One or two year wonders that are way cool.....and not priced in the stratosphere

There are a lot of very cool cars out there that for whatever reason, only lasted a model year or two. Sometimes poor sales, or pricing, or EPA regulations, or whatever killed them. There's nothing wrong with them, they just didn't turn out to be the sales leaders the manufacturers thought they would. Fortunately, for the discerning buyer-these are great bargains today. Anyhow, here's a "Baker's Dozen" of cool rides that many people don't consider. #1 1970-71 Mercury Cyclone. David Pearson had great NASCAR success in the Wood Brother's Mercurys through the '70's and these sleek, fastback models were the first. 428 and 429 versions command a King's ransom, but 351C versions are still reasonable, and there is a ton of aftermarket performance parts available for these engines to this day.  # 2. 1970-71 Pontiac Tempest T37. The buff magazines of the day called them the "Poor man's GTO." You got a strippy Tempest coupe with a 350 V8 and a three-speed stick. However, options included both 400 and 455 V8s, and either a 4-speed or an automatic if you so desired. The same basic package was offered in 1972 as the "LeMans GT".  You'll pay more for one of these than you will for a garden-variety Tempest / LeMans, but their still thousands cheaper than people want for a beater GTO, and their unique.  # 3. 1970 Olds Rallye 350 Cutlass. These cars featured a super loud Sebring Yellow monochromatic paint job, a "Judge / Hurst / Olds" style rear spoiler,body colored Rally wheels and a 350 V8 backed by a 4-speed or a TH350. 3,527 were built, so there a little rare, but you can still buy one way cheaper than a '68-71 442. Rumor has it that 10 or 12 were built with the vaunted "W31" 350 V8, but I have never seen one, or a build sheet or window sticker for one, and none has ever been verified by any Olds engineer or a magazine like Hot Rod or Musclecar Review. # 4. 1971 Dodge Super Bee. For this one year only, the Super Bee package was offered on the Charger instead of the Coronet.  Of course,440, Six-Pack and Hemi versions are the price of a nice house, but of the 6,000+ that were built, nearly 5,000 of those were 383 versions, and they are still reasonably priced, especially when compared to other year Charger / Super Bee / Road Runner models. # 5. 1973-75 Pontiac Grand Am. Based on the LeMans chassis, these were touted to have the performance of a Trans-Am, and the luxury of a Gran Prix. 400 cubes standard, with 455 optional. Standard front disc brakes, and front and rear sway bars make them great handlers too. # 6. 1978-79 Dodge Li'l Red Express truck. These were a 1/2 ton 2wd pickup with a 360 V8, chrome wheels, Semi-style vertical exhaust stacks, and a trick red and gold paint job. Except for an L82 Corvette or a WS6 Trans-Am, this was the fastest American production vehicle built in those years. They have kind of a "cult" following among Mopar enthusiasts, but you can still buy one for less than the price of a basket-case Charger or Road Runner. # 7. 1984-86 Ford Mustang SVO. These cars featured Recaro Seats, 16" wheels, a trick suspension and a Turboharged 4 cylinder engine that put out ( depending on year ) between 175 and 205 hp. They didn't sell well because the "5.0" V8 models were both faster and several thousand dollars cheaper. However, you can buy them today at reasonable prices-about the same as a same condition "5.0".  # 8. 1984 Chevrolet Corvette. The first year of the C4 body that lasted until 1996. These are snubbed by 'Vette collectors because they have the "Cross-Fire" injected 350 V8. 'Vette snobs want the '85-91 "Tuned Port" injected models or the '92-96 LT1 / LT4 models. However-that makes them great buys. I have seen nice ones on used car lots as low as $2995, and rough-but-running ones for as low as $1,500. For those on a tight budget-this may be the only way you'll ever own a Corvette. # 9. 1990-93 Chevrolet SS454 Pickup. A 454, a TH400 / 700R4, and a 3.73 or 4.10 rear end in a 4,000 lb body? Sounds like a musclecar to me. # 10. 1992-95 Ford Lightning pickup. These had a trick suspension, 17" wheels and a hotted up 351 V8. They'd run a 15 flat 1/4 which was pretty good for the time. # 11. 1998-2002 Dodge Dakota R/T. Mopar engineers took the lightweight Dakota mid-size pickup, and stuffed in a 250 hp 360 V8, a slick-shifting 4-speed automatic and a 3.92 posi rear end. They dressed it in a cool body, lowered the suspension and put fat 255/55ZR17 tires on it. They looked mean, and with 6 second zero-60 times, they were mean.  # 12. 2003-2004 Mercury Marauder. For some insane reason, Ford never promoted this awesome car, and then wondered why they didn't sell in big numbers. SVT engineers took the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor chassis, added fat 18" wheels and tires, and swapped the 239 hp 4.6 liter V8 for the snarling, 300+ hp version out of the Mustang Cobra, and backed it up with a 4-speed automatic with a shift kit and a high-stall converter. The interior featured Auto Meter guages and special seats. Dynamite if you can find one. #13. 2004-2006 Pontiac GTO. The best car nobody bought. Car and Driver summed it up best-"It runs like a Corvette, handles like a BMW, and looks like a rental car." The Grand Am on steroids styling is what killed it. If Pontiac went retro and made it look like a '60s GTO ( Like Ford did with the Mustang, Dodge did with the Challenger, and Chevrolet with the Camaro, all top-sellers ) they'd have had people line up around the block fighting with machetes to buy them. Alas, they didn't. However if you want one-they have the heart of a Corvette- either a 350 hp LS1 5.7 V8 ( 2004 models ) or a 400 hp LS2 6.0 V8 ( 2005-06 models ) backed up by a six-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic. They ran blistering 5-second 0-60 and 13 second 1/4 mile times off the showroom floor. And the subdued styling may keep the men in blue from harassing you if you can keep foot out of it. I have seen these as low as $6,500 on used car lots. Mastermind