Ha! I had the dubious pleasure of borrowing a friend's 914 (when it was still kind of a current model) for a week while my Opel GT was in for bodywork from an off-course excursion during a gymkhana event...oops. During the first 5 miles of driving it home, I experienced just how wacky an electrical system can be. Pulled the knob out for headlights and every light in the car went out - no running lamps, no dash panel lights, nothing. So, trusting to dumb luck, I pushed the headlight knob back in and had dash lights once again. Who needs headlights anyway while driving on a country road just after dark? ... View more

Watching BaT has given me a window into Citroen prices. Must say it was a shock to me to see what they go for. This seems about right for a nice example. Still, not my cuppa. ... View more

Loved my Opel GT's from the 70's and 80's, had 6 or 7 of them during that time frame. They were fun, hardy, eye catching and reliable cars. To your list I'd add the Bugeye Sprite, such as the 1959 model I had. The Sprite was not particularly reliable, rather slow, but still much fun to drive. They have recently caught the eye of collectors and are trending upward, and soon may be about the 20K threshold. ... View more

Believe Mercedes Benz also had a transmission variant similar, called the Hydrak. From reading about the cars with this option, many were swapped out for the normal manual transmission. ... View more

OK, so 65K could be argued as excessive for the car sold on BaT; but obviously someone wanted it, and had the scratch to pay that amount. Hooray for them! Personally I've shook my head in wonder at the 100K some 60 and 70's American Iron brings. Each to their own tastes. Long ago my 'off the shelf' 1984 Rabbit GTI greatly embarrassed a Buick Grand National thru the twisties on OH 741, with 4 adults in the car, and the A/C blasting. Same car shammed a Mustang GT thru twisty mountain roads in WV where I did a lot of downhill, inside passing when the 'stang's breaks were overheating and fading. Just a simple girl and her beloved GTI....wish I still had that car! ... View more

It was all good, until I got a look at the front end treatment....oh my! ... View more

All good, right up to Disco, lol. ... View more

Of all the Pony Cars, the Javelin was the best looking (in my humble opinion). Never understood why it wasn't embraced with the same fervor of Mustangs, Camaros, and the Dodge offerings. Hope it will someday get the respect it deserves. Also, during the 70's to 80's I had several Opel GT's and a GTJ. They were bigger on looks than performance, but I was able to be competitive with mine in Autocross and various Solo II events. They were very solidly built, reliable cars....wish I still had one, or the '69 Ralley Kadett. ... View more

Great article, and kudos to all involved for accepting the inherent risks of scientific research. And yes, too sticky tires on this car was a recipe for failure. Reminds me of a quote, via a friend, "it's all fun and games, right up until it isn't". “the uneasy exhilaration which may be got from shampooing a lion” Laughed myself silly at this quote. Having spent my formative automotive years doing autocross, rally and track events, the exhilaration of swing axle behavior is not new to me. But, I don't think I've seen rear wheels fold under a car quite like that before! Maybe because by the early 70's most sanctioning organizations required camber limiting or compensation straps installed on swing axle cars. Awaiting your next installment in this new series. ... View more

That was hysterical! ... View more

This one may not be so obscure, but it's certainly one of my favorites. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPpIUtWQU2s   And another - https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-adk-adk_sbnt&ei=UTF-8&hsimp=yhs-adk_sbnt&hspart=adk&param1=17000101&param2=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&param3=searchmanager_%7EUS%7Eappfocus1%7E&param4=%7Efirefox%7E%7E&p=Volkswagen+commercial+Little+GTI&type=yhs-adk_sbnt_appfocus1_ff#id=52&vid=977124874dbc6e1d005134e19aa54d22&action=click ... View more

Certainly miss my '84 VW GTI, silver over blue. Fun to drive, reliable, peppy, easy on fuel and fun to drive. It got traded in as a downpayment on a new Suburban for hubby in 2004 with 180,000 miles on it. Within a day or 2 of trading it in, I saw one of the dealer mechanics out driving it, flogging the hell out of it...guess he was having some fun too. ... View more

Bought a Z3 new in 1998, still have it. It fills a gap between the utilitarian Honda van, for dog transport, and the W111 sedan, for leisurely backroad drives. Can't foresee a time when I would want to sell it, and at nearly a quarter million miles...not sure who would be brave enough to take it on. Either way, love my little blue car! ... View more

Several years ago I was in a low-speed accident, (me stopped, other car doing around 25mph) that tore the front bumper and lower valance off, crunched a front fender and creased up the hood of my Honda van. The insurance company refused to repair it saying the repair costs exceeded it's value. As I wanted to keep the van, my only option was to buy it from myself on a salvage title. The next trick was finding a repair shop to work on it - the local dealers wouldn't touch a salvage title vehicle. The independent shop I found had experience working thru the official labyrinth of technicalities Ohio requires to repair and then re-title a salvage titled car. Every receipt, for every part had to be presented at the state inspection site, the car gone over thoroughly and of course...more fees paid. Fortunately the repair shop owner went with me to the inspection site and was able to provide all invoices and info to the inspector. It was an experience I would not seek to go thru again!     Even longer ago I bought an antique truck in CA and sought to title it in OH. The car had to go to a local Dealer (glad the Pontiac brand still existed then...) where a Deputy Sheriff and a mechanic went over the truck comparing engine, transmission, frame, etc. numbers and then deeming it roadworthy. Again, a frustrating experience. My most recent experience went much smoother last year when I bought an '08 Element from a friend in IN. Only 3 trips to various BMV departments to get an OH title. ... View more

Still have my Malibu license, minted on the day the MGP opened in Miamisburg, OH. Spent way too much time and money there, but had fun. During wait time to get a car for track time, I rode the motorcycle video game - crashes on it were far less painful than crashes on my Kawasaki. My best lap times came after a weekend spent at IRP in Indy, at an SCCA driving school, in a Lola FF. ... View more

Nearby we have the Melody 49 Drive-In theater. As far as I know, they have never missed a season since they originally opened. Been going there since I was a wee tyke, 60 years ago. ... View more