REPRINT FROM TRAFIKJOURNALEN #5 2021
CARS THAT INFLUENCED CAR CULTURE
PART 5: FROM CASH TO CRASH.
The mid 80s to mid 90s was sure a period of transition. When we enter this era the economy is strong, when we leave it we are trying to recover from the huge financial crisis. New car sales managed to hit both a (then) all time high (1988) and one of the lowest figures we’ve ever seen after world war II (1993). But it was also an era were cars started to change, and also the priorities among the buyers. First, the lead disappeared from the gasoline. Catalytic converters became mandatory, and there was lots of talk about things like CFC free air conditioning, solvents in car paint and how much of the car that could be recycled when it had ended its service. Even fuel consumption was under the radar, because climate changing CO2 emissions were questioned too. And after the environmental debate there was the safety debate. Customers started to question how well cars passed crash tests, started to demand airbags and ABS brakes. Now the cars didn’t only have to be safe and environmentally friendly enough to please the government - now they also had to please the even more demanding customers.
With that said, we have found some interesting cars from this era that we are going to take a look at.
1995 Schnell L50 Catalyser (
@interior )
The Schnell L50 Catalyser is a prime example of something that could have been good, and could have sold well, but didn’t. A light RWD coupé with elegant styling and nice driving dynamics for a sane price - sounds like a recipe for, if not success, so at least a strong seller, right?
Unfortunately, the half assed engine tuning really spoiled the experience. 111 hp out of an 1.6 litre inline 4 was maybe not bad figures for 1995, but on the other hand, 111 hp was hardly enough in this class at the time either. Performance wise, it might not have been a slug, but there was competitors that beat it with great margins. Also, the small engine lacked bottom end torque which made the car feel more gutless than it actually was, and maybe that could have been excused if it wasn’t for the terrible fuel economy. 12.2 litres per 100 km was far from acceptable figures from such a light car with a small engine as late as 1995. People were simply avoiding the Schnell and looked for better alternatives - there was not really a lack of them.
Because of this, the L50 Catalyser remains kind of a forgotten model today. They didn’t really have a strong following to start with, and even if they were kind of reliable and well protected against rust, 25 years have taken its toll on the number of available cars. Where did they all go, by the way? Our guess is the folkrace track. Fuel economy is not really of high priority there, at least.
1995 Mara Kavaler 2.3i Prakty (
@AndiD )
When we tested the Mara Kavaler back in 1995, our headline might have been a bit harsh, “Suddenly it’s 1985”. Point was that it felt 10 years old already as new, but on the other hand, as usual with Maras, you got what you paid for, and corners were not cut in the most critical points, since the Kavaler was easy to drive, comfortable, had reasonable safety with equipment like anti lock brakes and was a great workhorse. Styling? Meh. Performance? No. Excitement? If you find cold porridge exciting, then probably. Engine? 80 hp out of 2.3 litres with absolutely no refinement at all.
But that was OK. There will always be people looking for a roomy station wagon for low amounts of money, and with advantages like new car warranty, it was seen as a good alternative to used station wagons from more “exclusive” brands, and sold reasonably well because of that. And probably you got used to seeing them so often in everyday traffic that you haven’t really noticed that most of them are gone today. Not because they were bad - just because of their image as a “disposable item” and the fact that they are 25 years old by now.
And we doubt that there will be any interest among collectors in many years to come, but in case you are looking for really cheap and basic motoring, and can find a Mara Kavaler, then why not? At least you won’t encounter any troubles with touch screens or parking assists breaking down, that’s for sure. Also, RWD makes for some good old fashioned fun in the wintertime, if you feel like being a bit on the wilder side.
1990 F&S Seax GTS (
@Tez )
In the era of the “hot hatch” F&S kind of surprised everyone, when the sports car manufacturer released kind of an oddball in the sports compact class. Under the bonnet was a 5 cylinder 2 litre engine mounted sideways, sending 191 hp to the front wheels. The touring car pedigree was evident in its driving dynamics even though some people criticized the brakes for being somewhat fading sensitive when driven very hard. Also, it featured a more well appointed interior than average in its class, coming from a manufacturer of “exclusive” cars as it was.
So, the Seax must have been a success, right? Actually, far from it. With an economy starting its downfall, paying $30100 AMU for a sporty compact simply couldn’t be justified for most people. It remained an oddball for the few people wanting a nicer than average sporty compact, and liked the status and heritage of the F&S brand. Also, the styling of the Seax seems to have caused mixed reactions, some people thought that it looked a bit bland and “unfinished” while other people liked it.
Sure, the Seax have always had some kind of cult status as long as you are looking in the right crowd. And with age, that one is growing, and we suspect that interest for the model, as well as values, will be growing slow but steady. An interesting oddball for people wanting something different than just another “hot hatchback”.
1992 Moravia Gabriela DL 1.7 (
@Maverick74 )
Sometimes “average” translates into “good” and the Moravia Gabriela was proof enough. There was absolutely nothing about it that stood out enough from the crowd to make anyone excited about it, and it was not even in the absolute bottom segment of the market when it came to pricing. And yet, it sold. And sold and sold and sold. Simply because it was a well built, well thought out car that gave you great value for the money. Compared to, for example, the Mara Kavaler, it was a more modern car, albeit smaller, for less money, and it seemed to have hit the right spot in the market. There were no areas where the Moravia was overly “weak” either, and the liftback body made it a really practical car too. Simply a very good everyday car that had what normal people needed.
It was even more sought after on the second hand market, for its reputation of being unkillable. And it was a reputation that was completely justified too. Statistics showed that the Moravia was one of the best built, most trouble free cars on the market, with a reliability record that could have made many much more expensive competitors green with envy. And 30 years later, the reputation still stands strong. People are still looking for Moravia Gabrielas as a cheap, practical, reliable mode of transportation - not as an enthusiast vehicle.
If that will ever change? Who knows. We can clearly see why a cult would evolve around the model in case it ever does, though. As another anti-hero of the automotive world.
1986 CADE 1400 (
@Edsel )
When the CADE 1400 was introduced, it was often seen as a more modern competitor to the Moravia Veverky. Both were extremely simple cars sold at a low price, but while the CADE was faster and more modern looking, the Moravia had better total economy, was more fun to drive and (according to most people) had more charm than the boxy CADE. Also, this was a class that traditionally has not been very popular in this country, and after the flop with the SeXi, CADE had a quite bad reputation. Despite that, the 1400 managed to sell relatively well. It was lurking behind the Veverky most of the time, but that didn’t mean that the 1400 was a flop, it was a strong seller among the bottom feeders on the market.
While seen as a bit boxy and uninspiring back then, people have started liking the simple styling of the CADE 1400 more and more as years go by. It is sort of a classic design in its own simplicity nowadays and even the simple nature of the equipment and the engineering have gotten a kind of cult status. Something like a more modern version of cars like the Citroën 2CV.
We’re maybe not there yet when a CADE 1400 will be fully accepted at a vintage car show, but we’re heading in that direction as we speak, just believe us there.
1991 AEKI 550 T5 (
@conan )
The AEKI 550 probably requires no presentation at all, it is a well known sight in everyday traffic. Yet, calling it “very influential” would be to stretch the truth a bit. Sure, it sold well, like the 400-series also did before it, but it really was just more of the same thing. Not regarding the car in itself - it was designed from a clean sheet of paper. It’s just that people only kept buying it - just like they had bought the 400 series. It became a sought after car also on the used car market - just like the 400 series. It’s still popular - just like the 400 series.
Maybe some of the soul was lost in fusioning the Malmö and Lund operations, leading to a compromise that made AEKI a bit more mainstream (though probably needed for economical reasons, which also may explain why it actually sold a bit cheaper than the 400 series). Also, it was lagging a bit behind compared to some earlier AEKI models. Don’t get us wrong - it was absolutely not a bad car, but it was not always ahead of its competition either, and from a clean sheet design many people had expected more, even if it would be much too harsh to call the 550 a “disappointment”, something it certainly was not. It was a practical family car, safe as a house, fast and with great driving dynamics. Also, much more people swear by the 2.3 litre, 208 hp turbo 5 than there is people that swear at it.
And if we wind the tape 10 years forward we even might see some new passion injected in the interest for the model, so our suggestion is to buy one now before the values are rising too much.
1995 Mons Albatros II (
@cake_ape )
The Albatros II was more or less the pinnacle of automobile engineering when it arrived - no question about it. Especially when it came to comfort - here you could really talk about a ride that was “like hovering around on a cloud”. It featured all the latest technology, and now we are talking about tech that you hardly will find in cars even today, over 25 years later. If you wanted a safer vehicle, you probably had to opt for a tank. But a tank could not reach 280 km/h and accelerate to 100 from standing still in 5.11 seconds - sports car performance in that era. And a 452 hp V12 was almost an utopia - but there you had it, under the bonnet of the Albatros II. It also should be noted that they had succeeded with keeping the fuel economy at a sane level. 12.6 litres per 100 km was absolutely acceptable for such a monster of an engine in a 2.2 tonne car back then.
Unfortunately, it became only a player in the margins. In 1995 we had not fully recovered from the financial crisis yet, and a car costing almost three times as much as the AEKI 550 T5 was completely out of reach for almost everyone. Also, this was a time when the world was waking up to be a bit more “ecologically minded” and it was maybe not politically correct with excessive vehicles like this anymore.
You want one today? They are incredibly affordable for what they are, if you can find one. That is, to purchase. But they do break down and when they do, they leave a black hole in your wallet. That’s something that really should not be forgotten, just so you know.
1995 KAI K3 RS-T (
@abg7 )
KAI and sporty coupés are going hand in hand, at least that was proven in the last issue. When the K3 RS-T was released in 1995, it was nothing but a bomb. Sure, it might have looked a bit like a cute little “hairdressers coupé”, but nothing could be further from the truth. 250 hp out of its 2 litre turbo four was proof enough, which of course gave the KAI blazing performance. The reason was, like so many other times, called “motorsports”. The RS-T was a homologation special for group A rallying, where KAI had a great success with the model in the 90s. And of course, for many young drivers (and for that matter, lots of older drivers too), a K3 RS-T was a dream car 25 years ago.
What it never got, though, was the widespread appreciation that the K180 got. Being more expensive than an AEKI 550 T5, it was a bit hard to justify buying such an “adult toy” for that kind of money, when we were slowly raising from the financial crisis. And as all homologation specials, the number produced was limited, making it even more out of reach for many people.
Today the K3 RS-T is a much loved rally icon from the 90s, that really deserves a place in the motorsports hall of fame, much like earlier heroes like the Mons Hawk GT-X. And do we have to mention that prices are getting out of reach nowadays?
1987 Munot Meteor 54LS (
@Quneitra )
Do you remember the joke from the late 80s? “What has four wheels, five cylinders and comes standard equipped with both an airbag and a douchebag?”. If you were there, you do. And we have probably triggered lots of Munot Meteor fans by now.
Truth is, that the late 80s was the right era for a sporty premium compact sedan. Times were changing and people could all of a sudden buy compact cars for completely other reasons that they were out of money. The Munot Meteor was expensive, but it was also “over-engineered” and featured lots of interesting technology. That also made it kind of a yuppie chariot, in an era before anyone knew about the financial crisis, it was by no means a rare sight to see a Meteor with a NMT mobile antenna on its roof plowing through traffic carelessly.
But take off your dirty old glasses and look at the Munot Meteor with new eyes and there is a chance that a modern classic will appear in front of you. Not only has the styling, at least according to us, aged much better than some of the aero style “blobs” of the era, despite still having a low coefficient of drag, it is also maybe one of the best ways to enjoy a classic today that still can be used daily. It has great driving dynamics, the performance is still up to date, the feeling of over-engineering is something you simply won’t find in cars anymore, it is very comfortable, the interior is nicely appointed and the advanced safety technology for its era means that you still stand a good chance, should the worst thing happen.
Fortunately for you, not many people have discovered this yet, so you can still buy a Munot Meteor for a reasonable amount of money, and ownership does not have to be an economical struggle either - fuel economy is decent for an 80s car, spare parts are still available and actually cheaper than you probably imagine.
Just watch out a little bit for the rust. We don’t say that it is terrible at rusting - but they still could suffer from it - and there is no reason to buy a rusty example since the prices on good survivors are still low.
1992 Cabrera Rabion (
@Petakabras )
Being a car importer in the early 90s was a tough task - no question about it, and being the Cabrera importer was no exception. And the financial crisis struck niched cars the hardest - for example the Cabrera Rabion. It didn’t help that we - and the rest of the motoring press - praised it. The buyers at the time were few, for obvious reasons. And if you still felt like you were in the market for a sports car, there was lots of used examples of full blown sports cars on a saturated used car market.
Wasn’t the Cabrera Rabion a full blown sports car then? Surely it was. It was fast, mid engined, handled like if it went on rails, had excellent braking performance, there was just not enough weight in the Cabrera name yet by 92. Something they tried to change with halo cars like the Rabion, because after all you have to start somewhere.
But somehow, it was like if Cabrera Rabion owners understood what they had. The cars that found its way to Sweden (through the regular importer, or later as second hand imports) have rarely been abused, often taken care of like if they knew that they had a future classic in their hands. And well, they had. Today the Rabion is seen like the cool underdog that managed to run with the big boys, and absolutely nothing to be ashamed of among other, more exclusive brands.
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