Before MotorWeek started posting its “retro reviews” and sharing cool old footage from first drives of cars many have forgotten, someone else had already been on that grind few years prior. This enterprising individual, with the avatar of a Chevy S10 Baja, kitted out with a lift and light bar, had taken to posting old content online — under the moniker “BajaBusta.” This content has since evolved into TestDriveJunkie.
Back in the early 2010s, YouTube and other video hosting sites were more of a free-for-all. BajaBusta and their apparent huge collection of Laserdiscs, VHS tapes, and other media from the 1970s onward gave us a glimpse back into years past.
Sadly, copyright strikes and cease-and-desists must have killed BajaBusta’s original channel sometime in 2012. No doubt noticing the demand from folks to see old content, MotorWeek stepped up to fill the void and it’s been posting old reviews for some time now.
BajaBusta didn’t disappear though — their latest project is “TestDriveJunkie.” This website and associated Facebook page is a goldmine of a repository of old car reviews, illustrations, news, and more, once thought lost to history.
Do you want to see concept cars from the 1993 Auto show circuit? They’ve got that.
I find the retro car news and rumors fascinating, it’s interesting to see how right or wrong ended up being with our predictions. Was this supposed to be a future and Ford Tempo?
Whoa, a manual Mazda 929?
Is that a Chevy Celebrity shooting brake? Not sure what kind of market there would have been for a two-door wagon A-body, but I wish this had come true.
TestDriveJunkie’s FB page regularly posts dope 1980s era rides for sale, too. The TDJ website and FB posts are well organized, and chock-full of old news and illustrations. It’s a great time suck, I’ve gotten lost in the what-ifs and hand-drawn illustrations of yesteryear. We dropped them a line at their posted “contact us” address but haven’t heard back. So while we don’t have much more backstory, we can still check out the site!
It’s a good site, y’all should check it out.
