Mopar Boy
Enthusiast
Question for you (SRT). Have you ever considered a SRT Minivan? I ask as my thought process goes as follows:
Guy has hot car. Hot car gets hot girlfriend. Hot girlfriend and hot car owner get married. Hot girlfriend is a little too hot and gets pregnant. Now time for hot car to give way to the family mobile: The minivan! A car enthusiasts worst nightmare. A slow, soggy handling, no ground effects vehicle. Lets face it. To those of us that like sporty cars, the minivan segment is not "cool". Just talk to your marketing dept!
This scenario played out in my family. When siblings and I came along, dad had to sell his performance cars. As he knew it was the right thing to do, he ended up with a slow ass van (Do you remember the 1984 model? Yeah, it was slow! )
I look at the families of today. They are no different. Times have changed but not the want for horsepower when it is in your blood. They buy minivans as they are the right things to do for their family. That does not mean dad doesn’t have an interest in performance anymore. It just means that vehicle function is more important.
My father and I have always spoken on our 1992 5 speed stick Turbo Voyager. With the waste gate tweaked, we use to race Camaros and Rustangs, and win! We pulled rubber all the way through first, second, and chirped third. Dad says it was fun vehicle to drive, as well as covering the functionality end.
If memory serves, in the late 1990's there was a Caravan R/T concept. Was a brilliant idea. But the idea never went anywhere. From a sales standpoint, there has got to be a market for a SRT minivan. The vehicle still has its functionality, but there performance aspect is still there for those that crave it. The SRT Jeep is good, but for those that need the space of a minivan and don’t want an SUV....
As for public image, yes, it is viewed as a child hauler, not a performance vehicle. And yes, the concept may be looked down on by the safety folks as it is a family vehicle. But last time a saw a minivan ad touting the van as "sporting swagger", it hit me. Maybe its time for an SRT van. Would change the stereotyped image of a minivan forever, it would be the only one in its market segment, and it may just give a nice boost in sales.
How about it? Thoughts? Has it ever been considered again?
How about you, the VCA? Would something like that interest you or someone you know? Do you just plain think I am off my rocker again from breathing in too many vehicle fumes as a child?
Robert
Guy has hot car. Hot car gets hot girlfriend. Hot girlfriend and hot car owner get married. Hot girlfriend is a little too hot and gets pregnant. Now time for hot car to give way to the family mobile: The minivan! A car enthusiasts worst nightmare. A slow, soggy handling, no ground effects vehicle. Lets face it. To those of us that like sporty cars, the minivan segment is not "cool". Just talk to your marketing dept!
This scenario played out in my family. When siblings and I came along, dad had to sell his performance cars. As he knew it was the right thing to do, he ended up with a slow ass van (Do you remember the 1984 model? Yeah, it was slow! )
I look at the families of today. They are no different. Times have changed but not the want for horsepower when it is in your blood. They buy minivans as they are the right things to do for their family. That does not mean dad doesn’t have an interest in performance anymore. It just means that vehicle function is more important.
My father and I have always spoken on our 1992 5 speed stick Turbo Voyager. With the waste gate tweaked, we use to race Camaros and Rustangs, and win! We pulled rubber all the way through first, second, and chirped third. Dad says it was fun vehicle to drive, as well as covering the functionality end.
If memory serves, in the late 1990's there was a Caravan R/T concept. Was a brilliant idea. But the idea never went anywhere. From a sales standpoint, there has got to be a market for a SRT minivan. The vehicle still has its functionality, but there performance aspect is still there for those that crave it. The SRT Jeep is good, but for those that need the space of a minivan and don’t want an SUV....
As for public image, yes, it is viewed as a child hauler, not a performance vehicle. And yes, the concept may be looked down on by the safety folks as it is a family vehicle. But last time a saw a minivan ad touting the van as "sporting swagger", it hit me. Maybe its time for an SRT van. Would change the stereotyped image of a minivan forever, it would be the only one in its market segment, and it may just give a nice boost in sales.
How about it? Thoughts? Has it ever been considered again?
How about you, the VCA? Would something like that interest you or someone you know? Do you just plain think I am off my rocker again from breathing in too many vehicle fumes as a child?
Robert