More fun one or two year wonders....

Here's some more one or two year wonders that might be fun to play with. # 1. 1978-79 Dodge Li'l Red Express Pickup. These were a short-bed 2WD stepside pickup with a red and gold paint job, chrome wheels, and vertical chrome semi-style exhaust stacks. They also had an E58 Police Interceptor 360 V8 a 727 Torqueflite and a 3.55:1 rear axle. Mopar freaks like to reference a November 1977 Car and Driver article titled "Double the Double Nickel" where they tested a bunch of cars that could run faster than 110 mph. The Li'l Red Express Prototype blew the doors off an L82 / 4-speed Corvette and a W72 Trans-Am in a drag race. However-the "Prototype" had NASCAR style W-2 heads, a single-plane aluminum Holley "Street Dominator" intake topped by a 650 Double-Pumper Holley, the cam out of the old high-performance 340, and catalyst-free exhausts. Needless to say-Production examples that had standard 318 / 360 heads, and iron intake with EGR and a Carter Thermo-Quad, and a stock cam, were substantially slower!!  They have kind of a "cult" following which drives the prices up a bit, but they are a unique ride.  # 2. 1977 Pontiac Can-Am. Trying to cash in on the Trans-Am's immense popularity the engineers came up with this performance / appearance / handling package for the LeMans. They had a white paint job with "Judge" style stripes, a "ducktail" rear spoiler, a T/A style "Shaker" hood scoop and body-colored Rally II wheels. They also had "Radial Tuned Suspension," a 400 Pontiac V8 ( 403 Olds in California ) backed by a TH400 with a shift kit and a posi rear end. They only lasted one season because GM down-sized all the intermediates for '78. A cool ride if you can find one. # 3. 1982 Corvette. For this one year only you got the C3 bodystyle that had been around since 1968, with the "Cross-Fire" Injected 350 / TH700R4 powertrain that would be in the new for '84 C4 'Vette. "Corvette" and "cheap" don't usually come in the same sentence, but 'Vette collectors snub these in favor of the carburated L48 and L81 and L82 models used through '81.  # 4. 1984 Corvette. This was the first year of the C4 body that would last until 1996. Power was the Cross-Fire Injected 350 backed by a TH700R4 or the 4+3 4-speed manual with overdrive in the top 3 gears. 'Vette collectors snub these in favor of the Tuned Port Injected '85-91 models, so you can buy them cheap. I have seen decent examples on used car lots as low as $2995!!  # 5. 1984-86 Ford Mustang SVO. These had 16" wheels and 50 series tires, a scooped hood, front and rear spoilers, 4-wheel disc brakes, and Recaro seats. Power was a turbocharged 4-banger that made between 175 and 205 hp depending on year. They didn't sell well when new because the "5.0" V8 models were both faster and several thousand dollars cheaper. Dynamite if you can find one. # 6. 1990-93 Chevy SS454. These were a 1/2 ton 2WD pickup with chrome wheels, a sinister monochromatic black paint job and a 454 V8 under the hood. 1990 models had a TH400 and 3.73:1 gears. '91-93 models had a beefed-up 700R4 and 4.10:1 gears. Great for winning burnout contests. # 7. 1992-95 Ford Lightning. Another hot-rod pickup. This one had 17" wheels, a hotted-up 351W V8 and front and rear sway bars. Any of these would make a fun driver / weekend toy. Mastermind