There are many vehicles, both past and present, that have not received the notoriety or praise that they likely deserved. One such vehicle is the Pontiac Aztek, which was often chastised by critics for its rather abstract appearance, and general lack of smooth, flowing body lines. Production of the Aztek … Read more
During the 1990s, Dodge made a concerted push to improve their standing within the performance sector of the domestic market. Called to action by then Chrysler President, Bob Lutz, the Chrysler design team jumped headlong into early developmental efforts. These efforts would ultimately yield one of the most tenacious performance … Read more
OH CRAP! IT’S MR. TWO! This automotive supervillain has junk not in the front, not in the trunk, but in the rear-middle of its bodacious figure. It’s the Toyota MR2 mid-engined sports car, and it’s responsible for popularizing affordable, mid-engine enthusiast cars for those that want to get around a … Read more
The little Bugatti that could. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe Bugatti. This Italian automaker, now owned by the Volkswagen Group, builds some of the most expensive high-performance and ultra-luxurious vehicles in the world. The Little Car Company, in partnership with Bugatti, just introduced the Bugatti Baby II, a contemporary … Read more
A look back at the history of the U.S. domestic automotive producers reveals a time when quality levels dropped to an all-time low. That period encompassed the 1970s, when GM, Ford, Chrysler, and AMC, released dozens of small cars to keep customers from fleeing to foreign competitors, including Toyota, Honda, … Read more
Not every Mustang was a superstar. The Ford Mustang II is a bit of an odd bird when it comes to sports cars. Based on its brand name, it’s technically labeled a muscle car. However, its interior parts and lackluster engine make this classification dubious. While highly regarded in its … Read more
The 1980s can be defined in one word: us. For that’s the decade when Americans began to cast off the memory of the Watergate scandal and the lost Vietnam War of the 1970s. Consumerism, especially materialism, was in vogue and global trade brought the first cars from Yugoslavia, Brazil and … Read more
It was during the 1970s when automakers from Japan began to find a market among the big American cars of that era. As Toyota, Honda and Datsun (later Nissan) products began to take hold, American car manufacturers responded by producing several smaller models to counter the overseas invasion. Unfortunately, many … Read more
Years before the Volkswagen (VW) Microbus was associated with hippies, free love and protests against the Vietnam War, it served as a basic people hauler. It was just the second Volkswagen model built, following the Beetle to the market in 1950. Although this vehicle disappeared from the US market in … Read more
In the 1980s General Motors produced a mid-engine, two-seat sports car and named it the Pontiac Fiero. Just as the Corvette elevated Chevrolet, GM hoped the Fiero would do likewise for Pontiac. Its five-year model run started off strong, but quality problems and declining interest eventually killed what is now … Read more
A casual look at the automotive landscape over the past half-century and you will see how the Japanese automakers have penetrated the US market to become the automotive powerhouses that they are known as today. From humble beginnings in the late 1950s to its market strength today, companies such as … Read more
Once billed as “a different kind of car company,” Saturn was originally a standalone car company, one wholly owned by General Motors. Unlike GM’s other automotive brands including Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac, Saturn was managed separately at the start, but eventually was brought into the GM matrix, then later dissolved. … Read more
The Ford Taurus is a full-size sedan, once one of the most popular models in the blue oval’s arsenal. Changing consumer tastes and Ford’s reluctance to invest in an all-new model took its toll on sales. On March 1, 2019, the last Taurus rolled off of a Chicago assembly line. … Read more
The Hyundai Tiburon represents one of this Korean automaker’s earliest forays into the sport coupe segment. It was produced from 1997 to 2008, replacing the earlier Scoupe before it was succeeded by the Hyundai Veloster and later the Genesis Coupe. The Hyundai Tiburon is a favorite car for the tuner … Read more
Declining Cadillac sales in the 1990s forced General Motors to take a hard look at its luxury division and that marque’s model offerings. New models were soon conceived including an Evoq concept, a two-door roadster that made its debut at a 1999 Detroit auto show. Five years later the Cadillac … Read more
The auto industry continues to evolve and consolidate, casting off brands or seeing the demise of entire automakers including Saab. In the United States, we have seen the death of several car brands in recent years including Mercury, Pontiac, and Plymouth. Hundreds of brands have come and gone down through … Read more
The Honda Element is a vehicle that defies easy categorization. One part utility vehicle, another part car, the Element is a multipurpose vehicle prized by pet owners for its available dog-friendly components. This four-passenger model had a nine-year model run, with production ending in 2011. History of the Honda Element … Read more
Throughout the long reign of the Ford Mustang, several different platforms have underpinned this iconic pony car. Probably the least popular was the Mustang II, which shared the same platform supporting the lowly Pinto, a subcompact model. The Pinto was a poster child for 1970s-era crappy car design, although the … Read more
The Saturn brand is no more, officially shut down in 2010m ending its 25-year history. Originally a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Motors, the company was later absorbed by GM and managed with its other car brands. Several models defined Saturn including the original S-Series compact line and its VUE crossover. … Read more
The Toyota FJ Cruiser is a unique sport utility vehicle, one that pays tribute to the Land Cruiser FJ40, a 1960s era off-road model. The FJ Cruiser, itself based on a modified version of the platform underpinning the previous generation Toyota 4Runner, enjoyed an eight-model-year run from 2007 through 2014. … Read more
Automotive models come and go, but the Pontiac G8’s two-year run is one of the shortest on record. Introduced in 2008, the full-size G8 sedan was canceled in 2009, following parent GM’s bankruptcy and restructuring that shut down the Pontiac brand. Just as quickly as the Pontiac G8 showed up … Read more
The 1990s brought numerous transitions to the auto industry. Carburetors gave way to fuel injectors, airbags became standard equipment, and three Japanese luxury brands began to make inroads into the American marketplace. It was also a decade when manufacturers tested the waters with new or updated models, including five that … Read more