With Halloween upon us, you’re no doubt seeing all kinds of amazing costumes on whatever social media channels you frequent. Have you seen the super-clever Transformer costumes that actually transform? Incredible. As I kid, I once dressed up as a pinball machine, with eye slits where the score readout would be. [Ed Note: I’ll ask The Bishop why exactly he decided to be a pinball machine and get back to you. I love it, but it’s such an unusual choice, like dressing up as Asteroids – Pete]
Still, as impressive as getups like this are, you won’t receive much applause if you show up at work dressed as a cyborg in, say, late August. [Ed Note: You will if you work at The Autopian. – Pete]
Cars are the same way. Things that might have been runaway successes today just tanked miserably when they were released years ago. We’ve read much about the Scout recently; this sport utility was dropped by International Harvester in 1980 when the big company realized that off-roaders like this just weren’t popular or profitable. Yes, hindsight is really 20/20 ain’t it?
Also in 1980, American Motors released a line of modified passenger cars with an early all-wheel-drive system and a slightly raised chassis to allow them to do mild overlanding or, at the very least, easily cope with snow and mud that an average car couldn’t. Many buyers scoffed at this look, labeling it the “Hornet on Stilts” because of the AMC car that it was based on. Who, they asked, would buy this odd-looking thing that “crosses over” from a Jeep to a car? Today, it’s apparently everyone, but not back then.
By 1990, aero-looking cars and all-new luxury brands like Lexus, Infiniti and Acura were not just accepted, but desired by consumers. This was not the case five years earlier in the pre-Taurus days. The Ford Sierra XR4 was launched at Lincoln/Mercury dealers in 1985 under a new brand called “Merkur” to a truly befuddled world. Why does it look like a used bar of soap? How do you even pronounce “Merkur?” What is an “Exratee?” Wait, this thing has a turbo four-cylinder? I could get a V8 car for that kind of money!
Now, you’ll be the toast of Radwood if you approach the lot in one of these things, but it’s a bit too late to save what became yet another failed attempt by Bob Lutz to bring European enthusiast-type cars to American brands.
Can you think of more cars that arrived at the party way too early and had to leave way too soon?
I submit the Saabaru. For those who forgot, the 2005/2006 Saab 9-2X is a Subaru Impreza WRX restyled by Saab. It looks more refined, inside and out. I think it could have sold well in the present era. Subaru has gotten much more popular, but is still known for rugged styling. I’m sure some of their customers would prefer a more refined version.
They gave a similar treatment to the Chevy Trailblazer (Saab 9-7X, as you can read here on the Autopian!). But both products launched while Saab was close to bankruptcy, and did not get much exposure.
Given Subaru’s increased prominence and desirability, the refined 9-2X just might work today.
First one that comes to mind is the Subaru Brat. Of course if its modern interpretation is the Subaru Baja, then let’s forget that one. Dodge Rampage and Volkswagen (Rabbit) Pickup would be runners up.
Two minivans also come to mind: Vanagon Syncro Westfalia and Toyota Van 4wd. Both of these vans are mini-versions of the Sprinter 4×4 that is so popular with the overlander crowd. They had the Subaru Outback look before the Outback existed. Today’s AWD minivans don’t seem to be trying to appealing to that crowd.
I really liked the Suzuki Kizashi, but no one wanted or bought them. I really hoped this took off because if Suzuki were still in the US, they could have brought us the Swift and Jimny.
I submit the Lincoln Blackwood. Released 10-15 years later, this would have been the ultimate suburban cowboy vehicle. A decently executed luxury truck that the world just wasn’t ready for.
Had the Jaguar X-Type been released 6 months prior to the Ford Mondeo/Fusion rather than 6 months after – it would not have been perceived as a “Fancy Ford”.
I believe the narrative would have flipped to “Look at all the Jaguar bits you can get for the price of a Ford”
This same methodology could have served Lincoln’s perception in the market as well since all the way back to 1969 – When the new Fords and Mercurys rolled out an entire year before the Lincolns.
Lambo LM002 Offroader, if they could have reintroduced that when the Hummer H2 Fad kicked in, they could have easily been a contender.
EW, the Merkur is still atrocious.
based upon this sight and other youtubers , the aztek is mking a comeback, but still trash with it’s 3.4 GM V6 and lackluster offroad chops.
The original Chrysler Airflows were decent cars, just a bit too ahead of the times.
Upvote for the Airflow. Aztek, no so much.
I am going to submit the Plymouth Prowler.
The truth was that the V6 was the best option at the time. Chrysler’s iron LA engines were physically huge and could not have reasonably fit into the Prowler’s cone-shaped nose without throwing abandon to safety standards and other real-world constraints. They were also heavy and didn’t make much power, especially compared to the V6, which was quite potent and modern for what it was.
However, the HEMI that arrived a half-decade later, was physically much more compact and theoretically could have fit, with respect to production-car realities, and I guarantee you Chrysler would have done exactly that. And it would have been a Chrysler-branded car, too, since Plymouth would have been gone by then.
People, especially in the intended market, made a huge deal about Chrysler’s new hot-rod roadster not having a V8…and that cast a serious shadow over its desirability, then and now. But had it arrived some 5 years later, they wouldn’t have had to make that compromise.
Likewise, had the Prowler come a decade or more later, people would have been ready to accept a V6, especially one with turbos or a supercharger, in a halo car. Hell, Ford sold the latest GT with an EcoBoost V6, and got away with it.
those Prowler sixes had massive heads. they were still not a great fit, but they did make more HP than the 360 at the time and the size of the vehicle did not necessitate v8 torque to get moving. However the prowler was a paper queen, looked hot rod, did not make hot rod sounds and on paper seemed to be 2 cylinders short.
Let’s go back in time, shall we? It’s 1929 and the stock market is booming…for now. Duesenberg had a supercharged straight 8 coming out that would make 300 HP, Cadillac had the V-16 just about ready to go, and Lincoln was working on their V-12. All just in time for that booming stock market to crash, banks went insolvent, and the Great Depression hits.
For that matter – The Cord 810/812.
Terrific car – completely wrong for the time.