1985 Suzuki Samurai Diesel Tintop Sj410 4x4 With Vw 1.5l 5 Spd 45+mpg!! Rare!! on 2040-cars

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Suzuki Jimny is the classic Defender homage Land Rover should be building

Lake District, U.K. – The Land Rover Defender is to Brits what the F-150 is to Americans. Or rather it was, before it got too expensive and the farmers all switched to Japanese pick-ups. The Defender was effectively put out to pasture, relegated to being a lifestyle trinket. And Land Rover's endless prevarication over replacing the Defender can be partly attributed to this dilemma: Should it be in the original's mold, a fix-it-with-hammers rugged utility vehicle? Or should it concede that market and instead become a premium premium-priced Mercedes G-Class rival? Meanwhile, while Land Rover had dithered, others have capitalized – not least Suzuki's Jimny, which nails the seemingly conflicting demands of the new Defender's brief in one cute, pint-sized package So too is the Jimny priced at a level buyers in markets where it is offered can chalk up as a discretionary purchase. Dating back to the early 1970s, the Jimny has a heritage of its own to draw upon. But this lo-fi remix of traditional 4x4 tech and functionally slick styling has scored a bullseye for both utility users and the hipster brigade, both of whom place great value in authenticity. True, U.S. buyers won't have the option of the Jimny as they will the Defender, no matter how many emails Suzuki receives. But it's interesting to explore how it pulls the rug from underneath Land Rover, right here on the British stalwart's home soil. To demonstrate this we've travelled to the Lake District, a picturesque region on England's northwest coast with classic countryside vistas. Outside of the U.K., mountains topping out a little over 3,000 feet sound little to write home about – but, like the Jimny, modest size and ruggedness aren't mutually exclusive and there are trails here to test any street-spec off-roader. Competing pressures for access and a popular backlash against mechanized vehicles in the countryside mean tight controls for recreational drivers though, with many once-popular trails now closed to traffic. Those that remain accessible carry severe restrictions, our chosen route over Gatescarth Pass rarely opened to traffic and, when it is, limited to 4x4s with wheelbases of 100 inches or less. A Wrangler would just scrape through but these remain a rare sight in the U.K., and the limit is arguably skewed to favor the home team: the 90-inch, short-wheelbase Defenders that remain a staple for the quaintly English pursuit of 'green-laning'.

Junkyard Gem: 1993 Suzuki Swift GT

General Motors sold rebaged versions of the Suzuki Cultus in the United States, first as the 1984-1988 Chevrolet Sprint, then as the 1989-1997 Geo Metro, and finally as the 1998-2001 Chevrolet Metro. Meanwhile, Suzuki sold the Cultus on these shores as the Swift. Three-cylinder Metros were miserably slow and admirably fuel-efficient, but it was possible to buy the same car with a yowling 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine making 100 horsepower: the Swift GT. Here's a very rare example, found in a Colorado self-service wrecking yard. These cars weighed only about 1,800 pounds, so they were nearly as quick as the more powerful but heavier Honda Del Sol Si and Nissan Sentra SE-R ... and much cheaper. At $10,149 (about $17,400 in inflation-adjusted 2017 dollars), the Swift GT looked like a steal next to the $12,455 Sentra SE-R and the $16,070 Del Sol Si. However, the Hyundai Scoupe Turbo, priced at a mere $10,999, looked like the best deal of all in 1993. This one has lived a hard life, with body damage, faded interior, and rust in the usual spots. 175,303 miles, most of them probably spent above 5,000 rpm. Perhaps some Metro owner will grab the running gear and seats, in order to create a Geo sleeper... but we doubt it. Another piece of obscure automotive history, bound for the crusher. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Suzuki USA wasn't pushing Swift advertising very hard in 1993, so we'll go to the car's homeland for a TV ad for the regular Cultus hatchback. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The earlier version of the Cultus GTi (factory-hot-rod counterpart to the U.S.-market Chevrolet Sprint) got some ads full of fire and Pet Shop Boys in its homeland.

Osamu Suzuki announces retirement at age 91

TOKYO — Suzuki's 91-year-old chairman, Osamu Suzuki, announced he will retire in June, stepping aside for a new leader to navigate the shift to electric cars and fight off competition from tech firms such as Tesla and Apple. The chairman, after heading for more than four decades the company that his wife's grandfather founded, is leaving his son Toshihiro Suzuki, already president and CEO, to hold the reins of the company. Osamu told reporters on Wednesday he decided to retire after the company welcomed its 100th anniversary last year and its new management plan won approval. But he said he will "remain active" as an adviser. "I will neither run away nor hide," the patriarch said, who has repeatedly declared in the past he will be a "lifelong non-retiree." The company also announced on Wednesday it will invest one trillion yen ($9.45 billion), mostly on electrification technology, over five years. The younger Suzuki said the company needed to respond to a global push towards lower emissions. "Carbon neutral is the focus now. Suzuki must not fall behind this global trend," he said. The announcement by Japan's fourth-biggest automaker comes less than a week after rival Honda appointed a new CEO, who said he would consider alliances to make bold decisions. Carmakers, particularly smaller players such as Suzuki, are seen at a disadvantage due to the huge cost of developing EVs and technologies such as autonomous driving. Suzuki, alongside other automakers such as Mazda and Subaru, tied up with Toyota in 2019 to slash development and manufacturing costs. Osamu Suzuki, who joined Suzuki Motor in 1958, became president in 1978 and doubled as chairman in 2000. During his tenure, the company solidified its presence as the top maker of compact cars. He spearheaded the company's decision to enter its key Indian market in 1983. Maruti Suzuki, which the carmaker owns a majority stake in, is India's top carmaker, selling every second car in the country. In 2016, Suzuki stepped down as CEO to take responsibility for the firm's use of incorrect testing methods to calculate vehicle mileage, but he remained chairman. Osamu, who waved and said "bye-bye" at the end of Wednesday's news conference, will be appointed as senior adviser upon retirement.