cars that almost got good before getting axed (pickup trucks, Buick, Dodge)

[Electrician4you]

Syclone
Typhoon

[Patrolman]

Tucker 48.

[John-UK]

The Facel Vega Facellia brought the company down, but they got the engine right just too late.

[MOD CUT/copyright violation]

[wamer27]

Pontiac G8, V8 versions only. Pontiacs only decent car they ever made.

[Keifus]

Originally Posted by wamer27

Pontiac G8, V8 versions only. Pontiacs only decent car they ever made.

It's back, also known as the "Chevrolet SS"..

[Keifus]

I'd say the Ford Thunderbird.

I think it could make it in a RWD, luxury-sport sedan with a Mustang-based Chassis (with 4 doors), to compete with the SS, Charger, etc.

[Seafood Junky]

Fiero

Magnum

Corvair

Cadillac Alante

Ford GT (mid-2000s)

Buick Grand National/GNX

[Vannort54]

Covair was a Ralf Nader car. The Corvair lasted 10 years. and the Cadillac Alante. The Allanté is noted for an unusual production arrangement, where completed bodies — designed and manufactured in Italy by Pininfarina —[1] were shipped 4,600 mi (7,400 km) from Italy in specially equipped Boeing 747s, 56 at a time,[1] to Cadillac's Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly plant where they were mated with domestically manufactured chassis and engine assemblies.[1] It was to expensive to keep building because of the exchange rate between the USA and Europe. To keep building the bodies in Italy and flying them to Detroit. Only 3,000 a year were sold thats not enough gor GM to make any money on.

[JWG223]

Originally Posted by elhelmete

By that I mean cars that came out as mediocre (or worse), got notable annual improvements, but got cancelled just as they were getting "good."

I'd throw in these:

Pontiac Fiero

and a personal fave: The Merkur Xr4ti

The Camaro back in 2002. Man it had gotten good! Had a few flaws, but was REALLY turning out mean! Then they killed it...and brought it back almost a decade later not a bit faster on the acceleration, but much nicer in every other way (except arguably looks, regarding the Camaro vs. Firebird of 1998-2002, I still personally like the looks of the Trans Am from the 4th gen vs. the Camaro of the 5th gen).

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by Vannort54

Cadillac Alante. The Allanté is noted for an unusual production arrangement, where completed bodies — designed and manufactured in Italy by Pininfarina —[1] were shipped 4,600 mi (7,400 km) from Italy in specially equipped Boeing 747s, 56 at a time,[1] to Cadillac's Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly plant where they were mated with domestically manufactured chassis and engine assemblies.[1] It was to expensive to keep building because of the exchange rate between the USA and Europe. To keep building the bodies in Italy and flying them to Detroit. Only 3,000 a year were sold thats not enough gor GM to make any money on.

The Allante and the Chrysler TC both followed a similar playbook(Italian-American collaboration). Neither vehicle reached "almost there" status. Before anybody mentions it, the spiritual successor to the Allante(XLR) was never really in the ballpark either.