Here’s a weird one for you: think back to the early 1990s and how Geo was positioned. You had a nimble little four-wheel-drive (Tracker), a fuel mileage cornerstone that is still very respectable (Metro) and a four-door small sedan (Prizm). Then there was the Storm, the sporty little car that was shared with Isuzu and the strange Canadian offshoot, Asüna Sunfire. They were supposed to be the sporty, performance offering and when compared, the Storm GSi hatchback actually backed up that claim. They handled like slot cars and with the 140 horsepower four-banger, would actually move out pretty well for a front-drive compact.
Then there was the weird version. It’s known as the “wagonback”, and when these hit the streets they were…well, let’s be honest, they were weird as hell. But look again at them…looks like the same basic shape as a Honda Civic three-door from the 1990s, doesn’t it? Motorweek gets it right…the wagonback never got the 140-horse engine during it’s production run. But imagine if it had, and if GM had actually kept improving the model. In 1990-93, that would have been a hot little machine. GM actually could’ve fielded a sport compact entry into the market. Now, if I see one of these things on the road, I celebrate that there’s still one left somewhere. These things went extinct faster than the dinosaurs after a rock fell from the sky!
Hopefully not!
My brother-in-law actually had a black wagonback like the one shown and threw on some tiny slotted mags and itty-bitty white lettered tires and, well, there were herbs involved, but, if the haze you were looking through was just right, you saw a miniature Camaro Nomad! Thank God the intervention worked…
dont almost all of us drive hatchbacks suv crossover etc. they are all the dreaded station wagon just renamed. and i cant go buy a new town car. i got to get a more door f 150, just look at the oldsters in the parking lot wheeling a new pickup next time you go shopping.