Archive for March, 2014

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Old Yeller – 1980 Rover SD1 3500

March 17, 2014

Rover will be forever forgotten in US car history, but for a few nutcases who cling on to one of the thousand SD1s built for the US market, or any of the earlier cars. However, they really do deserve to be remembered for what is arguably one of the most successful designs for a 4-door fastback sedan. Inspired by the Ferrari 365 Daytona and a Pininfarina BMC study, it had a swooping roofline before that trend was “started” by Audi and others in the late 1990s. And somehow, among other fastback contemporaries like the Lancia Beta sedan, the Saab 99/900 5-doors, and the Chevrolet Citation, it managed to be long, low and elegant where the others were rather gawky. You can find this 1980 Rover SD1 3500 for sale for a mere $850 in Mendocino County, north of San Francisco, CA.

1980 Rover 3500 SD1 right rear

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Hark! 1962 Triumph Herald

March 17, 2014

Through the years, various companies have turned to Italian stylists when they were looking to broaden their appeal or increase their sales volume. Nearly every nationality that manufactures cars has done it – Japanese, Korean, German, French, British, Swedish. Oh, and the Italians themselves, because nobody goes to the land of the 5-series GT and says “design me something beautiful”. While they were hardly the first to do it, Triumph started a long-lived and fruitful relationship with Giovanni Michelotti by awarding him the contract to design their inexpensive family sedan, the Herald. Most were used up and thrown away, but you can find this 1962 Triumph Herald saloon for sale for $3800 in the Brentwood/Oakley area, CA.

1962 Triumph Herald right rear 2

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Make it Bigger! 1955 Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe Sedan

March 14, 2014

The first Chrysler designs from Virgil Exner seem to be the best designs from his tenure, unlike Elwood Engel’s, as he seemed to have a knack for leaving before his designs became obscured by management pressure – or perhaps Engel just had a stronger personality. Either way, the 1955 Chrysler sedans were some of the most elegant, continental-looking designs coming from Detroit at the time. And while the coupes and the 300 letter cars have moved out of the realm of affordability, you can still occasionally find a sedan, which has 95% of the styling at 10% of the price. Or something like that. You can find this 1955 Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe sedan for sale for $3800 in Los Gatos, CA.

1955 Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe right front

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