1990-1996 GM Minivans: "Dustbuster Look"

A 1994-1996 Pontiac Trans Sport SE.

In late 1983, Chrysler launched the first minivan, and it found runaway success. It had the same fuel economy as a station wagon and was priced competitively, but was a new design with improved ergonomics and versatility. Competitors rushed to introduce their minivan designs; GM, Ford, Nissan, Toyota, and Mitsubishi had all thrown their hats into the ring by 1986, yet the Chrysler remained the most car-based, the van that stuck closest to the formula we now know as "minivans."

GM's initial offering, introduced in 1984, was the Chevy Astro and GMC Safari, which were effectively full-size vans shrunken to a more compact size, and they found a niche as a half-step between minivans and full size vans. 

In 1986, GM showed off a concept van called the "Pontiac Trans Sport", which featured a full glass canopy, seats with built in stereo speakers, a built in personal computer that could access traffic information, and a built in Nintendo NES video game system. Targeted for production in 1987, the radically styled van was never released in its concept form. 

The real Pontiac Trans Sport, launched in December 1989, maintained the radical styling. The design earned the nickname "Dustbuster".There were more unusual features in the van; the frame was a galvanized steel space frame design with dent resistant body panels, much like the later Saturn. The "modular" seats were removable and weighed only 35 pounds each. The van also featured one of the largest dashboards in a vehicle, and some drivers complained that the distance between the eyes and the windshield was too long. Other versions of the van were also launched: the Chevy Lumina APV was the value priced version, and the Oldsmobile Silhouette the premium version.

Sales were mediocre, and in 1994, the van was facelifted. Finally, in 1997, the vans were totally redesigned into a much more conventional style.

Summer Post Announcement

This blog was created for a class at Volunteer State Community College, therefore, after the semester is over, the class is over and I do not have to post any more odd cars. That said, I have enjoyed making this blog, so posts will continue over the summer.

THE SMART CAR!!!!

Microcars - cars barely big enough to fit a couple passengers - have been widely popular in the past, but regulations and changing tastes ultimately killed them in the US by the 1970s, and even once microcar-heavy countries around the world are slowly moving into vehicles with a bit more metal. Of course, there are neighborhood electric vehicles, go karts, and the like, but we're talking about fully street legal transportation, a vehicle you could drive from California to New York if you wanted to. The smallest fully street legal car offered in the US market - and one of the smallest in the Western world - is the Smart.
The unlikely source of the Smart is Mercedes Benz and Swatch, a watch manufacturer. Smart originally stood for Swatch Mercedes ART. The concept was developed by Swatch executives beginning in the late 1980s. Volkswagen backed the concept in the beginning, but the company was ultimately founded in 1994 as a joint venture between Swatch and Daimler Benz (now Daimler AG), makers of Mercedes Benz. The first Smart car was built in October 1998.
The original Smart has been in production for 16 years now, having been renamed the fortwo in 2004, redesigned in 2006, and introduced to the US in early 2008.

Volvo OV 4: A Volvo Convertible IN SWEDEN

Sweden's first sizable car maker was Volvo, born in 1927 and still going strong. Like most car companies, they didn't find success from the outset: their first model, the OV 4, was a flop, for reasons that seem painfully obvious from a 2014 perspective. Volvo is from Gothenburg, Sweden, where the average high in the summer is 19-20 Celsius (66-68 Fahrenheit) and winters that hover around freezing.  Not exactly a climate where a convertible would be your first choice. Only 275 were ever made, including 70 pickup versions.

Volvo followed up the OV 4 with the PV 4 in late 1928. The PV 4 was identical to the OV 4, but it had a roof. The OV 4 was discontinued in 1929. 

The PV 4 was more successful, and spawned a line of "PV" series cars that lasted until 1965 and made Volvo a household name.

The Suzuki X-90: Good Things are sometimes U-G-L-Y

Let's get this out of the way first: The Suzuki X-90, made from 1995-1997, has been widely criticized for being UGLY. Even the ads asked "What are you staring at?" The X-90 had an 86 inch wheelbase (3 inches shorter than a Miata of the time) and a targa top. It was, in a nutshell, not quite an SUV, not quite a convertible. And it was microscopic.

Owners generally like their X-90s, as a "fun" vehicle or second or third car. It has formidable off road prowess, especially for a vehicle packing just 95 horsepower, and is generally reliable. Think of it as an ugly Jeep.

The Chrysler TC by Maserati

Maserati. The word evokes thoughts of cruising down a winding road along the French Riviera at sunset on a warm summer evening, the wind in your hair and not a care in the world. Impeccable Italian craftsmanship, the latest in luxury features, and smooth, punchy power are in the svelte car.

Chrysler. Perhaps you think of Middle America, a typical car. Of course, you may think of their recent quality issues, but this is 1989 we are talking about, so you probably think of a typical car, albeit one with a safety advantage due to their early introduction of air bags.

The Maserati TC didn't have air bags at its late 1989 launch - even a Dodge Omni (made by Chrysler) of the time had a driver air bag. Of course, with the air bag requirement not taking effect until 1998, most cars didn't have even a driver air bag until about 1992. Chrysler prided itself on being earlier, with all 1990 (and many 1989) vehicles it built in the US having a driver air bag. One problem: the TC was built in Italy. Later TCs got an air bag, but by this time, most of the TCs that would ever be built had already been built bagless.

But that's just the beginning of the TC's problems. The TC was built in three different locations - stamping took place in Torino, and it was assembled in Sparone and then Milan. Two of the engines - four cylinders - were developed jointly with Chrysler and Maserati. The third, a more powerful V6, came from Mitsubishi. Mitsu-flipping-bishi.

Let's not forget about the Chrysler LeBaron GTC, which offered the same features and more color choices at little more than half the price of the TC. Of course, one may argue that the Maserati build quality was probably better, but the Maserati of the late 1980s - early 1990s was not in its finest hour. The company was nearly bankrupt. Their volume model of the time was the Biturbo, a model which was known for being unreliable. And decidedly un-sexy.

The GTC had far better build quality. And an air bag. And was available at all Chrysler dealers, not just 300 select dealers.

Seems like a simple choice, and it was: only 7,300 units were sold at $33,000 - $37,000 each.

The New Proton Perdana - It's an 8th Generation Honda Accord

Top photo: my dearly departed 2008 Honda Accord.

Bottom photo by Paul Tan.

Top photo: my dearly departed 2008 Honda Accord.

Bottom photo, once again, is by Paul Tan.

They don't come more rehashed than this - but in this case, the base platform is a good thing. If you live in Malaysia, you know about Proton, which is their largest domestic car maker. Malaysia is a car-making country - led by two companies, Proton and Perodua - and their products are pretty good nowadays. Sadly, they don't sell in the US, although they do export to Europe, Australia, and most Asian countries. 

Proton, known for their collaboration with Mitsubishi, found a different partner for the new Perdana, launched in December 2013 for Malaysian government and to be launched to the Malaysian domestic market by 2015. Proton and Honda entered a deal to share engines, platforms, and various other car odds and ends, and the first fruit has been the new Perdana, which replaces the old Mitsubishi-based Perdana made from 1995 to 2010. It is a badge engineered 2008-2012 Honda Accord... complete with the same interior, exterior, and even airbag markings. Only some details differ. 

Proton has had some safety issues in the past, but has made cars more recently that are much safer. The Perdana, based on such a stellar design, should be just as safe.

May 10, 2014: See the podcast audio version on Sound Cloud.