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Pick your favorite iconic car from any decade....

#2,461
1969 AMX/3

The AMX/3 was a stunningly-cool mid-engined exotic. Its development was an international collaborative effort between an AMC team led by Dick Teague (head of design), ItalDesign, Italian engineer Giotto Bizzarrini and even some work was done by BMW. The 3,300-pound sports car was powered by an AMC 390 cid V8 that packed 340 hp and was backed by a four-speed manual. It could reportedly accelerate to 60 mph in just over 5 seconds and top 170 mph—solid numbers for the time.

But the machine never officially made it to AMC showrooms, in part because of cost. It would have required a sticker price reportedly close to $15,000 and just a few thousand dollars shy of Lamborghini's Miura.

Little Known Fact: Six prototypes were of this car were built (plus a rumored seventh parts car) and some of them ended up in private garages. These surviving AMX/3s look more like production cars than they do prototypes. And one of them sold at an auction in 2017 for almost $900,000.

1200px-1970-amc-amx-3-proto-fl-1533929583.jpg
 
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#2,462
Richland123 said:
Chevrolet Corvair

View attachment 3940967
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I always like the body style of the last Corvairs built. If I recall correctly, on the later models, the stability problems were corrected that the first Corvairs had. But it was too late as Ralf Nader had put a knife into the Corvair's reputation from his publication, "Unsafe at any speed".
07-chevrolet-corvair-primary-jpg.jpg
 
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#2,465
Watched an old movie on the TV last night.


d6e8ea93b3c42671cbbecf869d7672eb.png

The yellow Mercedes W110 brought back memories. I didn't particularly like the model as a kid, but I remember hitching in Belgium in '82, on the way to the south of France, when an apple green one picked us up for what felt like 'voyage au bout de la nuit' through the industrial North-East of France.

Another Mercedes that picked us up in '84, when things started to appear hopeless, because we were only 1 third on the way to West-Berlin and the night had fallen, was a white Mercedes-Benz W114.
6cc00ba134898079d67fed5e3b10dc5a.jpg

The couple that picked us up drove us straight to Berlin, one block away from our destination. That occasion, and a few others, connect Mercedes with a sort of saving grace to me.
 
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#2,466
Stewie26 said:
I always like the body style of the last Corvairs built. If I recall correctly, on the later models, the stability problems were corrected that the first Corvairs had. But it was too late as Ralf Nader had put a knife into the Corvair's reputation from his publication, "Unsafe at any speed".
View attachment 3941082
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I recently followed a Corvair down the road. It had a vanity plate that read 'UNSAFE'. ;)
 
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#2,472
FilterFunk said:
I'm gonna take your word for it...I am so not an "under the hood" guy! I just know what looks cool to me.
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That generation Volvo had a ton of room under the hood, so much that a V8 Chevy swap was almost a given.

Since the old school 350 seems to be a thing of the past, the new LS series engines is the hot setup these days. It's pretty easy to make power with them, Hot Rod and Car Craft magazines have both made 700+ ponies on a single turbo LS without spending a ton of money.

Even I am in the process of replacing the 477" BBC in my Camaro with a turbo LS...... the thought of being able to turn the key without having to pump the gas pedal and go fast on pump gas versus the 110 octane racing fuel I run now makes me giggle inside......
 
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#2,473
1962 Thunderbird UTE...unfortunately never produced...concept only.
It'd be a fun ride though...and talk about panels of plywood in the back!!
Literally my idea of the perfect truck.
1962 Thunderbird Ero Ute.jpg



1970 Ford Torino King Cobra with Nascar nose...another One-Off...
there are MANY people looking for this one...it hasn't been seen publicly since those times...
although it's reputed to be in a famous country singer's collection.
1970-ford-torino-king-cobra-nascar-grille.jpg



1980's Vigilante kit car
The only downside was that when it rained, turning was nearly impossible...
85% of the weight was in the rear...few of these survive because of that little physics lesson.
VW Trike's & the Trylon Viper suffer similar issues.
vig 1.jpg
 
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#2,474
FilterFunk said:
1980 Volvo 262C Coupe. I like that sort of "chop-top" look:
View attachment 3946608
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I had a 1978 262c Bertone
my262c.gif


Mike N said:
Needs a single turbo LS under the hood...... :D
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I was going to put a 1985 5.0L in mine since the PVR V6 was shot and I had access to a donor car

FilterFunk said:
I'm gonna take your word for it...I am so not an "under the hood" guy! I just know what looks cool to me.
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Definitely cool looking as they were... I would buy another if the right one came up close enough.

Stewie26 said:
IMO, one of the better looking Volvo's ever made.
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These are still my favorite looking
volvo_p1800_angle_front.jpg


But the 262c is probably my favorite of the 200 series (which is my favorite model series)

Mike N said:
That generation Volvo had a ton of room under the hood, so much that a V8 Chevy swap was almost a given.

Since the old school 350 seems to be a thing of the past, the new LS series engines is the hot setup these days. It's pretty easy to make power with them, Hot Rod and Car Craft magazines have both made 700+ ponies on a single turbo LS without spending a ton of money.

Even I am in the process of replacing the 477" BBC in my Camaro with a turbo LS...... the thought of being able to turn the key without having to pump the gas pedal and go fast on pump gas versus the 110 octane racing fuel I run now makes me giggle inside......
Click to expand...

my wife wants a race car in a sleeper body... I'm liking the 8 second Volvo idea more and more....



I am doing a bunch of work on mine this weekend... it feels great to have a big driveway and garage to work on it.
20200729_Volvo_240_Wagon.jpg
 
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#2,475
James Hart said:
I had a 1978 262c Bertone
View attachment 3946872



I was going to put a 1985 5.0L in mine since the PVR V6 was shot and I had access to a donor car



Definitely cool looking as they were... I would buy another if the right one came up close enough.



These are still my favorite looking
View attachment 3946873

But the 262c is probably my favorite of the 200 series (which is my favorite model series)



my wife wants a race car in a sleeper body... I'm liking the 8 second Volvo idea more and more....



I am doing a bunch of work on mine this weekend... it feels great to have a big driveway and garage to work on it.
View attachment 3946874
Click to expand...

That's winner, Volvo makes some incredible cars
 
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#2,479
Mike N said:
That generation Volvo had a ton of room under the hood, so much that a V8 Chevy swap was almost a given.

Since the old school 350 seems to be a thing of the past, the new LS series engines is the hot setup these days. It's pretty easy to make power with them, Hot Rod and Car Craft magazines have both made 700+ ponies on a single turbo LS without spending a ton of money.

Even I am in the process of replacing the 477" BBC in my Camaro with a turbo LS...... the thought of being able to turn the key without having to pump the gas pedal and go fast on pump gas versus the 110 octane racing fuel I run now makes me giggle inside......
Click to expand...


While I have to agree that the LS is a great engine and a good candidate to swap into various engine bays, I'm starting to get bored with just how often fans of the LS are popping up in random automotive discussions to suggest that an LS engine swap is needed. It reminds me of the Ford 302/351W fanatics of the past generation.

I was recently reading a thread on a Merkur XR4ti enthusiast forum where the OP wanted suggestions for performance upgrades. In an attempt to head off the inevitable, he explicitly stated that swapping in an LS was not an option because the factory 2.3L turbo is a fundamental part of the unique character of these cars, so please don't bother suggesting it.

Two of the first five posts were attempts to talk him into an LS swap.

Sorry about the rant. This is just something that I've been seeing everywhere lately and it's kind of a burr in my saddle.
 

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