What is your favorite unicorn version of a “normal” car?

In reply to pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) :

Let's be honest here. As much as I love that car, I'm sure McLaren only spent pennies engineering it...

Air-cooled VW Beetles are/were everywhere, but how about a Mexican-built example? 

Wikipedia says that this is a 2004 example. 

In reply to pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) :

Pretty sure that Patrick had one at some point.

Was going to say Mini Cooper, cause driving one is like wrasling with a greased-up horny otter in a gunny-sack. But then I remembered that  I hate FWD.

So I defaulted to something that I lusted for as a young man with no $$$

And then I recalled that they went back and made an even more modern and lethal version. Final answer

Can't believe the aerocoupe hasn't been posted yet.

In reply to mrhappy :

Me neither!  Probably the last of the NASCAR homologation specials.  IIRC it was available also on the Grand Prix.

now, talking about unicorn option packages...

You could get an Iron Duke in a 3rd gen Camaro.  I have seen exactly one, and I'd like to say it had a four speed manual.  Interestingly, the only pics I could find were all in junkyards.

According to a 1986 new car buyer's guide I had, you could get the 4 cylinder in a Z/28!

'06/'07 Malibu and Malibu Maxx SS.

When new they were priced between the LT and LTZ trim levels but were pretty much a LT with a sunroof and a 3.9L v6 instead of the 3.5L.

Put out about 240hp/tq and weighed around 3300 lbs which is a bit over 40 addition hp/tq compared to the 3.5L.

The Lt/Ltz with about 100k miles are running $4/$5k but I have seen the SS going for $8-$10k.

In reply to Fr3AkAzOiD :

That is really cheap for what you get!  The Maxx has a TON of rear seat legroom, too.

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

now, talking about unicorn option packages...

You could get an Iron Duke in a 3rd gen Camaro.  I have seen exactly one, and I'd like to say it had a four speed manual.  Interestingly, the only pics I could find were all in junkyards.

I can’t believe I missed that one. I’ve seen a handful but somebody ran one of those at our local dirt oval in mini stock. It didn’t do as well as I thought it should have. 

How about an Evo/Galant VR4 in a mom jeans minivan body?

Scion's release colors. Dammit, you build a sports car, and give us the blandest colors on the planet.  I know you can do colors, because you did this:

But you only did it 1,500 times.

Appleseed said:

Scion's release colors. Dammit, you build a sports car, and give us the blandest colors on the planet.  I know you can do colors, because you did this:

But you only did it 1,500 times.

Only available for the first six months of the first year of production.

It's a "halo color".  Not meant to sell well, and they often didn't, but meant to look good in advertisements.

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Ultima Edicion! The Mexican bugs are interesting too in that they retained some of the more outdated parts. Wolfsburg switched to semi-trailing arms in 69 while Puebla produced swing axle cars up until the end. Weird to think too that after German production ended the Mexican Beetles were exported to Europe.

bobzilla said:

190HP/160TQ  with a 7200rpm redline from a 2.3L DOHC 4-cyl in 1991. 

Wat? How is that even?

Harvey said:

bobzilla said:

190HP/160TQ  with a 7200rpm redline from a 2.3L DOHC 4-cyl in 1991. 

Wat? How is that even?

Quad Fours had 160hp with automatics and 180hp with manual trans.

The 190hp engine was in a Showroom Stock homologation special - the Calais 442 and the Acheiva SCX.

In reply to Harvey :

I've seen exactly one since they were new (well, 2 including the one in the showroom when it was still new). It was GM's showroom stock effort at the time. Interestingly enough, the cams for the LDO and the pistons are still available.

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

Harvey said:

bobzilla said:

190HP/160TQ  with a 7200rpm redline from a 2.3L DOHC 4-cyl in 1991. 

Wat? How is that even?

Quad Fours had 160hp with automatics and 180hp with manual trans.

The 190hp engine was in a Showroom Stock homologation special - the Calais 442 and the Acheiva SCX.

Even 180hp is really impressive. The Civic Si didn't crest that number until 15 years later

In reply to calteg :

If you want perspective, the US spec M3 had a 190hp 2.3l four.  Honda had yet to approach that number with the H-series engine.

I drove a Beretta GTZ once.  GTU was auto, GTZ was manual.  It's probably too much power for that chassis.

Cooter said:

Of course, this weird obsession with odd versions of the '80-89 M body led me to grabbing this odd California only 318/4bbl plastic-wooded single horned beauty from the west coast. (with our own Synthetic Blinker Fluid ably enabling me by going 10 hours out of his way to drag it home for me in the middle of winter)

 

 

I'll go one notch unicornier.  15 years ago I looked at a '78-'89 Volare wagon with the 318 4bbl, plastic wood, and a four speed (833OD).  Same color as your LeBaron.  Unfortunately it was horrifically rusty even by Volare standards.   If that wasn't a one-of-one combo, I'd be surprised.

bobzilla said:

In reply to Harvey :

 Interestingly enough, the cams for the LDO and the pistons are still available.

I still have a couple sets of of the Quad 4 HO and W41 cams.

I love that motor. It's nasty

In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :

I bought one new and after a few 'upgrades' had a real rocket ship that would turn heads at BMWCCA track events.

I wish I still had that car!

In reply to Colin Wood :

enough torque to pull buildings off thier foundations :)

Mr. Peabody said:

bobzilla said:

In reply to Harvey :

 Interestingly enough, the cams for the LDO and the pistons are still available.

I still have a couple sets of of the Quad 4 HO and W41 cams.

I love that motor. It's nasty

There was one (the only one I'd seen) that ran around Gereencastle back in the late 90's. Straight piped. It sounded nasty at idle. Then the kid would rip it and wind out all 7500rpms and it was seriously rowdy. Still one of my favorite GM 4-bangers. 

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

I forgot about the Calais 442. The Acheiva was just so homely looking... and making more power than all of its competitors of the era with similar cylinder counts. Was Honda even making 190hp with their non-NSX V6?

bobzilla said:

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

I forgot about the Calais 442. The Acheiva was just so homely looking... and making more power than all of its competitors of the era with similar cylinder counts.

Not all of them...

They banned AWD shortly after, then they banned turbos after they were still overcompetitive.  Then the class died because everyone else said "berk this"...