Big Car

Big Car
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Big Car

The story of the best cars from the past 50 years.

  1. 3 DAYS AGO

    Is Alpine headed for DISASTER?

    What’s going on with Alpine? They’ve had one car on sale since 2018, the A110, with only a second model appearing a couple of months ago, and that’s a rebadged Renault 5. In 6 years they’ve only sold 19,000 cars. And it’s not they’re selling $1M exotic Bugatti’s, The A110 is sold as a relatively affordable sports car. Alpine’s parent Renault have poured a LOT of cash into the brand, and even more into sponsoring a Formula 1 team, and many other motorsports championships, and all with little to show for it. On the face of it, it seems nonsensical, money thrown down the drain, and that was my opinion until I looked a little into Alpine’s strategy. So, just what’s going on, what’s are its chance of success and with the brand haemorrhaging money, and will Renault wind it up before the strategy has a chance to play out?

    12 min

  2. 3 NOV

    How did THIS happen? The Ford Scorpio Story

    Ford’s styling department in the 1980s and 1990s could be relied upon to produce hit after hit. We liked the third generation Fiesta, we loved the Mondeo and the Ka, and we positively adored the Ford Focus. But in that period there was one car that stuck out like a sore thumb, the 1994 Ford Scorpio. Buy the Secret Fords book here! Use promo code BIGCAR30 for a total of 30% off the final copies: https://www.stevesaxty.com/secretfords

    18 min

  3. 20 OCT

    Italian/Swedish luxury. The Saab 9000 Story

    There’s a lot of focus on the rivalry between the German big three – Volkswagen, BMW & Mercedes, but in Sweden of course there was a rivalry between the “big two” – Volvo and Saab. So, as Volvo’s cars got larger and went upmarket in the 1970s, Saab must have surely taken note and decided that they had to respond. The result was the Saab 9000, produced even though Saab didn’t have the money to develop it. Just how did they find the cash, and was it a hit or was it a miss?

    22 min

  4. 13 OCT

    Tesla's robotaxi heaven or HELL?

    A few months ago I made a video about EVs that touched on robotaxis, and with Tesla’s recent Robotaxi event I thought I’d make a quick follow-up video talking about what was announced.

    9 min

  5. 7 OCT

    The Citroën Story

    Early version of this audio with lots of echo. It needs to be re-recorded, but throwing it out now as it's all that I can do right now.

    30 min

  6. 15 SEPT

    The Citroën SM Story

    Citroën in many ways were like the Tesla of the 1950’s and 60’s. Where other car manufacturers were making normal, everyday cars, Citroën were ripping up the rulebooks and reinventing just what a car could be in their own mad, Gallic way. Their approach to almost every aspect of the car was unique, new, and, well, Citroën-esque. And it’s not like different meant “wrong”. The Citroën SM introduced innovative features such as self-centering steering and rain-sensing wipers years before they became mainstream. So, with a pedigree like this, why aren’t we all driving around in Citroën’s today? Why did the SM only sell 13,000 cars before taking Citroën into bankruptcy?

    13 min

  7. 8 SEPT

    Mercedes' pickup failure - the X-Class story

    Mercedes is the purveyor of high-class limousines, so it might be odd to think of them selling a go-anywhere pickup that’s more used to lugging a few bags of cement back from the DIY shop. But it’s not that strange an idea, after all, they’ve been producing vans, trucks and buses for almost a century. But the Mercedes X-Class wasn’t going to be sold alongside their commercial vehicles, this was for the type of customer who bought their luxury cars. Just why did Mercedes decide to make a pickup, and why did it last less than three years before being axed?

    12 min

  8. 1 SEPT

    Did the Maestro & Montego Seal Austin Rover's fate?

    The Maestro was the car that killed Austin Rover. Poised on a knife-edge in the early 80’s between survival and disaster, this car, and its booted Montego sister, caused its death. Not right away – plenty of Government subsidies and deals with Honda and BMW gave the company another 20 years, but this was the critical moment when it all went wrong. When the company lost its ability to chart its own destiny. So why were these cars such poor-sellers, and why did a company that made the critically successful Metro, get it all wrong with its follow-up?

    19 min
See All (33)

About

The story of the best cars from the past 50 years.

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  • Creator
    Big Car
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    33
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Big Car

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