, there's nothing stopping the owner of this car from adding, say, 300 additional horsepower using cheap off-the-shelf performance parts. I'm often tempted to go the Nova + small-block route for my next project car, though I'd probably use one of the Buick/Olds/Pontiac Nova clones.


The Chevy dog-dishes look great on this car, which has been serving as basic transportation since Gerald Ford was in the White House. The four-door mid-70s Nova doesn't have enough collector value to survive on "classic" status, so this one is still with us thanks to its usefulness as a motor vehicle.

Since photographing this car downtown, I've found where it parks when off duty. Yes, it's a 33-year-old daily-driven Toyota. Who needs power door locks and cup holders?


According to the original California smog sticker, this Celica has the indestructible 20R engine. Only 90 horses, but they'd keep galloping for hundreds of thousands of miles.


2,270 pounds. That's 23 pounds less than the tiny '09 Yaris... and the Celica has rear wheel drive! Which one would you take? Airbags or character?

The '73 Mustang convertible, while based on the same chassis as the original 64-1/2 model, weighed in at a hefty 3,198 pounds. That was 584 pounds more than the first Mustang convertible, and matters weren't helped by the Malaise engine selection for '73: the base six groaned out a miserable 88 horses (versus 101 for the '64-1/2 six), while the 302 V8 didn't do much better at 135 horsepower. Should we talk about the weight of the '09 Mustang? Hey, at least the power is there!


But who cares? It's a red convertible with a luggage rack- head to the beach!


I sure hope that's a temporary vinyl sticker slapped on this pony's flank, because that paint job looks pretty good. OK, now on to our poll; you can click on the name of each entry to see more photos:

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You're shopping for a British Malaise machine, yet want to avoid British Leyland products? How about a Jensen, from the period of the company's last gasp? We're not talking about an Interceptor here, because that Chrysler engine is just too reliable- no, we've found something much better for you. How would you like to own one of just 509 Jensen GTs ever built, for a mere pittance of $5,950? Can you believe it? You get the 16-valve Lotus 907 engine (also known as the "Torqueless Wonder"), only 55,000 miles on the clock, and enough Lucas Electric components to keep you busy for the rest of your life a few weeks. The seller says it "runs great," so you figure we're giving you an easy one. Right?

That Jensen is pretty cool, but if you're going to drive a car with a Lotus engine you might as well go all Lotus, right? And not some newfangled Esprit or Europa- no, it's got to be a featherweight 60s Elan. Say, like this '69 Lotus Elan Plus 2S, which has a Steal It Now price of only five grand. Like the Jensen, it has only 55,000 miles, though that's mostly because it's been sitting for 18 years. Don't let that scare you, though, because British cars are like fine wine, just getting better as they age in a damp cellar somewhere. Don't worry about the electrical connectors or fuel system needing 100% replacement; you'll have plenty of time to worry about those issues as you try to track down replacements for the missing hood and bashed-in windshield. You get an original engine block and some carburetors, which means you're more than halfway there in the powerplant department. What could go wrong?

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AMC Concord AMX
Powered by an optional 5.0-liter V8, the '78 AMX was based on the otherwise boring new-for-'78 AMC Concord. You could get the 4.2-liter straight-six with a 4-speed manual, but if you wanted the macho V8, you were stuck with a 3-speed slushbox. For those wanting to rebel against the empire of Detroit's big three, while still buying American, this was the way to go. Besides, who else was gonna offer you authentic Levi's denim seats?
[source]

Ford Mustang King Cobra
With the new fox-body Mustangs right around the corner, the '78 King Cobra was a last hurrah for the old Mustang II. The Cobra-adorned hood featured a new reverse hood scoop, and tucked underneath was a 5.0-liter V8. That mill wheezed out about 140 HP, and was connected to a 4-speed manual or an optional automatic. Really, not much was mechanically different from the previous Cobra II, but if you wanted a bitchin' snake on your hood, this was the car for you.
[source]

Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am
Starring in the previous year's film Smokey And The Bandit, the T/A went mostly unchanged for '78. However, GM did make changes where it counted, as 1978 actually saw an increase in the 6.6-liter V8's compression ratio — to 8.1:1. Of course, output was still only 188 HP, but that was still more than you got in a base '78 Corvette. Plus, if you were a real bandit, you could order a special high-altitude model that used an Oldsmobile 403 CI V8 rather than the Pontiac 400 CI lump...and somehow lose 8 HP in the process. Either way, you were lucky sure to outrun any smokey.
[image source]

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Thanks for posting my pictures of the Datsun 710. Attached are the long promised pictures of Jim Rockford's Firebird.

This is a 77 or a 78, I don't know which, but I know where Angel hid Jim's car!

The car is in New Westminster, BC in the Queens Park area, a neighbourhood of Victorian era heritage homes.

Not sure if a student could afford 24s, but how many teachers would slap sparkly "24" emblems on the pillars? The '69 Continental that parks just down the block could well be a student car, though it's summer vacation now and the Lincoln is still there.


As we know, most Jalopniks prefer a dekotora to a donk, but there's no need to get all riled up over a '76 Regal 4-door with 24s if you don't groove on the donk thing; wheels can be replaced.


In '76, the Regal came standard with a 140-horse 350 engine. Since 1976 cars are not smog-exempt in California (1975 and earlier cars are exempt from emissions tests), that's most likely the engine that's hauling this car's vast bulk these days (though a 455 could probably be swapped in, as long as it looks like a 350 to the smog techs and passes the tailpipe gas test).

Looking at the past BMWs in this series, I'm realizing that I ought to go photograph one of the late-70s/early-80s 5- and 7-series cars I see around town. They're DOTS-worthy, yes?


This car lives quite close to the 1972 Fury, which can be seen in the background of this photo. Same era, totally different philosophy.


The price tags on the two cars differed quite markedly as well. The '74 3.0 CSi coupe sold for $10,634, while the '72 Fury III 4-door hardtop listed at $3,813. You got a 150-horse 318 V8 standard in the Plymouth, while the BMW cranked out 170 horses from its 3-liter six (of course, an extra 85 bucks would get the 185-horsepower 400 in the Fury). I know, apples and oranges. All right, time for the poll! Which Bavarian machine do you like best?

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We're going to make the assumption that you'll be obtaining your electrons courtesy of sources other than petroleum products here, because otherwise the mean ol' oil companies will still have you by the short hairs. Nukes, solar cells, dams, whatever- they'll all work when it comes to topping off the cells in your Electric 1980 AMC Hornet wagon, which is still available for less than four grand at the time of this writing. Guess how many miles it has on the clock. No, really- take a guess. Fifty-one original miles! Yes, here we have what the seller says was "a joint venture between Solorgen and AMC to produce electric automobiles," so it's a low-mileage prototype Malaise Electric AMC. It probably hasn't run since Jimmy Carter was president- that is, if it has ever run- there are no batteries, and you can be assured that the brakes and wiring will need endless some attention before it can be driven. On the plus side, the interior is in great original shape, apart from some sun damage. We're a little puzzled by what appears to be an alternator attached to the electric motor in the photos- isn't there a more efficient way to get 12 volts for accessories when you have a car full of freakin' batteries?

A super-original Electric Hornet would be pretty cool, but what if you want to make an insane electric drag racer and show Plasma Boy a thing or two, maybe humiliate some Tesla owners? You'll need a car with a plethora of hot-rod suspension and rear-end parts available, and you'd be hard-pressed to find anything that can match the Ford Fox platform on that score. Naturally, you'll want a wagon, so check out this super-cheap 1981 Electric Ford Fairmont wagon, which was converted to electric power by none other than NASA! Well, actually its history is a bit murky, with the seller's statement "need batteries and my Dad never received the title had it shipped from California was going to order the title and get batteries but then hospital killed my Dad we need the money with Bush the oilman, 2X cheater and Chaney the crook in office" not doing much to clarify things; there is no title, there are no batteries, and nobody knows the specs on the motor. That won't matter much for you prospective electric wagon racers, because you'll need to upgrade to a powerplant waaaay bigger than what's installed now.

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Those stacked headlights and monstrous turn signal lights are as 1979 as odd-even gas days. Hey, maybe we'll have those again!


Even though cartrucks aren't really set up for serious heavy hauling, this Ranchero's bed is spacious enough to really test the limits of that LTD rear suspension. How much gravel can you haul in one load? How many pinball machines? How many street-sign shooting armed drunks and associated cases of Mickey's Big Mouth? Cartruck tradition is firmly behind the "test the load limits" school of thought.


You got a 151-horse 351 when you bought a new 1979 Ranchero. Don't dwell on that fact that the '09 Camry's base four-banger gets 158 horsepower out of 144 cubes, because the Ranchero has character!

This car definitely runs and drives, but with gas prices closing in on five bucks there's no telling how much longer it will be possible for its owner to quench the thirst of its 351, 400, or 460.


Now that's class! A Cougar emblem in the little opera window! See, the Malaise Era wasn't entirely about diminished expectations- you could get down and funky with that special someone in the luxurious vinyl comfort of your Cougar's back seat, while the same activities in a cramped 60s Cougar would be more like a game of Twister inside a packing crate. Don't forget the Acapulco Gold and Foghat on the 8-track!


Sadly, those mean ol' bean counters at FoMoCo decreed that the super-cool sequential turn signals would be axed for this generation of Cougars, but the full-width taillights were partial compensation.

135 horsepower from a sub-2-liter engine was pretty good in 1978, and that's what the Saab 99 Turbo managed that year. In a car weighing just 2,600 pounds, 135 horses gave a power-to-weight pretty close to what you got from a '78 Corvette... at a price tag $500 higher than the top-of-the-line Chevy. Thanks to the magic of depreciation, however, it's possible to get a Saab 99 Turbo project for a fairly reasonable price nowadays. They're not so easy to find, what with the rust and breathtaking repair costs over the decades, but we've managed to find one for- you ready for this?- just 600 bucks! Yes, this '78 Saab 99 Turbo (go here if the ad disappears), which appears to be reasonably complete (if you count random parts in boxes), is available for just six Benjamins. The seller was going to put in a black interior and paint it metallic burgundy, and that plan must add value, right? It's got rust, including an 8" x 8" hole in the floor, the engine is out of the car and has a crack in "the manifold" (we're guessing exhaust). No problem! It's been sitting for years and the registration seems dodgy, but don't let that scare you away from the incredible Swedish potential of this Hell Project!

When you're talking about Turbo Malaise Hell, is there anything that can beat a carbureted draw-through turbo system? Why yes, there is: a draw-through turbocharging system that uses a computer Quadrajet! The computer Q-jet is fun enough when naturally aspirated, but bolt it to a hair-dried Pontiac 301 (an engine which itself is the essence of V8 Malaise) and the fun really begins. That's right, we're talking about the notorious Turbo Trans Am... and not just any Turbo Trans Am. We've found a genuine 1980 Indy 500 Pace Car Turbo Trans Am (go here if the ad disappears) for you! The price tag is a grand higher than the Saab's, but that's just because this car is more complete. Now, we're not musclecar purists around these parts, but there's really no choice with a Turbo Trans Am Indy Pace Car but to restore it to its full Malaise glory, 210 unreliable blown horses and all. Oh, sure, you could drop a modern fuel-injected turbocharged small-block Chevy in there and get reliability and power, but then you wouldn't be experiencing the full nostalgic impact of 1980. This one needs some work, no getting around that; first, there's rust (from the car "sitting for years back east"), and we're not talking about harmless surface rust. It doesn't run, but the seller seems to feel that it'll fire right up with the addition of a new distributor, and maybe he or she is right!

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Malaise or not, the B310 Sunny (as it was known in Japan) got the job done. You got the gas-sipping 1.4 liter A14 engine and pretty solid reliability. It was crude by the standards we've come to expect in an econobox these days, but you weren't paying to haul around 800 pounds of sound insulation and fake wood interior trim.


Not only is this one of the last of the rear-wheel-drives, it's one of the last of the import station wagons; the Turbo Mullet Era was more about minivans and proto-SUVs than wagons.


I suspect this car has spent some of its life in an area with salty roads, because this isn't California-style rust (we tend to get top-down rust here, starting around the windows). OK, time for our Datsun poll! What's your favorite DOTSun so far? I'm including the '83 Sentra because it's got Datsun emblems in addition to Nissan ones.

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"GM's announcement on Tuesday move forward the mgmt agenda (fewer trucks, more cars at a higher price) that they identified as needed to respond to the consumer shifts caused by late 70s-like gas-price shock environment firm expects. With the more mechanical capacity actions behind it, GM will now need to deliver on both volume and pricing enhancement in cars - a more difficult challenge given the strong position of transplant brands. The capacity actions and car plans are broadly in line with firm's assumptions published last week, and they are maintaining their $19.50 tgt and 2010 EPS of $3.11"

Maybe it's just the fog this morning. Whatever it is, it's happened. The second malaise era is upon us, ready to cover us with a suffocatingly bland blanket of crap. And you know it's true when the investment banks are absolutely loving a decision to eschew big, beefy trucks for cheap-to-sell econoboxes that sip gas with economical efficiency. We're half expecting Bush to hit the airwaves later today in Bahama shorts and a polo to ask 'mericans to turn down their air conditioners. Perish the thought. (Hat tip to Kevin!)

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

Given all that's happening, are we entering a new Malaise Era? Ford is planning to downsize its engines and replace them with EcoBoost technology. Is this the beginning of the end of the horsepower wars? Will fast cars only be for the wealthy? Is the new Mustang going to be the Mustang II? Someone talk us down.

It's got a rollbar, the doors have been removed, and perhaps the engine has been upgraded from the original 46 horsepower. This Thing is ready for some serious off-road action... which it won't find in the utterly flat and quite urban terrain of Alameda.


The Beetle's interior seems pretty luxurious next to the Thing's, but you can see the family resemblance in the steering wheel, speedometer, shifter, etc. I hope the owner hasn't lost the doors, which can be removed without tools.


The rainy winters here tend to promote rust in body parts that collect water, such as these engine air intake covers. It's taken 34 years for the rust to get this far, so no urgent action need be taken yet!