Back in 1999, showing up at your wife’s high school reunion in an Audi A8 4.2 Quattro was not a bad way to make an entrance. With its aluminum construction, Quattro all-wheel drive, and 300-hp V8, Audi’s flagship had the hardware to go up against the BMW 7-Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class, while still being something of an outsider in the luxury-sedan crowd. Here’s what I thought of it when I drove one in May 1999.
Loyal CC follower Big Paws spotted this Thunderbird on holiday in Sonoma, and what a good reason this is for having gone there. He was only able to get one shot, but it’s enough to start some detective work. The Bullet ‘Bird (not just because of the superb name, but that certainly helps) is probably my favourite American car (though sometimes it’s the Corvette Sting Ray, or maybe the 1957 Corvette), and this example would catch anyone’s eye.
From my vantage point in England, this looks very much like a Ford Thunderbird Sportback or a Chevrolet Nomad-type derivative. Given just this photo, I was initially thinking “I’m not aware of it as a Thunderbird variant but maybe Ford built such a version”. After all, a Thunderbird in the UK is a bit of an event, and not seeing all the variants, especially low volume ones, the notion seems quite plausible.
Naturally, given that I travelled around southern and western Europe in August, the Italian and French contingent was always going to be a bit better represented than usual, especially the latter. So we kick things off with something a little unusual in the boxy shape of a 1981-91 Peugeot J9 van, a mildly facelifted version of the J7 (1965-80).
The 1970 Plymouth Barracuda is one of Mopar’s most cherished pony/muscle cars, and also one of its greatest mistakes; just when the pony car market began to deflate, here came a full-bore redesign from the Pentastar that was several years too late. But even though the Barracuda didn’t sell well when new, people are more than willing to pay for them now, even when they’re powered by the base Slant Six as this example is. It’s a one-owner car with an interesting option or two that’s for sale on Hemmings Auctions in Jacksonville, Florida.
Text and photos submitted by J. Dullaart / Rotterdammert Car Spots
“What did you get up to this weekend?” they ask on a sleepy Monday morning by the office coffee machine. “I spent the weekend at Spa,” I reply, prompting a chorus of envious sighs from my colleagues. “Oh, that sounds wonderful! Did you manage to unwind a bit?”
And there I am, still carrying the ringing ears and sensory overload of a weekend at Spa.
“Unwind? For two straight days, I watched more than 300 historic racing cars being hurled around the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. I’m not entirely sure that aligns with your definition of relaxation…” My colleagues exchange puzzled glances before looking back at me. “Well, to each their own, I suppose.”
Note: My daughter’s drive to Yellowknife last month with a friend reminded me of a scenic trip I took two years ago, and I started typing it into a post. It took me so long to finish the story that the Fiesta is now approaching Curbside Classic status itself. So, let’s travel back to 2024, when I first started typing this.
One of my favourite children was lucky enough to get herself a summer co-op engineering position in Whitehorse Yukon. A bit of a family tradition to go work in the land of the midnight sun as I had done and my parents before me. We keep a spare car for such events so the old 2011 Fiesta was set for a big adventure. It spent so much of its life in 2-10 km intervals as our in-town car that a 2500 km trip would be good for it. And it had been a reliable little thing all its life as it did not have the dreaded PowerShift, just a normal 5 speed with a clutch and a gear lever.
(Updated 9/30/2026) I’ve been wondering when one of these would show up at the Cohort, and thanks to LeSabretoothTiger, it finally has. And now that it’s here, I’m a bit unsure as to what to say about it. All I can come up with is: Why? Read the rest of this entry »
(Updated 9/30/2026) In the fall of 1983, Honda dropped a bombshell. The new generation of Civics were not only all-new and highly advanced, but there were four completely unique and distinct bodies. Nobody had ever done something like this before. It was an automotive milestone. And one of those four was something utterly unique and unexpected: a two seat sports coupe; essentially a fixed-roof sports car, at a highly affordable price. It was simply the best combination of performance, handling, quality, economy and price then and perhaps ever.
Having just found this CRX survivor on the street as well as having Road and Track’s review at hand, I’ll combine the two together for a combination CC/Vintage Review. This car deserves all the accolades that both I and R&T can muster. Starting with the first words in their review: “Mind-boggling. Simply mind-boggling”.
Welcome to part two (of three), as we meander through the classics I bumped into over the summer in Tokyo and elsewhere. In this present instance, we have a gorgeous 1958 Chevy Stepside Pickup truck with Swiss plates. Which makes sense, as I photographed it in the Canton or Fribourg in Switzerland.
Text by Patrick Bell.
The post World War II era brought many changes to the U.S. auto manufacturers. It was especially rough on the independents, with some long time companies fading away. The focus today is on the products of those independent companies; with what they had to offer in a very competitive market. Let’s take a look.
After twelve years of motoring, Citroëns were the only cars that I’d owned (bar a year with a Ford Escort as my first company car). By the summer of 1992, we had the Ami Super and 2CV Van, my wife Janice had her Citroën BX GTi and the Citroën D Super 5 had gone away for bodywork repairs. The recession in my consultancy was worsening, so my company run Citroën CX had been traded for a surplus BX GTi because that would be cheaper (it wasn’t, it was a dog of a thing), but it was becoming clear I needed to change direction. I hatched a plan with a client who had taken in consultancy work of his own and on 1st September 1992 we launched our new business under the umbrella of his former employer’s development company. Leaving the Citroën BX GTi to be someone else’s problem, I needed new wheels: it was time for a complete change.
The early ’60s bucket seat craze centered on two-door coupes, hardtops, and convertibles, but buckets were offered on some four-door models as well. For 1963 and 1964, Ford expanded its sporty Galaxie 500/XL line to include a four-door hardtop complete with buckets and a “Thunderbird-inspired command console.”
(Updated 9/29/2026) It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Chrysler’s C-body full-sizers, particularly the first generation, built from 1965 until 1968 (and more controversially, the second generation), but as a lover of four-door hardtops, the sight of this particular Polara, captured by Triborough, provided a double dose of excitement. Built as its popularity ebbed (something not really resolved by the 1969 restyle), this car is less common than its rivals GM and Ford, not to mention its two-door and convertible sisters which are more frequently preserved. So even a mangy example like this one brings a smile to my face, which is fitting for what amounts to the rascally dog of the era’s full-size cars.
(Updated 9/29/2026) It was wonderful to take my first days off from work this year the week of Labor Day Monday. Before this happened, that little break from work was something I didn’t even realize would do me that much good. It’s odd for me to think about not having taken any form of transportation for over six months, but a true blessing of living where I do is that I can travel on foot to most places I need to go. This year, unlike those prior, there were no end-of-summer barbecues. The beaches were still closed, though many parks were still open. I miss many friends. I had taken time off from work not because I was particularly out of sorts or feeling overworked, but simply because they were available.
It’s that time of the year again, another round-up of cars that were briefly encountered by yours truly over the past three months. This edition will be noticeably lighter than usual, as I was traveling in early July (Thailand) and all of August (Europe), plus September was a complete washout in Tokyo – worst weather I’ve experienced since I moved here. Most cars in this section were still found in Asia, except a couple, like this Honda Prelude caught in Switzerland.
