1966 Studebaker Wagonaire

Looking around today I noticed that it's been months since we've driven anything new into the Lotto Garage. And strangely enough, for the past few days — for some odd reason — I've been coveting this thing on the internet. That's right, a 1966 Studebaker Wagonaire — a '66 because: a.) it was Studebaker's final year producing cars and that kind of makes it special; and b.) the Wagonaire was introduced for the 1963 model year, so hopefully by this, the fourth year, all of the kinks with the sliding roof were worked out. I remember when I was a paperboy that one of my customers, a Toro salesman, traded his Falcon Ranchero for one of these to haul lawnmowers/snowblowers around in. And yes, I've wanted one ever since! — jc

1963 Oldsmobile F-85 Cutlass

Because my calendar tells me it's convertible season, I've decided to drive another drop-top into the Lotto Garage. You know, when most people think about compact convertibles from the 1960s thoughts immediately conjure up a Mustang, Camaro, Barracuda… you know, all of the usual suspects. I'm shopping outside the box; and tonight I stumbled upon this white Cutlass, which I think looks great with the black steelies and dog dishes. An aluminum V-8 with a stick shift put out 185 horsepower — plenty for an old fart out for leisurely Sunday drives. And the brochure points out how my butt will be caressed in foam-padded bucket seats finished in — are you ready? — "beautifully tailored rich Morocceen…" Wow! Open roads, here I come! (Let's give the photo credit here to hartogrob over on flickriver.com). — jc

2009 VW GTI

Probably just about my favorite all-around everyday driver of all time, this particular GTI is for sale right now (as of this writing) on eBay, and it pushed all of my buttons: fifth generation model ✔, dark gray ✔, four doors ✔, cool plaid interior ✔… If you've ever driven a GTI you can probably understand my enthusiasm. If you haven't, get thee to the nearest GTI and gettest thyself behind the wheel! — jc

Citroën C6

Produced from 2005-2012, the C6 (I think) is one of the most stunning looking cars to ever wear the double chevrons. It was built to replace the XM as Citroën's executive car, although there was a five-year gap between the end of the XM and the start-up of C6 production. Of course, by this time Citroën was no longer in the car business here in the U.S., so I guess I'll have to take part of my Lotto winnings, fly over to Europe, and find one of the over 23,000 C6 sedans produced and bring it home. And then park it until it's a 25-year-old "classic" so we can hit the streets together. You can check out a German version of the brochure here. — jc

1961 Chevrolet Parkwood

Since we haven't driven a new car into the Lotto Garage for months now, I decided it was time. It is also time to hearken back to my youth with this vintage Chevy. A white '61 Parkwood was the family's first station wagon — a six-passenger model in which we always wanted to ride w-a-y back where: a) there was no seat, and b) we could make faces out the back window at the people driving behind us. Hah! Kids. Of course, our Parkwood had blackwall tires and poverty hubcaps, because that was how Dad rolled back then. It would be years before a set of whitewalls graced our driveway, and decades before A/C showed its face. — jc

1979 AMC Spirit Limited

Okay, raise your hands. How many of you looked at this and said "A Gremlin?" Hah! This was one of AMC's marketing ploys to make the buying public forget about the Gremlin — rename it Spirit. Besides this very Gremlinesque "sedan" model (AMC's description, not mine), the Spirit also came in a more traditional-looking fastback/hatchback model (a.k.a. liftback). But this squareback sedan is how we roll at the Lotto Garage, because you rarely see one on the road anymore. Come to think of it, you rarely saw one in 1979, either! — jc

1967 Renault 10

No, I still haven't won any Lottos, but I've decided to drive a few more cars into the Lotto Garage because, hey, you never know! Next car in is this boxy rear-engined successor to the Renault 8, which itself followed the much-beloved (well, by the French anyway) Dauphine. Tell me this isn't a face you'd immediately fall in love with! Okay, but maybe it would grow on you after a while. It's body may  look a bit odd to most Yanks, but there'd be no denying the comfortable surroundings of the typically French interior, as the 10 (like most French cars of the era) had seats you wouldn't mind putting in your living room! — jc

1979 Buick Le Sabre

Haven't driven anything into the Lotto Garage in a while now, but last night I came across this big Buick for sale on eBay, and I'm bringing it in! I'm guessing it wasn't sold, as the bidding ended with a high bid of only $610 (it had its battery and radiator stolen out of it so there's no telling if it runs or not). It needs new seats, probably a respray, but — that's OK 'cause I won the Lottery! I love the simpleness of this car: a plain ol' 2-door post sedan, with no garish trim and still sporting the poverty hubcaps. See the listing here. — jc

1971 BMW 1500

Some of you may remember BMW back in the 1960s as a manufacturer of nicely-done sedans that barely anyone on this side of the ocean had ever heard of. Then someone at the Bavarian automaker had the brilliant idea of taking a 1600 two-door, throwing in the larger 2-liter engine and — voila! There was the BMW 2002, the car which literally put BMW on the map here in North America, and which eventually morphed into the über successful 3-series. Being a little different, as I often am, I've decided not to be like everyone and his brother and covet one of those original 2002s (which were sold from 1968-76), and go for the simpler, and rarer in these parts, 1500 sedan. I like its lines, and I like the idea that almost no one else wants one. 'Cause that's how the Lotto Garage often rolls. (BMW photo) — jc

1964 Ford Cortina

Anyone who knows me well, probably knows that I've always preferred smaller cars. And going back to Car #1 (a 1967 Sunbeam Imp), I've been known to show a soft spot for the off-beat every now and then. So why not drive this 1964 Ford Cortina Mk.1 into the Lotto Garage? It's British Ford at its best — some of these were converted into highly desirable Lotus Cortinas by famed race car developer Colin Chapman; but I've never been one for the glamor, high-speed cars. Give me the Plain Janes any day, like the Lotuses (Loti?) which were available as two- and four-door sedans (saloons) and a four-door wagon (estate). The Mk.1 debuted as the Ford Consul Cortina for 1962 (the Consul name was dropped for 1964), and gave way to the completely redesigned (and in my opinion, duller-looking) Mk.2 for the '67 model year. The Cortina disappeared from the American market with the birth of the Pinto in 1971, and in Canada two years later. — jc

2001 Pontiac Aztek

What??!! Heck, you don't have to win the Lotto to buy an Aztek! Right now there's one on eBay for a mere $1,295. But... unless I had the disposable income that a Lotto win would provide, I'd never spend a dime on one of these things. In time I believe the negative press about the Aztek's styling will rival the Edsel's, and the only reason I'd drive one into the Lotto Garage is to have something to drive when I'm going somewhere that I wouldn't drive anything I'd care about. Plus the added bonus that the odds are no one would park within ten feet of one of these things, fearing what its owner must be like! — jc

2014 Jeep Wrangler Willys Wheeler

When we stated filling the imaginary Lotto Garage a while back, I hadn't anticipated driving anything new through the door. But while doing some research on for a recent Artvoice column on the new Jeep Cherokee I came across this special edition Wrangler Willys Wheeler. And I said "I like the looks of that." Especially in the color they called Amp'd (see the photo above). The Willys Wheeler package is largely, but not only, cosmetics; but this is the time of year when one's thoughts just may turn to a 4x4, so, there you go. Color your own Willys Wheeler by clicking here. — jc

1973 Porsche 914

Yes, this is a Porsche. And I wasn't going to include any high-priced fancy-schmancy sports cars here in the Lotto Garage, but this is kind of an exception. When it was first being developed jointly by VW and Porsche back in the late 1960s, the plan was for the four-cylinder model to be marketed as a VW — the replacement for the aging Karmann-Ghia, while Porsche would separately market the 914-6 (a six-cylinder model if you haven't guessed) as a Porsche. Somewhere along the line someone decided, and they were probably correct, that you couldn't sell what was basically the same car as both a VW and a Porsche in North America, so it went to the Stuttgart sports car builder. I think I'd prefer the base, four-cylinder car with the el-cheapo hubcaps, an orange paint job, and the matching orange-and-black plaid interior. — jc

1984 Rolls-Royce Camargue

I know, I know, when I started the Lotto Garage I wasn't going to be pretentious. But then I realized that some day I might find myself at, oh, say a high school reunion or something, with the need to make a good impression. And I did win that imaginary Lottery, so why not a Rolls? Especially the Camargue, a two-door coupe designed by Pininfarina and meant to be owner-driven. The Camargue was in production from 1975-86, and 525 of them were crafted (R-Rs aren't built, they're crafted), along with one lonely Bentley Camargue. — jc

1979 Subaru Brat

While I was out Christmas shopping this afternoon in the Elmwood Village, it suddenly occurred to me that I haven't added that winter vehicle to the Lotto Garage yet. After much consideration, and the desire to have something that would stand out from the crowd, I've settled on the Brat. Unofficially a pickup truck, officially it was a "Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter." "Bi-drive?" Full-time front wheel-drive, with four wheel drive "at the flick of a lever," according to ads of the time (here's a link to the ad). And that unofficial pickup status was to get around tariff laws regarding imported trucks. Subaru welded two rear-facing passenger seats into the bed area, making it, what, an open sedan? I wouldn't have wanted to be sitting back there today. But, I'm driving, so I wouldn't have been! The Brat was in production from 1978-1993; even President Reagan had one back in the day, which has since been restored and returned to the ranch near Santa Barbara. — jc

1978 Plymouth Arrow

Why am I driving this yellow Plymouth Arrow into the Lotto Garage? Why not!? You know, every once in a while you want to show up somewhere in a car where everyone says "What the heck is that?" And the Arrow fills the bill nicely — although the Plymouth Cricket would also work here. (Did you just say "What?" again? Look it up here.) The Cricket was based on a British car (the Hillman Avenger), but when that failed sales-wise, Chrysler headed east across two continents and plucked the Mitsubishi Lancer Celeste from its Japanese partner, redubbed it the Plymouth Arrow (also sold in Canada as the Dodge Arrow), and... didn't do much better with it. But it kept a cheap compact in Chrysler's showrooms until the Horizon/Omni got up and running. The Arrow's looks weren't too bad, but I liked even better Chrysler's use of the Harry Nilsson song "Me and My Arrow" (you can hear it here) in their advertising campaign. — jc

1965 Ford LTD

Back when Ford introduced its überluxury car, the LTD, it was actually part of the Galaxie 500 line; the brochure even calls it the Galaxie 500 LTD. And, as Wikipedia is quick to point out it's "...pronounced 'El-Tee-Dee', not 'Limited'" — hah! This car singlehandedly started a new genre: the luxo-non-luxo brand. The El-Tee-Dee was quickly followed by Chevy's Caprice (which was actually an option package for the Impala Sport Sedan, but Chevy wisely left the Impala nameplates off the car) and the Plymouth VIP (which for some reason Wikipedia glaringly omits telling us is pronounced "Vee-Eye-Pee," and not "vip"). I'm driving the '65 LTD into the Lotto Garage because every once in a while you want something classy for those special nights out, but without being as pretentious as we are when we show up in our Frank Sinatra edition Imperial (see posting from Nov. 10). Ford was even cheeky enough in their ad campaigns to compare the LTD to a Rolls-Royce for its quiet ride. That right there is good enough for us! — jc

1966 Jeep CJ-5

I've decided that the Lotto Garage just has to have a Jeep. But not one of those modern-day bloated numbers — no thanks. This little red short-wheelbase CJ-5 from 1966 looks just about right. Might have to lose that clunky-looking spare tire on the side and move it to the back though. And of course, the top would be permanently off as, even though it's a four-wheel-drive vehicle, I'd use it as a fair weather runabout. After all, the Lotto Garage will have other, more wintry-type vehicles for that time of year! In '66 Jeep was still owned by Kaiser, and this was the second year that the former Buick 3.7-liter V-6 engine resided under the hood. That and a three-speed manual tranny would make for my ideal Jeep powertrain. — jc

1982 Imperial FS

Any Lotto Garage has to have at least one car that the valet at Salvatore's will park in the front row. So I've settled on this 1982 Imperial FS. The FS, in case you're out of the loop, stands for Frank Sinatra. That's right, Ol' Blue Eyes must have had an in with Lee Iacocca, and together I imagine they dreamt-up this Glacier Blue coupe, which came with either a Kimberley Velvet cloth or Light Blue leather interior. Even better, it was equipped with a Mark Cross leather shoulder bag filled with 16 cassettes of... well, you can probably guess whose music it was. — jc

1972 MG Midget

I can't imagine not having at least one two-seat convertible in the Lotto Garage. After a lot of thought, I've settled on the Midget, a very iconic British sports car. I've also decided on a '72 model, as they'd been "moderned-up" some by then, making them more safe to drive, but still a year away from the hideousness of the federally-mandated five mph bumpers, which totally ruined the car's looks. I'll take one, as pictured, in British Racing Green, please. I don't even mind the whitewall tires, as they're very period-looking. — jc