X-power

["Mahoney, John" <jmahoney@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Yesterday's questions, today's answers, then one "last-of" car note.

>>
What "halo" two-seat X-car that, over its lifetime, sold fewer than 20,000
units worldwide cost [an inflation-adjusted] $800 million to develop and
market?
<<

No, not the 1968-1970 two-seat AMC AMX, but the 1990-2005 Honda [Acura] NSX:
Japan's best-known, most successful "mass-production" supercar.  

http://www.acura.com/models/nsx_index.asp?section=home&page=index&bhcp=1

>>
What did that car accomplish for a maker whose bread-and-butter cars were
two-door economy subcompacts, mid-size four-door sedans, people-plus-luggage
family beasts of burden, and, later, unit-bodied trucks?
<<

It helped elevate Honda's technology, image and desirability far above its
early "tin can" economy-car import days and served notice to other auto
manufacturers (Asian, American and European) that Japan was serious about
--- and a serious force in --- the high-stakes modern transportation game.  

>>
Was that car a success?
<<

In dollars, it was rather costly failure; in sense, it was an
out-of-ballpark home run.  Honda could survive such a failure; AMC could
not.

>>
To what prior auto slogan --- used by a very powerful marque --- can that
Nash "Tower" phrase be linked.  Hint: think of Nash Ambassadors.
<<

Let the words of nine decades ago be your answer.  Read 'em and dream. 

It was:

"the most luxurious truly fast car ever built"

it had: 

"imagination, magnitude, and magnificence"

it was:

"fantastic"

"a legend"

"the best machine in the world"

According to its ads, it was:

"the ultimate car, the car you have dreamed of"

and its engine provided:

"THE POWER OF THE HOUR."

It was the Duesenberg.

No other car matched its power, styling and craftsmanship.

No other car came closer than the 1932 Nash Ambassador.

At a fraction of Duesenberg's price.  You'll soon see how.

You know that the last "real" Packard was built for model year '56, the last
"Teague" Packard was built for '57, the last '57 "Detroit" prototype Packard
was built on a '56 Lincoln and that an all-new "real" Detroit '58 Packard
was prototyped.  (And, perhaps blessedly, destroyed: it was, shall we say,
"a design of its times...")

But do you know that the last of one legendary Packard model was also the
last Teague-designed Studebaker-Packard vehicle ever introduced?

Do you know on whose design it was based?

Do you know the month/year it debuted?

Do you know how many were made?

And do you know its name?


48 years and one month ago, (in April of 1957), a short-lived "Hawk '400'"
was introduced; its name came from what had previously been top-of-the-line
Packard model.  It was, of course, yet another version of the classic
Loewy-Bourke 1953 coupe; this time with accent color on fins and on either
side of its front lower "grilles."

It was, in retrospect, the last Studebaker-Packard "Teague" Packard ever
built; the last time Teague would build Packards at Packard before he would
build Packards at AMC.

And it proved "rarer" than almost any model American Motors would build
during his tenure as a designer.

Only 51 copies were sold.   

Finally, links to photo albums, one AMC, one Studebaker.

<http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=3545100093&code=16119440
&mode=invite&DCMP=isc-email-AlbumInvite>  

<http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=3544855093&code=16118939
&mode=invite&DCMP=isc-email-AlbumInvite>

Use "AMCListView" [case sensitive] as your password.

You might see a surprise or two.


Enjoy.