About Another Apex
Jumbling or connecting the dots on all things automotive
Intentions
We intend to look at cars from the last half-century or so with an emphasis on the surprises; the automobile legacies that vary from their initial concept. As contrarians we will try to appreciate vehicles that were ahead of their time, those that were late bloomers, or those that had success beyond their intended applications. Think of the practical Austin/Morris Mini’s success as a rally car, for instance.
Certainly, competition can bring out the best and worst in design, in part because some surprises simply cannot be planned for. Indeed, that seems to be true as much in developing new automobiles as it does in pushing their limits in motorsports.
First photo is a classic Mini with the auxiliary headlights common in rally racing. The second photo reveals inside the bonnet of a modified Mini. Photo 1 from PublicDomainPictures and Photo 2 from scan5353.
Racing lines and kissing toads
Today, launching a new model requires years of research, development, and testing. And as that huge investment nears completion, manufacturers risk that customer tastes will drift away from projections. Commercially, that might render a toad from what may have been a prince.
Similarly, drivers can optimize their chosen racing line during qualifications – kissing the apex of a hairpin corner – only later to struggle in the same turn under race conditions. The ideal steering attack now altered by debris, weather, or the proximity of a competitor.
Unfortunately for the manufacturers of road cars, occasionally consumers don’t fully appreciate models until after production has ceased. Take the MKIV Supra and its capacity – typically reaped post warranty expiration – to endure almost any modifier’s ambitions; or the Chevy SS sedan and its potent 415 hp LS3 resting within.[i] Even the time bending skills of DMC-12s were discovered only after DeLorean’s bankruptcy.
And sometimes cars discreetly find success outside their niche, like the racing derivative of Chevy’s otherwise unexceptional 1980 Citation. In fact, in 1981 John Heinricy’s X-11 – with its 0.85 G in lateral agility[ii] – could out maneuver its normally more athletic sibling, the Corvette.
But will recognition of these capabilities increase collectability? We are reminded of Warren Buffett’s tales[iii] of kissing “corporate toads” [buying bargain priced businesses] and his disappointment that none became princes. It’s tempting to think that cars and collectibles could have a better reaction to kisses. But for better or worse we only get one shot at the future.
First photo is a Holden Commodore which was brought to the US as a Chevrolet SS from 2014 to 2017. They contained the Corvette C6 LS3 engine with over 400 hp and could be purchased with a slick 6-speed manual transmission. The second photo shows the interior of a rare 2017 manual transmission Chevrolet SS that had been rebadged as a Holden by a previous owner. Photo 1 from SunriseGraphics and Photo 2 from AnotherApex courtesy of Lee Johnson Chevrolet.
The ups and downs of hindsight
But we won’t focus only on hidden talents and track specials. At the other end of the spectrum, sometimes new cars receive lofty initial praise that in retrospect seems wishful. For example, we should probably remember turn of the millennium Jaguars for their beauty rather than their top ranking[iv] in J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Survey.
Among other issues, Jaguar’s new AJ-V8 engine teethed on a variety of seemingly untested materials. These included nikasil cylinder liners and plastic timing chain components that can unpredictably forfeit a robust life of service.
The luxury afforded by the passage of time allows us to evaluate surviving machines, their lineage and their contemporaries through a static lens. And we shall attempt to highlight departures from the generally perceived trajectory of specific styles, brands, and models.
Photos of a 2001 Jaguar XK8 Coupe with its original 4.0 L AJ27 V8 courtesy of private collector. Ian Nicholls notes that “On 25 August 1992 Ford announced that it was to invest £100m in its Bridgend factory in South Wales to build the AJ26 V8 engine for the next generation of Jaguar cars. . . The AJ26 would go into production in 1996.” https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/jaguar/jaguar-in-the-1990s/history-jaguar-1990s-%E2%80%93-part-three/
Finding a new rhythm or beating a dead horse
Our goal is to appreciate elegance in design, efficiency, and capability that was practical but ahead of its time. Equally interesting, are the vehicles that smartly clung-to legacy technology when rivals were prematurely lured away.
In our opinion, we shouldn’t let unintended consequences effect how we recollect our first glimpse of a new vehicle model. However, eventual fortunes and misfortunes should be included in our interpretation of the car’s legacy.
We are not suggesting that this approach, in and of itself, is completely novel. Canny automotive enthusiasts and journalists have feasted on unappreciated spoils for many decades. Memorably, in 1992 – on the heels of a US recession – Jeremy Clarkson shot a Top Gear segment in Ft. Lauderdale where he purchased a clean 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Convertible for $4000[v] to import – free of car tax due to age – back to the UK.
And after retiring from The Tonight Show, Jay Leno democratized the preservation of all types of vehicles – from the famous to the esoteric.
More recently a number of vloggers[vi] have revisited cars seemingly stuck in the doldrums between obsolescence and collectability. As we approach the final few automotive chapters of reciprocating engines, it’s prescient for those with strong opinions and contentions to selectively shift consensus thinking.
Many vehicles from the 80’s and 90’s can still be preserved. Then perhaps we can minimize situations where treasure hunting journalists – like Tom Cotter – discover only the irreparable ruin of an iconic vehicle.[vii]
Photo courtesy of skeeze
Finding our apex
To this increasingly rich media environment, we hope to add some dots, diagrams, and due diligence that contribute some new perspective. At the same time, we’ll aim between the obvious and the obscure. And although we don’t expect our analysis to strike a chord with everyone, we hope to adjust our tack with your feedback.
NASCAR great Richard Petty tuned up Seneca’s explanation of luck, saying “Luck is where opportunity meets preparation OR preparation meets opportunity.[viii]” Because Petty has included “opportunity” both before and after “preparation,” fans could deduce that – on the track – sometimes the importance of opportunity outweighs that of preparation, and visa versa.
Indeed, inevitably drivers AND cars must find another apex. Unless the driven automobile goes the way of the steam locomotive. . .
Citations
[i] https://www.motortrend.com/cars/chevrolet/ss/2017/2017-chevrolet-ss-first-test-review/ accessed 2-25-2019
[ii] https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/2018/01/08/falling-in-love-chevy-citation-x-11 accessed 2-25-2019 -and- GM’s 0.80 G average lateral acceleration for the 1982 Corvette in the sales brochure https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/docs/gm-heritage-archive/historical-brochures/Corvette-Historical-Brochures/Corvette-Historical-Brochure-1982.pdf accessed 1-27-2019
[iii] http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/1992.html accessed 2-25-2019
[iv] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/1999-06-07/how-jaguar-stopped-being-a-punch-line accessed 6-18-2019
[v] BBC’s Top Gear 1992
[vi] Tyler Hoover, J. G. Pasterjack, Donuts, Petrolicious, Jalopnik, Bring a Trailer, Hemmings, Doug Demuro, Tavarish, Kristen Lee, Jason Camisa, Jonny Lieberman, Jason Fenske, Chris Harris, and Matt Farah
[vii] On Barn Find Hunter Episode 49, Tom Cotter finds the unsalvageable remains of three cars, an R-Code 1963 Ford Gallexie 500 [with a 427 and a 4-spd], a 1966 Impala SS L72 [with a 427 and a 4-spd], and an early 70’s DeTomaso Pantera. Hagarty notes that the Pantera may be salvageable: https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/2019/02/06/barn-find-hunter-time-capsule-pantera-r-code-galaxie-500?utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&utm_content=19_Feb_9_Weekend_News accessed 2-9-2019
[viii] https://www.esquire.com/sports/interviews/a958/esq0801-aug-wil/ accessed 2-25-2019