HOT TAKE INBOUND

"MarquetteLa" (marquettela) 01/24/2019 at 13:08 • Filed to: unicorn, hot take

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Your car isn’t a “unicorn” if you have to qualify it with paint color, transmission type, interior options, etc. My old 1988 Mazda 323 GTX was a unicorn, full stop. My 2002 Miata with Emerald Mica paint, 6MT, Appearance Package #2, and a power antenna is not a unicorn, regardless of how few cars were made to that exact specification.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 13:14

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Absolutely only 243 with all 12 of these options that it as!

NO my Galant VR-4 was a unicorn, not your non SS 65 Impala.

VW Max > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 13:14

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Is the manual Passat W8 wagon a unicorn? It’s the rare version of a rare car, but a transmission option makes it rare.

MarquetteLa > VW Max 01/24/2019 at 13:16

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Any W8 car is a unicorn.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 13:24

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my voyager was a unicorn

only voyager in the world ever owned by me

course.... its dead now

Chuckles > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 13:24

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People seem to equate the term "rare" with the term "unicorn" but there's more to being a unicorn than just being rare. 

AestheticsInMotion > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 13:25

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Wait a second... Are you trying to say my red, manual transmission,  NA8 Miata with power windows, locks, and no AC isn’t a unicorn

Sovande > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 13:27

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I couldn’t agree with you more.

Tristan > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 01/24/2019 at 13:28

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1,046,514 Impalas were produced in 1965. 243,114 were Super Sports.

...BUT there were only 399 SS Convertibles with a straight six!!!

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 13:29

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My Galaxie is a trim-code deviation late smallblock stripper 500 (option-delete premium,? wut?) , which makes it unusual. Maybe (with the trim code deviation) one of a couple dozen. However, at the end of the day it’s a Galaxie 500 sedan. Not really all that rare in its day, and the unique points are things that nobody really cares about.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 13:31

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Agreed. If your car has *one* option with total production figures in the double digits, then you can call it a unicorn. But going down this whole “5723 cars had color code ‘b’ and of those only 2330 had interior code ‘3et’ AND only 52 (FIFTY TWO!!!!) had A/C AND ONLY 17 HAD THE SECOND INTERIOR DOME LIGHT SO THAT MAKES THIS CAR 1 OF 17 SO NO LOW BALLERS I KNOW WHAT I HAVE ” thing, especially when they print it all out on a big sign. It just reeks of “I know I got a common car but it’s rare! It really is! I’m an interesting person! Oh god please give me attention while i pretend I don’t want it! NOTICE MY CAR! NOTICE MY CAR! NOTICE MY CAR! NOTICE ME. NOTICE. ME. Give me the attention my wife has refused to give since NAFTA was first passed. Give me the approval my father withheld! I AM SPECIALLLLLLLLLLLLL!

...

Yeah, sorry bout that. I have a dedicated portion of my brain set aside to hate on those guys. But come on now, who ya fooling with signs like this:

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 13:31

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“This is the only 328xi with an automatic, cold weather package, spert wheels, carrot-waxxer, in Volcanic Winter Frost Emerald Brown in western Idaho!”

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 01/24/2019 at 13:32

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If my Ranchero were still in good original shape it might come close to qualifying as a unicorn for being a special-purpose fleet order, as there were a small number ordered in a specific configuration for specific purpose with nonstandard paint, nonstandard interior, and special order rear axle. Not quite there, though - not a recognized special edition as such . Almost Hertz Mustang, not quite.

facw > AestheticsInMotion 01/24/2019 at 13:32

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You car has holes where the horn would go. It’s definitely an anti-unicorn.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 13:37

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Even hotter take, your Mazda 323 GTX was tarted up version of a mass produced economy car so therefor isn’t a unicorn. My friends mom used to drop us off at school in her 323.

promoted by the color red > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 13:38

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Let me pretend my Volvo is rare and valuable so I can spend a bunch  of money restoring it.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 13:42

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Also, “1 of 500 produced in this combination in 2003.”

And production spanned 10 years.

Unless it’s a very rare option on a desirable car (the qualifier being that the old car is actually desirable to begin with), it isn’t worth anything.

My Camry, which is the only Unicorn Purple Pearl produced in 2006, will not be worth any more than someone else’s beige-on-beige 2006 Camry with beige key, beige turn signals and beige first owner .

HoustonRunner > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 13:51

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Counter-steer (or o ppo if you will....): From an owner’s perspective, it is a unicorn if it was/is hard for you to find and obtain.

My unicorn is a Le Mans Blue E39 M5 6 speed with camel interior . No idea how many were made, and if I searched on autotrader right now I could probably find a decent one that I can technically afford. But regardless of how badly I want it (really bad), I can’t justify the up front and maintenance costs right now.

That is my unicorn. Utterly amazing (to me), and hard to obtain (for me right now ).

Future next gen S2000 owner > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 13:52

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This is the correct take. Unicorn status ends with the motor.

Future next gen S2000 owner > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2019 at 13:54

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I don’t know what that flyer is wroth but it’s worth more than the car featured on it.

Kiltedpadre > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 13:55

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How many options can be part of the qualifier for it to still qualify as a unicorn?

My dad owned a 1970 Cutlass W-31 that according to the Oldsmobile Archives was the only one ordered in rallye red without racing stripes. I’d still call that a unicorn.

Textured Soy Protein > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 13:56

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Hot take: WE’RE ALL SPECIAL EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US

BeaterGT > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 01/24/2019 at 14:00

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Any running DSM should be considered a unicorn.

dogisbadob > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 14:00

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That pic is awesome

A V W with over 200k is a unicorn. A Mazda3 with no rust is also  a unicorn :p

Nibby > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 14:02

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dude my gray 2018 F150 XLT crew cab is such a unicorn

My bird IS the word > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 14:08

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lukewarm take at best.

Arrivederci > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 14:09

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Disagree. I think any one option can make a car a unicorn, not a series of options.

Meaning, a Miata “color car” is a unicorn, but a M-edition with a couple odd options isn’t.

BeaterGT > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 14:10

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What if your car model’s production spanned several years but the options you have were only available in one year ? Does it have to be interior, exterior, and drivetrain? Is there a priority to each?  Does internet desirability come into play?

Alfalfa > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 14:16

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Boomers everywhere just felt a disturbance.

Darkbrador > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2019 at 14:20

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slowly clapping my hands

CobraJoe > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 14:37

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Your car isn’t a “unicorn” if you have to qualify it with paint color, transmission type, interior options, etc.

Agree, with one caveat: It can be classified as a unicorn if one of those things is recognizably special by a non-car person.

Example: Mystichrome Cobra.

Though I would argue that a transmission can make a car into a unicorn.  A Volvo V70R or V50 T5 with a manual is a pretty rare beast.  

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > BeaterGT 01/24/2019 at 14:51

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25% of the time it’s was one... except it was built in Japan 

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2019 at 14:57

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Yes your V6 2010 Camaro is sooo cooool

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Future next gen S2000 owner 01/24/2019 at 14:57

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B ragging about a V6, automatic camaro...Welcome to the future.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 01/24/2019 at 15:03

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V6 automatic , dear sir. With “Tap-shift manual shift mode” no less! It’s the best of both worlds ! Now let me tell you all about how cool my daughter’s teenage friends think I am while I sit in this 7$ lawn chair and sip RC cola as my “old lady” rolls her eyes and fakes a smile and a laugh.

MarquetteLa > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 01/24/2019 at 15:15

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What do you mean by trim-code deviation?

MarquetteLa > HoustonRunner 01/24/2019 at 15:16

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You’re describing your dream car, not a unicorn.

MarquetteLa > CobraJoe 01/24/2019 at 15:19

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A super-fancy and unusual paint option like Mystichrome could qualify.

A V70R is an uncommon car. A manual transmission would make it an uncommon car with a rare option . Which does n ot equate to a unicorn.

MarquetteLa > Kiltedpadre 01/24/2019 at 15:20

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Yawn. Peel the racing stripes off of a common rallye red car.

MarquetteLa > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 01/24/2019 at 15:22

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Th e GTX used an AWD powertrain that was not found in any other car...ever. It was a Group A homologation car. Less than 1,300 were ever imported into North America.

MarquetteLa > Arrivederci 01/24/2019 at 15:23

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I know what a Miata color car is, and while they are “ special,” they aren’t unicorns.

MarquetteLa > Chuckles 01/24/2019 at 15:24

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Preciiiiiiisely

MarquetteLa > Future next gen S2000 owner 01/24/2019 at 15:25

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I’d add in drivetrain. The 323 GTX shared its 1.6T motor with the more common FWD GT model, but the GTX was the only one with AWD.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 15:30

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Still a 323 in the end.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 15:32

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Rather than being a trim code “28", it is trim code “28A”. Back in the ‘60s, Ford let its plants make do as needed by altering the seat covers and other elements to use up old stock, test fit new stock, or use alternate materials. If it was something really wacky as a special order, they used a number suffix, and if it was something that Ford would still fix under warranty, it was a letter.

On Mustangs, this could mean ‘67 models put together with ‘66 vinyl panels behind the doors, seats made with a different white vinyl than usual , seats made with white on white instead of black on white, etc. etc. Different trim code deviations were each unique to the trim type, car, and the factory.

In the case of my Galaxie, it has a single-piece bench (which I’m not sure they even offered in ‘63 on a 500 , normally) trimmed in 28 (“fawn”) vinyl, but instead of having the fawn-color cloth, it was made with a dark gold/dark greenish gold/silver stripe material that shows up in *no* Ford interior book for ‘63/’64 I’m aware of.

The working theory is that I have either a production test mule for ‘64 500 seats or just very odd seats (Custom 300 level with 500 inset?) , but in either case also made with unusual material. T here can’t be too many, but the factory books weren’t kept very well in that era so it’s near impossible to know - it might only ever have been recorded in a ledger in Atlanta Assembly tossed out in the ‘70s.

MarquetteLa > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 01/24/2019 at 15:34

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And a Golf R is just a Golf , gotcha

MarquetteLa > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 01/24/2019 at 15:37

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An interesting look at what auto manufacturing was like in the 60s and how different things are today. I would definitely call your Galaxie interesting and noteworthy, but probably not deserving of “ unicorn” status.

Arrivederci > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 15:37

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Like I said, disagree .

i86hotdogs > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 15:39

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In your interpretation : any US spec minivan with a stick

In MY interpretation:

HoustonRunner > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 15:43

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Fair enough.  Though my dream car is a F355 Berlinetta with a gated manual transmission and no maintenance issues.  That flat out doesn't exist, so it truly is a dream.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 15:44

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Exactly so. If that seat cloth was a special branding option that came with a special 406 or something, maybe, or if there was anything collector-wise special about being a seat test mule, but as it is...

I should note, however, it’s not quite as different as one might think. Test runs and prototypes still go into the regular production supply, just not probably in the same quantities and with less special note that “hey, we monkeyfucked your car, lolz” because the deviations are less noteworthy.

For example, t here are something like a hundred Explorers out there on which the dead pedal in the front carpet is installed with screws instead of press-fasteners, which I know because I’m the one who installed them. Not all will have been crashed or in press fleets.

MarquetteLa > HoustonRunner 01/24/2019 at 15:49

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And likewise, my dream car is a $10,000 Zonda. Ain’t gonna happen :’(

CobraJoe > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 15:49

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A V70R is an uncommon car. A manual transmission would make it an uncommon car with a rare option. Which does not equate to a unicorn.

They sure seem mythical when you try to find one. Same with the V50 T5 with a manual, there is exactly one for sale on cars.com nation wide.

But I completely agree trying to claim unicorn status because your car was one of 50 produced with many very specific options.

RPM esq. > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 16:13

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As unicorns aren’t so much rare as they are fictional, it seems to me that they don’t make a very good analogy for anything that actually exists, no matter how rare. But at the very least I agree with you that  rarity is a necessary but not sufficient condition for “ unicorn” status .

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2019 at 16:18

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Hey get off my lawn!

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 16:20

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Technically I think my car is a unicorn in Ohio. All the other Mk3s are either GTIs or have some type of VR6 in them. Nobody gives a shit about a base model.

Future next gen S2000 owner > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2019 at 16:27

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If it had the V6 out of the GT, then we can talk.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2019 at 16:57

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It’ll make a great LeMons car in 20 years 

MarquetteLa > RPM esq. 01/24/2019 at 17:10

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Yep, you and I are definitely on the same page.

MarquetteLa > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 01/24/2019 at 17:16

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This is what I’m getting at though; ‘unicorn’ implies rarity ~and~ desirability . No one gives a shit about the base model, so....why would you label it as a unicorn? 

Vicente Esteve > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2019 at 17:33

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This is so golden, it really should be used for every further example. 

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > MarquetteLa 01/24/2019 at 18:26

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My 528i is weirdly specced because it has so many options that it was close in price to the 540i, which had all those options standard. For like $2000 more the original orderer could have had the same car but with a bigger engine, nicer wheels, and a 6th gear.