Top Ten Automotive One Hit Wonders (Cars=Songs)

Introduction

A one hit wonder is normally associated with music, referring to artists who have only one song that ever charted well. Applying this to the car world, the artist is the manufacturer and the song is the car. What makes a song a hit is usually mainly sales, but for this list, it’s also about how good the car is and also how famous it is. A car can also be a one hit wonder if it is the only good working car the manufacturer has ever put out onto the market. So without further delay, let’s get into this totally pointless list. #selfaware #relevant ;]

#10. Peel P50

Now we start with the biggest number but the smallest car, the Peel P50! Peel Engineering founded on the Isle of Man in Peel Village and producing their first car, the Peel P50 from 1962-1965. Though only 47 were sold in this original run, the Peel became popular throughTop Gear for being the smallest car ever produced. Peel also created the similar Trident, but stopped all production after 1966 and was dissolved in 1974. Today, you can once again buy a reproduced Peel P50 at price points of £2,999 for an incomplete kit, £5,999 for a complete kit (assembly required), or a factory-assembled car for a £8,499 price tag(Prices may vary, source: http://p50cars.com/ ). The Peel P50 is one cool car, but unfortunately, Peel was not able to produce much more than the Peel P50 and the Peel Trident which is slightly less popular.

#9. Fisker Karma

Though the jury is still out, it’s looking like The Fisker Karma may end up being the only car Henrik Fisker’s company will ever get to successfully release. Also, the new company is now Karma automotive, not Fisker Automotive, so the marque may be dead too. Prominent car designers Henrik Fisker and Bernhard Koehler left high positions at Aston Martin to found Fisker Automotive in 2007 with healthy startup capital. The hype for Fisker’s new car was real, as the car had the attention of all the automotive news outlets, the biggest one being Top Gear (again). After delays, the cars were finally delivered in 2011. Only 200 were delivered worldwide in 2011, but Fisker sold a more respectable 1,600 worldwide in 2012. A majority of the cars went to the US, with the Netherlands being the largest European consumers. While the Karma seemed to be a success with steady sales and awards, the company was about to head into a tail-spin. After financial troubles began, a whole 338 cars to be sent over to Europe were destroyed during Hurricane Sandy, and Fisker had to sue to get insurance money on them. Fisker decided to resign March 2013, and the company declared bankruptcy later that year. Fisker Automotive was picked up by Chinese Parts Conglomerate Wanxiang in 2014, and will restart production soon. Originally, Fisker was going to release a Convertible Karma, Shooting Brake Karma :), and the smaller Fisker Atlantic but failed to do so due to their impending financial disaster. Ultimately, the Fisker Karma and its range extender design proved popular and the car worked, but the almost literal perfect storm ruined Henrik Fisker’s shot at glory. We can only hope the new Karma company does succeeds where Fisker failed.

#8. Tucker 48

The car with a story so good it got its own “biopic” movie, the Tucker 48 was an amazing car ahead of its time. The Tucker 48 was poised to beat the big three to the postwar market after consumers had been starved of new cars for years. As you’ll find out, the big three would stop at nothing to destroy the Tucker 48, and it’s creator Preston Tucker. Preston Tucker was only a part-time Indy car mechanic and police officer before he quit his job to create automobiles and design what would become the Tucker 48. The 48 had many innovative features now common today but rare at the time. These features included 4 wheel disc brakes, a direct injection hemispherical flat 6 in the back, soft interior paneling, and a center light that followed the driver’s steering. The hype was real, but the big three saw that Preston Tucker was taken to court for fraud, to bar him from building enough cars to meet customer demand. After Tucker won, there was not enough money to build more 48s, and the initial demand had dwindled. The 48 was not a hit in sales, but today we recognize how brilliant the 48’ really was. Were it not for shady attacks of the competition, Preston Tucker and his 48 could have theoretically succeeded. No one knows how long the company could have lasted, but it’s certain they could have been more than just a one-hit wonder.

#7. DeTamaso Pantera

A car that not everyone remembers, but is still the most popular model De Tomaso ever sold. Ghia created the genuinely beautiful body, and with a mid-mounted V8, it was a solid performer too. In 1959 Modena, Italy Alejandro de Tomaso founded De Tomaso to create luxury and sports cars. De Tomaso’s big break came when Ford needed a Shelby Cobra replacement, so Ford offered to sell the Pantera through its own dealerships in America as well as supply 351 Cleveland engines. Unfortunately, US Ford imports ended in 1975, though Pantera’s still used Ford engines and were imported into the US by independent importers. In 1992, production of the Pantera ended, and the next and last car, the Guara entered production in 1993, only to see 50 cars produced in contrast to the 7,600 panteras sold worldwide. The Pantera was the best selling and longest selling car De Tomaso model ever, and it’s clear why it deserves that title.

#6. Vector W8

The Vector W8 was an early 90s American Supercar designed by company founder Gerald Wiegert and David Kostka. Only 19 W8s were produced before Megatech staged a hostile takeover which sent the company into a downward spiral, creating the unoriginal M12 (basically a Diablo with new skin). Vector’s W8 had all the great characteristics of wedge supercars at the time, and a little extra. The car used Kevlar and Carbon Fiber, Lambo style doors, and most of all a 6.0 Liter V8 with Twin Turbos. The car was advertised to produce 625hp and 649lbs./ft on 8lbs of boost, and could be turned up by the driver to 14lbs to produce as much as 1200whp from the factory! It’s been reported that the car did 3.9 seconds to 60 and could reach 242 MPH in 14lbs boost form and a still impressive 218 MPH in 8lbs form!!! Just remember that this car was sold 1990-1993, so it came out just before the McLaren F1, and could have been a real competitor had more been produced.

#5. Gumpert Apollo

Gumpert was named for its founder, former Audi Sport Director Roland Gumpert, who also helped design their only car, the Gumpert Apollo. Gumpert created the Apollo to be a hardcore, track oriented supercar, which explains why the car is so low and has lots of aerodynamic bits around the car. A Twin Turbo 4.2L Audi V8 powered the Apollo, producing 649hp in the base model, 690hp in the sport model, or 789hp in the race version. Many people know the Gumpert Apollo from it’s review and top lap time on UK Top Gear’s “Power Lap Board”, as a Stig piloted the Apollo Sport to a record lap time of 1:17.1, beaten only when the fastest production car in the world at the time, the Bugatti Veyron Supersport found itself on Top Gear. The Gumpert Apollo proved itself as a light, powerful, and exotic supercar, gaining the respect of the automotive community even if not universally praised. Sadly, production ended in 2012, and Gumpert went bankrupt in 2013 after a backer who would have saved the company pulled out, and the company went into liquidation. Gumpert was bought by the same company who now owns the rights to De Tomaso, who then changed the name of the Gumpert brand to Apollo. Apollo may have a future even if Gumpert is dead, as Apollo released the Apollo Arrow at the 2016 Geneva Auto Show, with Apollo claiming the car can do 0-60 in 2.9 Sec. and hit a 220 MPH top speed. Even if Mr.Gumpert’s company was short lived, at least he got to produce an amazing hypercar in his time with Gumpert.

#4. Spyker C8

For this entry, we refer to the modern Spyker Automotive Company, and its most successful model, the C8. There were two other versions of the larger C12 model, but that car never really gained the notoriety and sales of the original C8. The Spyker C8 features a similar 4.2L Audi V8 to the Gumpert just before on this list, but not having quite as high horsepower figures, as the C8 is less of a hardcore supercar, and more like a luxury super sports car. Calling the C8 a “luxury sports car” is an understatement, however, as it is better summed up as a work of art. Things that make the C8 such a jaw dropper are its elegant scissor doors, retro airplane cockpit interior with a four-spoke wood steering wheel, and its well-crafted curvy exterior design. For all its elegance, it can still provide the goods in the performance department, as it is light weight with a mid-mounted V8, so it’s up for pretty much anything. The C8 is pretty well summed up on its appearance on Top Gear, where Jeremy Clarkson appeared to like it. Spyker have been through hard times recently, but production of the C8 continues to soldier on, with a well-needed refresh shown above.

#3. International Harvester Scout

Though not International’s only vehicle (they make many heavy duty work vehicles), and not exactly its only vehicle of similar lighter duty application, it is definitely their defining mass consumer market vehicle. When released in 1960, the only real competitor to the Scout was the Jeep CJ. As time went on the Scout was slowly updated and improved, to the point where it made the jump to being more of a modern SUV with the Scout II. The Scout’s exterior look screams classic American SUV with a box shape, yet rounded edges. In addition to an exterior design ahead of its time, it was also a capable small off-roader if a bit underpowered. Today, many in the off-road community adore the Scout, and many still pour their time into restoring and maintaining them for the next generation. The continued love for the Scout is a testament to how much of a hit it really was, and I really wish International would make us a new Scout instead of just their heavy-duty work vehicles.

#2. Bricklin SV-1

It’s mid-engined, it has a V8, gull wing doors, and it’s Canadian? Yes, that’s right folks, from 1974-1975, former founder of Subaru of America and American Millionaire Malcolm Bricklin headed Bricklin, and Herb Grasse designed the Bricklin SV-1. SV-1 stood for “Safe Vehicle One”, as the SV-1 was originally going to be a safe economical car, but had to be turned into just a Safe Sports Car due to a heavy weight. Other features included being the first anti-smoking car with no ashtray option, and being the only car to ever have standard gullwing doors that open and close at the touch of a button. The Bricklin SV-1 was compared to the Chevrolet Corvette at the time, though it was only so close to the Corvette due to the decline of power in engines at the time (the Bricklin featured an AMC 360 cu.in. V8 in 74’, and Ford’s 351 Cleveland in 75’-76’). The SV-1 failed to catch on, and low production figures forced Bricklin into receivership. It turned out that Bricklin was 21 Million in debt to the New Brunswick Government. An auto liquidator from Columbus, Ohio purchased the majority of the remaining cars and parts, and some cars surfaced in 1976 made from the extra parts. The management side of Bricklin is a good example of how not to run a car company, but their car was surprisingly good. The Bricklin may have not exactly been the Safe Vehicle it was billed as, but its design is now classic. This is car your inner kid wants, with a V8 in the middle, gull wing doors, and a classic wedge shape. For sure the Bricklin is definitely not just ‘another brick in the wall’.

#1. Delorean DMC-12

John Delorean left his job as an Automobile Executive at General Motors to found the Delorean Motor Company in 1975. John Delorean was not just any former auto executive, he was known for having engineering ability, business innovation skills, and was the youngest person to ever become a GM Executive. Delorean got lots of startup capital for his business and wanted to put his factory in an area of high unemployment. Delorean decided on Ireland and eventually changing it to Northern Ireland, as the British Government wanted him to help create jobs and help keep Northern Ireland in Great Britain amid upheaval. The car’s handling was sorted out by Lotus founder Colin Chapman, but its engine, originally supposed to be a Wankel, became the PRV (Peugeot-Renault-Volvo) fuel injected V6 which turned out to be the car’s Achilles heel. Despite a long wait, and high price tag of $25,000 at the time, there was still an anxious demand for the car. Reviews showed the public that in-fact the car was just too slow and too impractical to deserve its high price tag. Dreams of a long wheelbase or 4 door Delorean never became reality. In 1982, Delorean desperate for money accidentally became the victim of a government entrapment scheme by the government to stage drug busts. Delorean got off free, but his reputation and company were in shambles as the car market hit a low point. production of the Delorean ended in 1983, just two years before the successful Back to the Future franchise would raise the public demand for the Delorean, which could have been its savior. Just like a true one hit wonder, the Delorean was a well-constructed piece but lacked the heart of a true work of art, which in this case means the engine. Delorean could have been a success if we could change a few elements of the story. Better engine??? Better reviews! More funding??? Could have been further developed! No court case??? Could have lasted till the Back to the Future hype! The DMC-12 isn’t a hit because of how it was perceived in its time, but for the love it garnered after death. Maybe we won’t all agree that its the best car on this list, but like that “one song everyone remembers”, the Delorean is that “one car everyone remembers”… Thanks for reading, feel free to comment, share, and lend a like if you enjoyed this post and want more. Have a wonderful rest of your day, and see you guys soon. #blogpost #onehitwonders #Dicksout4delorean

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Honorable Mentions: Non-Studebaker Avanti, Meyers Manx, Jensen FF/Interceptor, Checker Marathon, Lada Riva, Sbarro Windhound, Saleen S7, Zenvo ST-1, Trabant Trabant, Sbarro Windhound, Shelby Cobra, Phantom Corsair, and all those cars that I probably forgot…

Sources: Wikipedia, Car Throttle, and Top Gear