Hatchtopia.com at the Auto Expo!
I know it’s not quite the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, but Hatchtopia will be live at the Utah International Auto Expo today! Look for live Twitter updates from the show: @Hatchtopia, followed by photos and a full report soon!
1988 Subaru GL
During my formative car geek years (junior high and high school), I lived outside Kansas City, Missouri. I only mention this because I knew someone who had a late-80s Subaru GL 3-door and it was such an interesting and unusual vehicle. People in the west and northeast may scoff at this idea, but the fact is, Subarus were rare in the midwest at that time. An interesting aside to that rare theme – my dad still had the ’79 Rabbit during this period – and no dealership at which to service it. The only VW dealership in the Kansas City metro area folded sometime around 1989. If Subarus were rare, VWs were downright exotic.
Anyway…
1979 Volkswagen Rabbit
I kinda hate going to the well two days in a row, but this drink is worth it. A top-notch restoration with some very nice, but not over-the-top upgrades on this two-door Rabbit. If I had the money, time, garage space, money, ability and money, this is probably exactly what I would build. It makes me weep with its beauty. Again, from the brilliant website, bringatrailer.com:
This 1979 VW Rabbit (VIN 1793659078) was given a rotisserie transformation in the style of an early Euro GTI five years and 6000 miles ago. Rarely are these A1 chassis cars so thoroughly built…
1973 BMW 2000tii
From Bring a Trailer, a rare BMW 2000tii Touring – clean enough to be presentable, but not so clean you don’t want to drive it:
Assuming there isn’t any serious rust, which is always a dangerous assumption with 2002s, this 2000tii Touring would be a solid base for a restoration. It is a rare car by any standards, let alone in the USA, and once restored it would be the darling of any BMW show.
1992 Nissan NX1600
The Nissan NX series was only sold for a short period in the United States – 1991 to 1993, so seeing one is kind of unusual. It was based on the contemporary Nissan Sentra and competed against the likes of the Mazda MX-3 and the Honda Del Sol – sharing the ‘funky headlights’ styling theme with the MX-3. Two engines were available – the 1.6 liter four cylinder in the base NX1600 and the 2.0 liter in the upmarket NX2000 model. The 1600 functioned as a stylish economy coupe, while the 2000 was the more serious performance-oriented car.
Expanding on the Gadget Bloat post – a scholarly approach
An MIT economist details the interesting relationship between the overall weight of cars, their more powerful engines, and how that has conspired to make today’s much more efficient engines less efficient in the real world.
2012 Hyundai Veloster
You may have heard that the 2012 Hatchtopia Calendar has been released? Below is a free high-resolution example of the photos and photo illustrations you will find in the calendar.
Somewhere near the intersection of Architecture Nerdery and Car Geekdom is parked this sparkling new Hyundai Veloster – another of the rapidly-rising Korean company’s new offerings introduced in the past couple of years. According to a new television commercial I saw last night, the Veloster returns up to 40 miles per gallon, but it is included here because it looks cool. And it is parked in front of a classic mid-century home in West Valley City, Utah’s Westshire neighborhood.
2010 Nissan 370Z
1980 Chevrolet Citation
Ah yes, you knew it was only a matter of time until a Chevy Citation graced these pages, right? Late and unloved, the Citation was Chevrolet’s answer to the rising tide of much better cars coming from Japan (and honestly, damn near every other car manufacturer in the world). The Citation was front-drive, available in several different body styles and aimed to compete head-on with the best.
It didn’t.
Square, square and more square - the clean, simple lines of early 80s GM products
