Jalopnik: medallion

Want To Win The Index Of Effluency Trophy At Thunderhill? $300 Renault Medallion!

Murilee Martin — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EDT

Everyone wants to see more French cars at the 24 Hours of LeMons, but where can you find one that's cheap enough and has some chance of making it around the track a few times? Craigslist, of course! I found this listing on my own (yes, I'm always searching for a French Hell Project), and then at least five readers sent it in as a tip. I'm already on a team, so I'm reluctantly letting this deal pass me by, but I know someone out there will want to race this fine automobile in December. Remember, the seller points out that it's the "size of an Acura Legend or an Alfa 164, but about 900lbs lighter than both!" Why, we've even had a DOTS Medallion! [Craigslist SF, go here if ad disappears]

1988 Renault Medallion

Murilee Martin — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 09:00:00 EST

You want rare cars in this series? How about this '88 Renault Medallion? After purchasing the wreckage of AMC in 1987, Chrysler decided to rebrand the Medallion as an Eagle partway through the '88 model year, so surviving Renault-branded examples are probably rarer than Hemi Superbirds (or '53 Packards, like the one that lives on the same block as this car). Based on that paragon of automotive build quality, the Renault 21, and tainted with the smell of death from obviously-doomed American Motors, sales of the Medallion started out poorly and went downhill fast from there.

Part of the problem was that the not-exactly-stellar reliability of the Renault Alliance had made American car buyers wary of AMC-Renault products by the time the Medallion came out. That diamond on the grille might as well have been a Biohazard emblem, given how much it helped sales.

Still, this car looks a bit different from the usual late-80s thing, especially around the rear quarter glass and rear wheelwells.

The Medallion had a funky longitudinal-engine/FWD setup that effectively cancelled all the space-saving benefits of the front-drive layout, using the 2.2 liter four-banger out of the Renault 25.

Yes, you never know quite what you'll find down on Alameda's street!

First 100 DOTS Cars

New York City Taxi Medallion Goes For The Price Of a Midtown One Bedroom!

Ray Wert — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 14:45:00 EDT

Over the past year, we've spent a great deal of time in the fetid vomit-encrusted nastiness that represent the majority of New York City taxis. We've got to say we've yet to find any we'd claim are worth $600,000. Despite the contrary appearances, that's the going rate these days for a taxi company to get themselves a new medallion. For those of us who didn't realize what the hell it is, that's the license that lets the driver take you from the tip of Manhattan to the depths of the Bronx and back — sometimes whether or not it's where you've asked to go. Yup, that $600 large sounds pricey, but given the real estate prices anywhere in Manhattan — you can probably get a one-bedroom for just about $600K, and yes, it'll probably be about the size of a taxi. – Ray Wert

New York taxi license hits record price: $600,000 [Reuters via Autoblog]