"bayman97" (mp56)
02/24/2015 at 15:31 • Filed to: None
0
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"bayman97" (mp56)
02/24/2015 at 15:31 • Filed to: None | 0
| 42 |
There was a time when you couldn't get everything you wanted when shopping for a new car. You just had to make concessions. Need to take the kids to school? Simple, buy a Volvo 145. Have to traverse a river on your way to the farm? Easy, buy a Land Rover Defender. Want to prove to the world that you are stupid? Piece of cake, buy a Ford Pinto.
But then suddenly, cars like the E30 M3 proved you could have a car which you could drive to work in the morning, take to the track in the afternoon, and valet out front at night. The Range Rover showed the world that the rugged off-roader could be tamed to take on the school run and on the corporate circuit. The Ford Pinto established that even stupid people have enough money to buy new cars. The age of the multipurpose vehicle had begun.
But what this incessant purauit to make generally appealing cars that can climb canyons and carve corners at the same time has done is eradicate those cars which are tailor-made for a specific purpose.
So what do you think is the best single-purpose production car ever made?
Mine is easy.
The Mclaren F1 is an oft-forgotten yet entirely accomplished Hypercar built by a frail (at the time) company with the sole purpose of satisfying enthusiasts. Center driver seat, exposed brake linkages, and less than 10 MPG make for a car with an undiluted purpose and execution. It was one of the last supercars which truly couldn't be "daily-ed".
[Photo Credit Mclaren]
For Sweden
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 15:33 |
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Miata
Jonathan Harper
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 15:34 |
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Mr. Bean might have an issue with your "single-purpose" McLaren F1.
GhostZ
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 15:34 |
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The Ferrari 250. Just designed to be the most universally dominant racing production car of its time, and started the whole trend of "unreliable, fast, dangerous, sports cars" that turned into the supercars and hypercars of today.
SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 15:35 |
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I didn't know that the F1 was forgotten about or that McLaren was frail in 1992.
itschrome
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 15:38 |
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2004 Cadillac SLS
purpose: Transporting Pimps
what it does well: Transporting Pimps
crowmolly
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 15:38 |
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1969 Camaro ZL-1
Go from A to B @ 1320 feet away.
Just the basics.
Airport Whiskey
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 15:39 |
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A rugged, purpose built container for bachelorette party goer vomit.
Mercedes Streeter
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 15:39 |
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Designed to ferry up to two individuals around a city centre. Nothing less, not much more. Often confused to be an economy car.
ZoopZoopLoops
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 15:39 |
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Bugatti Veyron.
Yossarian
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 15:41 |
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I'd argue that the Mclaren F1 was one of the more practical supercars ever made. 3 seats instead of two, and had fitted luggage built into the sides of the car. Rowan Atkinson said the reason he drove his car so much was because of how comfortable and practical it was, to the point where he would drive his two girls to school in it.
And in no car circle is a Mclaren F1 ever "oft-forgotten"
I nominate the F50, engine basically from an F1 car mounted straight onto the chassis meant you were vibrating right along with the engine.
Sweet Trav
> Yossarian
02/24/2015 at 15:46 |
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A castrated F1 engine.
whiskeybusiness NOW A DANGER TO CROWDS NEAR YOU
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 15:47 |
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Peel P50. Its excellent at being the worlds smallest car, terrible at everything else.
Party-vi
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 15:47 |
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The E30 M3 was a homologation special. It wasn't a refined experience that you were driving to the office and then having some carmonkey (sorry guys) park at night. The Range Rover was originally designed and sold to be a utilitarian farmers vehicle. And the McLaren F1 is definitely not a single-purpose car - McLaren built it to be the best at everything at the same time. You could take yourself and two friends and drive to work, or the movies, or drive in stop and go traffic and it wouldn't give you any fits. At the same time, you could turn off the congested roads and hit 231mph with the same two friends and a weekends worth of luggage. I'd say the F1 is probably one of the the worst cars you could pick for this topic.
camaroboy68ss
> crowmolly
02/24/2015 at 15:49 |
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hard to argue against a ZL-1 Camaro, but I would toss out the 62/63 Z11 Chevys, the Swiss cheese 63 Pontiacs, third gem 1LE camaros, big tank C2 corvettes, air box C1 vettes.
Tipo Stradale Fever
> For Sweden
02/24/2015 at 15:50 |
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I´d argue that the Caterham is superior as a single purpose car.
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For Sweden
> Tipo Stradale Fever
02/24/2015 at 15:51 |
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But I don't own a fedora
jariten1781
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 15:51 |
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Gotta be some municipal equipment. I'd say a pumper.
BeaterGT
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 15:53 |
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You could have dropped Pinto and left the sentence like that.
extraspecialbitter
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 15:53 |
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BAC Mono. Ain't got time for another seat.
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Tipo Stradale Fever
> For Sweden
02/24/2015 at 15:55 |
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Don´t worry. You´ll be going way too fast for anyone to notice.
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crowmolly
> camaroboy68ss
02/24/2015 at 15:56 |
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LOL. You could actually go on with a lot of them. Don't forget the COPO '68 Novas, or the Yenko '69s with rubber floor mats, etc.
Or this '69 L72 Biscayne. Could be ordered as an "everything delete" with 4.88 gears.
I went with the Camaro ZL-1 because it seems to be the "quintessential" factory stripped pony car.
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Yossarian
> Sweet Trav
02/24/2015 at 15:58 |
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Still an F1 engine. With an 8500rpm redline.
Saracen
> Yossarian
02/24/2015 at 15:58 |
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"engine basically from an F1 car mounted straight onto the chassis meant you were vibrating right along with the engine."
In Top Gear's "The Worst Car in the History of the World" , Clarkson said this makes the car terrible.
R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet
> extraspecialbitter
02/24/2015 at 16:01 |
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Mein Gott, dat Martini'd
Cé hé sin
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 16:01 |
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VW XL1. It just has to use very little fuel:
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Haase
> For Sweden
02/24/2015 at 16:02 |
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The Willys MB and the Ford GPW. Both were built to win wars.
/ THREAD
SantaRita
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 16:06 |
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SantaRita
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 16:06 |
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because , purpose build mail-truck...
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Yossarian
> Saracen
02/24/2015 at 16:09 |
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He said it made for a terrible ride.
But for a single purpose car to just demolish the track it helped. That's why I gave the answer.
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bayman97
> Party-vi
02/24/2015 at 16:09 |
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Fair point. I say the Mclaren F1 because it was far more "stripped-out" than the F50 or a Diablo. No stupid leather wrapped anything or a large storage space. The 2 side seats were hardly usable by the way; I've sat in them and they're incredibly tight.
M3 was absolutely refined for its day. Just being limited run doesn't mean it wasn't versatile and usable. Range Rover was by far a step above other off-road vehicles in terms of refinement (with the possible exception of the Jeep Wagoneer) and DID pave the way for future soft-roaders.
MultiplaOrgasms
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 16:10 |
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Funny how the F1 was always supposed to be a usable road car above everything else, even if the execution was on the extreme side.
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bayman97
> SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
02/24/2015 at 16:16 |
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F1 is less well-remembered than the F40/F50 or Diablo. Not ignored, but not the first car to come to mind at the time (kinda like the XJ220).
Mclaren was actively looking for partnerships during the development of the F1. Their deal with Mercedes in 1995 really cemented their financial capacity to build and partner on road cars. Their position was doubtlessly strengthened after the F1, so it was critical in removing their comparably frail image.
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Sweet Trav
> Yossarian
02/24/2015 at 16:20 |
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F1 engine block.
Big difference. A 1975 chassis cab 3500 has the same engine block casting as a 1969 Camaro Z/28. The internals make all the difference.
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Party-vi
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 16:27 |
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I'm not saying the E30 M3 wasn't versatile and usable, but peak power came over 6,700rpm and it had solid rubber suspension bushings, so I don't think it was as refined as it's more pedestrian cousins.
The first Range Rover had vinyl seats, a plastic dash, and didn't have A/C or power steering. It was designed to be hosed out as well. While it was a definite step-up compared to previous Land Rover models (tin cans with wheels), the first Range Rover was not a luxury SUV at all. All the luxury trinkets and trim came later. Heck, they were even used as service vehicles for a period of time.
RallyWrench
> GhostZ
02/24/2015 at 16:31 |
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If I'm not mistaken that's a 375. But it also fits your description perfectly.
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SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 16:55 |
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Their position wasn't strengthened, it was created. McLaren (with a capital L - sorry, it's bugging me) wasn't a road car maker. They were a racing team. Not only were they a racing team, but they were coming off of the back of dominating the pinnacle of the sport for years. They built a supercar, but they didn't have to. It was just something that they wanted to do. They happened to make one of the best cars ever, which I will always remember before the F40 or F50 or even the Diablo. The McLaren was indisputibly the fastest car in the world. This was just a hard fact for a decade and a half, and when you're 9 years old, that matters one hell of alot. I have no idea where this frail image thing is coming from, but you seem to be confusing various aspects of their history. Their deal with Mercedes in 1995 was solely an F1 engine supply deal. It had nothing to do with manufacturing or the creation of the SLR McLaren, which was almost ten years later. It also has nothing at all to do with the McLaren F1, which was BMW powered.
BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
> bayman97
02/24/2015 at 16:58 |
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I think you pretty much answered your own question.
Big Mac is pretty much the top of that list.
Others are honorable mentions... Caterham, BAC Mono, Ariel Atom, Lotus M111, Ferrari FXX, and others...
Part of it depends on how broad your definition of "production", and how absolutely strict your definition of "single use" is, as to what can qualify.
CPT Speedbump
> itschrome
02/24/2015 at 18:18 |
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but it also does well at transporting old people
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itschrome
> CPT Speedbump
02/24/2015 at 18:27 |
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old pimps, sure!
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CPT Speedbump
> itschrome
02/24/2015 at 18:30 |
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Lol, there's plenty of them around where I live..and I don't think old pimps would be old white people living in Colorado :P
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itschrome
> CPT Speedbump
02/24/2015 at 18:34 |
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CPT Speedbump
> itschrome
02/24/2015 at 18:42 |
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It being racist doesn't make it any less true :P