Quote:
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
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Growing up in the 1980s (born in ’75), I immediately thought of several cars from that era that fit the bill.
The
Pontiac Fiero was the poster child for GM in the 70s and 80s. It seemed that they skipped the product testing and quality control on a lot of cars and let the poor SOBs who bought them do it instead. Slap something together, toss it on out there and see what comes back for warranty repairs.
The Fiero didn’t stand a chance of being of being the car that it was intended to be when it was introduced in 1984. It was sold to GM execs as a high-mileage commuter vehicle that could get up to 50mpg, so it would increase their Corporate Average Fuel Economy figures. It was given a shoe-string budget ($410 million, later slashed to $300 million) which required major compromises/shortcuts. The rear suspension was borrowed from the X-car (Chevy Citation) and front suspension came from the Chevy Chevette. Hopes of developing a unique, economical engine for the car were also quashed by the budget. Instead, they used the corporate GM “Iron Duke” 2.5L 4-cylinder (outdated, heavy, noisy and underpowered).
The most innovative aspect of the Fiero was the steel space frame and fiberglass/plastic body panels designed for it. Beyond that, the only thing it really had going for it was looks….and it looked good at the time! But the ’84 with 4-speed manual took 11.3sec to reach 60mph…the more common 3-speed automatic was several seconds slower. It didn’t help that the Honda CRX was introduced about the same time, for less money and significantly lighter on its feet.
For ’85, a new 5-speed manual replaced the 4-speed with the 4-cylinder engine and a 2.8L V6 with 48 extra horsepower (140 vs. 92) was also added. But yet another 2-seat competitor arrived in ’85 courtesy of the Toyota MR2. Sales took a hit with the MR2 and CRX picking up sales momentum. For ’86, a new ‘fastback-look’ for the GT and 5-speed manual for the V6 were added.
By 1986, rumors of engine fires were becoming very common and, unfortunately, true. My cousin’s early-production red ’84 Fiero SE burst into flames in downtown Atlanta in November 1985. A bystander noticed the flames coming from behind the rear window (where the mid-engine was mounted) and she escaped unharmed. When the firemen arrived, all that was left was melted red plastic dripping off a steel space frame! She decided to get a larger, safer car and (unknown to her at the time) bought the first Acura Legend sold in the state of Georgia.
The engine fire issue only affected a small number of cars, but it was very bad publicity. In 1988, the Fiero finally got a $30 million suspension that it deserved from the beginning. But the bad publicity and plummeting sales caused GM to pull the plug at the end of the 1988 model year, just when it had finally turned into a good looking, great handling and quick car that didn’t burst into flames.
My second pick is another GM ‘destined to fail’ project- the
Cadillac Allanté. The bodies were designed and manufactured by Pininfarina in Italy, then flown to Detroit to be mated with the domestic-built chassis and engine. What could possibly go wrong with that plan? The car was intended to compete against the Mercedes SL and Jaguar XJS convertibles.
The saddest part was the 170hp 4.1L Caddy HT-4100 engine under the hood. Quality control, leaking convertible tops and engine problems were all common complaints for ’87 models. For ’88, they increased the engine to 4.5L and increased output to a more credible 200hp. The quality improved over time, but it wasn’t until 1993 that it truly became a viable alternative to the SL or XJS. The ’93 was introduced in early 1992 with the new 295hp 4.6L Northstar V8. 1993 was the final year for the $60k+ car ($100k in today’s $$$).
My final pick shared an engine with the Merkur XR4Ti mentioned by the OP. The
Ford Mustang SVO was introduced for the 1984 model year with a 175hp version of the 2.3L turbo 4-cylinder. The much lighter engine was mounted perpendicular to the front axle which improved handling substantially compared to V8 Mustangs. For 1986, the engine got a boost to 200hp and flush headlights gave the ‘unique’ fascia a much cleaner look.
The SVO was intended to fight against European and Japanese sports cars of the day. But to Mustang fans, the 210hp V8 GT costing about $4k less ($11k vs. $15k) made much more sense. The ’86 was a great vehicle, if only they had priced it a little lower and marketed it a bit more.
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