The European hot hatch market had started its decline in the early 1990s but it still had plenty of momentum. 1991 was a good year: Volkswagen had just launched the controversial third-gen GTI, the Peugeot 205 GTi was soldiering on in spite of its age and the 309 GTi was going head-to-head against the Renault …
Ran When Parked got to spend the better part of a weekend in Bangkok, Thailand, on our way back home from a business trip in China. Having never been to Thailand before, we were impressed by all of the old cars that are still on the road.
Volkswagen has a habit of keeping old models around for as long as there is a demand for them regardless of how outdated they are compared to the competition. The obvious examples are the Type 2/Transporter, which is still part of the Volkswagen lineup in Brazil, the Type 1/Beetle, finally phased out in 2003 in …
Folks often ask us why we mostly feature French, German and Italian cars on Ran When Parked. While there is admittedly a little serving of personal preference, the truth of the matter is that these are the cars that we come across on a regular basis. We have absolutely no control over what we uncover …
We stopped at a small used car lot not far from Marseille, France, to look at a Renault 14 that had grass growing up to its beltline, but a blue Renault 4CV caught our eye as we pulled in. Parked next to a long-wheelbase w210 Mercedes-Benz E-Class first registered in Monaco, the 4CV is partially …
We photographed this Citroën 2CV4 in a small town on a rainy Saturday morning. We’ve seen it driving around the area before, but we never managed to get up close to it until last week.
The term “oil crisis” is often associated with fuel shortages during the 1970s, but the first sizable oil crisis of the 20th century arguably started on July 26th, 1956, when Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal. In response, Britain, France and Israel joined forces and launched a controversial attack against Egypt …
New cars are getting harder and harder to work on by shade tree mechanics so aftermarket equipment aimed at the average driver often consists of floor mats and car covers. However, a look at 60-year old magazines reveals that aftermarket companies offered a wide range of equipment that enabled owners to almost rebuild their car …
The Citroën Méhari is celebrating its 45th birthday this year. We’ll publish an article covering its long production run next week but in the meantime, how would you caption this early promotional shot? Continue reading »
.The per-capita income in China has been steadily rising over the past couple of years and a sizable middle class with a healthy appetite for consumer goods has emerged. As a result, the few vehicles that were built locally during the 1980s and the 1990s have largely disappeared and automotive landscape is dominated by late-model … Continue reading »
How would you caption this press photo of a 1961 Chevrolet Corvair 95 Rampside pickup truck? Continue reading »
Car-based vans have been incredibly popular in Europe since the end of World War II. Generally cheaper to buy, register and insure than larger vehicles, these city-friendly vans have been widely used as delivery vehicles, work mules and passenger haulers over the past couple of decades. Almost every automaker has offered one at one point … Continue reading »
Rover fielded a Mini Cooper in the 1994 edition of the Monte Carlo Rally to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the car’s first victory in the event. Finished in red with a white roof, the 1994 race car was a crowd favorite because it looked nearly identical to its 1964 counterpart – the two cars … Continue reading »
How would you caption this period image of a Pininfarina-designed 1958 Fiat Abarth 500 Record? Continue reading »
We started the future classic series over a year ago in order to satisfy our own curiosity after running into a Rover 216 GTi in the Ikea parking lot. Seeing that the article was well-received, we held a Ran When Parked referendum and readers voted to keep the series around. Continue reading »
