We just finished celebrating the national chest bump known as our Independence Day, an event that brings out all sorts of individual interpretations of just what it means to be an American.
Now, when it comes to cars, we know what’s American—the Corvette, Mustang, and Jeep Wrangler pretty much have those bases covered. Not every car maker was quite so astute in understanding what Americans want in a car and so today, as sort of a Red White and Blue sorbet to cleanse the palate, what I want to know is your opinion on what makers were the farthest off the mark. What do you think was the least American car ever to be sold here?
Image: AutoBlog
Hooniverse Asks: What’s the Least American Car Ever to be Sold Here?
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1959 Skoda 440.
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Le car
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Except that Renault bought into American Motors.
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True.. And they helped birth the xj cherokee which is a box of pure America when equipped with the 4.0
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The All-American XJ Cherokee: designed largely by the French; equipped with an American motor, axles, and transfer case; Japanese or French gearboxes; and electrical and electronic systems that used German, French, and/or Mexican components depending on year of manufacture.
As a past XJ owner on multiple occasions and overall fan of the model, it’s always amused me as to just how much of it wasn’t really American when it boiled down to it.-
Oh come on, it’s a jeep cherokee. Why don’t ya be a little more patriotic. Gotta give poor Ole 80s AMC some credit
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And I don’t wanna Crack my knuckles and get too deep into it but…. Yep, Japanese Aisin aw4 Transmission, an old school American straight six, it had Renault and bendix supplied engine control before being much improved by a Chrysler set up (high output) new venture transfer case ( built on my hometown of syracuse) Dana axles front and rear, and according to my build sheet 98% AMERICAN parts content and American built. You obviously owned the wrong years.
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Don’t forget that the ’87 to ‘90.5 manual transmission behind the 4.0 was the Peugeot BA10/5, replaced by the Japanese AX5. Personally, I’m an AW4 bigot; that plus the 4.0 and the NP242 is one of the best drivetrain combinations ever put in a 4×4 in my opinion.
As for years I’ve owned, I’ve had a couple of Renix-era models (’88 and ’89, if memory serves), a ’93, a 2000, and a 2001. Those were personal vehicles; I’ve also worked on quite a few others. Parts content differs on each one.
Out of curiosity, does your build sheet say ‘American’ parts content, or ‘North American’ parts content? I’ll admit that I sold my last XJ (the 2000) five years ago and don’t really remember clearly what the window sticker said in that regard. -
Ok maybe not as much as originally stated but per the 1998 window sticker, 84% U. S./canadian parts content, final assembly point is in U.S., and country of origin for the engine and transmission is U. S.
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I’m giving AMC plenty of credit without disregarding the history behind the vehicle’s development.
But you do raise an interesting question. Speaking as someone who is a dual US and EU national, which part of me should be patriotic about it? There’s as much European influence and input in the XJ as there is American, which is something about them that I find easy to identify with. -
That is an interesting point… From what I’ve gathered these were fairly popular/well received in Europe as well, so I suppose you could take pride in a vehicle that had influence from both sides of the pond yet was an actual success compared to most efforts that failed. The small size and uniframe construction and overall design thatthe European influence brought undoubtedly is what made it a smash hit in the 80s when first released. The tough solid axles and American motor and all the other touches were what made it worthy of the Jeep name.
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In a sense, AMC helped to build Chrysler’s reentry into the RHD European market in the early-/mid-’90s. There were two vehicles that were key to this: the XJ Cherokee and the Neon.
The timeline will differ somewhat for LHD Europe as Chrysler products had been available on the Continent prior to the XJ’s introduction in RHD markets (which I’m most familiar with) around 1993, but the XJ was the flagship for that relaunch. It was very successful, being compact, powerful, and capable. There were some teething problems – only having the 4.0 available for the first year, undercooled 2.5TD engines blowing head gaskets after that – but they developed a reasonable reputation for being a vehicle that could handle both the farmyard and city equally well.
The Neon is an interesting case. It competed partly on price and partly on offering something different by being an American car usable on a European scale, but also on equipment. At the time of its launch, air conditioning was an almost unheard-of option for a European car in its class. Within a couple of years, that was something that could be found on nearly every European equivalent, and even in lower-segment cars. IIRC, it also had automatic transmissions available as a no-cost option, something which nobody else in that segment was doing.
Ultimately, neither one exactly took Europe by storm, but they did manage to carve out niches for themselves in certain markets and did – in my opinion, at least – force some of the European manufacturers to re-think how and what they were offering in some of their cars in the local markets.
The photos below are of a fairly uncommon XJ variant: the commercial van; Irish-market vehicles are shown. Available in both 2- and 4-door bodystyles in the original and revised shapes, they had no side windows behind the front seats, no rear seats, and a flat load area. Never saw one that wasn’t a 2.5TD with the manual gearbox, and this was actually the first type of XJ I ever drove. It’s what got me interested in them, as it happens.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1304635613b3ef0e20ca4424ed09700f14c927db7d54a9001dac08b538adffcf.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/37dc0cff0ad1d2038f5b339e5f4a901c66fda9c84d11b2be6277731c73e98042.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3c096dca071bd2ad6b39727c5340a81ff9e87f788c148edc86b6cacd37739c5d.jpg -
I feel like AMC really was on the cusp of some great things that Chrysler ends up taking the credit for in the public eye. The ZJ grand Cherokee was designed by them, the renault/eagle premier platform that birthed the cab forward cars, the 4wd crossover eagle wagon, and more. And that Iis quite possibly the coolest thing I’veseen in a while, I gave never heard of those panel van xjs! I love the completely flat floor and paneled windows. My one 98 is used as a work jeep with the rear seat completely removed. Its interesting how the spare tire gets moved to the right side on RHD as well. In the US it seems 95% of XJS are 4.0 with the aw4 and the np231 case. Most of mine were set up that way but my current two have 242 cases, great for the winter. Every once in a while I’ll see a 2.5 gas engine model, and extremely rarely an early diesel or gm v6 model will show up. The manuals aren’t too common, but are in high demand. And once I go on my lunch I’ll look at my sticker, I keep it in the glove box. Right now I have two 98’s, and a 99 wrangler. I have owned many of them though… 87 Comanche, 93, 94, 97, a total of 3 98s for some reason, I briefly had an 89 but never got it on the road… I’ve also had a few of the ZJ grands, a 97 and two 98s. Every jeep had the 4.0 except the comanche
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Actually, I’m pretty much in agreement with you on most of this. The significance of the Premier to Chrysler over the two decades following its introduction is largely-overlooked, but that car’s descendents were instrumental in saving Chrysler’s bacon through the ’90s and into the early-to-mid-2000s. The LH platform really was excellent.
A slight correction: the Comanche did receive the 4.0 in 1987 along with the XJ and had it available right through the end of production in 1992. However, to the best of my knowledge, MJs never left the factory with the NP242. You might be thinking of the YJ: those didn’t get the 4.0 until (IIRC) 1991.
One of the most unusual oddball-spec Jeeps from that time that I’ve ever seen cropped up on eBay a few years ago: a 1988 Comanche with the Renault 2.1TD, 4WD, and factory snowplough. Can’t imagine there were ever more than a handful built to that spec; I really wanted it but it was in completely the wrong part of the country for me. -
Well the MJ I had was actually a throttle body injection 2.5 with a 4 speed manual.. My only 4 cylinder and only 2wd as well. And wow that is a seriously cool set up… Someone must have hand picked those options to have a rig just for themselves. Even in snowy central new York I don’t see many jeeps with the snow plow set up. You don’t see ANY 2.1 diesels around here. In most trucks that had those or the 2.5, a kid would end up swapping in a sixfrom a wrecked cherokee and junking the motor. And yes, the premier and ultimately renault influence on Chrysler in the 90s is extremely overlooked and not talked about often. As if the went from making k cars to cab forwards just like that.
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Never owned an MJ; every time I’ve gone looking for one they’ve either been the wrong spec, stupidly overpriced for the condition, or a combination of both. If the right one turned up in the right condition on the right day, though, I’d snap it up in a heartbeat.
Good luck with spotting (or finding) a 2.1TD XJ or MJ. The only other vehicles in the US to use that engine were the Winnebago LeSharo / Itasca Phasar RVs, which were heavily based on the Renault Trafic van that that engine was common in – in Europe. It’s not a bad engine, but parts supply is sketchy these days and not many survive.
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My Mom had a Plymouth Cricket. She actually liked it except it was kind of unreliable. I also had my first crash in it.
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I thought it was a nice looking small car. What was the source of the unreliability? Electrical stuff?
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England.
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“Maybe it’s the humidty.”
“*England* is humid.”-
Extra points for the Gumball Rally reference.
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One other line from that movie I catch myself uttering at certain times: “that car looks like a damn jukebox.”
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Mostly parts “falling” off. I remember the hand brake coming out. She thought that was funny.
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That’s a perfect reaction, or at least a healthy attitude.
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Didn’t Alex Haley write about his struggles with owning one of these? *gets coat*
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/31/Rootes_chrysler_logo.png
Ford tried to go all eurotrash with the Merkur brand. Customers said, “I don’t understand your ferrin’ models.”
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/MerkurXr4ti.JPG
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“Merkur”
“You mean Mercury? ”
” No Merkur ”
” Mercury? ”
” No Merkur! ”
” Where do you get one? ”
” At the Lincoln Mercury dealer”
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It was “Americanized” with the 2.3L 4-banger, alas. Mine should have been yellow, as all lemons should be.
I was going to go with the German designed, Belgian made Saturn Astra, but I remember something even worse.
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It’s a Daewoo sold as a Pontiac. I had a friend who owned one while his girlfriend had a second. Oddly they didn’t work out as a couple.
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Mine is a German designed, Korean made, raping of a historical GM name.
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(cough)historical French name (cough)
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As I’ve done before, I will point out that you can still buy it new from GM’s Daewoo factory in Azerbaidsjan:
http://uzdaewoo.ru/auto/nexia/description/
http://uzdaewoo.ru/uploads/color/newnexia/g6j-model.jpg -
Azerbaijan would be an awesome place for an F1 race. It makes as much sense as Baku does.
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I’ll vote for a horsedrawn smoking Nexia as the pace car.
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Both the “Saturn Astra” and this “Pontiac LeMans” were sold in the UK as different generations of the Vauxhall Astra. It’s the same car basically. The biggest difference is that the Saturn was the real European car while the LeMans was a poorly made clone of the Euro car.
Quelle était la question encore une fois ?
http://aebergon.perso.neuf.fr/photos_Renault/5_Le_car_modele.jpg
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C’est vraiment bonne quant il n’est pas seulmont “Un Car,” c’est “Le Car.”
The Yugo. Built in what was a then-Communist country and sold in the US during the Cold War, I’m having a difficult time coming up with anything less ideologically-opposed.
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A cheap, poorly built car, based on aging mechanicals… how is it any different than than most malaise era Detroit offerings ?
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BOOM.
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Detroit wasn’t importing its shoddiness from the Eastern Bloc, just building it.
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Apart for Chrysler, except they went further east :
http://www.antiquecarparts.net/parts/mopar/full/IMG_6151.JPG-
I had an ’83 Plymouth Sapporo that looked just like that. Loved the heck out of that thing. If it wasn’t for the rust on the frame rails…
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Except that the 1980 model Dodge Challenger we had in the family managed to make it to 480,000 miles on the original drivetrain before it was towed and cubed for unpaid tickets. Can’t consider it to be a poorly-made car by any means.
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Sure it has an automatic transmission. But it also has a 2 cylinder air cooled engine, and it’s tiny. And it’s ad mainly points out what it DOESN’T have, which is very un-american!
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I am always a tad sad for DAF. They made funny little cars, not all that bad, and were swallowed by Volvo in order to disappear from the map. Even today, DAF classics demand change at best, so their cultural and industrial heritage becomes more and more hearsay.
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If it makes you feel better, if memory serves me rightly the vast majority of Volvo’s small cars were designed in the Netherlands so DAF lives on, albeit behind a different badge.
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It did, all the way to NedCar, the Volvo/Mitsubishi mashup. But I guess pride and identity need a badge to live on, and the small Volvos never really got accepted. That’s why you can still find very good classic 340’s for 1000€.
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Yeah very true. They’d probably be more popular now as DAFs. Still, that’s just €1000 and a rebadge away!
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Aye. Leave it to us cheap Serbs to find a third-rate existing design and make it even worse. We’ll pinch a nickel, hoping a dime squeezes out of it. (Thankfully I’m only part Serb, and a small one at that.) Funny, this car immediately came to mind when I saw the title of this post…
My folks owned two of these monstrosities when I was growing up, a 1986 and a 1991. I’m pretty sure the 1986 one was identical to the photo below.
Might have been redeemed if 4WD, but no dice.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/1986_Dodge_Colt_Vista_Wagon,_front_right.jpg
Citroen and Renault have both sold some silly French cars here buti think the winner has to go to the Subaru 360. After all, the only reason it could be sold here at all was because it was not legally considered a car by the US government
Much like the others, I am thinking about the opposite of raw power, shoddy build quality and impressive design: The Honda Civic. Its success illustrates that no nation is only equal to its clichées though.
http://image.automobilemag.com/f/25348839+w750+st0/0908_04_z+50_years_of_honda+1975_honda_civic.jpg
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After the Cricket, my Mom bought a Civic. She didn’t like it as much, but it was reliable. Best of all I didn’t crash it.
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The Civic was the big seller but earlier Hondas were available. For people who thought BMC’s Mini was too big. And un American with it’s fancy IRS, the 360 had an easy to understand leaf-sprung beam axle mounted as far back as possible.Later, Honda would make larger motorbikes in the US than this car.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/1969_Honda_N360_01.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/30/1c/8e/301c8eea0e3145ab21de2e8d11cc64ef.jpg
http://only-carz.com/data_images/models/honda-n360/honda-n360-02.jpg-
I didn’t know they made it over the pond. Very nice!
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As something of a general statement: given that the US is a country of immigrants, my opinion is that selecting a car as an example of the Least American solely on the basis of its origin is something of a logical contradiction – particularly given that any number of foreign-built cars have worked well and been successful here. There really needs to be a quality or qualities that put it at odds with the environment in which it was sold.
Just my $0.02 (from someone who grew up in a country where every car was an import), thus spake the peanut gallery, etc.
One more for the pile: the Morris Minor. In theory, these cars could have absolutely killed the VW Beetle in the American marketplace – their more conventional styling and mechanical layout coupled with the availability of a four-door body should have given Morris a strong contender in the post-war economy car market. Unfortunately, unlike Volkswagen, Morris never really worked out how to adapt the cars to American conditions or driving (including maintenance) habits and coupled these problems to a spotty dealer network; this more or less doomed the model to failure. A shame, too, because they’re a really great car that, with a bit more cultural assimilation, could have been as ubiquitous on American roads as the Bug was.
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I always figured that the Beetle’s success was based on two things: Price and massive luck with well-placed advertisement. You make a compelling argument for a more rational alternative to actual history, but I guess they also struggled to gain attention?
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Of course, the Beetle was inexpensive, extremely reliable, economical, well built of decent materials, renowned for it longevity, and had a good dealer network. Morris Minors were simply cheap and built with the same build quality and materials as concurrent MGs. They required a lot of tinkering, rusted quickly and were as poorly supported by the corporation in the USA as any British car. That lack of support was a killer even for quality cars like Rovers. A tin can that felt like it was as cheaply made as it, in fact, was and designed to seldom exceed 40 mph never had a chance.
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I wonder, did Morris’ troubles get any better until production ended a couple of years ago?
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01370/hindustan-ambassad_1370575c.jpg-
Hindustan Motors: “One of the original three car manufacturers in India, founded in 1942 by Mr. B.M.Birla, it was a leader in car sales until the 1980s, when the industry was opened up from protection. All through its history, the company has depended on government patronage for its sales and for survival by eliminating competition.” But impressive model run. Though it’s not a Morris Minor. And the Isuzu engines were a boon.
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They were available with CNG, too, for a ridiculously low price.
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I have a 1993 Volvo 940 Turbo wagon that is approaching the quarter century mark. Although it is an old design, I often feel as if it was the epitome of automotive design as far as practical vehicles for daily use are concerned. It does everything really well (with the exception of driving in heavy snow) and yet is relatively simple and easy to work on. I feel very safe in this car, and only wish I had one a year or two newer so that it would have a passenger airbag. It’s very comfortable, and I even like the styling! So, I can understand the wisdom of Hindustan keeping the Ambassador in production all of those years. It has been “appropriate technology” for the Indian market and economy for many years and made it possible for many people to own a car who might not have been able to afford a newer design. I think I’d rather drive a Hindustan Ambassador than a Tata Nano. 😉
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To be fair, both VW and Morris (not to exclude other British manufacturers, but rather focussing on the immediate comparison) trialled their vehicles for durability in North America before selling them there; my understanding is that the early Beetles also had their share of problems during these shakedown periods.
The difference was that VW applied the lessons that they had learned from these tests to the production cars, leading to a more robust end product. They also repeated these tests in places like Mexico and Brazil, which helped with local adaptation in those countries. Morris, et. al. seemed to take their own results and just disregard them entirely, then wonder why certain key export markets just weren’t generating repeat business or sustained growth.
There’s also the extremely understressed engine, which led to better overall reliability.
The Minor really is one of those big “what ifs”. It originally should have had fully independent suspension and and a water cooled flat four instead of the A-series, but the usual BMC cost cutting undermined what was a very advanced car. Never mind Beetle killer, it’s descendants might have taken Subarus niche too.
Answer to a related question, “What’s the least American car built in America?”
http://rollsroycefoundation.org/rolls-royce-in-america.html
Ronald Reagan’s Subaru Brat. (Not the car pictured). Chicken tax-cheater so scandalous, it was kept out of the public eye that the US President owned and liked an import.
https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–QhuScs7K–/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/18s44wucmi9hljpg.jpg
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Political implications aside, I can understand exactly why Reagan liked it as much as he did. They really were fantastic trucklets.
And it’s hard to think of a more American vehicle than a pick-up, be it body-on-frame, unitary construction, or trucklet. -
The welded-in plastic seats in the bed helped it beat the Chicken Tax. I remember that a local junkyard here had one as a yard runner, with the doors removed.
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No worse than LBJs amphibious car collection
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You know, I figure it’s a strong point for a president to show an interest for engineering marvel and oddities. A very strong one actually, given that he also represents his nation of engineers and mechanics. But in today’s political climate, being that fond of a foreign car might just be mostly a liability – because of the silly notion of origin.
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I don’t think I agree. The Amphicar was a novelty. Even in the 60’s, LBJ could get away with his “no brakes” gag driving into the lake, because boat-cars were still pretty obscure. Where could he have gone for a similar domestic product?
Contrast that with the economy in the 80’s, with lots of US production losing out to Japanese companies. Reagan, who had previously worked on the Death Valley Days tv show and needed a 4×4 for his ranch, could have used a Jeep Scrambler or IH Scout or something else to get similar utility from a domestic manufacturer, but didn’t. The armed forces he commanded, at the time probably still had a few career military men who had battled Japan during WWII.
So, yes, sort of the same concept, but not even close in magnitude.-
Reagan had a Jeep CJ at the ranch too. That’s the one he used when photographers were around.
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The US has a long history of hiding the Presidents wheels I guess..
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Roosevelt_in_a_wheelchair.jpg -
Judging a President on the basis of his vehicular choices is a bit like judging a novelist on his handwriting.
To this day most people don’t remember that Ford sold their 1st Gen European Fiesta here from ’78-’80, where it was handily outsold by the aging Pinto.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QJzsxQ8Vhok/VJnnCW3J0aI/AAAAAAAADuM/B1Wplx1usSA/s1600/1976_cars_ford_fiesta_s_1978_us.jpg
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The thing is, while I completely agree that the Fiesta was unabashedly a European hatchback, it is one of the cars (along with the LeCar, Civic, and Starlet) that opened the doors to acceptance of hatchbacks in the US in the ’80s.
Thinking about it, I’m having a difficult time coming up with an American-designed hatchback that fits into the mould of the small Japanese / European models – there were the Pinto and Pacer, but those were front-engined, rear-drive cars. Granted, so were the early Starlets, but they followed that layout on a more compact platform. Was there ever one sold under an American marque that was truly homegrown as opposed to being either a captive import or badge-engineered vehicle built locally?-
The thing that limited its sales was the fact that it was only available with a four-speed. You could get a/c, but no automatic.
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I rest my case.
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Interesting; I had no idea. I can see exactly how that would doom the car in the US market.
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Despite the Simca underpinnings, the 024/TC3 variant of the Omni/Horizon were designed for the U.S., on Iacocca’s order.
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Good point. Forgot about that one.
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The early J car (Cavalier, etc.) and the Citation had hatches, but are probably not small enough for your consideration.
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Agreed on both counts. I’d be willing to give either one a pass if they were closer in scale to the European / Japanese cars mentioned earlier, but I’ve always seen them more as competing in a segment for larger-sized compacts.
Then again, American market tastes and conditions allow for larger cars. Probably the best distinction I can draw while staying within a similar type of vehicle would be to compare a Corvair against a Renault 8 or 10. Similar methods of reaching an answer to a question, but with different end results that don’t necessarily compare directly despite their similarities.
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Dodge Daytona/Chrysler Laser. Depending on what you count as American-designed or badge-engineered, Eagle Talon/Plymouth Laser.
http://pics.imcdb.org/0is220/lastkill87.120.jpg-
True, but those were aimed more at the inexpensive coupé end of the market. Sure, they had hatches, but so did my Ford Capri. Neither one was competing against a Suzuki Swift, though.
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Oh. I was thinking Japanese hatches closer in size to 200SX or Integra. Either one of which has more rear seat legroom than a DSM.
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The Corvair would fit that description.
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As a homegrown compact, I agree – but not as a homegrown hatchback in the European / Japanese idiom.
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I was actually thing of the Corvair’s contemporary – the VW Beetle.
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Ah, gotcha. That I do agree with, though the Corvair was ultimately a larger car than the Beetle simply because market tastes and conditions in the US could allow it to be.
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Dated a girl in high school who had one of those…….
Those backseat makeout memories. …….
And designed by an American, Tom Tjarda, at Ghia,(who also designed the De Tomaso Pantera and Fiat 124, the real one.)
I remember because apparently my aunt had one for a while. It sat dead at my grandparent’s house for years. It disappeared about the time I became interested in cars.
Hmm… the MOST American vehicle sold in the US is probably a 4WD pickup truck like the Ford Raptor; a utility vehicle made into a sports vehicle for a very American kind of sport. Nonsensical, impractical, fun! (Jeeps might be just as American, but they’re not as nonsensical as a full size truck with a vestigal cargo bed.) So we’re looking for the opposite of that.
I guess timing has to do with it, too. In the height of the Muscle Car boom, as Monster Trucks were just getting known in the lead-up to the Urban Cowboy days, someone, somewhere decided to introduce the Opel GT. While swimmingly impractical, it was competing for market share against other un-American imported 2-seat sports cars. America never loved tiny 2 seat sports cars! Even the Corvette at that time was just a dragster.
It’s un-American character was highlighted by being sold alongside land barge Buicks.
Looks like someone’s about to get their ascot kicked.
https://vintagecaradvertisements.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/buick_opel_gt_gs_hr_1150.jpg
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Are you kidding? Opel GTs were as ‘Merican as male Speedos.
http://i0.wp.com/hooniverse.info/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/opelgt.jpg-
As in the Buick advert, all the girls are staying away from the guy touching the Opel.
“Male Speedo” Is that a speedometer that reads faster than you’re going and reads up to 200 mph even though it’s in a pickup truck?
Did we miss a “Opels don’t have trunks, either” joke when this was a Classic Captions picture?-
That social analysis on the girls staying away from the Opel guy almost threw my off my chair here. I’d like to give you a bucket of upvotes.
How many of these sold?
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https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/%2784-%2786_Pontiac_Parisienne_Sedan_%28Orange_Julep%29.jpg/640px-%2784-%2786_Pontiac_Parisienne_Sedan_%28Orange_Julep%29.jpg
I mean, it’s practically French, that’s pretty un-American.
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Serious answer? Smart fortwo – it fits in the bed of an F150, it really only makes sense to city dwellers with limited access to parking. It’s pretty much the polar opposite of the typical American vehicle.
I mean, I love it, but I’m also only America-adjacent.
Lotus Seven It’s small, light, efficient, cramped with no concern for comfort or excluding the weather, and hardly any storage space.
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..Like a Cobra.. oh, wait…
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True, they both had Ford engines.
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I’ll put in a vote for the least mainstream American car, the VW Beetle. Buying a Beetle was at first a mark of eccentricity that distinguished you from the crowd. Later it became a form of protest, a way to identify with the counter-culture. Not just a bumper sticker, but the whole car said you were going against the grain. (In that aspect it’s truly a very American car, or buying one was a very American form of political statement.)
Also, it never participated in the very American planned obsolescence, new model / facelift / platform every year cycle.
http://paintref.com/bug/brochure/1970beetle_12.jpg
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It also was not marketed based on luxury or motorsports success, which were the primary American pitches at the time.
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That one just makes me excaliBURP.
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Option 2, Saab sonnet
Citroen SM. FWD performance car with a V-6 in the 1970s. Plus assorted French weirdness. 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Though in some ways a large coupe with a big motor is very American.
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8005/7634960030_e11889a5c0_o.jpg-
It’s an alternative universe Oldsmobile Toronado if you think about it..
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Your “Comment” is 75 lines of code.
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Damn Android phone.
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Renault Fuego. That car was just “different” from any other car on the planet.
BRE/Datsun didn’t choose these colors by accident.
http://www.tellysworks.com/_src/sc628/BD013_BRE3champs.jpg
The 1960 Renault Dauphine.
French. 845cc engine. Our neighbors owned one in the same, sad powder blue color as the photo. For perspective, remember this car was being sold new in the same year as the batwing Chevy….
The neighbor’s kid and I, being American boys, used to argue which would win in a drag race – the Dauphine, or my Dad’s 1959 SAAB 93 – sure the SAAB was only 748 cc but it was two-stroke! We never found out the answer though because although the race started we both grew up and moved away before the race ended…..
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Though I have to agree that the Dauphine was not one of the Régie’s finer moments, adding more cubes and re-clothing it as the Caravelle makes it an appealing proposition – more so if you start sticking Alpine bits on it.
Humber Super Snipe. Most sources agree that a few hundred were imported to the USA. http://www.allpar.com/photos/adopted/humber/super-snipe-1961.jpg
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