Red Cars, Blue Cars?

People often lament the current state of car design, saying something like, “They don’t build ’em like they used to.”

To that we say, “Thank goodness!” especially after driving two of the tastier sports cars on offer for 2005.

To backtrack: There’s always been something special about a two passenger roadster – a sporty flair that’s hard to duplicate in a larger car. They’re even practical; there’s almost no limit to what you can carry home with the top down.

We in America learned about sports cars starting in 1947 with the first MG. Then we learned about Jaguars and Austin-Healeys. The generation after that really got our attention.

Two cars that were instrumental in shaping our preferences were the Mercedes Benz 300SL of 1955 and the Datsun 240Z of 1970. The 300SL was closely related to race cars of its day. It was highly influential in establishing Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. market in an era when imported cars were a tiny blip on the marketplace radar. It was expensive ($7,500!) at a time when $3,000 would buy a Cadillac, and $3,500 bought a Jaguar roadster.

Fifteen years later, Nissan (known as Datsun then) reshaped the sports car world with their $3,500 240Z. While the European cars were costly, temperamental, and often uncomfortable, the Z was reliable, cheap to run, fast and comfortable.

Now, in 2005, imported cars outsell domestic brands in California. Mercedes-Benz dethroned Cadillac years ago, only to face very serious challenges from Lexus and Infiniti. Nissan, Toyota and others surpassed Volkswagen, giving us a new world order – at least until more is heard from Korean and Chinese auto manufacturers.

Mercedes-Benz has a new SL – the SLK 350, and Nissan has a new Z, the 350Z. According to the specs, these cars are very similar – both are 3.5 liter DOHC V6’s. The cars are about the same size and weight. I drove the Mercedes first. Expecting a gentle ladies’ car, I was pleasantly surprised to find a car that is very quick and stable, but still refined and comfortable. The original 300SL, a car that won the 24 hours of LeMans, would easily be outrun by this 2005 SL.

The powered hard-top provides cozy weather-tight accommodation, and lowers automatically in about 22 seconds for sunny days. This SLK 350, at around $50,000, looks like a bargain compared to pricier cars, but also manages to justify its 30 percent premium over the Nissan, with its faultless finish and competent road manners.

The 350Z Nissan is just as sophisticated as the Mercedes, and virtually equal in quality, but it’s definitely a “harder” car – more stiffly sprung and generally more demanding. The top, like the Mercedes, retracts automatically, but it’s fabric rather than metal.

In style, both of these cars were wanting. Compared to totally comfortable designs like the Mazda Miata or Porsche Boxster, the Nissan and Mercedes both seemed to be trying too hard – not entirely “comfortable in their clothes.” Mercedes has tried to imitate the nose of their Formula One car, not so successfully. Nissan got in trouble doing a roadster version of a very handsome coupe, using up almost all the luggage capacity to provide space for the top to retract, and giving the car a fat backside.

But overall, each of these is an outstanding car – fast, nice to drive, durable and trouble-free. One has to be hypercritical to find anything wrong.

Blue States vs. Red in the Auto Industry

With the recent election, we’ve heard plenty about blue states vs. red ones. Maybe the politicians have something to learn from the Michigan-based auto industry, if only what not to do.

For years, Detroit cars sold well in all but a few areas. California, and especially San Francisco, was one of the difficult markets for Detroit. They just didn’t “get it.” One time Henry Ford II introduced a new model saying it was designed “to drive the imports back into the sea.” It didn’t. Roger Smith of GM once said, “The best entry level car is a used Buick.” Most of us in the imported car business wondered what he was smoking.

Detroit kept trying, and failing. They huddled in Detroit, talking only to one another and missing target after target. They’re still losing market share, missing new market segments like hybrids, and competing with rebates instead of inspiration.

And it’s 50 years after the first VW hit U.S. roads. How much market share will Detroit have left when, or if they do, “get it”?