Made In Oz: 1991 Mercury Capri XR2

The first Ford product to wear the Capri badge was a German built Ford and a few years later it was recycled as the Mercury Capri (a thinly disguised Mustang produced during the 1980's.)  The Capri nameplate left in 1986, but the name would appear again in 1991 on an entirely different car while the 3rd gen Fox Mustang was still in production. This time the Capri lived on a front-wheel-drive platform from the Mazda 323 (similar to Mercury Tracer) but it was built in Australia but not sold in right-hand-drive.  It only survived for a few years but the one to get is the turbocharged XR2 with a manual gearbox. Find this 1991 Mercury Capri XR2 offered for $2450 in East Mesa, AZ via craigslist.

Holden My Breath: 2004 Pontiac GTO

Yeah, its beat up.  Sure, it's torn up on the inside.  Yeek, that odo reading is high.  And, of course it has the dreaded slushbox auto...but....dang, you can't beat an LS1 V8 in a sweet pony body that isn't a Camero and this is a lot of car for the money.  Find this 2004 Pontiac GTO offered for $4,000 near Albuquerque, NM via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Jet Powered Death Wish: 1991 Holden Commodore

Earlier this year I had the good fortune to visit the land down under for a business trip and I can tell you it was a magical place.  The scenery was otherworldly and the cars were also from another dimension...but this next car is not just another fast saloon car, its a bloody ripper. If you don't want a car that requires a checklist to get going in the morning or could give you third degree burns if you turn left quickly...you probably should look elsewhere.  Find this 1991ish Holden Commodore Jet Car here on ebay currently bidding for $10,000 AUD ($7,853 USD) located in Enfield, South Australia with 1 day to go. Tip from Lars W.

The Devil's in the Diamante: 2002 Mitsubishi Magna Ralliart

The early '00s weren't the most tasteful time for car design. The Fast and the Furious had tainted a generation of teenagers into thinking 4 inch exhausts, scissor doors and more speakers than friends was cool, and the Japanese automotive scene was still feeling the ripple effects of the housing bubble bursting in 1992. For the duration of the '90s, they'd made excellent, albeit, conservative cars which middle-of-the-road mums and dads lapped up. It didn't take Mitsubishi executives long to put the two together and realise they had an image problem. Find this 2002 Mitsubishi Magna Ralliart here for sale in Porepunkah, Vic, for $14,000 AUD ($10,560 USD at the time of writing) via gumtree.

Very Important President: 1968 Chrysler Valiant VIP

Apparently, America has a President's Day, something that would be unheard of in Australia. I have no idea what happens on President's Day, I assume this year Americans will have to make an offering to their President, and kiss a cardboard cut-out of his feet. Never the less, should the President come to Australia, this is the car for him: named for arrogantly important people, and made by an Australian company with an American name. Find this 1968 Chrysler Valiant VIP in Burnie, Tas, for $12,500 AUD ($9,580 USD at the time of writing) via gumtree.

Very Haunted: 1982 Ford Meteor

Homicidal cars are nothing new; Christine was a 1958 Plymouth Fury intent on killing innocent people, and had a movie dedicated to her in 1983. The previous year, an inconsequentially beige Ford Meteor rolled off the production line in Homebush, Sydney. Of course, the Plymouth was dreamt up by one of the greatest horror writers of the past century, Stephen King, but this Meteor is a real, one owner car, terrorising its poor owner since a lightning strike. Find this haunted 1982 Ford Meteor for sale in Prahran, Vic for $1,000 AUD ($770 USD at the time of writing) via gumtree.

Manual Wagon Heaven: 1976 Toyota Crown

As automotive connoisseurs, we know in our hearts that the manual gearbox is the only correct way to send power to the rear wheels. Likewise, we know that a wagon is the only way to move large amounts of humans (living or otherwise) and cargo about. Our loved ones at best tolerate us for our near-religious conviction of beliefs. Somehow, the holy grail popped out of Japan in the mid-seventies. Find this 1976 Toyota Crown for sale in Port Pirie South, SA for $3,800 AUD ($2,850 USD at the time of writing) via gumtree.

Fancy Falcon: 1974 Ford Landau

The Australian breed of muscle car isn't especially rare, with GM, Ford, and Chrysler all building muscle cars somewhat analogous to their American counterparts. What was more rare was the Australian personal luxury car. 'Personal luxury car' isn't a term we use in Australia, instead we prefer to call everything with two doors, regardless of it being a Toyota Corolla or a Rolls-Royce Corniche, a coupe - even if they might be a hardtop. Interestingly, the Landau never featured a landau roof, which is as much of a blatant lie as calling your eighth child "Precious". Find this 1974 Ford Landau for sale in Williamstown, Victoria, for $20k AUD ($14,600 USD at the time of writing) via gumtree.

Plumbed for Plumbum: 1985 Mitsubishi Cordia GSR

Mitsubishi was probably at its peak during the 1980s after it bought out Chrysler Australia in 1980. Their Sigma sedan was a popular family car, the Colt an equally popular hatchback, and the Pajero sold well too. In 1983 they added a new model to the range; the Cordia. Unlike much of the range, not many people noticed it, and it remains overshadowed by its bigger brother, the Starion. It deserves to be noticed however, it was the precursor to the successful Eclipse line (which was never sold in Australia), making it a lot more important than its popularity might suggest. Find this 1985 Mitsubishi Cordia GSR for sale in Wetherill Park, NSW for $5,500 AUD ($4,100 USD at the time of writing) via gumtree.

Bogan History: 1980 Purvis Eureka

"Oh look," you're probably thinking, "Yet another zany kit car from a company with a strange name that I've never heard of... I bet it's built on a Beetle chassis." You'd be right, the chassis is from a Beetle, and some did leave the factory with the Beetle's engine too. Others had I4 Ford units, but this particular 80,000km example has neither. Instead it's got a 13B rotary engine from Mazda. It's also listed as a "1 door" vehicle. This isn't exactly yet another kit car. Find this 1980 Purvis Eureka for sale in Ferndale, WA for $16,900 AUD ($12,600 USD at the time of writing) via Carsales.

Goddess Among Men: 1975 Citroen DS23 Pallas

From its inception in 1955 to the end of the line in 1975, the DS was always ahead of its time. From the oleopneumatic suspension to the semi-automatic gearbox it was truly revolutionary. However, in post-war France, development costs had to be cut, so the engine was always a bit pedestrian for the DS; it had its origins in the pre-war Traction Avant. By 1970 however, the engine got its chance in the form of electronic Bosch fuel injection, becoming an early adopter of injection. Find this 1975 Citroen DS23 Pallas for sale in Brunswick East, Victoria, Australia for $8,500 AUD ($6,300 USD at the time of writing).

40 Years Fresh: 1976 Chrysler Galant

Mitsubishi didn't start selling cars under its own name in Australia 1980, producing cars in the old Chrysler Australia factory in SA. It was a fairly open secret that Mitsubishi was behind Chrysler's smaller offerings; this Galant, and the Sigma which replaced it the next year.  Find this 1976 Chrysler Galant for sale in Maddington, WA, Australia, for $3,950 AUD ($2,900 USD at the time of writing) via gumtree.

Too Nice to Rice: 1989 Honda CRX

The Fast and Furious franchise is in its eighth instalment now, serving as a blight on petrolheads and movie-goers alike since 2001. However, the franchise has victimised more than just people; it's wrought some of the worse crimes against cars seen in the last few decades. An un-riced Honda CRX is like a satisfying high school reunion: rare, and distinctly 80s. Find this 1989 Honda CRX for sale in Yagoona, NSW, Australia for $6,000 AUD ($4,500 USD at the time of writing) via gumtree.com.

Yellow Pages: 1960 Goggomobil Dart

Microcars were hugely popular in post-war Europe where petrol was at a high premium and no one needed to travel very far. Most of the microcars were made in Britain, France, or Germany and were usually basic little blobs – like the Isetta or the Zündapp Janus. One plucky Australian designer decided to take a German Goggomobil microcar and turn it into an adorable fibreglass convertible. He sold 700 of the cars between ’59 and ’61. However, the cars truly entered the national psyche through their association with an advertisement for the Yellow Pages. Find this 1960 Goggomobil Dart in Birba Lake, WA, Australia, for $7k AUD ($5,370 USD at the time of writing) via autotrader.com.au.

Working Man’s Rolls-Royce: 1962 Humber Super Snipe

Wood, real leather, and a vast bonnet concealing a big six. Such was the romantic image of Rolls-Royces, Rovers and Jaguars in the 1960s; bastions of the establishment sweeping their owners down old English lanes. But what if a Silver Shadow is a bit too common for you, a Rover’s image too old, or a Mark II too much of a bank robber’s car? Or, you don’t have the money for one of those aristocratic dowagers? Then the Humber is for you, the Rolls-Royce for trade-unionists. Find this 1962 Humber Super Snipe in Wodonga, Victoria, Australia, for $5,000 AUD ($3800 USD) via gumtree.com.au.

Brocky’s Revenge: 1990 Peter Brock B8 Ford Falcon

Tom Walkinshaw Racing (of Jaguar racing fame) became HSV in Australia in 1988, building factory performance Holdens, often based on Commodores. However, from 1980 to 1987, HDT had fulfilled this role, owned by Holden racing legend, Peter Brock. Brocky’s company was dumped in favour of HSV though, and was forced to mend production problems on imported new Ladas to make ends meet. It was hardly befitting of a racing legend, but Brocky had a stroke of luck: Ford had no answer to HSV, and he’d started driving Sierras in the Australian Touring Car Championship. So, with a new company formed of old HDT staff, he set about modifying Fords instead. Find this 1990 Peter Brock B8 Ford Falcon for $12,500 AUD ($9520 USD at the time of writing) in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, via gumtree.com.au

Unloved Genius: 1973 Leyland P76

The P76 was British Leyland’s only large Australian car, designed to challenge Holden Kingswoods, Ford Falcons, and Chrysler Valiants of the day. Unfortunately the 1970s were a grim time for British Leyland with worker strikes and poor sales leading to a lack of cash. The P76 was developed from concept to production on a shoestring budget in a mere three years. Being a new competitor in an established market was always going to be difficult for success, but the Leyland delivered, winning the Wheel’s Car of the Year in 1973. Sadly, the public didn’t take to the new car as well as the press had, with continuous quality control problems (as was typical of Leyland cars during the 1970s) and the Oil Crisis in full swing as the car was launched in 1973. Find this 1973 Leyland P76 for $17,900 AUD ($13580 USD at the time of writing) in Niddrie, Victoria, Australia, via carsales.com.au.