#ClassicCars
Rare Rides: A Pristine Chevrolet Monte Carlo From 1987, Mid-market Personal Luxury
Rare Rides has touched on Monte Carlo once before, in a well-past-its-prime NASCAR / Jeff Gordon edition from 2000. Monte Carlo surfaced again more recently, as its Nineties iteration was effectively a renamed second-generation Lumina coupe. But we’ve never covered the Eighties Monte Carlo, which was a very popular car in the midsize segment at a time when the personal luxury coupe was alive and well.
And someone kept today’s 1987 example in as-new condition.
Rare Rides: Luxurious and Exclusive, the 1987 Pontiac Tojan Convertible
Today’s Rare Ride is largely forgotten. Some call it a “super car,” while others argue over whether it was a kit car or a production vehicle. It seems to be the latter, not that it makes much of a difference 25 years later when so few were made.
Come along and learn about Tojan, a very special take on a Pontiac.
Rare Rides: The 1991 Nissan Figaro, Completing a Cutesy Collection
Today’s Rare Ride is the last entrant in a set of four cars introduced to the series back in November 2018. Tiny, retro, and a convertible, Nissan’s Figaro is by far the most popular of the four Pike cars. It’s also the one you can always find for sale in the United States.
Let’s take a look.
Rare Rides: The Very Rare 1977 AMC Hornet AMX, Levi's Edition
Today’s Rare Ride is one of just 100 Hornet hatchbacks turned into the AMX for 1977 to feature a Levi’s interior.
I hope you’re prepared for lots of trim.
Rare Rides: The 1975 Jensen GT, Stylish Performance in Shooting Brake Format
Rare Rides has featured exactly one Jensen vehicle previously, in a fairly fancy and exclusive Interceptor convertible made in left-hand drive for the US market.
Today’s GT was made the very same year as the Interceptor, just before Jensen went bust.
Rare Rides: A Stunning Chrysler LHS From 1995, Fine Executive Luxury
Today’s Rare Ride was commonplace a couple of decades ago, but it’s one of those cars by and large ruined via neglectful owners, inattentive build quality from the factory, and BHPH lots.
Come along as we learn about the most luxurious Chrysler LH sedan of the Nineties.
Rare Rides: A Collection of Four Classic Renaults, of Fuego and 17 Gordini Varieties
Today is one of the few occasions where Rare Rides presents a curated collection of cars for your review.
A serious Francophile in Minnesota has amassed a collection of trois Renault Fuegos et un 17 Gordini. Has a more exciting sentence ever been published? I think not.
Rare Rides: The 1959 Goggomobil Dart, Tiny Roadster Sans Doors
Today’s Rare Ride is an obscure variant of an already obscure microcar. The Dart you see here was an Australian-designed and built version of the Glas Goggomobil.
Rare Rides: A 1951 Pegaso Z-102 GT Berlinetta, Prototype Luxury Coupe
Today’s Rare Ride hails from a Spanish company that made some very fast sports coupes for a very short while. Let’s find out some more about Pegaso.
Rare Rides: The 1991 Chevrolet Lumina Z34, a Practical High-performance Coupe
In 1991, consumers could purchase one of several affordable midsize coupes of low-medium equipment, low-medium quality, and upper-middle levels of style.
Let’s talk Lumina Z34.
Rare Rides: The 1951 Muntz Jet, First-ever Personal Luxury
Did you ever wonder which vehicle is credited with being the very first personal luxury car? Wonder no more, as it’s today’s Rare Ride, the Muntz Jet.
Rare Rides: The 1921 Detroit Electric 85A, a Very Early EV
It’s fitting that the first electric vehicle ever featured in the Rare Rides series is today’s two-door Detroit Electric. One of the earliest electric cars, the luxurious Detroit Electric was whirring around cities when many people still used horses.
Rare Rides: The Eccentric Isdera Spyder 036i, From 1991
The name Isdera meant absolutely nothing to your author prior to today’s Rare Ride. A company originally headquartered in West Germany, it seems Isdera’s offerings were intentionally obscure and hard to purchase.
Let’s check out an 036i, whatever that means.
Rare Rides: The 1972 Gilbern Invader, Obscure and Welsh
Today’s Rare Ride hails from a tiny carmaker in business for less than two decades. The Gilbern name stands out in history as one of the few companies that built cars in Wales.
Let’s check the company’s most successful model, the Invader.
Rare Rides: A Supercharged 1995 Toyota Previa, Mystical Minivan
Of all the Good Nineties Minivans, the Toyota Previa (like the Mercury Villager Nautica) stands out. Engine in the middle, driven wheels at the rear, superior build quality, and supercharging all made for a unique minivan offering never seen before or since.
But unique didn’t sell in America (still doesn’t), and the Previa taught Toyota a lesson about its customers.
Recent Comments