FUTURAMA...........what was the 21st Century going to bring to the automotive industry and car fanatics like me. Lot of retro. This phenomenon actually started in the late '90's With Volkswagen introduced The New Beetle, that shape loosely resembling the iconic Beetle from the early '50's to the late '70's.
Chrysler Corp. introduced the 1997 Plymouth Prowler, based on the 1993 concept car with the same name. The Plymouth brand met it's demise & Chrysler re-introduced the Chrysler Prowler in 1999 and the last Prowler was marketed in 2002. The engineers at Chrysler were given the green light to create a "Hot Rod" or "Sportster" type of vehicle, and I must say that was like giving the kids full reign of emptying a candy store. It was a rolling piece of art. Sadly it filled a limited niche' marketplace.
Moving on, Ford decided to get in on the action. It's answer to this retro revolution was the Eleventh generation Thunderbird. The 2002-2005 Ford Thunderbird shared a two-seater coupe & convertible platform as the original (first generation) did. As with the Chrysler Prowler, the eleventh generation served a limited niche' market.
Time for Chevrolet to get in on the action. Unlike my past three retro units the 2003-2006 Chevrolet SSR was packed with horsepower. SSR was short for Super Sport Roadster, a retractable hardtop convertible pickup truck. the vehicle was based on a 2000 Detroit Auto show concept car.The '03 & '04 models were fitted with a 5.3 L, 300 HP V8. The '05 was powered by a 390 HP LS2 V-8 used in the Corvette & Pontiac GTO. The final model year, '06, the LS2 was tweaked to 395 HP W/ A.T.
& 400 HP W/ Manual Trans. This vehicle had styling cues borrowed from the 1940,s & early '50's Pickup Trucks.
From 2004-2008 Chrysler with it's short marriage to Mercedes-Benz, marketed a vehicle built by Karmann in Germany. It was the Chrysler Crossfire. This automobile is not actually a retro of one car. It has styling cues of several American Motors cars, like the Rambler Marlin & the AMC Marlin. Crossfire defines the two lines that go from front to rear along body lines, crossing midway through the door panels.The Crossfire is equipped with a MB 3.2 L, 18-valve, SOHC engine with 215 HP. The SRT-6 model was fitted with a special supercharged engine provided by AMG.
The last of the retro vehicles I'm showcasing I the 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR (Heritage High Roof.) Consider it a "retro-styled station wagon. It was GM's version of the Chrysler PT Cruiser. The vehicle took it's styling cues from the '40's Chevrolet vehicles. retro to the '47 Suburban. it was powered by three different four cylinder power plants. The 2.2 L Ecotec, 2.4 L Ecotec, & a 2.0 L Turbocharged Ecotec. The vehicle was only available with 4 or 5 speed transmissions.
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment