Where does one land when combining a long history of Italian flare with good ol’ American engineering? Sometimes you’ll land on a masterpiece like the De Tomaso Mangusta or Bizzarrini Strada. Occasionally you conjure up a gem like the Nash-Healey. Even more rare are the shockingly beautiful mid-20th-century concepts from Chrysler and Ghia.
In other, stranger times like the go-go-let’s-get-some-blow 1980s, you come up with the Cadillac Allante. Continue reading
If you’ve read this blog with any regularity, it’s no secret that I like Mercedes – especially those of the big stinkin’ V8 variety. To the subject of today’s post, the W116-bodied Mercedes S-class was the first Mercedes I can recall seeing on the showroom floor. It was a black one on a turntable, and it was glorious. Released in 1973, the W116 brought Mercedes (and with them dozens of other manufacturers through osmosis) into the modern era. Performance, safety features, and styling (in my book) were head and shoulders above the competition from the likes of Cadillac, Jaguar, BMW, and frankly even Rolls Royce. These days they look somewhat dated but can represent a tremendous value to the buyer looking for that special saloon car to stand apart from the crowd that stands a chance of starting every time you turn the key. Find this lovely yellow example here on eBay in Redwood City, California with a buy it now price of just $2,950.
It was the 1980s. Michael Jackson was black, Chevy Chase was funny, and Cadillacs were for old people. Then came the yuppies, and they wanted 3-series BMWs, Mercedes 190s, Saab 900s, and other small, sporty sedans – and they were willing to pay lots of money for them. Not wanting to be left behind, in 1983 Cadillac decided to get into the game with the Chevy Cavailer-based Cimarron. Fast Forward 28 years to the present, and there is a guy offering this 1986 Cimarron on eBay as a collector item with a Buy it Now price of just $24,900.
Front wheel drive isn’t for everyone, and I’ll be the first to admit that I generally prefer the back wheels propelling me down whichever back road I choose. That said, FWD has its place, as proven by the billions and billions served by McToyonda. However, before the Camry was a gleam in some uninteresting fellow’s eye, the guys at GM decided that FWD was worth a go, and they built the Toronado (and the Riviera and Eldorado). The specs read brilliantly: 425 cubic inches, 385hp, pop-up headlights, power seats, windows, air conditioning – everything anyone could want in a sporting GT, at least in a big, chrome-laden American muscle GT. But what’s this? FWD. Find this nice silver on black GM exec-ordered example here on eBay, where the auction will end soon and we’re guessing will not meet reserve.
