We all have automotive heroes. Dream cars, supercars, cars we’d love to just get one chance to drive before we shuffle off our mortal coils. Sometimes we’re even lucky enough to do so, to take the wheel and truly meet those heroes — to understand their power, handling, and driving dynamics. But, unfortunately, that’s not always a good thing. Sometimes, meeting your automotive hero just leaves you disappointed.
Today, we want to know: What automotive hero do you wish you’d never met? Whether you climbed behind the wheel of a DeLorean only to find the styling wrote checks that the engine couldn’t cash, or you imported an Autozam AZ-1 before learning you’re simply too tall for its gullwing doors, today’s question is for you. What car do you wish had remained in perfect bedroom-poster form in your mind, unmarred by all of the manufacturing issues, cost-cutting, and parts-binning of real cars?
My pick is a surprising one
I’ve been lucky enough, in my years on this earth, to drive both generations of Acura NSX. Neither drive was under ideal circumstances — I did about 40 minutes of highway in an NSX Type S, and drove around Brooklyn in a first-generation car — but they were enough to give me wildly varying opinions on the two cars. The second-generation NSX is almost certainly the best car I’ve ever driven. The first generation, the one so beloved by all… isn’t. Now, the car I drove had no power steering. Its alignment could best be described as concerning, and it broke shortly after my drive (for reasons that were not my fault). It was a privately owned car, not one maintained like a museum piece, but it was still a disappointment to actually drive. Maybe I’ll drive a mint one someday, and get to update that opinion, but for now the NSX stands as the automotive hero I wish I hasn’t met.
What vehicle do you wish you’d never driven? Cars, bikes, anything’s on the table here. Leave the automotive hero you wish you’d never driven in the comments below, and I’ll collect my favorites later in the week. Bonus points for stories.
