Mel Gibson, I’m NOT! Photo by Randy Stern
As I mentioned before, the rules have been thrown out the door. A “favorite” vehicle should be that I’ve experienced as a driver – or have been around one during my lifetime. For the most part, this is true.
Now, let me bend the rules further.
Here’s my thought: What if you dreamed of a car you’ve read about somewhere online or in a magazine. You’ve only dreamed if they were sold right here in North America for your consumption. But, would you buy them? Would you even consider driving one on our roads to experience what we’ve been missing all along?
This is probably why you won’t see the Fiat 500 on this list – it’s about to ramp up for production in Toluca, Mexico this fall and heading for Fiat dealers in both the USA and Canada by year’s end! Yet, there are many more around the globe we’ll never see north of Tijuana or Nuevo Laredo – or crossing our waters sometime soon.
But, what if…what if I could get behind the wheel of something I’ve been curious about for a good period of time? What if there were some opportunities for me to open up some vehicles of my choice on these roads – or, rather, on their home turf? I came up with five of these wonderful vehicles – from practically all corners of the planet. What would be my dream five?
If you’ve been following this blog, you may find some familiarity in the types of automobiles picked below. It’s by accident – honest!
1981-1988 CITROEN CX: Back in 1972, the Citroen SM was introduced to these shores. The coupe was sold as a great combination of Maserati power (Citroen owned an interest in the Italian sports car maker back then), a cutting-edge Bertone body and all the quirks of Citroen. And, I loved it! Sadly, it would be the last Citroen sold in North America. That didn’t stop grey market importers from bringing them in. From about 1982, any North American could get the spiritual successor to the SM and the iconic DS, the CX, in a form that would placate some local laws. This would be to the behest of PSA Peugeot Citroen as they tried to thwart sales of these precious executive cars. They couldn’t stop the 1,000 examples already safe on these harbors. The CX is an adventure in design: A Kamm back that began with a wickedly devilish French face. Inside was a cabin that is out of this world! You think Lincoln Town Cars were spacious – try a CX Prestige, the long-wheelbase version. That puts the regular Lincoln to shame in terms of rear seat room. Another reason the CX appears here: the suspension. The CX rides on a height-adjustable hydro-pneumatic system that simply floats over road imperfections. To find one with the ZF automatic gearbox (sold from 1981 to the end) and float it from, say, De Gaulle Airport across Europe would be a Grand Tour I’d be happy to partake!
1972-1978 and 2002-Current FORD FALCON: Never in my life have I ever driven a Falcon. Been in a 1961 wagon of a neighbor’s back in Reseda – but never driven one. I may never will. After Ford de Argentina stopped making the most infamous car during the post-Peron years, the Australians kept on building them. However, Ford stopped using the North American model as a template. These subsequent Falcons remained rear-wheel drive powered by in-line sixes and muscular V8s. Eric Bana raced in one – up until he stuffed it into a Tasmanian ditch. I happen to like those swoopy coupes from the 1970s, too – damn you, Eric! Today’s Falcons are in the same vein as today’s Holden Commodore (ex-Pontiac G8): A modern design, powerful motors, with plenty of room and luxury to boot. Still, North America will never see one on its roads. But, boy, would I like a turn in one of them!
1971-74 HOLDEN HQ: Before Bob Lutz made them build the Pontiac GTO and bring it across the Pacific, Holden have been an enigma outside of its home market. GM’s outpost in Australia is known to make some of the best large-sized rear-drive cars in the world. Simple technology forged into Bathurst racers with cred to even tackle the Targa Tasmania. But, racing isn’t what Holden is known for. Aside from two imported Pontiacs in the past decade, Holden was never on any radar on this continent. It was on my radar, though – thanks to a localized version of the Opel Senator called the Commodore. Before the Commodore’s debut in 1978, was a series of lovely looking Holdens that came at the height of the war with Ford (Falcon, that is). For sporting types, the two-door Monaro was your ticket. In some cases, an E-Ticket loaded with Australian versions of Chevrolet’s 5.7litre (er, 350) V8. Whether it’s a Monaro GTS 350 or a Kingswood sedan, a Holden is probably better than most GMs stateside on one aspect: They’re built for the worst. These rugged machines can tackle the Outback, Bathurst and Darlinghurst all in one fell swoop. No lie. Ask an Aussie about it – except Ford owners, that is.
2010 RENAULT LAGUNA: The last French car sold here was the Renault 21 – rebadged as the Eagle Medallion. The quality was horrific, compared to the first Kia Sephias sold on these shores. Yet, the idea was attractive: It was volumous inside with front-wheel drive and a nice four-banger to boot. Still, it was a sad curtain call for the French car in America. In its wake were improvements in quality – driven by Renault’s (and Nissan’s) chief Carlos Ghosn. The 21 has since become the Laguna. Now, the Laguna offers a better package than before. A sexy look with a choice of automatically geared combinations of every motor, petrol or diesel fueled. Certainly, they’re illogical to drive in European cities as a solo traveler. Between cities – absolutely! But, bring it over here – I can see a nice comparison with the Hyundai Sonata or Mazda6.
2010 SKODA SUPERB: I have a feeling some Europhile would say, “why mention this car? If you want to drive one, drive a Volkswagen Passat!” No. I could drive a Passat if I can get my hands on one. The Skoda is an intriguing proposition in itself. Before Volkswagen bought the Czech automaker, it was the laughing stock of the automotive world – right behind the Zastava Yugo. What VW did was to inject Skoda with world-class machinery. They gave the Czechs free reign to design a car on top of their platforms. The Superb is not a badge-engineered Passat, as evidenced by the intriguing hatch/trunk combination. You can open the rear of the car either a standard trunk or a large hatch. Also, Skodas tend to have more “old world” luxury than its VW or Audi counterparts. Not exactly a Bentley, but at the same price range as its mainstream competition, this Skoda is nothing to sneeze at. Why compromise for executive-level austerity (read: German executive sedans) when you can have a little bit of Prague on a run across the Continent. This Skoda would be a nice fit here as well as a solid entry-level premium sedan.
