Pop-Up Headlights

The Volvo 480 in my previous post came with pop-up headlights. It got me thinking of other cars with the same feature. Porsche 928/944, some Corvettes, the first Miata, and even the mid-eighties US-version Honda Accord had them too, but I can't think of a single current production car that has them. Are there any?

The picture above is of a 1990 Mazda 323F. I think it is pretty special as far as small family cars go from that time. It was produced 1989-1994, and it was quite popular in Sweden. The Protege sedans and 3-door hatchbacks of the same vintage were sold here in the US, but this 5-door hatch was for Europe/Asia only.

Others cars with pop-up lights: Celica, Prelude, RX-7, NSX, SX240, BMW 850, Fiero, Supra, Mercury Capri, Ferraris...

Volvo 2-Door Hatchbacks

The Volvo C30 is one of my favorite current cars. (It was second only to the VW GTI when I was shopping for a new car last year - 4-doors and a lower price made me pick the GTI over the C30)

Besides having a 5-cylinder engine, which I love, it is an awesome hatchback design. Volvo has actually made other hatchbacks, but they never made it to the states. (Exception: Volvo P1800ES)

The 480 was an 80's product (1986-1995) and was intended as a sportscar for the states by its designers, but Volvo USA didn't see it as such because of the hatchback shape, so it was never brought over. The top version had a turbo engine, just like the C30. The more pedestrian 340/360 range of the 70's (1976-1991) was a small family car in Europe, but probably wouldn't have competed well in the states. There was no turbo version available, even though Volvo fitted turbos on the 200 and 700 ranges during the same time.

We'll see if I ever want to talk about Volvo 66...

Twins

In the series of similar design across different brands, here is another set of design twins: The Hyundai Tuscon and BMW X5. What caught my attention here was the small window in the D-pillar on the Tuscon. Is that a Hofmeister kink? I think so. This rear quarter view best shows the similarities... Hyundai has since moved on with the new Tuscon following the design language of the Sonata.

Hyundai's sister Kia seems Audi-like in comparison, but that one is easy to explain: Kia's head designed is no other than the previous Audi designer Peter Schreyer.

While Hyundai is going after the Japanese lot with its products, Kia looks to be more European...

Running on Five Cylinders

Ever since the Audi 100 (C2 and C3) and quattro of the early 80's I've been in love with the sound of five cylinder engines. I can't think of a better sound. Volvo joined the club when designing the 850 for the 90's, no doubt copying Audi. Another 5-cyl engine and a move to front wheel drive, and later adding turbo and AWD. Mercedes was part of it all with diesel fives.

I was very disappointed when Audi dropped the 2.3 engine for the A6 when changing the name of the 100 to A6 in 1995. The 4 cylinder engines had no soul and the V6s were not exciting either. At least the S4 still held on to the turbo 5 for a while.

Audi is returning to the fives with cars like the TTS and even the new quattro concept. I don't bother lusting after them because they are so expensive. (I'm too realistic) Could I just have a base A4 with a 5 please?! Today, the 2011 VW Jetta 2.5 is the closest thing to old school Audis. The simple, understated exterior design, semi-independent suspension and light steering makes it a modern 100.

Below is a link to an awesome Audi 100 (Avant!) sound video on YouTube. Beware - watching it may lead to nostalgia and spending hours watching related clips!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F435ouTT7Wg&feature=related

Your choices for new five-cylinder-engined cars (in the US) are Volvo's C30/S40/V50/S60, VW's Golf/Jetta, and soon, the 2012 Passat - maybe the ultimate throwback to the C3 Audi 100.

1-2-3

Before the current stunning Kia Optima there was the awkward ugly duckling Optima. My neighbor drives one, and I always think the front end is like a mix of two E-classes. The Optima combines the round inner headlights from the MB W211, and the squarish outer headlights from the W212. It's not a good combination, but it looks like the missing link between the two Benzes... Slap a star on the hood of the Kia and I bet at least a few people would be fooled!

Beware! This will make your eyes bleed

Suzuki X90 and SsangYong Rodius held the "Most Pointless Car of the World" and "Ugliest Car of the World" titles, respectively, until today, when I got my Car&Driver magazine in the mail.

Behold the Nissan Murano CrossCabrio, the new double champion: "The Ugliest AND Most Pointless Car of the World". It's a crossover convertible, continuing in the tradition of the X90, and uglier than sin, much like the Rodius. It's an amazing exercise in ruining a perfectly fine SUV in a quest to fill some nonexistent niche. Want a convertible but don't want to give up driving without wind in your hair? The drive the Wrangler. DO NOT SPEND $47k on the CrossCabrio!!! I can even forgive you for buying a second hand X90... At least it'll be cheap.