8 Forgotten Halo Cars

Halo cars are designed to represent the pinnacle of an automaker's offerings. They’re usually made by mass-market brands to bring attention to their more reasonably priced vehicles. A halo car usually comes in the form of a performance car or even a luxurious grand tourer, and is typically the most expensive car in the automaker’s lineup, shining a halo of light over the more affordable offerings and enticing people into showrooms.

Audi knocked this formula out of the park with the successful R8. The R8 did everything right, combining performance and gorgeous looks in an exciting supercar that brought attention to the Audi brand. Price was also very important to the R8’s success, as it was expensive but not unattainable. This meant there was a good chance to actually see them driving around. The R8 reminded people that Audi is a performance brand, kicking off a new era and bringing attention to the rest of Audi’s lineup.

The R8 is one of the best examples of a successful halo car, but it’s far easier for an automaker to go in the opposite direction and end up with a dud on their hands that doesn’t sell or drum up the right kind of attention. Here are a few examples of halo cars that never got the chance to glow.

1.Volkswagen Phaeton

The Phaeton might be one of the biggest marketing missteps in recent history. Volkswagen attempted to move its brand upmarket in the early 2000s, at a time when BMW and Mercedes were releasing more mass-market options. This gave Volkswagen the confidence to create a luxury car, an approach spearheaded by the Phaeton. It was marketed as a rival to the Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7 Series and was, in some cases, even more opulent than its rivals. 

The Phaeton shared its platform with Bentley and Audi models, however, the biggest issue was branding. Volkswagen was always an affordable brand — it literally translates to “people’s car” from German. The brand was and is still known for making small economy cars like the Golf, so selling an ultra-luxury sedan seemed like an odd choice that didn’t align with the brand’s ethos. The Phaeton lacked an image of luxury, its looks were too subtle to reflect its nearly $100,000 price tag, and the VW badge didn’t scream opulence. 

2. Buick Reatta 

Aside from the raging hot GNX, Buick’s lineup in the late 1980s was mostly dull sedans and station wagons. To bring some excitement to the brand, Buick launched the Reatta in 1990, which was supposed to be a cool, modern sports car. The Reatta was based on the Buick Riviera, however, a luxury car known for being soft and comfortable. The idea behind the Reatta was for Buick to deliver the same comfortable driving experience the brand was known for, but in a sports car body. The result was a pretty unexceptional car that lacked the performance credentials to match its handsome looks. Its V6 engine produced only 170 hp and was mated to a front-wheel-drive powertrain, which didn’t translate into anything exciting. 

The Reatta failed to gain much attention from car shoppers or existing Buick customers. At the end of the day, it was just a rebadged version of a fairly regular coupe, only with a higher price tag. Buick expected to sell 20,000 Reattas per year, but only managed 20,000 after four years of production. 

3. Subaru SVX 

The late 1980s were a hot time for the Japanese car industry. Prior to the country’s economic downturn, Japanese automakers had the capital to develop some amazing performance cars. The result was a decade full of iconic vehicles such as the Mazda RX-7, Toyota Supra, Nissan GT-R, and Acura NSX. All of these cars were innovative and fast, but the Subaru SVX never gained that level of prestige. 

The SVX was far slower than the rest of its competition, only producing 230 hp from its flat-six engine, while other sports cars were making close to 300 hp if not more. Similarly, the SVX only came with a four-speed automatic transmission designed for comfort rather than speed. Its design was also odd, with a glass greenhouse that gave the windows a surprisingly small opening. The SVX was simply upstaged by its rivals, there were faster and more luxurious cars for the money, and despite its cool looks, the SVX never made its mark. 

4. Chrysler TC by Maserati

The Chrysler TC by Maserati was made in collaboration between the two brands in an attempt to market Chrysler as a more luxurious brand while also bringing some capital to the ever-cash-strapped Maserati. The TC or “Turbo Coupe” was supposed to be a Mercedes SL rival, but was far from it. The TC was a weird hybrid of the two brands: it drove on a Chrysler platform, had a Chrysler engine, and looked vaguely like a fancy LeBaron, while the interior was all Maserati. It was also expensive, with an MSRP of around $33,000 USD in 1988, equivalent to $89,000 USD ($122,000 CAD) today. The TC was a massive flop that failed to capture customers due to its awkward looks, big price tag, and lacklustre performance. It was ultimately more Chrysler than Maserati. 

5. Cadillac Allante 

The Allante was Cadillac’s attempt in the 1980s to draw in a younger crowd. It was designed to be Cadillac’s halo car, an exotic, opulent grand tourer that was supposed to mix luxury and performance and draw younger buyers away from BMW and Mercedes. The Allante was expensive, as its body was made by Pininfarina in Italy and had to be shipped back to the U.S. to be assembled in Detroit. This added to the Allante’s price, making it nearly $60,000 USD in 1987, which was more expensive than a Mercedes SL. The performance of the Allante was also mediocre — at launch, its 4.1L V8 only produced a measly 170 hp. It only got a proper engine in its last production year of 1993 when it received a 295-hp 4.6L V8. The issue with the Allante was that it failed to attract new customers to the Cadillac brand because it simply wasn’t sporty enough. Meanwhile, existing Cadillac buyers didn’t gravitate to it either, as it was too far of a departure from traditional Cadillac models. 

6. Alfa Romeo 8C 

After a long hiatus in the North American market, Alfa Romeo came back in the late 2000s with the 8C. It's important to note that at the time, Alfa Romeo still sold cars in Europe, mostly smaller cars like the 159 and 147. The 8C was a big departure for the brand because Alfa Romeo hadn’t made a luxury grand tourer in decades.

The 8C was based on the Maserati Gran Turismo, sharing the same powertrain and chassis, but its unique design made it one of the prettiest cars ever made. Performance was also good, as the 8C used a Ferrari-derived 4.7L V8 that made 444 hp. The main issue with the 8C is that it was made in very limited numbers; less than 1,000 units were built and they were extremely expensive, costing over $300,000 back in 2007. The 8C was undeniably special, but far too rare to ever make a big impact for Alfa Romeo.  

7. Mitsubishi 3000GT 

Like Subaru, Mitsubishi fully embraced the Japanese performance car trend of the 1990s with its fastest car at the time, the 3000 GT. The VR4 models of the final production year had 300 hp and all-wheel drive, making the 3000 GT a serious performance car. The issue was weight; VR-4 coupe models weighed in at 1,695 kg (3,737 lb), while the Spyder versions were 1,870 kg (4,123 lb). To compare, this coupe weighed more than the mid-size BMW 5 Series of the period. Entry-level versions were lighter, but not significantly, and their naturally aspirated V6 engines only made 222 hp, resulting in sluggish performance. Compared to its counterparts, the 3000GT was slower, less powerful, and less exciting, and especially with many models being automatics, it failed to make its mark as an icon of the era. 

8. Jaguar XJ220 

The Jaguar XJ220 was the brand’s forgotten supercar of the 1990s. It was produced from 1992 to 1994 with only 282 models built. The XJ220 promised a lot, with its concept having a V12, all-wheel drive, and a promised top speed of 220 mph, hence the 220 name. The production model underdelivered in every aspect; the V12 was replaced with a twin-turbo V6, it was rear-wheel drive, and it topped out at 212 mph. This still made the XJ220 the world’s fastest production car at the time, a title it held for only one year. Naturally, the XJ220 was expensive, costing $831,000 USD in 1992, equivalent to about $2.2 million CAD today. The XJ220 failed to be a halo car for Jaguar, giving the brand more negative press due to its under-delivered promises rather than its actual achievements. The price tag didn’t help either; the car was far too expensive and uncommon to make a lasting impact. Out of all the 1990s hypercars, the XJ220 aged the worst and is one of the only 1990s supercars that has dropped in value from its original MSRP.