derBayerische November December 2022 - 36

2 0 2 2 B M W 4 3 0 i G R A N C O U P E
M
y lamentations about the car
industry being an addictive,
exhilarating, soul-sucking,
humbling world seem personal
because they are. Only by taking the
view that one never truly fails if one
learns something from their experience
can I say that I've never had any
while working in the auto industry.
However, my " winning percentage " ,
when compared to the batting
average of major league baseball
players, is decent.
Those in the auto industry
deemed to have " golden guts " earned
that reputation by having several wild
successes, which covered up their
failures.
Such was the case with the late
Lee Iacocca. While at Ford, his
successes with the Mustang,
Mustang II (yes, it was a success),
and the Lincoln product line overwhelmed
the Pinto debacle. While at
Chrysler, his successes with the Kcar
and its derivatives, with the
Minivan, and with Jeep overwhelmed
the debacles with the Imperials (yep,
twice), the Eagle brand, and the
Chrysler-Maserati TC.
My first " swing and a miss " was
the H-body, Dodge Lancer, and
Chrysler LeBaron GTS. It was
Iacocca's first serious attempt at
competing with Mercedes and BMW.
Sensing an opening with the success
of the Mercedes 190e and the BMW
3 Series four-door sedan (how many
remember that prior to 1983, the 3
Series was offered only as a two-door
sedan?), the H-body was developed
to be the American alternative to the
German " yuppie mobiles. "
Being nearly the same as the
German competitors in terms of size,
weight, features, and performance
(when equipped with the turbocharged
2.2-liter engine package),
both the LeBaron GTS and the Lancer
ES became favorites of the auto-buff
books. When reviewing a LeBaron
GTS with the 2.2 turbocharged
engine package, one of the buff
books described the delight they
experienced driving the Angeles
Crest Highway, frustrating an Audi
36
■ The 430i Gran Coupe is powered by the proven 2.0 " Twin Power "
turbocharged four-cylinder engine.
5000 driver.
For me, the major selling feature
of the H-body was the hatchback.
Opening high and wide to
reveal a very large rear cargo area,
the idea of a compact sports sedan
that had the utility of a small station
wagon (the SUV had not yet been
introduced to the North American
market) " logically " positioned the
LeBaron GTS and the Lancer ES as
the ideal vehicle for yuppie couples
starting a family (you know, yuppie
puppies). Very popular for its first
two years, sales then dropped off
rapidly. Even a Shelby version of the
Lancer, one of my all-time favorite
cars, couldn't save the H-body from
an early extinction.
Since hindsight provides the
best vision, there were many missed
signs that pointed to this quick sales
demise. In short, the root cause was
the standard Iacocca product-development
practice of trying to do just
enough to give an impression, but
not enough to be legitimate.
Unfortunately for Iacocca, while the
" yuppie " was not sophisticated about
cars, they were image conscious.
Thus, NOT having aero headlights,
NOT having rear disc brakes and
having the (very poorly equipped)
mass-market version being popular
with rental car fleets made a difference.
So, a very promising vehicle,
that with minimal investment could
have set the standard for Lexus or
■ When the red M brake calipers make sense.
Acura, while being truly competitive
against BMW, Mercedes or Audi, died
a quick and quiet death.
Oddly enough, those inside
Chrysler blamed this vehicle's rapid
sales demise on the fact that it was a
hatchback. The " conventional wisdom "
was that the North American
market associated hatchbacks with
economy cars; therefore, using that
design on an upscale vehicle was a
recipe for disaster.
With the success of the 4 Series
Gran Coupe, BMW has debunked that
myth. Spending a week in a second
generation 4 Gran Coupe reinforced
my opinion that this hatchback is my
favorite four-door BMW " sedan. "
While I still doubt the wisdom of
BMW's model proliferation, I have
always liked the Gran Coupe profile.
Whether as large as the 8 Series or as
small as the 2 Series, the Gran
Coupe's profile and stance gives the
vehicle a commanding presence.
Judging by the 7 Series sales, BMW
may have been better served by using
the Gran Coupe design on the 7
Series, rather than creating the 6, then
the 8 Gran Coupe.
The Gran Coupe design seems
to channel the soul of a chopped and
channeled 1949 Mercury as well as
Tom Gale's famous " Cab Forward "
Chrysler sedan design. Mercedes
incorporated this spirit when they
launched the 2004 CLS. Audi
followed with the 2010 A7. By 2012,
BMW launched their first version,
the 6 Gran Coupe.
All three are fine vehicles, but
the BMW design distinguishes itself
by having some definitive body
styling (compare side profiles). The
BMW designers must have been
smitten by this theme because the
introduction of the 6 Gran Coupe was
followed two years later with the
launch of the 2014 4 Gran Coupe.
And the 4 Series Gran Coupe featured
a rear hatchback.
Due to its outstanding driving
dynamics, packaging, and size, the 4
Series has become a favorite vehicle
for auto enthusiasts. While the " me
drive fast, me like cars " buff books
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