Being a fan of cars, you might find yourself liking cars that other people don’t. In fact, you should in yourself in the minority in some cars, or else you’ve become one of the “Honda or Die” people and in that case you probably also only drink Heineken. So assuming you’re not in that category, you probably have diverse – even somewhat obscure – interests. That means perhaps that you have a perverse appreciation for the Suzuki Verona, because it did have an inline-6 engine. Or Subaru SVX because it looked like a showcar, and had AWD and a flat six. Perhaps you like the Dodge Neon SRT4 because the turbo was just nasty. And since many of these views are so deeply in the minority, many of the cars we like are often flops. The general public just doesn’t like them. And that’s fine, because it means that usually these cars are cheaper to buy used. A lot of the cars on today’s Bob Lutz list fit into the category of great flops: the Merkur XR4ti, the Pontiac GTO, and the Pontiac G8. And while I like those, I have my own favorite car that was a total sales loser: Chevy Corvair. I love the design, the looks, the rear engine, the optional turbo, and the weird bodystyles available (Corvair Van!) and the fact that after they finished development (several years after it was released to the market, of course) it was actually quite good. What’s your favorite flop?
96 Comments on “Question of the Day: What’s Your Favorite Flop?...”
Back to TopLeave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You can also login using Facebook Connect.
Mitsubishi Starion.
GREAT looking car that I lusted after, but never pulled the trigger on.
I really like the FJ Cruiser. History will probably remember it as a flop because of the poor timing, initial hype, and rather quick fall-off in demand. I just hope that Toyota keeps making it long enough that I can afford a new one.
My first car, acquired when I was in high school was a 1963 Corvair, very basic and fun transportation. Dual carbs, great gas milage and good spunk. Always had the windows down in California (no A/C of course) and the one speaker AM radio turned up to max, was a load of fun. Of course, too young and stupid to know anything about safety, it did not have seat belts,had a metal dash board, no frontal protection, mediocre braking power and lousy when it did rain (contrary to the song it did rain in southern California). I purchased it for $175.00, sold a good while later for $200.00, wished I still owned it. It was no frills freedom, and that was priceless.
I have to go with 2003 Pontiac GTO – a great Mustang challenger but GM didnt have the guts to keep improving it or applying themselves to make it better for North America (with styling).
I’ll also throw in the Chrysler Pacifica because it was a very un-minivan minivan with excellent space and pleasant driveability. It had none of the tackiness of a Dodge Nitro or the blandness of a Dodge Journey. Again, I think had Chrysler stuck with it like they stuck with the original Caravan, we’de be looking at something decent now.
Oh and Saab 9-2X also. For obvious reasons.
SAAB 9-7x Aero. Best looking and handling of the GMT360s as well as fast as stink with its 6.0L LS2.
I also rather liked the Cadillac Allante, especially in its final year with Northstar power.
Ford Flex. I really hoped for that one…
I’ve always been a fan of AMC. Especially the Eagles. Not a flop per se, but an underdog nonetheless.
Not only did my father fall for a Fitch Sprint–a many-carbureted version of the Corvair created by his pal John Fitch–but at one time in the early ’50s, we were the only family in the country, I believe, to own two DKWs–”Das Kleine Wunder” Three cylinders, mix oil with the gas, and I loved the way the entire grille came off with the simple pull of a little gubbin so that you could get at the engine easily. I’d love to have one today…
That’s easy: The SVO Mustang. A wonderful euro-take on the Mustang, with the best handling on any Mustang previously. Nice interior too, for the time. With today’s gas crisis, the SVO Mustang might be the future as well.
It was only a flop by sales, not by its intrinsic worth or achievements.
I always liked the Avantis. Very cool looking. Never drove one though, and they were only for sale (new) well before my time.
GMC Syclone/Typhoon: those hot rod trucks were way ahead of their time. And, branding wise, GMC wouldn’t be so screwed if they never stopped offering something that unique to the market. (Or not.)
My old Fiat 500, circa 1959. It was a maintenance nightmare, but I really got a kick out of driving it.
I had to carry wrenches because the studs holding the exhaust pipes to the cylinders would vibrate loose. It would get louder and louder till I would stop ans tighten them. I finally replaced the studs with aircraft studs with castle nuts and safety wire. That fixed that problem.
Oil would leak and pool on top of the crankcase. If someone was tailgating, I could take off quickly enough to dump the oil on the muffler, leaving them in a cloud of smoke.
Corvair not a “sales loser”. From 60 to 66 the lowest # sold was 207,000 in 1964. The highest 328-329,000 in 61-62.And never below 200,000 units for those first 6 years. [#s courtesy of Corvair Central].Drop off was severe after 65 and Nader’s book : 100,000 for 66, 27,000 for 67 etc.
Saturn would love to see those early #s.Or Buick…..
AMC Spirit based Eagle SX4 [?]. Strange but useful.
Dodge Ram SRT-10 2 door with the 6-speed. If you’ve driven one, you know what I mean.
Not sure if it counts toward floppiness, but I sure loved my RSX-S. My ex referred to it as the “batmobile,” and I could fit a few dogs in the back.
But ditching the Integra moniker in the US meant no one knew what the heck it was. It was the last of the great hatchcoupes, a segment currently represented by the pokey tC. I was so happy when the latest generation civic came out, expecting an update the following model year – alas, we get the TSX instead.
Subaru Baja with the 210hp version of the 2.5L flat four and manual tranny. This was an update to another relative flop, the Brat which I also love.
For whatever reason, I am unusually attracted to oddball things like this question asks for. I can’t tell you why. But cars along the lines of the Bricklin SV-1, Delorean DMC-12, Tucker, Chrysler TC by Maserati, or even Cadillac Cimarron (though I hate what it did to Caddy as a brand) simply fascinate me.
For my money, though, I’m going with what I own – the Cadillac Allante. The Allante has an interesting history, the chassis was built here and then shipped to Italy, where Pininfarina attached the body. Then it was shipped overseas once more for the final assembly.
With its FWD layout, it was never really seen as a “credible” threat to the Mercedes SL or Jaguar XJS roadsters, even though it was improved over the years.
Though mine is an ‘88 (with the rather underpowered 4.1 engine), I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. For whatever reason, I love that not too many people know exactly what it is. And I’ve yet to come across another Allante while driving.
Pahaska :
October 29th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
My old Fiat 500, circa 1959. It was a maintenance nightmare, but I really got a kick out of driving it.
Oil would leak and pool on top of the crankcase. If someone was tailgating, I could take off quickly enough to dump the oil on the muffler, leaving them in a cloud of smoke.
Now, I know you’re making this up – “old Fiat 500 …. take off quickly…” – c’mon ;)
I owned a 2003 SRT4 and that was a nasty little car, but it was a ton of fun. It was fast and loud (car had no mufflers). It had to be one of a handful of cars from the factory that would backfire every so often, and it was supposed to!
I don’t think it could be called a sales dud though, because the car never had any incentives. Also, I believe Dodge upped production slightly to keep up with demand.
I moved into a 2006 GTO from the SRT4. The GTO is much more grown up, practical and refined, but I’m not sure its as much fun to drive as that SRT4 was.
Amazingly, I get almost the same fuel economy in either car. At least with the GTO I can burn regular, couldn’t do that in the SRT4.
My first car was a 1989 Mazda MX-6 GT (turbo). It was pretty much a more traditional looking, higher end Ford Probe. It looked like the typical bland japanese car, but with the 2.2L turbo it was faster than you would believe. Some cool features it had were oscillating interior air vents and 3 way electronic adjustable suspension. I loved that car.
The soon to be departed Dodge Magnum in R/T and SRT trim.
Oh, I forgot about the Bricklin and Delorean. I’d love to have either or both of those too.
It’s kind of creepy sitting in the Bricklin. It uses the same AMC parts bin switchgear as my CJ.
Mazda Mazda6 wagon, Ford Focus wagon.
+1 on the 04-06 GTO. In the future, it could possibly be the new Camaro, but I hope not.
I kinda dig the Saturn Astra 2-door too, but it needs the 2.0T to get my dollars.
paradigm_shift :
You beat me to it. I would have bought a new Baja if they were still being made in 2008.
Despite its foibles and electrical gremlins, I will always have a soft spot for my ‘77 Triumph TR7. Typical British Leyland build quality and Lucas wiring, it can be fun to drive and around here(Seattle area) it’s quite unique. No, it’s not gonna out-run or out-corner a Cooper S and it currently looks like crap, but it’s properly British (seeing modern day Mini Coopers with British decals on them REALLY annoys me)and a fun project to keep from rusting into oblivion.
G8 is a flop? Already?
The good thing about lusting for crap cars, sorry, flop cars, is that they come cheap. Right now I am thinking of buying a ‘88 two-cylinder Citroen Visa, in bordello blue. No other normal person ever wanted that car, and nobody ever will.
My other current flop-love is the Audi A2, which however has become a lot more popular in recent months because it was incredibly fuel-efficient. Rumors of the non-wild-ass type say that Audi is even considering re-introducing it to the market.
Mr Wilkinson: one of my oldest and best buddies drives a DKW 3=6, and if you ever want to drive it, just let me know, I am sure he’d oblige.
928S. Had one back in the 80’s. Incredible balanced and competent car. Would run all day at 200+km/hr. I also liked the looks (mine was rosewood with light tan interior). If they had built in lots of oversteer and a noisier engine I’m sure it could have competed with the 911. :)
Plymouth Superbird!
I second the Starion too.
I’m gonna hafta go with the XR4Ti. Three-door body from Ford’s Sierra, RWD, the same solid 2.3L turbo as the SVO Mustang (sans the intercooler), and available with a nice interior to include heated leather seats, power everything, etc., all wrapped up in what is arguably one of the greatest alphanumerical designations ever. Sweet car, and hardly anybody knows what one is, or has ever even heard of Merkur.
The Scorpio was a nice car, too. It had a 2.9L V6 (correct me if I’m wrong but I think it was the same engine that came in the Sierra XR4i), IRS, and all kinds of luxury options. My sister had one of these when I was in high school, and it was a really nice cruiser, although a total PITA for which to find parts and to repair.
I’m with you, no_slushbox. I lusted after a Fiero for years. And just when I was in a position to actually buy one GM killed it. The last GM vehicle I ever seriously considered.
Oh, yeah, the Magnum SRT-8 as well. It looks badass and is practical (space-wise, not gas-wise)
Mazdaspeed6
Pure awesome. Well, pure knuckle-dragging awesome — but still awesome!
If the Corvair really qualifies, I’d go with that, especially the second gen. If not? Does the Pacer qualify? No, probably not. Then the Edsel, just because I’m having a lot of fun wearing a McCain pin I made by cutting the grill out of a photo I took of a ‘59 Edsel, sticking his name on it, laminating it, and sticking a pin on the back.
The only flop I ever bought was a VW Vanagon. It was the version with the two rear-facing seats behind the fronts and a fold-up table in between. I loved that thing! With two small kids, one big dog, and shuttling hockey bags to the rink or the family cross-country to visit grandparents it was AWESOME.
Sure it was slow, and the 2.1 liter “wasserboxer” was an Achilles Heel … but it was genuinely comfy. The rear bench folded down to a queen-size bed! You could get up from the front passenger seat and WALK back to the rear passenger area to care for the kids while underway! It had a stick shift! The turning circle was ludicrously small!
Man I miss that old bus.
–chuck
My father bought a Merkur XR4Ti off the showroom floor in 1988, and started a family addiction that still hasn’t been completely kicked 20 years later. I ended up with that black 88 (and it’s almost put back together), and have run, crashed, rusted out, rally-xed, TSD rallied, and parted out too many XR4s to count over the ensuing decades. Still have a partially caged shell (likely never to be finished rally project), and two other non-runners that are “being saved for a rainy day”.
If Ford had a) not cheaped out on the interiors on the early cars (cracked dashes and insta-tear seats), b) intercooled them, c) not softened the suspension for the American market, and d) not named them Merkur, they probably would have had a real hit instead of something they don’t like to admit to anymore.
The Scorpio was a really nice highway cruiser, another underrated machine.
As a child of the ’70s, I’ve always appreciated a good station wagon. And thanks to my wife’s employer-sweetheart deal (via Lockheed) with Chrysler, she got a fine deal on a Pacifica.
Power? Enough.
Style? Enough.
Luxuries? Plenty.
Room to haul wife, husband, baby, large dog, and all the weekend accoutrements required by same? Oh, yeah, baby.
It even does just fine taking I-70 up to 10,000 feet.
As usual, however, Chrysler botched the marketing, pricing, and updating. As a result, we’re going to get creamed at trade-in time, and are done with ChryCo.
Er, GMChryCo.
Uh… I mean American Leyland.
For some reason this got deleted, but Fiero. In 1988 they perfected it into a very good mid-engine car, with both the V6 and Iron Duke engines. All of the fire and suspension issues were fixed, and it was much less lacking in power.
I also like the Fiero for its historical significance since, for the 1988 model year, GM redesigned the suspension, significantly upgraded both engines, and killed it.
Oh, and has anyone mentioned the Cadillac Allanté? That was a serious item of lust in my youth. And in my rapidly-approaching middle age, too.
And not to sound too GM-friendly, but Caddy’s XLR always turns my head the same way any particular Mercedes SL (up until the penis-themed models from 1989-onward) does.
But the SL was hardly a flop. XLR? Not so much.
I’ll second Sajeev’s GMC Syclone/Typhoon. Might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but those trucks cemented and expanded the sport compact truck segment for decades afterwards. People still make copies of those where I live. I’ll agree with his assessment, too, something like them should be made again (20k cheaper than a SSR).
Leyland (there’s that name again) P76 Sedan and Force7 coupe.
http://images.google.com.au/images?hl=en&q=leyland+P76&gbv=2
A great example of a committe designed vehicle. Supposed to scare the pants of Ford/Holden/Chrysler in it’s day. An absolutely huge vehicle, just in time for the first fuel crisis. Interior to seat six comfortably and a boot (trunk) that was large enough to put a 200litre oil drum in with room to spare. In the six cylinder version you could put a chair and a tool box in the engine bay, and sit beside the engine to wortk on it. Killed by shocking production quality(?) issues/methods and a total misunderstanding of the market. Sounds just like a GM-Chysler merger (American Leyland anybody?)
Dodge Ram SRT10, I have to give mine back next month and I will miss it. They were giving these away 2 years ago, 24 month lease for 330 per month with NOTHING down!
The most fun car/truck I have ever owned…….
Volt
My last three cars, all wonderful flops.
S2000
Magnum SRT8
Evo X
Wow every car I was going to mention has been spoken for. XR4Ti, Subaru SVX (I always smile when I see one, they are super rare), the Delorean, the Bricklin SV1, and the last gen Fiero I rather liked. Was the Subaru Brat a flop? I thought I used to see a lot of them. Sure like those crazy seats in the truck bed. Too bad they’re not legal anymore.
The one that wasn’t mentioned which I’ve actually had the pleasure of driving was an ‘86 Audi 5000. Not really a flop until that ridiculous story about “unintended acceleration” came about. Drove one owned by an ex for a couple years until she totaled it. That car was super fun and handled extremely well. She wrapped it around a light post after speeding through a rain flooded underpass at 4am. The car was literally unrecognizable as a car. It was just pieces everywhere. She didn’t even get a scratch. Amazing.
The revived T Bird
second generation MR2. Love that car. They did not sell many so its a flop, right?
1958 Mercury Voyager
“Corvair not a “sales loser”.”
Not by modern standards, but those were the days when Chevrolet (never mind the rest of GM) was selling 1 million+ DelRay/BelAir/Impalas a year. The Corvair was regularly whomped on by the Falcon and Dart in the early ’60s, so GM kicked out the Chevy II to save face and sales.
I going to say the Pontiac Aztek. The front actually agrees with me, the only condition is I’d get or make a fuel door for it. How did they forget that anyways?
1974-75 Mazda Cosmo. I wanted it soooooo badly. The looks were – phenomenal. The smooth, super advanced Wankel engine. The real wood steering wheel rim, instrument panel and the velour interior (yes, it was the 1970’s, don’t forget). The greenhouse was so stylish….
The Mazda was a real flopper on the market, though.
Ended up with a brand new Ford POS I mean Pinto, on my 18th birthday in 1975.
Disappointment doesn’t even begin to describe it.