I always lament the loss of good cars. When a nice model or sensible and exciting car gets taken of the market, I feel like the market just missed the point. In my eyes, the car makers will try to do something unique and special for it’s favorite gal (Us), and we just sorta smile and go “Oh...Its...so unique...” and never think of it again. Well I find the unique and innovative gifts to be the best ones, so here’s a short list of my Top 5 Cars You Should Have Bought, But Didn’t.
5. Honda Del Sol
What’s there not to love about this car; it’s light, zippy, happy handling, good on fuel and it’s a convertible (sorta).
It’s essentially a Honda Civic with a cute new body slapped on and a Targa Roof...with the VTEC engine from the Civic Si. The best part though, was the rear windshield, which rolled down like the two side windows. How cool is that!
Imagine yourself with a date (Guy or Girl) and they’re like “This is a pretty swell car you got here...” and you say “Oh yeah? you think so? check this out...” instantly they will want to procreate with you. Fact.
4. Saturn Sky
This one just defies logic. It’s a true blue American car, built in Wilimington, Delaware with an American designed engine and chassis. Not only that, it had some serious muscle, with an I4 engine that with an optional Turbo would develop 290 bhp! in a car that weighs a tonne and a half wet...so it went like stink.
Sadly and completely unexpectedly it sold atrociously, and in it’s final year they sold a mere 8 cars. I’ll let that sink in...8...ouch.
3. Jaguar XJ220
The 90’s, so much of that decade is remembered for being tacky, and not as timeless as things from the 60’s or 70’s. But one car, in my eyes, is the most under-appreciated piece of magnificence ever to come from the 90’s; The Jaguar XJ220.
First off, it’s a Jaaaaag. You have to go long on the “a”, Jeremy Clarkson put Jag ownership in a nutshell with the anecdote; If you arrive at the end of a lovely dinner with a beautiful lady, and the waiter drops the check, all you need to do is pat at your pockets half-heartedly and say wryly, “Terribly sorry dear, I seem to have misplaced my wallet... I’ll go start the Jaaaaaaaaaag.” and you’ll instantly get in her pants.
Secondly, and this is partly it’s downfall, is the engine they used, a 3.5L twin-turbo V6 developing 542 bhp. But, that wasn’t the originally intended powerplant. No, the designers originally wanted to put the enormous Jag V12 in it. This had gear heads frothing at the mouth, but due to things like weight and pesky “emissions regulations” that motor was on it’s way out. Not to worry! the one that ended up in the car actually produced more power. And it was essentially a Cosworth DFV Formula 1 engine, with two cylinders lopped off and the rev limit lowered. Not a bad “Plan B”.
Lastly, It looks awesome, it held the the record for fastest production car for 2 years from until it was beaten by the legendary Mclaren F1, AND was the fastest production car around the Nurburgring for 8 years!
2. Pontiac G8
In a time when General Motors was, by enlarge, making absolutely atrocious vehicles like the vile machines such as the Chevrolet Aveo a.k.a. Pontiac G3 Wave a.k.a. Suzuki Swift+ a.k.a. Daewoo Kalos. All the same car and equally awful to be in the vicinity of. But they all sold poorly, so you all knew better.
But the G8 wasn’t created in Korea, where Daewoo is based. It wasn’t even created in America where GM, your friendly neighbourhood car-maker, is based. Nope, It was created in Australia. Where they do this:
So naturally the kinds of cars they make would be mind blowing as well. You’d be right on that one too. The Holden Commodore was a brilliant car, sold in North America as the Pontiac G8 and the Vauxhall Monaro in Europe. It was unbelievable, you got a quiet four door family sized sedan, but, under the hood you have the 6.2L V8 engine out of a Corvette producing 415 bhp and just as many lbs/ft. of torque. The things a monster!
It makes me think of moving away to the country, so I always had to drive this car. Unfortunately they stopped production on it in 2009, along with the rest of the Pontiac line. Good news is that they are selling for a bargain, a car that has less than 50,000kms on it and is all of 2 years old, fully loaded with everything, will cost you in the realm of $25,000 a steal considering it was worth almost $50,000 new.
1. Volvo C30 PCP
Ok, so this one is not technically within the rules but a post titled “One car you should have been able to buy but as of this moment is in production limbo due to uncertain economic situations in the global market, and as a result are literally unable to buy” didn’t quite have the right ring to it.
The C30 in my opinion, is the single best looking hatchback ever made, It’s breathtaking. It is easily in my top ten garage and makes me quiver with glee whenever I see one. That being said when it first debuted I hated the look of it, but curse that Stockholm Syndrome, it grew on me and now I want nothing more than to be near it.
As if my lusting after this car wasn’t enough, Volvo decided to ring up their pals at Polestar, a fellow Swedish company who painted the thing electric blue, and used their wizardry to give it all-wheel drive.
But they weren’t done yet.
No, they figured the 2.5L I5 engine in the top end stock C30 was a little wimpy with it’s minor 230 bhp. I mean god forbid you have the same horsepower in a sensible and practical hatchback as you do in a Ferrari 308. No they worked day and night with their alan keys and somehow got it to 405bhp!
GREAT ODIN’S RAVEN!
405 bhp?!?!?!?! Are you Frakking insane! They must be, because they didn’t remove any of the seats, or cargo space, or A/C or the Radio/CD player. They make it seem like, aside from the body kit from the Swedish Touring Car Championship, that it is a completely average, normal, electric blue hatchback. How can your kids show their faces at school if on the way there, their faces have melted from the sheer force of putting that ridiculous amount of power in a Volvo. Eggs will be broken, fragile cargo will be pulverized, your empties will be turned to dust! Talk about swedish meatballs!
This car then is something special, and if we’re all lucky, Volvo will actually make it. Yep, they went from “Hell No!” to “Perhaps we’ll make a dozen or so” to “Maybe a limited run when the rain clouds pass”. That my friends is progress. We all have the ability to save this car from it’s fate as a one off drool machine to drag around to car shows. You could still drive this car.
And since it would still out of my price range, even if they made it, I can only hope they keep it around ‘till I get my $50 Million in the mail from Lotto Max...
-Jim-Bob
Amazing!
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