skip to main |
skip to sidebar
I admit to a soft spot for bad cars - not dangerous cars, poorly engineered or egregiously maimed designs, but bad cars. These cars don't do anything really wrong but they advance nothing, handle turns reluctantly and generally represent too much compromise in design, manufacture and purchase.
So I tip my cap to any enthusiast of the Lada, the Fiat-derived car of the Russian masses, which is now destined to end its production.
The Lada was based on a Fiat design, which in turn will look awfully familiar to devotees of the Fiat 124 in the USA: square and boxy. While the car had a commendable engine and transmission in the Fiat iteration, the Russian parent of the Lada altered the drivertrain for the more primitive conditions and layout of the Russian road network.
With a majority of the cars exported around the world a Lada's deficiencies became well known but tolerated due to a low purchase price and generally simply mechanicals that could be repaired anywhere. As a Finnish enthusiast noted in this story in The New York Times, the car did come with a blast furnace of a heater.
Off road fans might remember the Lada Niva, which emulated the Subaru lineup with 4x4 vehicles.
A tip of the cap to Ben Gribbin, Yorkshire, England, for his entertaining blog, FunRover.com .
Ben has a graphic's designer touch which makes his site enjoyable to view, and a writer's skill that makes it fun to read.
His site, Facebook and Twitter feeds are UK-centric but that only adds to their appeal to US Land Rover fans.
Back in 2011 he posted some nice ideas about making the Defender replacement look, well, more like a Defender. Click here to enjoy his recommendations.
I fear that another interesting car might disappear from the automotive landscape. Lotus Cars, now owned by a Malaysian company called Proton, again faces financial problems as the Malaysian government looks to sell its stake in Proton. That might mean shedding Lotus - which in turn means it could go the way of Saab.
Lotus, founded by Colin Chapman in the 1950's, began as the manufacturer of "club racing" kits, lightweight cars with terrific balance, excellent suspensions, and easily available engines from Ford, Coventry Climax, and later Rover and Toyota.
The Lotus Seven could be purchased as a kit or as an assembled car. This model still continues today as the Caterham, the name of a former dealership that bought the rights to the Seven model.
The "achingly pretty" Lotus Elite moved Lotus away from the space frame chassis to the "central backbone" chassis with a bonded fiberglass body. The car's lines seduced many buyers who overlooked the questionable build quality in favor of its fabulous handling. Electrical gremlins were common as fiberglass makes for lousy electrical grounds.
When "The Avengers" captivated American television viewers in the late 1960's, Diana Riggs' Emma Peel tooled around in a Lotus Elan, the first convertible model since the Lotus Seven.
Lotus then jumped aboard the mid-engine bandwagon, using a Renault engine, with the Europa - the first car really designed for a world-wide market.
Lotus would join the "wedge" revolution in the 80's, using Oliver Winterbottom's radical designs [even a 4-seater!], and then continue into the 21rst century with the Exige. All the Lotus cars have kept light weight and superb handling as their focus. Drivers love them and enthusiasts admire the laser-like orientation of the Hethel, Norfolk, UK company.
These are exciting cars that offer something really different in the automotive market. There needs to be a place for these automobiles - don't let Lotus go the way of Saab!
Kim McCullough is the Brand Vice President for Land Rover North America, a post she assumed recently. Her presence does assure that Land Rover seems to have a genuine enthusiast in its executive ranks.
At the off road course set up off 10th Avenue in New York, Kim brought her 86" Series I to the event. Initially it seemed to be for show only, but with some urging from Bob Burns, Land Rover's Special Events coordinator, she took it onto the course. Kim stated that she had never received instruction in off roading so Bob used the opportunity to teach her the basics.
For the hundreds of people watching from the ground, to the hundreds watching from the Chelsea High Line above, the Series I proved its mettle.
Posts
