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My father got one back in the early 2000's from the estate of a collector and I've gotten to drive it a few times. You definitely get a _lot_ of looks and comme

My father got one back in the early 2000's from the estate of a collector and I've gotten to drive it a few times. You definitely get a _lot_ of looks and comments. I found it to be a supremely uncomfortable car. It's particularly nasty in the summer-- the AC is underwhelming and the windows offer very little ventilation. His is a manual transmission and it feels under-powered, viewed in the context of a daily driver. Viewed in a "sports car" context it's definitely under-powered. His car is fairly low mileage (under 30K), but it needed a substantial amount of electrical retrofit (the stock relays had a propensity to short-out, apparently) and the torsion bars on the doors needed to be replaced. They are definitely iconic cars.

mikeash 11y ago
> They are definitely iconic cars. It's pretty amazing that such a bad car, built in such small numbers, became so beloved. By almost any objective measure, it just sucks. I got to see one and talk with the owner a couple of months ago. He says one of them most common questions he gets is whether anything happens when you get it up to 88MPH. His answer is that it cannot achieve 88MPH! I'm hardly immune, of course. I love them too! I think it must be because of Back to the Future. It's like being able to buy the Millennium Falcon, in terms of owning the star of a beloved movie. Even if the real-world item sucked, we'd all love to own one.
- marincounty 11y ago
  It was John too. I was a young guy at the time, but I heard him in an interview and he said something, I was thinking at the time. I forget the exact quote, by he said aomething like, 'I'm tired of only seeing only guys my age, with my income driving a nice sports car. I would like to give young guys the thrill of driving a sports car.' I just liked him as a person, and he came across as someone I could trust. (I didn't trust most adults back then. Even now, I don't trust many of my peers. Crazy huh?). I did like the design of the car, and I really liked the stainless steel body. Even though I liked the car; I remember thinking even if I did have the money I wouldn't buy it. I wanted an old 356 Porsche. I finally found one I could afford. My friend talked me out of the $2000 sale. He said, these old Porsche's rust from the bottom up, and eventually you can't close the doors. He was a car dealer, so I didn't buy the vechicle. He was probally right, but my dream car is still the 356 rust free Porsche. I was so glad when he beat the cocaine rap.
  - linksnapzz 11y ago
    If you haven't read it, the autobiography of his career at GM "On A Clear Day, You Can See General Motors" is worth a look. Some very nice stuff in there, and corresponds well with what others have said about the company.

mikeash 11y ago

> They are definitely iconic cars. It's pretty amazing that such a bad car, built in such small numbers, became so beloved. By almost any objective measure, it just sucks. I got to see one and talk with the owner a couple of months ago. He says one of them most common questions he gets is whether anything happens when you get it up to 88MPH. His answer is that it cannot achieve 88MPH! I'm hardly immune, of course. I love them too! I think it must be because of Back to the Future. It's like being able to buy the Millennium Falcon, in terms of owning the star of a beloved movie. Even if the real-world item sucked, we'd all love to own one.

marincounty 11y ago
It was John too. I was a young guy at the time, but I heard him in an interview and he said something, I was thinking at the time. I forget the exact quote, by he said aomething like, 'I'm tired of only seeing only guys my age, with my income driving a nice sports car. I would like to give young guys the thrill of driving a sports car.' I just liked him as a person, and he came across as someone I could trust. (I didn't trust most adults back then. Even now, I don't trust many of my peers. Crazy huh?). I did like the design of the car, and I really liked the stainless steel body. Even though I liked the car; I remember thinking even if I did have the money I wouldn't buy it. I wanted an old 356 Porsche. I finally found one I could afford. My friend talked me out of the $2000 sale. He said, these old Porsche's rust from the bottom up, and eventually you can't close the doors. He was a car dealer, so I didn't buy the vechicle. He was probally right, but my dream car is still the 356 rust free Porsche. I was so glad when he beat the cocaine rap.
- linksnapzz 11y ago
  If you haven't read it, the autobiography of his career at GM "On A Clear Day, You Can See General Motors" is worth a look. Some very nice stuff in there, and corresponds well with what others have said about the company.