Been there done that. Awful job and dumb design.

There’s no way Subaru doesn’t lift MSRP on the ‘22 WRX above $30K, or even well above for a moderately-equipped car. Every creditable source is already predicted that price and given Subaru’s astonishingly lean inventory—which is likely to continue for the next year—the company has little incentive to go against a…

The new, updated 2022 WRX that I was talking about? I’ll believe it when I see it.

ND too difficult to park.

This is true, but then both the Si and GLI will be several thousand cheaper than the Elantra N, which is expected to start in the low $30K range. The closest competitor on spec and price, believe it or not, will probably be the ‘22 WRX.

I don’t think it’s quite that bad yet. You can get a very nice Midget/Sprite, Spitfire, or sometimes a B for less than $10K. But the available stock is very low so remaining examples are either very nice or very much in need of restoration work.

What is this, the Dukes of Hazzard?

It’s funny that you mention British Leyland. This car was likely built before the merger so it’s really a BMH car. British Motor Holdings was a complete mess and very close to collapse in the mid-1960s thanks to underpriced cars and terrible quality issues.

Yeah, I was gonna say the same things. Cynical? Not really. Naive to say it’s cynical? Yes, definitely.

“Forcing” EVs down peoples’ throats is many times easier than any single item on this list.

I like the idea a lot. I’m sure the design will have to change somewhat to meet regulations and that’s where things could get expensive.

I’d say that counts as production. The technically similar EV Plus from Honda also counts: only 340 produced but they were also leased to consumers. Same goes for the EV trucks, S-10 at 492 made and Ranger at 1,400 units.

I think you mean the 3.8 V6? If what I read it true, Ford was forced to stop using asbestos in its head gaskets in the late 1980s. It turns out that ingredient was really helpful for aluminum engines and Ford found out the hard way after moving millions of Essex-powered vehicles out the door.

I agree with you, this was not a bad engine. Compared to the steaming pile it replaced, the 2.3 Vega engine, it was a bellwether: a big four-cylinder that was just smooth enough (yes, it was still a rough-running engine) for consumer use without the added expense and weight of balance shafts. I think GM was so giddy…

It’s not just the large, expensive vehicles, either. Just check out the awful Gran Coupe in person... even with the weirdness this RWD 2er is far easier on the eyes.

Agreed. And even in person there’s a weird disconnect between the harsh angles of the bucktooth-grille and the very soft lines of the back 3/4 of the car. This is especially true of the coupes. 

A challenging Gandini design. These shouldn’t be judged too harshly until you see it in person. In photos the headlights are cartoonish and the bodywork looks “fat”. But the detail work is beautiful and the design makes a little more sense. The design brief for Gandini was to make an Italian TVR.

C-and-D did a review back in the day as well and the driving experience was basically the same as a Mustang except with much higher levels of grip that led to understeer in most situations. Not surprisingly, the suspension did far better than the Mustang’s at corners, but the reviewer dinged the steering for being as…

It’s not quite the same level of heresy. At least the Mangusta did have a chassis handmade by an Italian firm to go with all sorts of other Italian bits, from the wheels to the seats. The average TC, meanwhile, had absolutely no Maserati in it. I think the only Italian pieces are maybe some of the interior and of…

For the Gremlin AMC also shortened the wheelbase a LOT—108 to 96—so the side glass and bodywork would need to be altered anyway. I suppose you could have used the sportback hatch to improve access to the cargo area of the Gremlin, but then you’d have to design around the fuel filler cap above the bumper. Also, the…