Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the Ford Focus SVT

All the current clamor for the Euro Focus is reminiscent of the happenings nearly a decade ago. Ford's Escort had quite run its course with a third and final design refreshing having hit the streets in 1997. The very next year, an actual small-car contender wearing the Blue Oval launched in Europe. It was capable, well turned out, and wore Ford's sharp New Edge sheetmetal. American customers took one look at the Escort ZX2, which was supposed to fill the shoes of the Escort GT and kick it against the GTI, Civic Si, and others, and decided that it just wouldn't do, decent performance or not. Much like the current U.S.-Focus versus Euro C1 Focus debate, buyers set their gaze across the Atlantic and decreed the grass greener than the warmed over Mazda B platform ZX2.

Think of what the automotive landscape looked like nigh on 25 years ago. Mentioning "family car" in 1983 would have conjured a station wagon. Some of us dig wagons, while others think we're daft because of the stigma they still carry. There's no denying that a wagon is an excellent way to transport kids and stuff, but those beasts of yesteryear often led to yearnings for an alternative. We all remember getting carsick while sitting in the rear-facing third row torture chamber, cut off from the rest of the family and their future-looking vantage point. The tailgunner position was a great way to test out new hand gestures on following motorists, though.

When the Chrysler minivans were revealed to the world in 1983 as 1984 models, they were a revelation. The Caravan and Voyager were not the first vans based on compact chassis, but they were such a successful combination of the elements that sales took off and imitators sprang up only after Chrysler had firmly established its status as the segment trendsetter. Continued after the jump.

It was a life changing experience, coming across that pearl white 300ZX Turbo one warm summer evening. It was the first car that I ever photographed with a zoom lens, staving off boredom waiting for some fireworks to start. The Nissan Z cars had already been well established for a generation by the time I shot it on that July night back in the early '90s. This car, however, etched itself into my psyche in an instant.

Follow the jump to revel in the early '90s with us and view one of the best car ads ever.

Wants some desktop wallpaper images of the 91-94 Sentra SE-R? Click above

Nissan has a history of giving BMWs a run for their money. Back when they were going by Datsun, the 510 was a capable facsimile of a BMW 1600/2002, but cheaper. Performance cred attained, Nissan continued to pump out various capable performers over the years. In 1991, the Sentra was due for a makeover, and Nissan managed to splice some 510 DNA into the SE-R. Car and Driver admonished 12-year olds to save the review so they'd know what to buy in 1998 for a screaming bargain and a hell of a good time. I saved the review, but failed to heed the stellar advice about picking one of these little screamers up in the late '90s. They're a lot more rare now, and finding one that's either inexpensive or unmolested is tough. It's the darndest thing – people know what these cars are.

Read on for more.

click image for more pics of the Eagle Premier

By the early 1980s, American Motors Corporation was on the ropes. Its car line was seriously geriatric – the Eagle, Concord, and Spirit models were derivatives of the Hornet developed in the Bronze Age. AMC had turned to Renault for an infusion of cash in return for an entré into the US market for the French brand. The Renault Alliance, Encore and Medallion were US versions of the French automaker's vehicles distributed by AMC/Jeep dealers, laying the groundwork for the Renault 25-derived Premier. Originally badged Renault Premier, and part of the AMC portfolio, the car became the Eagle Premier following Renault's desperate sale of its AMC stake to Chrysler. AMC had an established brand and operation, a brand new plant in Bramalea, Ontario, as well as the money-making Jeep division, which is what Chrysler really wanted. It's ironic that 20 years later, the Jeep brand is reprising its role as a jewel within a struggling automaker. It's also ironic that while Chrysler acquired AMC for the Jeep brand, the Premier ended up supporting the '90s renaissance at Auburn Hills.

With the rise of the import trend, we're seeing Musclecar-era Japanese rides attain some of the same cachet as domestic iron from the same time. Funny, they didn't strike us this way at the time, but looking at them now, they're like three-quarter scale models of the Big Three's offerings. There seems to be a soft spot for early Celicas and of course, the Datsun 510 makes one hell of a half-price 2002. Somewhat overlooked, in our opinion, are the Mitsubishi models imported by Chrysler in the early 1970s, a.k.a. the Dodge Colt.

Check out more after the jump, including a really campy Dodge spot that was the only video we could dig up with two seconds of the Colt in it.

This post is dedicated to the Indianapolis Colts, winners of SuperBowl XLI, in case you haven't heard.

It seems that our Future Classics posts have spurred readers into dreaming up their own nominees. This time around, our Future Classic post was written by Autoblog guest writer Derek Kreindler. We know our choices are often offbeat, but Derek has taken a dive off the deep end. The piece has been edited by Autoblog staff for grammar, spelling and general spunkiness.

Who Killed The Entry Level Caddy? (By Derek Kreindler)

In the history of the automobile, there have been many cars inexplicably authorized for sale: the homely Edsel, firey Pinto, and who could forget the TC by Maserati, synonymous with "unholy alliance"? There is one car, however, that is met with sneers, jeers and other remarks so disparaging they would make a French waiter blush with embarrassment. That car is the Cadillac Cimarron.

Bear with us here, we know that this must violate some grace-period restriction on canonization, and that the Taurus is bound to be a polarizing choice, but at least hear us out.

In the early 1980s, the American automobile manufacturers were getting their asses handed to them. Ford was late to the game updating its midsizers. GM and Chrysler both had moved to front-wheel-drive platforms with better packaging and efficiency, while Ford soldiered on with their Fox-platform LTD (née Fairmont). We can debate until we're blue in the face the superiority of a rear-wheel-drive layout, but the fact of the matter is that RWD creates packaging ineffciencies. At that time, FWD was being touted as the most monumental invention since the wheel.

More after the jump.

When the 1993 MX-6 debuted, it made our hearts sing. Here, finally, was a Mazda 2+2 that combined all the fun of its predecessors while banishing the remaining 80's-era funk that afflicted Japanese cars. Out went the plasticky interior and stubby slab-sidedness of the '88-'92 model. Style and performance for moderate money was always the game of the MX-6, and the '93 model stepped it up a lot. Underhood was a rare (for the time) V6 connected to a manual transaxle. The exterior was a timeless Berlinetta with a tightly-wrapped form and delicate flowing lines. It looked less Mazda and more Ferrari 456.

More nostalgia after the jump