Building a car is difficult. Building lots of cars that people want to give you money for is even harder. Since the dawn of the automobile, hundreds of automobile manufacturers have been founded, produced cars, and have gone bust. Some of those builders were absolutely brilliant while others had cars that were too “out there,” too far ahead of their time, or were just plain terrible; like the 1988 Pontiac LeMans, which is unlikely to ever be collectible.
Despite the reasons for failure, some manufacturers shone brightly, and their cars remain today as a legacy of style, innovation, and performance. Here are bygone builders that made some incredible cars.
Studebaker
Packard
DeSoto
Edsel
Duesenberg
Pierce-Arrow
Saab
Iso Autoveicoli S.p.A.
Austin-Healey
LaSalle
Nash Motors
Pegaso
Talbot-Lago
Tucker
Triumph Motor Company
Willys-Overland Motors
Oldsmobile
Stanley Motor Carriage Company
Aerocar International
Marcos Engineering Ltd
B.S. Cunningham Company
Excalibur
Scion
Autobianchi
Mercury
Panhard
Plymouth
Saturn
Dual Ghia
Checker Motors Corporation
American Motors Corporation
Hummer
Rover
Delorean Motor Company
Mosler
Amphicar
Ascari Cars Ltd.
Cizeta Automobili
Cisitalia
Pontiac
Anyone who has watched Counting Cars is a fan of Danny Koker. He’s the man behind Count’s Kustoms and a very talented mechanic. He’s been turning cars into jaw-dropping pieces of art for decades.
Danny also boasts an impressive collection of over 50 cars, aside from being the owner of Count’s Kustoms and the star of the show. These are the coolest rides in his garage.
1968 Chevrolet Camaro
Lamborghini Countach
1968 Dodge Charger
1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Convertible
Ferrari Testarossa
1966 Ford Shelby GT350
1970 Dodge Coronet
Porsche 911 996 Turbo
1974 Plymouth Roadrunner
Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
Dodge Viper
Jaguar E-Type
Chevrolet Corvette C3
Porsche 911 Slant Nose
