Disappearing Cars—The Automotive Threatened, Endangered and Extinct List

Fox ^ | 5-19-12 | Hagerty

[TurboZamboni]

Several years ago, there was a large reward posted for evidence that the Ivory Billed Woodpecker was not extinct as was previously thought. Strangely, the classic car world has yet to respond in like fashion for evidence that breeding pairs of Plymouth Crickets or Mercury Bobcats are still out there. To qualify for the list a car must have been produced in large numbers (10,000-plus) within the last 40 years with few (if any) roadworthy survivors. Here are some of our favorite threatened, endangered and extinct cars:

[reagan_fanatic]

My friend had a Vega. Aluminum block, and a pooch. In the Winter before the engine had time to fully warm up, you could have the accelerator pedal mashed to the floor and not do over 35mph. It was awful.

[Fightin Whitey]

I pulled a Bill Clinton in the hatchback of my ‘76 “Spirit of America” Vega on an isolated beach on the big lake outside my hometown.

My first and her first too.

But there wadn’t no astroturf back there, and that fold-down rear seat made for a big sharp bump.

Not too proud of that one, for her sake, definitely.

It was a good little car, to paraphrase the great man, but I guess I wasn’t so good when I was in it.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

The Mazda RX-7, gone forever apparently. My first new car once I graduated was a '95 RX-7. I've had "better" cars since, but never a more fun car. Went through oil like crazy but I slapped a Peter Farrell catback on it, installed a tachometer and turbo-timer, put some sticky, expensive tires on it, went to my first track days in it, participated in my first autocross in it and in general loved it more than my girlfriend at the time.

I still miss that car.

[ExCTCitizen]

Another Extinct car... a 1968 Cuda Hemi...or a Plum Purple Road Runner...

[ADemocratNoMore]

> I drove it off the dealers lot for $2250 plus tax.

According to the calculator at measuringworth.com, that's in the neighborhood of 16 to 22k in today's dollars, which, if you stop and think about is still a good deal.

[shove_it]

When AMC Gremlins ruled at Talladega Superspeedway ...

... Most races were sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association and featured multiple classes. The IMSA RS series featured such makes and models as AMC Gremlins, Ford Pintos, BMW 2002s, Honda Civics, Mazda RX-2s and Datsun 510s. The IMSA GT series featured the larger and faster BMW CSLs, Chevrolet Corvettes and Camaros, Porsche Carerras and 911s and Datsun Z cars.

Those little buzz bombs could really haul ass and it was fun to watch but you needed industrial-strength ear protection.

[Utah Binger]

[Utah Binger]

[RegulatorCountry]

Cool as it looks, you’d be forever repairing dings and stone chips in the paint, from rocks and debris picked up by the tires and slung loose at speed. I’d hesitate to put my elbow on the windowsill while driving.

[Utah Binger]

[moehoward]

"The Renault LeCar with the accordion sun roof."

Or maybe.....

[Focault's Pendulum]

My friend had a Vega. Aluminum block, and a pooch. In the Winter before the engine had time to fully warm up, you could have the accelerator pedal mashed to the floor and not do over 35mph. It was awful.

Not only that. Because of the aluminum block, if it overheated the block seized up. One of my brothers had it happen to him.

[moehoward]

You forgot the super extra special AMX...

[JayVee]

I wrote service for a time at a Chevy store in the mid-70s. Now and again, someone would ask about a tune-up for their Monza V-8. When I quoted them five hours (the front motor mounts had to be unbolted and the engine raised up to get at the two front spark plugs)I never saw them again.

[Tupelo]

The only problem with the calculator is, I thought my Corvair was worth $2250. I don't think any of today's cars are worth 16 grand. Of course, I really ain't a “car guy” so.......
Cars are transportation. Nothing more.
Now a motorcycle is for moving your soul.

[RegulatorCountry]

Sounds about right.

Didn’t one of the earlier small GM front wheel drive models have to drop the engine “tray” along with the transaxle for some form of scheduled maintenance? Maybe the high performance model of the Chevy Citation?

I’m remembering something along those lines too, for some reason. Why GM ever thought anybody would put up with such expense for maintaining an American car is anybody’s guess. Heck, I won’t put up with it for a German car, lol.

[BfloGuy]

Buddy of mine bought a new Monza — sharp. He was somewhat disappointed when he found out you had to partially raise the engine off its mounts to change the spark plugs, though.

[RegulatorCountry]

I loved some of the Renault line, that being a prime example. Not available in the US of course. We got the ridiculously foppish, tippy-toed Le Car painted up like an overblown Fisher-Price toy. There were awesome variants of the R5, which was the name by which the rest of the world knew that vehicle, very few of which looked so silly.

Renault deserved to be run out of the market for that and later abominations in concert with the failing AMC, but they did and do make desirable cars. We just didn’t get many of them.

[AnAmericanAbroad]

[gonzo]

And some of us just build our own. Just click on my nane ............................................................. FRegards