The Jeep CJ-8 is most famous for being the first “Wrangler pickup,” even though there are two significant flaws in that designation. First, the CJ-8 was built long before the Wrangler name debuted (in 1987),…
Browsing Category American Cars
Mercury Lynx: The Stray Cat
Oil prices cratered in the mid-1980s, but the effects of two successive gas crises freaked Americans out enough for them to line up for Ford’s first American Escort all through the decade. That anxiety helped…
Studebaker Scotsman: The Skinflint Special
In the pantheon of base models, the Studebaker Scotsman is truly the patron saint. In the era of chromed-up Detroit dreamboats, the Scotsman had painted cardboard door inserts and even a proper heater cost extra….
Flashback: 1939 Ford Convertible Sedan
As soon as fully-enclosed bodies became safe and affordable, buyers flocked to them. Essex, a part of Hudson, launched the first affordable closed car in 1922, and by 1930, Tourers (traditional open cars with a…
Chevrolet Nova Concours: The Baby Brougham
Some cars seem to be everywhere—road furniture—until suddenly you notice their absence. Once as common as RAV4s are today, it’s been a while since the fourth-gen (1975-79) Chevy Nova suddenly became rare, but in rust-free…
1936 Dodge: Origin Of The Ram
In 1920, just six years after John and Horace Dodge started building their own cars, “Dodge Brothers” was second only to Ford in sales in the USA. But both brothers fell victim to the Influenza…
1948 Buick Super: Last Of The Streamliners
It’s impossible to know for sure if it’s true, but it is a good story. In the 1970s, Ex-GM designer Richard Stout once said that the 1948 Buick lineup continued on their pre-war bodies because…
1987-89 Mercury Tracer: Hecho En Mexico
Sometimes a car is less significant for what it is than what it represents, and the original Mercury Tracer definitely falls into this category. Although it had a Ford sibling, the Asia-Pacific market Laser, both…
Flashback: Vega Kammback Wagons
Today, we’re flashing back to the summer of 1978 with a pair of Chevrolet Vega Kammback wagons. Look closely, and you’ll see two matching green versions of this tiny hauler, an early 1971-73 model in…
1967 International Travelall: The Proto Overlander
The Scout gets most of the ink today when people talk about International Harvester SUVs, but it actually appeared several years after the company’s first SUV, the jumbo-sized International Travelall. Yes, General Motors built an…
1971 Plymouth GTX: The Heat Of The Moment
The Plymouth GTX lasted just five years as a stand-alone model, and the car was a resounding sales dud, but they were five glorious, bonkers years. The 1971 GTX seen here was the slowest seller…
Lincoln Continental Mark VI: Unlucky Numbers
Technically, it’s not the only four-door “Mark” ever made, but the 1980-83 Lincoln Continental Mark VI sedan is probably the most famously misunderstood variation of this long line. It is, of course, the brainchild of…