Lexus LS has been in market since 1989, and gained a great reputation since then to be the primary full-sized luxury sedan in the whole Lexus collection.
Since its launch, the model witnessed four totally different generations all created to push the boundaries of sedan cars production higher and set new standards in this field.
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The United States of America has always been the world’s main production and invention hub of cars industry.
The V8 engine, electric starter, car stereo, electric starter, and of course the notorious muscle car are all sheer American creations that had a great effect on the whole industry.
America’s role in the industry left a significant mark in people’s interaction with their cars, it turned them to be essential part of our lives.
We gathered here a group of very exotic American cars that truly changed the automotive landscape, despite that not all of them were sales success.
By the turn of the 40s, most of the manufactured vehicles were still inspired by pre-war models, until the staid beast Tucker 48 appeared.
The vehicle looked like it came from the future, it had new features like reinforced passenger cell, third front light, and padded dash.
The company gained national recognition straight after the production of the car, however, the success didn’t last for long as the company collapsed only after building 51 models of this car.
The company’s shutdown was known as national scandal, it urged the US government to intervene and indict some of the executives for fraud.
Due to its rarity and popularity, the Tucker models became very valuable. A Tucker was sold in August 2014 for 1,567,500 dollars.
It’s a true automotive gem that still shines until our day. By its first launch in 1953, Eldorado gained huge success and attracted many famous buyers including President Eisenhower and Elvis Persely, it became a true symbol of luxury and nicety.
Proving that its elegant body design still draws buyer’s attention until now, an 1958 model of Eldorado was sold this year at an auction in USA for 148,000 dollars.
The Corvette was introduced by Chevrolet for the first time in 1953 to be America’s first locally-produced sports car. The first edition of Corvette had a v6 engine, however, it was known for being pretty slow and unreliable.
In 1955, Chevrolet boosted the Corvette’s performance by improving some of its main qualities and features. This time, Corvette gained public’s recognition and became America’s most beloved sports car.
It looks like there is still some love remained for this Corvette these days, a 1967 model was sold for 3.85 million dollars making it the most expensive Corvette in history.
With all confidence we can assume that Ford Mustang is still the top American muscle car of all time.
Introduced in 1964, Mustang represented a magnificent mixture that made it very appealing for youth, it was affordable, sporty, and efficient.
Despite being in a fierce competition with other sports models like Camaro, Pontiac Firebird, Plymouth barracuda, and AMC Javelin, Mustang sold 1.7 million models in the first 36 months of its production.
In 2004, Ford revived the long-gone GT40 racer in the modern Ford GT which shared many of its traits, especially in the outer look and design.
The new GT had a 5.4 liter V8 engine, it could make it from zero to 100 km/h in 3 seconds only.
Despite its exotic capabilities, the car production stopped only after building 4,038 models.
Not all good cars were lucky with the market, some cars just couldn’t fit in market’s variables and proportions for rational, and sometimes, irrational reasons.
Some car models and brands haven’t left us for many years with longstanding strong presence, other cars were lucky enough to continue despite having some issues, while there were some cars that disappeared from international markets although they gained very positive credit from gear-heads and consumers.
We picked 5 examples of these unlucky car brands and models that, according to our assumptions, deserved better recognition in the car market.
Despite that this Japanese sports car didn’t find much love when first introduced in 1991, it’s now one of the most sought-after cars of the 90s.
The RX-7 couldn’t prove its capabilities back then in the nineties, it was even discontinued in 1995.
Its successor (RX-8) had some competitive features such as 50/50 weigh distribution, great handling, and high-revving rotary engine, but it’s not as good as the RX-7 leaving masses of car lovers longing for golden days of the 90s.
The Ranger has set the standard in pick-up segment for more than 29 years, it has always been a good example for its other fellows of the same kind.
Its ferocious look, sheer power, and simplicity made it dearly missed in USA where its production has ended since 2011.
The SS didn’t gain much sales success despite having some special features like 415 horsepower Corvette engine, unique look, full-size, and many other.
Many are looking forward to seeing a reproduction of the SS with more refined capabilities, sharper look, and better features.
The Swedish car brand “Saab Automobile” has a long respectful history in manufacturing top-notch vehicles, it spread its offsets in many locations around the globe and used to have a formidable basis of multi-national consumers.
The company closed its doors for the last time in 2011. It’s currently a part of a Chinese conglomerate and it’s not expected to build any new cars, at least in the near future.
In all its cars, Saab had a unique combination between sportiness, luxury, technology, and smart look.
As a matter of fact, the problem of Saab closure shocked most of the world gear-heads since the brand is known for producing extremely innovative car models. It gained good share of European markets and had a series of fierce competition with other Swedish and German car brands.
The introduction of Pulsar NX by Nissan didn’t feel right back then in the 90s, the car witnessed terrible sales performance which urged the company to put its whole production line to a halt.
The design of Pulsar was based on Sentra but with some twists and turns added to it like the modular body.
Pulsar was changeable, its hood and hatchback were removable so it can transform into a coupe, convertible, pick up, or a station wagon vehicle.
Despite its weak performance in market, Pulsar was a nice try and a real endeavor from Nissan that we’d love to see again in the near future.
When talking about pricey vehicles in America, we could mention the Tesla S model that could reach 110,000 dollars after installing all options, the high-line Corvette Z06 featured with 100,000 dollars, and the new Ford GT which is available for more than 200,000 dollars.
However, despite the hot numbers, these aren’t even near the price of the cheapest vehicle in our list of the most expensive American cars ever sold.
The prices featured in this list could be justifiable only after knowing that super-luxury cars of the 30s is included, symbols of American car industry, and the original Batmobile.
Twenty models only of this legendary sports car were produced, and in those twenty, only one was red.
This red model we are talking about was sold in January 2014 at an auction for 3,850,000 dollars.
The L88 has a 8-cylinder engine, automatic transmission system, perfect heavy duty brakes, and many other features.
Besides being an automotive state-of-art, this one is a movie star too. It appeared Dicaprio’s Great Gatsby.
This vehicle boasts hand-made machines especially crafted for barons of Gatsby’s level. Moreover, the car offers a unique performance, the Duesenberg was the first American car to win the French Grand Prix in 1921. It was sold for 4,445,000 dollars during an auction in 2004.
The Batmobile, which appeared in the 1966 TV series “Batman”, is an inspiration of the 1955 Lincoln Future car. In 2013, the car went up for auction and was sold 4,620,000 dollars.
The GT40 was an attempt from Henry Ford to make a significant presence in the racing world.
This prototype of GT40 was the brainchild of Ford’s elite team composed from bright minds like Caroll Shelby and others, the team was mainly created with the aim of building a sports vehicle with a light chassis.
The GT40 signaled one of Ford’s early achievements in race world as it finished third in Daytona 1965. It was sold in an auction held in April 2014 for 7,000,000 dollars.
No wonder there is more than one Duesenberg model in this list, the company has a long history in building America’s most opulent and exquisite vehicles.
The Model J Coupe with its long wheelbase and extremely beautiful look was described as the most elegant American automobile by Gooding & Company, the world-known automotive auction house.
In 2011, this American gem was sold for 10,340,000 dollars to be the priciest American car ever sold.
A Ford racing heavyweight champion that won a lot of automotive trophies in 1967 and 1968. With its magnificent quality and fabulous exterior look, this car was considered worth 11 million dollars.
This Ford made a significant Hollywood presence when it was used by Steve McQueen as the camera car in his film LeMans produced in 1971. The production company of the film leased the car from its owner.
A number of images were transcended lately depicting a heavily concealed prototype of the all-new Toyota Camry 2018.
Camry has been on mid-size sedans throne for many years. It has a large popularity between consumers everywhere.
The car registered about 429,000 sales last year in the USA to be the best selling passenger car all around US for the last year.
Many other vehicles compete with Camry in the same field, including Honda Accord, Chevrolet Malibu, and Mazda 6. However, Camry stays in the foreground outrunning all other vehicles of the same category.
The new Camry is installed on Toyota’s new modular platform TNGA which was built in 2016 and carried before the Pirus.
TNGA modular platform is designed to support all of Toyota’s vehicles. By the end of this decade, about half of Toyota’s vehicles will ride on the TNGA.
As a matter of fact, TNGA proved to be very effective in amending Prius’ dynamics, that’s why pundits are optimistic about its usage in the Camry.
Aluminum will be incorporated by large in the new body of 2018 Camry. The material will be used for the hood, the sundry, and other places, this will contribute in reducing its weight.
The leaked photos didn’t show much information about the vehicle’s new design so it was totally covered with black tapes, however, the proportions look familiar as they remind us with the old models.
Given its market success, we aren’t expected to see a lot of changes on Camry’s body design except for larger bumper contours, large windows, and slit-like windows.
There are some other noteworthy details like the flat trunk, door-mounted side mirrors, and tail lights comparable to those of the Avalon.
The new Camry will have a 4-cylinder engine installed under its hood, which is expected to be a derivative of the 2.5 liter turbocharged engine used in other Toyota cars.
The 2018 Camry will be shown in market sometime in 2017. Given Camry’s popularity in USA, the car is expected to be shown first in America’s top automotive shows like Detroit North American International Auto Show which will take place in January.
The current price of Toyota Camry is not poised to rise. It’s expected to stay fixed at 20K for the low range and 30K for the mid-range. Staying on the old price is a smart move from Toyota to maintain its sales supremacy in the market.
Between Camry’s main competitors is Honda Accord. Accord’s price varies between 23,000 and 35,515, it has a nifty outer shape and features a powerful engine offering 278 horsepower.
Mazda 6 is also a significant contestant that boasts a very attractive price starting from 22,330 dollars and has a 2.5-litre engine producing 148 horsepower.
The majestic offset of Nissan “Altima” is yet another competitor that dominates a respectable share of this market. It has a 182-hp 2.5-litre engine, forward set of emergency braking, comfortable cabin, and classy design.
In the latter days, major car manufacturers used to apply great deal of improvements and developments on each and every new model, for instance, there is a big variation between 55’ and 56’ Chevy, same also for 65’ and 66’ GTO.
But later on, only simple touches of change have been added here and there. We could see in the latter 30 or 40 years car models keeping the same exterior design and features for 5 or 6 consecutive years.
But it looks like this is going to an end as we are about to see brisk variations between models again.
During the beginning of the car production history, applied manufacturing techniques and car construction leap from one year to another as cars were evolving so fast.
Later on, the evolution pace slowed down a little bit maintaining a slouchy movement.
Nowadays, it looks like evolution pace is picking up a little bit since new technology and features are being uncovered such as safety features, fuel economy, better car designing, and many other.
Auto companies tend to adapt the old models for longer periods as new cars cost a lot of time and money to develop.
It could take up to 6 billion dollars to transform a vehicle from a concept on blue prints to a production. That’s why it became rare to see new cars arriving in less than 4 years.
However, this is also coming to a change as the new GT took Ford two years only to produce. Alfa Romeo also built its new Guilia in a little longer.
It looks like we are starting to enter a new era of car production with 2017 as new changes are awaited to take place in the coming year.
A new American president is going to sit in the oval office, Fast and Furious 8 will hit the theaters, and Houston Astros will win their first World Series.
But apart from all that and back to the cars arena, noticeable changes are expected to take place in car production, mainly in tech and safety features.
For instance, Hyundai and Chevrolet will install Apple Car-play and Android Auto infotainment systems in their new cars, more vehicles will become equipped with rear cameras, and many new cars are lining up to hit the market next year.
Ford is preparing to unravel its new Lincoln Continental to compete with other upscale car brands like Mercedes, Lexus, and Cadillac.
We are also set to see a number of new cars in Europe like BMW M2, Audi R8, and Jaguar F-Pace SUV. In Asia, we shall be waiting also for the rebirth of the legendary sports car from Toyota “Supra”.
In the trucks segment, Chevrolet is expected to unleash its all-new Silverado that will absolutely compete with Ford F-150 over assuming the throne of truck vehicles.
The new Silverado will be lighter and leaner than the older model thanks to its aluminum-extensive body construction.
No doubt the last thing you want to think about is having an accident with your new vehicle you’ve recently bought.
Numerous accidents are happening everyday all around the world, they take place for many reasons, could be the road safety, human fault, or malfunction in car manufacturing.
Many cars produced over the course of the last 100 years were presumed as dangerous due to defective installation in their production.
Even major international car manufacturers were involved in producing dangerous cars that put, or still putting until the moment, thousands of lives in extreme danger.
Between these infamous cars, we gathered a number of them in the following part in order not to buy any of them while looking for a new vehicle.
It’s an automotive icon of failure, despite achieving financial success in market as it sold more than 15 million models, the car turned to be a death trap. It’s enough to say that the car didn’t have front brakes.
Back then when it was first introduced to public in 1908, the car had “modern” features according to the standards of this time like headlights, horn, and windshield.
Do not get fooled by its classic and streamlined body design, this model was described to be ‘’Un safe at any speed’’ according to the writer and political activist Ralph Nader.
No doubt it’s one of the greatest sports cars in the world for many reasons, but it was also responsible for many accidents caused due to dangerous over-steering.
911’s engine was placed in the back of the car so far behind the rear axle, which made the car suspension and stability a complete mess.
Porsche engineers back then tried to solve the car’s weight imbalance by placing iron weights in the front bumpers. A solution that proved to be effective actually.
The car known for its appearance in the famous American movie “Back to the future” and its gull-wing doors.
Despite its popularity, it was known for being totally unsafe. The stainless steel body made it very fragile, also its gull-wing doors didn’t open in case the car rolled over.
Only 6,500 cars survived out of 9,200 thanks to the car’s weak body and low safety measures.
Yugo GV (for “Great Value”) is a Serbian version of an Italian small and economic vehicle. After a series of defected installations and accidents, the car was forced out of American market in 1992.
Yugo built a bad reputation for its lightweight, terrible handling, boxy design, and sparse insignificant features.
The second Chevrolet car in this list, Cobalt achieved good sales for a significant period of time, but after a while, the car was involved in one of the history’s worst automotive scandals.
The Cobalt had a defect in its ignition system that made the car turn off while speeding, which deactivated the safety system.
About 90 deaths were linked to the car defect in addition to other 193 injuries. Unfortunately Cobalt is an unforgettable case, it will cast a shadow of shame on GM for many years to come.
It’s always fun, and annoying also, to view the presidential motorcades running through traffic. A convoy of black massive SUV s and motorcycles to protect a significant figure either a head of state, a minister or an ambassador.
They all look the same for all spectators, except this huge SUV that has a series of black spikes or antennae which looks distinguishable and run along with the convoy, have you ever wondered about its role?
Well, this one is really vital for ensuring security. It has a significant role that can’t be done by any human being, yet it’s substantial, especially these days.
This black SUV is capable of jamming phone or any kind of wireless network in the area surrounding the procession for sake of security.
The vehicle is equipped to encounter any kind of wireless communication waves produced by any electronic device.
Encountering or jamming any kind of communication wave is very purposeful. Although the vehicle can temporary prevent your mobile from accessing the cellular network while passing by, it can prevent any remote detonator from working by jamming the whole network.
It’s massive, even compared to any other SUV, but that’s essential since the jamming machine is a bit huge.
Germany is known for manufacturing such vehicles. Besides the jamming device, the vehicle is provided with thick armor, tracking devices, weapons, and capable engine.
The vehicle price varies from 600,000 to one million dollar per each. Pretty costly, but it has proved to be very effecting in avoiding terrorist attacks.
Yet the jamming vehicle is now the only wonder in presidential security motorcades. ‘The beast’ or the President Obama’s Cadillac limousine is one of the most famous vehicles that drew a lot of attention.
The vehicle has a plated armor of 8-inch thick. It’s made of steel, aluminum, titanium, and ceramic.
‘The beast’ was designed by US Secret Service to serve as Obama’s special limo. It’s a moving fortress that is absolutely impenetrable by bullets or bombs.
The car was manufactured by GM production line in Detroit. Many information about the vehicle is classified such as its weight and its top speed, however, we know that it has a gasoline V8 engine and a steel plate extended underneath it to protect from booby traps and grenades.
The car cabin is completely sealed to protect its passengers from any biochemical attack, moreover, its tires are reinforced to be puncture resistant. Even if the tires were blown out for any reason, the steel rims can still make the car roll for many miles.
The car travels with Barrack Obama wherever he goes, it’s like his trusted special bodyguard. The beast is 18 feet long and 5’10″ tall.
It is directly connected to the Pentagon with a special direct line and it has a built-in satellite phone for different uses.
There are 12 models of the beast all parked in a carefully secured and hall that lies beneath the Secret Service’s headquarters.
Are you hitting the road for the next trip? Many people prefer driving their own cars while traveling since it means having more freedom, more space, more privacy, and more domination of the trip aspects.
We combined here a number of essential tips for those thinking about traveling during next vacation. They are favorable for saving on money, personal safety, and car safety.
Always get enough sleep before starting on a long drive. Caffeinated beverages aren’t enough to keep you awake aren’t the best way to stay awake, they could make you feel alert, but for a period of time, then their effect will recede and your attention will weaken by time.
You must also buckle up and make sure all other passengers in the car are doing the same. Try not to use the cell phone while driving and keep your eyes on the road.
Try to take a break every couple of hours. They are very beneficial so you can get yourself something to drink, get fresh air, stretch your legs, and cool down the vehicle.
Before starting a long drive, it’s recommended to check your car tires, engine oil, air conditioner, belts, battery, and brake pads.
You can check weather applications to know the weather condition and temperature degree. You can also check out the traffic density on the road, and the best route to reach your destination.
Try, as far as you can, to keep the car weight low. Don’t store a lot of luggage, also it’s not wise to have more passengers than the car can take.
Don’t wait until the gas gauge is on E. Try to fill up your car tank every now and then especially when you are driving on an unfamiliar roads.
There are some simple objects that you have to keep with you while traveling like the tools needed for changing a tire, flashlight, blanket, water, first-aid kit, spare tire, and spare change for the road tolling machines. Also make sure your cell phone battery is fully charged.
There are some simple maintenance skills that you must know how to do it yourself because you never know what could happen on the road.
All drivers must know how to do a tire check-up, how to add air to any tire, and how to change a tire.
They have to know also how to manually add some windshield wiper fluid, and how to change the windshield wipers.
Try to keep the phone number of the roadside assistance service with you just in case. They can help if you are stranded in the middle of the road with a flat tire or a broken down engine.
Most roadside assistance agencies have towing services, professional mechanics, and first-aid kits. So they are always favorable especially if you are traveling alone on the road.
