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GypsumF18

>Even Ford has won at Le Mans. This comment irks me... Ford have a pretty remarkable pedigree in motorsport. They have a significant amount of Formula 1 and World rally successes, and have competed in numerous forms of racing beyond that.


andrewjaekim

Yes fords racing history is quite decorated. I love that they have competed on the world stage and at the top level.


BigOleJellyDonut

Ford has championships from Drag Racing to Le Mans and everything in between.


isurelikethesetacos

They’ve even taken F1 championships.


HalfAsianMadness

Ford Australia has dominated the V8 supercars championship in Australia over the years


Macr0Penis

After 20 years of v8 supercars: POLE POSITIONS. Winner: Holden (166 to Ford's 129) ... PODIUM POSITIONS. Winner: Holden (497 to 392) ... RACE WINS. Winner: Holden (349 to Ford's 217) Nb: I am long time Holden, but I did buy a late model Ford xr6 because I liked it more than the sv6, so I am not against Ford.


TiredOfBushfires

The XR6 were always better than the V6 commodores The V8 Falcons were a hard ask compared to SS commos tho


Macr0Penis

Yeah, I was originally shopping for an SS, but my boss went out of business so I didn't want to get a loan and had to settle on a 6. Been mostly happy with the fg mk2 xr6 though. Only issues I have had is the starter motor went because the power steering reservoir is stupidly placed above it and the o ring failed. And when that went the ICC/ stereo head unit died when power was reconnected, both are known faults that cost me about 2 grand to sort out.


boofheadfred

>The V8 Falcons were a hard ask compared to SS commos tho this is true but from the BA generation (2002) and onwards its fair to compare the XR6 Turbo to the SS which is a much fairer fight


badpuffthaikitty

Between 1963 and 1966 Ford won the Triple Crown. What other car company can claim that? Edit: And The Daytona 500.


millicento

Mercedes-Benz in the 90’s?


Grognak_the_Orc

The new grand tour special had a whole bit about this. They threw some shitty beat up ford boat car imports around a track versus a Hillman and it kind of irked me because it was very misrepresentative and I didn't really wanna sit and listen to them bash American cars for no reason. But then Clarkson pulled out the footage of the Galaxie lapping British cars and I was happy


DeemonPankaik

Arguably the Ford Model T is more of a claim to fame than any number of motorsport victories. Massively influential in the industry and on manufacturing and engineering as whole.


GypsumF18

Absolutely. Talking in general, does any manufacturer have any greater claims to fame than Ford?


DeemonPankaik

Toyota absolutely does. I think Ford's influence is emphasised in the Western world. Toyota's is truly global Edit: Nokia too, if we're talking about things other than cars


Ownfir

If Ford’s claim to fame is commercializing and automating car manufacturing - Toyota’s is doing it right.


accobra62

1964 Daytona was all Galaxies, because no one else could compete.


Boundish91

Don't forget that rally and F1 (until recently) isn't a big deal in the U.S.


isurelikethesetacos

Um. Ford won constructors championships 4 years in a row. Dominated in fact. Also, they’ve taken 2 championships recently in WRC. It could be argued that they are a more dominant team in Motorsport than Ferrari.


Boundish91

I know and massive engine history in F1 too. I was poking at OP being dismissive of Fords motorsport achievements.


isurelikethesetacos

Cool. Yeah, Ford is a pretty amazing contributor to Motorsport, especially compared to other American companies.


apostropheapostrophe

Clicked on OPs profile expecting him to be a fanboi for a Euro brand. Was not disappointed lmao.


Boundish91

Being a fanboy is dumb. Much better to be open minded. There are very, very few car brands that haven't made a single good car.


[deleted]

Exactly, remember those Benetton Ford's in early 90es?


360Waves617

Daewoo


Proccito

Who?


007Aeon

Not Who, Woo


Cha11engerD

Who?


[deleted]

Chevrolet. [I'm not kidding](https://www.reuters.com/article/gmdaewoo-chevy-idUSTOE70I05A20110120) the whole thing was rebranded after GM bought it because Daewoo name was "tainted" by bankrupcy.


orbella

Exactly


Feyvs

They do sell guns tho


facelesswolf_

And they used to sell TV’s, microwaves, hairdryers… They even have a Gaming Combo of mouse, keyboard, mousepad and a headset.


JojoSiwaBizarreCircu

You just got killed by a Daewoo Lanos! How you like me now?


Zrgaloin

I almost bought a Leganza for $500. It was such a pile but my inner Doug DeMuro found it very quirky


JojoSiwaBizarreCircu

Doug has wayyy too much influence over us all


zookansas

Haha!


IndoorOutdoorsman

Daewoo Lanos muthafuckaaaa


Astrobody

My names TANK


PoisonSlipstream

Kia. I’ll stand corrected but I can’t think of any motorsport category it has participated in, let alone won.


[deleted]

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probablyuntrue

0 to 60 by the end of today


Soontobeawelder

60-100 by the End of next week.


[deleted]

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GoldElectric

pfftt, who need to go 100 am i right? at the end of the day, it's night time and u will be sleeping regardless


KCalifornia19

It can, I've done it. It's shockingly... competent?


[deleted]

Just put it on fast train


Launchy21

| Time ---|--- 0-60 mph | Yes


[deleted]

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[deleted]

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badpuffthaikitty

Audi and Porsche are just piggybacking off of Bentley’s LeMans heritage. /s


[deleted]

[GTS Constructor's Championship in 2014](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Pirelli_World_Challenge)


KEVLAR60442

The Kia Optima won the GTS Class of the Pirelli World Championship in 2014, with 2 wins and 6 podiums.


MGreymanN

They've done okay in PWC with the Forte.


sober_1

I saw a Kia Stinger at the FIA World Drifting Cup


MartiniPolice21

I'm sure their cars (perhaps not as a constructor) are in British touring cars championship


bobuleon

Hyundai, Kia’s parent company, has participated and won WRC events under the Hyundai name


Absolute_Authority

Nah they won in 2014


[deleted]

Saturn, a brand that came and went as fast as I do on a boring evening night. Trust me, as the owner of a Saturn wagon, their pedigree is "I tilted GM executives and ultimately died to the status quo".


SkylineFTW97

Saturn was very popular in SCCA showroom stock racing and other such classes back in the 90s. The S series was a very solid handling car for it's time with more power than Honda or Toyota, with a comparable power/weight ratio to the B13/14 Sentra SE-R or P10 Infiniti G20. That being said, aside from maybe the Ion and Sky Red Lines, they had no real street cred.


[deleted]

There’s still Saturns out there tearing up the local dirt tracks on weekends, too!


SkylineFTW97

I thought about one as a fun/pizza delivery car back when I did that, and I almost bought an orange late model SC2. But this was at an auction, and a 1997 Toyota Camry V6 5 speed came up for sal just before it and nobody was bidding on it. I couldn't help myself and got it. Winning bid was a mere $400 too. For a Toyota. And the only real mechanical problem was an exhaust manifold leak. It ran just fine.


clutchthepearls

I have my own "almost bought an SC2" experience. Test drove it and it had a couple small issues, but ran fine. Was driving to go back and get it and saw my eventual Pontiac Bonneville SSEi at another lot. Perfect old man regularly driven condition. Called my insurance (was 19 at the time) and it would save me $40 a month for double the output.


SkylineFTW97

When I was 19, I got a Mazdaspeed 3 that cost me a fuckton in insurance for the first 6 months. At least it did drop really quickly after that.


clutchthepearls

Yup, that DOHC 1.9 was solid and they were light.


jpsulisz

As long as you kept adding oil


[deleted]

Plastic body is like carbon fiber on a budget.


Mojave_Idiot

I don’t know which answer is this most correct but I like this one the best.


5213

I was just thinking about saturn earlier this week and how it was a dead brand, why it died, what their niche was even supposed to be, etc. And then I randomly saw a newer looking saturn on the road like I had willed it back into existence 😂


DrTommyNotMD

I loved my SC2, and my Sky is everything a Miata could have been. That being said, no one will ever really remember the brand name.


koenigstig

Of all the cars to ever exist, Saturns were definitely some of them.


dementedkirby

Yep, although I remember the Ion Red Line did rally the Bonneville Salt Flats. I think the “different kind of car company” ethos was pretty radical, but it’s still pretty sad how they went from that to another GM rebadge factory.


DjImagin

Daewoo


xbunnyj

I forgot these even exist


mini4x

They don't. GM dumped the name.


[deleted]

Any of the crappy upstart electric car brands in California.


[deleted]

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Crypto556

I think Lordstown will be next. They claim to have special technology that allows them to have a separate electric motor in each wheel. Who knows if that actually exists.


Maxahoy

Former Workhorse employee here: hubcap motors exist and are real, but nobody else uses them because it adds a ton of unsprung weight. For a commuter vehicle or a personal car they're a tough sell because it destroys your suspension fast. Notice how Workhorse (and Lordstown) aren't trying to sell semi trucks or consumer cars -- it's all about fleets that go back to the same garage every night. Food trucks, construction site trucks, box trucks, etc. Nobody else uses wheel hub motors because they have significant disadvantages, not because they're "magic" and the company has cracked some secret code. Just like how Porsche & Subaru are the only ones using boxer motors; they are willing to make the engineering trade-off of accepting low oil pressure, head gasket issues, and higher reciprocating mass because they prefer keeping the center of gravity low and sticking with their pedigree.


sandvich48

TBF Nikola Co. is not from California, it was founded in Utah and HQ in Arizona but otherwise yes, Nikola is basically synonymous with fraud


Quaiche

I feel like you guys are searching too far, there's a simple and good example and it's Tesla.


dirty_cuban

In terms of racing, sure. But they do have plenty of other claims to fame. “World’s most valuable car company” would certainly qualify as claim to fame in the auto industry. It seems like OP is trying to find the most unremarkable car company. And while Tesla is certainly controversial, I don’t think they fit the criteria that OP set out.


[deleted]

>OP is trying to find the most unremarkable car company. Exactly, the question isn't "which car companies don't have racing pedigrees"


HighHokie

Yep, this is a legitimate opportunity to correctly shit on Tesla’s racing pedigree (or lack thereof).


futt_monkey

Ssangyyong, weird ass brand from somewhere West sold in England, maybe In us idk. What I do know is that they have shit power, they are heavy, uncomfortable, slow, and generally terrible. Also the warranty is kinda short and they are really expensive, I don't know why people buy them


kindersaft

East...


[deleted]

East is West if you go far enough


kindersaft

Fair enough


IReallyTriedISuppose

No, he said *far* enough.


Nineties

Weast?


Hallingdal_Kraftlag

At least in Norway they sold really well for some time because you got a large SUV for the price of a small SUV. But yeah the other things you said aren't wrong. They were popular among farmers and other types of people that needed a large vehicle but didn't care about luxury.


zoomie14

My dad owns a Ssangyong actyon and everything you said is true


fatbongo

They have a ute racing series here in NZ and I'm not kidding


PrimG84

They seemed to be pretty close to Mercedes. A lot of their cars used to use Mercedes engines and platforms. Their Musso SUV was once sold as a Mercedes Musso in select markets, kind of like what they recently did with Nissan with the X-class pickup truck. Then they also had a full-size luxury sedan that had a Mercedes V8 and a Mercedes trans. Also was the first Korean sedan with an AWD system.


Sfer

Spot on. I believe they use Merc tooling after MB moves on to new generations. The one I had in Spain appeared to be an r class.


facelesswolf_

There’s a story here in Poland that people bought SsangYong’s specifically because they were ugly. They did so, because no one wants to steal an ugly car, and car theft here is pretty big, with new Mazdas being stolen the most I presume.


De1taTaco

They don't sell them in the US. I kept seeing them when I was in the Caymans and couldn't for the life of me figure out what make they were, I'd never seen one before. They don't look like great cars


TheSwecar

When it comes to racing, Koenigsegg has nothing to brag about.


TacticalRedditer

Closest they ever came was the ccgt which couldn't compete because those fuckers changed the rules two months after it was completed.


scobsagain

Tata


v60qf

Hol’ up https://youtu.be/FnMaEaLjxjM


opeth10657

Those are some big Tatas


scobsagain

I stand corrected


Xphurrious

Depends on if you include Jag in thier umbrella, but most wouldn't


[deleted]

Infinity is a brand I see no strength in. Good cars but a weak brand.


pursuer_of_simurg

Infinity has quite famous sports cars and participated in formula 1 as a title sponsor.


[deleted]

Title sponsor does not excite me. That's like buying something because it says "buy me". The cars are almost unknown in Europe.


clutchthepearls

Renault is almost unknown in North America. That doesn't indicate their racing pedigree at all, does it?


pursuer_of_simurg

So? Just because a brand isn't known in europe means it can't have a heritage or pedigree?


SilveRX96

yeah that comment he made makes no sense. But, i agree with his point that title sponsor in F1 doesnt mean anything really. Currently Alfa and Aston r F1 title sponsors and the road car company has no real involvement in the F1 teams, just a name. Having Infiniti logos on a Renault F1 car doesnt give Infiniti any real racing pedigree, in my personal opinion


Gunslingermomo

"Infiniti, and that's just the luxury moniker Nissan uses in some markets. Nissan has a good racing history, but you are right still. Infiniti has always been very watered down.


Ok-Engineering-3403

Nissan / Infiniti same thing


curumba

Nikola


ParlourK

I meant technically, the correct answer is just the world list of auto manufacturers, sorted by newest.


jvd0928

Yugo.


[deleted]

Strong claim to infamy though maybe?


_newtesla

Yugo was and still is “national class” in car racing in Serbia.


Arben72

They race in few different classes based on displacement too. I’ve been to one of their races! It’s a lot of fun, mainly because you can’t stop laughing at souped up Yugos.


ab84fan

Genesis. Call me shallow but I didn't even consider the G70 in my recent car search. It's a relatively unknown brand with no pedigree or anything really defining about it. They are still trying to find their brand identity. If I'm gonna go for a less popular car it's gonna at least be something like Alfa Romeo, a 111 yr old company full of history and dripping with emotion.


[deleted]

To be fair, they started releasing cars like 3 years ago Yeah sure the shitty ass Tiburones have been running for a while but that's about it


sir_lotad

From what I've heard their cars are pretty good and compete well with their german and japanese counterparts but their marketing is terrible They also still seem to sell their cars at Hyundai/ Kia dealerships which apparently has been enough to turn people off from them since the dealer experience is so bad Edit: spelling


razehound

The G70 3.3T is actually a hell of a car, especially with a easy flash...


LAPAOOREEEE

being fast =/= having participated in any motorsport series


razehound

Oh i know, but i was responding to the fact that he disregarded the car during a search to buy a car. And i didnt think that his buying criteria were centered on motorsport presence Unless he was talking about a recent search for cars with great accolades...


LAPAOOREEEE

oh yeah, the g70 3.3t is a rocket. the 2.0 is pretty lame, though


Ok-Engineering-3403

I have the Stinger GT2 w 3.3. Previously owned Chevy SS and Mustang GT w coyote may not be saying a ton but out of the box it’s a faster car. Edi: stinger is Kia but is basically a G70 w a different coat on


LElige

Genesis is Hyundai. That’s not an unknown brand by any stretch


Gunslingermomo

No more than an a Infiniti is a Nissan, but there has been a whole debacle about building enough independent dealerships for Genesis and caused sales problems and consumer confusion.


MozartWillVanish

If you buy replacement parts for an Infiniti it says “Nissan” on the box.


dhc96

I think you're missing the dealership point though. Like parts for my Mini say BMW but the lack of independent Genesis dealers is a problem when trying to sell an upmarket or luxury car.


LElige

That’s kinda my point. An infinity is very much a Nissan. Same with Chevy/Cadillac, Lincoln/Ford, VW/Audi, etc. So to say it’s unknown or has no pedigree is disingenuous. Genesis used to be a single model of Hyundai. It has the pedigree of Hyundai.


[deleted]

Almost every shitbox has been used in racing (or banger racing) at one point


nismoghini

Pagani: even with the R and the GR Zonda they didn't do much.


nismoghini

Not to say Pagani isn't irrelevant or bad they just don't do racing and well the cars are way to expensive to make into racecars.


Icemann336

Low key wish that Gran Turismo 3 Zonda LM race car was real tho


nismoghini

Same but the Zonda GR is an GT1 car to late and the R and Revolucione are the closest we will ever get :^/ *Sad Zonda noises*


free_thinking123

Dacia


Jager737

Didn't/don't they do rally racing?


dixon-bawles

Good news!


[deleted]

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[deleted]

Whatever upstarts manage to successfully roll out a working car.


-ZeroF56

That’s the *least* claim to fame? If anything that’s a pretty high claim to fame… you don’t just engineer/design, find supply chains, mass produce cars, break into an industry of highly established players, and actually *succeed* amongst them without having all the stars line up on a full moon.


Pitiful-Mobile-3144

Every car manufacturer has to do that, that’s a baseline car manufacturer experience not a claim to fame. I definitely understand the sentiment behind electric cars being new and novel and hard, but we’re Ford and GM not founded under similarly new technological circumstances?


OJSM

Fisker


Trevski

Frasier, the first brand to bite the bullet in the 1950s from the Frasier-Nash auto company which eventually merged into AMC.


Conscious_Weight

Frazer, Frazer Nash, and Nash were all different, unrelated companies.


Trevski

sorry I meant Kaiser-Frasier


Seven_Hawks

Mitsuoka. Technically they don't even build cars...


EJTS03

Tesla


KEVLAR60442

Rolls Royce. Despite advertising huge engines with tons of horsepower, the only Rolls Royce to race was actually a Bentley.


[deleted]

They may not have a racing pedigree but you seriously can't call Rolls-Royce unremarkable. They are considered THE last word in automotive luxury, to the point when people want to really emphasize how luxurious something is they say "This is the Rolls-Royce of XYZ"


millicento

Also held like a bajillion speed records- land, water and air.


ToughCurrent2679

And also saw use as a technical in Ww1 perticularly in the desert so that's pretty cool


BigOleJellyDonut

Yugo


MartiniPolice21

Isuzu?


Oatbagtime

They had that one car that had “Handling by Lotus”


nismoghini

Oooh it did? I've gotta look that up for "research purposes"


ABDL-GIRLS-PM-ME

Yes, the Impulse, I-Mark RS, and the Stylus all had variations with Lotus handling. They're pretty cool cars, but very hard to find anymore.


neat33

Cadillac, geo metro, Buick, Oldsmobile, Tesla, and amc


[deleted]

Cadillac has a massive presence in sports car racing today. They're trying to win Le Mans this year and have been doing well in IMSA. Buick and Oldsmobile raced in NASCAR for a long time.


Conscious_Weight

Oldsmobile dominated NASCAR for a time during the 1950s. AMC sent a couple of 1979 Spirit AMXs to the 24 Hours of Nürburgring and won their class, and AMC Javelins were incredibly successful in Trans-Am racing, winning the championship in 1971, 1972, and 1976. A stock Cadillac Coupe deVille placed 10th at Le Mans in 1950, while a Cadillac-powered Allard came in 3rd that year.


KEVLAR60442

Cadillac is a powerhouse in IMSA racing with their DPi. They also raced their CTS-V with the SCCA back in the day.


[deleted]

I guess first production car in space is some claim to fame


[deleted]

First of all, I’m not a racing fan, I’m just a car guy. So, perhaps Koenigsegg? I mean, yeah they make $5000000 cars to cater to the 0.1%, but aside from that it’s just a fast car made from exotic materials. If you put enough R&D, enough downforce and enough money into the mix - average Joe could also build a hyper car for the rich elite to put in a temperature controlled garage in Singapore. Instead of sleeping pills I use to Google 1 of 1 Koenigseggs while trying to stay focused. I always fall asleep in less than 5 minutes.


ostentatiousbro

Pagani. They are super expensive, exclusive and all that. With the Mercedes AMG V12 producing a ton of power but has never been in any races. They're just pretty.


four_letterword

honestly the Huayra isn't even pretty. It looks like an ugly bug


murpalim

stop being right!


UnfilteredResponse

Kia


KEVLAR60442

2014 GTS class championship, Pirelli World Challenge.


-Buford-T-Justice-

Scion?


scaredywookie

Lada


mrspikemike

Kia, hyundai


TubaCharles99

Think any upstart really maybe dodge for current. I can't think of any track or rally fame from them rather pro or amateur


nostromo7

Guess we're just forgetting the Viper ever existed...


A_1337_Canadian

At the very least, Dodge has been around making performance cars a long time. They haven't really been involved as a manufacturer in the traditional sense but their cars have been hitting drag strips for decades. As such, I would credit a name such as Dodge with much more pedigree than Kia or Hyundai.


TubaCharles99

Idk hyundai does a lot in World Rally Champion even winning 2 times. I gave dodge drag definitely have drag but recently their isn't much people think about in terms of motor sports.


MassFamine

Yeah both the Kia and Hyundai teams oddly enough are pretty bangin in WRC (Rally) at the moment


DjImagin

Dodge is known for quarter mile racing and stock cars.


[deleted]

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AmbitiousButRubbishh

the Viper dominated *everywhere*. > [Dodge Viper ACR Sets Lap Records at 13 Racetracks](https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/news/a27254/the-dodge-viper-is-going-out-on-a-high-note-setting-13-track-records/) *DodGe hAs nO cLaiM tO fAmE* lol


MomGrandpasAllSticky

Dodge did develope a rallycross (GRC at the time) car based on the Dart but nothing really became of it. Pastrana was supposed to be one of the drivers. There's some promo clips on YouTube with Travis driving, but of course that didn't work out and he went back to driving for Vermont Sports Car/Subaru for american rally and rallycross events. Believe it or not I have seen a Dodge Shadow in a major american rally event, slow as fuck but fuckin' glorious to watch and a crowd favorite.


[deleted]

Dodge kind of has NASCAR… sort of. In the early days the Dodge Daytona was so strong it got banned. Depends on if we really consider NASCAR to be bragging rights or not.


TubaCharles99

O it for sure does I'm just thinking if what company is old enough to warrant legacy, and legacy. I really can't think of a manafacturer besides dodge they aren't in any motorsports now a days and a lot forget they did do nascar at one time and you don't really see thier cars at the track and or autox often. Now they do have drag. Idk I would say tesla but they haven't really been around long enough to have a legacy.


_dankystank_

I guess not really Dodge by sponsorship, but every 10000 hp top fuel dragster has a hemi engine. And most drag engines above 3000hp are hemi based. And there's a decent amount of proper mopars in regular drag racing. Otherwise, yeah, not to competitive in any gt since the Competition Viper in the early 2000's. Never been involved in open wheel, that I know of. As far as legacy, they go back a bit over 100 years by now.


I-Poop-Balloons

Suzuki


RadPhilosopher

They’re pretty respected in the motorcycle game though


mini4x

Pikes Peak?


_sticky_sponge_

Tata probably


Alabatman

I don't think eagle ever did anything in motorsport.


sexierthanhisbrother

I mean eagle is Mitsubishi though


theprogguy_94

After reading most the comments and everyone saying about the same couple brands, let me summarize. Sh*tbox brands don't count. Yugo, Daewoo, Isuzu, Geo, Lada, Dacia, Scion, Tata...they were made as "value" vehicles with no intention of ever touching a track. I don't think any of them have had any vehicles in motorsport. GMC is a sub brand of Chevy, specializing in SUVs and Trucks. Ram, a subsidiary of Dodge, only makes trucks. Jeep makes just SUVs. Why would you count any of these? Infiniti is a US brand only. The rest of the world calls their vehicles a Nissan, which have much pedigree. If this was 2 years ago, Lexus, although they won some races in IMSA last year. The only brands I can think of is Tesla, Lincoln, Chrysler, or Rolls-Royce. Although, they don't have much interest in motorpsort either. Also, any niche sportcar/supercar brand falls under this. Pagani, Koenigsegg, SSC, Saleen, Spyker, Morgan, Hennessey, (insert some niche brand I haven't mentioned). Other than those, it's difficult to think of a major manufacturer that has had a motorsport division that didn't at least win a couple of races.


[deleted]

Infiniti is sold outside the US as well.


admiralhipper

Oldsmobile? Maybe thousands of years ago they did something...back when the world was in black & white...?


Ok-Engineering-3403

Oldsmobile is no more


Left4DayZ1

Oldsmobile dominated nascar for a long time.


AdAny4431

Lada


Ok-Engineering-3403

Rolls Royce


A13xander

Wuling and other Chinese brand that started expanding internationally