Suddenly it’s 1960 (again)! Well no, not that 1960. How about this one, the (more) real 1960? Yes, history repeats itself, and every so often, Detroit was forced out of its delusional slumber and denial to face the music that always seemed to grate on its ears: small cars. In response to a growing avalanche of European imports led by the VW in the fifties, in 1960 the Big Three launched their first-ever compacts: Ford Falcon, Chevrolet Corvair and Chrysler’s Valiant. By the mid/late seventies, those were all gone, but the Japanese were all here. So Detroit geared up for the second big import showdown of 1980-1981. Once again, Chrysler’s weapon was clearly aimed at the traditional American-car buyer: more technically advanced this time (FWD!), but conservatively styled, still smarting from the painful lesson of their bizarrely-styled 1960 Valiant.
The K-cars set out to recreate the 1960 Falcon’s success, all-too eager to recapture its spirit: small, boxy, roomy, pragmatic and all-American, right down to the front bench seat. Well, maybe a bit too 1960 America; just like the Falcon, the K-car appealed to traditional American-car buyers, but had no apparent impact on the the explosive growth of the Japanese imports, just like the Falcon failed to dent the Volkswagen’s success. So ironically, although the K-car saved Chrysler in the eighties, it did little or nothing to stem the tsunami that ultimately overtook the Pentastar a second time. History repeats itself… (Read More…)
Tagged as Chrysler bailout, gene sperling, K-car, lee iacocca, plymouth reliant
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Faisal Ali Khan - Will do that next time, sorry about it, forgot about it completely.
MRF 95 T-Bird - I never know these came in a Prospector edition. Over the years I have seen the Prospector edition of the pick-ups, van and of course the Ram...
porschespeed - Not even close to true. But a quaint myth propagated by those who don’t understand how EFI works. EFI *always* puts down more...
RobertRyan - “bogans” are rednecks. You are right it was a combination of the “fickleness” of the buying public (see above); Ford management...
porschespeed - Don’t get me wrong, you’ve nailed the basics. But the problems come from the fact that however one adjusts a carb, the...
DenverMike - I think there’s a lot more to it than having the F-150 hog the #1 spot. Ford would sell a lot of Rangers in the US, but how many would sell, well...
bill mcgee - As a former 80s Rabbit owner , I always thought that the pickup truck was the only Omnirizon product superior to the VWs . This based on driving a...
olddavid - WTF is a “bogan”? Why would a rational secure adult be concerned if some reticent wanna-be hipster calls you one? My mental picture of...
-Nate - As always Thomas ; Very well written , it felt like I was riding shotgun . -Nate
porschespeed - Carbs *are* a black art. They are only “right” for exactly ONE setting and the second the temp/humidity/altitude/fuel...