Buddy has one - 4 speed but 6 and no GT ground kit. Nice!
Calling all car "nerds": strangely optioned vehicles you've owned?
- Thread starter 14Accent
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The V8 would have been a 305 SBC, no idea on the transmission, it was 3 years too early for the T-5-but the Borg Warner T-50 existed, I've seen them in the GM Monza variants.
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I aways liked the LeBarons!
My aunt had a '79-or-so Malibu wagon with a manual.... I'm pretty sure it was a 3-speed. Looking back, it fits right in with our family's tradition (well, really just the women in the family) of seeking out and buying the lowest-optioned vehicles available. For example, my mom's first brand-new car was a Civic 1300, back in the days when almost all Civics came with 1.5 or 1.6 or whatever engines they offered in those days. It had no radio, no armrests, no sound insulation, no power options of any kind and of course no AC. And before that, I had inherited my grandma's old Nova which had no options either, not even carpet. No radio, no PS or power brakes, it had 4-wheel drums, etc. A 3-on-the-tree.
My Fiero is an '88GT and it's unusual because it came without a spoiler. The spoiler was optional on the GT but came standard on the Formula models, but in reality the vast majority of GTs actually did come with the optional spoiler. Not having the spoiler back in 1988 probably seemed cheap but now 30+ years later I really prefer the clean lines of the smooth spoilerless decklid. So do lots of other Fiero owners... I have seen others who removed the spoiler, but mine was the only one I've seen which didn't require filling the holes!
Had a couple more rare options on some vehicles, nothing too weird:
-2001 Grand Cherokee was a Laredo with the special appearance package...only available in 2001 and came with unique rims, body-colored plastic cladding, and the interior was basically outfitted like a Limited with pleather seats, Infinity system with 10 disk changer. Also had the 4.7 where most Laredos had the I6.
2005 Lexus RX330 had the Mark Levinson system and the adaptive headlights...both pretty rare from what I can tell. When it was totaled I scoured the nation and saw absolutely none with the Mark Levinson audio for sale.
-2001 Grand Cherokee was a Laredo with the special appearance package...only available in 2001 and came with unique rims, body-colored plastic cladding, and the interior was basically outfitted like a Limited with pleather seats, Infinity system with 10 disk changer. Also had the 4.7 where most Laredos had the I6.
2005 Lexus RX330 had the Mark Levinson system and the adaptive headlights...both pretty rare from what I can tell. When it was totaled I scoured the nation and saw absolutely none with the Mark Levinson audio for sale.
'91 Civic SI, always thought I'm having a power sunroof with manual windows and locks was a little odd.
I had a 1958 Ford two-door station wagon. It had a 352 ci Police Interceptor V-8 with 3 on the tree and manual overdrive. The T-shaped pull handle for the overdrive worked in 2nd and 3rd gear making it a five speed. The old buggy would move but stopping was a different story.
Just rev it till the valves float!
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Perhaps all my cars are 'odd' in someone else's eyes just because I try
to taylor them to my tastes. As an example my GTI Performance is two
door (I don't need and I don't like four doors), manual (instead of DSG),
cloth (I love tartan), so as basic as possible, however on the other hand
I specced nav, adaptive LED headlights (permanent high beam), adaptive
cruise control, electronically controlled suspension (DCC) while most of
the smaller stuff was standard anyway (heated seats or parking sensors).
Obviously many if not most would miss a DSG, four doors and leather.
I don't. A GTI without adaptive LED headlights and ACC would be almost
inacceptable for me today, I really don't want to miss it.
.
Perhaps all my cars are 'odd' in someone else's eyes just because I try
to taylor them to my tastes. As an example my GTI Performance is two
door (I don't need and I don't like four doors), manual (instead of DSG),
cloth (I love tartan), so as basic as possible, however on the other hand
I specced nav, adaptive LED headlights (permanent high beam), adaptive
cruise control, electronically controlled suspension (DCC) while most of
the smaller stuff was standard anyway (heated seats or parking sensors).
Obviously many if not most would miss a DSG, four doors and leather.
I don't. A GTI without adaptive LED headlights and ACC would be almost
inacceptable for me today, I really don't want to miss it.
.
My very early 95 SOHC ATX Plymouth Neon wasn't really optioned oddly, but it seems they were still designing the car as it was starting production? Or maybe just using up old stock?.
It had 4x100 bolt wheels which went to 5x100 after a couple months production, but my car came with 5 bolt look hubcaps
. The same with the cam, the early SOHC motors had a higher hp cam, that eventually became a mopar performance part as when it was paired with the ATX it had a bit too much cabin vibration at idle in D. The early 3spd auto also came with the DOHC higher diff ratio, and was switched to a lower ratio for the SOHC cars later on. Also they had their spring length calculator wrong for the options, so my relatively heavy atx car with AC got springs that were a bit short and it rode pretty low and was into the bumpstops a bit too often for a base suspension car.
For me all these anomalies helped it do pretty good at autocross for a regular neon! Still kind of miss that car.
It had 4x100 bolt wheels which went to 5x100 after a couple months production, but my car came with 5 bolt look hubcaps
. The same with the cam, the early SOHC motors had a higher hp cam, that eventually became a mopar performance part as when it was paired with the ATX it had a bit too much cabin vibration at idle in D. The early 3spd auto also came with the DOHC higher diff ratio, and was switched to a lower ratio for the SOHC cars later on. Also they had their spring length calculator wrong for the options, so my relatively heavy atx car with AC got springs that were a bit short and it rode pretty low and was into the bumpstops a bit too often for a base suspension car.For me all these anomalies helped it do pretty good at autocross for a regular neon! Still kind of miss that car.
Highboy
$100 Site Donor 2025
1975 Trans Am that I bought used. 455/4 speed. No center console, just the stick out the floor. No ac or power windows and locks. Super detuned 455. From what I read, the 455 was dropped earlier that year and late 75/76 it was added. I believe about 876 where built this way.
I’ve had a few. My first car was an ‘86 Ford Escort L. It was only one step above the base “Pony” model, but it had a digital overhead console and two tone paint.
My 1976 AMC Gremlin… base 232 1 barrel six cylinder engine/3 speed manual on the floor/bench seat/dog dish hubcaps, but the “sport” steering wheel.
My 1976 Cadillac Coupe DeVille… rare fuel injected model ($700 option) usually found only on loaded D’Elegance models or Eldorados/Fleetwoods. Mine is not a D’Elgance, so it has a less padded full vinyl top and no coach lights behind the rear quarter window. It has mid-level corduroy style cloth seats, not leather or pillowed velour. It does have the automatic trunk pull-down assist.
My 1976 AMC Gremlin… base 232 1 barrel six cylinder engine/3 speed manual on the floor/bench seat/dog dish hubcaps, but the “sport” steering wheel.
My 1976 Cadillac Coupe DeVille… rare fuel injected model ($700 option) usually found only on loaded D’Elegance models or Eldorados/Fleetwoods. Mine is not a D’Elgance, so it has a less padded full vinyl top and no coach lights behind the rear quarter window. It has mid-level corduroy style cloth seats, not leather or pillowed velour. It does have the automatic trunk pull-down assist.
“Radio Prep Kit,” was offered by VW in the 80s for their vanagons. This meant it had speakers and an antenna, but no radio. That’s what dad bought, so he could save $75 dollars by pulling the old Craig unit out of his rabbit. The van did have A/C and contoured seats as upgrades. All 4 speakers were between 2.5” and 3” in size, and sounded like 4 9v-powered battery-powered personal radios. I later determined with my ‘73 bus that 2 pioneer 6x9s from wal mart beneath the back seat pointing forward turned it, by comparison, into a concert hall. I was 16 in the late 80s and remember well that one-hit-wonder Billy Rae Cyrus song, whatever it was, sounded *so good* in that thing.
My 1993 Ford Explorer XLT so it was a 4 door bought new was a 5 speed M/T
OMG that hood is so long you could land a 747 on it!
My mom had a 69 Camaro with the liquid tire chain option extremely rare from what I read. My dad also had a big block 69 townsmen wagon somewhat rare option.
I Had a 1958 Edsel Citation with the push buttons in the center of the steering wheel to select your gears and it had a "Town and Country" AM Radio. If you pushed the Town button it would move by an electric motor to the next strong station on the dial. Crusing on the highway outside town if you pushed the Country button it would select the weak stations one by one. It had a 410 cu Inch V8 and was eated at 475 ft lbs of torque. I rebuilt it when I got it because the owner had used the old paraffin like Quaker State.Sludge City.
1994 Geo Prizm LSi
It had an electric sunroof but crank windows and no electric door locks.
It had an electric sunroof but crank windows and no electric door locks.
