By Rob Sass / Originally Published March 28, 2014 / Hagerty The attrition rate of cars from the mid-disco to late Reagan-era is huge. And…{"id":5255,"date":"2014-05-01T11:22:31","date_gmt":"2014-05-01T18:22:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/?p=5255"},"modified":"2014-05-01T11:22:31","modified_gmt":"2014-05-01T18:22:31","slug":"five-of-the-coolest-nearly-extinct-cars-from-the-70s-and-80s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/2014\/05\/01\/five-of-the-coolest-nearly-extinct-cars-from-the-70s-and-80s\/","title":{"rendered":"Five of the Coolest Nearly Extinct Cars from the ’70s and ’80s"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Rob Sass \/ Originally Published March 28, 2014 \/ Hagerty<\/em><\/p>\n

The attrition rate of cars from the mid-disco to late Reagan-era is huge. And while we\u2019d love to see someone somewhere driving any one of the cars on this list, in truth, we can\u2019t remember the last time we saw any of them.\u00a0 Here are five of our favorite nearly extinct cars:<\/p>\n

1. 1971-77 Mercury Capri<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Few people remember the\u00a0 1980s Fox-body Mustang\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0near-identical twin, the Mercury Capri. Fewer still can recall the Australian-built front-wheel-drive convertible Capri. This isn\u2019t either of those cars\u2014 it\u2019s not even the first to wear the Capri badge. It\u2019s the German Ford mini-Mustang Capri. Sold in the U.S. through Mercury dealers and marketed as \u201cThe Sexy European\u201d with an assortment of four- and six-cylinder engines, it was nice looking and great to drive\u2014at least we\u2019re assured of this from vintage road tests. One Capri recently offered on\u00a0 Bring-a-Trailer.com<\/a>\u00a0was the first that we\u2019ve seen in ages.<\/p>\n

2. Chrysler Conquest\/Mitsubishi Starion<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 The Conquest was the captive import twin of the Mitsubishi Starion. In the hottest turbo spec with 197 HP, these cars would put the fear of God into\u00a0Porsche 924<\/a>\/944<\/a>\u00a0owners who had the privilege of paying almost twice as much for less performance. Where have they all gone?<\/p>\n

$\"Mitsubishi$ <\/p>\n

3. 1969-75 International Harvester Travelall<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 The Travelall was the Scout\u2019s big brother, and while Scouts are still regularly seen (particularly in the summer with tops off), the Travelall has all but disappeared. In reality, it was one of the pioneers of the modern SUV and one of the first vehicles to offer anti-lock brakes. Sadly, it was completely overshadowed by the Jeep Wagoneer.<\/p>\n

$\"1965$ <\/p>\n

4. Chrysler Laser\/ Dodge Daytona Z Turbo<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 The K-car platform saved Chrysler in the 1980s and underpinned nearly everything that they built, including the sporty Laser\/Daytona twins.\u00a0 The car was nowhere near as bad as the foregoing would suggest; 2.2- and 2.5-liter turbo fours produced anywhere from 175 HP to 224 HP in their hottest states of tune. Carroll Shelby versions of the Daytona are somewhat collectible, assuming you can find one.<\/p>\n

$\"Chrysler$ <\/p>\n

5. 1975-81 Volkswagen Scirocco MKI<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 The Scirocco was the spiritual successor to the Karmann-Ghia. It followed the same formula of a pretty Italian body over more pedestrian underpinnings (in this case a body designed by Ital Design clothing Rabbit-derived mechanicals). No matter, it was a decent handler and quick enough for the day. Today, there are probably more Bentley Continentals on the road than MK I Sciroccos.<\/p>\n

$\"VW_Scirocco$ <\/p>\n