by "mkbruin, Atlas VP" (mkbruin)
Published 01/18/2017 at 10:40
by "mkbruin, Atlas VP" (mkbruin)
Published 01/18/2017 at 10:40
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STARS: 6
Show me cars and trucks that were greenlit for production and killed prior to launch.
These are the misfits, the cars that ALMOST made it. Maybe they should have made it, but circumstance got in the way.
My example: Dodge M80.
Simple, honest, basic compact truck. Color impregnated plastic materials used throughout. Approved, killed at the 11th hour after full development.
So, we’ve got the M80, the ST, the ME412, and two engines. Surely there are more greenlit cars out there that got chopped at the 11th hour...
"RT" (rt-p)
01/18/2017 at 10:43, STARS: 3
Not a car, but an engine, the Saab V8. They were almost there but then GM ownership ended the deal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saab_V8
"SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie" (sidewaysondirt)
01/18/2017 at 10:44, STARS: 10
Too soon?
"scoob" (scoobsti)
01/18/2017 at 10:46, STARS: 0
I was really surprised to see one of their commercials.
"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
01/18/2017 at 10:57, STARS: 1
Not sure if it was ever fully greenlit or not (and it’s an engine not a vehicle) but it was definitely 90% through development with intent to produce.
LMK Duramax. Died in GM’s 2008 bankruptcy.
"carcrasher88" (carcrasher88)
01/18/2017 at 10:57, STARS: 5
Pontiac G8 ST. Got SO close to going into production, though it did live on after the death of the Pontiac brand in Australia, where the G8's front fascia was offered on a limited production version of the SS-V sedan, Ute, and Sportwagon.
Audi Quattro. We’ve seen a couple Quattro concepts in recent years, and even though they’ve hinted at a production version...nothing has ever come to fruition.
GEM Peapod. Fatality as result of Chrysler’s bankruptcy, and wasn’t picked back up upon being bought out by Polaris. Though, who knows...if they DID continue development, would we have still got the Slingshot? Probably not, and we’re better off because of it.
"Milky" (jordanmielke)
01/18/2017 at 11:02, STARS: 2
Sad!
Wasn’t the issue that Ferrari didn’t want a company butchering F430 chassis?
"superhead" (superhead)
01/18/2017 at 11:05, STARS: 4
I wonder where GEM got their logo design from?
"carcrasher88" (carcrasher88)
01/18/2017 at 11:06, STARS: 1
Yep, and it was quite a shame, because it was even a Pininfarina design, so they were behind it...but Ferrari wasn’t.
At least they let the one original continue to exist, though...I think.
"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
01/18/2017 at 11:12, STARS: 1
Another engine
http://www.trucktrend.com/how-to/engine/0810dp-2010-duramax-4500-diesel/
The duramax 4500 4.5 liter V8 meant for class 2a trucks (half ton and suburban) it was designed to fit just about anywhere an LS would and bring fuel economy back to the duramax after the great torque wars. Killed off with old GM
310 hp and 520 lbs-ft with emissions controls that would have allowed it in the lighter truck category (as opposed to the 5.0 cummins which needs the class 2b to pass)
"DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!" (daft-ryosuke)
01/18/2017 at 11:32, STARS: 4
There have always been murmurs of a Cadillac super car in the works. The bailout set it back quite a bit, I don’t know if or when we’ll see it again.
We were SO CLOSE to having an American super car to truly be proud of, then Mercedes got cold feet. Fuck you, Mercedes.
"SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie" (sidewaysondirt)
01/18/2017 at 11:38, STARS: 0
Not really ever greenlit for production. It was a custom job for a private party built by Pininfarina. It was never a Ferrari or Lancia project.
"SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie" (sidewaysondirt)
01/18/2017 at 11:41, STARS: 1
How ‘bout that Cadillac Sixteen that they were thinking about making in limited numbers? Still looks fresh almost 15 years later.
"FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem" (fuelstratifiedinjection)
01/18/2017 at 11:44, STARS: 0
Well, the Audi TTRS is kind of the modern interpretation of the Quattro.
"Milky" (jordanmielke)
01/18/2017 at 11:49, STARS: 0
Er ... if Ferrari didn’t say “No you cant use our chassis” more would have been made. They had it track/wind tunnel tested, a deal with Pininfarina and even had the boss of Ferrari drive it.
Sounds greenlit to me.
"SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie" (sidewaysondirt)
01/18/2017 at 11:56, STARS: 0
How is that remotely greenlit? It was high profile, but this was not a Lancia project. Probably nor the best example anymore, but it would be like if someone coachbuilt a “Bronco” on a new F150 frame and got Mark Fields to drive it. The builder can say “we can build more of these” all they want, but it’s not a Bronco, it was still never destined for production, and it was never greenlit. It’s a custom built one-off that the builder would like to have seen become a Lancia Stratos, but it’s absolutely not one.
"DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!" (daft-ryosuke)
01/18/2017 at 12:07, STARS: 0
They still say they’re gonna make a big limo, but they never follow up with it. I watched the Top Gear review of the Sixteen the other day, and they said all it took was rich people speaking interest.
"Milky" (jordanmielke)
01/18/2017 at 12:18, STARS: 0
So what if Lancia didn’t have a part of it and it wasn’t large scale? 39 more examples were this close ->| |<- to being made.
Greenlight - To give permission to proceed with
The had already proceeded . Designed, engineered, business deals, found buyers, etc.
"PotbellyJoe and 42 others" (potbellyjoe)
01/18/2017 at 12:19, STARS: 3
The MID4II, some said it was going to be the first Infiniti. Once final cost specs came back the project was shut down.
Meanwhile at Acura...
"SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie" (sidewaysondirt)
01/18/2017 at 12:32, STARS: 0
I hate to be pedantic, but the question was regarding cars “greenlit for production and killed prior to launch.” If Pininfarina, Lancia, and Ferrari said “yes, we’re doing this” then changed their mind, it would fit the bill, but it wasn’t.
"Milky" (jordanmielke)
01/18/2017 at 13:17, STARS: 0
Ferrari boss drives it, loves it, signs it. Pininfarina said it would/could build at least 25.
Sounds about as greenlight as any Italian production car.