The automotive kingdom has, in theory at least, a wide variety of unicorns. With deer season looming for those of us in certain locales, let’s extend this hunting season to getting one of these unicorns.
Hey, both have four legs so that’s close enough.
I’ve long had a hankering to find a unicorn from the year of my birth. Perhaps that rationale is breathtakingly unimaginative and straightforward, but sometimes being unimaginative and straightforward quickly yields the best results. My grandfather says some of the best results he ever got while fishing was in 1945 when using hand grenades in the Rhine River. That’s pretty straightforward.
For an automotive unicorn I’m thinking about transmissions more than color, engine size, body style, or some combination thereof. Might a transmission make more unicorns than anything else? Perhaps; perhaps not.
At any rate, I’m thinking Mopar in this regard. Their willingness to do something atypical certainly exceeded that of others.
So here’s my unicorn – a 1972 Dodge Coronet. Yes, I’ve been itching to find any Coronet of this vintage for about three years and a recent post on a genetically modified one only made the itch worse. On the surface this era of Coronet is nothing extraordinary as tens of thousands were produced, but we’re talking unicorns among the Coronet herd.
See anything unexpected here? For a hint look at what one could have had bolted to a four-barrel 400 V8. Yes, Ma Mopar would sell you a four-on-the-floor in a Coronet sedan.
Were any made? If so, few. Why do I say there were likely actual examples of this theoretical unicorn?
www.barnfinds.com
This visually modified Coronet wagon was built with a factory four-speed and is claimed as being one of four produced this way. All were no doubt special ordered.
www.charleyconnoly.com
There are other unicorns, particularly when looking through the lens of transmissions. This ’78 Chrysler LeBaron has a factory four-speed.
And this 1970 Ford LTD was built with a three-on-the-tree. This video is either a love-it or hate-it affair. Speaking of three-speeds, in search for various unicorns I also found a ’70 Chrysler Newport convertible and a ’71 Ford LTD convertible, both with a factory three-speed on the column.
So what factory built unicorn would you like to find? What combination of engine, transmission, and body style is it? Bonus points if it’s within two years of your birth – I say this so we don’t have a bunch of brown, diesel powered, manual transmission wagons!
Someone found a late model Buick Lacrosse… IN PORTUGAL, today, and posted it to a Portuguese Facebook group (from where I took the pic) Pretty much a unicorn here
A 63 Galaxie with V8 and three speed / overdrive.
Oh, wait..
I may have a line on one of those.
But doesn’t he have to buy that one to write about it? 🙂
That would be ideal.
Since I was born in 1948, I’ll go for the bonus points with three Cadillacs, one from the year of my birth and two within two years of it: 1. 1948 Cadillac Sixty Special Sedan; 2. 1949 Coupe de Ville; 3. 1950 Series 61 (any body style) with a three-speed manual transmission. By the way, on the subject of unicorns, I have yet in my 70-years-to-date to see a 1949 Coupe de Ville. I imagine that most of them (at least the good ones) are presently in car museums. Without eligibility for the bonus points, I’ve never seen a 1953 Eldorado either. Although having been around many Cadillacs for a good part of my life, the above cars are a combination of unicorn/holy grail for me. Thanks for an uplifting article. Hope you find your unicorn soon! (That Coronet wagon would make one great keeper!)
Alfa Romeo 1750A Berlina with automatic gearbox…
Only 249-251 built, and perhaps none survived today.
Is a ’74 RHD 2000A Berlina close enough? About 2,200 autos made apparently, RHD Alfas are usually 10% of that. $2,800-odd USD….
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/malaga/cars-vans-utes/alfa-berlina-2000a-rare-105-series-sedan/1199683007
The dashboard and taillamps of 2000 Berlina don‘t do for me, but I would look into it. Thanks for the link!
Just turned 40, and honestly around here ANY car of that vintage is rare on the streets… but one car from around that time that always struck me was the basket-handled Torinobird. And in ’78 there was a Diamond Jubilee special edition with a landau vinyl top for Ford’s 75th anniversary. 18,994 were made.
http://automotivemileposts.com/tbird/tbird1978diamondjubilee.html
Being born in 1964, I’d look for a Corvair Rampside pickup. ’64 was the last year for pickups, with only 851 produced. I’m not even certain if any were made with the 110hp engine and 4-speed, but I’d like one.
We were on the subject of taxi cabs the other day and I wondered if I would ever find a Studebaker Econ-O-Miler cab. The pre-Lark models (like this 1958) shared the cheap trim with the Scotsman with the long wheelbase body of the President Classic. The Lark got an Econ-O-Miler too, one whose long wheelbase body begat the luxurious Lark Cruiser in 1961. What a great intersection between luxury and thrift.
I would also love to find something related to your Coronet: a duplicate of the strippo 6 cylinder 3 speed 74 Charger that my college roommate drove for a few years. There could not have been many of those built and there have to be something close to zero of them today. I can’t even find a picture of one online.
I’m afraid the ’58 Econ-O-Miler is an extinct unicorn, none have shown up in any condition in my thirty plus years as a member of the SDC. By the time those cars reached the end of their fleet service life by the late 1960’s at the very latest, they were only worth scrap value. No taxi company would think to save one. Time for someone to create a replica from a ’58 President sedan, Champion drivetrain and ancillary parts.
Of the 1,342 ’48-’49 22nd Series Packard lwb New York Type taxis built, one sole survivor is extant.
I just want to know what happened that manufacturers were willing to offer options (or in this case standard features) like manual transmissions or five different fully color-coordinated interior colors in the ’70s even if only a handful of customers wanted them, whereas now any combination of options 10,000 people aren’t likely to want is not available….
(sorry, I’m the king of the run-on sentence)
I suppose the manual-transmission oddball i’d be most delighted to find is one of those early-1971 GM full-sizers with a V8 and three-on-the-tree manual, especially if it’s a wagon. These were discontinued in mid-1971 due to very low take rate. Bonus points for not being a Chevy.
Profits, mostly, and also emissions laws.
It most surely doesn’t pay the engineering costs to design a floor-shift setup for a Coronet if there are only 4 takers. Or even a thousand. Or stock interior materials for a color that sells only 3% of cars. Et cetera.
The 70s was the beginning of the “sales bank” method of manufacturing. Instead of waiting for dealer orders, manufacturers were building cars they thought the dealers would want to stock. Dealers want to stock variants that are easy to sell, so that’s what manufacturers built.
Emissions laws come in to play when every engine/transmission/chassis combination has to be individually certified. If a particular combination only accounts for a small percentage of sales, certification adds massively to the per-unit cost.
The reason the four speed was available in the Coronet is that it shared almost everything with the Charger, except for the external body styling. The four speed was a must in the Charger, so there was no reason not to offer in the Coronet, as they both were built in the same factory. Easy-peasy.
That’s what annoys me about the modern setup – easy-peasy equipment combinations aren’t available because they’re only 3,000 might want one. I’m not talking about things that would require extra emissions certifications or crash tests. Just offering a manual transmission in anything but base-with-no-options spec, or safety features without having to buy top of the line.
Although almost everyone still allows special orders, they’ve become pointless. The build-everything-for-dealers setup we have now has led to 76% of cars (including trucks/vans/SUVS) being colorless greyscale (as of 2017) amongst other things. It’s not just your imagination that new cars are a sea of charcoal-hued drab.
The problem with the manual transmission dilemma is that those who really want one can go out and buy one. The problem is so few actually want a manual, it is really not worth the money to make it.
It’s all about money.
You can go out and buy one, yes, sometimes, firmly tethered to a penalty box option package. The only cars that have offered both a manual and automatic on all equal submodels are on sporty cars like the Mustang, and manual take rates consequently aren’t nearly as skewed.
I agree it’s all about money. It has bever been more obvious to customers that it’s all about companies making money by stripping variety from them. Consequently fewer and fewer drivers even know someone who has a car with a manual, let alone drove one, and if you don’t know how to operate it, why would you buy it? It’s a feedback loop killing manual transmissions, and manufacturers are accelerating the shift(no pun intended) by restricting them to base models.
Every VW Golf sold in Canada is available with a manual transmission. The dealers even stock them for people like me.
No, I can’t buy one. Manual transmissions are not even available for special order, at any price, in the vast majority of cars and trucks sold in the USA today, even in base models.
Cars are boring colors because of the blizzard of models. When Cadillac offered over 20 paint colors and interior color/material choices 50 years ago, the lions share of its volume was one model with either two or four doors, and a lot of the rest of the business was variations on the same shell.
’72 was definitely the year of earth tones. That Coronet color chart had FIVE shades of gold/tan, plus two avocado/moss greens.
That sentence is fine, la673. It’s long but it’s to the point. I can’t think of any clearer way of saying it.
1980-1982 Thunderbird or Cougar XR7 with the Recaro seat sport option. I have only seen the brochures with this very fish out of water option, but not one example in person or across the entire internet
Also in 1982, an Escort or Lynx with the leather and sheepskin seats, optional on GL or higher trim levels. I’ve never seen one outside of the brochure, including in photos.
Recaros were available in the 1979-1982-ish Mustangs and Capris. I had a set in my 1980 Capri Turbo RS. They were glorious!
I’ve had my sights on this unicorn for about 15 years. I drove one once – at a Denver stealership with which I could not get close to a deal. The do appear on BAT and elsewhere from time to time but serendipity has yet to happen.
It is the 1990 – 1992 Mercedes 300SL dogleg five speed manual. This is the R129 SL roadster. Of course most were 500SLs and all those were autos. Then there was the 300SL which had the M104 twin cam three litre inline six. This was much less popular and most were autos. But there were a very few of the 300SLs with manuals.
Don’t know if I would enjoy this with a manual as it is a heavy car and the inline six needs revs to perform. Americans back then liked V-8s with low end grunt and did not want to shift a Mercedes. But I would like to try it; they should not be too costly. Not many people know about these almost 30 year old Mercedes unicorns.
As I mentioned in a comment further down, the 5 speed was also available on the W124 300E, but the take rate was very low (in the US). I’d have to look it up, but I suspect it was dropped after a few years. I’ve yet to see one.
I thought about getting one when I got my 300E, but didn’t pursue it for several reasons, including that it would have made it impossible for Stephanie to drive.
There have been a few of these pop up on BaT. Very cool. I’ve always loved the R129 and this quirky, low spec drivetrain just really speaks to me. Last one they featured was a Craigslist ad from like Texas of Florida roughly $8900. Of course, the car almost immediately sold.
Three years from my birth and not an engine/transmission oddity, but close enough: I’d love to find a station wagon like my father’s — a 1976 Buick Century equipped with bucket seats.
He had to custom-order his wagon, and I never saw another one equipped with buckets. Dad HATED bench seats, but in the ’70s that sentiment was rare among wagon buyers. In fact, I remember people really being puzzled as to why anyone would want buckets in a wagon. Not many did, and I think the option disappeared in ’77.
So what became of the Buick Century wagon from ’76? If one of those is still extant in 2018 I figure it’s got to be a Unicorn-mobile courtesy of those bucket seats.
A current Regal TourX, I have yet to see one in the metal. Only in pictures.
But more seriously a Grand Marquis LSE which was the Grand Marquis with the drivetrain/suspension/and center console(!) of the Crown Victoria LS SPORT.
I always wanted to at least see a car made on my birth date, but since I was born on a Saturday, I doubt that the assembly lines were working that day. Anyway, I would like to see a 1962 Dodge/Plymouth again. I remember seeing a battered gold/bronze 1962 Dodge in my neighborhood about 40 yrs, ago.
I came close once: the 59 Fury that I found sitting on a Dodge dealer lot in the fall of 1979 had a sticker in the glove box with the original owner’s name and the delivery date of the car – the actual date of my birth in 1959. So I simply had to buy it. 🙂
I’m kinda past cars from the year of my birth … though a ‘56 or early production ‘57 GM or Studebaker truck would be interesting. Most European cars of that era are either exotica, or not quite advanced enough for my tastes. I like Volvo Duett wagons, but I prefer a later one with B18 engine, 4 speed and single piece windshield. Moving closer to the present day, if my Tacoma expired, I’d be pretty attracted to a 4wd Toyota Tundra with V6 and 5 speed manual, offered briefly for the first gen trucks with a 3.4 liter 5 speed pairing, and later the 4.0 and 6 speed. The Tundra V8 is probably a better engine, but then it wouldn’t be a unicorn.
A 1986 Taurus MT-5 would probably be my unicorn, although at this point I’d settle for any first generation Taurus/Sable.
Close friends had one… as a wagon, yet! Sadly, she was terrible with a clutch. I cringed every time I saw her getting it under way.
My X had this very car. It was interesting, but DOG slow! The 5-speed SHO cars were much better, you could go up hills or pass people in those…
Not quite unicorns but I love stick shift mercedes! Any will do, except for a 240d, as they were both relatively prolific and terrifically slow. My dad had both a 1987 190e 2.3 5-speed and a 1999 SLK 230 Sport with a 5-speed. Neither was truly fast, but each was fun to drive and full of character.
The W124 300E with the 5 speed stick is something of a unicorn in the US. They were quite uncommon when new, and I’ve never run into one. But they were available, and some folks made a point to order one. I’m thinking it was eventually discontinued in the US at some point.
Paul: I’ve read and knew about the 124 sedans with the five speed manual (but never seen one). The Stu Ritter E-Class Owner’s Bible covers this on point. Page 192 indicates that “A 5-speed manual transmission was available in the 300E from 1986 to 1988, and in the 260E from 1987 to 1988. The 5-speed manual was a no cost option but fewer than three hundred were sold.”
If a very clean one shows up on a local Craigslist I will go look that morning. But the 300SL 5 speed is quite a bit more enticing.
Every manual transmission Mercedes Benz I have ever driven was awful. Horrid, long throw shifters every one.
They did rather have a rep for that, and it was one of the reasons I didn’t get one.
In the W123 Diesels, the auto was the rough shifting one. The manuals were just fine, just the wrong package for US “luxury car” buyers coming from Big-three brands at the time.
That video of the ’70 LTD with the three speed reminds me of the most unicorn car ever drove: a ’69 LTD with the 390, three-on-the-tree, and manual steering.
I was a car jockey at the service department at Towson Ford that summer, and the building was very old and had roof-top parking for the cars in service. My job was to drive them up, and later bring them back down to be picked up. The ramp up had an extremely tight 90 degree turn where it hit the roof, with walls. It was designed for cars in the late 20s or early 30s.
I got in and was shocked by the 3 speed manual, as this was a really plushed-out LTD brougham. But when I drove off, the steering was like a rock. I assumed that it was in for service because the PS pump or belt had died. The turn on the ramp at the top was a bitch in the best of circumstances with these big wide cars, but with the LTD, it was a real workout.
When I parked it, I opened the hood to see if my hunch was right or wrong: Wrong, as there was no PS pump. Manual steering.
When I brought it back down for the customer to pick up, I sort-of got it: a very burly older guy who looked like a Central Casting pick for a former Marine drill sargeant.
That story is what inspired me to include this video when I found it.
Far be it from me to say how others may use and enjoy their cars, but I found it painful to watch how that rare, low mileage LTD was abused in the video.
Agreed. And to put that into an ad.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Pontiac Trans-Am notchback. How many were made and how many are left?
I completely forgot that those were ever made.
Wow, that looks pretty neat actually.
Apparently 718 of these were made for 1988: http://www.gtanotchback.com/what-is-gta-notchback.html
I’ve seen two, one at a car show and one in very poor condition(typical for a third gen) in rural Wisconsin at a farm rear Racine. I think they’re cool looking, I never liked the big bubble windows GM put on every sporty car between the 75 F bodies and C6 Vettes.
I can think of a lot of unicorns, but I’ve always wanted to find a ‘62.5 – ’63 Falcon six with the optional four speed. No luck.
My next door neighbour has the gearbox, actually he has the whole MK3 Zephyr car.
Does this fit the bill, Paul? https://www.ebay.com/itm/1963-Falcon-FUTURA-2DR-HARTOP-4-SPEED-BUCKETS-AC-NICE/352469333539?hash=item5210cf3623:g:SKAAAOSw1NRbqZ7~:rk:11:pf:0
I was thinking of the ’63 Falcon as well. Allegedly some Econolines were also fitted with the same British four-on-the-tree.
In theory the 1965-66 Mustang was available with the 200 CID six and a four speed transmission but I have never seen one. I doubt that many were built that way and, since most Mustangs from that era have been “improved” by replacing the six with the V8, any remaining would qualify for unicorn status.
I was born in 1951 and cars from that era have no real appeal to me. I much prefer cars from the sixties; probably because that is when I was old enough to actually understand how cars worked and why some of them were a lot better than others.
Just how many of the Dagenham British 4 speeds were installed in the Mustang six is a source of continuing speculation, as Ford’s production records for those years are gone. But apparently there’s still a fair number around (the transmissions and some original Mustangs with them too).
I assume the Econoline was 4 on the tree because of packaging. Surely the Falcon used a floor shift? I ask because you called them “the same”.
My boss at the V&L Service Station had a Dagenham Enconoline for a few days. I remember him specifically telling me not to even think about driving it! That was unusual, since I ordinarily had carte blanche with anything in the shop and he was happy to hear from me if I had any thoughts about how to approach a job. I could tell by his tone of voice that he was upset, but not with me. I figure he bought it thinking that he was going to fix it and resell it at a profit. Didn’t take long on that one. Like the DKW Junior with the non-releasing clutch. The Econoline was yellow too. Chrome yellow.
My maternal grandfather had a ’62 Falcon with four on the floor, white with red interior. When he passed, I was hoping this car would stay in the family until I had a license. No such luck.
Grandma replaced it with a ’63 Skylark, aluminum V-8, but with two speed automatic.
In my GM days , a local dealer got a new Chevy Malibu wagon with a 3 speed manual, forced on them from GM, as dealer stock, in the early 80’s, That one was very difficult to sell, and perhaps the only one made.
Here in Canada, the Iraqi Taxi is a unicorn, of sorts. Paul wrote an article on the model some years ago. I’ve never seen one, and I think most were used -up and recycled years ago, because they were cheap and generally unappreciated. If any survived, they would be quite the unicorn, as they are legend among some older Canadian car enthusiasts.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/automotive-history-snapshot-1981-chevrolet-malibu-iraqi-taxi/
My dad refused to buy auto trans cars. We had a 78 Malibu wagon with a 4-on-the-floor when I was a kid. It’s actually the car I learned to drive in… Is that close enough, or does it have to be a 3-speed?
The pic is of the actual car (and myself) i dearly wish I had taken a pic of the interior ever…
I like your Dad.
Saddam-era Iraq went on to pull that two more times – once with VW of Brazil, ordering a bunch of four-door B1 Passats with interiors in color (mostly red, some blue) and leaving the leftovers to be sold in Brazil which then overwhelmingly favored two-door cars with black or gray interiors, and again in the ’90s with GAZ in Russia, this time with heater-delete Volgas…I’m not sure if ANY of those actually shipped, and I can’t imagine how much money they lost trying to sell heaterless cars in Russia!
I saw a few of the Iraqi Malibus back in the ‘80’s, but I don’t imagine there’s many left now. They’re easy to spot, though – a 4-door with dog-dish hubcaps and a floor shift for the 3-speed manual.
A base model 1968 Thunderbird. One day I will find you and name you Rarity!
I once had a base model 1983 T-Bird. Does that count? ;o)
Picking a car from the year of my birth, I’d have to go with one of only 2 Chrysler products my Dad ever owned, the other being written about just yesterday by Brendan, only Dad’s was a 1994. Shortly (like within a week or two) after I was born, my Dad traded in his ’56 Chevy 210 (4 door) for a ’60 Dodge Dart Seneca (2 door). As mentioned here in many earlier posts, in the days before child safety seats, 2 door cars when you have kids were deemed to be the safer choice.
Granted, the car pictured below is much fancier than his Seneca, these Dodges were good looking cars with all that chrome and rocket engines for taillights.
Now while most likely not a unicorn back then, these cars have seemingly dropped off the face of the planet. Think about it. When was the last time you saw one?
Actually, only a couple of years ago, parked curbside right here in downtown Palm Springs, a pristine 1960 Dodge Polara, albeit a 4-door sedan. Pretty wild!
Sorry about that, don’t know why it turned sideways. Another pic, that oh-so-space-agey instrument panel.
Sometimes, I don’t think WordPress understands the rotation on iPhone pictures… perhaps that’s it.
I was 0 years old at the time, but my Dad kept the car until I was almost 6 when he traded back to Chevy and got a 66 2 door hardtop Impala fastback. I started to become car aware around this time, so my memories of the Dodge are limited. It wasn’t until coming here that I learned the Polara had different chrome in the front and different fins in the back. Even the so called “rocket engine” taillights look different on the Polara. The red car (picture found online) looks to be a Dart Phoenix, but appears to be the same as the Dart Seneca in that regard.
While the red car above is a hardtop, dare I say bubble top to use the GM vernacular, I think my Dad’s car was a 2 door post sedan in baby blue like the one pictured below, only without the police livery of course….
A 1967-68 Imperial is a rare find already, but I’d love to find one with the Mobile Director option that included a front passenger seat that swiveled to face the rear, a padded center armrest that unfolded to become a woodgrained table, and a Tensor lamp so you could work or play at night too. Despite heavy promotion (including a TV ad specifically touting the MD), only a few hundred at most were built.
It’s almost surprising that a Mobile Director Imperial wasn’t used on “Get Smart”. It would have been the perfect car for the Chief.
I went unicorn hunting last summer accidentally, I wanted a new car and for once actually knew what I wanted, so regular perusal of trademe and other car sale sites on the web produced several examples to look at test fly and either buy or reject, it took three months to find what I wanted and eventually bought a Citroen C5 HDI not a particularly rare car here but in manual its the only one Ive seen,
1986 Taurus MT5. Not an SHO a manual transmission 4cyl
https://www.autotrader.com/car-news/ford-taurus-mt-5-taurus-you-didnt-know-about-269074
1971 Pontiac Grandville with manual Transmission. I think I heard a handful were actually built. http://oldcarbrochures.org/index.php/NA/Pontiac/1971-Pontiac/1971-Pontiac-Full-Line-Prestige-Brochure/1971-Pontiac-Full-Line-Ptrestige-07 or better yet a 71 Buick Centurion Convertible with a manual. http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Buick/1971_Buick/1971_Buick_Brochure/1971%20Buick-18.html not sure any were made.
I had a fairly modern unicorn, as a company car no less. 2007 Infiniti G35S with 6 speed manual. The service manager at the dealership told me he’d only ever seen one other, and I never have.
Speaking of unicorns, I actually went out and bought one with my own money, instead of talking about it: a manual transmission station wagon.
I’ve been driving an 06 Matrix 4 door wagon 5 speed for about a year, including to Colorado and back this past month. Great car, fast, very nimble, and well over 30 mpg even at hours of 80+ at elevation.
The Golf is so efficient it will do 7.0L/100 km in city traffic.
Apparently the 2019 Golf (in Canada at least) will come with the 1.4 turbo instead of the 1.8. Jettas with the 1.4 can deliver 5.3L/100km on the highway. In the Golf the number should be even better – close to hybrid territory.
Very nice, congratulations! The VW Golf Variant (wagon), the all-rounders’ final boss when it comes to cars.
My neighbor had a few of them in the past two decades. He drives 35,000 to 40,000 km a year, thus TDIs. Recently he decided to try something different for a change….and got himself a new VW (Euro) Passat Variant 2.0 TDI with the DSG transmission. Same car as the Golf Variant, basically, only one segment bigger.
1966/1967 Pontiac Tempest/LeMans OHC 6 with the Sprint Package. Would love to see one and would REALLY love to get to drive one. If I had any sense (that was in short supply I am afraid) I might have been able to get one of these in 66 or 67.
That is a cool, unknown car. I endorse you pursuit of this unicorn.
The ’67 (and maybe ’68?) Firebirds had the OHC six available with a four speed manual. I’ve been aware of them since they were new – 50 years or so ago. That car would be so very much better than a Firebird 400 with an auto.
With all the janky rubber donuts and stuff on the “torque tube”?
My unicorn would be a 1986 Ford Taurus LX wagon in Medium Canyon Red and fully loaded. I’m looking to restore one and if anyone finds one let me know!
Saab 9-5 Turbo6 XWD
How about a 1972 Continental Mark IV with no opera window? I saw one in a showroom when new, and they were rare even then. (As far as I know, the rear quarter windows horizontally retracted 100% on cars without the opera window, just as they did on 1972 Thunderbirds.)
Not exactly a unicorn in the true sense, but I would love to find an absolutely bone-stock, unmolested, softtop Suzuki Samurai (aka Jimny) in good condition.
I sometimes think that every last one of these has been lifted, had the wheel openings crudely cut away and shod with oversized wheels/tires, or been otherwise made into a bro-dozer through some sort of backyard ritual/procedure involving power tools, a couple of buddies, and multiple cases of cheap beer.
Hmm. If the transmission is the deciding factor, I’d pick the beautiful Lexus SC300 with a manual. Can’t be too many of those around.
Especially not in stock condition.
Being born in ‘81, and talking about transmissions, my unicorn would be a w123 Mercedes with column shift. I’ve never seen one, and I always try to look inside if I find a curbside W123
Born in ’72, my unicorn would be a 1972 Ford Torino wagon, like the one I was brought home from the hospital in. Preferably was a Q code 351 Cleveland…if that was even a possibility.
The Q-code was limited to 2-door Torino’s only. I do know of a base 1972 Q-code still in existence today. It even has the competition suspension. I also know of a 1972 Torino wagon, with the 250 six and the three on the tree. The owner claims it ran and drove great.
Born in ’91 – I’d love to find a 1991 Ford Taurus SHO Plus in Mocha Frost. Only 1,346 were ever made.
(Image found on “Rusty but Trusty”.)
A true unicorn for me would be a 1972 Torino Interceptor 2-door with the “P” code 429. Yes, Ford offered the police package on 2-door cars in 1972, and yes some were actually made, but how many like this, I am not sure,
Another less hard to find car would be a 1989-90 9C1 Caprice L05, that didn’t see front line service and is actually in good shape. A 1977-79 Impala LM1 (or better yet Bel Air from Canada) would also be good too. If I found one of these that actually was in decent shape, it’d be hard for me not to buy it.
Every auto manufacturer’s website has a “build your own” section. But when the rubber meets the road. and you meet at the dealer, they’ll say “Look at our wonderful inventory,”
If they don’t have what you’re looking for, we are told that they’ll check up to 5 states away!
( I’ve checked cross-country, lying on my bed, using a smartphone).
My point is that I’d like various precise combinations of color, wheels, tires, & tech. ALL include manual transmission.
Unfortunately, these are all unicorns. They make great advertising, but probably do not exist.
I would love to find a Gilbern. Estate please, but any will do. Just because.
While it is no where near my birth year I have my Unicorn a 06 F250 with the close ratio 4sp with low and OD. It is behind the 3v 5.4 though I would have preferred the V10. When I saw it I bought it because it was the unicorn that had the other things that I wanted and had I found one with the AT I would have bought it.
I would love to find an mid 80s ford truck with a 3 on the tree and if it was possible 4 wheel drive. A 5 speed manual econoline van also comes to mind.
My favorite birth year car would probably be a ’71 Capri. I just think it’s a very nice looking car. Regarding manual transmissions, I had two Grand Prixs. What is the plural of “Prix” anyway? Prixs? Priii? Anyway, I had two with sticks. A ’79 SJ coupe with a 301 4bbl/4-speed, and an ’89 with a 5-speed. I was the second owner of the ’79 and the ’89 was a cheap daily. Both had their charms.
There are a few newer unicorns I’d love to see (a 1957 Rambler Cross Country hardtop wagon comes to mind – some neighbours had one when I was a kid), but if I have to go for the year of my birth I’ll keep my eyes peeled for a 1949 Cadillac Series 62 Sedanette.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen one. An elderly neighbour a few doors down had an immaculate baby blue Chevrolet fastback of about the same vintage – it looked old fashioned even then, but had an elegance that made a strong impression.
Close to my year of birth, a ’53 Plymouth with Hy-Drive. Regular Fluid Drive was just a fluid coupling, effectively the same as a centrifugal clutch. Hy-Drive was a true torque converter, which should have been able to accelerate in one gear like Dynaslush.
I saw one Hy-Drive Plymouth back in ’56. None since.
The strangeness of The CC Effect.
I found mine literally yesterday, being an NSU Ro80, released in this country in my birth year of ’68 – the one yesterday was admittedly a few years newer – in a beautiful light blue, on original plates. Getting a new clutch at my local garage. Apparently, I was the 4th person that day to walk in and ask to look at it. Ultra-rare here, and I’ve never seen one in that lovely blue before, almost certainly unique. Not for sale (loud sigh). Not only a unicorn, it also represents a dream garage purchase for me, especially in that Bugatti colour.
For an Aussie unicorn, not from my birth year but certainly my youth, an ’82-’83 XE Ford Falcon police Interceptor. For US & other readers, these were very fast, hotted-up, lowered 351 Cleveland V8 4-speeds, LSD, 4-wheel discs (for local readers, ESP suspension AND Fairmont front lights/bonnet), which looked like a very boring sales rep’s wheezy GL 3.3 litre six 3-speeed auto, unless you were a car nut like me. (Again, for locals, why Vic Police insisted for years on fitting an hilariously-obvious front window external sunshade, as if it was still 1960, I don’t know but it ALWAYS gave away the unmarked ones!)
I have never seen one since they were withdrawn from service in perhaps ’87 or so. Shannons auctions recently sold an earlier XD, for $44,000 btw, but the coil-sprung XE seems extinct.
http://www.xfalcon.com/forums/index.php?/topic/24707-x-series-in-police-livery/
As seen on CC (and around the Hawthorn area)
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/in-motion-classics-der-blaue-reiter-edition/
Ah, the very machine!
A unicorn? Good question.
I think I’d like something small and light. It might be fun to locate a US-market 1992 Yugo with the Bosch fuel injection. I’d actually prefer the hatchback over the convert, but either one would be fine…
1976 – ’78 Ford Capri II S, “Le Cat Black” edition.
Your comment reminded me of a car I wanted back in the day…
The 1981 Mercury Capri “Black Cat” edition
Geozinger, I did like the styling tweaks the Fox-Capri got over the Mustang and thought it actually looked better than the Mustang (if not better than the original Capri / Capri II).
The ones you posted pictures of are great-looking examples.
The Black Cat listed above is far from stock. It was the only pic I had in my stash of Capri pics.
To me, the best one was the final year, 1986. It had all of the same stuff as the concurrent Mustang GT, but with a much better standard equipment list.
I still miss mine…
Not to mention the White Magic or White Lightning package…
(I think they were similar, but not exactly the same)
Did American cars with a manual transmission have a foot pedal on/handle release handbrake arrangement and if so how did you execute a smooth hill start? I drove a manual Mercedes W124 once (I think it was a base 200) and here in the U.K. it was impossible to drive in (hilly) traffic without burning the clutch. I guess that was one of the reasons why the W124 manuals had a much lower uptake here than the earlier W123s which had an umbrella handbrake.
No, except for a few very small subcompacts, like the Pinto. Al, Americans started on the very steep hills of San Francisco and hills all over the country without using the parking brake. It’s all in the technique. If you use the parking brake technique, it becomes a bit of a crutch. I understand the appeal of it, but learning how to start on a hill without one is a bit like ballet: it requires very good footwork. But once mastered, it will never be lost, and it’s a source of pride for those that do it well. And a source of panic and fried clutches for those that didn’t. 🙂
I don’t seem to have the coordination to use the parking brake on hill starts, I tried it when I was first learning to drive stick and I felt like I was fumbling every lever pedal and wheel I touched. I ended up getting much better at the ballet without the parking brake in the mix, helps that my driveway is on an incline and practiced practiced practiced getting it into the garage from a stop on it.
For me the handbrake lever strictly for parking and occasional hooning.
And for those who couldn’t handle it – the Studebaker Hill Holder. 🙂
As far as unicorns go, how about a 1958 Studebaker 2 door hardtop? Only 1,500 were made in Commander flavor with another 500 made in President guise. They are a very interesting design that lends itself to S-P history very well.
A kind-of-rough Commander came up for sale not far from me a couple of years ago. I really wanted to go look at it, but good sense got the better of me. As much as I dislike modified old cars, I have had the itch to take one of these and turn it into the much better looking 57. The doghouse and dash would be plug & play, the rear quarters might be more of a trick, but perhaps those from a 57 2 door sedan might work. The 57 was just so much better looking inside and out, and this fabulous hardtop would make the best looking 57 of them all.
And if you want the real unicorn, go for the Packard. 🙂
1953 Olds Starfire Concept.
The one year only ‘73 CJ-5 Super Jeep in white (yes there were other colors) with 304 V8 and the steelies/whitewalls jettisoned in favor of Ansen slots wrapped in gnarly A/Ts. I’m a ‘74 model myself so it’s right in the sweet spot.
When we first moved to TN in ‘79 there was one of these that was always at a local gas station. Never saw another and while I had no idea how rare and special it was, that rig helped cement a love of Jeeps that’s never fully faded. Good times!!
1979 Pontiac Grand Am with a 301 Turbo. Pontiac listed this one but I’m not sure any were actually made.
The timing was bad budget-wise, but there was a ’74 Vega LX on eBay about this time last year (https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-for-sale/ebay-classic/ebay-classic-1974-chevrolet-vega-lx-grandmas-last-car/). I still kick myself that I wasn’t able to pick it up at the time.
A ’76 Vega Cabriolet would be another unicorn that would be fun to take to C&C.
I was born in 1972, but there are no unicorns from that year that I’d like to own.
I do however own a 2006 Mercedes C350 sport sedan (W203) with a 6 spd. manual transmission. Despite several attempts I’ve never been able get an exact count of how many were imported in this configuration. Mercedes told me they sent ~3,000 to the U.S., and if only 5% are manual, then mine is 1 of 150.
I also own a 1995.5 Audi S6, which has a 5 spd. manual and is only 1 of a few hundred.
Chrysler Imperial Lamborghini Edition. Production : 1. Where is it now ?
I was born in 1947 and have zero interest in cars of that era. I prefer cars that I can remember as being new or nearly new from the time i was growing up. Well, there are a few exceptions, like the ’40 Ford, but I generally stick to later models.
My unicorn would be a 1960 Edsel two door hardtop. These shared the same body and roof line as the Ford Starlner and I find them very attractive.
I actually already have a unicorn sitting out in my garage. It’s my ’79 Malibu coupe with a V8 and factory four speed, handling suspension , bucket seats and a factory sunroof. It’s the only one just like it that I have ever seen. I ordered it new back when you were more likely to be able to tailor a car to your specific wants.
I found your unicorn in 1991 in Dover, NJ–not too far from me:
Thanks. These have always been one of my favorite cars for some reason. I have only seen one of these two door hardtops in person and it was a white one in the next town from where I grew up. Of course, it was practically new at the time.
In my year (1956) there’s a lots of cool choices out there. I’ll go for a ’56 Nomad, 265 4 barrel powerpack, with 3 speed overdrive trans, hottest factory setup available.
My unicorn of unicorns is the Audi A4 B5 Avant 1.9 TDI Duo. (90hp turbo diesel + 29 hp electric motor). Only 90 were made and sold at a steep 70k Deutschmarks in the mid 90ies). I have never seen one for sale. Once, a British seller sold the hybrid-electric drivetrain on eBay for 8.5 k pound sterling.
Still, I bet Audi are seriously regretting the fact that they didn’t go down that road just a little bit further back then.
At my old house I actually still have the original catalogue from the Audi dealer – they printed an extra brochure for a car they did not even sell 100 examples of. It’s probably worth a couple of hundred bucks now.
The battery pack added a hefty 900 lb to the car’s weight. The electric motor could propel the Audi to 50mph on its own. Due to the weight penalty, the car was still rated at 50 mpg in the European consumption cycle, exactly like the non-hybridized version.
A lot of unicorns come to my mind, but it would probably a 1983 Dodge 400 coupe, possibly metallic blue with beige padded roof. These were marketed here in Italy fro a few years when Chrysler made an effort to officially import a few selected models.
I still remember a man used to park one of these close to my school and my schoolmates kidding me for being in love with such car.
Within two years of my birth, either a 1965 Autobianchi Primula or a 1964 Oldsmobile Starfire would be my pick.
I lost my brochure a long time a go but still have an ad (for the 600 sedan) and an article about Mopars coming back to Italy.
Here’s the ad. Dodge 600, wire wheels, white walls and column shift.
A sporty ES version featuring a 5 speed manual transmission and bucket seats was offered but it didn’t seem appropriate to me at the time.
Running and driving Eagle Premier ES Limited
Not my birth year, but what I would like to find is a ’65 Chevelle two door wagon, 327/300hp four speed.
Cadillac STS Platinum V8 AWD. Super rare and hard to pick from a regular high-spec STS externally but with leather-wrapped dash parts and Alcantara headliner inside.
The year I sprung to life was 1973, but the unicorn — or may be it isn’t exactly a ‘unicorn’; I’m not sure — I’d park in my two-space carport would be a 1968 Chevrolet Biscayne with the ‘250’ and the Powerglide. Doesn’t matter if it’s a 2- or 4-door model. Until I came to CC I honestly had no idea about how classic 2-door cars are considerably more desirable than 4-door models, but I’m not picky about the # of doors on a ’68 Biscayne.
2nd place would be a 1976 Buick LeSabre with the ‘231’ . . . if there are any left. But, hey, if there is 1 left I’d gladly take it and keep it running. 3rd place would be the Malaise mobile: The ’75 Ford Granada with the putrid power-to-weight ratio. I figure if someone is going to preserve one of these speed demons it may as well be me. By far the most driving I’ve ever done was in a 1964 Ford Falcon that was not -and- is not a machine for drivers interested in ‘performance’ so I’m very used to motoring around in s-l-o-w cars.
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I reckon the passage of time has turned my ’64 Falcon into a unicorn-ish sort of vehicle. Unlike ‘Mustang Rick’s 1979 Malibu coupe with the rare combination of options he selected when he bought it my aging product of FoMoCo wasn’t a unicorn when new. Time has a way of weeding out the cheapest models of any car sold so now 54 years later I’d be hard-pressed to find another ’64 Falcon extant with a similar set-up. One of a myriad of reasons I’ve never sold mine with the notion of finding another some day: I don’t know that I’d be able to find one that would be close enough to mine to satisfy what I’m looking for +plus+ I seriously doubt I’d ever be able to find another Falcon ~exactly~ like the one I’ve had since ’89. → I mean, if there is another extant another 1964 Ford Falcon Standard Series 2-door model [not the Standard Series ‘Deluxe’ sedan] with the ‘170’, the 2-speed Ford-O-Matic, the nothing-in-there interior (including a bare-metal dashboard) along with the lack of any trim pieces on the outer body I think that would be quite a find. And not forgetting the massive (ha! ha!) list of chosen options, either: A driver’s side mirror bolted on the door + back-up lights mounted in the center of each taillight lens. In 29 years I’ve never seen another one. I do recall seeing one two-door ’64 Falcon Standard Series sedan with a 3-on-the-tree. Parked in front of a Midas muffler shop circa 1996 across from Albertsons. I remember peering through the window a second time and seeing an extra pedal then realizing it was a 3-on-the-tree. At first look thru the window I’d thought it was a Ford-O-Matic . . . nope.
I won’t lie: I’m too lazy to want to drive a car with a manual transmission so I’ve never learned. I just don’t want to be arsed with shifting. For those of you who would seek a Unicorn-mobile with a manual transmission I admire you for having more patience and tenacity than I.