A car doesn’t need a grill to have an interesting front end...

This one is so true! I had an ’85 Mitsubishi MightyMax and loved it but I would not even consider buying any new truck sold in the US because each and every one of them is too big for my needs.

So is the Smart FourTwo!

As noted Ford itself produced fake Mustang convertibles from ‘79 to maybe ‘81 before the actual Mustang convertible debuted.

These are so are these days I can’t even find a photo but back around 1979 many aftermarket companies and even some mainline automakers like Ford offered fake convertible tops where they basically applied a convertible top along with fake ribs and all onto a coupe. I know you could get Mustangs that way. So basically…

I had a Microsoft friend who had a F40 he used to bring to our local autocrosses. One day he showed up with a F50 and I remarked “sold the F40, huh?” and he replyed quite confused, “No, why???”. Never mind...

For this reason the only money order I ever accept for anything is a US Postal Service money order (limited to $500 I believe so not good for large purchases) as the local post office will give you cash for it and they are very, very difficult to forge. Otherwise I require a cashier’s check from a bank that has a…

True but have you priced quality paint jobs recently? Figure in the paint and mechanical work and the total will be higher unless as I stated the new owner is capable of doing one or the other. Or you could just enjoy it as-is after doing the bare minimum I suppose...

I voted NP which it probably is got someone who can do their own work, at least one of either the cosmetic or mechanical side. For the rest of us we'd probably be better off buying a nice already-restored example (anyone know of one?).

Well played sir! :-)

The newest NASA Venus proposal is even cooler. Not only would they get to stay, there’d get to float around the Venusian atmosphere in F’ing Zepplins!

So yellow numbers on Miata Mariner blue (yes, really it’s the same color) didn’t make the cut? That’s always been my favorite plate and not just because I own a Mariner blue Miata.

A 205 GTi has been on my short list for years but even I am not crazy enough to pay $12,900 for a right-hand-drive 1.6 when they go for around €4500 in France with the steering wheel in the right place. Plus I've seen them for USD6000 up in Canada.

If you want something small and rotary powered wouldn't an R-100 be a lot simpler?

I thought it was RHD from the windshield wipers but there does appear to be a gauge cluster on the side of the blade so maybe I was wrong.

Finland was ruled by imperial Russia for over 100 years from 1809 until 1917 so while they are not former Soviet block countries there is a historical connection. For that matter parts of today’s Russia (Vyborg for example) are really parts of the Duchy of Finland that were lost in their war of independence. So there…

It’s the passenger, if any, that was the lucky one as the driver sits on the other side of the truck.

It’s not the Buran that failed but rather the Soviet Union. Buran did fly successfully once unmanned but when the USSR collapsed the Russian government decided to shut down the program because of expense. The Buran shuttle was destroyed when the roof of its hunger collapsed but it’s unflown man-rated twin, Pitchka,…

For contrast, another way to carry a Space Shuttle...

I have to admit that I wanted one and not just because the high school quaterback with the hot cheerleader girlfriend had a Cobra II. Thankfully I didn’t have the cash at the time and it wasn’t until the Fox-body Mustang came out in ’79 that I pulled the trigger on a Tangerine coupe with a sunroof, turbo and the TRX…