Posts Tagged ‘Feature’

Bookending the War – 1941 Oldsmobile Dynamic 78

May 5, 2016

When you spend the better part of a morning under the hood battling emissions equipment in a small car, it’s nice to think what life might be like with a large car that has no emissions equipment whatsoever, unless you count the exhaust system. No matter how cool, no modern car has the same visual impact as a prewar model with (nearly) separate fenders, a tall grill, and Rubenesque styling. And the fun thing with one of these that’s unrestored is it’s a bit like that grandma house on the block that hasn’t been on the market since the fifties – it’s a bit musty, and a bit dim, but you can just feel the past 60 years in its walls. With that, let’s take a look at this 1941 Oldsmobile Dynamic 78 for sale for $4500 in San Francisco, CA.

1941 Oldsmobile Dynamic 78 right front

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Don’t Waist His Time – 1976 VW Rabbit (and bonus ’77)

May 4, 2016

While it’s a classic design that did a lot to popularize the concept of the family hatchback, the Mark 1 VW Rabbit doesn’t seem to get much love outside of vintage watercooled VW circles. And sure, in stock form it’s a bit of a shopping cart, but upgrade an early car a little and you can get GTI-like performance with the cleaner, early Mark 1 design cues like round headlights, small tail lights, and even a “swallow tail” rear panel if you’re lucky. So we’ve got a sampling of a couple of early Rabbits, starting with this 1976 VW Rabbit for sale for $3900 in Silverton, OR.

1976 VW Rabbit right side

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Lost in a Forest – 1990 Infiniti Q45

May 3, 2016

Some of you – those who remember far away things like a Western movie actor as president – might remember one of the most confusing advertising campaigns for a car ever. It didn’t involve any actual pictures of cars, and in that sense, you have to admit they were successfully conveying the message that they were doing a full-on right turn on the concept of a luxury car. Again, for those of you who don’t recall the Reagan days, the Japanese did not make luxury cars – they made appliances with AM radios and vinyl seats that you drove to your crappy job until they broke and then threw away. So while Acura was the first to do the Japanese luxury thing, Lexus and Infiniti really broke the mold by envisioning their cars as true competitors to Mercedes and BMW. Nonetheless, depreciation does not discriminate like many luxury car buyers did back then, and that means there are not many good examples of the more interesting mold-breaker. Check out this 1990 Infiniti Q45 for sale for $2900 in Santa Clara, CA.

1990 Infiniti Q45 aspen forest

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