(Updated 11/11/2026) The appeal of cars ranges from the strictly emotional and subjective to the purely rational assessment of utility and cost. The French have a rather unique ability to combine the two. Some of the most compelling cars we’ve ever seen from them have been purely rational, but also highly innovative, unique and avant garde; like Europe’s first MPV, the Renault Espace. Read the rest of this entry »
(Updated 11/11/2026) It’s a bit late, but here’s a CC salute to all you veterans, in our typical fashion: a military vehicle CC. This gnarly adaptation of the Jeep Gladiator was called the M755, and built just between 1967 and 1969. And under its hood was something rather unexpected and seemingly much more European than American: a 3.8L SOHC alloy hemi-head inline six. Read the rest of this entry »
Some people are just not content with the basics. BMC created the Mini in 1959 to be as small as a four-seater could be – minimal in size, but highly advanced and ambitious in every other way. But of course, it was soon everywhere and rather bare-bones. In a class-obsessed society like the UK, that just couldn’t fly. Or so BMC thought.
The 1985 Indianapolis 500 was a thrilling event, with Danny Sullivan’s “Spin and Win” maneuver carrying him to victory circle for the first and only time in his career. Hollywood’s great motor-racing star James Garner drove the pace car in the event for the third and final time, but the pace car itself was not exactly as electrifying as the event or the highly esteemed Mr. Garner; however, a 13,000-mile pace car replica is always worth a closer look. This one recently sold on Bring a Trailer for $8,077.
Back in 1999 I’d picked sides in the World Rally Championship wars and that side was Mitsubishi. By 2004 the Evo VIII ruled and Ralliart would sell you an FQ400 with what seemed like more horsepower than you could shake a stick at. Memories of why I bought a Galant VR-4 and not an Evo VI still lingered. Apart from the price having gone up significantly, could I really live with something as focused as an Evo on a daily basis? In 1999 the answer had been ‘probably not’ and nothing had changed, an Evo was still a frenetic phenomenon. So I thought it might be time to try the other side. I traded the Porsche Boxster for a year old 2003 Subaru Impreza 2.0 Turbo World Rally Xperience Subaru Technica International Prodrive Performance Package 305 to give it its full title.
The full-size Chevrolet was America’s bestselling car in 1969, and the Impala accounted for the lion’s share of that, with production totaling about 777,000 cars (not including the cheaper Biscayne and Bel Air or the fancier Caprice). However, the factors that had made the big Chevy an American superstar were already slipping away. This oxidized but still intact survivor, wearing a Pennsylvania license plate, was captured by Hyperpack on the Curbside Cohort.
(Updated 11/10/2026) I would be willing to bet that there is no car that General Motors made more money on than this generation of Cadillac. For those under about the age of 40, when someone says Cadillac, this is the car that comes to mind. It should, because this was in constant production for about 16 years and in virtually this exact flavor for about 13. Nobody planned for this car to be around for so long, but just like the great old Vaudeville performers, the car kept coming out for one encore after another before finally leaving the stage.
(Updated 11/10/2026) Until 1984, the phrase ‘luxury car’ was largely used to described two very different types of vehicles in North America. The first was the traditional American luxury car, coming mainly from Cadillac and Lincoln. Predominately rear-wheel drive and V8-powered, these cars featured upright styling, soft suspensions, and touches including vinyl roofs, wire wheels, and loose-pillow style seating.
Last year my wife and I took a trip to Europe that covered several countries. In the previous entries we looked at France, Ireland and Malta. We shall finish off in Greece and Spain. This early Renault 5 was found in a dusty building in Athens and was a highlight, but far from the only unexpected find.
There’s a certain romance about the idea of going completely analog: Turn off the phones, read a book, take a hike, and set the points on your 1965 Plymouth Valiant. The 100 model. With a three-speed. And no radio. Yes, this Valiant’s original owner wanted virtually the cheapest new Mopar they could buy, and it has stayed pretty cheap; this one just sold on Bring a Trailer in Woburn, Massachusetts, for $3,800.
The Willys Tornado OHC six has to be the most unusual engine to find under the hood of a 1960s American pickup truck. I’ve been looking for one on streets here since…forever. Not only have I finally found one, but this Gladiator has two of them! Well no, they’re not both attached to the driving wheels; one is obviously a spare in the bed. Which is a good thing to have when your truck has one of these engines under the hood, as they are very unusual and parts are becoming rather scarce.
Thanks to my ’66 Jeep parked behind it, the two most unconventional American engine cylinder head types of the ’50s and ’60s are represented here: The Tornado 230 six with a race-car inspired OHC hemi head and the F-head Hurricane 134 Four. When it came to engines, Willys went its own way; a true independent.
(Updated 11/09/2026) Have you ever had an amazing dream? A dream that was equal parts awesomeness, fulfillment and a sensation that what you have done was the best thing ever done? Did you find out later that said dream was actually quite dumb? This “Small” Chrysler represented that for me. And I have no idea why.
(Updated 11/9/2026) I can’t decide if the Renault Alliance was really a bad car or if it was somehow broadly misunderstood, it certainly doesn’t get much respect even though it was very highly touted the first couple of years it was on offer. This particular one was brand new soon after I got my driver’s license and I know I had zero interest back then in getting to know one any closer. While they are nowadays extremely rare to find (although two seemed to be in the background of two different posts on CC this week!), this particular one was in the domestic section of the junkyard badged as an AMC. Which of course makes some sort of sense, seeing as how it was the pride of Kenosha, and built there as part of AMC’s alliance with Renault. Read the rest of this entry »
What do you get when you mix a very capable British sports car chassis with top-notch Italian coachbuilding? You’d have thought the answer might have been “success,” but if the Triumph Italia is anything to go by, “financial ruin” would be far more accurate. It wasn’t through lack of trying, though.
Text by Patrick Bell.
Camping has been a part of car culture for nearly as long as there have been cars. Today we are looking at a slice of that; people with luxury cars as a tow rig. Luxury cars were better tow cars in many ways than trucks of the day, and comfort was at the top of the list. We have campers and a few boats in many sizes, but the cars were all large and cushy highway cruisers, so let’s take a look.
