Wasn't the Ekranoplan considered a success? They even started building a second one more recently (I think).
The US government convinced the Diefenbaker government that Supersonic Interceptors were outdated and unneeded. They actually convinced Diefenbaker to invest in the Bomarc missile program. Ultimately when the Bomarc missile program didn't live up to its expectations, Canada ended up with McDonnell F-101 Voodoos.
As a Canadian, the entire Avro Arrow debacle makes me legitimately sad.
Really? No one has mentioned the Mack R Series yet? Not only is it a proven beast, but it looks the part too. Martin Penwald (Aka. The Rubber Duck) drove the hell out of his R700 in the movie Convoy, and the Mack R600 in Mad Max 2 went beyond taking a beating. They were also used as the basis for 95% of heavy duty…
I've been told it's really hard (And expensive) to find a good rally setup for a 944. That said, I've tossed my '84 around on more than a few forest access roads. It puts more of a smile on my face than any track day ever could.