I know when they do these things normally, everybody gathers Around, they pull the sheet off the car, and the crowd goes wild, almost as if they are forced to.
But have they ever unveiled a car, and the people were so taken back that they shrieked in horror?
Pontiac Aztek?
In reply to Datsun310Guy :
That one sounds about right
Nissan Murano Convertible?
In reply to Datsun310Guy :
Edsel?
Some of the original Bengal designed BMWs weren’t well received in the press, but imo have aged well.
When I saw the ND reveal, I said out loud. "No. What? WHAT!? NO!!!" But I was streaming it from home.
It's grown on me a bit but I still think it's just an OK-looking car. Here's how close they came to greatness:
I think the Roar over the Tucker Went Quickly. But was the Tesla of the day.
Quoting the NewYawk Times:
The Edsel was the original Yugo. The first Aztek. It was the colossal failure to which all future failures would be compared.
But the car wasn’t just a lemon. It was also a catastrophe of marketing. “Despite several features that were not necessarily innovations — a vertical grille, self-adjusting brakes, Teletouch transmission buttons on the steering wheel and a floating speedometer that glowed when a preset speed was reached — the Edsel was panned by the public,” wrote Dave Kinney in The New York Times two years ago.
“Among other things, it was derided for having a grille that looked like a toilet seat. Time magazine popularized the wisecrack that it looked like an Oldsmobile sucking a lemon.” That distinguishing feature was more affectionately known as the horse collar grille.
The biggest one that I can remeber is the Mercedes SL reveal with the weird nose. There was an audible gasp and zero clapping when it was first shown.
2012 Civic was much-maligned when it was unveiled; so de-contented compared to its predecessor they refreshed it within the calendar year.
Nissan Murano Cross Cabrio?
I can't imagine that the AMC Pacer had folks fainting in the aisles. Did they even bother unveiling that thing?
They actually sold a ton of Pacers when they debute.
Datsun310Guy said:Pontiac Aztek?
Definitely the Aztek. I remember reading Bob Lutz talking about how that thing got rammed through to production. That was the era where GM was getting shelled for being "boring", so anything that resembled a risk got fast-tracked for production. They took the Aztek concept and unveiled it and reception was severely negative and the marketing guys were going "This is a terrible idea" but it was viewed as "Well, a negative reaction is better than no reaction at all" and got greenlit. This was also the impetus behind the Pontiacs with massive cladding and funky taillights, and the Envoy XUV, and Quadrasteer, and the Webasto 5-panel panoramic sunroofs. Notice that most of those died a swift death.
Yeah, the AMC Pacer was a big hit when it was introduced. "A compact car with the width of a full-size" or something like that. It sold well.
That new Civic?
I think I saw an Aztec a couple days ago. It's hard to tell, as I'm like driving along and suddenly "GAW! I'M BLIND....'
Hey, the Aztec got quite popular later on because of the Breaking Bad following. I actually know someone from work that bought one because of the show. He still has it.
In reply to Tactical Penguin :
But the Powell Motors Homer has rack-and-peanut steering...
Triumph TR7. They went from a torquey 6 cylinder to a smaller inline 4. IRS rear suspension to live axle. And there is the legend that designer Giorgetto Giugiaro looked at the curved accent line on one side, walked around to the other, and said ‘My God! They’ve done the same to the other side as well’ when he first saw the TR7 at a motor show.
I actually like the TR7/8. But not everyone did, especially at first. It didn't appeal to the typical Triumph buyer. But I give them credit for attempting to build a contemporary car.
floating speedometer that glowed when a preset speed
That would actually be kind of cool
I actually like the TR7/8. But not everyone did, especially at first. It didn't appeal to the typical Triumph buyer.
Rubber lipped flying doorstop didn't get much appreciation on release and when the cars started going back to the delers for extensive warranty work due to shoddy build quality, that didn't help the image.
We have quiet a few TR-8s locally but I've managed to resist the temptation - the luke warm engine tune isn't really inspiring (they should have used the one with another 60 bhp) for one thing. Not bad to drive, mind you, but just doesn't inspire even a little fanaticism in hobbyists.
I recall the Taurus raising quite a stir when it was introduced. I don't think it was panned, but it sure caught people by surprise.
Pretty boring now.
In reply to Streetwiseguy :
Call me crazy but I always liked the looks of 4th Gen Taurususususes.
You'll need to log in to post.
