2006 Ford GT

Ford entered the supercar market in 2006 with the GT, inspired by Ford's GT-40 Le Mans race cars from the 1960s. The GT is powered by a 550-horsepower 5.4-liter supercharged V8, and can go from 0 to 60 in 3.6 seconds.

2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06

The fastest and most powerful production vehicle ever produced by General Motors at the time, the new Corvette Z06 challenged the exotic sports cars of the world with the 505-horsepower LS7 7.0 liter V8, a 0-60 time of less than 4 seconds and a top speed of nearly 200 miles per hour, all at a bargain price: starting at $65,000.

For those on a tighter budget, the standard Corvette, with only a 400 horsepower 6.0 liter V8, started at about $20,000 less.

2006 Chevrolet SSR

Before there was the HHR, there was the SSR, Chevrolet's pickup-truck based answer to the Plymouth Prowler. The limited-production SSR is powered by the Corvette-based LS2 6.0-liter aluminum V8 and features a power retractable hardtop.

2006 Chevrolet HHR

Apparently Chevrolet couldn't let Chrysler's PT Cruiser go unchallenged forever. Enter the Heritage High Roof, or HHR. The HHR's styling is based on a 1940's Chevrolet Suburban crossed with the limited production SSR, though it is actually based on the Cobalt, available with the same 2.2-Liter & 2.4-Liter double overhead cam inline 4-cylinder engines as the Cobalt sedan with slight boosts in horsepower.

2006 Chevrolet Impala SS

 

Chevrolet revised their large sedan this year, and added the performance version, the Impala SS. The SS is powered by a 303-horsepower 5.3 liter aluminum V8 with displacement-on-demand, instead of the 2 more conventional V6s available in the lower models.

2006 Toyota FJ Cruiser

At the 2006 Portland International Auto Show, Toyota showed a sneak-peek of their new retro-styled SUV, the FJ Cruiser. The styling recalls the early FJ-series Land Cruisers of the 1960s and 70s, which themselves were descended from the 1951 BJ-series, but since the Land Cruiser name is still in use, Toyota christened this new model with a name similar to that of Chrysler's retro compact.

The FJ Cruiser, scheduled for release in March 2006, was powered by a 239-horsepower 4.0 liter V6 with a 5-speed electronically controlled automatic overdrive or an available 6-speed manual overdrive transmission, and vehicle stability control, with traction control and anti-lock brakes.

1936 Ford Tudor Sedan

I have a soft spot for cars on signs. This 1936 Ford Tudor Sedan at the Chinese Village Restaurant & Lounge in Longview, Washington, was placed here in the 1970s when the restaurant was called Bonnie and Clyde's, which closed in the late 1980s. Chinese Village closed in September 2009. The car was practically a Longview landmark until it was removed from the sign on February 27, 2010, and subsequently donated to the local Unique Tin Car Club. The club plans to restore the car.

Related Links:
Classic Ford lowered from perch along Ocean Beach Highway from The Daily News
Unique Tin to restore Bonnie & Clyde's Car from The Daily News