Look into the past and you will see a lot of ghosts of cars past, cars that were meant to make an impact. Some did, some didn’t. They were everywhere, then suddenly they were nowhere to be found except in the most forgotten corners of the lots in BFE, U.S.A. Some of these cars could’ve been the first evolution for markets that existed later in life, if it wasn’t for manufacturers that didn’t take them seriously. Actually, scratch that…even if they did, the market didn’t. But let’s look at the subject matter…
Remember the Dodge Daytona? No, not the Charger…the front-drive K-car that tried like hell to give the Fox Mustang and the third-gen F-bodies something to think about. Considering that Chrysler had narrowly escaped Death’s scythe just a few years ago, it was impressive that the company had cranked out a competent hatchback coupe front-driver that had style, power, and sex appeal. If it wasn’t for the torque steer, Mopar was on par for yet another early take on hot FWD performance, along with the Shelby GLHS Charger and Omni, the Shelby CSX, and other hot takes. Mopar got Shelby to tweak their cars and you would think that with the hot turbocharged 2.2L four, that they would’ve stuck around a little longer than they did.
The Ford EXP is harder to quantify, but you have to understand: these things were EVERYWHERE for years, before they all suddenly turned to dust and ceased to exist. The EXP never really tried to be a true performance machine…you either bought one with a touch of luxury flair, or one with a touch of sporty flair. And unlike the Daytona, the EXP was a two-seater, which was a problem unto itself when it came to insuring it. Yeah…two-seater equals sports car, regardless of how mundane the roots are. It’s an Escort through and through, bug-eye or AeroEXP, and the benefits and problems of that base bled through. The EXP did have one thing going for it: for the size, it was properly useable for an all-around daily use. You had a huge cargo compartment, you had an engine that would move it…kind of…and if you didn’t try to kick it around, you had a competent, economical car that didn’t look bad.
We bought an ’82 EXP new, back when we first got married. It was a adequate people mover for the two of us. It had the sporty TRX suspension and wheels/tires on it. We had to get a slush box for my wife. Pulling out on the freeway was always an adventure in prayer.