The 1966 Toronado, along with all the other cars in the yard have been moved to somewhere else on the property. First time in my live I’ve seen the Toronado ever been moved.
Actually, the Toyota MR2 and Pontiac Fiero, which share the X1/9’s shape, also share a mid-engine, RWD layout. The CRX was the only one with a front engine, FWD and a hatchback. The reason that the CRX handled so well, despite being FWD, is due to being the lightest and the suspension didn’t hurt either. The poor Fiero had suspension parts shared with the Chevy Citation!
I forgot that the X1/9 had a removable roof, a ‘targa’ top right? The first-gen MR2 offered T-tops starting in 1988, if I’m not mistaken. The CRX gained a metal power sunroof on the Si model when it was introduced in 1985.5 and the Fiero had an optional pop-up sunroof. A removable roof is tough to pull off without destroying structural rigidity, as Honda learned when they introduced that abomination in 1992 to replace the CRX…the del Sol. They leaked and rattled and, when the roof panel was removed, the car was as stiff as jello!
I’m having a flashback of sorts, but wasn’t the X1/9 imported as the Bertone X1/9 after FIAT pulled out of the U.S. market in the early-mid 80s? I have no idea why I remember that, but I do…
My nephew just turned 16 a few weeks ago and we were discussing cars earlier this week. I told him it was kinda sad how many cool, sporty, affordable cars we had back in the 80s and 90s compared to now. The CRX, Integra, Civic Si, MR2, Celica, Eclipse/Talon/Laser and even the Mirage Turbo, just to name a few.
I purposely excluded the Fiero because, even though I admire the scrappy group that pulled the car together against all odds, I can’t overlook GM’s typical, arrogant handling (or lack thereof) of the car’s flaws and/or safety issues. Even though no one was killed in any of the Fiero fires and (allegedly) there were less than 250 total fires, it was still unacceptable. My cousin was one of those Fiero owners who looked in her rearview mirror only to see flames and smoke pouring from the engine located directly behind the passenger compartment! She was in downtown Atlanta and, by the time the fire department got there, all that was left was a space frame with melted red polymer panels dripping off it! She was just pissed because she had a new set of golf clubs in the ‘trunk’. The settlement with GM was a nightmare, too. All she wanted was a refund of the car’s purchase price. She ended up hiring an attorney and she got enough (after the attorney’s fees) to pay cash for a then-new '86 Acura Legend.
Back on topic, sorta…I really wish that Honda would just give in and turn the CR-Z Hybrid into a performance car and be done with it! As it stands, it doesn’t excel in performance or efficiency, so they need to pick one.
I really should block all sites where older vehicles are sold to keep myself out of trouble! I was browsing around early this morning and found a 1995 Acura Legend LS Coupe for sale by the original owner, in near-mint condition with only 72,300 miles on it! Everything works, spotless Carfax and AutoCheck history and it is right here in the Atlanta area, too! They’re asking $7,600 which doesn’t seem unreasonable at all to me. Perhaps the one saving grace is that it has an automatic transmission and not the standard 6-speed manual.
I am a HUGE fan of the Acura Legend, having owned a '90 (1st gen), '94 and '95 Legend Sedan. I still own the '95 GS Sedan, which I bought in 2007 and it has over 340k miles on it and runs like new! It has the 6-speed manual (rare for the Sedan). The '94 was the entry-level ‘L’ Sedan with cloth (or ‘Taupe Moquette Fabric’ as they called it) and 5-speed manual. The '90 was a ‘base’ Sedan, Gray with gray cloth and 5-speed manual. All were amazing cars.
But I think this '95 Legend Coupe is the most interesting car I’ve seen in a long time…even if I am seeing it online!
Right on both counts. Mine was a 1979 and it was a Fiat. My brother liked the car so much that he bought a 1985 (thereabouts), and his was a Bertone. And the targa top was great: just undo 2 clips, pick up the light, rectangular fiberglass roof, and stow it in the front boot. It took all of 10-15 seconds.
That brother of mine, in 1983 he and I took it on a 6-week cross-country road trip: SF to NY & New England, then down to Washington DC then Florida, and then back to Santa Barbara before returning home. We packed light, of course, but the X1/9 was a champ.
Your memory is good. There were some great cars back then. But I remember the 1980s mostly for bad American cars. With few exceptions like the Buick Regal Grand National GNX, and the Corvette, American cars were largely awful Chrysler K-cars and Chevy Citations and the Chevette. I’m glad the 80s are in my rear view mirror. But you mention some good examples from back then, yes. And the X1/9 too.
I had a 1st-gen Legend, too. Great car.
A Volvo 1800s in red, beautiful lines
Two of us in the office had CRX’s, mine was a silver/grey 87, and his was a red 85. He got to drive his through the Black Forest roads in Baden-Soelingen. I’m totally jealous of that. Loved that car.
Not quite true all the fun cars are gone, though. Subaru BRZ/Scion FRS, Scion Tc, Mini, Mazda3, and Veloster can all be had 2nd hand relatively inexpensively, are a blast to drive, and have decent aftermarket support.
Saw a really nicely done 2015 Mazda3 hatch in white with black wheels. They have done something with the stance too as it sits a little lower, de-badged it, and tinted the windows. It looks clean and fast.
1969 Buick Skylark, 4-door.
Just like my folks had, and that’s what I mostly drove after I turned 16.
1969 Buick Skylark, 4-door: today, to me now, it has looks only its mother could love.
A good friend had a 1972 Skylark convertible, a beast of a car.
Nice. A world of difference there.
1972 Buick Skylark convertible:
http://cdn.barrett-jackson.com/staging/carlist/items/Fullsize/Cars/66186/66186_Front_3-4_Web.jpg
1969 Buick Skylark 4-door:
http://www.carriebv.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/1968-buick-skylark-4-door.jpg
But I can’t complain. The Skylark was an extra car. At 16 I became the 3rd driver in a 3-car family. Mom and Dad had their cars, and the Skylark was waiting to be used.
I had the base, I initally meant to take it ice racing and the base would be in a different class than the Si. But I got laid off and it turned into my street car of 9 years. I sold it to a racer who had rolled his Civic but still had a great engine. I still had a great chassis but I had little choice but to overheat the engine on a very lonely road so I could get to a busier one for help. It warped the aluminum engine cover and that was the beginning of the end for the engine.
It was a really great car. Honda was stupid to drop it.
A 1950s vintage Fiat 1100 sedan, driving around town an hour ago, like this: http://cartype.com/pics/5941/full/fiat_1100_brochure_58.jpg
As it drove past I didn’t notice the front suicide doors, as shown in the picture.
A 1950 Ford F1 pickup truck.
It’s the Sweepspear.What looks good emphasizing the length of a full sized Electra 225, makes a mid-size like the Skylark look short and stubby.
I saw a Dodge Charger circa 1974 on my way to work today.
I agree with you on the Mazda3. I still have a 2006 Mazda3 s 5-door that I bought new in Dec 2005! It’s a very fun car but I don’t drive it much anymore since I got my new Volvo earlier this year.
Fun cars were cheap and a high-school or college kid could afford them back in the 80s. There are fun cars now but brand new ones under $20k are pretty rare.
My '85 was a ‘base’ also. It drove me crazy that the high volume model didn’t have a trim designation. When they were introduced for 1984, there were two models- the 1.3 and 1.5. In '85, the 1.3 became the HF and the 1.5 simply became the ‘CRX’. Late in '85 they added the Si. I think they should have just kept the 1.5 designation for our model.
The second gen ('88-'91) did have proper trim designations- HF, DX and Si.
I was born in 1975 and I grew up at my grandpa’s car dealership. So I literally ate, slept and breathed cars before I could even walk! By the late 80s, I was a teenage boy who devoured every auto publication I could get my hands on. I actually have every single issue of Car and Driver, Motor Trend and Road & Track dating back to my birth month of February 1975! =)
There’s no need to mention any models, simply saying that all late 70s and early-mid 80s GM, Chrysler and Ford vehicles were abysmal covers it! My mom had a few very sharp Olds Cutlasses, but they were still total pieces of shit in terms of build quality, reliability and performance. My personal fave was her '86 Olds Cutlass (Salon) 442 in Medium Gray with T-tops. But even it looked like Tarzan, drove like Jane…or like Jane’s grandma.
Various extended family members had hellish experiences with GM Diesels, early GM J-cars (Cavalier, etc.) and X-cars (Citaiton, Skylark, Omega). And every Cadillac that anyone in my family bought new had more problems than any Hyundai, Daewoo or even Yugo I ever heard of!
My step-grandfather married my grandma after retiring from Chrysler in 1978 and moving back to Georgia where he grew up. He couldn’t understand why my mom and dad had no interest in his employee discount pricing (no discount would have been worth it). The K-cars were awful and the abominations that sprouted from them were even worse. My best friend’s first car in high school was a Chrysler Laser (Dodge Daytona twin from '84-'86) and it was very closely related to the K-car. It also had digital instruments and talked…the one I remember hearing all the time was “Engine overheating! Engine damage may oc-cur!!!”
They could stretch the K-car platform to lengthen it, but they couldn’t do much in terms of width. So even as the cars got longer, they remained the same width as the K-cars. The early 90s New Yorker (and Imperial, if I’m not mistaken) were truly ridiculous looking. If they were painted white, many in the auto biz referred to them as “Virginia Slims” (120s, by the look of it)!
It was amazing how quick the Legend was with the 5-speed manual and 2.7L V6. It sounded awesome, too. My cousin actually bought her 1986 Legend in Atlanta, moved to Los Angeles in 1989 and took it with her and drove that thing until 2002! It had over 300k miles and the engine was still purring like a kitten. But the paint was sad from years of LA sun and heat. Driving in LA traffic was hard on the automatic transmission, it had to be replaced more often than the timing belt! But rock solid otherwise.
Amazingly, I just found a bare hulk of a Fiat 1100 last weekend in a town forest where I mountain bike. We identified it by the front suicide doors.
Quote:
Various extended family members had hellish experiences with GM Diesels, early GM J-cars (Cavalier, etc.) and X-cars (Citaiton, Skylark, Omega). And every Cadillac that anyone in my family bought new had more problems than any Hyundai, Daewoo or even Yugo I ever heard of!
True about the GM J cars. but I have noticed a strange thing;I see many elderly Cavaliers running strong; my niece has one with 270,000 miles on the clock. I wonder why there are so many survivors of this model.
I saw a Nissan Juke in the grocery store parking lot.
Best I can offer is a brand new Porsche 911. Not yet put away for winter.