1971 Jeepster Commando Station Wagon Hurst Edition

Here's one from Bolo - many thanks!

When is a station wagon not really a station wagon? When it's an SUV, of course.

Nowadays, that's not really much of a distinction and don't get K2 started on the subject, if you value your time and sanity (Hey, now!). So it's odd that the corporate marketing department and the powers that be chose to create the Station Wagon Hurst Edition trim level of the Jeepster Commando. The later part I get; what car enthusiast over the age of 20 hasn't heard of Hurst. But why label it a station wagon?

Despite the marketing, this wasn't a vehicle aimed at families even if they did live in rugged terrain, which is now the tres chic outdoor mall parking lot these days.

500 were planned, but supposedly only about 100 were produced. Actual production numbers are shrouded in mystery and lost in the mists of time, much to K2's chagrin (Hey, again!). The promised performance never lived up to the stripe job; the handling and braking were atrocious and dangerous in emergency situations. And the engine was woefully under-powered, despite six cylinders and a eight thousand redline. So much so that engineers addressed these issues for the 1972+ model year. But by then the Station Wagon Hurst Edition was gone and quickly forgotten.

1985 Autonique Stiletto

This just in from Nessa; thanks!

This is a vehicle that I've pursued for many years, trying to determine if they'd actually produced any and if so how many. To my best recollection, there's been no proof that I've found that any were actually made and sold to the public. Offered as a kit for Pinto owners, I knew this would interest you K2 because there have never been many station wagon kit cars offered. Here's one, even if it probably never got past the prototype stage. I know how much you love one-offs!

Apology

Hello REVolutionaries.

As most of you know (and if you didn't, now you do), I've adopted yet another dog. This time he's a Galgo (Spanish Greyhound) from Madrid. I've had my hands full and I've slacked off on my duties here. My apologies and a promise to return to our regularly scheduled programing soon.

In the meantime, if you have an idea for a station wagon post that I haven't covered yet or any other suggestions, please send them in! Thank you and woof woof!

He's cute, but he's a handful.

"Road" by Niky Nine

This great 80s retro synthwave song has so many remixes, it boggles my mind. But here are couple, starting with the original version.

Reliant Kitten Register

We've been focusing on the long roofs offered by Reliant over the past several days, so it's high time I linked to the wonderful Reliant Kitten Register. If you're looking to fill some of your time with some great car-oriented reading, check out the site and the oodles of "Mewsletters" (ha ha!).

1983-1990 Reliant Fox Estate

Remember when Nissan offered the Sportback option for the Pulsar? That neat little change turned your coupe into a shooting brake with a few simple tools and a little help from a friend. Many enthusiasts raved about the idea, but the option sold about as well as black bean yogurt.

Interestingly, only a few years earlier, Reliant was doing exactly the same thing overseas. The aptly named (after the Kitten) Reliant Fox was a fiberglass-bodied pickup with several optional hard and soft tops that could be installed, turning it from a micro-truck into a convertible, cargo van or long roof. Only about 600 of these were built in the UK and it has a fascinating history, including a collaboration between Reliant and Greece, where another 3000 were produced. Also, I came across a neat video about the history of Reliant and linked to that for you. Check it out, if you're interested!

1988-1992 Ford Telstar Estate

We've previously focused on the Ford Cortina and this was the replacement; the Ford Telstar, which was indeed named after the satellite. Basically just a rebadged Mazda 626, the Telstar was as long-lived as the Cortina. Even more so, actually.

The Telstar was introduced in 1982 and the long roof variant appeared concurrent with the release of the second generation in 1988. All of the other generations (five in total) were available as sedans and 5-door liftbacks. Production officially ended in 2001.

This is another car that I don't have production numbers specific to the station wagon. If you have or find them, please let me know! Here's a video of one in a junkyard, a 2.0 diesel no less. I love the "Pressure Wave Super Charger" badge.

Halo 2 War of Wits: The Sale

I promised several of you a little break from the nearly yearlong exploration of the history of the station wagon. Here it is; enjoy!

1975-1982 Reliant Kitten Estate

The successor to yesterday's Rebel, the ridiculously named Kitten was definitely a step up in power, handling and sophistication. But not a huge leap; I mean c'mon, we're talking about Reliant here. Don't get crazy now!

1964-1974 Reliant Rebel Estate

A relatively rare car in the first place (~2600 produced), the estate is even rarer. In fact, I don't have exact numbers on the long roof. If you do, please share them with me. And yet, the model existed for ten years. Powered by a rough four-cylinder, this tiny car was extremely lightweight. Remember when cars were like that?

1981-1982 Ford Granada Station Wagon

Only the second generation of the Fox-based Ford Granada offered a long roof variant. Short-lived, this car is nonetheless extremely well known to REVolutionairies. For you trivia buffs, this was the return of the blue oval logo, which had been MIA on Ford vehicles since the 30s. Sorry about the lack of audio quality in the video.

1982-1990 Nissan Sentra Station Wagon

The first and second generations of the Nissan Sentra offered a station wagon variant. I write that with hesitation because, in my eyes, it was really a 5-door liftback. But whatever; some sources list it as a station wagon and so we'll roll with that assumption. The Sentra (aka Sunny) is another car well known to REVolutionaries, so I won't go into details. But I will leave you with this bit of trivia; in the Philippines, the Sentra wagon was badged the Nissan California. Tubular...!

Never Was: 1971 Lotus Elan Hexagon Shooting Brake

Here's another coachbuilt long roof. Built by Hexagon, only two were produced. Other than the conversion which features a Renault GTE rear window, they were essentially stock. At least one still exists overseas; it pops up in car shows.

1968-1986 Ford Belina

The Brazilian Ford Corcel (and related Del Rey) enjoyed two generations and it included a long roof variant called the Belina. It was basically a Renault 12 underneath, with Renault and Ford engine options. Here's some neat trivia for you; the Corcel was the first car in Brazil to enjoy a recall due to quality issues.

1970-1975 Opel Ascona Caravan

Only the first generation Opel Ascona included a three-door estate variant. Here in the States, we knew this car as the Buick-Opel 1900; a well-known car to the REVolution crowd. Let's take a look at a customized car this time.