Not every car is destined to be a success. Those that do succeed commercially, however, may not do so across the board. Ford’s first Taurus, for example, was available with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission. This model was called the MT-5. It lingered on price lists for three model years before getting the ax and, suffice it to say, despite there being no sales figures available it was most assuredly a flop. Automotive history is full of curious oddities like this manual Taurus, cars that were rare in their day and all but extinct now. Because these cars are so exceedingly rare we may never get to photograph them by the curbside, so let’s acknowledge them now.
Speaking of the Taurus MT-5 first, though: Did you know it was supposed to be a sporty model? Ford advertised it as having a “taste of performance”, despite its lowly 2.5-liter four. This four was an upsized version of the 2.3 “High Swirl Combustion” four introduced in the Tempo/Topaz twins. Performance was hardly breathtaking, with 88 hp and 130 ft-lbs. Perhaps the “taste of performance” was simply the availability of a manual transmission and a tachometer? There were certainly no visual clues: other than a small badge, the MT-5 resembled any other Taurus. The MT-5 wagon was axed for 1988; the sedan followed in 1989.
American Motors in the 1980s resembled a contemporary TV action star. No, it wasn’t the effortlessly cool Thomas Magnum; rather, AMC utilized its available parts like MacGyver would in a bind. Crippled by a lack of development capital and dwindling market share, AMC cobbled together the all-wheel-drive Eagle sedan and wagon using Jeep off-road mechanicals and Concord bodies, the latter of which dated back to the Hornet of 1970. Feeling two- and four-door sedans and a wagon didn’t make for a comprehensive enough lineup, AMC decided to Eagle-ize the Spirit Kammback and liftback for 1981.
While the wagon dominated the Eagle’s sales tallies and would be the last body standing at the line’s demise in 1988, the sporty-looking, Spirit-derived SX/4 would actually outsell it for 1981 and come only second in sales for 1982. What of the cute Kammback, though? Just 6,123 units would be produced over two model years. These little hatches may have been over 200 lbs lighter and more fuel-efficient, as well as almost $2K cheaper than the two-door, Concord-derived sedan, but they made little appreciable impact. You can’t blame it on performance inferior to the bigger Eagles, because these “Series 50” Eagles had the same hoary old GM Iron Duke (82 hp, 125 lb-ft) or 4.2 inline six (114 hp, 210 lb-ft) as the Eagle-ized Concords. Undoubtedly, it was simply the niche appeal of having such a cramped cabin but the additional weight and cost of all-wheel-drive.
The fuel crises of 1973 and 1979 were still fresh on everyone’s mind during the 1980s and CAFE targets were a source of concern too for automakers doing business in America. GM, with the largest amount of development capital of the Big 3, invested both in four-cylinder engines and smaller V6s, but also diesel engines. We all know how the Oldsmobile V8 diesel story goes, though: Corners cut led to poor reliability and a buying public soured on diesels. Ford dipped its toes in the diesel well too, though, although with considerably less development capital and goodwill squandered in the process.
The Lincoln Mark VII and Continental were both available in 1984-85 with a BMW-sourced 2443 cc turbodiesel engine. Anywhere between 500 and 1300 Mark VIIs were so equipped, making these extremely rare. Performance was hardly breathtaking from the 115 hp, 155 lb-ft six, with a 0-60 of 13 seconds. Performance was ever so slowly starting to creep back into American cars, and there had certainly been slower diesels on the market, so this wasn’t too disappointing. Contemporary reviewers were pleasantly surprised at the smooth operation of the diesel, which lacked the roughness and clatter so common in diesels of the time. Under EPA mileage figures of the time, the diesel also represented a full 10 mpg improvement in combined mileage; the diesel was a $1,200 option at the time. While these may not be valuable now, they’re certainly an intriguing curiosity and carry the same virtues of style, feature content and refinement as other Mark VIIs.
It is unknown if the Continental TD was more common at the time as there appear to be no production or sales figures. One wonders if the diesel was a more natural fit for a conventional sedan, given the availability of Electra and Ninety-Eight diesels, and thus the Continental TD outsold the Mark VII TD. It also begs the question: Which is more common now? Is it the Mark VII, due to its more glamorous styling and stronger reputation? One thing’s for sure: if any of you get a chance to drive one–or if you have driven one–please educate us on what it is like to pilot a diesel-powered Lincoln.
And right in my neighborhood too!
Spotting a running Chevrolet Vega nowadays is a rarity unto itself. Despite over 2 million Vegas being produced, these cars were notoriously unreliable and often poorly built, as well as being just as prone to rust as other cars of the era. Additionally, these were cheap subcompacts and thus quite disposable. In the unlikely event that you spot a Vega at a classic car show, it’s probably going to be a Cosworth Vega, with its aluminium engine and electronic fuel injection. Maybe, if you’re lucky like me, you might spot a bare-bones hatchback in mystifyingly good condition. But a Vega LX? Or a Vega Cabriolet? Nah….
The Vega LX came first in 1974, and was supposed to be the most luxurious Vega; it used the cheapest Vega bodystyle, the notchback, as a base. Of course, luxury at the time meant a vinyl roof, body side moldings, full wheel covers, more luxurious (“Custom”) interior trim, sport steering wheel and an electronic clock. You also got additional sound insulation, but there was apparently an even more luxurious “Special Custom” interior available on other Vegas. Some luxury model! As the Vega generally sold on price, the LX sold in comparatively small volumes. With just 1,255 units produced, the 1975 LX would appear to be the lowest volume Vega ever, even lower than the Cosworth.
There’s not much more to say about the Cabriolet, other than it has a deceptive name. The roof was not retractable, nor was there any kind of standard moonroof, nor does it even look like a cabriolet-style vinyl roof! Instead, there was a half-vinyl roof and faux opera windows. Tastelessness aside, a Vega Cabriolet would be a better buy than an LX simply because of the durability improvements made to the Vega’s aluminium 2.3 four for ’76. However, the custom interior was not standard and as for those European-style amber turn signals out back? Yeah, they didn’t flash. The Vega Cabriolet was all hat and no cattle.
The Estate GT is a little bit cooler, in a perverse kind of way. Combining the sports suspension of the GT and the faux-wood siding of the Estate, this was a curious little beast. It’s debatable how well that combination goes together, but Vega wagons were easily one of the most attractive subcompacts of the 1970s.
The Vega nameplate may have been dead after 1977, but the car would linger on for a few more years. The Monza rode atop the same H-Body platform but featured an entirely different body, at least in 2+2 and Towne Coupe variants. The Monza wagon and Sunbird Safari would simply be Vega wagons with different noses, sold until 1979 and with optional V6 power, but there was another Vega ghost haunting Chevy lots. The Monza “S” hatchback was sold only in 1978 and only 2,326 units and seemingly only one official photograph were produced. The only differences between the Monza S and its predecessor were new badges and a different grille and steering wheel. Given Chevrolet had previously used the “S” name on a price-leader Monza a few years prior and the external differences were so minimal, the 1978 Monza S seems like exactly the kind of car that wasn’t noticed then and has been completely forgotten now.
Curbsiders, have you ever seen one of these rarities in the metal? Would you care to see more rarities featured, and are there any that come to mind?
I saw a ’78 Monza S on ebay about two years ago. It was in Arizona, and I thought about it for a microsecond. 🙂
Over time I have seen two or three Taurus MT-5 models, but all were sedans. The wagon would be a true odd-duck.
Long ago I had heard of the diesel Mark VII, but have never seen one. The diesel Conny is a new one for me.
You have really intrigued me with this subject; these oddities are truly delicious morsels.
Didn’t the first-year Taurus MT-5 have a slotted nose panel? Not all the way across like a full grille, but a rank of narrow slots running up either side of the panel with the Ford badge? Or am I making that up?
That was the police spec cars that got the grille with the slots to increase air flow during extended idling.
The police grill in ’91 had 6-7 vertical slots on each side of the Oval.
The ’86 prototype grill had 4 vertical (larger) slots in the middle and larger holes.
I very nearly bought an MT5 wagon in 1987. Manual wagons had an attraction to me even then. Howver my (at the time) aversion to 4 doors was even stronger though, so I ended up with a Fox body mustang instead (sadly only the 4 though as I was too cheap to pay for the insurance on an 8).
Me too…I remember test driving an MT5 wagon probably around this same time…my friends were incredulous, why would anyone get a manual in a wagon…but I was (am) a hatchback fan, and also like manual transmissions (haven’t owned anything but that combo since 1981). Instead I ended up getting an ’86 GTI but wonder whether I would have liked the MT5. My father later ended up buying 3 Mercury Sables in a row (Automatics of course).
I was actually responsible for the sale of one MT-5. I worked with an attorney who asked me what I would buy if I wanted the biggest yet cheapest 4 door car I could find with air conditioning as the only mandatory option. I remembered the Taurus MT-5, and after I suggested it, darned if he didn’t go out and find one and buy it. It even had an AM/FM radio. Utterly boring and forgettable car, white with gray interior. Another guy at the office had a loaded black Taurus with sunroof and leather, so I got to experience the complete range of the early Taurus during lunchtime drives.
I am not sure I have ever seen an MT-5 wagon. The other choices were around, but just sort of went away through attrition.
The MT-5s used SHO-like Window Surrounds unlike the rest of the Taurii.
Having owned a Mustang with the 88 HP 2.3, I can’t imagine a wagon with that drivetrain. What an awful idea.
I had the Pinto with that vibrating Lima and 4-sp. It was soooo far behind everything else on the market in terms of refinement. But, I got 6 years and 130k miles of poor gas mileage with it…..
Wasn’t the “Pinto/Lima” 1970s 2.3 different from the 1980s “HSC” 2.3 that showed up in Tempo/Topaz (and then Taurus, briefly)? (Thank you, collective wisdom.)
I did have a friend with a very early MT-5 Taurus. For those of us used to 70s low-hp cars, it wasn’t THAT awful on on-ramps, etc.; he reported pretty darned good mileage on cruises, and put way over 100K on the car without major troubles, IIRC.
Very different: the Pinto engine was originally a Ford Köln SOHC design, while the HSC was based on the ca. 1960 OHV Falcon 6. The HSC’s main advantage, so far as I know, was logistical, in that they could re-use existing tooling, instead of having to increase Pinto-engine production capacity. Nothing much for Marketing to brag about.
Some say the HSC was reliable, which I won’t dispute, but it seemed hardly an improvement on the decade-older Lima. For comparison, the ’83 Camry had an injected SOHC four; no wonder Ford was scared of Toyota by the ’90s.
I’ve seen plenty of Ford Taurus and Mercury Sables, but I’ve never seen one that had 5 spd manual transmission. I read that it was available on the Taurus, if not the Sable.
It always makes sense to have a tachometer with a manual trans., esp. with an engine as underpowered for its size as the HSC. This was one of Ford’s persistent problems back then, a seeming inability or unwillingness to develop state-of-the-art engines. It took years for them to close the tech. gap with Japan, so the best you could say about the Vulcan, for example, was that it was reliable, a trade-off one didn’t need to worry about with Honda or Toyota. Even the Duratec was outsourced to Porsche; is Ford really that clueless in engine design?
As an example of how pathetic they were, I remember Tempo sales literature boasting about the HSC’s oilpan.
“This was one of Ford’s persistent problems back then, a seeming inability or unwillingness to develop state-of-the-art engines.”
That is true. Eric Taub mentioned this in his book about the “Taurus, the car that saved Ford”. The Vulcan was the first new engine in a long time.
The HSC while sharing the basic architecture of the Falcon 6 it did have some state of the art features for its time. That structural cast oil pan that bolts to the transmission to increase rigidity and lower NVH is something that was copied by many manufactures later on. The High Swirl Chamber was also state of the art for carburated or central fuel injected engines and EFI wasn’t that common when the 2.3 HSC was introduced.
The modular series engines were also state of the art and introduced many features that other manufactures later adopted. Cracked cap connecting rods are now very common as is teflon coated piston skirts and the first mass market applications of that technology was the modular. Crank triggered wasted spark was also very uncommon before the modular and the EDIS, (Electronic Distributorless Ignition System) from used on the Modular was the first application of of Multiple Spark Discharge ignition in a factory application.
The Duratec was not outsourced to Porsche, Porsche had started developing it for their own use, decided not to use it and put the partially developed engine up for sale. Ford saw a bargain, picked it up on the cheap and finished developing it. They ended up redoing the valve train from the old school DAMB (Direct Acting Mechanical Bucket) lifters as used by VW/Audi/Porsche for ages, first to hydraulic versions and then going to RFF (Roller Finger Followers) for reduced friction. Ford then added Variable Valve Timing. So Ford brought it up to state of the art from the old school engine that Porsche had designed.
I suppose all the swirl & rigidity warranted rave reviews & a Ten Best Engine listing, but where are they?
It does have another distinction: it was the 1st domestic 4-cyl Ford engine design since the Model A. But maybe you can contradict me here, too, like you did on the Duratec (my bad).
I should say Ford deserves more credit for the Modular, but given their financial addiction to RWD large vehicles, this makes more sense, in addition to their history with V8s.
The Lima certainly could be considered a domestic 4cyl. Yes it shares the basic architecture, though not actual dimensions with the German sourced “Pinto 2.0”. Personally I do not understand why they essentially reverse engineered the Lima rather than build a US line for the German OHC and maybe made some detail changes instead of starting from scratch. The Lima did add hydraulic lifters and a different intake port configuration to achieve better fuel mixture distribution but the block was essentially the same although different from the German engine. Certainly it would have been cheaper to just design a new head.
My question is what is the significance of it being domestically designed and/or produced? Ford is a global company and it doesn’t make sense not to use an engine produced by one subsidiary just because it isn’t designed/produced by the same country as the car is.
Many would say that the Vega would have been better if GM had put one of their tried and true foreign 4cyl engines in it and not tried to create a new technologically advanced engine from scratch.
The MT5 is indeed a rare bird and it seems that Ford really did not want to sell many of them.
They were priced several hundred dollars over a L model Taurus wagon and sedan with V6 and only about $200 less then a well optioned V6 GL. As for the sporty 4 cylinder, well I have driven one and it was slow(hell the V6 barely motivated the Taurus to go let alone an I4.)
Here’s a brand new oddity available today”
http://www.normreevesford.com/new-cars/2014-ford-fusion-4dr-sdn-se-fwd-v1877995/
–A 2014 Ford Fusion Eco-Boost with 6-sp MANUAL. Get it while you can! Most Ford dealers don’t know this was ever offered.
I saw one of these on the lot when car shopping last fall. Truly a rare find.
That’s a descendant of this Ford Taunus 1.6 L with a 4 speed manual, 73 hp. In this case the letter L stands for a Ford trim level back then. “Luxe” I guess, but it really wasn’t…
Most manuals have 6 speeds these days.
Look:
Fasten your seatbelts !
Nice write up. I did experience the joy of a 71 Vega Fastback, 4 speed and optional 2 BBL engine. Puke green in and out. Had it for about a year, bought it cheap, put almost new used take off tires off the Recycler (remember that)? and other then a water pump and T belt she served me well for about a year. It did overheat when the pump failed and had less power after I replaced it and the belt so I sold it for $100.00 more then I paid for it, and that covered the tires and pump expense. I too have always thought a BMW Diesel Lincoln would be an interesting car to own. I remember a C/D write up on one, and I did see an example at a car show years ago. The Taurus 5 speed 4 cylinder must sound better on paper than in real life as other posters have stated from their experience. Back in the day I used to see a fair amount of Eagles running around, another car I always had an interest in. Guess I like to root for the underdog!
I seriously considered a Vega wagon – in yellow w/saddle tan interior if I decided to stay in the air force. Fortunately, I came to my senses and didn’t buy the Vega AND got out of the service! However, the wagon was THE Vega to own, at least for me. A buddy had a brown Vega GT – now that was a fun car!
How about a Dart Lite/Feather Duster? I had a 1976 Dart Lite w/Hurst 4 speed manual. The 4th gear was overdrive. 225 slant six. Beautiful car, but the slowest thing on the road – I believe a VW bus could outrun me!
Before we bought our 1981 Reliant, we also considered an AMC Spirit, but wisely moved on to Chrysler at the time.
Dad bought a brand new 74 Duster strippo, slant 6/3 on tree. Seat with about 1 inch of padding and rubber floor mat. Cheapo tires that were done at 10k miles. I put an AM/FM cassette in it, and later a floor shifter to replace the trouble prone column linkage. It looked like a forest service car in the same mint green color. I think it was about $2500 brand new. It served him well, a feather duster with a four speed would be a cool car to own. He put lots of miles on that car, eventually Mom decided she didn’t want to drive such a basic car and he replaced it with a trouble prone 79 Volare that was loaded to the gills but was equipped with slant 6. That car was not so great, but was nice looking. The Duster had decent power, but the Volare was really underpowered, a 318 would have been a much better choice for that car.
The “upgraded” instrument cluster on the Taurus MT-5 was simply a matter of parts-bin engineering. It was the cluster from the Mercury Sable. The upgrade includes the trip odometer, standard on the Sable.
I drove a 1987 Taurus MT -5 sedan. No, thanks. While the 1986 Taurus Vulcan V6 was no runner, it was pretty peppy for its day, while the MT-5 was molasses-slow despite its ManualTransmission-5speed.
It could have been a car with a taste of performance. The turbo bits of the 2.3 L engine should bolt on with little modification.
The turbo 2.3 is a totally different engine, the one in the Taurus is based on the ancient Ford inline six.
At the height of the second gas crunch in the late 70’s or early 80’s?, a co-worker bought a AMC Spirit hatchback.
It had a four cylinder engine of some sort, and a floor mounted 3 or 4 speed manual transmission. To me a strange car as it was akin to the Gremlin and Eagle hatchbacks ,but without any of the Gremlin’s appeal, or the Eagles 4 wheel drive usefulness.
I think that four cylinder, in the AMC line, engine was sourced from VW/Audi. I remember reading that it was the same engine also used in the Porsche 924.
I spent an hour or so researching the Taurus MT-5 yesterday for no apparent reason, and now you post this. What great timing…
I might take a look at the few 1st gen Tauruses around here to see if any have a clutch pedal.
It’s in a slightly different socio-economic class, but a neighbor is selling his AWD, 6 cylinder wagon. With a manual trans, no less. No, not an Eagle, but a BMW 535xi. I suspect not many MT-6 535xi wagons were sold, and it should be worthy of a CC in 2040 or so. By the way, I remember the Taurus MT-5, and the Vega-Monza, but despite owning a Vega from ’76 to ’80, I have no recollection of the Vega Cabriolet. Certainly a misnomer, but really no more so than the decidedly fixed-roof Monza Spyder.
My Curbside Classic rarity list. These are some of the cars I have not seen in at least a decade:
1) Fox body baby Ford LTD
2) Sterling
3) 1985-1986 Pontiac Grand Am
4) First generation Hyundai Excel
5) Yugo
6) 1982-1986 J car…especially an Oldsmobile Frienza
7) 1983-86 Honda Accord
8) Renault Alliance
9) Mitsubishi Galant Sigma
10) 1988 Lincoln Continental
One more..Ford Tempo AWD
Our local priest had a Tempo AWD in the early 90s. He was in charge of two parishes that were about 10 miles apart over state highways that could be in various states of being plowed during Ohio winters and the parishioners themselves lived on everything from state highways to one lane township roads.
I always thought it was rather appropriate for his assigned mission.
I knew a priest with a similar mission. His vehicle of choice: A red 90’s Subaru wagon which he also took skiing in Vermont.
Even rarer than the fox LTD is the Canada-only Marquis LTS, which was a twin of the LTD LX. I believe it was a 1985-only model. The one in this picture from British Columbia may be the only one left.
Wow…I never knew about these!
In Portland, Oregon there is an 86-89 Accord on my street and they are a rare sight around here.
Also on my street is a Cavalier with two square headlights.
I might have seen one of those Fords, Hyundais, Renaults, and Pontiacs, at some point but not sure. The rest do not ring a bell.
’86 to ’89 Accords are rare in Portland? Peculiar. There are still quite a few around Richmond (one parks about 1/4 mile away from my house) and I even see an ’82-’85 example every now and again.
I have not seen an 82-85 in a very long time. Have not seen a first generation Accord since the 80’s!
Add the Renault Fuego to the list.
The Taurus wagon…what an odd little duck. There weren’t that many mid-sized MT wagons in the US at the time. The Quantum, the Volvos…I can’t remember if the Peugeot 505 did. The minivans did, of course, but what else was there?
Our last two family wagon haulers have had MTs: Mazda5 and Outback. Both were hard to find and service advisors tell us they don’t see any others with MTs. I keep wondering if our vehicles will end up on this web site in 20 years.
Insurance company I worked for had a couple hundred of the 2.5 litre Taurus’s. After the engines started blowing head gaskets, the fleet department quickly pulled it from the list of cars you could select. With 88 hp, the claims adjuster had their foot always planted on the gas pedal, and the engine rebelled.
Been looking at the Ford Transit Connect van; has a 2.5 litre 4 banger that makes 169 hp and 175 pound feet of torque. They’ve come a long way in 30 years; and this engine maintains the Ford tradition of always being 5 years behind the foreign engine designs. Ford pretty much stopped development on it back in 2010….
Compared to the Toyota 2AR-FE engine, it isn’t bad, but since that Duratec is really the Mazda L engine, it still shows that Dearborn keeps up only by outsourcing.
It is not “outsourced” when it was developed Mazda was controlled by Ford and they were charged with developing the larger 4cyls, for use across the Ford owned brands.
When the Toyota Previa was first launched, it could be had with a 5-speed manual. Very rare – a coworker ordered one, and I got to drive it a few times. The control of the stickshift helped get the most out of the (small) engine, and with the low centre of gravity and mid-engine balance the thing was surprisingly fun to drive. But, other than his, I have never seen another standard-transmission Previa – just slush boxes.
Come to think of it, the older Toyota Van was also (supposedly) available with a standard transmission. But an acquaintance grew so tired of waiting for one to show up at the dealership he went down the road an bought a Honda Accord.
My roommate had a 91 Previa 5-speed a few years ago and it was a blast to drive.
They actually had a 91-92 5MT all-trac (according to brochure….never seen one). That has to be a rare bird.
Similarly, there was a Corolla all-trac sedan for one year around then too. Maybe even a Camry all-trac w 5MT but I don’t want to push my luck.
There were a bunch of 4WD Japanese sedans in the late ’80s and ’90s, most of which never came to the U.S. Most were at least theoretically available with manual transmission.
Toyota certainly went all in with their AllTrac/4wd cars offering the Tercel, Corolla, Celica, Camry and Previa all in the US at one point or another. Of course most of them did not sell in big enough numbers to stick around. Personally I’m not sure why they haven’t brought at least some of them back. I guess they fear they would steal sales from the RAV4 (the spiritual successor to the Tercel 4wd wagon) and Highlander. It seems like the Camry would be worthwhile, Ford keeps offering the Fusion in AWD guise so it must sell enough.
I grew up in a 1988 Corolla 4wd (pre-AllTrac branding) wagon, with a stick. They existed!
A friend in college had a Camry All-Trac. Hers was an automatic though. Very unusual car–I don’t think I’ve seen another since (this was in 2000 or 2001).
There is a 4WD and a five speed one for sale here. Just needs a supercharger!
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/lethbridge/1991-toyota-previa-4wd/1051274275?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
The BMW diesel in the Lincoln–would I be right in thinking that that was the engine from the BMW 525td?
ISTR from a Road & Track test of the Ford Granada that it was theoretically available with the 2.3-liter Pinto 4. I like being able to get out of my own way, thank you.
324td and 524td. The 525td came later, with just a few more cubic centimeters.
The Vegas are the high point here. They may have been poorly built, but they had style. I usually see 3-4 Vegas at our weekly car show, but they all have V8s. I saw a homebuilt V8 Vega blow a brand new ’04 Corvette completely off the track at the local dragstrip. I don’t think the Vette driver even stopped to pick up his time slip, he just drove right out the front gate. The Vette was yellow, I’ll bet this guy”s face was several shades of red. I believe the Vega ran in the mid nines.
I remember the Monza 2+2 hatchback well. It was built worse than the Vega. The doors weighed about 200 pounds, and quickly bent the hinges. My favorite Vega was the GT hatchback, with rally wheels and RWL tires.
I think the big thing with the Taurus was the SHO model. I don’t know how many were made, or how well they sold but I think they were the first to tout a FWD 4 door as a high performance car, and actually back it up with some performance
The Monza doors didn’t bend the hinges, they just wore out the bushings. That was the way of all GM doors in the 1970’s; the Monzas, Firebirds, and Camaros just wore out their bushings faster than the four-doors and pickups.
My brother-in-law who refused to spend any money on any car that would still move itself kept on driving his Vega after the driver’s door bushings fell out from wear so that he actually had to lift the door several inches to close it.
Apparently, this didn’t get solved too quickly. A good friend had a mid-80s Beretta, about 10 years old. She opened one of the doors one day, and it simply fell off.
In early 08 the driver door fell off a classmate’s really tired 87 Corsica. I think a few friends kind of ran the door into its opening and kicked it into place.
I have a vague recollection that there was a recall on these cars for weak door hinges.
Knew a fair number of people that owned Corsicas or Berettas back in the day – they all seems quite happy with them at the time.
Oh, there we go http://www.arfc.org/autos/chevrolet/beretta/recalls/000005718000001467000000278/recall.aspx They list a recall for ’88 models as well.
I recently saw a post on a Saturn forum by a guy who has a 4-cylinder Saturn L wagon with 5-speed stick–the Saturn counterpart of the Taurus MT-5.. He thinks it’s pretty rare. I imagine he’s right.
Oh yeah, that’s definitely a rare one… and it’s got the same exact type of appeal as a Taurus MT5 wagon plus roughly 50HP.
For all the non-Americans, we’re talking about a weirder looking version of the Opel Vectra B here:
There’s a popular gear swap on those Saturn 5 speeds, it makes 5th a really tall gear for great mpgs. I guess the swap is easy too, just pull off the side cover & swap the outside gears.
I always liked the looks of those Saturn L-series wagons, at least the higher-trim versions. These first ones with the mail slot grille, not the later ones with the larger headlamps and huge honeycomb grille. I don’t know why, there isn’t much else appealing about them, and they’re rare–but I like them anyway.
I had a ’86 taurus MT-5. It was slow but that didn’t bother me. The big problem was rust. And the water pump. And the starter. Mileage was about 25 MPG in daily driving. It was nice and comfortable though.
I currently have a ’14 Fusion with the 1.6 Ecoboost and 6-speed manual. Excellent handling, excellent mileage. Sweet shifter. No turbo lag. Just a great car.
Wow, you’ve owned 2 unicorns.
The EcoBoost/6-speed Fusion is a sweet car, I could definitely see myself driving one of those. I remember hearing that they stopped offering that option for 2015, so that also makes yours one of the last regular, midsize sedans available with a stick shift. The only ones left are the Accord, Mazda6 and Passat.
Wow indeed!
My family had one of these. It was an 86 sedan in a maroon color. It was pretty well optioned. It had power windows, mirrors, A/C, and a 4-speaker stereo with cassette deck. It also had some options that weren’t common for the time like a two-way sun visor that also had an extension that pulled out toward the rear view mirror. It lasted until about 1992, when we replaced it with a Mazda 626 DX. On the positive side, the car did get very good mileage, which isn’t surprising considering the low coefficient of drag along with the weak engine. On the negative side, it was totally unreliable. Among other things that went wrong, their was some kind of catastrophic failure with the steering that required replacing the rack. I think that might have been my fault as I drove it home after the power steering failed. At any rate, that was the last American car that anyone in my family owned. It’s unfortunate, but it only takes one bad experience to scare someone away for a long time.
One other thing about this car that was ridiculous was that it had the traditional American car placed foot pedal parking brake. In cars with the parking brake next to the shift lever, there is at least a visual reminder to set the brake when you turn off the car. One time, I was parked in a fairly flat parking lot and went in to a store. When I came out the car was about 100 feet away across the parking lot. It must have slowly rolled over there since I forgot to leave it in gear or set the brake and came to rest at some part of the lot where there was a very slight upward grade. Luckily it was in sort of a dying shopping center where there weren’t other cars around or else it would have hit one of them.
Even by the standards of the day, that Taurus would probably have been pokie. I drove a 95 with the Vulcan 3.0 for many a mile and it was actually a very nice driving car, but pokie, particularly on mountain interstates. Full throttle at interstate speeds delivered a lot of noise, a little more power, and really bad fuel economy. Much better in flat country. A good car, nonetheless. It was a work vehicle and I actually looked at buying a new Taurus several times back then, but they were always too expensive when depreciation was accounted for.
For some odd reason I always thought the V6’s and automatics were standard on the wagon’s and optional on the sedans, I have never seen a manual/4 cylinder equipped Ford Taurus wagon before.
Here’s another oddity that nowadays is not seen anymore; a 1965-68 C-body Plymouth 2-door sedan. Someone posted a pic on facebook of a 1967; this was the first photo of one that I’ve seen in years. Years ago there was a light metallic blue 1965 Plymouth 2-door behind a barn that I could see from the highway, and I thought several times about going and looking at it, but then it disappeared…and it was the last one I’ve seen.
How about the Buick/Opel by Isuzu. Sold through Buick dealers from 1976 through 1979-80. After German Opel imports stopped after 1975. Buick dealers took the Isuzu Gemini, which was based on the same chassis as the Chevette (T-car) and called them Opels. They were sales duds. That car became the Isuzu I-Mark when Isuzu dealers started appearing in the US around 1981 (mostly in the west coast).
wow. a taurus wagon with a stick! that could get me thinking of a swap. wonder if that trannie could be mated to a 6 cylinder.
I don’t know why not. It would probably be simpler to use the engine and transmission from a manual transmission Taurus SHO.
Now, that would be neat!
If you didn’t want to go with the SHO trans and/or engine the Tempaz was available with a 5sp behind its Vulcan 3.0 but the V6 versions were pretty rare and hooked to a 5sp was even rarer. I believe the trans was beefed up for V6 duty in the Tempaz. The HSC and FWD Vulcan blocks do share the same bellhouisng pattern but you’d need the right flywheel because those don’t interchange between the HSC and Vulcan.
I remember hearing about a number of Mercury Sable wagons that had been modified with SHO drivetrains back in the ’80s. This might be one of them:
http://jalopnik.com/this-1987-sho-equipped-mercury-sable-is-asking-5-000-1608266369
Then in the 2nd Gen (1992-1995), Ford apparently built some aluminum-bodied Sables with SHO drivetrains.
I had a 3rd Gen Sable wagon (Duratec) and thought about attempting a swap with an MTX75 gearbox from a New Edge Cougar or SVT Contour. Didn’t have the resources at the time for such an ambitious project.
Whoa, a Vega Estate GT? That is too friggen cool… never knew such a thing existed, reminds me of the faux-wood Caravans and Voyagers with the “turbo” script on the fenders. Sadly, I think it’s probably safe to say that the Estate GT is an extinct species at this point. Google turns up nothing except the brochure pic and a couple of newspaper classified ad archives from 1976. I’m impressed that you found a Vega in NY – the only ones I’ve seen in the last 20 years were either Cosworths (at car shows) or ridiculous tubbed dragsters.
I love the concept of the Taurus MT5, but that HSC engine is really such a turd. I’ve only experienced it via automatic transmission-equipped Tempos/Topazes, and I’m told it’s much less frustrating with a manual, but the Taurus is also substantially heavier. That said, if one of them came up for sale nearby and it was cheap, I’d almost definitely buy it just for the novelty.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a turbodiesel Lincoln, but they’re hard to differentiate from regular Lincolns. I know they still come up for sale online somewhat regularly, so even if there weren’t many built, it seems quite a few have survived. Wikipedia says 1,500 Continental TDs were built, but there’s no source for it. I’d love to have one of these, too – either one of them. I’ve always loved the Mark VII/LSC and although I’m not the biggest Fox Continental fan, the addition of a turbodiesel makes it a lot more interesting. Performance-wise, they’re probably not that far off from most contemporary (gas) V6s. The car this engine originally comes from, the BMW 524td, is a rare sight itself these days, although they were once pretty common. That was the only BMW diesel we’d ever got in the U.S. up until about a decade ago!
I used to frequent a Lincoln forum back when I owned the Mark VIII, and there was a collector in Philadelphia who had 7 or 8 Mark IVs and Mark VIIs. He purchased a VII turbodiesel at one point to add to his collection; IIRC he found it rather slow compared to the V8 cars, but he bought it for the rarity value. So there are a few out there
Since I quit my delivery driver job last summer I don’t get to see as many cars on a daily basis but back then, there was a black Taurus sedan MT-5 I’d see somewhat regularly with an elderly man behind the wheel.
And a few years back, I saw a pristine white Vega notchback around town for a few months and then it disappeared. I figured it was someone’s inheritance or something like that.
Have seen some odd duck cars recently…
In junkyards:
MINT grey 84 Olds Firenza four door. No rust at all. 27K miles. Hard front impact. Undoubtedly elderly owned and well kept for decades.
84(?) Renault Fuego Turbo. Sat under a tree for years, but complete. Since crushed.
Mitsubishi Galant Sigma. In bad shape, full of mold.
First gen Q45a w/ active suspension.
Olds Delta 88 and Buick Lesabre coupes from.the mid 80s, still with intact diesel drivetrains.
Buick Riviera Silver Arrow edition (one of the last 250 or so G-Body Rivs w/ L67 3800sc).
Final 500 Olds Intrigue.
One year only second gen Nissan Axxess. All power options, 5-speed. complete, clean, less than 100k miles, in shockingly good shape. For sale sticker still in rear window asking $850. Silver over blue cloth. Now gone, assumed crushed.
Acura SLX (Isuzu Trooper clone).
First gen Dodge Magnun coupe with flop up plexiglass headlight covers.
For sale:
84 Lincoln Continental diesel. Two tone grey, 80k, complete, inop. Warped head. Extra head included. I think the ad said one of 6000 produced.
94 BMW 535i V8 manual wagon. Guy wanted $800 or was scrapping. Was then registered, inspected and running, but had 200k+.
The continental may still be for sale in Lehighton, PA. It was on CL two weeks ago or so.
Almost forgot the early 90s Cutlass International Series missing emblems and painted two tone candy apple red over bass boat gold. all 4 original 5 spoke 16″ wheels with matching Continental tires. Rare wheel design.
I have on for the oddity file.
1973(only) chevelle ss WAGON!
never saw one but I remember hearing about it.
I saw one last year! It was at night, but I had to get a photo to prove that I actually had laid eyes on one. Rough shape, but it appeared to be the real thing:
Last year, I saw an unusual 1987 or so Subaru DL “3-Door Coupe” (Leone) in Pawtucket, RI. It used the same body as the already rare RX, but had sealed-beam headlights. Apparently, it’s so rare that the only Google image search reference I can find is a page from the 1987 Subaru brochure. It’s the only one I’d ever seen, and based on its rough condition, it’s probably the last one I’ll ever see.
Of and related to the Taurus: In highschool a buddy inherited his mother’s 1994 Topaz with the HSC engine and a stick. She had to special order it when new.
Nothing special order about a 4cyl 5sp Tempaz. Sure the dealer might not have had exactly what she wanted in stock, so she ordered one but it wouldn’t have been a “special order”
Pontiac astre lil wide track was a cool, extremely rare car. Based off the Vega, it looked like a mini trans am
The ’79-82 Crown Vic “S” models with the SINGLE headlights!
Alfa 33/Romano with rear-mounted transmission
Chevy Celebrity VR
Pontiac Phoenix 2-door (1979-1985)
1977-78 Riviera
Subie SVX
Toyota Tercel VE (C/D did a story on this stripped-down Tercel in ’95).
Plymouth Trail Duster/Ramcharger equivalent
Cadillac Fleetwood 1987 with the LV8/Y code 5.0 engine–the one with 170 hp, not 140 hp
A note about the MT5–it had SHO-like window surrounds/trim, not the normal black and chrome.
I own a 88 MT5. And a 94 Vulcan powered GL. I’ve thought about the swap. But I’m satisfied with the MT5 as is. It’ll outrun the Iron Duke powered cars. My current other DD is a 302 powered 79 T-Bird, so the MT5 doesn’t feel that slow to me.
Why do some MT5 have different windows than the other Taurii?