It clearly states that this article was written in England... "Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on Hagerty UK. Though the marques featured in these ads are known on both sides of the Atlantic, most of these vehicles didn’t come stateside when new. There are a few familiar faces, however, and many models are now being imported by collectors into the United States. In the interests of balancing readability with authenticity, we’ve adapted phrasing and spelling to an American lexicon." ... View more

If memory serves it was "It goes faster without the carburetors" and there was a photo that included technicians holding a pair of carbs, implying they took them off. You're right, it was a great ad! 🙂 ... View more

I'm well-versed in VW lore, but had not heard the story here to any great detail. It was mostly told that "Ghia built a car, rather than merely had drawings", and "VW liked it enough to go into production." Little else was said. Thanks for expanding on that. It makes for a great story, fleshes out the history of the Karmann Ghia, as well as the histories of Ghia Studios and Karmann. Nicely done! ... View more

Please expand on how it's "not a truck". It's a truck, it just isn't a big one, which is exactly the point. Also, hybrids and turbos are certainly not new technology at this point and have long ago proven their reliability and durability. ... View more

What 40 mpg sedan can I get with this capability at this price point, though? We all have our different wants/desires, and this fills a niche that hasn't been occupied for a long time, even if the formula is a bit different than the old Ranger. I actually HAVE an old '92 Ranger (and I like it a lot), but if I were to get one of these for my next car I wouldn't need that second vehicle to do what I could do with one. It'd get the stuff away from the house that I don't want, I could put dirt and mulch in the back and not mess up the interior, carry bikes, appliances or whatever. I could then open up my driveway to another vehicle that's more fun than the Ranger. ... View more

My folks were car shopping in '98 and were looking at the Olds Intrigue. Mom asked "should we wait for the new engine coming next year?" I said "Absolutely not! This is a fantastic engine!" The replacement was a twin overhead cam V6, but had notably less torque than the 3800, so they put a lower final drive in it so it wouldn't lose in a drag race. With all of that sophistication that was "required by the marketplace" it got worse mileage than the old, very durable and smooth pushrod V6! It's a good example that shows newer doesn't necessarily mean "better". ... View more

The 4WD version uses a conventional transmission and is the only way (so far) to get 4WD. There also is no way to put a conventional transmission on this type of hybrid system. The only other functional layout is in-line, which is transmission agnostic, but is also far less efficient. ... View more

The hybrid is the cheaper of the two drivetrains. ... View more

CVT is a requirement for that type of hybrid to function. It isn't like those awful things that have been available for gassers, though. While I'd rather have the ecoboost and a regular (ideally manual!) transmission, I wouldn't dismiss the hybrid easily. It gets better mileage than my Honda Fit and is bigger, roomier, and has much more capability in spite of the Honda's excellent use of space. ... View more

Did they? For most if it can't seat 4 it's a non-starter, which would kill most potential sales. That said, I hope that in the future there's a second model with either a standard cab and the longest bed possible or at least an extended cab with a 5.5-6 ft. bed. I'm not holding my breath, though. ... View more

A CVT on a hybrid is a wildly different animal than it is on a purely gas engine car. It has two inputs and one output and is incredibly efficient. There are only two ways to do a hybrid (not counting one electrically driven axle and one gas powered axle) and that's this type of system (at Toyota uses and patented) or in-line, which is transmission agnostic. It's why the Honda CRZ, 1st generation Accord Hybrid and 1st generation Civic Hybrid could be opted with a manual. That system is considerably less efficient and I'm not even sure Honda uses it any more. I wouldn't buy any CVT in a car with an otherwise conventional drivetrain, but I'd definitely consider this. ... View more

Well, as a lifelong VW enthusiast you've shown me something that VW did in their heyday (okay, the waning days of their heyday) that I wasn't previously aware of. That's a bitchin' Bus, but the semi-auto trans is something I would've avoided in a production model. I don't think it would take the punishment doled out in the real world, but as the article implies that may just have been to make a small run of prototypes viable. Oh, and many, many Buses were used in places only 4WD vehicles went in spite of their 2WD underpinnings. They're very tough and have the best traction of any 2WD vehicle ever built, especially climbing hills when the rear tires are loaded even more than usual. ... View more

While I do think the price is ridiculous, I have a set of front brakes for a plain ol' 356A and they're worth a grand in todays market without batting an eye. A 550 transaxle complete with brakes, axles, starter and slave cylinder? It's worth many thousands of dollars even without the Dean connection in spite of the fact it was derived from a lowly VW split-case transaxle. ... View more

Isn't it wonderful that other people cannot dictate to us what, within reason, we want or need in our lives? I mean, how horrible would that be? ... View more

"Guibo" is a joint on the driveshaft that transfers power. It has 6 bolts, three of which are on the driveshaft and three on the output of the transaxle. It's made of rubber with metal sleeves for the bolts encased in that rubber. It comes with a band to hold it in a compressed fashion for installation, which is removed ONLY after installation, as you'll be working with worm gear clamps woefully inadequate for the task if you remove it early! ... View more

If you're getting an electric car for a "long distance road trip" at this stage of the game you're doing it wrong. Electric cars are great, but they have their limitations. If they fit your use case they can be vastly superior to gassers, though. I think about getting an electric car every time I get gas in January. I'd rather unplug to an already warmed-up car (which can be done remotely while you're car is still plugged in) with a "full tank" every day than get gas in winter. But hey, I commute. ... View more

Nobody is claiming it fits everyone's use case. If you even semi-regularly drive long distances, then a dino-burner is for you. This has far more range than I'd ever need, plus it's a power station, is faster and cheaper to run than my Honda Fit. If you refuse to give them a chance, then that's on you. You're artificially limiting yourself for no logical reason. Modern electric cars like golf carts like your gas vehicle is a minibike. There's literally no comparison other than the basic motive power. Don't like it or it doesn't fit your use case? That's fine. They have gassers a few parking spots down. ... View more

"If I could get all the money back I spent on cars, I'd spend it on cars." - Nick Mason Yeah, he's one of us. ... View more

I'd be satisfied if they went back to original suspension mounting points and suspension type so that they could keep the safety aspect of a dedicated race car, but in their quest for every car being equal they've doomed that. Also that would leave the FWD Camry out, and there's a lot of money there so that's not happening. 😕 I love vintage stock car racing, but when they started building to a formula and all cars were for all intents and purposes identical I lost interest. It's all about the drivers now and I don't care about stardom and internal politics. I'm a car guy! ... View more

That's because you've only seen the "Bronco Sport", which is a completely different car and is based on the FWD-based Escape with 3 cylinder engines mounted transversely. The actual Bronco isn't out yet and is a body-on-frame car with a longitudinal engine and "proper" 4WD.  🍺 ... View more