ImageMaking Cars

Image cars make a lifestyle
statement about the driver

Illustrations by Scott Matern

JULIE CANDLER

Special to The Jewish News

yen a clunker
makes a statement
about its owner.
But you can't beat
the nice things
that image cars say about the
people who drive them.
So we've put together our
list of the top ten image cars
and what they say about peo-
ple who drive them.
Image cars are the vehicles
that people who buy entry-
level Geos and Corollas yearn
for. Most of them are upscale
and expensive and make a
lifestyle statement, like Guc-
ci loafers or Cartier watches.
Some modestly-priced
transportation, however,
makes a positive image state-
ment because it is unique or
fun to drive.
Some image cars make a
statement that "The person
driving this vehicle knows a
lot about cars and that's why
he or she chose this sporty
model." Some say, "My owner
has a fun-loving outlook."
They often say their owners
are rich, famous, important,
or possessed of good taste.
What Kurt Luedtke's Acura
Legend says about him, in the

E

CADILLAC

words of the Academy Award
winning screenwriter, is that,
"It marks me as an in-
telligent, thoughtful, not
crazy car purchaser, who
knows how to get good value
for the dollar. I figure $30,000
is enough to spend for a car."
He liked his four-door Hon-
da luxury car so much that a
month later, Mr. Luedtke
bought his wife, Eleanor, the
Legend coupe. "They sit in
the garage and talk Japanese
to each other," he says.
rlb avoid any display of bias,
we've listed our top ten image
cars in alphabetical order.
Prices are manufacturers'
suggested retail for 1991
models.

BMW

Any BMW reeks prestige.
But even Germany's

Bavarian Motor Works has an
entry-level car, the 318i
($19,900). From that model to
the 850i ($73,600), the BMW
says "upscale lifestyle?' Its
750iL V-12 (base price
$74,000) earned the title of
the world's best sedan in a
Car and Driver analysis
where cost was no
consideration.
BMW has hooked car en-
thusiast Ferris Haddad, of
Birmingham. "I like cars,"

CORVETTE

band, Bill, say, "It is (BMW)
a good car with a good resale
value and worth the invest-
ment. Its styling doesn't
become obsolete. I kept my
last BMW more than eight
years and it didn't look any
different than other BMW's
on the street."

CADILLAC

Cadillac's classy chassis
and style make it the best-
selling luxury car in the
United States. From the
$30,205 Coupe de Ville to the
$60,000 Allante convertible
hardtop, any Cadillac is an
image car. It has a
200-horsepower 4.9 liter V8
engine and a state-of-the-art
Computer Command Ride
system for good ride and
handling under all driving
conditions.
Singer Martha Reeves of
Martha and the Vandellas
likes Cadillacs. "If you want
to go to California," she says,

says Mr. HP.ddad, who reads
Auto Week, Automobile, and
Car and Driver magazines.
He drives his 750iL on his
rounds as a specialist in leas-
ing and venture funding. He
likes the car's firm ride, the
performance of its smooth
12-cylinder engine.
Gloria Gilbert and her hus-

JEEP

"you get in a Cadillac and it
will rock you all the way!"
As an entertainer, she adds,
"I want to drive a car with an
image of prestige." The

The 1991 Miata
with an anti-lock
braking system.

former owner of a Sedan de
Ville, Ms. Reeves plans to
lease an Eldorado. "I love that
car!"
Among others seen driving
Cadillacs are Gil Hill, Detroit
city council president, Tiger
president Bo Schembechler,
and Tom Monaghan, owner of
Domino's Pizza.

CORVETTE

Nearly every teenager's list
of coveted cars includes Cor-
vette, the high-technology
sports car marketed by GM's
Chevrolet Division.
The all-American two-
seater coupe holds its own
with the best cars in the
world. Its racy, muscular ap-
pearance turns heads
wherever it goes.
The jazziest image belongs
to the ZR-1 ($58,995). It
recently made Car and Driver
magazine's list of "Top ten
performance cars, cost no ob-
ject?' It gives the person at
the wheel awesome power,
with 375-horsepower perfor-
mance provided by a 5.7 liter,
32-valve V8 engine.
Corvette attracts people
who like to be first away from
the light. It appeals to
glamorous and successful
grannies like Ginny Stolicker,
Oakland Press columnist who
lives in Rochester Hills.
Except for male motorists
who seem determined to pass
her in her red Corvette con-
vertible, Ms. Stolicker says
nice things happen when she
drives her "Vette."
"Valet parkers are careful
with it and put it up front
where they can keep an eye
on it. People notice it.
Children yell and wave to you
when you're driving."
She bought it because she
loves cars and "it was the car
I always wanted to have. I
even like washing it!"

JAGUAR

According to their English
manufacturers, Jaguars don't
have options or accessories;
they have very British
fitments, even though the
company now is owned by
Ford.
Among the fitments on the
classy XJS Jaguar coupe

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 1991