Unfortunate name aside, this is a nice premium sedan, but I reckon it would look even better as a coupe. Will that body style ever be available for the Junta?
No.
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Hello Granada my old friend… them taillights 
Damn it I am too obvious. 
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[Quick Lore Expansion: The past two decades were very unremarkable for Barricada, after the end of the executive Junta in 2003 and the fun Mk.2 Solara Spider in 2006 the Brand was without a prestigious halo car to draw attention, leaving the cheap and cheerful Solara and Riviera to carry the sales torch. By no means bad at what they were meant to do, a Supermini and a Compact Hatchback are hardly the most exiting prospects even in turbocharged MM form. A shift in leadership to a young, aspiring crowd of engineers, who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s with cars such as the Solara MM Superturbo i.E. and the Mk.1 Solara Spider prompted the development of an all-new scaleable platform for small to midsized cars that puts fun before reason, you’ll quickly see why…]
This is the all-new 2018 Barricada LP series, initially available as a 5-door liftback Berlina with 850, 1050 or 1350cc displacements. “LP” is the name o the new platform, the acronym standing for nothing more than Longitudinal Platform. This is the big giveaway that this new compact is RWD only. There is not a single practical reason for this, only to offer a completely unique, balanced driving experience with very controllable oversteer when desired. The LP is indeed all-new, down to the engines and suspension with MacPherson struts up front and a Multi-Link rear. The launch engines will be an 850cc Inline 3 cylinder engine, a 1050cc I3 and a 1350cc Inline 4, all turbocharged with HydraAir active Valve control, that replaces the conventional camshafts with electrohydraulic valve actuators, and thus allows fully variable engine breathing. Outputs range from 90hp to 175hp. A hot 200+hp MM version is scheduled to follow later this year, as is a 5-door Hatchback and 2-door Convertible. Prices start at €13,900 for the 850 Berlina.
2018 Barricada 850 Berlina:
848cc 12 Valve Inline 3, 90hp, 140Nm, 5MT, RWD (Open), 1210kg (52:48), 3.5L/100km, €13.900
2018 Barricada 1050 Berlina:
1050cc 12 Valve Inline 3, 133hp, 185Nm, 6MT, RWD (Open), 1250kg (52:48), 3.9L/100km, €16.400
2018 Barricada 1350 Berlina:
1343cc 16 Valve Inline 4, 172hp, 230Nm, 6MT, RWD (Viscous), 1320kg (53:47), 4.6L/100km, €19.990
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Looks properly small-car-cool, though my near instant thought was “MM = Matteo Miglia” 
Who
But in all honesty this is my non-entry for CSR62 and plot device to flesh the company as the last NA performance car from Barricada with a very simple 188hp 1.9L 16V I4 and close ratio 6-speed manual.
Strop’s Italian company
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What does Strop have to do with any of this
Nothing, just a loose thought 
What am I without the 90s.
These were really the last classic family cars by Barricada. The Navetta was the Sedan version of the Rivera hatch, but with several changes. The Navetta was only available with the larger 16V engines and had an independent Four-Link rear suspension. These were coupled to the better equipped “S” trim with standard Cassette Radio, electric windows, electric door mirrors, climate control and intermittent windscreen wipers. Base engine was a 1.6L 16V I4 with 119hp, a 1.9L 16V with 148hp being optional.
The Navetta CLX came with a new 2.3L 24V V6 with variable valve timing, 160hp and a 6-speed manual, it also included a CD radio, automatic windscreen wipers, partial leather seats and optional traction control.
Meanwhile on another end of the scale there was the Navetta MM with a tuned 184hp version of the 1.9L 16V I4 and sports suspension.
In 1998 a small facelift brought primarily detail improvements and different engines, the 1.6 was dropped and replaced by a 125hp version of the 1.9, the 148hp 1.9 was replaced by the 2.3 V6, while the CLX and MM received a 2.8L variant of the V6 with 193hp.
One size bigger was the Junta, a revived version of the classic 1960s sedan, with a bespoke RWD platform. While many fans of the brand were disappointed the car came without the classic V8 engine, instead opting for a unique 90° V6 with twin balance shafts and Active Air Control (VVTL), prompting many to believe a V8 was indeed in development. Displacing either 2.8L or 3.2L it produced between 195 and 240hp. These engines were coupled to either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed Selectashift automatic. A Viscous limited slip differential was standard.
Italy also got a 2.0L Twin Turbo version of the 60° Navetta V6 with 220hp.
The Navetta was quite successful in its market, selling roughly 650.000 units from 1995 to 2005, while the all-new Junta was a tragic flop despite favourable reviews with just over 60.000 sales from 1996 to 2003.
Neither of them received a successor…
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How come all 80s cars are either all-white or all-black?
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The Solara Spider was a cheap, mid-engined coupe based on the Solara Hatchback’s mechanicals, created by the common trick of taking front wheel drive running gear and putting it at the rear. Suspension was therefore of MacPherson Struts up front and semi-trailing arms at the rear. The Spider came with the three most powerful Solara engines, the 1.5L SOHC with 90hp, a 1.5 DOHC with 115hp and the 1.5 DOHC Turbo with a power increase to 145hp over the Solara Superturbo’s 125. A 5-speed manual transmission was the only option. The base model only featured the most essential of creature comforts, such as unassisted steering, ABS-free four-wheel disc brakes and neiter a radio nor A/C. As a result the SOHC 1.5 i.E. Essenza only weighed in at 900kg, while the 16V was even lighter due to a special Motosport exhaust manifold and alloy wheels. The Turbo came standard with ABS, power Steering, cassette Radio, and a limited slip differential and was thus slightly heavier at 1020kg. It also had slightly altered bodywork, stiffer suspension and wider tires. Highly sought after is the rare MM which combines the chassis upgrades of the Turbo with the NA 16V engine and barebones interior.
Solara Spider 1.5 i.E.
1.5L SOHC 8V Inline 4, 88hp, 128Nm, 900-940kg, 0-100kph in 10.4s, 181kph
Solara Spider 1.5 16V and 1.5 16V MM
1.5L DOHC 16V Inline 4, 115hp, 147Nm, 895-960kg, 0-100kph in 8.3s, 197kph
Solara Spider Turbo
1.5L DOHC 16V Turbocharged and Intercooled Inline 4, 145hp, 200Nm, 1020kg, 0-100kph in 7.7s, 215kph
The Barricada Solara Spider is a shameless ripoff of the Fiat X1/9 and Toyota MR2!
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Was in the mood for doing things. A Concept version of what a Junta V-8 could’ve been like. 
The car is based off the Junta 190 Lusso, using what is effectively the 2.8L V6 with two added cylinders, a 3.7L 32 Valve V8 with near enough 280hp and the 4-speed Selectashift automatic transmission. The car was built in a small series of 35 cars, all fully road legal as it was an earnest attempt at reviving interest in the struggling sedan by reinventing the legendary V-8 sedans of the 1950s and 1960s, and they were put through vigorous testing and real world evaluation. The Exclusiv V-8 was all but production ready when the project was halted in 2002 due to abysmal sales of the V6 model (only 2657 cars were sold that year). A few of these pre-production cars were auctioned off while some were used as company cars and the rest scrapped.
2001 Junta Exclusiv V-8 Concept:
Fully galvanized steel monocoque with partial aluminium bodypanels
Unequal length front wishbones, independent rear four-link axle with anti-roll bars and adaptive dampers
4-wheel vented disc brakes, 320mm (F) 300mm (R), with 4-Piston (F) and 2-Piston (R) brake calipers, ABS and electronic stability control
90° V8, 89x75mm, 3733cc, Aluminium alloy engine block
32 Valve DOHC cylinder heads with Active Air Control (AAC), made from Aluminium Alloy.
Compression ratio 10.5:1
278hp @ 6700rpm, 349Nm @ 4300rpm, Engine redline 7000rpm
Engine weight 243kg
4-speed Selectashift Automatic transmission, 4.07:1 Final drive ratio
Rack and Pinion steering with speed sensitive power assist
Total weight 1916kg
0-100kph 8.3s, Top Speed 268kph
11.7L/100km (20mpg US combined)
Estimated price $57,000 (adjusted for inflation)
The Junta V-8 is a shameless ripoff off the Opel Omega V8!
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For a car based on either of the NSX bodies, it looks less like a ripoff of one and more of an original design in my opinion. It even has exposed headlights and an upper grille for good measure!
As for the Junta V8, I reckon that surviving examples would be worth tens or even hundreds of thousands today, given that so few of them had that particular engine.
Optimistic. I for one wouldn’t estimate a large sedan from the early 2000s (albeit a desirable one) to be worth more than a classic sports car from a brand with far more prestige.
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Looks appropriately late 90s Italian, reminds me of Fiat Brava, Marea and Alfa Romeo 156. Nice work
Yes.
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No introduction needed. 
The V-8 2300 was launched in 1956 and succeeded the V-8 2000. The unibody had been restyled to be much more contemporary and offer improved interior space. The running gear remained largely unchanged, with the increased displacement being the sole mechanical change. Like the predecessor the chassis was shared with the 1350G, but longer. The 2300 was the best selling of the V-8 lineage with over 150.000 produced until 1962, but this figure included the 2000G, which used the old 2000 V8 in the 1350G body as a cheaper alternative to fill the quite considerable gap between the two. The twin-carb 2300 Speciale was a particular favourite with the italian police forces.
Technical specifications:
Steel monocoque body and frame
Double wishbone front suspension, three link live rear axle with coil springs
4-wheel hydraulically assisted drum brakes, 275mm all around
90° OHV V8 with cast iron block and aluminium alloy cylinder heads
Bore x Stroke 75x65mm, 2299cc, single or twin Solex 35 downdraft carburetor
Compression ratio 8.5:1 (9.5:1)
97hp @ 5000rpm (126hp @ 5200rpm), 183Nm @ 2700rpm (197Nm @ 3800rpm)
Engine weight 178kg (188kg)
4-speed manual transmission, rack and pinion steering
Total weight 1024-1129kg
0-100kph 11.1s (9.8s), Top speed 161kph (175kph)
Price (2018): €10,000-35,000 depending on engine and condition
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