@w1ngnut: I have no problem with the X-90. Just think of it as a 1:1 scale Hotwheels car.
Car? Ja, ja, ja.
Price? Nej, nej, nej.
...Mireille? Elle stupéfie!
Price? Nej, nej, nej.
...Mireille? Elle stupéfie!
@Kuang: Don't hold back; tell us what you really think.
Any front-engined car with the gearbox in front of the engine automatically gets my vote.
@horspowr1001 Concours d'Sexegance: I wouldn't doubt it. In the mid-'60s, my father listed his optical shop in a newspaper ad of local business owners who welcomed black customers, and got threatening phone calls.
...and this was in post-Civil-Rights-Act Buffalo, NY.
...and this was in post-Civil-Rights-Act Buffalo, NY.
@rianocerous: At some marketing meeting, Toyota had a conversation like this:
"So, what cool names have not been used by other car makers?"
"City names are always good. They make our product sound more American, and they can be used without licensing. But all the glamourous ones have already been taken."
"Okay...what cities are still up for grabs?"
"Sandusky...Brainerd...Lake Placid...?"
"It needs to start with a 'T.' How about Tacoma?"
"Um, Boss? You've ever actually spent any time in Tacoma, have you? ...It's kind of a crime-ridden dump."
"No, I haven't. But who cares? Neither has 98% of the rest of America."
"Good point."
"So, what cool names have not been used by other car makers?"
"City names are always good. They make our product sound more American, and they can be used without licensing. But all the glamourous ones have already been taken."
"Okay...what cities are still up for grabs?"
"Sandusky...Brainerd...Lake Placid...?"
"It needs to start with a 'T.' How about Tacoma?"
"Um, Boss? You've ever actually spent any time in Tacoma, have you? ...It's kind of a crime-ridden dump."
"No, I haven't. But who cares? Neither has 98% of the rest of America."
"Good point."
Cars are a mature field, and as such they're all increasingly alike. Does the legacy and special mystique that comes with the Jaguar brand put any pressure on the current company to do things different than the competition, to differentiate your cars, to make them "a Jag." or do you just do whatever makes the best car for today?
@Shift5G: After a while, you just go straight down, like a skateboarder on a set of stairs.
Military-wise, I'd have to go with the the Renault FT. It's like a WWI version of Star Wars' TIE Fighter.
Tucker Terra tracked ambulance.
@Captain_Spadaro: You can get it with a decent manual trans, and FWD is what it is. But it still uses that abominable "World Engine," is the real turd in the Compass's bowl.
Still has World Engine = Still wouldn't consider.
Still has World Engine = Still wouldn't consider.
I would like to like the Paseo, but I can't.
I actually test drove one when they first came out, because it seemed like a solidly built mix of practicality and fun... which only made the reality all the more disappointing. It failed on all counts. It was, instead, a significant milestone along Toyota's march into beige mediocrity. Supposedly a "sporty car," it was actually more boring to drive than the Tercel coupe it replaced. It signified all that Toyota was doing wrong. Their still reasonably pleasing shapes were inching more and more toward bland, and inside it could put you to sleep at the wheel -- well, if not for the constant tinny creaking sounds coming from the body...and that was the coupe! I can only imagine the cowl shake this convertible must have.
I actually test drove one when they first came out, because it seemed like a solidly built mix of practicality and fun... which only made the reality all the more disappointing. It failed on all counts. It was, instead, a significant milestone along Toyota's march into beige mediocrity. Supposedly a "sporty car," it was actually more boring to drive than the Tercel coupe it replaced. It signified all that Toyota was doing wrong. Their still reasonably pleasing shapes were inching more and more toward bland, and inside it could put you to sleep at the wheel -- well, if not for the constant tinny creaking sounds coming from the body...and that was the coupe! I can only imagine the cowl shake this convertible must have.
Ten years? Wow. Dave Cross Motors in Lee's Summit, MO, just got around to taking the "Olds" and "Pontiac" off their highway sign within the last month. Way to procrastinate, guys!
@Panhardrod: You win.
Sorry, I'll still take a Takara Modern Times over this.
@MushyHeirloom: Wow, you're actually right.
But will it be "the stuff of legend?"
Not that it compares to life threatening injuries, but that smashed-up bike is (was) Andy's prize-winning, completely restored 1954 BSA Road Rocket. He's being a trooper and currently working to return it to its former glory. Go Andy!
All the cars in The Wacky Races were cool, but you can't do better than part tank, part steamroller, part jalopy.
