Posts Tagged ‘french’

Are We There Yet?? – 1980 Peugeot 504 Diesel Wagon Automatique

March 10, 2014

“Are we there yet?” is a phrase that’s most often associated with family road trips, preferably in a floaty-boat of a station wagon with two three-seat benches and the vis-a-vis rear seat, all upholstered in vinyl. But the phrase only gets real meaning when the car you’re in is not powered by a hulking V8 with somewhere between 200 and 400 hp, but a 2.3-liter diesel engine with a mere 70hp. But wait, there’s more – add the weight of impact bumpers and other malaise-era safety equipment, and then strangle the whole lot with une transmission automatique. “You want ze automatique? You can ‘ahve eet, but eet weel be slower zan continental drift. And shut up about your aire conditionee.” You can find this 1980 Peugeot 504 Diesel Wagon Automatique for sale for $4000 in Yuba, CA.

1980 Peugeot 504 diesel wagon right front

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1980s Sport Coupes – 1988 Pontiac Sunbird GT Turbo vs. 1987 Renault GTA

March 4, 2014

Quick! Think of an affordable 1980s sports coupe! Scirocco…. Impulse…. Celica…. 200SX…. Corolla GT-S…. Camaro…. Sunbird…. wait, what? Back in the 1980s, when everything was getting a turbo – heck, Buick put a turbo in their Regal, for god’s sakes – Pontiac turbocharged their Sunbird. Blowing out GM Brazil’s 1.8-liter four to two liters and hanging a turbo off the side brought a total of 165hp and probably a good time with torque steer. To put that in context, at the same time, Audi’s 2.2-liter I5 turbo was putting out 162hp, and Saab’s 2-liter I4 turbo was making 160hp, both to motivate ostensibly heavier cars. You can find this 1988 Pontiac Sunbird GT Turbo for sale for C$1600 in east Vancouver, BC.

1988 Pontiac Sunbird GT Turbo right front

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RustyButTrusty on the Street – Fiat, Two Landies, and a Citroen

February 27, 2014

In another edition of RustyButTrusty on the Street, we reveal more of the fruits of the streets of San Francisco, courtesy of the ranks of La Resistance Contre-Prius (wow, that sounds like a real thing). Leading the charge is this early-ish (pre-impact bumper) 1974 Fiat Spider. For the anoraks out there, the 1974 assumption is based on the rubber Sabrinas visible on the front bumper, which, while not as bad as those found on period Triumphs, would be best removed and tossed in the nearest dustbin.

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