PMI Usurper Sedan ‘Cannes’
The ‘Cannes’, named after the French town on the Côte d’Azur, was the first four-door developed by Usurper. At over 6 meters long, the ‘Cannes’ had more than ample space for that extra pair of doors anyway. Size also meant weight, this new Usurper, launched in 1959 and face-lifted in 1961, clocked in at a full two metric tons.
This amount of weight needed power, so the ‘Cannes’ was only offered with a single engine option, a large 390 cubic inch V8, for the first time tuned to run on super-leaded fuel. The 1959 version had a single 2-barrel carburator and produced 210 horsepower and 336 ft.lb of torque. A manual 4-speed gearbox was chosen over an automatic unit for more optimalized power delivery.
Beneath the car remained the standard PMI Usurper set-up of a ladder chassis, independent front suspension, and a solid coil rear axle, although actually this would actually be the last Usurper with a simple ladder chassis to be produced.
The 1961 update featured a new grille and a redesigned rear quarter, with lower, sleeker fins and more modern rear lights. The engine was updated as well with a 4-barrel carburator, meaning the 390 now produced 255 horsepower and 358 ft.lb of torque.
The high power-output meant good performance, but especially the high torque made it at times a difficult car to drive, with tendency towards oversteer when accelerating out of a slow corner. Top speed of the '61 model was 128mph; acceleration from 0-61 was achieved in less than 10 seconds. Fuel economy was not a worry in the sixties and that showed in the fuel consumption of this car and its mpg of well under 10.
Other critiques in the car media were its relatively high cost and issues with reliability. However, the engine, comfort and the prestige attached to the model were universally lauded.
