10 of the best car special editions – the starters
Pull up a chair, stick a napkin on your lap, and peruse the menu, because the waiter is on the way to take your order. May we introduce you in one of the following special editions as a starter? A small appetiser before you launch into the main course? Here are ten of Petrolblog's favourite specials to whet your appetite; we'll be revealing our main courses once you've finished your starter. Bon appétite, Marlene.
AMC Levi’s Gremlin
Had your fill of special editions that are a little pants? The AMC Levi’s Gremlin featured upholstery designed to look like real denim, complete with stitching, buttons and the authentic Levi’s tab. You could have any colour you wanted, as long as it was stonewashed, probably.
Austin Metro Studio 2
Studio 2 sounds so glamorous, until you discover that it’s little more than the name of the design studio at Austin Rover’s Canley Engineering Centre. You hear that noise? That’s the sound of the bottom of a barrel being scraped to within an inch of its life.
Buick Olympic Gold Regal
The United States won 44 golds at the 1996 Summer Olympics, but each athlete would have swapped their medal for a chance to drive away in a Buick Olympic Gold Regal. After three… U.S.A., U.S.A., U.S.A., repeat to fade or until you lose your voice.
Chrysler PT Cruiser Route 66 Edition
To date, the Chrysler PT Cruiser Route 66 Edition is the only car to be named after a 115-mile stretch of road between Workington and Grangetown.
Citroën GS Energetique
The artist Jean-Pierre Lihou designed the Citroën GS Energetique to make life a misery for insurance claim adjusters and body shops. ‘Hello, Halfords, do you have 73 touch-up pens for a Citroën GS?’
Citroën Saxo Bic
The Saxo Bic was delivered straight from the factory with chew marks on the bonnet and rear bumper. It ran on leaded fuel.
Citroën Saxo Mischief and Open Scandal
If we were dishing out prizes for the worst special editions, we’d be asking Citroën to start preparing an acceptance speech. To this day, we still can’t work out what was so mischievous about the Saxo Mischief, while the Open Scandal leaves us agog. Thinking about it, the Citroën Saxo Agog sounds interesting.
Citroën ZX Memphis
We’ll take your mind off that godawful press shot by pointing out that the misheard lyric in Marc Cohn’s “Walking in Memphis” is ‘Walking with my feet ten feet off the Beale’. It’s a reference to a street in Downtown Memphis, you see. Don’t be too cruel about the press image.
Fiat Panda Italia ’90
The Fiat Panda Italia ’90 is everybody’s favourite car with wheel trims painted to look like footballs. Rumours persist that Chris Waddle was thinking about the wheels when he skied his penalty against West Germany.
Fiat Panda Alessi
The Fiat Panda Alessi was the official car of the 2006 Ideal Home Show in London. Stick that in your ‘official pace car’ bragging rights and put it on a mild heat for 30 minutes.
We hope you enjoyed the selection of starters. Please remain seated while we prepare the main courses. Would you like a glass of Blue Nun while you wait?
