The clean lines of the 1987 Lada Samara holds up quite well. I would find it a desirable ride even today, in fact, I think the automotive industry is missing this low cost, fun, easy to ride segment. (image source: Alden)
1987 Lada Samara
Hatch Heaven
We just love hatchbacks.
Lada Niva : 1977
The Lada Niva has been in production since 1977 and it is still on the market. It is said to have great off-road capabilities and is produced by Russian auto company AutoVAZ. I believe it is now called the Lada 4×4. (image source: Alden)
1977 Lada Niva
Formal Coach Cadillac Eldorado Comstock Sport Wagon : 1978
The seventies was an odd decade and this vehicle could not be a better example. The 1978 Cadillac Eldorado Comstock Sport Wagon was a conversion offered by the Formal Coach Corporation. (image source: Alden)
1978 Formal Coach Cadillac Eldorado Comstock Sport Wagon.
1978 Formal Coach Cadillac Eldorado Comstock Sport Wagon.
Seat Ibiza Cupra : 2012
The Volkswagen Group’s Seat division presented the Ibiza Cupra as a close-to-production concept car at the 2012 Beijing International Motor Show. The production version arrives at the end of this year with 180 HP and is an icon of the brand since 1996 when the first generation hit the streets.
2012 Seat Ibiza Cupra concept.
Chevrolet Vega : 1971
The 1971 Chevrolet Vega Hatchback Coupe could either be a very roomy 2-seater with the rear seats down, or a very practical 4-seater, still with plenty of room to haul your stuff. It had standard front disc brakes, an overhead cam engine in addition to a double-panel steel roof, side-guard beams in the doors, a 50,000 mile air cleaner, foam filled front and rear seats and even an electrical fuel pump that cuts out to stop the car if the oil pressure drops too low.
1971 Chevrolet Vega
1971 Chevrolet Vega
1971 Chevrolet Vega
Audi Quattro : 1989
The Audi Quattro is automotive legend. It is what put that brand on the modern map. Total sales in the USA were 664 and everyone wanted one. It was first shown at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show on March 3rd on an ice rink. Its five-cylinder turbocharged engine delivered 147 kW (200 hp) from 2.1 liters of displacement. The Sport quattro, the homologation version designed in 1984 for the Rally World Championship, had even more power. Thanks to its four-valve technology and aluminum crankcase, the five-cylinder engine delivered 265 kW (306 hp).
1989 Audi Quattro 20v.
BMW 2002 Touring ALPINA A4 Tribute : 1974
Three things we like are all in this post. Naturally, hatchbacks is number one. BMW is number two, despite the fact that they are not very big in this segment, and last, but not least is Bring A Trailer. These guys religiously scour the world for some of the most unique, fun and even rare cars and offer them to all of us via their daily email. This 1974 BMW 2002 Touring ALPINA A4 Tribute was featured some time ago but we just love everything about it. (image source: BAT)
1974 BMW 2002 Touring ALPINA A4 Tribute
1974 BMW 2002 Touring ALPINA A4 Tribute
Renault Encore : 1984
In 1984, The Encore was Renault‘s application of European aesthetics to the functionality of a hatchback design via its panoramic dimensions of the rear window. The aerodynamics not only produced visual pleasure, it also reached an impressive 52 MPG on the highway and 38 in the city. The independent suspension, power front disc brakes, and electronic fuel injection created sophisticated handling and performance. The 60/40 split rear folding seat was a real benefit when loading large objects. It was built in the USA by American Motors and had an MSRP of $5,755.
1984 Renault Encore
Chevrolet Monza 2+2 : 1975
The 1975 Chevrolet Monza 2+2 had an impressive sports suspension via a new rear torque arm which helped isolate driving and braking forces. Stabilizer bars where also standard. Besides its standard 4.3 liter 4-cylinder engine, a new small displacement V8 was also available. It had a series of engineering improvements including a catalytic converter, High Energy Ignition, GM-Specification steel-belted radial tires and other engine refinements and an 18.5 gallon gas tank so you could go a very long way between fill-ups. And when the rear seats are flied down, you had a spacious carpeted floor giving you the ability to haul just about anything around.
1975 Chevrolet Monza 2+2
1975 Chevrolet Monza 2+2
Mercury Lynx LS-3 Hatchback : 1981
The 1981 Mercury Lynx LS-3 Hatchback was only sold in Canada. It’s sophisticated world-class technology had 13 patents with an additional 14 pending approval. Innovations like the new Compound Valve Hemi-head (CVH) four-cylinde engine, teamed with the standard four-speed, fully synchronized manual transaxle with fuel-efficient fourth-gear overdrive as well as an optional all-new three-speed automatic transaxle achieved world-class fuel economy.
With a highway rating of 54 MPG highway and 42 MPG city, it had the highest fuel economy rating of any North American car sold in Canada.
The Lynx was front wheel drive and featured four-wheel independent suspension system, with steel-belted radial tires, new design split-diagonal dual brakes and a new rack-and-pinion steering system.
The interior was roomy and held four adults comfortably with contoured front bucket seats and generous cargo space, especially with the rear seats down.
1981 Mercury Lynx LS-3 Hatchback
Toyota Corolla SR-5 Liftback : 1978
The 1978 Toyota Corolla SR-5 Liftback made driving fun again with its standard 5-speed overdrive transmission mated to a 1.6 liter engine. It also had MacPherson strut front suspension, power assisted front disc brakes and steel belted radial-ply tires.
1978 Toyota Corolla SR-5 Liftback
Honda Accord AeroDeck : 1986
1986 Honda Accord AeroDeck was sold as a three-door hatchback with a flat roof over the rear seats. It was offered only in Japan and Europe where it was known as a shooting-brake. The tailgate is a “gulling” door, which makes loading easier. Retractable headlights further reduce drag giving the Aerodeck an impressive 0.34 Drag Coefficient. It was available in two models, the EXi, which had a 1955 cc engine developing 122PS and the EX at 106PS. The EX had an MSRP of £9.7900 and the EXi at £9,950. You can even take a peek at the AeroDeck TV spot from Japan. (images: Tamerlane’s)
1986 Honda Accord AeroDeck
1986 Honda Accord AeroDeck
1986 Honda_Aerodeck logo
Honda Civic : 1985
$5,399 got you into the 1985 Honda Civic, complete with front-wheel drive, rack and pinion steering, full carpeting, door glass defrosters, steel-belted radial tires, overtaking headlight flasher, power assisted self-adjusting front disc brakes, trip odometer, torsion bar front suspension, trailing link rear suspension with nitrogen gas filled shock absorbers, front air dam, remote-control outside mirror, a coin box, day/night rearview mirror, reclining front bucket seats with adjustable headrests and opening rear quarter windows, all pushed by a a 1342cc engine.
1985 Honda Civic
Volkswagen Scirocco : 1987
1987 Volkswagen Scirocco’s 16-valve dual overhead camshaft engine developed 123 hp and reached 0-60 in 5.9 seconds. It had independent torsion beam suspension, rack-and-pinion steering, 4-wheel disc brakes and a 5-speed close ratio transmission.
1987 Volkswagen Scirocco