Hall of Fame

Aretha Franklin had a point.  Sometimes it is hard to get respect, even when it is obviously warranted.  Many times, respect is given based on reputation or appearances, and not on solid data.  For instance, Rush is likely the best rock trio in existence, and yet had to wait until 2013 to be inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame.  Madonna was inducted five years earlier.  Madonna for chrissake.  Clearly, then, in the case of Rock and Roll, respect may be due but ungiven.

The same is true for cars.  Most people respect the Ford Mustang, even though the vast majority of mustangs on the road are base models with wheezing engines and automatic transmissions.  Many far better cars exist, but are widely ignored because they are not cool.  Other cars were not chasing a Charger through the streets of San Francisco with Steve McQueen at the wheel, or raced by Parnelli Jones at Laguna Seca, or driven through Las Vegas on two wheels by 007.  TV shows and movies choose Mustangs for characters to drive because they are instantly recognizable as cool.  Other cars may be faster, better made, more comfortable, or less expensive, but they are not as cool as a Mustang.  So, even though it may not deserve it, a Mustang, any Mustang, gets respect.

I am in no way saying a Mustang is a bad car.  The latest version is stunning, even in four-banger mode, and the simple fact that it has always been an affordable, rear drive coupe earns it some credibility.  The point I am trying to make is that many other cars exist that deserve some respect, but don’t get it.  Here is a list of the top 5 cars that deserve a nomination to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in no particular order.

Lexus LS/SC 400.  Way back in the days of five pound cell phones and Vaurnet sunglasses, If you wanted a large, well made, prestigious sedan, you had exactly two choices.  The BMW 7 series or Mercedes Benz S class.  The BMW was a good car, with a willing chassis, but lacked the power to make it anything but slow.  The big Mercedes even slower, usually being optioned with a diesel.  Until then, nobody considered that a well engineered, well built sedan should be fast, affordable, or Asian. It is hard to imagine now, but in the beginning, Lexus was a gamble, so Toyota made sure it was special.  The big sedan’s 1UZ aluminum 32 valve V8 is a production version of an Indy race car engine.  The suspension was double wishbone up front and multilink in the back.  The dash had electroluminescent analog gauges, a Nakamichi stereo with subwoofer, memory seats, electrically assisted tilt and telescopic steering wheel, and a million other things the Germans had not done yet.  And it all worked.  Forever.

The LS is a little bland looking, a point that was corrected with the SC400.  Designed in Newport Beach, CA at Toyota’s CALTY design studio, the SC had no straight lines in its body design.  The same drivetrain, suspension, and interior of the LS was to be found in a stunning coupe body, complete with sports seats and suspension tuning appropriate for a personal luxury car.  With V8 power, the Lexus SC400 coupe was engaging to drive, and was faster and cheaper than the offerings from BMW, Mercedes, and Volvo.  The magic of the SC400 was never to be repeated by Lexus.

Subaru SVX/Legacy Sport Sedan.  While not based on the same chassis, like the two Lexus models above, these two cars faced the same fate at a similar time in Subaru’s history.  Once Acura proved Americans would buy upmarket Asian cars, every automaker from the land of the rising sun gave it a shot.  Toyota introduced Lexus, Nissan created Infinity, and Mazda planned the Amati line.  Not wanting to be left out of the lucrative premium car business, Subaru also planned a product line more ambitious than its current offerings.  The Legacy was the first car from Subaru that appealed to the main stream.  An unabashed styling copy of the successful Acura Legend line, the Subaru Legacy was larger, more comfortable, more attractive, and considerably less weird than anything previously available from the quirky automaker.  Subaru was no stranger to turbocharging, and offered a turbo version of its new Legacy in the United States.  Americans didn’t know what to think of the Legacy Sport Sedan, and even though its performance was on par with cars like the Nissan Maxima and BMW 325i, the turbo Legacy found few customers.  

Similarly, the SVX answered a question that had never been asked.  Striking window-in-window Giugiaro styling, all wheel drive, and flat six power were things exactly nobody expected from Subaru.  The lack of a manual transmission and brakes that were, frankly, not up to the task, left pioneering owners with a bad taste in their mouth.  Still, the SVX and Legacy Sport Sedan were fantastic cars.

Chevrolet Corvair Corsa Turbo.  What was the first turbocharged, flat six, rear engined car in the world?  No, not that one.  It is the Corvair Corsa Turbo.  Ralph Nader had a valid point with the early Corvair, it was simply not what America was expecting.  GM corrected the unstable handling and improved styling for 1965, resulting in a very desirable car.  The sportiest versions even had the option of a turbocharger, twelve years ahead of that other rear engined, air cooled flat six car.  But it was a simple case of a little too little, a little too late.  The muscle car era was in full swing, and due partly to GM’s errors with the early Corvair, the onset of EPA regulations was right around the corner.  The Corvair was unfairly killed off just as it became a great car.

Ford Thunderbird SC.  Somewhat affectionately known as the Fat Bird, the SC was hated by the very people that created it.  Harold Poling, the president of Ford Motor Co, lambasted the design crew for failing to meet weight and cost goals, despite the fact that the TBird emulated much more expensive European sports sedans and was a sales success.  The MN12 chassis features four wheel short-long arm suspension, like a Ferrari, and unlike a BMW, Porsche, Volvo, or Mercedes Benz, which all used simple front struts.  The chassis is extremely stiff, the beltline is low for good visibility, and the supercharged V6 is strong, smooth, and reliable.  The styling is reminiscent of the BMW 635csi updated to the 1990’s.  Calling it the Fat Bird is a bit of a misnomer, as it is no heavier than a new Mustang or Camaro.  Big coupes fell out of favor with the buying public, mainly due to the success of the Ford Explorer, and the Fat Bird will never be seen again.

1988 Pontiac Fiero.  The Fiero sucked, except for its final year of production.  Based on the front suspension of the Chevette and the front suspension and drivetrain of the Citation (that’s right, it had not only one, but two crappy cars under the svelte plastic body) the Fiero was a disappointment to drive.  The steering was heavy and uncommunicative, the engine was harsh and weak, the shifter was at ear lobe level, and the interior would have looked cheap in a Yugo.  But true to GM form (see the Corvair above) everything came good right at the end.  In its last year of production, GM gave the pretty little sports car a proper suspension, copied wholesale from the Lotus Esprit (which GM now owned.)  Had SUV mania not stolen all sports car sales, the second generation Fiero would have been a proper sports car, with a 24 valve DOHC V6 and less crappy interior to go along with its supercar underpinnings.  

It is not that the Lexus, Subaru, Thunderbird, Corvair, or Fiero lack a fan base, it is just that they are better cars than many universally lauded “great cars.”  They were all somewhat “out of the box,” which probably accounts for the fact that no great book, television series, song, or movie has ever been based on them.  Maybe that is why I like them.  They all represent a bit of an unknown quantity.  They are all better than they should be.  And they are all relatively cheap now, while a classic Mustang is hideously expensive.  I have always owned cars that impressed me in some way, even if I had to explain it to my friends.  Who all had Mustangs, as it turns out.