Affordable Classics

Have I Got a Smokin’ Deal for You. {vsig}2008-4_2153{/vsig} When pundits ponder why diesel cars failed in the U.S., the infamous engines built by Oldsmobile from 1978 to 1985 come to mind instantly. Critical engineering flaws, consumers who ignored strict maintenance schedules, and the handicap of a casually water-logged diesel supply turned the cackling diesels…

The 2-liter is really the car to have, as it transforms the 914 from an also-ran into a car capable of out-running a TR6 {vsig}2008-3_2140{/vsig} By the late 1960s, it was apparent the 912 was no longer the answer to Porsche’s need for a lower-cost, higher-volume model. High production costs and currency issues had forced…

Cadillac had a tough task in replacing its first front-wheel-drive Eldorado, the Bill Mitchell-designed model of 1967-70. Although gigantic, this first-gen front-driver was, like its stablemate the Oldsmobile Toronado, quite beautiful. Its successor, built from 1971 to 1978, was simply large. But the second-gen did have one advantage over its predecessor- it was available as…

The Plus 8 offers something in the Allard J2 vein, with way too much power for its antediluvian chassis, but with a dash of British style {vsig}2008-1_2113{/vsig} If Scotchman William “Braveheart” Wallace had been alive in the late 20th century, he probably couldn’t have resisted the broadsword of sports cars, the Morgan Plus 8-even though…

The Maratona edition was referred to as the “Marijuana” edition, in reference to what Alfa must have been smoking at the time {vsig}2007-11_2084{/vsig} For many Alfisti (our esteemed Publisher included), the saga of Alfa Romeo in the U.S. effectively ends after 1967, when emission controls began to sap their essential “Alfa-ness.” Having driven his ’65…

These are truly small cars. Anyone larger than 5’9″ driving one looks like a trained circus bear in a parade The early ’60s were the golden age of the British sports car. The British Motor Corporation (BMC) aimed to have a product for every possible driver. MG dealers were clamoring for a car smaller and…

Even rubber-bumper MG prices have left Betas in the dust, though its DOHC engine was designed by Aurelio Lampredi of Ferrari fame {vsig}2007-9_2063{/vsig} For most collectors, the Lancia story effectively ends if not with the Fiat takeover in 1969, then certainly with the end of Fulvia production in 1976. The Beta-introduced in Europe in 1972…

The first Lagondas used red LEDs that failed with alarming regularity, but the CRTs that replaced them cost a fortune to repair {vsig}2007-8_2026{/vsig} Every so often, British industry has an epiphany and produces something truly groundbreaking. While perhaps not as significant as the introduction of radar or disc brakes, the Aston Martin Lagonda-along with the…

How the mighty have fallen. In 25 years, most expensive cars depreciate, but few cars as significant as the original Audi Coupe Quattro (Ur-Quattro from the German for “original”) have so utterly disappeared both in value and visibility from the marketplace. Although Audi was not the first to offer an all-wheel-drive sport coupe-Jensen briefly offered…