Failed Quattroporte, the Triumph Acclaim and of course the Alfa Romeo Arna
At a time when changes are also happening faster than ever in the car industry, it is nice to look back in classic land. This often leads to a selection of remarkable things from car history. Such as special love affairs between two car manufacturers, with a striking number of eighties babies.
Chrysler and Maserati (TC, 1988)
Friends Lee Iacocca (Chrysler) and Alejandro De Tomaso (Maserati) joined forces with the TC. Late deliveries, poor build quality, mediocre driving characteristics, ditto performance (the engine had hardly anything to do with Maserati) and a price that was much too high resulted in a total flop.
Holden and Mazda (Roadpacer AP, 1975)
In the search for a top model, Mazda ended up with the Australian Holden. Under the hood of the HJ Premier, thirsty, low-torque 1.3-litre Wankel engines took over the tasks of the six- and eight-cylinder engines. A hefty price ensured that only 840 Roadpacers AP (Anti Pollution) were sold.
Alfa Romeo and Nissan (Arna, 1983)
The textbook example of ‘you shouldn’t want this’: capricious Italian technology and electronics in a dull and rust-prone Japanese body.
British Leyland and Honda (Acclaim, 1981)
During the last convulsions of the British Leyland group, the British knocked on Honda’s door. Thus, the Honda Ballade became a Triumph Acclaim. Not a bad car, but the downfall was inevitable.
Maserati and Citroen (Quattroporte II, 1976)
As stylish and successful as the Citroën SM was, Gandini’s Quattroporte II went off quietly through the side door when the marriage between the French and the Italians was on the rocks. Only twelve were built.
Saab and Lancia (600, 1980)
In the absence of its own compact model, Saab went shopping at Lancia. It was mainly about ordinary rebadging, because the Saab 600 was just a Lancia Delta with different logos. However, the southern European sheet metal and sensitive electronics were not at all designed for harsh Scandinavian conditions.
Cadillac and Pininfarina (Allanté, 1986)
Similar to the Chrysler TC, but the Allanté’s manufacturing process was more logistically challenging: bodies had to be flown from Italy to Detroit for final assembly. That didn’t make it any cheaper…
.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl