Still more cool one or two year wonders.....

For whatever reason-poor sales, bodystyle changes,smog laws whatever-some really cool stuff only lasted a couple years. But on the upside not many people know about them, so sometimes you can get a real bargain on a unique car. Here's some cool rides, mostly later model stuff but still fun. I've listed them in no particular order. #1. 1975 Plymouth Road Runner. For this one year only Chrysler put the Road Runner nameplate on the Sport Fury platform. They had a "Tuff" steering wheel, bucket seats, special badging and the famous "Beep-Beep" horn. 318 versions are dogs, but the 360 and 400 models can be made to run strong. Roughly 6,500 were built so you should be able to find one. # 2. 1977 Pontiac Can-Am. Wanting to capitalize on the Trans-Am's skyrocketing sales and image the engineers came up with this performance package based on the LeMans body. Appearance items included a special white paint job with "Judge" style striping,a ducktail rear spoiler,a Trans-Am style "Shaker" hood scoop,body-colored Rally II wheels and a Gran Prix instrument panel. Performance items included front and rear sway bars, a 400 Pontiac V8 ( 403 Olds in California ) a TH400 with a shift kit, and a positraction rear end. The "A" bodies were all downsized for 1978 so it only lasted one season. Cool if you can find one. # 3. 1983-86 Mercury Capri. That's not a typo. Most people hear "Capri" and think of the 4-banger / V6 econoboxes of the '70's. For these few years you got a 302 V8 with  real tube headers,a 600 Holley on an aluminum manifold,a five-speed stick or a 4-speed automatic and sport suspension-basically a re-badged "5.0" Mustang. Obviously anything that fits a Fox 'Stang will fit these cars so there's tons of potential. I'd remove the "5.0" emblems to make it a real sleeper. # 4. 1984-86 Ford Mustang SVO. These had Recaro seats,16" wheels and tires,sport suspension and a Turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that made between 175 and 205 hp depending on year. They didn't sell well because the "5.0" V8 models were both faster and several thousand dollars cheaper. However you can buy them fairly cheap today,and the 2.3 Ford is virtually bulletproof-you could turn the boost way up and get more power without ill effects. # 5. 1984 Chevrolet Corvette. This was the first year of the C4 body that lasted until 1996. Power is a "Cross-Fire" injected 350 backed by a 4-speed automatic, or a 4-speed manual with an overdrive-the "4+3"-you can engage the overdrive in 2nd,3rd or 4th effectively giving you 7 gears. 'Vette collectors snub these cars in favor of the '85-91 "Tuned Port" injected models which keeps prices low. My brother in-law bought a rough-but running one for $1,200 and I've seen nice ones on used car lots for $2995!!  There is more speed equipment for a small-block Chevy than anything else on the planet so ramping up performance should be easy. # 6. 1989 20th Anniversary Trans-Am. These cars had a special white and blue paint job,Recaro seats,WS6 suspension and the nasty Turbocharged V6 out of the Buick Grand National. The Turbo GN motor not only had more power than the LB9 and L98 small-block Chevy V8s, it was a couple hundred pounds lighter. So these cars were not only faster than a regular T/A, they handled noticeably better too. Dynamite if you can find one. # 7. 2003-2004 Mercury Marauder. These were based on the Marquis / Crown Vic platform. You got Police Interceptor suspension,fat 18" tires and wheels,a monochromatic paint job,and a snarling 302 hp V8 pirated out of the Mustang Cobra backed by a 4-speed automatic with a special high-stall torque converter. Inside were special seats and Auto Meter guages. Ford never promoted these cars,and never had the buff magazines test one, and then wondered why they didn't sell. Jennifer Garner drove one on "Alias" in a decent car chase, but even that didn't help. Cool if you can find one. # 8. 2004-2006 Pontiac GTO. The best car nobody bought. These had either a 350hp 5.7 V8 ( 2004 ) or a 400 hp 6.0 V8 pirated straight out of the Corvette backed by a six-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic. Car and Driver summed it up perfectly "It runs like a Corvette, handles like a BMW and looks like a Rental Car." The bland styling is why they didn't sell. If Pontiac had done what Ford did with the Mustang and what Dodge did with the Challenger-go retro '60s or '70's style-they'd have sold like hot cakes. The upside is Cops won't notice you unless your being really obnoxious. I've seen these on used car lots for as low as 8K so they are a bargain if you want one. Mastermind