[ Retro Car Mania ]

The Audi Quattro is a road and rally car produced by the German auto manufacturing company and is part of the Volkswagen Group. Audi released the Quattro to European customers in late 1980. It was the first car to feature Audi's Quattro permanent four wheel drive system. The Audi Quattro was also the first production car to introduce a turbo charged engine to a four wheel drive system.

The Quattro was produced between 1980 and 1991 and during that time frame there were no major changes in the visual design of the car. If you're looking to buy an older Quattro there are a few models that you may wish to consider. The WR a 2144cc Quattro, the MB a 2226cc 10-valve Quattro and the RR Quattro which was the 20 valve edition.

Not only did the Quattro dominate the World Rally scene but it was blisteringly fast. It had the performance of a Ferrari or Porsche 911 and the price tag that many more avid car enthusiasts would be able to afford.

The original Audi Quattro was not only a thorough bred sports car, comparable to today's Subaru WRX, but also a very capable family car with plenty of rear passenger space and a big boot area. As with the Golf GTi 16V it would be prudent to view a potential car you are planning to buy with an expert by your side.

The parts are quite expensive and you do not want to purchase one that has been put through its paces at every opportunity. Ask the owner when last the cam-belt was changed and ask for the receipts. Test the clutch and gearbox thoroughly when you take it for a test drive and as with the Golf Gti have a look underneath the vehicle to see if there is any damage, especially around the suspension mountings. If it has had an accident before then you're not likely to be making as good an investment and with a quality classic car of this one's heritage, one in great condition will become more valuable as the years go by.

Ford Escort (Mk I/II) - 1968

The Ford Escort Mark I made its debut at the Brussels Motor Show in 1968 and it replaced the long running Anglia. The Escort was a best seller in the UK in the 1960's. It had conventional rear wheel drive and a four speed manual gearbox. For its time, it had contemporary styling including a "dog bone" shaped front grille. The Mark I Escorts became very successful as a rally car and ended up being one of most successful rally cars of all time.

Dodge Charger

Starting out life in the form of the 1965 Dart produced with the "Charger 273" name, around 180 cars were only made at the factory. The Dodge Charger is one of America's most revered performance nameplates. It was an icon of the muscle car era and has recently been reborn as an affordable performance sedan. It made its debut in the mid 1960's because of America's growing interest in cars with above average performance.

The original Charger was a two door coupe with fastback styling. It had big V8 power and a 426 Hemi. The 318 Charger was produced with a 3 speed manual gearbox, and the bigger engines were supplied with the choice of a 4 speed manual automatic gearbox. The Hemi is an engine still used to this day. The 1966 Dodge Charger was quickly replaced by the 1967 model, with few changes. The 318 was far lighter; the 361 was replaced by a two-barrel 383; and the 440 Magnum was available with a mind blowing 375 hp motor.

The 1967 Dodge Charger was a truly beautiful piece of machinery, but it seemed that American public preferred the restyled 1968 Dodge Charger widely attributed to the true success of the Charger. Among the unique features attributed to the Dodge Charger was the early use of electroluminescent dash rev counter, speedometer, alternator, temperature and fuel gauges. This feature looked absolutely amazing as did the unique front grill Dodge used on the Charger. It would open and close exposing the fully rotating headlights.

The 1967-1972 Dodge Charger was the one that was used in the Dukes of Hazard, and again in the Blade movies a Charger features as the heroes' transport.

The glory of the Charger faded after 1970 because of rising car insurance and petrol prices across the United States. It is still sought after today and is an iconic classic muscle car.

Thankfully some classic cars do make come backs and in 2006 The Daimler Chrysler Motors Corporation re launched the Dodge Charger. The new model has been both well received and criticized at the same time. It has kept true to its roots with stupendous amounts of torque and as a muscle car it is up there with the Corvette, Camaro SS and the mighty Ford Mustang, but perhaps it could do with just a little more technology to make this modern day beast more forgiving to drive.

Today Dodge are more famous for their range of Sport Utility Vehicles and Trucks like the Dodge Ram which they supply to the US domestic market and even the British footballers rely on luxury vehicles like the Chrysler 300C to arrive anywhere they go in true style.

Peugeot 205 GTI 1984 - 86

The Peugeot 205 GTI is a small hatch that was well built. It was specifically trimmed for the sporty driver and was available with either a 1.6L or 1.9L petrol engine. It had front traction system and some say it drove as well as vehicles with rear wheel drive. The 1.9L had half leather seats and four wheel disc brakes. It is considered one of the best hot hatches of all time. This car is regarded as a modern classic due to its design and handling, reliability and affordability.

Land Rover Series I - 1948

The Land Rover Series I was the British reply to the American Army's go anywhere four wheel drive vehicles. Based entirely on the Jeep chassis it was built as an agricultural vehicle. It was introduced in the early postwar period and had fully enclosed front wheels and stark angular body lines. The first models had inboard headlamps mounted behind a mesh grille guard. It had rugged durability and superb all terrain capabilities for a vehicle of the day. There were a wide choice of sizes, types and specifications and it had a rust free body.

The Land Rover Series 1 was fitted with a petrol 1600 Rover engine which gave the vehicle a top speed was only about 60mph but it could go just about anywhere. The engine capacity grew to 2 ¼ liters before The Rover Company gave it a diesel engine in 1957 - 1958.

The Land Rover Series 1 very quickly became a very capable vehicle and soon production was expanding as a lucrative export market opened its arms to the Land Rover. Farmers could buy a variety of body types each designed to perform specific functions. These alterations were made by companies under license and soon Land Rover agreed to assemble the now very versatile Series 1 in countries they were exporting too. Sales were very good and Land Rover had exploited a gap in the market Jeep could only have dreamed of in a very short time. It was only in the late 60's that Rover decided to produce a vehicle aimed at the public as opposed to a pure work horses and that is when then Range Rover was born.

Remaining largely unchanged the Land Rover Series II took over from the Series 1 in 1958 and had to wait until the 1970's when the Series III took over.

The Land Rover Series 1 was originally built in Birmingham (Solihull) and today Land Rover are world famous for their Range Rover, Freelander, Defender, and Discovery models. All of which vary in size and ability as a 4WD. Today Land Rover are 61 years old and one of the most recognizable vehicles on the planet.