Here's an interesting topic that recently crossed my mind. Often, when a car maker will want to give one of their products a little bit of exotic allure, they will name it after some distant, far-off locale. I always find it a little funny to see a car named after a place where it was never intended to be sold, sometimes for obvious reasons. So, let's explore some of these uniquely named cars...
(https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_1315/qstziit8pw8hwkjsc7f2.jpg)
Part 1: Volkswagen California
This one really upsets me on a personal level. I once briefly owned a 1975 Type II, a passenger model, not a camper. VW Campers, and vans in general, were once massively popular in America. Yet Volkswagen of America, idiots that they are, threw away all it away.
They completely missed out on America's minivan boom in the 1990s by failing to import the Sharan. More recently, they ignored America's renewed interest in cargo vans, both small and large. Why aren't the Caddy, Transporter, and Crafter available here? We have Mercedes Benz and Fiat (ProMaster) vans in America despite the chicken tax. Talk about missing out on a golden opportunity!
Sadly, you will never see a Volkswagen California in California or anywhere else in America. We may eventually get a California version of the all-electric I.D. Buzz. Good luck finding a fast-charging plug anywhere near your wilderness campsite to recharge it to get you back home!
(https://assets.shannons.com.au/images/P604WX48Q35CDJBQ/W9KS82AUS5A78348/1078x809x3/d64nyp1qfsgreh4w.jpg)
Part 2: Dodge Monaco
Were it not for the lack of a Dodge dealership on the Côte d'Azur, I am certain Prince Rainier would have been chauffeured in the namesake car of his principality. Dodge built Monacos from 1965-78, with the name being briefly revived from 1990-92 on a rebadged Eagle Premier in a futile attempt to help shift more units of that slow-selling heap. Considering the malaise era's Monacos size and it's profligate thirst for fuel, you are very unlikely to see a Dodge Monaco in Monaco.
Such a pity. I'd love to see the car above try to navigate the Casino Hairpin!
Ford Edge.
I don't think Ford has ever taken one to the Edge of our beloved flat disc we call home. In fact, I don't think any vehicle has been there.
YSBFVIRZXJBPPMT4Q74VYS72PM.jpg
(https://plan-gobierno.org/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/uploads/2023/11/plan-nacional-renault-alaskan-plan-gobierno--1024x574.png.webp)
Part 3: Renault Alaskan
It's a rebadged Nissan Navarra sold in Europe and South America since 2017. What else do you really need to know?
Unless you were to drive one up the Pan American Highway, you'll never see a Renault Alaskan in Alaska.
Quote from: giant_mtb on February 28, 2024, 08:22:25 AMFord Edge.
I don't think Ford has ever taken one to the Edge of our beloved flat disc we call home. In fact, I don't think any vehicle has been there.
:lol:
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Lincoln_Versailles%2C_1980.png)
Part 4: Lincoln Versailles
The 1977-80 Lincoln Versailles was a hastily thrown-together response to the 1976 Cadillac Seville. Being obviously little more than a dressed-up Ford Granada/Mercury Monarch, the Versailles never achieved the sales volume of the Seville it sought to emulate. Like it's more humble Ford and Mercury stablemates, the Versailles rode on a chassis that dated all the way back to the 1960 Ford Falcon. Something tells me building a luxury sedan on the bones of an old economy car is not the best of ideas!
Both the Versailles and Seville (the subject for a future installment of this series) were intended to compete against the wave of imported European luxury cars that were rapidly gaining in popularity in America during the 1970s, Mercedes Benz in particular. Although these cars were closer in size to their imported rivals, they still offered the traditional American attributes of glitzy chrome, overstuffed plushness, and a wallowy driving experience. The short-lived Versailles was ostensibly replaced by the downsized 1982 Lincoln Continental sedan.
This car's gauche, ostentatious styling would somehow look right at home parked in front of the palace built by Louis XIV, despite the fact it was never sold in France. I think there should be a Lincoln Versailles displayed inside the palace's Hall of Mirrors!
Did Pontiac ever race at Le Mans?
(https://i.postimg.cc/DzLYKW7V/481689331-63-Pontiac-Le-Mans-Conv-MEc-jpg-6230fa1a4d056e274647288aebcdc9c5.jpg)
Not that the '63 wasn't a lovely car...
But I Still prefer the Parisienne,
(https://i.postimg.cc/zXKmnwth/unnamed.jpg)
It's those taillights.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Mercury-Milan-Premier.JPG/1920px-Mercury-Milan-Premier.JPG)
Part 5: Mercury Milan
The northern Italian city of Milan is the home of Alfa Romeo, so one has to wonder why Ford chose this name for what was to become Mercury's final mid-sized sedan? I guess the name Mercury Milan does sort of have a nice ring to it?
The Milan was Mercury's take on Ford's CD3 platform, sharing most of its structure with the first generation Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ. Production of the Milan began in 2006 and ended when the entire Mercury division was put out to pasture in 2011.
I think it's pretty safe to say no Milanese resident has ever even heard of a Mercury, let alone seen one. And it's even more unlikely they would be familiar with a model from the marque's final dying days like this Milan sedan.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/2013_Chevrolet_Orlando_1LT_in_Silver_Ice_Metallic%2C_Front_Left%2C_10-08-2022.jpg/1920px-2013_Chevrolet_Orlando_1LT_in_Silver_Ice_Metallic%2C_Front_Left%2C_10-08-2022.jpg)
Part 6: Chevrolet Orlando
General Motors' acquisition of Daewoo brought with it a slew of new models that were under development, including a compact people carrier intended to replace the Daewoo Rezzo/Tacuma. Based on the concurrent Chevrolet Cruze, this new model would become known as the Chevrolet Orlando.
The Orlando was sold in almost every market where Chevrolet did business, with one oddly notable exception; it's home market, the United States.
However, there is a chance you may actually spot a Chevrolet Orlando in the Floridian city from which it took it's name. Although the Orlando was not sold in the US, it was sold in Canada from 2012-14. So, if you see an Orlando being driven anywhere near the Magic Kingdom, it will be wearing Canadian plates and will be driven by snowbird tourists from The Great White North.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/1976_Chrysler_Cordoba_in_Copper%2C_front_left_%28Floral_Park%29.jpg/1920px-1976_Chrysler_Cordoba_in_Copper%2C_front_left_%28Floral_Park%29.jpg)
Part 7: Chrysler Cordoba
There seems to have been a trend for naming 1970s American land yachts after European cities where driving such a car would be ludacrisly impractical. Can you imagine trying to thread this barge through the narrow ancient streets of the Spanish city of Cordoba? It's like trying to put a whale inside a fish tank!
Impractical it may be but let's not forget this is the car that introduced the world to Corinthian Leather! That, combined with suave spokesman Ricardo Montalbán's silky-smooth sales pitch in Chrysler's TV commercials made the Cordoba a desperately needed sales success during a time when the Chrysler Corporation was circling the drain.
Fun fact: During the filming of the first Cordoba commercial, the director had to "correct" Montalbán's pronunciation of Cordoba. Montalbán was pronouncing the name the proper Spanish way, with the emphasis on the first syllable. The director had to teach Montalbán to pronounce this Spanish word the "American" way, emphasizing the second syllable. This reportedly somewhat annoyed Montalbán!
The Cordoba was introduced in 1975 to much fanfare. A second generation model, with more square-set styling, debuted for 1980. Changing market conditions, however, meant the second generation car was nowhere near as successful as it's predecessor. The Cordoba ended production in 1983.
Needless to say, Chrysler never sold the Cordoba in Spain or anywhere else outside North America. If they had, maybe Chrysler would have needed to rerecord the TV commercial with Ricardo Montalbán pronouncing the name properly?
Quote from: Madman on February 28, 2024, 09:50:02 AM(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Lincoln_Versailles%2C_1980.png)
Part 4: Lincoln Versailles
The 1977-80 Lincoln Versailles was a hastily thrown-together response to the 1976 Cadillac Seville. Being obviously little more than a dressed-up Ford Granada/Mercury Monarch, the Versailles never achieved the sales volume of the Seville it sought to emulate. Like it's more humble Ford and Mercury stablemates, the Versailles rode on a chassis that dated all the way back to the 1960 Ford Falcon. Something tells me building a luxury sedan on the bones of an old economy car is not the best of ideas!
Both the Versailles and Seville (the subject for a future installment of this series) were intended to compete against the wave of imported European luxury cars that were rapidly gaining in popularity in America during the 1970s, Mercedes Benz in particular. Although these cars were closer in size to their imported rivals, they still offered the traditional American attributes of glitzy chrome, overstuffed plushness, and a wallowy driving experience. The short-lived Versailles was ostensibly replaced by the downsized 1982 Lincoln Continental sedan.
This car's gauche, ostentatious styling would somehow look right at home parked in front of the palace built by Louis XIV, despite the fact it was never sold in France. I think there should be a Lincoln Versailles displayed inside the palace's Hall of Mirrors!
The Ford Granada had an American version and a European version (two completely different cars). The European version may have been imported into Spain for a few years and therefore perhaps a few were seen in Granada, Spain. But likely very few and maybe none in the small city of Granada, Spain.
Any Saturn
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Alfa_Romeo_Montreal.PNG)
Part 8: Alfa Romeo Montreal
Alfa Romeo unveiled a 2+2 coupe concept designed by Bertone's Marcello Gandini at Expo '67 in Montreal. The car didn't officially have a name but everyone called it the Montreal since that's where it was first shown. Someone at Alfa must have liked the sound of the name because, by the time the car went into production in 1970, the Montreal name was official.
By the time production ended in 1977, some 3,925 Montreals had been produced, including 180 right-hand-drive cars, most of which were bound for the UK. The front-mounted DOHC 2.6 litre V8 produced 200 horsepower, a more than respectable figure for it's day. Power was sent to the rear wheels through a five speed ZF gearbox.
Production was hindered by a convoluted assembly process whereby the cars were shuttled between a number of different facilities, with chassis, body, drivetrain and paint all being done in different locations. Of course, only the Italians! This drove up the price, making the Montreal more expensive than rivals such as the Porsche 911 or the Jaguar E-Type.
When new, you couldn't buy a Montreal in Montreal because Alfa never certified the 2.6 V8 for emissions in Canada or the USA. However, in the years since, a number of Montreals have found their way to North America, so there is a chance you can spot a Montreal driving around its namesake city today.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/1956-Lincoln-Capri-2dr-HT.jpg)
Part 9: Lincoln Capri
The Isle of Capri is more than just an old Frank Sinatra song. Capri is also a resort destination in the Bay of Naples and the name of this rather swanky-looking Lincoln shown above, this one a 1956 model. Capris spanned three generations from 1952-59 but the car's place in Lincoln's range changed over that time.
When introduced in 1952, the Capri was Lincoln's upper model, placed above the Lincoln Cosmopolitan. A redesigned, second generation Capri debuted for 1956 but was now the lower model in Lincoln's lineup, with the newly introduced Lincoln Premiere taking over the top spot. Continental became an entirely separate division, placed above Lincoln, from 1956-59.
A third generation Capri ran from 1958 to 1959, still filling the role as Lincoln's lower model with the Premiere remaining as the upper model.
Needless to say, selling a behemoth like this in 1950s postwar Italy would have been all but impossible, so you'll probably never see a vintage Lincoln Capri on the Isle of Capri. The Capri name, however, lived on elsewhere in Ford's global empire.
Ford of Britain built the Ford Consul Capri Coupe from 1962-64. Then, Ford of Europe scored a huge hit with the Ford Capri, made from 1969-86. It was even exported to North America, where it was sold by Lincoln-Mercury dealers from 1970-78. Then there was the North American 1979-86 Mercury Capri, a clone of the Fox-body Ford Mustang. And finally there was the 1989-94 Australian Ford Capri, a front-drive convertible roadster based on the locally built Ford Laser. This car was also sold in North America as a Mercury Capri from 1991-94.
Chevrolet Orlando. A Daewoo designed MPV that never sold in the US.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/1973_Chevrolet_Monte_Carlo_%2827753817774%29.jpg/1280px-1973_Chevrolet_Monte_Carlo_%2827753817774%29.jpg)
Part 10: Chevrolet Monte Carlo
As a teenager in the 1980s, rusted-out Chevy Monte Carlos were a common sight in my High School student parking lot. But do you know where you won't see one? In Monte Carlo itself!
Named after the largest "City" or Ward in the Principality of Monaco, I can think of nothing that would look less at home among the posh, elegant Monégasque citizens of the Principality than this chintzy, bloated, vulgar looking embarrassment masquerading as a car.
Chevy Monte Carlos look more at home in run-down trailer parks, up on concrete blocks, next to discarded refrigerators and washing machines. With a pit-bull on a chain outside the trailer, guarding the meth lab inside. This is the Chevy Monte Carlo's natural environment!
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/Buick_Lucerne_CXL_.jpg/1920px-Buick_Lucerne_CXL_.jpg)
Part 11: Buick Lucerne
The short-lived Buick Lucerne was one-and-done in just a single generation, lasting from 2006-11. It replaced both the LeSabre and Park Avenue and was Buick's last "Full Size" sedan. It was indirectly replaced by the slightly smaller Buick LaCrosse.
Upon it's debut in 2006, you could have your Lucerne powered by the legendarily reliable Buick 3800 V6 or the legendarily unreliable 4.6 litre Cadillac Northstar V8. By 2009, the 3800 V6 was replaced by GM's 3.9 litre LZ9 "High Value" V6. I suspect most fans of these cars would value the 3800 more than the other two choices.
Buick sold over 100,000 2006 model year Lucernes but sales declined every year and Buick only shifted around 20,000 in it's final year of production. Blame Buick's traditional customer base dying off and the relentless onslaught of SUVs and crossovers for the Lucerne's dwindling sales.
But do you know who else weren't buying Buick Lucernes? The Swiss. The Buick Lucerne may have been named after the picturesque town in central Switzerland but GM never sold any there. So don't expect to see any on your next skiing vacation to the Swiss Alps.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/1976_Ford_Gran_Torino_Crop.jpg)
Part 12: Ford Torino
The Ford Torino began in 1968 as an upscale variant of Ford's mid-sized Fairlane. By 1970, the names were flipped, with Torino becoming the primary model and the Fairlane being relegated to a sub-series. Torinos remained in production through 1976, after which it was superseded by the 1977 Ford LTD II, which rode on the same chassis as the Torino it replaced.
The most famous Torino was, of course, the red and white two-door from the ABC police detective series "Starsky & Hutch." Fans of the show have noted how, as the series progressed, the small fleet of Torinos the production company used gradually became shabbier looking over time and were pretty decrepit by the end of the show's run!
The car was named after the Italian city of Turin or Torino in Italian. Turin happens to be the home of Fiat so, in a way, you could call it Italy's version of Detroit. Unlike Detroit, however, you're unlikely to find a Ford Torino anywhere near Torino. A gas guzzling, malaise era heap like this would have looked very strange swimming in a sea of Fiats and Lancias in 1970s Italy!
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Skoda_Kodiaq_Vienna_19-20_IMG_2247.jpg/1920px-Skoda_Kodiaq_Vienna_19-20_IMG_2247.jpg)
Part 13: Škoda Kodiaq
If there is one brand absent from North America that, I believe, has the potential to be wildly successful on this continent, that brand is Škoda. Škodas have many qualities American consumers find appealing in a car; high material quality, conservative styling, aggressive pricing, European pedigree, and an emphasis on size and practicality with each model typically being a half-size larger than it's class rivals.
However, Volkswagen of America will never let Škoda come to these shores. That's because the idea makes perfect sense and there's also the fact Volkswagen of America is ran by complete idiots! They'd rather give us bloated shitheaps like the Atlas and third-world trash like the Mexican-built Jetta. No wonder Volkswagen's US sales last year was a mediocre 329,029 units, well below the 569,696 units they sold at their peak way back in 1970 and a far-cry off the 800,000 units they once predicted they'd be selling here by 2018.
One of Škoda's models that would undoubtedly go down a storm in the US is the Škoda Kodiaq. It's based on the long-wheelbase Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace, the only version of the Tiguan currently marketed in North America. Offering three rows of seating and the same 2.0 TSI engine as the Tiguan, the Kodiaq would certainly hit the sweet spot of the US crossover market.
Despite this almost guaranteed success, you will never see a Kodiaq on Alaska's Kodiak Island, the place from which this crossover derives it's name. The fact we are denied such an appealing and compelling range of cars as today's Škodas is a tragically missed opportunity for both the Volkswagen Group and for American consumers already suffering from a lack of choice in the automotive marketplace. Compared to other developed countries, the US car market is severely limited when it comes to choice.
You know, when I clicked on this thread, I didn't think there would be this many. This has been a fun read, thanks Madman.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/2009_montana_1.8_sport.jpg/1280px-2009_montana_1.8_sport.jpg)
Chevrolet Montana Mk I
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Chevrolet_Montana_LS_2012.jpg/1920px-Chevrolet_Montana_LS_2012.jpg)
Chevrolet Montana Mk II
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Chevrolet_Montana_Mk3_LS_2023_in_Maldonado_02.jpg/1920px-Chevrolet_Montana_Mk3_LS_2023_in_Maldonado_02.jpg)
Chevrolet Montana Mk III
Part 14: Chevrolet Montana
You're not seeing things. You've read that correctly. The three generations of small, front-wheel-drive trucklets you see above really are Chevrolets. Meet the Chevrolet Montana.
Not the Pontiac Montana. That was Pontiac's plastic-cladded minivan pretending to be an SUV. The Chevrolet Montana, on the other hand, is a front-drive, monococque body pickup truck built in Brazil. Think of it as GM's answer to the Honda Ridgeline, Ford Maverick, and Hyundai Santa Fe. Funny thing is GM had to change the name of this truck to Chevrolet Tornado in Mexico to avoid confusion with Pontiac's Montana minivan, which was also sold there.
Introduced in 2003, the Chevrolet Montana was based on the Opel Corsa and was also built in South Africa as the Opel Corsa Utility. The truck came as a two-door only. Looking at this thing, I get the impression this is what a modern-day Subaru BRAT would look like if only Subaru had the balls to make one!
A second generation Montana rolled out of GM's Brazilian factory in 2010, still with only two doors. Two years later, GM South Africa started building the second generation truck. This time, it was badged there as the Chevrolet Utility.
An all-new, larger, 4-door Montana broke cover in 2023. Still built with monococque construction and still front drive, the third generation Montana is powered by GM's turbocharged 1.2 litre L4H Ecotec inline 3-cylinder. It's the same engine that powers the Chevrolet Trailblazer and Trax and the Buick Encore GX.
So here we have a potential Ford Maverick rival with an engine that's already US emissions certified that could, in theory, undercut all of it's competitors in price and still make a handsome profit. So why the hell is GM not selling this Montana in Big Sky Country or any of the other 49 states which comprise the US of A?
Two words. Chicken. Tax.
Yep, it all goes back to that 60-year-old pissing contest between the United States and Germany over frozen chickens, of all things! Germany slapped a tariff on American chicken because it was putting the squeeze on German chicken farmers so of course it made perfect sense to retaliate by imposing a tariff on imported "commercial" vehicles, meaning pickups and cargo vans. Wait, did I say perfect sense? I meant to say it made no sense at all. And it still doesn't. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be going away any time soon.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/1972_Pontiac_Lemans_Front.JPG/1920px-1972_Pontiac_Lemans_Front.JPG)
Part 15: Pontiac LeMans
The 24 Heures du Mans or 24 Hours of LeMans is a legendary motor race, held annually near the northwest French city of LeMans since 1923. There were a few interruptions over the years. The 1936 race was cancelled due to general strikes across France, and we all know how much the French love a strike! Also, no races were held from 1940-48 due to some uninvited German tourists unexpectedly turning up and making a fair old mess of the place! :lol:
Pontiac first introduced the LeMans name as a trim package on the Pontiac Tempest in 1961. By 1963 it was being marketed as a model in it's own right. The LeMans remained as a mainstay model in Pontiac's mid-sized range all the way into 1981 in the US, 1983 in Canada. On a personal note, even though my parents mostly gravitated towards Fords, my mother had a 1972 Pontiac LeMans like the one in the photo above for a few years in the 1970s. Hers was gold but was otherwise identical.
As popular as the LeMans may have been among Americans who don't know French cuisine from French fries, I'm pretty sure you will be hard-pressed to find one anywhere near the Circuit de la Sarthe.
An odd postscript to the story is the fact Pontiac revived the LeMans name from 1988-93 and, weirdly, stuck it on a Daewoo-built Opel Kadett E. The Kadett was sold in France and was, by all accounts, a pretty decent car. Daewoo's version, on the other hand, had a much less stellar reputation. I think we would all rather forget that car ever existed!
QuoteNot the Pontiac Montana. That was Pontiac's plastic-cladded minivan pretending to be an SUV. The Chevrolet Montana, on the other hand, is a front-drive, monococque body pickup truck built in Brazil. Think of it as GM's answer to the Honda Ridgeline, Ford Maverick, and Hyundai Santa Fe. Funny thing is GM had to change the name of this truck to Chevrolet Tornado in Mexico to avoid confusion with Pontiac's Montana minivan, which was also sold there.
The Ridgeline is bigger, it's a mid-sizer comparable to a Taco or Frontier or Ranger. It may be based on unibody FWD architecture, but its size puts it above things like the Maverick or Santa Fe.
I'd probably consider a Ridgeline if I never needed/wanted (real) 4WD...one of the sole reasons "trucklets" will never replace BOF trucks out in the sticks.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/1974_Mercury_Montego_MX_Brougham.jpg)
Part 16: Mercury Montego
The Mercury Montego was a mid-sized car introduced in 1968 as a replacement for the Mercury Comet, which had grown from a compact to an intermediate in 1966. As Mercury's counterpart to the Ford Torino, The first-generation Montego was offered as a four-door sedan, two-door hardtop, four-door station wagon, and two-door convertible. The model line was offered in base and in upscale MX trim.
For 1970, the Montego underwent a mid-cycle exterior redesign to add a forward-thrusting hood and grille design. The convertible was withdrawn, replaced by a four-door hardtop. For all sedans, an MX Brougham trim was added (with a woodgrained MX Villager station wagon), distinguished by concealed headlamps.
For 1972, the second-generation Montego was introduced alongside the redesigned Ford Torino. In a major design shift, the intermediate Ford and Mercury model lines shifted from monococque to body-on-frame construction. True four-door hardtops were replaced by "pillared hardtops" (frameless door glass remained, supported by a thin B-pillar), while two-door Montegos retained hardtop roofs, though with much wider C-pillars.
Montego production ended in 1976. The redesigned 1977 car was built on the same chassis and Mercury decided to capitalize on the popularity of the Cougar name by applying it to all of their mid-sized cars; sedans, coupes and station wagons.
But Mercury wasn't quite finished with the Montego name just yet. 29 years later, a new Montego was unleashed onto the North American market in 2005, a companion to the Ford Five Hundred. This new Montego was a large sedan, loosely based on the Volvo P2 platform, and a more modern alternative to the geriatric Grand Marquis. The new car was not terribly well received, however, and the name was dropped by 2007. The car itself was thoroughly reworked for 2008, with an enlarged engine, and rebranded with the resurrected Sable nameplate.
Although Mercury Montegos were a somewhat common sight in North America, they were nonexistent just a few hundred miles away on the island of Jamaica, where Montego Bay is it's fourth largest city. Being a former British colony, Jamaican drivers drive on the left. So naturally, all the cars on the island are right-hand-drive. Since Ford never built any right-hand-drive Mercury Montegos, the car would have been a very tough sell in Jamaica even if Ford had tried to sell it there. You might, however, find a few Austin Montegos there, as I believe Austin-Rover Group were present on the island during the 1980s.
Quote from: giant_mtb on February 28, 2024, 08:22:25 AMFord Edge.
I don't think Ford has ever taken one to the Edge of our beloved flat disc we call home. In fact, I don't think any vehicle has been there.
YSBFVIRZXJBPPMT4Q74VYS72PM.jpg
I hate you.
What? No Jowett Jupiter? Or the entire line of Mercury cars?
Also, Cadillac Calais. Or fot that matter, Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais.
Quote from: Soup DeVille on March 17, 2024, 09:33:12 AMWhat? No Jowett Jupiter? Or the entire line of Mercury cars?
Quote from: Soup DeVille on March 17, 2024, 09:36:15 AMAlso, Cadillac Calais. Or fot that matter, Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais.
Have patience. I'll get to those, eventually. :ohyeah:
(https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Screenshot_20220917-004644.jpg?ssl=1)
Part 17: Yugo (Zastava) Florida/Miami
The Yugo Florida, also known as Zastava Florida, Yugo Sana or Yugo Miami, was a five-door hatchback which was introduced by Yugoslav automaker Zastava in 1987, and remained in production until 2008. Unlike previous Yugos, which were largely derived from obsolete Fiats, the Florida was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and engineered entirely in-house by Zastava. Only engines were supplied by Fiat until 2002, after which Peugeot became be engine supplier for the Florida.
In 2001, Zastava licensed the design to Egyptian state-owned car maker Nasr, where it was built as the Nasr Florida.
Supposedly, Yugo's US distributor considered importing the Florida/Miami/Sana as a larger companion model to the GV series (the American version of the Zastava Koral) already on sale in the USA. However, by this point, Yugo's fortunes in America and at home, were already on the decline. The car had become the butt of jokes and other low-cost rivals such as Hyundai offered better value and reliability. By the early 1990s, the Yugoslav Civil War put and end to car exports to North America and Western Europe.
The Yugo Florida/Miami never got to see the state/city it was named after. Perhaps if it did, and were it not for political unrest at home, Yugo could have endured as the value-oriented brand it set out to be.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/1958_Plymouth_Savoy_4-door_f.jpg/1280px-1958_Plymouth_Savoy_4-door_f.jpg)
1958 Plymouth Savoy
Part 18: Plymouth Savoy
Plymouth named it's Savoy model after the famous London hotel which, in turn, was named after the region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Valley in the east. The Savoy region today is split by the modern boundaries of France, Switzerland, and Italy.
A continent away, Plymouth first applied the Savoy name to a station wagon from 1951-53, as a more luxurious step up from the more basic Plymouth Suburban station wagon. By 1954, the Savoy was now Plymouth's mid-level car, positioned between the base Plaza and the top-line Belvedere.
All three Plymouth models were redesigned in 1955 and again in 1957. The Plaza was dropped for 1959, making the Savoy the entry-level Plymouth. This was followed by yet another redesign, the controversial Virgil Exner designed 1960 models, with odd chromed "eyelashes" over the headlights and enormous tailfins. For 1961, the tailfins were shorn off but the eyelashes remained.
Another controversial redesign, the "downsized" full-sized Mopars, followed for 1962. The Savoy continued as Plymouth's entry-level full sized car until 1964 in the US and 1965 in Canada.
I think it's safe to say you're not very likely to encounter any of the many iterations of the Plymouth Savoy either at the Savoy Hotel in London or the Savoy region in the Western Alps. I am certain you would notice it if you did!
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Oldsmobile_Firenza_coupe_2.jpg)
Part 19: Oldsmobile Firenza
Built from 1982-88, the Oldsmobile Firenza was one of about a bazillion variants of GM's J-car architecture. Its name is derived from Firenze, known as Florence in English, and also renowned for it's architecture. The city it a bit older than the car, obviously, having been established by the Romans in 59 BC.
The city of Firenze is widely regarded as the birthplace of the Renaissance. The Oldsmobile Firenza was the result of decisions made by the suits at GM's Renaissance Center headquarters in Detroit.
Firenze was home to the Medici family. The Firenza carried American families in a variety of body configurations; a four door sedan, a two-door coupe, a three-door fastback hatch, and a five-door station wagon.
Alas, despite all of the apparent similarities, Firenze and the Firenza never met. As any tourist can attest, the Italian peninsula is somewhat lacking in Oldsmobiles. However, Italy did get a cousin of the Firenza, the Opel Ascona C. The Ascona, of course, being yet another J-car variant.
This is a fun thread. Are you writing this all yourself???
Quote from: SJ_GTI on March 26, 2024, 10:49:39 AMThis is a fun thread. Are you writing this all yourself???
Yes, it's an idea I've been kicking around for a while now. It hit me one day when I noticed the incongruity of all the 1960s and 1970s Detroit dinosaurs named after places where, in reality, you'd never have a snowball's chance in hell of selling such a gigantic, gas-guzzling barge of a car.
When I finally started brainstorming the cars named on this list, it never even occurred to me how long it would eventually become. And I'm still not finished! I haven't even got to the names of trim packages and special editions (Fiat Panda Antarctica, anyone?) which, were I to include them, could keep this thread going for a VERY long time!
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Opel_Monterey_RS.jpg/1280px-Opel_Monterey_RS.jpg)
Part 20: Opel/Vauxhall/Holden Monterey
This one is a bit tricky. For starters, this SUV has gone under more different names than a Mafia capo in the Federal Witness Protection Program. Then there's the name, itself. The spelling suggests it was named after Monterey, California. An alternative spelling, Monterrey, is used by cities in Mexico, Colombia, and Peru. Meanwhile, Monterrei is a town in the province of Orense in northwestern Spain, a region famous for its wine. Based on the spelling, I'm going to go with the coastal town in California, about one hundred miles south of San Francisco.
If you're looking at that photo I posted above and thinking "Hey, wait a minute, that looks sort of like an Isuzu Trooper!" then give yourself a pat on the back, my friend, because that's exactly what it is. Back when the first SUV boom started to take off in the 1990s, GM's then European and Australian outposts were caught with their pants down, having nothing to offer buyers who suddenly wanted to pretend they were the sort of rugged, outdoorsy types who liked to hike trails and climb mountains even if they never did.
Opel, Vauxhall and Holden needed some rough & ready trucks to lure the four-wheel-drive fashionistas into their showrooms, pronto! Presumably nothing in the General's North American portfolio was deemed suitable for sale across either pond, so GM got on the phone to one of their Japanese partners, Isuzu. Despite some generally positive reviews, the Monterey sold poorly in Europe and is all but forgotten there today. In Australia, the Monterey name was used on the upmarket version of the vehicle otherwise known as the Holden Jackaroo. Holden had much better luck selling the Jackaroo/Monterey than Opel or Vauxhall. You can thank Australia's predilection for four-wheel-drive vehicles for this success.
Elsewhere on Planet Earth, you could buy this SUV under a few other names. A fancy, leather-lined version was sold in North America as the Acura SLX. The Japanese could choose between an Isuzu Bighorn, a Subaru Bighorn, and a Honda Horizon. In Indonesia and South America. it was the Chevrolet Trooper. And in China it was the Sanjiu 3-Nine Trooper.
But if you lived in Monterey, California and you wanted to pay tribute to your home city by driving through it in an SUV named after it, you were out of luck. The best you can do is buy an Isuzu Trooper and swap the grille and badges.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/1966_Cadillac_Calais_two_door_front.jpg)
Part 21: Cadillac Calais
The French port city of Calais sits on the coast of the Strait of Dover, the narrowest point in the English Channel, which separates Britain from the European continent. Throughout history, this strategic location has made Calais an important hub for shipping and trade. Thousands of ships sail in and out of Calais every year.
The car you see above, a 1966 Cadillac Calais 2-Door Hardtop, is almost as big as some of those ships docking at the fourth largest port in France! Cadillac affixed the Calais name to it's entry-level "full-size" models from 1965 through 1976, taking over from the previous Cadillac Series 62. The Calais was essentially a lower-cost version of the De Ville. However, unlike the De Ville, no convertible version of the Calais was ever offered.
Calais design changes echoed that of the De Ville. The first generation Calais, pictured above, was produced from 1965-70. The bloated-looking, whale-like second generation followed for 1971-76. The Calais was never a big seller for Cadillac. Adding options to a Calais eliminated the miniscule price difference between it and the marginally more expensive De Ville and the model was dropped after 1976.
But General Motors wasn't quite finished with the Calais name just yet. Oldsmobile first used the Calais badge on a luxury edition of the Cutlass Supreme coupe. These Cutlass Calais coupes were made from 1978-84. Oldsmobile then used it on its iteration of the front-drive General Motors N-Body. But that's a subject for a future instalment in this series.
Getting back to the Cadillac Calais, can you imaging navigating this barge through the narrow streets of a French city? I can't. Maybe if you were to strap pontoons onto the side, you could ferry passengers across the channel?
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/1991_Oldsmobile_Cutlass_Calais_4-door_Quad_4%2C_fL.jpg/1920px-1991_Oldsmobile_Cutlass_Calais_4-door_Quad_4%2C_fL.jpg)
Part 22: Oldsmobile Calais/Cutlass Calais
Continuing from the previous installment, we left off with Cadillac dropping its Calais model in 1976 since the very idea of a cheaper full-sized Cadillac seemed a bit at odds with their claim of being the "Standard of the World." Not ones to let a good name go to waste, Oldsmobile's marketing men went rummaging through the recycling bins behind Cadillac's offices and emerged with a bunch of Calais badges, ready to be put to good use. That's what I like to imagine what happened, anyway.
After a one year rest, the Calais name reemerged, this time as the Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais. This was the most luxurious version of the newly redesigned, fourth generation Cutlass Supreme coupe, built on the recently downsized rear-drive A-Body platform launched in 1978. Following a mild facelift for 1981, the Cutlass Calais coupe continued to be produced into 1984.
For 1985, the Calais badge was shifted to new smaller front-drive N-Body sedan and coupe. This was the replacement for the underwhelming and underperforming X-Body Oldsmobile Omega. For reasons which nobody can really explain, Oldsmobile's marketing geniuses were totally in love the Cutlass name. So much so, they named almost every damn car they made a Cutlass. Cutlass Supreme, Cutlass Ciera, Cutlass Salon, Cutlass Cruiser, Cutlass S, Cutlass Colonnade, Cutlass Brougham..... Who could keep up with all of that? So, of course, the Calais was renamed the Cutlass Calais for 1988.
This otherwise forgettable car remained in production through 1991, after which, it was replaced by the equally forgettable Oldsmobile Achieva. So what does this car have to do with the French city from which it takes its name? Absolutely nothing. Except at least the N-Body is more appropriately sized for French roads, being about an inch shorter in length than a contemporary Peugeot 505 sedan and a little more than two inches longer than a Renault 21 sedan from the same era. Despite this, you're unlikely to find an Olds Calais plying the streets of its namesake city. Oldsmobile never thought of launching an assault on the French car market. I wonder what Jacques and Pierre would have thought of the Oldsmobile Calais?
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/JowettJupiter2.JPG/1280px-JowettJupiter2.JPG)
Part 23: Jowett Jupiter
Brothers Benjamin and William Jowett began selling bicycles in the West Yorkshire town of Bradford in 1901. Soon they had branched out into building engines for motorcycles and stationary machinery and, by 1906, had built their first prototype car. Further experimentation and refinement continued until 1910, by which time, Jowett began production of their first "Light Car." Larger than the cyclecars that were popular at the time, but still smaller than a conventional car, the Jowett was ideally suited for the rolling hills in and around their native Yorkshire.
After the First World War, the company expanded into producing larger cars and commercial vehicles. Following the breakout of the Second World War, Jowett turned to manufacturing fire pump engines, aircraft parts and other military equipment. The postwar period brought about a new model range. There was the new Bradford commercial van, the streamlined Javelin sedan, and a sports car based on Javelin components, the Jupiter.
Unlike most sports cars of the era, the Jowett Jupiter had proper roll-up windows instead of clip-on side curtains and a snug-fitting convertible roof. The car was designed by Eberan von Eberhorst who became head of design at Auto Union after the departure of Ferdinand Porsche. von Eberhorst also had a hand in the development of the Tiger Tank for the German Army.
The Jupiter enjoyed some racing success in the early 1950s, including taking class wins at LeMans in 1950, 1951, and 1952. But outside events were causing serious headaches for the Jowett company.
Jowett's supplier of bodies for the Javelin and Bradford, Briggs Motor Bodies, was sold to the Ford Motor Company who, in turn, sold it to a concern called Fisher & Ludlow. Fisher & Ludlow was itself soon acquired by the British Motor Corporation. This caused Jowett to lose their body supplier. At the same time, a general downturn in the UK car market put further pressure on Jowett's finances. With few options left available to them, Jowett's board of directors decided to cease trading. The company was liquidated by 1955.
This was indeed a pity because the Jupiter, in particular, was quite an impressive and capable car. But do you know what it wasn't capable of? Interplanetary space travel. Because I am fairly confident you will never see this, or any other sports car, anywhere near the gas giant that is the fifth planet from the sun! The Voyager I space probe did a flyby of Jupiter in 1979 and found no evidence of vintage British sports cars on the planet. And if you can't trust NASA, who can you trust?
(https://edgecast-img.yahoo.net/mysterio/api/F27884A7FC64CE7DCE9E5B2FE5FE827601213EDDBAB449BBC2580525FAB038D6/autoblog/resizefill_w1600_h900;quality_70;format_webp;cc_31536000;/http://s.aolcdn.com/commerce/blogcdn/green.autoblog.com/media/2011/01/detroit-2011-venturi-america-official-09.jpg)
Part 24: Venturi America
Anyone remember Venturi? Anyone? Hello?
You can be forgiven if you don't. The French company was founded in 1984 by Claude Poiraud and Gérard Godfroy, two former engineers for Heuliez. Heuliez was a engineering company and coachbuilder who did special projects and contract production builds for a number of European manufacturers. Poiraud and Godfroy set out to use their expertise to create a French rival to established sports and supercar companies.
For enthusiasts, their most well-known product was the Venturi Atlantique, a mid-engine sports/supercar powered by the PRV (Peugeot-Renault-Volvo) V6 engine and fitted with a five speed Renault gearbox. The Atlantique had a fibreglass body and production ran from 1991 through 2000. Jeremy Clarkson reviewed the car in a 1992 episode of Top Gear and declared it to be better than a Lotus Esprit.
However, as is almost always the case with small supercar start-ups, the money ran out and Venturi filed for bankruptcy in 2000. Financial salvation came in the form of real estate developer Gildo Pallanca Pastor.
Pastor bought the company out of bankruptcy, moved its headquarters to Monaco and decided to focus on electric vehicles. This resulted in the electric Venturi Fétish sports car. However, Verturi's most popular car to date is the Citroën Berlingo électrique, a Citroën Berlingo van converted to run on electric power.
in 2010, Venturi unveiled the car you see above. Venturi described the America as a "high riding sports car" using a 300 horsepower electric motor to send power to the rear wheels. This two-seat EV looks to be a cross between a Mazda Miata and a dune buggy and allegedly had a driving range of 186 miles per charge. Venturi promised to build 100 of these cars but production never got off the ground. In 2015, the company announced it was ending series production and sales. Only around 750 cars in total had been built by the company since 1984.
Even if the America had gone into its very limited production run, none of them would have come over here to the Land Of The Free and the Home Of The Whopper. Alas, you'll never be able to pay tribute to America by driving an America.
As a postscript, However, Venturi does still exist as a racing team in the Formula E series for electric race cars. So that's something, I guess?
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8b/Buick_Riviera_silver.jpg/1280px-Buick_Riviera_silver.jpg)
Part 25: Buick Riviera
Riviera. A name that evokes images of white-sand beaches, Mediterranean breezes, opulent resorts, and members of the rich and famous jet-set. The name is usually associated with the southeastern coast of France and the Northwestern coast of Italy. Other regions around the world have tried to lay claim the Riviera name. The coasts of Spain, Portugal, and even Lake Geneva in Switzerland have all tired to co-opt the Riviera name to boost the allure of their own beaches. Some pretty unlikely locales have even tried to bask in the glow of the Riviera mystique by borrowing the name for their own stretch of coastal real estate. The Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, the South coast of England, and the Baltic Sea shoreline of Latvia have all at one time or another rebranded their respective stretches of seaside tourist traps as a "Riviera." Let's not forget America's very own "Redneck Riviera" on the Gulf of Mexico.
For the purposes of this thread, however, I'm going to stick to the "original" Rivieras of France and Italy.
Buick certainly found the name Riviera quite appealing, too. Before it became a model in its own right, Buick applied the Riviera moniker to luxury-edition, pillarless hardtop versions of various Buick models from 1949 through 1962. The Riviera finally came into its own in 1963 as a large two-door "Personal Luxury" car. This theme continued throughout eight generations of car models through 1999, with the exception of a one-year gap in 1994, between the seventh and final eighth generation model.
I won't go through all the changes and redesigns of the Riviera over the course of its production. Suffice to say that any iteration of the Buick Riviera would look ridiculously out of place on the French or Italian coasts. Almost as ridiculous as a morbidly obese European man wearing a Speedo would look on any American beach! Proof that not everything that looks appropriate on one side of the Atlantic can blend-in on the other side.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Chevrolet_Monza.JPG)
Part 26: Chevrolet Monza
The Monza name first appeared on a Chevy during the 1960s as a sporty trim package on the Chevrolet Corvair. However, the car you see above is the Malaise-Era compact almost everyone today associates with the Monza badge.
Introduced in 1975, the new Chevrolet Monza was an evolution of the fabulously unreliable and rust-prone Vega. In an effort to make the new car even more unreliable, General Motors had agreed to licence the rights to build a Wankel rotary engine from German car manufacturer NSU. Fortunately, in a rare moment of clarity for the General, they came to their senses and gave up on this idea before any Wankel powered Monzas were inflicted upon an unsuspecting public. This was the same engine American Motors had planned to buy from GM to use in the Pacer. When GM suddenly left AMC high and dry, without any of the engines they had designed their unconventional new car around, AMC's engineers had no other choice but to shoehorn their stalwart inline six into an engine bay for which it had never been designed. In retrospect, I'd argue both GM and AMC got off lucky. Let's not forget it was the catastrophic warranty repair costs and reputational damage resulting from this engine that forced NSU into bankruptcy.
The H-Body Monza shared it's rear-drive platform with the Pontiac Sunbird, Oldsmobile Starfire, and Buick Skyhawk and all four cars only survived into 1980. After which, it was replaced by the front-drive J-Body. Although the Monza never got the Wankel rotary engine that had been originally planned for it, the car did come with a staggering variety of powerplants. Four, six, and eight cylinder engines were all on offer. You could pick either the Vega's 2.3 litre or the 2.5 litre Pontiac Iron Duke four bangers. If you prefer, you could also chose between either the 3.2 litre or 3.8 litre Buick V6 mills. Weirdly, for such a small car, Chevy would even let you turn your Monza into a miniature Camaro by letting you choose either a 5.0 litre or 5.7 litre small-block V8! Crazy!
The Monza name lived on overseas after the General retired it from its American catalogue. From 1982 until 1996 a locally built version of the Opel Ascona C was sold as a Chevrolet Monza in Brazil. Down in Mexico, you could buy a rebadged Opel Corsa B sedan called a Chevrolet Chevy Monza (Yes, it was really called that!) from 1994 through 2004. And since 2019, a badge engineered version of the Chinese built Buick Excelle GT has been assembled in Wuhan by a GM-SAIC joint venture and sold in China as a Chevrolet Monza.
But none of these Monzas ever found their way to Italy, at least not when new. I'd also be more than a little surprised to see a Chevrolet Monza on the famous Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, the legendary racing circuit that is the home of the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix.
I'm sorry if you somehow had the wrong impression but this car is no more Italian than the rubbery pasta served at The Olive Garden! :lol:
This is an awesome thread and the witty and fun writing style of Madman makes for an enjoyable read. Keep them coming! :lol:
Was the Renault Floride sold in Florida?
Quote from: cawimmer430 on April 17, 2024, 02:39:55 PMThis is an awesome thread and the witty and fun writing style of Madman makes for an enjoyable read. Keep them coming! :lol:
Was the Renault Floride sold in Florida?
Yes, it was sold in America as the Renault Caravelle. According to legend, Renault executives were afraid the name Floride might offend people in the other 49 states! Personally, I don't believe this story because since when have the French ever been afraid of offending anybody? :lol:
By the way, while I was visiting you in Munich last year, I happened to be walking across a bridge near your place and noticed
somebody had thrown some bicycles into the river....
(http://i.imgur.com/jQ5Pthyl.jpg) (https://imgur.com/jQ5Pthy)
Okay, Christian, time to confess. It was
YOU, wasn't it? :lol:
I know how much you hate cyclists and, having experienced Munich's Kamikaze cyclists for myself, I can certainly understand why. But that doesn't mean you can throw their bikes into the river! Why, do you ask? Because they'll only wade in there and fish them out again, that's why! Can't you see that water is way too shallow? You've made it too easy for them. If you want to do the job properly, you need to get an angle grinder and cut up the frames. That's the only way to ensure they can never be used again!
Then you can throw the pieces into the river! :lol:
Quote from: Madman on April 17, 2024, 05:24:21 PMYes, it was sold in America as the Renault Caravelle. According to legend, Renault executives were afraid the name Floride might offend people in the other 49 states! Personally, I don't believe this story because since when have the French ever been afraid of offending anybody? :lol:
Imagine if they had offered a car for every American state as to not offend anyone. Same car but different name. So the Renault Floride for Florida, Renault California for California or the Renault Texas for Texas. That would have been fun!
Quote from: Madman on April 17, 2024, 05:24:21 PMBy the way, while I was visiting you in Munich last year, I happened to be walking across a bridge near your place and noticed somebody had thrown some bicycles into the river....
(http://i.imgur.com/jQ5Pthyl.jpg) (https://imgur.com/jQ5Pthy)
Okay, Christian, time to confess. It was YOU, wasn't it? :lol:
Shhhh... not so loud! :wub:
I nearly ran over one of those idiot cyclists a few days ago. He ran a red light, at night and of course had no functioning front/rear light and was dressed in black. The moron had a death wish. Anyway, I saw him and expected him to do this, but I of course went into full drama mode, braked hard, honked my horn and opened my window to curse at him - so that the many people at the crossing would learn something. :mrcool:
Quote from: cawimmer430 on April 21, 2024, 01:11:31 AMI nearly ran over one of those idiot cyclists a few days ago. He ran a red light, at night and of course had no functioning front/rear light and was dressed in black. The moron had a death wish. Anyway, I saw him and expected him to do this, but I of course went into full drama mode, braked hard, honked my horn and opened my window to curse at him - so that the many people at the crossing would learn something. :mrcool:
Just be careful, Christian. I know German laws are pretty strict in regards to "road rudeness" and "offensive gestures."
https://www.dw.com/en/german-drivers-told-to-mind-their-manners-on-the-road/a-2451659
Just giving someone the finger or calling another driver a "dumb cow" can land you a hefty fine.
https://thetravelingovereducatedhousewife.blog/2015/05/06/the-high-price-of-giving-someone-the-finger-in-germany/
You don't want Munich's "Woke" authorities to arrest you, do you? I'm pretty sure you won't like their soy-based vegan prison food. Then again, maybe you'll be lucky and the Judge will only make you do community service. They'll probably have you do outreach work for Munich's local support group for left-handed, transgender, lesbian, Afro-Asian, Midget, Eskimo, Albinos with eating disorders. :lol:
(https://hagerty-media-prod.imgix.net/2020/10/11-09-2014-075-scaled.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop&h=633&ixlib=php-3.3.0&w=1024)
Part 27: Ford Granada (North American model)
Ford has a habit of recycling it's old names. Today's Ford Maverick, for example, is a small pickup truck. Turn the clock back fifty years, however, and the Ford Maverick was a compact sedan and coupe. Capri is another example. First applied to a Lincoln, the Capri badge later found it's way onto a European Ford, a North American Mercury, and an Australian Ford. Ford has even used the same name at the same time on different cars it has sold in different parts of the world. Witness the European and North American Ford Escorts. Two very different cars sold in different parts of the world but sharing the same name. This can sometimes make things confusing unless you are VERY specific about which Escort you're talking about.
Same goes for the Ford Granada. Ford built two very different Granadas on opposite sides of the Atlantic. One was an attractive, efficient, and sharp-handling rival to other large European family cars. The other was a chintzy, overstuffed, under-engineered box of misery and disappointment riding on the bones of a 15-year-old economy car that couldn't be more American if it tried.
In Part 4 of this series I profiled the Lincoln Versailles which, along with the Mercury Monarch that sat next to it in the same showroom, was based of the Ford Granada you see above. If you ever wanted to know what you'd get if you took a 1960 Ford Falcon and gave it 50 percent more weight, 25 percent less power, and 100 percent more disco-era cheesiness, here's your answer! Vinyl roofs, tufted velour, plastiwood dashboard trim, stand-up hood ornaments and other tacky 1970s accouterments could all be yours either as standard or as options, depending on how much you wanted to spend. I assume all that tinsel was there to distract you from noticing the Granada's performance. Or rather, the lack thereof. The base 3.3 litre "Thriftpower" six cylinder Granada only made 72 horsepower, 70 if you lived in California. Ordering the larger 4.1 litre Triftpower six or the 4.9 litre or 5.8 litre Windsor V8s made only marginal difference.
Ford's advertising at the time liked to compare the looks of the Granada to that of a Mercedes Benz, as if anyone would be fooled into thinking you were driving a Mercedes. Yes, Ford's marketing people really did think it's customers were that dumb....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrW5UsDUvwM
Sometimes mistaken for a Mercedes? By whom? The legally blind?
The Spanish certainly wouldn't have been dumb enough to confuse these two cars. Besides, they had their own, vastly superior Ford Granada they could buy. The only Ford Granadas you're likely to see in the southern Spanish city sharing its name are those built in Germany. The Broughamtastic barge we got from 1975-82, would look utterly ridiculous anywhere outside North America.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/2012_Buick_Verano_--_04-30-2012.JPG)
Part 28: Buick Verano
The Buick Verano was a pretty short-lived model in North America, lasting from 2012 through 2017. It was essentially a fancy Chevrolet Cruze and distantly related to the Opel/Vauxhall/Holden Astra of the same period. It was also the first domino to fall when Buick began culling passenger cars from its model range, transforming itself into an all-crossover brand. After the Verano got the chop in 2017, the LaCrosse was gone by 2019, and the Regal faded away in 2020. Today, Buick's North American lineup consists of four tediously dull and utterly forgettable CUVs.
Buick's fate in China, however, is a very different story. Over there, Buick is seen as an aspirational brand and it fields a full model range of cars, crossovers, even minivans and EVs. The Verano is known as the Excelle GT in China and is now in its third generation.
So, the Verano was a success in China, a flop in America, and nonexistent in...... Italy.
Verano is the English name for a small northern Italian town known as Vöran in the local language. Fewer than 1,000 people live there, so it make me wonder why Buick chose to name a car after such an obscure place? And of the small number of people living there, I'm willing to bet not one of them drives a Buick!
So don't expect to see a Verano driving around Verano. In fact, considering it's such a small town, don't expect to see much of anything or anyone driving around the place.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/1985_Pontiac_Parisienne_%2815281630586%29.jpg/1280px-1985_Pontiac_Parisienne_%2815281630586%29.jpg)
Part 29: Pontiac Parisienne
Pontiac had been selling a model called the Parisienne in Canada since 1958. These Canadian Parisiennes were broadly similar to the corresponding model year Chevrolet Impala and Caprice. And were it not for unforeseen events, the Parisienne would have remained a Canadian market anomaly.
By the early 1980s, General Motors believed the market for traditional, rear-drive, full-sized cars was in permanent decline. With this in mind, Pontiac shifted the Bonneville badge from the full-size B-body to the newly facelifted mid-sized G-body in 1982, replacing the LeMans badge on this model. There would be no full-size 1982 Pontiac. The G-body was now styled to look like a slightly smaller version of the B-body, in an attempt to satisfy customers who would have otherwise bought the previous B-body Bonneville. Although the G-body was still rear-drive, playing switcheroo by sticking the Bonneville badge on a smaller car didn't convince traditional big-car shoppers to part with their cash. Pontiac dealers soon began loudly complaining they wanted their full-sized car back! But how? They already confused customers by suddenly turning the Bonneville from a full-size car to a mid-size after decades of full sized Bonnevilles. Luckily, Canada came to the rescue!
Canadian Pontiac dealers were still selling a B-body Parisienne north of the border, so it required almost zero effort to bring it to the US for the 1983 model year. The Parisienne's one distinguishing feature was the rear wheel spats on the sedan, which made the Parisienne stand out from it's Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Buick B-body clones. I think they should have put the spats on the wagon, too, to give it some much needed character.
Both the Parisienne and the G-body Bonneville ceased production in 1986. The Bonneville badge reappeared on a full sized sedan in 1987, this time on the front-drive H-body.
As for the name, Parisienne or La Parisienne means a grammatically female person or thing from Paris. I don't know who thought Parisienne was an appropriate name to apply to this most American (or Canadian) of cars, but it must surely have been someone who has never been to Paris! Can you imagine anything that would look more out of place on the streets of Paris than this? There's enough steel in this car to build another Eifel Tower!
The 1963 Parisienne is my all-time favourite GM product, didn't realize it wasn't sold in the US.
Something about the rear end is just plain gorgeous...
(https://i.postimg.cc/rw1QXF19/1963-Pontiac-Parisienne-7436924064.jpg)
That was called the Gran Prix/Catalina here in the US.
I do like the big 60s Pontiacs. Great stylish boulevard cruisers
(https://static1.hotcarsimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/3-1505771103908@2x.jpg)
Part 30: Subaru Baja
Let's say you're a small Japanese carmaker with a fiercely loyal and devoted cult following in the USA. And let's also say you've begun to notice pickup truck sales in the US have really been on fire lately. But there's a problem; you don't build any pickups. Uh-oh!
So, you're pretty much left with three choices. You can spend millions to design, engineer and build your own truck and hope your gamble pays off. The problem with this strategy is pickup buyers are probably the most brand-loyal customers out there and getting them to switch is like pulling teeth. Just look at the sales figures for the Nissan Titan and you'll see what I mean.
The second option is to badge-engineer someone else's truck and hope your customers don't notice the other manufacturer's name stamped on all the parts under the hood. This seldom works, however, because once you pay off the manufacturer who built the truck, you're left with razor-thin profit margins. Besides, customer's always seem to know that yours is a knockoff, and why should they buy the knockoff when they can go across the street and buy the original? Anyone here remember the Mitsubishi Raider, Suzuki Equator, or the Isuzu Hombre or I-Series? I thought not.
The third and least commonly chosen option is to adapt one of your existing products into something that sorta resembles a truck but try to claim the compromises you were forced to make are "not a bug, but a feature!" And that's what Subaru tried to do with the 2003-06 Baja.
To be fair, Subaru had previous form in this department. Many will remember the 1978-87 Subaru BRAT for it's handy size, it's rear-facing jump seats in the back and it's alarming propensity to be devoured by rust by the time it was due for it's third oil change. Subaru thought it could benefit from some rose-tinted nostalgia for the BRAT by taking a Sawzall to the roof of an Outback station wagon to fashion a quasi-pickup truck bed. So essentially, it was an Outback without the back! And because this was the early noughties, they couldn't resist gluing acres of Pontiac Aztek-style plastic cladding to the Baja's flanks. Pretty, it was not. But funky was "in" apparently, and it doesn't get any funkier than this!
The problem was, as a truck, the Baja was pretty useless. The cargo bed was only 41.5 inches long with the tailgate up but you could open the tailgate and flip the optional bed extender to increase your cargo floor to 75 inches. When the rear tailgate was flipped down, a hinged plinth for the rear number plate swung out so your plate could remain visible. This was a clever idea borrowed from the original 1959 BMC Austin/Morris Mini and it later appeared on early Range Rovers in the 1970s. Longer items could be further accommodated by the "Switchback", a 12 by 31 inch opening behind the folding rear seatback and below the rear window glass that served as a pass-through between the cargo bed and passenger compartment. However, this small opening and the fact the rear window remained fixed severely limited the practicality of the Switchback feature.
Ugliness, uselessness, and lacklustre performance from the EJ25 engine meant the Baja didn't sell in anywhere near the numbers Subaru had hoped. A turbocharged option was added in 2004 to address the performance deficit but that only added to the already inflated price tag. Upon its release in 2003, The Baja's starting price was around $25,000. That was $6,000 more than the Outback on which it was based. If you just wanted a small truck, a base-model Ford Ranger could be yours for around $12,000 in 2003. Subaru had projected Baja sales to be 24,000 units per year but they only sold around 30,000 units throughout it's entire four-year production run! Even after production had ended, it took Subaru another two years to sell off the stockpile of leftover Bajas! Weirdly, Subaru Bajas are now considered to be hot collectables today, especially the turbo models.
The name, of course, pays homage to the Baja 1000 off-road race which takes place on Mexico's Baja peninsula. Funny thing is Subaru never sold the Baja in Mexico. The Lafayette, Indiana built Baja was only ever offered for sale in the United States, Canada and, for reasons I can't explain, Chile. But that doesn't necessarily mean you won't ever see a Subaru Baja down there. Don't forget there is a huge market in Mexico and Central America for old, clapped-out, US-market shitboxes. Thousands of deathtraps deemed to be unroadworthy in the USA get exported south of the border every year where they go on to lead second lives. So it's entirely possible you may see an old, dilapidated looking Subaru Baja belching smoke as it rolls down the road somewhere on the Baja peninsula.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/1993-1996_Cadillac_Fleetwood_--_11-20-2011.jpg/1920px-1993-1996_Cadillac_Fleetwood_--_11-20-2011.jpg)
Part 31: Cadillac Fleetwood
The Fleetwood Metal Body company was an automobile coachbuilder formed on April 1, 1909. Fleetwood produced bespoke bodies on chassis from Bentley, Cadillac, Daniels, Duesenberg, Fiat, Isotta Fraschini, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Packard, Pierce-Arrow, Rolls-Royce, SGV, and Stutz. The company name was derived from Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, where the company was established. Fleetwood, Pennsylvania was named after the coastal English town of Fleetwood in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, just a few miles up the coast from Blackpool.
Fisher Body Company, a division of General Motors, purchased Fleetwood Metal Body in September, 1925. After the purchase by Fisher Body, Fleetwood produced car bodies exclusively for Cadillac. Cadillac continued to use the Fleetwood name all the way through 1996 when GM discontinued the last of its rear-drive, body-on-frame passenger cars. These last Fleetwoods shared a chassis with the Buick Roadmaster and the Chevrolet Caprice and Impala SS.
The largest and grandest of Cadillac sedans may only have an indirect connection to a small northern English town, but it's still a connection, regardless. And this little seaside hamlet is perhaps the very last place I would look for a massive, 18-foot-long, rolling slab of Americana like a Cadillac Fleetwood. Then again, one can never be certain. I won't rule out the possibility there might be some peculiar local freak residing somewhere near the banks of the River Wyre, cruising the streets of his Lancashire village in his ridiculous aging Cadillac. I'm imagining a sort of self-styled council estate Elvis, Brylcreem pompadour and all, with his Bettie Page look-alike girlfriend in the passenger seat. That's the wonderful thing about England and, for that matter, Britain as a whole. For whatever reason, that green and pleasant isle produces the world's greatest breed of oddball eccentrics!
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Isuzu_Fargo_Wagon_001.jpg)
Part 32: Isuzu Fargo
Not to be confused with the Fargo Trucks once sold by the Chrysler Corporation, the totally unrelated Isuzu Fargo was a Japanese market forward-control commercial van. The Fargo was produced over two generations, from 1980 through 2001.
Despite its looks, this is not a kei-sized van, it's more of a mid-sized van. The Fargo is roughly similar in size to the 1980s Volkswagen T3, otherwise known as the Vanagon in North America. Personally, I never understood the fascination with kei-vans in the US. If you really want to import a small, practical van, there are a plethora of options from Europe which, unlike the kei-vans, can be safely driven at Interstate speeds. Plus, as long as you buy on the Continent, you won't end up having to sit on the wrong side of your newly imported van.
The first generation Fargo (shown above) was made from 1980 through 1995. Like the 1980s Toyota Van (AKA LiteAce/Space Cruiser) and the Previa which followed it, the Isuzu Fargo had an inline four cylinder engine under the floor. Upon launch, engine choices were 1.6 and 1.8 litre gasoline units or 1.8 and 2.0 litre diesels, sans turbocharger. Turbodiesels became optional by 1984. In September 1987, the naturally aspirated diesels were discontinued in the passenger models, leaving only turbodiesels for these noncommercial versions. By 1991, a new 2.4 litre diesel replaced both the earlier diesel engines. In August 1993, a 2.4-litre turbodiesel became standard.
The first generation Fargo was sold under a few different names in various parts of the world. In Australia, it was called the Holden Shuttle. Locally built versions in the UK were badged as the Bedford Midi, later to become the Vauxhall Midi. On the European continent, you could have either an Isuzu Midi or a GME Midi if you bought yours from an Opel dealer. And in Colombia, it was a Chevrolet WFR.
The short-lived second generation Isuzu Fargo was much lesser known, only being built from 1995 through 2001. Rather than develop a new van in-house as before, Isuzu turned to Nissan to provide them with a badge engineered version of the Nissan Caravan/Urvan/Homy (E24 platform). In 2001, the Fargo was replaced by the Isuzu Como, based on the new E25 platform Nissan Urvan.
So, considering this van was never going to be sold in the USA, why name it after North Dakota's most populous city? Or perhaps someone at Isuzu was a fan of the Cohen Brothers film Fargo? Oh wait, that wasn't released until 1996. Oh well, if you do decide to import a Fargo from Japan, don't bother asking the dealer over there to remove the TruCoat. They install that TruCoat at the factory, you know. They can't take it off! :lol: