"Jim Spanfeller" (awesomeaustinv)
12/17/2019 at 11:33 • Filed to: None
3
10|
"Jim Spanfeller" (awesomeaustinv)
12/17/2019 at 11:33 • Filed to: None | 3
| 10 |
The Plymouth Cricket is a car that gets a bad reputation, but I think that it deserves a second chance. They were basically re-badged, somewhat restyled Hillman Avengers, and they were only sold for a few years in America before consumers decided they didn’t like them. One of the major reasons why it wasn’t a success in America was that in order to make it lighter and less expensive, they gave it basically no sound deadening. Now, we car enthusiasts can appreciate noisy lightweight cars, but in the early ‘70s, the average American car buyer did not. They complained that, like an actual cricket, it wouldn’t stop making noises until you killed it. However, on the bright side, pretty much everyone who drove one said the handling was superb, and at least one person had some success rallying one. In England, there were performance versions of the Hillman Avenger, and the Plymouth Cricket’s engine also responded fairly well to modifications. It may not have had a good reputation back then, but it sounds to me like it could make a fun enthusiast car now. Sadly, though, they are rapidly disappearing. Last I checked, it seems that there are about 16 running examples left, and the wagon version appears to be extinct.
On the rare occasions when these do pop up for sale, they are dirt cheap, too. So s ave the Plymouth Crickets!
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> Jim Spanfeller
12/17/2019 at 11:43 |
|
My mother had one 30-odd years ago
. Unfortunately, it passed on, (possible mechanically?) after incurring a bunch of assorted body damage. Doors overextended by backing with them open (not my mom), sliding off the road into a pole amidships...
WilliamsSW
> Jim Spanfeller
12/17/2019 at 11:44 |
|
I’m 51 and I don’t *ever* remember seeing a Cricket, despite being the sort of geek that pays attention to that kind of thing.
bob and john
> Jim Spanfeller
12/17/2019 at 11:53 |
|
“Now, we car enthusiasts can appreciate noisy lightweight cars, b
ut in the early ‘70s
, the average American car buyer did not”
Fix it for you.
|
Jim Spanfeller
> bob and john
12/17/2019 at 11:54 |
|
True...
Cé hé sin
> Jim Spanfeller
12/17/2019 at 11:58 |
|
A car with a remarkable number of identities:
Hillman Avenger
Chrysler Avenger
Talbot Avenger
Dodge Avenger
Plymouth Cricket
Dodge 1800
Dodge Polara
And oddest of all...
VW 1500
|
Jim Spanfeller
> Cé hé sin
12/17/2019 at 11:59 |
|
And all should be saved!
fintail
> Jim Spanfeller
12/17/2019 at 12:02 |
|
I bet if you explore WA/OR you’ll find at least one. I recall seeing at least a few over the years.
|
Cé hé sin
> Jim Spanfeller
12/17/2019 at 12:03 |
|
Some have! There are still 242 Hillman and 21 Chrysler Avengers on the road in the UK and a similar number off the road but still around.
ranwhenparked
> Jim Spanfeller
12/17/2019 at 12:55 |
|
I think the exchange rate also played a role. The Vega, Pinto, and Gremlin were all built domestically, but Chrysler opted to bring the Cricket in from the UK. They were also known for poor reliability and lack of rust proofing, though I doubt that could have been that much worse than the Ford and GM competition.
Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen
> Jim Spanfeller
12/18/2019 at 05:33 |
|
I had an Avenger as my second car in college. A 1500GT: twin carbs, 80-odd horsepower of raw power, and a vinyl roof so you knew how hot it was. As I recall the handling *was* pretty decent. Not Escort or Mini good, but better than what most of my friends were in. It was extremely fricking taily under braking, but being 19 and immortal, I saw that as a feature not a bug....