Automotive Outliers

[Doofus]

Yesterday I saw a rare car, and it got me thinking about what I'm calling Automotive Outliers. Cars which were radically different from anything else offered by the manufacturer, which the public generally didn't 'get', and which seem to have contributed nothing to whatever the brand did afterwards.

The car I saw was an Aston Martin Cygnet, and I also thought of Renault's Twizy and Avantime, and VW's Phaeton and XL1.

[Lefty]

VX220

[T6 vanman]

Cyberster looks a little out of place in the MG showroom

[T6 vanman]

The Mitsubishi i miev, Nissan Micra C+C, Renault Wind ?

[John D.]

Aston Martin Cygnet was just a sop to emissions regs wasn't it? Can't remember the detail, but there was an EU thing for average emissions across the model range that AM would have fallen foul of. It was never designed to offer anything to the customers.

[John D.]

Lefty said:

VX220

Monaro and VXR8 in a similar vein for Vauxhall.

I'll nominate MG SV-R. I just find them a ugly oddball of a car.

[Lefty]

John D. said:

Lefty said:

VX220

Monaro and VXR8 in a similar vein for Vauxhall.

I'll nominate MG SV-R. I just find them a ugly oddball of a car.

Well not really.

Don't get me wrong, I really like both the Monaro and VXR8 but they are just rebadged cars from the GM stable from other markets.

Vauxhall never made an effort to make a lightweight super-focussed sportscar before or since the VX220. Obviously engineered and built by Lotus it was a specific decision to try and take the brand in a certain direction (not entirely successfully it has to be said).

I owned a VXT and several Elises, loved them all but wouldn't have another VX whilst i'd love another Elise (has to be an s1 though)

[Neil-nvaua]

Chrysler Crossfire.

US manufacturer of cheap family orientated cars launches Mercedes SLK in drag with none of the badge prestige.

[samoht]

The Mazda MX-5 is radically different from Mazda's other cars, but contrary to the OP is an ongoing success.

Conversely the Fiat Barchetta and later 124 Spider were quite distinct from the rest of Fiat's range, but more in the OP's vein of arriving to a shrug from the public and quietly departing not that long afterwards.

BMW's i3 and i8 are well-esteemed, but quite unlike anything else the company made before or since.

The Alpine A110 marked a great re-introduction of the brand, but seems increasingly lonely in showrooms full of Renault-based EVs.

[Penny Whistle]

NSU Ro80.

[Super Sonic]

Honda NSX.

[Alex_225]

Would the Mercedes R63 AMG fit in here?

I can't imagine many brands were sticking 6.2 V8s in their people carriers. It's an ugly but unbelievably cool thing though!

[legless]

In Ford UK's range the Mustang sticks out like a sore thumb.

Some vans
Some forgettable family crossovers
A couple of VW-based EVs
And a 5.0 V8 muscle car

[John D.]

samoht said:

The Mazda MX-5 is radically different from Mazda's other cars, but contrary to the OP is an ongoing success.

Is it that radically different to a RX7 or RX8? All sportscars.

[Dusty964]

The Audi A2 and the Honda Insight.

Both well ahead of their time. Both unlike anything else made at the time.

[Yahonza]

legless said:

In Ford UK's range the Mustang sticks out like a sore thumb.

Some vans
Some forgettable family crossovers
A couple of VW-based EVs
And a 5.0 V8 muscle car

The bright yellow EV definitely does. More so even than the petrol original.
My choice of outlier would be something like the Renault Avantime.

Edited by Yahonza on Saturday 27th June 17:58

[valiant]

Newish Subaru Forester or Outback.

Incredibly rare to see anything from this decade where I am. Pity as one of them may be my next car and I'd like to have a word with an owner about them.

[Puddenchucker]

Lancia Therma 8.32 and, to an extent, the Stratos

VW Passat W8

Lamborghini LM002

(Mercedes) Maybach 57 & 62.

Possibly, Lexus LFA


And one for thr future? Ferrari Luce.

[_Rodders_]

Dusty964 said:

The Audi A2 and the Honda Insight.

Both well ahead of their time. Both unlike anything else made at the time.

Both my first thoughts too. I've owned an Insight. One of the best cars ever made in the history of the motor car IMO.

[POIDH]

Polestar 1 - the first and last hybrid Polestar.

https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-features/the-l...