Posts

@Prince Artemis  
Cars started to take the shape we’re more familiar with today in the 50s, they still had that streamline style somewhat.  
In the 60s and 70s, they went with those pointy corners and long frames. Boxy in the 80s. And I would guess they tried to go aerodynamic during the 90s.
 
Any explanations why cars were so bland during the 90s?

@SeraphimDawn  
I can’t say I like the styling of 90s cars. They all look identical and they all look boring too. Granted there are exceptions but for the most part the 90s was basically the hangover after the previous decades.

@Prince Artemis  
They’re dirt cheap.
 
I finally saw one of these on the road a couple weeks back.  
1998 Oldsmobile 88
 
Since I grew up in the 90s and early 2000s, cars were pretty much this shape in my mind.

@SeraphimDawn  
Actually thats a good point. On a rental car you don’t have to worry about long term wear and tear because who really cares?

Does anyone here get the feeling of having more fun with trying to push rental cars to their limits than it is to perform on a performance model car?

@SeraphimDawn  
Remember when it wasn’t just compact sedans and crossovers?

@Prince Artemis  
Remember when coupes ruled the streets?

@SonGokuMonkey  
I hope they do, the US needs a ute.

Chevy might bring back the El Camino.
 
http://rare.us/rare-news/caught-on-video/the-el-camino-returns/?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=58a7d85704d3010afaf35ba6&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook

@SeraphimDawn
 
Relatively close, yeah.

@BarryFromMars  
Hey!  
You’re in the same state as RCR.

@SeraphimDawn
 
I think I’ve seen one of those Wildfires before, not up close though and only the rear end of it. (Rural Pennsylvania here.) My Father saw it first.

@SeraphimDawn  
That’s really cool. Shaky finances aside, I’m really hoping Elio can get off the ground; I’d love to have one someday, preferably in that “creamsicle” orange.

@Flying Pancake  
Initially, I thought it was just a strange little custom built vehicle. But my local newspaper reported the Elios just months ago.

@SeraphimDawn  
Wait, you’ve seen one of those on the road? Like, in private ownership? That’s a very rare bird; last I heard Elio has only released 100 “test models” so far. I did get to see one of their prototypes up close a while back, it seemed like it ought to be a great little commuter, assuming the company can ever get into decent volume production.
 
Legally, a three wheeled vehicle is considered a motorcycle in the US, and that’s generally the point of them. The Reliant Robin, for example, was designed as a 3-wheeled “motorcycle” so that it would be treated differently (more cheaply) for tax and licenseing purposes.
 
Elio is a little weird about that, though. They’ve spent a considerable amount of time getting most (or possibly all, by now) of the states to consider the Elio a “cyclecar” or “autocycle” or something similar. That way, it can be operated without a motorcycle license (so Elio can sell to more people) and without a helmet (Elio says that wearing one would actually be more dangerous). But, since it’s federally still not a “car,” they get to adhere to motorcycle standards, instead of the stricter car standards.
 
The only reason I can think of to put the single wheel in the front is if you really want to keep the back wheel from intruding into the cabin. I’d take the Elio’s compromised trunk and good stability over the Robin’s large trunk and instability any day, though.

@SeraphimDawn  
I think the point is similar to the Festiva. Make it cheap and make it efficient, because thats all some people care about. The fact that the Wildfire had climate control is something I did not expect though.

Has anyone even seen Elios on the streets before?  

 
I’ve see one a couple times down the street near where I work. Pretty strange to see such a small car. Is it a car? Or a three wheeled motorcycle?
 
Speaking of three wheel cars.
 
2009 Wildfire WF650-C  

 
What was the point of these three wheeled vehicles that tip over easily?  
Yeah, like that Reliant Robin that Mr. Bean famously kept bullying.

@Prince Artemis  
I’d figure it counts as much as a modern concept car, but I was mainly just trying to point out the front wheel pods’ similarity. Like you said, that idea has been around for a long time.
 
Plus, I thought the similar colors were kind of a funny coincidence.

@Flying Pancake  
Its a replica of a prototype so I wouldn’t count that.

@Toyminator900  
Past?  

 

 
(It’s a replica 1946 Tucker Torpedo prototype, made from a 1971 Buick Riviera.)

@Toyminator900  
seems legit, Rolls Royce can afford to do ridiculously stupid things

@Toyminator900  
Its like they slammed the thing, but only the wheel covers.

@Prince Artemis  
IKR?

@Toyminator900  
Well its pretty unlikely any car with wheels like that is going to make it on the road.

@Prince Artemis  
Well… they ARE just prototypes for now, and TBH, I was like “WTH?” When I first saw it