Years of playing Gran Turismo instilled in me the concept that the R32 GT-R was a good car, but I sensed that the vehicle’s reputation was a little overblown. This often happens with early generations of vehicles that go on to be extremely famous. It’s hard to compare the performance of an original, Blue Flame Six-powered Corvette with a modern Z06, for example.
One of the fun aspects of making the show “Proving Grounds” for NBC Sports was that I, as the showrunner, was able to pick a lot of the cars I wanted to run around the desert race track we’d rent for a week at a time. One season we decided to do a “Rad” episode and so I reached out to friends to see what might be available in the form of ’80s and ’90s cars.
If you’ve never seen the show, you’re in good company, as many people have not. The basic premise was that we’d take four extremely different cars and run them around a “Proving Grounds” we built at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway in a town so far away from anything else it’s called Desert Center. The course we built had an off-road section, a wet corner (complete with sprinklers), fake deer, and a chicane we built out of boxes that were constantly being blown around by sandstorms.
For the “Rad” episode we ended up with a Mazda 787B that raced at Le Mans, a cocaine white Formula Firebird, a DeLorean DMC-12 from the DeLorean Motor Company, and a Skyline GT-R (R32) from Toprank Importers. I was excited about those cars roughly in that order, from most excited to least excited.
You can see the episode here (or below) because, during the pandemic, NBC Sports quietly uploaded some of them to YouTube, which was a fun surprise:
Also, side note: The day we shot was so incredibly windy that we had to basically dub all the lines outside the car (this is called ADRing and it’s a fun sort of ass-pain). I’m guessing you wouldn’t see it if I didn’t point it out, but I can’t not see it.
Since Parker Kligerman, our co-host, got to drive the Mazda 787B, it was up to Sam Smith to review the GT-R. He loved it. He wouldn’t stop talking about it. Leh Keen, our hot shoe, also was in love with it.
In spite of all of this, I assumed the car would feel just merely fine when Sean, who runs Toprank, asked if I wanted to drive the GT-R for a quick couple of laps around the full Chuckwalla track.
Nope. They were right. I was wrong. This wasn’t my car and we weren’t filming so I wasn’t able to push it as hard as Leh (nor, frankly, am I anywhere close to being able to push even a lawnmower as hard as Leh).
At this point, I’d done countless laps around the track, mostly in minivans and Miatas (and an off-road fire truck), so I had a decent sense of where my limits were and where it was safe to push a car. With each turn my instinct was to push harder and harder and by the time I reached the back-straight I was driving way faster than I’d planned.
A little voice in my head started to ask me if I wanted to pay for the repairs to a JDM R32, but the car was so well-balanced, the power delivery so smooth, and the all-wheel-drive system so perfectly calibrated that it was impossible not to drive it faster as the lap went on.
So I did. I kept it safe and somewhat reasonable. I didn’t beat on it the way I beat on those poor rented Grand Caravans. I just went as fast as I was sure I could handle and probably would have kept driving if it wasn’t getting so dark I was afraid I’d hit one of the coyotes or snakes that would sometimes wander out after the sun went down.
The R32 has never left me. It is absolutely as good as you heard. Probably better.
What about you? Which vehicle exceeded your expectations for it? Did it do so because those expectations were low or high?
My grandfather’s R56 Mini Cooper. At first I expected it to be an unreliable, sluggish German attempt at a retro revival. What I instead found was a zippy, rock solid, brilliant little car. Bravo BMW, bravo.
My 1986 900 Turbo hatchback. I had reasonably high expectations when I bought it new, despite reviews that described the engine as “agricultural” and bemoaning turbo torque steer as well as the normal Saab eccentricities. Nothing I’d driven before, nor since has surpassed this car. It tracked like a laser on the autobahn, easily pacing with the fast lane traffic, handled smoothly, nimbly and predictably at speed and returned 30-plus MPG. On the twisties, the 900 was a revelation, steady into turns, true tracking through the bends and absolutely solid and swift in exit. Never a problem with torque steer. It was a most comfortable cabin, especially on long distance hauls.
Two years later, when I returned to the States, my Saab came along and continued to return exemplary service for another 28 years of daily driving and over 500,000 miles. Over time, that back hatch swallowed, among sundry cargoes, a refrigerator, a leather couch from IKEA and a 32-inch television in the days TVs had giant CRTs, weighed over 200 lbs., and came in boxes bigger than my first house.
The big plus? The 900 Turbo never broke down. It always started and ran flawlessly. It rolled reliably through rain, ice, snow, and heat, up mountains, over washboard roads. All with nothing beyond scheduled maintenance.
I’ve never had another car that combined these levels of performance, economy, durability, reliability, utility, and endurance. And I doubt I ever will, again.
What happened to it?
I live in a southern coastal city subject to frequent tidal and storm floods. While parked at work, the car was submerged numerous times. I actually found it floating in the parking lot on one occasion. Despite every attempt to flush and dry out the car, the immersions (and age, probably) eventually took their toll and rotted the frame. The car was on the verge of breaking in half when I donated it to the Kidney Foundation. The day it was picked up, it fired right up as it always did. The wrecker driver drove it onto the ramp truck and asked, “It runs great, why are you getting rid of it?” I pointed out the sagging frame and extensive rust. “That sucks,” he said. And it did. Sad day.
Noooo
I guess it wanted to be a Saabmarine.
Probably my 1990 Pontiac 6000 wagon. Drove it for 9 years and had 255k when the rear axle let go due to rust. (And why I’ll never again drive my pride and joys in the winter.) Ran perfect, always got 30 mpg highway without trying. Would tow a trailer with ease. Would have easily attained 300k. And out of the multiple A bodies I’ve driven with the same engine/trans/final drive ratio, this one had a lot more guts. It would smoke the tires as long as I stayed on it. When my local dealer picked it up for me, it had been another dealer’s own car. I’ll always wonder if it was bored or chipped or something.
Another car that exceeded my expectations was a rental 2015-2017 Nissan Versa. But in the power and mpg department. (The thing got pushed around by the slightest cross breeze enough to feel like it was gonna blow away.) But it was a 4400 mile cross country trip with my gf at the time and our 3 kids. Most of who were not small. One kid always on the other’s laps. A good 900 lbs of people, plus a trunk stuffed to the max. The thing had no problems keeping up going 80 on the freeways and handling mountain grades. And consistently averaged 40 mpg even with all that weight and speed. I barely had any money to my name and I had to cover gas, so it was surprisingly efficient. Which was a lifesaver because the trip wasn’t my choice and was hell to boot.
Funny side story about someone else who was impressed with an R32 upon its release, Kerry Packer, who was for a time one of Australia’s most powerful men.
https://www.whichcar.com.au/features/kerry-packer-secret-r32-skyline-gt-r
My 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. When we bought it, it was out of necessity – we had a family emergency and we needed to road-trip pretty much immediately. My wife had wanted one for years because of the practicality and I resisted for the stereotypical guy-related reasons.
Now, I freaking love the thing in a way I never would have imagined. it’s taken us all over the place without batting an eye. Stow-n-go seating was a game-changer for road trips and sleeping. It’s a basic model so we have no issues with the kids beating it up. But it’s been a faithful car through and through.
I figured a van would be practical. What blew me away is just how practical it was and how much I’ve loved that car because of it.
I’ve driven a few reasonably fast cars over the years, the quickest probably being a early 2010s Dodge Charger Super Bee (that thing struggled to hold traction through multiple gear changes), but I wouldn’t say it exceeded my expectations given I didn’t really know what to expect when I jumped behind the wheel.
The car that exceeded my expectations in terms of performance was probably a 2010ish Toyota Crown Hybrid. It was a JDM import I was test driving back-to-back with a non-hybrid variant. These aren’t your average Toyota hybrid, they have the 3.5L six out of a Lexus gs450 and the acceleration was just relentless, similar to what I imagine a full electric car feels like. It was really fun squirting it around the industrial estate and a couple of main roads. While definitely not as fast as the Super Bee, there’s a lot to be said for accessible power (and a really nice interior). Too bad the boot space was so compromised, otherwise it’d be my next car (I’m leaning towards the non-hybrid instead).
Another one that, looking back, was a surprise in terms of refinement was a Holden Commodore SS-V Redline we rented in New Zealand. Quick, yes (6.2L LS3 with 300kW), but also really nicely put together. Quiet when you wanted it to be, comfortable and with all that space Commodores have been known for since the 90s. I really miss these cars now they’re gone, and, now Holden is no-more, their prices remain stubbornly-high in the used market. Ah well.
Around 2016 I drove an Audi A6 3.0 TDI wagon rental in Germany. That 3 liter diesel had waymore oomph than I expected. I hit the limiter at 152 MPH (245 km/h) easily.
Lotus S3 Turbo Esprit
I am sure I am looking through rose colored glasses, but I would have to say the S3 Turbo Esprit. The meager 215 hp and 220 lb⋅ft of torque on paper do not see like much, but with the Lotus being that low and light it felt like warp drive had been engaged after the turbo lag faded. Great handling and grip as well. Very thirsty for a four banger.
You guys think you can rope Sam Smith into writing for the autopian? I miss his stuff.
So many cars that impressed me:
I drove a friend’s Alfa Romeo GTV-6 in the mid 1990s and it was the best car I had ever driven at that point.
1989 VW GTI 16v – that chassis was amazing, and the engine was fun.
I loved my 1985 Fiero GT (manual transmission) in the early mid 1990s as well.
I still miss my 1987 Saab SPG due to the feel of the steering and the winter traction. I later had a 1993 Saab 900 turbo convertible and loved its Mitsubishi turbo compared to the Garrett turbo on my old SPG. I also love the sounds of those old Triumph-based engines, and it was fun to add either racing gas or octane booster every once and while to increase the power significantly.
Probably the best car I’ve ever owned was the world’s cheapest Mercedes w124 500E. It had shitty paint and 268K miles on it, but it still had drove like a million bucks. I preferred it to my current w204 C63 AMG, even though I like the C63’s engine more.
I don’t even know if I’ve driven 10 different vehicles in my life, and time-wise, 99% of that has been between a ’97 Ford Econoline-150 conversion van and a 2012 Prius v. Not exactly vehicles that give you high expectations. Or really, much of any.
If I had to pick two vehicles that exceeded (but, I suppose, didn’t blow away my expectations), the first would be 45 minutes I spent with a U-Haul to help someone move. It was a 10-footer with a 2012 Chevy Express front end…so, in other words, my first exposure to an LS. Would’ve loved to have driven it some more.
The second was a 2000 Buick LeSabre. Total granddad car by looks, yes. And I can’t say if the acceleration was anything special, but I still remember how quickly and smoothly the transmission shifted. (Shame that transmission died later, but I digress.)
The turn signal stalk was also the most satisfying of any I’ve used. Very audible “THUNK” when it would reset.
For me it was a 2002 PT Cruiser. After a divorce I needed a cheap commuter and someone at work was selling the typical “Grandma’s last car” – Purple, automatic, 68k miles in 2015, $2300. I expected it would be *fine*. I actually really enjoyed driving it. It felt like a new car in terms of rattles & squeaks, it was modern enough, and I could drive for hours without a care in the world. Yes it wasn’t fast, and god did it get horrible F/E for such a small car… but it was thoroughly enjoyable and useful! Had I not rear-ended someone I would have kept it longer, and should have replaced with another instead of stupidly buying an 08 Jetta at a BHPH lot.
PTs get a lot of hate since they were way too popular, and lasted way to long without major changes. But they were good little cars.
The base Ford Fiesta circa 2010. I went to rally school at Team O’Neil between jobs back in 2017 and saw those little rental appliances and thought they were going to keep me out of the really fun AWD turbo stuff for my whole time there. But in the freshly-watered mud and gravel, those things were crazy fun and (if you paid attention to the instructors) crazy fast. At the end of the week I drove away with my appreciation of the Fiesta permanently altered at a subconscious level: years later there’s still a snap of recognition when I see one out of the corner of my eye that says “WHAT’S THAT RACE CAR DOING ON THE STREET!?”
Which car wowed me more than I expected? The Toyota FX-16 GT.
Same 4A engine as what rippled so enticingly under the engine cover of the Mister Two, but I didn’t have to wriggle to pull the FX over my hips like I did with the MR2. Nippy little hatchback configuration that is my preference. Tall windows for a great view in all directions.
It went like hot buttered stink and clung to the curves like a coat of paint. It fit me and three friends who all held on for dear life. It delivered decent fuel economy, even. Absolutely flingable in every circumstance, torquey and flexible and fitted with a transmission that must be the mechanical equivalent of telepathy: you think the gear and touch the lever, snikt and you’re off again.
All this for the low price of a Corolla hatchback. Damn I liked that car.
For me it was a 1987 Honda Civic Wagovan I owned that I bought for $800 in 2002.
For $800, I wasn’t expecting much… maybe a car that would last me a year or two. Plus it looked ugly and had delaminating paint. And it was an older design with a carb. It was a basic car that didn’t even have power steering.
Well that car lasted me nearly 4 years and it had a lot of inner goodness.
And after I installed a low restriction 2.5″ exhaust (stock was something like 1″), it uncorked the top end power… and instead of running out of steam at 6000rpm, I could run it to 7500rpm.
And with an aftermarket stereo and a couple of good speakers, it was an enjoyable car.
Lots of fun on twisty roads. It was a classic type of Honda that a lot of people fell in love with. It wasn’t fast, but it felt willing and loved to rev.
It was also the last year of the carb’d engine for Hondas in North America. Propably also the last year of manual steering.
Two for me…
1) My own 1986 Porsche 944 Turbo. I just finished a long term (6 year) rebuild of this car. It’s the first time I’ve built a motor, redid all of the suspension, bushings, interior…everything. I honestly thought it would be impossible to live with as a vintage sports car and outclassed in every way by everything modern and I mentally prepared myself to hate it and sell it or have it blow up on me on the first drive.
I’ve put almost 700 miles on it in the last two months and I cannot get enough. It’s exceeded all of my expectations for what this car could be and I’ll have a hard time getting rid of it someday…Mostly, I’m just shocked I built a car that didn’t immediately fall apart or blow up.
2) I was lucky enough to do an Audi track experience day a few years ago at Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, IL where we did auto-x back to back between Audi and competitor sedans. The best part, though, was hotlaps with an RS3, RS5, and R8 behind the one and only Ashley Freiberg (this year’s Porsche Sprint Challenge Champion) coaching us through corners on the radio.
I expected them all to be good, but the R8 to blow the rest away. The surprise here was the RS3….I would take that car over the rest of them. It was epic.
Here’s a possibly unexpected one:
BMW Z8. In reviews its described as a soft not-really-a-touring-car and it looks really awkward in camera. I think it’s generally agreed they’re good cars but basically weird, Bangle-era design studies from a parts bin.
In person, they’re simply beautiful and really feel special. The proportions are great. They do not feel like part bin specials – only the mechanicals are shared with anything, the body and interior parts are unique to the Z8.
The experience is like driving a classic convertible sports car with none of the drawbacks or safety issues.
I saw a couple of well kept ones last year at Monterey and fell immediately in love.
The one good BMW in my book and def in the shortlist of cars to buy if I ever got six figures to spare.
I have a loving wife who bought me the 2-day BMW Performance Driving School Experience. I learned that I had never actually wrung all the HP out of a vehicle until I had professionals teach me the limits. So, I’ve had a decent amount of fun cars in my life so far, but I’ve only reached MY limits in BMW’s M3, M4 and M5 — and it blew me away how much further they could be driven. And the counter to that point (and I don’t heed it either) is that any performance trim is left unused 99.99% of the time and therefore not worth the money unless you track it.
First generation Neons.
I lived in Manhattan for 35 years, so renting was how I was around cars. Most were dreadful (Corsica, Ion…), but the Neon was an absolute blast. I subsequently rented them several times. A DOHC in emerald green on Wisconsin back roads stands out as one of the best trips.
Similarly, really enjoyed the Ford Fusion first gen but post facelift (MT Car of the Year version). We rented quite a few of these too. Not as exciting as the Neon, but were Goldilocks right as a sedan.
I’d had Ford Foci as rentals for a few years, and always found them to be competent, well-sorted small cars. When it came time to buy that type of car for myself, I remembered those experiences and bought one…but with a manual.
And wow the difference that made. A competent if not too exciting ride suddenly became a feisty little urban rally car. Totally exceeded (and still does!) my expectations.
I bought a 2000 Focus brand new with the zetec engine. Aside from a lot of recalls and leaving us stranded as a result of one of them, it was a pleasant little car. I followed up later on with a 2003 SVT Focus. It was sort of a dog off the line, but once you rowed up into the gears, and RPM’s, it was great fun.
I have my eyes open for a Fiesta ST as a fun car in a couple years. I haven’t driven on though.
Agreed. The Foci we rented were a ball, and if I was unable to get my Fit (I did) my second choice was one with a stick.
I got an Alfa Romeo Stelvio as a rental on a recent trip. I thought it might be nice, but I was seriously impressed with the handling and response on what was a rental spec CUV. It’s legitimately fun on twisty roads. What a great surprise.
I had one for a few years. Remarkably good for what it is.
I had a Alfa Romeo Giulia as a rental, and was seriously impressed with the handling and steering on the base version. What a great chassis. Also enjoyed the AWD when it snowed 9 inches in MN.
My wife bought a Forester XT new in 2017. Meh, what a predictable, boring car. Yet this vehicle is comfortable, safe, fast, and efficient. She’s out-dragged my old GTI from a stoplight, we’ve hauled a fucton of stuff in the back, and routinely achieved over 30MPG on road trips in the mountains. All for under 30k (2017 dollars).
2014 Escalade I ended up with as a rental when my old 4runner got rear-ended. Their insurance covered an SUV/pickup and the rental agency gave me a choice between the it and an Ram. I picked the caddy as a joke and was sure I would hate the thing, but it blew me away. Way nicer to drive than it had any right to, stupid quick, very comfy, locking/low range tcase, and was considerably better on gas than the 96 4runner I had at the time. My wife absolutely loved it too. I honestly didn’t get the appeal before, absolutely do now.
This is a funny one to me, because the first car to come to my mind was a Scion iQ. For reference, I have driven both a manual and auto tC and despised both. It is the only car I have driven where I preferred the auto..but just barely so I had a bad image of Scion ever since. For my daily drivers I rotate between a supercharged Mustang, two turbocharged Miatas, and a S10 for bad weather and parts hauling. Yet, I found this little 94 hp 1.3L to be so delightful and fun to drive. It had a ton of interior space for its’ size, a/c was plenty for a coastal North Carolina summer day, I did a u-turn in the middle of the street just by hooking the wheel left and pressing the gas, and it did not at all feel slow all while getting ~50mpg. I would absolutely consider one for a daily driver if I didn’t already have so many alternatives I am more invested in. I still find myself looking at them on Marketplace and have heard TRD offered a supercharger for them at one point supposedly…so it could happen some day.
I have a dohc ZC CRX, and can confirm. It is even more fun with a turbo and double the power!
Mine had power windows and mirrors, power sunroof and a (tiny) rear seat with seatbelts, but in typical French fashion – no AC 🙂
I added an EE8 Vtec leather interior later (seats and door cards), and an AC. Got better.
When I moved to the US I just abandoned it… Maybe the only thing I miss. I still have a box full of fender blinker repeaters and a set of left hand drive power window switches somewhere in the drawers here, one of the things I took with me, planning on getting a CRX here and knowing I won’t be ok with inverted JDM power window switches.
Those are rare parts to have! I have lhd power window switches and rhd regulators, the switches were super hard to find. I don’t have wiring pigtails for the switches, I have been keeping an eye open for them.
If you bought them before 2004 on Fleabay, chances are you bought them from me 🙂
For a while I was the only guy selling these. A few of them I even sold with LH regulators and full wiring loom. Too much work though. Turned out the switches and the stays sold for almost the same price.
I had a 1991 Si that I swapped a B17A into. It was screaming fast and a riot to drive on the open highway or on the track, but the accelerator became an on/off switch – either you did foot to the floor throttle or it just didn’t feel good. I realized after spending all that money that I would have been better off with a non-VTEC ZC or B18A/B engine for my daily driver.
I worked at a honda dealer for a few years, and there was an old guy who would bring in his yellow 90 Prelude Si 4WS all the time. I never did more than just move it around the lot, but even just parking the thing felt special. Every time I saw him I asked if he would sell it to me. He always told me no, so naturally a year or two after I left there, he came back for an oil change, and then asked the advisor to ask around and see if anyone wanted it as he was giving up his license. Found out from a buddy that he ended up selling it to a tech who totaled it after like a month. Made me so mad!
$500 1980 Datsun 200SX.
You will NEVER have more fun than you will in a $500 car with a 5speed and RWD.
$500 RWD 5-speed car club here, as well: 1992 Geo Tracker ragtop.
Summers were incredible with the top removed. For the three years from purchase to the day it was wrecked, I never had a bad time in that car.
Got more than I ever expected out of it, for sure.
High school GF had one. Even with the auto it was hilariously fun haha. Terrifying at 80 though!
Can confirm. Had an 81 hatchback with 5sp in college. A lot of fun and absolutely indestructible.
Paid 700 for my second miata and absolutely agree. Still probably the most fun I’ve had with a car.