All what we got here's American made It's a little bit cheesey, But it's nicely displayed

[warren t claim]

OK, excuse the Zappa lyric title but it somehow suits the attitude most have about the American automobile industry. Surely there must of been a few gems amongst the grot that they flogged on to a captive audience?

 

 

[SambaS]

Shelby Omni GLHS

[SambaS]

Owt baring the Vector badge, and the Calloway Corvette Sledgehammer. Ooh and the Buick Grand National/ GNX

[Pete-M]

Some Yank stuff is just bloody lovely. Not much, but they have pulled some great style stunts over the years.

 

Ok, there's the occasional huge great limo. Not many, but when I rule the world I'll rock up to gigs in one of these.

 

 

There's something about these things. The suicide door sedan is the looker, the limo just looks evil. I like evil looking cars. Even if people occasionally ask me for a "'enry", whatever that is.

 

Buick Gran Sport GSX.

 

For being a caricature of all the muscle cars, but not quite getting anything right. Very colour sensitive, look shit in most colours. Good in green. I like green.

 

Our own "McQueen Machine" will agree with this. 

 

 

Being a Ford man, the old Mustang has to come into it. This, to me, is the best looking one they ever made. Bullitt or Eleanor? Bullitt for me. Eleanor looks like it needs to be detailed once a week. The Bullitt 390GT works for a living, the odd scar is expected. Bugger it, it's the one Steve McQueen drove, therefore it's cooler than a polar bears' love spuds.

 

 

1970 Cadillac Fleetwood 75. Just... just..... look at the bloody thing. It's HUGE. And it looks mean.

 

These are ace to drive. No, really. They're bloody brilliant. Driving one of these brings a lot of emotions. There's amusement when the huge V8 is bellowing like a stabbed V8 rhino, there's the fabulous queasy feeling when the suspension does it's oscillation trick, there's fear when stopping the bloody thing is involved, and there's joy when the auto-seek radio does what it's meant to. The gearbox slurs changes in the laziest way you can imagine which is relaxing, but if you find a huge enough expanse of bump free road the kickdown can bring hilarity as the whole shooting match loses all body control trying to deal with about four megaton of torque.

 

These can make tyres screech on any surface they come into contact with. You cannot help but laugh when you drive one. Cry when you have to fuel it up.

[Guest Breadvan72]

Whut he said in all respects.

 

I would add on some Plymouth Barracuda action, if only because of the cool name.

 

 

[Lukas]

I like a lot of the shite the yankees produced until the 1990s.

 

I love the look of the big saloons.

 

Like the Buick Park Avenue. It even was officially sold here for a few years, so you see one driving around sometimes:

 

 

Or the Chevrolet Caprice Classic:

 

 

The Buick Roadmaster

 

 

Only some examples. But I´ve never owned a yankee-car before. I always thought they may be badly made, the auto-boxes may go bust and they will use a huge amount of fuel even for starting. It´s possible nothing of this is true, so I will have to go and buy a yankee-car in the future to look if that´s alright.

 

L

[Shep Shepherd]

I like the 1992-1999 Pontiac Bonneville:

 

[alf892]

That Bonneville looks like a big Proton..........

[Guest Breadvan72]

OK, excuse the Zappa lyric title but it somehow suits the attitude most have about the American automobile industry. Surely there must of been a few gems amongst the grot that they flogged on to a captive audience?

 

 

No need to apologise for Zappa reference, except that it should have been Titties and Beer.

 

[face]

I like the 'Truman Show'-tastic 1990s Ford Taurus:

 

[Mr Lobster]

Theres some great looking old US stuff. Clarkson inspired pub bores tell you it doesn't drive well and can't do corners but who cares. It looks pretty cool anyway.

 

My choices -

 

 

Obvious but still cool as far as I'm concerned

 

[brickwall]

I alway liked the Barracuda. Can I temp favour with the AMC Hornet? Definately shite, especially with the ridiculous 5.9 blasting out a whopping 150hp 

 

[chaseracer]

Perhaps because of my age and the fact that Musical Offspring's extensive talents involve drum kits and large percussion instruments, my automotive midlife crisis currently focuses on the full-size American station wagons of my early youth, viz.

 

Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser:

 

 

Chevrolet Chevelle:

 

 

 

Pontiac Bonneville:

 

 

Pontiac Tempest:

 

 

Dodge Dart:

 

[dollywobbler]

I think I've only driven one American car. It was a mid-Sixties Ford Mustang fastback and it was absolutely horrible. Possibly the most disappointing experience in my life. Looked great, sounded great, had steering like a traction engine and a clutch that required both feet (it was an uprated one). Wobbled about like The Rolly Pollys in an earthquake.

 

I'd still love a 1969 Oldsmobile Toronado. Yes, I know the drive's at the wrong end.

 

[Junkman]

 

[John F]

Attractive american cars?

 

Er...

 

 

Can't think of any others, soz.

[Junkman]

That looks more like an attractive Italian car.

 

[Station]

Only really this one, and I don't think it's a US car:

 

 

I can't think of any others. I like the design of those 70's and 80's cars, but it's like listening to 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' for the 500th time, you get bored of them, they offered nothing else.

[Spiny Norman]

Zappa lyrics, huh?

My car is fast, my teeth are shiney, I tell al the girls they can kiss my hiney.

http://youtu.be/RckftSmrCnE

 

 

Never really been a fan of US cars but the '71 Riviera is a masterpiece.

 

 

 

[Lukas]

Oh, I forgot to mention this thing of coolness!

 

AMC Concord, the boring brother of the Eagle. Marvelous!

 

[Vin]

I've never been a lover of yank stuff, but these are just lovely...

 

[Ian Nexus]

Had a 1988 Lincoln town car for a short while, it was like a poor mans roller.....

[chaseracer]

Town Cars look weird UNstretched.  The proportions are all wrong!

[vulgalour]

Muscle cars and wafty barges are all very well and good but they're not trying to do anything in the spirit of shite.  What you want is an economy car aimed at the cash-strapped American public with futuristic looks.  What you get is this.

 

 

It's like an American take on Japanese economy car.  Somehow, it manages to look wrong from pretty much every angle, which is quite an achievement.  I gather they get too hot inside due to poor cabin ventilation, haven't got enough storage due to the slope of the rear end, don't have good mpg and aren't particularly reliable.  And yet, rather like the BL Potato (nee Allegro) I find them strangely appealing and would find it very a very difficult choice if someone said I could have a Gremlin or a Lincoln.

[Junkman]

What you want is an economy car aimed at the cash-strapped American public with futuristic looks.

 

OK then.

 

[Spiny Norman]

I should probably have posted my namesake. It's kinda fugly, I like it.

 

[Junkman]

It's one of the few yanks I have yet to own.

[Wilko220]

Well, obviously...

 

[Junkman]

[Junkman]

Pink Cadillac.