Will some modern car designer please have the guts to get away from all the stupid trends that are making all cars look the same (corrolla, r8, lancer evo, infiniti...). Try making an oval grill trimmed in chrome, that is much wider than tall. Try some circular headlights. Try resisting busy, complex LED patters. Two…

Glovebox 1!
Glovebox 2!

From Wikipedia, “From 1987 until 1990, Mitsubishi sold this model in small numbers in the United States as the ‘Wagon’ for passenger versions and ‘Van’ for windowless cargo versions.”

I’m a huge fan of minivans. My recent cars have included (in no particular order): e39 530i; ‘95 Honda Odyssey; s2000, ‘02 wrx; e39 540i; ‘13 TL for the missus; ‘06 Honda Odyssey. I think the minivan is right at home in the enthusiast stable. Esp. the approx ‘95 to ‘97 Odyssey with the swinging back doors. That car is…

I’m not sure what’s the right model/ trim level, but Subaru sure did something ahead of the curve with compact, turbo, AWD sedans. Something with 2.5 RS or WRX in its name.

The 1975 Volkswagen Rabbit/Golf GTI, way ahead of the hot hatch curve.

Honda CR-V beat it by a couple of years. I agree with you on the car, but I think Honda gets the nod on timing.

Good call.

Still want. I check CL monthly for a nice, low-mileage SVX.

From a styling perspective, I think the Ford Probe was ahead of the curve. It was derided for its styling upon its 1988 release, but would be a totally unremarkable car today.

When you consider that the CRV was introduced in 1995, I think it was way ahead of the curve. Think about that... 1995 for what is now the fastest-growing U.S. segment.

This one should get the #1 slot. Eagle’s high-clearance 4wd cars were exactly and precisely “painfully too far ahead of the curve”

An 8.2 L v8 with 210 hp: somebody should try to find a modern car as bad as that in any respect. I see those numbers and my jaw drops. What has changed in engine engineering that makes the numbers so drastically different now? My 2 L i4 gets 240 hp. If it scaled up to 8 L, it would get 960 hp. What the hell were they…

I generally agree. However, I am interested in one phenomenon that may prove to be 2015 specific in the United States, and that’s the Chevy SS with the magnetic suspension and a 6 speed manual. I suspect that in the future, in hindsight, that car may be one of the most Jalop cars in future’s recent history.

Wow, someone should side-by-side that Eldorado with the BRZ or a low-displacement e39. Doesn’t the Toyabaru get about the same HP? That’s a comparison video I’d like to watch.

yeah, that shield grill, aka beak, is pretty obviously an unfortunate attempt to force corporate marketing concepts down to the cars. And it’s a fail. I suppose they were trying to emulate the concept behind BMW’s iconic kidney grills or Mercedes’ split oval-ish thing with vertical slat elements. Infiniti is sort of…

I think “bloated yawn of sport sedan” is giving the ‘13 TL too much credit. I consider myself an enthusiast. I have 2 old, used, high-mileage cars for myself: s2000 & e39540i. The missus just needed a new (to her) car, and we got her a used ‘13 TL, and that’s what that car is perfect for—for the spouse of an…

A hood that long should be reserved for cars with a longitudinal crankshaft. Assuming Acura’s planning a FWD transverse 6 (or likely transverse turbo 4), someone should have smacked the designer’s hand when they tried to draw the hood that long.

Can a Lotus Evora be drifted? Yes. Can *I* drift a Lotus Evora? Probably not. Can’t afford it, would be too scared to try with something of that value, and probably lack the talent.

Eras. I quick note with my opinion of the relevant definition of “era” for discussing cars. I think the most useful breakdown is by decades that start on years ending in a 5. I thought of this in 2011, so it’s not based on the fact that today is in 2015. I think 1975-1985 is one cohesive era of cars. 1985-1995 is…