Do you know why Chevrolet builds the Corvette? Or why Chrysler is on their third round of Viper? Is it because they love building extraordinary cars for a small cadre of dedicated enthusiasts? Nooooo, it’s not. It’s because  pimple-faced, mullet-sporting teenagers will scrape together enough loose change to buy some old clapped-out used Cavalier or Neon just because it shares a brand family with a venerated and aspirational sportster.

Halo cars, we love ’em, but boy do we not buy ’em. Instead – because we’re all workings stiffs with lives and expenses and jobs that don’t pay us what we’re worth – we buy those old Cavaliers too. Or maybe, if we’re crazy and flush enough, a new or nearly new something or other because taking the bus is an education on social stratification that makes us want to hang ourselves, or just get drunk, and there’ll be time for that after lunch.

So, are halo cars effective in keeping buyers in the brand? Do you think, like a sports team that has a key celerity player, our fandom is driven by the cult of that top dog personality? What’s been your personal experience, has a halo car ever influenced your purchase of a particular marque?

Image source: StreetLegalTV