Saturday, May 31, 2025

1990 Chevrolet Corsica LT


Launched in 1987 with a rollout to fleets and rental car agencies before going on sale to the general public, the Chevrolet Corsica sedan, and its coupe twin, the Beretta, were on the new L-body platform. Essentially a stretched J-body, the L-cars replaced the old Citation in Chevy's lineup, slotting in size and price between the smaller Cavalier and larger Celebrity.


I was selling Chevrolets the year the Corsica hit the market and I remember being fairly impressed by them. We had a fairly strippo four-cylinder five-speed demo car with an AM radio and roll-up windows on the lot that we used for errands and it was reasonably fun to drive. Of course, anything would look like a rock star replacing the Citation.

The Corsica/Beretta twins were unusual in two respects. First, they were Chevy-only. There were no rebadged versions sold by other GM divisions. (Well, they sold a couple thousand in export markets as the Pontiac Tempest, but you get what I'm saying.)

Second, they went the whole ten model year production run with almost no serious changes, so they were probably pretty well amortized by the time this 1990 Corsica LT in Malachite Metallic rolled off the lot.


We can tell it's a 1990 by the fact that it has the fender badges for the 3.1L V-6 and front seat shoulder harnesses mounted to the front door frames.

Prior to 1990 the Corsica used either the 90hp 2.0L inline four or the 130 horse 2.8L Multi-Port Injected V-6, so the 140hp 3.1L V-6 was a definite upgrade. Also, starting in 1991, the Corsica got airbags for the front seat occupants, so the shoulder harness anchors were moved to the B-pillars.

Considering that the made more than 1.6 million Corsicas over a decade-long run, you don't see many still on the road, so I was unreasonably stoked about seeing this rather vanilla Chevy sedan.

I photographed it with a Nikon D300 and a 17-55mm f/2.8G zoom lens in May of 2025.

Monday, May 26, 2025

1974 Jaguar XJ6L


When the Jaguar XK-E sports car debuted in 1961, its sleek envelope-style monocoque body was ultra modern looking, indeed almost futuristic. It was sold, however, alongside Jaguar saloons whose pontoon styling with their distinct fenders was beginning to look a little dated.

Jag rectified this for 1968 with an entirely new sedan, the Jaguar XJ. Initially riding on a 108.75" wheelbase, it was powered by either a 2.8L or 4.2L DOHC inline six, although only the larger motor was sold here in the USA.

For the '73 model year the XJ got a slight restyling, with the bumpers raised to meet federal impact standards. The grille shrank and a larger opening under the bumper was added to make up for it. The regular wheelbase had been joined by a long wheelbase version in 1972, which added four inches between the axles, all of which went to rear seat legroom.

This one, in classic British Racing Green, looks to be a 1974 model, going by the rubber protector on the front and bumpers and the location of the front turn signals.


For the North American market the dual SU carburetors were replaced by Zenith-Strombergs, and the 4.2L six was rated at 186 SAE net horsepower.

When Road & Track tested a '73 model, it managed a 10.7 second zero-to-sixty time and strolled through the quarter mile in 17.1 seconds with a trap speed of 77mph. Price as tested on that 1973 Jag came to $8,965, which translates to about $65,750 in 2025 dollars.

This one was photographed in May of 2025 using a Sony a700 and a 16-50mm f/2.8 zoom lens.

Thursday, May 22, 2025

2002 Dodge Intrepid


The second generation of Mopar's LH platform debuted for the 1998 model year. The whole "cab forward" look that had been so novel on the originals back in '93 was now pretty commonplace.

Sales lagged outside of fleet purchases and Daimler-Chrysler engaged in bean-counter driven cost-cutting for 2002, eliminating bunches of little features like courtesy lights and illumination for secondary switchgear in the control panel.

The fog lights would suggest that this is an Intrepid ES with either the base 200hp 2.7L DOHC 24V V-6 or possibly the beefier SOHC 3.5L V-6, rated at 234 SAE net horsepower.

Not many LH cars have survived into hooptie-dom, which is why I used my Sony a700 and 16-80mm f/3.5-5.6 Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* zoom lens to snap this Champagne one in May of 2025.

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

2000 Mercury Cougar


The Cougar nameplate started at Mercury as a more upmarket and "Euro-flavored" variant of the Ford Mustang, but during the bloated 1970s morphed into a plush-bottomed version of the Thunderbird personal luxury coupe.

With coupe sales slowing in the latter half of the Nineties, FoMoCo axed a number of sporty two-doors. Not only did the Ford Thunderbird and Mercury Cougar, as well as their Lincoln Mark VIII cousin get 86'ed, but Ford lost the Probe and Mercury dealers waved goodbye to the little Capri roadster.

However, Ford had been deep into the development process for a third generation of the Probe. Unlike the first two iterations, this one was developed off the in-house Contour platform. As a consolation prize for Lincoln-Mercury dealerships, it was rebadged as the new Mercury Cougar, reviving the nameplate after a one-year hiatus.

Unlike all previous Cougar versions, the new one was front-wheel drive, and its New Edge styling motif and price definitely marketed it towards a younger, less well-heeled demographic than any prior Cougar.


The base Cougar had Ford's Zetec 2.0L DOHC 16V four, rated at 120 horsepower. The more deluxe variant, like this 2000 model in Citrus Gold Clearcoat Metallic (which is going the way of all Ford Clearcoat jobs of that vintage) had the 170hp Duratec 2.5L DOHC 24V V-6.

Car and Driver's long-term 1999 V-6 test car managed the sprint to sixty in an adequate 7.7 seconds and circled the skidpad at a suitably sporty 0.85g. Price as tested was $20,470 (about $39,500 in today's money) which the magazine noted was pretty reasonable for a well-equipped youth-oriented sporty coupe.

The thing is, nobody goes shopping at Lincoln-Mercury dealerships for reasonably priced sporty coupes. After a half-hearted nose-job for 2001, the Cougar was discontinued after the '02 model year.

This one was photographed in May of 2025 using a Canon EOS 40D and an EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS zoom lens.

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

1986 Chrysler LeBaron Convertible


Chrysler inherited the LeBaron nameplate from the defunct Imperial division of Mopar in 1977 and originally applied it to a car that shared the new rear wheel drive M-platform with the Dodge Diplomat and Plymouth Gran Fury. The M-cars were derived from the Aspen/Volare compact sedans, which were themselves evolved from the Dart/Valiant twins.

The LeBaron was the smallest, lowest-priced Chrysler, intended to do battle with the Cadillac Seville. With the dawn of the FWD era at Chrysler in the early Eighties, the LeBaron became Chrysler's version of the new K-car platform: It was the glitziest variant of a trio that included the Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant.


Along with being the Chrysler marque's first FWD luxury car, the new 1982 LeBaron saw the return of the factory convertible to Detroit.

For 1986, the base engine in a LeBaron convertible was the SOHC "Trenton" 2.2L four cylinder with throttle body electronic fuel injection, rated at 97 horsepower. The next engine up the options list was the 2.5L Trenton four, which had the same bore but almost a half-inch longer stroke, giving a three-horsepower increase to an even 100, but bumping torque from 122 to 136 lb-ft at 2,800 RPM, four hundred RPM lower than the torque peak on the 2.2L mill. The increase in displacement necessitated counterrotating balance shafts to keep things acceptably smooth in the cabin.


The top of the line powertrain, as found in this Gunmetal Blue Pearl example, was the 2.2L Turbo, indicated by the fender badges and hood louvers. It came with 146 SAE net horsepower and torque steer for days.

Among other options to let you know that it was the Eighties was a voice alert system that used a speech synthesizer like the one from the old Texas Instruments Speak & Spell to let you know when a door was ajar or your seat belt was unfastened.

This one was photographed with a Canon EOS 40D and an EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS zoom lens in May of 2025.

Monday, May 19, 2025

1968 Oldsmobile Cutlass S Convertible


Along with the curvaceous restyling of the A-body Oldsmobile Cutlass for the 1968 model year came a new trim level: the Cutlass S.

For '68 the Olds 4-4-2 technically became its own model, rather than a trim level on the Cutlass. The Supreme remained the most luxurious trim level with the spartan F-85 as the bargain basement entry, and the Cutlass S slotted between them as a youth-oriented version that emphasized both value and sportiness. The Cutlass S was only available as a hardtop or pillared coupe, or a convertible like the Sapphire Blue one in the photos.


Period Olds advertising materials called it a "low-priced, low-slung Youngmobile swinger" and the interior, with its (standard on the convertible) bucket seats, was described as a "swingin' place for a sit-in". The standard, albeit non-functional, hood louvers emphasized its sporty character.

Standard powerplant was either the Action Line 250 cubic inch inline six, making 150 SAE gross horsepower, or else the low-compression version of the Rocket 350 V-8 with a 2-barreled carburetor and 250 horsepower. The dual exhausts on this car suggest the buyer sprang for the only optional motor, which was a 10.5:1 compression Rocket 350 with a Rochester Quadrajet 4-barrel and 310 ponies.

Standard transmission was a column-shifted three-speed manual, although a four-on-the-floor was available as an option, as was Oldsmobile's two-speed Jetaway automatic.


This one was photographed with a Sony a700 and a 16-80mm f/3.5-5.6 Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* zoom lens in May of 2025.


Sunday, May 18, 2025

1964 Mercury Montclair


In the late 1950s, Mercury used the Montclair name as their middle-tier car, above the Monterey but below the Turnpike Cruiser/Park Lane premium models.

Remember that this was an era when the various sub brands of Detroit's Big Three pretty much only made one basic car each, though that car was available in a variety of body styles and trim levels. Today we call them "full-size" cars but that's a retronym, because back then there was only the one size.

At any rate, after the 1960 model year, Mercury shelved the Montclair nameplate, only to bring it back for 1964, slotted in its old familiar spot as the mid-tier of Mercury's full-size range. (Which actually was the full-size Mercury now, since the Pink Frost 1964 Mercury Montclair sedan in the photo would have been sharing lot space with the Ford Falcon-based Mercury Comet compact.


The '64 Montclair was available in a bewildering array of configurations: two- and four-door hardtops as well as two- and four-door pillared sedans. Most variations could be had with either the distinctive "Breezeway" reverse-sloped rear window with the power-retractible center section like the one in the photos, or else a fastback roofline that added the "Marauder" designation to the car.

The base engine in the Montclair was the 390 cubic inch Marauder V-8, which had a 2-barrel carb and put out 250 SAE gross horsepower, or 260 if the buyer sprang for the optional three-speed Merc-O-Matic transmission.

Optional powerplants consisted of two more powerful versions of the 390, the 300 horsepower Marauder Super or the Marauder Interceptor, making 330 horses. Top performance options, only available with a four-speed manual, were the Marauder 427 V-8, putting out 410hp, and the snarling 425 horsepower Marauder Super 427, with solid lifters, two quad-throated carburetors, and an 11.2:1 compression ratio.

With its dual exhausts and automatic transmission, the one in the photo likely has the Marauder Super 390, as the three hotter engines all had solid lifters and buyers of a posh Mercury sedan with a slushbox weren't likely going to go for noisy lifters that required frequent adjustment just for a few extra ponies.


This one was photographed in May of 2025 using a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and an EF 24-105mm f/4L IS zoom lens.

Friday, May 16, 2025

1983 Ford Mustang GT


1983 marked the fifth model year of the Fox Body Mustang. It had by now lasted as long as the entire run of the ill-fated Mustang II, although nobody realized that it would hang on for almost another decade.

The effects of the 1979 Gas Crisis were still fresh in everyone's mind and Ford, like other Detroit automakers saw the V-8 as an endangered species. In fact, from the middle of the model year, the 1983 Mustang GT was available with an optional 2.3L Turbo four making 145 SAE net horsepower.

The standard GT engine, though, was the 5.0L H.O. small block like the one in this Bright Red hatchback, with a four-barrel carburetor, a new high performance cam, and a low restriction dual-snorkel air cleaner combining to boost the output to 175 horses, which was an 18hp bump from the 1982 model.

Motor Trend tested a 5.0 five-speed GT and managed a 7.4 second run to sixty and a 16.06 quarter mile at 81.5 through the traps. They didn't measure the top speed, but Car and Driver got their '83 GT up to 128mph on the track.

The 1984 Ford Mustang GT represented the final year of the Malaise Era. For 1984 the 5.0 would see its output bumped to 210hp, which was the first time a Mustang engine had cracked the 200 horsepower barrier since the 351 Cobra Jet "Q-code" motor of 1973, which put out 266 net ponies and was the swan song of the original Muscle Car Era.

This one was photographed in May of 2025 using a Sony a700 and a Sony ZA 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar* zoom lens.

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

1982 Cadillac Eldorado


The 1981 experiment with improving the fuel mileage of the old 6.0L Cadillac V-8 via the means of selective cylinder deactivation had been a debacle.

It had also been something of a stopgap because the 1982 model year saw the introduction of the HT4100 V-8, the first all-new Cadillac engine since the Sixties. The HT4100 had been slated for an '83 rollout, but the V4-6-8 fiasco caused it to be rushed to market.

The "HT" stood for High Technology, and by Caddy standards of the day I guess a throttle body fuel injected 4.1L pushrod V-8 with an aluminum block and cast iron heads was sorta high tech. The little 249 cubic inch motor sent 125 SAE net horsepower to the front wheels through a four-speed automatic. This small herd of ponies was tasked with towing over 3,700 pounds of luxury coupe down the road.

Car and Driver tested one in Touring Coupe trim and recorded a dismal 15.2 second slog to sixty. It needed 20.2 seconds to complete a standing quarter mile, staggering through the traps at 68 miles per hour. Top speed was only 92.

Base price for an '82 Eldo was $18,716, or about sixty-two grand in current dollars.


Cadillac was not officially back in the convertible business yet in 1982, but aftermarket conversions by companies like Hess & Eisenhardt or ASC are not uncommon. The convertible top on this Sable Black Eldorado had not held up well. The mildew smell was noticeable from thirty feet away and was strong enough that it probably prevented tailgating. 

It was photographed in September of 2016 using a Nikon Coolpix P7000.

Monday, May 12, 2025

1977 Chevrolet Monte Carlo


The last year of the pre-downsized Monte Carlos, the 1977 still rode on a 116" wheelbase that it shared with the mid-size Chevelle sedans, a four inch stretch over the Chevelle coupe, and still cast a shadow most of eighteen feet long.

Under that looooong hood was either a base 305 small block V-8 with a 2-barrel carb, making 145 SAE net horsepower, or else the optional 4-barrel 350, rated at 170 horses. (Unless you were in California, in which case all you could get was the 350, as the 5.0L couldn't meet CARB requirements.)


The dual exhausts and Rally wheels on this Black example suggest that it's using the 5.7L motor to haul its 3,990 pounds down the road.

The Monte Carlo continued to be a strong seller for Chevy in the '77 model year, moving over 400,000 units. The Disco Era loved personal luxury coupes.

It was photographed in Louisville, Kentucky in May of 2016 using a Nikon Coolpix P7000.

Sunday, May 11, 2025

1995 Chevrolet Impala SS


The boxy third generation of the Chevrolet Caprice, which had been around since the mid-late 1970s, was replaced for the 1991 model year with a car featuring much curvier, more aerodynamic bodywork. It was about this time that Ford also launched a more aero Crown Victoria.

Interestingly, with police performance packages, these newly sleek versions of the big body-on-frame police cars dramatically suppressed the sales of pursuit versions of Mustangs and Camaros, which had flourished briefly during the later Malaise Era when the blocky sedans were too asthmatic for high-speed chases.

It was from the roots of the fourth generation Caprice 9C1 police package that Chevrolet's Special Vehicle group ginned up a show car for 1992 that revived the Impala SS name, which had lain dormant since the late Sixties.

With distinctive wheels and badging and a sinister murdered-out paint job in any color you wanted as long as it was Black, the show car came to dealerships almost unchanged for the 1994 model year. 1995 saw some minor cosmetic changes and the addition of Dark Cherry Metallic and Dark Green-Gray Metallic to the palette. Production ceased after the 1996 model year after just shy of 70,000 had been sold.

They were all powered by the 5.7L LT1 pushrod V-8 derived from the Corvette making 260 ponies, with a 4L60E GM four-speed auto sending power to a 3.08 rear end.

When Car and Driver hooked the test gear up to a '94 Impala SS, it had enough Wheaties under the hood to launch the bulbous 4,221 pound sedan to sixty in just 6.5 seconds, which was considered a decent sporty coupe number at the time. The quarter went by in fifteen flat at 92 MPH.

All that could be yours for only $22,495 in 1994 money, or about $48,500 in constant dollars.

This one was photographed in May of 2025 using Pentax K20D and a DA 16-45mm f/4 zoom lens.

Friday, May 9, 2025

2002 Toyota Camry Solara SLE V6 Convertible


For the 1999 model year, Toyota differentiated the coupe version of the Camry with its own swoopier bodywork and the "Solara" submodel suffix. It was felt that the Camry nameplate and sobersided button-down styling was hindering sales of the coupe model, hence the change.

In 2000, a convertible version of the SE and SLE  was added, done by shipping mostly-finished coupes to the American Sunroof Corporation for roofectomies.

The model got a slight styling makeover for 2002, with a new snout featuring a different grille and quad bulb headlamp array. The Lunar Mist Metallic SLE V6 convertible in the above photo gives a good look at it, at least on the un-rumpled corner.

While base models had a 2.4L DOHC VVT-i 16V four cylinder making 157 horsepower, the SE and SLE had Toyota's 1MZ-FE V-6, a 3.0L 24V DOHC motor that made 200 horses...with the 5-speed, that is. Cars with the four speed automatic were rated at 198 SAE net horsepower, and the SLE only came with the automatic. Other things that came with the SLE package were all kinds of luxury amenities, a decklid spoiler, and 205/60R16 tires on six-spoke alloy rims.

MotorWeek tested a 2001 Solara SE ragtop with the V-6 and four-speed slushbox and recorded an 8.2 second zero to sixty time and a sixteen flat quarter at 87 mph. Price as tested was $30,388 in 2001 dollars, which is about $55k in constant bucks.

This one was photographed with an Olympus OM-D E-M5 and an M. Zuiko Digital 12-200mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom lens in May of 2025.

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

1988 Isuzu Trooper II


The Isuzu Trooper II had been on the U.S. market since the early Eighties, and got a light styling refresh for the 1987 model year, most notably getting rectangular headlamp assemblies to replace the old round sealed beams.

It was a rugged SUV with all the off-roading credentials you'd expect to find: a full array of skid plates protecting the vitals, nearly ten inches of ground clearance, five-speed manual backed by a dual-ratio transfer case, self-locking hubs allowed shifting into 4WD on the fly... the works.

Although it's bullying that orange Honda Element in the background just by being parked next to it, though, it's worth remembering that the stock powerplant in the Trooper II was a little weedy.


That's right, this butch-looking Isuzu off-roader had to haul around 3,600 pounds of sheet metal using only a 2.3L SOHC 4ZD1 Isuzu inline-4 putting out 96 SAE net horsepower at a thrashy 4,600 RPM. If you want to go slower, there was an optional 80hp 2.2L turbodiesel four.

Base price in 1987 was $12,999, or roughly $36,600 in today's coinage.

This one was photographed in April of 2025 using an Olympus OM-D E-M5 and an M. Zuiko Digital 12-200mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom lens.

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

1993 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi


When Pontiac moved the Bonneville nameplate to a front-wheel drive platform in the mid Eighties, I didn't pay much attention at first. The Bonneville hadn't really had any real pretensions to performance since the early Seventies, after all.

I kinda liked the looks of those late Eighties Bonnevilles, especially the performance-oriented SSE. The aggressive aero bodywork and alloy wheels were a little let down by the 165hp LN3 3800 Buick V-6 under the hood.

When the second generation of the front wheel drive Bonneville came out for the 1992 model year, however, there was a new top-level performance version. Dubbed the SSEi, it featured even more aggro bodywork than the old SSE, but under the hood was a supercharged version of the 3800 GM corporate V-6.

This 3.8L L67 had a Roots-type supercharger nestled in the valley between the valve covers and cranked out 205 SAE net horsepower, which had been small-block V8 power not many years before that.

Car and Driver tested one in their February '92 issue, and it managed a 7.5 second zero-to-sixty dash and a 15.9 second quarter at 87 mph. It managed 0.78g on the skidpad and managed to get up to 125 before the motor couldn't overcome the wind resistance.

It also sported novelties like an array of buttons for cruise control and the sound system mounted on the steering wheel hub and a speedometer readout projected onto a heads-up display. All this came at an as-tested price of $29,605 in 1992 dollars, or about $67,500 in today's money.

The Dark Green Metallic one in the photo was snapped in May of 2025 using a Canon EOS 40D and an EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens. 

Monday, May 5, 2025

2017 Lincoln Continental


The Continental nameplate dated back to the pre-WW2 years at Lincoln and had been in continuous use from 1956 to the first years of the new millennium, when it was discontinued. That last generation shared Ford's FN9 platform with the Taurus and Mercury Sable but when annual sales dipped below the 30,000 unit mark and kept trending downward, the decision was made that the 2002 model year would be the last.

After a decade and a half's hiatus, though, there was once again a new Continental available at Lincoln dealers for 2017. This time around it was based on the corporate CD4 platform used by the MKZ and the Ford Fusion, with the wheelbase given a five and a half inch stretch to 117.9".

It came in three trim levels ranging from Premiere, through Select, to Reserve. All three were powered by a range of V6 engines.

There was the base 3.7L DOHC 24V Cyclone V-6, making 305 SAE net horsepower, with optional 2.7L and 3.0L twin-turbo V-6s putting out 335 and 400 ponies, respectively. (The latter two motors were based on the EcoBoost family, but Lincoln did not use that plebeian-sounding name.) Continentals could be had in either front- or all-wheel drive configurations. The 20" rims on the White Platinum Metallic one in the photo were optional on Select and Reserve trim levels.

When Car and Driver tested a 2017 Continental Reserve with the 3.0 turbo and AWD, it cracked off a respectable zero-to-sixty run of five seconds flat and blistered the quarter in 13.5 at 106mph. Top speed was governor-limited to 147 and it managed to circle the skidpad at 0.84g, which isn't great, but this is a 4,555 lb long wheelbase luxobarge, so... At any rate, the acceleration numbers would have been legit supercar territory in the Eighties or Nineties.

Price as tested was $66,535m which would come to just shy of $87k in 2025.

This one was snapped with an Olympus PEN E-P5 and M. Zuiko Digital 12-45mm f/4 PRO lens in April of 2025.

Friday, May 2, 2025

1989 Fiat 126p


Launched in 1972 as an eventual replacement for the Fiat 500, the 126 was a tiny city car continuing the legacy of the original Topolino as a basic transportation module for very little money.

Sharing the basic mechanical underpinnings of its predecessor, with an enlarged interior thanks to the new body and the air-cooled 499cc 2-cylinder powerplant enlarged to 594cc and now producing 23 horsepower.

Starting in 1973 the 126 was also produced under license in Poland as the 126p and, in fact, continued to be produced there long after Italian production ended in the late Seventies.


Starting in late '77 the engine displacement was increased again to 652cc and, while claimed power output remained the same, torque was bumped to 32 lb/ft.

While never officially imported to the U.S.A., some dedicated fans have imported them, like this guy, who has an entire YouTube channel dedicated to his 1989 Polski Fiat 126p adventures. 

I snapped it in September of 2024 using an Olympus OM-D E-M1X and a Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4 OIS zoom lens.

Thursday, May 1, 2025

2012 Cadillac Escalade EXT


Launched for the 2002 model year, the EXT version of Cadillac's Escalade luxury SUV was intended to compete with the first iteration of the Lincoln Blackwood. While the Blackwood fizzled after a single model year, having sold fewer than 3,500 units, the Escalade EXT did well enough to get continued.

In fact, the Cadillac of pickup trucks did well enough to get a second generation for the 2007 model year.

The new styling featured an even more massive chrome grille, with a rodeo belt buckle sized Caddy badge front and center. Only mild styling changes to trim bits followed over the next several years.

For 2012 the powerplant was the L94 version of GM's Vortec 6200 6.2L V-8, interesting for being the first mass produced pushrod motor with variable valve timing. It belted out 403 SAE net horsepower, which was ample enough to let even a nearly three ton SUV get out of its own way. The L94 differed from the earlier L92 only in having Active Fuel Management, which could shut off cylinders when cruising under light throttle load. Given Cadillac's previous experience with a more primitive version of the same concept, you can see why they'd pick a vague circumlocution to call its reboot.

When Motor Trend tested a 2007 Escalade EXT with the L92, the enormous land barge nevertheless managed a 6.5 second lunge to sixty and a 15.1 quarter at 92.5 through the traps. Respectable numbers for a vehicle that could have its own ZIP code.

This Radiant Silver Metallic 2012 model is from the second-to-last year of the EXT, which was discontinued after only 1,972 of the luxotrucks crossed the curb at Caddy stores.

It was photographed with an Olympus E-510 and a Zuiko Digital 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens in November of 2021.

1986 Ford Mustang GT Convertible

When the Mustang II launched in 1974 it could be had as a notchback coupe or a three-door hatchback with a sleek fastback roofline. What was...