You ever notice that while most of your family is pretty much tolerable there’s that one member that’s always either causing problems or is a total douchebag? Yeah, we all have one, and in fact they’re so common that there’s a name for them – Black Sheep. No offense intended black sheeple.
When it comes to cars and trucks often the opposite exists. Sometimes a dull as dishwater – or perhaps reprobate – model line will have one member that stands out and isn’t really all that awful. It may be in fact that it’s pretty-darn good. That’s what we want to hear about today – the… I don’t know, white sheep? of the automotive world. What do you think are the stand-out models of what are otherwise crap car lines?
Image: PowerflexUSA (Oh Yeah!)
Hooniverse Asks: What’s a Crap Car Line That Has Had At Least One Redeeming Edition?
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52 responses to “Hooniverse Asks: What’s a Crap Car Line That Has Had At Least One Redeeming Edition?”
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The basic LeCar may have been LeCrap but I still wanted one for the canvas roof.
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Was the R5 Turbo offered in the US? Because in yurop we also got the Gordini versions and in the phase 2 R5 (looks like a mild facelift but engine was now transverse like most FWD cars) there was the GT Turbo which was the best variant to still have back seats.
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The R5 Turbo could be had here, I don’t know about the other variants. I’ll bet someone here does, though.
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Or, a SHOgun Festiva, whether or not bottle-fed.
http://www.californiacaradventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/leno-shogun.jpg
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The entire company has produced (for US consumption anyway) nothing but crap for about 20 years now apart from the Evo.
http://static.cargurus.com/images/site/2011/04/22/15/57/2011_mitsubishi_lancer_evolution_mr-pic-5916937647846868202.jpeg -
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–AUA2VoDg–/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/k6z8qpepjrfc0zst32ti.jpg
Your standard North American-grade Chevette was a sort of horrid little car, although I found them endearing. Go overseas though, and they made some proper hot hatches out of them. -
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The Cosworth Vega was unquestionably the best Vega you could buy, but thanks to lofty expectations and a price to match, it was also the biggest disappointment. Making a Vega into an okay car was no small feat, but it was supposed to be so much more than okay. I still want one.
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I’m hurt. 🙁
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Don’t worry about what some loser on the Internet thinks.
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https://horsepowermemories.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/1986-dodge-omni-glhs-carroll-shelby.jpg
For that matter, a Shelby Mustang is little more than a fancy Falcon. -
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If the Supervan counts, so too should the Espace F1.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Paris_-_Retromobile_2014_-_Renault_Espace_F1_-_1994_-_003.jpg
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Chevy HHR Panel Van
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I appreciate that the HHR Panel exists, but take something that was pretty bunker-like as it was, and removing 4 windows isn’t a great recipe for visibility.
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It is the car for people who like to drive big trucks.
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Corolla a crap car? Sure, they’re usually boring, but crap? No.
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The AE82 Corolla GT of the same vintage wasn’t bad either, sure I’d prefer an AE86, but it was a credible enough Golf GTi alternative.
http://www.moodoke.pl/blog/wp-content/uploads/bs_2.jpg-
oh and Tiff Needell (of ye olde Top Gear and Fifth Gear) used to race one in BTCC too.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6070/6154275258_6cc84e861f_b.jpg
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The ultimate Corolla was probably the (very limited) production E110(8th gen) WRC.
AWD Turbo, 1999 WRC championship winner
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Toyota_Corolla_WRC_01.jpg
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Oh, the GranTurismo memories! Only .000215 RSi Beetles were made for every other type of New Beetle. Nifty.
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Dodge Colt Turbo for the win !
( one of these little bastages blew me and my firebird off the road in 1983 )-
like neight428 posted above, Mitsubishi has sent nothing but crapcans here (USofA)… even the screaming Colt’s rusted to death in months. I made a little montage of some cool stuff made by Mitsubishi below, can we get any ? NOPE… the new command/scout car ( second row, right)
is super awesome, cant get one – already tried last year.
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I’ve heard tell that these were good:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.carthrottle.com/workspace/uploads/memes/60293bf3c94a466fb021d6c9c69bf2-5477e0cb6a970.jpg
Though the regular flavor Citation is the reason I threw in that disclaimer, because I’m not sure I believe it.-
[citation needed]
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I just followed a tan over brown four door Citation hatch home. No rust, no dents, looked original. A time capsule. Driven by an old man doing 15 under in a 45. I don’t remember the last time I saw one.
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Fiat Ritmo….Abarth.
http://www.ritmoabarth.com/img/ritmo-abarth-125-tc.jpg
Sure, they rusted quickly in bits and pieces, but the two years until then must have been a blast!-
The didn’t all rust, that’s a terrible generalisation….. some of them were torque steered into hedgerows.
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Plus, you could brag that your car was handbuilt by robots.
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Sure, purists despise it for wearing the 442 name, but this was the one Cutlass Calais (if not the one first-gen N-body) that was anywhere near covet-worthy.
http://hooniverse.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/8ea39a53fc_640-Custom.jpg-
I love the no-nonsense proportions of this car.
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Studebaker wasn’t necessarily a crap car line, but they sure hadn’t done anything like the Avanti before (or last long enough to have an after)
http://www.cars-on-line.com/photo/57100/63stude57184-1.jpg-
Although the early Studebakers were known for using VERY little gasoline!
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-igWBhbDYoaQ/UAtLaz2zuJI/AAAAAAAAAEw/VVAihePPgZM/s1600/3CarriageStationW.jpg
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http://i874.photobucket.com/albums/ab305/bwalaszek/Solara_side.jpg
How about the Solara. You know, you could get one with a manual and a supercharger.
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/toyota-thunder-trd-camry-solara-road-test-
Even better, in the 1996-2002 Toyota Camry you could get the 3.0L V6 with a stick. Even in the XLE.
The Solara is essentially all Camry under the skin, so these TRD parts fit no problem into the Camry as well. We had a customer that had the rare-bird Camry XLE V6 stick that put all but the TRD rims on the car (wanted to still have a little Q-ship to it) and it was absolutely quick.
The extra parts were nowhere near the $9000 quoted in the C&D article. It was also slightly faster than what they had based on my memory. I want to say he was running low-14s in the quarter.-
I prefer the RWD V8 carbureted Camry…
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2014/005/0/1/toyota_camry_5_hour_energy_nascar_by_granturismomh-d70zph9.jpg
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Dodge Spirit R/T
http://www.dempseybowling.com/sheldodg/91rtad.jpg
Ford Taurus SHO
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/c3/a9/4f/c3a94f5ae131d70a34a55e39a83c7b97.jpg
Have one, want the other. The performance sedan niche has to be my favourite niche.
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Olds LSS. Take grandpa’s 88 sedan, add a rather tasteful body kit and a well sorted sport suspension and you have a nice full sized sedan from a surprising source.
https://autopolis.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/1996lss.jpg-
Almost looks like a Bonneville . . .
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I’ve always liked the looks of those, and you could get it with the supercharged 3.8 V6. Not sure I’d rather have one of these or a contemporary Park Avenue Ultra.
http://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/gallery/BUICKParkAvenueUltra-1084_1.jpg
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Suzuki Swift GTi. 1768 lbs of car sporting a twin cam, 16 valve, 1300cc four putting out an even 100 horse.
Not your average Geo Metro-
Also, the Chevy Sprint Turbo.
http://www.tflcar.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/chevrolet-sprint-turbo_100383061_m.jpg
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The RS and Mexico Escorts. They were/are great.
The standard rebodied Anglia, Escorts with 1.1 and 1.3 very, very much less so.
Despite the rose-tinted gaze they receive from America, they were like much smaller, lower powered, more rust prone, poorer made Pintos.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Ford_Escort_RS2000_MkI.jpg/1024px-Ford_Escort_RS2000_MkI.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Ford_Escort_MkI_1100_1972.JPG/1024px-Ford_Escort_MkI_1100_1972.JPG -
Not that the Dakota was ever all that bad, but just that a convertible pick up truck is somehow so cool to me!
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/1989-dodge-dakota-convertible.jpg
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