1974-1976 Mercedes-Benz 280C

Mercedes-Benz introduced its "New Generation" series of sedans and coupes in 1968, and continued to produce them under a variety of model numbers until 1976. Though the exterior changed very little from year to year, this hardtop coupe at the 1999 Eagles Car Show in Rainier, Oregon, can be narrowed down by the protruding 5-mile-per-hour bumpers that were mandated in the United States beginning in 1974. With that in mind, this coupe would be a 280C from between 1974 and 1976, powered by a 145-horsepower 2,746-cubic-centimeter (almost 2.8 liter) M110 inline 6-cylinder engine.

1937 LaSalle Coupe

Pictured here at the 1999 Eagles Car Show in Rainier, Oregon, is a 1937 LaSalle Coupe, representing the peak year for a short-lived General Motors marque. The story of LaSalle is an interesting one. It begins in the mid-1920s, when General Motors consisted of five automobile brands: Chevrolet, Oakland, Oldsmobile, Buick, and Cadillac. There were significant gaps between the price ranges of the five brands. In an attempt to fill these price gaps, General Motors created four "companion" makes, each built by an existing brand division. Pontiac was created by Oakland in 1926 to fill the gap between it and Chevrolet. The large gap between Oldsmobile and Buick was filled in 1929 by Oldsmobile's Viking and Buick's Marquette. LaSalle was introduced by Cadillac in 1927 to fill the gap between it and Buick. The companion make program didn't go quite as General Motors expected, though. Marquette and Viking promptly failed in 1930 and 1931 respectively, while Pontiac was so successful that its parent Oakland was discontinued in 1931, leaving LaSalle as the only companion make standing alongside its parent brand. LaSalle's cars were stylish and powerful, but were smaller than Cadillac's and had lower price tags. LaSalle sales helped support Cadillac through the Great Depression, and in 1934 LaSalle cut costs by using shorter wheelbases and engines from Oldsmobile instead of Cadillac, but LaSalle soon faced competition from other smaller luxury cars like the Packard One-Twenty and the Lincoln-Zephyr. In 1937, LaSalle returned to its Cadillac roots, with longer wheelbases and Cadillac's 322-cubic-inch monobloc V8 engine, and sales spiked to a peak of 32,000, more than double the previous year's figure, but that was a good as it would ever get for LaSalle. The success of the junior Packard One-Twenty and Lincoln-Zephyr showed that there was no reason not to have a junior Cadillac as well. Cadillac introduced its own entry-level model, the Series 60, in 1936, and LaSalle was quickly squeezed out of the entry-level luxury market it created by its own parent brand. LaSalle was discontinued in 1940, but not before some designs were developed for potential 1941 LaSalle models. One of these proposals was adapted for Cadillac to become the 1941 Cadillac Series 63.

1999 Porsche 911 Carrera

In 1998, Porsche introduced the first new, completely-redesigned 911 since the original debuted in 1963. The only parts carried over from the previous 911 were the suspension and the 6-speed manual transmission. For the first time, the new 911 featured a water-cooled engine. The rear-engined 911 Carrera was powered by a 296-horsepower 3.4-liter version of the M96 dual-overhead-cam horizontally-opposed “flat” six-cylinder “boxer” engine, with either a 6-speed manual transmission or a 5-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission, and either rear-wheel or all-wheel drive. The 911 Carrera could accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under 5 seconds and reach a top speed of 178 miles per hour. The new Porsche 911 Carrera shared its front end styling with the lower-priced Porsche Boxster, making the two look very similar, however the Boxster was only available as a 2-seat roadster, while the more powerful and faster 911 Carrera featured a rear seat and was available as either a convertible or a coupe.

1999 Porsche Boxster

The Porsche Boxster was introduced in 1996, replacing the front-engined 968 as Porsche’s entry-level model. The Boxster was the first Porsche road vehicle to be designed as a roadster since the 1953 Porsche 550 Spyder. The Boxster also introduced Porsche’s first water-cooled non-front engine, the M96 dual-overhead-cam horizontally-opposed “flat” six-cylinder “boxer” engine. The Boxster’s name came from a combination of the words “boxer” and “roadster.” The rear-wheel drive, mid-engine Boxster features a 201-horsepower, 2.5-liter version of the M96 engine. With a standard 5-speed manual transmission, the Boxster could accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 6.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 149 miles per hour. With the optional 5-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission, the Boxster could reach 60 miles per hour in 7.4 seconds with a top speed of 146 miles per hour. The Boxster’s mid-engine layout provided a low center of gravity, near-perfect weight distribution, and neutral handling.

2000 Lincoln LS

The Lincoln LS would be introduced in June of 1999 for the 2000 model year. Sharing a platform with the new Jaguar S-Type, this rear-wheel-drive luxury sport sedan was intended to compete with European imports like the BMW 3-Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and would be available in two forms: the LS6 with a 210-horsepower 3.0-liter dual-overhead-cam V6 with a 5-speed automatic or an available 5-speed manual transmission, and the LS8 with a 252-horsepower 3.8-liter dual-overhead-cam V8 with a five-speed SelectShift automatic transmission. Standard features for both included traction control and front-seat side airbags.

Dodge Copperhead

The Dodge Copperhead is a concept car that was unveiled in 1997, with a production planned for release in the 2000 model year. The project was cancelled before reaching production, but the concept was still making appearances in 1999, as seen here at the Portland International Auto Show. The Copperhead was designed as a counterpart to the $75,000 Dodge Viper at a $30,000 price point. Measuring three inches narrower and eight inches shorter than the Viper, but with a foot-longer wheelbase, the rear-wheel-drive, two-seat roadster may have been inspired by the more expensive sports car, but was distinctly different. Among its unique features were cast aluminum wheels measuring 18 inches in diameter by 8 inches wide in the front and 20 inches in diameter by 9 inches in the rear, with tires with snakeskin tread, and color-shifting Copper Fire Orange paint. The powertrain, however, was less unique. The Copperhead was powered by a 2.7-liter, dual overhead cam, aluminum-block V6 engine with a close-ratio five-speed manual transmission. This LH engine was released to the public in the 1998 Dodge Intrepid, though in the case of the Copperhead, Dodge was able to increase the power by 20 horsepower for a total of 220 horsepower. While this was fairly impressive for a V6 at the time, it was still a far cry from the Viper’s powerful V10 engine. In price and power, the Copperhead would have been very similar to another Chrysler product, the Plymouth Prowler, despite sharing nothing in common. That could be one reason the Copperhead never reached production. The Copperhead’s legacy did live on, though: the Copper Fire Orange paint ended up being used on the Copperhead Edition of the Plymouth Prowler.

1999 Ford Mustang Convertible

Originally introduced in 1994, the fourth-generation Ford Mustang received a substantial facelift for 1999, with new sheet metal bringing the large wheel arches and the sharp contours and creases of Ford’s “New Edge” styling, along with improved ride and handling and new seats and interior details. All three available engines also received horsepower increases, from the base 190-horsepower 3.8-liter overhead-valve V6, to the Mustang GT’s 260-horsepower 4.6-liter single-overhead-cam V8, to the 320-horsepower 4.6-liter dual-overhead-cam V8 that would accelerate the Mustang Cobra from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 5.4 seconds.