Some will look at it from the lens of the global headlines. Headlines not worth repeating for the sake of keeping us in good spirits. Some will look at the overall challenge of navigating a year full of curve balls and emotional rollercoasters.
That is a 50-year old question that has scratched the heads of those of us who lament and laugh of these cars. In particular, how do we map the advent of a new class of American car to today’s automobiles?
The year 1977 was a watershed moment in the automotive industry. The OPEC Oil Crisis was already over. However, the lessons learned from the crisis began to trickle down into the products North American automakers rolled out.
The turn of the 1970s was a time of transition. It was clear that Richard Nixon wasn't going anywhere. His administration oversaw the first landing on the moon by human beings, but the escalating war in Vietnam dogged his leadership. In 1968, many thought Nixon was the peace candidate for President. He would end up sending more USA troops into Southeast Asia.
It took these past four years to reacquaint myself with one of the more powerful versions of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ North American modern muscle icon. Four years is a good amount of time to prepare myself to be taken away by an SRT-massaged "392" 6.4-liter V8 and its absolute thrust. Yet, I felt unprepared. Not even an F Performance Lexus helped in priming me from this massive blue hulk of thrust.
One of them will be the year of "thinning the herd," which, sadly, can be taken many ways. However, this term is apt for something that have been a trend in the North American automotive market – the elimination of models from their respective lineups.
However, some of those vehicles no longer exist. Brands that have been erased from recent memory. Certain models no longer offered due to market conditions. Entire segments of automobiles withered away into dust.
Victory & Reseda’s ninth anniversary celebration cannot be complete with a look back at the vehicles that made this site what it is today. Not the way back machine you read through the past several days.
I’m still picking up from the "cutting room floor" vehicles that did not make the cut back in 2017 for the sake of our ninth anniversary. This is really an exercise that tests my memory, as well as giving a look back at vehicles that have stood the test of time over a decade ago.
Mopar, being the root of that name, is the overarching brand that keeps all of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles products together – especially the ones from the Chrysler side of the house. Before Sergio Marchionne arrived to rescue Chrysler from the brink of collapse, the company danced with another partner.