By Robert Emslie
Ghibli is the name of a wind of northern Africa, one of the Siroccos that draws that continent’s dust and pollens northward only to settle into the azure depths of the Mediterranean sea. Another of the Siroccos is the Khamsin. When first applied to one of Maserati’s Grand Touring models, the Ghibli name evoked images of speed, agility and exotic beauty. Even today the wind-in-your-hair version remains one of the most exciting and electrifying sports cars ever produced. Today, Maserati has repurposed the Ghibli name on a small sedan that, while probably very competent does not evoke the same emotions and probably will not be seen in the same light as its ancestor decades down the road.
That’s one example of a hallowed name being reused by a manufacturer in the attempt to once again capture the elusive lightning in a bottle. We’ve seen it time and time again, sometimes successfully – I think the current Camaro has well earned its name – while others not quite as much. In that latter category I think you could lump the Daewoo-sourced Opel that Pontiac attempted to foist on the buying public back in the ’80s. No amount of new wave music and spandex pants could distract from the fact that not only was the little Korean a spectacularly bad car, but it also almost irreparably sullied the LeMans name.
Like Movie studios panning for box office gold with sequel after sequel, car makers like to leverage classic and venerated names for their equity, wringing them dry until they has no more to give. They then discard the name, usually replacing it with some other they seem keen to destroy. What do you think have been the worst examples of this tend, cars and trucks that carry classic names but fail to live up to them?
Image source: MotorTrend
Jeff Glucker
A little too pretentious:
<img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/47/173622128_cdeeb30531.jpg" width="600">
And of course the US was never sent the mighty 5 GT Turbo.
CHEVY NOVA!
<img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2006/07/250px-1987_chev_nova.jpg">
I dunno about this one. It was basically a Toyota Corolla and while not super exciting was definitely a much better car quality-wise than most of its predecessors. My dad owned one and my uncle owned several and they liked them quite a bit.
This! It was no Nova SS350, but most Novas were little more than cheap economical transportation. If "cheap economical transportation" was a word in the dictionary, a picture of a Corolla would be beside it.
Even crazier, in Japan, these carried on the Toyota SPRINTER badge!
But yeah, up until the more recent years of everyone hunting for an American rear-drive to build up, Novas were largely unloved.
My sister put 290k miles on one. The car acted like it hated every single one of them, and I think she kept it going for so long just to spite it. At around 40k, it suddenly started pinging and ringing like there was a bell choir under the hood, and demanded premium gasoline for the next quarter million miles.
It worked, but it did it grudgingly. It got good mileage, but it was gutless and unenthusiastic. It was a decent commuter but getting onto the freeway was terrifying every. single. time.
And it's sad that this is now the first car that comes to mind (though I quickly banish it) every time I hear the word "Nova".
We had an '88 that we sold at 125K because we thought it was nearing the end of life. Should have kept it. Though it felt quite flimsy, it was quite reliable and economical and actually fairly roomy inside. Slower than molasses (and ours was a 5 speed), but it looked pretty good and just kept going.
Pontiac LeMans
<img src="http://static.cargurus.com/images/site/2008/05/10/08/51/1992_pontiac_le_mans_2_dr_value_leader_coupe-pic-34433.jpeg">
Kill them all with fire!
Happily, there aren't many left to kill.
This is a Maserati Sebring
<img src="http://flameroad.com/pics/Maserati/52/b3/14978_Maserati-Sebring-Series-II_7.jpg"width=500>
Unfortunately, this is a (Chrysler) Sebring too
<img src="http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/1996-chrysler-sebring-jxi-3.jpg"width=500>
I can see it.
You need to see these people: http://www.lenscrafters.com/
What's worse, the (Chrysler) Sebring became more offensive and cheaply-built with each consecutive generation.
How about a couple from GM?
The Chevy Malibu and the Olds Cutlass?
Specifically, the N-body cars, which have virtually no merits to speak of. I admittedly have a soft spot for the Epsilon Malibus though, even the rental spec-est '04-'07's.
Better than the atrocious Corsicas they replaced. These actually have a quiet cult following.
The new Mini. Not a bad car per se. Doesn't deserve the name, proportionally speakiing.
<img src="http://s3.motoringfile.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/car_photo_369484_25.jpg" width="600">
Neither does the Fiat 500..
<img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2252/2335751052_30df3ace1f.jpg" width="600">
Correct. If taking names from BL, the Countryman would be closer to a Landcrab than a Mini. But that name probably didn't test as well…
My college roommate only learned about the medical treatment for landcrabs after an unsuccessful attempt at self medication with a sharp pencil and a razor.
Dang images aren't cooperating today.
The second gen Challenger.
And a case can be made for anything SHELBY from Dodge. Even though those were some badass cars and trucks, they aren't Cobras.
Edit for more: FiveHundred- may have been a good car, a wasted name.
I really like Shelby Dodges, they're just more 'cult classic' then legend.
Continuing that supplemental thought;
<img src="http://media-cache-ak1.pinimg.com/736x/62/2c/4c/622c4c949e187e697a3be0c7d3e75ee6.jpg">
Not bad(?), but not really a sport sedan.
I think I'm mostly annoyed the current SHO doesn't have the Yamaha V8 you could get in the Volvo S80.
I'll see one in traffic and say "SHOW!!"
The kid corrects me with "S-H-O!"
Which is pretty remarkable since the 3rd Gen had been out of production 2 years before he was born.
There's something not quite right about the Chrysler 300 with the 2.7 – it's stripped, slow, and not all that stylish. I'm not all that bothered by the more basic Chargers, as those were originally available with /6s and whatnot, but the 300 was always pretty range-topping.
Going a slightly different direction, the Maybach was sort of lame. I mean, props for using the W140 over the W220 as the base, but it was never really captivating otherwise.
If the Challenger was available with a slant 6, manuat trans and dog dishes, I'd have one.
I'd love a Pentastar Challenger with a stick, but I know it'll never happen.
Plus, the 2.7 is garbage.
Bora:
<img src="http://www.ssip.net/upload/maserati-bora-front-1_174.jpg">
Perfectly adequate, but NOT Bora:
<img src="http://www.autotrader.co.uk/articleresources/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Volkswagen-Bora.jpg">
At one point in time, I honestly thought this was a derivate of "boring", giving the marketing crowd credit for their irony. Now I understand it is more of a far…warm wind.
Yeah, the VW definitely has a benign aura about it.
Well, the Germans have always been a comforting people…[youtube oT28K-lZ4bk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT28K-lZ4bk youtube]
Well, to be fair, this is the 2nd time that Maserati repurposed the Ghibli name. The last time around, Il Tridente applied the Ghibli moniker to a restyled and re-engineered Bi-turbo. Most of the auto punditry considered the Ghibli II to be a lot better than the Bi-turbo….then again, the bar was set pretty low.
<img src="http://www.gt-cars.org/images/rsgallery/original/Ghibli_II.jpg">
<img src="http://www.alsautosalvageandsales.com/vehicle_images/sales-lot/020-2003_vw_beetle_conv_paleyellow_stock23635_vin0094-a.JPG" width="600">
Dodge Ram Daytona. I mean, come on – I love trucks, and I love Ram, but this never just came off quite right.
<img src="http://www.dodgeramdaytona.com/featured/images1/05rdaytonabykbyrd_2.jpg">
Who doesn't want a truck with a big wing inhibiting access to the most useful part of it?!
I like the guys who try to haul lumber and have to prop it the wing.
Stop it! This truck has become too silly.
<img src="http://biobreak.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/graham_chapman_colonel.jpg" width="300">
Foisted on an unwilling Canadian public, the Pontiac Tempest of the late '80s.
<img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VoPqXNVjVic/TlDSrC1KGYI/AAAAAAAABRI/anThGmeg4VM/1989_PONTIAC_TEMPEST.jpg">
Holy crap – it's like Pontiac didn't even try. Except for the plastic grille insert, I see nothing different about it. Nothing.
To be fair, they really didn't – at the time, Canadian GM dealers were split into Chevrolet-Oldsmobile and Buick-Pontiac-GMC (with Cadillac stuck with whoever had suitable volume, although more frequently with BPG). Because we're a little cheap in Canuckistan, BPG dealers frequently demanded quick and cheap rebadged Chevys for the sake of having stuff to compete with the Chev-Olds dealer across the road (although why they needed the Tempest and Grand Am simultaneously, I'm not quite sure).
To make the Grand Am look more appealing, maybe?
Either that, or because it was decontented and cheaper (I'd have to go back and check prices later). To be fair though, I would've loved a Tempest hatch, especially if they ever made one in similar spec to the Corsica LTZ.
I think they had different tail lights too. I remember seeing one on the road and thinking who made custom tail lights for a Corsica?
Without a doubt, the Mustang II comes to mind first for me and along with that was the Mustang II Cobra.
I'm on the fence about that – on one hand, it was unquestionably lame, but at the same time, it was a sporty(ish) car derived from Ford's compact, just like the original Mustang, I at least appreciate that Ford recognized the Mustang had gotten too big and heavy, and made steps to rectify that.
A while back, Top Gear gave Lancia the prize for having more really excellend models than any other manufacturer. There were more—nine or ten, I think—but Aprilia, Beta, Stratos, 037 and Delta Integrale stand out in my own mind.
Well, Fiat decided to bring the name back and slap it on a bunch of unexciting cars for reasons that must make sense in Italian.
Here we have a new Delta, where they sullied the model name along with the marquis:
<img src="http://www.autospectator.com/cars/files/images/Lancia-Delta-Ad.jpg" width=350>
Too big? How’s about a new Ypsilon?
<img src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9ixwGalEb-Y/0.jpg” width=350>
Not your speed? Maybe a Thema, then.
<img src="http://static.blogo.it/eurocarblog/lancia-thema-03-02/LanciaThema_001.jpg” width=350>
Transporting the kids’ futbol team? Well, then, you oughtta git yerself a MOTORFINGER LANCIA VOYAGER.
<img src="http://img2.netcarshow.com/Lancia-Voyager_2012_800x600_wallpaper_06.jpg” width=350>
This makes me sad. Kids ten years from now won’t hear the name “Lancia” and think of bonkers racecars with engines that sound like a pack of ungoverned chainsaws in grainy, shaky videos. Someone will say “Lancia” and the first thing they’ll think of will be a minivan.
.
EDIT:
Frickin' pics don't seem to want to work, so:
The Theema's a Chrysler 300 with a different grill
The Voyager's a Chrysler Town & Country. With a different grill.
The Ypsilon? Dunno, but I betcha it exists as something else somewhere else with a different grill.
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Lancia_Zeta_front_20071004.jpg/800px-Lancia_Zeta_front_20071004.jpg" width="600"/>
Lancia's had a badge-engineered minivan in their lineup for 20 years.
The Ypsilon will probably go down as their last "original" design.
I bet you didn't expect this…
<img src="http://www.blogmotori.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Chrysler-Ypsilon.jpg">
This Italian Stallion
<img src="http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/Gallery/Ducati%20650%20Indiana%20%20%201.jpg" width="400/">
Is the Ducati Indiana. Also probably the lamest anything to bear the name Indiana.
(Edit: I thought it was a question of the lamest vehicle to bear a classic marque)
To continue this diversion, I'd add one from Mandello del Lario, Guzzi's Nevada 750. Maybe not as ungainly looking as your example, but for anyone taller than about 5'7" or with more than a year of riding experience, very lame: braking, handling, rear suspension all reach their limits at barely supra-legal speeds. A highly overpriced starter machine.
<img src="http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/Gallery%20%20A/Moto%20Guzzi%20Nevada%20Classic%20750%20I.E.3.jpg" width="600">
Well, someone already took the Daewoo LeMans, so I'm stuck with the '80s M-body and K-body Chrysler New Yorker Imperial Lebaron Fifth Avenue grab bag. I wanted to post a picture but it was just too confusing. (Not how to post a picture, but how to choose one and how ChryCo chose a name.)
<img src="http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/2014-Jeep-Cherokee-cover_edited-11.jpg"/>
No.
this better win.
Ford 500
Maybach
Rolls-Royce
1986 Eldorado:<img src="http://www.mclellansautomotive.com/photos/F7451.jpg">
1958 Packard:<img src="http://www.badgoat.net/CRH_homepage/Penquis/Penquis_03_05.jpg">
<img src="http://www.web-cars.com/images/vette_img/221436_a.jpg" width=500 /img>
This might be slightly heretical (and also fitting, being a few days from its 60th birthday), but a 150hp six-cylinder and two speed slushbox are sort of lame compared to the classic that would come.
GTO
I misunderstood the question and immediately thought of Chevy's use of the ' Chevrolet Classic' name on the last gen Malibu for fleet sales:
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Chevrolet-Classic.jpg" width="600/">
Of course, that this was called a Malibu fits the question perfectly.
I also discovered that Chevy sells this 'Classic' in Brazil:
<img src="http://flameroad.com/pics/Chevrolet/3d/84/4292_Chevrolet-Corsa-Classic_10.jpg" width=600>
Nothing classic about either one of them. Meh.
Don't have a pic but that tiny crapbox that carried the "Cougar" name from the late 90's.
The current model Alfa Romeo Guiletta (bland & bloated 5dr Euro-hatch) makes me sad.
The Citroen 'DS' range (marketing-hyped, 'premium' compacts and CUVs) have none of the grace, style or wonder of the original Deesse.
Even Renault have had to admit that their relaunched Gordini brand (appearance package versions of their 3dr hatches without any worthwhile performance upgrades) have been a failure and have damaged a brand that had a special place in many people's affections.
Each of these seems to be lazy marketing: Even though Guiletta/DS/Gordini do not mean much to the majority of the people they are marketing these cars to (definitely non-enthusiasts), rather than develop a new sub-brand or range they pick a name out of the back catalogue. Even though the new car shares nothing with the original it gives an excuse to use evocative footage in the ad campaigns (cue grainy flashabcks to la dolce vita/nouvelle vague/80s rallying) and claim a respect for 'heritage'.
Hi there! This post couldn’t be ritten any better!
Reading through thyis ppost reminds mee of my good old room mate!
He always kept talking about this. I will forward this write-up
too him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!