The Lotus definitely has some Gremlin angles in back, though the door panel, trim, handle, and upper rear quarter have some Pacer vibes to them. ... View more

It's reasonable that they would adjust the numbers to avoid marketing confusion. It's not just math, as the displacement would often serve as a "name" for many engines. I'd be more concerned about the performance not measuring up, but a lot of these engines gave more power than what was advertised. ... View more

Lakes pipes get uncapped for track use, and they are much quieter inside the car than cutouts under the car. When I open my cutouts, the change in the console jumps around and my chest hurts from the noise!    Lot of cars were fat fenders. A friend who is an award winning restomod builder of 30's and 40's cars, and daily drives a '38 Chevy, even refers to PT Cruisers as fat fenders. ... View more

I use Castrol Syntec in our 1970 Karmann Ghia with a balanced and blueprinted 1.6l. You can't use it for break in of course, as the rings will never seat, but after a proper break in, it does great. I also use it in my daily driver which is a 338hp hot hatch, and when I pulled the head off for a precautionary head gasket swap at 190,000 miles, there was not even a wear ridge on the cylinders.  ... View more

I usually don't think of hot hatches as "classics", but they sure are fun! Here's one that most people will groan at: Chrysler PT Cruiser. 51/49 weight distribution, watts linkage rear suspension, 600 hp on stock internals. We've had two, with one setup for road course racing and the other a loaded platinum edition with every option. So comfortable we take it on long trips, but does 13.5 @ 104mph on street tires. ... View more

Anyone notice they went around the same curve twice? At 0:34 and 0:42, but I love the grin on Bond's face! The Alpine would have been like a gazelle escaping from a hippopotamus in real life.  ... View more

I thought the Rampage was interesting. The hauling capacity was similar to the larger El Camino, and the 2.2 responded nicely to cam and ignition advance. ... View more

I don't know about the reliability bit. Breakdowns on our 1970 Karmann Ghia over that last decade were limited to the thermostat sticking once, the carburetor float valve sticking twice, and the original throttle cable finally breaking. Engine was rebuilt eight years ago and is a delight (1.6L, balanced and blueprinted).   My first long trip with the new engine was through the mountains, and it did better than some of the modern cars, though I have to admit that being tuned by a former racing mechanic was helpful 😉   It does get lots of attention, though I have been attacked for not restoring it.   What is this "safety" you are speaking of? I've got my whole spare tire and a gas tank in front of me! ... View more

We've got a '69 Chevelle SS, a '64 Vette, and '70 Karmann Ghia, all within a hundred feet here. There about half a dozen cars on the next block, but the never park them on the street, so you only get a glimpse when their garage door is open. The Vette was directly across the street and I never knew he had it, until it was towed in for work.   ... View more