Random Car Wednesday: Consulier GTP

The automotive world is full of oddballs. Kit cars, prototypes, one-offs and customs add diversity to the mix. Today's RCW is definitely not something you see every day. Meet the Consulier GTP, a Florida-built sports car of sorts from the late 1980's. Powered by a Chrysler Turbo motor, the GTP was intended to be a serious sports car, but it didn't really catch on. Part of the failure could probably be traced to the styling. Though the overall proportions are right, it's just plain unattractive. It looks cluttered. The headlights seem to be borrowed from an 80's Camaro, there's a NACA duct on the right fender, but not the left, and the door handles, windshield wipers, and mirrors all seem to have been added at the last second as afterthoughts. To top it all off, the whole car is painted Ronald McDonald Red. And yet, it's intriguing. It's different. It's a good concept marred by questionable execution. Consulier later went out of business, and was reborn as Mosler with much more success. The Mosler MT900S was far more attractive, better received, and much faster. Without the GTP, however, it would never have come to be. So I guess it has that going for it.

Consulier GTP