Sales of 25,000 over six years were never quite Subaru was after and the car was expensive, not very fast or attractive – but we can’t help ourselves admiring it nonetheless.
Infiniti QX70
The QX70 was a performance-orientated SUV and had its target set on the BMW X6, giving buyers a choice of a 3.7-litre V6 and a 5.0-litre V8. All cars arrived with a seven-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shift and stiff suspension.
Very few people liked its elongated bonnet, curved headlights and tacked-on side grilles. However, next to a competitor like the X6, it looks unconventional and from some angles it looks posher; it’s almost like it should sit in a class of its own, and that’s exactly why we like it.
Porsche 914
When unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1969, people couldn’t decide whether the Porsche 914 was a Volkswagen or a Porsche due to it being a collaboration between the two German giants. Volkswagen wanted to replace the Karmann Ghia while Porsche wanted a new car to succeed the 912. The 914 was fitted with a monocoque chassis and an 80bhp mid-mounted four-cylinder from the Volkswagen Type 4 and, in a car that weighed 900kg, this meant 0-62mph arrived in a leisurely 14sec.
A revised 914/6 variant was later equipped with a more powerful 2.0-litre flat-six from the 911T, although this came with a higher price tag which saw less than 4000 units being built. Volkswagen or Porsche debate aside, the 914 is a classic and it’s a joy to drive enthusiastically.
DeLorean DMC-12
While it looked like a supercar with its gull-wing doors, its build quality, alongside slothful performance, quickly put it under the tyres of the American and Italian cars it was trying to compete with. Its 2.8-litre V6 produced just 130bhp and gearbox choices were either a five-speed manual or sluggish three-speed automatic.
Forgetting its woes, we think the DMC-12’s design cues, such as its brushed stainless steel body panels, quad headlights, slated rear boot lid and tyres that were almost too big for the bodywork, isolate it from anything ever produced by any other manufacturer. This, combined with a supple Lotus-tuned chassis, means that it sits comfortably in the cool category.