Being an AMC guy, I get a fair amount of abuse but I remind those abusing me of the innovative vehicles the company came out with in response to the market. One example is this week’s car spot, the Mighty Mite.
Found this example at the Russell Military Museum just south of Kenosha where the Mighty Mite was built. They also have lots of Jeeps built for military purposes.
So back to the response to the market thing. In the early 50s, the Marine Corps was looking for a lightweight Jeep-like vehicle and it had to fit in five main requisites. 1: weight not to exceed 1500 lbs. 2: High mobility and maneuverability. 3: Small, yet sufficient cargo and towing capacity for usual military duties. 4: Ease of maintenance and reliability. 5: Versatility to enable it to the various needs of the infantry. But they couldn’t find a manufacturer until, you guessed it, tiny AMC raised its hand in 1959 to say they could swing it.
That’s AMC president George Romney in the passenger seat in this press image.
So the reason for the weight limit is that helicopters of that era didn’t have great lifting ability. they wanted to be able to load a bunch of these vehicles along with the other stuff they would need on maneuvers. This, as it turns out, was way ahead of its time. The body was made out of aluminum, as are the axle center sections, transmission, and engine.
There were two wheelbase versions, 65 and 71 inches. The overall length is 6 inches longer at 113. The suspension is all independent and apparently balanced well enough to allow the removal of a rear wheel and it will still drive on the remaining 3 left. The brakes were inboard front and rear. Power is from an AMC all-aluminum air-cooled V4, 108 cubic inches producing 55 horsepower at 3,600 rpm and 90 lb-ft of torque at 2-3000 rpm. I could run on 80-octane gas.
55 hp baby and it would run on just about anything.
Ok, keep in mind this is the government we’re dealing with here and by the time the Mighty Mite started rolling off the Kenosha Assembly line helicopters started getting more powerful and the need for the Mighty Mite was gone. Somewhere between 4 and 5,000 were made when production ended in 1962. But, as it turns out, AMC wasn’t out of the military contract business for long because, in 1970, they bought Jeep Corporation.
They came down the same assembly line as these Ramblers did.
What are they worth now? You can grab these, if you can find one, pretty cheap for well under 20 grand. Of course, there are exceptions. This 1963 sold at an RM Sotheby’s auction in October 2020 for just over $47 grand.
Photo: RM Sotheby
Thanks for stopping by and checking us out. Come back next week for another car spot along with some of its history. Have a great weekend.
Introduced as a 2005 model, the Cobalt was GM’s most ambitious attempt to go fender-to-fender with compact Asian imports. It had a tough act to follow replacing the Cavalier. Motor Trend loved it saying it was solidly built, suitably refined, and attractively priced, it’s an American car that can compete with its foreign rivals. Let’s put a pin in that and come back to it later because it’s the SS model that is a real hoot and this week’s car spot. Sure they gave it a huge rear wing but more important is that the SS is supercharged putting out 205 horsepower, quite a lot for a 2,800-pound compact.
Cobalt SS in the Paddock area at Road America waiting to compete in the Winter Autocross Event I was also in which was a total blast.
In Motor Trend testing, the Cobalt SS was the fastest regular-production front-drive car through the slalom they’d tested in three years, faster through the cones than the new Corvette Z51. The SS out-cornered the VW R32 on the skidpad, outgunned the MINI Cooper S 0-to-60 mph, and out-stopped the Subaru Impreza WRX 60-to-0 mph. I had a chance to ride along with the dad and daughter of this Cobalt SS at Road America’s Winter Autocross Series when I ran my 22 Jeep Compass in. This car is a little rocket and it was really cool to hear the whine of the Roots-type Eaton blower pumping 12 psi of boost.
I kept up with it on the shorter circuits but on the long ones it was no match for my Jeep.
It was a father and daughter driving. This is her first car. Photo: Road America
Now let’s get back to the 800-pound gorilla in the room, GM quality. In typical form with the company cutting corners, there were lots of recalls. It began in November 2004 with a small recall on the new-for-2005 Cobalt due to a headlight shield that could loosen and cause additional glare for oncoming traffic affecting just 1,378 vehicles. The numbers kept getting worse with several more recalls for a variety of issues. In March 2010, GM conducted its largest Cobalt recall to date, 905,000 examples of the 2005-2010 Cobalt and 2007-2009 G5 (its Pontiac cousin), for a bad power-steering system that could make the car harder to turn at low speeds.
A guy that I used to work with has a SS and he told me that once you get past all the recalls, it was a pretty decent car and a blast to drive. America put up with all the headaches because GM sold over a million of them before production ended in 2001 and the Cobalt was replaced with the Chevy Cruze in 2010. Just 3,168 Cobalt SS Turbo coupes were ever made, and the sedan is much rarer with just 474 being produced. What are they worth now? You can pick up one of these pretty cheap, under $5,000. The daughter was telling me that they picked up this one with a salvage title and another one as a parts car.
Cobalt in action. Road America photo
Thanks for stopping by and checking us out. Be sure to check back next Friday for another car spot along with some of its history. Have a great weekend.
Every time I see one of these I expect that when it stops a bunch of clowns will jump out of it. Kelly Blue Book loved the Cube naming it one of the coolest cars under $18,000 in 2009 and the following year listed the Nissan Cube as one of its Top 10 Road Trip Cars. But not all the media loved it. Cars.com wrote that when the Cube gets above city speeds it’s a dog: It handles like a skateboard, surrenders to highway crosswinds, and has the passing power of a 1990s econobox. Ouch!
Mileage? Not so good, only combined 20 MPG. Launched first in Japan and then the US, it came from the Nissan-Renault hookup, and I think the French influence is obvious.
One thing is for sure, it does stand out in a parking lot.
According to Nissan designers, the interior was inspired by the “enveloping curves of a jacuzzi to promote a comfortable and social atmosphere.” Um, sure, I guess. Nissan even developed an extended line of accessories for Cube to help encourage personalization.
The Cube had seating for five.
These included multicolor appliqués that could be placed around air vents and window switches, utility hooks and elastic bands in different colors, variable color LED accent lighting for the footwell and cup holders, and a sculptured piece of color-coordinated shag carpet that sits in a shallow well on the top of the dash. Shag carpet, I remember that!
At its peak in 2010, the Cube remained firmly a niche vehicle, selling 22,968 units, but from there it started dropping like a rock, shaped like a cube, down to 2,965 through eight months of 2014 according to Nissan. The Cube was dropped for the 2015 model year. Duh!
Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend. Be sure to check back next Friday when I have another one of my car spots along with some of its history.
This past Saturday I was up at Road America, just about my favorite place in the world next to AirVenture in Oshkosh, taking part in the third race in the Winter Autocross Series presented by David Hobbs Honda. 120 drivers came from as far away as South Carolina and had an experience they will never forget.
If I’d waited one more year, I could have had one with a turbo.
I was again driving my 22 Jeep Compass with its 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine putting out a whopping 177 hp. I actually put down some respectable times but a good ten seconds slower than the fastest drivers in Subarus, Audis, and BMWs. But hey, still had a great time as did the other drivers I talked to.
Photo Credit: Brant Didier
Thanks to Erick Heling, Programs Manager, at Road America for making this happen and to members of the Fox Valley Sports Car Club who did a great job with scoring and generally making sure things ran so well out on the courses. Click here to see the final results. Note: had better times than a Subaru WRX and Tesla:) Go check out the video and meet some of the other participants and see how I did.
Minichamps Mercedes-AMG Petronas W11: Lewis Hamilton, 2020 Eifel GP Record 91 wins …
Another Formula 1 season starts this weekend and to mark the season’s launch it seems appropriate to review a Minichamps 1:43 scale model of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas driven by all-time F1 race winner Lewis Hamilton, when he set the record in 2020.
Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton is a seven-time F1 champion now as he enters his 17th F1 season. His record is overwhelming with 103 wins, 103 poles, 61 fastest laps, and 191 podium finishes after starting with McLaren and then switching to Mercedes. He is the undisputed leader and winner in F1, although his seven world titles only tie Michael Schumacher in that category. Hamilton, a Brit, is also the first, and only, black driver in F1.
The History
Mercedes sought Hamilton for their team as Schumacher was retiring and the German automaker wanted the top-rated driver for its team leader. Hamilton quickly became the highest paid F1 driver ever and has remained so for much of his career.
Hamilton won his first Grand Prix in Canada in 2007 during his rookie season where he lost the title by one point to Kimi Räikkönen. But Hamilton won the title the following year, 2008, with a last-lap pass to cement his first crown. He won his other F1 titles in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020. He barely missed the title several other times.
This Mercedes racer celebrates his record breaking 91st win that moved him past Schumacher on the all-time win list. During the 2020 season he won 11 of the 17 contests. While he has increased that total to 103, he failed to win a GP in 2022, the first time he didn’t visit the winner’s circle in a season. His hopes are high, along with teammate George Russell for 2023, but Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin appear to be the other favorites.
The Mercedes W11 racer was designed by James Allison and John Owen and a team of technical experts at Mercedes race team. It was said to pack 1,025 horsepower from its 1.6-liter turbocharged V6, aided by an electric motor. It also included something Mercedes called Dual Axis Steering that allowed the driver to adjust the toe of the front wheels for better handling as race conditions changed.
Obviously the car was stout too as Hamilton’s win total attests, but his teammate Valtteri Bottas also won two races in 2020, so the car took victories in 13 of 17, an extremely dominant performance. The W11 also helped Mercedes win its seventh straight F1 Constructor’s title to set a record, besting Ferrari’s longtime mark.
The Model
First, I love how Minichamps packages its F1 racers in shallow 1.5-inch tall cases that measure 5 5/8 long and just under 3 inches deep for easy stacking if you want to collect a variety of F1 cars representing various teams and drivers. The acrylic cases protect the cars and make for easy display, that shallow height not wasting vertical space as some display cases do.
Minichamps is expert at creating wonderfully formed racers with near perfect markings and sponsorship decals for the various venues where F1 cars perform worldwide.
This one is the more recent black Mercedes livery with the cool white/silver Mercedes “peace sign” logo dotting the back half of the car’s engine cover. Trim is turquoise on the front wing, mirror tops, and rear spoiler where the bright color accentuates the Petronas name. By the way, Petronas is a Malaysian oil and gas company owned by the government there. It’s logo is the turquoise oil drop seen in several locations on the car.
Hamilton is No. 44 and that’s in white on the nose and on each side of the finned engine shroud.
Petronas, in off-white and trimmed in silver, is on each side pod , while also on the top of the front wings’ edges and Petronas Syntum is imprinted just in front of the cockpit on the nose. There’s a Pirelli badge near the nose’s front edge along with the typical Mercedes emblem.
Tiny IWC decals are on either side of the cockpit’s edge, with AMG just in front of the cockpit’s sides. The safety halo includes an End Racism sticker and AMD logo. Petronas Primax is on the tail just below the No. 44 and Epson and Crowdstrike are on the spoiler’s side plates.
Minichamps includes the dark red trim around the air intake just above Hamilton’s head, including the Ineos logo. That logo is also on the wing’s rear.
All the body aerodynamics are here from the multi-tiered front wings to those winglets and scoops by the front suspension, and beside the cockpit above the side pods and flat carbon fiber skirting. A tiny blue and white EQ Performance logo rides on the rear portion of the skirt.
Slicks are the supersoft race tires with Pirelli P-Zero labels in red, the hub edges being a spiffy turquoise to match the car’s accents. Naturally front and rear suspensions are nicely detailed and the rear light bar extends from the tail as a warning for use in rain and during slow lapping situations.
Almost forgot about Lewis, the racer is in the cockpit with a purple and black helmet like he wore for the Eifel GP. You can see the safety belts holding him tightly in the cockpit and a flat-bottom and top race steering wheel in his grip.
This special release marking his record 91st win also includes a replica of an orange Schumacher helmet that was presented to Hamilton after his victory, and a pit board that can be posed with the car. Atop it says Lewis in yellow with 91 wins and Danke Michael in turquoise below that. Classy!
Equally classy, the back plate art here is a picture of Hamilton with his name in all caps, so you won’t mistake who drove this car.
Note too that this car is available for other GPs run during the unusual 2020 season where fans were not permitted due to the worldwide Covid pandemic. And Minichamps makes models of virtually all F1 entrants each season, so if you have a favorite driver or team you likely can find a model of that car, possibly even one in markings from its best race of the season.
I’ve been dealing with Replicarz for years and they are a fast and reliable supplier of die-cast cars. But for Minichamps there are many sources, including eBay. I’ve listed Minichamps and Diecastlegends websites below too.
Got a favorite, just Google the driver’s name and 1/43 diecast and you’ll likely find exactly what you want.
Vital Stats: Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team: Lewis Hamilton record 91 F1 wins
Rightly the tire of choice is the supersoft red sidewall!
Maker: Minichamps Scale: 1/43 Stock No.: P201144
MSRP: $79 (est.)
Link: Replicarz.com or diecastlegends.com or miniatures-minichamps.com/gb/
During the late 1960s and early ’70s, American Motors was looking to shake the stodgy look. You know, great economy, but a car maybe my parents would drive. Among the cars introduced were the Javelin and Hornet. While both could come with AMC’s inline-6s, they also could be equipped with V8s providing a ton of fun. It was along those lines that AMC went off to the races with both cars. The Javelin in Trans-Am and the Hornet in drag racing.
This was from a printed piece my dad got me when he worked at AMC.
Remember this name, Wally Booth, because he was an NHRA Pro Stock racing legend, racing since the mid-’60s in mostly Camaros and Dodges. But in mid-November of 1971 Bob Swaim, the head of the AMC Racing Program, hit up Wally with the opportunity to join AMC’s racing efforts that would lead to his greatest accomplishments.
Photo: MotorTrend
Wally’s first NHRA national event win came just 27 months after joining forces with AMC. On March 17, 1974, his Hornet defeated Jack Roush’s Mustang II in the Pro Stock final at the NHRA Gatornationals, 8.97 to 9.01 seconds. Think about it. An AMC beating a Ford Mustang! He continued racing and winning until his retirement in 1979.
This week’s spot. The pride of Kenosha. Mom had a ’74 Hornet but not as fast as this one.
Props to the owners for keeping the interior mostly stock.
Except for the wheels, this looks like a stock ’74 Hornet nicely restored.
This week’s car spot might have a bit of Wally Booth in it. I found it recently at a World of Wheels event in Milwaukee. This ’74’s body and interior are pristine and look like almost any other that might have come off the line, but underneath, well that’s a different story. AMC peeps, you’re going to like this. Instead of going to the dark side and plopping an LS engine in it. The owners, John and Kathy Bots from Summit, Wis., got ahold of a 401 and juiced it up to 1,200 hp! Gotta love that!
It’s simply great to see cars like this that keep the AMC name alive.
1,200 hp from an AMC. Gotta love it!
In researching this article, I found other interesting tidbits about the Hornet’s racing career. Pop these out at the next Cars and Coffee event you attend.
In 1973, AMC cars very nearly placed 1-2-3, in a BF Goodrich Radial Challenge Series race, but Bob Hennig driving an AMC Hornet went out while in third place with only six laps to go. BMW driver Nick Craw and AMC Hornet driver Amos Johnson ended the IMSA series as co-champions in Class B. Wow, a Hornet as fast as a BMW! Johnson also campaigned Gremlins and later Spirits and won.
Chrysler wasn’t the only manufacturer of a turbine-powered car. In 1971 an AMC Hornet was converted to a WR-26 regenerative gas turbine power made by Williams International.
In 1970, Lou Haratz drove an AMC Hornet and went on to be the first to drive completely around the widest practical perimeter of the North, Central, and South American continents for a distance of 38,472 miles in 143 days. True fact!
Who says Hornets were cheap cars and not dependable?
Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to check back next week for another spot along with some of its history. Have a great weekend.
One of the many AMC cars found in my driveway growing up ,,,
For those of you that don’t follow this blog regularly, I have a fondness for the vehicles built by American Motors, mostly because my dad worked for the company from 1963 to 1989. 1970 was a special year because AMC swung for the fences and bought Jeep from Kaiser Automotive. It was a huge risk that ended up paying off big for the company and most likely saved it for another 17 years. It’s also the reason Chrysler bought AMC in 1987.
AMC Jeep rain jacket my dad got while working for the company. Mine now and it’s not for sale!
Yet from hanging out on some Jeep forums I know there are AMC haters that say the firm messed up Jeep and maybe there were some areas, like the use of plastic in interiors, that were not wins. But overall AMC took the Jeep brand to the next level transforming it from a smallish firm engaged mainly in military and overseas vehicle business into a bigger, company with some of the hottest-selling sport-utility vehicles in the world .
That includes this week’s spot that I found at the Chicago Auto Show in February, a CJ-7. This is the CJ-5’s big brother being 10 inches longer.
Upgrading the Jeep lineup was a smart move and another beneficiary of the AMC purchase as the brand now had access to AMC’s dealer network. In 1970 that consisted of just more than 250,000 dealers, whereas when Kaiser owned Jeep it was tiny and its profits came from selling Jeeps to the military and via civilian contracts, which had become a money-loser by the time AMC bought it.
CJ-7 spot in Jeep exhibit at the 2023 Chicago Auto Show
Step one for AMC was getting their engines into the entire Jeep lineup. The very old F-head four was an easy cut, but many have questioned dropping the popular Buick-based 225 V6. However, the AMC inline 6 cylinders, 232 and 258 ci, had advantages in their smoothness. The 232 also made roughly the same net power as the V6.
The tooling was sold back to GM, and it had a long life back in the GM stable. The longer-stroke AMC 258 would be the middle option, and the top dog was AMC’s new 304ci V8, a first for Jeep.
This one featured the 304 V8.
AMC kept making improvements to the brand. A dealer-installed radio became available in 1973, and air conditioning became available via dealerships in 1975. Electronic, breaker-less distributors replaced breaker-point Delco distributors for the full engine lineup.
AMC kept the same basic interior for a while then later adding the plastic.
In 1975, the tub and frame were modified from earlier versions. The windshield frame and windshield angle were also changed. Another change was going from a Dana 44 to an AMC-manufactured model 20 that had a larger-diameter ring gear but used a two-piece axle shaft/hub assembly instead of the one-piece design used in the Dana. The CJ-7 featured an optional new automatic all-wheel-drive system called Quadra-Trac.
A lot of aftermarket items were added to this CJ.
For 1977. Power disc brakes were an option as well as the “Golden Eagle” package, which included a tachometer, clock, and air conditioning among the many new options. Other trim packages included the Renegade, Golden Hawk, and Laredo.
In addition, there were Special Editions, the Limited (2,500 units limited edition luxury models), and the Jamboree Commemorative Edition (630 numbered units built for the 30th anniversary of the Rubicon Trail). It is the rarest CJ-7 and one of the rarest Jeeps of all time, placing it in the same rarity class as the 1971 CJ-5 Renegade-II. It is the most heavily optioned CJ ever built and it was the Rubicon of its day. Like the 1970 AMX, all units are uniquely numbered via a dash plaque. There was even a Levi’s Edition. Ultimately CJ-7s were in production for 11 model years from 1976-1986 and 379,299 were built.
AMC branding everywhere.
But 1983 was really the end of the line for the CJs. AMC was still tight on cash and needed to do upgrades because of much publicized rollovers. The decision, AMC killed the CJ name and renamed the Jeep the Wrangler. Boom, gone were the lawsuits.
With CJ gone it was the last in a line of civilian Jeeps dating back to 1945. Having experienced them, they were a blast to drive. Too bad the lawyers got to that original design.
This one’s even been “duck duck jeeped”
What are they worth now? According to Hagerty, a 1980 Renegade with a 304 can sell for as much as $44,500. An ’81 is worth slightly more at $50,000. Even the rare ones I mentioned above are not selling for what most might think. Why? Well, maybe one reason is that they’ve looked about the same. I would love to own one but, well, you know how it goes.
Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check back next week for another one of my spots along with some of the history behind it. Have a great weekend.
Autoart launches a gorgeous 1/18 scale Heritage edition …
No doubt in my mind that the original Ford GT40 was the most beautiful enclosed race car ever and the street versions created by Ford since 2017 are likewise top-shelf designs, both retro and cutting edge.
The flying buttresses on each side, just behind the doors, that allow air to rush through to provide downforce are both beautiful and inspired. They also helped Ford race these successfully at Le Mans and in IMSA sports car endurance races the past several years, further enhancing Ford’s race cred.
Now Ford has announced the final run of these exquisite gas burners, and with it they revealed a variety of Heritage editions. Autoart is modeling three of the current Heritage trims. Our sample car is Wimbledon White (an off-white) with Antimatter Blue (nearly black) trim.
Officially this is known as the 2022 GT 1964 Prototype Heritage Edition, honoring the first GT/101 Prototype of the Ford GT. That got the GT40 ball rolling until the breakthrough year of 1966 when drivers Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby won the 24 Hours of Daytona in a Ford GT. In fact, the Fords took the top three spots before heading off to Le Mans in France where they would also sweep the podium, and then win three more years in a row.
The History
So now 57 years after those Daytona 24 and Le Mans wins comes these Heritage models of the Ford GT that debuted in 2017 and now wraps its production run. The modern version touts a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 that makes an incredible 660 horsepower while producing 550 pound-feet of torque.
That translates to a top speed of 216 and Car and Driver tells us it’ll do 0-60 mph in 3 seconds flat, or 0-100 mph in 6.2 seconds. Freaky fast, although McLaren and Bugatti can boast slightly better, but then they cost more, generally.
Although these current Ford GTs are not for you and me. They list at $500,000 and the Heritage models add another $100k on top of that. Once purchased their value will hit $1 million or more due to scarcity though, so if you’ve got the spare cash they could be a fine investment.
All have 7-speed automatic dual-clutch trannys and boast dual titanium exhausts that are said to give their engines a distinctive and racy roar. I’ve only heard them online, but I know how great the Mustang GTs sound, so it’s likely.
Another cool feature, hollow taillights to help dissipate heat, and double bi-spoke carbon fiber 20-inch wheels, plus carbon-ceramic brakes to keep the Ford GT light, and stop it quickly.
While the Ford GT rides on a 106.7 inch wheelbase it’s just 43.7 inches high, so it can’t be called a GT40, and GT43.7 is pretty awkward. The supercar weighs just 3,381 pounds.
The Model
As for the model, it offers all the detail you’d expect at this price, an opening rear engine cover, flip-out scissor style doors, a small opening frunk with white coolant containers inside, and a rear spoiler that can be raised with a release under the car’s tail. Front wheels are posable too.
The paint job is superb, although I gotta say the Antimatter Blue is so dark you’ll think it’s black unless in direct sunlight. That blue covers the nose and then is repeated in a wide racing stripe over the roof and tail, including the spoiler.
The GT has dark mesh grille work atop the nose beside the frunk and the headlights are highly detailed HD models with a clear lens covering the elements beneath. There’s more dark mesh grille work under the nose, which naturally features a Ford blue oval logo.
Carbon-fiber finished side rocker panel skirting run along the lower door edges and car’s body with a black multi-finned diffuser tucked under the tail. There’s a Ford license plate back there too. The twin center exhausts are matte silver to reflect the titanium pipes on the original, and the big round red taillights are hollowed at the center.
Under the windowed rear hatch it’s easy to see the top of the twin-turbo V6 with labeling that says Powered by Ford. There’s not a lot else to see as mock carbon fiber trims the engine and acts as a shroud around it. Note there is a tiny pentagonal trunk with flocked flooring in back too.
Flip up those doors for a decent view of the Lightspeed Blue interior with black dash and wheel, but it all looks very dark, although in proper light you can see the two bucket seats are dark blue. There’s a GT logo atop each floor panel beside the seats and atop where a rocker panel would be if those doors didn’t include the car’s bottom edge as part of the door. This is all as in the original car, naturally.
The Ford GT’s racing steering wheel features a flat top and bottom and the dash detail is good, including a hood over the gauges with more fake carbon fiber trim atop that and the dash’s leading edge. Again it’s dark inside, so you’ll need a flashlight to see much detail. Yet you are really not buying a 1/18 scale Ford GT to look at the interior, it’s the exterior that screams speed and generates excitement.
That extends all the way down to the wheels, which are black to reflect the original’s carbon fiber wheels. Plus there are drilled disc brake rotors behind those wheels with silver Brembo calipers. The black wheels also feature black and silver GT center caps.
Other details to note are large white mirrors on black stalks that extend quite a ways to allow a driver to see around the flying buttresses and the car’s muscular hips. More black mesh in the air ducts in front of the rear wheels too, and Ford is emblazoned just in front of those wheels and above the carbon fiber ground effects skirting.
Autoart also plans two other Heritage Editions, a red No. 16 with gold and white stripes to represent cars raced by the Alan Mann team, and a gold and red version representing Holman Moody, the famous Ford-backed race team. Both will be the same price as this first release, $240, and are available for pre-order at the Autoart website.
Please bring the rotary engine back, in a sports car.
MotorTrend loved the RX-7 when it was introduced in 1978 calling it “Sleek, Functional and Fast: An Affordable 2-Seater For the Enthusiast” It was the answer to sports car lovers’ dreams, being attractive, fun to drive, and at $7,195, a bargain competing against other cars in the American market like the Porsche 924, Datsun 280Z and, possibly even the Corvette. Add to that, it came with a lightweight Wankel rotary engine.
Early Rx-7 ad I found in my collection.
This wasn’t the first time Mazda had rolled the dice on a rotary. They spent more than 15 years working out the kinks as many owners of RX-2s, 3s, and 4s had been plagued with expensive seal replacements and some seized engines. Then there was the argument between the American distributor and EPA over gas mileage figures. Its estimated gas mileage was 19 mpg city, 29 mpg highway, and 23 mpg combined. The 1.1 L 12A engine was rated at 100 hp at 6,000 rpm allowing the car to reach speeds of more than 120 mph. The RX=7 went from 0-60 in just over eight seconds. I call that pretty good for a small engine.
It didn’t take long to see Mazda set out making a racing version. Body panels, fender flares, front air dam, and a rear spoiler made the RX-7 look like a racer. And for the serious competitor, it was possible to get a full-race peripheral-port engine with modified combustion chamber, 2-throat 45 DCLE Weber carburetor, and deletion of those power-robbing emissions controls. All that could add up to a horsepower potential of 220 plus.
Looks like it just came from the factory.
Perhaps that “Wankel rotary” thing didn’t have Americans convinced because just less 20,000 cars were sold in the first year. However, the next year sales more than doubled to 54,000. Sales would bounce around that number until 1987 when they dropped to 38,000 and it was downhill from there until the RX-7’s final year of production, 1995 saw just 1,999 produced. There were more than 800,000 Mazda RX-7s made. I had a chance to drive two 1983s, my then soon-to-be wife’s blue one, and a friend’s red one. They were a blast!
These are certainly affordable vehicles to own and drive now. Hagerty values for the 1979 Mazda RX-7 GS ranges from $5,500 in Fair condition all the way up to $45,800 in Concours and they are trending up. I found a bunch of them on Bring a Trailer (BaT) for less than $10 grand.
Even though the rotary engine died because of its inherently poor thermal efficiency, Mazda is bringing it back. Unfortunately, not in a sports car, but it’s being turned into a range-extending generator for its forthcoming MX-30 electric SUV.
Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check back again next week for another one of my car spots along with some of its history. Have a great weekend and tell your friends.
This cool vehicle was only with us for three short years.
Subaru took an Outback station wagon and added a pickup bed. The thought was that it would appeal to a new generation of adventure seekers like those who climb mountains, backpack, camp, and kayak. But the Baja, introduced in 2003, wasn’t your bare-bones off-roader. Standard equipment, included a power sunroof, leather seating, an 80-watt CD stereo, a six-way power driver’s seat, and full-time all-wheel drive. You could get mountains of gear inside thanks to what Baja designers called the Switchback. Flip the seat cushions forward, fold the backrests down, and a pass-through door folds flat so you could slide in surfboards, skis, or even a canoe.
While it looked the part of being a serious off-roader, it really wasn’t because the longer pickup bed and aggressive front fascia reduced the Outback’s already marginal approach and departure angles. It had a ground clearance of 7.3 inches, a towing capacity of 2400 pounds, and a pickup bed that is only 41.5 inches long. It had a base price of around $25,000.
Baja waiting in line for another lap at the event. It competed in the all-wheel drive class with my 22 Jeep Compass.
As with other Subaru models, it featured great reliability receiving the 2003 and 2004 J.D. Powers’s APEAL (for Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study) Award which measured owner delight with the design, content, layout, and performance of their new vehicles for “Most Appealing Compact Pickup” and the Consumer Reports 2006 highest score for reliability in the pickup truck category. The automotive press was not always impressed. James Healey, writing for USAToday at the time of the Baja’s introduction called it a “controversial fashion statement with limited utility”.
This Baja wasn’t as hot as its namesake in Mexico.
It rolled out of Subaru’s plant in Lafayette, Indiana beginning in July of 2022 as a 2023 model. Subaru had projected selling 24,000 per year but over the model’s three-year run only sold 30,000 and in April 2006 ceased production.
Thanks for stopping by. Check back next week for another one of my car spots along with some of its history. Have a great weekend and tell your friends about out blog site.
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