Posts Tagged ‘Feature’

Disappearing – 1981 Chevrolet Citation

January 16, 2014

Here’s another in the line of cars you wouldn’t give a second glance, but are becoming interesting because they’ve just about disappeared from American roads. Conceived as a response to poor sales of GM’s extra-large family cars, and heavily referencing the Lancia Beta sedan (as some will have you believe), the Chevrolet Citation debuted in 1980 to great acclaim. Motor Trend bestowed its Car of the Year award upon it, although we all know about their dubious choices. Before launching into full-scale mockery mode, though, let’s take a look at what this car really meant for GM – it was their first transverse-engined, front-wheel-drive family sedan, with a hatchback in most cases. It spawned the A-, L-, and N-body cars from GM. Sales hit nearly 1.4 million for the X-platform cars, with the majority of those going to the Citation. You can find this surviving 1981 Chevrolet Citation for sale in Salt Lake City, UT with no bids at $0 and one day left to go on the auction.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

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Rare Truck – 1959 Jeep FC-170

January 16, 2014

In the immediate post-war years, Jeep wanted to offer a larger truck to those customers needing more than the Willys Jeep Truck and DJ-3A/FJ-3A could do. So, evidently glancing at Europe, and at the then-new cab-over-engine full-size trucks, they came up with the Forward Control series. These were offered in various different formats to allow coachbuilders to add their own bodies, and the platform was used for ambulances, fire trucks, tow trucks, delivery vans, and more – just about anything you’d see on a modern COE truck or van platform today. Unfortunately, they were not very successful, with only 30,000 sold over eight years of production. You can find this 1959 Jeep FC-170 for sale in Sacramento, CA with an opening bid of $2350 and only 8 hours left to go.

Jeep FC-170 for sale

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Boano Beauty – 1972 Fiat 124 Coupe

January 15, 2014

In case it seems like they’ve been forgotten here, little European coupes of the post-WW2 era, say the 1950s through the 1970s, are among our favorites. They can frequently be inexpensive, and if you pick the right car, can still do many of the things a modern car does, with much more style and exclusivity. The RustyButTrusty fleet underscores this point, with both an Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT and a BMW 2002tii getting regular exercise. But it sure would be great to add another car from that class, the Fiat 124, to the group. You can find this 1972 Fiat 124 coupe for sale in Laguna Hills, CA for a mere $400.

1972 Fiat 124 Coupe left front

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