From a Sow’s Ear
Back in the day, it wasn’t uncommon for automakers to whip up a two door coupe from one of the econoboxes in their lineup. During that era, crossovers and SUVs had yet to become a totally dominant force on showroom floors, permitting projects like these to get a green light from both corporate suits and nerdy accountants.
We’ve plucked a few examples of this phenomenon from the ‘90s for today’s list, partly because they are good examples of making a (kinda) silk purse from what some people would call a sow’s ear - and partly because that’s the time frame in which this author was an impressionable young gearhead. There are plenty of other examples and we encourage you to chime in on social media since we’re sure this list omits your favorite one.
[Images: Hyundai, Toyota]
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Two efforts from Hyundai spring immediately to mind. First, we find the little Scoupe, pronounced either “scoop” or “ess-coo-pay” depending on where you call home. Despite having two doors and a vaguely sporty shape, its underpinnings were from the lowly Excel, a vehicle seen mostly as a disposable penalty box - even when new.
Variants of the Scoupe allegedly got slightly different gearing for acceleration characteristics marginally better than its economy roots suggested; some markets even got a turbocharger. The car was enough of a hit that Hyundai gave it a facelift and had the thing on sale for roughly five model years.
Sticking with Hyundai, the Scoupe replacement was called the Tiburon, appearing the very next model year after production ended of the original car. This model was far more low slung and swoopy in terms of styling than the Scoupe, especially early examples which took more than a few cues from various HCD concept cars.
The looks, combined with very attractive price points, meant the Tiburon started popping up en masse in parking lots and driveways across the country. Two distinct generations of the Tiburon were produced, though frequent facelifts and restyles kept things interesting (and sales relatively robust). Much of the powertrain was sourced from a contemporary Elantra, assuring it a place on this list.
Remember the Toyota Paseo? It, too, was a little coupe in the vein of those two machines described above - though its roots are arguably even more humble. Underneath the skin of a Paseo was a simple Tercel. The first-generation car was sold in the front half of the ‘90s, from 1991 to 1995.
At which point, a restyled version appeared and stuck around for a similar length of time. While the name was allegedly Spanish for a walk or slow stroll, this author remembers a group of engineering students designing an alternative fuel powerplant for one, switching around the Paseo letters to read Aesop - the name of a Greek storyteller. Clever.
