Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Pick your favorite iconic car from any decade....
- Thread starter Iridescentone
- Start date
RICH and/or FINE and/or SOFT Corinthian leather, no less!
I didn't know Mr Roarke drove one of those? Maybe Tattoo was in the passenger side but couldn't be seen? Ahhh, Fantasy Island
1980 Holden Commodore HDT (Holden Dealer Team) Group C Touring Car homologation model. Worked 308 V8, Bilstein shocks, Irmscher wheels, and less-than-subtle bolt-on wheel arch flares and rear spoiler. The racing version dominated the field that year.
My mother had one similar to this as her daily drive, though without the stripe decals as she didn't want the car to attract too much attention.
Back in the '80s, the under-the-hood design of cars was getting so complex and crowded, basic, do-it-yourself maintenance was becoming more and more difficult. In response, Mad Magazine published an illustration of Herve Villechaize dressed as a mechanic, popping out of an engine compartment while holding a headlamp. (I tried to find the pic, but no luck!I didn't know Mr Roarke drove one of those? Maybe Tattoo was in the passenger side but couldn't be seen? Ahhh, Fantasy Island
)
About ten years ago I visited the Lambo museum (a short bus ride outside of Bologna) and got a picture of one:
I took the train to Bologna from Milan, had a great day visit at the museum.
Got back to Bologna in the evening and it seems EVERY restaurant downtown was CLOSED.
So much for the 'best food in Italy' excursion, I had dinner at McDonald's in the train station.
Then I got on the wrong train and was in Florence before I realized (Jumped off there and went to the other side to get back to Milan...)
Last edited:
- Dec 21, 2007
- 15,235
- 45,141
- Disclosures
- Lark in the Morning Instructional Videos; Audix Microphones
As a kid in NJ in the '70's there were several of these around, including one on my block.
I thought they were pretty much the coolest thing on wheels. Literally.
Orange like this one.
NICE! My wife and her daughter got back from a pleasure trip to Milan/Florence/Siena in October. They had a WONDERFUL time!
My first car was one of the these-- '67? MG 1100 sedan. Mine was British Racing Green. It was a real oddity so see one of them, even back then. Kind of a big brother to the Austin Mini. Front drive, transverse engine, before that layout became popular. It was a ball to drive. Pretty snappy for what it was. It handled well. The suspension was "hydrolastic", an alcohol/water mix in a reservoir at each wheel, with a pipe running between the front and rear wheels on the same side.
The bad was it was not made with U.S. highway use in mind. I put a tach in it, and at 70 mph, that little 4-banger was spinning at 4800 rpm. It was happy at that rpm, but a 14 hr road trip would glaze the cylinder walls, resulting in using 1 qt of oil every 300 miles.
The bad was it was not made with U.S. highway use in mind. I put a tach in it, and at 70 mph, that little 4-banger was spinning at 4800 rpm. It was happy at that rpm, but a 14 hr road trip would glaze the cylinder walls, resulting in using 1 qt of oil every 300 miles.
Just as the saying goes: "first car, best car."
Nothing has ever topped my 1997 Ford Escort Sport, that I drove from about 16-19.
Honorable mention probably goes to my 2025 Subaru Outback.
Nothing has ever topped my 1997 Ford Escort Sport, that I drove from about 16-19.
Honorable mention probably goes to my 2025 Subaru Outback.
Actually they are. Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4.The last Countach was made in 1990. Those Lambos ain't Countachs.
Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4| Lamborghini.com
www.lamborghini.com
And a double like if it comes with Miss Hurst.
I've posted this one before but it seems appropriate again: 1965 Olds F-85
Chrysler Cordoba. It's all about the Corinthian leather.
Here's another Australian Holden Group C homologation special - the Torana A9X from '77, sold as a four door sedan or the pictured two-door liftback. Holden preferred the local L31 308 V8 (240hp) over the Chevy 350 for weight (and possibly local content and expense) issues. The higher performance L34 308 ("250" hp on the dealer spec sheet, but closer to 280hp in reality and easily tuned to 300hp) was also available but only to customers with a racing licence. The competition version of the L34 308 (350hp) and relatively lightweight chassis gave it massive performance, with the lighter weight contributing to a significant handling and braking advantage over the competition on the track, as well as better tyre and brake longevity. After engine development hiccups in '77, the A9X dominated the '78 and '79 Group C seasons.
The bolt on 'guards, reverse bonnet scoop, and aero package made it stand out just a little. Availible in some funky '70s colours, or white for the introverted customer. From memory the black bonnet was standard.
