Gentlemen, I am at a loss...
I had in mind posting a listing of popular cars from the 1970's and 1980s. I was going to demonstrate how few of these cars we still see driven on the roads, stored away or at car shows. And I was going to contrast how we still see so many magnificent auto icons from the 60s being driven on the roads and thousands more fully restored and displayed at car shows.
My intent was to discuss the how and the why of our love for those 60s icons and why they have been kept or repurchased by loyal owners.
Of course we know that the 60's cars had unique styling and good performance for their day. You can still see numous old Mustangs, Camaros, Corvettes, El Caminos, Cuda's, Chevelles, El Dorados, etc. from the 1960s and early 1970s. These were cars with excellent appeal in their day and many were snatched up in resale to be saved, driven, restored, appreciated and savored.
While we still see some of their 70s and 80s descendents on the road, I HAD intended to contrast this with very popular cars of the 70s and 80s that you never see examples of anymore, that seem to have just been discarded and never kept or restored.
Now here is the rub. I have been having a dickens of a time thinking of anything that was even considered popular at the time. Sure, we recall Camaro's and Corvettes. But I can barely think of anything else.
Now I'm not talking about bad cars like Pintos, Vegas, X-cars and Gremlins. I'm talking about the ones you really wanted to own because there was such a dearth of anything affordable worth a damn that the depressing state of cars overall made you want these few worthless examples.
I am talking about cars like the 1978 Chevy Monza 350 Spyder? Sure it had lousy performance, but compared to all the crap out there on the road, it had a V8 motor (people used to drag race them for heavens sake!) and didn't look like a boxy POS.
How about the 1984 Eagle Talon. I actually wanted one of those once upon a time. It kind of looked like an ugly Porsche 924. Believe it or not, everything else looked uglier.
How about the 1984 Toyota Celica Supra. I liked the wedgy, boxy look. Even though it only had a straight 6 cylinder and didn't handle all that great, it was sporty, had great bucket seats and looked carved of a piece. I remember gambling $50 on a slot machine at a Lake Tahoe Casino with that brilliant shiny red Supra hoisted there majestically above the slot machines. "WIN THIS CAR!"
How about the 1988 Honda Prelude. The one with rear wheel steering for faster handling. The magazines all praised that car as a performance car.
My original point of this topic was to ask, "where are these cars". I never see these cars - cars I once desired.
Those gorgeous high-performance cars of the 1960s were so distinctive, so desirable and so fun to drive, some people just had to buy them and keep them on the road or restore them. While the cars I mentioned above, the Monza, Talon, Supra and Prelude were so forgettable, so pathetic that even though they were great "for their time", they were not really vehicles that stood up to the test of time.
Now that brings me back to why I am sitting here, head in hand, dumbfounded and completely at a loss. Considering only domestic and Japanese cars from the 1970s and 1980s, I can't even think of any desireable cars at all, beyond the ones I mentioned above.
I am at a complete loss. Were the 70s and 80s that pathetic for us car owners that I can't even name 10 cars from 12 auto makers over a 20 year period of production that I would even take for free????
Looking at the period from 1974 to 1990, what is there?
AMC? Nothing. Absolutely, freaking nothing. I wouldn't own one.
FMC (Ford and Lincoln/Mercury) Beyond the Mustang, what was there. And for half that time period the Mustang was crap. I mean, the Lincoln Mark VI was a mildy attractive car but heavy, underpowered and boaty. Ford made an ugly, crappy 2 seater I can't even think of the name of. It was all Monarchs and crap like that. OK, I thought of another one. The 1982? T-bird that first began considering aerodyamics was another desireable car in its time that have all been consigned to the junk heap since. The 1st gen. Taurus also was extremely popular. Also all gone.
Chrysler - they reintroduced the convertible in the late 70's with the boxy LeBaron convertible. It was a lousy, ugly K-car they cut the top off and the magazines just loved it after that. It was a POS. Nothing since then that I have to have. Anybody do a frame-off restoration of their Intrepid lately? Jeeps are the only old Chryslers I ever see anymore.
GM - get beyond the Corvette, Camaro and Trans Am and I cannot think of a single solitary stinking individual stupid automobile I would even take for free. How many distinctive, sporty cars has the General build from 1975 to 1990. I bet I am stepping on some toes but geez, all those boring, ugly, copy-cat body styles are just running together in my mind. I can't think of a thing.
Mazda - Miata, RX-7 and nothing. So when were they even introduced? I don't remember. We're talking '74 to '90 here.
Toyata - Supra and nothing. Oh! The 1st Gen MR2 was highly praised and highly popular and again nobody is keeping these on the road I know of. All snatched up by auto-xers?
Nissan - 240 z, awesome! And every Z since then less so, too much or too much money. Besides the Z cars, nothing. Good, reliable, forgettable nothing.
And of all the MILLIONS of Accords and Camrys that have every been built, they are as disposable as the plastic food bags we tote our groceries home in.
So, Am I just nuts here? :crazy
Or did an entire generation of children grow up and never see barely a single distinctive, good looking, sporty car on the road for a 20 year span? Good grief! :banghead
I guess it has just occured to me that the introduction of the Solstice and Sky may be more than simply one company offering one new automobile. This is something of a historic occassion. This is the introduction of an entire new entity in automotive history and, like with the Viper, its happening on our watch, only we can actually afford one unlike the Viper.
Don't take me too seriously here.
I'm aware that the new Kappas are just cars and not earth-shattering by any means. I think I am just in shock over the sudden recollection that the 1970s and 1980s was such a horrible era for those of us who love cars and love to drive them. I'm stunned. :eek
How did we ever survive it? I mean I was euphoric upon receiving my brand new 1986 Acura Integra. Looking back on it, it was just a boring Honda Civic with low gearing and a bumpy suspension. Yuch! No wonder a mere year later I went out and bought a 1978 Trans Am just to have something exciting to drive.
The Trans Am was slow, heavy, it rattled and had a plethora of non-drive-train related repairs to it. Yet I always found myself wanting to be in that Trans Am instead of the uninspiring Integra. The Integra was zippy and handled very well but it was just... boring. The Trans Am was old but it was fun, had character and made me feel great cruising down the road. How I wish I had had one new in 1978!
Well, I'm depressed thinking about it. And I am doubly grateful and yes, even euphoric knowing that this time next year I'll be putting around in my brand new 2006 Pontiac Solstice. (Or Sky )
Life is good. The 70s and 80s weren't.
I had in mind posting a listing of popular cars from the 1970's and 1980s. I was going to demonstrate how few of these cars we still see driven on the roads, stored away or at car shows. And I was going to contrast how we still see so many magnificent auto icons from the 60s being driven on the roads and thousands more fully restored and displayed at car shows.
My intent was to discuss the how and the why of our love for those 60s icons and why they have been kept or repurchased by loyal owners.
Of course we know that the 60's cars had unique styling and good performance for their day. You can still see numous old Mustangs, Camaros, Corvettes, El Caminos, Cuda's, Chevelles, El Dorados, etc. from the 1960s and early 1970s. These were cars with excellent appeal in their day and many were snatched up in resale to be saved, driven, restored, appreciated and savored.
While we still see some of their 70s and 80s descendents on the road, I HAD intended to contrast this with very popular cars of the 70s and 80s that you never see examples of anymore, that seem to have just been discarded and never kept or restored.
Now here is the rub. I have been having a dickens of a time thinking of anything that was even considered popular at the time. Sure, we recall Camaro's and Corvettes. But I can barely think of anything else.
Now I'm not talking about bad cars like Pintos, Vegas, X-cars and Gremlins. I'm talking about the ones you really wanted to own because there was such a dearth of anything affordable worth a damn that the depressing state of cars overall made you want these few worthless examples.
I am talking about cars like the 1978 Chevy Monza 350 Spyder? Sure it had lousy performance, but compared to all the crap out there on the road, it had a V8 motor (people used to drag race them for heavens sake!) and didn't look like a boxy POS.
How about the 1984 Eagle Talon. I actually wanted one of those once upon a time. It kind of looked like an ugly Porsche 924. Believe it or not, everything else looked uglier.
How about the 1984 Toyota Celica Supra. I liked the wedgy, boxy look. Even though it only had a straight 6 cylinder and didn't handle all that great, it was sporty, had great bucket seats and looked carved of a piece. I remember gambling $50 on a slot machine at a Lake Tahoe Casino with that brilliant shiny red Supra hoisted there majestically above the slot machines. "WIN THIS CAR!"
How about the 1988 Honda Prelude. The one with rear wheel steering for faster handling. The magazines all praised that car as a performance car.
My original point of this topic was to ask, "where are these cars". I never see these cars - cars I once desired.
Those gorgeous high-performance cars of the 1960s were so distinctive, so desirable and so fun to drive, some people just had to buy them and keep them on the road or restore them. While the cars I mentioned above, the Monza, Talon, Supra and Prelude were so forgettable, so pathetic that even though they were great "for their time", they were not really vehicles that stood up to the test of time.
Now that brings me back to why I am sitting here, head in hand, dumbfounded and completely at a loss. Considering only domestic and Japanese cars from the 1970s and 1980s, I can't even think of any desireable cars at all, beyond the ones I mentioned above.
I am at a complete loss. Were the 70s and 80s that pathetic for us car owners that I can't even name 10 cars from 12 auto makers over a 20 year period of production that I would even take for free????
Looking at the period from 1974 to 1990, what is there?
AMC? Nothing. Absolutely, freaking nothing. I wouldn't own one.
FMC (Ford and Lincoln/Mercury) Beyond the Mustang, what was there. And for half that time period the Mustang was crap. I mean, the Lincoln Mark VI was a mildy attractive car but heavy, underpowered and boaty. Ford made an ugly, crappy 2 seater I can't even think of the name of. It was all Monarchs and crap like that. OK, I thought of another one. The 1982? T-bird that first began considering aerodyamics was another desireable car in its time that have all been consigned to the junk heap since. The 1st gen. Taurus also was extremely popular. Also all gone.
Chrysler - they reintroduced the convertible in the late 70's with the boxy LeBaron convertible. It was a lousy, ugly K-car they cut the top off and the magazines just loved it after that. It was a POS. Nothing since then that I have to have. Anybody do a frame-off restoration of their Intrepid lately? Jeeps are the only old Chryslers I ever see anymore.
GM - get beyond the Corvette, Camaro and Trans Am and I cannot think of a single solitary stinking individual stupid automobile I would even take for free. How many distinctive, sporty cars has the General build from 1975 to 1990. I bet I am stepping on some toes but geez, all those boring, ugly, copy-cat body styles are just running together in my mind. I can't think of a thing.
Mazda - Miata, RX-7 and nothing. So when were they even introduced? I don't remember. We're talking '74 to '90 here.
Toyata - Supra and nothing. Oh! The 1st Gen MR2 was highly praised and highly popular and again nobody is keeping these on the road I know of. All snatched up by auto-xers?
Nissan - 240 z, awesome! And every Z since then less so, too much or too much money. Besides the Z cars, nothing. Good, reliable, forgettable nothing.
And of all the MILLIONS of Accords and Camrys that have every been built, they are as disposable as the plastic food bags we tote our groceries home in.
So, Am I just nuts here? :crazy
Or did an entire generation of children grow up and never see barely a single distinctive, good looking, sporty car on the road for a 20 year span? Good grief! :banghead
I guess it has just occured to me that the introduction of the Solstice and Sky may be more than simply one company offering one new automobile. This is something of a historic occassion. This is the introduction of an entire new entity in automotive history and, like with the Viper, its happening on our watch, only we can actually afford one unlike the Viper.
Don't take me too seriously here.
I'm aware that the new Kappas are just cars and not earth-shattering by any means. I think I am just in shock over the sudden recollection that the 1970s and 1980s was such a horrible era for those of us who love cars and love to drive them. I'm stunned. :eek
How did we ever survive it? I mean I was euphoric upon receiving my brand new 1986 Acura Integra. Looking back on it, it was just a boring Honda Civic with low gearing and a bumpy suspension. Yuch! No wonder a mere year later I went out and bought a 1978 Trans Am just to have something exciting to drive.
The Trans Am was slow, heavy, it rattled and had a plethora of non-drive-train related repairs to it. Yet I always found myself wanting to be in that Trans Am instead of the uninspiring Integra. The Integra was zippy and handled very well but it was just... boring. The Trans Am was old but it was fun, had character and made me feel great cruising down the road. How I wish I had had one new in 1978!
Well, I'm depressed thinking about it. And I am doubly grateful and yes, even euphoric knowing that this time next year I'll be putting around in my brand new 2006 Pontiac Solstice. (Or Sky )
Life is good. The 70s and 80s weren't.