The original Fire Bird had appeared in 1967, based on Chevrolet Camaro’s ‘F’ body, but interest in the car didn’t really begin to pick up the restyled 1970 versions were introduced. There were muscular looking cars, with fat arches curvy hips and huge implied machismo in their stance. Only one variant had the power to [...]

The muscle car was a very basic idea. Put your biggest, most powerful engine in one of your lightest bodies. Like most strokes of genius, it was breathtaking in its simplicity. The Pontiac GTO of 1964 created the genre and when sales took off rival American marques could only fall into line behind it. Initially [...]

The 205, which was launched in 1983, became the definite small Euro hatchback over a 15 year production run that saw over 5 million examples sold. It is widely held that Peugeot management avoided the tricky business of replacing the 205 by simply avoiding the issue. Instead, it launched the tiny 106 City car in [...]

When the 205 was launched in 1983, it caught everyone’s attention as the very model of a modern supermini. It was compact, but decently roomy inside, and had a good sized boot. Sensible in practical areas, the 205 was also exceptionally pretty. Over the car’s lengthy production run, more than 14 years, as the new [...]

Family load carriers didn’t come more practical or spacious than Peugeot’s big 504 Estate. It came in two versions, a five seater with a fold down rear seats and the seven seat Family Estate with an extra row of seats which came at the expense of a much smaller luggage area. Both had a longer [...]

After some fine coupe launches in the lower reaches of the market (the GT Manta0, Opel decided to go right upmarket with the Monza. Based on the Senator executive saloon, the Monza was a large car, spacious enough for four adults and benefiting from a huge boot, which was hidden away under a massive tailgate. [...]

Before World War II, Packard had been one of Americans finest cars; fit to be compared with the likes of Rolls Royce on the World stage. They intended to keep that reputation after hostilities by building quality cars that were impervious to the yearly changes wrought by the big manufactures. As an independent Package couldn’t [...]

In 1970 Opel launched the Ascona to replace the prosaic Olympia. Preceding it into the market by a matter of weeks was a stylish coupe version, the Manta, which would prove a strong rival to the Ford Capri. Sharing the Ascona’s floor pan, with the springs and a rigid rear axle, the Manta was larger [...]

In the late 1990s, few people would have expected the conservative Opel to take an interest in producing a sleek, 2 seater sports car. Which is why when the Opel GT was previewed in 1996 as the XV/R concept car, the idea was not expected to go any further. Opel shocked the market when it [...]

Datsun (as Nissan was then called) established a fine reputation for its 1968 240Z coupe, especially in the USA. Its fine styling, exemplary reliability and punchy performance from the straight six engine meant it outsold the then dominant sports car rivals from Europe. Sadly, the subsequent 280 and 300Z replacements just fatter and less sporting. [...]