Initial versions came only in extended-cab guise with a meager 5. Later trucks also gained Torsen front differentials, bead-lock wheels, and front-facing cameras for even greater capability off-road. While those latter examples, including the special-edition model , are some of the most coveted, all Raptors excel in the rough stuff. As some of the most unique creations to ever emerge from Dearborn, you can bet savvy collectors are already scoping out clean examples to stow away for the future.
But turbos be damned, 4. So what if the C-class coupes and sedans in which the engine was placed were never more than merely okay as luxury cars? The M turned them into some of the most lustworthy performance cars of their time. Oh yeah, and they sound damn fantastic. In , that day came. The R35 GT-R was all of the hype. The 3. Instead, dyno tests revealed it to be considerably higher than Zero to 60 mph?
Nearly 1. Braking from 70 to 0 in feet. It sure felt like a game. There were major problems. Nissan eventually settled a class-action lawsuit in and gave owners a free transmisison-software upgrade.
But this is an attainable supercar that makes average drivers look incredible on a track and can still attack back roads despite its two-ton heft. If only we had enough credits to buy one. We Yanks got in under the wire. The Honda S, named for its initial cc engine displacement, is among the best driver's cars ever built, and it is powered by one of the greatest engines of all time.
The S also was named to our annual 10Best Cars list four times. When the car launched, the 2. On top of that, the six-speed manual—the only transmission ever offered—is self-shifting perfection.
The chassis was honed to samurai sharpness in the track-oriented CR model introduced for A thorough revision for saw the engine get a bump in displacement to 2. All of this to say that the S was and remains a mind-blowing and revelatory machine, a car to be coveted now and forever in any of its forms.
Hearts are aflutter over the current Cayman GT4 , a track-focused bruiser bearing the 3. The differences between the R and the Cayman S? The hottest droptop version, the Boxster Spyder , came with a frustrating manual top. When car collectors gather in , we fully expect the Mustang and Camaro guys to continue the longstanding tradition of showing up with perfectly detailed rides and setting up shop front and center.
Future Saab collectors? Not so much. Ushered in just as Spyker arrived to relieve General Motors of the responsibility, the last was the final Saab to wear the nameplate with a shred of genuine Saab DNA intact. The wraparound windshield, blacked-out A- and B-pillars, semi-fastback styling, and Saab —influenced interior all worked to preserve the identity of the brand, despite its humble and definitely not Swedish GM Epsilon underpinnings.
After all, how many of us would have bought a DeLorean—or a Tucker, for that matter—at a fire-sale price if you knew how beloved they would become in the future? Thought so. Far less common than the Chevrolet Corvette and far less refined than pretty much anything this side of a dump truck, the Dodge Viper occupies a unique place in the annals of fast-car history. The time period in question here—from through —spans two generations of Viper.
The fifth-generation, coupe-only Viper debuted after a two-year hiatus, its parent company having paid back the American and Canadian governments billions of dollars in bailout loans and the car having been heavily revised and now sporting the legally required stability control, plus just a bit more refinement. That dalliance was short-lived, however, as the serpent returned to the Dodge fold for No matter what era, whether from the early s or , the V—powered Viper is not for the faint of heart.
But as personal vehicles evolve toward autonomy, cars like the very mechanical, very demanding Viper will stand as a special kind of raw, American throwback. And the last in the noble line of production rotary-powered vehicles is the Mazda RX And, oh yeah, the RX-8 had a set of rear-hinged doors behind the regular doors for access to the— gasp! The easier-going RX-8 was impressive enough that Car and Driver named it a 10Best Cars winner for , , and The standard four-speed automatic uses a fluid flywheel rather than a power-sapping torque converter.
The 6. The self-levelling air-sprung suspension gives a superb ride and the power steering is direct and has great feel. Push it hard and the rear swing axles can create oversteer, but that, too, seems in character. I twice owned a Diamond Blue 6. Back then it was just a rather desirable used car.
How I wish I owned it still. One reason why collectability took so long to claim the 6. Like its ferocious predecessor, the SEL 6. But the 6. It is half a second slower through the standing quarter-mile, in part due to its greater weight but also because the torque converter automatic transmission has just three forward ratios. You would like to take this car to Germany. The dynamics are superb.
I owned one of these, too, and rated it highly. But because it lacks the 6. Even at that stage, the previous Mercedes coupe of its type was collectible. In , a breathtaking design in the style of an Italian gran turismo sports car was created. A full-scale mock-up was constructed from wood and this was even tested in a wind tunnel. But then the project was stopped. The Eurotunnel under the Channel was opened on 6 May Not only was this the longest underwater tunnel in the world, but no less than 24 special-purpose Mercedes-Benz vans were also commissioned for use.
Automated by means of electronic track guidance, the vans run along the service tube between the railway tunnels. Since they cannot turn round in the confines of the tunnel, there are cabs at both ends. Swap containers mean the tailor-made vans can be used optionally as maintenance, fire-fighting or rescue vehicles.
A four-seater cabriolet as a supplement to the successful W model series: in the early s, this was a brilliant idea from Mercedes-Benz. A drivable prototype with an extremely appealing body design was created. However, the concept car never went into series production because Mercedes-Benz decided in favour of the Cabriolet. The prototype is now in the Mercedes-Benz Classic collection. One of a kind: a cabriolet prototype was created in on the basis of the Mercedes-Benz E 2. Despite being an appealing design, the company decided against series production.
There is no end to the fascination of the Mercedes-Benz SL: each generation is a chapter in this tradition The unique confirmation of the originality of your classic: reliable, transparent, from Mercedes-Benz Class Mercedes-Benz Classic offers genuine spare parts of the highest quality for the preservation of your classi Rudolf Caracciola is the most successful German racing driver of the s.
Hot on his heels at the Mercede The Mercedes-Benz Museum is the only museum in the world that can document in a single continuous timeline Mercedes-Benz Classic: Experience milestones and enjoy emotional insights into the history of the inventor Deutsch Deutsch English English.
Company Vehicles. What are you looking for? Rare vehicles under the sign of the star. Home Mercedes-Benz Classic History 10 exceptional vehicles. An extraordinary story.
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