As a car enthusiast, I’m sure you’re getting pumped for new cars all the time, regardless of whether or not you plan to buy (or can afford) the latest and greatest from insert brand. Lord knows I won’t be buying a new car anytime soon, but that fact does nothing to curb my Heinz-Ketchup-commercial-like anticipation for spotting new models I’m into on the street and checking them out in the showroom. Holy crap, is that a baby Corey Feldman?! Oh, pardon me, I was just watching the video I hyperlinked there.
Back to car-ticipation. Though I’m always looking forward to lots of different new cars dropping, I am inevitably more rabidly interested in some than others (hence the query of today’s Autopian Asks). Back in my early high school years, I was on tenterhooks (it’s not tender hooks, I looked it up) for the C4 Corvette to finally appear in actual fiberglass. Like so many other kids, I had the spread ad for the car on my bedroom wall, and after a full lifetime-up-until-then of nothing but the C3, the idea of an all-new Corvette, especially one so sleek and futuristic and digital-gizmo’d, was completely enthralling.
Spacer
I was also tracking motorcycles closely at the time, and not long after the C4 dropped, Honda introduced the GB400 retro-bike that would eventually come to the States in 1989 as the GB500 with a boost in displacement to match the name. The GB500 was way behind the times in styling (intentionally, of course) which made the backward-looking Honda way ahead of its time as far as the craze for retro-styling goes. I was mad for the ersatz British look of the thing, and couldn’t have cared less that it was really just a boring Universal Japanese Motorcycle at heart and hardly a screamer with its 500cc SOHC inline four.
Retro would be a bit of theme for me, as another vehicle I simply couldn’t wait for was the New Beetle. My Dad had a Squareback followed by a pair of Beetles (the last a Super), and a 1974 Super Beetle was my high school transpo. So, like Jason, you might say I’m a bit of a Beetle fan myself. I will confess I was a bit underwhelmed by the car once I experienced it in sheetmetal (my sister actually owned a first-year model), but the anticipation was, once again, ketchup-grade.
Now it’s your turn: What’s The Most Pumped You’ve Ever Been For A New Car?
… or a motorcycle, or truck, or anything really. I didn’t follow the rules, so you don’t have to.
I can think of two cars I was really, really pumped to see hit the market. The first was the 2002 Saturn Vue. I didn’t care much for the car itself, but it was the first car to come to market market with dual-stage driver side airbag inflators that were “my” design. I was the principal engineer for that product line at a Tier II supplier.
Bringing the dual-stage inflators to market took several years of behind-the-scenes work with Delphi, GM, and Opel, plus other global automakers. I spent plenty of time observing sled testing, talking with engineers, techs, and line workers at plants in the USA and Mexico, uncounted hours in conference rooms in Auburn Hills talking to GM engineering folks, and many, many late nights in my own organization as we went from making a few hundred of the things during development to a targeted 10 million a year in production. Every Saturn Vue on the road was a little rolling pile of personal validation for me.
The other car I was really pumped for was the 2002 Subaru WRX. I had a bugeye wagon on order before they were in the dealerships, so I was definitely excited when they started popping up here in the States. After mine arrived, it was “the cool new kid at school” of enthusiast cars for about a year. I loved mine for about ten years, then sold it to my nephew with 180k on the clock. He was heartbroken when it was rear-ended and totaled. By then it had over 220k miles, still on the original head gaskets.
I was really looking forward to the JKU the first 4 door Wrangler. The Idea of the off road capability of a wrangler in something big enough for people and gear was awesome.
Probably the R35 GT-R. I was young, a Gran Turismo fanatic, and hearing that arguably the holy grail of Japanese cars was coming stateside got me excited. I got into arguments online about whether or not it would be faster than an Audi R8 or RS6 (some SEAT owner got banned for lying about knowing an Audi insider and saying the RS6 would beat everything) and still really like seeing them show up at Cars & Coffee. I’ll probably never be able to afford one, but I probably still consider it a poster car. Even if it’s “ugly.”
First-gen Mazdaspeed3. I had my 2005 that I bought new and I was loving it. Then they announced they were bringing out a turbocharged, six-speed version with the refreshed front end. I couldn’t wait to see it in person.
Ive been lucky to own quite a few great cars, but I think I was most excited for my Maverick. As soon as it was announced I was all over it. Went to the dealer to see the traveling demo, and ordered mine July 21. Somehow, I got one of the first ever build weeks (started 9/13 and mine was built 9/20) and got it 3 days before my birthday in October of 2021. First car I ever ordered to my own spec and loved it!
When they announced the GR Corolla was coming to the USA. Hot hatch 3 cylinder turbo with adjustable AWD made my rally fantasies come to life. (I just wish we had the Yaris too.)
Maybe not stoked with anticipation BEFORE they came out, but I was pretty stoked about the Civic Si with the VTech engine (1999?) to the point that I ponied up sticker price for a 2000 model in black.
Only time I paid full price (and the 2nd and last time I bought new). Really enjoyed driving it but alas I was rear ended a few months after I bought it (by an 83-year-old lady who per the police report did not recall the accident). Spent months in the shop and came out….just not the same. Put a lot of money into trying to get it ‘right’ (tires, alignments, ????) and ended up giving up out of frustration and trading it in for a 2000 GC.
I was on the waiting list for a smart roadster back when they were teasing it. When it came out, the price was a lot higher than teased and the reviews were so negative that I never got one.
I was very excited for the Tesla model 3. When it came out, the price was a lot higher than teased and the reviews were so negative that I never got one.
Miata ND RF. When I saw an article about the new “retractable fastback” ND, I went nuts! It was/is so gorgeous. That was late 2016, I guess, for the 2017 model year. Took me until 2024 to talk my wife into a 2021 ND II model. She loves it, I love it. Still pumped!
Probably the 2005 Mustang GT. When the local Ford dealer got one in, I actually went to check it out (no intention of buying). Another guy was there with his New Edge Bullitt, similarly excited. I wS the.one who said “Can I take it for a spin?” and the guy with the Bullitt looked at me with an expression that seemed to say “What? You mean we can do that?”
I drove it, and liked it a fair bit.
Now I get excited about hybrid minivans. I’ll turn in my car guy credentials at the door on my way out.
I was actually excited for the return of the Pontiac GTO. The specs sounded like a return to form for Pontiac and then when I found out it was coming from Holden, the excitement doubled and then I saw one. (insert Price Is Right losing horn)
I was pretty darn stoked for the ID Buzz. Then VW pulled a Kano and ripped my heart straight out of my chest.
I have trust issues now.
You predicted mine in the title photo, for me it was the New Beetle. I was driving a ’68 Beetle at the time and was so excited they were bringing it back. I was a college student when they came out, test drove one and wasn’t disappointed. The 2012 really did a great job with the dimensions by way of a slightly elongated hood like the original but I would still love to have a first gen NB with an ALH TDI.
The the 1987 Mustang GT Hatch, I still remember the magazine cover(It was probably Car And Driver) touting how horsepower was finally back!
They did a head to head with the IROC Camaro, and from what I remember the GT came out on top in all categories. Ten(ish) years later when I would have been able to afford a Mustang I decided to buy a Dakota, I’ve driven a bunch of Mustangs, but never owned one, probably won’t at this point.
I’ve been excited for many other new cars, that has faded over the years into haziness. I’m not quite as excitable these days.
Nissan IDx
and then they never built the bloody thing
You’re gonna laugh, but when I saw the OG Scion xB at the 2003(?) Detroit Auto Show, I immediately fell in love and knew I wanted to own one. That didn’t happen until 2009, when I bought a used 2005 model.
* the new NSX from a few years ago. I saw 3-4 at a dealer when I was shopping for my RDX. They completely missed the mark. The NSX wasn’t a $100k+ super car that looked just like every other super car, it was a well-priced Japanese F40 thing that looked both like a million bucks AND like your heavy-drinking cousin Harvey (no relation) Keitel would drive in a track suit. So the new NSX was a real letdown.
* the new Prelude. Time will tell if it’s going to be cool.
* the newest Supra. I found it whelming.
* the very first Prius. Somehow I ended up at a party with a Toyota engined who had a preproduction model and was giving people rides so they could experience the revolutionary new power train. He was so excited. When the real ones came out, they lived up to my expectations perfectly: fantastic drive train, hilariously homely exterior design.
* the retro Thunderbird. The marketing made it look awesome. Then I saw a few and they’re … OK.
I‘m absolutely waiting for the current M3 wagon to be importable to the US. Even the naked mole rat kidney grills have really grown on me.
This might sound crazy to any young whippersnappers reading but I *really* *really* liked the OG Tesla Model S. A swoopily-styled EV with speed *and* range? It seemed impossible!
Then I saw the price tag for them here in Australia. Instant unobtainium, and they still are in the used market, even with the Elon factor.
Probably when I was finishing grad school and the Pontiac G8 dropped and then companies went from hiring anyone who could spell “geology” to not hiring geologists and by the time I landed a job I could only find a G8 GT with the sport package. No GXP for me… still love my fun car.
Would you say the GT…
rocks?
(Sorry)
The 2016 Ford Focus RS! Finally, the good Fast Ford arrived in North America. I even bought one. It was fun, the engine delivered torque all through the midrange and it had enough revs. It did always feel tall and heavy.
“As a car enthusiast, I’m sure you’re getting pumped for new cars all the time”
-nope.
You’re gonna laugh, but the 2012 Ford Focus. There was so much hype about this car in 2010-2011. North America was finally getting a real Focus again! We’d even get an ST! The initial reviews were all glowing, like it was a junior Audi that punched above its weight. (I particularly remember Jack Baruth’s.) Especially with the disappointing 2011 Jetta and 2012 Civic redesigns, the 2012 Focus seemed to be the clear class leader when it came out. Who knew the PowerShift would be such garbage.
I was so hyped, I bought a 2012 SE with a manual transmission. It was… fine. It was fun enough to drive on back roads, but the sightlines were pretty brutal compared to other compact cars of the time. It also gave me issues with the AC compressor making a lot of noise within the first four months of ownership, and I sold it less than two years later to someone who was looking for a Focus with a manual (to avoid the PowerShift debacle).
The Focus Doug promo video series was pretty funny, though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbTlV1YqmHk&list=PLjX1SG-yFoeJtpFjZjKHF5p00iW-ejQE9&index=8
Easily the C4, but the author already hit on that. 🙂
The only other one I can recall being excited about was the 2004 Pontiac GTO. I’m a sucker for Pontiacs, coupes, and V8s. After pumping up that the 7th gen Grand Prix coupe was styled before the sedan, Pontiac dropped the coupe completely for the 8th gen Grand Prix. The Sunfire and Grand Am coupes were fugly, and had nowhere near the performance of the supercharged 3800. So when I started reading rumbles of a possible V8 coupe based on the Holden Monaro, I was amped that Pontiac might build some excitement again.
The first one a saw in the wild was an Impulse Blue 6-speed on a dealer lot. I rolled up in my 95 Z-28 and asked to take the Goat for a test drive. A salesperson stayed with me, but he let me open it up on a remote winding road that I knew well. I had no intention nor the means to buy it, but that drive was glorious. I still love the understated looks of that coupe.
RX-8
After having loved my used RX-7 and then lived through the rotary gap, I was in a position career-wise where I could afford to buy new and was so excited.
And, then … so disappointed.
The interior was so horribly plasticky. Still, stoked to drive it, I didn’t even make it a mile before I was turning around to return to the dealership.
Pretty sure the Integra and then Lexus IS300 Sportcross I was coming out of had spoiled me, luxury-wise.
Second vote for the RX-8! As soon as Mazda released pictures of the production model I started saving my pennies. Internet commenters may complain about its styling, but I loved it exactly as it was.
I was also in a position career-wise to buy something interesting new as an upgrade from the string of practical compact sedans I had been driving. I cross-shopped the Lexus IS, Acura TSX, Nissan Z, Infiniti G35, and whichever BMW 3-series was at a similar price point. Out of this set RX-8 was the most novel and furthest away from an econobox while still being almost as livable as one. (Amazed friends with an IKEA run, managed to stuff a bicycle inside, etc.) Coming from an economy sedan, the RX-8 interior felt like a fighter jet cockpit.
Twenty years and 117k miles of fun later, I decided an engine rebuild was Somebody Else’s Problem and parted ways. I originally thought I would drive it for five-ish years then upgrade to something else, but never found anything that captured my attention the same way. I guess I’m still looking.
I am no expert on anything when it comes to cars, but I owned two RX-8s and loved them both. I loved their lines, especially the R3 (I think that was the one with the body kit, etc.) Manual shifted so smoothly, and the car possessed amazing composure taking turns at speed.