1963 Land Rover Series IIa Station Wagon

A few weeks ago I asked for readers to submit any interesting rides they came across to be featured on the blog. I did not expect much to come of it but a college friend of mine sent me a bunch from Arizona which is where this British-market classic was found. The Land Rover Series was built from 1958-1985 This model is a Series IIa Station Wagon. The Series IIa is considered to be one of the most durable vehicles ever built. They were incredibly popular in Africa and South America for their ability to withstand not only harsh terrain but the intense climate as well. Many can be found in various parts of the world still in use today, in 1992 Land Rover claimed that 90% of the over 1 million units manufactured were still in use. despite those numbers they are rare in the states. If you look closely you can see the steering wheel mounted on the right-hand side signifying that this was a model that was brought to the US via a grey market deal. This vehicle is old enough that it's owner likely had little trouble with the US government while importing it. The tires monted on this particular example appear to be an upgrade from factory equipment. Under the hood lives either a 2.25l diesel-fed Inline-4 Cylinder. or a 2.6l gasoline inline-6 cylinder. both engines were hooked to a four-speed manual gearbox feeding all four wheels. What a rare find only wish I could have seen it in person.

1990 Daihatsu Charade

The local grocery store seems to be a hot bed of odd car models for some reason. In a city where the wealthy retire and roll around in Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Maserati's. The trust-fund playboys rip up the streets and cause sidewalk terrors with their sleek exotics. (I am talking to you guy who lives behind my house and wakes me up every morning with his Lotus Elise convertible high revving out of his $1,000 a month apartment garage.)  The lower class seems to be forced to roll in obscure late 80's early 90's American and Asian compacts. Case in point this 1990 Daihatsu Charade. Never heard of Daihatsu? not surprised though one of largest entry-level car manufactures in Asia, Australia and Europe. A Daihatsu has not been imported into the US since 1992. The Charade is one of the last Daihatsu's to be sold in the US. The car showed up on the US market in 1988 The standard model was powered by a 1.0L fuel-injected 3-cylinder engine that made all of 53 horsepower. A slightly more powerful 1.3 4-cylinder all-aluminum single over head cam engine was optional. All 3-cylinder models came with a 5-speed manual transmission. The larger 4-cylinders could be had with a 3-speed automatic. These cars were surprisingly much more expensive than other cars in their class and had reliability issues with the standard 3-cylinder engine. Toyota was the main investor in Daihatsu's USA division and pulled the plug late in the 1992 model year due to low sales.

Cars like this never seem to survive in the US market. It must be terrifying to drive a car that takes 15 seconds to achieve 60mph on US freeways.(Turbocharged versions were available overseas but still struggled to make barley over 100 horses) Also unlike Europe the USA is a very automatic transmission centered culture. Only performance enthusiasts seem to purchase manual transmission equipped cars in America. With low sales and the manufacturer only being the country for a few years must make finding parts for this car next to impossible for it's owner. The Charade falls into the same category as the Renault LeCar, FIAT Superbrava, Renault Fuego and the Yugo GV. (Never heard of any of these cars either? not surprised) Another failed attempt and bringing entry level cars built for the European market into the US.