In reply to 06HHR (Forum Supporter) :
We had an HHR panel van as a press car and, yes, you couldn't see out of the thing. I remember backing out of my drive way and thinking, Well, let's hope no one's coming....
In reply to 06HHR (Forum Supporter) :
We had an HHR panel van as a press car and, yes, you couldn't see out of the thing. I remember backing out of my drive way and thinking, Well, let's hope no one's coming....
Also, I think M3 is way too easy, so for the E46-chassis 3 Series, how about the ZHP?
David S. Wallens said:How about a Toyota Matrix XRS, basically a Celica GT-S in a tall wagon, six-speed and all?
I see your pedestrian Toyota Matrix XRS and raise you a Pontiac Vibe GT. Same idea, just with more unpainted plastic.
Original Firebird Firehawk, SLP made these for Pontiac, the Firehawk.org website says only 25 were built in 1992. Sorry for the giant pictures.
1990-'91 Volkswagen Golf Country.
This thread totally has me looking at V8 RCSB Tundras for sale. There's one at a dealership in TN that's tempting.
Not really a unicorn, but they are getting rare these days. 94-96 Impala SS. Take a Caprice with all the 9C1 options, give it 3.08 gears, nice 17s and lowered springs, and a leather interior. Use Darth Vader references in your ad. Win.
Another car that was everywhere BITD: Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais. So how about one with a Quad 4 H.O. engine and FE3 suspension?
My best friend DDs a factory 5 speed E39 528iT which is one of ~17 in the US.
It was possible to RPO a 2 Door Tahoe with the 6.5TD and an NV4500. I'm not sure anyone did, but if they did, then that's my favorite "boring" unicorn.
The Cimarron. You could get it with the V6 and a manual.
190HP/160TQ with a 7200rpm redline from a 2.3L DOHC 4-cyl in 1991.
SAAB 9-7x Aero - A Chevy TrailBlazer SS in a Swedish suit. Probably about 500 made total.
David S. Wallens said:Can't remember the last time I saw a regular front-drive, Toyota-built Nova, but back in the day, it was popular car at school--several friends drove them.
So how about the Twin Cam Nova?
Editorial Director, Grassroots Motorsports & Classic Motorsports
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1065434_guilty-pleasure-geo-prizm-gsi
I wanted one back in high school. I don't recall seeing one in person. I have seen multiple camry coupes (have a customer with one)
Probably should have mentioned this one earlier. Back in school, I drove an '82 Accord--just like everyone one else on campus. Those early '80 Accords were just everywhere: roomy, reliable, the entire package. Totally loved mine. (Yes, it had a five-speed.)
Triumph, yes, the British company, sold a rebadged Accord under its own label.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
Despite the stunning reputation the Honda badged versions had, my recolection of the Acclaim in period was an utter total turd, so par for the course in BL's death spiral years.
captdownshift (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to Tom1200 :
I dated a girl in high school who had one, in hindsight, I should've taken that relationship much more seriously.
Ahhhh what were you thinking man? A girl with a Supra motored 5 speed wagon.............there are so many illicit things that could have been done, wiht her and the wagon..................oh the regret!
I wouldn't say any of these are my favorite but they're definitely different...
Shelby Durango SP360 - 300 made
Saleen Focus N2O
Great topic! I've got a couple for you.
1978-79 Oldsmobile 442 "slantback"/Buick Century Turbo "fastback"
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Some people call these ugly, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think these two badge-engineered GM twins are super rad. As a kid, my aunt and uncle had a 1978 4 door version of the Cutlass slantback, and they HATED that car, mainly because the 260ci V8 was always breaking down. A 2-door with a warmed-over Olds 350 (or a Grand National 3.8L V6T with EFI and an intercooler in the case of the Buick) would be mega cool!
2020-21 Kia Forte GT (2017-18 Hyundai Elantra Sport may also apply)
Last fall, I found myself in search of a new daily driver. After settling on a budget, I started searching for compact "performance-oriented" cars that come with manual transmissions. After a quick local search, the Kia dealer up the street showed that they had one of these in stock. I had no idea this was a thing. A few minutes later, I found some specs that looked promising. 201hp, turbocharged, backed by either a DCT or a 6MT. Lined up well with stuff like the Civic Si and Jetta GLI. Ok, you have my attention. Some deeper research resulted in more interesting specs: the entire rear suspension is different than the regular versions; they swapped in a multi-link IRS instead of the beam axle. The front brakes measure 12.3", it's lowered on sport springs compared to the regular ones, and there's 18x7.5 wheels all around. They even slapped on a "sport-tuned exhaust" on it. Even the seats, steering wheel, and pedals are GT-specific. It's like Kia actually made an effort to build something cool on the Forte platform, and no one knows about them. After a test drive, I was sold. Felt more like something Bavarian than a cheap econobox, and it's a completely different driving experience than the non-GT cars. From what I read, the earlier Elantra Sport with the same drivetrain is a similar deal, but the Forte GT is a little more hard-edged. I'm sure these aren't long for this world with a manual transmission as the form of forward motivation, since the take rate is really low and they are due for a redesign next year.
Another popular car back in the day: Mazda 323. The unicorn is the 323 GTX, right? Na, too common.
How about the turbo, front-drive 323 GT sedan?
And related to the 323 GT, kinda: the Mazda Protege MP3. It was basically a Protege with cool paint, a banging sound system (that could, OMG, play MP3 files), stiffer suspension and some other add-ons. Racing Hart wheels, right?
I went to the press intro where I received a disc player that could play MP3 files and also sported a Mazda logo (sticker). For some reason, I still have it. I don't think I ever used it, though. Call it an automotive media artifact. 
What about the Sterling, a rebadged Acura that was a rebadged Honda:
With the way fuel costs are.. Any of the 4wd oil burner manual trans version minivans which we did not get any of. ANY. OF. EVER. HERE.
Saleen XP8:
Audi RS4? They showed this video to us at a press intro. Changed everything.
In reply to Tom1200 :
There were, and there were. I admittedly didn't appreciate how awesome she was at the time. Once I got to college I did, though she had fallen into the just wanting to be friends mindset at that point.
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